The Decree
since 1960 “of, by, and/or the Wesleyan community.” March 11,2016
NORTH CAROLINA WESLEYAN COLLEGE, ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA 27804
Coach John Thompson got his 300th career victory during a season that
saw the Bishops win the regular season conference title, but lose in the
second round of the tournament. See hoops coverage on page 3. SI photo
Sarah Jeffers Assumes Office
Why Do Freshmen Leave? Why Do They Stay?
After VP’s Sudden Departure
By Grace Lee
Decree Staff Writer
Being a full time student is hard.
Throw in a full-time job and an execu
tive position in student government
and it becomes even more challenging.
Sarah Jeffers is trying to manage
the impossible this semester. Jeffers
is a sophomore with a triple major
in criminal justice, psychology, and
political science. She is a resident
advisor and now she’s taken on the role
of Student Government Association
Vice President.
During an interview, Jeffers
discussed her role, the goals she has
for herself and others, and how she is
managing to juggle everything.
She explained that she has always
been active on campus, but has not
served in an administrative role. Her
new position allows her to serve the
interests of her fellow students.
"My role is to know all tire roles of the
executive board and to fill in whenever the
president is unavailable,” she explained,
adding that she oversees the class
presidents. “They've been doing a great
job so I think my role will be to motivate
them to keep organizing more things for
their classes."
As an older student with experience
in the work force, Jeffers expects little
trouble in juggling her various responsi
bilities. She noted that her tenure as an RA
will help with her SGA responsibilities.
Based on her past observations, she feels
that students need to get more involved in
campus life. One of her goals is to encour
age that involvement. "Students complain
Sarah Jaffers PhotobyG.Lee
‘Oh, the food is so bad,’ and ‘The rules
are bad,’” Jeffers said. “But they aren't
aware they can come to SGA meetings
and take an active role in fixing what they
don't feel is up to par with the school."
Jeffers' term ends in April, but she hopes
to run for the vice presidency again. "I prob
ably will run because the experience from
this semester will help me know the position
better,” she said. “If I become vice president
again, I can expand my work with the
students instead of starting from scratch.”
Jeffers was appointed vice president last
month after her predecessor, Kelly Cranick,
resigned at the end of fall semester. She left
Wesleyan after taking her final exams.
Cranick said she was suspended
following charges that included a violation
of the college’s overnight visitation policy
at the Wesleyan Villas, where she was a
resident. In an interview. Cranick took
issue with the way her case was handled.
Found guilty by the college’s Honor
Board, she claimed there was insufficient
evidence presented to prove she was guilty.
“The charges were never proven,” she said.
Due to privacy concerns. Dean Edward
Naylor declined to confirm that Cranick
was suspended. Asked to comment on her
charge that she received unfair treatment,
the dean offered the following statement:
“Without commenting on a particu
lar case, I will say that every student
who faces an honor board hearing is
entitled to and receives the opportunity
to explain his or her case, to present
relevant exhibits, and call witnesses
to testify. The honor board, consisting
of four students, two faculty and two
staff, listens to all evidence presented
and renders a decision. The decisions
speak for the campus community.”
Cranick said she now attends Ferrum
College in Virginia.
100 Bishops
Volunteer on
MLK Day
Some 70 Wesleyan students par
ticipated in a Day of Service program
held as part of the Martin Luther King
Jr. holiday in January.
According to Karie Parkes,
director of Student Activities, 30 other
members of the Wesleyan community
took part in volunteer efforts around
Nash and Edgecombe counties.
Calling the day a success, Parkes said
that participants “made meaningful
connections to our community and
want to continue to do more work."
She said that residents were grateful
for the Wesleyan volunteers and would
welcome them back.
Among the different initiatives,
Wesleyan’s women’s basketball team
worked with "Keep America Beautiful"
to clean up local parks. Two other groups
did clean-up work at Rocky Mount and
Nashville Boys and Girls Clubs centers,
while other volunteers performed
landscaping at the Rocky Mount Senior
Center, and cleaned and served meals at
Tarboro Community Outreach.
Freshman Grace Lee, a member of
Leadership Wesleyan, was among a
group that visited local shut-ins for a
Meals on Wheels program. Lee and
fellow volunteers delivered five meals
to each of the homes on their routes.
She said that the residents were
appreciative. “Some even invited us
into their homes and talked to us about
our majors, classes, and Wesleyan in
general,” she said. “This made me
feel very good. This is something I am
planning on doing every year.”
By Jessica Brown, Dustin Midgett,
Elantenice Richardson, Santanlia
Scoggins & Travis Thompson
Editor’s Note: Last year NC Wesleyan
saw 48 percent of its freshmen leave af
ter the first year. Over the past five years,
the number has averaged 47percent,
according to official school records.
