THE COMPASS
Friday, May 9,2003 7
BURST PIPES EXTEND
SCHOOL YEAR
Antoine Rascoe
Staff Reporter
Not fair! Is tfie way many students at
Elizabeth City State University feel about the
extension of the academic year. The tradi
tional date for the university to release its
students for summer vacation is May 10, but
this year the university has added another
week to the academic year because of the
city-wide water leak which caused serious
losses in the city’s water supply, in Febru
ary.
“A recommendation came from the
Student Government Association who
wanted an extra week added at the end of
the semester rather than spring break be
taken away and it was endorsed by the fac
ulty and staff,” said Dr. Mahoney Vice-Chan
cellor of Academic Affairs.
“After the initial decision had been made
the SGA was asked how we felt about the
decision and we felt as long as the spring
break was preserved then the extension
sounded like a good plan,” said Damion
Lewis, former presiding SGA President.
The university presented the idea to UNC-
Chapel Hill for approval and the council felt
that the university should certainly make up
the five days missed. “Students should
receive the amount of days in which they
paid for which is 16 weeks in a semester is
' the way Chapel Hill feels on the extension,”
said Dr. Mahoney Students on the campus
feel that they have no say in when to make
up the days missed. “Students pay $8,000
dollars to attend the school and have hardly
any activities. The students should at least
have some say so about our education,” said
Jeffrey Cofield a junior who majors in music
business.
Some students feel penalized for the school
year’s extension into their summer vacation
for what was a natural disaster. “ To the
upper classmen it may weigh more heavily
because they have already made
commitments to employers, to work at
summer jobs or do internships. Now they
have to rearrange their schedule and ask
the employers to do the same,” said
Marquita Perkins a freshman special
education major.
For students who live far from the ECSU
campus, who may have to change pre
arranged flight reservations, the extension
of the academic year may serve as a
financial blow and hinder summer
employment.
“It is bad business to schedule a certain date
to work with a potential internship employer
and than have to turn around and tell the
employer that those dates of availability
were insufficient,” stated Marcus Williams a
junior accounting major who has to travel
home to Atlanta, Georgia.
April 21, being the Monday after Easter,
traditionally has been a holiday for
students, but because of the water leak, the
day went as routine. This was implemented
in an effort to shorten the amount of days
added to the end of the semester.
“Easter Monday is not a staff holiday and
to hold classes would not cost the university
extra money It was also an opportunity to
minimize the number of days at the end of
the year,” said Dr. Mahoney
JOURNALISTS
KILLED IN IRAQ
Krlstal McClendon
Contributor
Who has the most dangerous job in the world? Many say police,
firefighters, or maybe deep-sea commercial fisherman. The truth is that in
this heated time of war, a great number of journalists are facing mortal dan
ger.
Mike Kelly, Washington Post columnist and Atlantic Monthly Editor, was
killed on Thursday March 27 in Iraq near Baghdad. Kelly was the first Ameri
can journalist killed in Iraq since the war began. Kelly ,46 served as an
editor at the New Republic and the National Journal before becoming an
editor at Atlantic Monthly. Kelly won a national magazine award for the first
coverage of the Gulf War and later wrote a book about that conflict, Martyrs’
Day.
Two British journalists, Terry Lloyd and Gaby Rado, were killed during a
bomb attack on the southern outskirts of Baghdad. Australian journalist,
Paul Moran, was also killed. Another American journalist/reporter for NBC
died in Iraq.
David Bloom, 39 died April 6 of an apparent blood clot in his lungs. He
was in a camp outside of Baghdad with the U.S. Army’s 3"'^ Infantry, the
division with which he was an embedded reporter. He had no known health
problems, said NBC.
Bob Wright, NBC’s chairman and chief executive officer said, “In times
like these, a journalist’s contribution to his country is measured in terms of
illustrious commitment and sacrifice....There was no one more devoted to
his calling than David Bloom.”
“He was an extraordionary man,” said NBC News president Neal Shapiro.
During the first week of the Iraqi war Bloom was constantly on the television
screen reporting for NBC and MSNBC. NBC anchors regularly referred to
him as being at the “tip of the spear” while accompanying U.S. military forces
making their way through Iraq to Baghdad.
BEWARE STUDENT TRAVELERS
Jeremy Jennings
Contributor
A few weekends ago, when the
sun first began to peek through the
winter gloom, a few friends and I de
cided to take an afternoon trip down
to the Outer Banks. It was still too cold
for swimming in the ocean, but we did
enjoy the hot tub and pool at a local
resort. My girlfriend and I took a late
night walk down the beach and even
tually rejoined our friends for a very
late dinner at Pizza Hut. Everyone was
having a great time, but it was getting
late, so we decided to head home. A
good friend and his girlfriend rode in
the backseat. My girl rode next to me.
I turned the music up and sat
back to enjoy a midnight ride through
Eastern North Carolina. As we drove
over the Kitty Hawk Bridge, a police
car sped up behind me and turned on
those awkwardly beautiful blue lights.
Once we finished crossing the bridge,
I pulled into a driveway and placed
my hands on the steering wheel, not
wanting the cop to get nervous.
“Do you know why I pulled you
over?” the officer asked as his flash
light blinded each of us in turn.
“No sir, we’re just...”
“I clocked you going 70 in a 50-
mile-per-hour zone,” he said, chop
ping my words off before I could fin
ish.
He was a Kitty Hawk Police of
ficer, now actually out of his jurisdic
tion since we were in Currituck.
“You know I can take you to jail
for going 15 miles over the limit.”
