PAGE 2
THK COMPASS
Freshman Dilemma Another Voice
OCTOBER, 1975
By
Charles White
By George Bowser
The beginning student is confronted with an assortment of
vexations and overpowering perplexities. Freshman
students often experience difficulty in adjusting to the new
life style and surroundings. The students iii dormitories find
themselves housed in close proximity with other young
people of their approximate age but with varying cultural
backgrounds, different values, different levels of motivation
dnd ideologies.
Frequently the freshman feels that he is at “the bottom of
the heap.” This is elucidated by the fact that at a recent
student body meeting few freshmen voiced their opinions.
Later a young woman demurely replied, “I was afraid to say
anything because I thought the upperclassmen might think
that I was trying to be fresh because I am only a freshman.”
This belief is held by several freshmen. But is it not ironic
that freshmen do not voice their opinions? The rules of ECSU
will be here four years, while upperclassmen will soon
depart. Therefore it seems proper that if these rules will
govern them longer, then they should take an active part in
making them.
Freshmen are on their own. There is no one to tell them
when to study. No one makes them go to class. They have to
leam to live with and relate to personalities that are
different or incongruous to those of their family members. If
they miss classes their chances of failure are increased.
There may be problems understanding teachers.
Freshmen may think that teacher’s methods of instruction,
are obsolete, and their lectures are perfunctory. One may
withdraw by retreating into one’s self. Or one may do as
many young people do, fantasize or choose some other
tension-reducing technique for dealing with a frustrating
situation, or build an optimistic outlook and try to solve these
problems.
The problem of choosing associates can be baffling. If you
choose associates who are motivated in a direction other than
academic excellence, you will be likely to experience
academic failure.
Freshmen must learn that to survive they must respect the
rights of others. One has to become his own man, and accept
responsibihties for his own decisions. Perhaps most
important of all, freshmen and all students must develop a
sense of belonging, becoming an integral part of their
environment.
-T«c«tiwr WW FW Ife* M(W
Editor-in-Chief
Associate Editors
Feature Editors
Managing Editor
Secretary
Typists
Proofreaders
Reporters
Miss Compass
STAFF
1975-76
Melvin Norman
Ottie Akers
James Finch
Joyce Terrell
William Holley
Sylvia Peele
Harold Renfrow
Ozella Earner
Gwen Jones
Joyce Terrell
Sylvia Peele
Vanessa Myers
Larry Jones
Elmer Norman
Faye Smith
Roscoe Pender
Ronald Wood
Vanessa Myers
Faculty Advisors;
W. Muldrow
J. T. Williams
J. Worsham
By Ms Joyce Terrell
The Co-Educational
Visitation Program here at
Elizabeth City State
University started during the
academic year 1974-75. This
first program was limited to
weekends only. Co-Ed
Visitation cards were issued
to all eligible students.
were excluded
Tha £E-Jgram was later
expanded by some
dissatisfied students. The
students joined to form the
Co-Educational Visitation
Committee which drew up
new policies for the program.
With the help of the entire
student body, it was decided
that all dormitories would be
included in the new program
and the new hours would be
Sunday to Thursday from. 5
P.M. to 11 P.M. and Friday to
Saturday from 2 P.M. to 2
A.M. The new program
policies were finally taken
through the proper channels
and were approved. Students
at ECSU were granted
campus-wide co-educational
visitation.
Co-Ed Visitation had to be
limited to the four female
dormitories, however,
because of the lack of
sufficient help to carry out
the program.
“Most people on this
campus are strongly for co-ed
visitation and think that it is a
wonderful program,” one
student commented.
However, as with all things,
there are those who feel that
the program is not
completely satisfactory and
could use a little
improvement. Some of the
arguments for and against
the Co-Educational Visitation
which were heard across
campus are: “It gives
groups, male and female, a
chance to dof class projects
together without going to the
library where quietness is
stressed.” “The young men
and women don’t seem to
know when co-ed visitation
KP:P0RTER S note: The
purpose of this column is to give
special attention to events and
ideas on the ECSU campus. The
opinions and statements of this
column are those of this reporter
and not necessarily those of the
COMPASS.
Social Science
Dept. News
By Elma Norman
Mr. Robert Lewis
McKinnon, a 1975 graduate of
North Carolina Central
University with a Masters
Degree in History, has joined
the Department. Mr.
McKinnon will teach courses
in History and serve as a
counselor in the BEE
program at Elizabeth City
State University.
Dr. Harry J. Ghee, a 1968
Elizabeth City State
University graduate,
supervisor of student-
teachers for the Social
Science Department has
received his Ed.D. Degree in
Social Studies Education
from the University of
Virginia.
Dr. Debabrata Basu, Ph.D.
in Geology from Lehigh
University will teach courses
in G^graphy during the 1975-
76 academic year.
begins and ends”. “If the
young ladies would keep the
young men in their rooms and
out of the halls, it would be
much better.” “It seems
more like home-life.” “There
is too much noise in the
dormitories.” “It improves
the social life of the
students.” “Whatever we are
for or against Co-Educational
Visitation, we must
remember that no program
can work without the support
of the majority and, we as
‘Vikings’ can ‘make or break’
the program.”
Welcome
I I extend a warm welcome to all of you - the members of
I the Viking family. I’m hoping that this year will be a
I fulfilling one as well as a rewarding one.
I As you can see the paper is back and is well organized.
I The staff is full of dedicated members who will spend a
I good deal of their time preparing this paper. We have a
I new faculty advisor this year ~ Mr. James Worsham. Mr.
j Worsham teaches News Media in the Modern Language
I Department and has as his goal to help make THE
I COMPASS a real newspaper. We’re hoping that with your
I cooperation these issues will be circulated around the
I entire campus.
I There are many events that will be happening this year:
I The Coronation Ball, Homecoming, The Bicentennial
I Year, and the Construction of the new gym. We hope to
j keep you informed about these through THE COMPASS.
I Let us put forth our best effort for a new school year here
, at Elizabeth City State University. Editor-in-Chief
Melvin Norman
The face of the Elizabeth
City State University campus
is at this time under going an
amazing transistion. In
addition to two access roads
being paved this past
summer and big renovation
projects on the existing
buildings, there arose out of
the dirt and grass a huge
athletic complex beside the
swimming pool. This building
is important because it is the
first step in a massive
building program.
The building program
mentioned above continues
with a new Industrial Arts
Technical Center and a new
Maintenance Building
followed by a proposed
addition to the Library.
With all this building,
changing and rearranging
going on, one important
problem has been overlooked
in the attention-getting
department here on campus.
The problem is housing.
What does all this have to
do with the housing problem?
Well, in simple terms, there
is little or no housing
projected in the building
program until the projects
mentioned above are
completed. This could take as
many as four years, taking
into account the availability
of materials and, of course,
the weather.
What does this mean?
It means, for the next few
years, that we will have to
make do with what we have.
This means that rooms built
for two people might still
have to accommodate three.
Also vision if you can, another
entering class I like the last
one. Numbering over 500, this
freshman class caused a
public plea for housing in the
surrounding community. If a
larger class entered next
year, some people would
surely have to be turned
away. Even though a large
recruitment drive for local
students is in progress, it is
quite apparent that we must
also be respectful of those
students who wish to live on
campus.
I Imow the importance of a
gym on our campus is high on
the priority list, and a new
industrial arts Technical
Center and a new
Maintenance Shop are needed
sorely. But let us also
remember that it is the
students who rpake the need
for the buildings and not the
buildings wh(J make the need
for the students.
So the question remains
unanswered, but I hope in the
future there won’t be a need
for anyone to ask if relief is in
sight for the ECSU housing
problem.