The Stentorian Newspaper

Tag: convocation

  • Perspective: NCSSM Apocalypse: Scenes from Around Campus in the Wake of a Storm

    Perspective: NCSSM Apocalypse: Scenes from Around Campus in the Wake of a Storm

    By Avery Prince / September 1, 2023
    A fallen tree lies uprooted at the entrance to Watts Circle on August 15. (Avery Prince/Stentorian)

    Intense storms and winds surrounded the Triangle on August 15th, leaving fallen trees, broken power lines, and power outages across the area. Duke Energy reported over 56,000 power outages, most of which occurred in Durham County. Winds were up to 70 miles per hour, causing trees to fall and creating dangerous driving conditions that lead to multiple crashes and roadway incidents.Across NCSSM’s Durham campus there were several signs of the damage from the storm, fallen trees and broken power lines were amongst the various damage left in the wake of such an intense storm. 

    Before the chaos of this storm, students and faculty gathered in the PEC for NCSSM’s 44th convocation. For the first time in NCSSM history, convocation was centered on NCSSM’s second campus in Morganton, being broadcast over Zoom and projected in Durham. Just as the keynote speaker was about to speak, the power went out and the lights in the PEC shut. A wave of panic ran through the PEC, and faculty calmed students down, encouraging them to remain quiet and stay seated. To pass time, students shined their phone flashlights and sang together, making the most of a difficult situation. Eventually faculty helped students exit the PEC and return to their dorms, where the backup power lit the halls and the heat was intense.

    The storm on August 15 left power lines and trees nearly on top of nearby houses on Broad Street. (Avery Prince/Stentorian)

    NCSSM was faced with over 25 hours with no power. Emergency generators fired up and certain parts of campus had emergency power, covering only necessities.

    Classes were canceled, and students found ways to pass the time and cool off across campus. Bryan Lobby was popular with many students, as it allowed students to charge their various devices and cool off with fans. Many students appreciated this time as an opportunity to bond, and distracted themselves from the unpleasant conditions by spending time bonding with friends by playing card games, socializing, and cooling off together. Late in the afternoon, power returned and the usual rhythm of NCSSM resumed, but the storm had left its mark. 

    While it was not an ideal start to the year for many students, NCSSM students were able to accept this great challenge and make the most of the storm and power outage. 

  • Perspective: Convocation with Two Campuses and One School

    Perspective: Convocation with Two Campuses and One School

    By Sofía Alfaro / September 15, 2023
    Students lit up the out-of-power gym with their phone flashlights during convocation on August 15, 2023. (Teresa Fang/Stentorian)

    The students of NCSSM were crowded into the gym bleachers on August 15, 2023, for convocation. As it came closer to 4:00 p.m., the instructors began to sit down on the floor of the gym. Many students thought it was meaningless for them to be in the gym since they couldn’t see the speakers, and it would have been the same experience if the convocation had been over Zoom like last year since the speaker wasn’t even in-person. 

    At 4:20 p.m., the lights began to flicker and soon after, the power went out. The students cheered as they would no longer be forced to listen to a speaker whom some of them couldn’t even see. As the students realized they were stuck in the darkness, they began singing songs while waving their flashlights – as many people do during concerts. As time went on students began to get more restless as they were stuck in a hot gym with more than 600 other people. 

    After the storm passed, the students were released by bleacher sections into the residential buildings. Most students came back to the PEC to get dinner. But by the time students were getting back to their regular routines, the day had gotten darker. Since only Bryan Lobby had working lights and outlets due to the backup generators, the lobby was filled with at least a hundred students. As it got closer to check, students who had friends who lived nearby went to their houses. 

    Everyone did what they could to cool themselves off. At one point in the night, frozen cheesecake bites were put out for students to grab them. In addition to it being free food, it was also a nice cold snack. Though the power outage was inevitable, it would have been nice for Durham’s convocation to have been postponed due to the weather. 

    The thunderstorm outside the Bryan lobby main entrance on August 15, 2023. (Sofía Alfaro/Stentorian)

    August 15 and 16 were very chaotic days, but in those moments we were able to reflect. The PEC is a semi-permanent solution since the complete renovation of the auditorium will span over a few years. A solution that I would like to propose is two different convocations. Having two convocations would have made it easier to postpone it.

    The convocation experience should be completely in-person for both campuses as is graduation.  When I attended the convocation, I was sad to see that I couldn’t see the speaker and I wished that I could have. Neither Durham’s nor Morganton’s Fine Arts program was able to perform which I believe would have made the experience much better. Each campus’ orchestra and band are extremely talented and I would have loved to see them perform.

    Junior Valentina Kimes talked about her experience of the power outage. Though she was very excited for her first day of school she was still stressed and the power outage added to the stress. Even though the power outage created a very hot environment, Kimes was still able to have fun and believed that it was a good way to connect with her classmates. Most of this bonding happened in Bryan Lobby. Due to classes being canceled, many students were in Bryan Lobby so they could charge their devices. Not only were they able to charge their devices but they were also able to spend time with their peers and take a break from the intense NCSSM school day. 

    The power outage was a bonding experience but many juniors and seniors alike were not able to experience it to its full extent. Convocation is the day when all the students and faculty come together to appreciate NCSSM; Durham and Morganton are completely separate campuses that have their own cultures. To appreciate NCSSM for what it is would be to have a convocation where the speaker and students can come together and appreciate the uniqueness of each campus.