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The smell of Pirate football returns to the Greenville air today as ECU officially opens its spring football practice this afternoon. The 2012 edition of Pirate football is anxious to get back to work in order to erase the unpleasant memories of a 2011 season which finished 5-7 and found the Pirates failing to go bowling for the first time in six years.

The quest for a return to bowling will be buoyed by a watered-down out-of-conference schedule - a schedule in which no members of an Automatic Qualifier (AQ) conference will visit Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Instead of Virginia Tech, NC State, West Virginia, UNC-CH, et al, we'll see Appalachian State and Navy this season. I think this scheduling tactic could cost ECU as many as 2,000 season tickets, but I sure hope I'm wrong. One thing's for sure - Pirate fans season ticket buying faithfulness will be severely tested.

Here are several dates and deadlines Pirate fans need to put on their calendars:

The Pirate Armada is well underway. A full listing of stops is on the Alumni Association's website, but I am puzzled as to why the same information is not on the Pirate Club's website. After all, the Armada is a Pirate Club series of events, aye?

Sunday, April 1
This date is both the deadline for Pirate Club renewal and priority deadline for football season ticket renewals. It's my understanding that at least half of your Pirate Club pledge must be paid by this date in order for your Pirate Club ranking to be used for football season ticket placement. 2012 is NOT a reseating year. Once again, a helpful payment plan can be utilized to help ease the pain a bit.

If you're shopping for seats or just want to see how the field looks from different sections, check out this new virtual seating feature. Be patient - it can take a while to load.

If times are tough on your household economy, consider dropping down in seating and not out altogether. Here's a seating chart (click Football, then Facility Map - top right) along with corresponding pricing. (click Football, then Season Tickets - top left) 

Saturday, April 14 - Pigskin Pigout.
Two days filled with festivities, capped off with the spring game. An advance combo ticket (BBQ plate and game) is $10. The same ticket purchased on gameday is $15 -smart move by our Ticket office. Here's a link to all the Pigskin Pigout information.

Saturday, May 5 - Single game tickets go on sale to Pirate Club members.

Friday, June 15 - Priority deadline for single game tickets for Pirate Club members.

Wednesday, August 1 - Seat cushion deadline.
If you don't sit in a chairback section, consider a Pirate Seat - which will leave you nothing to lug to the game. Save $5 by ordering no later than today. Orders will be taken through August 15. Information here.

Monday, August 6 - Single game tickets go on sale to the general public.

Saturday, August 18 - Meet the Pirates.
A free opportunity to come meet players and coaches in a relaxed environment. 

In addition to Pirate Illustrated, it's my understanding that our young friends at Hoist the Colours will also have post-spring-practice interviews and reports. ECUYTT wishes them well in this endeavor. More Pirate news is never a bad thing.

As always, thanks for reading ECUYTT. We're grateful that you chose to spend the time and make the effort to read this column. Please leave us some comments - it's your opportunity to be heard. We encourage you to share this piece and the entire website with any and every one that may have an interest in ECU or Greenville. If time permits, we invite you to read previous blog installments - just scroll down a bit. Also check out other topics that may interest you by clicking on any purple button at the left. If you would like to contribute a Guest Blog, email your idea to ECUYTT at: content@ecuytt.com.

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This is the story of my recent medical adventure. It is co-written by my daughter Taylor and me. It's graphic in places.

My best friend Tom and I thought we had gotten food poisoning form a potluck dinner the night before - I was vomiting and he had diarrhea. As the week went on, Tom felt better and I got worse. Since Tom was improving and I was not, my next guess was that I could possibly have the flu. After all, us guys are experts at self medical diagnosis, right? 

Another week went on; vomit, Gatorade, vomit, Gatorade. I decided it was finally time for a trip to the doctor. After an examination, the doctor determined that they could not figure out exactly what was wrong with me, and I was told to go home. If symptoms persisted, I should return to the doctor in a week, or report to PCMH ER. 

The following Wednesday night was a turning point, as I passed out and woke up on my bathroom floor. This may sound a bit strange to some of you, but I believe that at that time God gave me a choice, which was to either go to the ER, or go be with him. Since I did not want to leave the Earth just yet, because I have things I still need to do, I decided to go to the ER. But first came a visit back to my doctor who examined me. They quickly called for EMS transportation from their offices to PCMH ER. 

I was then admitted into the hospital, and while I was in the ER, I was diagnosed with acute renal kidney failure. The doctor said that it sounded worse than it was. This meant that my kidneys had dried up due to the fact that I had not been able to keep anything down for the past few weeks. 

The doctors first task before he could figure out what was causing my illness was to first bring my kidney function back up. After that issue had been addressed and started to resolve, I was hooked up onto multiple IV's to get my nutrition back up. At this point, I was still vomiting several times a day. The main reason for this was because of a tremendous amount of internal pressure building up in my stomach, and vomiting was the only way to relieve it. After I would get sick, I would feel better, but then the pressure would build again, and this cycle would continue. The doctors then decided to perform an Endoscopy, which is when a camera is slid down the esophagus to see the internal anatomy of the stomach and to find out what was causing my continuous vomiting. 

The test revealed that my stomach was collecting a large amount of fluid, so they decided to try to insert a nasogastric tube (NG tube) which goes through your sinus cavity, down your throat, and into your stomach. This is attached to suction that will remove the fluid collecting in my stomach, and relieve some of the pressure. The first two attempts, one through each nostril, were failures and I declined further attempts, until the next day when Dr. Z promised me that if I would let him do it, that he could get it done. I agreed, and with great discomfort (to say the least) he installed the NG tube. Immediately, almost four liters of fluid rapidly filled the suction container. Tremendous relief! The doctors main reasoning behind wanting to get the NG tube in, was somewhat to relieve my pressure, but mostly to get my stomach to shrink back to normal size. 

With all of the fluid that was collecting, my stomach had become distended (very stretched out), and for it to function properly again, they would have to get it back to normal. After this, scans and x-rays were performed to try and determine why none of the fluid that was in my stomach was passing through. The x-ray was non-conclusive. The first CT scan showed a mass, so another one that was focused around the kidneys was ordered, which showed an 8cm mass attached to the duodenum or my stomach, part of my small intestines (which was causing a bowel obstruction), part of my pancreas, and the top of my left kidney near the adrenal gland. The doctors determined that this was definitely what was causing all of my issues and it needed to be removed. 

Surgery to remove the mass, which we still didn't know if it was cancerous or not, was ordered for the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. One of the major concerns of the surgery was my kidneys. The mass was around the left kidney, and Dr. Z was unsure of whether or not I would come out of the surgery with one or two kidneys. Another concern was that if he did have to remove the left kidney, that my right kidney might not be able to support the function of two. A kidney evaluation was performed at it was determined that if I did need to lose my left kidney, that I would be fine with just one. The thought of no dialysis was definitely a smile-worthy moment.

I woke up at 5 the morning of my surgery to get ready, and they began at 8:45am. My daughter Taylor and my youngest brother Jim waited for the page that said it was over, which did not come until around 4:30pm, which means that the surgery lasted a total of 8 hours. After the surgery was complete, Dr. Z immediately came out and spoke to Jim and Taylor. He told them that the surgery went well, and that they got 99% of the tumor out. They had to remove a part of the stomach, a part of the small intestines, a piece of the pancreas, and the spleen. The left kidney remained, and was unaffected. The 1% of the tumor that was left was wrapped around the aorta of the left kidney, which is a huge artery and would have been extremely risky to mess with, so chemo and radiation will be needed later on to remove the small piece. 

At around 6 that night, I was wheeled into my room. I was attached to several different tubes and wires, such as a larger NG tube, oxygen, heart monitoring wires, a central line in my jugular vein, a picc line in my right arm (a multiple line IV that goes all the way to my heart, which meant I no longer had to have needles stuck in me), an epidural line in my spine, an IV in my left hand, two tubes draining fluids from the incision in my abdomen, yet another IV in my chest, a catheter, and compression pads on my legs to prevent blood clots. 

The next morning, the central line in my neck was removed as well as the line in my left hand. I was also determined to get up and walk. I sat up, and was very lightheaded and weak, but I somehow managed to make it to the chair next to my bed, which I sat in for several hours. 

It is important for me to say that I do not believe I could have gotten better medical care anywhere in the country. The doctors, nurses, and support staff are all first class. PCMH is a top-drawer medical facility that Greenville and all of Eastern North Carolina should be proud of. Visiting family from outside Greenville made the same observations. 

Rehab continues. Following my surgery, I was taken off the oxygen, the catheter and the NG tubes were removed, and I started walking around. The official diagnosis was pancreatic cancer; by the way, the battle flag color for pancreatic cancer is PURPLE! How fitting. About a week after the surgery, I started consuming clear fluids, such as water and broth. 

Several days after that, I had my first meal of solid food in over a month: turkey, green beans, mashed potatoes, jello, salad, and bread. It was a bit overwhelming to consume solid food. I now have a port in my left shoulder area for chemo which will start in a few weeks and continue on for several months.  

My thanks and appreciation for all of the kind words, support, thoughts, and prayers - they made a tremendous positive difference. I was released from the hospital on Friday and am now home beginning my home recovery. 

Tom's adventure actually began a week or two before with a trip to PCMH ER - symptoms emulating a possible heart attack. After the ECU game against Navy, Tom complained of severe stomach and chest pain, so we decided to take him to the PCMH ER; this was his second trip there within a few short weeks. The doctors' main objective was to determine if he had had a heart attack or not, which he didn't. Tom was admitted to the hospital and stayed there for two days, while doctors tried to figure out what was wrong. He underwent a series of tests and was ordered to return after thanksgiving for more tests. When he went back, he went through a nuclear stress test, and a CT heart scan (cardiac computer tomography scan). The results of these tests revealed that he had a 70% blockage in three / four places in his heart, so they decided to go into surgery the next day. This percentage of blockage is referred to as the "walking time bomb" category, and it is in the 95% range for immediate death upon a heart attack. Tom's surgery was the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, and he came home this past Monday. Tom's been home a week now, and is doing well. He is resting a lot and getting stronger.

As always, thanks for reading ECUYTT. We're grateful that you chose to spend the time and make the effort to read this column. Please leave us some comments - it's your opportunity to be heard. We encourage you to share this piece and the entire website with any and every one that may have an interest in ECU or Greenville. If time permits, we invite you to read previous blog installments - just scroll down a bit. Also check out other topics that may interest you by clicking on any purple button at the left. If you would like to contribute a Guest Blog, email your idea to ECUYTT at:content@ecuytt.com.

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This piece was crafted by Pat Lane. Our thanks to Pat for doing this.

