From the Desk of Vice Chancellor Brandon Frye
Colleagues and Friends of Student Affairs:
Over the last 20 months, since I arrived at East Carolina University (ECU), I have learned many interesting facts and been told so many great stories about ECU. One moment in ECU’s history that I learned about early in my tenure as Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs was about 1999 and Hurricane Floyd. Many people in Pirate Nation have talked with me about the challenges of Hurricane Floyd and its impact on campus and in our surrounding community. Many of those stories had elements of tragedy, but most also had powerful elements in them about care, support, community, and giving back. Though I was finishing up my undergraduate degree in Boone, NC during Hurricane Floyd, and though the internet was not that sophisticated at that time--I do remember hearing about the challenges that occurred in Greenville from letters that high school friends who attended ECU sent me during that time. And now, over 24 years later it is the western side of our beautiful state that’s been impacted by another hurricane (Helene).
Now, most of us in Greenville are a part of another story. This story is about the recovery efforts and support of our fellow North Carolinians across the state. As a native western North Carolinian, I am thankful for ECU and proud of the work that we are doing to help with the recovery efforts. Though at times, on the grid-iron, on the courts, and in the stadiums, we compete against our in-state sister intuitions to the west, any sports rivalries are tossed to the side when challenging times come, and help is needed.
ECU and our students stepped up to help our state and its people. The Division of Student Affairs sent food trucks to UNC-Asheville to assist within 48 hours of the storm passing through. Our fraternities and sororities collected supplies to send to the western side of our state. The Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement went to work setting up resources and organizing efforts to support Hurricane Helene Relief. There are ample stories of our wonderful faculty who are working to support students that were impacted by the storms. I could go on and on about the care that ECU has shown. I am proud of what ECU has done to help and give back—we lived up to our motto-Servire (“To Serve”).
Let’s continue to keep western NC in our thoughts and remember that the recovery will take some time. Please continue, if able, to give back and support those efforts in the future.
Rebuilding Lives and Communities After Hurricane Helene
Hurricane Helene has caused severe devastation, displacing families, destroying homes, and disrupting essential services. ECU is committed to restoring hope and fostering long-term recovery in partnership with local agencies, charities, and volunteers.
ECU’s Hurricane Helene Relief initiative focuses on rebuilding the lives of those impacted. We’re contributing our time, talent, and resources to support the recovery efforts.
Visit the Hurricane Helene Relief Efforts website to learn how you can help.
Welcome Campus EMS
Submitted by Ellen Goldberg, Associate Director for Clinical Operations
Campus Emergency Medical Services (Campus EMS) strives to provide a variety of high-quality basic life support services to the campus of ECU. Serving all populations within the East Carolina community, Campus EMS shall provide first responder (basic life support) emergency response to on-campus emergencies, standby for on-campus events, and provide emergency education to students, faculty, staff, and other members of the university community. In addition, Campus EMS collaborates with all supporting first response agencies to keep our campus safe and promote the health and well-being of the entire campus.
Operating out of Student Health Services, Campus EMS is comprised of student leaders who hold their EMT certification. The program was founded by Alexander Fisher and Matthew Geib, who, along with Sarayu Adala and Josie Smith, worked tirelessly to begin the program and set the course for this valuable addition to the ECU Campus.
Campus EMS has kicked off its inaugural semester by providing assistance to Greenville Fire/Rescue at ECU home football games and holding educational demos and workshops on CPR/AED use; later in the semester the students will provide first aid assistance at Campus Rec and Wellness Club Sports events as well as continue to plan for taking nighttime emergency calls on campus beginning Spring 2025.
Student Health Services is very proud of these amazing students and the services they offer to the campus community. For questions about Campus EMS, email CampusEMS@ecu.edu or visit the Campus EMS web page.
The Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities Announces New Director
Congratulations to Dr. Jeremy Tuchmayer, who was named Director of the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities (OSRR) on October 1st following the completion of a nationwide search.
Dr. Tuchmayer joined East Carolina University in 2014 as a member of the Student Affairs Assessment, Research and Planning team. Prior to working at ECU, Jeremy worked for Vanderbilt University in the Office of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity as well as the Metropolitan Nashville Public School System.
He earned his Ph.D. from North Carolina State as well as his master's from Vanderbilt and undergraduate degree from UNC Chapel Hill.
