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Campus
Campus Echo
Thursday, October 28,1999
North Carolina Central University
ISMI seeks student involvement
By Bennie Russell, Jr.
ECHO STAFF WRITER
Tomas Earl Midgette is a
man on a mission—a mission to
support a richer understanding
of minority issues.
Midgette is the director of
N.C. Central University’s
Institute for Study of Minority
Issues, which was founded as
The Center for the Study of
Desegregation by former NCCU
Chancellor Dr. Albert N.
Whiting in 1969. ISMFs mission
is to promote faculty, students
and institutional research relat
ed to minorities, particularly
African Americans in the New
South.
Midgette encourages stu
dents to come by his office and
ask questions about the insti
tute. His office is filled with
books on the history of African-
American culture, such as
Mychal Wynn’s “Empowering
African American Males to
Succeed,” bell hooks’ “Teaching
to Trangress,” and Henry Lewis
Gates Jr. and Cornell West’s
“The Future of the Race.”
Midgette says that reading is
the key to success.
Midgette, an NCCU graduate,
spent much of his adult life in
the midwest. He earned his
master’s degree at the
University of Oklahoma, and his
doctorate at Michigan State
University. His dissertation
examined multi-cultural coun
seling and African-American
youth. He came back to work
for NCCU in 1996 as an associ
ate professor. He teaches in the
graduate program in counseling
in the School of Education.
Midgette took over the ISMI
program in 1998.
Midgette says he is enthusi
astic about the future of the
ISMI. He says he wants the
institute to become an internal
part of the life of the University,
Bennie Russell, JR./Staff Photographer
Tomas Earl Midgette, director of the Institute of Minority Affairs, sits
in his office, which is filled with books on African American history.
and for it to help students and
faculty engage in what he calls
the “life of mind.” According to
Midgette, he also wants NCCU
to get to a point where students
and staff can sit down and dis
cuss ideas together.
“The purpose of the institute
is to engage students in aca
demic discourse,” Midgette
says. “In order for students to
do this they must read
“I see students listening to
the musi,c as if they are having
a good time on campus, and in
small groups. I want students to
be this enthusiastic [in their]
academic [lives].
“I do not oppose students
having their music, I just want
to elevate the conversation to
the academic life.”
The institute is involved in a
number of activities. They
develop research proposals for
faculty research grants, serve as
a clearing house for demo
graphic materials and other
working papers, articles and
curriculum guides related to
minority issues.
They assist students with
research opportunities and sup
port forums to discuss minority
issues. They help identify suc
cessful community development
approaches for urban neighbor
hoods.
The institute also archives arti
cles and materials that touch on
minority issues—race, educa
tion, health, HBCUs, hate
crimes, housing discrimination,
%,and more.
They hold weekly roundtable
discussions with students, alum
ni and faculty. At one recent
forum, Fulbright professor
Benjamin Offei-Nyoko “Bon”
gave a slide show about Ghana.
In addition, the institute pub
lishes the ISMI newsletter and
the Journal of Minority Issues
and Economic Development.
Sample articles include “Real
Story of Black Progress,” “The
Federal Reserve Bank of
Boston Study on Mortgage
Lending Revisited,” and “What
Matters Most for Teacher
Educators.”
Midgette is the only full-time
staff member working for ISMI.
He has six part-time staff mem
bers and a graduate student
helping him with clerical work
and exploring funding opportu
nities.
The ISMI is located in room
10 of the William Jones
Building. Midgette can be
reached at 560-6433.
PROGRAM SEEKS TO HELP INCOMING STUDENTS, AND, HOPEFULLY, KEEP THEM
Head start
given to
freshmen
By Kendall Jenkins
ECHO STAFF WRITER
Enrollment at N.C. Central University
has fallen about 200 students short of the
target and many students, finding it hard to
successfully adapt to college life at NCCU,
are seeking other opportunities. This
trend of low enrollment and retention is a
problem that administrators, alumni and
students alike would like to solve soon.
The Division of Student Affairs is work
ing on a solution to combat one major
problem: retention. The general feeling is
that if students are to remain after their
freshman year, they have to be given initia
tive to do so.
In 1997, the Office of Student Learning
was created to provide initiatives and pro
grams for freshmen students. Through
extensive research and studies on and off
campus, Peggy Watson Alexander, dean of
student learning, spearheaded the
Freshmen First Program.
