Page 5
The Compass
December 12,2003
AROUND THE REGION
Muhammad found guilty
of capital murder
Bible study inspires
Brian White
bwh it@cyclespeedway. com
Staff Writer
Jolin Alien IVIuhammad was re
cently found guilty of capital murder,
following the attacks that took the
lives often people and injured three
others in the Washington DC area.
Muhammad, 42, was the mas
termind behind the shooting spree
that took the life of Dean Meyers, who
was shot to death at a gas station
near Manassas, Virginia, in October
of 2002.
Muhammad’s assistant, Lee
Boyd Malvo, 18, is currently stand
ing trial, waiting for his verdict.
One of the country’s most
watched trials is taking place in the
Hampton Roads area and will deter
mine the fate of both Muhammad and
Malvo. Muhammad will face the
death penalty. Malvo’s fate is yet to
be decided.
“The ultimate punishment is re
served for the worst of the worst,” said
prosecutor Richard A. Conway. “Folks,
he still sits right in front of you, with
out a shred of remorse.”
In nearby Chesapeake, Vir
ginia, Lee Boyd Malvo is currently on
trial to determine his involvement in
the shootings. A verdict is still pend
ing. '
Many Elizabeth City State Uni
versity students are interested in the
outcome relating to Malvo, especially
with the proximity in age between the
students and the 18 year old Malvo.
“They (Muhammad & Malvo)
were put on trial before the trial actu
ally started,” stated Jamica Ashley, a
junior majoring in Communication at
Elizabeth City State University
stated. “It’s sad to see such a young
boy influenced In such a way by an
older man that he would go so far as
to kill people.”
Malvo will not have the oppor
tunity to live a “normal” life following
his actions, a fate one should know
is coming after the crime.
Plagued
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
vices, said that the day after the fo
rum four students came to Student
Health Services requesting to be
tested for AIDS.
The disease began its ram
page through Cruz’s family after his
father, who contracted AIDS as the
result of an extramarital affair,
brought the disease home to his
wife. He then passed it on to his five-
year-old son, whom he raped, and
who lived for only two years follow
ing the incident. Cruz and his two
older sisters miraculously escaped
the grip of the disease. “Twenty-five
percent of the children born to par
ents who have AIDS end up in
fected,” Cruz said. “My sisters and I
were lucky.”
“My father was a very disgust
ing man,” Cruz said after describing
what his life was like as a youth. He
said that his father beat his mother
and both were constantly drunk or on
drugs. After his parents died, he was
separated from his sisters and put into
a group home. From there he went to
live with his grandmother
The strife continued. He did not
get along with his grandmother’s hus
band and by the time Cruz was 14
years old, tensions peaked and af
ter a huge fight and “the guy beat
my tail” Cruz left his grandmother’s
house. Cruz said he “house hopped”
for the next year at which time he be
gan a romantic relationship with a 31-
year-old teacher This relationship
ended when he was 17.
Jorge Cruz
Cruz’s life was not all negative;
during his sophomore year of high
school he was nominated by his sci
ence tedcher to attend the National
Youth Leadership Forum on Medi
cine. His junior year he was the presi
dent of the Port Richmond High
School AIDS Awareness Program.
At that point, he began asking
himself what type of life he wanted
for himself and decided that it wasn’t
the life he had in the past. “I wanted
to have a family some day and knew
that I didn’t want to continue the cycle
of abuse I suffered,” Cruz said.
“ I decided to get my GED and
join the military. I always wanted to
join the Air Force, but the Coast
Guard is the only branch of the mili
tary that accepted someone with a
GED. I’ve been with the Coast Guard
for about a year now, but I have to
take a medical discharge,” Cruz said.
He suffers from a condition
known as conversion disorder Ac
cording to the Medline Health Infor
mation Web site, a service of the
U.S. National Library of Medicine
and the National Institute of Health,
conversion disorder is a psychiatric
condition in which emotional distress
or unconscious conflict are ex
pressed through physical symptoms.
“I am seeing a psychologist for
therapy,” Cruz said. He says his life
is a lot better now and has contact
with his sisters every day and even
contacts his grandmother once in
awhile. He plans to pursue a career
in law enforcement.
Cruz’s powerful presentation of
his life left an impression on the stu
dents. He addressed the issue of safe
sex by encouraging them to “wrap it
up.” He also asked those students
who have ever had unsafe sex to raise
their hands. There was no response.
Cruz can take satisfaction in the
fact that the very next day four stu
dents took the first step in living a life
knowing where they stand with AIDS.
Carmen Brown
cabrown@mail.ecsu.com
Staff Writer
Members of the Elizabeth City
Community join Ms. Brenda Davis,
ECSU’s Spiritual Counselor, in bring
ing a Bible Study group to the cam
pus.
Every other Monday this inspir
ing, motivating, encouraging, fulfilling,
and life giving support group meets in
the H.L. Trigg Building at 7:00 p.m.
