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Week: The Roundtable
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E C S U
S T A T S 0 N IV i K S I r *
THE
OMPASS
Vol. 70, No. 2
November, 2004
Elizabeth City, North Carolina
Kerry concession propels Bush to victory
By Toby Tate
Editor-in-Chief
After an arduous
campaign of mud-slinging and
propaganda from both sides,
President Bush has been
declared the winner of the 2004
election, winning the popular
vote by nearly 4 million, and
propelled to victory by the
concession of Senator John
Kerry. Mr. Kerry called the
President earlier Wednesday to
congratulate him in what was
Flu vaccine
shortage
caused by
production
shut down
British ofHcials
cite manufactur
ing standards
By Marshall Goatley
Stajf Writer
Flu season is rapidly
approaching, which means one
thing for most people: its time for
a flu shot. Or is it?
Much like last year the
United States currently does not
have enough of the flu vaccine
to go around. Two companies,
Chiron Corp. and Aventis
Pasteur, were making flu shots for
the United States this year. In the
past, as many as four to six
companies have been involved in
vaccine production. Chiron’s
vaccine was being made in a
factory in England, but British
“young
adults...are not
at the top of the
list to receive flu
shots.
Senator Kerry in Boston on November 3rd.
called a “gracious” phone
conversation, and later made a
speech from Boston’s Faneuil
Hall to a throng of cheering
supporters.
“In America, it is vital
that every vote count and every
vote be counted but the outcome
should be decided by voters, not
a protracted legal process,”
Kerry said in his Wednesday
address, referring to the drawn-
out 2000 elections. Bush
decided not to make his victory
speech until Kerry had formally
conceded, a tradition since the
Civil War.
Earlier Wednesday
morning, after the Bush team had
privately declared victory, many
Democrats in the Kerry camp
insisted that provisional ballots
in Ohio needed to be counted
before the ever-important 20
electoral votes could be placed
in either the Bush or Kerry
column. However, the Kerry
team later calculated that he
would have to win virtually all
of the provisional ballots, about
155,000, to make up for the
137,000+ votes needed to win
the state.
The President
acknowledged the fact that
Senator Kerry was a worthy
adversary. According to Fox
News, Bush told Kerry, “I think
you were an admirable and
worthy opponent. You ran a very
tough campaign. You should be
proud of the effort you put in.”
Though many exit polls
used by Fox News, ABC, NBC
and CBS showed Kerry initially
leading by a substantial margin,
the actual numbers turned out to
be very different. Throughout
the day on Tuesday, Florida had
been predicted to go for Kerry,
but ended up on the Bush side
by more than 100,000 votes.
Poll predictions for Ohio were
similarly mistaken. “We began
noticing there was some very
odd things,” in the polls. Bush
spokeswoman Karen Hughes
told FOX News. “We knew there
See Election on page 2
Don Roberts visits ECSU
Staff Photo
Don Roberts, seen here with Ms. Lynetta Jordan, visited Ms. Jordan’s Comp, and Lit. class to read excerpts from his new book, Hey Daddy,
Read This, a collection of letters children have written to their fathers. Mr. Roberts was at ECSU on Oct. 14 th as part of SuccessFest.
Viking ViUage
opens despite
inadequate
facilities
Students deal with
out of service phones,
bad plumbing
By Nate Rhone
Staff Writer
After weeks of
anticipation students are finally
settled in to the new campus
dorm, the Viking Village.
Following a one-month delay the
building was finally ready for
occupancy on Sept. 18'", or so
everyone thought.
Since moving in,
students have filed complaints
about the plumbing in the
building. Some rooms on the
first floor of the new complex
have had problems with
overflowing toilets and bathtubs.
Others throughout the complex
have had problems with their
dishwashers. Students living in
Viking Village are just now
officials revoked the company’s
license over concerns about
manufacturing standards at the
plant, preventing Chiron from
selling any of its vaccine.
The lack of vaccine
causes a problem for young
adults - they are not at the top of
the list to receive flu shots.
