The Compass
Friday, May 5, 1989
THE OPINION PAGE
THE COMPASS
Robin Sawyer
■t' i.i Photographer Richard Mclntire
: -n Manager Craig Avondo
' ' irrg Manager Donna Gregory
^phers Richard Mclntire
David Joyner
Leamon Pearce
Hc s Consultant Diane Patterson
i ,i !ist Kevin Cruz
V-Titers Chad Allen ,
• . Mien, Karen Blanchard, Virginia Blount, Uchenna Bulliner, Darryl Brown,
lapman, Dwayhe Collins, Lisa Gregory, Joy Innis, Beverly Johnson,
I Florencestine Jones. Pacquin McClain, Travis Manuel, Richard Mclntire,
>v°rton, Sylvia Purvis, Miracle Perry, Johnny Reid, Kimberly Robinson, Mike
)fyl White.
' Vnti;rs Mark Morris
Mike Stone
Chad Allen
:! '-.i-iistants Samantha Epps
Eric Jones
■ 'I ipass is published by Elizabeth City State University students
direction of the Department of Language, Literature, andCommu-
, I )r. Anne Henderson, Chairperson, and Mr. Stephen March, faculty
A
Quality
Angid Bobblt, Senior
Rocky Mount, NC
“My first few years, my Instructors didn’t
let me know things I needed for my
upperclassmen years and courses. I
enjoyed meeting the new people,
though. Finally, its becoming more like
a family.”
Talk of ECSU:
How would you sum up
the 1988-89 school year?
Loretta Johnson, Freshman
Marion,Indiana
Actually its been real good
The people are friendly and
my grades are greatl
ti
Jarvis Massenburg
Freshman
“Academically, 1 think you control
your own destiny. On the social
tip, people need to stop the
viofence. Find ways to have Km,
instead pf carrying a gun.'
w
John Davis, Senior
Aurora, NC
“As far as ttie classroom. ECSU
has one of the best biology
departments I’ve experienced.
Sodatly, everyone seems to have
an openmindedness toward our
growing campus."
University cannot provide its students
with a quality education without also-
providing them with a quality library,
kii a quality library?
iliuility library exists, first of all, to serve the
Hie wFio use it. ECSU students are asking that the
: I -ittie Library serve them more effectively.
\ Vv'ajit the library to be open longer hours, lower
; i-'r overdue books, longer check-out periods for
■ Aug books, and more up-to-date books and
r materials.
iMu'ity library is a smooth-running hbrary, with
l l icient system for keeping track of fines, and the
lit'jnselves. ECSU students are asking that
. be fined unfairly when they are late with
and that books are readily available when
iH cd them. Students are asking that they receive
1 - period for overdue books, and they are ask-
' ‘cel that someone will be receptive to their
is ins when they feel they have been treated
ly by the library.
;-a!ity library has up-to-date research materials
>'H)ks on a diverse array of subjects.The world is
v ing so rapidly that much information published
M lew years ago has already become outdated.
'' students are asking for modem books and
i ds to help them keep abreast of today’s world,
: explosion of new technology, knowledge and
: 'SU students want to enter the work
■competitive as possible; and they want to be
> ) depend on the library to help make them
:r- !ifive.
^ ility library offers its patrons a quiet place to
iud leam. ECSU students who are serious
'■'.'uning are asking that their library be quiet
lorly, and not a social center.
' I students are asking for a quality library,
licve this is a reasonable request.
GUEST COLUMNISTS
Black is beautiful to ECSU graduate
By Cornelius F. Warren
America has developed a unique
culture through the individual and
group contributions of all its citizens.
We have been enriched by this multi
racial blend.
Recognition and appreciation of
these groups should be based, how
ever, on accurate knowledge. Amer
ica has limited, and, in some cases,
nonexistent information about the role
minorities have played in the devel
opment of Our country.
In the almost400 years of the black
man in America, there has not been
and accurate, detailed history of his
existence. There are many reasons for
this, but perhaps the greatest is no one
at the time thought it significant
enough to preserve.
What of the history and contribu
tions of Chicanos, Asians, Europe
ans, Indians, Hispanics, Jews and
others who call America home? Yes,
America will never be the truly demo
cratic nation it claims to be until all
people are treated equal.
A common thought among many
blacks: “We don’t have our history
because they will not give it to us.”
While I am one of the first to admit to
the inequalities of our society, I be
lieve that the blame, if anyone is at
fault, rests on the shoulders of blacks.
No one felt our history was significant
enough to record it in detail.
The contributions of Black Ameri
cans is significant and noteworthy.
Yet most are virtually unknown to
most blacks and Americans in gen
eral. This is attributed, but not limited
to, misrepresentation during certain
periods of American history. Some
times our achievements were over
looked entirely.
We must not be ashamed be of our
history. We must be proud of who we
are as well as our ancestors’ accom
plishments. True, they were slaves,
but they overcame that. We as a people
have come a long way from slavery in
1919 to a presidential candidate in
1988. But we still have a long way to
go.
Black studies are only offered at a
handful of colleges and universities,
to include the traditionally black ones.
Rarely do they exist at the elementary
and high school level. I feel this is in
part due to the blindness and recalci
trance of the white educational sys
tem. Black studies are needed now
more than ever.
