The Chowanian for this
issue has been edited
and pioofiead by staff
members only. Tough!
How many errors can
you find?
THE CHdWANIAN
Edited By Students
And Printed At The
Roy Parker School
Of Printing.
At Chowan College
Volume 2 — Number 4
Murfreesboro, N. C. March, 1955
Subscription: $1.00 a year
Oratorio Presents
Messiah; To Render
The Crucifiction
“Messiah” was given in concert
by a 69 voice chorus on Decem
ber 12 in the Chowan College aud
itorium. This chorus included
the members of Chowan College
combined chorus, members of
the faculty, and Chowan
Oratorio members from sur
rounding towns of Ahoskie, Au-
lander, Ivor, Virginia, Murfrees
boro, Rich Square, Winton, Con
way, and two guest solist from
Rocky Mount. The presentation
was under the direction of Mr.
Marvin Pickard of the music
department at Chowan with
Miss Barbara Young, professor
of music at Chowan, at the piano,
and Mrs. Marvin Pickard at the
organ.
The approximated attendance
was 700 with an offering of
$192.93 of which $107.93 was put
on the expense for the new or
gan which will be installed soon.
The Chowan Oratorio group is
currently working on John Stain
er’s “The Crucifixion." This
Easter Service will be in April.
Students Studying
Ministry Available
For Supply Work
The members of the Chowan
College Ministerial Alliance are
hoping to accomplish much work
this year by way of supplying for
pastors, doing B.T.U. and Sunday
School work, and conduting week
end services in churchs within
a reasonable radius of the college,
according to Dan F. Page, presi
dent of the group of young min
isters
According to President Page
letters have been mailed to pas
tors in this section offering them
assistance in any of the fields
mentioned above.
The Chowan College Ministe
rial Alliance is an organization
composed of the students enrolled
at Chowan who pl'an a career in
the ministery.
Baldwin Organ to
B^r-Installed Soon
A Baldwin 55 Organ will be in
stalled in the auditorium of Cho
wan College on March 15. This
organ is being purchased from
the Milton Music Company in
Norfolk, Virginia, and will be in
stalled in time for the presenta
tion of “The Crucifixion” which
will be presented by the Chowan
Oratorio Society in April.
An organ was rented in De
cember for use in presenting of
Handel’s Messiah. At this pro
gram a collection was received
to be used towards purchasing
an organ for the college.
r
I
Chowan To Have Semester
System for 1955-56 Year
PRESIDENTS’ CLUB—Pictured are members of the recently formed Presidents’ Club at
Chowan College, Murfreesboro, N. C. with Dr. F. O. Mixon, President of the college (seated) as
its advisor The primamry purpose of the club is for these leaders to corelate and promote stu
dent activities on the campus. The presidents, left to right, are Billy Finch, Emporia, Va., Zeta
Alpha Zigma; Johnny Hill, Murfreesboro, Freshman class; Ella Jane Smith, Clinton, Young Wo
men’s Association; Charles Paul, Davis, Baptist Student Union; Sue Godwin, Selma Women’s
Judiciary; J. D. Tilley, Greensboro, Phi Lamda Pi; Travels Barden, New Bern, Mongram Club;
Dan Page, Clarkton, Ministerial Alliance and Sophomore class; Joe Harkey, Wadesboro, Men’s
Judiciary. (News Bureau photo.)
Chowan College Becomes Member of
American Association Junior Colleges
Meeting Room For
B. S.U. Renovated
Members of the Chowan College
Baptist Student Union are at pre
sent cleaning Room 13 in the base
ment of the administration Build
ing for ameeting room. The room
was used previously by the Bible
Department.
Plans are being made to purchase
appropriate but inexpensive
ffor the room. The fliors are to be
sanded and painted grey-blue, and
the walls are to be painted either
blue or gre en. The B. S. U. has ask
ed Joe Harkey to paint a mural for
the wall. Miss Frances White, ad
visor of the organization, has denot
ed Venetian blinds for the door.
For the room furnishings the sc
hool will supply boudoir type chairs,
a desk, and a fUing cabinet for keep
ing all B. S. U, records. A special
bulletin board for B. S. U. and other
religious news will be installed in
the hallway outside the room.
The Greater Council will handle
the bill for rennovating the room.
