Loading

On Deck with Student Affairs November 2023 Edition

From the Desk of Vice Chancellor Brandon Frye

Brandon A. Frye, PhD

Dear Colleagues:

We are only a little over a week away from Thanksgiving, and just three weeks away from the start of fall 2023 final exams. Then it’s Commencement, winter break, and before you know it –the spring 2024 semester. However, we aren’t quite to the finish line yet. So, I am going to focus my comments on being thankful.

Please take some time to stop and reflect on what you are thankful for in your lives. Many times, the world around us can feel chaotic, fast paced, and unkind. However, that same world can also be a beautiful place filled with 1000s of happy moments to be thankful for. I know that I am thankful for my family, my friends, my leadership team, and the 300 plus professional staff members and 1000 plus student staff members that make up our division and support ECU student success. I am also thankful for the work our partners across campus and in the community are doing to support student success inside the classroom and beyond.

So, I hope you take time during this season of thanks and the soon to be winter break to practice self-care, re-energize the batteries, and step away from work to focus on what matters most to each of you. We’ve had a busy fall semester with programs and events focused on student success, mental health and well-being, career readiness and belonging:

We won’t have a December edition since it will be Commencement Day – so On Deck with Student Affairs will return in early 2024. Let’s help our students finish strong and as they prepare to complete the fall 2023 semester.

Military and Veterans Resource Center

New Location

On November 3rd, the Military & Veterans Resource Center celebrated the ribbon cutting of its new location in the Main Campus Student Center room 282. MVRC staff unveiled the new space to military-affiliated students, campus partners, and supporters from the community both inside and outside of North Carolina. More than 150 people attended the ribbon cutting ceremony. The new space is a significant milestone in ECU's commitment to supporting our military and veteran community.

The MVRC suite features a social area, quiet study area, kitchen, wellness room, and a satellite office for campus partners.

Best for Vets: College Rankings

Military Times Best for Vets (Colleges): the largest and most comprehensive annual ranking of schools for military service members and veterans.

Each year, the Military Times survey is sent to colleges and universities across the nation asking about their programs for veterans. The survey results are then analyzed, along with public data about colleges and universities obtained from the Department of Education and Department of Veterans Affairs and turned into an official ranking. This year, 325 schools made the list – up nearly 5% over last year.

Click here for the 2023 Best for Vets rankings.

Job Fair Spotlight

Submitted by Tom Halasz, Career Services Director

The Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) and the Job and Internship (JIF) Fairs are bustling events that serve as valuable opportunities for ECU students and alumni to connect with potential employers and explore career prospects. Held in the fall and spring semesters at the Greenville Convention Center, ECU Career Services brings a wide array of companies looking to recruit new talent. The SET fair is ECU’s largest job fair in terms of employers and student attendees, providing opportunities for students from the College of Engineering & Technology, the College of Business' Management Information Systems, Marketing, and Supply Chain Management majors, and STEM majors from the College of Arts & Sciences.. The JIF provides opportunities primarily for students ECU students majoring in programs from the College of Business, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Health and Human performance, and the College of Fine Arts and Communication

As our students navigate the events, they encounter booths or tables set up by different employers, each showcasing their organization and available job opportunities. Students come prepared with resumes, dressed professionally, and ready to engage in brief conversations with company representatives. These interactions can range from informal introductions to more in-depth discussions about job requirements and company culture. ECU job fairs create a dynamic environment where networking, information exchange, and potential job matches take center stage. Both events result in ECU students securing day after job fair interviews for full-time jobs, internships and co-ops.

  • Fall ’23 Job & Internship Fair Attendance: 660 students, 23% increase from Fall ‘22
  • Fall ’23 Science, Engineering, & Technology Fair: 805 students, 7% increase from Fall ‘22
  • Combined Fair Attendance: 1465, 14% increase from Fall ‘22
  • Fall Day-After Interviews: 53, 36% Increase from Fall ‘22
  • 351 Total Employer Registrations

Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement Global Opportunities

Serve & Learn in Ghana, May 12 – 22, 2024

For summer 2024, we will offer a short-term community engagement program in Ghana through our partner organization, Amizade. See below for more details and encourage students to apply!