Here is an update on the campaign for new Marching Pirate (MP) uniforms. First, some background. For a number of reasons discussed below, there is a campaign in its initial stages to provide the MP with new uniforms. The goal is to have them in place for the 2012 season, necessitating a March 2012 fund raising deadline. Below are the reasons that new uniforms are essential.

It's hard to tell from the stands in Dowdy-Ficklen stadium, but the current uniforms are a decade old. Up close, it's very easy to see, as many are held together with tape and the like, are ill-fitting and generally worn out. We are down to 180 serviceable uniforms for musicians and turned away qualified prospects this season for lack of uniforms. The fabric is not weather-friendly for the members. Additionally, plans to grow from the current 225 total members to 300 or more to improve both sound and presence are stymied due to the lack of serviceable uniforms. The current uniforms were custom-produced so they cannot be reordered. They also do not have any Pirate persona, which needs to be changed. ECU needs uniforms that will, in and of themselves, establish both identification and tradition.

The MP play an important role in home football game-day atmosphere and spirit support for ECU football as obvious at the UCF game. Additionally, the tremendous strides of the ECU football program offer a great opportunity for the MP to further establish East Carolina as the leader in state and regional university pride, game day artistic and spirit support and unique branding. Away game crowds can see our enthusiasm for ECU via the MP interaction with our traveling fans and be treated to a great half-time performance that will say ECU Pirates on game day and beyond.

MP Director John Franklin has developed a five-year plan that is both aggressive and comprehensive and will make the MP all they can be and what ECU fans want them to be. By establishing a uniform that visually says ECU Pirates in a cost effective way so that replacements and/or additions can be purchased as needed, ECU will have a MP look that the university can perpetuate to avoid large future investments in uniforms like we are facing now and avoid future design changes. Better look, new tradition, improved cost effectiveness.

Under the leadership of Provost Marilyn Sheerer and with support by Athletics and students, great strides in increased operating funding are in line for next season. An ad hoc committee to fund new uniforms has also been working under her leadership as well and is moving ahead. Each new uniform will cost $600 from shoes to gloves to hats. ECU needs your help in its Adopt a Marching Pirate uniform campaign. The committee challenges you to adopt one or more Marching Pirates as we and others have done by sending a check to purchase one or more uniforms. If that is too much to ask, please send in what you can. All gifts will be welcomed and will help to reach the goal.

Here is the latest information on where we stand with this campaign right now. A kick-off on Friday, November 4, 2011 was held. Dr. Franklin presented a video that included the history of Marching Pirate uniforms over the years, revealing that the design has radically changed each and every time new uniforms have been purchased, rarely with any Pirate persona. He then demonstrated the benefits of the anticipated new uniforms such as establishing a Pirate look that will become tradition, fabric, sizing (men's and women's cuts to accommodate our current mix of MP members), affordable maintenance, ease of use, cost of replacement, etc. He also outlined his plans for the MP in terms of size, sound and performance quality. Finally, he revealed one prototype of the proposed new uniform. Two current members also participated in uniform so attendees could see the condition of the ones they wear to each game. Frayed is a kind term to describe them based on this up close look. They are simply not properly sized, made of poor fabric given the fact that football runs from the broiling heat of late August to the November cold, even colder December temperatures of bowl seasons, and are clearly worn out.

There are four companies that design and manufacture marching band uniforms nationally. Each has submitted sketches and one has provided Dr. Franklin with two uniforms of a prototype design for testing and evaluation. At least two others are expected soon. The MP members like what they have seen. We attended their pre-game UCF practice where the two prototypes were tested. Best of all, we got to see the regular one hour pre-game practice (bet you didn't know they did that) and meal and the enthusiasm these hard-working students put into entertaining us at each game. What a group of students!

You can contribute by sending a check or credit card information to Nancy Ball at the ECU Foundation (balln@ecu.edu) with the designation Marching Pirate uniforms or by logging on to www.giving.ecu.edu to choose the College of Fine Arts and Communications and designating the Marching Pirates fund. Please do it today and/or contact me for more information and to be added to the committee's list of interested Pirate fans. The committee welcomes all questions and participation: patlane2@suddenlink.net or 252-940-1247.


As always, thanks for reading ECUYTT. We're grateful that you chose to spend the time and make the effort to read this column. Please leave us some comments - it's your opportunity to be heard. We encourage you to share this piece and the entire website with any and every one that may have an interest in ECU or Greenville. If time permits, we invite you to read previous blog installments - just scroll down a bit. Also check out other topics that may interest you by clicking on any purple button at the left. If you would like to contribute a Guest Blog, email your idea to ECUYTT at: content@ecuytt.com.

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Most everyone seems to have an opinion on conference realignment, so here's mine:

1) Pac 12 will sit this round out and hold at 12 (they've already said so).

2) B1G (Big 10) will sit this round out and hold at 12 (they've already said so). The B1G is also very sneaky and everyone needs to keep an eye on them at all times.

3) ACC has their 2 schools (Pitt and Syracuse) and will hold at 14, for now. IF (maybe even when) they lose 1 team to the SEC, they'll tell Boston College to shut up and Commissioner Swofford will call UConn - probably a 5 minute deal.

4) SEC will hold at 13, for now, (remember the B1G played with 11 teams for years and years) shop and weigh (some there said Missouri wasn't good enough for the SEC, but that may have been as a reaction to Mizzou saying they actually prefer the B1G). I still believe the SEC erred in not going ahead and adding a 14th to go with Texas A&M.

5) Texas gets their way (NO conference championship game - tougher road to BCS bowl that way) and the Big 12 stays at 10, for now, with an eye (but no move unless Mizzou jumps) on the Big East.

6) Now to the Big East (BE). It's common knowledge that IF they hadn't lost 3 football schools, they would be doing nada right now. It's also generally accepted that football and non-football schools just don't get along (think bad marriage with lots of little kids). I believe the remaining 6 football schools gave Marinatto a vote of NO CONFIDENCE, which lead to what is rumored today - 12 football schools, 6 non-football, same name, separated, 2 different commissioners (look for Marinatto to be the HOOPS commissioner). There's simply way too much money at stake, on both sides, for the conference to split.

I think time is actually on ECU's side. The more Presidents and Athletic Directors ask themselves, do we REALLY want to go to Boise, Idaho to play football games or even Colorado (and vice-versa), the more that answer will become NO. Without question, ECU is one of the best 6 Non-AQ athletic programs (including football) in the United States. Army remembers getting brutalized in lowly C-USA. That has to be in Navy's mind also, PLUS there's really no compelling reason for the academies to jump NOW. Maybe after the BE is hit again (and it will happen), then.

IF the BE adds 6 teams now (which would prepare them for a hit of as many as 3 teams) I like ECU's - less then 6 schools, a 50/50 chance. I've not made a distinction of football-only or all sports because I don't think it matters in the long run (remember that WV, VT and maybe more started as football-only).

My pecking order of 6 teams is: UCF, Houston, SMU, ECU, Temple and Memphis. This gives Nova time to grow up IF they want to. I really don't like the trips west for ECU to Houston and SMU, but they are in my top 6 and easy to get to.

What are your thoughts?


As always, thanks for reading ECUYTT. We're grateful that you chose to spend the time and make the effort to read this column. Please leave us some comments here - it's your opportunity to be heard. We encourage you to share this piece and the entire website with any and every one that may have an interest in ECU or Greenville. If time permits, we invite you to read previous blog installments - just scroll down a bit. Also check out other topics that may interest you by clicking on any purple button at the left. If you would like to contribute a Guest Blog, email your idea to ECUYTT at: content@ecuytt.com.

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As trivial, and even as silly as it sounds, there seems to be few, if any, topics that create more strong differences of opinion than the thought of our Pirate football team wearing black jerseys and / or pants inside Dowdy-Ficklen stadium on gameday.

Since I am an old(er) Pirate (Class of '75), I believe I'm fully qualified to voice the opinion of old(er) Pirates - meaning those that became fans before our Peach Bowl win over NC State on January 1, 1992. As the dad of a daughter that will be in college next year, I'm adequately aware of the thought process of the under 30 aged crowd. Before I get picked apart, the following categories are just generalizations, so of course there are exceptions.

It's pretty simple for younger Pirates.

- Black is a cool color.
- Black unis are badass.
- All the 20-30 football teams that wear black look cool.
- All black uniforms intimidate the opposing team.

Those are the more popular responses. There are others.

On the other hand, the color purple has a deeper meaning to my generation. We were told often that we weren't good enough. We weren't smart enough. We didn't have enough money. They told us purple's an ugly color. We were laughed at and made fun of as simply "that party school" in the poor east where the only people that went there were the ones that couldn't get in anywhere else. All those tags have been difficult to shake off, but we're making progress.

For most of my generation, East Carolina and the color purple are interwoven and inseparable. Sometimes younger Pirates don't know / remember / understand / appreciate that ECU, as they see and experience it today, has not always been this way. To illustrate my point, just look at what's changed physically with Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium and the entire Olympic Sports Complex. Add in the new Croatan, College Hill Suites, new Scott Dorm, West Dining and list goes on and on and my point is made.

Why risk intentionally risk angering and alienating the olders for just the sake of looking cool for one game? I'm not saying it will, but it could happen. Yes, other ECU teams wear black. Football's different. There's a reason Dowdy-Ficken seats 50k, Minges seats 7k, Clark-LeClair 3k, with standing room for 3k more, and both softball and soccer have 1k seats. Football is ECU's numero uno sport.

Uniforms aren't free. 70 (or so) jerseys at $150 apiece totals over $10k. A safe guess would be adding pants would about double the cost. As tight as ECU's budget is, I don't think spending that kind of money for uniforms that'll be worn one time a year is being fiscally responsible. I hope the decision-makers in Ward agree.

As a related aside, the Web Poll (purple Poll tab to your left) is: Would you like to see the football team dressed in ALL PURPLE for the home game Saturday night against UNC-CH? A black choice was not included simply because the outcome of what would most likely be cyber ballot box stuffing is already known. "Kids" love web polls and some delight in tricking the poll's mechanics.

A quick check of the Facebook page for ECU Pirate Football shows 40 comments on this poll while the popular Boneyard Banter message board shows 20. By the way, uniforms are a VERY popular discussion topic all over the Internet and eat LOTS of bandwidth.

Younger generations often ask for understanding and respect from the older generations. The shoe's on the other foot now. We're asking for theirs. Respect the tradition of purple in Dowdy-Ficklen!

