since 1960 “of, by, and for the Wesleyan community”
March 8, 2012
NORTH CAROLINA WESLEYAN COLLEGE, ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA 27804
Seniors on the men’s basketball team absorbed a crushing defeat in the opening round
of the USA South Conference tourney at home. See story on page 4. Sports information Photo
SGA Elections Scheduled for Late March
By Emily Bower
Decree Staff Writer
Only three out of ten NC Wesleyan stu
dents could name the current SGA president
The results, gathered in a recent informal
survey, come as Wesleyan prepares to hold
elections for the next SGA administration,
now headed by Megan Simpson, president;
and Marcus Wright, vice president. Accord
ing to Wright, the election is scheduled for
March 19-23.
Whether the problem is due to a low
profile by SGA leadership, overall student
body apathy, a lack of coverage by The
Decree, or a combination of the three,
students said that they would like SGA to
become more visible on campus.
“I honestly don’t know who the current
{jresident is,” graduating senkr Sarah Whit-
FA Office Addresses Student
Concerns about Work-Study Jobs
Decree staff members conducted a re
cent email interview with Bill Allen, vice
president of Enrollment Management,
and his staff. Among the topics covered
were work-study jobs, refund payments
and a penalty the college incurred for
problems uncovered in the Financial Aid
office prior to Allen’s tenure at NCWC.
Q. Last semester staff writer Alvin Hare
found that many students were fhistrated
that they had not been able to secure work-
study jobs at the college, even though they
were notified of their eligibility. Junior
business major Akeem Bangurah expressed
the feelings of many students when he said;
“At first 1 was angry when I couldn’t
collect my work-study and I felt that
1 should have had a job waiting for
me, no matter what. I felt that the
school didn’t care because it wasn’t
their money. I think if they can’t have
enough jobs for student s to collect
their work-study, they should come up
with another way to give us our money
that came with our finical aid package.”
Please describe the step-by-step
process the college follows in hiring
for work-study positions.
A. The college determines eligibility
for work study as a part of the financial
aid award. Students may accept or
decline the opportunity for a job. Once
the student is on campus, he or she must
.seek out and apply for jobs. Hiring is at
the discretion of the supervisors. Once a
student is hired, he or she must complete
the paperwork as you would for any
other means of employment. In the aid
materials we will try to make it clearer
that being awarded work-study funds
does not guarantee a job.
Q. So work-study is first-come, first-serve?
A. It is first-come, first serve for the
jobs themselves. Sometimes it is more
competitive than others. We use a formula
based on the amount of money we have
to award and past data on the number of
awarded students who actually take jobs.
The economy and the availability of good-
paying jobs off campus play a role as well.
Bishops Scatter
For Spring Break
By Sara Sims
Decree Staff Writer
What are your plans for spring
break? That’s one of the more popular
conversations among college students
in the second semester of the year.
Wesleyan students are planning on
getting warm and laying in the sand.
Nicole Jones of Nashville is
planning her first college spring break
with best friend Megan Browl. The
pair wants to go to Nags Head for a
few days. Money is an obstacle for
these ladies with regard to paying for a
hotel and gas for the trip. “If I can get
a good job, we probably won’t be able
to go,” said Jones. She added, “I need
to start making some money to be able
to do things.”
See BREAK on pg 2
Q. If I’m a student who fails to get a
work-study job, what happens to. the money I
was supposed to earn through that position?
A. That money follows the open
ings and not the students. So if all the
positions on campus are filled the money
budgeted for this program will be spent.
The students need to eam the money from
working. If they do not work, for whatever
reason, they will not receive all or part of
the money awarded as work-study.
Q. So, looking ahead to 2012-2013,
what’s your advice for students interested
in a work-study job?
A. Apply for aid early and be ready to look
for a job as soon as you can in the summer
and fall. Also they need to check their email
periodically as job openings were sent to the
entire student population over the summer.
Q. Turning to refund checks that
students receive from Financial Aid:
many students complain that their checks
get delayed. How does that process work?
A. Refimd checks come at the end of the aid
process, so firet you need to have completed the aid
process befoe we can bring in money to credit to
your axount Refiind checks are available when
the net collected amount of money credited to a
students’axount exceeds the amount the student
owes. We have to return tlie money to the student
within 14daysofthesenetcoUecteditinds hitting
their axount Studaits fiequently misread their
studait axount peliminaty credit balance as net
eligible credit balance. Preliminary credit balances
do not represait firrxis that the school has actually
received. The coU^ only nms checks once a week
so we have to be careful of the timirig as to when
the money hits the axount and generates a refund
Again, if you have not completed your aid process,
money does not get disbuKed to your account We
still have a few studaits for this academic year who
have not completed their aid Ifthey woe planning
on a refimd, tfiey have not received it yet
Q. In a recent email to staff and faculty,
the president announced that a settlement
had been reached between NC Wesleyan
and the federal government over a required
payback the college incurred for not follow
ing rales with regard to aid allocation. Can
you give us the details about the settiement?
