North Carolina Now; North Carolina Now Episode from 04/09/1998

It's Thursday April 9th. Tonight a changing of the guard brings new leadership at NC State in North Carolina. Now football. Good evening everyone I'm reading to try Welcome to North Carolina now a major announcement today regarding North Carolina State University after a lengthy nationwide search. A new chancellor for NC State was named today to succeed retiring Chancellor Larry Monti. University of North Carolina president Molly corporate fraud announced the selection of Professor Mary Ann Fox as the new chancellor of NC State. Fox is currently the vice president for research. At the University of Texas at Austin she will become the first chancellor in the history of the University of North Carolina system who was a member of the distinguished National

Academy of Sciences president Claude says Cox is an award winning researcher teacher and scholar. As I said she's an internationally renowned scientist who brings her Carolina State University academic experience a great answer one breath and in a career that has stand more than two decades at the University of Texas placed where she has her reputation as a solid administrator and energetic leader. I think when you look at the opportunities that are available in this you state you'll see that they match very well with what I've considered to be aggressive important opportunities for higher education in the nation. When you think about excellence all of the ingredients are there all we have to do is pull together and we're going to just go to the top. In addition to promising to bring NC State the status and national acclaim she believes the university deserves for its accomplishments in academics. Fox also promises winning athletic teams at NC State.

And please join me as I bring the best of Texas. I know I'm going to have to do some revisions you know orange is now going to be. But it's a minor change. I'm going to bring the same push for excellence for this university and thank you for trusting me with that responsibility. Marianne Fox will assume her position as chancellor of North Carolina State University on August 1st. Our system of public universities get some of the best and the brightest students out of a statewide network of some 375 high schools. Recently school districts throughout our state have conducted studies which show an increase in the use of drugs and alcohol among high school students as a way to try to tackle this disturbing trend once a school system in our state has adopted a controversial new drug policy. Producer Buckley Todd has more. What do playing in the high school band running track acting in the school play or even trying out for cheerleading have in

common. Well soon high school students in Forsyth County who want to participate in these or any other extracurricular activities will have to pass one more test to stay on the team by a vote of 60 to the school board adopted a new policy requiring all high school students involved in afterschool activities to agree to mandatory random drug testing. Our statistics during the first half of the school year showed a surprising increase in the number of students who were caught and suspended and to suspend spells for drug cases in our county. That's a real concern to our board. So the board has decided to start testing students involved in extra curricular activities each year approximately 10 percent of all students involved in afterschool activities will be tested. Under the mandatory testing policy students will be selected at random and tested for alcohol marijuana cocaine and other illegal substances. The first time a student test positive will be suspended from their activity unless they enter a substance abuse program a second violation will result in

student be suspended from their activity for two semesters. The Winston-Salem Forsyth County School Board intends to implement their new mandatory random drug testing policy next year. School board members say they intend to try out the policy for one year before deciding if it's a home run or if it strikes out a school board member Jango and so students have told her that the drug problem in schools is being addressed Going think it's a good idea to target students in extracurricular activities because often they're seen as role models. I have no problem supporting the policy because I think it is a deterrent to those who want to say no. It gives them ammunition among their peers to say hey I want to because I don't want to test positive. But Victor Johnson disagrees with the policy. He was one of two board members to vote against it. I just think it is a waste of money and time. I think with the dancing around the problem the if we do have a problem drug problem in the school I would think that reasonable doubt is the only thing with that we need to address this from school attorney Doug Hunter

thinks drug testing students is something other school districts throughout the country and our state are considering. In his opinion a Midwestern court has established a precedent giving school board's legal authority to test certain groups of students. The pain is fairly sweeping the Seventh Circuit opinion in the jester they found there is a compelling interest in high schools and school boards to protect the health and welfare of public school children and that the drug problem is a significant problem. There's one circuit court in this in the United States the Seventh Circuit. Which covers Indiana Illinois and Wisconsin which has approved a broader drug testing policy one similar to Winston-Salem actually even broader than Winston-Salem. But the Seventh Circuit does not control North Carolina. We are very serious in believing that this policy is unconstitutional not only under the federal constitution but under the more protective state constitution. And we will not run from a lawsuit.

