East Carolina University’s Mock Trial Organization will be hosting a first-degree murder mystery mock trial for the public to observe on April 18 at 6 p.m. at the Pitt County Courthouse.
Michelle L. Malkin, assistant professor of criminal justice, said she is a co advisor to the mock trial organization with fellow ECU professor, Heather Douglas.
On March 29, Republican state legislators filed the “Human Life Protection Act,” House Bill (HB) 533, a bill that would completely ban abortion in the state with the one exception of the mother’s life being at risk.
Director of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic in North Carolina Jilian Riley said the pending bill contains no exceptions for pregnant people, victims of rape, or incest.
“If anyone were to get an abortion after this bill became law, they’d be facing some serious punishments,” Riley said. “We (Planned Parenthood) hope that measures like these will be protested and pushed against by the people.”
HB533 aims to make getting and completing an abortion a Class B1 felony, the same level as second-degree murder, Riley said.
Doctors and nurses aiding in abortions would also face jail time or large fines, Riley said. It would not be wise for them to continue administering abortions if the bill were passed, Riley said.
“It (HB 533) would not let health care professionals do their jobs,” Riley
said. “It should be their responsibility to help those in need of reproductive care, not something to be avoided.”
State Senator Kandie Smith from Pitt County said protecting abortion rights is very popular in the country as well as in NC.
There are many things North Carolinians care more about than restricting options of reproductive health care, Smith said.
“Helping the economy, putting food on the table and having the right to vote are all issues at the front of working people’s minds, unlike anti-abortion laws,” Smith said.
The bill is completely unnecessary, even for anti-abortionists, Smith said. If signed into law, the bill would be one of the most extensive abortion bans in the country, Smith said.
Having women face $100,000 fines for getting an abortion after being raped is cruel, Smith said. He said the government should work for its people, not against them.
“I respect everyone’s beliefs, but I don’t respect punishing struggling
people who are in need of care more than anything else,” Smith said.
State House Representative Ben Moss wrote in an email statement that he is sponsoring HB 533, and that it is what needs to be done.
Everyone is given the right to life, so it is the legislature’s obligation to protect that right, Moss said, as every life is equal.
“If you are reading this, you have been blessed with the gift of life,” Moss wrote. “Every human life has value from the womb to the tomb.”
Moss is thrilled to have the new bill introduced by Representative Keith Kidwell be voted on, he wrote, although both houses of the state legislature will need to override a veto from Governor Roy Cooper.
The abortion issue is a matter of saving the lives of children and giving them a chance to make it in the world, Moss wrote.
“I will continue to promote a culture of life and ensure that every child, regardless of circumstance, is given the chance to flourish and thrive,” Moss wrote.
“What we (advisors) do is lead the students in terms of helping them gain the skills and knowledge they need, to not only hold an annual mock trial, but also to understand legal professions and answer their questions, bring in guest lecturers, etcetera,” Malkin said.
The mock trial organization is not limited to students in criminal justice or on a pre-law track, Malkin said, it is for any student with interest in the field of law and court proceedings.
Malkin said the mock trial is student run and the students organize their own teams and select jurors who will play their roles at the annual event with the goal of creating a strong case to win.
“It gives them (students) really practical experience if they are interested in going to law school or just working in general in the legal profession, or to better understand court procedure by being a part of this organization,” Malkin said.
To join, Malkin said advertisements are typically put up in the beginning of each academic year, but students can come to one of the monthly meetings held by the organization and pay a small fee of $20 to become a member and receive a T-shirt.
Malkin said once a student joins they are welcome to the monthly meetings and begin preparation with their chosen team for the mock trial.
“It’s really fun to watch the students participate in the mock trial and anybody is welcome to come on our mock trial date and come to the court house where we’ll have a real judge, Judge Perez, will be overseeing the mock trial in action,” Malkin said.
Stephen Rice, senior criminal justice major, said he is a member of the mock trial organization and has been for a year and a half.
Rice said each year the mock trial researches and rehearses a new case and this year he is playing a defense attorney in the trial, as he did last year and his team won.
“It (the mock trial) is essentially a pretend criminal trial, they (instructors) hand you a packet which has the basic facts of the case and evidence and basic information that the various witnesses know and using that both teams put together a case,”
East Carolina University's baseball team (24-8, 4-2 American Athletic Conference) will play the University of Cincinnati (14-19, 3-3 AAC) in a weekend series at Clark-LeClair Stadium in Greenville, North Carolina, tomorrow through Sunday.
The Pirates also faced another opponent at home prior to this series with a non-conference midweek game on Tuesday against Old Dominion University (23-8, 8-4 Sun Belt Conference) at 6 p.m.
