since 1960 “of, by, andfor the Wesleyan community.”
March 15, 2013
NORTH CAROLINA WESLEYAN COLLEGE, ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA 27804
NC Wesleyan to Maintain Cost
Of Tuition,
By Emily Bower
Senior Staff Writer
North Carolina Wesleyan will not
raise the price of tuition in 2013-14
for current students and it will com
mence major renovations on one of
its residence halls, the administration
has announced.
. “Tuition will not go up for current
students,” said President James
Gray. New students will see an
increase in tuition by three percent,
the president said, adding that he
expects a three-percent hike in room
and board for all students.
According to the college’s webpage, the
2012-2013 tuition is $25,710 for traditional
day students. Other current costs include
$4,038 for a double room in a residence
hall, $4,388 for a meal plan, $450 for
insurance, and $50 for an activity fee.
Tuition covers the cost of student books.
Freshman Pedro Leao from Belo
Horizonte, Brazil expressed apprecia
tion. “It will help international students
because it’s tough for us to afford
tuition,” he said. “It helps other students
afford another semester or another year
and helps us continue our education.”
President Gray hopes the decision will
help families. “Most other schools will
increase their tuition as usual,” he said,
“but we’re trying to respond to the needs
of our students and their families.”
Sophomore Logan Waters can relate.
“I have some scholarships, but I still
have to pay some out of pocket,” he
said. Tuition had been rising each year
for Waters and other students. “It’ll
definitely help the students who pay on
their own,” he said. “I also think this
will help our retention rate.”
Enrollment is tied to tuition and
budget maintenance. “Non-traditional
ways of achieving education are
becoming more common,” President
Gray said. “The traditional program will
grow, but at a slower rate than the adult
program.” Out of the 30 private colleges
in the state, only nine saw an increase in
fall enrollment, Wesleyan being one, the
president noted. The traditional student
population rose by 16 percent in the
fall, but went down by the same number
prior to the spring semester. Wesleyan
had budgeted for 45 new students this
spring semester. Only 35 arrived when
classes began in January, prompting the
college to trim its budget.
Profile: SSC’s Erma Hedgepeth,
‘Passionate about Students’
Erma Hedgepeth, an academic advisor
in the Student Success Center, was named
winner of the Distinguished Staff Award
at the fall Founders’ Day ceremony.
Now in her 20th year at NC Wesleyan, the
Zebulon native was promoted to her current
position prior to the current academic year.
Dean of Students Randy Williams praised
Hedgepeth, who is a 2010 graduate of the
college’s ASPIRE program and the mother of a
Wesleyan alum, her sen Jarrett “Erma is passion
ate about NCWC students, and she shows her
support in academics, athletics, and student life.”
Dean Williams said. ‘ Having neariy 20 years
of institutional affiliation, she exhibits school
pride daily. In that time, she has built meaningful
relationships with faculty and staff while learning
the nuances of the academic program.”
The Decree staff conducted a recent interview
with Hedgepeth, who reflected cn her time at
the college.
Q. Where did you work prior to NCWC?
A. Prior to Wesleyan, I worked
for a computer manufacturer, Memorex
Telex Computer Products in Raleigh. I was
initially hired as a printed circuit board
assembler; I used a blueprint to insert
components onto the boards. I was later
promoted to the purchasing department as a
purchasing expediter; in that job, I contacted
vendors to track orders. This was over a span
of 12 year's. This company went through a
hostile buy-out and I was eventually laid
Overhaul Edgecombe
With multiple areas of campus life
needing improvement, the finance commit
tee is forced to prioritize which depart
ments are allotted money, Gray said.
At the same time, fundraising events
occur throughout the year. “Days for
Wesleyan” was successful this past year,
raising an estimated $140,000, President
Gray said. Telethons bring in an estimate
of $300,000 each year, he added.
The current capital campaign, Strength of
Heart, began in December 2011. According
to a handout on the campaign, “the college
is seeking to build upon the vision of its
founders through a commitment to enhance
and expand the facilities... and to continue
its effort to transform the lives of students.”
Still in the quiet phase of the campaign,
Wesleyan has received $5.1 million
in firm commitments, President Gray
reported at the end of February. With a
goal of raising $20 million, the campaign
will not move into the public state until at
least 30 to 50 percent has been committed
to the school. It is expected to continue
for several years, Gray said.
Spending priorities include dorm renova
tions, Hartness Center renovations, and
scholarship availability. Some $2 million
has been set aside for Edgecombe residence
hall, which will be renovated this summer.