Ross predicts that presenting it with the right case the American Civil Liberties Union will challenge the new policy. She says her office has received several calls from concerned parents. These are kids who are trying to do something really good and learn and expand themselves in after school activities and to spend the taxpayers money to drug test them when they're probably the least likely candidates for being in this kind of trouble. You know a lot of school districts might say why spend the money on that and then why spend the money on a lawsuit. Let's spend it educating our kids. The school system estimates that each year it will cost around thirty six thousand dollars for mandatory testing. Part of the new drug policy also includes expanding a voluntary testing program known as it's my call right now only one school in the county. Carver High has the program which 88 percent of the students have joined

since the program started six years ago the school only knows of eight students testing positive with it. IT'S MY CALL program the school is only notified if a student tests positive and refuses treatment. Students who have agreed to be voluntarily tested for drugs have mixed feelings about the new mandatory policy. I would still say OK you know that's the way it's got to be for me to do this you know because surely in my freshman year was something I really wanted to do. And I still want to do it regardless of if I had to get drug tests or not. I don't use drugs so I don't really think I make that much of a difference. And. All in might make me feel a little bit. Not for the fact that you know I have something to hide maybe in that respect they're just popping up on you and say Will you go into funding for the mandatory testing is coming from a $50000 donation from the sheriff's department. Money that was collected from drug raids.

Those funds will cover the cost to randomly test students participating in extracurricular activities at least for next year. What will happen to the policy after that is up in the air and maybe up to the courts. If the new drug policy is challenged school board members say they intend to stand behind their actions. Currently Cherokee and Jackson counties are the only other school districts in the state which randomly drug test. But unlike Forsyth County the school district's only test athletes and coaches. Coming up a profile of a teenage genius. But before we get to that let's head over to Michel Louis for a summary of the events making news around our state. Hello Meche. Hello Marina. Good evening everyone. News of a collapse in negotiations on a national tobacco settlement has drawn reaction from several North Carolinians closely connected to the failed deal former North Carolina Supreme Court justice Phil Carlton is the tobacco industry's lead negotiator. Carlton says his orders are too clearly not to go to the White House anymore because there's nothing to negotiate. Republican Representative Richard Burr represents the

district that includes R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company and reference to Reynolds announcement that they were pulling out of talks in Washington. Burr said he couldn't believe it took the company so long and the executive vice president of the tobacco growers association of North Carolina says the tobacco industry can't live with the legislation proposed by the U.S. Senate and tobacco growers can't live with it either. Senate President Pro Tem Mark bass Knight says the Senate is committed to repealing the remaining 2 percent state sales tax on food. House Speaker Harold Breaux Baker says he's glad the Senate Democrats will support the food tax reduction. House leaders say they would like to discontinue the food tax as of October 1st. But bass Knight didn't say how quickly the Senate would repeal the tax. He did say lawmakers should commit to a schedule to eliminate the tax when they convene next month. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg School officials plan to tell a federal judge that court order desegregation is still needed. The school board's decision is in response to a judge's inquiry into whether Charlotte Mecklenburg has fully desegregated its schools. The judge's inquiry is part of a lawsuit filed last September

by a parent who claims his daughter was denied access to a magnet school because she's not black. Last month a judge combined the September lawsuit with the landmark Swan vs. Charlotte-Mecklenburg case of the 1960s. That case upheld busing to desegregate schools. Reports of abused or neglected children in North Carolina have reached a record high this year. More than 100000 incidents have been reported. That's the largest single year total in the state's history. It's a 6 percent increase over last year's total of 96000. The release of these numbers coincide with Governor Hunt's proclamation declaring April as Child Abuse Prevention Month. And now for a look at tomorrow's weather. Temperatures in the mountains will be in the 50s. Highs across the rest of the state will range from the lower 60s to the lower 70s. Cloudy skies and a slight chance of rain a forecast for the entire state. In business news it was a mixed trading day on Wall Street for tobacco stocks. Golden leaf issues began the day strong but closed out on a fairly flat note with RJR and Leggett parent group both down

slightly. Philip Morris on the other hand finished up a half point. Investors have been closely watching tobacco stocks as the nation's major tobacco companies vow they will fight any efforts to increase cigarette prices and taxes. Now let's take a look at the rest of the numbers. Elizabeth City State University began operation in 1892 as a list of

