Alexandra Dodson

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Service is a key tenet of WSSU

By Alexandra Dodson | February 24

WINSTON-SALEM — The motto that Winston-Salem State University proudly banners throughout its campus and publications is simple: “Enter to learn … depart to serve.” And as the fastest-growing school in the UNC system, WSSU is providing more and more students each year with the opportunity to do just that. Since Chancellor Harold Martin took office in 2000, the university’s enrollment has jumped more than 72 percent.

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Arts school helps young performers

By Alexandra Dodson | February 15

WINSTON-SALEM — In a university system of rams, wolves, pirates and other intimidating creatures, a school boasting the fighting pickle as a mascot might seem out of place. And the N.C. School of the Arts often does seem like an anomaly in comparison with the other 15 UNC-system schools. Its 1,100 students don’t cheer on the “fighting pickle” during football games, nor do they conduct cutting-edge research in labyrinthine chemistry labs.

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Schools respond to budget cut

By Alexandra Dodson | November 17

The N.C. General Assembly's handing down of a 0.75 percent budget cut to all state agencies last week means the remainder of the UNC system's fiscal year will have to be more frugal. The state will receive a return of $13.3 million from the 16 system universities. Individual schools will pay amounts ranging from less than $90,000 to $2.85 million. The cut, a nonrecurring reversion, will channel more money toward relief for the state's hurricane victims.

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Family remains pivotal for Burr

By Alexandra Dodson | October 27

When Richard Burr was elected to represent North Carolina's 5th District in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994, the Republican promised his family and constituents that, unless Congress was voting, he would return home on weekends to be with them. This promise, Burr's friends and family say, is one he has tried to uphold faithfully throughout his 10 years on Capitol Hill, one that characterizes his dedication to those he cares about.

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A family affair

By Alexandra Dodson | October 20

SMITHFIELD - Support for the letter "B" brought some of the biggest names in North Carolina politics to a Republican rally at the Central Marketing Tobacco Warehouse on Tuesday. Sen. Elizabeth Dole and former Sens. Lauch Faircloth and Jesse Helms were among the several hundred supporters who turned out to stump for President Bush, U.S. Rep. Richard Burr and gubernatorial hopeful Patrick Ballantine.

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N.C. State Fair promises slew of attractions

By Alexandra Dodson | October 13

RALEIGH - Drills and delivery trucks still are dominating the N.C. State Fairgrounds, but fair officials promise the capital city will be chock full of food, music, rides and competitions by opening day. The North Carolina State Fair, sponsored by the N.C. Department of Agriculture, will kick off at 8 a.m. Friday and will be open daily through Oct. 24. "It's a whirlwind of activity going on at the fairgrounds this week," said Tiffany Budd, a promotions specialist with the Department of Agriculture. "Everything is coming along real well."

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Case Outcome May Overhaul Admissions

By Alexandra Dodson | January 17

Admissions policies across the nation will have to be revamped if the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down race-based admissions in a pending case that has received attention even from the White House. President Bush spoke out against the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor's affirmative action policies Wednesday. He said that instead he favors affirmative access programs such as that implemented under his watch as Texas governor at the University of Texas-Austin, which grants automatic admission to the top 10 percent of graduating students at each state high school.

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Campus Bond Construction Far From Finished

By Alexandra Dodson | January 16

Alternate routes to classrooms and early morning jackhammers will remain staples of life at UNC-Chapel Hill and the 15 other UNC-system campuses as projects begun under the $3.1 billion higher education bond referendum continue as scheduled. Seventy-four percent of anticipated projects are in the design phase, under construction or completed, said Kevin MacNaughton, UNC-system university property officer. "We're actually a little bit ahead of schedule," he said. "We've kept pace with the funding available."

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Congress sees New Faces From N.C. Delegation

By Alexandra Dodson | January 8

Washington, D.C., bustled Tuesday as senators, representatives and constituents welcomed the 108th Congress to Capitol Hill. This session marks a step forward for N.C. politics as Republican Elizabeth Dole became the state's first female senator. "It's a milestone," said Ferrel Guillory, director of UNC's Program on Southern Politics, Media and Public Life, noting that about a dozen women now hold seats in the Senate. "It's another sign that the U.S. Congress is not a white male bastion."

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High Court to Hear Sodomy Law Case

By Alexandra Dodson | December 4

North Carolina -- one of 13 states where sodomy is still illegal -- might have to strike down the law if a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court determines that sodomy convictions are unconstitutional. The court agreed Monday to hear a case, Lawrence and Garner v.