A small group of protesters rallied yesterday at Winston-Salem State University, saying that Chancellor Donald Reaves excluded them from decisions on several issues, including abandoning WSSU's drive to play Division I sports.
The rally occurred two days after the Raleigh law firm of Tharrington Smith LLP sent a letter to Reaves that outlined some alumni grievances.
The law firm was hired by members of the WSSU National Alumni Association to represent the association, said Victor Bruinton, the association's president.
The association did not vote to hire the law firm, Bruinton said. And many alumni contacted yesterday did not know about the letter.
About 20 alumni protesters, held up signs that read "Reaves Must Go" and "Dr. Reaves, You are not a good fit for WSSU. Leave Now." The rally took place during the university's homecoming.
Nearly 500 students and alumni listened as Bruinton outlined the alumni grievances against the university and Reaves.
Reaves was not on campus when the rally occurred, said Aaron Singleton, a university spokesman.
Reaves and the WSSU board of trustees didn't consider the opinions of many alumni who wanted the school to continue to pursue Division I status, Bruinton said.
"Academics are very important to all of our students," Bruinton said. "They are here to get an education."
The university will lose several athletic scholarships because of the decision, Bruinton said. And parents of the affected athletes would have to pay tuition for them.
In September, the WSSU board of trustees unanimously approved a resolution to abandon its drive to Division I and compete again in Division II and the CIAA. Reaves presented the trustees with the resolution and called it a "difficult decision," saying that he expected a backlash from some alumni.
Since leaving the CIAA and starting the transition to Division I five years ago, WSSU's athletics department has lost more than $6 million. Reaves projected that the deficit would grow to $15 million by 2012.
Those financial woes were exacerbated by the state's financial crunch. The university had to cut $7 million to $9 million from its budget this year because of cuts in state financing.
After the rally, Bruinton said he had presented plans in March to university administrators for the alumni association to raise $1 million a year over several years to support the school. Bruinton said that WSSU never took action on alumni plans.
The association's booster club raised about $200,000 in 2008 for the school's athletic programs, he said. The association has about 1,000 dues-paying members.
During the rally, Bruinton also criticized WSSU's decision to close its Child Development Center and Laboratory School on Aug. 21. He said that the center served community residents and the university should have looked for ways to keep it open.
Reaves said in a release announcing the center's closing that it was being closed because the university couldn't afford to keep it open.
Bruinton also criticized the school for asking the city to suspend construction of a median and fence along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, which divides the campus. The project is designed to direct students to crosswalks and prevent them from jaywalking.
City Manager Lee Garrity said that WSSU asked the city to temporarily suspend the project on Aug. 15 because students were returning.
The city resumed work after Labor Day, and the project should be completed in the next three weeks.
Nancy Young, a WSSU spokesman, said that the alumni have a right to their opinion, "but I don't agree with what they say."
Young said that Bruinton had met with Reaves and Scott Bauer, the chairman of the board of trustees, before Reaves decided to abandon the school's drive to Division I.
Reaves said that the decision was "in the best interests of the university," Young said.
jhinton@wsjournal.com | 727-7299
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