I’ve been in a few incidents in
volving the police, and usually just be
ing honest and polite is the best thing
to do.
“Sir, I’m not sure how fast I was
going, but I really don’t think I was
going that fast,” I said with my sin-
cerest expression.
“License and registration,” he
said as he shined his flashlight
around the interior of my car.
This of course meant I was get
ting a new ticket to add to my collec
tion. I handed over my information
and slumped in my seat as I thought
about what had happened. I remem
bered seeing a police cruiser just
before the bridge, and unconsciously
tapping the breaks and checking my
speed. My car has the neat feature
of projecting its speed in digital num
bers on the windshield in front of the
driver. Thinking back to when I
tapped the brakes, I remembered the
number 61 in green reflected off the
windshield.
The officer returned, bringing
the pink paper of his trade along with
him.
“I cut you a break tonight. I only
wrote you up for 65, but it shows right
here I clocked you going 70,” he said
pointing at the number.
“Sir, 1 really don’t think 1 was go
ing that fast. Could I see the radar just
so I’d know for myself?”
“No, I’ve already cleared the ra
dar,” the officer said, the glare from
his flashlight hiding any facial expres
sions. “Drive safe.”
Dear friends, please learn from my
mistakes. When traveling this spring
remember that a group of college kids
late at night always appears suspicious
to a cop.
Even if you are the only car on the
road, be careful to follow traffic laws
when in a strange town. Whatever you
do, never travel with anything illegal.
Police officers today can pull you over
for any reason whatsoever, even made
up ones.
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION AND YOU
Damion Lewis
Staff Reporter
Affirmative Action, what is It? Does
it affect you? These and many other
questions have risen since the Michigan
case on affirmative action garnered na
tional attention and mass media cover
age. The decision on the case threat
ens to overturn an established system
that has and continues to give women,
ethnic minorities and disabled people
equal opportunities in employment and
education. On the other hand it could
do something that the United States
prides itself on, create true equality.
Begging another question, who is right?
Those who wish to keep affirmative ac
tion or those wishing to dismiss it.
Stemming from the decision in the
case of University of California v. Bakke
wherein the court “struck down” quota
systems but left some room for race to
be a factor in university admissions, the
Michigan case seemingly highlights a
situation that has been culminating for
25 years. Plaintiffs, who were not al
lowed admission into the University of
Michigan, argue that the promotion of di
versity does not justify preferential treat
ment to minorities (i.e. Affirmative Action,
' a policy established to redress past dis
crimination by ensuring equal opportu
nity, as in education and employment).
The case has ignited others who feel that
they too may have been bitten by the
wrong end of Affirmative Action.
For students at Elizabeth City State
University, a historically Black University,
there does exist a mixed sentiment
amongst students and administrators
about how they feel about this issue.
“1 actually don’t think that affirma
tive action is fair, because 1 would like to
be hired based on my own qualifications
and merit. Affirmative action gives you
the job, but were you really qualified, do
you really have what it takes to perform
the job?” says Catina Alston, a rising
senior at ECSU.
Looking directly at Ms. Alston’s
quote, she and others who feel the same
way, do have just cause. According to
the American Association for Affirmative
Action, “affirmative action must be taken
by covered employers to recruit and ad
vance qualified minorities, women, per
sons with disabilities, and covered vet
erans. Affirmative actions include train
ing programs, outreach efforts, and other
positive steps. These procedures should
be incorporated into the company’s writ
ten personnel policies. Employers with
written affirmative action programs must
implement them, keep them on file and
update them annually.”
I
Taking this into account, affirma
tive action does, in a sense, give people
opportunities simply for being. For ex
ample being a female in a field where
women are sparse, or a minority in a
company that employs few. As Ms.
Alston questioned earlier, do the pre
vious statements justify one as more
qualified than the other.
“Affirmative action can be an as
set and a hindrance to American soci
ety. For minorities and women it can
help them get a job they normally may
not get, but on the same token it can
cause a well qualified Caucasian or
majority representative to not get a job,”
says Rashonda Wester, junior class
President at ECSU.
As an asset, affirmative action has
been responsible for bridging the gap
that existed between minorities and the
majority in obtaining particular jobs and
admission into many top tier graduate
and undergraduate programs in order
to create a more diverse student body.
Stories reported by national media regi
ments have revealed policies at the
University of Michigan and others that
award extra credit to minority appli
cants, thus making it more likely that a
black, Hispanic or Native American will
edge out a white applicant who has
similar test scores, grades or other at
tributes.
“I am confident in myself and my ca
pabilities, and 1 am really not swayed one
way or the other concerning the decision
on affirmative action. If I were growing
up in the 1950’s I would feel a need for
affirmative action, but in 20031 believe that
the closed minded system of the past has
all but disappeared allowing my creden
tials to more than stand on their own,” says
Rhonda Holmes, a graduating senior at
ECSU.
Perhaps as a nation, affirmative ac
tion has served its purpose, creating
equality in a time when equality seemed
nothing more than a bitter dream; how
ever, does that mean that affirmative ac
tion is no longer needed, has time really
created a system of checks and balances
that is not tainted by stains of racial per
ceptions or prejudices. The nation can
say that no longer are there universities
or companies that are void of ethnic mi
norities or women.
No matter what the court decides
concerning the case on affirmative action,
the United States will greatly be affected
no matter what the answer is. Will your
perception of its need change then, or will
you remain adamant in your current deci
sion? Affirmative action, savior of equal
ity or assailant of injustice, you decide.