The Compass Tuesday, May 4, 1993 3
Killing the messenger
Letters
ESCU's gay students
shouldn't be ashamed
In refusing to release the number
of students voting in the April elec
tion, ECSU's Vice Chancellor for
Student Affairs has accused The
Compass of discouraging students
to vote by publishing stories that
put down students and failing to
"profile candidates campaigning
for campus offices". We should not
have to defend ourselves against
these allegations because we are
not to blame for the lack of student
participation in campus elections.
(The Compass has not blamed apa-
theticstudent journalists on the de
fensive, and uncooperative atti
tudes of certain administrators.)
Last year. The Compass pub
lished tiie names of SGA officers
elected in the springelections, along
with the percentages of votes stu
dents won and the total number of
students who voted. In that elec
tion orUy 524 out of 1764 students
voted.
This information was published
not in an attempt to discredit the
shidents, as Dr. White seems to
feel, but because the information is
public record, and because the stu
dents deserve to be informed about
the number of students actually
voting in an election.
Because of space limitations we
only profile the wiiming candidates
for SGA President and Miss ECSU.
This year. Dr. White has with
held the number of students who
voted under the pretext that The
Compass will use the information to
write "negative" news stories about
the students.
Our question is: What is he so
afraid of?
In a letter accompanying the re
fusal to release this ir\formation—
to which students are legally en
titled—White wrote, "Campus
elections are the business of all stu
dents and student organizations."
If this is true, why withhold the
number of students who voted?
Are administrators afraid thatpub-
lidzing a low voter turn-out will
reflect on them?
The Compass does not feel this
information v\dlldiscreditstudents.
Rather, making students aware of
the low number who actually par
ticipate in elections should help
students realize that their vote
would have made a difference.
At any rate, as a campus news
organization, it is our job to print
the truth and keep students in
formed about what is going on on
campus. If the facts create a nega
tive picture, it's notour fault, and to
blame us is to adopt the "kill the
messenger" attitude.
In the future, we will continue
to report campus events and sup
port our students. This is our job
and our responsibility. We will
not sweep incidents, or embar
rassing statistics, under the rug
in order to make the jobs of our
officials easier.
To The Editor;
This is a message for all ECSU students
who feel that you are different because
you are not attracted to the opposite sex
or either attracted to both sexes.
In this strange and crazy world, people
get caught up in the stereotypes of life
that can somehow affect another person.
Although being a homosexual is consid
ered to be morally wrong, no one can
judge that but the man above. Yes, you
can and will be talked about, cursed at,
teased and may even lose friends. All of
that was done to Jesus, so what makes
you think it won't be done to you?
The world is full of individuals who
enjoy different ways of living. I, used to
always worry about what others thought
of me, then I began to see that the only
thing others see are the bad things you
do, not the good. This is when I realized
that these people do not care about me
anyway, if the things I do cause them to
question me and my personality. I was a
victim of all kinds of rumors; you name it,
they called it. But, growing up and ma
turing I learned that you have to make
yourself happy first and if being with a
member of thesamesexmakesyou happy
and you feel loved, then you shouln't feel
as though you are an outcast, or different.
Everyone needs love and it should only
To The Editor
Why are you in college? I know why
I'm in college. I'm in college to get a better
education and to get a degree so that I can
get a good job. To be able to graduate
from college you need to do your work
and go to your classes. I'm not saying I'm
perfect and that I attend all of my classes
and do all of my work but 95% of the time
I do.
I've been in college for three and a half
years. In that time I have not abused the
amoimt of absences allowed or assumed
the teacher would "give" me a grade. I
work hard for my grades and realize that
whatever grade I get, is the result of my
attendance, homework, participation, and
knowledge. Youcan'tblameateacherfor
what grade you receive in a class. Saying
a teacher "hates" you doesn't give you an
excuse for failing a class. I'm sick and
tired of seeing students not coming to
class, not doing their homework, not par
ticipating and then wondering why they
fail or make a bad grade. I'm the student
who is there almost all the time, who does
homework, who participates, who makes
a good grade. I'm the student who you
call a "brown-noser" because I do all
matter when you know that ir is sincere.
A lot of ECSU students, male and fe
male are bisexuals or homosexuals but
they mind their business and keep to
themselves. Youshouldnotfeelashamed
to be who you are; too many people are
trying to be some thing that they're not. If
everyone could leam to accept life with
its uf)s and downs and know that it is not
up to the human race to judge other
people, life would be so much simpler.
I am not saying to wear a sign saying
you're gay or bi; just remember those
who love you should know and under
stand you, and you should be able to
explain the way you really feel to them.
This is a very delicate subject and
should be handled with care. I hope this
letter gives those who fit into this cat
egory a chance to search yourself and
help you find out what is really impor
tant to you in life, and I hope it is to be
happy. Thisiswhatldeddedanditreally
works. The whole world is not going to
love and accept you gay or straight. Just
make sure you-know-who does.
Be yourself! And make sure you are
happy with yourself first. Cod will al
ways forgive you for your sins and that is
all that matters.
Pablita Batiste
these things.
Well let me tell you. I'm not going to
stop doing what I loiow is right and what
I know will help me in the end because of
you. What you don't realize is that your
lack of participation in classes is making
me look better than I might be. I'm not a
genius but I'm a good student. Yes, I do
moan and groan over certain classes and
assignments but I do them. Yes, I do turn
my assignments in on hme and I get
angry when you always have a "good
excuse" for not turning it in on time. I
may not do my assignment early and
may wait until the last minute but I turn
it in on time.
It is not fair to me, the student who does
turn in work on time, or the teacher, who
is under pressure from all of his or her
classes, to listen to your excuse and grant
you an extra day to turn it in. I'm tired of
putting up with people who always
makes excuses and from now on I'm not
going to do it. I'm going to continue to be
a good student and try my hardest to
make the grade. In the end we'll see who
comes out on top.
(ECSUstudent's name mtheld hy request)
Elizabeth City State University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate degrees.
Twenty-two hundred copies of this publication were printed at 45 cents per copy.
The Compass
Editors:
Lavenia Dameron
Steve Cooke Photography
Tim Smith
Jody Riddick Sports
Tarsha White Enlerta|nir,ent
Advertising ,Tf
Graphics Consultant Rvwirjt
Photographers: Steve Cooke. Lavenia Dameron, Alec Harding, Jody HiddicR,
Tarsha White ^
Staff writers: Steve Cooke. Bruce Campbell, Ayanna Dorsey. Kysha Gary,
Melanie Harrington, Anna Herring, Xanthe Ivey. Evonne Martyri.
Yolande Silver, Tarik Scott. Rodney Stallings. Pamela Tolson. Reginald
Worlds.
The Compass is published by Elizabeth City State University under the direction of^e
Department of Language, Literature and Communication, Dr. Linda Rorence Callahan,
and Mr. Stephen March, faculty advisor. ^ ^ i. . crci i r«y
The Compass welcomes letters to the editor. Letters should be^nt to ECSU 815
Elizabeth City. NC 27909. All letters must be signed and include the writer’s add
telephone number. They may be edited for length, clarity, and taste, as well as accuracy and
grammar. Because of limited space, not all letters can be published.
Student is "sick and tired
of laziness, indifference