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Issue 10 Congratulations Class of1992!Hi THE CAMPUS ECHO f North Carolina Central University April 15,1992 Chancellor Changes Graduation Ceremony By KIM THORNTON Editor North Carolina Central University’s 81st Commence ment exercises will be held quite differently this year. Instead of one ceremony where the gradu ates are recognized and receive their degrees, there will be two ceremonies where each school recognizes its graduates. This new ceremony was the result of efforts by this year's se nior class to get their names read during graduation ceremony. Earlier this semester the senior class solicited petitions to sup port reading the names at gradu ation, and took them to the ad ministration. The first ceremony begins at 9 a.m. in O’KeUy-Riddick stadium where the graduates will be rec ognized and Attorney William Gary, graduate of NCCU’s School of Law will give the commence ment address. The second ceremony, in which degrees will be presented, begins at 11 a.m. This ceremony will be held in different buildings on campus according to the school. The College of Arts and Sciences will present degrees in McLendon-McDougald Gymna sium, the School of Business in the Miller-Morgan Health Sci ences Building; the School of Education in the Taylor Educa tion Building Auditorium; the School of Law in B.N. Duke Auditorium and the School of Library and Information Sciences will present its degrees in the James E. Shepard Library in room 332. However, some seniors are un happy with having two separate ceremonies. “Personally, I am not for it,” says Student Govern ment Association President Erika Johnson. “This campus is not yet handicap accessible, we do not know whose grandmother, sister or cousin is handicapped.” Adele Williams, a graduating criminal justice major believes graduation will cause problems for parents. “It’s going to be confusing,” she says, “It is mid- April and this decision should have been made in August [1991].” Concern with the heat in May was a factor in having two cer emonies. At the Chancellor’s Advisory Council of Elected Stu dent Government Leaders, Chan cellor Donna Benson, said it would have taken two and half to three hours to call the names of all graduates. This she said may cause some to dehydrate or faint. Since NCCU does not have an auditorium that would safely hold the large number of people at tending graduation, it is impos sible to hold commencement ex ercises indoors. According to Benson, the Uni versity of North Carolina at Char lotte among other universities, were contacted to find out how they held their graduation cer emonies. She says she wasn’t sure if having two ceremonies would work and that the success or failure of this year’s com mencement exercises would de termine what will happen in 1993. Strong Liberal Arts Program Makes NCCU a Legacy' By JOHNNIE WHITEHEAD Associate Editor Number one academically among North Carolina’s 11 historically black colleges. Number nine in the United States for producing students who go on to receive their Ph. D’s. These were the results concern ing North Carolina Central Uni versity, issued by ihsThe Gourman Report for 1990-91, which rates over a thousand undergraduate programs in American md Inter national Universities. “NCCU is a legacy because of the strong liberal arts program,” says Interim Chancellor Donna J. Bensoa “This is a legacy for pro ducing intellectuals.” Some of the NCCU alumni who received their Ph. D.’s are Cleon Thompson Jr., chancellor of Win ston-Salem State University, Nathan Simms, vice president of student affairs for the UNC system, and Dallas Simmons, president of Virginia Union. Benson says the effects of NCCU’s excellence strong in North Carolina because of the many blacks in leadership posi tions. Also, she says, this “wave of excellence” is felt nationwide. However, because of the com petitive recruiting, many “gifted” blacks attend predominantly white schools, says Benson. “This use to be a mecca. Now competition is stiff for the best and brightest Af rican Americans.” See Page 3/Legacy Student Seeks Patent for Invention By JOHNNIE WHITEHEAD Associate Editor A North Carolina Central Uni versity middle mathematics edu cation major is searching for a patent for his board game inven tion. David Shelby, a graduating se nior from Raleigh, has an educa tional game. Coordinate Gains, approved by the research depart ment of the National Idea Center [NIC] of Washington, D.C. It will cost roughly $3,000 to receive a patent, says Shelby. “The patent process is expensive, and I’m trying to get investors to finance it.” According to Shelby, the Mi nority Business Information In stitute “looked into” his invention in February of this year. However, he has yet to find an investor. “Someone agreed to in vest but they wanted me to put up too much money. Presently, I have some people in Atlanta looking into it.” Coordinate Gains was initially Inventor: David Shelby '' invented in 1990 as a instruction class project says Shelby. But he decided to seek investors and make his product “marketable.” “It’s a long process,” says Shelby. “I had to get a lawyer to document and protect the rights so no one could steal my idea.” Shelby says his game is designed to “stimulate children’s interest in mathematics.” NIC screened Shelby’s product in a preliminary evaluation to de termine if it is “patentable.’’They maintain that Coordinate Gains' idea is “workable.” “The game appears to be a novel response to See Page 3/Shelby Student Art Gallery Opens for 2nd Show Curator Robin King-Hoard gladly assists Attorney Floyd McKissick and wife as they view student art work. Approximately 35 guests were in attendance for the art department's opening for the "2nd Show." The gallery is open to the public from Tuesday to Thursday from 3p.m. to 5 p.m. in room 108 of the Fine Arts Building. The show mns through the summer. Sigmas Sleep Out for the Homeless By JASON WILLIAMS Staff Writer On April 9, the Gamma