PAGE FOUR
THE COMPASS
SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER, 1963
STUDENT COUNCIL REPORTS
Results of the Trial
Student Body Newsletter
James L. Terreil
Reporter for the Student Council
On the twentieth and twenty-first
day of October, 1963, 220 of the
Elizabeth City State College students
entered the Elizabeth City Municipal
Court House to hear the results of
the Freedom Demonstration on Sep
tember 24. 1963.
At eleven o’clock P.M. the 220
students heard the results of the
trial.
Lawyers Pearson and Mallone, the
defendants for the 220 students, gave
the following closing remarks for the
student:
LAWYER PEARSON: The year
1963 is called ‘A Social Revolu
tion,’ and demonstrations are not
new. They are as old as America
itself.” This country was founded on
demonstrations. The Boston Tea Par
ty was founded on demonstrations.
“The main reason why these stu
dents are demonstrating is because
they want to be somebody. They
want to be treated as the laws of
this country have inferred. They
want to be treated as free citizens.”
“I urge you Sir, (Judge Fentress
Horner) this is immoral. These stu
dents are not criminals and should
not be treated like criminals. They
are the Future Leaders of Tomor
row!”
The people of North Carolina are
not violent people. There are hoodu-
lums on both sides but they have
not gotten out of hand.
Send these students back to school
to continue training for citizenship
which will probably continue this
phrase of progress in Elizabeth City.
In conclusion, I submit to you Sir,
we all live under the same law and
want to be treated the same.
LAWYER MALLONE: “It is the
duty of this Court and every court
to enforce the laws of this land. But
what have we here? We have here
some two-hundred and twenty men
and women born in America, and in
most instances bom in North Carolina.
These young people in an effort to
assent and obtain their birth rights
given them are now protesting them
here in Elizabeth City.”
“These people (students and City
people) went to these places dressed
proper and clean, and it has been stat
ed that the only reason the own
ers have denied these students is be
cause they are Negroes.”
These young people had no inten
tion to break the law. They only
wanted the rights they were born to
have and to be treated as human
beings.”
How long will we allow a small
group of citizens to force their preju
dices against the Negroes? These
Negroes are tried and are only ask
ing for their rights.
I want to point out that this is not
a criminal act, nor is it one based
on an act of criminality in mind. 1
ask you Sir, does anyone have the
right to humiliate any individual?
Judge Homer read the cases of State
vs. Clayburn because this case was
nearly the same as the case of the
students. (You can read this case
if you desire to further understand
why he read it).
After the reading of the case, he
said that the students were breaking
the law of North Carolina, and that
they should have read the law before
demonstrating. He stated that it was
mostly the leaders who were responsi
ble for committing the students to
demonstrate, therefore, he would dis
miss the followers because they were
only following the leaders and be
cause they did not know what they
were doing.
He then called those he thought
were leaders before the Court and
sentenced them. The leaders that he
called are as follows:
1. Willie Francis—13 Months in
jail or placed on a $600.00 bond.
2. Colbert Minga
3. Colin Minga
4. Edward Bracey
5. Norris Earl Francis
The latter four were sentenced to
12 months in jail or $500 bond each.
A'l of the other students sentenced
on loitering and trespassing laws
were asked to appear before the Court
on November 11, 1963.
Social Affairs Committee
Lists '63-'64 Objectives
Matthew Lewis, Jr., chairman of
the Student Council Social Activities
Committee, has stated that the objec
tives of the Social Activities Commit
tee for the year 1963-64 will be as
follows:
1. To plan with the officers of the
the Student Council all campus
activities.
2. To make final arrangements for
any dance and to conduct all
persons involved.
3. To announce in advance all
major campus activities.
4. To requisition and keep up to
date new records for dances.
5. To conduct the treasurers.
To help the committee carry out
these objectives, Mr. Ixwis has select
ed the following persons as members
of the committee: Eula Cordan,
Geraldine Wright, Earl Brown, Ernest
Holley, and Wilma Foskey.
So far, the committee has sponsored
two scholarship dances. The first
dance was after the Livingstone-Eliza-
beth City game and the second was
after the Winston-Salem-Elizabeth
City game. Music for the second
dance was played by the Rhythm
Kings of Norfolk, Virginia. The bene
fits accrued to the scholarship funds
of the College.
Other activities sponsored by the
Social Activities Committee were:
1. Talent programs between the
dormitories.
2. Jap Curry and Orchestra on
October 19.
Lewis is urging more students
to participate in the activities. It is
not the responsibility of the Social
Activities Committee to sponsor all
activities.