In their most recent weekend series, the Pirates swept the University of Central Florida (UCF) (17-15, 1-5 AAC). They won convincingly, scoring 31 runs in three games, compared to 14 for UCF.
ECU has now improved their home record to 20-2 before their matchup against Old Dominion. They recorded a series sweep of UCF for the second-straight season and has won 17 of the last 21 meetings.
This was the Pirates' first clean sweep of the season against AAC opponents, since they had previously dropped their first conference series of the season against the University of Houston (17-15, 4-2 AAC). But, with the sweep of UCF, the Pirates completed their fifth weekend series sweep of the season.
Last season, the Pirates and Bearcats met seven times, with the Pirates winning six of them. They competed in two weekend series as well as the AAC playoffs.
In the previous season, ECU lost the first game they played in Cincinnati, but they won the next two games and the series overall. Following that, the Bearcats arrived at Clark-LeClair Stadium and lost three straight games, giving the Pirates the series sweep.
When the two teams played in the conference playoffs, ECU triumphed in seven innings using a mercy rule, winning 15-5 and advancing to face Tulane University.
The Pirates have a long relationship with the Bearcats, dating back to 2004 when the teams first met. The entire record of these two teams against each other is 30-6-1, with ECU winning 80% of their meetings.
One of ECU's most explosive games versus Cincinnati was on April 14, 2004, when the Pirates scored 32 runs. The final score ended up being 32-14.
Back in 2018, the Pirates began a 10-game winning streak over the Bearcats that would last until 2021. That streak would come to an end on May 14, 2021, during the second game of a double header.
When comparing ECU's home and away records against Cincinnati, the Pirates have
three losses in both situations. ECU is 12-3-1 when Cincinnati visits Greenville, and they are 16-3 when they travel to Cincinnati.
After this weekend series, the Pirates eight game home stand will end and they will travel to Charlotte, North Carolina, to play
Student affairs to hold ECU marketing workshop
Today, ECU Student Affairs will host their Who ARRGHTM You? Who ARRGHTM We? Event. The event will take place in the Croatan Green Room from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and consist of workshops for undergraduate students that are designed to help ECU’s marketing.
City Council to hold monthly meeting tonight
Today, the Greenville City Council will hold a meeting. The meeting will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers. All meeting materials can be found on the City Council page on the Greenville, NC website.
LWCC to host diversity dialogue series
Monday, the Ledonia Wright Cultural Center and the G.O.L.D. Leadership series will host their monthly DDS. The event will take place in the LWCC in the Main Campus Student Center from 3 to 4 p.m.
University to reach deadline for incompletes
Today is the deadline for undergraduate students to submit work for removal of incompletes given during Fall 2022. Work for fall semester incompletes will not be accepted after this date.
If you feel there are any factual errors in this newspaper, please contact Emily Peek at editor@theeastcarolinian.com.
Editor’s Note: The East Carolinian Crime Logs are derived from East Carolina University Police Department’s (ECU PD) public crime logs accessible to all individuals. Crime Logs are done within the partnership of ECU PD and The East Carolinian, as this publication is meant to act as an additional resource for Pirate Nation. Below are listings of criminal activity that has occured on or within proximity of main campus.
April 7, 2023
Charges of Possession of Marijuana < 1/2 oz. and Possession of Marijuana
Paraphernalia were made at 10:56 p.m. at the paved lot on 14th St. and were cleared by citation
April 8 , 2023
At Clement Residence Hall, Injury to Real Property was found at 2:45 a.m. and there is an open investigation following it.
Possession of Marijuana < 1/2 oz. was found at the PVA behind Truist Bank & Jimmy John's off Reade Circle at 11:47 p.m. and was cleared by citation.
April 10 , 2023
At the Dollar General PVA at 14th St. & Charles Blvd., charges of Possession of Marijuana < 1/2 oz. and Possession of Marijuana
Paraphernalia were cleared by citation at 12:54 a.m.
Possession of Marijuana < 1/2 oz. was found at the Town Commons PVA at 1:46 a.m. and was cleared by citation.
The North Carolina House of Representatives passed House Bill 347 (HB347) on March 29, making way for the legislation to enable the legalization of online wagering on professional and college sports within the state.
According to HB347, the bill is being sponsored by Representative Jason Saine (R) of Lincoln County, Representative John R. Bell, IV (R) of Wayne County, Representative Zack Hawkins (D) of Durham County and Representative Ashton Wheeler Clemmons (D) of Guilford County.
The next step for the bipartisan bill is for it to be voted upon by the North Carolina Senate, according to HB347. According to Spectrum News, if the bill passes through the Senate, Governor Roy Cooper has committed to signing the bill into law as he has been a vocal supporter for the legalization of online sports wagering.