Until all Americans understand the
importance of their mixed culture, we
will never be “the sweet land of
libery...where all men are created
equal.”
We are all God’s children and He
commands us to “love one another.”
In order to love, we must understand,
As Whitney Young, Jr. said, ‘To
gether, blacks and whites can move
our country behond racism.” ^
The first step is to study black
history. This, in turn, leads to a deeper
awareness of our accomplishments
and struggles.
Remember the words of the late .
Dr. Martin Lulher King, Jr: 1,
“Black is beautiful, and it is so;
beautiful to be black.”
Cornelius Warren is a 1987gradu- • |
ate of the ECSU ROTC program. i -j
How can we eat and get to the caf on time?
' he Compass welcomes letters to the editor,
must be signed, and relevant to issues
f I nlng ECSU students - on a national, state,
' : nr camus level. Letters may be edited for
'!y. space, and good taste. Please send letters
815, c/o The Compass, Elizabeth City State
: 'Sity, or bring them by The Compass office,
> ill 111, Johnson Hall.
By Sylvia Purvis
It’s 11:30 and yOu have 30 minutes
before your next class. “I guess I’ 11 go
get a bite to eat from the cafeteria,”
you say to yourself. So you grab your
books and walk to the caf^eteria only to
find a line of about 20 students stand
ing outside of its double doors.
The students are cursing and bang
ing on the doors because they, like
you, have 12:00 classes. How are we
supposed to eat and get to class on
time? When we are finally admitted
into the cafeteria we have to wait in
another line about five more minutes
because tliey aren’t prepared.
This leaves us with 15 minutes (on
a good day) to get your food, eat and
get to class. This is virtually impos
sible because there is another line
which is the “all famous” cold cut line
with two workers serving sometimes
“molded bologna” on stale bread going
at a rate of .02 miles per hour.
Why don’t you wait and eat after
your 12:00 class? you ask. Well I
can’t because I have a 1:00 class and
even if I didn’t the workers make sure
that they shut the lines down on time
if nothing else. I, like many others
have been virtually turned away from
the lines because as they say “Go
back, we’ve finished serving.” And
with the stares some of the workers
give you, if their eyes could kill we’d
all probably be dead by now.
Why are they getting over on us
like this?
Sometimes I feel we’re in Ethiopia
because it’s funny when you’re sitting
in class and the student behind you
has a stomach eruption. Youjustlook
at him and say ,”Yeah, you missed the
cafe too didn’t you bud”? and the poor
thing looks embarrassed and nods his
head yes.
In my opinion we have a cafeteria
staff of underworked and overpaid
employees. No! It’s up to us to make
the changes.
Maybe some people say I’m being
too harsh but look at what they’re
doing. The dishes are never clean and
the workers are always crabby. Not all
of them,of course, but as they say, “
One rotten apple can spoil the whole
bunch.”
I rest my case.
LETTERS
ail
Students too depressed
to study in their dorms
MOTUEIR EARTH
CPS
To The Editor:
ECSU officials should renovate the
dorms so that students can get a better
education. The purpose of college is
to get a good education to make it in
the real world. How can students get a
good education if they have to study
in depressing dwm conditions? Stu
dents are too depffessed to study after
a visit to the bathrooms in the dorm.
The toilets won’t flush half of the
time. Also half of the showers don’t
have shower curtains. The sinks are
stopped up wilh food and hair.
Students also have difficulty study
ing in the rooms. They are too small.
There is not enough space in the closet
for your clothes. There are also in
sects in the rooms. Ants and roaches
will get in your food even with the bag
closed.
Students are not used to living in
these conditions. Students either go
home every weekend, or go outside to
find other activities besides staying in
their rooms to study, which deprives
them of the education they are sup
posed to be getting.
The parents pay too much money
for their children to be living in such
depressing conditions. As much as
tuition costs, I’m sure the school can
afford to renovate the dorms.
Coriiss McCabe
Reader says textbook
article is off the mark
To the Editor:
'^e MarclTSrd article dealing with
textbook shortages was way off the
mark. First the administration was
quoted to the effect that the orders
were based on departmental requisi-
tions; but then the article stated that
prerequisition
numbers. From all appearances, they
use a crystal ball instead.
The headline stated that there was
a new system in the works. But all Dr.
Caldwell actually said was that the
understudy. I havebeen
altemaUve is to sell the text
books to the student!* Students could
resale ihegeneral education textbooks ■
to keep the net cost down to about the >
same as the rental fee. They could ,,
then keep the textbooks in their major ;
so that they could refer back to them. ;
Only a small minority of colleges «
use a rental system because it is anti- ,
quated and inefficient. It is time that ,
ECSU faced the current realities. i
I
Mr. Michael R. Worthington '
Assistant Professor, Business '
1 o 1 he lidilor: '
It has been brought to my attention tha
>ome of your readers were upset with n>;
3U01£Q in 1 —Z"'.
■uuie oi your readers were upset with
juoled statements in your last Compass. i
ipologize to the readers. My concern is to have
noolh erratic
P^ro Holley
viiw lYiy WIIUSIII
eration that is productive I
■ ^iv^ iioUey
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