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• ••
Issue No. 80
Thursday, Jan... 28,1999
Shake-up at Financial Affairs still unexplained
by KIM ROSS
The Campus Echo
An interim vice chancellor for
financial affairs took his post at
North Carolina Central University
on Nov. 17, 1998, the day after the
unexpected resignation of his prede
cessor.
Serving his second stint at the
university, former Deputy State
Auditor Bruce Thomas has been
standing in ever since Ruby Pittman
abruptly left her post. Thomas said
that Chancellor Julius Chambers
notified him about the position.
Thomas served as Chambers’s
executive assistant from July 93-
January 95, of the position.
In a memorandum from NCCU’s
Public Relations Department,
Chambers stated that Pittman ten
dered her resignation November 16,
1998 to be effective June 30, 1999.
Chambers also stated that Pittman
has agreed to serve in an advisory
capacity through June 30, 1999 to
ensure an orderly transition for the
office and to assist with major pro
ject areas in financial affairs.
However, Thomas said he has not
spoken with Pittman.
Administrative Assistant Tonya
Joyner, Assistant Vice-chancellor
for Financial Affairs Lola
McKnight and Office Assistant
Valerie Prince all refused to com
ment. Pittman has also turned down
a request to speak to The Campus
Echo about the matter.
In former years, the Financial
Affairs office has been often criti
cized by students for inadequacies,
frustrating students with misplaced
paperwork, long lines and general
disorganization.
Financial Affairs is responsible
for formulating, implementing, and
monitoring financial and adminis
trative policies and procedures. It is
also in charge of human resources.
student refunds and accounts, and
physical facilities of the university.
“It’s a high-stress job,” says
Public Relations Director Carmelita
Spicer. Spicer said she was “sur
prised” to hear of the resignation of
Pittman, “a professional lady who
always had a smile” and “put in long
See CHANGES, page 2
Council
approves
massive
new mall
by RICHARD DUNLOF IBI
LEWIS and MARI McNEIL
The Campus Echo
The two North Carolina Central
University alumni who sit on the
Durham City Council were among
those voting on Jan. 19 to approve a
huge shopping mall approximately
five miles south of campus.
Ward 2 Rep. Angela Langley and
Ward 4 Rep. Ty Cox were in the 10-
3 City Council majority that gave
the go-ahead to Southpoint mall, a
planned 1.3-million square-foot
regional facility that will be built at
the intersection of Fayetteville
Road and Interstate 40.
For many months, Durham resi
dents had debated the necessity for
such a large shopping facility.
Those who oppose the mall com
plain that it will worsen traffic con
gestion, degrade the quality of liv
ing conditions for surrounding resi
dents and threaten the future of
South Square Mall, which has stood
for 23 years just five miles to the
west of the Southpoint site.
Langley, however, argued that the
mall will create “more job opportu
nities for people” and will create tax
revenue that will offset the cost of
road improvements and sanitation.
Cox said he believes that the jobs
created will allow area residents the
opportunity to advance from entry-
level positions such as sales associ
ate to assistant manager to manager
to eventually owning stocks in a
company if they so desire.
Sundar Fleming, dean of the
School of Business at NCCU,
agreed with the council majority —
to a point. “What is good about it
(Southpoint Mall) is that it is creat
ing jobs,” Fleming said. “However,
I would not want to live in the area
because of the traffic.”
The mall, which will occupy 243
acres that so far are mostly undevel
oped, will include an office park,
480 apartments and three hotels.
The project will be built by
Chicago-based Urban and Midland
Development Co.
Mall supporters carried huge
signs at the Jan. 19 council meeting
and shouted “Southpoint Yes.”
The News & Observer quoted
one supporter. Dock Terrell, who
lives in the Kentington Heights
community only a few miles from
the mall sit. Terrell said for 10 years
he has unsuccessfully asked the city
to provide water and sewer services
to his neighborhood. In exchange
See MALL, page 2
NCCU WOMEN ON AN 8-2 ROLL
Eagles
split
with
A late second-half rally by the
NCCU men’s team falls short
against archrival A&T, but the Lady
Eaglesf’ win ends an eight-game los
ing streak to the Aggies.
by ED BOYCE
The Campus Echo
The NCCU men’s team took a three-game
winning streak against N.C. A&T into the
annual renewal of their big rivalry on Jan. 20
at the Greensboro Coliseum. But the Aggies
grabbed a commanding first-half lead and held
on to win 73-61.
But the Lady Eagles trounced A&T’s
women 61 -48 in the opening game, ending an
eight-game losing streak against the Aggies
dating back to 1986. A&T had won 14 consec
utive games against the Lady Eagles in the
Greensboro Coliseum.
