THE COMPASS VOLUME 31 THORPE INVITED ON TRAVEL SEMINAR Dr. Marion D, Thorpe, President of Elizabeth City State University,has been invited to represent the institution on a Tra vel Seminar in Asia. The Seminar, sponsored by The Institute on Man and Science, is designed to study the dynamics of change in the Pacific East, and will include other educators, scien tists, and governmental leaders. According to informa tion from Everett R.Clin- chy, President of the In stitute, the group will de part on March 20, 1970 for various countries in the Pacific East, and re turn to the west coast on April 13. In his letter of invi tation to Dr. Thorpe, President Clinchy stat ed, “The studies we will make in education and science advances....will serve as a refresher course for administration and for teaching.” Dr. Thorpe, deeply honored by the invitation, stated, “I hope that my very heavy and busy sche dule of duties and appoint ments will afford me the time to take advantage of this opportunity.” Other than busying himself with the admini stration of ECSU, Dr. Thorpe also serves the National Consultant Teams for the Accredit ing of Teacher Educa tion, the Commission on Colleges and Universi ties of the Southern As sociation of Colleges and Schools, the Education Commission of the States, and the North Carolina Association of Colleges and Universities. ELIZABETH CITY. N. C FEBRUARY, 1970 NUMBER 6 Mayor Lee Joins President and Mrs. Thorpe. CHAPEL HILL’S MAYOR LEE SPEAKS The Pan-Hellenic Day observance at Elizabeth City State University was another historic occasion as the seven Greek Let ter Organizations brought the second Negro Mayor to the campus this month. Greeted by President Marion D. Thorpe, pre sented the key to the city by Councilman Tye New ell, and introduced by Charles Hopkins, Mayor Howard N. Lee challen ged the Moore Hall Audi torium audience with his projections into the Se venties. Bringing greetings from Chapel Hill, N.C., which he called “The Mind of the South,” Lee asserted that “Whatever hope there is for us to ever fill the need for Black leadership rest with the predominantly black institutions such as this, and with students such, as you,” “For from among you and out of this institu tion, I believe will emerge the kind of leaders who will not sink into the cesspools of hatred and hostility; but the kind of leaders who will rise a- bove the quicksands of a- pathy, sell out-ism, tok enism, gradualism, and uncle tomism,” the speaker felt. Lee cautioned, “But we must not let rhetoric dis place thought and spon- tanity displace planning.” After giving an ac count of the civil rights movement of the past de cade, Lee urged, ‘Weare going through a very im portant social revolution in this country which will and must take full bloom in the Seventies, and will continue to expand until every man is free to choose his own form of bondage.” Although admitting that America was now divided, and greatly disturbed over injustices, conser vatism, racism, and na tional priorities, the Chapel Hill leader still felt that the division was “not too Impossible to mend,” and that “Amer ica was still worth sav ing.” Speaking of Black Po wer, Lee assured, “ We will never use our power to do what our white bro thers did to us.” “But we will make sure that he never does the same thing to us again,” he added. Lee’s formula for po wer caught the ears of the ECSU listeners when he revealed “I long for the day when we can add Black Power to White Power; divide by green power, multiply by po litical power; and come out with democratic peo ple power.” He urged his audience to push on together in the building of this new race and nation of men. Fol lowing a medly of Greek Songs, and the benediction by Dr. R. Irvin Boone, University Minister, Mayor Lee joined Pres ident and Mrs, Thorpe in the receiving line during the reception in the ban quet room of the Univer sity Center. Dr. Blyden Jackson Addresses ECSU Assembly “In order to talk a- bout Negro history, you have to talk about Negro literature,” So stated Dr, Blyden Jackson, as he ad dressed the closing as sembly program in ob servance of Negro His tory Week, Thursday morning, at Elizabeth City State University, The University Choir’s sing ing of the spiritual, “I’ve Been ‘Buked,” fitted in with the deep thoughts be hind Dr, Jackson’s thesis. After establishing a working definition of ‘ ir ony,” Dr. Jackson, Pro fessor of English at the University of North Car olina at Chapel Hill,spoke of the words of the Dec laration of Independence, the Constitution, and other documents, as ‘great, grand, and no ble rhetoric,” the basis of the “Negro’s external expectation.” Telling a story of a young Negro who, de spite his pure genius in playing a violin, was lyn ched by a mob because he was seen talking to a white woman while des- parately seeking help, the speaker, the first Negro Professor to teach at UNC and an authority on Afro- American ^ litera ture, remarked, “He had hoped that the American dream applied to him.’ “As his body swung from the tree on Main Street, and the wind made music as it blew through the branches of the tree,” the emotional experience of the irony, “he got his chance to play his vio lin,” Dr. Jackson add ed. “This irony has meant that the life and history of the Negro in America has not been a life of action, but one of reac tion,” he asserted, be fore describing Negro literature as “protest lit erature.” Despite this irony and reaction to injustice in A- merica, “The Negro has always wanted to live a positive and constructive life of action, instead of one of negative reac tion,” Dr. Jackson em phasized. Following his address, and in response to a ques tion from ECSU’s Pres ident, Dr. Marion D. Thorpe, Dr, Jackson,who was honored at a recep tion the night before, carefully developed points to show that be cause of the “biological, social , and political successes of the Negro, the situation is being changed.” Other activities dur ing the observance of Negro History Week, pre ceding the assembly pro gram, and sponsored by the Social Science Club, included: a program of Negro spirituals, featur ing four church choirs from the community; a public debate involving students from ECSU and the College of the Albe marle; a movie, “Baby Blues,” featuring Ray Charles; and films on Ne gro history. NEW PROGRAMS AND POSITIONS AT ECSU While still planning for the academic year 1970- 71 at Elizabeth City State University, Dr. Marlon D, Thorpe took time out to announce some signi ficant additions to the Un iversity’s programs and operation. His announce ments followed recent action by the State Board of Higher Education, which approved funds to expand and improve the present language labora tory at the University. Other action by the state board affecting Elizabeth City State Un iversity were as follows: ..Approval of an aca demic position in busi ness administration. The person so employed by EC SU will teach some cour ses in business and com plete the necessary plan ning for a major in bus iness administration. ..Approved a faculty position in foreign lan guages for the develop ment of an active minor in French and the plan ning for an eventual min or in Spanish. .. Authorized the Un iversity to confer the ba chelor of science and the bachelor of arts degrees in chemistry andmathe-’ matics upon qualified candidates. .. Created a staff po sition in student person nel service, that being associate director of stu dent personnel services- men. The responsibilities of the new position are now being carried out by a faculty member. .. Provided additional funds for supplies, equip ment, materials, and other operating expendi tures. Announcements were made earlier of action by the state board which re sulted in the approval of the planned Community Workshop on Drug Abuse, and courses in library science under ECSU’s library science program. ECSU Receives Grant (Picture on page 5) Elizabeth City State University has received a $7,000 grant from the Southern Education Foun dation for the establish ment and operation of its “Community Art Educa tion Enrichment Pro gram.” The action of the Foundation follows a re cent visit to Atlanta, Ga., by two ECSU students, who observed a similar program in operation at Clark College, and a re vision of the proposal that was developed by Dr. Vin cent de Gregorio, Chair-- man of the Art Depart ment at the- University; For ECSU it will be an expansion of its propos ed community action pro ject, and for Dr. de Gre gorio it was a dream that came true. “Since no art educa tion program of any sig nificance has ever exist ed in the school systems in this community and a- rea, it has always been my dream to setup some thing like this ever since I first came here,” Dr. de Gregorio stated. He has been Chairman of the Art Department at ECSU (Continued on page 5)