The Compass
Monday, November 25, 2002
5
(°M0^ COLLEGE NEWS )
COUNSELING SERVICES PUTS STUDENTS BACK ON TRACK
Mike Webb
mdubb419 @ hotmail.com
Working with and counseling col
lege students can be an exhausting task
for some professors and departments on
campus, but for the Department of
Counseling doing so is a specialty.
The Department of Counseling and
Testing is one of the most important
departments on campus its charge is to
work with students who need assistance
in resolving personal, social, and emo
tional issues as well as helping students
focus on their academics. What makes
the office so effective is that students
have access to a personal counselor at
their convenience. Students who have
academic and social problems or who
need special attention and direction
receive immediate attention.
Deborah G. Branch is the Director of
Counseling and Testing. She also serves
as Special Assistant to the Vice Chancel
lor for Student Affairs. Mrs. Branch has
worked in the Counseling and Testing
Center at Elizabeth City State University
for four years. She previously worked for
six years at different universities includ
ing Morgan State University (her alma
mater), where she was the Director of
Career Services. She has also worked at
Duke University and North Carolina State
University
“My career has always been in the
division of student affairs where I’ve had
direct contact with students.”
Branch has worked in higher educa
tion for the past 25 years.
“I enjoy working with students.
That’s why I’ve stayed in the area of
student affairs.”
Branch works closely with students
who need assistance in resolving day-to-
day issues and concerns as well as
assisting students academically.
“Our primary mission of the Coun
seling and Testing Center is to aid
students in their adjustment to the
demands of college life by providing
individual and group counseling services
to students. Counselors provide per
sonal, social, career, and spiritual coun
seling to students as well as hosting
self-development workshops on campus
and in the residence halls during the
academic year.”
The Counseling and Testing Center
provides workshops to students, which
include roommate rights and responsi
bilities, time management and study
skills, male and female relationships,
career decision-making, and spiritual
concerns.
“We strive to help students set and
achieve goals and work towards main
taining a positive and healthy outlook for
personal growth and development,”
Branch says.
The workshops that the center
provides are aimed at helping students
handle a variety of issues. Workshops
such as the Male and Female Relation
ship workshop cover topics such as
date-rape, acquaintance rape, date-rape
drugs, abstinence, and other important
topics.
“We handle a number of sexual-
related topics, from romantic relation
ships to learning more about under
standing your sexuality.”
Consulting Psychologist, Dr.’Rich-
ard McClintock works with the office
during their workshops.
“Dr. McClintock works with the office
for students who need additional short
term counseling.”
Dr. McClintock also host workshops
focusing on alcohol, stress management.
Soon he will host an anger management
workshop.
The office also'hosts the university’s
New Student Orientation, which will be
held January 9-10, 2003 for new students
at the University Center. Fhday Jan. 10
will be for transfer students at the K.E.
White Graduate Center for the Spring
Semester. There will be another orienta
tion held during the summer. Other
services and programs provided by the
Counseling and Testing Center include
Parent-Family Weekend program, the
DISCOVER program. Alcohol 101, and
self-help library materials, videos and
brochures.
One of the most important services
that Counseling and Testing Center
provides is the VANS (Vikings Assisting
New Students) program.
“Each year, the Counseling and
Testing Center selects a group of dedi
cated students to become VANS. As
VANS, students serve as a resource to
new and transfer students who are
making the transition into college,”
Branch says.
The VANS’ program consists of
students who work with freshman stu
dents during the New Student Orientation
Program.
“They also serve as peer mentors
during the academic year. The programs
primary goal is to help students make the
adjustment from high school to the
campus environment,” she adds.
According to Branch, the success
of the program is that it helps students
enter college with a positive attitude as
well as preparing them for classes.
The bulk of the department’s work
includes individual, one-on-one counsel
ing sessions, which are confidential.
Student problems include personal
issues such as stress, depression,
academic motivation, student testing,
career counseling, family, drugs, alco
hol, study skills, and more.
“We are handling many of the
different types of issues that a college
student would face. Many students
nationally are dealing with depression
issues as well as coping with relation
ships. Our trends in the counseling
center are similar to the trends that
typical college students are facing
across the country.”
The center also tracks student
clients’ progress. Branch says that by
the end of a semester, the majority of
students improve their study skills,
manage time better, show high self
esteem, good decision making, good
grades, and pass their classes.
The Counseling Center is also
responsible for administering placement
tests, including the ACT, SAT, GRE,
CLEP, MAT, PRAXIS and the College
Student Inventory.
The Department of Counseling and
Testing is located in the H.L. Trigg
Building, room 115. It is open from 8:00
a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Monday through
Friday.
LEONARD BALLOU; KEEPER OF THE FLAME
DeTra L. Stith
depot9 @ hotmail.com
Being disabled and having to move
around a crowded office in a wheelchair
is something that Elizabeth City State
University’s Archivist, Leonard R. Ballou
has learned to live and deal with. Mr.
Ballou has been ECSU’s University
Archivist since the office was established
in 1971. If you need help with a term
paper, information about past Student
Government Association officers, or
almost anything else, you can consult
Mr. Ballou.
In fact, it is a wonder why many
more students do not know about Mr.
