ITIE Compass weanesaay, Maruii
Black History Month
a time to reflect on
young voters’ apathy
Letters
To The Editor:
During this month of February,
which is Black History Month, I feel
compelled to discuss an issue that we
all, especially students, desperately
need to examine. This month has been
set aside as a time of reflecting on the
history, contributions and current sta
tus of African-American people. I am
terribly troubled by the attitudes that
many young African-Americans have
today, especially concerning voting.
African-Americans make up only 12
percent of the American population.
Of that 12 percent, only 6.6 percent are
registered voters and among that 6.6
percent, African-Americans ages 18-24
who are registered to vote comprise .5
percent of the population of voters. Vot
ing is more that just a privilege or a
right: it is our obligation as people of
color to vote.
Over the years many of our
foreparents gave their lives so that we
would be allowed to have the same
rights as our fellow Americans. I have
had conversations with family, friends
and students as to why it is that they
do not vote. Reasons young people give
for not voting include, "not having the
time," "apathy towards candidates,"
and being uninformed or unaware of
the issues of concern to Americans.
While college-age voters are not con-
ceming themselves with voting, believ
ing that politics does not concern them,
they need to become cognizant of
propositions that could possibly cut off
federal student aid in limited loans.
Quite a few young people feel that all
The Compass
Editors Angela Burrus, Tiffany Newell
Chief Photographer Franklin Scott, Jr.
Sports Editor. Jemayne King
Copy Edita Samantha Marshall
Graphics Consultant Diane Patterson
Staff, Chenay Beamon, A1 Randolph, Kimberly Hines, Garry Walton
Kevin Walston
The Compass is published by Elizabeth City State University students under
the direction of the Department of Launguage, Literature & Communication,
Dr. Velma Brown Chairperson, and Mr. Stephen March, faculty advisor (edi
torial). Advisor for business affairs and technical support; Dr. Randall Clack.
Elizabeth City State University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges
of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate
.degrees. >
ECSU should allow
co-ed visits in dorms
politicians are corrupt and have their
own personal agendas. Politics/voting
is a game of sorts: similar to choosing
sides for a pick-up game of basketball.
You may not like who you have to
choose from, but you choose the play
ers that know how to play the game,
the people you feel you will win with.
When politicians know they have a
group with certain numbers, or voting
power that can put them over the top,
they do whatever they have to do to
win the vote of the group. As African-
Americans, we do not understand that
fact and we are sadly under represented
when it comes to voting. Every voice/
vote counts and is needed.
Ethnic groups such as Asian-Ameri
cans, Jewish-Americans and African-
Americans have all expressed the de
sire for a formal apology for the
injustices committed against their
people at various times in history. Per
haps everyone who is not a registered
voter owes an apology to the descen
dants of those that gave their lives so
that we would be able to participate in
tis "God given right." WT:\en we do not
exercise our right to vote, we are com
mitting imequivocal disregard to those
that were subjected to water canons,
attacked by dogs, beaten, murdered
and bodies never recovered—or if they
were they were so badly mangled that
they were unidentifiable—for attempt
ing to stand up and be counted just
like the next human being.
B. Angela Holley
University Counselor
To The Editor:
Most of my life I have lived as a child
and acted as a child. Now that I am an
adult there are certain privileges I
should be entitled to while I am in
college.
This includes being able to have a
visitor of the opposite sex spend the
night in my room.
As young adults at ECSU we should
not be denied our right to indepen
dence. If we are responsible enough to
leave home and come to a strange en
vironment, that says a lot about our
level of maturity. If we are able to drive
a car, which allows us to take our own
lives and the lives of others in our
hands, we should also be able to make
decisions that affect our personal lives.
At the age of 18 we are able to vote
and express our views about the world
we Uve in. Moreover, we are old enough
to fight and lay down our lives for our
country. Given these facts, is it fair to
deny us the right of overnight visita
tion?
How are we supposed to experience
the full essence of being our own per
son and live the college life if we can
not have some independence to prove
we are responsible and can be trusted?
Independence is not the only issue at
hand. We, the students of ECSU, should
be able to enjoy the luxuries of college
life. This dormitory will be what a lot
of us call home for the next four years.
If we have to stay here, we should be
happy and content. We have paid all of
this money for our room, and as long
as we are not breaking the law in any
way, we should be able to do whatever
we want in our rooms.
There is no reason why we should be
treated like babies when it comes down
to what we can and cannot do.
If a person is renting a home, they
should be able to live as they want.
Denying us the right of overnight visi
tation is not fair to us, because we are
the ones who keep the university in
operation. We are helping to pay the
administrators' salaries, so they should
try to accommodate us in some re
spects.
Many universities already allow coed
visitation, with no resulting problems.
For example, in N.C., Duke University
has 88 percent of its students living on
campus, and 55 percent of them live in
co-ed dorms. At East Carolina Univer
sity, 27 percent of the students live on
campus, and 13 percent of these live in
coed dorms. At UNC-Charlotte, 90 per
cent of students live in coed dorms.
And at Wake Forest University, 83 per
cent of students live on campus, and
73 percent of these live in coed dorms.
If all of these North Carolina institu
tions of higher learning can allow coed
dorms, why can't ECSU do the same?
We pay just as much tuition as those
colleges; shouldn't we enjoy the same
privileges?
In order to experience the full es
sence of being young adults in college,
we should not always have someone
looking over our shoulders making
decisions that we should be able to
make as young adults.
Another reason ECSU should allow
coed visitation is that it would prevent
a lot of people from sneaking around
and getting into trouble. How many
students get caught in the wrong room
and are suspended for breaking the
rules? This wastes precious time and
money.
We should not have to sneak because
we are adults, not criminals. We have
not done anything wrong. Everyone
by now should know about sexual re
lationships. If we are mature enough
to take responsibility and make wise
decisions about our sex lives or any
other aspect of our lives, we should be
able to handle something as minor as
overnight visitation.
Sheree Jones
Poetry
Warrior
Heart of a lion hunting
the negative destroying
of society
capacitate me with your strength
where were you when I needed
you
in my life
lion of Judah rasta
men from the east
cure the nation with your ganja
I need the aroma of
awakeness
AtibaVMggins