FALL 2020
AND JUSTICE FOR ALL
Law students of color seek change in America's judicial system MA GAZ INE .CAMPBE LL.EDU
C A M PB E LL M A G A Z I N E 1
THE NEW NORMAL
After months of preparation and the implementation of new policies, Campbell University welcomed students back to campus in August for the first time in nearly six months. Among the new regulations — students and faculty are required to wear masks in classrooms, buildings and in areas where social distancing isn't possible. This image of Dr. Sherry Truffin's English class from August represents the "new normal" on campus during the global pandemic. Read more about the return on Page 38. Photo by Ben Brown 2 FALL 2020
MA GAZ INE .CAMPBE LL.EDU
C A M PB E LL M A G A Z I N E 1
FEATURES
FALL 2020 | VOLUME 15 | ISSUE 2
____________________________________ PRESIDENT
J. Bradley Creed VICE PRESIDENT FOR INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
Britt Davis
ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT FOR COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING
Haven Hottel ’00 ____________________________________ DIRECTOR OF NEWS & PUBLICATIONS & MAGAZINE EDITOR
Billy Liggett
SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR & MAGAZINE WRITER
Kate Stoneburner
Page 18 ABOUT THE COVER Smithfield-based photographer Ben Brown was first featured in Campbell Magazine in the Spring 2020 edition, shooting the cover and inside photos for the Covid-19 cover feature and shots of the then-empty Oscar N. Harris Student Union in the early months of the pandemic. Brown returns for the portraits of this edition's cover story and inside feature on the return to campus for students after nearly six months away. Find more of Brown's work online at benbrownmultimedia.com.
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DIRECTOR OF MARKETING
Sarah Hardin
CONTRIBUTORS
COVER STORY
18 AND JUSTICE FOR ALL While Black people represent roughly 33 percent of the U.S. incarcerated population, they make up just 5 percent of the nation’s lawyers. Students of color in Campbell's School of Law are very aware of these numbers, and they're mindful of their unique position as the fight against systemic racism and social injustice in this country continues to grow. As future lawyers, they're eager to enact change and shoulder the responsibility of their calling.
40 Prison Learning Initiative English professor Dr. Sherry Truffin and Executive Vice President Dr. John Roberson have dedicated their time this past year to teaching inmates at the Sampson County Correctional Institution in Clinton. The program has proven to significantly drop the recividism rate for those incarcerated, and it's become a rewarding experience for the instructors themselves.
38 Strangely Familiar After five months away from campus, students returned to Campbell University for face-toface learning in August. While the surroundings were the same (except for a very large and new student union), the experience — with masks, social distancing and other new policies — has been unique for students and faculty.
46 Forever Champions
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The 1970 men's golf team — the NAIA National Champions — remain to this day Campbell University's only national championship squad. Fifty years later, alumni from that team recall that banner year and the close lifelong friendships that resulted from it.
Ben Brown, Stan Cole, Nikki Olive, Bennett Scarborough ____________________________________ ACCOLADES
Finalist: CASE International Robert Sibley Magazine of the Year (2020) CASE International Circle of Excellence Magazine on Shoestring: 2020 (Grand Gold) Illustrations: 2020 (Gold) Cover Design: 2018 (Silver) Feature Writing: 2017 (Bronze) CASE III Grand Award Best Magazine: 2013 Editorial Design: 2018 Feature Writing: 2017, 2019 Illustration-Cover: 2018 Most Improved: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 Photography Series: 2017 Publications Writing: 2019, 2020 CASE III Award of Excellence Best Magazine: 2017, 2019 Best Article (Platinum): 2018 Editorial Design: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 Feature Writing: 2018, 2020 Periodical Design: 2018 Publications Writing: 2014 Illustrations: 2016 ____________________________________ Founded in 1887, Campbell University is a private, coeducational institution where faith, learning and service excel. Campbell offers programs in the liberal arts, sciences and professions with undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees. The University is comprised of nine colleges and schools and was ranked among the Best National Universities in the South by U.S. News & World Report in its America’s Best Colleges 2020 edition and named one of the “100 Best College Buys” in the nation by Institutional Research & Evaluation, Inc. EEO/AA/Minorities/Females/Disabled/Protected Veterans www.campbell.edu/employment
CAMPBELL READY
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s we gather for classes, meetings, worship, events, dining and fellowship, we must care for our neighbors as we care for ourselves. Our new rhythms and policies are rooted in the spirit of community we know at Campbell University.
A Safe Return Over the summer, Campbell University's Fall Task Force implemented the following guidelines and policies to ensure a safe return to campus:
Campbell readily welcomes our community back for Fall 2020. We have prepared facilities to ensure the health and safety of our community as we navigate the reality of COVID-19. Over the summer, we launched a website — CAMPBELL READY — to serve as a home for information and resources for the return to campus this fall.
Face Coverings/Masks
The University was well prepared for the return of students, faculty and staff to on-campus instruction — according to the results of an assessment developed by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The assessment, specifically designed for colleges and universities reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic, evaluated 11 aspects of university planning, from policies and procedures to resident halls and dining services to cleaning and sanitation.
Social Distancing
The CAMPBELL READY site includes resources for students, faculty and staff and visitors to make their on-campus experience safe and comfortable. A COVID-19 dashboard, updated weekly, makes public the active cases among students and staff. The site includes new guidelines and policies regarding face coverings and social distancing — as well as a pledge students, faculty and staff can sign to demonstrate their “commitment to care.”
Cleaning and Sanitizing
• Required in all buildings, labs and classrooms and outdoors when social distancing isn't possible
• Achieved by limited occupancy in buildings, private rooms in on-campus residence halls, spaced seating in classes and separate entrances/exits in common areas
• Expanded efforts to clean and sanitize rooms and offer do-it-yourself sanitation kits in all class/meeting rooms
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As we navigate the reality of COVID-19 and make adjustments to community life at Campbell University, we understand you may have feedback, questions or C A M PB E LL M A G A Z I N E 3 concerns. Visit the Campbell Ready site and scroll down to "Feedback & Concerns" to make your concerns known and heard.
FROM THE PRESIDENT
A Duchene smile is one that reaches your eyes — it's the smile most of us recognize as the most authentic expression of happiness. With students returning to campus this fall with a mask mandate in all buildings, classrooms and areas where social distancing isn't impossible, the Campbell community is relying on eyes to communicate this fall. "Their eyes are smiling," President J. Bradley Creed writes in his column below. "So are mine."
THE EYES HAVE IT
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BY J. BRADLEY CREED
olleges and universities are currently facing three massive challenges; a global pandemic, an economic recession and social unrest. Each of these alone is potent enough to strain the resources and capacities of institutions of higher education. Melded together, they constitute a rare and extraordinary trial. What can be said about this crisis that has not already been said? I am running out of superlatives to describe our present circumstances. I have used the sports analogy: “We are not just making adjustments at halftime. We are calling audibles from the line of scrimmage.” More recently, I have employed the language of the battlefield: “We get up every day and go to war.” The virus is an enemy unfazed by conventional weapons. Until there is a vaccine or widespread immunity within the general population, we practice prevention bolstered by careful planning. Our defense is social distancing and 4 FALL 2020
sanitizing the surfaces around us. We wear face masks in a spirit of patient hope.
beginning the fall semester. We are off to a stable and promising start.
Above the masks, there are smiling eyes. I see them every day, and my eyes smile back.
Our smiling eyes are also looking to the future, to brighter days when our vision is not obscured by the viral fog of a pandemic, when we can remove our masks and see once more smiling faces, not just smiling eyes. These unpredictable times are strengthening our resilience. Even while attending to current challenges, we are weighing our long-term prospects and assessing emerging trends that will reshape higher education and offer new opportunities for Campbell University.
As of this writing, Campbell is in its third week of classes. We have resumed less than normal operations, but class is in session. The new normal is normed and grounded by having students back on campus. It is particularly heartening to see them occupying and enjoying the new Student Union which has already become the epicenter of our campus community. More than a thousand students each day make their way into the building to share meals with friends or take a break from classes.
We are in a position not just to survive, but to thrive going forward. Our eyes are on the horizon.
Their eyes are smiling. So are mine. Our smiling eyes are observing and paying close attention to our students and these present conditions which require assiduous monitoring and rapid responses to the fluctuations in our environment. The diligent and careful planning of our staff and leadership established a solid base for
President Campbell University
#CAMPBELLCLASSOF2024
CASE AWARDS
Campbell Magazine a finalist for top honor
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ampbell Magazine received the highest honor in two categories in the Council for Advancement and Support of Education’s (CASE) annual Circle of Excellence awards in June. The magazine’s fall 2019 edition, The Women of Campbell, won a Grand Gold award in a new category, “Magazines on a Shoestring,” which recognizes smaller-staff publications with limited resources. The same edition’s artwork by Fuquay-Varina artist Amanda Dockery also received a Gold award in the Illustrations category. The two awards marked Campbell University’s first Gold and Grand Gold awards in the CASE Circle of Excellence competition. This year, CASE received 2,752 entries in 100 categories from 587 institutions representing 28 countries. According to CASE, 400 entries received recognition, and only 26 entries received the Grand Gold distinction, which judges view as “extremely exceptional or game-changing.”
More than 900 undergraduate students enrolled this fall to become members of Campbell University's Class of 2024. They're majoring in nursing, political science, pre-pharmacy, engineering, art, history and much more, and they're entering college at a unique time in the history of higher education. The students pictured above and their classmates introduced themselves this summer on the class Instagram page — read their introductions at instagram.com/campbellclassof2024. MA GAZ INE .CAMPBE LL.EDU
C A M PB E LL M A G A Z I N E 5
EDITOR’S INBOX
Marshbanks Dining Hall served its first meal at then-Campbell Junior College back in 1934, and until this fall, it served as the University's main dining hall for 86 years. The building is currently being remodeled for academics and already is home to two new classrooms this fall.
OUR 'HOME KITCHEN'
Alumni share some favorite memories from their beloved Marshbanks
Being from Jersey, several menu items confused me when I first started (namely chicken fried steak, red hot dogs and fried baloney), and I came to love North Carolina barbecue (and now, nothing compares). But I loved the nacho lunch platters and breakfast with grits, and my favorite was steak and shrimp nights. Sure, we lovingly called it “Marshbarfs,” but it was where we met before and after classes and gathered for homework meetings. It was our focal point. It was the equivalent to our home kitchen. WENDI WAGNER ('96) __________________________ My first week at Campbell, I was thrilled to see a favorite food on the line. Salisbury steak! I grabbed a plate and excitedly headed to one of the long tables. I had not met anyone yet, so I was sitting by myself. At the other end of the table was a group of cute boys. They were staring at me. I had no idea why, but I 6 FALL 2020
Marshbanks Dining Hall in 1972.
was starving, so I shoveled a big bite into my mouth as they watched. When they saw the look on my face, they died laughing. They clearly knew it was not a Salisbury steak. It was liver. After several seconds of misery, I spit it into my napkin like a lady. The boys walked over and introduced themselves. We are still friends 30 years later. Great memories. Great food, not so much. TARA WILSON ('89) __________________________
As a student in the ’90s, we used to call the Marshbanks’ “hotline” to hear the menu for the day. The best day of the week was when the “Colonel’s” voice recording announced dinner would be steak and shrimp. I also loved seeing all the faded green lunch trays used as sleds on the soccer field hill when we finally got a decent snow in the Creek. STEVEN ('01) & TRACI PIERCE ('97) __________________________
I remember we had fresh oranges you could manually squeeze for OJ or orangeade. Also we had hard-serve ice cream and milkshake machines. Good times!
AD ASTRA PER ASPERA: Our Spring 2020 edition of Campbell Magazine told the story of Campbell's sudden turn to online learning when the pandemic hit and showed how our faculty, students and alumni answered the calls to lead in their respective fields. Find it at magazine.campbell.edu
DARRIN SISMOUR ('98) __________________________ Jello on the ceiling! I remember that, and it was in Marshbanks that I asked my now wife of 36 years on our first date to the campus movie. She was working there, and I went through the line and took a chance on the prettiest girl on campus. She said yes to the date and yes to my proposal two years later. KEITH & LISA WAGNER ('84) __________________________ They had the best fried chicken on Sundays and barbeque on Homecoming. Nothing says you’re from "the Creek" than finishing off a meal at Marshbanks and then getting thrown in the fountain on the way back to Bryan Dorm. Ah, the college years of the 80s, best time of my life. GLORIA JOHNSON DEBNAM ('88) __________________________ I remember the steak and shrimp every other Friday — back in the 80s they had some great food. The men always came over to the women’s campus to eat so meal time was dress up/makeup time. You lined up along the walls of the large dining room. Wonderful memories!
LETTERS To the Editor: Today I got my first job offer from Merck. I'm so excited to finally be an engineer, something I've wanted since I was 13 years old.
To the Editor: I always enjoy Campbell Magazine, and I am impressed with the consistent quality you and your team bring to each issue. As a university advancement professional myself, I know the hard work that goes into every page and the struggles you must work through to achieve your vision. Your work does not go unnoticed. I particularly enjoyed the story in the [Spring 2020] issue on homeschooled students. It provided a unique look on an otherwise overlooked aspect of remote learning during this pandemic.
Four years ago, I went to my grandparents’ house (both Campbell alumni) and the Campbell Magazine was on their kitchen table. It was about women in engineering and Campbell's new program.
I also enjoyed the wonderful tour in pictures of the Oscar N. Harris Student Union. As it sits on the ground of my freshman dorm (Kitchin Hall), I have been an avid follower of the progress of the building through the magazine and the YouTube updates.
I applied later that day, and two days later, I was accepted. I can't thank School of Engineering Dean Dr. Jenna Carpenter enough for believing in me and being a role model to all of the females in engineering.
It's been about 35 years since I've been back to the Creek, but the work you and your team does keeps me up to date on all the changes. Keep up the good work! I'm grateful for all you do to keep our alumni family connected.
