Chowan College - Chowanoka Yearbook (Murfreesboro, NC)

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A Little Unusual... DR. WHITAKER Although a college president is expected to have everything under control at all times, the family dog, Trixie, ' frequently gets out of line. On one oc- casion, the faculty and student alike enjoyed wat- ching my reaction in chapel when I was making a very important address to the Chowan community. I noticed that low-down dog in the back of the auditorium after I had started to speak. She heard and recognized my voice, so she started trotting down (at that time) the middle aisle. When she reached the front of the auditorium, she looked up. sniffed and dashed up the steps to the stage and started gleefully jumping up and down on my leg, wagging her tail and yapping! By the time Dean Lowe picked her up and took her away, Trixie was so scared by the wild applause that she had her tail bet- ween her legs. I guess that goes to show that even college presidents have skeletons in their closets! PHILROYCE I guess the thing that stands out most in my mind as being memorable in relation to my job oc- curred in the field of sports. In 1970, Chowan entered its annual football game with Ferrum, our arch-rival, possessing a 6-0 record. It was a tremen- dously hard fought football game, but Chowan emerged victorious when our halfback broke loose on a 50-yard touchdown run. This kept us undefeated and advanced us in the national rank- ings. DEAN WINSLOW My most interesting incident contains a very subtle type of humor. Several years ago, the Iranian students held a sit-in around the pine trees and boycotted classes because they felt I was treating them unfairly. In fact, they even hung me in effigy in front of the Columns Building. Dr. Whitaker finally broke up the rally. MR. NICHOLSON We had a student one year come in for an excuse because of a death in her immediate family. When I asked her who died, she paused and said, ' my grand- mother. ' She had missed a critical test and wrote a note and signed her mother ' s name on the note — it looked fishy to me. I had to call her home to verify her excuse. When I asked her mother who had died, she said, ' Was it her aunt? ' I said, ' You ' re not even close. She said it was her grandmother. ' Her mother then answered. ' Oh, that ' s right. It was her grandmother. DEAN LEWIS It was a spring evening, after mid- night, with a beautiful full moon when I heard about some disturbance on campus. At that time the Dean of Men and I went over to investigate. While we were in- vestigating that incident in a residence hall, we kept hearing some kind of strange noise. We couldn ' t tell whether it was a student in trouble or what, but we did determine that the sounds were com- ing from the lake area. The Dean of Men walked down the walkway toward Parker Hall and the security man and I drove down. When we got there, it was apparent the noise was coming from the lake. As we arrived at the spillway, we saw two guys in an old pontoon boat on the lake singing Joy to the World. They paddl- ed the boat right up to shore as they hadn ' t discovered we were there yet. The Dean of Men called them by name and asked them what they were doing out on the lake. They replied that they had been drinking and had discovered they were too drunk to go back into the residence hall. At the time they were only concern- ed with not bringing undue notice to themselves. 10

