Newspapers / Elizabeth City State University … / March 18, 1999, edition 1 / Page 5
Part of Elizabeth City State University Student Newspaper / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
inurauciy, ividrcn ±o, ij Chancellor Responds To December Conipass Afficle By Chancellor Mickey L. Burnim I appreciate the opportunity to clarify some of the remarks which I made dur ing my fall interview with The Com pass editorial board. In particular, there were four points made in the Decem ber 19th article titled "ECSU Chancel lor answers the tough questions; urges students to get involved" which I would like to address. The first point has to do with the suggestion that the University's Atten dance Policy, which was instituted in the spring semester of 1996, is a big negative drag on student motivation. Let's examine the process through which the new policy was developed and approved, and identify some ways that students could have been more involved. The policy was initially developed and approved by the University's Cur riculum Committee, which includes all of the academic department heads plus other persons, including two students. Mr. James Cherry, SGA President for 1995-96, and Ms. Tenace Payton, Miss ECSU for 1995-96, were the student members. This committee then sent the proposed policy to the Chancellor for approval and forwarding to the Board of Trustees,(where Mr. Cherry also sat as the student member). The new Class Attendance Policy was approved by the ECSU Board of Trust ees on December 19, 1995. The two points to note are (1) that the policy was developed by a Uruversity com mittee of faculty/chairpersons and stu dents who were acting in what they believed to be the best interests of stu dents, and (2) that the process afforded students good opportunity to make their views known and influence the outcome. Because Ms. Payton and Mr. Cherry, both outstanding students, were serv ing by virtue of their being elected stu dent representatives, their job was to represent student views during the de liberations. Through them, ECSU stu dents had the opportunity to make their views known. In our representative form of government,* the same prin ciple applies at the local level (school boards, city coxmcils, coimty commis sions), state level (elected representa tives, senators and governor), and at the nationals level (the President and Congress). Learn to use the system to effect desired change. Next, I want to address the sugges tion that greater emphasis on academic priorities has caused social life at ECSU to suffer. My point to the editorial board was that ECSU's mission is to prepare its students for responsible leadership and we intend for that to be the pri mary focus in everything that we do. To the extent that we can do that and promulgate a rich and wholesome so cial life, we will. I firmly believe that meeting those dual objectives is pos sible. However, when those two objec tives conflict, we will give priority to the preparation of responsible leaders. This is the reason that I made the deci sion to permit Viking Pest, but not to cancel classes for it. Our faculty be lieves that class time is critical for maxi mizing learning for our students and we don't want to do anything that im pedes learning. We certainly want students to have fun during the years they spend at ECSU, and many are doing so! Many students who participate in intercolle giate athletics, intramurals, social or ganizations, SGA, the Student Leader ship Academy, ROTC, campus organizations and the Honda All Star competition are having fun! So are those who have participated in inter national educational experiences in Ghana, Santa Domingo, and Europe. Likewise, many of the students who have participated in student discus sions at the Chancellor's residence, or attended the receptions in honor of the Chancellor's Scholars, and volunteer activities with Elizabeth City youth, have had fim at those activities. The point is that there are many op portunities for having fun while de veloping your leadership potential. In fact, I believe that your opportu nities for having fun are limited only by your imagination and your willing ness to work to create the environment that you seek. If you want more recre ational activities, then follow the ex amples of two great leaders and work with others to bring that to reality. Martin Luther King, Jr. envisioned an America where freedom and justice prevailed for ail people and he worked assiduously to bring that about. Nelson Mandela hoped for a free South Africa where every citizen would have an equal vote and there would be major ity rule and he dedicated his life to achieving that. If you want more fun activities, work with Dr. Fontaine, Dr. Bibbins, Ms. Berry, Mr. Bryant, Mr. Eley, and others to make them happen! The article suggested that I might be our of touch with today's youth. My contact with students, like the hour-long interview with The Compass editorial board, the discussions groups in the Chancellor's residence, liincheon gatherings with the Honda All-Star participants, and one-on-one discus sions with students like those who have been guests on my radio show, and parenting my own young adult chil