As always, thanks for reading ECUYTT. We're grateful that you chose to spend the time and make the effort to read this column. Please leave us some comments - it's your opportunity to be heard. We encourage you to share this piece and the entire website with any and every one that may have an interest in ECU or Greenville. If time permits, we invite you to read previous blog installments - just scroll down a bit. Also check out other topics that may interest you by clicking on any purple button at the left. If you would like to contribute a Guest Blog, email your idea to ECUYTT at: content@ecuytt.com.

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This Guest Blog is from Evelyn Cooper. She is an ECU graduate. a writer with www.4gaby.com, believes that there can never be enough purple and football, and August only exists to get us to September.


I was thrilled when my friend Den asked if I was willing and interested in writing a guest blog about the recent ECU Ladies Clinic. Both ECU and football have been a passion of mine for oh, say...let's just go with all my life and not try to put a number on it.

The day dawns with me sitting with my exceptionally early rising 81 year old Daddy - Daddy is the reason for my passion for all things ECU, as he is a very proud member of the class of 1959. And while his memory is failing, he has yet to forget in his mind the place ECU has in his heart. So he is pleased to know that I am heading to Mecca, err, Greenville with football in view. I am lucky enough to have like-minded friends who are picking me up, which makes the trip even more enjoyable as we share highs and lows from the season before and discuss our hopes and dreams for the season yet to be.

However, no trip involving a large group of women is ever complete without the mandatory bonding of shopping, so my dear friend, Lou (and my roommate our freshman year) has nicknamed the preclinic outing as The Pillage and Plunder, and designated UBE as the destination for this bonding experience. Plans have been set in motion. We've let other friends know to meet us in the parking lot. We've posted on message boards, called UBE, and written on their Facebook wall, plus Lou baked a cake to share - sort of like a preshopping tailgate. Cars, SUV's, minivans all start rolling into the lot as Lou pulls out her cake and starts sharing. Hey, fun is fun. And somehow UBE also understood (could it have been the phone calls and Facebook?) because the doors were opened a little early. All through the store you could hear friends greeting each other, and ladies pointing out cool finds to each other. For the benefit of male readers, I should point out that very often those cool finds involved items for the men in our lives, the kids, the parents...family. After all, it's obvious that none of us have enough purple in our lives...yet.

But the shopping trip has its limits as we must, must, must depart on time for the real reason for this visit - The Ladies Clinic! Upon registering we are given a water bottle and a t-shirt which I am wearing as I write this. It even has one of my favorite sayings on it -"Real Women Love Football".  Lunch follows, which is then followed by an introduction of the coaching staff. Now frankly if you are expecting Brian Mitchell (our defensive coordinator) to give a dissertation on the advantages of a 3-4 defense and how it will fit with our current available players, this is not the place for you. The coaches are introduced and in turn introduce their families while Coach McNeill (aka Coach Ruff, our head coach) is very helpful in pointing out which coaches are single - certainly a help to the younger women in attendance.

Throughout the lunch, we've had an opportunity to get pictures taken. I, myself, being the shy, retiring type, only had my picture taken with Coach McNeill, and Coach Connors (strength and conditioning), and the Pirate, and several players. I did miss getting the kitchen staff in, but not for lack of trying. Everyone is very welcoming. Coach McNeill believes in one word - FAMILY. And that spirit and attitude is reflected in how every individual seems to treat the next person.

A fashion show ensues which gets quite a bit of attention not only from the women in attendance, but also from the men who are not there. Several men are getting texts and pictures from wives, girlfriends, friends, showing the uniforms and analyzing every look. I know this for a fact as one picture I posted on my Facebook of me with several players was grabbed and posted on an ECU message board, which cracked me up. Who says men can't enjoy a good fashion show?

From here we get the thrill of running onto the football field led by Mr. Hot, err, I mean the Pirate, while the strains of "Purple Haze" are being played. Some of us ran, some jogged, some walked, but on the field all of us went so we could circle Coach Ruff and get some game day spirit going.

After Coach Ruff leads us in some yells, including that most important word - family, we get to break up into groups and start some drills. I got to play at center, do some sprints, tackle some dummies, and I even managed to catch one ball with the invaluable advice that I should keep my eyes open. Who knew that worked? I find the drills to be great fun, but then I have the ability to walk away at any time, unlike the players during their practices. Several players were helping us, including Dominique Davis, our starting quarterback.

In the blessedly air conditioned weight room, Coach Connors explained various drills with two players assisting, one of whom was Ben Ryan, our placekicker. Throughout the day you have the opportunity to speak with the players and coaches. I asked Ben wasn't he working a little hard for a kicker, and he grinned while explaining that he didn't mind. The other guys and the guys across from him on the field work this hard so he'd rather do it, too.

After spending your day, working, laughing, talking, meeting, greeting, and grinning, Coach Ruff wraps everything up and you walk out feeling exhilarated. You've spent the day with family, without any nasty custody issues or inheritance battles, because the school and the team belong to all of us. It's our town and our team. Daddy asked me how I thought the team would do this year. I told him that it's hard to know. Every year it's a new team, but it's always my team so we'll just see what happens. He said that was a good way to look at it and it is - because it's family. If you've never done it, come join us next year. The family can always use more purple!


As always, thanks for reading ECUYTT. We're grateful that you chose to spend the time and make the effort to read this column. Please leave us some comments - it's your opportunity to be heard. We encourage you to share this piece and the entire website with any and every one that may have an interest in ECU or Greenville. If time permits, we invite you to read previous blog installments - just scroll down a bit - and check out other topics that may interest you by clicking on any purple button at the left. If you would like to contribute a Guest Blog, email your idea to ECUYTT at: content@ecuytt.com.

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In the aftermath of ECUYTT's poll on safety and crime in Greenville, the following email exchange occurred with an ECU student. TNC is an upcoming senior, majoring in biology. An exchange, just like this, is what we envisioned for ECUYTT way back when.


TNC:
I am concerned by comparing safety levels of today to five years ago, you are excluding a good portion of the students, considering most students are only in Greenville for 4 years total. Might want to consider rewording the question? Maybe have another poll for students comparing the violence level from when they first came to ECU to now? Great website and keep doing what you do!

ECUYTT:
Those are good thoughts and we'll try to figure out a way to do just that. The intent was to not really exclude any segment, especially ECU students, since crime and safety most likely affect students most. A question for you. Do you think ECUYTT should run this poll or would TEC get more responses? Which do you believe would be more effective in getting a good sample? How would you recommend getting a poll like this in front of students?

Our motivation by drawing attention to this is to press Greenville's leaders into action, some tangible and QUICK. Thanks for your interest.

TNC:
Your poll will be off for a couple of reasons. ECUYTT is tailored towards alumni and adults. You made a great move by putting it on Facebook, but students look at Facebook to see pictures of last night. As far as I know, students don't read the local news and probably aren't informed about what happens in Greenville. I feel like I am one of the very few out of my peers that does. But if you forgot all of that and were able to get the best sample ever, it would still be extremely biased because you are asking it right after a time of major violence. Without a doubt, people would say it's less safe and there is greater crime because everyone is caught up in the moment. However, if you were to conduct this poll during a "violence drought" in the middle of the school year with the same sample, you would get more realistic results that I think would differ even though the violence still occurred in the same year. If I am not mistaken, students answer safety questions in a survey on OneStop conducted by ECU. I forgot which survey it is, but I would consider contacting them to see if that information can be released to the public. I am sure apartment complexes take these surveys too. I'd ask around. Posting the poll on TEC would probably yield better student results and so would taking polls on campus in the courtyard and dining halls but is that even necessary? Who needs proof?

If the town of Greenville is questioning whether their citizens feel safe about the recent 11 shootings and 3 or 4 robberies in the past month, then they have absolutely lost their mind. You don't need a poll for that! Yeah, it's good data, but it's also common sense. If they need proof or they are not urgent of the matter, then you are milking a cow that has no milk? (couldn't think of a better analogy, sorry)

The violence in West Greenville does not impact students directly and doesn't really effect their daily lives, however it impacts the reputation and recruiting abilities of ECU because of its association with Greenville, which should greatly concern the town council because that school is what keeps the town alive. I would ask the families in West Greenville what they think should be done. The robberies and assaults that happen to students walking alone at 2AM are also something that only students can fix and there are plenty of resources to get home safely. This occurs on all campuses. I honestly feel safe because I know what's going on around me, and I know what not to do.

Enough criticizing, what do I think should be done?

One thing Greenville can work on is students are afraid of cops and cops try to be intimidating. If students are afraid of the people who try to keep us safe then how on earth are they going to keep us safe? I just went to Spain to study for a month and the cops there aren't above you. They are there to help you and therefore everyone there has no fear of the cops. They don't get nervous when a cop is driving behind them. Here is a good example. Underage student is drunk and needs help to get home. His friends aren't anywhere to be found and he spent all his money downtown. Who is he going to ask help from? Not a cop...he had a drink and he is underage. He is going to try to walk home alone because the cop would be concerned about how old he is, where he got drinks from, and trying to prove something so they could write him a ticket. The bigger picture is, the student is smart enough to get help so he doesn't get robbed or assaulted going home but the cop is completely oblivious to the other side of the equation. Yes, you caught one student, but EVERY student is doing it OR you could potentially save the life of a student by trying to get the kid home safely and "ignoring" the fact that he had a drink or two. Either way, the cop will have to deal with it, but dealing with a robbery or assault is way harder than a drinking ticket.

The other thing, we have a bunch of criminal justice majors and political science majors. Why aren't they heavily involved in trying to solve this puzzle on how to keep crime down? Talk to the department chairs of those majors and see what they can create. How cool would it be if they created a project in a class where groups of students had to create a plan to keep violence down in an area like West Greenville? And at the end, they all got presented to the Town Council. That's how you involve students!

TNC:
I sent a short, polite email to the department chair of criminal justice with my idea. Town Council and GPD can only do so much, and with a university at their doorstep why not work together? I will let you know how it goes...


As always, thanks for reading ECUYTT. We're grateful that you chose to spend the time and make the effort to read this column. Please leave us some comments - it's your opportunity to be heard. We encourage you to share this piece and the entire website with any and every one that may have an interest in ECU or Greenville. If time permits, we invite you to read previous blog installments - just scroll down a bit - and check out other topics that may interest you by clicking on any purple button at the left.

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This Guest Blog is a personal story by Bill Beavans, one of the finest people I have ever known. I'm thankful he chose to share it with us here.


My good friend and Pirate Brother Den asked me if I would contribute a blog entry for ECUYTT. I have wanted to get something in writing about my past experience at ECU and this presented a great opportunity. Thanks Den.