Set to begin in early May, work will be
completed in August, the president said.
“Renovations are critical for admis
sions and the students already here on
campus,” Gray stated.
The Edgecombe project will be a
“truly top-to-bottom” overhaul, Gray
said, noting that it will involve new
flooring and ceiling and renovated walls,
as well as improvements to plumbing
and electrical work. New furniture will
be added. The project will be similar
to work already undertaken on the first
floor of Nash Hall, the president said.
Strength of Heart monies will fund the
renovations and more. NCWC trustee Don
Stallings, the owner of Eagle Transport
Corp., and an anonymous donor have
given $2.5 million for the consfruction
of an academic center for entrepreneur-
ship. This building will serve as a place
to educate students who want to own
their own business. And it will provide
networking opportunities. “We believe this
center will help our students and our region
economically,” said Gray.
The college has discussed plans for a
multi-sport stadium, but the project “has
off. Afterwards, I worked for two years as
a reservation agent for Sheraton.
Q. What prompted you to seek a job
in education?
A. My mother-in-law was my babysitter at
the time, and she passed away. I had always
worked in the Raleigh area, but since my sup
port system was no longer available, I had to
make a decision to relocate to be closer to my
young children. I wasn't necessarily seeking a
job in education, I was seeking a job and it just
happened to be in education. But I do believe it
was part of a bigger plan, since my desire had
always been to get a college degree.
Q. What was your first job at Wesleyan?
A. I was hired in June 1993 as a receptionist/
secretary for the Student Support Center (now
called the Student Success Center). I was respon
sible for handling general office duties—direct
ing calls, filing, making appointments for the
SSC staff After about two years, I was promoted
to the position of administrative assistant In this
role I coordinated the referral program, kept
track of the office budget, and prepared first-year
student folders by calculating their math and
English placements prior to them being assigned
’ to the first-year advisors.
Q. What did you most enjoy about
your former position at NCWC?
A. I liked all aspects of my job, but
I loved the interactions that I had with
students on a daily basis.
See HEDGEPETH pg 4
slipped a little bit as far as a priority,”
said Gray. Costs are estimated at $10 mil
lion; no donor has come forward to lead
the project. The facility would provide
a home to NCWC’s football team and
could host events in soccer, lacrosse,
and track and field. “A sports facility can
change the culture on campus, and it’s
an important part of student morale that
we’re trying to build,” said Gray.
In another move, President Gray
has announced that Budd Security
began serving the campus February
18, replacing the previous service
provider, Securitas. Funding came from
a $100,000 outlay that the board of
trustees approved within the last year.
Based in Winston-Salem, Budd
Security will be “much more profes
sional—from the car to the uniforms to
the training,” stated Gray.
Besides funding the new security
provider and a new position—direct of
campus security—the trustees’ grant
will pay for an increased presence by
Rocky Mount police officers and other
safety-related projects, according to
Dean of Students Randy Williams.
Earlier in the year, the college added
outdoor lighting around campus and
video cameras in campus buildings as
part of an effort to enhance safety.
Play ‘Woman from the Town’
Performed for Black History Month
By Katherine Crickmore as a teenager for getting pregnant out of Robinson, who works in the Advancement
Decree Staff Writer
“Woman from the Town” was performed
by the Wesleyan Players on February 25,
26 and 28 in the Powers Recital Hall and
featured a question-answer session with
the playwright, North Carolina resident
Samm-Art Williams, after the Tuesday
night performance.
‘It’s a relationship play,” Roger Drake, the
director of the show, explained. “Each char
acter has a speech in which they share their
{perspective, their values, and their individuality.
It really showcases their character.”
The two-act show was featured as
the customary spring semester piece
that celebrated Black History Month.
“The set, costumes and cast are so realistic,”
said sophomore Chavonne Jones, one of the
actors. “You’ll be sucked into the story.”
Published in 1986 by Samuel French,
Inc., the play was first performed at the Inner
City Cultural Center in Los Angeles in 1989.
The drama is set in a small rural town
in Mason’s Bridge, North Carolina and
follows the exploits of Lila Wilson as she
returns to her childhood home after a 27-
year absence. Lila arrives in a time of crisis,
as the population of the town is dwindling
and houses are being foreclosed. Over
four days, it becomes obvious to Lila’s
family and neighbors that the now-wealthy
woman is behind the sudden bad luck.
It is revealed that Lila, run out of town
L-R Leia Batchelor, Tammy Robinson, Chavonne Jones, and De ¬
lon Wicks in "Woman from the Town."
