4 Wednesday. December 6. 2000 The Compass
Compass Highlights Fall 2000 Graduation Candidate
Inger L. Parker
frenchvanilla80@hotmail.com
You hear "Pomp and Circumstances"
and loud praises. You see caps, gowns
and tears, some sentimental, some joy
ful. Those are some of the elements of
graduation day. This year, Elizabeth
City State University's Fall Commence
ment is on Saturday, December 9th.
On that day, one of ECSU's finest can
didates for graduation will gracefully
walk across the stage and graduate,
never to look back, never to return as a
student.
She is 22 year old Miss Kadija Baffoe-
Harding. A native of the nation's capi
tal, Washington, EXZ. Harding is an ex
tremely warm and friendly individual
and as a typical DC native, Harding
loves "Go Go" music, though she said
it is not her favorite genre of music.
Harding is a biology major with a
concentration in pre-medicine. She
transferred to ECSU in August of 1997
after attending the University of the
District of Columbia and Howard Uni
versity. Harding said that her decision
to come to ECSU was helped by the
urgings of one of her cousins, a May
2000 ECSU graduate. Harding's cousin.
Opal Grey, told her to come to ECSU
because of campus life and also be
cause of the school's biology program.
Harding said that being accepted to
ECSU was the easiest part of her jour
ney.
"I called and applied and got ac
cepted pretty much all in the same
week," she said. Before enrolling, she
had never visited the campus or the
Elizabeth City area. "Elizabeth City is
nothing like DC. It is much slower and
boring. Sometimes, it has been so bor
ing that 1 didn't have a choice to do
anything
except
study,"
said
Harding.
Despite
living in a
totally
new and
less cos
mopoli
tan set-
ting,
Harding
believes
that at
tending
ECSU has
been well worth her time and a posi
tive experience despite the fact to her
the Elizabeth City area is not appeal
ing. She does not feel as though she
wasted time and money. "1 came here,
and 1 did what 1 had to do, and 1 did
not depend on professors." Harding
said that it is up to students to get the
most of out of their education. "It's all
in what you make it," she said. "You
get the same materials and work here
that you would get at any other Uni
versity. It is up to you to take the extra
step and read that extra chapter."
She added, "When it comes to edu
cation, "you teach, test and pass your
self, and no one is harder on you than
you are."
Harding also said that being at ECSU
has
humbled
her. She
said that
she is a
real
"nrnti^'
girl and
that be
ing away
from
home for
the first
time has
given
her a
new re
spect for
her mother.
Since coming to ECSU, Harding has
made many friendships that are sure
to be long-lasting. "My best friends are
Cynthia Roberts and Tresha Morning,
but I have established a lot of friend
ships, ones I won't forget, ones that I
will miss," she said. She also said that
she is a big supporter of both women.
"I really support my friends. If Cynthia
is in a play. I'm there, and if she is on
the air at the radio station. I'm tuning
in," said Harding.
During her years at ECSU, Harding
was an active member of the Concerned
Black Awareness Council and the
NAACP, and she was active in Science
Department activities.
At the mention of graduation,
Harding cheered and said, "It feels like
an enormous weight is about to be
lifted. One more day goes by and you're
that much closer to graduation."
After graduation, Harding plans to
attend undergraduate school for a year
to obtain her nursing degree, she then
plans to go on to graduate school to
receive her masters degree in nursing
and one day become a Nurse Practitio
ner. Her school choices include
Georgetown, George Mason and
Howard University. She said she plans
to attend whichever school gives her
the best financial package.
If she had to advise a high school
senior about whether to attend ECSU
or not, Harding said she would give
them a conditional 'yes.' She said that
she would especially advise high
school seniors from Washington, DC
to come only if they can stand the dras
tic change from home and the non-
urban environment.
Miss Harding, such a "rare essence"
at ECSU, along with many other De
cember graduates wUl soon bid ECSU
a fond farewell.
Kadija Baffoe-Harding
Students Find Room
Checks Purposeless
agreement, which states that the office
of residence life reserves the right to
enter a room or suite for inspection,
maintenance or repair and to enforce
University regulations regarding
health and safety, they give dorm di
rectors the power to do room checks.
By signing the occupancy agreement
students also agree to have their rooms
neat and tidy by 12 noon each day
though majority of the time, inspec
tions are done before noon.
Stokes also commented that there
have been several cases where stii dents
have violated housing rules. There have
also been cases where students have
been evicted from their residence haU
for violationg those rules.
The battle between students and
housing concerning room checks con
tinue. Some students feel that room
checks are an invasion of privacy and
unnecessary because they feel they're
responsible enough to maintain their
rooms. Housing, on the other hand,
feels it's safer to monitor student's liv
ing habits.
Commuter Club Gives to Tots
Abrian Carter
yella97@hotmail.com
There have been several complaints
from students who are against the man
datory weekly room checks in dormi
tories.
Supposedly, at least once a week a
sign is to be posted in dorms to warn
students that their rooms will be
checked and to give students the op
portunity to clean their rooms.
Illegal appliances in the room such
as frying pans with oil inside and lamps
without covers on them are considered
hazardous and are grounds for evic
tion for violating school safety codes.
Students whose rooms are clean re
ceive a "S" for satisfactory, and stu
dents whose rooms are untidy receive
an "U" for unsatisfactory. According
to Michael Stokes, Director of Hous
ing, if a student receives an unsatisfac
tory three times they will be required
to meet with a housing representative
who will then talk to the student about
their room and give them a warning.
Students who continue to disobey the
dormitory rules wiU be asked to return
their key.
"I think room checks are childish and
unnecessary," said an occupant in
Hugh Cale. "I also think I have a right
to live as I wish especially since I have
no roommate."
"Room checks are mandatory be
cause of safety precautions and should
not be considered too childish because
it is a process that takes place to ensure
the safety of the students," said Stokes.
"There is a policy in the Residence
Life Student Manual concerning room
checks."
Under Care and Cleaning of Rooms in
the manual, it states: students are ex
pected to keep their rooms clean. They will
be required to clean their living accommo
dations should the stajf determine that the
room or suite presents a health hazard.
Resident Administrators will conduct
weekly room inspections. "It is not that
housing does not trust the students,
but it is just a rule that housing must
abide by," said Stokes.
"I think that the policy is contra
dicting. Rooms are to be checked for
safety and health reasons. But, I've wit
nessed the process. The dorm director
inspected my bed and trash and
whether or not items were on the floor.
They ignored things that would pose
safety hazards like electrical outlets and
smoke detectors," said another cam
pus resident.
When students sign the residence hall
The Elizabeth City State University
Commuter Club in conjunction with
the United States Marine Corps Re
serve, is starting a new tradition at the
University. The club and the USMCR
will be collecting toys and distributing
them to underprivileged children in
Elizabeth City.
The USMCR Toys for Tots program,
which distributes an average of eight
million toys annually, has been collect
ing toys for children for over fifty years,
and campus orgaruzations such as the
Pan Hellenic Council, SGA and the
Pickwick Society have joined ECSU's
Commuter Club and USMCR in this
endeavor.
The Toys for Tots campaign began
on November 15, 2000. The two col
lection points on campus are the Com
muter Center and the G. R. Littie Li
brary. Off campus sites include
Wahnart, First South Bank and both of
the Elizabeth City Fire Stations.
The club will accept new, unwrapped
gifts which range from five to ten dol
lars in value.
The Toys for Tots drive wiU end on
December 15, 2000.