The first Bible Study for the 2003-
2004 academic year was held on Oc
tober 13, 2003 at 7:00 p.m. and as
students arrived, Ms. Davis, the Ad
viser for Bible Study, not only greeted
the students at the entrance, but re
cruited students who were just pass
ing through Johnson Hall. Before the
meeting began everyone introduced
themselves and gave reasons why
they were there and what.they hoped
to gain from Bible Study.
Dr. Susan Lovelle Allen, a
member of Christ Episcopal in Eliza
beth City, is teaching Bible Study this
year. She has support from Ms. Su
san Scurria, another member of
Christ Episcopal who takes time dur
ing their evening to support Ms.
Davis and the students of ECSU in
their “walk with God”.
After asking Dr. Allen and Ms.
Scurria why they wanted to be in
volved with the students of ECSU
their response was honest and
straight fonward, “We wanted to come
and minister to the students on cam
pus. We have always wanted to as
sist students in their faith while they
are away from home by coming to
them with a non-denominational ap
proach,” said Dr. Allen and Ms.
Scurria. Maybe the reasons why
they chose to come and teach Bible
study on campus is not as important
as simply doing it.
Serving good-tasting food, like
brownies and cookies with a bever
age during the meetings, does not
outweigh the spiritual food that is
served, digested, and has kept one
filled for hours. Bible Study allows out
of church ministering support from
others, and a forum to voice your opin
ions and learn how others interpret the
Word of God. David says the Word
of God “is a lamp unto my feet, and a
light unto my path, O Lord” (Psalm
119:105).
“There are not a lot of oppor
tunities on campus for students to
come together and encourage each
other while sharing their own beliefs
and faith,” Ms. Davis said. Bible Study
brings people from every walk of life
and incorporates them in one body.
The Word of God is free to the stu
dents of ECSU. Consider yourself in
vited to Bible Study.
Gore
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
two.
The forum could have been a
beneficial experience for ECSU stu
dents, but only three people took ad
vantage of the opportunity, an ad
ministrator, a student, and a mem
ber of the community.
“This is not a typical turn out; I
think that the Thanksgiving Holiday
has interfered with the turn out.
Many students have already left the
campus,” Deborah Flippens, coordi
nator of interactive video services at
ECSU, said. There are other pro
grams scheduled for 2004, for more
information call 335-3703.
AIDS
Australia
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
“One of UNC-EP’s strengths is
its leveraging of resources,” said Dr
Jose' Gil, last year’s campus coor
dinator
UNC-EP has exchange agree
ments with states or systems in over
35 countries worldwide, some requir
ing proficiency in the native language
of the hosting country but many oth
ers having progragis in English.
“The program is competitive for
some countries, and the application
process can be tedious, so I advise
students to apply early,” Gil said.
“Heather first contacted me over a
year ago and we still have paperwork
to file.”
UNC-EP is open to any full
time undergraduate or graduate stu
dent enrolled at a UNC institution who
has maintained at least a 2.75 GPA.
If the language of instruction in the
host country is not English, appli
cants must also have completed the
equivalent of two years of college level
foreign language instruction.
The application deadline is
March 1 for programs beginning in
the fall and October 1 for semester
programs beginning in the spring.
Prior to departure a mandatory ori
entation program is held at the UNC-
EP headquarters at Greensboro to
acquaint both the students and their
parents with the host country. The
student will also be briefed on ap
propriate behavior and informed of
possible cultural differences.
“I am excited and kind of ner
vous about going to a country where
I don’t know anybody,” Allen said.
“But, the program has advised me
well on what to expect."
Benefits of the program are far
reaching with the student, community,
and universities involved benefiting
from the exchange.
“The students are like ambas
sadors for us,” Gil said. “ When they
attend the hosting university they are
representing us all. But when they
return, they are also representing their
country where they studied.”
The Board of Governors officially
promotes intemational perspectives to
prepare students to become leaders
in a multi-ethnic and global society.
“When the students become
leaders, they will be more understand
ing of cultural differences and able to
provide solutions that others might not
think of,” Gil said.
The Board of Governors is also
implementing strategies to expand the
participation by minority students and
low-income students who have been
underrepresented in the program.
Emmanuel Ngwainmbi, the cur
rent campus coordinator and director
of the Office of International Pro
grams, acknowledges that potential
cost could be a factor for some stu
dents and said that the program is
looking at grants to address the prob
lem.
Ngwainmbi plans to encourage
participation through activities such as
International Week and through stu
dent-centered media campaigns.
“There has been limited knowl
edge about the international commu
nity and culture,” Ngwainmbi said.
To address this problem the Of
fice of Intemational Programs at ECSU
is planning a K-12 International Out
reach Program that will feature lectures
from volunteers. According to
Ngwainmbi, approximately six of the
UNC campuses have similar programs
that have been successful.
Successfest
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
TV station. The good part is that
people were very positive about what
they saw.”