LINDSAY BOSHAK (’20)
PHILIP GARLAND (’84)
KATRINA SMITH MUIRHEAD ('86) __________________________ Good food in the early 90s. I would always try to get back on Sunday for beef tips. Yum! Never borrowed a tray, but I do have a green bowl at my mom’s house. I use it every holiday. My favorite bowl! MELANIE ALLEN CARROLL ('93) __________________________ My favorite was the fried chicken with Alfredo pasta — Mr. Bowers had a name for it, but I can’t recall. That said, my parents paid a lot of money for me to eat cereal most days. Fond memories! KERRY GERMANOWSKI ('00)
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The Rev. Todd Blake ('01) ('05 MDiv) ('15 DMin) "shamelessly plugs" Campbell University and its engineering program to Brooke Eby at a recent college day at Brooke's high school. We appreciate Todd's publication choice. ;) C A M PB E LL M A G A Z I N E 7
AROUND CAMPUS OCCUPIED, FINALLY
The long-awaited 110,000-square-foot social hub of Campbell University's main campus — the Oscar N. Harris Student Union — was completed last spring, at the start of a nationwide pandemic that closed the campus to students. The student union finally welcomed a full campus in August (with face mask and social distancing guidelines firmly in place). The student union has been a hit with students like Vernalis Tinoco (pictured) so far, even though amenities like the movie theater and workout areas have yet to be used. Photo by Ben Brown
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C A M PB E LL M A G A Z I N E 9
#19 AROUND CAMPUS
A year after its first NCAA College Cup win, the Camels enter the season with a Top 20 ranking and great expectations
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oming off a second-straight Big South Conference title and a trip to the NCAA College Cup second round, Campbell is ranked No. 19 in the College Soccer News Preseason Top 30 poll. Big South Coach of the Year Dustin Fonder returns nine starters and 15 letter winners from last year's squad that finished 17-32 overall, 8-0-0 in the Big South and was ranked No. 24 in the final United Soccer Coaches and Soccer America polls. “We are pleased to be on this list of nationally recognized teams,” said Fonder of his group that ranked third nationally in goals (59) and eighth in winning percentage (.818). “It speaks volumes to the guys who laid the foundation to get us here and sets the bar high for our current group and newcomers. When they say we can safely return to play, you will see a hungry group unleashed in pursuit of sustained excellence.”
All-American Thibaut Jacquel is back for his senior season after leading the country in goals (18), including seven game-winners, and finishing with 41 points. Also returning are senior keeper Samuel Lechuga, who ranked 10th in the nation in shutouts (9) and 18th in goals-against average (0.77), as well as AllAmerica left back Moses Mensah. Last season, the Camels tied a school record for wins (17), while posting a record 10 shutouts and earning the program's first league double since 1985. Campbell outscored its two Big South tournament opponents 7-1 and won 3-1 at No. 15 James Madison in the NCAA College Cup first round to match the school record for consecutive unbeaten matches at 15 (14-0-1). CU fell at top-ranked and eventual national runner-up Virginia 2-0. The 2020-2021 season is expected to start in the spring for Big South teams.
A TOP 20 TEAM While the start date for the 2020-2021 season of Campbell men's soccer is still uncertain, what is certain is the Camels will be considered one of the nation's top teams. Their No. 19 ranking has them picked ahead of in-state rivals like N.C. State and UNC-Chapel Hill. Like many conferences, the Big South men's soccer season is slated to begin in the spring.
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Campbell earned its first NCAA College Cup win (in three tries) when it beat James Madison in the first round in 2019. The Camels' season came to an end in a 2-0 loss against top-ranked Virginia, who went on to become the national runner-up.
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15 59
Campbell's school-record 17 wins in 2019 featured another school record — a 15-game winning streak that included a sweep of the Big South Conference and a first-round NCAA College Cup win. The Camels finished 17-3-2 overall and ended the season with a No. 24 ranking in the final national polls.
The Camels knocked in 59 goals in 2019, ranking them third in scoring nationally. They scored more than six goals in a game three times — all against Big South opponents. All American Thibaut Jacquel (who returns this year as a senior) led the nation with 18 goals — more than the Camels as a team gave up all season (17). C A M PB E L L M A G A Z I N E 11
PHOTO BY BENNET SCARBOROUGH
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DR. SHERRY TRUFFIN | PHOTO BY BEN BROWN
AROUND CAMPUS
CAMPBELL UNIVERSITY PRISON TEACHING INITIATIVE
A SECOND CHANCE
Within the walls of the Sampson County Correctional Facility, a team of Campbell professors is changing lives, providing hope to incarcerated students
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t’s the final day of English 102 in a semester marred by a global pandemic, a long postponement of classes and a switch to learning via Zoom. But “Anthony” is thankful for the moment — at his desk, surrounded by his classmates and listening to Dr. Sherry Truffin discuss character development in the drama Water by the Spoonful. It’s the only time of the week, he says, that he doesn’t feel like he’s in prison. Anthony (he and other students will go by pseudonyms) is an inmate at the Sampson County Correctional Facility in Clinton. He and 15 others were chosen to be the first cohort of students in the prison’s education program
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launched by the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, which brought in Campbell University in the fall of 2019. “This is our second chance,” Anthony shares with his class. “Character-wise and educationwise, we are really striving to do better. But there are other inmates who put us through adversity, who don’t believe rehabilitation is possible. Some resent us for getting this for free, when their kids can’t get into college and can’t afford tuition. They despise us and antagonize us. Some will do anything they can to take it from us. “But there are people who are in it because they want to see change. And it means a lot to us on a very personal level.”
The testimony brings a smile to Truffin’s face, framed in a Zoom window after COVID-19 (a much more serious issue in correctional facilities throughout the country) forced previous face-to-face interaction to become remote learning. Truffin helped usher in Campbell’s involvement in the program in fall 2019 when Executive Vice President Dr. John Roberson approached her about teaching English 101 and 102. Truffin, who has a sister who was formerly incarcerated, says the request felt like a calling to her. “I’m an Episcopalian, and the church has a standard liturgy, the Prayers of the People, where we pray for families, communities, leaders of nations, prisoners and captives and
those who remember and care for them,” she says. “Here was an opportunity to be one of those people, so it definitely appealed to me.” Truffin joined a team of four from Campbell — Roberson (who spearheaded Campbell’s involvement) teaching Christianity 125, Dr. Gary Taylor teaching Psychology 222 and Dr. Rick Smith, Adult & Online Education’s director at the Sampson facility. Since the students weren’t allowed internet access and had limited access to laptops, the weekly threehour classes last fall were all in person — at first an intimidating idea for Truffin, who didn’t know what to expect when she signed on. She made it a point not to ask her students why they were incarcerated — Sampson is a medium security prison with average sentencing (among the students) around six to seven years — knowing that would take away from her purpose, Truffin says, which is to treat the men like students. “They’re in a very depersonalized, dehumanized environment,” she says. “They’re living in an atmosphere of relentless negativity. I don’t need to know their backgrounds, because I know now they’re exceptionally motivated, exceptionally hard working and very aware that access to a program like this is a privilege. They want to do well and become role models for their children. They want better futures for their families. They want to encourage their kids to go to college someday, and if they can complete a degree while they’re incarcerated, that’s a good step.”
NOTHING LESS THAN AMAZING Roberson is passionate about Campbell’s involvement in the program and points to the University’s mission — to educate students who are prepared for purposeful lives and meaningful service and to serve underserved populations — to justify that involvement.
corrections leadership has already reported noticeable behavioral improvements in the students’ spheres of influence. And, frankly, this has happened much more quickly than anyone anticipated.”
The statistics of those who learn while incarcerated, he says, speak for themselves. According to a 2018 Department of Justice study, two thirds of the nation’s prisoners who were released in 2005 were arrested again within three years. Within five years, that number goes up to just over three fourths. And if you go up to nine years after release, an astounding five out of six inmates found themselves in a jail or prison again.
And because Roberson shares her cohort of students, he says he can personally attest to Truffin’s impact on their writing and reading comprehension abilities, calling their progress “extraordinary” under her tutelage.
Give inmates an opportunity to earn a degree while in school, and those numbers change dramatically. Citing studies released by the New York-based Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison initiative — which provides college education, life skills and reentry support for incarcerated men and women — the recidivism rate for the 700-plus alumni that program has served is less than 2 percent. Nationally, prisoners who earn a college degree while behind bars have a 19.1 percent recidivism rate — far higher than Hudson Link’s results, but also considerably lower than the national average. The age range of the students in Campbell-run classes runs between 25 and 50, and two thirds of the men in the first cohort of students are minority. Roberson called the results of the first year “nothing less than amazing.” “That’s an opinion shared by the prison’s warden, the prison’s staff and by Campbell professors involved in the initiative,” Roberson says. “While the primary goal of prison education is to graduate students who can become productive citizens, the secondary goal is for those students to have a positive impact on their own prison population. Sampson
Each student has his reasons for wanting to further their education. For “Corey,” it’s about keeping a promise he made to himself to stick with the program and earn a degree to prove to himself and his family that he can finish what he started. “When I was younger,” he says, “there were a lot of things I was good at, but I never stuck with one particular thing. That’s the one thing I preach to younger kids now … find something you’re good at, stick with it and become great at it.” The students know their success will mean success for future men and women, should the state choose to expand its initiative. That adds a weight of responsibility for young men like “William,” but he accepts that challenge. “We’re doing something in this system that hasn’t been done before,” he says. “We’re making a pathway for people behind us, for people who may not have any other option … this may be their future. The best I can do and we can do is make this as smooth as possible. We’ll be the ones who hit the potholes and make sure the road is paved right. Our end result will mean better outcomes for others.” BILLY LIGGETT
Rhymes With Orange | Learn more about Dr. Sherry Truffin's experience teaching incarcerated men at the Sampson Correctional Facility (and learn about their love of Cleveland Browns jokes) at our Rhymes With Orange podcast, available at Apple Podcasts, Podbean or wherever your favorite podcasts are available.
JOIN US FEB. 3, 2021 It’s the day the Campbell community comes together to give back. Proudly put on your Campbell orange and make a gift. Learn more | campbell.edu/giving
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C A M PB E L L M A G A Z I N E 13
AROUND CAMPUS
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
UP FOR THE CHALLENGE
Trailblazing engineering grads tacked on 13 Grand Challenges in their final years
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tarting her career with her first engineering job at an architectural firm in Durham this summer, D’Anna Dininny was well aware she was the only female mechanical or electrical engineer in the firm. It’s enough to intimidate your average recent college grad, but Dininny wasn’t fazed.
D'Anna Dininny (above) and Anne Elise Bolton (left) represented the inaugural class of engineering graduates as Grand Challenge Scholars in 2020. Photos by Bill Parish
When your School of Engineering dean is a renowned voice for diversity in STEM education and careers in engineering and the majority of your professors over the previous four years are women, you learn a thing or two about confidence in the face of adversity. “Because of Dr. [Jenna] Carpenter and the other women in the program, I was confident,” says Dininny. “They show you that because you’re a woman, you’re capable of so much more. To see and learn from successful women [at Campbell], it was such a great opportunity for us.”
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Dininny and fellow School of Engineering graduate Anne Elise Bolton represented the program’s young women well in 2020, not only as members of the inaugural class but as the program’s first National Academy of Engineers Grand Challenge Scholars. Grand Challenge Scholars — in addition to their regular coursework — are tasked
to achieve five competencies as undergrads to address global challenges. Among the competencies: Entrepreneurship, understanding of different cultures and serving people and society while reflecting social consciousness. The NAE’s Grand Challenges program identified 14 “gamechanging goals” for improving life on the planet, from sustainability to health, security to joy of living.