To borrow a line from one of my favorite hymns: "I once was lost but now am found..." describes how I feel having come back into the ECU family several years ago after being disconnected for many years. It still seems like Yesterday when I was a student at ECU in the early to mid-seventies. I was one of the typical eastern North Carolina kids. I came from a small town and moved to the big city with all the bright lights and a whole new academic challenge. Not knowing exactly what I wanted to do with my academics, I probably didn't fully assert myself as strongly as I should have and I ended up changing my major a couple of times and of course it set me back a little. After my third year of college, things just kind of went downhill. It was now looking like I was going to be that five or six year college student.

Also during that summer, my father experienced some health problems and I was going to have to take a leave from school because of our financial situation. I had an opportunity to take a job in a career field that I was going to make my life's work - it had nothing to do with what I was studying in college. So I went to work. I was employed in public safety at the fire department and was performing both fire fighting and ambulance and rescue duties. During that time, I was still connected with ECU and assisted in setting up the original game day EMS coverage system that is used to this day at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

I had worked several games as the only ambulance on duty and I saw the need for more coverage as attendance grew, but we just didn't have the resources, so I enlisted the support of the local rescue squads. I had found my true love in emergency medical services. I had met my wife, Karen, during this time while she was in nursing school at ECU. She graduated in 1979. In 1980, we married and moved to Greensboro so I could go back to college and also receive my paramedic training.

For the next twenty years, life happened. College and work with the local EMS in Greensboro took up so much of my time the first two years we were there. Then kids came along too. We had two beautiful daughters. During this time, we pretty much became disconnected from our roots at ECU. There was no radio up there for football games. You didn't see ECU stuff in stores. In this area, light blue and red were predominant. I worked shift work and just about every weekend. Kids were growing up. Life happened.

Around 1999-2000, my firstborn was starting to look at colleges. We did a NC State visit because her grandfather and uncle went there. We did UNC-Wilmington, but we were saving ECU for last because she was familiar with the school. Over the years growing up, we had been back to a few football games, so they were exposed to ECU and Greenville, but she just wanted to see what else was out there. I took her and her best friend on a non-hosted walking tour of ECU and we rode around Greenville. We went back on a parent's weekend with her and took the official tour. She was hooked, but it was never really in doubt.

It also helped that we had a cousin that worked for ECU and her uncle, my younger brother, lived in Greenville, so she had family there. Thus began our reconnection to our ECU family. We went to Greenville all the time. We became involved as ECU parents. We went to football games again. After a couple of years, we decided to join the Pirate Club, mainly because the wife wanted seats on the other side of the stadium. Football, ECU, Purple and Gold...it all became part of our life again. We were connected. It was almost like we were "born again". We were back home.

So now we are at Today. My daughter graduated and also received her masters from ECU. Our membership in the Pirate Club became a great experience in that we could connect with other local ECU alumni and Pirates fans in the Greensboro/High Point/Jamestown/Winston-Salem area. They have become great friends. I have retired and I have enjoyed working with my new Pirate family over these last several years. I help maintain our chapter website. We have a chapter golf tournament that I assist in running that benefits the memory and service of our late chapter vice-president, Ron Pugh. I have had the opportunity to meet many great Pirates such as coaches, administrators and alumni.

I have enjoyed it so much that I have accepted the members' request that I become chapter president in 2012. This will began a new chapter in my ECU life for Tomorrow. While I am not a graduate, ECU fills a large part of my heart. I try to use my experiences in advising potential or new Pirates in what to expect with college life, what to get out of college life and what to do to make themselves better and what they can do to help make ECU better. My reconnection with ECU and my roots can best be described by these words:

"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me...
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see."

If you live in the Triad area and have any questions about ECU or the Pirate Club, please email me at: beav3212@northstate.net.

GO PIRATES!!!
Bill Beavans
Jamestown, NC


As always, thanks for reading ECUYTT. We're grateful that you chose to spend the time and make the effort to read this column. Please leave us some comments - it's your opportunity to be heard. We encourage you to share this piece and the entire website with any and every one that may have an interest in ECU or Greenville. If time permits, we invite you to read previous blog installments - just scroll down a bit - and check out other topics that may interest you by clicking on any purple button at the left.

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This Guest Blog is by Taylor Dickerson and was written about her experiences this past week at the East Carolina Heart Institute. Click the individual pictures at the right to enlarge.


My name is Taylor Dickerson, daughter of the creator of ECUYTT, Den Dickerson. I am a rising senior at Lake Norman High School (Mooresville, NC), and an aspiring cardiothoracic surgeon (heart/chest surgeon for those of you who are not familiar with medical terminology). I currently work at Smoothie King and I am a volunteer at Lake Norman Regional Medical Center. I have wanted to be a doctor my entire life, as I have always been fascinated with anything having to do with medicine.

Throughout my seventeen years of being on the planet, I have participated in various camps, volunteer opportunities, and shadowing experiences which all together have assisted me in deciding what branch of medicine to specialize in. The interest in cardiology began during a medical camp I attended the summer before my freshman year in high school. We spent an entire day touring Wake Forest Regional Medical center, and during the tour of the cardiology wing, I discovered my interest for anything dealing with the heart. This summer, an incredible opportunity arose for me to shadow an idol of mine, Dr. Randolph Chitwood, at the East Carolina Heart Institute. It was by far and away the most important and eye opening experience in my life.

Originally, I asked Kristen King, Dr. Chitwood's secretary, if I could meet with Dr. Chitwood just to have coffee and pick at his brain, but when my dad emailed her, she suggested that I just come on down to ECU to shadow him for a few days, which I of course jumped at eagerly.

On my first day, I walked into the Life Sciences building with Becky Merrick, the one who helped organize my shadowing experience, not knowing what exactly to expect. I knew I would be spending time in the hospital with Dr. Chitwood, and that was all I knew. Upon entering the Life Sciences building, Becky started showing me around. The first door she opened was a door to one of the various labs, and this one contained one of the da Vinci robots. She opened the door and said, "And in here is where we keep the robot so we can use it for labs," and walked away, like it was no big deal. I stood there for a few seconds in awe, just taking in the fact that I was standing in the general vicinity of this incredible work of mechanical art.

I had spent months looking up Dr. Chitwood and the surgeries he performs with this robot, and I couldn't believe I was standing so close to this idolized piece of machinery. Everyone I met throughout my trip talked about da Vinci as if it were just another typical part of their day, like brushing their teeth or driving their car. And here I was, a minuscule, overwhelmed high school student, looking at it like it was some sort of incredibly rare life form from another planet.

After ripping my glance away from da Vinci, I changed into gray scrubs with East Carolina Heart Institute stamped on the pocket and a matching white lab coat, and was escorted to an operating room by a graduate of Virginia Tech named James. When we arrived, we put on hairnets, shoe covers, and masks, and proceeded to enter a sterile OR. When we entered, Dr. Alwair was beginning to open up the patients chest cavity, and I stood there staring at all of the surgical equipment, not knowing what any of it was for. I was greeted by two Park Scholars from NC State (part of their program is to spend eight weeks at the Heart Institute, if they're pre-med) and they filled me in on what everything was and what was going on.

They were so brilliant that I swear they could already be doctors. One of them was Andrew, who stood next to me during the entire operation and explained everything that was going on. He described the procedure they were performing, the parts of the bypass machine, and who each person in the operating room was and what their job is. I feel like I learned an entire semester's worth of medical school just by listening to him. By listening to him, and watching the doctors perform the surgery, I knew exactly what was going on.

After the chest was open, the heart was exposed, and the pericardium (the sack around the heart) was opened, Dr. Chitwood proceeded to enter the room and perform an extremely difficult mitral valve repair. I don't want to bore you with technical terminology for another paragraph about what all Dr. Chitwood did during the surgery, so I'll just say that a nurse wheeled da Vinci over the patient, and Dr. Chitwood performed a mitral valve repair. He made everything look incredibly easy, from tying together leaflets of the mitral valve to tying on a band for support.

The surgery was extremely long, due to complications, but I was so intrigued that I stood there and watched from eight thirty in the morning to past one in the afternoon. It's needless to say that my feet hurt later that night. The best part of the entire thing was standing beside Dr. Chitwood at the end of the surgery, looking at the echocardiogram, and seeing that the leak was fixed and that the heart and valve were working perfectly. To be a surgeon, to go through a ridiculous operation such as the one I viewed, and then seeing the end result, would be such an incredible feeling.

To know that all of that extremely hard work you put into making it happen and seeing the result would give you the biggest feeling of accomplishment that anyone could ever imagine. The other amazing thing was that on rounds two days later, I got to see that patient. The person I saw laying on an operating table with his chest wide open and his damaged mitral valve exposed. I got to see him sitting up and breathing with ease. I got to see his heart beat at a steady rhythm on the monitor, and I got to see a new light of gratitude in his eyes. And at that moment, I knew that this was exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I knew that not only did I want to be a cardiologist, not only did I want to be a surgeon, but I wanted to be Dr. Chitwood. I wanted to do exactly what he did. I wanted to be a cardiothoracic surgeon, and nothing else.

On my second day, I got to see and use the da Vinci robot, which is an extreme opportunity as well as an honor. There are two of them at the Heart Institute: one is used in the actual OR, and the other is used for labs and training. That morning, I got to set up a human cadaver and observe a doctor who was learning how to use it to perform a mammary artery harvest. In this type of surgery, the mammary artery is harvested and used as a bypass to the heart if there is an extreme blockage in the coronary artery. The mammary artery is used over all others because of its natural production of high levels of nitric acid, which prevents blockages from forming.

On my third day here, I got to see this type of surgery performed on an actual patient. Everything started smoothly; the mammary artery was found and harvested easily with the robot, and the heart was exposed.

When Dr. Chitwood entered the room, he declared that his artery was too damaged for use, and they had to perform an emergency open heart surgery, which was also very interesting to watch. According to the Park Scholars, I picked a very good week to come, since how the two most interesting and difficult surgeries they had observed were the two I was there for.

This experience has definitely changed my life, and made me more determined to reach my goal of becoming a cardiothoracic surgeon. Being at the Heart Institute made it all feel possible, real, and attainable. Seeing the before, during and after of a case, meeting incredible people, seeing amazing things, and making new connections. I know that this is exactly what I want to do with my life, and I want to be there now. I want to be at ECU Brody School of Medicine, shadowing Dr. Chitwood every single day. I want to be there doing what I know I love, and starting the rest of my life.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. This experience was of immense importance to me.

Sincerely,
Taylor Dickerson


As always, thanks for reading ECUYTT. We're grateful that you chose to spend the time and make the effort to read this column. Please leave us some comments - it's your opportunity to be heard. We encourage you to share this piece and the entire website with any and every one that may have an interest in ECU or Greenville. If time permits, we invite you to read previous blog installments - just scroll down a bit - and check out other topics that may interest you by clicking on any purple button at the left.

