VOL. 12, NO. 8 North Carolina Wesleyan College, Rocky Mount, N.C. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14,1997
Fires set in Nash
By JAMIE TEACHEY
Two weeks ago, early on a Sat
urday morning, a poster was set
on fire — the first of two fires in
Nash Hall.
The poster, a warning that “All
guests in Nash Hall must be es
corted,” burned to the ceiling,
causing damage, then fell to the
rug, leaving burns.
Jamie Whiting, resident assis
tant in Nash, said, “Whoever is
starting these fires is out of their
minds. They are putting 94
people’s lives in jeopardy.”
Several days after the first fire,
a second fire was set in Nash. A
firecracker was lit and exploded
in a toilet paper dispenser. Anna
Acerra, housing director, esti
mated “at least $1,200 in total
damage.”
Acerra recollects a fire at
OFFERING HELP — Newly named interim admissions director
Cal Wyncoop (left) talks with student at Parents’ Day. (Contrib
uted by Courtney Rubes.)
nearby Chapel Hill. “The smoke
is what kills people,” Acerra said.
The Fire Marshall was con
tacted and is now investigating.
“The bottom line is that the
fires have to stop,” Acerra said,
noting that the person(s) respon
sible will be prosecuted.
“Arson is a federal offense.
This simple prank could cost
someone 10 to 50 years in prison,”
she said.
Arson/Unlawful Burning Laws
First Degree Arson
• Burning an occupied dwelling
(residence hall). Occupied
means someone is actually in
side.
• Class C Felony — 50 years im
prisonment.
Second Degree Arson
• Burning unoccupied dwelling
(residence hall). Unoccupied
means no one is actually in the
dwelling when the fire occurs.
(Continued on Back Page)
Wyncoop named interim
Director of Admissions
By GRANT LONG
Jan. 24 was the last day that
Pat Cerjan was in employment as
Director of Admissions.
Cerjan has worked with the
college since 1985. She is one of
the numerous people who have
seen Wesleyan grow during the
last ten years, and she looks for
ward to seeing Wesleyan expand
ever more, despite her absence.
Cerjan came to Wesleyan with
the goal of making Wesleyan a
better college. She first did this
by increasing the potential stu
dent base.
“When I first came here,
Wesleyan only looked for stu
dents in North Carolina and Vir
ginia,” she said. Soon after she
came, the student base was ex
tended to the Northeastern sec
tion of the United States. Cerjan
was also partly responsible for
the creation of Tutor Crossing,
which was set up to serve the
academic needs of the students.
Another one of its goals was to
provide career guidance for all
Wesleyan students.
Cerjan has accomplished quite
a few things during her tenure at
Wesleyan, but her biggest accom
plishment could be the rise in at
tendance.
The reason for Cerjan’s depar
ture is because she wanted to pur
sue her dream of consulting with
local high school students and
helping them choose a college
they want to attend.
Cerjan says that “there is noth
ing I regret about my time spent
at Wesleyan,” and that she is look
ing forward to her future. Cerjan
also went on to mention that “un
der the guidance of John White,
Wesleyan could be one of the best
private colleges in North Caro
lina.”
Cal Wynkoop will be replac
ing her temporarily. Wynkoop
was asked by Dr. White to re
place Cerjan because of his back
ground in business and informa
tion systems. Wynkoop feels he
is very qualified for the job be
cause he “can bring a fresh look
at the marketing prospective of
Wesleyan.”
He also said, “The admissions
staff is very eager and willing to
market Wesleyan.”
The future goals to help im
prove the admissions process are
to have more alumni, faculty, and
student support in the recruiting
process.
Colleges experiment with ‘J-Terms’
By COLLEEN DEBAISE
At Western Maryland College,
students in the popular January-
term course “Sex, Death and
Flyfishing” spend each morning
learning how to tie “flies,” or lures
made of feather, fur, and nylon.
Then, it’s off to the gym for
an afternoon practice session of
casting.
For most students, it’s a chance
Courses offer students ^something different’
to enjoy a favorite pastime while
taking a few weeks off from re
quired courses, such as macro
economics or general biology.
“January terms allow students
a break to learn something differ
ent,” said Don Schumaker, a
Western Maryland spokesperson.
“During the year, students are
concerned about fulfilling their
curriculum requirements, as well
as their major requirements.”
That’s why a number of col
leges, such as Western Maryland,
offer snazzy, non-traditional
courses during January term. The
term usually lasts about three or
four weeks and falls between the
fall and spring semesters.
Luther College offers “Mur
der, Magic and Medicine,” a study
on the hallucinogenic effects of
certain plants. Oberlin College
students can learn the Japanese
martial art of Aikido, or how to
handweave baskets or bake
French bread and pastries.
Although J-terms are popular
with students, many colleges have
eliminated them because an ex
cessive amount of partying seems
to coincide with the lighter
courseload.
But at campuses where J-terms
(Continued on Back Page)