“It’s here whether we like it or not,” Governor Cooper said in an interview with the News & Observer on Feb. 8. “The issue is will North Carolina try to be on the cutting edge for the technology jobs and other employment that it will create and plus be able to get state taxpayers their cut, or are we just going to let it happen all around us? I think it’s time for us to step up and do it.”
According to Spectrum News, the bill faced two major points of contention, the use of credit cards to gamble online and wagering on collegiate athletics, and advocates for the bill were unwilling to budge on either front.
Despite meeting the same conditions of the first bill and defeating the amendments against it, HB347 passed by a vote of 64-45, according to the North Carolina General Assembly, tallying past the simple majority needed. Among those voting “aye” was Representative Ken Fontenot (R) of Wilson County, a sponsor of the bill, according to the North Carolina General Assembly.
“During my second or third month in the house, the sports gambling bill came to the forefront of our talks,” Fontenot said. “What I discovered during my time studying this piece of legislation is that North Carolina has a very entrenched sports gambling culture.”
The issue that makes this bill necessary is oversight and regulation, Fontenot said. He said those who choose to gamble in this manner leave the tax dollars at the hands of the states of Virginia and Tennessee.
“The benefits of legalization are regulation and taxation,” Fontenot said. “One of the representatives captures the sentiment well when he
TRIAL continued from A1
Rice said.
The different teams use the school year to prepare their cases, Rice said, and then at the mock trial, they follow the rules of real criminal court when presenting their cases.
Rice said the organization holds one official mock trial each year which is open to the public for observation.
“Everybody decides what team they’re going to be on and what role they play and they (instructors) give us some months to go over it and prepare and meet up with our team members to decide on a strategy,” Rice said.
Charles Baker, senior majoring in criminal justice on a pre-law track, said he is the social media chair for the organization. In this role, Baker said he creates posters and advertisements to encourage students to join.
“Both of our advisors have J.D.’s (Juris Doctors/law degrees) so they have like real practical attorney experience so they teach us (members) different parts of criminal trials like motions and ways to object and how to do opening and closing statements,” Baker said.
Being a member of the organization benefits anyone interested in law, Baker said, during meetings students are engaged in fun mini-mock trials often defending or prosecuting popular children’s fables characters like the Three Little Pigs or Goldilocks and The Three Bears.
Baker said he’s been a member since his freshman year and the knowledge he has gained will assist him as he takes the next steps in his academic journey at law school to eventually become a criminal defense attorney.
“Being able to participate in events like our mock trial and hear guest speakers that come and learning about different parts of the trial and helpful information for students that, not even just if they want to be an attorney but if they’re in like the legal field is all helpful information,” Baker said.
Practicing in a controlled setting allows students to ascertain skills, Baker said, as well as experience which cannot be gained by reading.
Baker said he learned a lot from being a member of this organization but he is especially glad he learned the skill of public speaking.
“One thing that mock trial has done for me is made me more comfortable with like talking to people, because being an attorney you have to be able to talk a lot,” Baker said.
said, ‘We are currently absorbing all of the risk of sports gambling without any of the benefit.’”
According to HB347, the state would issue 10-12 operating licenses to online sportsbooks, then tax those companies 14% for the privilege. Fontenot said that he believes the bill will enact sound taxation and regulation, which will in turn achieve better control throughout the state of North Carolina.
Arthur Schupbach, senior English education major, said that he recognizes that sports gambling can be a destructive addiction, going so far as to jokingly call sports gambling an “opiate of the masses.”
“As long as it remains regulated and controlled, I am not adverse to it,” Schupbach said. “Adults should be allowed to, but minors shouldn’t be advertised to or allowed to gamble.”
Schupbach said that sports wagering has safety concerns, such as allowing minors to gamble, an uptick in addiction and privacy regulations from host sites so that information is not easily hacked or accessed.
Along with crossing the borders of Virginia and Tennessee, current gamblers in North Carolina are able to wager online illegally via underground or offshore bookies and online workarounds according to the American Gaming Association.
“I think the state allowing people to gamble online is a step towards freedom,” Schupbach said. “That is, even if it’s freedom to engage in a vice that can be quite harmful.”
Kyle Fullerton, a 2021 graduate of Penn State University in business administration, has lived in and works in a state where sports wagering has been legal since 2017. He said that he is the occasional participant, but is a strong advocate for sports wagering.
“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more checked out from sports,” Fullerton said. “When sports betting was introduced, it allowed me to reconnect with sports.”
