SPORTS
Who's Shoes
Are These?
—page 8
INSIDE
ECSU’s
“family affair
—page 4
New
Incentive
Scholarship
Director
—page 5
Looking Sexy ForYour Man
—page 5
Hedda Gabler review
—^page 10
THE COMPASS
Vol. 52, No. 3
Circulation 2000
Elizabeth City, N.C.
Friday, March 1,1991
ELIZABETH CITY STATE UNIVERSITY
History reenacted at ECSU:
N.C. Legislature convenes
By Sharon Chappell
Today at Elizabeth City State
University, history will repeat itself at
11 a.m., when a joint session of the
North Carolina State Legislature re
enacts the introduction and passage of
HJR 383 in Vaughan Center.
One hundred years ago, on March
3,1891, Hugh Cale, a black represen
tative from Pasquotank County, intro
duced HJR 383 to the N.C. General
Assembly. The passage of this bill
provided funds to begin Elizabeth City
Colored Normal School, which has
since become ECSU.
‘The passing of this bill was not
easily done,” said Rep. Vernon James
(D—^Pasquotank). “TTie story goes that
Hugh Cale actually walked to Raleigh.
And the money to start it (ECSU) had
to be taken from other places.”
James said that he will introduce
the bill, Rep. R. M. “Pete” Thompson
(D—Chowan) will explain some of
its significance and Sen. Marc
Basnight (D—Dare) will relate the
history of the times as well as the life
of Hugh Cale.
As members of a special sub
committee of the Centennial Com
mission called the General Assembly
Day committee, Basnight, Thompson,
and James have been looking forward
to coming to ECSU today.
‘This is a great opportunity not
only to honor Hugh Cale but also to
demonstrate the importance of the
educational opportunities at ECSU to
the area,” said Thompson.
“I think it is very significant and
important for other state legislators to
see our area and listen to a presenta
tion on our ground,” said Basnight
“The potential of ECSU is tremen
dous,” said James. “No other branch
of the university system has as good a
scholarshipprogram. By woikinghard
and maintaining a reasonable aca
demic status, it is possible to have an
almost free education at ECSU.
“I’m delighted to be able to come
back to one of my hometowns,” said
Rep. Joseph Mavretic, another state
legislator who will participate in
General Assembly Day. Mavretic
lived in Elizabeth City for about seven
years as a child.
please see Reenactment/7.9
. Photo by Eugene O'Neal
unancellor Jimmy Jenkins beams with joy during the University's Convocation. Jenlins has good reason to
be happy, since he had just received a check for $50,000 from Coca Cola Enterprises, made out to the
University's Scholarship fund. At his left is Ed Washington, Vice President of Special Markets for Coca Cola
Enterprises.
Gulf war a ’painful reality’
for many ECSU students University celebrates Centennial
during January 20 Convocation
By Michelle Thomas
For many ECSU students the war
in the Gulf is more than justimages on
a television screen.
For those students who have loved
ones in the Gulf the war is a painful
reality. Other students are already in
the desert, facing Saddam Hussein’s
troops across the “line in the sand.”
Still others know they may have to go
any day.
Carlos Tilghman, a freshman en
rolled in ROTC, is on “stand-by,” and
knows he could be called at any min
ute. “I was totally shocked when I first
found out I might go,” said Tilghman.
“I was scared. 1 have a friend who
joined inactive reserves after me, but
was called to go before 1 was.”
Tilghman said his family doesn’t
really want him to go.
“My mom prays 1 won’t have to
go,” he said. “And my girlfriend
doesn’t really want me go either, but
she knows it’s something that I might
have to do.”
Tilghman said he is aware of the
dangers and hardships he will have to
face in the desert if c^led—everything
from scorpions to poison gas.
“Wlitn I vvciU irii.0 diis infantiry I
knew there were a lot of things I
would face,” he said. “1 know first aid
and I’m an expert rifleman.”
But despite his military skills,
Tilghman admits he is putting his faith
“in the Lord.”
If called to serve in the Gulf,
Tilghman will have to leave his two-
year old son behind.
“If anything happens to me, a part
of my son’s life will be taken away.”
Senior Phyllis Tillery has a brother
and a cousin serving in the Middle
East. Her brother is in the Air Force,
and her cousin is in the Army.
“This has brought our family to
gether to help pray and care for my
brothers’ family, plus band together
for ourselves,”.she said.
Tiller)' said she watches tne news
constantly to determine where her
brother is in regard to the general area
of fighting.
“He calls home a lot,” she said.