To experience Ghana is to experience hospitality that will move you, landscapes that will stun you, culture that will captivate you, and memories that will shape you. From enticing cuisine, to discussions with chiefs and elders, to nights spent drumming around a bonfire, life in rural west Africa will forever leave a mark on your heart.

As you spend time in Ghana you will trace the steps of the Slaves that were brought from neighboring communities and countries to the coastal castles for transport, explore the onset of nationalism that eventually led to the Ghanaian Revolution, and learn the history of the Denkyira Kingdom, whose people once ruled the Central Region of the Ashantiland Peninsula. As you immerse yourself in Ghanaian culture, you will also have the ability to work on community-led initiatives and participate in several local and ecological excursions.

Program Costs

  • Program fee: $3,170 (includes lodging, food, ground transportation, travel insurance, and all program activities; payment plans are encouraged)
  • Roundtrip flight to Accra, Ghana (average price from RDU-ACC is $1,400; students will purchase their flight separately)

This program is offered through ECU’s College of Education and College of Nursing (with organizing support from CLCE and the Alternative Break Experiences program), and open to all students. Spaces are limited. Scholarships are available. Learn more here: https://interculturalaffairs.ecu.edu/ghana/

For more information, please contact:

Serve & Learn in Jamaica, May 4 – 12, 2024

For the second year in a row, ECU’s Intercultural Affairs department will offer a global learning program to Jamaica in May 2024. During the program, ECU students will be uniquely embedded into Jamaican culture through homestays and a wide variety of community activities. ECU students also learn about the Jamaican education system, grassroots economic development, community leadership, and youth civic engagement. Along with two program leaders – Dr. Katie Ford and Dr. Dennis McCunney – our students spend the week in Westmoreland Parish, where they will meet with local community and professional leaders; serve on projects developed by local community members; explore the country and culture through field trips, and hear from local presenters to learn about Jamaica history, cuisine, and music.

Please encourage students to apply! Application deadline is Feb. 2, 2024. For more info, visit the program webpage: https://interculturalaffairs.ecu.edu/jamaica/

This program is offered through ECU’s Honors College and Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement / Intercultural Affairs; it is open to all students. Spaces are limited. Scholarships are available.

For more information, please contact:

Focus on First Generation Students

ECU received a 2023 First-Generation College Celebration Grant from the Center for First-Generation Student Success to help celebrate, raise awareness, and build community for first-generation students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Grant recipients were selected based on innovative plans to reach more first-generation college students, launch new events, and provide additional services.

First-generation students often lack important career competencies such as networking, career management, and professional communication. With the assistance of this grant funding, a first-generation career readiness event was held on November 10, concluding the First-Gen College Celebration week of events. Students learned how to network and prepare for an interview. Participants heard from faculty, staff, students, and alumni including Dr. Catrina Davis, lead coordinator in the Office of Professional Development & Student Outreach in the College of Education, who served as keynote. The perseverance of first-generation students was repeatedly mentioned as a strength first-generation students bring to the workplace. Another theme was the importance of finding a mentor who can encourage, support, and offer advice.

Earlier in the week, the National First-Gen College Celebration was held on the lawn of the Main Campus Student Center. First-generation students face self-doubt and may not feel like they belong at an institution. This event helped celebrate students and connect them to other first-generation students with crafts, games, and reflections on why they are proud to be a first-generation Pirate. Some students stated they were proud to be first-generation because “I am showing my siblings that it is possible” and “My parents have made a lot of sacrifices for me to be here.” Students were excited to see themselves on the Pirate Vision screen which highlighted first-generation faculty, staff, and students.

The National Celebration occurs on November 8th in honor of the anniversary of the Higher Education Act of 1965. This is the seventh year that ECU has participated in the National First-Gen College Celebration. At ECU, roughly 33% of our first-year students identify as a first-generation student (neither parent graduated with a four-year degree) on our first-year assessment instrument; this has been consistent for nearly a decade. ECU is recognized as a First-Gen Forward Institution by the Center for First-Generation Student Success which values the initiatives to support this important student population.