the city's state colored normal school with the specific purpose of teaching and training African-American teachers. It started off with a budget of nine hundred dollars a faculty of two in student enrollment of 23. Needless to say the school now part of the University of North Carolina has come a long way. As of the summer of last year twelve thousand seven hundred nine students have been awarded degrees. And joining me now is the chancellor of Elizabeth City State University Dr. Mickey Burnham Dr. Burnham Welcome to the program. Thank you it's good to be here. The school has come a long way. Tell me how you believe the mission of you CSU has changed from its original goal. All right. Well initially it was established to prepare teachers. I believe the language set of the colored race at that time so it had a normal school beginning. Since that time it has evolved to the point of offering more than teacher education programs but a good representation of basic Arts and Sciences degrees. Students can major in anything from chemistry in

physics to computer science and mathematics. Business Administration and some other pre-professional areas such as criminal justice. So what is the current mission of the school and the current mission of the school now speaks to preparing students for responsible participation and leadership in a rapidly changing technologically advanced society. So it's a much broader mission it speaks to preparing human beings for participation in the world as well as for careers and jobs. What I find very fascinating in the literature that you send out to attract students to Elizabeth City State you mention a lot about the racial diversity of the campus. Why do you believe that this is important to get across to prospective students. And what do you think that that adds to the educational atmosphere of the school. As you know many people refer to today's world as a global village that alludes to the fact that we are in much closer proximity

to our neighbors and other nations than we have ever been before because of television because of travel. It's a lot easier to be in contact with people from different ethnic backgrounds different cultures and your own. We believe it's important to emphasize the racial diversity of the ethnic diversity that a student who comes to Elizabeth City can experience because we think that that educational experience better prepares young men and women for the world today. And so with 74 percent African Americans 25 percent Caucasians and 1 percent students from other ethnic backgrounds we think that provides a richer educational experience for those people learning baccalaureate degrees. You have been Chancellor of the CSU for about two and a half years now. What do you see as some of the major accomplishments at the school during that time. Well there's been a number of things that we're very pleased and very proud about. First of all assembling a first rate team of

administrators people who believe in the current mission of the institution and who share our vision and who are committed to helping students succeed and serving the people of northeastern North Carolina. Beyond that we have been able to establish the first endowed chair. At the university with the generosity of the CD Spangler Foundation and the state of North Carolina we are currently planning our very first master's degree program and that's a significant milestone because it means the step up to a different level of educational offerings which we believe will be very meaningful to the people of northeastern North Carolina. When I arrived we also had significant challenges in the area of fiscal accountability and internal controls the audit results from the state auditor for the last several years had indicated that there were a number of areas that need it significant attention and improvement. And with the help of a lot of people

we have been able to make a significant improvement in that area so that this past year the state auditor announced that we had a very clean audit without a single reportable finding the first in at least 20 years. So we were proud of those things and look forward to doing even more in the future. What do you see as a list of a city state's role in the economic development of north northeastern North Carolina. Northeastern North Carolina is one of the least populated regions of the state. It is also one of the most rural areas of the state and it has significant economic deprivation if I can use that term. Income levels are lower than the state average educational levels tend to be lower and so as a University with some 600 employees with almost 2000 students with an annual operating budget of about 35 million dollars our organization has a significant economic impact

just by being there. And so we think that that's significant but beyond that serving our educational mission enables us to contribute to the economic development of the greatest resource of the area which are its people. And so by providing the baccalaureate degrees that we provide. We believe that that will continue to be a significant contribution to the economic development of the region. Beyond that the preparation of teachers which is at the core of our mission and then we do things to develop and to participate more specifically in the economic activities of the region for example. We have a unit on campus that is involved in securing grants from the federal government particularly the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Which assisted housing rehabilitation and which assist low income persons in that area and becoming homeowners. Some programs particularly some offered by hood are set up so that universities can

serve as a liaison to help improve the community and the CSU is participating in that fully. And then finally we are reaching out in a very direct way to try to expand higher education to people outside the immediate past with tank county region which is where we are located so that right now we are working in Dare County with the College of the Albemarle to extend baccalaureate level education to people in that county. Well Chancellor It sounds like you've got some exciting things going on out there and Elizabeth City State I thank you for making the drive and coming out here and sharing them with us. My pleasure. Thank you sir. Now here's a quick look at some of the events and activities coming up around our state. He