Deferment Test Available for
Students Enrolled in College
Major General Lewis B. Her-
shey, Director of Selective Ser
vice has announced that the fifth
series of Selective Service Col
lege Qualification Tests will be
given on Thursday, April 21,1955,
at approximately 1000 exami
nation centers.
To be eligible to apply for the
Selective Service tests a student
must:(l) intend to request de
ferment as a student; (2) be sat
isfactorily pursuing a fulltime
course of instruction; and (3)
must not previously have taken
the qualification test.
An application for the test, a
mailing envelope, and a Bulletin
of Information may be obtained
from any Selective Service Lo
cal Board. Applications for the
tests should be sent immediate
ly, as applications may be re
ceived only up until about two
weeks before the test is given.
The present criteria for defer
ment as an undergraduate stu
dent are either a score of 70
on the qualification test or
specified rank among the male
members of the class (upper
half of freshman class, upper
two-thirds of spohomore class,
or upper three-fourths of junior
class.) In addition to meeting
one of these two requirements,
the student must, at the end
of each academic year, pro
gress to the next higher class.
General Hershey has empha
sized many times that local
boards are not required to defer
students meeting the criteria.
Meeting the criteria merely
makes a student eligible to be
considered for student defer
ment. If a local board refused to
defer a student meeting the cri
teria, he of course has the right
to appeal his case, Hershey
pointed out.
Colonel Thomas H. Upton,
North Carolina State Director
of Selective Service, urges that
eligible students avail them
selves of the opportunity to take
this test.
The membership committee
from the American Association
of Junior Colleges recently voted
unanimously to enter Chowan
College as a member. After the
Board of Director vote on the
committee report at a meeting
in Chicago on March 1 and 2,
the final decision will be made.
The board is expected to ap
prove the recommendation.
The association is an organiza
tion which seeks to co-ordinate
functions of junior colleges. It
lists and publicizes junior col
leges and aids in student re
cruitment. Sending out valuable
literature to all the colleges is
one on its most important tunc-
tions. Membership in the associ
ation will accord Chowan all the
rights and privileges of a junior
college.
In order to obtain this honor,
Chowan furnished the associa
tion with catalogues, copies of
the state certificate of accredi
tation and a complete financial
report. This will be the first
year Chowan has been accepted
in the association.
Combination Course Planned By
Daniel School of Music Here
The Daniel School of Music
at Chowan College, has set up
within the curricula of the music
department a 3-year terminal
course for combination religion
education—music directors. This
course will begin with the Fall
semester; according to Marvin
Pickard, director of music,
music.
Instruction will include relig
ion, church organization and
Administration, typing, sociology,
psychology, speech, dramatics,
voice, piano, organ, accompany
ing, History of Church Music,
hymnody. Graded Choir Pro
materials and methods, Sen
ior Choir materials and meth
ods, and choral conducting.
“Music and dramatics go hand
in hand to give very effective
Christmas pageants. Missionary
plays and skits; psychology and
sociology are most important to
train religious workers how to
deal with the many personalities
that will confront them,” Pick
ard said. The program of study
will allow a choice between be
ing an organist-director or
strictly a choir director. Organ
study will include both the
Baldwin—5 on the college cam
pus, and the Hammond in a
downtown church. Organist-di-
rectors will be required to minor
in voice; choir directors will
minor either in piano or in or
gan. Opportunities for singing re
ligious music are available
through the Glee Clubs and the
Oratorio Society. Those desiring
mstrurriental instruction may re
ceive it, and may play in the
Community Band, according to
Pickard.
Plans Underway
For Ridgecrest
What promises to be the ’’high
est week of the year" for mem
bers of Chowan College Baptist
Student Union is Student Week
held again this year June 9—15
at the Ridgecrest Baptist Assem
bly near Asheville. Last year
the 25 students with their ad
visor Miss Frances E. White
composed the largest delegation
of the B. S. U. Organizations in
North Carolina.
Cars furnish transportation for
this trip which is open to any
student attendin the college who
wishes to go. Last year the stu
dents from Chowan stayed in the
newly constructed cabin of Rev.
J. B. Dailey of Jackson. They
will occupy this same cabin this
year.
Chowan is expected to have
an even larger representation
this year.
