NEWS
'Big House' Gaines was an inspiration to many
By Steven Gaither
ARGUS REPORTER
On April 18, 2005, former
Winston-Salem State basket
ball coach Clarence E.
Gaines, better known as
"Big House," passed away
at the age of 81. He guided
the Rams for 47 seasons as a
basketball coach, including
the 1967 championship
team, featuring NBA Hall of
Famer Earl "The Pearl"
Monroe. That team went 37-
1 and became the first his
torically black college or
university to win a basket
ball national championship
(Division 2). Gaines retired
from coaching in 1993 and
currently ranks fifth all-time
in the number of victories as
a college basketball coach,
828. He was inducted into
the basketball Hall of Fame
in 1982.
As great a coach as Gaines
was, he was a better human
being. More than two thou
sand, family, friends, and
former players from across
the country gathered on
Friday, April 22 at the
Coliseum Annex to honor a
great human being, who
also happened to be a pretty
good coach. Several high
profile people, such as
coaching legends John
Thompson, John Cheney,
Tubby Smith, present and
former Wake coaches, Dave
Odom and Skip Prosser,
streetball legend Pee Wee
Kirland, former Wake All-
American and legendary
broadcaster, Billy Packer,
their respects for Coach
Gaines. Also in attendence
was North Carolina
Congressmen Mel Watt, as
well as numerous people
from the commity. Of
course, there where numer
ous former players, includ
ing Cleo Hill, Ted Blunt,
Earl Monroe, and Stephen
A. Smith on hand to honor
the man who had such a
powerful influence in their
lives. Speakers included
Monroe, Blunt, Thompson,
Packer, as well as Clarence
Gaines, Jr. Those who spoke
at the nearly three-hour
memorial service displayed
many emotions, from laugh
ing to crying, as they
remembered the man who
touched all their lives. They
all spoke of his humility
and loyalty. He was larger
than life, but at the same
time he was down to earth.
Clarence Edward Gaines
was born May 21, 1923, in
Paducah, Kentucky. He
graduated from Morgan
State University in 1945
with a B.S. in chemistry. He
arrived at WSSU as an assis
tant football coach that year
and became head coach in
1946. In 1948 he was named
CIAA football coach of the
year, an honor he received
six times as basketball
coach. In 1949 he took over
as basketball coach and ath
letic director. He led the
Rams to eight CIAA titles
and, of course, that leg
endary 1967 national cham
pionship squad. He coached
several All-Americans,
including Cleo Hill, Ted
Blunt and Earl Monroe,
Monroe and Hill would go
on to play in the NBA. After
his retirement in 1993, he
remained active in the com
munity until the end. He
recently finished his autobi
ography They Call Me Big
House. His wife of nearly 55
years, Clara, and his two
children, Lisa and Clarence
Jr. survive him.
Blacks have
highest rates
HIV infection
By Kristin Smitli
ARGUS REPORTER
A routine visit to a doctor's office forever changed the life of
43-year-old Eric. The construction worker, who is the father of
three daughters ranging in age from 18 to 28, scheduled an
appointment because he injured his back on a job.
But a series of tests found that Eric, who did not want to use
his real name, was HIV positive. "The doctor just broke the news
to me and walked out of the office," Eric said.
The diagnosis was made five years ago in 2000, and since then
the now unemployed construction
worker has battled two strokes,
among other health issues. "Some
days are better than others," he
said. "When I feel bad it is tough."
AIDS is short for Acquired
Immune Deficiency Syndrome. It is
the most advanced stage of HIV
disease, which is caused by the
human immuno deficiency virus
(HIV).
The 2000 Census reports that
African Americans make up 12.3
percent of the U.S. population.
However, they account for 368,169
(40 percent) of the estimated
929,985 esHmated AIDS cases diagnosed since the epidemic
began more than 20 years ago, according to the Atlanta-based
Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
During 2000-2003, HIV/AIDS rates for African American
females were 19 times the rates for white females and five times
the rates for Hispanic females; they also exceeded the rates for
males of all races/ethnicities other than African Americans. Rates
for African American males were seven times those for white
males and three times those for Hispanic males, according to the
CDC.
What's even more disturbing, there has been an increase in the
rate of HIV infection among black male college students in North
Carolina. A state study released last year found 84 newly infected
male college students in North Carolina and 73 of the 84 were
African American.
To combat the surge in infections, Winston-Salem State
University sponsors free and confidential HIV/Syphilis testing
every other Tuesday in the Student Health Center, with the last
screening scheduled for this month.
Eric said he did not know how he contracted HIV. However,
according to the CDC, the leading cause of HIV infection among
African American men was sexual contact with other men; the
next leading causes were heterosexual contact and injection drug
use.
The CDC further reports that the leading cause of HIV infec
tion among African American women was heterosexual contact;
the next leading cause was injection drug use.
Most black men who engage in sex with other men do not con
sider themselves homosexuals; in fact, many have girlfriends.
