The Compass
Friday, May 9, 2003
4
Campus News
NEW SGA LEADERS STRESS STUDENT INVOLVEMENT
Travis Billups
Staff Reporter
On April 9 and 10, 645 Elizabeth
City State University students went
to the voting polls to elect next year’s
Student Government Association
President and Mr. and Miss ECSU.
Carl William Seward was elected our
new SGA President and Willie
Gilchrist and Cleantha Samuel were
voted Mr. And Miss ECSU.
Carl William Seward, a 20 year-
old junior from Portsmouth, Virginia,
is looking forward to becoming the
new leader for the ECSU students.
“I’m very excited about becoming the
next SGA President here at Elizabeth
City University. It is an exciting time
to be a student on our campus, and
serving the student body through the
student government is just one way
that students and myself can partici
pate in the growth and change of our
university,” Seward said.
The mathematics major comes
onto office with big plans for the
ECSU campus. “One of my concerns
that will be paramount as SGA presi
dent next year is the communica
tion gap between students and ev
erything else. Student activities, stu
dent life and everything that in
volves students should take a more
aggressive approach to reach out
to all of the students at Elizabeth
City State University,” said Seward.
He also wants to improve the ser
vices provided to students and feels
that ECSU is a community and as
such has to
promote more
effective com
munication to
truly gain a
sense of what
students want.
Seward
feels that the
future of ECSU
is as bright as
our vision and
Roanoke Rapids native is currently in
volved with many other organizations.
These include being a member of Al
pha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., a student
researcher for the Office of Naval Re
search/NASA Scholarship Program and
a member of the ECSU National Soci
ety of Black Engineers (NSBE). Gilchrist
feels that his being Mr. ECSU for the
2003-04 academic school year is a
great asset for the university
“I will
work hard and
diligently with
our admissions
department and
the students of
ECSU to better
our student en
rollment as well
as student activi-
ties,” Gilchrist
said.
Cleantha
desire to achieve greatness. “Our Samuel is a 20 year-old junior Account-
future is bright and as students, we ing/Marine Environment Science major
should make sure that our univer- from St. Croix, Virgin Islands. “I feel that
sity continues to be successful.” I not only portray the characteristics of
Willie Gilchrist II is a junior a true queen, but I am the ideal role
working towards a Computer Sci- model for our students, especially young
ence degree at ECSU. The women. It was quite heart-warming to
“We have failed to live up to the
mission of Historical Black Col
leges and Universities as it per
tains to providing blacks with
workable knowledge of all that is
occurring within their environ
ment.”
see that I had, and still have, the sup
port of the student body, university
administrators, and members of our
community,” said Samuel. The new
Miss ECSU is aware of her role and
duties. “As Miss ECSU my goals are
centered around promoting cultural
awareness and self-empowerment.
I plan to help stimulate within my fel
low Vikings a sense of pride, unity
and respect and a desire to become
the catalyst for the fate of black and
white relations throughout the na
tion.” Samuel feels that ECSU has
been reluctant to promote cultural
awareness and enlightenment. “We
have failed to live up to the mission
of Historical Black Colleges and Uni
versities as it pertains to providing
blacks with workable knowledge of
all that is occurring within their envi
ronment...” Samuel said. She rec
ognizes that ECSU has potential for
growth as well as a need for change.
Even though two of the three
winners ran uncontested students
still had to vote. According to Dr.
Jean Holt, Assistant Dean of Student
Life, 645 students went to the polls
this election as opposed to the 545
of last year.
Ruffin
continued from pg 1
the President of North Carolina
Mutual Life Insurance Company.
Ruffin has also served for seven
years as the special assistant to the
former North Carolina Governor
James B. Hunt, Jr. During his ten
ure, Mr. Ruffin helped to increase the
number of black judges in the state
and the number of black state em
ployees.