Looking at Wesleyan’s graduation rate,
The Decree found that 12 percent of the
2009 cohort graduated in four years. The
number rose to 21 percent after five years
and 23 percent after six.
In January, Decree staff writers inter
viewed 16 freshmen about their satisfaction
level at the college and their plans for next
year. Here are the stories of six students,
three who intend to transfer, and three who
expect to remain.
Three Plan to Transfer
Cedric Liles
Cedric Liles came to Wesleyan after
football coaches promised him that he
would get a chance to play.
There were other colleges that he visited
before looking at Wesleyan. They include
Howard University, University of North
Carolina-Charlotte, and University of North
Carolina-Greensboro. But he knew that it
would be harder to crack the starting lineup
at the larger football programs.
“Football is my lifestyle, so I knew
that I had to play, and I knew that
Wesleyan could guarantee that,” he said.
Liles quit the team after he failed to
earn playing time.
He finally realized that he didn't want to attend
Wesleyan one day when he went to the business
office. "When they told me how much I owed
them, I knew that I couldn’t stay here another
year: Tuition is too high for students,” he said,
noting that there should be more scholarships
offered to athletes, as is done at other schools.
(Note: Athletic scholarships are not permit
ted at Division III colleges like Wesleyan.)
Liles offered criticisms of Wes
leyan's campus. “The food is nasty, and
they serve the same thing. There’s not a
lot of a social gathering on campus,” he
said, adding that parking is inadequate.
Liles said he came to Wesleyan even
though it did not offer his intended major,
project management, or a team in track
and field, his other passion. “If Wesleyan
had a track team I would stay.” he said. "It
wouldn’t be as large as the football team, so
I’d know there would be a guaranteed spot.”
Sports are important to Liles, who said
that athletics will take him far and that he
needs a school that can back him up one
hundred percent.
Liles plans on transferring. He said he's
been accepted into schools like Western
Carolina University, Morgan State University,
and University of Maryland-Eastern Shore.
He’s decided to enroll at A&T, where he plans
to run track and double major in comparative
media studies and project management.
Liles said he’s ready to explore new
adventures at his new school, but he
will always remember Wesleyan.
Khalil Lockett
Khalil Lockett always knew he was
going to transfer from North Cai'olina
Wesleyan College. He saw Wesleyan as a
stepping stone toward better opportunities.
Lockett hoped for a good enough educa
tion and football experience to allow him
to go onto a bigger school. After visiting
Wesleyan, he saw that he would begin his
college career here. “Coming out of high
school. I wanted to better my grades and
play football,” Lockett said. Because of the
small campus, small student population,
and close relationships he could have with
peers and professors, he was persuaded that
Wesleyan would be a good choice. With
some convincing from Head Football
Coach Jeff Filkovski, Lockett decided
Wesleyan was the right fit for him, for now.
In addition to his academic endeavors,
Lockett wanted to use Wesleyan’s football
program as a bridge toward a higher level
of football, specifically Division I. He did
not get playing time in the 2015 season
as a defensive end, and halfway through
the season he decided Wesleyan’s football
program was not for him. Lockett said he
felt there was favoritism shown towards
certain players, especially seniors. "The
program didn’t fit my way of playing, and
I didn’t want to risk getting hurt,” said
Lockett. “I think they should have given
more opportunities to underclassmen
who worked just as hard.”
Although his plans with football did
not work out, Lockett still enjoys his
time at Wesleyan as much as he can. He
commented that he likes the eating options
on campus, Wild Out Wednesdays, and the
campus life in general. What disappointed
him, though, was that not many students at
tended some of the bigger student-led events
on campus like fraternity parties. “Events
are held but no one will attend,” Lockett
said. “I wish more students would come.”
Lockett does not blame the school or the
organizations for the low participation.
A political science major, Lockett would
like to work for the government one day.
Because of financial issues and a desire to
continue playing football, he hopes to return
to his home state of Virginia and attend Old
Dominion University next fall. Lockett said
he intends to walk onto the ODU football
team and he hopes the in-state tuition will
be cheaper for him in the long run.
Isaiah Sands
Being a freshman in college can be a
tough experience. In a new place, with
unfamiliar faces, one can become homesick,
especially if far from home. Some people
can handle the adjustment to unfamiliar
settings, while others look for an escape
from the unknown. The first year can be the
best year for some but the worst for others.
Take Isaiah Sands, an 18-year-old
psychology major who plans to become a
social worker after graduating from college.
He played football at Currituck
County High School near Elizabeth City.
"I came here to play football with two
other players from my high school,” Sands
said. “Coach (Quinderra) Spellman was the
coach that recruited me to come and play."
Wygal Hired to Invigorate
Cheer/Dance Programs
Kayla Wygal is here to establish an
elite cheerleading squad and dance team,
while helping Wesleyan to raise the
percentage of female students on campus.