Elizabeth City Gains
(Continued from Page 1)
lege and of A. & T. College (Chemis
try); Instructors: Harold L. Gamble of
American University (social science);
Mrs. Carol E. Jones of Virginia State
College and Howard University (Eng
lish); Mrs. Dorothy J. Lee of Ala
bama State College (English); Albert
J. Lee of Alabama State College
(art).
We are also happy to see Mrs.
Edna Braxton (Virginia State College,
New York University), assistant in the
Lighthouse College Center; Larry G.
Wilson (North Carolina College and
Howard University) program director
of the Lighthouse College Center;
Mrs. Laura S. Irvin (Northwestern
University ’ and Atlanta University)
dormitory director; Mrs. Mary H.
Leavens (Elizabeth City State College)
bookkeeper; Miss Odessa A. Williams
(N. C. College at Durham) and Mrs.
Lillie Pitt Curtis (Elizabeth City State
College) faculty secretaries.
Keep Our
Campus Clean
Student Council Prexy
Addresses Student Body
N jrris Earl Francis, president of
the Student Council, and other stu
dent leaders addressed the student
body in an assembly program spon
sored by the Student Council, held
October 3, 1963.
Basic purposes of the program were
to present the student leaders of the
campus to the college family; to have
each student leader tell the student
body the purposes of the organizations
represented by them; and to invite
each student to participate in an or
ganization of his choice.
The program began with a Handel
“Prelude and Fugue in D” by Geral
dine Vaughan, organist and an ad
vanced freshman.
Student-leader participants and or
ganizations they represented are:
Viola Gams, president. Women’s Gov
ernment Association; Otha Sydnor,
president, Men’s Government Associa
tion; Jean Rowlette, president. Light
house Activities, Ulysses Bell, editor
of the Compass; Joseph Freeman,
president of Student NAACP Chapter;
Nathaniel Grant, commissioner of
the Intramural Program; Marcell
Forbes, Miss State College; Norris
Earl Francis, president of the Stu
dent Council; and James Jackson,
Phillippa Duke, Richard Gore, James
L. Terrell, John Robinson, Matthew
Lewis, Jr., and Lloyd Troy Porter,
members of the Student Council.
Marcell Forbes, Miss State Col
lege, welcomed the freshmen and new
students and encouraged them to
work to the maximum of their capaci
ties in their classes and to make use
of the facilities provided for them.
Student Council president Francis
emphasized unity in the student body,
and the responsibilities we possess as
college students.
“The unity of the group or organi
zation is very important if the group
or organization is to be stable and
long endurable,” Francis said. “The
student body of Elizabeth City State
College must possess this unity.”
He continued, “Unity has con
quered many problems in the his
tory of the world ... ‘A house di
vided among itself cannot stand.’
Again I stress the power of unity of
the student body.”
Francis’ emphasis on responsibility
took this form: “There is a great re
sponsibility facing the college students
of 1936-1964. The barriers of segre
gation and discrimination are rapidly
breaking. Will we be ready to accept
the responsibility? Will we have peo
ple for the new jobs? Will we know
how to adapt ourselves in these new
situations?”
“These points are very important,”
he declared. “You can meet this re
sponsibility if you prepare yourself.
Don’t be satisfied with making “C’s”
in your classes, because just a “C” .. .
will be “F” in our complex world.”
Hs concluded: “Take advantage of
every educational experience provid
ed by the College.”
Six Busses to Norfolk
State College students traveled in
style to witness the Elizabeth City-
Norfolk State game at the Portsmouth
Stadium (Portsmouth, Virginia) on
September 28.
Six chartered Trailways buses lined
up in front of the infirmary and with
a minimum of confusion the students
embarked on the “big” journey.
The return was not as enjoyable as
the first leg: everyone was exhausted
and displeased because of the 18-8
defeat. A stop at a grill made things
a little better, though, the refresh
ments serving as a big “lift.”
Defeat or not, students are looking
forward to making another trip soon.
Elizabeth City will see better days and
everyone will be there to support her.
I (Note: we’ll support her, win or lose!)
We have asked that you do not
purchase any items in the Lighthouse
produced by Elizabeth City mer
chants. These items include sand
wiches, doughnuts. Cokes and Pepsi-
Colas.
We have noticed that certain students
are still failing to pay this little sac
rifice. For anything worthvv^ile, a
sacrifice must be paid. If the white
man can keep you from eating in his
place because he fears that he will
lose his white customers, you can
stop buying in his town until he
treats you with the same respect and
human dignity as he does any other
citizen.
