THE COMPASS
U. S. Postmge
Non-Profit OrgMizatioo
PAID
Elizabeth City, N.C.
Permit No. 5
VOLUME 31
ELIZABETH CITY. N. C
0CT0BER14.1969
NUMBER 2
UNIVERSITY PLAYERS
EMPHASIZE BLACK THEATER
k!
Beginning this season
the University Players
are going to present plays
by and for black people.
This is in response to
students request, and a
lot of people of Eliza
beth City State Univer
sity, also in previous
years they have present
ed plays to get the stu
dents to participate and
come to see the produc
tions. The first produc
tion will be given Octo
ber 17 and 18. It will
consist of a new play by
a black author, a scene
from an old play by a
black author and a play
about Negroes by a white
author. The first, “Day
of Absence”, a satire a-
bout racial condition in
the South by Douglas Tur
ner Ward. This play is
unique that Negroes
portray white charac
ters, The second offering
will be a scene for the
Standard Negro play.
probably “A Raisin in
the Sun”, LorraineHans-
berry. Thirdly, the play
will be a one act com
edy, “The No’Count Boy”
by that well known white
North Carolina play writ
er Paul Green, author of
the “Lost Colony”.
Although the plays
haven’t been picked for
future productions, Mr.
B. L. Peterson Jr. stat
ed that selections will be
made from among the
more militant play-
writers, Leroy Jones,
James Baldwin, and Lon-
ne Elder, as writers some
of the older and some of
the less militant authors.
An announcement of the
entire schedule for the
coming season will ap
pear in a future edition
of the Compass.
Persons who wish to
join contact Mr. Peter
son in the Little Thea
ter,
SGA Prexy Briefs Students
Jimmy Sutton, Presi
dent of the Student Gov
ernment Association at
Elizabeth City State Uni
versity, briefed the stu
dent body on the recent
“President to Presidents
Conference,” in Wash
ington, D,C,, which heat-
tended, The senior art
major gave his impres
sions of the conference
which was designed by
President Richard M.
Nixon and Association of
Student Governments “to
seek the answers toge
ther,”
Other than meeting in
private with student lead
ers from predominantly
Black institutions in or
der to establish unity and
map strategy, Sutton at
tended at least five sche
duled sessions during the
three - day conference.
Those sessions revealed
significant trends in high
er education dealing with
college-community rela
tions, federal funds, the
selective service, and ef
forts by HEW to assist
the nation’s colleges and
universities,
Sutton reported that
Black student leaders and
college presidents were
disturbed over the follow
ing trends:(1) the estab
lishment of community
colleges in the vicinity
where there Is a predom
inantly Negro institution;
(2) the small amount of
funds which Negro insti
tutions receive in com
parison with the amounts
received by already well-
established and presti
gious colleges and uni
versities; and (3) the high
percentage of young Ne
groes drafted as compar
ed with that of whites.
Sutton reported that he
met and spoke briefly with
President Nixon in the
East Room of the White
House. He joined W. C,
Witherspoon, Director of
Student Personnel, in a-
greement that, because of
continued progress, EC
SU was faring much bet
ter than many other in
stitutions. The popular
student council president
asked his fellow students
to “Keep their cool, and
not to destroy their own,”
BLACK
GETSUNC
POST
CHAPEL HILL - The Un
iversity of North Caro
lina has hired a Negro
as a full professor for
the first time in the his
tory of the school.
Dr, Blyden Jackson,59,
will assume the post of
professor of English at
UNC this fall.
Other Negroes have
held posts as instructors
or associate professors,
the UNC News Bureau
said, but Dr, Jackson is
the first Negro to hold a
full professorship.
Dr, Jackson will serve
as an instructor in black
literature in the Depart
ment of English and in
Afro-American subjects,
A native of Paducah,
Ky., Dr, Jackson receiv
ed his A.B. degree from
Wilberforce University in
Ohio, and M, A. and Ph,
D. degrees from the Uni
versity of Michigan,
Sonny, one so blue. Specialist Sixth Class Bob Throne adds soul to concert.
SOLDIERS CHORUS
GIVES CONCERT
The appearance of the
famous Soldiers’ Chorus
of the United States Army
Field Band of Washing
ton, D,C,, at Elizabeth
City State University,was
one which deserved and
got a long, standing ova
tion, A capacity crowd
filled Moore Hall Audi
torium to hear the 20-
voice chorus give a one
hour concert.
Following the entrance
and singing of the song of
the infantry, “Follow
Me,” Dr, Marlon D.
Thorpe, President of EC
SU, introduced the group
and its director. Sergeant
Major Gene Coughlin,
The Soldiers’ Chorus,
known throughout the na
tion and world sang two
arrangements of songs by
Fenno Heath: “My Lord
What a Morning” and
“This Train”. Other
lighter selections were
sung before, between, and
after the spirituals. Solos
by Specialist Fifth Class
Jeff May, described as
a folk singer, preceded
selections by the chorus’
barbershop quartet.
The ECSU audience
reached a peak in live
liness when specialist
Sixth Class Bob Throne
added “soul” to the con
cert with his singing of
“Sonny” and “I Think
I’m Going Out of My
Head,” A special ar
rangement of ‘America
The Beautiful” concluded
the concert.
Sergeant Coughlin’s
versatile and harmonious
singers performed later
that evening in joint con
cert with the U, S, Army
Field Band, at the S, L,
Sheep School Auditorium,
HARLEM FESTIVAL
“Harlem Festival” was
presented as a one-hour
special in color on CBS
Monday, July 28 (10-11
p.m,). It reflected an
imposing achievement of
community involvement
and personal dedication
of one man.
The special was taped
earlier this summer at
the first of six outdoor
concerts comprising the
third annual Harlem Cul
tural Festival, all of them
staged on Sunday after
noons in Mt. Morris Park
in the heart of New York
City’s Harlem,
from THE VOICE
Lovely Campus Queen, Miss Margaret Gregory,
relaxes.
G.F. WILDS IN
NEW POSITION
Mrs, Gertie F, Wilds
was recently appointed
Director of the Curricu
lum Laboratory which is
located on the 2nd floor
of the G, R, Little Li
brary.
The Laboratory serves
the teacher education
majors as a practical
training center. Its pur
pose is to make theoret
ical concepts gained by
pre-service teachers in
methods courses become
motivational devices for
producing educational
growth In public school
pupils Another purpose
is to provide both pre-
service and in-service
teachers with additional
skills in test-taking, by
providing seminars and
workshops at stated in
tervals.
Activities will be de
signated as course work
planned for a scheduled
period during the day.
It is hoped that the
laboratory will raise the
level of performance on
the part of students at
our University,
The philosophy of the
laboratory follows John
Dewey’s concept of
“learning to do by do-
ing ,
Teachers and students
alike will find “service
with a smile” when they
visit our curriculum la
boratory.
Education:
Mrs, Wilds holds the
B.S,, L. S., M. E,, and
Professional Degrees
from Fayetteville State
and North Carolina Cen
tral Universities, re
spectively.
Experience:
Her experience in
cludes public school
teacher, principal, a sys
tem supervisor, and sup
ervisor of student teach
ers here at Elizabeth City
State College.
Mrs. Wilds looks for
ward to assisting the
clientelle of the labora
tory by arranging many
opportunities for learn
ing.