The Decree
since 1960 “of, by, andfor the Wesleyan community. ”
April 13, 2018
NORTH CAROLINA WESLEYAN COLLEGE, ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA 27804
After 20 Years AD Relinquishes Post to Focus on Basketball
By Quinn Tobias
Editor-at-large
If 1997 graduates visited Wesleyan’s
campus today, they would not
recognize the athletic department.
In 1998 John Thompson took over the
athletic director position from Don Scalf.
At the time, the promotion surprised
Thompson because he was still new to
the staff, having served just three years
as the men’s basketball coach.
“I never expected to become an athletic
director,” he recalled. "I never gave one
thought to an administrative position.”
After 20 years in the AD post, Thompson
will give up his administrative duties and
concentrate on coaching basketball and add
ing to his 344 career wins.
“It became increasingly difficult to
give the appropriate time to the position,
given the growth of the department,”
Thompson said when the college
Internationals React to Shooting,
Reflect on American Gun Culture
Bijaya Lamichhane
Decree Staff Writer
Following the February 14 shooting
rampage at a Florida high school,
Wesleyan international students shared
their insights on the root cause of gun
violence in America, regulations for stricter
laws for gun purchase, and other possible
changes America should implement to
ensure protection for its citizens.
David Chang, an Australian, recalled
that he felt “shocked and emotional" when
he heard about the shooting. “It was a tragedy
that no one should have to experience,”
he said. “It was heartbreaking.”
He believes that the root cause of gun
violence in America is the easy access to
firearms. "It shocks me as a foreigner, that
citizens are able to purchase guns at the
same place they get their groceries," he said.
Chang used to believe in the ban of all
guns from the hands of civilians. But he
said that living in the United States had
changed his position. “Not only is it
^lu Cases
Dwindle
Like many schools around the country,
Wesleyan was hard hit by the flu in 2018.
But the college’s Wellness Center director
reports that the number of cases has subsided
since spring break.
Jessica Brys-Wilson, a certified physician’s
assistant, said that there were 84 cases of the
flu in the three weeks prior to spring break. In
the three weeks after break, she saw just two.
For this academic year, the Wellness Center
treated a total of 140 patients .with most reporting
the typical flu symptoms of fever, body aches,
headache, cough and nasal congestion. In an
average year, Brys-Wilson noted, the Wellness
Center sees just 10-20 flu patients.
Wesleyan took an all-hands-on-deck
approach to combating the flu. There were
frequent reminders about the importance of
thorough hand washing, and the college
provided hand sanitizer bottles in every
building. The maintenance department played
a significant role in preventing the spread of
illness. It used new disinfectant equipment to
sanitize many common areas around campus.
According to Director of Facilities
Raymond Thompson, his staff covered
restrooms and other common areas of the
residence halls, fieldhouse, Dunn Center,
business office, and classroom buildings.
Brys-Wilson said the equipment allows
maintenance staff to disinfect large areas
within just a few minutes. And it enables
them to treat hard-to-reach areas such as
under desks and chairs, she said.
She said she worked in close coordination
with the staff. "If we see an outbreak of
flu or other contagious condition, I can
direct them to disinfect a particular area
of campus in a moment's notice,” she
said. "The new machine is going to be
very effective at preventing the spreading
of germs among the Wesleyan community.”
Coach John Thompson
SI photo
announced the change in February.
Over the past 20 years Thompson has
guided the expansion and development
of Bishop athletics. The college has
achieved many accolades during his ten
ure, highlighted by the baseball team’s
1999 national championship. Among
impractical (to ban all guns) due to the
population, but in the right hands—and
only in the right hands-a firearm makes
me feel safe in the case of an emergency.”
Although Chang does not support a
ban on all guns, he does believe that the
sale of assault rifles should be exclusive
to military and security personnel.
He suggested that gun violence could be
prevented by implementation of strict rules
for gun buyers. “They should be required to
take extensive classes, as well as physical
and written exams to make sure that the
gun owner is capable (of handling a gun),”
he explained. "The gun owner should be
required to take exams every few years.”
Chang mentioned that after 35 died in
the Port Arthur Massacre of 1996,
Australia implemented a law that banned
ownership of automatic rifles and shotguns,
a law that was opposed by many of his
countrymen. Since its implementation,
there has been a substantial reduction in
gun violence nationwide.
“Gun violence is not something I had
ever thought about before I arrived in
the U.S,” Chang said. "The only
firearms I had ever seen in my life were
on a police officer. Even the police were
very careful with the use of firearms.
They mostly resorted to Tasers.”
Talitha Rowan, a freshman from
England, found the U.S. gun violence
unbelievable. Like Chang, she thinks the
solution lies in tougher laws for gun
buyers. She suggested prohibition on sales
of all guns, unless they were used for
agricultural purposes. Even then, she said,
“there should be rules and regulations on
how they’re kept and used.”
Rowan noted that in England it is
illegal to carry firearms in most instances.