For Bolton, involvement in the program is already paying dividends. She accepted a position as a mechanical engineer for a company in Arlington, Virginia, during her senior year, with intent to start in August of this year. Her summer plans included traveling abroad, but the pandemic tossed a wrench in those plans. Instead, she spent her summer testing the entrepreneurship waters. When she noticed family members complaining about their masks and children’s masks, Bolton created her own design project — a mask lanyard with magnetic clasps. The design not only secures the mask on the face and allows the user to hang it around their neck when not in use, it comes apart easily when snagged to prevent choking or injury. “The last four years for me were constant learning,” Bolton says. “If I wasn’t learning academically, I was learning professionally. I felt like the faculty and Dr. Carpenter did everything they could do to provide the best opportunities for us and to get the best outcomes out of our projects. They really wanted us to succeed. The bar we set was so high, it made everyone work harder.” School of Engineering Student Success Specialist Martha Bizzell says the students’ involvement in the Grand Challenge Scholarship program was noticed by their eventual employers, and the six current students in the program will benefit when job hunting begins. “The great thing for our students is our curriculum takes care of a good bulk of the requirements of the Grand Challenge program,” Bizzell says. “Many of the employers we deal with are very aware of the NAE. It’s a great way for our students to network, and it’s no surprise D’Anna and Anne Elise both secured positions prior to graduating.” Dininny’s work is already taking her places she never imagined — like the North Carolina Zoo, where she’s helping design air conditioning systems to cool indoor tiger habitats in the zoo’s future Asia exhibit. “Going in to engineering, I knew I wanted to make a difference, to help build something great and to invest in something cool,” she says. “Campbell and Grand Challenges were stepping stones toward a greater purpose.” BILLY LIGGETT MA GAZ INE .CAMPBE LL.EDU
ARTS & SCIENCES
English professor's book looks at riots, violence from early theater audiences
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movie or a theatrical production isn’t worth the price of admission if it doesn’t evoke a certain amount of emotion in its audience. This wasn’t always the case, according to Campbell Associate Professor of English Dr. Eric Dunnum. Playwrights in 16th and 17th Century England worked hard to limit the effect their works had on their audience, Dunnum says, as unruly audiences at that time were prone to riots and violence, and theaters were often the victims of their carnage. Dunnum’s 2019 book, Unruly Audiences and the Theater of Control in Early Modern London, explores the effects of audience behavior on dramas from early modern playwrights — arguing those playwrights often used their plays to control the physical reactions of the crowd. Dunnum’s layered research has earned him the 2020 D. P. Russ, Jr. and Walter S. Jones, Sr. Alumni Award for Research Excellence. Professional drama was more or less invented in England in the 1570s (Shakespeare would arrive about a decade later and turn it on its head), and there was no blueprint for how an audience was supposed to react to what it was seeing on the stage. Emotional productions, Dunnum says, could spark extreme reactions. Often, riots would start in the playhouse. In fact, the playhouse was much like today’s city hall in that it was a popular gathering space for protests, and when audiences rioted, the
playhouse were punished or even shut down. So the playwrights took it upon themselves to control their audiences. “Today, we like to think of theater or really any art as transformative,” Dunnum says. “After experiencing powerful art, we change our behavior or thinking. What I found is that early modern playwrights were a bit afraid of this power … and for good reason.” Dunnum points to several riots in the late 1500s and early 1600s — the theaters served as gathering points for many of them, and often the theaters were the target. “Almost every year from 1580 to 1630 on the Tuesday before Lent, apprentices and workers would riot in the streets and vandalize theaters and brothels,” Dunnum adds. “The archives say they would ‘tear them down,’ so it seems to have been pretty violent. No one knows why they did this. I’m still trying to figure it out.” Dunnum says the core of his book looks at plays within plays — the “metadrama” — to see how playwrights created fictional versions of performances and then dramatized how they affected fictional audiences. Dunnum argues that they were trying to train their audience to not expect drama to affect them. They were actively undermining their own plays to keep their theaters open, he says. FULL STORY: MAGAZINE.CAMPBELL.EDU
C A M PB E L L M A G A Z I N E 15
AROUND CAMPUS
MOVING IN, MASKING UP
Jillian Brookshire and her parents Jeb and Missy Brookshire unload a van outside of Burkot Hall on the second day of Move-In to start the fall semester. To help curb the spread of COVID-19 on campus, students living on campus were provided the opportunity to reside in private rooms for the academic year, a move that earned Campbell University national attention as media outlets reported on college strategies for a return to on-campus instruction. | Photo by Bennett Scaroborough
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ADULT & ONLINE EDUCATION
Alumnus' Work Positive program aims to improve toxic workplace culture
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urveys of American workers consistently reveal that up to 85 percent are dissatisfied and disengaged. Managers say a positive workplace increases company profitability by as much as 28 percent, and research reveals manager coaching in the workplace improves customer service by as much as 450 percent. With these statistics in mind, Adult and Online Education has introduced a new program to help business owners transform their company culture: Campbell University Work Positive program. All Work Positive courses are virtual and taught from a learning experience platform (and/or Zoom video conferencing) so participants can take part regardless of zip code. Two-month and six-month tracks help develop higher work productivity and teach students to coach in a management role. Participants in a third track will take the IFC Coach Knowledge Assessment and complete a coaching log to become an Associate Certified Coach at the end of the year-long course. The Work Positive program is based on curriculum developed by Dr. Joey Faucette (’82), whose Orange-Owned business, Listen to Life, coaches professionals to reach their business goals, primarily through training programs “7 Weeks to Work Positive” and “The Work Positive Master Coaching Program.” Faucette earned his bachelor’s degree at Campbell, his master’s in Divinity and doctorate in Ministry at Southeastern Baptist Seminary and a degree in adult education training at North Carolina State. An entrepreneur from an early age, he sold inscribed Christmas cards door-todoor in the heat of summer when allergies prevented him from mowing lawns. As a
teenager, he asked for and landed a job at a radio station where he launched what became the No. 1 rated afternoon show in that market. Today, Faucette is a twotime best-selling author and architect of the Work Positive framework. He hosts his work and virtual training programs at ListentoLife.org, a site read in more than 50 countries. He credits much of his success as an author to his writing professor at Campbell, Dorothy Whitley, who returned his first paper with a C — unimaginable at the time to Faucette, who wrote and edited for literary magazines in high school and breezed through his first composition course. “I told her, ‘I’m an English major, and English majors don’t make Cs on papers like this,’” recalled Faucette. “I still hear her ego-crushing reply: ‘When they write like that they do.’” Faucette met with Whitley for tutoring throughout that semester until his grades were As, and he learned the craft of writing is more about the practice of rewriting. “As I signed a five-books-in-five-years publishing contract recently, I remembered Dorothy Whitley and thanked God she cared enough about this arrogant first-year student to teach me how to write.” Faucette has appeared as a guest on hundreds of radio and TV shows across North America in most major markets. He has written more than 1,000 articles that have appeared on the websites of Fox News, CNBC, Wall Street Journal Money Watch, Dallas Morning News, Entrepreneur.com, Yahoo Finance and countless others. He and his wife have two adult daughters and enjoy living in Danville, Virginia, with their two dogs, two horses and two cats —Boo Radley and Atticus Finch. They have four grand-dogs and eagerly await grandchildren. KATE STONEBURNER
Rhymes With Orange | Dr. Joey Faucette joined the podcast in August to talk about his career and the implementation of the Work Positive program in Adult & Online Education. Download at Apple Podcasts, Podbean or from your favorite podcast app.
MA GAZ INE .CAMPBE LL.EDU
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
Instead of waiting, duo launches own investment firm
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ate Jester and Aidan Hunt did not have the senior year they expected. The business majors wrapped up their 2020 school year online, graduating quietly amidst global uncertainty. For Hunt, the pandemic meant that multiple firms he’d interviewed with put hiring on hold. But he and Jester kept busy with a job they created on their own. The two started Arielfx, a foreign exchange (also known as FX) educational consulting company, in March. Their business model is simple — they perform technical analyses of their own personal FX trading and share their processes with clients in the form of a “trade idea.” Jester and Hunt have a competitive advantage over similar trade companies — they create videos to explain their thoughts and processes to their members step-by-step when entering the trade. The service is not only used to earn money, but to learn the “why” behind each move so clients can familiarize themselves with market decision-making. They also produce a biweekly live webinar for members and offer one-on-one mentorship meetings over Zoom. In just under three months, they have already garnered nearly 40 clients from all over the world, each paying monthly subscriptions. Their next step is to incorporate and scale up, developing a professional marketing and business plan. “The growth is truly amazing, especially because we have put zero money into this at all,” says Hunt. “It was very slow at first but in the last month it seems we've been getting a new client almost every single day. Some crazy growth. Scary but exciting at the same time.” KATE STONEBURNER C A M PB E L L M A G A Z I N E 17
COVER STORY
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JUSTICE FOR ALL Students of color at Campbell Law School know they're entering a field that hasn't always been just for people who look like them. They also know that if anybody can change the system, it’s them. Story by Billy Liggett | Photos by Ben Brown
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lack people represent roughly 12 percent of adults in the United States, yet they make up 33 percent of the nation’s prison population. White people, meanwhile, account for 64 percent of adult Americans and 30 percent of its prisoners. Even more disheartening: One out of every three Black boys born today can expect to spend time in prison at some point in their life.
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Look beyond the numbers and you’ll find real people impacted by them. You’ll find young women like Morgan Swink. Born to a 17-year-old Black father and a 16-year-old white mother, Swink was a casualty of her nation’s legal system from the start. Her father had yet to turn 18 when he was arrested for selling drugs and sentenced to five years in prison. It was his first offense.
JUSTIN LOCKETT
M AG AZIN E .CAMP BE LL.EDU
C A MP B E L L M AG AZ I N E 19
BETTER INCLUSION IN LAW SCHOOLS Evin Grant was a 2016 graduate of Campbell Law before returning in 2018 to become director of student life and pro bono opportunities. This year, he was promoted to assistant dean of students, and one of his many goals is to make law school more accessible to everbody, regardless of race. There are several ways to attain this goal, he says. At the micro-level, law schools and universities need policies and procedures in place to give people of color a platform to not only speak, but to feel safe. One recommendation is bringing in someone who specializes in diversity inclusion — someone with expertise who can bring positive change, tout diversity and ensure everybody feels included. Law schools can also do a better job of painting a clear picture of what a law school education can really do, Grant says. "Lawyers do more than criminal defense work. If all you know about law is what you see on TV, that's not clear. Schools can improve on this message. Show what law school offers — show what you can get out of it professionally." At the macro-level, Grant says all levels of education need to look inward: "Ask what are we doing that continues to promote historically advantaged populations. People of color have gotten by while not getting help. We got by by assimilating and adapting. Listen to us. And don't be skeptical when a person of color says, 'This is my experience.' It's easy to write off something that doesn't happen to you. I can assure you, that thing is real." Grant says when a student comes to him and shares their experience, he's careful not to devalue or diminish that experience because it was just that ... their experience. "We have to let go of our pride and our ego and not devalue lived experiences of other people."
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“I have pictures of me at 3 or 4, visiting him in prison with my grandparents,” says Swink, now a 26-year-old mother of two. “It had a big effect on my entire family. A lasting effect. Even when he got out, when you’re a criminal, it’s something that is hard to escape. You can’t get a job. It’s hard to start a life. And unfortunately, it wasn’t his last arrest. Five years is a lot of time when you’re that young.” That experience can send a child in a number of different directions in life — and statistics suggest few of them are positive. But Swink saw her father’s plight and was inspired to choose a better path. She saw an unfair system and decided she wanted to change it. After earning her undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Swink was accepted into Campbell University's Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law. Now entering her third and final year, if she goes the criminal defense route, she’ll have an opportunity to defend young men and women like her father. The weight of this responsibility isn’t lost on her. “Being a person of color, and because of my experience, I feel like I can empathize better,” says Swink, from Albemarle. “I’ve heard too many stories from Black people who say their public defenders didn’t give them the time or energy their cases deserved. And just from the start, if a Black person sees another person of color in the room defending them, that gives them more hope moving forward. It gives them more trust.” While Black people represent roughly 33 percent of the U.S. incarcerated population, they make up just 5 percent of the nation’s lawyers. White people, on the other hand, account for 64 percent of adult Americans and 85 percent of their attorneys. Swink is part of a small, yet growing group of Campbell Law students looking to close this gap. Most are members of the school’s Black Law Student Association, created to provide support and networking opportunities for students of color. Some made history just last year by becoming the first Campbell team to win the Constance Baker Motley National Trial Competition, hosted by the National Black Law Students Association — besting several historically
Black universities in the process. These students will enter their careers during a crucial time in their country's civil rights history. The death of George Floyd after being detained by Minnesota police officers in May; the death of Breonna Taylor, a Kentucky EMT shot to death in her home by an officer executing a no-knock warrant in March; and the death of Ahmaud Arbery, a Georgia man confronted and killed by three white men as he jogged through their neighborhood in February; created a new movement of Americans — of all races — protesting systemic racism and inequality when it comes to law enforcement and the nation’s criminal justice system. Future lawyers like Morgan Swink, Melvin Holland, Justin Lockett, Monica Gibbs, Alyssa McPike and Darius Boxley have joined this movement — bringing not only their experiences as people of color and people of diverse backgrounds to the debate, but an education and a mindset that comes with knowing the law and understanding the inner workings (and faults) of the judicial system. If anybody can make a difference and change the system, it's people like them.
MELVIN HOLLAND THE TALK
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he white, unmarked van came to a screeching halt when five police officers wearing SWAT team gear and brandishing automatic rifles jumped out and ordered Melvin Holland and his father to drop to the ground. The two men were trying to visit a friend’s apartment in Maryland and had to drive around the complex a few times to find a parking spot, because they didn’t have gate access. On their knees, their hands behind their heads and heavy weaponry pointed at them, Holland and his father were peppered with questions about a car theft and “chop shop” ring they knew nothing about. The officers revealed that two men who matched their descriptions were stealing cars from the apartment complex and parking in the very spot they were in. Holland and his father
MORGAN SWINK
were interrogated by the officers until they were satisfied it was a case of mistaken identity. Melvin Holland was 13.
park in an area away from where I’m supposed to be — without looking over my shoulder. It’s something I’ve never been able to escape.”
Holland’s father was calm during the entire event. He had to be, for his son’s sake. He later explained to his son that they were racially profiled — a man and a boy, both about 5-foot-6, who were swarmed because of the color of their skin.
Before then, Holland’s father had never given him “the talk” — a phrase that for most means a talk about the birds and the bees and not SWAT team encounters. For young Black men and women today, “the talk” focuses on how to act when confronted or questioned by a law enforcement official. The unwritten rules: Keep your mouth shut … don’t get into an argument … keep your hands in plain sight … no sudden movements … don’t run … don’t resist … stay calm …
“We didn’t even look like the two men who were doing that,” Holland says. “We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. We were lucky nothing worse happened. But it changed my mentality, and even today, I can’t walk around a downtown area — or
“We talked about our incident,” Holland says. “He just said to always be compliant. If the police are wrong, you need to hope they catch it. If you escalate the situation, they’ll forget why you’re there to begin with. Be as 100 percent as you can be
“I can still visualize it right now — the whole scene, being accosted like that and having no idea why it’s happening,” says Holland, today a second-year Campbell Law student. “I’ll never forget it.”
M AG AZIN E .CAMP BE LL.EDU
Campbell Law offers a three-week summer study abroad program in Ghana that provides participating students with a unique cultural, educational and professional experience in partnership with the University of Cape Coast School of Law. In addition to learning about trade regulations and intellectual property law, students learn a lot about international human rights laws on the trip.
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MELVIN HOLLAND 22 FALL 2020
“[My father] just said to always be compliant. If the police are wrong, you need to hope they catch it. If you escalate the situation, they’ll forget why you’re there to begin with. ... If anything happens, don’t let it be your fault.” on your end, and if anything happens, don’t let it be your fault.” George Floyd’s death in Minnesota not only inspired a new Civil Rights movement in this country, it shined a massive spotlight on what Holland calls 400-plus years of systemic racism in the United States, going all the way back to slavery in the 1600s, long before the original 13 colonies became a nation. The Civil War may have led to the end of slavery, (the ratification of the 14th Amendment in 1868 granted equal protection to African Americans), but “freedom” was soon overpowered by local and state Jim Crow laws that essentially allowed segregation of schools and businesses and marginalized voting rights for people of color. Many law enforcement agencies in the early 1900s (and organizations like the Ku Klux Klan) were called on to enforce these laws, sometimes with brutality, particularly in Southern states. Jim Crow cast a pall over much of the 20th Century in the U.S. through the 1960s. Holland says Black people were unequally victimized by the War on Drugs in the 1980s and the push for mass incarceration in the 1990s. From 1980 to 2015, the nation’s prison population more than quadrupled, from 500,000 inmates to more than 2.2 million. Holland — an accomplished musician (he’s bassist for a rock band in Durham) who studied music at UNC Greensboro — pivoted to law school after graduation because he saw it as an opportunity to help his community and exact change on a broken system. He says he wants to be a public defender, to help families who experience trauma. To help first-time offenders who don’t deserve long sentences. To help people arrested while exercising their right to protest. “It’s all about giving back,” he says. “That’s my whole purpose in everything I do — to help somebody M AG AZIN E .CAMP BE LL.EDU
who needs it and maybe can’t afford it. Whether it’s teaching them music or representing them in court. To me, that’s what’s important.”
