The Compass
Friday, September 20, 2002 4
^~Campus News J
ECSU: IS IT SAFE?
Heather Malone
cmalone@adelphia.com
“You never know what you’ve
got until it’s gone,” but maybe some
body else does, and that is why
it is gone. Last year at Elizabeth
City State University, from January
to December, 21 burglaries were
reported, three alleged assaults
took place, and there was one
murder. The numbers could have
been worse had it not been for the
help of the police and security offi
cers of ECSU.
Safety is taken seriously when
the lives and property of the stu
dents living on campus are con
cerned. Card entry doors on the
dormitories aid in the protection,
as well as a strict rule that no weap
ons are allowed on state property.
Two police officers and two security
police officers are on duty at
all times, whether on foot patrol,
vehicular patrol, or bike patrol.
Emergency call boxes are placed
throughout the campus.
Mr. George Mountain, Director
of Police and Public Safety, feels
good about the security here at
ECSU.
He explains the qualifications
of his officers saying, “The police
officers are certified by the attorney
general’s office, go through basic
training, and go through a screen
ing process which includes a psy
chological and a polygraph test
given by the FBI.” Background
checks are performed as well. The
security officers are also certified,
go through basic training and have
background checks. The coverage
area for the police and security
officers include the entire campus
and any roads running adjacent to
Campus.
The emergency call boxes are
provided in case of an emergency.
A button inside the box, when
pushed, sends a signal to the
campus police station, as well as
all police vehicles. The receiver of
the signal can identify from where
the call comes from. That way, the
police or security personnel are
able to respond to the call as
quickly as possible. Direct contact
with the public safety officials will
also be immediately available.
Common on most college cam
puses, burglaries, usually occur
school functions or during spring
break when the dormitories are
known to be mostly empty.
Officer Anton Thomas, an ECSU
police officer, urges students to
always lock their doors and to keep
valuables locked in the wall locker.
“I suggest that before leaving for
spring break, put everything in
those lockers. Computers, TVs, video
games...” Instances have been
noted that doors were kicked in
during these robberies, so just lock
ing your door may not be enough.
Officer Thomas also suggests that
each student who resides on campus
fill out an Operation Identification
Record. This is for recording stu
dents’ valuables and offers areas for
identification, such as serial number,
i.d. number and descriptions. In the
event that an item is stolen, and
retrieved, the student will have proof
of his possessions.
Last April, an upsetting and
frightening event occurred. At a
dance during Viking Fest, a non-stu
dent was shot and killed on campus.
The offender was apprehended and
no other injuries were recorded.
Crimes of this sort are not common
at ECSU, in additional, additional
security is hired for school func
tions, spotlights are set up through
out campus, and large areas are
blocked off to prevent unmonitored
access into and out of the coverage
area.
Still, Mountain stresses the
need for everyone to take precau
tions, male or female, on campus or
off. Mr. Mountain makes these sug
gestions: Always keep your doors
locked, never walk alone at night,
always walk with a friend and in a
well-lit area. Leave information with
a friend, or roommate about whom
you are with and where you are
going. Don’t ever pick up strangers.
Occasional altercations,
assaults, stealing and vandalism
are the most that this campus
has to deal with. If a student wit
nesses any of these crimes. Moun
tain urges them to contact the
campus police as soon as possible.
He says working together will make
living on campus more secure and
enjoyable, he says.
“I think we have a real safe
campus,” Mr. Mountain said, “We
certainly appreciate any support
from the students.”
JONES RETIRES, ROUSON RESIGNS
Elizabeth A. Martins
EAMARTINS@mail.ecsu.edu
Before the start of 2002-2003
school year, two of Elizabeth
City State University’s most well-
respected faculty members left the
university. Dr. Carol C. Jones, Direc
tor of the Honors Program and Dr.
Leon-Rouson, Coordinator of the
Mathematics and Science Educa
tion Network (ECSU-MSEN).
Dr. Jones taught at Elizabeth
City State University for over thirty
years. As the Director of the Honors
Program, she dedicated herself to
instilling its mission and goals in
the scores of students who passed
through its proverbial gates.
According to the University
Program Philosophy and Mission
Statement, The Honors Program
was designed “to challenge stu
dents with high academic potential
at an accelerated rate and to pro
vide them with exposure to a
wide variety of in-depth academic,
social, and cultural experiences.”
Graduates of the program have
usually developed “self discipline
and self-restraint both in character
and in academic endeavors to the
extent that counter-productive dis
tractions will not be allowed to
impede progress.” They have also
obtained “ a psychological dispo
sition that displays and indepen
dent and personal approach to
the search for exceptional scholar
ship as apposed to a dependence
on established patterns.” Dr. Jones
has made sure that students
have “developed high levels of
research, creative writing, technical
writing, computational, and non
verbal skills so that a substantial
level of proficiency has been
achieved.”
She has also bee the coor
dinator of the ECSU-SACS Self
Study Program. She once said
“Cooperation from all segments of
the Institution is vital... to be a suc
cess.”
Leon Rouson joined the univer
sity’s staff in 1993. By 2001, he
had received his Doctorate in Urban
Sciences with a concentration in
Organizational Leadership from Old
Dominion University. The MSEN pro
gram influenced his dissertation,
“The Influence of Selected Noncog-
nitive Variables on the Academic
Success of Black High School Males
in an Enrichment Pre-College Pro
gram.”
Known for being a strong and
enlightening motivational speaker.
Dr. Rouson also dabbled in the the
atre arts. During the early nineties,
he helped to stage the production
of Ntozake Shainge’s “For Colored
Girls Who Have Considered Suicide
When the Rainbow is Enough” by
the ECSU University Players. He
directed “The Children’s Hour” in
1998 and “The Old Settler” in 2001.
Rouson was the fifth coordina
tor of MSEN at the university. The
mission of the Mathematics and
Science Education Network Pre-
College Program is “to broaden the
pool of students pursuing mathe
matics and science based majors
and careers.” The curricula focuses
on conducting “academic enrich
ment experiences in problem solv
ing, mathematics, science, commu
nications, and technology” as well
as helping students to become
interested in pursuing a four-year
degree.
Rouson is credited with doing
that by sending some of ECSU-
MSEN’s first handful of students to
schools such as The North Caro
lina School of Science and Math in
Durham, North Carolina.
“Dr. Rouson wanted to return
to the classroom,” says Tamara
Baker, the Office Manager for the
MSEN office. He is currently teach
ing at a middle school in Virginia.
ECSU DORMS: OVERCROWDED?
McKeith Cordell
mckcordell@hotmail.com
As with any school, the primary
goal in preparing for a new year is
to recruit as many students as pos
sible. Here at Elizabeth City State
University, a school whose enroll
ment has grown somewhat leisurely
over a twelve-year period until this
year, enrollment has jumped up at
an alarming rate. One freshman,
Eugenia Evans, of Enfield, NC said,
“ I think we have an enormous pop
ulation, and a variety of students
here.”
According to Bruce Boyd,
Assistant Director of Residence
Life, extensive efforts were put
forth by the admissions office to
do recruiting for this year. Chancel
lor Burnim also assisted in helping
reach new students. The increase
has caused some overcrowding on
campus, but according to reports,
only a few female freshmen are
experiencing problems.
In Bias Hall, for instance,
four females are currently sharing
a room. Sharess Jefferson and
Latoya Webb of Halifax County,
NC, along with Casey Dickens and
Diketa Lyons ofTarboro, NC. The
girls say that they all get along and
that the living condition is not as
bad as people think. “We are all
getting along fine,” Jefferson said.
The room is so much bigger than
I thought it would be, but we only
have one phone and one television.”
The girls cope with the phone
issue by using cell phones. On the
third floor of Bias Hall three females
are also living in one room. “We just
have to consider the next person’s
space,” Webb said.
Mr. Boyd says that the new
dorm scheduled for completion in
2004 will help eliminate overcrowd
ing.
“We will gain an extra 25-30
beds on campus then, and imme
diately following its construction
Wamack and Mitchell-Lewis will
be air-conditioned and renovated.
Then, 75 more beds will be gained,”
said Boyd.
While overcrowding is uncom
fortable for some students who are
outside looking in, for others, it rep
resents a sign of growth that any
university would appreciate. Hope
fully, ECSU will continue to multiply
in future enrollment.
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The Freshman Can-
dlelighting
Ceremony will be
held in the Fine Arts
Auditorium on
Sunday, September
22, 2002 at 6:00pm.
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