The students of Elizabeth City
State College were extremely embar
rassed on October 4, when represen-
tativs of Winston-Salm State Teachers
College were our guests, On that
night, two Negro radio announcers
sought accommodations in the Vir
ginia Dare Hotel in this city and
they were refused. This is a great
embarrassment to the student body
of Elizabeth City State College. Eliza
beth City State College students have
been told that a Committee, made
up of residents in the city, had gotten
the hotels open to Negroes.
We have suspended our demonstra
tions until November 9. We will
give the merchants of the city a
chance to make considerable progress.
If nothing is done, we will be left
with no other choice but to march
into the streets and express our con
tinuous dissatisfaction and embar
rassment.
We do not want to demonstrate,
but if it is necessary to acquire the
things that are ours through God’s
granted rights as a human, we will
do so. We must stay together and
follow our leaders. We must have
faith in God and our fellow man, that
we shall overcome some day.
Right now our leaders are working
in the city to awaken the conscience
of the Negroes who live in the
city. We cannot win this battle alone.
It will take the unified efforts of all
Negroes. We have stated, “We are not
afraid because God is on our side.
What we are doing is right, so whom
shall we fear?”
We have received legal help from
the N. A. A. C. P. and they have
stated they will stick with us to the
end. They also stated if things are
not satisfactory on the deadline stated
they will send professional help here
to help combat this social evil.
This problem should be of concern
to everyone. We are tomorrow’s
world. We must make our future.
Will it be of segregation and dis
crimination?
We will be attending meetings
every Thursday night until the dead
line arrives and everyone will be in
formed of the progress.
The Human Relations Committee
has invited the governor’s counselor
on Civil Rights to meet with the mer
chants and food handlers of the city
as soon as possible to inform them of
the advantages of integration without
confusion. Whether this will help, we
do not know, but we will hope and
pray that the people of the city are
awakened before it is too late.
As previously stated your campus
leaders will be working in the city
to make this movement a city wide
movement, and through a city wide
effort, we will accomplish the things
we want, when we want them. We
cannot win this battle alone, we will
invite anyone who has the “courage”
to walk hand and hand with us until
the victory is won.
Please do not spend your money
to “buy” segregation. We impress
upon you to refrain from purchasing
Cokes, Pepsi-Colas, doughnuts, and
cold sandwiches in the Lighthouse.
Please make this sacrifice.
We would also like to ask you to
attend church Srnday, and let all
citizens know this is a fight for all
and not let them think that we are
trying to take over their city. We
are very much concerned, and we
want them to be concerned also about
the conditions in this city. Please im
press upon them that we do not
feel we are better than they are,
because, regardless of our education,
we cannot go to any place that they
can’t go. We are all Negroes and one
Negro is not free until all Negroes
are free. There will be transportation
to various churches provided for you
Sunday in front of the infirmary.
Let’s go to church Sunday and make
God the leader of our movement for
our Democratic and Christian rights.
Your Campus Leaders.
To Help the ECSC
We, the students of Elizabeth City
State College, in order to develop a
spirit of co-operation on the campus,
to encourage student initative, to af
ford development through Self-ex
pression, self-control and leadership,
to create mutual co-operation be
tween administration and students in
all matters of general welfare, do
unite in establishing an association,
representative of all students, and do
accept for our government the fol
lowing constitution.
Article I
Name and General Function
Section I.
The name of this organization shall
be the Student Council of Elizabeth
City State College. The Student Coun
cil shall be the Supreme Student Gov
erning Body in matters of general
welfare and common interest of the
students.
Article II
Purposes
The purposes of the Student Coun
cil shall be:
1. To have a joint jurisdiction with
the faculty and the regulation
in promotion of the student ac
tivities.
2. To provide a medium for opin
ions, thoughts, and complaints
coming from the student body.
3. To train for leadership by en
couraging attendance and parti
cipation in the various programs
and activities of the College.
4. To develop and maintain high
standards of scholarship and citi
zenship.
Article III
Powers of the Council
Section I.
1. The powers of the Student Coun
cil are delegated to it by the Col
lege, and are subject to suspen
sion or withdrawal at any time.
'Section II.
The Power to audit.
(a) The Student General Fund
(b) The financial records of or
ganization that represent the
school.
Section III.
The power to recommend recogni
tion of students to organizations.
Section IV.
The power to recommend legisla
tion and add amendments by a two-
thirds majority vote of the student
body present at any meeting.
Section V.
It shall be the responsibility of the
Studjnt Council.
1. To formulate and supervise the
enforcement of freshmen regu
lations.
2. To plan and conduct occasional
ly Assembly and Vesper pro
grams during the year.
3. To appoint all student delegates
who represent the College at
conventions.
4. To enact and enforce all legis
lation necessary to carry out the
provisions of this Constitution,