Though he wagers online via a popular online sportsbook called DraftKings, Fullerton said that he is aware of the risks of gambling and addiction. He said that following a winning streak, he can tend to get reckless with his decision making.
“I am pulled into a sense of comfort and bet outside of what I normally would. Goes beyond what I would deem safe,” Fullerton said.
HB347 will be voted upon with online wagering legal as early as 2024, according to HB347. According to the Associated Press, Governor Cooper’s state budget proposal projects the state collecting $60 million through sports betting in the 2024-25 fiscal year, should the bill pass through the senate.
As the 2022-2023 school year begins to wrap up at East Carolina University, there are many resources available for students who has begun their off-campus housing hunt for the next school year.
Associate Director of Off-Campus Students and Hospitality Services, Brandy Daniels, said students should review ECU’s Off-Campus Guide before starting their house hunt.
“It (the off-campus guide) offers a few things to consider when looking for housing off campus, however, the most important thing to consider is affordability,” Daniels said.
The guide is any student's greatest resource when they begin looking for off campus housing, Daniels said, because it offers extensive information on a variety of apartment and housing complexes.
“We (off-campus services) also have an array of materials online as well as face to face consultation with students,” Daniels said.
Alyssa James, senior biology major, said she has been living in off-campus student housing since August and has enjoyed the freedom of cooking on her own and having her own space.
Before deciding on where to live, James said there are many factors to be considered when making the choice to sign a lease.
“For students interested in living off-campus, I highly recommend doing research on the different apartment options, talking to people who have lived there before and what their
experiences were like,” James said.
If someone plans on living with roommates it is important to make sure they are comfortable signing a lease with them because it is a financial commitment, James said.
“Pick roommates you’ll get along with and that are clean and share the same values as you when living in close quarters. You don’t want someone who is messy or doesn’t respect the common living areas.”
Andrew Gazso, a sophomore theater major, said he began apartment hunting for the first time in December.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect because it was my first time looking for an apartment and looking for a place to go but I feel like overall it was surprisingly easy,” Gazso said.
Since December, Gazso said he and his prospective roommate have done extensive research on the different off-campus apartments based on price and amenities.
Gazso said other students looking for apartments should use google as a resource to compare and contrast the various options ECU offers for off-campus housing.
The most important thing for students to consider is location, Gazso said, like if someone prefers to be Uptown for less commute, or if someone prefers to be far from campus.
“Figure out what you want and then look for that,” Gazso said. “Find the place that you’re going to be happy at.”
College students face so many things that pose threats to their mental health such as grueling schedules, balancing work, academic and social lives, worrying about how to pay rent and so many other things can take a toll. Through it all, East Carolina University has proven to be catering to students in need.
According to a survey taken by the American College Health Association, around 77% of college students in America experience moderate to serious levels of psychological distress.
Universities need to not only cater to the needs of their students’ mental health but they need to make sure that their students feel valued as well.
We, the editorial staff of The East Carolinian, believe ECU is taking the right steps in showing that it values the mental health of the student body.
With events like the #YouMatter resource fair hosted by the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center, students’ needs are being recognized more and more. The resource fair was organized after two ECU students died after committing suicide in the winter of 2022.
Though it should not take tragic events such as the death of two students for universities to begin to demonstrate that they value the needs of their students, the important thing is that they have decided to step up and put in the effort.
ECU has shown that they value the mental health of their students during finals and all stages of the year. We hope that they will continue to grow mental health resources they provide and improve the way they help all students get mental health support by listening intently to their needs.
The East Carolinian does not endorse the statements
22 days SENIORS!
in
Black people say “hey we don’t like this” and y’all be like “anyways, let’s continue to ignore them but still partake in their culture!” :)
CAVA or chipotle? I know they’re not the same but..
ARRRRGHHHH MATEYS! This be the Rantin’ Pirate. Warm weather approaches nigh! Bust out ye trousers!
How are we less than a month from graduating and some of you are still acting like middle schoolers?
I love true crime but I think it’s getting exhausting to hear such traumatic stories all the time! I certainly need a break from it.
Okay now, dear hiring managers, the jokes over.
I’m about to leave so I know it won’t happen anytime soon but I hope Greenville gets some motion out here like I’ll really hate it for future generations to be bored like I’ve been. Throw an arcade out here or something.
I wish there were more cute places to do work at.. I’ve heard some things I don’t like about some of the places I used to go to.
After the fountain got filled with soap I feel like we need more entertainment on this campus. Someone needs to streak across the mall or something.
I remember being a little freshman wandering the student organizations during orientation when I stumbled upon a table of magazines and newspapers. I was overwhelmed, but in awe, so I wrote my name on a sheet of paper and it slipped my mind. Little did I know, two years later and post-pandemic, I would find myself calling the Pirate Media 1 office a second home and the rest of the staff a second family.
