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1 PECEMbER 2004
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rivatizing Discrimination"
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Second Time Since 198
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it die Common CoiilorDo
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Kosai Chosen 2004-05
Jefferson Pilot Professor
Your Decree
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Editor-in-Chief
“Ron Fitzwater-
Contributing Writers
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Faculty Adviser
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NUMbER 5
ARE YOU SAfEP
By
Ron FItzwater
Joseph Ramsey only wanted to pay
his roommate back with dinner the
evening of September 27when they
along with fellow Nash Hall resident
Elliot Hansen, took a leisurely walk
over to McDonald’s. The three men
had no idea that waiting for them
on their return to the Wesleyan
campus was a group of individuals
with a gun and the desire to take
the few dollars the students had in
their pockets.
“When we walked back across
the field we saw a car parked up
at the corner with its lights on.
We thought it was broken down,”
Hansen recalled. “There were four
guys walking away from it and they
passed us at the tennis courts. All
of a sudden, one guy ran back to
us, pulled a gun, and pointed it at
Joe. I was about to run and he said
‘if you run I’m gonna shoot you’ so
I stopped and he pointed the gun
at me and said ‘give me what you
got.’”
Robbery victims Elliot Hansen and Joseph Ramsey
Hall witnessed the robbery and “did
nothing to help.” Hansen added,
“I don’t understand why they didn’t
call security or something.”
After the robbery, Hansen and
Ramsey reported the crime to Nash
Hall Resident Assistants, who at
first thought the men were joking.
Once the RA’s realized they were
serious they called campus security
and attempted to contact the Rocky
Mount Police Department. “They
tried to call two times and nobody
Overturned benches (above) and broken spotlights (below
right) in front of the college, are only some of the damage
done on campus this year.
What they had were $3, an ATM
card, their ID’s and Ramsey’s room
key. The assailants ran back to
their car and fled campus with their
meager take.
The individuals, four African-
American males, had been seen
earlier in the evening in Nash Hall.
“They were just walking up and
down the halls looking in people’s
rooms,” said Hansen. Though
the men were not students, they
had somehow gained entry into
Nash and were able to roam about
without being challenged. This
apathy by resident students was
demonstrated to a more serious
degree during the robbery, when as
Ramsey stated, people in Collins
answered so they had to call 911,”
said Hansen.
The Securitas officer arrived 15-
20 minutes after being contacted,
according to Hansen and Ramsey,
with Rocky Mount PD officer Harper
arriving 30 minutes later. The Police
officer took statements from the two
victims and left. (At the time of this
article no one from the RMPD has
contacted either man to follow up
on the investigation.)
The following day, Hansen’s ID was
found by a maintenance worker
and turned into the office of student
life. Dean Peter Phaiah contacted
the student to let him know that the
ID was being sent to the RMPD for
fingerprinting. According to Hansen
and Ramsey this is the only contact
from any administration official with
them to date.
This robbery is only one of a
growing number of crime incidents
on campus during the fall 2004
semester. The school’s main
building has been the scene of
three recent acts, with attempted
break-ins of the Adjunct Professors
office. Gravely science wing and
the Business office. There has
been vandalism of monuments
and stone benches and damage
to one of the spotlights in the front
of the Braswell Building, as well as
vandalism in residence halls during
the recent blackout. Administration
officials are also looking into reports
of a group of young men forming
a “Fight Club” in the Dunn Center
parking lot.
Ramsey feels that he knows where
the problem arose for Hansen and
himself: campus security. “I don’t
know what’s going on with security
on this campus,” he said. “I mean,
I see security walking around and
driving around, but whenever
something happensthey’re nowhere
to be found. Somebody shouldn’t
See ‘Crime’ pg. 5
NoRih CaroUna WesIeyan CollEqE Rocky Mount, NoRih CaroUna 27804