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A student chapter of the NAACP has been reinstated on the campus of Winston-Salem State University and one of its first tasks will be to rally students to support a moratorium on the death penalty in North Carolina.”We are the third highest state in the nation in executions behind Oklahoma and Texas,” Rep. Earline W. Parmon told students during a meeting this month. She added that there will be three executions of inmates in the state before the end of the year, including the scheduled execution of Forsyth County ‘s Robbie J. Lyons on Dec.5. At present, there are 198 offenders on death row in North Carolina and, as of last April, there were 3,533 nationally. Of the 198 in North Carolina, 70 are white, 116 are black, seven are Indian and five are listed as other. Lyons is a 31-year-old African-American convicted of killing Stephen Stafford, the owner of Sam’s Club Market in Winston-Salem , during an attempted robbery in September, 1993. “We have gone on record in support of a moratorium on the death penalty until the issue can be looked at,” Parmon said. “It passed through the NC Senate, but not the House, so we’re requesting two years for the issue to be looked at.” The student chapter held its second meeting on Nov. 3 and featured Rep. Larry Womble in addition to Parmon. Womble, an alumnus of WSSU and former Student Government Association, reflected on his days as a student in Winston-Salem during the early 1960s. He discussed the importance of organizations such as the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), SNICK and Congress of Racial Equality to the black college students of his time. “Those were student-led groups that changed this country,” said Womble. “So don’t tell me you can’t do anything. We’re calling on you once again to make that change.” Womble also spoke out against President George W. Bush’s $2000- a -plate dinner, which was held in Winston-Salem on Nov. 7. He said the high cost of the dinner was beyond the financial means of most middle and low-income people. “I cannot sit back and let George Bush come in the city for an hour and nobody say anything,” said Womble. “It’s time for us, the average people to take a stand.” Womble said he worried that many students today lack the same “fire and passion” for civil concerns that his generation possessed. Antoine James is the interim vice-president of the NAACP chapter at WSSU. He said he is confident that members will rally behind relevant social and political issues, once they understand how these matters affect their lives. “It’s a lot of people involved right now who are passionate about  what they want to see done around campus and around us in the community,” said James. Jessica Tillman, interim president, said she thinks the NAACP chapter is especially important to students who aren’t aware of the issues they impact them. “I think we’ll get the chance to take a stand and really display some leadership skills,”