ARChilV,
^The Broncos’ Voice
of Fayetteville State University
■TO INFORM, EDUCATE, INSPIRE, AND ENTERTAIN’
May 5, 2003 Volume XJ, Issue 4
SPRING 2003 EDITION
Draughon Crowned Miss FSU
By Dawn Redrick
Contributing Writer
LaSherrie Draughon was
grinning ear to ear as she heard
her named called as the new Miss
Fayetteville State University.
Draughon, of Warsaw, NC,
was crowned Miss Fayetteville
State University 2003-2004 in
the 12* annual scholarship
pageant.
A junior majoring in music
education, Draughon replaces
Yvonne Richmond who
represented Fayetteville State
during the 2002-2003 academic
year.
“This is unbelievable. It’s like
a dream,” said Draughon. “It is
such an honor to be incorporated
into the legacy of women I looked
up to like Yvonne Richmond and
Tai Irby.”
Draughon, whose hobbies
include acting, singing, and being
a member of Fayetteville State’s
chorale ensemble, will be the
university’s candidate in the
Miss NBCA Hall of Fame
Pageant.
The evening was overflowing
with excitement, entertainment,
and some strong competition.
Draughon was also rewarded
with the talent award. Draughon
gave a soulful rendition of “Can
f
LaSherrie Draughon, center, was selected Miss FSU. First runner-up was Latoya
Parker, and second runner-up Kewanda Lake.
You Reach My Friend” during
the talent competition.
A new phase of competition
was introduced to the pageant
for the first time in its history to
test the delegate’s knowledge in
local and national events
Draughon’s question was
whether she agrees that women
who have been raped should get
abortions.
“1 am pro-life. However, I
believe it is her right to choose
what is best for her. I would
recommend that she receives
counseling before making any
decision.”
Miss Fayetteville State
University will promote the
cause of self-worth and
confidence during her year of
service. Draughon said she
would use her crown to motivate
young women and build their
self-esteem.
“Go after your dreams. Just
try! Surround yourself with
positive people,” she said.
Runners-Up for the 2003-
2004 Miss Fayetteville State
Crown included Latoya Parker
of Fayetteville, NC as I” runner-
up, and Kewanda Lake of
Columbia, SC as 2'“* runner-up.
Other participants were Eliza
Dryer, Chickia Miller and Tiffany
Walker.
Judges included Miss
Fayetteville 2003 Erin White,
former Junior and Teen Miss
Duplin County/ Miss
Fayetteville 2000 Shina Miller,
retired Lieutenant Colonel and
author Charles E. Pimble, former
member of the Cumberland
County Scholarship Pageant
Assoc. Carlene Evans, and
Zavery McDonald, Program
Supervisor for Southeastern
Regional Mental Health.
W.T. Brown To Speak Future Residence Hall Will House 256Students
At Graduation Exercises
By Garrett N. James
Editor-In-Chief
Graduates, get ready for a
treat. The honorable Dr. William
T. Brown will render the
graduation address for the May
2003 graduation. Commencement
will held in the Crown Coliseum
on May 9 at 4 p.m.
The theme of Brown’s address
will be “2003 FSU-Produced
Realistic Instruments of Mass
Construction.” He says his main
purpose will be to counter the
international talk on weapons of
mass destruction and urge the
graduates to become weapons of
mass construction.
“I plan to discuss the things
needed in society to bring an
end to the dreaded societal
disease known as the gap,”
Brown says. “The gaps in
academics, healthcare,
achievement and the gaps
between the rich and the poor.”
Brown, the self-proclaimed
“second-son,” graduated from
NC A&T State University in
Greensboro, North Carolina and
the American Gentleman School
of Designing in New York. He
has an Honorary Doctor of
Humane Letters degree from
Shaw University in Raleigh,
North Carolina.
Brown will speak May 9th
From July 1992 to June 1995,
Brown served as Assistant to the
Chancellor for Outreach at
Fayetteville State University. He
has served on the Board of
Directors for numerous
organizations and chaired the
Fayetteville City Parks and
Recreation Advisory
Coitunission, Cumberland
County Hospital System Board
of Trustees and Fayetteville
State University Board of
Trustees.
Brown received the Lifetime
Achievement Award from the
U.S. Department of Commerce
Minority Business And
Development Agency.
In October 1993, The
Cumberland County Board of
Education named its first year-
around school The William T.
Brown Elementary School.
Fayetteville State University
officially broke ground last week
on a $6.8 million dorm off
Langdon Street. Workers
preparing the site took a break
about 10:30
a.m. for the brief ceremony.
“Gentlemen, take your time,”
Chancellor Willis B. McLeod told
the workers. “You are not
building just a building, you are
building a community.”
School officials hope Bronco
Hall will be ready for students by
fall 2004. FSU has 5,307 students,
and officials say enrollment is
projected to grow to 6,000 in the
coming years. The campus has
dorm space for fewer than 1,500
students.
The 750-foot road is from
Spaulding Infirmary to the
administration complex off
Edgecombe Avenue.
The four-story residence hall
off Langdon Street will house
256 students, two to a room.
Four students will share a
bathroom.
“It’s great to see that dirt has
already been turned,” McLeod
said during the ceremony.
“Soon, we will see a building
and bricks and mortar, but this
building is going to be more than
bricks and mortar and more than
just a residence hall. It will be a
foundation for something more
important - a community for
learning.”
Bronco Hall will be located near Vance Hall.
Olivia Chavis, vice
chancellor for student affairs,
said the new residence hall will
be a
“state-of-the-art” dorm. It will
include computer lounges and
other facilities on each floor.
“There will be one point of
entry, which is important for us
because of security,” she said.
“It will provide some much
needed space. We have
struggled with space for housing
students.”
Chavis said students were
involved during the design
phase for the dorm. “We tried to
design the hall to meet the needs
of students,” she said. “It will be
totally different from anything
else we have on this campus,”
“The students are excited for
a number of reasons,” said Victor
Landry of the student
government association. “It will
be the first high-rise on campus.”
The building was designed by
Schuller, Ferris and Lindstrom of
Fayetteville and the New
Synergy Group of Durham.
Courtesy of The
Fayetteville Observer