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Parents say goodbye as freshmen arrive at N.C. Central
DURHAM -- Forget nervous students. Wednesday's move-in day for freshmen
on the N.C. Central University campus was much more nerve-racking for
parents having to let go.
"That's my oldest, the first one to leave the nest," said Jackie Randson
of Charlotte as she helped her daughter Jarrel move into the new Baynes
Residence Hall.
"I have mixed emotions," Randson said. "I'm glad she's got it in her
mind to better herself and get a good education."
The tears Randson struggled to suppress were probably a better clue to
her feelings.
As they hauled stereos, microwaves, comforters and televisions into
their new homes, students admitted to trepidation at facing the wide
world of campus opening before them, but were ready nonetheless to be
left to their own devices and find out what college had to offer.
"No parents," said Torren Gatson of Wilmington, Del. "I'm responsible
for myself now."
This year's freshman class is about 1,150 students, down slightly from
last year's 1,210, according to Vice Chancellor for Student Life Roland
Gaines. He attributed the drop to campus housing, where NCCU is facing a
squeeze. The new 370-bed Eagleson high-rise dorm won't be open until
August 2007, and the university hasn't had an affordable bid yet on
another 300-bed dorm it hopes to build.
Total enrollment, however, is up by about 300 to 8,500, Gaines said,
thanks to students transferring from other colleges and graduate
admissions.
"The campus is alive, full of energy and bursting with people," he said.
"It's just great to see everyone all over campus."
The biggest change students are likely to see on campus this year,
Gaines said, is a temporary cafeteria that will be used for the next 15
months while the permanent one is renovated and expanded.
All the construction going on is part of what attracted freshman Wesley
Lawson of Washington, D.C., to NCCU.
"It shows the university is thriving and growing," said Lawson, who
plans to major in mass communication.
Senior Davarres Alexander was among an army of maroon-clad upperclassmen
on the orientation team helping their freshmen brethren settle in. He
said he encouraged the newcomers to immerse themselves in campus life as
quickly as possible, to make NCCU their "home away from home" now that
they're out of their parent-guarded comfort zone.
"The big issue will always be assimilation," Alexander said. "In the
first semester, that's pretty much when it's all decided, whether you're
going to soar to the top or not."
The businesses that border the university welcome the boost provided by
students. Catering By George on Fayetteville Street sees about a 25
percent spike when students are in town, according to owner George
Covington.
Not that they want events catered -- students frequent the front end of
Covington's shop where he sells takeout barbecue and other hot food.
"You're going to miss them when they're gone," he said.
Covington, who opened the catering business six years ago, said he used
extra staff two or three days a week to help with the takeout traffic
when school was in session.
"The takeout has really helped sustain the business," he said.
Bruce Bridges has operated The Know Bookstore and Cultural Center nearby
for 25 years. He said the book side of his business lifted slightly when
students arrived, but it's the in-store restaurant that really benefits.
"They seem to have more interest in food than books," said Bridges, who
used to teach geography at Central and said book sales to students
weren't what they used to be.
"People are not reading as much," he said. "I wish there was more
interest in books."
Although The Know stocks used books, Bridges doesn't trade in college
textbooks, which is common practice in many college-town bookstores. Nor
does he plan to.
"It's not easy," he said. No businesses polled reported any problems
with students.
The NCCU campus is surrounded by residential neighborhoods, including
rental properties popular with students. Non-students living in the area
sounded happy to see them back too.
"I've been doing this a long time," said 100-year-old Lee Horton as he
trimmed bushes at his daughter's home on Lawson Street. "I've never had
no trouble with them."
Reprinted from the Durham Herald
Sun:
http://www.heraldsun.com/durham/4-761796.html |