Pledge Purple 2023

Pledge Purple is a yearlong initiative that started at ECU in 2015, focused on education and advocacy with the goal of ending sexual violence, harassment, hazing, and bullying. The university provides one week of focused programming in the fall, with this year’s activities taking place the week of November 6th through the 9th, 2023. Pledge Purple was presented in partnership with the ECU Well-Being Collective.

Pledge Purple Week kicked off with a Resource Fair on the Main Campus Student Center Lawn on November 6th and a Resource Fair at the Health Sciences Campus Student Center on November 7th. Students had the opportunity to learn more about various resources and campus partners, while also being able to take the pledge and sign the Pledge Purple banner stating they would not use their hands or words in acts of bullying, hazing, sexual violence, or other forms of violence. Partners at the resource fairs included the Office for Equity and Diversity, Bystander Intervention through Campus Recreation and Wellness, Student Health Services, LiveSafe, Counseling Center, Dean of Students, and two student organizations, Her+ Public Health and S.E.A. Initiative (Support, Educate, and Advocate).

On November 8th, ECU’s annual Take Back the Night march was held starting on the Main Campus Student Center Lawn. The ECU Community was invited to march down 10th street and through campus to raise awareness of Pledge Purple and Take Back the Night’s mission. Throughout Pledge Purple Week, people were encouraged to stop by the WGO to create their own signs for Take Back the Night. Following the march, participants were invited inside for light refreshments. Messages in a bottle were also available for survivors of sexual violence with letters of encouragement from fellow Pirates across campus.

Pledge Purple Week concluded with a Poetry Performance and Workshop by Maya Williams, an ECU Alumni and the current poet laureate in Portland, Maine sponsored by the Department of English and Ledonia Wright Cultural Center on November 9th. Participants were given the opportunity to discuss themes of poems from Maya’s poetry collection Refused a Second Date and how these tied into the themes of Pledge Purple.

Maya Williams, ECU Alumni

Student Affairs Making Headlines

DSS Staff attend Fall Conference

Staff from Disability Support Services attended the annual NCAHEAD Fall Conference on October 9-10th at Meredith College in Raleigh. While there, Davis Wilson, Assistant Director of Disability Support Services, facilitated/moderated two sessions. The sessions were:

Current events, trends, and topics related to disability support centers in NC higher education institutions.

During this session, Davis Wilson and Kadejia Washington guided the conversation for disability professionals working across North Carolina higher education institutions. This session allowed for professionals to ask questions about current trends they are experiencing with different constituents and provided a great opportunity for discussion on how offices/institutions handle procedures.

Parent Whisperers: Tips for Fostering Positive Relationships

This session was presented by Katherine Krieger, MA, CAGS, Margaret Camp, MEd, Jane Brown, EdD, and Jamie Butler, MEd. Participants learned how to work and communicate with parents of students with disabilities during the accommodation process. As strong advocates, parents have often had to “fight” for the accommodations to be implemented for their students during K-12 education, whereas the same accommodations may not be reasonable in the higher education environment. Learning the balance between educating parents and students with changes in disability law and supporting the student’s independence can be a challenge. Disability support professionals must learn to navigate and foster a positive relationship with parents during these times.

I enjoy having any opportunity to build relationships and learn with other professionals in this field. By attending conferences such as the NCAHEAD Fall Conference, I can connect with other professionals who have shared experiences, learn how offices implement services differently, and then take this information back to ECU so I can reevaluate my own practice to better support students who walk through my door. - Davis Wilson

Emerging Scholars Symposium

The Office for Equity and Diversity hosted the Emerging Scholars Symposium, as part of their faculty outreach program. The fall 2023 Symposium will be a 4-day event for advanced doctoral students and post-doctoral scholars whose research interests align with East Carolina University's mission and strategic plan, Future focused. Innovation driven. On November 7th, Aleshia Hunt and Dr. Erik Kneubuehl participated in a panel discussion that focused on highlighting some of the university and community’s greatest resources. The panel, made up of community, faculty, and staff shared their professional and personal experiences that help foster connectedness and support employee success as well as some of the great things going on in our local community. The Emerging Scholars Symposium exposes interested faculty and educators to the diverse opportunities within Pirate Nation as well as the advantages of living, working, and thriving in Greenville.