One exception is shotguns used by
hunters. Even that’s uncommon, she said.
“Most police officers don't even carry
firearms because it’s unnecessary,” she
said, citing the low level of gun
violence in her country.
Rowan struggled to remember a school
shooting in England. She’s found the gun
culture in American to be jarring. “It was
very concerning for me to come here and
know people are allowed to carry
firearms," she said. "Having to practice
drills on our campus to prepare for an
event of an active shooter is crazy to me.”
Rowan recalled a recent class when she
expressed her opinion on guns. “When I
said that I believed guns are dangerous,
the American students looked at me
funny.” she said. “To me that's obvious,
but their response was that people needed
guns to protect themselves.”
Shanidhhya Khanal. a junior from
Nepal, said he was saddened by the
Florida shooting. He believes civilians
should be prohibited from using guns.
“We never know when a person might
go crazy,” he said, “Here, having guns
is seen as a way of protection. But
people who don’t know about the
other accomplishments,
Wesleyan has won
two USA South Men’s
President’s Cups, and in
dividual teams have won
more than 50 regular
season and/or tourna
ment championships and
earned 26 NCAA tourna
ment berths.
Since taking on the
AD role.Thompson has
overseen the hiring of
many full-time assistant
' coaches. He made the
sports information director a full-time
position. He helped establish the school’s
football program in the early 2000s and
added women’s tennis and cross country.
Men’s tennis and women’s lacrosse were
reinstated during his tenure. Among many
improvements to the athletic facilities
dangers of weapons can easily buy one.
I think this is the biggest problem.”
Khanal asserted that being from a
military family, he had always maintained
that providing security to the citizens
should be a federal responsibility. “Giving
civilians arms to protect themselves would
be like them taking the laws into their own
hands,” he said. “Then the defense
department wouldn’t be necessary."
He pointed out that in Nepal, only
police personnel and the military are
allowed to carry guns.
Risa Kawamura, a sophomore from
Japan, said authorities should have taken
seriously the warnings against the Florida
shooter, Nikolas Cruz. There were
multiple times when people reported their
concerns about the troubled teen. All were
discounted or ignored, she said.
“In Japan, they have to check your
mental health before you can get guns,"
Kawamura stated. The Japanese have
guns for hunting purposes only. “I was
surprised when I saw they sold guns at
Walmart,” she said. “It’s so usual to have
guns” in her country.
In response to various media outlets
praising the Japanese gun regulations in
comparison to ones in the U.S., she
commented, “It’s not relevant comparison.
It’s a different environment. If people want
to be violent, they won’t need a gun. In Japan,
mass murder has happened with a knife.”
She questions whether a serious gun
ban would work in the U.S. “The
government would have to raid guns
from so many gun owners," she said.
"There are already gangs and bad guys
who have guns. To protect our lives from
these guys, we need guns in America."
Kawamura also believes that, as in Japan,
American students should not be allowed
to cany guns. She supports a ban on assault
rifles and machine guns. “Guns should be
used for protection, not killings,” she said.
When I approached Gabriel Guzman,
a freshman from Venezuela, to talk about
gun violence in America, he seemed
uncomfortable. "Oh my God! This is
such a controversial topic,” he blurted.
See GUN CULTURE on pg 2
Student Petition Leads to Expanded Library Hours
The college has extended the hours that
the library will remain open, acting in
response to a petition signed by 200 students.
Provost Evan Duff announced the
change in March after meeting with two
students about the issue. The library has
pushed back closing time Sunday through
Thursday from midnight until 1 am. On
Friday the library closes at 7 rather than 5
pm., while it will continue to close at 5 pm.
on Saturday.
Together with Sidney McCall, Jeremiah
Handlon met with the provost after getting
students to sign a petition that called attention
to what they see as limited hours.
“I thought the meeting went very well.
The two students had well-thought-out
on campus, Thompson was instrumental
in the construction of The Slick Family
Foundation Tennis Center, which debuted
in 2012.
Carol Carson has been on the
athletic training staff for 30 years
and. prior to Thompson's time as AD,
served as trainer for all of the teams
by herself. Before Wesleyan built new
facilities and expanded her staff to
four full-time trainers, Carson had to
prioritize the risk of each sport and
seldom traveled with teams.
She cited Thompson’s dedication to
player safety. “One of his priorities was
to better serve and protect his athletes,”
Carson said. “I’m very thankful for
his support in the improvement of the
health and safety of our athletes."
In conjunction with the addition of the
football team, the school built the Vernon
T. Bradley Field House, which housed
multiple locker rooms, coaches’ offices
and an athletic training facility that met
the demands of the growing department.
Head Football Coach Jeff
Filkovski praised Thompson’s work.
“I appreciate that he gave me the
opportunity to coach here,” he said.
“The last five years we’ve seen the
program come a long way with
improved facilities and the growth of
the roster. Coach Thompson has been
the driver in the improvements.”
Bridgette Walker, head coach of the
lacrosse team, shared Filkovski’s sentiment.