“The purpose of the Freshmen First
Program is to retain freshmen students
and keep their academics in good stand
ing,” said Emma Mosby, Living-Learning
Coordinator.
“Far too many times, freshmen won’t
return as continuing students after they’ve
finished their freshman year with low
Kendall JENKlNS/Stajgf Photographer
Senior Tiffany Copper, left, listens along with Personal Counselor/Student Advocate Vera Turner to
Freshmen First partner Paul Goldblatt at a recent meeting.
grades,” Mosby said. “With the assistance of
faculty, staff, and students, we want to help
get these students off to a good start.”
Last year, the Freshmen First pilot proj
ect worked with 128 students and produced
an increase in retention and improved fac
ulty involvement in residence halls, accord
ing to the Division of Student Affairs.
This year, the Freshmen First Program
has been extended to include 500 students,
freshmen from Eagleson and Chidley
Living-Learning Centers.
One program, the Mentor Program, inte
grates faculty, staff, administrators and
upper-class students to help freshmen stu
dents in academic difficulty.
Freshmen First has three counselors, or
student advocates. Each of these coun
selors works hands-on with students in
outreach centers that have been estab
lished in the Eagleson and Chidley
Residnce Halls.
Counselors and advocates are available
to listen to students’ concerns and provide
information. Sometimes, students are
referred to the Comprehensive Academic
Support Center, mental health counselors,
or other supportive resources.
Fresman First sponsors a nd conducts
workshops and strategy sessions geared
toward academic success, social adjust
ment, and overall sound mental health.
Topics include “If She Says No, It Really
Means No,” “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood:
Gay and Lesbian Issues,” “Faculty
Expectations: My Professor is Driving Me
Crazy,” and “Sexually Transmitted
Diseases.”
“I see EVeshmen First as a great way for
me to network with other students and
take full advantage of the opportunities
and resources that the school has to offer,”
said Rocky Mount freshman Kendrick
Dickens.
Chemical waste results in canceled classes
Bruce DEPvssLER/StajSf Photographer
The Hubbard Chemistry Building, site of a
recent hazardous chemical waste leak.
From staff reports
A leak in a hazardous waste drum caused
an evacuation of the Hubbard Chemistry
Building Oct 21.
The leak occurred at 7:30 a.m., causing
classes to be canceled until the next day. No
one was hurt in the incident, which took
nearly four hours to clean up.
The lab, where the leak occurred, is used
to hold waste from the entire campus.
The toxic chemicals found were Benzene
and chlorinated solvents which are com
bustible, but have a low explosive level,
according to Richard Cravener, director of
health and safety.
The university has built a hazardous waste
storage building in addition to the new
Biomedical Biotechnology Research
Institute.
The recent leak is the latest in a series of
problems plaguing the chemistry building,
which is old and needs repairs. Teachers
must perform less hazardous experiments,
because exhaust hoods, that pull away chemi
cals, do not work. Bunsen burners do not
work, because the gas was cut off two years
ago, after an unrepaired gas leak.
“That it happened in this building, that is a
facilities issue,” Wendell Wilkerson, chair
man of the chemistry department, told The
News & Observer. “Had the new facility been
in operation, we wouldn’t be here.”
Forum
Continued from page i
percent.
The clearance rate counts
the number of criminal cases
solved.
Durham has the lowest clear
ance rate in the state.
NCCU alumnus Joe Williams
focused on the safety of the stu
dents, calling for policemen
walking on Fayetteville Street.
“I would like to see all of my
eagle brothers and sisters be
able to walk down Fayetteville
Street, not being afraid of being
attack,” said Williams.
Williams is an at-large candi
date for city council.
Tennyson also stressed the
revitalization of Durham’s
downtown area.
“We need to get more eco
nomic activity in the areas that
surround downtown,” said
Tennyson. He stated that public
safety needs to be increased in
the areas around downtown,
before trying to revitalize the
area.
“Those neighborhoods adja
cent to downtown are critical to
bringing downtown back to the
level of vitality that it use to
have, and going beyond that.”
McKissick also stressed
downtown development stating
that the urban area has suffered
40 years of neglect. McKissick
feels that more business should
harbored downtown and that
job skills should be provided for
the residents in the urban sec
tor.