Dean Edward Naylor said that
Wygal’s hiring marks a dramatic shift
in the college's approach to cheerlead
ing and dance. Viewed in the past
as just one of many organizations,
open to all students, the cheerleading
team will now be filled through an
active recruitment program. In effect,
cheerleading has become more like
a sport at Wesleyan, though, it’s not,
Naylor noted, recognized by the NCAA.
Besides performing at football and
basketball games, the cheerleaders will
take part in national competitions.
The dance team will appear at athletic
events and stage a major recital on cam
pus. ‘To do this, Kayla will recruit students
with dance experience," the dean said.
So far, Naylor has been impressed
by Wygal’s enthusiasm for cheer
and dance. “Kayla Wygal is exactly
what anyone would look for in a
cheerleading coach—passionate,
knowledgeable and organized,”
he said, noting that she’s a strong
teacher and motivator, who’s pushed
her team members to reach new
heights in their stunts and routines.
Wygal. 31, brings a wide range of
experience to her position. The former
gymnast began cheering in middle
school and continued her career through
high school and Liberty University, a
Division I school in Lynchburg, Virginia,
where she earned a BS in psychology
and an MA in counseling psychology.
A native of Charleston. West
Virginia, Wygal has owned an All-Star
cheerleading gym that won many re
gional and national titles. She explained
that an All-Star gym trains groups of
cheerleaders who enter competitions,
but are not affiliated with a particular
school or team. “It's a multi-billion-
dollar industry that's been around for 30
years,” Wygal said, noting that her gym
housed six competitive teams.
Sands came for a visit last spring and
talked to a few players about the school and
the football program. Entering the program,
he felt he had a good chance of seeing game
action in his first year, but it was not to be.
Despite making “great friends” at
Wesleyan, Sands has decided to leave after
this semester. His decision came down to
money. Sands did the calculations and
found that, with his parents' income, he
could attend East Carolina University for
about $3,000 less. "It's hard for me to leave
the people I met here, but with me being the
oldest in my family and my little brother
graduating high school this year, I have to
help save as much money as I can."
Unlike Lockett, Sands had not planned
to transfer. After the football season, he said
he took some time to himself and decided to
end his playing career. "I lost the love for the
game. That's another reason for me not to stay.
I really had hopes of coming here and playing
on Saturdays. It just didn't work in my favor."
If he’s not going to continue with
football, Sands said it makes little sense to
pay the higher tuition here at Wesleyan.
Three Want to Stay
Maddie Williams
At first, when coming to Wesleyan for
her two-week preseason soccer camp, Mad
die Williams was unsure of her decision.
During preseason her thinking was, “I
didn't meet many students and thought it was
too much work to play and do school," she
said. Once school started and she got closer
to her friends and teammates she realized
it was not a bad decision. "When I started
meeting my close friends Ericca, Cali, and
Lauren, and seeing the team grow closer. I
felt better. I felt more at home,” she said.
Although Williams was not always look
ing for small schools, she said that visiting
Wesleyan showed her that the environment
See FRESHMEN pg 2
Since college, she has judged at
regional and national competitions all over
the country. She has choreographed at all
levels, taught tumbling and skills camps
along the East Coast, and worked with
many other schools and “All-Star” gyms.
Wygal lives in Rocky Mount with
Elvis, her Great Dane, and Franklin, a
Pomeranian mix. She describes herself
as a beach lover and a "huge Duke fan.”
The Decree staff conducted a recent
interview with Wygal about her plans
for Wesleyan's new programs.
Q. What does it mean to have a
full-time cheer and dance coach?
A. Building a reputable, competitive
program is nearly impossible without
a full-time coach. Competitive college
cheerleading and dance are not limited to
school size or division, so it's possible to
become a nationally recognized program
regardless of those things. A Division
III school can be just as respected as a
Division I school at college nationals.
Q. Describe the differences between
the cheer and dance squads.
A. Cheerleading and dance are
definitely nothing alike. The cheerlead
ers compete and cheer on the sidelines
with stunts, tumbling, jumping, dancing
and, of course, cheers. They serve as
ambassadors for school spirit. The dance
team performs routines using jazz, ballet,
contemporary and lyrical elements.
They don't lead cheers, but they serve as
entertainment at events and games.
Q. Are the cheerleading and dance squads
open to all NCWC students, or do candidates
go through a competitive tryout process?
A. The tryout process will continue to
be more rigorous each year. My goal is
that each cheerleader and dancer meets the
same requirements as all other competitive
college programs. So far, there are seven
committed 2016 freshmen who meet all
of my requirements. NCWC students are
allowed to tryout; however, they must be
aware that this is not a ''spirit program,"
but a legitimate collegiate-style, competi
tive cheer and dance program.
See WYGAL pg 4