Page 5
The Compass
November 14, 2003
AROUND THE REGION
Students abuse prescription drugs
Breast Cancer Month
Jeremy Jennings
cheap_sci_fi@hotmail.com
Staff Writer
“It’s like drinking a case of beer
without the bloated feeling.” That’s
how a twenty-year-old student de
scribed the effects of OxyContin®, a
prescription painkiller. Sound like a
great way to catch a buzz? It’s not.
Short-term effects of prescrip
tion painkillers include drowsiness
and a loss of inhibitions. According
to the Drug Enforcement Administra
tion, “A large dosage (of OxyContin®)
can cause severe respiratory depres
sion that can lead to death."
“The greatest danger (to the
user) is dependency. A person can
become addicted in as few as two or
three weeks,” Dahpne Scaff, a phar
macist at Family Care Pharmacy in
Hertford, said. Once addicted, it can
be very difficult to quit.
OxyContin® contains
oxycodone HCL, an opioid agonist
that has an addiction similar to mor
phine. Once addicted, an addict can
expect flu-like symptoms that include:
diarrhea, insomnia, cold flashes,
muscle pain, bone pain, restlessness.
involuntary leg movement, vomiting,
nausea, and severe stomach cramps.
Scaff said that pharmacists are
very observant of their customers.
Sometimes customers request their
refills early, showing that they have
been overusing the drug.
There have also been instances
of customers bringing prescriptions
from more than one doctor in order to
get the drugs that they want. ‘When
ever we notice something like this,”
Scaff said, “we immediately alert the
physicians involved so they can con
front the person.”
ECSU PLJ^NKXARIIJlii
m.
Planetarium gives community the stars
Dereka Walkup
dswalkup@mail.ecsu.edu
Staff Writer
Elizabeth City State
University’s Planetarium hosted a
series of free Halloween shows for the
university and surrounding communi
ties on October 27-30.
The series of four individual
shows included two Laser Light
shows, a program entitled “Moon
Witch,” and another named “The Hal
loween Show.” The presentations
featured Holly, a student witch, and
Jack, a comedian pumpkin, as they
explored the history and traditions of
Halloween, fall and winter constella
tions, and the phases of the moon.
The ECSU Plari'etarium is lo
cated in room 146 of the Jimmy R.
Jenkins Science Center. It consists
of a 30-foot dome ceilingand can re
produce natural changes that occur
within the solar system with a high
degree of accuracy. The planetirum
is alsocapable of providing a view of
the sky from anywhere in the world.
Since its first utilization in 1990,
the Planetarium has provided quality
educational programming to students,
clubs, organizations, and citizens of
North Carolina and abroad.
“We have a new white laser light
program that offers six new shows. It
replaces the previous red and green
laser program,” Jennifer Thoms, a plan
etarium assistant who graduated from
Homecoming
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
“Many of the high school
bands seemed to show up the March
ing Vikings. Maybe they were saving
their energy for the game,” said Golar
Newby, a May 2003 graduate.
The Homecoming game, de
spite ECSU’s defeat, was filled with
Viking spirit, and the halftime show
energized the audience.
The Viking community gath
ered one last time for the Step Show
and concert featuring Freeway. Alpha
Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, and
Sigma Gamma Rho sororities and Al
pha Phi Alpha and Kappa Alpha Psi
fraternities offered performances for
the more than 200 Vikings and friends
that gathered in the Vaughn Center,
Saturday evening, after the game.
An audience member inter
rupted Sigma Gamma Rho’s perfor
mance when he allegedly threatened
a security officer. Campus police and
security quickly removed the man from
the gym and the Step Show contin
ued without interruption.
“The Homecoming Step Show
was good, but they do better at Vi
king Fest,” said Nicole Burton, a
sophomore Biology major.
Freeway, the performer who
many students view as an unpopular
entertainer, arrived at a not-so fash
ionably late time.
“The concert was alright, but
it just took so long to start. We sat
there for an hour and a half,” said Gre
gory Ackles, a senior Special Educa
tion major.