Editor Wonders if
Ancestor Would
Like Chowan Co-eds
The editorial columnist of the
Chaple Hill weekly, Louis Gra
ves, former owner of the Week
ly and now contributing editor,
wondered what his great-grand
father, the Reverend William
Hooper, would have thought of a
photograph of seven co-eds in
modern bathing suits which ap
peared in the new catalog of
Chowan College.
The thousands of Baptist in
eastern Carolina will be inter
ested in what Mr. Graves re
flected on his editorial which
was headed “Rejuvenation at
Chowan.”
Here is the editorial: After a
period of financial distress,
when it had to be suspended,
Chowan College, in Murfreesb-
boro down in eastern North
Carolina, has been revived and
rejuvenated. Its new catalog,
which I have just been reading,
a well written and well printed
booklet inllustrated with attrac
tive photographs, describes a
vigorous standard junior college
with a student body (men and
(See EDITOR page four)
Woman's Judiciary
To Remodel Lounge
The Woman’sJudiciary of Chowan
is making plans to redecorate the
Ladies Lounge in the main building.
The Judiciary choose the color
scheme and supervised the work,
over the weekends and refinish the
furniture.
To finance the project, the Judi
ciary sponsored a basketball game
Wednesday night, January 26, be
tween the faculty women and wo
men students and between Cho
wan men faculty, members ar.d
ithose of the Murfreesboro High
School. Proceeds fi'om the game
and also from the sale of popcorn
balls and other refreshments went
towards supplies for improving
the lounge.
The Judiciary Council members
planning the work are Sua
Godwin, president; Pauline Har
dee, vice president; Jean C. Park-
re, secetary ti'easure; Mildred
Wheeler, Virginia Drake, hall
monitors; and Joyce Harris, town
representative.
Glee Club Men
Clean Organ Loft
Mr. Marvin A. Pickard, with
the members of the Male Glee
Club assisting, stayed after re-
herasal on Tuesday, January 25
and cleaned the organ loft or
open gallery which is located at
the right of the auditorium above
the stage. This upper .room
which can be seen easily by
those attending performances in
the auditorium, was cluttered
with sections of an organ given
to the college last year. Now that
the room has been cleaned it is
to be used only for radio use and
as a sound room for a new organ
which the college hopes to install
soon.
The boys assisting Mr. Pick
ard were Ernest Whittington, J.
D. Tilley, Bob Mulder, Meredith
White, Billy Finch, Bill Joyner,
Don Deaton, and John Gatling.
Forty Thousand
Booklets Mailed
Through the cooperation of the
faculty of Chowan, 40,000 small
booklets or brochures, telling by
means of pictures and words the
advantages of coming to school
at Chowan have been addresesd
and mailed to selected high
school students of North Caro
lina and parts of Virginia, during
the month of January.
Mr. R. O. Boston, director of
the Business Education Depart
ment, in charge of the work,
distributed pages of the lists of
names of high school s e i o r s
purchased through the Beta Club
to the different faculty mem
bers, along with an armful of
the brochures. After being ad
dressed the brochures were re
turned to the business depart
ment building where they were
separated into bundles going to
the same post office, as is re
quired by postal rules, tied se
curely, and mailed.
Neither the addressing nor the
separating into bundles is a
small task, but by the coopera
tion of all, the 40,000 were sent
out during the four weeks.
About 10,000 will be mailed to
pastors, libraries, etc. Chowan
is proud of having a faculty so
willing to give of its extra time
to furthering the cause of the
school.
Chowan College
Glee Club Plans
Spring Concert
The 22 mixed voices of the
Ghowan College Glee Club plan to
present Spring Concerts in var
ious churches throughout eastern
North Carolina and Virginia. Ac
cording to Mr. Marviii A. Pickard,
head of the Music Department of
Chowan College, the schedule of
appointments is now being plan
ned.
The following songs are being
rehearsed: Julia Ward’s, “Battle
Hymn of the Republic” (Arranged
by Fred Waring), Bernier, “Bare
foot” (Also arranged by Waring),
Christiansen’s, “Beautiful
Savior”, Tschaikowsky’s, “Lord
God of Hosts,” and “Crown Him
King of Golry!! In additiop to
these, other selections will be ren
dered’.