One subject that has fascinated Holland during his time in law school is qualified immunity, a doctrine that grants government officials immunity from civil suits unless the plaintiff can show that official violated “clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable person would have known.” Or as Holland puts it: “In a nutshell, it says there has to be a prior case that sets a precedent. If there’s not … you’re facing an uphill battle in court.” The U.S. Supreme Court introduced qualified immunity in 1967, at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, in the case of Pierson v. Ray — where 15 Episcopal priests (three of them black) tried to enter a coffee shop in Jackson, Mississippi, before they were stopped by two police officers who asked them to leave. After refusing, all 15 priests were jailed, and five of them later filed suit. The suit made it to the highest court before it ruled that although the officers’ actions were unconstitutional, they were excused from liability “for acting under a statute [they] reasonably believed to be valid.” Over the past 20 years, defense attorneys across the nation have increasingly turned to qualified immunity in cases involving the use of excessive or deadly force by law enforcement officials, making it “a nearly failsafe tool to let police brutality go unpunished and deny victims their constitutional rights,” according to a recent Reuters article. Holland wants to fight these doctrines that have historically been unfair to people of color. He says the recent Black Lives Matter movement has exposed these “loopholes” in the law. “I think more people are informed or are willing to inform themselves about the history that’s led up to why Black people feel the way they do in this moment,” he says. “We need allies. We need smart people to understand that we’re not just making this up. Change starts with us; it won’t work if it starts from the top down.”
Melvin Holland on why diversity is important in law school and in the justice field: "When you're in class, and you're the only Black male in your section, it's weird. You shouldn't have to think about it, but you do. As for being a Black lawyer, your clients feel more comfortable having someone represent them who looks like them. The only Black lawyer I knew growing up was my aunt, and you see fewer people of color the higher you go up the chain."
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MONICA GIBBS
RESTORATIVE JUSTICE
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he daughter of a white mother and a Black father, Monica Gibbs describes herself as both a “light-skinned African American” and as “white passing.” White people, she says, often have a difficult time telling that she’s biracial. Black people, however, usually “see it” immediately. She’s experienced acceptance from both sides. She’s also experienced racism from both sides. Monica Gibbs on how far we've come and how far we still have to go: "When my mom and dad were born, they weren't allowed to like each other. You go back to the 1960s, when there was this huge Civil Rights movement, and you saw protests and riots just like you see now. There was a lot of anger and frustration then, and we've come a long way. But we still have a long way to go. There's still anger and frustration. A lot of white people ask, 'Do you have to riot? Do you have to be so uncivil?' After being oppressed for literally hundreds of years, people are pissed off. There's a lot of swirling emotions out there. You're seeing that now, just like you did back then."
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It’s a unique perspective, and during this year especially, she finds herself both a voice for oppressed people of color and a “white ally” for those struggling to be heard. “I feel the weight of it,” says Gibbs, a native of the coastal town of Englehard, North Carolina, entering her third and final year at Campbell Law. “My government documents say I’m Black, yet I have so many of the privileges of ‘the oppressor’ in the eyes of other people of color. I feel very recognized by the Black community, but I have an awareness to always recognize that just because of the tone of my skin, I have privileges that others don’t have. It’s absolutely affected my experience.” Gibbs considers herself lucky. She’s attended a predominantly white private high school in Raleigh and was able to attend Campbell for undergrad. But she’s seen young people of color who were not as fortunate.
And all it takes is one time to crack, Gibbs says. "An argument with another student becomes a fight, because this is how you were raised to deal with issues. You weren’t taught how to love or communicate in a healthy way. It just takes that one fight, and then they have a record. Children as young as 9 to 11 end up in court rooms. Then detention centers. And it looks sad … seeing what’s essentially a prison with a bunch of kids in it.” Gibbs is passionate about youth advocacy and the counseling side of the law. She’s also passionate about her involvement in Campbell Law’s Restorative Justice Clinic. The program, led by professor Jon Powell, takes in juvenile offenders — and those who have been affected by the crime or disruptive behavior — and fosters collaborative healing, rather than punishment. Law students like Gibbs engage all involved parties in dialogue to address the violation, how it occurred, why it occurred and what happened as a result. The project aims to discover how people and communities are hurt as a result of crime, and seeks to find the best solution to repair the damage that has been done. Approximately 85 percent of cases referred to the Restorative Justice Clinic are successfully mediated, resulting in both parties coming together for a face-to-face meeting to address and satisfy their needs as a result of the incident. Fewer than 5 percent of the young men and women who successfully completed the process between 2004 and 2010 reoffended.
“A minority child is more likely to be born “I’ve fallen in love with the clinic and seen the into a family that has not as much wealth or impact it has on people’s lives,” says Gibbs. “When opportunity,” Gibbs says. “Statistics show a students complete the program, they’re a whole Black child who doesn’t come from the greatest new person. I’ve seen students come in after community, doesn’t attend the greatest school and doesn’t come from a family where their parents are “I feel very recognized by the Black community, together … they have to fight so much harder in life. but I have an awareness to always recognize [The fight] can come out as that just because of the tone of my skin, I have aggression toward others. They get into arguments privileges that others don’t have. It’s absolutely at school. They don’t know affected my experience.” the value of an education.”
MONICA GIBBS M AG AZIN E .CAMP BE LL.EDU
C A MP B E L L M AG AZ I N E 25
DIVERSITY AT CAMPBELL LAW Black students currently make up just over 7 percent of the student body at Campbell Law, and the school ranks near the bottom of national rankings for percentage of minority students (17%), according to online legal research group PublicLegal. According to Dean J. Rich Leonard, the school is making strides to improve, recruiting more from historically black colleges and creating policies programs to make Campbell Law a "warm, comfortable place for everyone." Black students also have a louder voice at Campbell. The school won the Constance Baker Motley National Trial Competition hosted by the National Black Law Students Association in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 2019 — the school’s first national championship in this competition [defeating several HBCUs]. The Campbell Law Black Law Student Association provides support and networking opportunities and each year hosts social events, participates in both regional and national BLSA conferences, and assists admissions with minority recruiting by visiting undergraduate institutions around the state. Faculty and staff also go through implicit bias training — which is mandatory for everybody. Leonard also touts the school's annual "racial justice tours," consisting of 20 students and three professors, that takes them to iconic Civil Rights landmarks throughout the Southeast, from Martin Luther King Jr.'s home in Atlanta, to the Pettus Bridge in Selma and the Legacy Museum in Montgomery. "Students come to Campbell wanting to be a lawyer with purest of motives," Leonard says. "They want to make our state and communities a better palce. They’re wide open to any conversation that will broaden their experience and equip them to better deal with society around them."
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altercations find common ground and become friends again. They’re grateful they have someone who believes in them.” Gibbs credits Powell and Law Clinic Policies Program Manager Joia Caron for the program’s success and for fostering something that’s made a direct impact on the community. And she’s thankful she gets to take part in something so meaningful so early in her career. “I wanted a law degree, because I feel I’m meant to do something good in this world. I enjoy doing the research and learning more about issues that are important to me. Along the way, I’ve learned more about myself.” She’s still learning about herself, especially over the last few months — dealing with feelings of “looking like an ally, but being a minority.” She’s struggled with the notion of being an advocate for people of color, even though she doesn’t necessarily share all of their issues. One of her favorite things about the Restorative Justice Clinic is that it makes people talk and share their feelings. It creates conversation, and that conversation leads to healing. The same can be said about the Black Lives Matter movement, Gibbs says. It has people talking — people who maybe previously weren’t aware. Gibbs points to conversations happening in her personal life — her fiancé is white, and his family has asked her questions about everything from Confederate statues to recent protests. Standing at the spot where one of those Confederate statues once stood in downtown Raleigh — just blocks away from Campbell’s Raleigh campus on Hillsborough Street — Gibbs reflected on the progress that’s been made in the last few months. “I was at the protests,” she says. “Right outside of the state capitol building — a place that promotes justice — people were being pepper sprayed. At first, I felt powerless … I have a degree and years of training, and I couldn’t access them. But I learned there are different ways I can help. I can educate others on what their rights are. I can advocate for them. I can be their ally. I can help by being their voice.”
DARIUS BOXLEY
JUSTIN LOCKETT LAWYERS OF COLOR
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sk Justin Lockett about the history of African Americans and the nation’s judicial system, and an encyclopedia of knowledge is unleashed. Dredd Scott v. Sandford, 1857. Plessy v. Ferguson, 1896. Brown v. The Board of Education of Topeka, 1954. All landmark U.S. Supreme Court decisions and each of them representing important defeats and (in the case of Brown) victories for people of color in the United States.
Lockett knows the cases inside and out. He knows the years, the parties. And he knows that when it comes to the law and law enforcement, history hasn’t always been on the side of Black people.
says Lockett, a second-year student. “I don’t know any of that personally, but I know that historically. And I know it’s part of my heritage and my ancestry.”
Lockett wants this to change, and he wants to be part of that change. It’s why he’s interested in politics. It’s why he’s passionate about the Black Lives Matter movement. And it’s why he enrolled in law school at Campbell University.
Those aforementioned Supreme Court cases — those were real cases involving real people facing real issues, he says. And in some cases, they led to real change. They’ve inspired Lockett to fight for more change at a time of real civil unrest in the country.
“I was born in 1996, so I didn’t know segregation. I didn’t know Jim Crow. I’ve never been arrested for drinking out of the wrong water fountain,” M AG AZIN E .CAMP BE LL.EDU
Campbell Law School's Restorative Justice Clinic strives to bring victims and offenders together using restorative justice practices in an effort to foster collaborative healing, rather than specifically seeking punishment. Learn more about it online at law.campbell.edu
“I want to be part of that change,” he says. “I want to make society more fair for everybody. C A MP B E L L M AG AZ I N E 27
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“My overall goal is simple — I want to enact positive social change for African Americans. They need civil protections that just aren’t there right now. They need an advocate willing to stand up for them.” I looked at the legal field and law school because I knew I could work on my writing skills, become a better advocate and become a better speaker in social settings. My overall big goal is simple — I want to enact positive social change for African Americans. They need civil protections that just aren’t there right now. They need an advocate willing to stand up for them.” That change starts from within. It starts with more young men and women like Lockett going to law school and seeking careers in the judicial system. Unfortunately, people of color are currently and have historically been woefully underrepresented in America’s courtrooms. According to a 2017 study published by the American Bar Association, law firms are not making substantial progress in hiring and promoting minority lawyers, even though minority law school enrollment is on the rise. Nearly 85 percent of lawyers at more than 300 firms surveyed in the study were white, a number that “had not meaningfully budged in three years.” Only 4 percent identified as Black. According to the Minneapolis-based nonprofit Twin Cities Diversity in Practice — an organization dedicated to making the legal community more inclusive — the shortage causes people of color to be underrepresented in courtrooms, and this lack of diversity has a profound effect on the dynamic between lawyers and their clients. A 2011 study of the New York County District Attorney’s office found that Black defendants were 19 percent more likely to be offered plea deals that included jail or prison time. Another study from 2010 found that state and local prosecutors were trained to exclude people from jury pools because of their race (and do so while concealing any racial bias). Getting more people of color as attorneys and
M AG AZIN E .CAMP BE LL.EDU
judges in America’s courtrooms starts with getting more people of color in law schools. While the number of minorities enrolled in law schools across the country rose in 2018, Black students still face a tougher road to enrollment than their white counterparts, and for a number of reasons — law school tuition chief among them. Black students also tend to score lower on the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT), which affects their ability to earn scholarships when they can’t afford tuition. This summer, Noth Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper appointed N.C. Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls and Attorney General Josh Stein to lead a task force aimed at developing solutions to ensure racial equity in the state’s criminal justice system. A step in the right direction, but Lockett wants to see more enthusiasm from state and national leaders to match the enthusiasm currently seen at the grassroots level. “Here’s my problem,” he says. “You see our communities pleading for change, and that’s very good … I appreciate that. I see people speaking out. But as you walk up the chain, you see individuals in the White House, in Congress and at the federal judiciary, and you don’t see that same enthusiasm. We need judges to start looking at qualified immunity. We need to hold people accountable for their violent acts and their racist acts, and we need this support from the top tiers of our government.” It’s no surprise politics are a possible future for Lockett, who feels like he’s in the right place at the right time as a movement builds around him. “The best thing I can do at this moment is keep bettering my skills as a writer and as an advocate,” he says. “Get my JD, pass the bar and use my skills to enact change in court cases and help my community. “I want to be an asset for the cause.”
Justin Lockett on the need for change in America's law enforcement agencies: "Policing is where it all starts. We’re misundertdood as African Americans — depicted as thugs, as thieves and as different. That’s not accurate. We come from different backgrounds, different places in society. Many of us are born into bad neighborhoods. There are wealth and equality gaps. Fewer education and job opportunities. Our lifestyles are not going to be as good as Caucasians due to centuries of systemic racism. And policing has been tough on us from the beginning."
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ALYSSA McPIKE
MODEL MINORITY MYTH
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lyssa McPike is a proud Filipino American. And she’s well aware of the fact that Filipinos and other Americans of Asian descent haven’t been as quick to back the Black Lives Matter movement or become vocal advocates for their Black neighbors.
Alyssa McPike on 'colorism' in the Asian-American community: "My mom is from the Phillipines, and my dad had blonde hair and blue eyes. A lot of Filipinos are very brown, and in that culture, lighter-skinned people are considered the 'standard of beauty,' which is very sad. There's a whole generation of Southeast Asian girls who feel the need to whiten their skin. I visited the country in 2018, and I couldn't connect. I was told I look ethnically ambiguous. And I knew people would have treated me differently if I was tan or darker skinned."