ECSU in 1994 with a Physics de
gree, said.
“Instructors can show videos in
the planetarium, they just have to call
and reserve it,” Thoms said. The plan
etarium has a large selection of vid
eos to choose or the instructors can
bring their own.
Other shows scheduled during
the 2003-04 school year include a
Thanksgiving program, November 19,
and a Christmas program that will run
on selected days through December
5-13. Future announcements for pro
grams featuring African American His
tory Month, National Women’s His
tory Month, National Astronomy
Week, and Valentine’s Day will be an
nounced soon.
The Planetarium accepts reser
vations for groups of 20 or more
people. For more information contact
Jennifer Thoms at 335-3791, 335-
3620, or e-mail her at
jjthoms@mail.ecsu.edu.
Latrea Reid
latreareid@hotmail.com
Staff Writer
/
October is National Breast
Cancer Awareness Month and is
dedicated to honoring the countless
numbers of women and men across
the nation who have lost their lives
to that deadly disease.
Almost every twelve minutes a
woman dies of breast cancer, while
for men the disease is less likely to
occur. The breast cancer incidence
in men is 1 percent.
“In recognition of National Breast
Cancer Awareness Month, the Stu
dent Health Services is providing in
formation baskets with materials
stressing the importance of early de
tection of breast cancer.
“Knowing about self-breast ex
ams can help individuals find cancer
early before it spreads,” said Mrs.,
Regina McCoy, Director of Student
Health Services.
Nearly all breast cancers can
be treated if detected early and the
most effective way of detecting
breast cancer is through monthly
self-breast exams. Mrs. McCoy also
recommended that “women twenty
and older perform self-breast exams
monthly.”
Student Health Services held a
Breast Cancer Workshop on October
15“^.
Mrs. McCoy says that other
ways to be involved in the campaign
on campus include wearing a pink rib
bon, signing up for Relay for Life, Cars
for Cures or by giving a donation to
the National Cancer Foundation.
“I feel that it is an issue that
needs to be attended to,” Charlie
Mitchell, an ECSU student said.
Another student, who wished to
remain anonymous, said: “Where is
it going to end? It is a very scary
thought, not knowing if you’ve got
breast cancer or not.”
The Compass staff encour-
a'^es both men and women
to perfdrm self exams.
Recruited
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
minority male students,” Marsha
McLean, director of University Rela
tions and Marketing, said in a press
release on the ECSU Web site. The
release also said that between “1995
and 2000 only nine minority males
graduated from the ECSU teacher edu
cation program.”
Keith Richardson, 2002-2003
Mr. ECSU, a first-year teacher in the
Elizabeth City/Pasquotank County
School System, was a guest speaker
at the summit on October 16. “That’s
All I Got” was the title of his message,
in which he mentioned ways to per
suade African American males to
teach. He described teaching as a
privilege not a job. “One must speak
the truth about teaching, mentioning
the pros and cons. Education is a key
and by itself, it is an honor,”
Richardson said.
Marcus Hilliard, a senior at
ECSU who is majoring in History with
a minor in Secondary Education, said
that he always wanted to teach, and
believes that “African American male
teachers can be more than a teacher,
but can also be a role model, particu
larly to African American students who
come from single parent homes.”
ECSU and the North Carolina
Legislative Black Caucus plan to con
tinue encouraging other institutions to
get involved in the recruitment of mi
nority male teachers.
The supply of minority males,
particularly African American male
teachers, has yet to meet the high
demand. The summit held at ECSU
addressed a vital need that is now
recognized throughout the state.
Late
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
person when instructors are tardy or
absent from class. “Students should
take an active role in their education
by reporting teachers. You should be
getting your money’s worth.”
The issue of tardiness also ap
plies to students.
“Anybody that is late to class is
inconsiderate and takes away from my
ability to learn,” Pauline Younger, a
senior Social Science major, said.
Most instructors have set guide
lines in their syllabi for classroom at
tendance and tardiness. It’s impor
tant that each student respects the
instructor’s rules for the class as well
as the other student’s rights to an op
timal learning environment.