A spokesman for the Glee Club
had this to say concerning the
plans for the Spring Season. “We
are enjoying our pratices and look
forward ofr the opportunity to
sing in churches this Spring. Mr.
Pickard is very patient and it is a
joy to work with him.”
Donate Curtains For
Chowan Auditorium
Mr. Frank Williams, cousin of
Profes sor Williams of
Chowan, and president of Mill
Number II in Roanoke Rapids,
donated 300 yards of material
for stage curtains in Chowan's
auditorium. The material, a
silver tone denim, will replace
at the back and side of the main
auditorium.
The open gallery at the wall
at the right of the stage, which
is often used for storage space
will be curtained also.
Mrs. DuBerry, Murfreesboro
upholsterer, will make the cur
tains. Chowan is also getting the
assistance of Cofers Interior
Decorators of Norfolk, Virginia
in hanging them and putting
them on runners.
The trend in American educa
tion toward the semester system
has enveloped Chowan College,
according to Robert L. Grogan,
dean of instruction at the 107-
year-old junior college, in an
nouncing the system will go into
effect for the 1955-56 term.
In a prepared release Grogan
said the forties found many edu
cational institutions turning to
the quarter system as a means
of speeding up the education
process, as did Chowan College.
However, in the past three years
these same institutions have
been returning to the semester
organization. Today very few
North Carolina colleges remain
on the quarter system.
In pointing out the advantag
es and disadvantages of both
systems, Grogan said the facul
ty generally concedes that the
semester allows more time for
teaching, although the actual
days of class attendance number
about the same. Students gener
ally like the semester system,
for class preparations are made
every other day and greater var
iety results.
He said that basically the
quarter system means classes
meet every day, five or six
days to the week, for a period
of twelve weeks. Under the se
mester plan classes meet every
other day over a six day span
for 18 weeks.
“It is generally conceded by
college administration that oper
ation under the semester system
is more efficient than under the
quarter plan,” the dean said, ad
ding that this is especially true
in the records department.
“Counclors say the guidance pro
gram functions more efficiently,
and many students who nor
mally would fall into the “drop
out’ class can now be saved
since those in charge have more
time to analyze the students’
difficulties.”
Dean Grogan said that since
one of the purposes of the junior
clollege is to prepare students
for senior college, the transfer
of credits is involved. There
fore, Chowan College will be
acquiring uniformity with the
senior institutions in the matter
of hours credit allotted.
“The students have been the
background of consideration in
making this change, therefore
any ultimate change in opera
tion must not only benefit the
institution in the matter of
efficiency of operation, but must
also be beneficial to the student,
Grogan said. He believes the
chief benefits will result in a
broader program of extracurri
cular activities and extended
social life, with greater use of
present facilities possible.
Sound Lab is Now
Being Established
The large room in the music
building is in the process of being
set up as a tape recording room
for the college.
The room is being sound
proofed by placing egg cartons
up-side down on the walls.
The establishment of the re
cording room is being made possi
ble under the direction of the Rev.
Mr. Cramer of Rich Square. He ia
meeting with great success in rais
ing money to obtain the equip
ment for this room.
The purpose in having the
sound-proofed room and record
ing machinery is to record the
programs for the Sunday morning
broadcast of the college. The mu
sic department expects the recor
der to be a great aid in teaching
music. Not only the music depart
ment, but also the speech and lan
guage depaitments hope to be
able to use the equipment in
teaching the correct utterances of
speech, both of English and other
modern tongues.
Mr. Marvin Pickard, director of
the Music department, feels that
such a sound laboratory will aid
in better guidance of the indivi
dual student and will raise the
level of student participation.
Dean's List Given
For Fall Quarter
Robert Grogan, dean of instr
uction, listed 28 students on the
Chowan College honor roll for the
Fall quarter, 1954-55. In order
to be placed on the honor roll a
student must maintain a ‘B’ av
erage on all courses taken.
The students listed in alphabet
ical order and not acording to
rank are: Fannie Lou Bisette,
Betty Ruth Boyed, Harold F.
Brown, Peggy Brown, Annie Mae
Daughtry, Carolyn Davis, Iris
Evans, Elizabeth Forbes, Patricia
Ann Guthrie. Joe, HarJiey.