McPike even points out a “very big problem” with anti-Black sentiment in her community, particularly from older generations. This divide in this country can be traced back to the 1960s and the idea of the “model minority myth,” or the idea that Asian Americans were viewed as the “good minority” — more successful, better educated and more “inherently law-abiding” — by the majority. “I’d say for the most part, Asians aren’t against the Black Lives Matter movement, but they are very silent about it, too,” says McPike, a third-year student at Campbell Law. “Colorism runs deep within the Asian community — for example, the skin whitening industry is really huge [$24 billion industry in the U.S. alone] — and as long as industries like that exist, it keeps perpetuating colorism and the idea that the lighter you are, the better you are.” What the two communities do share is a history of prejudice in the U.S. — for Asian Americans, the peak came during World War II when more than 112,000 people of Asian descent (two-thirds of whom were U.S. citizens) were forced into Japanese internment camps, because they were perceived as a potential threat during the war. Today, racism against Asian Americans is often brought on by COVID-19, because of the virus' likely origins in China. And in the judicial system, they’re battling bias, too. While Asian Americans are the largest minority group represented in U.S. law firms, they’re the least likely group to become
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partners. Twenty percent of Asian-American lawyers reach that level, compared to 28 percent of Black lawyers, 33 percent of Latino lawyers and 48 percent of white lawyers. McPike is enthusiastic about bucking that trend. And she’s proud to go against the perceived notion that Asian Americans don’t support their Black brothers and sisters in their current fight for racial equality. She’s a member of the Black Law Student Association at Campbell Law, and she's a vocal ally, whether it means being active on the social media front or writing letters to her state representatives demanding change. “I’m not Black, but I see [the systemic racism they face]. And we need to speak up about it,” says McPike, who grew up in New Bern. “In criminal law class — in most of the cases we study — the defendant is almost always a person of color. In property law classes, it’s always about rich white people. I don’t know how you can go through law school and not realize [a history of prejudice in the judicial system] when you’re reading these old cases. You look back and realize that oppression has always been there.” McPike says her eyes were opened when she got involved in Campbell’s Blanchard Community Law Clinic, which partners with nonprofit agencies to provide solutions for legal problems encountered by clients of those agencies (which include Raleigh-area ministries and rescue missions). Since its launch in September 2016, the clinic has handled a few hundred cases involving family disputes, domestic violence protection orders, landlord/tenant issues and more. Some of the most prevalent cases are expunctions and
“I don’t know how you can go through law school and not realize [a history of prejudice in the judicial system] when you’re reading these old cases. Oppression has always been there. We need to speak up about it.”
ALYSSA MCPIKE
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STATEMENT FROM CAMPBELL BLSA "On behalf of the Black Law Students Association at Campbell Law School, thank you to everyone who has taken time to post in support of the pain, justified anger and uncertainty that the Black community is currently facing. We also want to thank Dean Leonard for his continued support of BLSA and Black students at Campbell Law. "To the Black community, we feel your warranted anger, frustration, disappointment and exhaustion. Society has allowed the systems put in place to protect and serve to continue to disproportionately fail us yet again. The color of our skin has been weaponized against our attempt to exercise our constitutional rights. ... "When peaceful protests are escalated by police actions, kneeling is condemned and a powerful phrase, Black Lives Matter, is mocked, many of us find ourselves struggling to answer, What is the solution? ... "We are all on the path to enter into a profession represented by Lady Justice. Her blindfold and set of scales symbolize that the ultimate goal is for justice to be blind and apply equally to all. It is clear that the criminal justice system and society as a whole have fallen short of this goal. "We as a community have the power to make changes to the systems perpetuating discrimination, racism and the unjust treatment of members of the Black community. "To professors, we charge you to initiate conversations regarding the underlying racial contexts of the cases and opinions read in class. "To students, we charge you to use your voice in and out of the classroom. ... "To the University, impose inclusion training sessions for administrators and students to ensure cultural sensitivity. While a societal shift will not happen overnight, we can all utilize our platforms to begin Full statement at magazine.campbell.edu creating a better community for generations to come." 32 FALL 2020
READ THE FULL STATEMENT AT MAGAZINE.CAMPBELL.EDU
MELVIN HOLLAND
drivers license restoration. More than a million people in North Carolina have had their drivers license suspended for failure to appear in court or failure to pay fines. The clinic helps those people get their licenses restored so that they can obtain better jobs and support their families. The legal services are provided by Campbell students, under the supervision of Clinic Director Ashley H. Campbell. “Working with our students gives me faith in the future of our profession,” Campbell said back in 2018. “Their energy, intelligence and enthusiasm for the law reminds me of how it felt to be a new lawyer.” “[The clinic] has changed my view even more,” says McPike. “These cases we’re dealing with disproportionately affect minorities. Something as simple as someone losing a driver’s license and not being able to afford getting it back — there are fines that low-income minorities just can’t tackle, and those fines stack up. They can’t drive, and they can’t work. Then it becomes a cycle and it gets even worse.” The Community Law Clinic is one of several clinics offered by Campbell Law that give students practical, hands-on experiences while also offering valuable services to low-income members of the community. The Restorative Justice Clinic brings together victims and offenders (often juvenile) to foster collaborative healing. The Senior Law Clinic serves the legal needs of low-income senior citizens in the greater Raleigh area. The Stubbs Bankruptcy Clinic takes on the challenges and difficulties faced by people who need and deserve the protection of federal bankruptcy laws but are unable to afford quality representation. And the Innovate Capital Business Law Clinic works with clients across the area’s entrepreneurial eco system to help them solve real-world business and legal problems. In addition to an education, these clinics are offering fulfillment to students like McPike, who was working as a technical writer — and doing well in the process — when she decided to go the
ALYSSA MCPIKE
law school route. At Campbell Law, she says she's involved and fighting for what she believes in. Her dream is to help launch a social justice clinic, similar to other advocacy clinics in the school. She’s finding fulfillment at Campbell. And she’s finding her purpose. “Some day, the media will stop talking about the things that are going on today, and we need to realize that just because it’s not on the news anymore, it doesn’t mean these things aren’t happening,” she says. “That’s why I will continue to be vocal. And I will keep asking people who are white or white passing to check their internal biases. Think about the times you might have shown racial prejudice in the past and maybe didn’t know it. Use these experiences to learn and to make a difference moving forward.”
MONICA GIBBS
DARIUS BOXLEY CARRY THE WEIGHT
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t 17, Darius Boxley just wanted something better for himself when he decided to take a law class at his high school. That same year, his older brother was locked up (and he’ll remain so until Darius turns 27); unfortunately far too common for young Black men growing up in York, a city with of one of the highest incarceration rates in Pennsylvania. Boxley saw law as his exit ramp. He took more pre-law courses as an undergrad at Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh. He enrolled into Campbell Law with hopes of one day representing professional or collegiate athletes or entering a career in sports management.
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Big dreams for a kid from a town where “if you’re not an athlete or a musician, you sell drugs.” “I think often in poorer communities, like the one I’m from, it’s easy to get sucked into a bad lifestyle when nobody has your back,” says Boxley, a third-year student at Campbell Law. “Like my brother … he did something wrong, and for me, nothing about the system seemed unfair at the time. But now I see it differently. He got out last year and now he’s back in. It becomes a cycle for young Black men and women who feel like they have no other out. It’s deep rooted — [those with prior felonies] can’t get a job. They end up in halfway houses and end up doing whatever it takes to just get by. They’re likely always going to be poor. They feel like they’re going to be nothing. They end up breaking the law, sometimes just to provide for their family.”
Rhymes With Orange A three-part podcast series based on recorded interviews with the students featured in this story can be found online at campbelledu. podbean.com or by searching "Rhymes With Orange" wherever podcasts are found.
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“Maybe one day I’ll be successful, but ... I still have to go out and be a Black man. At the end of the day, I still face challenges that not everybody faces. ... We live different lives, and we're fighting for equality. ” Boxley says he’s fortunate to have strong support from his family — his father is a pastor, and both parents have been involved in their church his whole life. But he admits there’s pressure on him to succeed. He says there are friends, people from his hometown and other members of his family who see his success as validation that there’s a “way out” of the cycle. “They’re proud of me, honestly, and they’re rooting for me,” he says. “Some of them joke that they’ll need my services some day. I feel that weight. It motivates me.” He feels the weight at Campbell Law School as well, where students of color represent a small (but growing) percentage of the student body. When matters of race or social injustice are discussed in class, Boxley says he’s often expected to speak up “on behalf of other people of color.” He felt this way in seventh grade, in high school and at Robert Morris as well. “It’s just rough that you have to be reminded of your race every day,” says Boxley. “I’m proud to do it, but it’s not a burden for everybody else. White students don’t have to think about it. They’re not constantly being reminded about their race.” It’s a feeling Evin Grant knows all too well. Grant is a 2016 graduate of Campbell Law who rejoined his alma mater two years later to become director of student life and pro bono opportunities. He was promoted to assistant dean of students this summer, now overseeing more than 30 institutional student groups (including the BLSA) and Campbell’s growing pro bono portfolio. Grant is just four years removed from sitting in Boxley’s seat — a 27-year-old non-traditional student who was the only person of color in his class at the time. “There’s a weight that comes with being the only one or one of a few,” Grant says. “Whether you M AG AZIN E .CAMP BE LL.EDU
like it or not, you’re the representative. And as you ascend professionally and socioeconomically, it gets even thinner. But you also recognize that you have to be represented; you have to perform at a level and realize that if you fail, anyone who is like me also fails. That’s a weight to carry. Performing isn’t an option; it’s a mandate. You just can’t get by. You have to excel.” Boxley’s shoulders are strong. He’s an active member of Campbell’s BLSA, having served as community service chair in his second year. He’s proud of the written statement the group released in June calling on students, faculty, the University as a whole and law professionals to initiate conversations and speak out against racial injustice and to fight for improved diversity in law schools and the legal field. He was recovering from ACL surgery when protests began in downtown Raleigh and was forced to watch from his apartment balcony above where protesters and police eventually clashed. Rubber bullets were being fired yards away from his living room. Tear gas made its way through his windows. It was a frightening experience, but one that also gives Boxley hope. He views recent protests in the U.S. as necessary and effective. He says the country is listening now. “I feel like it’s different now,” he says. “People are understanding that we’re sick and tired of being treated this way. Peaceful protests are effective, but the looting and rioting … you can’t blame someone who feels like they have nowhere else to go, nothing else they can do, because they’re sick of being treated in a terrible way. They’re sick and tired of being sick and tired. “Maybe one day I’ll be successful, but at the end of the day, I still have to go out and be a Black man. At the end of the day, I still face challenges that not everybody faces. Others need to be more sensitive [to the movement], to hear where we’re coming from. They need to understand we live different lives, and we’re fighting for equality.”
Darius Boxley on a few experiences he's had with police officers that he'd rather forget: "I was 16 and on my way to basketball practice when I stopped for donuts at a gas station. A police officer was there, looked at me, and asked if I was 'on the run.' He said I looked like someone who would be on the run. I started tearing up, and he laughed at me and left. Another time, I was driving with a white friend in the passenger seat, and I got pulled over for running a yellow light. The state trooper asked for my license, told me to get out of the car and let my friend stay in the front seat. He put me in handcuffs and slammed me against the back of the car. I was 17." C A MP B E L L M AG AZ I N E 35
MORGAN SWINK
VULNERABLE POPULATIONS
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organ Swink is a mother of two, juggling raising a newborn and a toddler with the rigors of law school. She thinks about her own mother who was 16 when her father’s imprisonment left her to raise Morgan on her own. Her mother’s struggle motivates her today.
Morgan Swink on the events of the last few months: "I have hope. I'm deeply worried that [the enthusiasm] will fizzle out. I see companies making statements in support of Black Lives Matter, but there needs to be more action. They need to do things that actually support Black lives. And this isn't even about police brutality. They need more Black people at the executive level. We will keep protesting until things change, and we're counting on our white counterparts — our allies —to step up and demand change as well.
“She had it hard,” says Swink. “She was a teenager and had to quit school to raise me — eventually going back to get her diploma. We were low-income for a while. And on top of that, there were some in her family who didn’t believe people of mixed races should be together.” That motivation extends beyond simply wanting to be successful. She wants to be there for “vulnerable populations.” She wants to defend young men and women who she feels don’t deserve harsh first-offense sentences. Who don’t deserve to have their life turned upside down because of a mistake early in their life. “I know my father was a good person,” she says. “I know now in meeting people [incarcerated or facing jail time] that not all criminals are horrible people. And they deserve justice. That’s why I want to focus on juvenile law — people would be surprised how many Black children [who are placed in remedial or special education in school] give up and end up in the prison system. It’s like a pipeline.”
African Americans for drug charges is nearly six times higher. Despite making up close to 5 percent of the global population, the U.S. has nearly 25 percent of the world’s prison population. If Blacks and Latinos were incarcerated at the same rates as Caucasians, prison and jail populations in this country would decline by almost 40 percent. Black people need better representation, Swink says, and they need more empathetic representation. And she says the country needs to have real, unbiased, apolitical conversations about police brutality, incarceration rates and the racial makeup of the judicial system before progress can be made. Coming from a mixed-race family, Swink is often stuck in the middle of those conversations. “When you're mixed, people with strong opinions don't always know where you stand,” she says. “One side will point to looting and ask me to defend it. My answer is, 'Let's focus on the unjust killing of Black people first.' I don't condone the looting and the violence, but I understand where that hurt and violence comes from." Swink’s biggest supporter is her mother. When she wasn’t sure about attending law school after having her first child, it was her mother that told her she could do it and pushed her to succeed. When there were times she wanted to quit during her second pregnancy, her mother encouraged her to stick with it.