I started off as an apprentice, having just been accepted into the graphic design concentration in the School of Art and Design here at ECU. Compared to today, I might as well have known nothing but that is the great thing about college and especially our little office in Mendenhall. There are no expectations and this is a place that encourages growth and learning. It felt so daunting jumping into something so new and I could have never done it without the support of my peers.
At the beginning of 2022, I surprised
myself and applied for an executive position. I had no clue what was in store for me when I got the news that I would be spending my last year at ECU working as the Creative Director of Creative Quarters. The immense amount of leadership and management experience I have gained in this past year have been so valuable. To think that I am going into the workplace with two years experience and especially one year with my dream title, is irreplaceable.
During my time at Pirate Media 1, I have had the chance to work with some truly talented individuals and do more than just design. I photographed events like Doggie Jams and wrote an opinion piece about my dad. The support and encouragement I have received from the editors, designers, photographers and advisors has been invaluable in helping me grow as a creative and an individual.
I admire my design staff, who are all much newer to graphic design than I am, yet I envy them a little when they always manage to teach me something new as if I have not been using Adobe Creative Cloud for five years. My photographers continue to blow me away with incredible photos,
especially with some of them not even being art students.
I hate to admit this last one, but the editors are undeniably the comedians of the office who make me aware that I know absolutely nothing about AP style. While we all have our strengths, everyone in that office has heard me say “I don’t know if it’ll work so don’t blame me if it looks bad.” I say that, not because I am not confident but because I, like nobody else our age, knows what they are doing 100% of the time. I know the people around me will only help me do better things.
Nobody knows what they are doing. Four years later, and I am better but still not perfect. That’s literally the whole point of college. If you have the slightest interest in something, go for it and don’t look back!
Graduating may be bittersweet, but at least I won’t have to deal with any more all-nighters or final projects. As for now, I am off to bigger and better things, like paying bills and pretending to know what I’m doing.
Having the power to write and tell stories has always been a passion of mine.
That being said, the second I toured ECU as a 17-year-old high school junior I just knew that The East Carolinian was going to be my place.
Here’s the problem with having expectations: nothing ever actually goes according to plan. I thought I was going to walk right into the The East Carolinian office my freshman year, try out and fuel my love for sports journalism for the next four years. As I write to you as your Arts & Entertainment editor we see how well that plan worked out for me.
I didn’t step foot into The East Carolinian office until my sophomore year. My freshman year was spent in my bedroom due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so as soon as we returned to campus I was itching to begin writing again.
Being a sports reporter was new, exciting and gave me some of my favorite college memories. It is difficult to describe the feeling of getting to stand on a baseball field in the pouring rain while letting the athletes describe what was going through
their mind during a game. You just kind of take everything in and hope you can write something that does the event justice.
After a year in sports yet another wrench was thrown into my plans. Taking a position at the news desk was not something I ever expected to do but it was the position that allowed me to grow the most as a journalist. After only a semester in News I knew I wanted an editor position, which led me to the A&E section.
I won’t lie, there have been days where journalism just seemed to lose its spark. Journalism is not all the sunshine and rainbows that I envisioned. However, deep down inside me is that middle school girl who made being on newspaper and yearbook staff her whole personality, and that eager 17 year-old who knew somehow and some way that she would find her way here to The East Carolinian fueling this passion for storytelling.
The East Carolinian has given me a platform to tell my stories and the stories of others, some amazing friends and a com-
pletely new outlook on the world of journalism. Walking across that stage wearing that purple cap and gown I will come out on the other side of what I have been since I joined this staff and what I have always known I was meant to be, a journalist.
This is an experience I will remember for the rest of my life. When I get to where I want to be (and that is standing on the sidelines, holding a microphone and chatting with Saquon Barkley) I will remember how I got there. So thank you to my friends and family who have supported me throughout this journey, to my professors who helped me grow and to everyone at TEC for pushing me and being one of the reasons I stayed even when I didn’t want to.
Lastly, to all the journalists who have a few years before they put on that cap and gown, keep being curious, keep telling stories and keep slaying. From there, God’s got you.
Aries (March 21-April 19)
HORO-
— Today is an 8 — Coordinate with your team. Pull together to navigate a challenge. Handle immediate needs first. Advance strategically. Discover valuable solutions in conversation. Diversity provides strength.
Taurus (April 20-May
20) — Today is a 9 — Adapt to shifting professional circumstances and win a bonus. Your work is gaining respect. Stay flexible. Follow your heart. Opportunities can arise in unexpected directions.