read Shakespeare studies calculus and is only 14. The adolescent Durham resident you are about to meet is a college upperclassman and one of the world's youngest pre-med students. Tonight Sunny Williams introduces us to Vincent Gibson Jr. The little man on campus making big accomplishments at age 14. Vincent Gibson Jr. might look like the average ninth grader but he's anything but average and well beyond the ninth grade. This 14 year old is a junior at North Carolina Central University. Knew that was so likeable to everyone else. Byron never paid attention to it. Still hung out with the boys almost a little bit. But yes I did on many days and stuff like that. School officials first noted Vinson's knack for knowledge when he took an IQ test in the third grade school in a 141 on this test qualified the then 7

year old for Mensa. An organization whose members score in the top 2 percent of a standard IQ test. It scared me because a lot of people were telling me that if it's stimulated if he's not stimulated then he would go either way either highly intelligent they may would climb or stabilize or he would be the opposite he'd be an excellent criminal and that scared me to death I can imagine. You know he would make a difference with my child but that's what really made me sit down and start thinking out what we need to do with this. With his skills and his abilities. So once Vincent completed the sixth grade his mother Cynthia Brazil enrolled him in a summer school at North Carolina Central because Vincent had not graduated from high school or taking the S.A.T. at the time. He was classified as a special student. That summer eventually earned a B in his college course. Still public school officials

refused to let him skip the seventh grade. That's when Cynthia pulled him out of the public school system and into home school. The children's advocates told me about home schooling. And so that's when I decided you know we're going to try this home schooling to get you out of public school completely and on the college level over the next year. Benson attended North Carolina Central during the day with his mom who's also a student and home schooled. Five hours each night seven days a week. It was a challenge but I didn't really sell the old one because I set out after a year of home school Benton graduated and became a full time college student. I remember him being so short that you couldn't fit up to the tables in the college classroom. And me going oh my god what am I doing you know I'm pushing my baby out here. But he did it. And I've always felt that he could and he did it on his own. That was the thing that I felt like if I went in the classroom and sat with him or took classes with him then I would be his back and he couldn't make it

unless I was there but he did it. And he's still doing it by fulfilling the same requirements as other students at Central. Vincent student teaches at Mount Zion Christian academy as part of central requirement for community service. Here he teaches algebra to students who are a couple of years older than he is. First time when I was really scared I was like they're not going to listen. They just leave. They're not they're not going to mean attention. But I talked to a couple teaches my mother she told me and I talked to one said Mr. Powell and he told me this what you do. You kind of you know you come in and you tell them this is what's going on. If you don't like it you can leave and if you leave don't come back. And I ended it like that and now my classroom is a lot better then since mature demeanor has helped ease his transition from the middle school playground to the campus of North Carolina Central University here Benson says he fits right in and is basically treated like any other student by both his professors and his fellow

classmates. They treat me more as a little boy but they still respect and I'm a student in the classroom. We're all we're fellow equals law professors they say to me just like a student they don't cut me in the slack they don't treat me any worse or any better. You have to have this paper and by this time and that's how it is and then sin says he wouldn't have it any other way. Despite his young age and skipping junior high and high school both Vincent and his mother feel his college experience is still fulfilling. I want to that's a ball that was my problem. I've got a football game some sort of in the pep club so I'm with the football team. I say if you're in college I want you to get the full effect of college. I don't want to walk away from college thing I can do this because my momma said or my momma wouldn't let me do this. So all the activities that are provided at Central all the extra activities he's allowed to go to in the end that surprise a lot of people.

But what has it been a surprise is all the local and national spotlight shining on Vincent and his academic success. He's been featured in several newspapers national magazines like Essence and Jet and even on the late night talk show. And while that seems only a junior at Central he's already earned a full scholarship to the Harry medical college in Nashville Tennessee. Still the 14 year old is taking it all in stride and says what he's accomplished is nothing extraordinary. It's my duty my moms tell me tell me is good and less is and that's how I have to look at it now. I'm going to have to do it. It's not noble or you. It's my duty back to it's my duty to my people and to God to do what I'm doing. Vincent plans to become a trauma surgeon once he completes medical school. And as for his mom she's a senior in human science and plans to graduate sometime this year. Well that's all we have time for tonight we have a special NASCAR program lined up for you tomorrow. And one

more thing before we head out of here would like to wish you all a very Happy Easter weekend. Goodnight everyone.