Gamma Chapter of the Phi Beta Sigma Fra ternity, Inc held its second annual “Sleep-Out for the Homeless” in the library bowl. The “Sleep-Out” began at 6 p.m. Wednesday night and ended at 8 a.m. Thursday morning. “We’U stay until 8 a.m and make the sacrifice regardles of the weather," says president of the chapter Keith Sherard. weather. "The homeless do it everyday. To morrow we’ll all be back in our homes. Graduate advisor and fraternity member Terry Bethea agrees. “This is a demonstration,” says Bethea, “not a mockery of how society treats people. “We invited the other fraternities and sororities to join us, says Sherard, “but we received their donations. We want their bodies here.” In a few years, Sherard foresees the annual event growing larger each year with the entire bowl being filled. Although the event was open to faculty, students, and staff only 35 student participated. “I’ll be here until 8 o’clock,” said junior Jamal Henry, “to support the Sigmas who support the homeless. I feel that I should make a stand because there are business men, families, and children who are homeless.” The fraternity planned to raise $5,000 from both individual and corporate sponsors. Proceeds donated to the fraternity were given to the Alston Avenue Duiiiam Rescue Mission. ABPsi Shows Community Leadership By JOHNNIE WHITEHEAD Associate Editor The children at the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club need help. They need positive role models. They need a student or ganization from North Carolina Central University to provide them with leadership. The Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi) aims to do these things. “There are a lot of children that need us,” says E. Mark Sutton, president of the student chapter. “When Kensey Wright (a member of ABPsi) went there for field placement, he informed us at one of the meetings about the club, and he could not believe how much we were needed.” Sutton, a native of Detroit, and other members sacrifice their free time to help tutor the children with their studies, play basketball or just talk with them. “Many of these kids are black and come from disadvantaged homes. There aren’t enough employees at the club to effectively deal with them.” ABPsi wants to be a link between NCCU and the surrounding com munity says Sutton. However, a Having a Ball: President E. Mark Sutton shows 8-year-old Deon Burt a few pointers. lack of funding for the organization is one of its major obstacles. “We can reach further into the commu nity with more money. People are more apt to give you a commitment to woric with you if you have the money. If not, you get pushed aside.” Sutton, a 22-year-old psychol ogy major, hopes that the admin istration can offer ABPsi much needed financial support. “Every body has priorities. What may be important to us may not be to them. But we hope the administration can sympathize with us and what we are trying to do.” Also, Sutton stresses that ABPsi and the psychology department must take some initiative. “We need to tell the administration what we want so they can earmark more money for us.” Presently, most of the money spent by the organization comes from their own treasury. ABPsi, a 14-member organization, was not official until the spring semester of this year. The purpose of ABPsi is to give psychology students a different perspective of psychology, says Sutton: ‘Textbooks are written from a Euro-centric point of view. We give them information and literature on prominent Black psychologists in the field, such as Dr. Na’im Akbar and Dr. Wade See Page 3/ABPsi Student Ambassadors: A Valuable Resource By PAULA MCDONALD Staff Writer Do you desire to be a part of an elite group? Do you feel that you have what it takes to be a leader? Do you possess enormous “Eagle Pride”? If you answer yes to all of these questions, Leon Rouson wants you to be a student ambassador. The Student Ambassador Pro gram was organized in the fall of 1991 by Rouson, a recruiter for North Carolina Central University. According to Rouson, there is a definite need for the program be cause of the 10,000 plus students that tour this campus every year. “This is a training ground to be come more positive about your self and the University,” says Rouson. This year the co-presidents of the program are Isaiah Williams, a rising sophomore from New York City, and Charles Dino, a rising sophomore from Qeveland, Ohio. Both joined the program as a result of an advertisement posted in the cafeteria at the beginning of the 1991-92 school year. Dino became interested in be coming an ambassador when he first toured NCCU’s campus as a high school student. Williams learned about the pro gram through his good friend, Tyson King-Meadows, who was also an ambassador. But this upcoming school year. potential student ambassadors will go through a screening process. It may appear that being a stu dent ambassador is easy because all one has to do is take high schf'ol students for a tour around the cam pus. However, ambassadors play im portant roles in encouraging per spective students to do well in aca demics, as well as informing them about college life. In fact, ambassadors are put through a series of training ses sions that stress pride in the Uni versity, says Rouson. They learn about the University’s history, alumni and curriculum, for ex ample. “As you can see student ambas sadors have a very tough job and are very valuable resources to the University,” says Rouson Rouson says contact him at 560- 6066 if you want to accept the challenge. Moreover, come by the Undergraduate Admissions Office, located directly in front of McDougald Gymnasium, and ex press your interest today. Co-presidents of the Student Ambassador Program: Isaiah Williams (left) and Charles Dino (right). "...Student ambassa dors have a tough job and are very valuable resources to this University."
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April 15, 1992, edition 1
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