“He’s hoping to come home soon, and
he’s still in good spirits.”
please see War p.9
Fund-raising goal at $5 million
By Sharon Chappell
As part of its Centennial Celebra
tion, Elizabeth City State University
is undertaking the most ambitious
fund-raising drive in its history.
During the next three years ECSU
will be striving to raise $5 million
according to Mr. Ulysses Bell, Vice
Chancellor of Planning and Develop
ment
“This endowment fund will help
ECSU remain competitive and will
aid us in attracting students beyond
the sixteen county area we are pres
ently serving,” said Bell.
The Centennial Capital Campaign
fund began officially on January 20th
at the Centennial Convocation in
Vaughan Center. Burger King Corpo
ration and Coca Cola Enterprises each
gave$50,000 while Centura Bank and
First Union National Bank paid in
stallments on pledges of $25,000 each
during the Convocation program.
Local McDonald’s owner. Bill
Taylor, has also helped to secure
approximately $16,000 for the en
dowment from the Tidewater Asso
ciation of McDonalds.
As of now there is $300,000 in the
bank not counting pledges. Belk
Massey, Hardee’sFranchises,Lowe’s,
and the local Belk’s have each made
pledges. The Alumni Association has
pledged to raise $1 million.
“As to fund raising in general, we
are ahead of any time in the past. That
is, in part, because we are on a major
endowment drive. However, we have
a long way to go. To accomplish our
goal, we are going to have to be far
more creative,” said ChanceUor Jen
kins in a recent interview.
According to Beil, this fund will
meet a variety of needs for ECSU—
$1 million for two distinguished pro
fessor endowments, $3.2 million for
scholarship endowments, $500,00 for
library resources, and $300,000 for
faculty and student development.
By Albert C.F. Woodley
‘Today is a day of rejuvenation, a
day of celebration,” declared Chan
cellor Jimmy Jenkins, during the
University’s Convocation held Jan.
20 in Vaughan Center. “We have a
glorigus history to look back
on...&C>S U has beeii a f aithful steward
of dreams for over 100 years.”
The Convocation, the initial event
of the University’s Centennial cele
bration, was designed to celebrate the
University’s rich history, and reflect
on its diverse contributions to the city,
state and nation.
It was a day of both celebration and
surprise at ECSU. During the pro
gram the Chancellor announced that
Coca Cola Enterprises had placed the
University’s Centennial Logo on its
cans. James Stevens, Executive Vice
President of Coca Cola Enterprises,
presented Jenkins with a check for
$50,000 from Coca Cola Foundation
for the University’s scholarship fund.
In addition, representatives from
Centura Bank and First Union Bank,
each of which have pledged $25,000
to the scholarship fund, presented the
Chancellor with installment checks
on their pledges.
That evening, more than 500guests
attended a Centennial Dinner Theater
at the Kerrpit E. White Center, raising
more than $50,000 more for the schol
arship fund. The University Players
also presented AugustWilson’s award
winningplay,7?erMrner’sCome and
Gone.
During the Convocation, Student
Government Association President
RenelSamplepraisedtheUniversity’s
contributions to student life.
“ECSU is, to alumni, a place to get
a great start in the world, a place to
return. To students, it is a place where
we grow into productive citizens and
become leaders and a place where we
can depend on one another. It is a
place to play, work and mourn to
gether. ECSU gives us the chance to
develop into a total person, aca-
demic^ly, socially, culturally and de
velop life-long relationships.”
James Stevens, guest speaker at
the Convocation, said, “I am deeply
honored to share this historic moment
with you.
‘The world reverberates with dan
ger and uncertainty at this crossroads
moment,” Stevens continued. “We
must think anew and act anew. If you
are looking for ladders to lift us, look
at the life of Martin Luther King, Jr.
He rose above his time to see new
horizons of great hope. The Con
vocation invites us to take on the leg
acy and leadership of men like King,
to look at old problems with new
ideas, to heal old wounds with new
balms.”
Stevens said that education is an
enormous force for good in society,
adding, “We have seen education
batUe down the walls of injustice.
“But we have to work if education
is to touch everyone in society,” Ste
vens said. “Down through history,
education has not always been avail
able to everyone, but to a narrow elite.”
Stevens said that educators and
business people were becoming part
ners in “a spirit of shared vision” in
today’s work place.
“Today's work place has to be
viewed as a common ground of em
ployers and educators,” said Stevens.
“We need to create the right relation
ship between tomorrow’s jobs and
people who will hold those jobs.”