Pictured L-R: Dr. Marjorie Campo Ringler Professor and Chair, Educational Leadership, College of Education; Dr. Erik Kneubuehl, Associate Vice Chancellor, Student Life; Aaron Lucier, Director of Housing Operations; Ce’Nedra Dillard, Greenville-Pitt County Convention & Visitors Bureau ; Kristian Williams, HR Benefits Consultant Leave Administration ; Aleshia Hunt, Assistant Director / SGA Advisor (Not Pictured: Dr. Danny F. Ellis, Senior Teaching Instructor, Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management)

ACUI Region III Conference

The ACUI Region III Conference was held at North Carolina A&T State University November 8-10. ACUI Region III is made up of 7 states in the Southeastern United States, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico.

Representing ECU during the conference included:

  • Mark Rasdorf, Gabby Lemus, Dean Smith, and Jeff Stebar of Perkins and Will Architects collaborated to create the presentation “Designing Campus Spaces That Foster Inclusion.” The session was standing room only with 75 attendees!
  • Sammie Kunz won the ACUI Region III Volunteer of the Year Award!
  • Dean Smith was part of a three-person panel at the All-Conference Session that spoke about current issues in higher education.

Einstein’s in Wright Place – Now Open

Einstein Bros. Bagels has expanded and re-opened! A Grand Re-Opening was held on Wednesday, October 25th. The bagel and breakfast shop welcomed students and staff alike to their newly renovated space inside of Wright Place. Guests enjoyed samples of fresh bagels and hot coffee, along with music, giveaways, and a drawing for an ECU cornhole board.

Einstein’s as it’s known around campus, closed at the end of the 2023 school year to make the official move into their larger space. Along with their famous bagels, their menu includes cold brews, lattes, baked sweets, hot sandwiches, and more!

“It’s been great to see excitement brought back to Wright Place,” said JR Piper, ECU Dining’s Assistant Retail Director. “EBB was clearly missed, and guests are showing their appreciation it’s back!”. “We are back and better than ever!” added Angela Barrett, ECU Dining’s location manager for Wright Place. Thanks to Diamond Streeter the team leader, and the fantastic team members at Einstein’s - EBB is the place to be for breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack!

Einstein Bros. Bagels is one of 21 dining options on ECU’s campus. Einstein’s accepts cash, debit/credit cards, Purple and Gold Bucks, and Pirate Meals. Meal delivery is through GrubHub & Starship robots. They are also ECU’s second GrubHub Ultimate location, which offers customers the ability to order ahead with their smart phones, or through the kiosks at the restaurant. To learn more about dining options on campus, GrubHub and Starship delivery, please visit dining.ecu.edu.

Homecoming Week 2023 - Surfin' ECU

Homecoming Events

It was a week at the beach for Homecoming 2023 with Surfin’ ECU! The Student Homecoming Committee, chaired by graduate student Grace Faller, kicked the week off on Monday with Cannonball featuring the Marching Pirates, Dance Team, and ECU Cheerleaders. Students had a chance to ride the waves and even PeeDee got in on the fun. The banner competition also began on Monday, and banners were on display all week in the Eakin Student Recreation Center. Congratulations to Sigma Sigma Sigma and Sigma Nu for winning the large organization banner competition and Women’s Club Volleyball for winning the small organization banner competition. Thanks for our partners in ECU Athletics we were able to display the banner competition finalists in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium this year for everyone at the football game to see.

Tuesday night brought the return of Skit Night to the Greenville Town Commons Amphitheatre and over 1500 students enjoyed an evening of school spirit and amazing dances related to the Surfin’ ECU theme. New this year was a partnership with the City of Greenville and the Downtown Greenville Partnership to provide several food trucks so students, community members, and families could enjoy a full evening of fun with us. The Skit Night winners were Alpha Phi and Phi Gamma Delta. On Thursday night we added a new Homecoming event Bingo Night, and students loved having more opportunities to get involved and win great prizes.