Adoption
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
home to the United States. Each
child in the orphanage had their own
nanny who took them home and cared
forthem each night. These relation
ships allowed the children to develop
bonds with a familiar person and gave
them a sense of security.
“Zoe was very attached to her
nanny. They told us that she’s the
type of child who becomes strongly
attached to her care givers.” Tate said.
Her adjustment to American
life has gone well. “She’ll eat any
thing; some of the kids wouldn’t even
eat Cheerios.” Tate said. “She does
cry a lot and hasn’t slept through the
night, which is difficult for first time
parents to understand, but she keeps
doing better and better.”
While Laura stays home with
their new daughter, Toby is a student
and has a fulltime job. “1 had to drop
a class this semester because I could
see that the demands of being a fa
ther were causing a problem with my
grades. I’d rather get As and B’s tak
ing nine hours than C’s, or possibly
lower, taking 12 hours.” Tate Said.
Tate said that they were
treated like VIP’s the whole time they
were in China. He likened the China
he saw to “America of the 50s, so in
nocent. I didn’t want to come home.”
“I would recommend Adoptions
From The Heart to other couples look
ing to adopt,” Tate said. It took the
Tates from March 2002, when they
began the process of adoption, until
October 12, 2003 to actually be able
to call Zoe their daughter and hold her
in their arms.
Credit
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
dent-credit-cards.com. Businesses
inspect your credit history when they
evaluate your applications for credit,
insurance, employment, and even
leases. Based on your credit pay
ment history, provided you receive fair
and equal treatment, businesses, can
choose to grant or deny you credit.”
Each time you are delinquent
on your payments, or exceed the lim
its of your credit cards, you are send
ing out red flags to creditors, which
follow you far beyond your college
years.
Credit card companies believe
that by providing college students
with credit cards they are giving stu
dents a means of establishing credit
and it is up to the students to familiar
ize themselves with terms and infor
mation about the credit card. Credit
Mutual’s Web site states, “Credit
cards are very useful for students on
many levels. You must be careful
when managing your credit card debt
and not let it get away from you.”
Listed below are a few facts from
Jumpstart.org for college students to
consider before acquiring a credit card:
■ Undergraduates with credit
cards carried an average balance of
$3,071 in 2000. (Source: National
Postsecondary Student Aid Study)
• Half of all college students
with credit cards don’t pay their bal
ances in full every month.
■ 58% of college students re
ported seeing numerous credit card
marketing tables on campus for two
or more days at the beginning of the
semester.
■ On a test of personal finance
skills administered to high school
seniors, students averaged a score
of 57%, an F on any grading scale.
Only 5% of the seniors scored a C or
better.
Students simply fill out an ap
plication, get a credit card, and charge
without any regard to the damage
they are doing to their credit report—
or to the disproportionate amounts
they eventually pay due to their high
interest rates. Most students ques
tioned have credit problems already.
“I got my credit card last year.
My rate is at 15 percent right now. I
don’t always get the payment in on
time, but I do pay it. As far as my
credit rating is concerned. I’ve never
really thought about it.” Monique, a
sophomore at ECSU, was willing to
share her experience with credit
cards. It is important to be informed
of your credit rating and the terms
associated with credit.
What is an APR, appraisal rate,
balloon payment, creditworthiness, or
liability on an account? These are
terms you need to familiarize yourself
with before acquiring a credit card. In
order to avoid bad credit
Jumpstart.com offers the following
tips:
■ Avoid late fees
• Watch for hidden fees
• Low minimum payments
sound good, but often cardholders pay
far more financial charges
■ Fixed rates often rise right
after you acquire the card
• Credit card companies will
advertise the greatest card and often
give you the lower quality card with
out your approval
A credit card can be a great thing
for a responsible Individual, but it can
also be a bigger hassle than it is worth.
Make sure you weigh the pros and
cons before you accept a credit card.
For further information, visit
www.jumpstart.org. or, http://
www.student-credit-cards.com/. or
http://www.creditmutual.com/
secured.htm