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Chancellor Ballard's recent letter detailing the depth of the budget cuts ECU is facing was downright sobering and borderline depressing.

The second paragraph reads: "The cut to East Carolina University is $49.1 million, or slightly over 16 percent of our state appropriations. It is important to note that this reduction is on top of a 9 percent cut two years ago and a 3.5 percent cut in fiscal year that just ended. Budget cuts over the last four years now exceed $140 million." In that same letter, Ballard goes on to detail how ECU will manage those deep cuts the best it can. Here's another story from ECU's Mary Schulken.

I won't pretend to know the complexities of assembling a budget the size and difficulty of ECU's.

I'm confident in, and thankful for, Ballard's leadership, especially during troubled times like today. The adage goes something like this - it doesn't take a skilled Captain to sail smooth waters. ECU's Captain Ballard has thoroughly evaluated our situation, charted our course and has us on a steady path through those foul budget waters.

Our wrecked global economy is not new news to anyone on the planet, as it has affected almost every one of us. The responses on how to fix it have been underwhelming and mostly ineffective. Unemployment seems to stay in the vicinity of a staggering 9% and that doesn't include folks that have given up on looking for work. It hasn't been business as usual for quite some time.

With all that being reiterated, why doesn't the North Carolina Legislature take a look at the massive university system expenditures from a different angle instead of what on the surface appears to be mostly across-the-board cuts?

We've had a black man as president of our nation for almost 3 years. I never thought I'd live long enough to see that day. ECU currently has a black head football coach and has had a black men's head basketball coach. There have been black men and women in key leadership roles in our country and state for decades.

The outstanding actor Morgan Freeman, who you know is black, once said in an interview that he hopes for a day when all people in the United States will be simply be called Americans and not hyphenated-Americans. I also long for that day and would venture a guess you probably do too.

I believe our need for both racial and gender protection in this state and country is in the past. I believe people should be evaluated on their own individual set of capabilities instead of being typecast, labeled or pigeonholed.

As a state, North Carolina has advanced well beyond the need for racial segregation. So why does it still fund 6 universities within the North Carolina university system that are mostly segregated? That's exactly what Elizabeth City State, Fayetteville State, North Carolina A&T, North Carolina Central, Winston-Salem State and UNC-Pembroke are - segregated. That's 6 of the 17 schools within the system whose original mission may no longer be valid and whose original purpose may no longer be needed.

ECU has a primary mission to educate ALL the citizens of eastern North Carolina and I believe we're fulfilling it. Is the mission of the previously mentioned six schools the same? Would their areas of North Carolina be better served by a move of that campus to the Community College system? Perhaps the buildings should become new neighborhoods or elementary, middle or high schools? Savings there could be moved to the remaining universities.

I wrote a piece not so long ago titled College - NOT for everyone. The first paragraph reads: "An undergraduate degree from a four year college is NOT for everyone, but education / training, post-secondary (an elegant name for after high school) sure is!"

I am concerned that we continue to teach and train students for jobs that are not there now and may never return. Perhaps the money their parents spent for that college education could have gone to help start up a small business for their son or daughter instead. They are just so many instances today where college grads are doing jobs that simply do not require a college degree. If what Den needs in order to be a useful, working member of society is one year of welding school after high school, that's what I should get. If Jane's chosen vocation means two years at a community college, get her that education. If Omar's aptitude and educational destination calls for a Masters or PHD at ECU, let's identify that early on and get him going in that direction.

Early identification of skills and aptitudes, then channeling the individual to where those educational needs can best be met is of paramount importance to our future. College today and tomorrow should be for specific, not general, education. Going to college to find yourself is a luxury of the past.

In its thorough evaluation of the UNC university system and how the individual campuses are performing, I'm also hopeful that the legislature will look closely at faculty tenure. Is it still necessary? Has it outlived its usefulness, (which is what I believe is the case with labor unions) or does it need to be modified or even continued in its present form?  Would contract professors be best? Should there be a gradual transition - perhaps when a tenured faculty member retires, a contracted one is hired? Just take a long, hard look.

If it hasn't already, I'd like to see the legislature consider an unconventional and private-sector approach to the system universities - zero-based budgeting, a process which is defined this way: "A method of budgeting in which all expenses must be justified for each new period. Zero-based budgeting starts from a "zero base" and every function within an organization is analyzed for its needs and costs. Budgets are then built around what is needed for the upcoming period, regardless of whether the budget is higher or lower than the previous one.

ZBB allows top-level strategic goals to be implemented into the budgeting process by tying them to specific functional areas of the organization, where costs can be first grouped, then measured against previous results and current expectations." It's worth consideration.

Rough waters require skillful captains in order to bring their ships to port safely. Do we have enough of them in Raleigh in our Legislature and elsewhere?


As always, thanks for reading ECUYTT, where dissenting opinions are always welcome. We're grateful that you chose to spend the time and make the effort to read this column. Please leave us some comments - it's your opportunity to be heard. We encourage you to share this piece and the entire website with any and every one that may have an interest in ECU or Greenville. If time permits, we invite you to read previous blog installments - just scroll down a bit - and check out other topics that may interest you by clicking on any purple button at the left.

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Currently there are four separate groups competing for the Williams Arena/Minges Coliseum floor each and every day: ECU's Health and Human Performance programs along with varsity teams for volleyball, men's basketball and women's basketball. Imagine for a moment a time block grid showing every hour of every day. Pencil classes in first, followed by games for all three varsity sports, then various ceremonies and lastly, practice time for those same three sports. This booking nightmare leads to irregular, and often very early, practice times for the three teams, which is a serious handicap when it comes to developing our teams and competing for the best high school players.

In order to get adequate daylight practice time for all three sports, ECU has been forced to utilize a local high school gym and the gym of an apartment complex. While both are the best immediate solutions to our overcrowded situation inside Minges, it's still not what elite college programs do, and aspiring to field elite programs in every sport is ECU Athletics Director Terry Holland's goal. I recall him once mentioning this hierarchy: Facilities, Coaches, Players. A basketball component not often-mentioned is that players need a place where they can go to work on their individual shooting games, a valuable developmental aspect that team practice time just does not allow for. Players at elite programs have 24/7/365 access to a gym where they can do just that. Our players don't. Yet.

To improve this unfavorable situation, ECU has announced the intent to build a $15M basketball-specific practice facility. Its planned location is the side of Minges that faces College Hill. This construction will also give Minges an identifiable main entrance for the first time. The plans call for a dedicated court for the men's hoops team and another court just for the women's basketball team, along with locker rooms for each team, coach's offices and a Hall-of-Fame just inside the new main entrance. This expansion will also permit volleyball to practice in Minges at the optimum time, which is after class daily. Consistent practice time, at the same location, is very important in developing solid programs in every sport. As an aside, hopefully volleyball will inherit the vacated men's basketball locker room.

Some prime location parking will be lost to this construction, but that can be offset once construction of the Olympic Sports Building is completed and the area currently being used as the construction materials staging area can be transformed into paved and marked parking. By the way, 27 (I counted) new paved and marked spaces were just added in the area between the baseball stadium and the new maintenance building. Folks will pay dearly for football parking close to the stadium - just ask the Pirate Club how valuable a commodity parking for football is.

Now here comes the tough part - how does ECU pay for this new facility? Currently, ECU's staked out for a football stadium expansion (payback funded by increased ticket sales) and the Olympic Sports Complex (funded by a continuation of a portion of student fees). I've read that total to be $55-$60M. Take a deep breath now. The practice facility will be 100% funded by private contributions. Right now, a bit over $10M has been pledged using the traditional five-year, signed commitments and every person that has helped that happen is to be commended. Mr. ECU, Walter Williams, along with longtime Pirate-advocate Henry Williamson, are leading the volunteer efforts. Longtime Pirate Club guru, Dennis Young, now has the charge of raising the balance. I'll venture a guess and say that calls on, and pleas to, every possible major donor have been made and most likely decisions have been rendered. Over the years, so much water has been drawn from the same well that it's probably getting close to being dry. So what do we do?

In order for this project (which I believe is the most significant athletics construction project since the renovation of Minges) to come to fruition, it is imperative that we all slide our oars in the water and row in the same direction, following the same cadence. NOW.

So how does ECU find the remaining $5M? First, let's take a look at what ECU is doing publicly. On the Pirate Club website you will find a letter and flippable brochure. Also located elsewhere on the Internet is a video (labeled sample) featuring Holland and hoops coaches Jeff Lebo and Heather Macy. I know volleyball is not a sexy sport at ECU, but I would've liked to have seen Volleyball Coach Pati Rolf in that video too. A few more exterior architects' renderings can be found on the ECUYTT Facebook page here. Perhaps the video will be a component of a future website that will be promoted all across ECU's many Internet platforms.

Now let's take a look at how Kansas State positioned fund raising for their new basketball practice facility. At this website, they brought out all the big guns and right tools: a virtual tour along with videos from the AD and coaches. The clincher is a Donate button there that takes the reader to a simple page with a few donation options. This feature alone could prove to be highly beneficial to ECU not only for the money raised, but for the buy-in it would create for a donor to the basketball programs. Buy-in which could lead to season tickets being purchased. I know a K-State style website requires money to build, but I honestly believe it would be well worth the investment. Part of what ECUYTT does is content distribution and having one all-inclusive website would be invaluable for us in our efforts to inform the Internet world.

One small group I salute is from the Boneyard Banter message board. As a group, they stepped up early and pledged $10K for this project - not a significant or insignificant amount. What may be more important is their buy-in. 30 in that group pledged a total of $500 each, payable over 5 years. More oars in the water. More stake holders. More fans in the stands for hoops games. Greater home court advantage for our teams.

Not long after Holland arrived at ECU, he clearly identified some immediate needs and asked for our help in funding those needs. We responded. Once again, Holland has clearly identified a large and pressing need which is necessary for ECU to meet in order to give our basketball and volleyball programs the facilities they need to be successful. How will YOU respond this time to Holland's request?

As always, thanks for reading ECUYTT. We're grateful that you chose to spend the time and make the effort to read this column. Please leave us some comments - it's your opportunity to be heard. We encourage you to share this piece and the entire website with any and every one that may have an interest in ECU or Greenville. If time permits, we invite you to read previous blog installments - just scroll down a bit - and check out other topics that may interest you by clicking on any purple button at the left. 

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This month begins the first of what I hope is many summers for me in Greenville. While it's nice to be able to turn left on Greenville Boulevard most any time of the day or night without an extensive wait or a circuitous route to a stoplight, I am 100% certain the economy of Greenville wishes ECU was in session 365 days each and every year.