Friday, in partnership with the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement and the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, organizations donated over 25,000 pounds of food to support local families with food insecurity. We also collected food donations throughout the week for ECU’s Purple Pantry as part of a t-shirt swap event. Homecoming Week was capped off Saturday with the Homecoming Parade featuring amazing floats from student organizations, campus departments, and community groups, with Delta Zeta and Sigma Tau Gamma winning the float competition. At the Pirate football game Saturday against UNC Charlotte in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, Julia Gillespie was announced as the new Captain of the Ship winner. Julia will receive a $1,000 educational award sponsored by the Student Government Association. For the overall Spirit Cup, the winner for small organizations was The Diabetes Link and for large organizations was Delta Zeta and Sigma Tau Gamma.

Run the Ball

ECU Student Affairs, in partnership with UNC Charlotte and the Maxwell for Life Foundation, hosted the inaugural Run the Ball fundraiser to raise awareness about mental health needs and suicide prevention. During Homecoming week, volunteer student runners from Sigma Pi carried the game-day football from the UNC Charlotte campus to Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. The purpose of the event was to raise awareness and funds while honoring the life of ECU alumnus and military veteran Maxwell Tyeryar. It took the students one full week to run the 228-mile course from Charlotte to Greenville. The event raised nearly $5,000 in scholarship funds.

Tyeryar completed his degree in criminal justice at ECU and in August 2021 fulfilled his six-year commitment of military service with the U.S. Army National Guard. He always masked his personal struggle and died in January 2022.

“When we started our charity, the first goal of our mission was to establish a scholarship endowment in Max’s name to assist active military or veterans attending ECU,” said Max’s father, Wes Tyeryar. “The work of Sigma Pi, Max’s fraternity at ECU, was to create this event and continue to drive our mission forward.”

Run the Ball was sponsored by the Sigma Pi fraternity chapter at ECU and supported by the Division of Student Affairs at both ECU and UNC Charlotte.“This event was more than just running a football from Charlotte to Greenville,” said Preston Jones, ECU student leader and Sigma Pi fraternity member. “It was about raising money for the Maxwell for Life Foundation and carrying out the legacy of our brother Max Tyeryar.” The goal is to continue to work with Athletics and Sigma Pi to support this event again next year. Special thanks to Jennifer Tanner, Erik Kneubuehl, Leslie Craigle, Brad Ritchie, Chris Sutton, LaShae’ Wilson, Zach Karamalegos, Emily McLamb, Kellen Altman and others who all supported this event!

LGBTQ Symposium and Fundraiser Efforts a Success

All Colors of the Rainbow Symposium

On Saturday, November 4, the Dr. Jesse R. Peel LGBTQ Center hosted ALL COLORS OF THE RAINBOW, a half-day symposium featuring the voices of LGBTQ and Ally writers and illustrators.

The symposium, attended by 115 people, was held in the Main Campus Student Center and featured keynote speeches by:

  • Mariama J. Lockington, Stonewall Honor Award recipient
  • Kyle Lukoff, Newberry Award recipient and National Book Award finalist
  • Abdi Nazemian, Lambda Literary Award and Stonewall Honor Award recipient
  • Dr. Caitlin Ryan, Professor at UNC Wilmington and co-author of “Reading the Rainbow”

The event also featured JR and Vanessa Ford (“Calvin”), Noah Grigni (illustrator of “It Feels Good to Be Yourself” and “The Gender Identity Workbook for Kids”), Greg Howard (“The Whispers” and “Middle School’s a Drag, You Better Werk!”), Emery Lee (“Meet Cute Diary” and “Café Con Lychee”), Serina Marshall (“Handpicked”), and Sirius (“Uncrowned”). Attendees were able to attend two “Meet the Author” sessions which allowed the authors/illustrators to discuss their work, as well as a book-signing opportunity at the close of the symposium.

