ECU welcomes students, plans test of outdoor speakers

Published Aug 18, 2009 by
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GREENVILLE, N.C. —   East Carolina University will welcome approximately 27,000 students to campus –physically and virtually—when the fall semester begins officially on Monday, Aug. 24 with the annual faculty convocation. Students will begin moving into residence halls Thursday, and classes begin Aug. 25. 

The total university enrollment is projected to be about 27,000, including approximately 4,175 first-year students. Included in the enrollment projection are more than 5,800 distance education students. Official enrollment numbers will be available after the university’s census day, Sept. 8. 

Approximately 5,000 students are expected to move into residence halls beginning Thursday, bringing on-campus housing close to capacity. 

During move-in weekend, the university will test its new outdoor notification speakers on the east campus. The Emergency Notification Team will test the speakers three times on Friday, Saturday and Sunday to determine audibility; there are eight locations throughout “main campus” with four speakers each. Activation times are scheduled for 12 p.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. each day. 

Persons on campus will hear a tone and then a verbal message, noting that is only a test of the ECU Alert emergency notification system. 

The testing will also allow the Emergency Notification Team to find any “weak” areas on campus where additional speakers should be placed, according to Tom Pohlman with Environmental Health and Safety. 

Outdoor notification speakers have also been installed at the health sciences campus and the North Recreational Complex, but they will not be tested at this time. 

Funds provided through the UNC General Administration safety initiative paid for the speakers and the installation. 

Other events at ECU planned include: 

  •  Aug. 21, 3-6 p.m., Sigma Phi Epsilon house reopening, corner of 5th and Summit streets; program begins at 5 p.m. After a horrible fire in January, the Sigma Phi Epsilon house will reopen for students with new safety features incorporated into the construction. Contact: Keith Tingley, ECU Office of Greek Life, 328-4235.
  • Aug. 22, Million Meals Event, 8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m., Boys & Girls Club on Firetower Road. Organized by Stop Hunger Now and the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center, the University Million Meals Event is designed to package meals to feed the hungry around the world. Contact: Mike Loeffelman, 328-2735
  •  Aug. 23, New Student Convocation, 3-4 p.m., Wright Auditorium. Panel discussion with Chancellor Steve Ballard and head football coach Skip Holtz, faculty chair Marianna Walker, and SGA President Brad Congleton speaking about university life. 
  • Aug. 23, “ECU Stars,” 7-9 p.m., in Wright Auditorium for ECU’s version of “American Idol” with cash prizes. Auditions will be earlier that day, 12-2 p.m., in Wright Auditorium. 
  • Aug. 24, 9th annual Pirate Palooza, 6:30-9:30 p.m., Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. This free event is for ECU students and will feature live music, inflatable attractions, give-aways, food and the opportunity to meet ECU coaches. 
  • Aug. 27, P3= Pirates, Pool, and Professors, 3:30-5:30 p.m., Student Recreation Center. Students will meet ECU faculty members and then, at 6 p.m., head to Grainger Stadium for a Kinston Indians game.