According to the NAACP, one out of every “My whole family is looking up to me,” she says. three Black boys born today can expect to be “A lot of people are counting on me to succeed. sentenced to prison, compared to one out of six I’m not going to let them down.” Latino boys and one out of 17 white boys. Five percent of illicit drug users in the U.S. are Black, yet they represent 29 “Black communities today are scared of the percent of those arrested police, or at least very untrusting of them. and 33 percent of those incarcerated for drug Attorneys, too. Just way too many stories of offenses. Whites and public defenders who didn’t give the time or Blacks statistically use drugs at similar rates, energy to their case they felt like they needed.” but the imprisonment of 36 FALL 2020
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THE RETURN TO CAMPUS
STRANGELY FAMILIAR Students returned to Buies Creek in August for face-to-face instruction for the first time in nearly six months. While the surroundings remain the same, college is a different experience during a global pandemic. Story by Kate Stoneburner Photos by Ben Brown
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Campbell University launched its Campbell Ready website over the summer to provide an online resource for the return to campus in the fall. In addition to policies and guidelines for students, faculty and staff, the site also includes a COVID-19 dashboard that provides weekly updates on active positive cases on campus. Visit the site at CAMPBELL.EDU/CORONAVIRUS/
CAMPBELL-READY/
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he start of fall classes at Campbell University on Aug. 19 brought excitement — and many changes from previous semesters — to main campus.
Students now follow the Ws: wearing face masks, waiting six feet apart, and washing hands often. Classes are a mix of in-person and online to help de-densify campus. Hallways have been converted to one-way corridors and buildings have specified entrance and exit doors to reduce points of contact. Hand sanitizer stations have sprung up across campus, and a temperature reader helps students monitor their wellness. Staff have ramped up cleaning, Plexiglass barriers have been installed in food service areas and many spaces are reduced to 50 percent capacity. These measures, and especially the decision to provide on-campus students with private accommodations in residence halls, earned Campbell University high marks in a Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health assessment, which graded the University “well-prepared” for a return this fall— an accomplishment met with some skepticism as some universities scrambled to make plans for the fall, and others’ best-laid
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coronavirus plans unraveled after a week of classes. A reserve of empty rooms gives Campbell’s small, rural campus a place to quarantine students and depopulate campus should an outbreak occur. Campbell is also uniquely situated among other schools in that its health clinic has the ability to do COVID-19 tests on campus. Since March, the clinic has performed 1,000 tests and had 20 positive cases, 17 of which were asymptomatic. With campus reopening, the clinic has ordered 10,000 new test kits and 11 rapid testing machines, which can deliver results in 15 minutes. The plans to stock up on tests, as well as the proposal and implementation of all safety measures, was the work of the Campbell University Task Force, which had met (and still meets) multiple times each week to carefully consider reopening since March. The task force tracks metrics such as local and campus case-incidence data, testing availability, cleaning and sanitation supplies, availability of masks and personal protective equipment, facilities available for quarantine, contact tracing, on-campus and off-campus exposure and more. While not all metrics will be made public, a coronavirus data dashboard currently allows
media outlets and the campus community see the number of current cases and their status as a residential or off-campus dweller. So far so good — through Sept. 4, 11 positive tests in total have made their way onto the dashboard, two of which were students in residential areas. The task force and its subcommittees include faculty and staff members from Student Life, Spiritual Life, Health Sciences and Accounting. Mental Health and Substance Abuse Specialist Victoria Weaver served on the Residence Life and Dining Committee, which made decisions around restrictions and safety precautions for residential students including the new single room and restricted visitation policies. Her own department has made changes to expand their virtual services, but she admitted the transition has been challenging. “Therapy is about establishing a connection between therapist and client,” Weaver said. “The ability to communicate with body language, facial expressions and tone of voice are vital pieces of the therapeutic process.” Now, that process is marked by masks and Plexiglass screens or computer screens between therapists and students. Weaver feels for the students who are experiencing what she considers some of the most exciting and enjoyable years of life with so many limitations. But the counseling center is ready to be of service in any way that it can to meet the needs of the Campbell community. “I don’t know that there are really any right answers.” said Weaver. “What I do know is that the counseling center is ready to be of service, in any way that best meets the needs of our students and Campbell community.”
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On July 26, Campbell University began requiring face masks or coverings in all campus buildings and outdoors when social distancing isn't possible. When in-person classes began on Aug. 19, students and professors were required to wear masks during classes. Professors are able to speak from behind a Plexiglass partition. Campbell's campuses have also implemented other COVID-19 policies, such as one-way hallways, spread-out seating in classrooms and temperature checks in some buildings. C A MP B E L L M AG AZ I N E 41
HOPE FOR THE BEST, PREPARE FOR THE WORST Among faculty and staff, the response to Campbell’s reopening plans has been one of cautious optimism. Although the recent move to virtual learning by larger schools in the state has raised concerns, Campbell’s smaller population — and smaller party scene culture — may help curb the spread. “In my opinion on my experience being here, Campbell University is not what I would consider a party school,” Vice President for Advancement Britt Davis said in late August. North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill abruptly moved to online learning mere days into the semester, citing off-campus gatherings, particularly in fraternity and sorority sectors, as responsible for a significant number of infections. “Are kids going to be kids at a certain level? Of course they are.” Davis said. “I can’t deny it and I don’t think any other school can deny that to a certain level. In general, in my observations, it’s a calmer and a more in-control experience here at Campbell. ” “I think it's obvious that students are for the most part really trying to follow the rules when they're on campus, but we all know that COVID is hard to control even if they do,” added Steve Bahnaman, librarian at Wiggins Memorial Library. In the early days of a semester, the library is typically only populated with a few undergrads, mainly health science students who have exams sooner than others. Bahnaman isn’t sure what will happen when library crowds increase, as they usually do through September. The new student union may change the game because students no longer need to rely on library space for between-class downtime.
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At the beginning of the fall semester, Campbell encouraged students, faculty and staff to sign the COVID-19 Community Covenant and Promise to Care pledge to "demonstrate our commitment to the University and the community we have built." The pledge included language about face coverings, social distancing, health monitoring and having patience with others during these unique times. The Covenant can be found on the Campbell Ready website.
“I feel for the teachers that have to deal with many students a day and teach with a mask on for four hours at a time,” Bahnaman said as he approached his first in-class library session of the semester. “I've got it a lot easier than they have.” Many of those professors handling multiple classes a day are happy to be back in the classroom, regardless of the challenges. Meredith Williams, professor of math, said she feels lucky that her classes are small enough to meet in person, even with reduced room capacities. She hopes that her face-to-face class times are deemed safe enough to continue while she uses her downtime to master the technological component of recording her lectures live — a new and occasionally frustrating process. “Recording a lecture live through Blackboard as I teach is completely different from what I was doing from home in the spring, so it feels like starting completely over in some ways. I’m not in a situation where I absolutely have to record lectures right now, so I’m thankful to have some time to figure things out.” In the Communication Studies department, instructor Brian Bowman told several students in the first week how glad he was to see them in person. “They bring so much energy to campus,” Bowman said. “While my preference is the physical classroom setting and the dialogue it promotes, each faculty member recognizes that we have to be ready to adapt quickly if things go south. Mentally, it’s challenging.” Professor Shahriar Mostashari of the School of Business concurred. “I am hoping for the best, prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between,” he said. M AG AZIN E .CAMP BE LL.EDU
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Both Mostashari and Bowman reported that every one of their students followed the face covering policy, and had made them proud in the first week of the semester. “I’m grateful to see everyone taking the virus seriously,” Bowman said. “At some point, I hope we’ll forget what we’re wearing so we can focus on content. We’re not there yet, but we’ll keep going.” Professors may be optimistic, but students cited several policies as cause for concern, particularly mask exemptions made for athletes in training. Watching other universities go virtual after outbreaks could not be contained only days into the return to campus had some students questioning the wisdom of attempting a return at all. “It feels like misguided principles geared toward a good public perception,” said senior Hunter Griffis. “Money is prioritized over safety.” Other students feel that the preventative measures policies are sound, but that certain metrics, such as wellness checks conducted by residence hall staff, were crossing a privacy line. “Most of them are solid, but some of the consequences are over the top,” said a student polled on Instagram. “The college is full of low risk, competent adults,” said another. “No need to be so restricting.”
McNamara-Clement is hopeful that if students continue to follow guidelines to the best of their ability and campus is kept clean, she and her classmates will be able to stay on campus. That hope is evident on main campus, where students have coauthored and signed a Promise to Care, stating their intent to follow guidelines strictly, show one another compassion, balance personal freedom and safety procedures fairly, and use the uncertain and unusual campus experience as an opportunity to show the love of Christ to their community. “I hope for a campus experience without Covid-19,” reads the pledge, “but I will do my best to embrace what this new college experience will bring and will work with others to promote the well-being of my community. During this time, I will act with moral courage, social sensitivity and ethical responsibility in ways that demonstrate the love of Christ in my community.”
Tami O'Neal, a resident director at Pat Barker Hall, studies in her private room. To help curb the spread of COVID-19 on Campbell's main campus, the University provided private dorms for all students needing on-campus housing in the fall. The move got national attention as media outlets reported on steps colleges are taking to bring back oncampus learning in the fall.
Most, it seems, have accepted the risks in the knowledge that the University is taking precautions, and are pleased with the new rules and regulations for the safety of students and staff. “I am thankful for all of those who have been mindful of the new COVID-19 guidelines,” said Lauren McNamaraClement, a senior studying social work. “It makes being on campus enjoyable when you see people consciously putting on their masks as they enter a building and remaining six feet apart when standing near each other.” M AG AZIN E .CAMP BE LL.EDU
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ALUMNI NOTES
All-Americans Scott Irby and Sam Brewer were leaders on Campbell University's men's golf team, the 1970 NAIA National Champions and still Campbell University's only national championship team. | 1971 Pine Burr Yearbook
1970 MEN'S GOLF TEAM
FOREVER CHAMPIONS
It's been 50 years since Campbell hoisted its first (and only) national championship trophy. The team that did it formed a bond then that remains strong to this day. BY STAN COLE
to men's head basketball coach.
n the late 1960s, a group of young men converged on Buies Creek and formed a powerful program that advanced to the NAIA national tournament eight times in its final 10 years of competition on that level before Campbell moved to the NCAA Division I level in 1977-78.
Fifty years ago — on June 12, 1970 — AllAmericans Sam Brewer and Scott Irby and the rest of the Camels lifted the NAIA National Championship trophy — still Campbell's only team national title — at Claycrest Country Club in suburban Kansas City, Missouri. That group, which won the 72-hole event by four strokes over runner-up Southwest Texas State, was in the midst of six-consecutive trips to the NAIA finals.
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With a roster comprised primarily of players from North Carolina, Danny Roberts led the Camels to a pair of national tournament appearances, including a third-place finish in 1969 before handing over coaching duties to Hargrove B. Davis after Roberts was elevated 46 FALL 2020
Even more impressive is that over the last 50 years, the Camels of the late 60s and early 70s that split their practice sessions between Chicora Country Club in Erwin and the
now-closed Sippihaw Golf Club in FuquayVarina, have stayed in close contact. Lifelong friendships, many of which began in junior and high school golf tournaments, were strengthened by years of competition and camaraderie in Buies Creek. THE FORMATION Roberts took over as golf coach in 1963 and began assembling the foundation of the program that captured eight district crowns in 11 years beginning in 1967. He landed Washington, N.C., native Jimmy Gurkin in 1965 — who led the Camels to national tourney appearances in his junior (1968)
Photo by Lissa Gotwals
and senior (1969) years before going on to a career as a teaching pro. “The first year, I had to take what was there,” said Roberts, who served as Campbell's head golf coach from 1963-69 and then again from 1983-87. In between, he coached the Fighting Camel basketball team to a record 233 victories, two NAIA national tournament appearances (including a runner-up finish in 1977), and guided the program in its first six seasons on the Division I level.
“We were all just so dadgum competitive,”said Irby, who has served as vice president at BB&T in Raleigh for the last two decades. “Nobody wanted to lose to anybody. We played almost every single day just trying to beat each other's brains out; then we'd go home and cook a steak.” Roberts never had to urge his team to practice. In fact, Brewer, Gurkin, McDonald and Soule entered careers as golf professionals, while the Bunn brothers
Sometimes he provided a ride to class for his tenants who preferred that to walking about a mile to campus. “Coach Roberts was our mentor, our hero,” said McDonald, who went on to serve as a club and teaching pro in New York, New England and Florida until 1992, then worked as a marketing agent on the professional tour until retiring in 2018.
“I started recruiting,” said Roberts, who still lives in the Buies Creek area and is a fixture at home basketball games. “At that time, nobody in the ACC except Wake Forest was really recruiting in golf. I went to the state high school tournament and junior tournaments. Every time I read the scores in the paper, and a kid shot a pretty good round, I'd send him a letter.” Those efforts led to the 1967 addition of Julian Bunn from Broughton High School in Raleigh and Kenny McDonald from Wilmington's New Hanover High School. A year later, Sam Brewer transferred from Wake Forest, while Curt Soule joined the program as a freshman and Scott Irby followed from the Demon Deacons the following season.
ABOVE: Frank Powers, John Bunn, Jackie Jackson, Sam Brewer, Kenny McDonald and Scott Irby were honored on campus by then President Norman Adrian Wiggins after bringing home the NAIA National Championship trophy in 1970.
THE ROUTINE Keith Hills Golf Club on campus wasn't built until 1974, so those NAIA powerhouse teams had to travel off campus to practice and compete. Often, Bunn's blue 1961 Buick station wagon served as the team's transportation. With a team that sometimes included 14 or 15 players, Roberts also ferried players to practice in his own station wagon. “We would go out and play golf in a light rain or 35-40 degrees, it didn't matter,” recalled McDonald, who now lives in Jacksonville, Fla. “Literally every day, there'd be a nucleus of us ready to pile into the car and go.” Not only did many of the players share a common background, they were also keen for the daily competition. MAGAZINE.CAMPBELL.EDU
LEFT: The trophy still lives at Campbell University, shown here at Keith Hills Golf Club, built four years after the team's national title.
founded Continental Golf in 1972 and plied their trade in the club repair and custom fitting trade, while also operating Carolina Custom Golf from 1977 to 2008. “We were golf rats all the way,” said McDonald. “Picked up our own (practice) balls, had our own shag bags. Chicora had a little driving range. We'd hit balls. That was our day. It was a simple golf life, college life.” Roberts housed up to four golfers per year in an apartment adjacent to his home in the Lake Small neighborhood of Buies Creek.