Gemini (May 21-June 20) — Today is an 8 — An investigation takes a twist around unscheduled barriers. Adapt explorations for current conditions. Discover hidden beauty in unlikely places. Deviations reveal treasures. Learn from nature.
Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Today is a 9 — Maintain a philosophical attitude about money. Stressing about it could get expensive. Collaborate for shared passion and commitments. Pull together to generate what’s needed.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)
— Today is a 9 — Settle into familiar routines with your partner. Share the load and the rewards. Stay flexible around barriers. Share compassion and it returns multiplied.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Today is an 8 — Practice basic moves for mastery. Prioritize your work, health and fitness. Take advantage of lovely conditions. Get feedback from trusted experts to grow stronger.
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — Today is a 9 — Creativity and romance flower naturally. Relax and follow your heart. Have fun with someone you love. Practice your arts and talents. Express, share and connect.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — Today is a 7 — Put love into your home. Clearing clutter removes mental cobwebs. Fix any breakdowns before they happen. Enjoy domestic comforts. Share with your inner circle.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — Today is a 9 — Find solutions with creativity and communication. Study the situation. Do the homework. Reach out to your network for a wider view. Share and connect.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Today is a 9 — You can find the resources you need. Generate productive returns. Market and sell your wares. Barter and exchange. Maintain positive cash flow. Patience pays off.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
— Today is a 7 — Pursue a personal passion. Carefully observe current conditions before launching. Slow to navigate obstacles. Follow your heart where it leads, and stay in communication.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Today is an 8 — A puzzle presents multiple options. Find a quiet, private place to think. Consider the big picture. Abandon preconceptions, expectations or agendas. Relax and discover solutions.
by Jacqueline E. MathewsNonprofit organization Pitt County Aids Service Organization (PiCASO) is hosting their monthly drag brunch at local restaurant The Scullery on Sunday at 10:30 a.m.
Matt Sculley, owner of The Scullery, said his restaurant works to provide a space for PiCASO to host the event and with the drag brunch being a charity event, some of the funds go towards helping PiCASO protect people against HIV/AIDS and provide medical services for those in need.
“I think The Scullery has always been known as a safe space and I’ve worked hard to just participate in things in the community and to be a welcoming business for all of our community. I really take that seriously,” Sculley said.
The contribution of The Scullery to drag shows began when a drag performer who had just started experimenting with her drag career approached Sculley asking if he would be willing to host a drag brunch, Sculley said. The event was put on for a month and it was a huge success, he said, so the restaurant has continued to
support PiCASO and raise funds to support the surrounding area.
Sculley said the day begins with breakfast where everybody can relax and once breakfast has settled, the show begins.
“We have a DJ that plays their songs for them and then they come and have really beautiful extravagant outfits and kind of go all and just have a good time. It just makes me proud of what we do, proud of our community for supporting us,” Sculley Said.
Aaron Lucier, board president of PiCASO, said this event is one of the primary fundraisers so he works heavily on the preparations each month. Lucier said he has been involved since the beginning and the drag brunch has been at The Scullery for eight years.
Lucier said The Scullery hosted one of the first drag brunches, and often they are some people’s first introduction to drag and drag shows.
“We often get a lot of first timers and they come back. Certainly there’s more drag brunches out there now and we think that is awesome. There is a vibrant drag scene in Greenville, and
I think we have been part of maintaining it, even though we didn’t bring it, we added to it and became a part of it,” Lucier said.
Paul Coleman Temple, drag name Purina Chow, said he has been an AIDS survivor for 38 years, so he loves to work with charity and raise funds that can help support people living with HIV. Temple said when the drag brunch first started, PiCASO was just one person and a few dollars and now they are able to support several counties along with Pitt County.
Temple said there is no venue for drag in Greenville, so the space to perform at The Scullery allows people to enjoy drag, the characters and especially those who have been around for a long time and keep coming back.
“I always say we and us because it is a collaborative effort. I didn’t start it, I don’t own it, it is a collaborative effort of the people. It has enabled the community who enjoy going to drag and love the history to keep coming back,” Temple said.
This writer can be contacted at arts@theeastcarolinian.com.
Uptown Greenville and the city of Greenville will host the 16th annual PirateFest on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Town Common on First Street.
Kyle Parker, the director of events for Uptown Greenville and PirateFest’s event director, said he was in charge of the event’s logistics and planning. PirateFest is Greenville’s signature event, Parker said, where it celebrates pirate heritage and history, as well as being a part of ECU’s centennial celebration. PirateFest is free to anyone who wishes to attend, Parker said.
