Newspapers / Elizabeth City State University … / Oct. 11, 1990, edition 1 / Page 4
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Page 4 Thursday, October 11.1990 THE COMPASS CAMPUS NEWS In candlelighting ceremony Freshmen inducted into ECSU family Pumping up the crowd Photo by Pedro liolU; By Lavenia Dameron Declaring that “a high school edu cation can only get you started,” Dr. Harold Mitchell told ECSU’s fresh men that they will need to improve their skills in reading, language and computing, if they are to be competi tive in today’s job market. Mitchell, President of Roanoke Chowan Community College, was the guest speaker at ECSU’s Fall Convo cation and Candlelighting Ceremony, held September 16 in Moore Hall. The ceremony is held each year to formally induct new freshmen into the University family. Mitchell told the freshmen “the nation is at a standstill” in terms of economic competition,” adding that today’s graduates will face a much stiffer job market than ever before, due to revolutionary changes in tech nology. “Newer jobs require higher skill,” said Mitchell. And he outlined his objectives of education: to read, write and compute adequately, to develop higher thinking and reasoning skills, and perform independent work, to face day to day challenges, to be able to take risks without fears and be able to accept“nothing less than excellence,” and to choose a path that leads to success. Dr. Mitchell urged freshmen “to set extremely high goals, spend time wisely, and participate in school ac tivities, and meet with faculty and advisors. “Education is a powerful agent of social change and can prepare you for effective living,” he added. Mitchell recalled that when he visited Elizabeth City College in the 1950’s, he then speculated the Uni versity was going to be”the rising star in the east.” Mitchell drew a laugh from the crowd when he added that he wanted to use that phrase before ECSU Chan cellor Dr. Jimmy Jenkins got a chance to use it. Jenkins, who coined thephrase to symboUze the University’s grow ing prestige and power in the region, has used it frequently during speeches. Following Mitchell’s speech, the Chancellor charged the freshman class to take a positive direction and to use their education to “make a difference in the world.” He urged the freshmen to ask them selves “Why am I here?” and encour aged them to “use knowledge to en hance mankind. “ECSU provides you with training to meet the enemy: ignorance and prejudice,” Jenkins continued. Next, ECSU freshmen presented a dramatic ceremony that captured the symbolic essence of the Convocation. “Learning is a continuous proc ess,” said ECSU senior Alisa Robin son, “The eternal flame of knowledge symbolizes knowledge to be acquired, and not flicker.” Several students then lighted candles, with each candle symboliz ing a quality—hope, awareness, beauty, truth, faith in God and man, and love. The students were, Bruce Copeland, Connie Foreman, Priscilla Barnes, Hope Scott, James Gonzo, and Joy Homando. SGAPresentRenel Sample served as the counsellor. In addition to serving as President of Roanoke-Chowan Community College, Dr. Mitchell serves on the Board of North Carolina’s Eastern Tomorrow for ECSU, and the Board of Directors for Wachovia Bank in Ahoskie, N.C. Mitchell has a B.S. degree in Biol ogy from N.C. A&T University, and master’s and doctoral degrees from North Carolina State University. Before assuming the presidency of Chowan College, Mitchell taught at the school for fifteen years, serving as Chairman of the Department of Biol ogy. m Dancers forthe ECSU Marching Band show their enthusiasm and support by dancing in the stands during the Port City Classic game in Wilmington, | N.C. The Vikings defeated Fayetteville State University 10-3. New $3 million dormitory to be built in 1992; $1 million to be spent on Butler renovations Commission to begin 'Centennial in style' By Sharon Chappell Behind the scenes on campus, the ECSU Centennial Blue Ribbon Com mission, has been working on plans to launch our Centennial in style—^with Centennial license plates, soft drink cans bearing the ECSU Centennial logo, and a reinactment of the General Assembly’s session that created ECSU Colored Normal School in 1891. These plans were the primary fo cus of the commission’s meeting on September 26 in the Administration Building, according to Dr. Bishop Patterson, co-chairman of the com mission. The Centennial Blue Ribbon Commission is made up of 32 repre sentatives from the Northeastern Albemarle Community, including ECSU faculty and staff, civic and community leaders, state legislators, and members of the University’s Board of Trustees. Committee members also plan a Centennial Convocation for January 26,1991, Patterson said. “We are seeking a nationally known speaker, such as Bill and Camille Cosby, Douglas Wilder, Maya Ange- lou, Alex Haily, Benjamin Hooks, Andy Griffith, Williard Scott, and Arthur Ashe, to name a few,” said Patterson. “And of course for Founder’s Day in March, the Commission is seeking speakers of the same caliber.” Patterson said that each month during 1991, excluding January, Feb