If you follow ECUYTT, you already know that one of the valuable features here is a current ECU and Greenville-area Events Calendar (purple tab to your left). What you may not know is that it is a compilation of as many as 30 online event calendars, along with Facebook pages, plus items that are emailed to us.

With the majority of ECU students out of Greenville until Fall semester begins in mid-August, I thought that calendar would dry up. No games or Mendenhall movies or concerts or art exhibits, etc. What I didn't know was how Greenville, primarily the Uptown Greenville area, transitions to life without ECU students.

Before I go any further here, I give a round of applause to all those that have worked hard to make summertime activities in Greenville happen. It is no easy task.

Just in case you didn't know, this summer there are three regularly scheduled events staged in Uptown Greenville that you should at least be aware of and hopefully choose to attend. Even better is that all three are FREE, yes FREE to any and everyone. Here's a bit more detail for those three events:

Tonight, and every Sunday night for several more weeks, beginning at 7pm, there is a concert called Sunday in the Park on the stage at Greenville Town Commons, which is located between First Street and the Tar River. Bring your family, chair, food and drink, but please leave your pets home. There is ample parking all around.

This Wednesday and for several more Wednesdays, from 5pm-8pm, it's the Umbrella Market's turn. Produce, art, handmade items, live music, craft brew and perhaps even food samples are available at Five Points Plaza, which is where Evans Street, Dickinson Avenue and Fifth Street all come together. Again, there is ample parking within eyesight of the Market. Read more about the Umbrella Market here and view a poster here.

Also mark your calendar for the first Friday in each and every month for an event aptly named First Friday. It's a self-guided tour of artsy businesses mostly along Evans Street, so park anywhere along Evans. I'd like to see more sidewalk signage to indicate if that business was open, which would in turn draw folks inside to look around. Read more about First Friday here and see a map here.

I hope to see you tonight for the concert or Wednesday at the Umbrella Market or Friday, July 1st for First Friday. Perhaps you'll make all three. That's my plan.

As always, thanks for reading ECUYTT. We're grateful that you chose to spend the time and make the effort to read this column. Please leave us some comments - it's your opportunity to be heard. We encourage you to share this piece and the entire website with any and every one that may have an interest in ECU or Greenville. If time permits, we invite you to read previous blog installments - just scroll down a bit - and check out other topics that may interest you by clicking on any purple button at the left.

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An undergraduate degree from a four year college is NOT for everyone, but education / training, post-secondary (an elegant name for after high school) sure is!

There's nothing quite like five hours of interstate driving by myself, listening to Jimmy Buffet's music, to air my brain out. I'm not sure at exactly which I-40 milepost the voice of Wes Crawley, my figure drawing teacher at ECU, sounded repeatedly inside my head. I could also see him quite clearly. We were standing by a gray metal easel in a classroom inside the new art building, looking at my charcoal scribbling, and he kept asking me in his soft, firm voice "What do you plan to do with your degree - you're not good enough to teach." 37 years later & I can still hear his pointed question clearly in my left ear.

Fast forward to ECU's recently graduated Class of 2011. I cannot count the number of recent grads that I've asked what their after school plans are and heard "I don't know" in response. Since high school, I know those grads have taken career interest questionnaires, aptitude tests, and received counseling from guidance folks, teachers and professors. So what happened? How can a college graduate in today's environment finish school and not be laser-focused on the next and longest chapter of their life - WORK!

The business environment was vastly different when I entered the fulltime workforce in 1976. At that time, employers used an undergraduate degree as a first-sort criterion. The hiring model way back then was to recruit college grads with a specific major, then train them on exactly how to do what they were hired to do. The development process was slow and oftentimes unstructured or inexact. More times than not, it was OTJ (on-the-job). It is no secret or revelation that expectations have changed for today's college graduates. <Please scroll down - arrow key to your right>

A graduate degree can now often be the first sort for hiring managers. Right or wrong, the first day on the job, those new grads are expected to hit the ground running, fully-loaded with relevant skills and information. Today's employers demand that their new college hires have experience even before those same grads land their first work gig. So how can that possibly happen, especially for college student-athletes who're already maxed out, time-wise, with practice, travel, play, class and homework? The smartest and most-determined non-student-athletes find work-study programs, internships, part-time jobs within their college or they volunteer in their chosen field. Volunteering - that's where there is an opportunity to earn invaluable experience that very well may be the deciding factor in a hiring manager's choice. My rising-high-school-senior daughter is facing some of the same issues in applying to colleges - how do applicants set themselves apart from all the others vying for the same spot? What makes you different? Tell me why you are better than the rest?

There will always be a need for skilled hands that can make and build things. It seems like it's almost become shameful today to say you get your hands dirty doing physical work. Builders & Makers are honorable professions that do not require a degree from a 4 year college, but they do require the ability and capacity to learn and apply what is learned to their trade. High school vocational programs and community colleges are excellent places to learn just that.

I have to wonder what some college students think (or if they do) with some of the majors they graduate in. I also have to wonder about the parents that allow their child to attend a college with no clear direction, while spending $16k a year to send them there. ($16k is the latest cost for a fully-loaded year at ECU) And lastly I have to ask where the structured guidance is within a college - something as simple as "What do you plan on doing for a job and how does this degree prepare you for that?" I know colleges have guidance folks and faculty also act as advisors. Some are friends of mine. What I don't know is how many, or if, students are required to visit with those assistors on a set schedule and a formal, written review takes place at that time? I know that returning players have a year-end evaluation with their coaches after the season is over. Would that also be helpful for all students? I know - budgets, time, etc. It seems like that structured, periodic review would be highly valuable and beneficial for both the students and their parents, who are the ones primarily footing the bill.

I have to chuckle a bit when I hear students say that they want to go straight from school into owning their own business and I ask them - doing what? Ownership skills are entirely different than classroom, production, sales or even management skills. The same can be said of students that want to go directly into management. Don't you first need to know how to do before you can teach others what to do? (Teaching is what effective managers do best) I have a friend that owns several McDonald's restaurants. You would think that he's in the fast food business, but Tim will tell you that he's actually in the employment business. Finding, then managing, qualified people, especially in a business with high turnover, like McDonald's, is a complex business within a business.

I've heard Chancellor Ballard speak often of leadership and ECU's training of future leaders. You can listen to one of Ballard's brief comments on leadership here. Leadership occurs at every level within all organizations and is often both the separator and determining factor for future promotions. Leaders don't always carry the title and oftentimes their leadership is informal. Leadership can be both taught and learned - ECU's doing just that today. Now that could be worth the price of a college education!


As always, thanks for reading ECUYTT. We're grateful that you chose to spend the time and make the effort to read this column. We encourage you to share this piece and the entire website with any and every one that may have a tie to ECU or Greenville. If time permits, we invite you to read previous blog installments - just scroll down a bit - and check out other topics that may interest you by clicking on any purple button at the left.

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I'm not exactly sure when this aspect of our world turned upside down.

When did it become cool to complain instead of compliment? At what point did it become vogue to condemn rather than praise? Why the change from verbal pats on the back to vocal slaps in the face? Didn't it used to be that there were more for and less against?

Maybe my memory of the good ol' days is not so clear? Perhaps I'm romanticizing the not-so-distant past? Maybe basic human nature has changed, and for the worse?

I submit that at least three basic things have permanently changed our society:

1) Internet:

As great and powerful as the Internet is, its creation also brought along several less-than-desirable partners; anonymity, the ease of voicing one's entire opinion quickly and easily, as well as rapidly fueling fires, the online version of a lynch mob.

2) Shock media:

Howard Stern and a plethora of reality TV shows - need I type more? No topic seems out-of-bounds. Nothing seems to shock us anymore. Give us blood or at least dirty laundry.

3) Stress:

It's made us mean, rude, crude and unkind toward our fellow man (and woman).

I offer this as an example of just how our society seems to roll now.

It's no secret that I am a firm believer in expressing gratitude - both publicly and privately. I've even been known to carry that a bit too far at times, and for that I remain unapologetic. So when I read the story last week about James and Connie Maynard agreeing to donate a total of $10.5 million (yes, that number is correct) to University Health Systems Children's Hospital and ECU, I was touched in a huge way. (UHS will receive $9 million and ECU $1.5 million. ECU will also receive a matching gift from the state that will bring the total professorship endowment to $2.167 million.)

It's safe to say that there are few people that have the financial wherewithal to make a donation of that size to any cause, much less an ECU one. We're just not blessed with the quantity of large donors that other universities have.

So what exactly can a little guy like me do to say thanks to the Maynards? With some help, I created an opportunity for our entire ECU family, all across America, to express our gratitude to the Maynards. An event was formed that is dubbed "ECU Pirate fans thank James & Connie Maynard by dining at Golden Corral."

The concept is simple. On Tuesday, May 31, Wednesday, June 1 and Thursday, June 2, I encourage you to wear purple and dine at the Golden Corral location closet to you. Take as many friends, family and co-workers as you can along with you. Let's show the Maynards some ECU love and gratitude.

Here's a link to the event on Facebook. In case you don't use Facebook, here's the text:

Event:
ECU Pirate fans thank James & Connie Maynard by dining at Golden Corral

Location:
EVERY Golden Corral location in the United States

More Info:
"A $10.5 million gift announced today (May 17) will help expand the University Health Systems Children's Hospital and fund a professorship in pediatrics at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University.

James and Connie Maynard of Raleigh plan to donate $9 million to the new Children's Hospital addition. A $1.5 million gift will go toward a distinguished professorship in the Department of Pediatrics within the Brody School of Medicine. Maynard is the co-founder and chairman of Investors Management Group, the parent company of Golden Corral Corp."

A link to the donation story is here.

WEAR PURPLE to the Golden Corral location nearest you on Tuesday, May 31, Wednesday June 1 or Thursday, June 2 to show your appreciation to the Maynards for their generosity! Greenville (NC) Golden Corral is open 10:30am-9:30pm on those days. Each location is different, so call before you go.

A link to the Golden Corral store locator map is here.

While I'm hopeful that more than the 19 people that have signed up to attend the event on Facebook will actually go, the 19 number is disheartening. I'd bet my last dollar that IF a negative event had occurred, angry Pirates country-wide, armed with virtual torches and pitchforks, would be marching as I type these words.

As a citizen of the ECU community, I implore you to plan to participate. I encourage you to share this event with other like-minded Pirates. Clicking Attending on that Facebook event page would be nice, but wearing purple and showing up for a meal at Golden Corral would be even nicer.

There's time to plan. There's time to spread the word. There's time to show the Maynards our gratitude, just like they have shown ECU theirs. It's up to you and me to get this done! I'm doing my part, how about you?