Dr. Tuchmayer is an experienced visionary leader in higher education, with a demonstrated history of providing strategic direction, planning, and supervision to the Institutional Assessment, Dean of Students, and Student Conduct offices. He is a subject matter expert in student conduct administration and assessment, evaluation, and research with a student-centered focus. Dr. Tuchmayer is adroit in qualitative and quantitative research design and analysis and data management, and skilled in Stata, educational and institutional research, program evaluation, strategic planning, grant writing, educational policy analysis, and data analysis and visualization. Additionally, Dr. Tuchmayer has experience with crisis management and has previously served on students of concerns and behavioral threat and intervention management teams in the higher education industry.
He currently co-chairs the ECU Leadership Development Academy and serves as a member of the Truist Scholars Leadership Collective and the Carnegie Foundation’s Elective Classification in Leadership.
"I began my career in a conduct office 20 years ago, and returning to my roots has given me renewed energy that I hope to pass along to staff and students alike. I’m excited to have the privilege to work alongside such a talented staff and look forward to the opportunities in front of us to grow, develop, and strive for success." - Jeremy Tuchmayer
Fall Career Fairs
Submitted by Suzanne Vinson, Assistant Director of Career Development
ECU Career Services hosted their semiannual career fairs on September 25th at the Greenville Convention Center and the day was a HUGE success with record-breaking student attendance of almost 1,800 students! Starting with the Job & Internship Fair, the team hosted almost 100 employers from various industries and had 857 students in attendance. In the afternoon, the Science, Engineering & Technology Fair played host to almost 200 employers and had 933 students in attendance by the time it ended. These career fairs are a great way to bridge the gap between employers and students and build professional connections to help our students accomplish their career goals. To help students prepare for the career fairs, Career Services also hosted Resumania, which was held on September 12th at the Main Campus Student Center, where 273 students came and had their resume reviewed!
The Career Services team would like to send a HUGE thank you to all the faculty and staff who volunteered their time at the job fairs. Your assistance was greatly appreciated, and we couldn’t have done it without you!
Career Services will also host the Health Careers Job Fair on October 17th from 10:00 am - 1:00 pm at the East Carolina Heart Institute and then partner with ECU's Graduate School to host the Graduate and Professional School Fair on October 23rd at the Greenville Convention Center from 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm.
If you would like to check out the Career Services social media accounts that feature job fair content, please follow us on Instagram (@ecucareerservices) or on Facebook (ECU Career Services). If you are interested in learning more about what Career Services has to offer and want to collaborate, please contact Suzanne Vinson at vinsons21@ecu.edu.
Halloween Safety
Submitted by Hillary Liles, CCSD Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention Coordinator
With Halloween approaching, some students may be planning to celebrate in a variety of ways.
We are asking staff and faculty to join us in our prevention efforts by encouraging students to engage in safe behavior. This could be a chat with a student employee, a quick message in class, or a post on a classroom chat to encourage safety and smart decision-making.
While much of the Halloween activity is legal and benign, the events may also invite risky behaviors in terms of alcohol and other drug use. Historically, there has been an especially heavy law enforcement presence in Greenville on Halloween and the days surrounding it. Quite often, the focus is on underage consumption of alcohol.
The Safest choice is to not consume alcohol. If students do choose to drink, here are some harm reduction strategies:
- Watch your beverage
- Travel in groups
- Know your limits
- Designate a driver
- Protect your fellow Pirates
- Greenville is much busier on Halloween, make sure you are familiar with your environment
Encourage students to attend ECU Student Affairs sponsored events such as Tips and Treats Halloween Safety Fair on October 30, 2024, 1:00pm to 3:00pm, on the Main Campus Student Center Lawn and Halloween Havoc on October 31, 2024, 8:00pm-Midnight, at the Main Campus Student Center.
Halloween Havoc – Volunteers Needed
The Division of Student Affairs is seeking volunteers for Halloween Havoc 2024!
Halloween Havoc will be held on Thursday, October 31 (Halloween) from 8pm to midnight in the Main Campus Student Center. There will be activities throughout the building and volunteers are needed to help run activities and to help assist students in finding their way. Volunteers are also needed throughout the day on October 31 to decorate and set up for the event, and Friday morning, November 1, to take down decorations. (Bonus points if you have any experience telling fortunes, reading palms, reading Tarot cards, or any other cool mystical skills that we could use in some stations – please reach out to Hank Bowen if you do.)
For volunteers working at the event, volunteer training meetings will be held on Tuesday October 29 at 1pm and Wednesday October 30 at 12pm in the Student Engagement office, 107 Main Campus Student Center.