Pointing out that ECSU has a broad
based curriculum offering thirty under
graduate degrees plus graduate work,
Stevens said, “ECSU will be in a po
sition to deliver. The University has
broad progress and has become in-
please see Stevens p.9
Campus in transition:
ECSU shifting from HBC to regional school
Honor Guard
Senior ROTC cadet Julian Barron leads the flag detail at the
Centennial Convocation on Jam. 20 The Convocation marked the
beginning of ECSU s Centennial Celebration. pj,q|q jjy £ugene CNeai
By Mark Morris
ECSU was once an all-black, pro
vincial college that was geared to
ward preparing minorities for teach
ing careers. Today, the University of
fers more than 30 undergraduate de
grees to a much more diverse group of
students.
Of the five historically black col
leges in the UNC system, ECSU re
cruited the highest percentage of stu
dents from the top fifth of their gradu
ating classes in 1989-90 as opposed to
recruiting the lowest a decade ago,
according to “The Statistical Abstract
of Higher Education in Nwth Car-
oUna, 1989-90,” a research report
prepared by UNC-Chapel Hill an-
nudly for national review.
The University ranks second in the
same group, behind A & T State
University in Greensboro, in average
SAT scores of entering freshmen. The
average SAT scores of entering fresh
men has increased nearly 130 points
within the last five years, rising from
612 in 1985 to 740 in the fall of 1990.
That increase is the largest relative
improvement ever recorded in a state
institution in N.C.
The racial composition of the stu-
dentbody has changed as dramatically
as the academic ^titude of the stu
dents, making the University among
the most integrated in the UNC sys
tem.
This year’s freshman class was
33% non-black, according to 1^-
'^p.rald McCants, Director of the
‘'It's no longer a stigma for white students
to go to a historically black institution.”
Dr. Jimmy Jenkins
University’s Academic Development
Plan.
The Academic DevelopmentPlan,
spearheaded in 1985 by UNC system
president, C.D. Spangler, has resulted
in a massive influx of money at ECSU
that has brought about new buildings,
new programs, a $750,000 land ac
quisition and, perhaps most impor
tant, the Incentive Scholarship Pr(^-
gram.
The scholarship enables academ
ically qualified students from the
surrounding 16-county region to at
tend ECSU with most of their ex
penses paid. The program came into
effect in 1987, and has since lured
more than just black students from
local high schools.
Craig Avondo, a junior from Eden-
ton. North Carolina saw the scholar
ship as “too good to pass up. ECSU is
close to home and affords me an
educational opportunity that othwwise
I might not have had due to my finan
cial needs.”
Avondo admitted to hearing dis-
paragingremarks aboutattending what
some “prejudiced rednecks” in his
community call “Watermelon U.”
“In a way I look at it as a cultural
experience.” Avondo added.
Despite ECSU’s transformation
from a predominantly black college to
a multi-racial university, ECSU offi
cials stress that the Incentive Schol
arship is not just a tool to bring more
white students into tiie University.
“The state has shown confidence
and a vested interest in our success,”
said Dr. Jimmy Jenkins, Chancellor
of ECSU. “And we have shown the
state that their money is well spent.”
McCants said he has no problems
with the University’s shift in racial
make-up.
“Opportunity should be available
to all human beings regardless of
color,” said McCants. “What is im
portant is that the school is competi
tive. If I take you to an all-black school
and don ’ t educate you, then I ’ ve given
you nothing.”
ECSU officials say tiie Incentive
Scholarship Program is only one rea
son that more white students are
showing up on campus.
“The pool of black students eU-
gible for college is shrinking because
of the new admissions standards and
remedial retention does not appear to
be as strong a goal of the system as it
used to be,” said Carmento Edwards,
Director of the University’s Public
Relations in the High Schools Pro
gram.
General Admissions’ new admis
sions standards, mandating that stu
dents have taken the core courses
required by college bound curricu-
lums in high school and have a mini
mum SAT score of 600, have also
been factors, says Edwards.
“It is partly the responsibility of
students who are aheady in college to
talk to young people in the sixth and
seventh grade and inform them of
what courses they will need to take
when the time comes,” said Edwards.
Despite tiie growing integration of
the University, few white students
appear at athletic events, and social
functions such as Homecoming and
Coronation. In the fall of 1990, only a
handful of white freshmen turned out
for Freshman Convocation.
“The majority of white students
commute and feel that their only busi
ness on campus is in the classroom,”
said one white student Others say
they would feel uncomfortable being
the “only white person at a dance.”
Mike Stone, a senior from Eden-
ton. North Carolina, says his absence
from such events is simply a matter of
personal style.
“The racial balance doesn’t bother
me,” said Stone. “I just don ’ t like to go
please see ECSU p.9