There is one more item that I call your attention to today - it's called the Livestrong Community Impact Project. The Livestrong organization "fights to improve the lives of people affected by cancer". Read more about Livestrong here. The Impact Project is designed to provide financial resources to a worthwhile venture. Your vote is needed for ECU's Cancer Center.

Your vote will determine where Livestrong community impact resources go. You can cast your vote to bring Cancer Transitions to the Leo W. Jenkins Cancer Center by clicking the "VOTE NOW" button here. You will have to register to vote, but hopefully that won't deter you.

As always, thanks for reading ECUYTT. We're grateful that you chose to spend the time and make the effort to read this column. We encourage you to share this piece and the entire website with any and every one that may have a tie to ECU or Greenville. If time permits, we invite you to read previous blog installments - just scroll down a bit - and check out other topics that may interest you by clicking on any purple button at the left.

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I was wrong and honestly don't mind admitting it.

This piece was written by Taylor Bell, a former ECU Soccer player. Currently she is the Community Outreach Coordinator for the UNC-Carolina Well Survivorship Program at the Leo Jenkins Cancer Center, Brody School of Medicine.

Cancer is a diagnosis that everyone hopes and prays doesn't strike their family. Unfortunately almost all of us have some personal connection to cancer. The good news is there are roughly 12 million cancer survivors here in America who have beaten this disease and are surviving and thriving. More and more individuals are surviving because of the advancements in medicine and the ability to detect cancer early. None of this would be possible without scientific research and doctors devoting their lives to making a difference and finding better ways to treat this horrible monster.

One of the doctors dedicated to making advancements in cancer medicine is Dr. Paul Walker. I first met Dr. Walker when I started working for a UNC program called Carolina Well located at the ECU Leo W. Jenkins Cancer Center in August. One day after he stopped by his thoracic nurse's desk he stopped by mine to introduce himself and I quickly became intrigued by his knowledge, attitude, determination, and dedication to not only his thoracic oncology patients, but his love and dedication to the Leo W. Jenkins Cancer Center at East Carolina University.

This is evident by the gift that he and his wife Kathy gave to East Carolina University in June of 2010, which was the largest donation a faculty member has ever given to ECU. A portion of this gift was used to create a fund to support innovative clinical trials research here at the LJCC. For several months they were not sure what to name the fund, but in early 2011 they decided they wanted to honor the late Coach Thomas "Rock" Roggeman who fought and battled lymphoma and was treated in Greenville at Leo W. Jenkins Cancer Center. The newly named fund is now called "The Coach Rock Roggeman Cancer Research Fund."

For those of you who don't know who Coach Rock was, he was a former Notre Dame football player and an ECU defensive coordinator for the Pirates under the direction of then-head coach Skip Holtz. Coach Rock fought cancer with such courage and determination. And he never gave up the fight.

To honor his fight and legacy, The Leo Jenkins Cancer Center, The Brody School of Medicine Department of Oncology and The East Carolina University Medical & Health Sciences Foundation is hosting the First Annual Coach Rock Roggeman Golf Classic. The event is to be held at Ironwood Country Club on May 20th, 2011.

The support for this event has been tremendous and we are excited to say that Coach Holtz and his wife Jennifer will be coming back to Greenville for the first time since he left to go coach at the University of South Florida. Coach Holtz and Rock had a close relationship and he wanted to be a part of something that will honor Rock and also give back to support cancer research. We are excited to have the support of Skip and his wife Jennifer.

The really cool part about the Coach Rock Cancer Research Fund is that ALL money raised stays right here in Eastern North Carolina. This is unlike many large national organizations that raise money and then we never receive any of the money locally. All funds raised will go a long way in making a difference for our patients here at LJCC. "We here at Leo Jenkins want patients to know that everything that can be done, has been done, is being done, and will always be done. It is our mission and passion in this fight," said Dr. Walker. "With events such as the Coach Rock Golf Classic we are igniting the flame to make a difference for all patients."

You may be wondering how I fit into all of this or why I am writing this blog, but unfortunately cancer hit very close to home for me. I was actually diagnosed with lung cancer two weeks after my 21st birthday. I am also a former Pirate athlete and played when Coach Rock was a coach. The bond that ECU athletes and coaches share, no matter what sport they play, is unbelievable and it's something I will cherish forever.

Growing up it was my dream to play soccer in college. I got that chance when Coach Rob Donnenwirth asked if I would like to come to ECU to play soccer. When I got to ECU, I bonded with my teammates, loved my classes, and met some really awesome friends. The only problem was that I wasn't performing at the level that I needed to on the field. I failed fitness test after fitness test and I was constantly physically exhausted. I had numbness and tingling in my toes and was having some trouble breathing when I exerted myself at a high level. Other than those little symptoms, I felt great!

After several failed attempts to pass the fitness test, pain in my toes, and always being tired, we came to the decision that it might be a good time to run some medical tests to see if we could figure out what was wrong. They found nothing. I convinced myself that I was just burnt out from the game. After a season of frustration and complications, I made the hardest decision of my life: to stop playing soccer. I still had the same symptoms from before when I was exercising but not at the level it had been.

Two years later, in October of 2007, I presented to the emergency room with complaints of a lower abdominal pain where I thought my appendix might be rupturing. They performed an abdominal CT scan where my lungs showed a 3x4cm mass on my left upper lobe. After many doctors' appointments and referrals, it was determined that I had a carcinoid tumor in my left upper lobe. I couldn't believe it...lung cancer in a 21- year-old, never smoking, college athlete. I had surgery to remove my upper lobe and lingula and I am happy to say I am now cancer free.

My story and diagnosis is how I ended up at Leo Jenkins Cancer Center. I immediately became involved in lung cancer advocacy, awareness, and raising money for research. That led from one connection to another and I was hired in August to be the community outreach coordinator for the UNC Carolina Well program. When I was first diagnosed I used to think "why me" now I think "why not me?"

My diagnosis has shaped me into a much stronger person and has given me an avenue to make a difference in people's lives that have to fight this battle as well. It has given me the opportunity to work with amazing people at Leo Jenkins, and the ECU Medical & Health Sciences Foundation. This is something I am proud and honored to say I am a part of. I can honestly say, I never thought that I would be able to tie ECU Athletics and fundraising for clinical trials cancer research into one venture, but with the help and direction of a few dedicated people and the ECU Medical & Health Sciences Foundation we are honoring a coach and funding much needed cancer research.

Coach Rock's distinguished coaching career at ECU touched players and fans alike. The entire Pirate nation knows that he coached with everything that he had, and that is how he fought cancer, too. Please join us in carrying on Coach Rock's legacy and his fight against cancer by supporting the 1st Annual Coach Rock Golf Classic on May 20th at Ironwood County Club. Tournament features a chance to win three cars, two vacations and $10,000. For more information and to register please call Renee Safford-White at 252-744-3070.

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Some ECU things remind me of the method used for concocting a rich, flavorful, spaghetti sauce - select numerous, high-quality ingredients, cook on a low temperature for an extended period of time and stir periodically. The longer the sauce simmers, the tastier it becomes.

When I began at ECU 40 years ago, an event like the one I attended yesterday could not have happened. It would not have been possible. Forty year ago, blacks and whites were still getting used to having been involuntarily thrown together. While many of both races were uncomfortable, others were angry and violent, but most just tried to figure it all out in a peaceful manner, the best they could. It was something new. It was something different. It was something that needed to be done. But the racial conflict was real and was almost everywhere. Fortunately that's not the case today.

Forty years ago, the meaningless war that our young men were forced to fight, half-way around the world, was winding down. Labeling 1971, my freshman year, as a turbulent time in our country's history could very well be an understatement.

Now back to yesterday's memorable event. Shortly after 11am in Hendrix Theatre, inside Mendenhall Student Center, the finished sauce was served to an appreciative audience numbering somewhere around 150, most of which were ECU students.

On stage, the Magnolia Belles, a 13-member, female, student-run, a cappella group, under the sponsorship of the ECU Alumni Association, performed a variety of tunes in an entertaining manner. N-TUNE, an 8-member, all-male, a cappella group, also performed skillfully. The two groups even got together for some enjoyable singing, swaying and dancing. My personal musical favorite was the Magnolia Belles' rendition of Bill Withers' Lean On Me. To me, N-TUNE's version of Just the Way You Are was better than the original by Bruno Mars. 

To state today that an ECU group is mixed-race is no longer needed, it's assumed, simple because almost every current ECU group is mixed-race and has been for quite some time.

In case you would like to keep up with the Magnolia Belles, they have a Facebook page, which can be located by clicking here. You can also learn more about them by hitting the Alumni Association's website here.

Whenever an opportunity presents itself, I try my best to speak to as many performers as I can after their show. I caught up to some of the singers, but no where near all of them. My thanks, admiration and respect go out to Alexandra, Arlie, Caitlyn, Carolina, Emily, Holly, Jasmine, Jayme, Kayla, Lindsey, Randi, Samantha and Taylor of the Magnolia Belles along with DJ, Jordan, Marvin, Matt, Phillip, Ryan, Sean and Tevin of N-TUNE.

My gratitude goes to all of them for reminding me of more of the good things that ECU has become, along with giving me something else to smile about and be proud of. I'll admit there were some eyeball-sweating (Ruffin McNeil's expression) moments for me yesterday as I watched and listened to our talented performers. What they have accomplished makes me proud to be a Pirate.

I wish there was an all-inclusive, official Master Events calendar where every ECU happening was listed and everyone interested could read free and online. Perhaps the Student Activities Board or Inner Pirate Network could undertake this massive, time-consuming project. I'm trying my best to do that with ECUYTT, but sometimes an event just slips through my fingers.

As always, thanks for reading ECUYTT. Feel free to share this piece with others.

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I wish you could have been with me precisely at 11 this morning on the walkway between Christenbury and the Howell Science Complex. That's where 150 or so folks gathered on a warm and partly cloudy day for the official Freedom Wall and Memorial Walk Dedication Ceremony. ECU did this important service just right.

The big ECU brass was there. So was some of ECU's ROTC cadets. (Many more were at the cookout afterwards behind Christenbury). Several still and video cameras poked in and around as this was an excellent photo opportunity. There will be many newspaper stories written and TV news segments produced that will chronicle this happening. It'll be interesting as to how the mainstream media will report this event - what they'll leave in and what they'll take out. ROTC cadets aside, there was a noticeable absence of college-age attendees. Since today was Reading Day, a scheduled day of no classes, the low student turnout was puzzling.

For a well-written background story leading up to today's ceremony, I invite you to take a few moments and read this earlier account by Mary Schulken, ECU's Director of Public Affairs titled ECU to dedicate memorial to military service.