Photo by R. Drake
Jeff Filkovski has been named the third head football coach in NCWC
history. An AP "Little All-American" as quarterback of Allegheny College's
1990 national championship team, Filkovski has been head coach forthe pastfive
seasons at Marietta College (Ohio), where his teams were a combined
10-40. Prior to Marietta, he served in assistant coaching positions at Heidelberg
University (Ohio), Holy Cross, and the University of Cincinnati, along with a one-
year stint as offensive coordinator of the Cologne Centurions in NFL Europe.
Filkovski replaces Mark Henninger, who left earlier in the year to accept the
head coaching position at Marian University, in his native state of Indiana. Hen
ninger compiled a 26-25 record in five years at the helm of the Bishops. He was
named USA South Coach of the Year in 2009, when he guided NCWC to an 8-3
overall record, a conference title and a berth in the Division III playoffs, si Photo
wedlock, has returned as a real-estate tycoon
with the express purpose of getting revenge
on the townspeople who treated her badly.
However, at the end of the play, Lila realizes
that the ones who persecuted her the most
have since died and devotes herself to the
revitalization of Mason’s Bridge.
The cast is fairiy small, featuring five
women and one man. Lila Wilson, a 44-year
old black woman, is the titular character. Lila’s
family members include her daughter, Rita
Chaney, 27, who had grown up in New York;
her older sister Laura, 48, who had remained on
the farm and is immensely bitter, and Laura’s
son Buddy, 28, revealed later to be partnered
with Lila Laura Wilson’s close friends and
neighbors, Sissy, 48, and Hazel, 58, are two
members of the town that Lila targets person
ally. Lila’s deceased mother, Edna, and father,
Robert, appear in flashbacks and are usually
portrayed by the actors playing Buddy and Sissy.
The Wesleyan production featured a
mixed cast of students and members of the
community. In addition to being costume
director, Jones portrayed Lila Wilson, with
Tammy Robinson as Laura, Leia Batchelor as
Rita, sophomore Delon Wicks as Buddy and
Robert, Shalanda Hines as Sissy and Edna,
and junior Katherine Crickmore as Hazel.
Crickmore also served as stage manager.
“I love Sissy.” Hines laughed as she
discussed her character. “She’s my alter
ego. She’s hilarious!”
Office at Wesleyan and has also appeared
in other Wesleyan productions, said that the
show was challenging. “The hardest part was
definitely the monologues. They were so
long,” she said. “But it gave me an opportunity
to play a character I’d never played before. I
had to get comfortable getting into character,
and become comfortable with the profanity.”
Auditions for “Woman from the Town”
were held January 15th and rehearsal
began January 23rd. In the four and a
half weeks since rehearsals began, four
of the six members had to be replaced, as
the original participants dropped out for
various reasons. However, the unfortunate
circumstances did nothing to deter the
cast from becoming close, a common
occurrence in most shows.
“I love my cast members,” Wicks said.
The sentiment was reiterated by Batchelor,
who went on to praise the play itself.
‘I love working on the show,” Batchelor
gushed. ‘It’s very different from most shows.
It’s exciting, it’s suspenseful, it’s just awesome.
In all the other shows I’ve done, they’ve
related to modem, everyday life. In this show,
it relates back to an earlier time period.”
Drake, head of the entertainment depart
ment at Wesleyan, constructed the set, in
addition to directing the piece. “Woman from
the Town” is set on the Wilson Farm, with ■
specific scenes occurring in the yard, on the
front porch, in the kitchen and in the parlor.
The playwright took questions from the audi-
ence and discussed everything from play writing
to his wok on television shows like ‘ Mike
Hammer’ ’ and ‘ The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.’ ’
He also gave advice to anyone hoping to make it
in the entertainment business. There was a small
reception afterwards in the Carlton Board Roon,
where Williams signed ‘ ‘Woman fiom the Town’ ’
posters and stood for pictures with the cast
Earlier that day, the playwright sat down
with several students and discussed many of
the same things. He said that if a student wanted
to get into show-business, she should first go
somewhere where she was comfortable. “Stay
away from negative influences,” Williams said.
“Don’t get discouraged. Don’t let old folks like
me tell you what you can or can’t do. You’re
young; you can do anything. I’m scared of you
and other folks should be too.”
Williams advised that no one should
to anything out of greed or for money,
two of his “five-letter words” he
frequently mentioned. “Instead,” he
said. “Follow your heart. That’s a better
five letter word.”