Newspapers / Elizabeth City State University … / Nov. 25, 2002, edition 1 / Page 2
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The Compass Monday, November 25, 2002 2 0 During this interview process, I overlieard students say that “success” was too broad of a topic to be defined, needing to be narrowed down to specifics. In response, every person’s idea of success Is different, which makes hinri or her unique. The definition given In the dictionary Is not necessarily a person’s personal idea of success. Qossip LaQuisha Tisdal, Assistant Editor apostolic_quisha01@yahoo.com fmi PO you DfflNE SUCCESS? % “Success is something gained through wealth and fame, it is through experience of hardship, social problem and different adversities that one can truly be successful. For example, I believe I’m successful because I work diligently in my courses to get A’s and B’s.” Wendell Thomas “Success is achievement, not just through your eyes, but through the eyes of the community. You cannot be successful without uplifting others. I am trying to be successful by helping others reach their point of achievement.” Pam Jones “Meeting every goal in life, no matter what the goal is.” Jennifer Rountree “It is the ultimate level of achievement. As it relates to me, success is being in college and working diligently towards my bachelors’ degree. I will be the first male in my family to graduate from college.” Damien Lewis “Success is being content. As long as you can provide for yourself, your family and as long as your happy. The richest man can be the saddest.” Carmen Brown “It’s when you get what you want. Happiness is when you like what you get.” Kelly Winborne “Any dream imagined or any thought focused on that can lead to higher achievement is success.” Stephanie Mitchell “A vision that has been fulfilled. My success was that I make to my senior year after all my earlier triumphs.” Shatrina McCoy “Happiness.” Tierra Porter J RESIDENCE LIFE LISTENS, IS RESPONSIVE TO STUDENT CONCERNS Rukiya Williams kiyawms@hotmail.com The Office of Housing and Resi dence Life is responsible for providing a safe, supportive environment for stu dents in seven residence halls and one apartment complex. That is the task set out for Mr. Warren Basket, the new director of housing and residence life. Mr. Basket is one of the latest additions to Elizabeth City State University Staff. For more than 20 years, he was director of housing at the North Caro lina School of Science and Math. He explains why he came to ECSU saying, “I was looking for a new chal lenge and it has been a challenge.” As director, Mr. Basket is respon sible for all of the residence halls, and their administration, staff and students. Basket’s duties include budgeting, personnel, facilities management and programming. Ms. Rona Norman, assistant director of residential life, is responsible for staffing and judicial affairs. “I supervise all staff and residential halls. I [also] oversee all the judicial matters of the residential halls such as room inspections, co-ed violations, trespassing, and conflicts among stu dents.” Asked what the basic functions of the housing and residence office is? She says, “It assures the safety and academic enhancement of residential students.” Asked what provisions are made to ensure the students’ needs are met? Mr. Basket said; “Building safety, clean liness, functioning of utilities, adequate furniture, and as many amenities the budget can allow since students are here 9-10 months out of the year. Residence halls do not replace home, but we want to make sure they are a place students want to come to after class.” When students are not in class, they are usually in their rooms. The student residences include: New Residence housed by men and women Complex housed by men and women Butler housed by men and women Bias housed by women Mitchell-Lewis housed by men Hugh Cale housed by women Wamack housed by men Doles hall housed by men A residence director manages each building seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day. There are also residence directors who manage and provide supervision for daily operations. They oversee community living stan dards, housekeeping, rnaintenance. and safety and security procedures. Ms. Jessie Riddick, resident director in Bias Hall says, “My job entails being a mother figure to stu dents while they are away from home.” This year, the system that pro vides live-in directors was reintro duced. To aid in maintaining a friendly environment, undergraduate students are chosen through interviews, grades, and recommendations to be resident assistants who are responsible for planning, programming, developing floor communication, assisting students with needs and reporting maintenance concerns. Resident assistants are the first steps in the chain of command since they here the students’ concerns first. Students who serve as RA’s are prop erly trained every summer in order to provide students with any type of assistance they might need. “Being there for the students, lending a helping hand to those in need, giving a little guidance are all things I do to make Bias a better place to live,” says Latoyal Swindell, RA in Bias Hall. Some of the new goals of the office of housing and residence life, according to Mr. Basket, are “To pro vide as many services as possible at the lowest rates i.e. cable and internet. Also, to ensure students leave feeling like they had a good time on campus, learning, making friends, and experi encing college life for all that it’s worth...making sure the residence halls are conducive to that.” Ms. Norman