She added that Coach Thompson has been
supportive in creating new facilities such
as a new locker room for her athletes. “He
gave me the opportunity as a first-time
college coach and trusts (assistant lacrosse)
coach Meadows and me by not micro-
managing us,” she said. “He’s put us in a
College Improvises as
It Plans New Building
Wesleyan is at least one year away from
opening a new classroom building at a time when
the college continues to see higher enrollments.
Provost Evan Duff said that a new building will
be constructed near the Gateway Technology
Center to house the college’s business school.
In a recent email interview he provided an
update on the building and the college’s plans
for interim steps to address the need for more
classroom space.
Q. The plan is to construct a building for the
business school on land next to the Gateway
Technology Center. Our understanding is
that it will provide classroom space for other
disciplines as well. What’s the current timetable
for building the new facility?
A. President Clark is meeting with
architectural firms now to establish a final
rendering of the building with the blessing
of the donors involved. We still need to
secure close to $2 million and sell some
donated land to pay for this new academic
building. While the business school will be
housed in this building, all types of classes
may be scheduled in its classrooms, much
like we do with the GTC. If everything
works out as planned, we hope to have the
new building ready for fall 2019 classes.
Q. Review the financing—What’s the
estimated total cost of the building? What
amount will come from a contribution? What
will come from loans and other sources?
and organized ideas on the matter and
they had suggested solutions,” Dr. Duff
said, noting that he was able to explain
the costs involved in extending the hours.
Handlon agreed that the meeting was
productive. "It went very well." he said. “Dr.
Duff seemed very receptive to our request
and I believe he took our suggestions into
account when coming up with a solution.”
Though pleased with the college’s
decision, Handlon and the petition signers
had requested a 2 a.m. closing time Sunday
through Thursday and expanded hours on
Friday and Saturday nights from 5 to 8 p.m.
Dr. Duff noted that the college "met
the students almost halfway" by adding
seven hours over the course of a week
position to succeed quickly.”
Thompson extended his influence
beyond the playing field by establishing
the Wesleyan Academy of Athletic
Leadership (WAAL), a program
designed to improve the skills of student-
athletes. He also instated institutional
random recreational drug testing that is
unique to Wesleyan. Thompson hopes
the policy encourages student-athletes to
make smart decisions while on campus.
“It’s not about catching and penalizing,”
he said. “It's about helping athletes make
the right decisions.”
After 20 years as AD, Coach
Thompson and the college decided
it was time to make a change for the
betterment of Bishops athletics.
With fewer administrative responsibilities,
Thompson wants to rededicate himself to
coaching and family. “My free time is family
time." said Thompson, who lives in the area
with his wife, Laura, and their three sons.
Aaron Denton will take over as
the NCWC Athletic Director on May
15, after serving in the same capacity
for 10 years at Sandhills Community
College in Pinehurst.
Denton plans to continue the
growth and improvements started by
Thompson. “I’m excited to begin my
work with student-athletes, coaches,
faculty, staff, and the entire Wesleyan
community,” Denton in a statement.
“The college's recent record growth
provides both enthusiasm and
opportunity. It’s an honor to join those
efforts to serve and lead a committed
group of staff and students. Together
we can achieve academic and athletic
excellence while providing the best
experience for our student-athletes.”
A. The all-inclusive cost is close to $5 mil
lion and we have $1.5 million in donated funds.
We have close to $2 million in a land trust that
we’re trying to sell to further the funding. And
we still need to secure a donor or donors for the
remaining amount. We don’t want to take out
loans to pay for this building.
Q. Can you preview size and features of
the new building as now planned.
A. It’s hard to say until an architectural firm
is selected and the final building rendering is
complete. We want a minimum of200 classroom
seats, plus office space, conference rooms, etc.
Q. The class schedule has been finalized,
and the college is projecting higher enrollment
of about 1,100 traditional students next fall. As
far as classroom space, how will the college
accommodate the increased number of students?
A. We’re going to be utilizing tlre BB&T room
and the media room in the Gateway Technology
Center as classrooms. We’ll be offering some
courses in non-traditional timeframes (early
evening) to accommodate our fall enrollment.
Q. How urgent is it for the college to
add the new building for fall 2019?
A. The president, board of trustees, and the
vice presidents all understand the urgency of a
new academic building and talk about it quite
often. However, because we don’t want to incur
more debt to make it happen, our timelines have
been extended in order to secure the funding
from donors for the entire project.
rather than the 16 sought by the petitioners.
"I appreciate the college moving quickly to
find a solution to student concerns,” Handlon
said. ‘Even though the new hours were
implemented as the semester winds down, it
will give the administration a chance to see
that making the changes was a step in the right
direction in helping students succeed.”
Handlon said students had wanted the
change because so many rely on library
resources. Besides providing a quiet place to
study alone or in groups, the library is vital
for many who need access to computer and
printer services. Along with day students,
Handlon singled out the needs of ASPIRE
students, many of whom work during the
See LIBRARY pg 2