Candidate expresses views on NIU issues

By Ellen Skelly

The second candidate for vice president for student affairs expressed her views on student cheating, racial tension and her managerial style.

An open forum for Augustine Pounds to answer questions was held Tuesday at the Holmes Student Center with an attendance of about 15 people.

Pounds is currently vice president for student development and an associate professor in education at Murray State University in Murray, Ky. Pounds has been at Murray, a school of about 8,000 students, for one year.

“My style is one of involvement,” with students, faculty, staff and administration, Pounds said. “Students are our clients… and we owe them respect.”

Pounds said she is able to meet with every student that seeks her. “Part of my role is to teach students how to solve their own problems,” she said. This includes occasionally referring students to departments better suited to help them, she said.

An effective way to deal with students who cheat is to give students an understanding of the standards of behavior upon entering the institution, Pounds said. In some instances, students are unaware of the rules they violate, she said.

Racial issues can be addressed through more interaction between races, Pounds said.

She said her goal is to improve race relations so students can leave the university with “comfort and acceptance and respect” for each other.

Pounds graduated from Oakland Univeristy, Rochester, Mich., and has a doctorate from Iowa State University, Ames.