2A
THE COMPASS, November 2010
lent Life
Work, school
By Ashley Geissinger
The average college
student is faced with not only
imminent assignments that
relentlessly linger over his or her
head each semester, but he or she
is now bombarded with juggling
a full time job and keeping up an
appropriate GPA.
When a student is forced
to work and attend college
simultaneously, there is always
the pressure of when to work
hard and get paid and when to
work hard and receive a high
GPA. The challenge is finding
a way to manage both equally.
There are four key components
to a working student’s GPA
success.
The first and most important is
time management. Susie Brown
22, said, “Time management is
something I deal with every day
during a semester. If I know I
have an assignment due, and I
have a full schedule at work, I
complete my assignment a little
at a time during my breaks and
begin them earlier than I would
PROVES TO BE A BALANCING ACT FOR STUDENTS
if I didn’t work.” The key to
time management is to know
when things are due and creating
the time to complete them, even
if that means not attending the
hottest party or going out with
friends.
The second key to success
is attending as many classes
as possible. Before a semester
begins the student must alert
his or her boss as to when their
classes will be held so he or she
can attend as many classes as
possible. If the student attends
class, not only will he or she
receive a class participation
grade, but all of the information
that was given during class time.
Knowing what was said in class
makes studying a much easier
task because more information is
being retained.
The next key is staying
organized. An organized working
student can stay on task at work,
know when assignments are due,
or when a test is without having
to stress that they overlooked
something. The best way to stay
organized is to invest in a planner
**
By D.A. Baker
Candles, those often
overlooked lights of comfort,
solemnity and peace took center
stage in the Mickey L. Bumim
Auditorium in late afternoon on
Sunday, September 26 as more
than 500 freshmen and transfer
students held their small lights
in celebrating their official
induction into Elizabeth City
State University.
“The greater light
of knowledge represents a
tradition of passing the flame of
learning from one generation
to the next,” said Sherry Lewis,
General Studies Coordinator
and Candlelight Ceremony
Chairperson. “That light, that
flame, that torch is a symbolic
journey to reaching your goals
and becoming successful.”
The Fine Arts Center
was full as the class of 2014
was officially welcomed into the
ECSU family and pre-alumni
association. The candlelight
tradition, nearly three decades
old, is celebrated each year to
welcome the new and transfer
students to Elizabeth City State
University. “The purpose
of the ceremony is to induct the
freshman class into the ECSU
family,” said Lucretia Williams,
an academic advisor and member
of the Candlelight Committee.
The evening began with
an introduction by Dr. Ali Khan,
welcoming students, staff,parents
and the class of 2014. This year,
ECSU had the unique opportunity
to listen to a convocation address
by Rear Admiral William “Dean”
Lee, deployable Operations
Group, U.S. Coast Guard. Lee
talked about planting the seeds of
success in each student, saying,
“Success is not determined by
GPA, or how successful you
and record everything that has a
set due date, along with when you
can work on each assignment or
task. This step also coincides
with wise time management.
The last step is to ask for help.
If the student knows his or her
grades seem to be slipping, he
or she is less likely to work as
efficiently at work due to stress.
The best thing to do is either
talk to his or her teacher about
extensions on assignments or
talk to his or her boss. Working
is crucial to the survival of the
student, if he or she lose two
hours of work each week to do
assignments and pull up a grade,
not only will he or she work
more proficiently but he or she
will not be losing too much pay.
Jared 21, said, “I was working
44 hours a week and was having
trouble finding a spare minute to
do anything let alone study. So, I
talked to my boss and asked him
to make sure I only work 40 hours
a week. He fully understood and
I think I only lost $40 a paycheck
which was worth it.”
Smart phones prove efficient
FOR BUSY COLLEGE STUDENTS
By Brittany Ferebee
Freshman class welcomed to
SCHOOL AT CANDLELIGHT CEREMONY
From simple to smart,
cell phones have come a long
way in the past 30 years. What
was once considered a fancy
item has now become a necessity
for everyday life.
It is rare to find a student
on a college campus without a
cell phone and, most of these
students would prefer a phone
with the capability to check
email, Facebook, Twitter or other
social networks right at the tip
of their fingers. These types of
phones are called smart phones.
A smart phone is what
people consider a true personal
computer. Not only does the
smart phone have the capability
of doing everything your
computer does, but it can also
do more. “I was looking for
a number to my hair salon, but
not only did my droid find the
number it gave me the address
and a full picture of the store and
the surrounding area that let me
stroll up and down the streets
to see how to get there,” said a
recent graduate from New York
University.
With the growing demand
of smart phones, cell phone
companies have taken advantage
and used the technique of
supply and demand. According
to the New York Times, Apple
reportedly sold 3.79 million
iPhones, retailing at $399, in
2009. This was a dramatic jump
from the 1.7 million in 2008.
Beginning in 2011, Apple will
start selling these phones at
Verizon Wireless. Currently, they
are only available at AT&T. “I
use the iPhone because I can do
everything with it,” said a current
student at Farmingdale College
in New York. “I can do video
voice calls, keep up with my
schedule, and it even helps keep
me organized and prioritized
with school.”
Ironically, most teachers
despise students using cell
phones in the classroom. They
are deemed disrespectful in
the learning environment.
However, a number of college
students say a common reason
for having a smart phone is for
educational purposes. Students
can manage everything from on-
the-go contact with teachers and
professors to checking email.
In June of this year. Sprint
and Blackboard teamed up to
allow students to access their
blackboard information via their
mobile device. “The partnership
is to turn the “everywhere”
mobile device into an anytime
learning option,” reports
Fiercewireless .com.
Although iPhones and
Droids are two very popular
smart phones, they still don’t top
the charts like the Blackberry.
In one fiscal quarter alone, RIM
Blackberry sold 7.8 million smart
phones, which gave them a profit
of nearly $643 million, reported
gadgetophilia.com. Blackberry’s
are available through almost
any phone company and
downloadable applications for
the phone are endless, which is a
reason why many people choose
this as their phone-of-choice.
With everything that
the smart phone is capable of
doing, there probably aren’t
many people who could not
find the convenience in having
one. From the ability to keep up
with everyone, to the availability
of the internet at all times,
everyone can find some use with
a smart phone, especially college
students. It’s not hard to figure
out why smart phones have
become so popular, so fast. With
the way technology is growing,
the demand is not slowing down.
were in high school... but
an individual’s integrity and
morality.” He went on to say that
you must not let your past dictate
your future.
“(Admiral Lee’s) speech
was very uplifting,” said Dana
Poole, a math specialist and
member of the Candlelight
Committee. “I was very impressed
at how he spoke about planting the
seeds of success.”
The evening came to an
end with the traditional Candlelight
speech, separated into six parts
emphasizing hope, beauty, truth,
awareness, faith and love.
“I was so proud of the
students,” said Lolita Turner,
Tutorial Coordinator and
Candlelight Committee member,
“They were so well behaved and
represented the university well.”