Experiencing the Pirate life
With move-in completed, East Carolina University students began to get acclimated to their new campus home through a series of Pirate Experience events before the start of classes on Aug. 19. Raid the Rec, Pirate Palooza and New Student Welcome occurred last weekend and are designed to help students make connections and grow comfortable with their surroundings.
Raiding the Rec
Students lined up outside the Eakin Student Recreation Center Friday evening, anxiously awaiting the opening at 6 p.m. for the sixth annual Raid the Rec. Once the clock struck the top of the hour, they dashed through the doors, with many heading upstairs to pillage a pile of bright yellow T-shirts. One of the first students to grab a T-shirt was Malachi Jacobs, a sophomore exercise physiology major from Asheville. Jacobs, a frequent patron of the facility, came back to Raid the Rec for a second time.
“The shirt got me to come back this year, but I remember last year being a lot of fun,” he said. “This year’s shirt is really bright and vibrant with a cool logo, I like it.”
Lindsay Colquitt scales the rock climbing wall at the Eakin Student Recreation Center during Raid the Rec. (ECU photo by Steven Mantilla)
A free T-shirt may have brought many students into the building, but there was no reason to leave quickly. The two-story facility was transformed into a hub of activity with carnival games such as ring toss and fish bowl, a nine-hole mini golf course, giant chess board, video game stations and an inflatable obstacle course downstairs, along with free food. The upstairs track was filled with tables and enthusiastic club sports participants looking for new members. Racquetball courts and fitness classrooms hosted trivia along with archery and other carnival games.
“Our goal is for students to see everything the rec center has to offer,” said Dr. Greg Corack, senior director of campus recreation and wellness. “This is the first introduction for most of our first-year students, and we want to get every student in here at least once a year.”
Freshman roommates Samantha Campbell of Hampstead and Gianna Pedrote of Cornelius moved into Garrett Hall earlier in the week. The duo attended the event and made a pair of runs on the obstacle course, with Campbell reaching the finish first both times.
“I enjoyed sliding down,” said Pedrote. “Even though I didn’t win, it was still fun.”
“The fact that it was a competition was my favorite part,” said Campbell. “I think it makes us a bit more comfortable with each other. It gets us ready for what’s to come.”
Lindsay Colquitt, a freshman from Monroe, tried her best to scale the facility’s climbing wall. She said the activity caught her eye when she walked in despite never having done it before.
“It’s way out of my comfort zone but looked fun when I saw people doing it. I thought I could make it to the top, but I got humbled,” she said. “I stepped out of my comfort zone a bit, which I think that’s what college is about.”
A Carnival Atmosphere
Jessiah Talley, left, and Tasiana Andrews claimed shirts at Pirate Palooza. (ECU photo by Rhett Butler)
A giant slide and a caricature artist were two of several attractions that greeted students at the Main Campus Student Center Saturday evening for Pirate Palooza. Now in its 23rd year, the event has become a campus tradition.
“Pirate Palooza started as a way to welcome students to campus to kick off the semester in a big way,” said Hank Bowen, senior associate director for student engagement. “Hopefully they start to make connections with people and see that this is a fun place with lots of new friends. Sometimes when students first leave home, their parents drop them off, and they’re here by themselves for the first time. It can be overwhelming. We try to plan lots of activities for opening weekend so they don’t have a chance to let that initial homesickness begin.”
Senior Mason Schwartz, a biology major from Fayetteville, made his way down an inflatable slide twice. He was a first-time attendee and admitted that he hadn’t taken advantage of on-campus events as much as he should. He plans on going to as many events as possible during his final year.
Tasiana Andrews, a freshman criminal justice major from Durham, attended with her roommate, Jessiah Talley of Winston-Salem. They grabbed T-shirts inside the student center before heading outside.