The organizing committee included:

  • Dr. Will Banks, Director, University Writing Programs
  • Rose Bogue, BFA, Program Coordinator, Dr. Jesse R. Peel LGBTQ Center
  • Dr. Aleia M. Brown, David Julian and Virginia Suther Whichard Distinguished Professor in the Humanities Kylene Dibble, MSW, Teaching Instructor, School of Social Work
  • Katherine Ford, Ph.D., Linda E. McMahon Distinguished Professorship in Foreign Languages, Associate Dean and Director of Brinkley-Lane Scholars Program Ford
  • Chelsie Hargrove, M.A., Director, Women and Gender Office
  • Ashley Harzog, M.Ed., Director of Alumni Relations and Outreach, Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences
  • Dr. Linda Kean, Dean and Professor, College of Fine Arts and Communication
  • Gabriela Lemus, M.A., Director, Ledonia Wright Cultural Center
  • Charlene Loope, Head of the Teaching Resources Center, Academic Library Services
  • Dr. Elizabeth Swaggerty, Professor and Chair, Department of Literacy Studies, English Education, and History Education

ALL COLORS OF THE RAINBOW was made possible with support from:

Academic Library Services, the College of Education, the College of Fine Arts and Communication, the David Julian and Virginia Suther Whichard Distinguished Professorship in the Humanities, the Dr. Jesse R> Peel LGBTQ Center, the Honors College, the Ledonia Wright Cultural Center, the LGBTQ Priority Fund, the Linda E. McMahon Distinguished Professorship in Foreign Languages, the Nellvena Duncan Eutsler Lecture in Children’s Literature Endowment in English, the Pitt County Arts Council, the W. Keats Sparrow Distinguished Chair in the Liberal Arts, and the Women and Gender Office.

Love Wins

The Peel LGBTQ Center kicked off LGBTQ History Month in October with its annual LOVE WINS fundraiser. Eight separate events and the online silent auction raised $18,015. Since the event began in 2015, the Peel LGBTQ Center has raised just over $123,000 for the LGBTQ Priority Fund. When we include the $36,318 raised as part of the 10th Anniversary Crowdfunding campaign in 2019, we have generated $159,318 since 2015. The LGBTQ Priority Fund supports our students through the LGBTQ Legacy Project, the Pride and Equality Scholarship programs, professional development through attendance at national LGBTQ conferences and the Alternative Break Experience. Additionally, the fund support initiatives impacting our region such as the LOVE ONE ANOTHER faith symposium and the recent ALL COLORS OF THE RAINBOW literature symposium.

New Hires and Separations

New Hires

  • Jamyah Grice – Administrative Support - Student Health Services - November 1

Madison Adams – Disability Support Services

Maddie Adams has joined Disability Support Services as an Access Consultant on November 13. In this role, she will be the primary point of contact for students registering with DSS. She will be meeting with students to determine reasonable accommodations and help facilitate accessibility around campus.

Maddie majored in Special Education at ECU and graduated in 2020. She has been working with students with disabilities since graduation. Maddie is a native of Greenville and enjoys time spent with her dogs and traveling. Please join DSS in welcoming Maddie as a new staff member in Student Affairs!

Anthony Bechtel – Business Administration

Anthony joined the Student Affairs Business Administration unit as a Business Officer on November 13 and will provide financial management, reporting, and analysis for the division. He will manage the day-to-day, monthly, and quarterly financial planning and reporting for auxiliary units within Student Affairs. This includes Divisional reports and tracking/reconciling monthly activity, Divisional approval for Journal Entries/Requisitions and ensuring that all departments follow State and university policies and procedures related to personnel administration.

Anthony previously served as ITF Accountant for Financial Services at ECU and was most recently at Thermo-Fisher. He earned Bachelor’s & MSA at ECU, completed his CPA license in 2017. He is from Farmville, NC, and loves animals – has 6 cats/3 dogs, he enjoys community theater and going to plays; most recently going to see the Wizard of Oz in Goldsboro.

Separations

  • Shakia Risby – Residence Hall Coordinator – Campus Living – November 3