Ann Harris, Johnny HiU, Jane
Hughes, Bob Klatt, Ann; Long,
Robert Glenn Mulder, Charles
Paul, Leonard Pulley, Nancy Ra-
wles, Mildred Sexton, William B.
Sowell, Ronald Sumner, Nanicy
Taylor, Marilyn Turner, Elizabeth
Warrick, Mildred Wheeler, Lula
Pearl White, and Tommy Ruth
Worrell.
School of Printing Adds Complete Plant To
Equipment; Linotype and Three Presses
A personal contribution of
$1,000 by the president of Cho
wan College, Dr. F.O. Mixon,
made possible last week the
acquisition and installment of a
complete printing plant for the
Roy Parker School of Printing
at the college.
The plant, formerly operated
by a New Bern concern, in
cluded a Linotype typesetting
machine, three presses-one au
tomatically fed, paper cutter,
folding machine, much type,
cabinets and other materials and
equipment. The purchase of this
additional machinery was made
necessary by the increased en
rollment in the school of print
ing- this year. The school is now
equipped for four typesetting
machines and seven presses.
“Applications for enrollment
for the 1955—56 term are now
being received in such numbers
as to make us believe more than
the 40 students enrolled this
year will be printing students
when the college opens again in
September,” John McSweeney,
director of the school of printing
stated this week.
In some of the departments
the added equipment will more
than double the present capacity,
giving students many more
hours of practical instruction
during the next quarter, Mc
Sweeney said. Machine opera
tion instruction has been too
CHOWAN POETS—Joe Harkey of Wadesboro, Bette King Britton
of Ahoskie, and Daisy Mae Bell of Halifax look over the 1954 an
thology of college students’ poetry, America Sings, recently pub
lished by the National Poetry Association. All three are contribu
tors to the volume, their poems having been chosen from several
thousands entries for inclusion in the collection. Harkey a sopho
more and president of the Men’s Judiciary Council, contributed a
poem entitled “Saturday”. Bette King Britton, who was also a
winner in this year’s Annual Poetry Day Contest at Asheville, a
competition sponsored by the N. C. Branches of the National
League of American Pen Women, the North Carolina Poetry So
ciety, and the Huckleberry Mountain Workshop Camp, entered a
poem entitled “Loneliness.” Daisy Mae Bell’s entry was entitled
“A Wasted Moon.” Not pictured is Vincent Lee Godfrey, of Eliza
beth City, who graduated from Chowan at the end of the first quar
ter. Godfery has written a number of song lyrics, and he submitted
one of his religious lyrics, “Because of Faith,” which was accepted
for publication in American Sings. The volume of poetry marks the
twelth annual competition sponsored by the National Poetry As
sociation and includes work from colleges and universities all over
the United States. Only the better works are chosen, for in the past
ten years the association has only accepted approximately 4,000
poems out of the more than 100,000 entries.
limited up until now due to a
shortage in this type of equip
ment.
The added equipment will also
make possible the printing of
most materials used at the col
lege, according to McSweeney,
thereby saving considerable
money badly needed for other
purposes. He stated that the
school could not accept any out
side printing of any description,
this being agreed upon through
resolutions passed by the North
Carolina Press Association and
the Board of Trustees at the col
lege. Some actual production
jobs are necessary for instruc
tional purposes, so the printing
for the college serves a practical
need as well as one of economy,
he added.
According to McSweeney the
present building housing t he
school of printing, which was
erected summer before last, will
require an addition if student
enrollment continues to increase
which would require even more
equipment.
School of Printing
Summer Course
The Roy Parker School of
Printing at Chowan College has
announced that a six w e e k’s
course in Linotype keyboard
operation and maintenance will
be offered this summer to a
limited number of young men
with printing experience. Anoth
er class in Teletypesetter per
forator operation will be offered
to experienced typists who have
a speed of at least 50 or 60 words
a minute.
The cost will be $150 which will
include sleeping quarters for
male students on the campus.
Women students can find good
accommodations nearby in pri
vate homes. Application for ad
mittance to the summer course
should be mailed to John Mc
Sweeney, Director of Graphic
Arts, (ihowan College, Mur
freesboro, N. C. Applications
should include registration fee
of $5.