adds, “[Tiring in a Residence Hall]...It teaches leadership skills, patience and allows you to live in a setting outside of your family. It will help you flourish in the work place.” The situation is not perfect Mr. Basket admits, adding, “Students should understand the department is open to criticism, suggestions...there needs to be a dialogue. We may not have a satisfactory answer at the moment, but we are willing to listen to try to make it happen.” Residence Life Tries To Accommodate and satisfy Freshmen Tijan Jarra is 7’1 tall and had to bring his own bed from home even though new furniture was bought for all the dorms. Asked if the university could have accommodated him better, he simply responded by saying yes. But Jarra’s case is special. In some dormitories on campus students must maintain a certain Grade Point Average in order to live in that certain dorm. Air Conditioning Still A Concern There are many students on cam pus that may not meet the guidelines. Some students, like Ray Childs, a fresh men, do not get the dorm they want. Childs, who had asthma wanted to live in a dorm with air conditioning. “I have asthma and I was not put in the dorm that I requested.” During the summer of 2002, air conditioning was installed in Bias Hall. “Why not Womack as well? Since when are women more important than men? Guys need air too,” said Duane Ashmon, a junior at Elizabeth City State University. Jamar Battle, junior, said, “I think one of these upperclassmen dorms should have gotten it first.” First-Year Co-ed Visitation During the 2002-2003 school year, ECSU turned two dorms, Butler Hall and New Residence Hall, into co-educatipnal dormitories. “I think it is too late. It should have been like this before,” said senior Latoya Richardson. “Life is not separated by sex once you leave school,” Ashmon said. “I think having the two co-ed dorms is a progressive step the university is making,” said junior Carl Seward. I think that everyone should have co-ed visitation. Students should be mature enough to handle co-ed visita tion, but if not, restrictions should be applied,” said sophomore Darius Walston. Dorm visitation hours have changed this year. The times on Sunday through Thursday are from 2:00pm to midnight; Fridays and Saturdays from 2:00pm- 1:00pm. Many students on campus feel that the idea of changing the hours was a really good change for the university. Freshmen at ECSU are not allowed to have co-ed visitation. However, some freshmen live in the complex or they have upperclassmen for roommates who will sign in guest for them. “I think upperclassmen should not have co-ed visitation, because your first year of college should be a year you try to adjust from coming from high school to a college atmosphere,” said Seward. “If you have a standard, why change it?” said Eunice Smith, junior. “I don’t agree with it because their first year, they should get their home work done first instead of being with the other gender. Their college adaptation should come first,” said Mr. Lonnie Walton, Dorm Administrator. “I feel that it’s a good thing. It will bring enrollment up,” Jamar Battle said. Some upperclassmen have fresh men as roommates. Many of them feel that it is not a problem. “She is much more mature than all of the other upperclassmen roommates I have had before,” Richardson said of her roommate. “I should have gotten an upper classmen as my roommate,” said Shawn Capehart, a senior. On the ECSU website under the topic of Residence Life are listed policies that many students did not know about. One of those is that while many students are housed in residence halls, a limited referral service for available houses, trailers, apartments and fur nished rooms in private homes. iVlost Students Satisfied Many students feel that for the most part, the dormitory that they reside in does not really need any renovations. While there were com plaints about air conditioning in Mitchell Lewis, that problem has been resolved, but others remain “First of all, we should have gotten air conditioning first. I believe Mitchell Lewis is the most heavily guarded dorm on campus,” said Capehart, a resident. “Redo the stairways. Painting them every other month is not enough. They should gut the stairway and rebuild another one,” said Seward, who lives in Butler Hall. “There should be more security and more lights in the complex area such as the back of Complex Buildings B and C,” said Smith, a resident of the Complex. Jermaine Jordan said, “Some of the dorms could be better equipped. [We should have] air and heat that actually works on a regular basis.” Asked what dorm they choose to live in, many students said they would choose another. Many students would like to live in a dorm where they have their own rooms. “I would like to live in Hugh Cale where I have my own room and bigger space,” Smith said. “I would like to stay in Butler, I have my own room, share a bathroom with just one person, Internet connec tivity, and Butler is centrally located on campus,” Seward said. While all of the problems with student living have not been alleviated, director Basket says major steps have been made to improve conditions. His colleague, Mrs. Norman perhaps best summed living in a dorm by saying that it is more than just a place to go be tween classes. Erica Cooper.contributed to this story. It was written by Rukiya Williams and Mario Bradley. It was edited by Antonio Barrow.
Elizabeth City State University Student Newspaper
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Nov. 25, 2002, edition 1
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