A. The details of the payback must remain
confidential, but the administration is pleased
with the five-year payback and payment
schedule. Essentially problems occurred
when students were awarded aid they were
not eligible for based on the documentation
we had (or failed to have) on file. Since they
were ineligible for the aid, it should have been
returned to the federal government It was not
returned but credited to students accounts in
stead. There was some question as to whether
this was done intentionally" or by accident I
cannot answer to that other than to say we
determined what needed to be corrected, and
we have since set up an agreement to return
that money to the federal government
Q. The infractions occurred before
you joined NC Wesleyan, but you and
your staff have dealt with the aftermath.
What processes have been put in place to
prevent similar problems in the future?
A. First we have hired an entire
new aid staff. We have more detailed
reconciliation of accounts and our current
aid director (Leah Hill) is well trained. Of
course she monitors the operation very
closely. All staff have received additional
training and will continue to do so. We
hope to add some additional checks
throughout this awarding cycle. I (Bill
Allen) will provide closer oversight.
Q. NC Wesleyan’s graduation rate is low,
and it takes many other students more than
four years to graduate. Given such realities,
we worry that many of our students take out
student loans without realizing the heavy bur
dens they’re placing on themselves for years to
come. While it’s the student’s responsibility to
consult with his or her family about borrowing,
we wonder if the college provides advice
to students to prevent them from taking on
excessive debt and perhaps facing default?
A. All students who borrow federal
loans receive both entrance and exit
counseling. Responsibilities of repayment
are explained and students always have
the option to decline a partial or full
amount of their student loans. The aid of
fice is available to anyone with additional
questions on their loans.
taker said in comments tliat were typical of
many of the ten students interviewed. “I drai’t
see the president we have now around campus
advocating for the things SGA is working on.”
Students agree that they would like
SGA to become more prominent on
campus. One question is whether most
students care enough to pay attention.
Rathff than partkjpote in student govemmait
cr other campus activities, many studaits
prefer, in the wonJs of former President Jacob
Strickland, to remain “in their dorm HDoms and
watch TV or i^y XBOX.” Last semester. The
Deoee found, only 8 rf 100 students surveyed
had ever attended an SGA meeting.
Despite the low participation rate, in
recent interviews many students were
quick to identify objectives for the next
SGA administration to pursue.
Some students are concerned about safety.
Donovan Patrick suggested that instead of us
ing keys, students obtain access to residence
halls and individual naoms through their ID
cards. “I think that will make it harder for
people to break in,” he said.
Chelsea Colucci agreed that safety is
a major issue. She stated that she is un
comfortable walking back to Edgecombe
from the library at night. “It’s kind of
scary walking the back way behind the
buildings because it’s very dark,” she
said. “If we could get more lights and
install emergency call boxes, I think
people would feel more comfortable.”
Austin Arbuckle wants to see Wesleyan
increase publicity of sporting events.
“If we get more spectators, we can use
those extra funds to help improve sports
facilities and teams,” he said, “which will
help raise student morale.”
Sophomore Trey Ebinger would like to
see laundry included as part of tuition. “It’s a
pain to have to find change to wash clothes,”
he said. ‘We could use our .student ID and
have an account for laundry like we have an
account for the grill or Internet cafe.”
Improving bathixx)m conditioas is im
portant to Stephen Bardswick. “The dorms
aren’t in the greatest of shape,” he said. “If
we can keep them clean, it will show the
school that we’re responsible enough to take
cate of renovated rooms and bathrooms."
Colucci also wants to .see impRwements
with Suddenlink cable. “It goes in and out,
and it’s really frustrating,” she said.
Campus recycling is an issue that
Briante’ Brazil would like SGA to
address; “1 think it’s easy enough to
implement around campus and the
effect it has on the environment and
school spirit can only be good.”
Asked to identify qualities they would
like to see in the next SGA leaders,
students expressed a range of opinions.
Not only does Brazil want to see the new
president take on a more prominent role on
campas, she wants whoever is elected to be
involved in other clubs. “If they’re involved in
other oiganization.s, that will help them keep in
touch with stirdent needs,” she said. “Soidents
will be able to put a face to the name.”
Connor Wright said that leadership was
an important quality. “The next president
needs to be able to react well with others
while still being effective,” she said.