Melba Brown, director of tele
vision services, runs the station with
students and volunteers. While it was
Grey’s vision to utilize the television sta
tion for Successfest, it was an idea long
overdue because of television’s far-
reaching effects, Brown said.
“I think Successfest proved that
the TV station is a great tool,” Brown
said, “and that fun, as well as entertkin-
ing programs can happen on the sta
tion.”
More than 200 volunteers were
contacted to work as telemarketers.
Crews of volunteers came and left at
various times each evening during
Successfest, even on the last couple of
nights when the volunteer list wasn’t
confirmed, said Brown, who made the
last pledge which topped the goal.
“I was extremely pleased and
extremely surprised about the amount
of people who came out,” she said.
Grey said he expects about
double the amount of money that was
raised to come in from matchings and
additional community member support.
The Corporation for Public Broadcast
ing will match the funds that
Successfest raises.
The television broadcast nearly
tripled the funds from last year’s
Successfest, Grey said. The only other
known year to top this year was after a
fire broke out in Williams Hall where the
radio station is located. About $31,000
was raised then.
“1 think we’re on target to be able
to reach that this year,” Grey said. In fact,
he expects the total amount raised will
hit $40,000.
Proceeds will pay for equip
ment for both stations on an as-needed
basis. Hurricane Isabel destroyed one
of three television satellites, which will
cost about $9000 to replace. Grey said.
Currently, only one is working.
Hosts of Successfest came
from the radio station. They included D.L.
Underdue, program director; Greg
Sampson, production director; Randy
Jones, news director; Pat Wellen, de
velopment director and Sheila Lee,
morning Joy host.
Co-hosts included Greer
Holmes, station volunteer; Derick
Riddick, host for Albemarle Magazine;
Dr Margery Coulson-Clark, professor;
Dr Denauvo Robinson, Smart Start di
rector and Rev. Lynetta Jordan.
Program breaks during
Successfest included recent ECSU
events, music videos and a student-pro
duced commercial. The next fund rais
ing program is scheduled for May and
will be in conjunction with National Pub
lic Radio's fundraiser
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Student Health Services handed out ap
proximately 100 informational packets,
which included pamphlets, male and fe
male condoms and Instructions on how
to properly use a condom, lubricants
and dental dams. The latter is used for
protection when engaged in oral sex.
“Yes, the virus can be contracted
through saliva; it just takes a crack in the
lip to make you susceptible to an infec
tion,” Shannon said. “The students don’t
realize how dangerous this is.”
Student Health Services has con
tracted six students to serve as peer
health educators. The students have
been trained and are available to stu
dents who have questions or suspi
cions about HIV orAIDS. Jamica Ashley,
one of the peer health educators, said
that when they visit the dorms and talk
to the students, a typical response from
the students is, at first, defensive and
then innocence is argued.
“Ignoring it [HIV] will not save their
lives,” Ashley said. “They say, ‘I don’t do
that. I’ve never done that.’ It’s amazing
how all the samples of condoms we put
out are gone by the end of the discus
sion.” She wants the students to know
how important it is for them to start talk
ing about HIV and AIDS.
The Jeff Jones HIV Consortium, a
division of Albemarle Regional Health
Services Department, was contacted by
ECSU Student Health Services and
asked to participate in the event. The
consortium serves Currituck, Camden,
Chowan, Dare, Pasquotank and
Perquimans counties.
“There is grant money available
to approach the AIDS awareness on a
larger scale this year,” Annette Temple,
coordinator of the Jeff Jones Consor
tium, said. Public schools are the fo
cus of the consortium’s efforts, espe
cially the high schools. Temple encour
ages those who have questions about
HIV orAIDS to call the consortium at 338-
4385.
Ignorance is not an excuse for
contracting this devastating disease.
Students need to become active in their
education about HIV and AIDS. Student
Health Services has information avail
able to the students and all contacts are
confidential. There are Web sites that
give reliable statistics and vital informa
tion. Log onto www.epi.state.nc.us/epi/
hiv/.
Groove
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3
least a second semester freshman.
Phi is not to be confused with
the well-known Greek symbol, in
stead, Phi refers to “the fire of life.”
And groove means “to perform deftly
or smoothly.” Their colors and sym
bols are Black and White and the
Sword and Spear, respectfully.
Other Fellowmen of G Phi G
that are here on campus, but are not
of The Resurrection line, are John
Dixon, of the Psychology and Edu
cation Department, and Officer Gal
lop, of the Campus Police.
On April 4,1969, the Ram Chap
ter of Groove Phi Groove, with 12 fe
male members at Winston Salem
State University, formed Swing Phi
Swing Social Fellowship Inc. Sisters
H/ith /nterest Newer Gone, Promot
ing Higher /ntelligence, and Support
ing M/bmen In Need of Growth.
While the exact date these
women arrived on our campus, they
do have a Viking Chapter of Swing
Phi Swing. It is inactive, but their in
volvement here on campus is evident
in past Viking yearbooks.
I'