Other city council candidates
include Patrick Byker, who
called for a unified city and
county government. Byker feels
that a unified government
would make Durham a stronger
force with state and federal
issues.
Tamra Edwards, Dan Hill,
Michael Shiflett, and NCCU
alumnus Thomas Stith will
challenge for Byker and
Williams for city council in
November.
Angela Langley and Jim
Conner will battle for the ward
two position. Connor is seeking
his first political office. His
main concerns deals with traffic
and city growth.
Ward four matches Lewis
Cheeks against NCCU alumnus
Tyrone Cox. Cox currently sits
on the Durham city council. He
supports economic opportunity
for all, managing rapid growth
and reducing crime by eliminat
ing its root causes. Cox also
helped in providing the shuttle
service for NCCU.
Cheeks wants to enforce
more city ordinances and
improve traffic. He also stresses
better race relations.
The candidates will know
whether their ideas helped gain
new voters when the polls open
on Nov. 2.
Frye
Continued from page i
He described the way he
obtained a property ownership
title for a client by searching
for the owner’s gravestone.
He then used a phone book to
track down the next of kin in
order to confirm the death—
all in order to clear a title.
“Clerks have a thankless
job,” he joked referring to the
process of working on judicial
opinions with them.
According to Frye, there are
complex interactions between
justices and clerks.
Therefore, he works with peo
ple he can trust and count on.
Apart from being a judge he
said, the chief justice is the
primary administrator of
North Carolina’s court system.
As an administrator he over
sees the operations of the
entire system and has numer
ous obligations.
“I’ve accomplished many
goals because I respect oth
ers...! have respect and
respect carries weight,” Frye
told the responsive audience.
He also stated he wants
NCCU to become engaged with
his commission on profession
alism. One focus of the com
mission is to improve the pro
fessionalism of North
Carolina’s law students.
Frye urged NCCU’s future
lawyers to “know what you
know and know what you don’t
know ... work hard and do it
right.”
Cabinet
Continued FROM PAGE 1
more scholarship money to
attract talented and academical
ly motivated Some strategies
proposed for this program were:
• Giving recruiters power to
offer scholarships
• Requiring students to com
plete scholarship applications
Providing students with a schol
arship list and making sure they
contact the Scholarship Office
•Drafting an early decision
policy stating that applicants
who meet all admissions
requirements and enroll by Dec.
1,1999 will be eligible for early
decision consideration.
•Using the early decision pro
gram as a tool to enroll 50 high
school graduates with SAT
scores of 1150 and above.
All applications must be
received by Dec. 1,1999 and
decisions will be mailed out by
Jan. 1. Early decision recipients
will be issued a book voucher of
an undisclosed amount of money
and the first 50 students admit
ted will be allowed to set up resi
dence in either of the new resi
dents halls.
Accepted students must send
a non-refundable deposit to the
university by Jan. 24.
Other business discussed was
the residential housing repairs
update, scholarship report,
swimming pool budget.
Hurricane Floyd budget revi
sion, higher education regula
tions, and the assessment of
open house.
IN BRIEF
Research and intern
opportunities at federai
agencies
T he Oak Ridge Institute for
Science and Education,
an arm of the Dept, of
Energy, has hands-on research
and paid tuition opportunities
in a number of national labora
tories across the country. These
are available to students and
faculty.
ORISE oversees about 100
internship, fellowship, scholar
ship, and research participation
programs for numerous federal
agencies. Students and faculty
can work in the Dept, of Energy,
the Dept, of Defense, the
Environmental Protection
Agency, and others.
The programs run for about
eight to ten weeks during the
summer and there are also
semester, academic year, and
year round opportunities.
Stipends and travel allowances
are included in most of the
research programs.
To learn more on these excel
lent opportunities, you can visit
the ORISE Educational
Opportunities Web page at
http ://www. orau.gov/orise/
educ.htm
This web site details eligibil
ity requirements, disciplines,
locations, deadlines, benefits,
and contact numbers.
—Campus Echo staff
Vanderbilt’s Onalvl to
speak at BBRI
R esearch professor,
Emmanuel Onaivi, will
be giving a seminar at
the Julius L. Chambers
Biomedical/Biotechnology
Research Institute.
The talk, “Cannabinoid
Receptor Genetics and
Behavior, is at 10:45 a.m. on
Tuesday, Nov. 2.
—Campus Echo staff