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EXCELLENCE WETHOUT EXCUSE
Eagles make come back, page 4
Issue 51
North Carolina Central University
Durham, NC 27707
October 3,1995
Students,
faculty
remember
professor
By Lateefah Williams
Dr. Ernest Mason, a beloved En
glish professor, passed away on
Monday, Septranbo-11,1995, inhis
Chapel HiU home.
Mason had a big influence on
many people here at Central.
Studoits and faculty alike were
shocked and saddened by his sud-
d«i death.
Jamaine Wilsrai, a junior, said
that what she enjoyed most about
Dr. Mason was that “he was inter
esting. You discussed topics in his
class that you wouldn't discuss in
your normal class.”
Joyce Ellis, English instructor,
said that “Dr. Mason had an
infectuous intellectual oiergy that
galvanized both his studoits and his
colleges. He was the quintessential
scholar and he used his intellect to
bridge people togetho:. Imisshim.”
Mason was a native of this area.
He was bom on May 3, 1947 at
Lincoln Hospital in Durham, NC.
He graduated from Lincoln High
School in Chapel Hill.
Nate Todd, a senior, said he
“was one of the best teachers I have
had at Central.
Teacher and friend
“He was more than a teacher, but
a friend as well. He didn’t place
restrictions on what you said in class.
Other pro-
f e s s o r s
could have
learned a lot
if they knew
him,” Todd
said.
F arrah
Murden, a
sophmore,
said Dr. Ma
Mason
Trustees cut
three majors
■J UNC system urged review of 27programs
Woman at the helm
Peggy Ward was appointed to chair the North
Carolina Board of Trustees last week. Ward, a 1974
NCCU graduate, works with New York Life Insur
ance Co., Charlotte, N.C..
Campus Echo staff
The Board of Trustees
recommended Wednesday that
three majors be eliminated and
several others be combined.
Bachelor’s degrees in
philosophy, social science and
economics in the business
economics track should no longer
be offered, trustees said. They
reviewed 27 degree-granting
programs, recommending that*
Bachelor of science degrees in
home economics, clothing and
textiles and foods and nutrition be
combined to form a single degree
program; a bachelor of science in
human sciences.
The bachelor’s in physical
education and parks and recreation
should be combined to form a
bachelor of arts in physical
education and parks and
recreational manaigement.
The individual bachelOTS of jazz,
sacred music, general music and
music education be combined into
a single bachelor of music degree.
On the graduate level, the board
recommended that master’s
programs in elementary education
and middle grades education be
combined and continued as one
degree with four tracks. The
master’s of physical education and
the master’s of parks and recreation
management were combined to
form one degree with two tracks.
NCCU clears air on deadly bacteria
son was a muturing teacher. “1
learned a lot about myself as a per
son and about other people as well,”
Murden said. He made me think
about the world in a whole different
light”
Dr. Arlene Clift-Pellow, chair of
the English Department, said Ma
son achieved excellence in all areas.
"He was also very inspirational as a
teachCT,judging by the responses of
his students.”
Surviving him are his parents,
David Mason, Sr., and Emma
Edwards Mason; his wife, Amanda
Gwyn Mason; his son, Byron Dou
glas Mascm and his brothers, David
Mason, Jr., Donald Mason, and
Daryl Mason.
Library poses
no threat to patrons,
health officials say
By Christie Stancil
Students are worrying about
more than standing in long lines at
the Financial Aid Office this se
mester.
Many fear exposure to a po
tentially fatal disease recently
found on North Carolina Central
University’s campus.
Since the death of NCCU li
brarian Patricia Haith over the
summer, theUnivCTsity has under
gone extensive testing for
Legionella pneumophila, the bac
teria that causes Legionnaires’
Disease. Students are apprehen
sive about going to the library.
Junior Biology major Latanya
Staton says, “I dcm’tfeel as if the
students have been properly in
formed.”
She is notalone. Student Health
Services Dr. Lillian Home says
that numerous students have called
seeking information about
Legionnaire’s and expressing fear
of ccMitracting the disease.
Home said no Central student
has contracted Legionnaire's Dis
ease on campus. She attributes this
to the nature of the disease.
Although the bacteria are widely
present in low levels in the envi
ronment, only certain conditions
cultivate the organism to danger
ous levels, said Home. Warm,
stagnant, water provides ideal con-
Officials tested Shepard Library for Legionnaire's disease
diticMis for the growth of the bacte
ria, thus water aerosols in cooling
towers, humidifiers, whirlpool
baths, and sinks can be contami
nated and inhaled by humans.
Sprecifically, the library cool
ing tower was discovered to con
tain a high concentration of the
bacteria. However, Home says,
“What was found in the tower was
not at a level to cause a healthy
prerson any harm.”
This is because the inhaled or
ganism does not always cause the
disease. Some prec^le are atahigher
risk of developing Legionnaire's
Disease than others.
Health officials state that older
jrersons, wgan transplant recipi
ents, heavy drinkers and/or smok
ers, cancer and HIV pxKitive pa
tients, p)ersons with underlying
medical problems such as diabe
tes, and corticosteroid users are
more likely to develop the disease.
Despite the uncertainty of the
causeofHaith’s death, theUniver-
sity has taken great measures to
Update
• The North Carolina DIvlalon
of Epidemiology conducted an
Indoor air quality teat In the
library, the Commerce Building
and the cooling tower. The
Legionella bacteria waa found
In eight of 18 aamplea.
• New air filtera have been
inatalled and the ventilation
ayatem duct haa been aprayed.
Crawl apace barriera have been
conatructed to keep out
rodenta.
•The library drinking ayatem
haa been auperchlorinated,
which rida the water of
bacteria.
•The portable water ayatem will
be heat-fluahed and all carpeta
ateam cleaned.
ensure the safety of students and
staff using the library.
Some students like Sophomore
Bryan Mills have faith that the
University has done just that. Mills,
19, says, “ If there was a problem
the University would not allow
students in those facilities.”
According to Chancellor Julius
Chambers, the Division of Epide
miology of the State Department
of Environment, Health, and
Natural Resources conducted an
indoCT air quality testin the library.
Further tests were done by PathCon
Laboratories in August
The Legionella pneumophilia
bacteria was found in eight of 18
samples taken from the library and
the Commerce Building, the li
brary cooling tower being of
greatest concern.
As a result of such testing the
library’s heating, ventilation, and
air conditioning system has under
gone thorough maintenance
checks, says Arthur Affleck, Vice
Chancellor for Student Affairs.
Other measures taken v ere the
installation of new air filters,
spraying of the ventilation system
duct work to eliminate any addi
tional bacteria, and the construc
tion of crawl sp)ace barriers to keep
out rodents.
Affleck said that although all
campus facilities that are in ques
tion will be tested fw air quality,
dormitories are not likely to px)se
any concern.
Because the bacteria is only
dangerous when contained in
aerosols, buildings that have no
cooling tower or ventilation sys
tem do not pose a threat and nei
ther do fountains or showers.
Dr. Home says there is no spie-
cific test for Legionnaire’s Dis
ease.
Most cases of Legionnaires’
occur sporadically.