BanlswKk wants whoever is elected to be
knowledgeable about ftiingi going on anxmd
campus, and also about .school policies that
students might not understand. ‘ Tf our new
presklait can explain the reasons behind some of
the niles hae on campas to the students, I think
that general student mcrale will go up,’' he saki
Patrick wants to see a leader who
will “put student’s ideas into action.”
Vice President Wright said that al
though past elections have been held in
the cafeteria during lunch and dinner,
he and other SGA officers have been
planning to involve the entire student
body through elections over e-mail.
“Because not all of the students live
on campus, inviting them to have input
in our student body elections via e-mail
will bring a more cohesive element to
the voting,” he said. “We’re wor'king
with the Information Systems depart
ment to put our idea into action.”
Candidates will campaign in March.
As of the end of Febrxrary, no students
had announced their candidacy.
Devastated by Fire, Fryar Family
Grateful for Community’s Support
By Melanie Rhodes
Community Engagement Writer
A family tradition turned into a near
tragedy for one family from Nash County. It
was early morning on December 26 when
David Fryar’s niece Chelsea, who was
asleep on the 2nd floor, was awakened by
the blaring fire alamr and saw the house in
Nash County filled with smoke. Fryar said
his niece sprang into action by alerting the
rest of the family members, who were on the
1 St floor. She then raced up the stairs to the
3rd floor to help her cousin to safety. All the
while the house’s ceiling was caving in on
the family. Chelsea and 11 family members
were able to get out of the house to safety,
thanks to her quick action.
What was a joyous Christmas celebration
turned into a nightmare for Fryar and his
family, which lost their home—known as
the Arthur Fountain House—^located on
highway 33 in Leggett
“I traly believe that if wasn’t for Chelsea,
my family would not be alive today,” said
Fryar, the Sodexo custodial supervisor at
NCWC. “My niece is traly a hero to us.”
Fryar said that it took 20 area fire tracks
and nearly 16 hours to put out the fire.
Firefighter:? used 300,000 gallons of water,
and over 20,000 gallons of foam.
Fryar believes that the fire started
between the 2nd and 3nd floors. Based on
an investigation so far by the fire chief and
the inspector, the cause may be attributed to
either the fireplace or faulty electrical wires.
The house was built in 1914.
Fryar said the family members cried as
they watched the destruction of their house
and all of their belongings. But they’re
grateful to be alive.
This was only the beginning of a long
road to nscovery fcs- Fiyar and his family.
Five family members were transpcffted
by helicopter to the NC Jaycee Bum Center
in Chapel Hill to receive ineatment for 2nd
and 3rtl degrw bums and smoke inhalation
suffered during the fire.
Fryar’s son suffered 2nd degree bums
on his feet after he ran back into the burning
house to nSvScue his niece, who, he thought
was trapped in there, only to ieam later that
she escaped the fire and was safe.
Fryar’s 11-year-old granddaughter and
sister-in-law were treated for 2nd and 3rd
degree bums. In addition, Fryar’s wife.
David Fryar
Photo by G. Wallace
Deborah; Chelsea, 20; and his grandson, 7
spent three days there and received treatment
for smoke inhalation befcse being released.
Although most of the family members
have recovered from the fire, Fryar said
his granddaughter still suffers nightmares
from that fateful night She is afi^id to
sleep alone. “She said that she’s always
thinking about being trapped,” Fryar said,
adding that she is seeing a professional to
help alleviate her fears.
Fryar said that after the fire, the family
stayed at his daughter’s house in Tarboro.
“Pm grateful that 1 have my family,” he said.
After a two-week .stay at this daughter’s
house, Fryar and his wife moved into a
home in Tartwix) that he had renovated.
Fryar said that he and his wife plan to
continue to live there for the time being.
Asked whether he will rebuild the
Fountain house, he said “I’m not sure what
we’re going to do at this point I hope to find
another old house in the country to restore
one day but for right now, we’ll stay put.”
Noting the help he received from NCWC
staff', faculty and students, Fryar said that his
family “felt blessed” to be part the We.sleyan
family. “I would like to .say many thanks to
the We.sleyan community for all of their help
since the fire,” he said.
Fryar said the family received gifts which
included clothing, gas cards, and money
from co-workers and area churches.
The family also received many prayers
throughout this difficult time.
Fryar said that he also wished to thank
all of the students at Wesleyan for their
support during this time of recovery. Several
Wesleyan .students worked together and
rai.sed money to help the family. “I appreci
ate what the students did and I’m grateful for
the support we received. The donors wish to
remain anonymous,” he said.
. “I appreciate the help that my family and I
have received I realize that despite aU of the
negative comments you hear about people, it
makes me realize that there are good people
out there who are willing to help a family in
need” he said.
Fryar said despite the fire, he and his
family will continue their Christmas tradition
and locic fcrward to many more for years
to come.