“I came tonight because I wanted to get a feel for the school, meet new people and see what’s around,” said Andrews. “I love ECU so far. I’m kind of nervous for the first day of class because it’s a different environment, but I’m excited for it to prepare me for my career.”
Bowen hopes that Pirate Palooza helps students make connections and settle into their new home.
“We hope students leave the event feeling like they made the right choice to come to ECU, that they’ve started to meet some new friends and feel ready and energized for the fall semester. Also, we hope that they see how much happens here and get connected to future events.”
Enthusiastic Students
The newest Pirate students learned the “Purple! Gold!” chant while hearing from a pair of Pirate coaches during New Student Welcome on Sunday afternoon in Minges Coliseum.
Head football coach Mike Houston leads the “Purple! Gold!” cheer at New Student Welcome. (ECU photo by Rhett Butler)
The spirited pep rally, hosted by former Pirate football player and current MBA student Jonathan Coleman, began with the ECU Marching Pirates drumline and cheerleaders marching into Williams Arena. Head football coach Mike Houston told the students about the importance of the Boneyard student section and how much student support means to the program.
Student Government Association president Anderson Ward and Chancellor Philip Rogers led the students in the “Purple! Gold!” chant. Next, Coleman explained the meaning of the No Quarter flag and showed both the No Quarter hype video and the football introduction video.
Using a method that he utilizes with his team, head men’s basketball coach Michael Schwartz had the new students visualize being at an ECU athletic event in the student section and witnessing a thrilling victory. Schwartz then encouraged the students to recognize that the ECU student-athletes who are part of those wins are their friends, peers and classmates. He concluded his remarks by encouraging students to be proactive and get involved at ECU.
“Be proactive. We talk about it with our team all the time,” said Schwartz. “Be proactive. Get involved on campus. Get involved in athletics. Be the leaders to create new traditions, just like our basketball team is trying to do here. Enjoy your first day, enjoy your first week, enjoy your first year. There’s nothing like your first year of college and we’re very fortunate to be here.”
After hearing from Schwartz, the Class of 2028 went outside to Bagwell Field and Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium to take their official class photo outlined in the shape of the state of North Carolina.
Focused Faculty
ECU faculty members gathered in Hendrix Theatre on Friday morning for Faculty Convocation.
Chancellor Rogers welcomed faculty members to the 2024-25 academic year. He began his remarks by thanking faculty members for the impact they make on students and the community.
School of Music faculty members Kobie Watkins (drums), Jake Thompson (bass), Chip Newton (guitar) and Andrew Berinson (piano) perform at faculty convocation. (ECU photo by Rhett Butler)
“I love the energy as campus reawakens from summer and the optimism of this time of year. This convocation marks the beginning of a new academic year, offering a chance for colleagues to reconnect and share their hopes for an upcoming new semester,” said Rogers.
Rogers highlighted the teaching efforts of Dr. Anne Spuches, professor in the Department of Chemistry and Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences Advancement Council’s Distinguished Professor in the Natural Sciences and Mathematics, who received the Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching in April. He also spoke of Dr. Rukiyah Van Dross-Anderson in the Brody School of Medicine and her work of developing a cancer immunotherapy treatment for melanoma patients to increase survivability and decrease melanoma occurrence.
Faculty members in the School of Music and School of Theatre and Dance conducted four performances during the convocation ceremony. Music faculty members included Andrew Berinson, Catherine Gardner, Bill Haugeberg, Jake Thompson, Chip Newton and Kobie Watkins. Theatre and dance faculty performers were Trent Blanton, Kirsten Holley, Dan Rutzen and Jessica Teague.
Faculty chair Anne Ticknor, professor of education, thanked the performing faculty members and outlined her goals for the group.
“We work together to fulfill our mission, engage in processes that bring our community together and ensure a culture of care by confirming that our stakeholders are in the discussions of how we implement governing policies on our campus and in our units,” said Ticknor. “We also build trust with our partners by utilizing structures already in place that are transparent, efficient and effective.”