ruary, April, June and November, the Commission wUl focus on a former president or chancellor of ECSU. “February’s focus will be on Black history, ECSU’s name changes since its inception, and the school’s board of trustees,” Patterson said. “April will continue this focus. In June, the focus will be on ECSU to- CANTT continued from p.J so that the jobs 'vill be there to pay a decent wage, and so you can assume roles of leadership in the state.” Gantt also called on ECSU stu dents to register to vote, and to be come active in the political process, reminding them that “some twenty years ago students much like you put their lives on the line in order for you By Kenneth Valentine, Jr. ECSU’s new residential dorm is now scheduled for completion in August, 1992, according to Roger McLean, Vice Chancellor for Busi ness and Finance. Originally set to be complete in 1991, the dorm is “seven months behind schedule,” McLean said. “Architect problems,” contributed to the delay, he added, explaining that University officials had to come to an agreement with the architect on finer details in the design. The $3,179,000 dorm, which will house200students, will be constructed in the area of Mitchell Lewis and the new complex, McLean said. The four-story dorm wiU have two wings, with central offices in the middle. Included in the dorm are an outside dining area that will accomo date 75 people, elevators, central heating and air conditioning. ECSU officials expect the new dorm to alleviate some of the housing problems that have accompanied the campus’ rapid growth. Officials have n’t decided yet whether the dorm will be male or female, according to Dr. Leon White, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs. McLean said the University plans to spend at least $1,000,000 in reno vating Buder Hall in the summer of 1991. Improvments include new bath rooms, a new heating system, new wiring, and painting. “We want to preserve the historic features of Butler,” White said. “The building will be brand new from the groimd floor to the ceiling.” Butler, constructed in 1926, and added onto in 1939, has been renno- vated several times since then, most recently in 1983. “After renovations, Butler will house 127 students,” White said. Only one half of Butler Hall cur rently houses students, McLean said. There are approximately 40 stu dents now Uving in Buder, according to Kenneth Roberts, Housing Direc tor for ECSU. The building is one-half wood and one-half concrete steel, according to McLean, who added the students are presently housed in the concrete steel side. “That side is suitable for living,” he said. “But the other side will not be used until it meets the standards of the building code for 1990.” McClean said the University’s new bowling alley will be finished in December of this year, or early in the spring semester. ‘There have been no unusual prob lems with the construction of the bowhng alley,” he said. “Construc tion is right on schedule.” McLean said the University will offer bids to construct the bowling lanes this fall. The new dorm will be constructed on the land the University bought on Weeksville Road, according to Chan cellor Dr. Jimmy Jenkins. “The building is behind our origi-: nal projection,” the Chancellor said,; “due to some architectual problems with state construction. However, those problems have been resolved, and I believe we are back on track.” The University plans to build more dorms on the new property, to acco modate the campus growth. The University also plans to build its new Mass Communication andFine Arts Building on the new land, the Chancellor said. “The estimated cost two years ago was around $7 million,” he said. “We hope that we will still be able to get the structure needed for that figure.” day, and November will emphasize the internationalism of the ECSU campus.” ^ch of these events will feature the Centennial logo designed by Eu gene O’Neal, professor in the Univer sity’s Art Department, said Patterson. “This logo will be used on both the license plates and the soft drink cans if these endorsements gain approval from their respective parties.” Patterson said he believes the Commission’s “most exciting plan” is the reinactment of the General As sembly session of March 3, 1891 in which Hugh Cale introduced and won radification for House Bill 383. Ten tatively scheduled for March 1, the event will be called “General Assem bly Day.” Patterson cautioned that the rein actment is “not yet a certainty,” and will depend on whether the state leg islators are in session that time and whether they can fit this event into their schedule. But if things go as planned, mem bers of the ECSU family may soon be sporting Centennial license plates on their cars, sipping soft drinks from cans bearing the ECSU Centennial logo, and looking forward to a rein actment of history. “The Centennial is ECSU’s special opportunity to emphasize 100 years of academic excellence,” said Chan cellor Dr. Jimmy Jenkins, “and to brag about our many accomplish ments. The Centennial is also an opportunity to reflect on our mission and to redesign our mission to fully meet the needs of