Vol. XV No 1
Winston-Salem State University
Stptember. IC'SO
(In Founder's Day
WSSU To Award
Gov. Hunt Degree
By Juliaette Sutton
Governor James B. Hunt is schedul
ed to appear on campus to be the key
note speaker for the University’s An
nual Founder’s Day Program on Oc
tober 17.
The University will also award him an
Honorary Doctor of Laws , Degree
during the ceremony which will mark
WSSU’s 88th year.
The program is scheduled to begin at
10 a.m. in the Kenneth R. Williams
Auditorium.
That same morning, the C.E. Ganies
Comples will be dedicated. The dedi
cation will include a ribbon-cutting
ceremony and a tour of the building.
The Complex is a new gymnasium
which has been named in honor of
Clarence “Bighouse” Gaines,
WSSU’s current basketball coach and
athletic director.
This year’s Founder’s Day is going to
be held inconjunctionwith the Home
coming activities which will occur
October 12-17. The tentative Home-
x>ming schedule consists of activities
such as the Coronation which will
begin Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in,the
auditorium. Afterwards, the Corona
tion Ball will be held in Whitaker
Gymnasium. On Friday at 12 noon the
Winston-Salem University students,
faculty and staff can participate in Red
and White Day. Also on Friday, the
Student Goverment Association will
(see Homecoming, page 2)
Grants Enhance
Class Activities
By Loretta 'Leak
Winstbn-Salem State University has
received funds for two programs to aid
students in mathematic and science
courses and to aid those interested in
health and health-related careers. The
University has also been awarded
funds for a pre-college program for
high school students.
The school is a recipient of a
$204,500 grant from the National
Science Foundation to begin a
microcomputer instruction program.
The computers will aid students in
math and science areas with improving
their problem solving abilities. Dr.
Deva Sharma of the natural science
department is in charge of the pro
gram. He said that students will spend
one hour a week in the computer lab
and the other two hours in regular lec
ture sessions.
Instructors who will have access to
(see Grants, page 3)
F
She Saw Academic Promise In Students
For 23 years. Dr. Lillian Burwell Lewis taught biology at WSSU. After retir
ing in 1970, she continued to think about all the potential she saw in WSSU
students-potential that sometimes went untapped beciuse, she thought, the
students didn’t have ample motivation.
The professor emeritus and her husband. Dr. John F. Lewis, also a retired
WSSU professor, decided to establish the Lillian Burwell and John F. Lewis
Scholarship Award-a $500 cash award to the graduating senior with the
highest cumulative average after four years at Winston-Salem State.
The first award went to Ms. Annette Hansley, class of 1980, who earned an
overall average of 3.8 while accumulating 169 semester hours. A music major,
she was president of Delta Omicron International Music Fraternity. The
Winston-Salem native now teaches band and chorus at Moore Altermative
School and chorus at Hill High School.
Dr. Lewis and Ms. Hansley met for the first time on August 13, Dr. Lewis’
81st birthday. The two of them discussed the purpose of the award and the
need to strive for academic excellence beginning with the freshman year.
Dr. Lewis also indicated that the school needed more scholarships of that
kind and that she hopes that the one she started will continue forever.
Nursing Scores Fall
Below Schools ’ Goa)
Thirteen (41%) of the 32 1980
graduates of the Winston-Salem State
University (WSSU) Division of Nurs
ing passed the five component State
Board Licenstire Examination ad
ministered in July. Of the 19 graduates
who were not successful, 10 failed only
one component with scores near 350.
(Candidates must pass all components
with scores of 350 or above to be
licensed.)
Dr. Margaret W. Lewis, director of
the Division of Nursing, says she can
not account for the 23% decline from
last year because of the similarities bet
ween the two classes. “Both groups
were products of the old curriculum,
and both were admitted under the
former open-door admission policy,”
she said. “Both were also orovided
essentially the same supplementary ex
periences in preparation for the ex
amination,” she added.
H. Douglas Covington, chancellor
of Winston-Salem State, said the low
passing rate was a result of the high
number of near-misses. “Close doesn’t
count, and we had a number of
students who were marginal and failed
by a narrow margin.”
However, Dr. Lewis said faculty
who had worked with the two classes
consistently observed that, with few ex
ceptions, the members of the class of
1980 were less motivated and less com
mitted to preparing for the rigorous ex
amination than the members of the
1979 class. In spite of the downturn in
the passing rate of-graduates this year,
(see Scores, page 7)
Trustees Approve
Chancellor’s Report
By Debra Foriest
The WSSU Board of Trustees in its
September 4 meeting approved the ar
chitectural design for the construction
of a new building for the school of
business.
The state has allocated $2.1 million
for construction of the main wing o:
the building. It will be built southwe>.;
of Stadium Drive and Claremor.'
Avenue by Hammill/Walters Associa
tion.
At this meeting, Chancellor Cov
ington presented his annual report. In
this report, he designated his short
range plans of broadening the Com
munication Arts Department by
developing majors in French and
Spanish and minors in Speech and
Mass Communications. His report in
dicated that the establishment of a
radio/television station was also pro
gressing.
There are plans for degree programs
in accounting, recreation therapy and
economics, said Covington.
One of Chancellor Covington’s long
range plans include a graduate pro
gram here at WSSU. A survey on the
need for this program was ad
ministered to 6,000 educators. From
that number, 4,000 responded and
2,000 were interested in a program at
this university in education. Several
other respondents wanted additional
information. There was a large number
(see page 5)
Cluster Plans
Fall Meeting
Tentative plans have been made for
the Business/Industry Cluster to hold
its first meeting for the academic year
October 10. The primary purpose of
the meeting will be to set goals and
plan joint activities between the Uni
versity and the various business and
corporations that comprise the cluster.
Plans for this meeting also include a
continental breakfast and an orienta
tion session for new members. These
activities, along with the general
cluster seesion should last from 8:30-
1:30 in the Hall-Patterson Communi
cations Building lecture hall.
Mrs. Hellena Tidwell, chairman of
the cluster, said that its major goal for
this year is to increase the involvement
of the cluster members with campus
activities and to continue to increase
the number of active members.
Currently there are representatives
from 45 businesses and corporations
(see page 8)