The Lady Eagles continued their strong
recovery from a disastrous 8-19 record in
1997-98. By winning their eighth game in 10
starts, NCCU’s women improved to 12-4 on
the season and held first place in the Western
Division of the CIAA with a 6-1 league mark,
4-0 in the division. (See related story, page 5.)
The 7,852 spectators watched the A&T men
make 15 of 24 first-half shots and take com
mand of the game with a 21 -3 run. The Eagles
made 9 of 22 shots but went 11 minutes with
out a basket in the first half
NCCU’s Warren Beil, who scored 16 points, drives against the Aggies’ Tarrell Robinson
during the 73-61 Eagles’ loss to N.C. A&T at the Greensboro Coliseum.
STAFF PHOTO BY PAUL PHIPPS
“1 would say A&T is probably the best team was the difference.”
we have played [this season], especially as far The Aggies led by only 19-17 with 13:42
as defense,” junior guard Warren Bell told the
Herald-Sun. “I think their defense in the game
See EAGLES, page 5
Lawsuits
plague
university
police
Chancellor promises
anti'harassment effort
by DINKY KEARNEY
The Campus Echo
The North Carolina Central
University police department has
been rocked by allegations that sev
eral police personnel have engaged
in sexual harassment.
In the latest incident, a police
officer was charged with assault and
exposing himself to a female officer
in December. It was the third accu
sation of sexual improprieties
involving campus police personnel
in the past five months.
The university has consistently
denied the charges. In an effort to
increase its efforts against sexual
harassment. Chancellor Julius
Chambers said last month the univer
sity will redouble its efforts to edu
cate employees about the problem.
“We don’t take this kind of thing
lightly,’’Chambers told the The
News & Observer. “We will investi
gate these allegations thoroughly,
and then we will make a decision
based on the facts we find.”
A top North Carolina civil rights
official said last month that the
number of allegations against
NCCU could be troubling.
“If the record shows there is a
pattern, then it should not be tolerat
ed,” Ed Smith, director of the civil
rights division of the state Office of
Administrative Hearings, told the
N&O. Smith’s office investigates
discrimination cases filed against
the state.
Smith said the responsibility of
the problem lies in the hands of
See POLICE, page 2
SGA president urges students to get involved in policy decisions
by JOHNNY GREEN,
DANNY HOOLEY and KIM ROSS
The Campus Echo
A couple months into his term,Student
Government President Derrick Jordan said he
began to feel the pressures of the position.
Recently, Jordan tried to sum up his old
predicament as “time management, or the lack
thereof Not being able to balance my responsi
bilities as a student, as a leader..” before he was
cut off by yet another person walking through
the Hoey Administration Building with a ques
tion for him. That sort of thing happens to
Jordan a lot these days.
However, Jordan said he feels more comfort
able in his position, thanks in part to some
understanding professors.
He said he has also learned more about the
way things work around here, making him more
effective in terms of making real changes.
A major point of Jordan’s platform in the
1998 SGA presidential election was to give the
students a voice in school decision making and
handling of school affairs.
Jordan said he is concentrating on keeping
that promise. “In the past, the student govern
ment was viewed as an elitist group, and the
main thing that I want to do is get it away from
being just a social programming board and turn
it into a true governing body where students’
concerns and issues are heard,.” said Jordan.
Jordan said he takes his concerns to the
administration but he doesn’t stop there; he
stays there until the concerns are addressed. He
said that the changes taking place on campus
are a result of the SGA standing behind those
issues to ensure that things are getting done.
“You have a lot of student leaders who are
going to bat everyday behind closed doors,”
said Jordan. He added that the SGA has been
faced with fighting increases in student fees to
ratifying a “vague” SGA constitution that has
not been revised in years.
Jordan says that upon closely reviewing the
constitution it became clear that SGA should
have more power and voice in the decision
making process.
According to Jordan, there has traditionally
been little student representation in administra
tive committees because of “apathy and igno
rance”
“Who knows that there’s an Administrative
Planning Committee? 1 didn’t know until I read
the handbook,”said Jordan. Jordan believes in
“putting our feet down and demanding our
places.”
Jordan said he is focused on graduating in May
and eager to start his career. Jordan said he plans
SGA President Derrick Jordan, right, being sworn in by Chancellor Julius Chambers
last fall.Jordan’s term ends this spring, and he plans to graduate in May.
STAFF PHOTO BY PAUL PHIPPS
to teach high school English for a few years,
then attend law school and eventually become a
judge. He insists that he will not settle for any
thing less than the Supreme Court.
Jordan has advice for future SGA members.
“Hopefully the people who come in will ana
lyze and evaluate what I’ve done and keep some
of the things, do away with some of the things,
and revise things to keep a strong student gov
ernment going,.” he said.