05.01.14
Spartan Opinion
Letter to the Editor from President Eddie N. Moore, Jr. End-of-Year Note to Students
Dear NSU Students,
First, congratulations on completing the 2013-2014 school year at Norfolk State University! This year brought a lot of changes to the institution but in the end, I believe we emerged a stronger University. This End-of-Year Note is to encourage you to consider several things as you approach the summer months: 1. For returning students, I encourage you to set a goal to finish in 4 years. Review your course load, talk to your academic advisor and take (and pass!) a minimum of 15 credit hours each semester so you can graduate on-time. For students on financial aid, it is critical that you understand the limits that exist on student aid and what happens when it ends. Know where you stand right now and set your goal to graduate within 4 years. 2. If you are graduating in May, congratulations on this important milestone in your life! Strongly consider pursuing a graduate degree or entering into the workforce as soon as feasible. Why? You do not want to wait too long between graduation and the next phase of your life because (as we all know), life happens and your next step can be delayed. Consider graduate school at Norfolk State University in one of the many graduate programs being offered. 3. Remember to give back to your community and of course, to Norfolk State University. Many students rely on the University for financial and non-financial support—so helping or offering to help a colleague, friend or stranger, is a wonderful way to pay back what you have received during your time at Norfolk State. I have secured an office on the 3rd floor of the Student Center to meet with students during the upcoming school year. Look for the announcement and I am eager to interact with you. Best wishes in all that you do and enjoy your summer! Sincerely, Eddie N. Moore, Jr. Interim President and CEO
Letter from the editor: farewell to NSU By Brittany Elmore
Graduating senior Brittany Elmore says her goodbyes to the organization that helped her launch her career in journalism to infinity and beyond. Photo by Tykhari Coles
Norfolk State was by no means my first choice in institutions for higher education. I wanted to go anywhere but Virginia; I wanted to be at a big school where I could get lost in the swarm of endless students and constantly meet new people. In the long run, I ended up in an intimate setting where my professor and department head knew me by name. I didn’t think a close knit program was what I wanted, but I ended up falling in love with Norfolk State. When I entered NSU as a freshman at 17-years-old, I was focused on one thing, going through the motions and getting to graduation
day. Along the way, I had to face some pretty hard truths about life after college— I learned that just going to class wasn’t enough. I had to stretch myself nearly translucently thin, working multiple jobs with a full-time class schedule, all in the hopes that my dreams would come true and I would graduate with gainful employment. Those dreams have also changed as the journey progressed. Instead of entering the workforce right out of undergrad, I have decided to continue my education on the graduate level. I haven’t made any concrete plans for the big step off the stage in May, but I have decided my education isn’t over yet. All in all NSU wasn’t what I wanted, but was exactly what I needed. I will forever be a proud Spartan,
and NSU will always hold a special place in my heart. If it weren’t for many of my professors such as Steve Opfer, Mike Cotter and Jordan Storm, I can guarantee you, I would not have pushed myself so hard, I wouldn’t have been involved in the Spartan Echo, and I definitely wouldn’t be looking forward to grad school. I owe so much of my successes, both current and future, to those three people— without you, I would still be wandering through the halls wondering what to do with my future. To all my fellow graduating Spartans, congratulations on our accomplishments, but don’t stop here. To all future graduates, and future Spartans, don’t sit back and wait for your future to happen; go out and make it happen. Behold the green and gold!
7
editors Brittany Elmore Editor-inChief
DeVanique Riley Online/ Managing Editor
Danielle Kirsh News Editor
Ciara Simmons Lifestyle Editor
Jason Gill Sports Editor
Robert Hayden Multimedia Editor
Trenton Fouche’ Entertainment Editor
It’s not too late to get involved with the Echo! We meet every Tuesday and Thursday in room 344 at 12:30 pm. All majors welcome.
SPARTAN ECHO| Norfolk State University 700 Park Avenue Norfolk, Virginia 23504|NEWSROOM: 757.823.8200 E-Mail: spartanecho@nsu.edu