THE FRIENDSHIP Brewer and Soule both hailed from Wake Forest and knew Broughton grads Julian Bunn and his younger brother John from junior golf events. Gurkin and Irby were from “Little” Washington, while McDonald and Jackie Jackson called Wilmington home. “They all grew up playing junior golf together,” recalled Roberts. “They all knew each other. They were all competitive. They were all good kids. They listened. We never had any kind of problem, jealousy C A MP B E L L M AG AZ I N E 47
or anything. Everybody pulled together, worked hard, and whatever I asked them, they did. It wasn't me; it's just a special group of guys.” Uncertain that he even wanted to attend college, Bunn was notified by his father that he was going to Campbell College following his graduation from Broughton. Over the years, Campbell developed a reputation for students leaving Buies Creek over weekends to go home to work or play, or travel to Raleigh or Fayetteville for entertainment. “We had a great golf team with good friends of ours, so that made it fun," said Bunn. “Sam, his brother Dickie, John — my brother — and I, we all grew up together and played together. I was 30 minutes from Raleigh. I never came home. I loved Buies Creek. I loved the environment. From a social standpoint, I was in hog heaven.” Brewer and his teammates have remained close through the years. “So many of those guys wound up in the golf business that I've known through the years and am still close to,” said Brewer, who earned All-America honors three times. “Julian Bunn is one of my best friends. You can have the best time in the world with a good friend, no matter where you're playing.” THE CHAMPIONSHIP After finishing 11th in the team's first trip to the national tournament in 1968, Campbell posted a 23-1 record in match play the next season and was third in the NAIA National Championship, led by the play of AllAmericans Gurkin and Brewer. Even with Gurkin's graduation, Campbell rolled to a 21-1 regular season mark in 1970 and claimed its third district title in four years. Under the guidance of Coach "Hoggie" Davis, Brewer, Bunn, Irby, Jackson and Soule journeyed to Liberty, Missouri, and Claycrest Country Club, which was set to 6,650 yards for the 1970 event. “I don't think any of us had ever been on an airplane — certainly not a jet,” said Irby. “We'd never been to a big city like Kansas City. We thought Raleigh was big, but nothing like that then.” Campbell entered the final round with a five shot advantage, but a heavy thunderstorm forced a delay of about three hours. “In two hours, we had probably five inches of rain,” said Irby. “I remember sitting down 48 FALL 2020
M. Schaefer, John Bunn, Kenny McDonald, J. McDaniel, Frankie Powers, Curt Soule, Julien Bunn, Scott Irby, Jackie Jackson and Sam Brewer in a photo from the 1971 Pine Burr Yearbook.
in the middle of the fairway on the back edge of my golf bag and had my umbrella pointing directly into the wind — one of those squalls that came through — just trying to stay dry. They finally blew the horn and brought everybody in. The little ditches and streams that ran through the course were like the rapids going down the Colorado." During the delay, the team went to get a bite to eat and while at the restaurant, Irby recalled mentioning that if the round were cancelled, they would be declared team champions because of their 54-hole lead. “To a man — and Sammy was probably the most vociferous — they said 'No! We don't want to win that way; we want to win it on the golf course,'” said Irby, who went on to earn first-team All-America honors after a third-place individual finish. Irby shot a final round 73 on a windy, soaked course, but had to scramble on the final hole to make par. For years, he kept a secret about a 45-50 foot pitch that stopped right by the hole as his teammates and the bulk of the final round gallery gathered around the 18th green. “I hit my second shot just short of the green. I went over to the group and said 'how do we stand?' but they said, 'don't worry about it, just go hit your shot,'” said Irby. “I'm maybe five feet off the front of the green, 45-50 feet back to the back pin, green sloping towards me. Ok, I said, I'm going to take my sand
wedge, get some loft on it and try to carry it up there close to the hole 'cause when it lands, it's not going to roll much. And I bladed the putty out of it. Sammy asked me this — first time in 50 years — he said, 'Irby, tell me the truth, what'd you hit that shot with? Was that a 7-iron? I said, no, it was a sand wedge. I was trying to hit a lofted shot up there and I bladed the crap out of it. It hit right in the crest of the hill, took one hop and almost went in the hole. They were all clapping, hooting and hollering, thought I'd hit a great shot. For 50 years, I was the only one who knew how bad I missed it.” For Bunn, the reality of the win didn't sink in until the team was greeted at the airport in Raleigh by a crowd of family, Campbell fans and administrators after its flight home. “(At that time), it was just another golf tournament. We played well and won,” said Bunn. “When we came home, we flew in, and all the people were there to meet us. As I walked off that flight, I realized we really did something special.” THE LAST FIVE DECADES The Campbell teams that reached the NAIA finals from 1968-77 laid the foundation for the program's continued success at the Division I level. Keith Hills Country Club was developed in 1974 and serves as home to the Fighting Camel men's and women's
ALUMNI NOTES golf teams as well as the University's PGA Golf Management program. Since moving to the Division I ranks in the late 70s and joining the Big South Conference in 1983, the Camels have turned into a mid-major national power on both the men's and women's side. Over the last three decades under head coach John Crooks, the Campbell teams have combined to make 31 NCAA regional appearances and win 148 tournaments. The NAIA squads left behind a legacy of success at Campbell. Many of those men found success in their post-playing careers as well. Brewer, Bunn, Irby, McDonald and Soule all went on to careers in the golf or banking business. After mentoring Campbell's first Division I era individual conference champion, Gary Hobgood, Roberts left the University in 1987 to return to high school basketball coaching, where he led Eastern Randolph to 100 wins in just five years. A former assistant pro at the Country Club of North Carolina and North Ridge Country Club and head pro at the Country Club of Johnston County, Soule passed away in 2014 after suffering a stroke. Brewer retired as director of golf from Raleigh's North Ridge Country Club in 2015, but still serves as pro emeritus. After 48 years in the family business, Bunn retired from Continental Golf in 2018. Since then, Bunn and Brewer have played a round every Monday at a courses within an hour's drive from Raleigh. Since 1989, Gurkin has been owner and head professional at Willow Springs Country Club in Wilson. It was there this spring that he hosted Brewer, Bunn and Irby for a round full of memories.
“I remember exactly how Sammy used to swing, I remember exactly how Julian used to swing, I'm sure they remember how I used to swing,” said Irby. “None of us could do like we used to do. We all played good, all shot not far off of par. You can never turn the clock back, but it was fun trying. We trash talked like we did back then.” McDonald gave up playing a couple years ago due to health concerns, but stays in touch with the game through various golf companies he represents, including the Putting Arc training aid. He's also connected over the years with former Camel golfers Kylie Pratt and Brad Fritsch during their days on the pro tours. For the life the game of golf has provided him and his family, Bunn is most grateful. “I've had one of the most blessed lives in the world,” said Bunn. “When I started the business, it was three minutes from my house. When I got enough money to join a golf course, it was a minute from my house. As I moved my business headquarters two, three or four times, it was never more than four minutes from my house. To do that for 47 years, not having to spend hours in the car, it was fantastic.” Not only does Irby still have his old clubs and the NAIA National Champions jacket he and his teammates were presented upon their return to campus, he is reminded daily of that 1970 title. When he looks around his office located off Glenwood Avenue in Raleigh, he sees his All-America citation and five plaques signifying Campbell's accomplishments a half century ago. After describing his office décor, Irby paused and simply concluded, “I love those guys.”
UPDATE YOUR INFO
The Campbell University Alumni Association wants to keep you up-to-date on Campbell news, events and alumni programming. But information changes quickly — and we need your help! If your email address, mailing address or name has changed, please visit alumni. campbell.edu/update to submit your current information. ��������������������������
1970s JUDY NORTON (’76) retired on
Aug. 31, 2019, from the office of the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser after almost 32 years.
TIM ROSE (’77) retired after 43
years as a clinical laboratory scientist.
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1980s North Carolina Secretary of State ELAINE
MARSHALL (’81 LAW) was
awarded the Chief Justice I. Beverly Lake Jr. Public Service Award in July. She was the first woman to receive this honor from the North Carolina Bar Association and the 15th recipient of this prestigious award that honors lawyers in North Carolina with distinct public service records. Marshall, the first woman elected to an executive branch position in North Carolina when she took office as Secretary of State in 1997, has been a long-standing leader in the public service arena. For her alma mater, she has served as a member of both the Campbell Law School Board of Visitors and Campbell University Board of Trustees.
Julian Bunn, Jimmy Gurkin, Scott Irby and Sam Brewer have remained friends for 50 years since their NAIA title at Campbell University in 1970. They gathered recently for a round at Willow Springs in Wilson. MAGAZINE.CAMPBELL.EDU
C A MP B E L L M AG AZ I N E 49
The NC State Board of Trustees swore in PERRY SAFRAN (’81 LAW) as a board member on July 15. Safran is a founding partner of the Safran Law Offices and a former Raleigh City Council member. He also serves as vice chair of the North Carolina Turnpike Authority and is a member of the PNC Arena Centennial Authority. ��������������������������
1990s CONNIE BARNES (’90 PHARMD), a
graduate of Campbell’s pharmacy charter class and the first Campbell drug information resident, was recognized as a College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences Preceptor of the Year last spring. Barnes joined the Campbell faculty in 1991 and has served diligently for 30 years as a teacher and mentor. “It would take me forever to list all of the accomplishments and contributions Dr. Barnes has made to the university and our pharmacy program,” said Byron May, chair of Pharmacy Practice. “Her dedication to the education of Campbell students and residents is unmatched.”
ELIZABETH WARREN MCBRIDE (’16) married Cory McBride on Oct. 12, 2019.
ANGELA BEEKER (’91 LAW) began
her new role as Hendersonville city attorney on Aug. 17. She was previously city attorney for Huntersville, a suburb of Charlotte. Before then, she spent all of her career in Hendersonville, serving county government from 1992 to 2004 before working for her own law firm and for the F.B. Jackson law practice, specializing in real estate and civil litigation.
JORDAN NARRON ASHLEY (’11)
and EMERY D. ASHLEY JR. (’11) welcomed their second child, Millie Catherin, on March 20.
J. CALVIN CHANDLER (’98 LAW)
was appointed to serve as a District Court Judge in Judicial District 13B (Bladen, Brunswick and Columbus Counties) by N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper in July. Calvin has been a solo practitioner at The Chandler Law Firm, P.A. since 2007.
50 FALL 2020
ADAM LANIER (’12) and Ashley Pearsall were married on Feb. 8, in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
ALEXANDRIA MERRIETT (’14 MBA) welcomed Nove Saige
Merriett to the world on March 9.
ALUMNI NOTES
A.J. ARTIS (’15) and D JANELLE BROWN ARTIS (’15) were married on March 15. Both were athletes at Campbell University, A.J. playing football from
2012 to 2014, and D Jannelle playing basketball from 2013 to 2015. It has been an eventful year for A.J. who was also named director of football sports performance at the University of Tennessee in June. Artis played a valuable role in the strength and conditioning development of the Volunteers since 2018. Prior to his arrival in Knoxville, Artis spent two seasons at Duke working as assistant director of strength and conditioning.
2000s MICHELLE MCENTIRE (’04 LAW)
was appointed District Court judge for Judicial District 29A (McDowell and Rutherford counties) by N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper in July. McEntire has been a sole practitioner at McEntire Law, PLLC since 2018 and previously worked in the District Attorney’s Office for District 29A and as a clinical social worker. She is a member of several boards and has held leadership roles in the District 29A and McDowell County Bar Associations.
CHARLES (’13) and ASHTON BRADY met at Campbell
University in 2013 and were married a year later on Aug. 23, 2014. After graduation, Charles commissioned into the U.S. Army, which took them to Fort Benning, Georgia. “We are almost six years into our marriage, and we are the proud parents of three beautiful children — Kenzington, Emma and Carson. Thank you, Campbell, for the lifetime of memories you brought together.”
MAGAZINE.CAMPBELL.EDU
BETHANY ANNE LIND (’04)
ALYSSA OXENDINE (’17) welcomed a baby boy in February. Alyssa earned her Bachelor of Social Work degree from the School of Education in 2017.
played the role of Clara Steele in the HBO Max series, “Doom Patrol,” this year. Lind, who was featured in Campbell Magazine’s Spring 2020 edition, starred in her first leading role in the critically acclaimed “Blood On Her Name” earlier this year and is coming off recurring roles in “Reprisal,” “Ozark” and “TURN: Washington’s Spies.” C A MP B E L L M AG AZ I N E 51
ALUMNI NOTES The United Way of Cumberland County named AMY NAVEJAS (’09 LAW) as its
new executive director in 2020. Navejas was previously the CEO and executive director of Better Health, which recently added the Spring Lake Diabetes Clinic and began the Fayfit childhood obesity program in Fayetteville. Navejas has been an active board member for several local nonprofit groups, with experience in nonprofit management, case management, outreach, community programs, human resources and professional development. ��������������������������
2010s BETHANY LINGLE STARNES (’11)
was named an associate research scientist after five years at a pharmaceutical manufacturing company, Adhezion Biomedical, in her hometown in Caldwell County. Also this year, Bethany and her husband, Derrick, celebrated their fiveyear wedding anniversary.
ANNE AND ALDEEN ROBBINS ('49)
Couple's love story began at Campbell, has lasted over 70 years
A
nne and Aldeen Robbins celebrated 70 years of marriage in 2019. The two tied the knot on Sept. 7, 1949 after meeting at then Campbell College in fall 1947. Anne Vaughn Bell was one of only a few out-ofstate students at Campbell at the time. Samuel Aldeen Robbins, always called Deen or Aldeen, hailed from Thomasville, North Carolina. The two married at First Baptist Church in Anne’s hometown, Suffolk, Virginia, and honeymooned in Virginia Beach. They lived in California for a short time before Deen was drafted into the Army. He soon deployed to fight in the Korean War. After Deen’s service, he and Anne moved to Thomasville, where they have lived ever since. They built a home in 1958 and are still living in that home today. They are active members of First Baptist Church in Thomasville, and Deen is a member of several civic organizations, serving as board chairman for the city schools, district president for the Lions organization, and volunteering with the blind through the latter until 2017. Anne has taught piano to more than 100 students in their home over the years. She spent time as a bookkeeper for a local shoe store, an income tax preparer and a substitute teacher as well. Together, the couple enjoys cruising with family and friends. They have been on sixteen cruises in
Anne and Aldeen Robbins met at Campbell College in 1947 and were married two years later. They celebrated their 70th anniversary in 2019.
total, and celebrated their 60th and 65th wedding anniversaries on the water. Avid travelers, Anne and Deen have visited all 50 states in the U.S. They share a beach house with friends in North Myrtle Beach, where they travel occasionally. The Robbins’ two daughters, Dena and Sara, married in 1983, and today they have four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Deen and Anne feel blessed to enjoy excellent health. Deen, who was not born in a hospital, hopes to keep up his streak of zero hospitalizations as he turns 91 this year. KATE STONEBURNER
RYAN THOMPSON (’14) made his
Major League debut for the Tampa Bay Rays on July 24, pitching two scoreless innings and allowing just one hit against the Boston Red Sox. He earned his first Major League win on Aug. 9, against the New York Yankees. SARA BOULTINHOUSE JONES (’15, ’19 PHARMD) completed
her residency and has taken on a new role as clinical pharmacist at ArCare, a federally qualified health center in Arkansas.