Volunteers working the night of the event will be provided with a t-shirt and food.
If you have any questions, please contact Hank Bowen, bowenh@ecu.edu. He will reach out with volunteer assignments closer to the event date.
Student Affairs Making Headlines
CRW featured in LES MILLS™ Case Study
Campus Recreation and Wellness was recently featured for their fitness program and 20-year legacy of delivering LES MILLS™ programs to thousands of students. Click here to read the full story provided by Steven Trotter, ECU Director of Well-Being.
Practical Wisdom for Leaders Podcast
Dr. Dennis McCunney, Center for Student Success, was recently featured on the International Leadership Association podcast to discuss all things leadership. Click here to listen to the "Elevating Leader Development in Higher Education" discussion or view the transcript.
Homecoming 2024 will be out of this world – join us for ECUniverse!
This year’s Homecoming celebrations will take place October 19-26 and there is something for everyone. We want students, staff, and faculty across all campuses to take part in this year’s festivities. For a full list of events and competitions, visit the Homecoming website.
If you have Homecoming-related events that you’d like included in the overall Homecoming event list, please send the title, time and location, and a brief description as it should appear on the website to Hank Bowen at bowenh@ecu.edu.
Campus Department Door Decoration Contest
Introducing the newest Homecoming event – a contest for campus departments to show their school spirit by decorating their office entrances in the ECUniverse theme! Judging will take place on Monday, October 21 and the winning department will receive a trophy that will rotate each year to the new winner. For a full list of rules and to sign up, visit the Door Decoration Competition page.
Homecoming Parade
The Homecoming Parade will be on Saturday October 26 at 9am. The route will once again start at Wahl-Coates Elementary School and travel down Fifth Street past the heart of ECU’s main campus. If your department would like to participate in the Homecoming Parade, please complete the non-competing parade form.
The Student Homecoming Committee has reached for the stars to put on an amazing week, and we hope you will join us for all the fun of Homecoming 2024!
For questions about Homecoming 2024, please contact Hank Bowen in the Department of Student Engagement at bowenh@ecu.edu.
One-Stop Early Voting
The Student Government Association (SGA) and Pirates Vote from the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement (CLCE) would like to share information with you about the 2024 General Election. We are committed to providing our students, faculty, and staff with non-partisan election information and resources.
The Main Campus Student Center will be a one-stop early voting location again this year! The one-stop early voting site in the Main Campus Student Center (room 125) will be open October 17 – November 2 (specific dates/times can be found above). College students have the option to register to vote using their campus address (residence hall or apartment) or permanent home address. You must be registered in Pitt County to vote at this early voting location and it is open to the community as well, with free parking just outside the student center for community members. You can register and vote same day at this location! For more information about same day registration during One Stop click here.
ECU has created an Election 2024 Website that includes an online portal where you can check your registration status, register to vote, look up candidates through your sample ballot, request an absentee ballot, and more!
As a reminder to faculty, staff, and students it is illegal to provide anything of value to a person in exchange for their vote or in exchange for a person registering to vote. This includes potential extra credit and points-based systems that some student organizations utilize for membership.
Should you have any questions related to voting please feel free to stop by the Center for Leadership & Civic Engagement in 208 of the Main Campus Student Center or email vote@ecu.edu.
New Hires
NEW HIRES
Courtney Pope – Career Services
Courtney Pope joined the Career Services team in September 2024, where she oversees all co-op programs for the university and manages applicants for the Disney College program. She also collaborates with faculty and internship coordinators across campus to implement smoother processes for requesting internships for credit in Handshake.
Courtney received her degree in journalism from UNC-Chapel Hill and began her career in higher education in the Undergraduate Admissions office at UNC Pembroke. She transitioned to ECU Admissions in April 2022 where she recruited students from southeastern NC, including her hometown of Fayetteville, NC.
Courtney is a Pirate at heart with both of her parents being proud ECU alumni. She enjoys exploring Greenville with her partner Hunter Jolicoeur, an ECU SODM student, and her two labradoodles, Sunny and Dakota.
Ashton Gilreath – Student Health Services
Ashton Gilreath joined Student Health Services as the admin support specialist where her primary job duties are processing insurance claims, payments, and denials. She will also be assisting students with enrolling or waiving out of the student insurance.
Ashton graduated from Pitt Community College with her associate degree in medical office administration. She is from Greenville and in her free time enjoys hanging out with her boyfriend and two pups, Nova and Boosie.