This year, Parker said the event has been consolidated into one day, featuring 30 food trucks, 11 nonprofit organizations, 22 art vendors and 12 activity vendors. The event will also feature four different pirate groups who will be doing a living pirate camp with sword and cannon demonstrations, Parker said. A concert will also be performed, he said, featuring the opener Cooper Greer and the headliner, country music duo, Maddie and Tae.
“It’s a bunch of pirate tomfoolery for the whole family to enjoy,” Parker said.
In previous years the event traditionally went down Evans St. from 5th St. all the way to the Town Common area, but this year Parker said that the event will be hosted exclusively on the Town Common.
Parker said he wanted the event to have a smaller footprint in order to hone the “home-y” feeling of a close-knit event, in order to consolidate sparse areas and to allow visitors to travel less.
“We hope that we have kind of changed it up enough that people don’t think it’s the same thing as it’s been in years past,” Parker said. “We also hope that they (visitors) get the opportunity to be able to visit all of the merchants and restaurants we have in our Uptown area.”
Margot Clark, special events coordinator for the city of Greenville, said she helped coordinate city services for PirateFest by working with various divisions of the city of Greenville, whether it’s for street closures and traffic or public safety. Clark said she also worked on the PirateFest budget and communicated with vendors.
Although Clark said she’s only been working as the events coordinator for only one year, she hopes the new footprint will continue to bring in a huge attendance.
“We have leaned on tradition and have lis-
tened to the feedback of previous PirateFests,” Clark said. “It has an amazing foundation as an event, so we really just tried to build upon that to continue to make it a success. I hope that there is a benefit to the slight changes we have made, you know, consolidating it into one day and moving the footprint of the event closer to the Town Common.”
Clark said she will be attending the event this year, where she is most excited to see how the event comes together with the volunteers, event-goers, vendors and performers.
Another change from last year’s PirateFest is the Emerge Gallery and Art Center stepping down from its usual co-host role from previous years, Clark said, as the city stepped up to fill that place.
“Before we got deep down into the weeds of planning PirateFest, Emerge made the decision to step down so they can take those efforts and apply them to other festivals in Pitt county,” Clark said. “They have been a great resource for all of us. We’ve been able to reach out to them and ask questions.”
Carl Cannon, the president of the Beaufort Pirate Invasion group, said that he and his personal Cannon Crew will be hosting black powder cannon demonstrations, a living history encampment and sword fighting demonstrations at PirateFest this year. Cannon said this will be the group’s ninth year participating.
The Beaufort Pirate Invasion group, Cannon said, is a non-profit organization that was established in 1960. The group is currently made up of volunteers whose revenue from events and merchandise sales will be donated to other events and organizations the group is supporting, Cannon said.
“We’re here to serve our communities, nobody gets paid since we’re all volunteers,” Cannon said. “It’s a good life being a volunteer, good to be a pirate. We make a lot of people laugh, seeing the smiles on kids’ faces. When I say kids I mean anybody that smiles or grins because they like what we’re doing. Kids are timeless.”
When Cannon was five years old, he said he witnessed a Beaufort Pirate Invasion in his town and decided from then on he wanted to be a pirate.
Thursday, 04.13.23
The East Carolinian Sports experts predict this week’s events
Brendan Cavazos
Sports Editor
ECU baseball vs Cincinnati from Friday to Sunday Score Prediction?
ECU 3-0
Why? The No. 9 Pirates have solidified their position as a top 10 team in the country. Cincinnati will be another routine series victory for ECU baseball.
ECU baseball vs Cincinnati from Friday to Sunday Score Prediction?
ECU 3-0
Why? Though injuries may be mounting, the Pirates are rolling after opening conference play the way that they played many conference series last semester - by busting out the brooms. The Bearcats have lost six straight to ECU and are on the fast track to ten as this team is kissing Cincinnati goodbye from the American.
Nick Bailey Sports Reporter
ECU baseball vs Cincinnati from Friday to Sunday Score Prediction?
ECU 3-0
Why? ECU can complete their sixth weekend series sweep of the season, and second in conference play against Cincinnati. With the Pirates winning the last six consecutive matchups, I don’t see the Wildcats giving the No. 9 team in the country much issues.
The East Carolina softball team (2317, 1-8 American Athletic Conference) will take on the Memphis Tigers (6-32, 1-8 AAC) in a weekend series that kicks off tomorrow and concludes on Sunday at the Max R. Joyner Family Stadium in Greenville, North Carolina.
The Pirates are trying to shake off a close series loss against the Houston Cougars (18-18, 5-1 AAC) last week, losing two of the three games played by just one run. In the last game, ECU had squandered an early lead by allowing two home runs to Houston in the fifth and sixth innings. Houston’s Amanda Carden would end the game in the seventh with a single that batted in the winning run for the Cougars.