Much of Ruffin’s earlier training
as a community organizer equipped
him with the skills he used to en
hance his career. Now, Ruffin de
votes much of his time to public ser
vice. He is a member of Winston-
Salem 1991 Capital Campaign, a
former member of Winston Lake
Family YMCA Board, a Prince Hall
Mason, a former Trustee of Old
Salem, a holder of a Life and
Golden Heritage membership of the
NAACP, and he holds member
ships in numerous other public ser
vice organizations.
Ruffin’s dedication to commu
nity and his accomplishments have
not gone unnoticed. In North Caro
lina, he has received honorary de
grees from eight different presti
gious universities including; North
Carolina Central University, North
Carolina A & T State University,
Winston-Salem State University,
Fayetteville State University, Edward
Waters College, Livingstone College,
St. Augustine’s College, and our very
own Elizabeth City State University.
He is also the recipient of many
other awards including; the North Caro
lina KAPPA Man of the Year Award from
Middle Eastern Province, the Donald
H. McGannon Citation by the National
Urban League, the Distinguished
Alumni Award from the University of
North Carolina School of Social Work,
the 1991 NAACP Kelly Miller Alexander
Humanitarian Award, the Blackbook
Award for Professional Achievement
from the Dollar & Sense Magazine, and
the Fredrick Douglass Leadership
Award from the North Carolina Asso
ciation of Black County Officials.
Ruffin is a native of Durham,
North Carolina and is a graduate of
Hillside High School. He received
his bachelor’s degree from North
Carolina Central and his Master’s
degree from the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill.
To future trailblazers, Mr. Ruffin
says, “You can achieve whatever
you set out to accomplish. A posi
tive attitude, coupled with a strong
aptitude, will determine your altitude
in life. It is not where you are com
ing from but where you are going,
and it is not what your name is but
the name you make for yourself.”
WHO’S WHO AMONG ECSU STUDENTS
DeTra L. Stith
Co-Editor
depot9 @ hotmail.com
When the 2003 edition of the
prestigious Who’s Who Among Stu
dents in American Universities and
Colleges is published, it will include
the names of 28 Elizabeth City State
University students.
Each of the students qualified for
this honor in the directory, based on
their academic achievement, service
to the community, leadership in ex
tra-curricular activities and potential
for success.
The ECSU students join an elite
group of students from more than
2,300 institutions of higher learning
in all 50 states, the District of Colum
bia and several foreign nations.
The annual directory has hon
ored outstanding students since it
was published in 1934.
Pictured are sixteen of ECSU’s
Who’s Who Students. From left to
right (front row) are Tameka Groves,
DeTra Stith, Monica Vrablic, Courtnay^
Jordan, Patrice Boyce, Catina Alston,
Tracey Ward, and Joseph Cochran.
Photo courtesy of University Relations
From left to right (second row) are
LaOuisha Tisdal, Branden Ander
son, Jonathan Owens, Cleantha
Samuel, Jerry Lane, Tanyetta “Tai”
Pittman, Vincent Davis, and Carl
Seward.
Students not pictured are
Natasha Coley, Linwood
Creekmore, Norma Devita,
Demetra Gilmore, Javon Griffin,
George Jerman, Jason Mitchell,
Golar Newby, Neils Ribeiro, Keith
Richardson, Kristen Snead,
Deborah Vines, and Kevin Wade.
“Each student honored with this
prestigious award should feel as if
they are distinguished from other stu
dents. Who’s Who recipients are excep
tional and dedicated in the eyes of their
colleagues and teachers. The recipients
should continue in their scholastic
achievements. They can only receive
this award twice, why not aim to receive
it both their junior and senior years,” said
LaOuisha Tisdal, a senior Who’s Who
scholar.
These students were recognized at
the Honors Convocation held in the
Floyd L. Robinson Fine Arts Auditorium
on Thursday April 19,2003. Who’s Who
certificates were presented to them af-
tenwards in the Division of Student Af
fairs.