MECC’s criminal justice club, Lambda Alpha Epsilon, hosted the Region IV conference and field competitions on October 15 and 16. The conference included participants from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, as well as Virginia. Dub Osborne and Cindy Mongle directed activities involving 110 contestants from sixteen colleges. MECC students performed well in competitions, claiming sixteen awards. Ramond Burgin, Assistant Professor, Theater/Drama at MECC, established and became first president of the Southwest Virginia Folklore Society during the spring of 1993. In October, the society published a journal featuring folklore legends, stories, recipes, etc. The society collected folklore from local tales and oral traditions. Folklore meshed in with MECC’s twenty-first Home Craft Days, a tradition since it began in 1972 under the direction of folklorist Roddy Moore. On October 16 and 17, over 10,000 people flooded the campus of the college to revisit the traditional crafts, music, and culture of the Appalachian region. Sue Ella Boatright, Director of Continuing Education at MECC, said, “We are committed to keeping Home Craft Days traditional and handmade. There is a committee that reviews all applications for authenticity.” (Mullins, 1993) Phi Beta Lambda president Jennifer Wilson oversaw the reactivation of MECC’s Omega Tau Chapter in December. Ben Cox was elected president and Karen Shelton was elected vice president of the new Omega Tau Chapter. Ann Davis and Peggy Rusek were the advisors for PBL and Omega Tau. Bidding began for the new $4 million Economic Development and Business Technology Building in the fall of 1994. Funds for the building came from the 1992 general obligations bond passed by voters during general elections in November 1992. The building was tentatively scheduled for completion by the end of 1995. The Thompson & Litton engineering firm began architectural plans for the building in December 1993. The new building would bring business and technology programs under one roof.
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