our present clien- telle and the clientelle of the twenty- first century.” Jenkins said he hoped the Univer sity would begin distributing Centen nial T-shirts to students within the next 30 days. to have the opportunity to register and vote.” Pointing out that October 8 is “your last chance to register,” Gantt added, “It’s your civic responsibility to regis ter. “We need to work on our plans and strategy for how we’re going to get students out there to vote. And how we are going to get students to help bring people to the polls. This election will go right down to the wire.” Although his voice was hoarse at A break with tradition Photo by Jackie Rountree WRVS power increase to broaden its appeal Assistant Band Director Anthony Johnson gives some pointers to Phyllis Price, the University’s first female drum major. This year's band is much improved, with a sense of Viking pride and enthusiasm, stealing the show with new and innovative dance routines. Watch for something special at this year's Homecoming game from Phyllis Price and the rest of the ECSU Viking marching band. times under the grueling campaign schedule, Gantt spoke with passion andferver. He ended his speech with: “Go for it, go all the way—Victory on November 6, for the Vikings, and Harvey Gantt.” A native of Charleston, S.C., Gantt was the first Black student admitted to Clemson University. He graduated from Clemson with honors in 1965 and later earned a Master’s Degree in city planning from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Gantt has designed numerous buildings across the Carolinas, includ ing the Winston Lake YMCA in Winston-Salem, the Campus Hills Recreation Center in Durham and student housing at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He was elected to the Charlotte City Council three times, mayor twice by a population that is 75% white. Gantt and his wife, Cindy, have been married since 1964. The Ganus have four children. By Cheryl White ECSU’s radio station WRVS-FM will increase its power from 10,000 to 41,000 watts “the latter part of the semester,” station manager Edith Lee Thorpe has announced. “We did this so we could broadcast to a broader area,” said Thorpe. “We currently reach a 70-mile radius; after the increase we will reach over 100 miles. This will give the ECSU more exposure in the area as far as broad casting is concerned.” Although the power increase will help to promote theUniversity, Thorpe pointed out that it will also benefit students by giving them a wider audi ence, and increased exposure to their talents. Paula Sutton, Program Manager at WRVS, pointed out another advan tage of the power increase: “The more wattage you have, the further you’ll be heard, so if you’re really interested in working at another radio station in the area, you should be able to just take a tape with you and say, ‘I worked at WRVS,’ and they should know where you’re talking about.” The increase will extend WRVS’ listening area to many communities surrounding the Pasquotank county area, said Sutton. “This area is about 6% of our lis tening audience,” she added. “But with the new increase, we should be able to reach places like Robersonville. Also, overall awareness that we do exist will be broadened.” Sutton also pointed out that the power increase will cause WRVS officials to re-evaluate their program ming. The programs we are currently broadcasting affect the residents here in Elizabeth City, but people in Green ville and Robersonville and William- ston may be turned off by what we are playing. So now we have to find out what interests these other places and find a neutral ground.” Competition with other area sta tions does not appear to be an issue of We currently I I reach a 70-mile radius; after the increase we will reach over 100 miles. This will give : ECSU more exposure \ in the area as far as I I broadcasting is con- j cerned.” Edith Lee Thorpe major concern, according to ThofpC’ WGAI-AM and WCNC-AM, both of which are ciurently broadcasting | out of Elizabeth City, operate at 1,000, watts each. WSRF-FM is 100,000 as is WMYK-FM. WOWI-FM is 50,000, watts. I “I really don’t consider us as cotn- peting with them,” said Thorpe. “M think they feel more in competition, with each other. People listen to us for variety—rap, reggae, jazz,gospel,an* R&B. So if anything, they feel W\ have to comi«te with us.” | Thorpe said that the station would be open to suggestions for help ii>) producing programs “that will edu-, cate our audience. “We’re always open to suggestion; about our programming. If there* something you do like or don’t like, 1^*' us know.” ! Sutton said she hoped the watta?^ increase would also promote a lot niotf students from the University’s En? lish News Media Sequence, to involved in the station. ' The power increase will be fund^ | by a two-year federal grant ThotP^. said. “For the first year it’ll be for ^ I upgrade in power, but the second will be for additional personnel.”
Elizabeth City State University Student Newspaper
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Oct. 11, 1990, edition 1
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