Ballou. The Archives houses important
documents and records for the school’s
use and the community’s use.
Mr. Ballou is a very mild mannered
man who is fond of his job.
“I reckon I like my job...it is interest
ing,” said Ballou.
And Mr. Ballou’s job is quite inter
esting, especially when one hears of all
•he stories he has to share.
Most departments at ECSU are
beneficial to Ballou, because he
chronicles their history through posters,
newspapers, and scrapbooks. For
example, the drama department (Univer
sity Players) sends posters of past plays
to be laminated and put on display, or
scrapbooks to be kept on file for future
reference. The English department
sends over articles from the school’s
newspaper “The Compass” to be bound
once a volume is finished. These binded
volumes are sometimes put on display.
“The University Archives is re
sourceful for people, if they use it like
they should,” said Ballou.
One of Mr. Ballou’s favorite stories
is about ECSU’s founding. A woman
called and asked about a man by the
last name Turner. She wanted to know if
he had helped in establishing ECSU.
Together, Ballou and the woman found
out that he had \n fact helped in estab
lishing ECSU when it was located in a
warehouse downtown.
“People find out that they are
connected to each other,” said Ballou.
Another incident he likes to share
involved a man looking for his grandfa
ther. The man knew that his relative had
attended ECSU for a few years, but he
didn’t know what had happened to him.
He found out through the University
Archives that his grandfather was in New
‘ Zealand, and that he had more family
there. At the time, the man thought his
grandfather was living somewhere in the
United States, never expecting him to be
in a foreign place, so far away
“People also call to find out whether
or not past SGA Presidents have been
appointed to the Board of Trustees,” said
Ballou.
The core of the University Archives
and Ballou’s work involves finding out
where people are. Even when someone
has died, the University Archives is
contacted by relatives to see if the de
ceased person has had any ties to the
University Most people, Ballou says, are
looking for what the deceased person
accomplished during their lifetime. Such
searches, which can be exhausting, are
handled by Ballou and his staff.
“I have a part-time assistant and
student assistants helping me, and we
work together to get the job done,” said
Ballou.
Ms. Gina Gibson is the part-time
assistant to Mr. Ballou, and has served in
that capacity for almost three years.
“I do like working here; sometimes,
Mr. Ballou can be a character,” said
Gibson.
Gibson says that their working
relationship is good, but that Ballou is
quite a task-master in doing his job.
“He’s very nice and determined, yet
he’s vocal and opinionated,” Gibson said.
Undeterred in his work, the man
behind the University Archives has lived
being without legs since November 1,
1996, when he suffered an aneurysm.
“When I found out that I would have
no legs, it didn’t necessarily bother me,”
says Ballou lightly
Mr. Ballou does not worry about not
having legs too much. Rather he focuses
on his prized University Archives. He
sometimes wonders why his position is
not a permanent research one and why
there is not a budget code.
“Most of the institutional research I
do is done with my own budget,” said
Ballou.
Though disabled, Mr. Ballou does
not get the sense that people treat him
differently than anyone else.
“People have been gracious to give
me a hand when I need a push on
campus, or a door opened. They are
lovely spirits because some even drop
what they are doing all together to help
me, even if they don’t know me,” said
Ballou.
He especially likes the acts of
kindness of the people in the H.L. Trigg
Building, who prop the back door open
for him so he can easily get in and out.
“Even in my dreams, I am either
walking, or riding on an elevator, but I’m
never sitting in this wheelchair,” said
Ballou.
As a man who received his
master’s degree from Fisk University,
Ballou truly cares about what happens
with the University Archives. No matter
what the subject is, ECSU’s University
Archives, led by a man who loves to
play the organ at church, teach classes,
and watch the sun come out, can help
you find answers to questions you may
have about the past history of the
university that he loves.
“I’m just glad to be alive because
more could have been taken than just
my legs,” said Ballou.
Mr. Ballou and the Archives are
located in the H.L. Trigg Building.
INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY AT THE COCA-COLA COMPANY
The Coca-Cola Company and
The College Fund are seeking
sophomores for a unique, two-
year summer internship and schol
arship program.
Each year, 50 students are
selected based on successful
intern interviews and other eliglbll-
ify criteria to participate In the
program, which offers an eight to
10-week Internship, $2,500
monthly base Internship salary.
summer housing, transportation to
the Internship site, and a $10,000
academic scholarship per year.
Eligibility Requirements:
-have and maintain a GPA of at
least 3.0 throughout Program
participation
-be a sophomore majoring In
chemistry, engineering, finance,
human resources. Information
technology, communications,
marketing or business (sales
Interest)
-submit documentation to prove
you are a U.S. citizen, Permanent
Resident, Asylee, Refugee, or
Lawful Temporary Resident under
amnesty programs.
NO EXCEPTIONS will be made to
the eligibility criteria.
For further details about the
program and eligibility criteria, visit
the website at www.coca-
colaoncampus.com or
www.uncf.org. THE DEADLINE
FOR THE SUMMER 2003 COR
PORATE INTERN PROGRAM IS
DECEMBER 16, 2002. I also
have a few applications in my
office.
Derrick L. Wilkins, Director
Academic Computing & End User
Support Services
218 Information Technology
Center