VERONICA MARTINEZ WOODLIEF (’20) and Harrison Miller Woodlief were married in 2020, and Veronica
accepted a position with Wells Fargo in Austin, Texas, as a fiduciary administrator. “I am grateful to have attended Campbell University,” she says. “It is a great school with a very wonderful faculty and staff.
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PLAN TO GIVE
Join the Wiggins Society Through the Campbell Leads campaign, we seek support to provide opportunities for students at Campbell. Learn more about planned giving at campaign.campbell.edu/how-to-give/
The Cherry family's legacy of love and religious education
I
t would be a great plot for a Christian romance movie. Aspiring missionary walks into a Christian Sociology class. Future pastor sees how she lights up the room. He makes it his mission to sit behind her the rest of the semester. Eventually, he convinces her to marry him and serve alongside him at his churches — to think of herself as a missionary to the United States instead of to a different country. He serves as a pastor for over 50 years, and she works alongside him teaching young adults and children. The future pastor was my grandfather, Russell T. Cherry, Jr. He always knew he wanted to be a preacher. When he was a child, he would play church in the woodshed with the neighborhood children. Four deacons from another church saw his potential and paid for him to attend college. He received a BA from the University of Richmond in 1947, and he was ordained the same year. He graduated from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity and a PhD in Preaching. The aspiring missionary was my grandmother, Jewell Jones. She sped through her education, graduating high school at 15 or 16 and finishing college in three years. She went on to attend the Women’s Missionary Union Training School at Southern Seminary because she wanted to be a missionary to China.
(Top) Russell T. Cherry met Jewell Jones in college and the two dedicated their lives to ministry. Their family (including daugther Judy (a Campbell grad) and son Russell III followed in their footsteps.
If you liked Russell and Jewell’s meet-cute, just wait until you watch the sequels: many of their children and grandchildren also met their spouses during seminary. My aunt Judy, a Campbell University alum, met her husband Scott at Southern Seminary. My dad Russell (III) met my mom Betsy at Southern. Aunt Jeannie met her husband Tripp at Campbell (they went to seminary, too, at Southeastern). My brother Chris met his wife Tory at McAfee. I met my husband Isaac also while in seminary. My cousin Russ went to Moravian Theological Seminary and met his wife Rebecca while in ministry. While we might not actually make it into the movies, our love stories and our lives demonstrate the legacy of Russell and Jewell: a love for people, a curiosity about religious questions, and a desire to do good in the world. You see, many families pray before meals, but we go beyond that. We talk about religion while cooking. We debate
denominational politics during dinner. We discuss theology over dessert. We dispense pastoral care while clearing the table. Because we’ve all benefitted from scholarships to pursue our studies of religion, we are grateful to now have the opportunity to make a donation to Campbell University to establish three funds in my grandfather’s name that will support religion and divinity students. Campbell is beloved to many in my family. Not only did my aunts Judy and Jeannie graduate from Campbell (you should ask Aunt Jeannie and Uncle Tripp about their meet-cute in D. Rich Auditorium), but my grandfather also served as a trustee at Campbell and received an honorary Doctorate of Divinity and a Presidential Medallion Award. We’re excited to see Dr. Cherry, Jr.’s blockbuster legacy of love and religious education live on through these scholarships.
BRITT DAVIS
PETER DONLON
(910) 893-1350 davisb@campbell.edu
(910) 893-1847 pdonlon@campbell.edu
Vice President for Institutional Advancement
MAGAZINE.CAMPBELL.EDU
— Written by Amanda Cherry
Director of Planned Giving
C A MP B E L L M AG AZ I N E 53
ALUMNI NOTES HANNAH GRANTHAM LANE (’15) welcomed her “second
Camel” and first daughter, Willow Quinn Lane, to the family.
ASHLEY PIFER (’16) received
the best Christmas present ever on Dec. 25, 2019 — an offer letter to become the Research Team Lead for the Infectious Diseases Division at Duke University. Pifer started her new role in February. Not long after, she began her leadership role, the pandemic hit. She has been able to lead research studies and help provide potential treatments to COVID-positive patients. “I have been able to work alongside some really incredible and passionate physicians and researchers,” Pifer says. “This is truly more than just a job, and I have Campbell to thank for jump starting my love of clinical research.” KATELYN HOWELL (’16) was accepted into the Oncology Project Mentor Program at Syneos Health and was promoted to project manager following completion of the program in March.
The first class of residents in Cape Fear Valley Medical Center’s new fellowship program in cardiovascular disease will include DR. GUNJAN JOSHI (’17 DO), the hospital announced in June. Residents must complete a three-year internal medicine residency before enrollment. Joshi completed his internal medicine residency in June at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital in Southampton, N.Y..
ELIZABETH RITZ ELWELL (’10) and BRIAN ELWELL (’14)
celebrated the birth of their first child, Eleanor Ruth, in August 2019. The couple was married in 2015 and is thrilled to see where their daughter’s path leads her.
HALEY JERNIGAN (’16) married Josh Jernigan on Oct. 19, 2019, in Coats,
North Carolina. Haley is owner of the Orange Owned business, Into The Wild World, a company that travels to local schools, churches, and festivals with the goal to introduce young audiences to the ideas of science, nature and the climate change crisis.
KAYLA ROBERTS SHACKLEFORD (’15) and her
husband welcomed their first child, Lillian Elizabeth Shackleford, on May 9. Elizabeth was born at 8 pounds, 4 ounces and 20 inches long. “She started her life born in the middle of a historic global pandemic,” Kayla says. “I’m hoping one day, she will be a Campbell girl like her mama.”
ASHTON WEAVER (’19) was
named head coach of the volleyball program at Overhills High School. While at Campbell, Weaver was a member of the club volleyball team and spent two years as a coach with the Harnett Area Volleyball Club.
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DAVID COX (’10) and his wife celebrated their second anniversary and
their son’s first birthday in 2010.
KATHLEEN MCNEILL (’10) was recognized by Harnett County Schools for 10 years with the district.
FRIENDS WE WILL MISS COL. BILL PICKARD
CAROLYN MORRISON
Colonel touched lives at Campbell after impressive career in pharmacy
C
ampbell University and the College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences family mourned the loss of a dear friend and colleague, Col. Bill Pickard, who died on Aug. 24. Over the course of his 40-plus year professional career, very few have contributed to the pharmacy profession, the community and the country more than Col. Pickard. His professional career formally began in 1976 as a pharmacy resident at Duke Hospital after graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill. From 1976 to 2006, serving in many different roles, Pickard was an important fixture at Duke Hospital. Working as a staff pharmacist, night shift pharmacist, clinical pharmacist, teacher, preceptor, researcher and administrator, he interacted with countless colleagues, patients and students. In 1981, his interest in infectious diseases led him to a unique and firstof-its-kind position as a clinical pharmacist in the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Medicine at Duke.
Campbell University's Department of Clinical Research. He was soon called upon to serve in another capacity as Chair of the same department. One major accomplishment over his tenure as program chair was the creation of the online Masters in Clinical Research program, the first online program in the College. After eight years of leading this program, Pickard stepped down as chair and returned to his roots and joined the Department of Pharmacy Practice where he brought his wealth of experience to several teaching courses. Pickard was the definition of a servant leader. As a Christian, he served his religious community by teaching Sunday School, a children’s Bible study, and an International Bible Study Fellowship program.
Throughout his career while serving as a pharmacist, Pickard also served his country in the Army Reserves. As a pharmacist in the Army Reserves beginning in 1982, he performed many roles — but two of the most significant were his active duty role during Operation Desert Storm and as pharmacy consultant for Operation Enduring Freedom.
For the past few years, Pickard fought his most difficult battle, his fight against cancer that ultimately took his life. Throughout this courageous fight, he never wavered from his commitments to his colleagues and students at Campbell University. No matter the pain or suffering he was enduring, he arrived every day with a smile and determination to continue his service to his extended family.
Beginning in 2004, Bill moved into various leadership roles at Duke, serving as director of pharmacy for two years before moving into an academic role with
Touching the lives of so many students, peers and friends, sharing his knowledge, advice and wisdom will ensure his legacy will continue.
DAVID HOBSON
Performance Center namesake passes David Hobson, the namesake for Campbell’s performance arts center dedicated to his late wife in November, died peacefully on Aug. 1, in Pinehurst after a hard-fought battle with cancer. He was 76. After retirement, Hobson and his wife Anne — a childhood friend and his first love — began discussing their longtime dream to promote and preserve the use of “old-time,” sacred hymns in Christian ministry and worship. They came up with the idea of a project to establish a Christian music MAGAZINE.CAMPBELL.EDU
education center in a Bible College near Dunn. Sadly, when Anne died in 2012, it appeared that the project had died with her. In 2018, he teamed with Campbell in funding the complete renovation of the antiquated auditorium in the D. Rich Building, transforming it into a beautiful, state-of-the-art concert hall. The Hobson Performance Center, dedicated to the memory of Anne, was introduced on Nov. 14, 2019, with a full-house inaugural concert performed before nearly 1,000 special guests, family and friends.
Education professor was a true visionary Dr. Carolyn Morrison, former School of Education Professor of Education (elementary programs) and program coordinator for the School of Education’s Masters in School Administration program (1998-2007), died on July 26. She was always incredibly kind, approachable, warm, and very knowledgeable. She was focused on excellence for all candidates and was driven to make the program the very best by ensuring that content was relevant to the times. She was a true visionary and knew how to translate vision into reality. Under her tenure at Campbell, Morrison was the M.S.A. Handbook creator, cohort developer, personnel solicitor and program evaluator. She was, in short, a tremendous role model for her colleagues and, most especially, for her M.S.A. candidates. When she retired from Campbell in 2007, her alma mater, Peace College, called for her assistance and she answered that call by serving as the Director of Education. Dr. Carolyn Morrison was a servant leader. She served well in whatever capacity represented Campbell University well and was always focused on what was best for all students. That is truly her lifelong legacy. DR. SAM ENGEL C A MP B E L L M AG AZ I N E 55
FROM THE EDITOR
At the very least, listen
I
was 21 and dumb as a brick when a friend and I were approached by police officers at 2 a.m. on a Saturday night. We were hitting golf balls at an abandoned building, and a few errant shots had landed dangerously close to a car dealership (and a concerned overnight security guard). When the officers arrived, they stepped out of their vehicles and commanded, “Drop your weapons.” We laughed. Weapons? Golf clubs? Long story short, we were arrested and placed into different squad cars. The officer who drove me to the county jail — sensing my sudden turn from laughter to silent fright — assured me everything would be OK. He assured me he was just doing his job. When we arrived at the county jail, my friend and I requested the same cell (away from some rough-looking men who appeared, to us, to be a bit too comfortable behind bars). The officer obliged. And when a friend bailed us out the next morning, we thanked the officer for his hospitality and for making a terrible night a little less terrible. “No problem, boys,” he answered as we reached the front door, our eyes blinded by the sunlight. “Straighten that left arm … it’ll fix that slice.” That’s my college arrest story. My first and last arrest story, thankfully. It’s a story I shared back when we used to have social gatherings and the topic came up. And it’s a story that usually gets a laugh or two, because seriously … I was arrested for hitting golf balls. I’m not sharing this story for the laughs today, not in a magazine full of stories from students of color about law enforcement experiences far, far different from mine. Mine is a story of privilege. From laughing at the “weapons” request, to getting favorable treatment at the jail, to getting a humorous quip from the officer on my way out. I’m not accusing the police officer from 23 years ago of anything other than being an understanding, friendly human being who was doing his job. But I am very mindful of the fact that not everybody has benefited from this type of treatment in America over the last 250-plus years. I’m very aware that too many people of color
56 FALL 2020
— including Black men and women who were also in their early 20s — have met a far worse fate for committing (and not committing) far less serious crimes. When the officer told me to drop my weapon, not once did I consider the possibility that my life was in danger. The cover story in this Fall 2020 edition of Campbell Magazine — featuring six School of Law students who are entering a profession and a career field that has a history of being oppressive to minorities and people of color — comes at a time when the terms “systemic racism” and “social injustice” are commonplace and the crux of just about every debate in this country. As a white man who doesn’t have the shared experiences of these students, I admittedly don’t have empathy for their struggles. I will never truly understand how difficult it is to be Black in America. But I’m willing to listen. And I have a unique opportunity to share their stories. You can believe America is the greatest country in the world and believe there are good men and women wearing badges to serve and protect all citizens of this country. You can also believe that Black people have been treated unfairly by our justice system. You can believe both. And you can strive to make things better. The six men and women featured in this magazine are studying law and chose Campbell University because they want to serve the underserved and make positive changes in the system. Lost in the politics, the violence and the rhetoric associated with the recent movement over the last several months is the very simple request that we all listen to voices we have historically muted in the past. At the very least, listen.
Billy Liggett is editor of Campbell Magazine and director of news and publications at Campbell University.
FROM THE VAULT
1970: John Gregory, Page Bruton, Bobby Williford, Phil Byrd and Niall Rogers post for the 1970-71 Pine Burr Yearbook as the "Campbell College Photographers." The talented bunch was responsible for some high-quality black-and-white images in the late 60s and early 70s. M AG AZIN E .CAMP BE LL.EDU
C A MP B E L L M AG AZ I N E 57
Post Office Box 567 Buies Creek, NC 27506 www.campbell.edu
58 FALL 2020
Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage PAID PPCO