Now picture this. As you're walking from the front of Christenbury to its left, the Wall is on your left with the Victory bell smartly mounted on a short brick piling in front of the wall. Diagonally across from the Wall and Victory bell is the area where the first seven inscribed gray pavers were carefully placed, and later expertly installed today. The names of the honorees and their achievements are listed in Schulken's story.

The primary dedicated space for additional pavers should hold 150 or so pavers and should fill quickly. As Glen Gilbert, Dean of the College of Health and Human Performance, pointed out to me, there is considerable space on the bank behind the primary area to place literally thousands of additional pavers. ROTC is in Gilbert's College of Health and Human Performance and the program is housed in Christenbury.

It seems fitting to also provide the history of ECU's Victory bell, (video transcript here) which has a colorful past, from it's casting in 1855 in Philadelphia to it's service on the USS Broome. Here's an excerpt from the above-mentioned story on the bell:

"The Victory Bell concept - it was to be rung for victories, so it was placed beside Christenbury Gym just after the Gym opened. Ringing it would be difficult because the clapper is gone. I think if you hit it with your hand or an object, it has a very nice ring to it. That was the idea of the Victory Bell."

I see this new place on ECU's campus quickly becoming hallowed ground - an area for reflection on the importance of the military to ECU and certainly vice versa. It's a space worth exploring when you can make the time - it won't take long. As is every memorial, it's a sobering reminder of events that many will never be able to forget.

Now on to the detail of how you can remember someone with a paver. Here's an online version of the printed brochure that was handed out at the ceremony. Here's how to create a brick in a online form.

A 6"x9" light gray paver costs $125. $100 is tax-deductible, with that amount going to help fund ROTC and Air Force scholarships. The other $25 covers the engraving costs. Jim Post of Post's Nursery in Rolesville is donating the pavers. Pavers can be given in Honor of (for the living) or in Memory of (for the dead). 3 lines with 11 characters per line can be utilized. The brochure has all the necessary details and answers any questions you may have. For more information on the Brick Paver Campaign, contact Dean Glen Gilbert (gilbertg@ecu.edu) or Duane Grooms, Major Gifts Officer, College of Health and Human Performance (groomsd@ecu.edu).

It was mentioned that this remembrance will be an annual affair. Perhaps it will become anchored on Reading Day, which I believe is now officially Founder's Day too, or maybe it'll be held on Veteran's Day. It's my hope that additional seating can be added in the future and this area can truly become a spot of reflection - a fitting occurrence for a university campus.

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Maybe if women played football at ECU, their ongoing, incredible, efforts would attract more attention. Since the likelihood of their donning pads in the foreseeable future is somewhere around zero, ECU's talented women must search for other avenues to draw attention to their commendable work.

One all-female organization, the Women's Roundtable, another of the many examples of ECU's bright lights under bushel baskets, is doing just that. Here's what the Roundtable is all about, from its website:

"Founded in 2003, the Women's Roundtable acknowledges the contribution of women to East Carolina University's legacy and encourages new levels of commitment by women to the university's future. Through its network of nearly 75,000 women graduates in all walks of life, East Carolina has a tremendous impact on communities across the region, state and beyond."

I'm a highly inquisitive guy about all things ECU, so when my younger friend Allison asked if I would be interested in tagging along on the first-ever Inside ECU with the Women's Roundtable, after I took a brief look at the itinerary, it took me all of one second to say YES! A day or two prior to the event, Alli did an oh-by-the-way mention that I would be the only male on the tour that numbered about 40 women.

I enjoy being around intelligent and articulate people, and this group was absolutely the best of the best. It turns out that I had been at ECU with a few of the sorority sisters and had met another attendee on the Murphy Center's Privateer's Deck a few years ago. Another member of the group and I have a mutual friend in Texas who is an A&M Aggie. I found the group a joy and pleasure to be around for the entire length of our two-day look inside ECU.

I thought I knew ECU pretty well, but this weekend showed me exactly how much I didn't know. The tour, which could have easily been two months instead of two days, really opened my eyes to several areas that I knew absolutely nothing about.

Our adventure started right after lunch Friday in the lobby of the Hilton with nametags and a brief get acquainted. ECU's Marcy Romary, Senior Major Gifts Officer and Director of Women's Philanthropy, was in charge of the event and took excellent care of our group the entire weekend. Jen Olson did a magnificent job with a lot of the behind the scenes coordination. Jim Westmoreland, a man who has lived his adult life in service to ECU, was our expert on-bus tour guide. Jim and I have known each other since high school in Statesville and he is a solid example of Servire.

Our building tour began at Joyner Library, where we saw the Collaborative Student Learning Center (second floor) and the North Carolina Collection (third floor). I've been in Joyner several times through the years, but this insider's tour demonstrated just how different a college library is today versus the 70's, which was my time at ECU. The latest, greatest technology is everywhere, but not enough of it. There are private study rooms plus group study areas in a variety of configurations, just not enough of them. I had to chuckle when we passed a student with Facebook up on a 40" screen.

The Golden Corral Culinary Center, inside the Department of Hospitality Management, which is a part of the College of Human Ecology, was next up. It is a quite large, first-rate, commercial kitchen in a laboratory setting. Cameras and recording equipment are utilized to allow students and teachers the opportunity to review efforts and technique. It was a real treat for me to be able to mingle with some of our best students and ask them questions as they prepared a few signature dishes for our group to sample. I'm always curious to know our students' impressions of ECU, how they found their way to Greenville and the department they are studying in.

At mid-afternoon, we were delivered to the Health Sciences campus for tours of the College of Nursing and College of Allied Health Sciences. The technology being utilized all across ECU is more evident here than at any other area we visited. In the College of Nursing, every imaginable simulation is in full use in lab settings, along with equipment that students will see and use in the medical facilities that they'll work in after graduation. What staggered me most was the cost of the medical equipment and the mechanical patients - as much as $75,000 for one fully-functioning dummy!

Our evening was spent at the recently-opened Croatan, which is much different and better, than its predecessor, where I dined on microwaved sandwiches, inside cellophane wrappers, many years ago. After dinner, our group was expertly entertained by an outstanding String Quartet comprised of current students and recent graduates.

The only bump in our road came around 8am Saturday. Our ECU student bus driver, a male, as it was jokingly pointed out, failed to show at our designated morning gathering place. A substitute, who was pulled off Spring Undergraduate Open House duty, arrived about 30 minutes later and following a quite circuitous route, delivered us to the Chancellor's residence for breakfast with the Ballards. ECU is privileged to have the Ballards as its First Family. Personable, gracious, warm and genuinely friendly are but a few of their many attributes. Mrs. Ballard spoke to the only two drawbacks of the house - just one first floor bathroom and the lack of parking, both of which are hefty drawbacks when it comes to entertaining large groups. She asked us to relay that any rumors of her wanting to move the Chancellor's residence are NOT true.

After breakfast, we boarded our bus bound for the Athletic Complex, where the Murphy Center was first up. We were greeted by AD Terry Holland and Assistants Scott Wells and Gary Overton. Coach (Holland) wasn't slowed down enough by his recent hip replacement to miss the opportunity to present the plans for the new Basketball Practice Facility to our high-powered group. ECU is fortunate to have Terry Holland as its Athletics Director.

We were steered inside to the Strength and Conditioning Center, home of ECU's most intense man, Jeff Connors! He demonstrated several drills, then showed us all the work areas and what they are designed to do for ECU's student-athletes. Connors said he favors having all athletes train in one facility for many reasons, the primary one being it makes student-athletes easier and less time-consuming to monitor by his staff. Our setup is unlike most other large schools where several sports have separate workout facilities. Afterwards, we walked out into Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium where the football team was beginning to warm up for their scrimmage. It was the first time most of the women had seen our football stadium from that angle. WOW was an often-heard word.

Have you ever been inside the equipment room within Ward? Our gang had that opportunity and Erik Lewis, Equipment Manager, showed us everything a tour group could ever hope to see. As an FYI, football coaches have a "cubbie" and all the gear they need for that day is inside there. Organization, at the highest level, is seen in the equipment room. We walked around the football locker room and meeting rooms, then out the back of Ward to peek at the football equipment trailer, which is wrapped in colorful ECU football graphics.

Then it was on to baseball's Clark-LeClair Stadium, where Assistant Coach and former player Brian Cavanaugh gave us a real insider tour of offices, play room, training room and locker room. The only area we didn't have time to see was the indoor batting area. Since we were running behind schedule, we didn't get an inside look at the newly-opened softball stadium, the almost-complete soccer stadium and the still-under-construction track and field. Both Holland and Overton mentioned the new track would be capable of hosting meets, so perhaps even the CUSA championship could be held here?

Next up was the Science and Technology building for a multi-media presentation by faculty member Dr. Samuel Sears, nationally-recognized expert in psychological care and quality of life outcomes of ICD (defibrillator) patients. Significant credit goes to Dr. Sears for translating a highly-technical topic into a language we could understand and for creating a captivating presentation that held our attention.

Lunch was at Todd Dining Hall on College Hill, where we had far too many choices of savory food. Since when did shrimp and grits, prime rib, carved baked chicken and coconut pie become college food? I'm tempted to list what was available in Jones during my one year stay there, but I'm not so sure I could adequately describe those offerings. After lunch, our crowd was skillfully serenaded by Phi Mu Alpha Symphonia, an all-male a cappella fraternity of about 25 members. It was fitting that they concluded their performance, and our weekend, with ECU's alma mater!

The insider's tour reinforced several things for me:

1) ECU has excellent students who are being well-trained in real-world skills. Upon graduation, they'll be well-prepared to take their place in the working world and also be leaders there.

2) Our faculty is as good as any faculty, any where.

3) ECU's leadership is first class.

4) Our facilities are very good and getting better.

5) ECU's women are among the best and brightest in the country.

I invite you to learn more about the Women's Roundtable by visiting their website. I also encourage ECU women graduates to join the roundtable and participate in the many opportunities that are presented through that magnificent organization. This group has an acute need for the type of women who are the busiest - those that are not yet retired from the working for money world, while somehow balancing work, family and volunteerism. I found it heartwarming that several women, many from way out of Greenville, left their families, often consisting of young children, in order to learn and participate.

I have a newfound respect and admiration for this incredible group of women. Do you have what it takes to be a part of their organization?

My eternal thanks go to my younger friend Alli, who opened a door to an opportunity for me to learn more about my ECU. I'm hopeful members of our touring group will take time to read this piece and add their comments.

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This piece is from Pat Lane. He is retired from the working for money world and now spends a considerable amount of time and energy in several areas of volunteer service to ECU.

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