dren, have given me a pretty good feel for today's youth. I am qmte aware of the many things that are popular with young people today, but that does not mean that I must accept ail of them as being desirable or appropriate. My job is to teach and provide sound, responsible leadership. This is where experience and wis dom should be a decided advantage; hence, my reference to my age and ex perience during the interview. What will better serve you in the fu ture? I submit things that build charac ter: integrity, truth, honesty, self-con trol, things of good report. Por me not to speak out against what 1 saw in the "fashion show" and the Saturday concert would be to abdicate my responsibility to teach and lead. No person ever enhanced his/her repu tation among well-meaning people by using vulgar language. Purther, some of the items that were modeled, and the way they were mod eled, were inappropriate for a college campus, particularly one whose aim is to prepare responsible leaders for the next millennium. In my view, the message being con veyed by those parts of the show was character destruction rather than char acter building. PinaUy, regarding the questioning of whether we are attracting a better pre pared, more highly motivated student body, it's still a little early to tell con clusively, but I sincerely believe that recent enrollees are better prepared to do college level work and are coming with a better attitude for learning. Whether you accept that or not, mo tivation is something which should come from within oneself. To depend upon some external factor or person for your motivation is to concede your destiny to others. Real leaders moti vate themselves from within and you should also. I hope this clarifies some of my posi tions as reported on in December is sue. We feel that ECSU students are won derful people and we are very fortu nate to be able to work with you. Like wise, we are corrmiitted to doing all that we can to prepare you to be the very best leaders of the next millen- mum! INSTITUTE FOR DIVERSITY IN HEALTH MANAGEMENT OFFERS: 1999 SUMMER ENRICHMENT PROGRAM $(A Twelve week PAID summer internship) $ NO LESS THAN $9.00 An Hour Pre-Career Program •Work for and shadow a health care manager •Attend the National Leadership Development Program in Chic^o •Travel and housing available (if plac«d away from home) ELIGIBILITY: •Rising college juniors, seniors, recent baccalaureate graduates or rising first year graduate students in a health care management program or related degree GPA or Better on a 4.0 scale •2.5 I For further details, please contact: Career Services Office H.L. Trigg Bldg., Room#103 335-3287 Correction In our last issue we incorrectly iden tified Mr. Dennis Brown as the University's Director of Pinancial Aid. Mr. Brown is Director of the Incentive Scholarship Program. The Director of Pinancial Aid is Mr. James E. Swimpson. Letter To The Editor January 29,1999 NATIONAL COUNCIL of NEGRO WOMEN, INC. Northeastern NC Section 2502 Riddick Road Elizabeth City, NC 27909 Dear Ms. Covington, You may or may not have heard of this organization, but it is a national organization, founded by Mary Mcleod Bethune, in 1935. It has over 240 sec tions through out the coimtry and 37 national affiliates, such as sororities and other national groups. We were orga nized in the Albemarle Area about a year ago. I am a retired educator and community activist who relocated here from New York City about two years ago. I read, with interest, in the Decem ber 14,1999 issue of The Compass, your article entitled, "Are We Being Pre pared for the Next Millennixmi?" It is very disconcerting to read your opin ion that you feel many of the gradu ates are not truly prepared with basic skills to gain entrance into the real world of work. There is so much that needs to be addressed that I really can't write it all on paper. My other concern, which you did not address in your column, makes me want to ask the question, "Is ECSU preparing its students to be able to make the best investment choices in their company pension plans, assum ing they are able to gain entrance into their field of choice." Prom my own experience and statistically speaking. Blacks basically are not knowledgeable about wealth building. There are so many myths and lack of knowledge that keep us from investing so that we, instead of building wealth, are con suming and making others rich instead of ourselves. About two months ago, I proposed to a department head at ECSU, an idea of my giving an Awareness Seminar or Course on "How To Build Wealth." It would be a course of introducing young people to the basic introductory concepts of investing. I have done a lot of research and want to share this knowledge with our young people of ECSU; thus making them more pre pared for the New MiUermium. He agreed with the idea, but I never heard again from him. I am writing you hoping that you are interested enough in my vision that we could get together to explore it fur ther. Sincerely, Lena Council
Elizabeth City State University Student Newspaper
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
March 18, 1999, edition 1
5
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75