Conference play this year hasn’t been easy for ECU, winning only one of the nine games they’ve played in the AAC this year. This doesn’t take away from how well the Pirates have played outside of conference games this year, posting a record of 22-9 in non-conference play. Winning this series could provide a spark needed to climb the AAC standings table.
The opposite can be said about Memphis as they have struggled all year, winning only five of their non-conference games. Their first win in conference play came against Tulsa University
(16-20, 2-4 AAC) in a 8-5 result. The Tigers jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the third and never relinquished it.
The Pirates have enjoyed success playing against the Tigers, holding an 30-16 win-loss record over Memphis all time. The last two years have shown ECU’s stronghold on the matchup, as the Pirates went 6-1 in seven matches played in 2021 and 2022.
Historically, Memphis has struggled on the road against the Pirates, losing 15 of 22 road games in Greenville. The Tigers haven’t won a road game against the Pirates since 2018 resulting in a five-year drought. Memphis also averages 3.26 runs per game all time in the series matchup but has only scored over that amount once in the last seven road matchups against ECU.
The Pirates have shut out the Tigers in two of the last four meetings between the two teams at Max R. Joyner Family Stadium. The most eventful game between the two last year was an 8-1 dominant win for the Pirates in the first game of the series.
The game was close at 2-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth, until the Pirates smacked a home run to increase their lead to 4-1. An inning later, ECU would add on four more runs, including another home run that sealed Memphis’ fate in the 8-1 defeat.
ECU will look to take advantage of
Memphis’s ineffective pitching. The Tigers pitchers combine for 9.69 earned runs allowed to opponents this year and the Pirates have averaged a little over four runs against Memphis in the past.
Memphis is also lowly ranked in batting average, coming in at 254th in the nation with an average of .232, well below the average that the Pirates allow to opposing batters.
The Pirates pitchers hold their own against opposing teams in earned runs allowed, giving up around 3.54 on the season. This number is above the amount Memphis batters average per game at 2.61, one of the lowest runs per game averages in the nation.
Following this series, East Carolina’s softball team will take on North Carolina Central University (12-23, 10-1 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) in another home game at the Max R. Joyner Family Stadium in Greenville, North Carolina, at 4 p.m. on Wednesday. This game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
The Tigers of Memphis will head down to Conway, Ark to take on the University of Central Arkansas’ softball team (27-8, 11-1 Southland Conference) on Tuesday at 5 p.m.
East Carolina University track and field starts to close the outdoor season in Mount Olive, North Carolina, at the Mount Olive Invite in the Ray McDonald Sr. Sports Complex for their second to last regular season meet tomorrow and Saturday. The Pirates were at
the Mount Olive Sports Complex on March 24 to 25 for The Adidas Trojan Challenge in which both the men’s and women’s team took third place.
A total of seven events were won by ECU, including women’s pole vault (junior Rileigh Cardin), women’s shot put (senior Naadiya Faison), women’s discus throw (junior Rebekah Bergq uist), women’s hammer throw (senior Jasmine Jenkins), men’s 800 meter run (fresh man Zach Willer), men’s 500 meter run (junior Conner O’Shea) and the men’s 3000 meter stee plechase (freshman Nick Willer).
Bergquist also placed 5th in the javelin throw (36.71m) and 12th in the hammer throw (41.35m). Since the Adidas Trojan Challenge, she has thrown her season high of 39.91m in the javelin throw at the Bill Carson Invita tional on March 31 through April 1 and 50.96m in the discus throw during the Duke Invitational last Thursday through Saturday.
ECU junior thrower Logan Carroll placed 2nd in men’s shot put (16.50m) and 3rd in the men’s discus throw (51.28m).
East Carolina dominated in the men’s 800 meter, men’s 500 meter and
the 3000 meter steeplechase as there were three Pirates that placed top five in all the events mentioned. The ECU women’s team had similar success as they had two athletes in the top five discus throw, hammer throw and three athin the javelin throw event. In the previous meet for the Pirates, the Duke Invitational at Morris WIlliams Stadium, Bergquist took 3rd in the women’s discus throw, Jenkins placed 5th in the women’s hammer throw, Nick Willer placed 10th in the men’s 3000 steeple and Cardin took 9th place in the women’s ECU’s junior pole vaulter Starrett Vesper placed 4th in the decathlon totals and placed top five in four of the five decathlon
Upcoming for the Pirates will be the University of South Carolina Invite in Columbia, South Carolina, at Cregger Track next Saturday for the last meet of the outdoor season before the American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships on May 12 through May 14.