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During the 1970 ' s, Chowan College experienced a decade of change, evaluation, and continued progress. The early years brought a dramatic increase in the enrollment, which soared to a high of almost 1,500 students. This growth had been made possible by the opening of a new men ' s dormitory during the decade. The new $1.3 million science-engineering facility was opened in January, 1973. The new $2.5 million gymnasium- physical education center was nearing completion in December, 1979. Also, during the ' 70s, extensive repair and renovation work was done to McDowell Columns. Two interior walls were replaced and the chapel-auditorium was completely renovated. During the 1972-73 academic year, Chowan faced a new challenge brought on by a sharp enrollment decline and ris- ing costs. The reduced enrollment to approximately 985 had been anticipated by the administration and Board of Trustees. The college responded by seeking ways to tighten its belt without sacrificing the quality of its academic pro- gram. Chowan also embarked on a period of evaluation and study. The college emerged with new programs and emphases, geared to broaden its service to students. As a result of a study of the interests and needs of its students, a number of career education programs were initiated during the ' 70s to complement Chowan ' s traditional emphasis in liberal arts. These include photography, newswriting and advertising, comercial art, and merchandising management. All have proved popular with students. Additional services and personnel were provided through the Department of Student Development in the areas of guidance and counseling and residence hall living. More attention was given to helping provide students with finan- cial aid. The college reaffirmed its heritage as a Baptist college devoted to helping the individual student realize his poten- tial through mental, physical and spiritual growth. With the change of status of Wingate College to a four-year school, Chowan was left as the only two-year college sponsored by the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. This has proved to be a plus for the college. Campus evaluation was accelerated by the participation of the college in the institutional self-study during the 1977-78 calendar years. This led to Chowan receiving reaffirmation of its accreditation. Chowan has been strenghtened by this period of study and innovation. Since the mid-seventies, the enrollment has stabilized in the area of 1,000-1,100 students. Another cause of optimism as Chowan enters the ' 80 is the level of financial support the college enjoyed during the past decade. The Annual Giving Fund goal has been met each year since the program was launched in 1974. The amount received has increased from $50,000 the first year to over $65,000 during 1978-79. The success of the Annual Giving Fund Program has helped Chowan to continue to operate in the black, something the college has done for the past 22 years. Chowan alumni have increased their support. A Parents Association has been formed and is providing support. The $2.5 million Chowan received in pledges and gifts for its new gymnasium doubled its previous largest campaign to construct the new science-engineering facility. Chowan is now emphasizing its general endowment program. Endowment has reached $2 million and the college has announced a goal of $5 million within three years and a goal of $50 million within a generation. During the ' 70s, Chowan ' s athletic teams brought acclaim to the college. Among the more notable achievements are the basketball team winning two straight regular season conference championships and placing second in the regional meet in 1979; the football team compiling a record of nine winning seasons and sending scores of players, including a number of all- Americans, to senior colleges; and the baseball team compiling an enviable won-loss record. The women ' s varsity program has also been strengthened. The 1979 volleyball team placed second in the regional tournament, its highest finish ever. The 1979-80 women ' s basketball team compiled one of the school ' s best records ever. During the past decade, Chowan became known, more than ever before, as the area ' s cultural and fine arts center. The art program was begun within the Fine Arts Department and the Chowan Art Gallery opened. Many attractions in dance, music and drama have been presented to the enjoyment of the campus and the larger community. In its growth to a place of prominence as one of the nation ' s finest private, two-year colleges, Chowan has been helped by many different people. Among the forefront of the volunteer leaders and workers have been the members of the board of Trustees and Board of Advisors. The student body and alumni have played an important role in Chowan ' s progress and in molding the college into what it is today. The closeness of the faculty and staff and their mutual respect and appreciation for each other is a strength from which will spring even greater success and progress during the 1980s. —President Bruce E. Whitaker

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CHAPLAIN TAYLOR DEAN LOWE The unusual is usual for the office of the Dean of the College. Two examples follow. The first of these occurred while I was in the office of the Dean; the second occurred during the time of my predecessor: 1. A student came in to see me. He appeared upset, claiming that he needed to go home for several days due to the death of his uncle, who was his legal guardian. While the student was sitting in my office talking with me, the telephone rang. The dead uncle, in very good health, was calling to check on his nephew. 2. A student had been making long distance calls on a pay phone and charging these to numbers that he picked at random from the telephone book. On one evening, he placed such a call and gave to the operator the number to be charged for the call. In picking a number from the telephone book, he had accidently picked the home phone number of the operator. The operator casually put the call through, and then called the police. The police picked up the student while he was still talking on the phone. Once a security guard on campus approached me with a question, ' You ' re the new chaplain, aren ' t you? ' ' Yes, ' I answered. ' You ' re a doc too, huh? ' ' Yes. ' ' Well, I ' ve got this sore on my elbow and . . . ' , replied the guard. ' I ' m sorry about that but that ' s not the kind of doctor that I am; I had to reply. DOUG GATEWOOD Doug Gatewood, working in admissions as a recruiter for the college, has had many experiences related to his position at Chowan. However, his most memorable involves not being recognized as an administrative member: It was my first year at Chowan, the fall semester of 1978. Most student worries were over and the first dance, the ' welcoming dance, ' was go- ing over well. When I arrived to help out with the dance, being a new face on campus, I was refused admission to the dance without proper identification. After much embarrassment, I was eventually allowed to enter. CLIFTON COLLINS In filling out the North Carolina Legislative Tuition Grant ap- plication, students are asked to give their residentiary ad- dress, which is where the student actually lives. Very often, students give their post off ice box as their address when they should have given their route number. Mr. Collins often wonders, How does a student live in a post office box? 11