Evening Weekend College students scattered after losing their central office

The Evening Weekend College office at Winston-Salem State has closed, and its staff has been dispersed throughout the campus. 

The move leaves EWC students without a centralized office.

On June 28 Dr. Karl Rodabaugh, former director of EWC was replaced by Larry Arhagba, former assistant director, who assumed the role of acting director until the office permanently closed Sept. 4.

According to Makayah Mitchell, former EWC coordinator of program development and implementation, Judith Bailey, interim associate vice chancellor for University Advancement said the EWC office staff would be placed in areas that would allow them to utilize their skills to benefit nontraditional students. 

"We are not being utilized for the benefit of Evening Weekend College," Mitchell said. Mitchell has moved to faculty administration. 

"We were told the department was being restructured," in a meeting with Bailey.   "We were told the office was closing; however, the program was not." 

"If those [EWC] services and activities are not conducted in a manner similar to or better than how EWC conducted them, I would think that the number of adult/evening students will decline rapidly," Rodabaugh said. 

A key factor could be that a high percentage of new EWC/evening enrollees learn about our programs due to word-of-mouth from current enrollees he said.

A lot of adult students said they were unhappy about EWC closing its office, and that they were given no prior warning said Mitchell. 

"The [announcement of the] closing of the EWC office was on television before we had an opportunity to tell them," Mitchell said.

The EWC office oversees the development and management of degree programs for working adults. They helped with course schedules, recruitment and matriculation.

As a part of the EWC restructuring, some of the former staff was relocated to other offices.

Rodabaugh said that most functions will now be carried out by other units including admissions, registrar's office, and departments and schools offering entire degree programs in the evening. 

EWC staff was specifically trained for that program.  Restructuring the department will require that those working in all  departments on campus be trained to accommodate EWC students as well.  "Nobody has been trained," Mitchell said.

The EWC office serviced 103 students in 2004.  The program has seen a 400 percent increase with enrollment numbers reaching more than 500 students. 

Rodabaugh said, "EWC /evening undergraduate enrollment is approaching about 10 percent of the total WSSU undergrad enrollment."

According to 2008 WSSU enrollment stats there were 5,975 undergraduate students.   
In addition, "EWC enrollees have become nearly 50 percent of the grads in sociology and other programs," Rodabaugh said.

The purpose of the EWC office is to assist adult students in attaining a degree in four years.

 "A lot of adult students have obligations to their community, children and profession that hinder them from handling their academic business during the University operation hours," Mitchell said.

 "I pray something changes for the sake of the students," Mitchell said.