Instead, the men have been described as being "on the down
low," a slang term that basically means the men outwardly live
the life of a straight man, but secretly engage in sex with men.
Eric twiddles his fingers while talking about his situation.
"College students especially should be careful when coming in
contact with other students," he cautioned. "Hormones are a big
issue so it is important to protect themselves"
The most common ways that HIV is transmitted are by having
sex (anal, vaginal or oral) with an HIV-infected person, or by
sharing needles with a drug user who is infected with HIV or
from an HIV-infected woman to her baby before or during birth
or through breastfeeding after birth.
Some people develop symptoms of HIV shortly after being
infected. On average, it takes more than 10 years.
Ways to avoid HIV include abstinence, monogamy, the use of
condoms and staying drug free.
To learn about HIV/AIDS;
CDC-INFO:
1 -80(K^DC-INFO (232^;636)
TTY: 1-688-232-6348
In English, en Espafid
24 Houi^ay
CDC Natbnd Prevention
Information Netwotk:
P.O. Box 6003
Rockville, Maryland 20849-6003
1-800458-5231
Internet Resources:
NCHSTP: www.cdc.gov/
nchstp/od/nchstp.html
DHAP: www.cdc.gov^iv
NPIN: www.cdcnpin.otg/
Bright Skies
Job outlook calling for lots of graduating college students
By Kathleen Lynn
KRT WIRE SERVICE
A few weeks after she graduates
from the New Jersey Institute of
Technology in Newark in May,
Jessica Olejar will join the corpo
rate world as a $53,000-a-year
software developer at Citigroup.
She's one of the many young job
seekers who have found that,
despite fears of outsourcing, the
"help wanted" sign is out for tech
workers.
"It's a big myth that these jobs
are going away," said Jane
Gaertner of NJIT's career develop
ment office. "There's still a strong
demand for computer science jobs
in the U.S."
As the Class of 2005 heads into
the work force, nurses and
accountants are also in demand.
In fact, most college seniors are
finding a more welcoming work
place this year.
"This looks like the best job
market for entry-level hires since
2000," said Richard White, direc
tor of career services at Rutgers
University. "With a 4.4 percent
unemployment rate. New Jersey is
one of the better places in the
country to be looking for work."
And the national picture is also
promising. The National
Association of Colleges and
Employers reports that employers
expect to increase hiring of new
college grads by about 13 percent
this year, and most expect to raise
starting salaries over last year.
Graduating nurses have their
pick of job offers, as an aging pop
ulation seeks more medical care.
Teachers are also in demand. And
accountants' prospects have been
brightened by the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act, which was passed in
response to the accounting scan
dals at Enron and WorldCom, and
requires more stringent financial
reporting.
Several North Jersey colleges
said most of their accounting
grads have job offers in hand. One
is Anna Sidorova, 23, who recent
ly accepted a job offer from a Big
Four accounting firm. "For me, it
was easier than for many stu
dents, since I'm in the accounting
program," said Sidorova, who'll
get her master's in accounting this
May from Fairleigh Dickinson
University.
Students who are still searching
for work filled the William
Paterson University gym recently
for a career fair, handing their
resumes to recruiters from social
service agencies, state government
and corporations.
Sara Abernethy, 23, was there
with a friend, though she graduat
ed from Dickinson College in 2003
with a business degree.
At that point, corporate jobs
were scarce. So she spent two
years with the Teach for America
program, and is now seeking
work as a management consultant.
"There's a lot more opportunity
now," Abernethy said.
The most popular recruiters at
the career fair were from the tele
vision and radio industries.
"It's a hard field to get into, but
I hope I can break in," said Aaron
Rikon, 24, a communications
major who wants to work in tele
vision or radio production.
As it happens, career advisers
say even liberal arts majors may
find better opportunities this year.
"When you think about liberal
arts majors, they really can go into
a lot of different areas," said
Cathy Love, director of FDU's
career office. On average, though,
they're going to get lower salaries
than their classmates with pre
professional training, according to
NACE.
The most successful job seekers,
according to college career coun
selors, tackle the search with ener
gy and creativity. They use their
personal and professional net
works, attend the career fairs and
workshops on campus, and
research companies on the
Internet before talking to
recruiters.
"Companies hire people who
exude energy," said Wanda
Mendez, director of career man
agement for the MBA program at
Rutgers Business School in
Newark.
"They need to take every oppor
tunity that's out there," Love said.
Many of the most successful job
seekers had internships. In a
recent survey by NACE, employ
ers said that, on average, they
offer full-time jobs to nearly 58
percent of their interns.
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university of north Carolina Wilmington
summer school 2005
Session I May 19 - June 21
Session II June 27 - July 28
For more information,
call 910.962.3243 or 910.962.3876 or 800.589.2829
e-mail summer@uncw.edu
or visit our web site www.uncw.edu/summsch
UNCW is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution.