North Carolina Newspapers

Sh9^ n^fie Campus "Ccfio No. 1 Published by and for the students of North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina 27707 September 18, 1981 Hoey fire labelled as arson By Marion McKinney Campus officials suspect arson in the July 26 fire that caused severe damage to the basement 9ffices of the Hoey Administration Building. Chief of Security John W. Smith said that the SB I has been asked in to investigate the fire. Security and the SBI have been unable to discover a suspect or a motive in the case. The fire destroyed the Payroll Of fice and a workroom, and created heavy damage in the Bursar’s Of fice, the Comptroller’s Office and the ceilings and corridor. The fire is believed to have been deliberately set, because fires started in the separate locations: the Payroll Office, the Accounting Office and a supply closet, according to Smith. Damage to the building is estimated to be over $100,000. Vice-Chancellor of Financial Af fairs George T. Thorne said that the payroll records, which were com pletely destroyed in the blaze, were irreplacable. According to Thorne, the University must now rely on the payroll records from the Central Payroll Office in Raleigh. Thorne also stated that students’ financial records were not damaged. The fire was discovered at 10:20 p.m. Sunday, July 26, by se.curity officer Renee Lynch. Smith stated, “I’m overwhelm ingly pleased with the performance of Officer Lynch and the Public Safety Office as well as the co operation of the SBI.” NCCU Registration? Nope. It’s the Brooklyn Bridge jammed with New Yorkers on Sept. 9 as they make their way home after a power plant blast blacked out parts of the city and its sub way system. (UPI photo by Paquin) Curtis Massey (center) and other concerned student leaders from the predominantly black campuses in North Carolina listen while a fellow student speaks on the consent decree at the September meeting of the North Carolina association of Black Student Governments. The meeting was held at Central. September 28 Black College Day to be held in Raleigh By Calvin Lee Williams Black College Day ’81 won’t be held in Washington this year; it will be held in Raleigh, and the North Carolina Association of Black student governments will sponsor the march and rally, said Curtis Massey, chair man of the North Carolina Association of Black Student Governments and Student Government president at North Carolina Central University. Tony Brown, producer of the syndicated television show “Tony Brown’s Journal” and organizer of Black College Day ’80, said, “The Project ’81 Colition for Black Colleges, sponsor’s of Black College Day ’80 march and rally in Washington, D.C. have formed coalitions in the states where the greatest peril to Black colleges exists: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, I.ouisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina. Oklahoma, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. Thus, each state coalition will hold a march and rally at their state capital on September 28th-with the exception of Pennsylvania, which will hold its rally on September 30th-to voice their support for Black Colleges. Massey said, “ Mr. Brown asked our association(NCABSG) to organize Black College Day ’81 in Raleigh, since we compose all S.G.A. presidents of the predominantly black state supported and private black institutions of higher learning in North Carolina.” During the; September 4 meeting, Stephen Kirk, S.G.A. president for North Carolina A & T State University, stated the purpose for Black Col lege Day ’81, was “to educate black students and people in the state of North Carolina to the economic, political, and social strategies that are used to undermine, circumvent, and destroy black colleges.” Massey feels the rally in Raleigh can be as effective, as in D. C. “Location is not the main objective; the main point of Black College Day is to show support for black colleges, so I feel the best place to start is at home,” he said. “We are going to tell our state officials that we will not let our heritage and our black colleges go to waste.” Kirk said, “I’m in favor of allowing students on a statewide basis to be able to plan and implement their own Black College Day. However, the transfer of Black College ’81 from a national to a state basis was poorly tim ed.” Everette Johnson, S.G.A. president at Fayetteville State University and vice-chairman for the North Carolina Association of Black Student Governments, agrees with Kirk. “The message given in Raleigh won’t be as strong as it would be if we were to go to to Washington. But it will be good, because it brings all of North Carolina’s black students and leaders together.” The North Carolina Association of Black Student Governments came up with these tentative plans for the day: • 10 a.m.-l 1 p.m., the first assembly of the 11 predominantly black schools and organizations of the state of North Carolina will meet in Raleigh’s Memorial Auditorium. The welcome and prayer will be given, along with the singing of the Black National Athem, and a list of the days activities will be given out. • 11 a.m.-12 p.m., there will be a march down Wilmington Street to the State Capital. • 12 p.m.-3 p.m., the keynote speaker will deliver his or her message at the State Capital Building, along with numerous other speakers. Kirk said that A & T may not attend. “We haven’t had enough time to plan, and funds aren’t there for the planning. Tony Brown has placed an untimely burden on the students, because we only have three weeks to put the rally together.” Massey said that each black S-G.A. president is asking their alumini associations to give a $100 donation to the cause, and that contributions will also be accepted. Commenting on N. C. A & T State University’s possible refusal to par ticipate on September 28, Massey said, “We hope the problem that A & T has with the location and date of Black College Day ’81 will be resolved by September 28, so we can be at full force and be a strong supporting body.” In this issue news briefs—page 2 campus fashions— page 4 Greek column—page 5 $1 million debt threat to Central, chancellor warns By Lonnie Davis and Winfred Cross North Carolina Central is in danger of losing its financial aid program in December 1982 if it does not reconstruct its financial aid records by that date, accor ding to Wallace C. Blackwell, director of financial aid at Central. The affidavits, legal documents which must be signed by the recipients of federal grants to acknowledge that money received will be spent solely for expenses related to attendance at this institution, were inadvertently lost because of a clerical error. The problem was discovered during a routine evaluation of the program by federal authorities. “We have and Have had a very serious problem with financial aid and now face a potential debt of one million dollars,” said Albert N. Whiting, NCCU chancellor. “However, as a result of negotiations with the government, we have been given adequate time to reconstruct records from 1974 to 1979.” The National Direct Student Loan program, which supplies money to both undergraduate and graduate students, was cancelled because of a high default rate. Last year the program had a budget of $400,000. Students who receive Basic Educational Opportunity Grants (BEOG) and Supplimental Educational Oppor tunity Grants (SEOG) will suffer between $100-$ 120 reduction per grant due to new formulas being used to compute eligibility. “The average student will have to rely on alternate sources of income for funds lost due to budget cutting,” said Blackwell. The university has organized a professional task force headed by William K. James, the campus internal auditor, under the supervision of E. Victor Maafo, assistant professor of economics, to locate and contact former students who need to re-sign affidavits. Blue denies rumors Former dean seeks to set record straight By Winfred Cross Dr. James F. Blue resigned from the position of vice- chancellor for student affairs on July 1 because of “a desire to go back to teaching,” according to Albert Whiting, chancellor at North Carolina Central Universi ty. Since that statement was issued during the summer, rumors have spread throughout the Durham community implicating Blue with various campus mishaps which include the July 26 fire in the school’s administration building and its current finacial aid woes. “I thought the rumors were funny when I first heard them,” said Blue. “Since they have persisted, I think its time to clear up this mess.” A letter detailing background information and subse quent resignations can be found on page two. Blue said he was ready to teach again but added that unresolvable conflicts with Whiting were the real reasons for his resignation. “I was placed on probation and charged with neglect of duty because I missed a financial aid meeting in Washington, D.C.,” said Blue. “This meeting was set up after T had left to go to New York to help my wife take care of her sister’s final estate.” During an interview in June Whiting said that he had given Blue permission to leave but told him that he would have to fly from New York to Washington, at the school’s expense, to attend the meeting. “This meeting was very crucial to our financial aid program,” said Whiting. “By not attending the meeting he showed that he places more importance on family buisness rather than school business.” In the memo sent to Blue approving his leave, no in dication of a specific date, time, or place was given. It was indicated that a meeting could possibly be held in Washington. “His office made several attempts to reach him in New York,” said Whiting. He also said that Blue had given a non-working number. “When my office tried to reach me I was still enroute to New York,” said Blue. “There was a problem with the phone but I was not aware of it until later.” Blue said he was especially angry with Whiting for discussing his suspension with the administrative coun cil before he had returned from New York, causing Blue “professional embarrassment.” Blue is currently teaching in the physical education department at Central. He orginally started there in 1965 and left in 1970 when he was selected as vice chancellor of student affairs. Dr. Roger Bryant, assistant vice-chancellor for stu dent affairs at Central, is currently serving as interim vice chancellor. A search committee is in the process of finding a permanent replacement. CBS story draws criticism Raleigh (UPI)—Gov. James B. Hunt Jr., Monday joined the list of state officials who contacted CBS to criticized its televised story on the University of North Carolina desegregation agreement with the federal government. “I was extremely disappointed in the CBS Sunday Morning pro gram’s account of the UNC desegragation case,” Hunt said in a telegram to Shad Northshield, the program’s executive producer. “It was a completely inadequate and unfair treatment of the efforts that have been named by the univer- Catch Eagle football, page 6 sity’s Board of Governors, the General Assembly and the people of this state,” he added. “I hope very much that your net work correspondent and cameras will return to North Carolina to give a more ballanced and factual pic ture.” The 10-minute report broadcast Sunday was based on UNC’s agree ment reached with the federal government recently in which the university agreed to set guidelines to further integrate its 11 mostly white and five mostly black campuses. The report said the agreement will be a model for pacts with other state systems. CBS used extensive quotes from a spokeswoman from the NAACP’s legal defense fund which considers the agreement the agreement a bailout of Washington’s civil rights responsibilities. Friday criticized the report Sun day as shallow and uneven-handed.