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African
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Page 7
Issue 48
NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY
Durham, NC
March 27,1995
Students
explore
Charleston
Conference focuses
on multicultural issues
By Geraldine Ndiforchu
Echo co-editor
Members of the University
Honors Program got the opportu
nity to attend the 23rd aimual con
ference of the Southern Regional
Honors Council (SRHC), March
9-11, in Charrleston, SC.
“The conference was intellec
tually stimulating and gave us all a
great deal to plan and work for,”
said Patsy Perry, director of N.C.
Central University’s Honors Pro
gram and professor of English.,
NCCU students attending were
Brent Collier, Jonovan Cooper,
Tulani Giscombe, Bryan Mills,
Jamil Spain, Lateefah Williams,
Cheryl Woods, all freshman stu
dents.
Also participating in the con
ference were Keisha Roberson,
sophomore; and Gloria Chambers,
secretary to the University Honors
Program.
The conference, which was
hosted by the College of Charles
ton and the Citadel, focused on
“Internationalizing: Multicultural
Realities and Honors Programs.”
The topics at this seminar ranged
from international and
multicultural issues to religious
concerns.
The keynote speaker at the
SRHC conference was Alexander
Sanders, president of the College
of Charleston, who gave “an as
tounding luncheon presentation,”
said Perry. “His major point was
sharing, the importance of shar
ing.”
As for Jamil Spain, he came
from the conference with a won
derful idea of putting together an
honors program newsletter.
“He has committed himself to
taking the leadership in producing
a newsletter for the University
Honors Program,” said Perry.
“The conference was quite an
experience during which I was first
introduced to honors programs
from other universities,” said
Spain.
According to Perry, the confer
ence was very reaffirming in that
many of the honors initiatives they
have underway forNCCU are right
at the heart of what university hon
ors programs are doing across the
region.
"We are very appreciative of
the support we've received for the
University Honors Program," said
Perry. "Students gain invaluable
experiences through their partici
pation in co-curricular activities
such as this SRHC meeting.
Top Photo:
Basketmakers of
the famous
palmeto and pine
needle baskets
live in the low
country of South
Carolina near
Boone Hall
Plantation,
containers.
Right Photo:
Tulani Giscombe
and Cheryl
Woods at the Old
Slave Mart
Museum in
Charleston
Historic southern city has
vibrant cultural heritage
By Geraldine Ndiforchu
Echo co-editor
Students attending the the
Southern Regional Honors Coun
cil (SRHC) 23rd annual confer
ence were fascinated by the rich
arts and cultural heritage of
Charleston, S.C.
“A highlight of the meeting had
to do with the craftsmen of the low
country of South Carolina, who
worked in iron, creating the beauty
of the iron-lace fences,” said Patsy
Perry, professor of English.
The basket makers who sit on
roadsides making baskets are also
artisans.They make beautiful var
ied containers, have a very easy
going but business-like demeanor
and never object to anyone's tak
Co-ed files
harassment
complaint
Female alleges unwanted sexual advances
against dorm adviser
ing pictures of them, said Perry.
The participants also took part
in guided tours of some of the
historic buildings of Charleston.
“We had a walking tour of his
toric Charleston during which Bob
Stockton, adjunct professor of his
tory at the College of Charleston
and the Citadel, talked about the
architecture, especially about the
French and Dutch influences,” said
Perry.
Stockton also mentioned the
large Barbadian population that has
been in Charleston since the days
of slavery, she said.
“I enjoyed the tour of the town
of Charleston. It was beautiful. We
visited the Old Slave Mart Mu
seum,” said smdentCheryl Woods.
By Danny Hooley
Campus Echo staff
and Terri Boykin
Echo Co-editor
A newly revised sexual harass
ment policy for North Carolina
Central University is being tested
in a still-undecided case involving
a female student who filed a com
plaint last November against a male
residential adviser in her dormi
tory.
The claimant, freshman honors
student Meiewyn Claryse Avent,
says she did not know where to go
for help in September 1994 as she
considered taking action against
Kipchoge Ryan, a senior residence
adviser at Annie Day Shepard Resi
dence Hall. Avent says that by
that time, Ryan had made two un
wanted sexual advances towards
her and that she had rebuffed him.
Formal complaint
At first, Avent consulted an
other residence adviser, who sug
gested that she speak to Annie Day
Shepard’s residence director Julia
Williams. Avent said she decided
not to do so and did not pursue the
matter for more than a month. Dur
ing this time the harassment con
tinued, Avent said.
In early November, Avent wrote
a formal complaint against Ryan.
She submitted a letter dated Nov. 7
to his supervisor. Director of Resi
dence Operations Phyllis Shumate.
Shumate requested and received a
more detailed letter a week later. In
line with policy, she refered the
matter to Mavis Lewis, director of
human resources, and the school’s
affirmative action officer.
Lewis is responsible for over
seeing all sexual harassment cases
at NCCU, as well as training field
representatives to mediate cases
on an informal level. Most likley,
those with complaints will contact
a field representative first. If the
rep does not find probable cause to
mediate a complaint, or if a media
tion session is either unsuccessful
or not desired by the claimant, the
claimant may then go to Lewis for
determination of probable cause,
as Avent did.
Lewis found probable cause,
and she scheduled a formal hear
ing. Following policy, she selected
a panel of five people who, she
says, make up “a cross-representa
tion of the campus,” excluding
aquaintances of the claimant or of
the accused, and including at least
one smdent. This panel heard the
case, and is supposed to submit a
written recommendation to the
chancellor within 10 working days.
If Lewis had found no probable
cause to schedule a hearing, Avent
could have gone directly to the
chancellor. Claimants may also
begin the process at any one of
these levels, Lewis says.
Last September, NCCU’s Board
of Trustees endorsed the new
policy, which has been distributed
to students, faculty, and staff this
semester. The old policy, which
was revised in 1991, was not “as
user friendly as it should be,” says
Lewis. She said that the new policy
is more suited to those who wish to
avoid a formal hearing “but want
to tell somebody what’s going on.”
Mediation as an Option
Avent says she never consid
ered mediation as an option. She
asked for a formal hearing but had
to wait until after the Christmas
break for it to be scheduled and a
panel to be selected by Lewis.
According to Lewis, the time lapse
was unavoidable.
“I got [Avent]’s letter in this
department December 12,” she
says, “right before everyone was
ready to leave for the holidays.”
Lewis says that she encouraged
Avent to see her again when classes
resumed in January, and that she
told Avent to expect a letter from
her in the meantime. Avent says
that she did not receive the letter; it
arrived at her parents’ home in
Charlotte after she had returned to
school.
Avent did not follow up her
complaint until the first week of
February, according to Lewis.
Lewis says that she met with Avent
to make sure that she was still
willing to go through with a hear-
See "Sexual
Harassment"
Continued on page three