Infants and seniors, especially
those with chronic health
conditions such as asthma, are at
See Flu Shot on page 2
School still plagued with parking problems
Students pay fines,
often late to class
By Kimberly Murphy
Stajf Writer
During the summer,
students prepare themselves for
an exciting and prosperous
school year, whether the
preparations are making sure that
their finances are squared away
or having safe vehicles that will
allow them to go to destinations
of their choice. After making all
these preparations over the
summer in order to have a
successful school year, there
should not be any large problems
for students, but there is;
parking!
Parking is a big issue for
students at Elizabeth City State
University. Numerous students
feel that if they pay for parking
each year, there should be plenty
of parking spaces for commuter
and boarding students. However,
cotmnuter students are often late
for class because of trying to find
a legal place to park.
Chief Samuel Beamon
informed the students at the
Student Body meeting, which
was held September 2,2004, that
parking will be available for
students, faculty and staff after
Christmas break. At the moment,
it is limited due to construction
on the campus. Parking spaces
are available for visitors and
students along the main
File photo
Row upon row
of automobiles
can be seen in
this photo of the
designated
ECSU parking
areas.
entrance. These parking spaces
extend on the right side from the
Campus Police building to the
University Center.
When Viking Village is
open, Beamon said there will be
parking spaces for students who
Uve in the Complex, Bulter Hall,
and University Suite. Williams
Hall and Hugh Cale parking
spaces will be available for
faculty and staff only. Beamon
also said that there will be 62
spaces added to the parking lot
behind the General Psychology
building.
The University is
asking for students, faculty and
staff to bear with them until after
Christmas break.
\^iking Village
$4,005/yr (4)
$3,960/yr (3)
$3,870/yr (2)
Co-Ed
351'^"
Single/
oubles
receiving cable TV service and
phones in their rooms, which
they were without for about a
month.
Marquita Thompson,
a junior, says she likes the new
building despite its problems.
Thompson’s room did not flood.
“I didn’t care we didn’t have
cable. I have DVD’s” said
See Dorms on page 2
ECSU to build science center
LuAnne
Pendergraft
spearheads uni
versity project
By Toby Tate
Editor-in-Chief
Elizabeth City State University
has hired LuAnne Pendergraft to
spearhead and coordinate what
has been dubbed the “Elizabeth
City Science Center” to be built
in Elizabeth City and with the
direction of ECSU. The exact
location and name of the new
museum have yet to be finalized.
“We are still trying to secure a
location,” said Pendergraft. The
mission of the science center,
according to the planning
committee, is to “enhance the
public’s understanding and
enjoyment of science through
interactive and engaging
exhibits, programs, and activities
for people of all ages.’’The 23-
person planning committee for
the science center reflects a
variety of University departments
and community organizations
and includes Dr. Carolyn
Mahoney, provost and vice
chancellor for academic affairs;
Dr. Ron Blackmon, dean of the
School of Math, Science and
Discovery Palace Science Center in Charlotte, North Carolina lights up
the night with spectacular colors.
Photo courtesy visitnc.com
Technology; Dr. Sultana Khan,
professor and director of the
ECSU Planetarium; Marsha
McLean, director of university
relations & marketing; Rhonda
Twiddy, president of the
See Museum on page 2
ECSU enrollment exceeds
2004-2005 school year goal
Enrollment highest
in school’s history
By Rukiya Williams
Staff Writer
According to Dr. Gerald
McCants, Elizabeth City State
University’s assistant to the
chancellor for enrollment
management, planning, research
and outreach, ECSU met and
exceeded its enrollment goal for
the 2004-2005 school term. “We
wanted to enroll 546 freshmen;
we ended up with 550. That’s the
highest in the university’s
history,” McCants said.
According to McCants,
the university has been taking
every measure to recruit students.
“In order to get growth, if you are
faculty, staff or a student, all we
want you to do is communicate
to one student that they can
benefit from ECSU. We would
expand our enrollment and
achieve our goals,” McCants
said.
Growth is visible
throughout the campus with
privatized housing, newly
remodeled Bedell Hall and
Williams Hall, renovations, and
See Enrollment on page 2