The Student Newspaper of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Volume XIV, Number 17
Charlotte, North Carolina
January 15,1979
Fretwell calls new
job ^exciting”
Photo by Robin Colby
Fretwell during January 2nd
ceremony before UNCC community
New Homecoming plans
give committee problems
By Nancy Davis
Establishing tradition at UNCC
has always been a problem, but not
half as hard as breaking away from it.
This seems to be the feelings of the
Homecoming Committee, now facing
much criticism over the new changes
in Homecoming Week, Jan. 23-27.
Lisa Brower, committee chairperson,
has extended the entry deadline until
Tuesday, Jan. 16, to allow time to
clear up some of the confusion.
Before Christmas, the agenda for
Homecoming Week was sent out to
clubs, organizations and dorms. The
theme “Let’s Go To The Movies” is
used in various ways throughout the
week in establishing the new format
for selecting Homecoming Queen and
competing for prizes. There were
several problems then and Brower
realized she would have to extend the
deadline.
Now, with the beginning of
homecoming activities only one week
away, Brower says most of the pro
blems are misunderstandings of ex
actly "what is" going on during the
week. “They’re asking questions like
‘Why did you change this?' or ‘Why
did you take out the parade from the
Spirit Award?’ " Brower has talked
to everyone who has had any ques
tions, but still gets a feeling
“everybody’s kind of shaky over the
new changes."
In the past, Homecoming has been
centered around competition for the
Spirit Award. Brower said the frater ¬
By Nancy Davis
When former UNCC Chancellor
D.W. Colvard came to UNCC, he said
it was because the school was
“challenging.” Even though he, too,
feels it is very challenging, UNCC’s
new chancellor, E.K. Fretwell, says it
is because the school is “exciting.” In
fact to hear Fretwell speak of UNCC,
one might think he was speaking of
his wife or a tropical paradise.
“It’s a new . . . growing, with a high
quality of reputable ... There's a
youthfulness on the part of
everybody,” Fretwell said. “A
youthfulness which will continually
renew what's going on."
Fretwell spoke eagerly of his plans
to get acquainted with the Universi
ty. He is accepting many invitations
to meet and talk with groups on cam
pus and in the community. He called
the job of chancellor an “inside and
outside job.” Because he will be
traveling a good bit representing the
nities and sororities budgeted most of
their money to go for Homecoming to
hopefully win the highly respected
award. This year, however, there will
be three divisions for competitions:
Homecoming Queen, Parade Award
and Spirit Award. Instead of the
Spirit Award being the main overall
award, it is not only one of the three
divisional awards.
Brower’s committee feels more
students will have an equal oppor
tunity to participate in at least one
phase of the competition. “At UNCC,
Homecoming has not been that big.
It's one of the biggest events at other
schools." The committee looked into
all three areas carefully before finally
deciding on the agenda and format.
Homecoming Queen
In the past, popular vote was the
determinant in choosing a Homecom
ing Queen. Pictures of the prospective
beauties were posted and students
voted several days before the
Homecoming game. Still a cause for
much controversy in the format, the
committee has decided to stay with
the phases of competition for queen.
There are five phases of competi
tion ranging from toga contests to
free throw shots. Each contestant
must attend all five events, even
though two events are not judged by
a point system. Absence from or 15
minutes late will result in an
automatic elimination from the com
petition.
(continued on page 8}
university at various functions,
Fretwell realizes he will not be in the
office “a lot of times.” This is his
reasoning for wanting so much to get
acquainted with the UNCC communi
ty now.
Even though it will take him awhile
to become oriented with UNCC's
history entirely, Fretwell said one
doesn’t have “to go so very far back
to get to Genesis." He added in his
endeavor to learn more about UNCC
he would be concentrating on “for
mulating the present from the past."
The chancellor plans to open up his
office for a couple of hours each
month to provide an opportunity for
anybody to come in and talk to him
about any subject dealing with the
university. If there is good response
to this, Fretwell hopes to possibly
work in more open office hours.
Fretwell says he is anxious to also
receive input from the various stu
dent organizations. By being inform
ed by a variety of groups, he can bet
ter see how “the university looks to
its constituencies ... I need a lot of
eyes and ears and hearts." He has
found the UNCC community very
willing to help and advise, and admit
Photo by Robin Colby
Friday's ice storm caused hazardous driving, walking and closing of the
University. Snow days procedures story on page 2.
ted he hoped the “honeymoon" would
last forever.
Two new challenges will face
Fretwell this year. Not only is he tak
ing over a new position in a new place,
but is also the new president of the
’American Association of State Col
leges and Universities (AASCU). This
association is made up of 330 institu
tions working to improve the role of
public colleges and universities.
. Fretwell will have to do a fair amount
of traveling this year as AASCU
president, but sees both respon
sibilities as a “double challenge to
have both going at the same time."
He has no fears he may not be able to
balance the two.
Fretwell is very grateful for the
welcome he has received thus far from
the UNCC community, since his move
to Charlotte from Buffalo, N.Y. On
Tuesday, Jan. 2, Colvard officially
handed over the chancellorship to
Fretwell in an informal ceremony and
has been quite busy since then. For
awhile, Fretwell realizes he will be a
strange face on campus, but en
courages groups to invite him to their
meetings, etc. in order to see “how we
can go forward together."