ECC Unveils Parking Spaces for Student Veterans
From left, William Parker, US Army; Angie Estes, financial aid advisor and VA coordinator at Edgecombe Community College; and Dr. Greg McLeod, ECC president, celebrate the new reserved parking spaces for ECC student veterans. The first of seven reserved parking spaces was unveiled on Veterans Day.
Reserved parking spaces for Edgecombe Community College students who are veterans or active duty military were unveiled during the Veterans Day Memorial and Recognition Ceremony held November 11 on the Tarboro campus.
ECC President Dr. Greg McLeod and Angie Estes, financial aid advisor and VA coordinator, presented the first reserved parking space, which is located in front of the Fleming Building.
A total of seven parking spaces, four on the Tarboro campus and three on the Rocky Mount campus, will be reserved for student veterans. The spaces are strategically located in high traffic lots and are adjacent to building entrances.
Estes, who was a driving force behind the designation of reserved spaces for veterans, said, “These spaces are just another small way for us to show our appreciation to our veteran and active duty military students, a way for us to honor them. We are grateful for their service.”
In order to be eligible to park in the reserved spaces, students will need to see Estes or another staff member in the Office of Financial Aid to obtain a veteran or active duty hang tag to display on the front dash or hang on the rearview mirror.
The reserved parking signs are attached to posts painted in a stars and stripes theme. The patriotic posts were designed and painted by Bud Speight, program chair of Collision Repair and Refinishing Technology, and installed by John Butts, director of facilities on the Tarboro campus.
Edgecombe Community College student veteran Bruce Sacks receives a free haircut from Barbering student Linda Pennix. Sacks, US Army staff sergeant retired, is studying electrical wiring. He served 21 years, completing a deployment to Afghanistan and three deployments to Iraq. In observance of Veterans Day, the ECC Barbering Club provided free haircuts for veterans.
Also during the Veterans Day Memorial and Recognition Ceremony, Marty Bartlett, US Coast Guard retired, gave keynote remarks. “We must honor past and present men and women in the military who secured the rights of freedom that we have today. We as citizens need to honor and respect our veterans every day.”
In other activities related to Veterans Day, the Barbering Club sponsored free haircuts for veterans in the Cosmetic Arts Building on the Rocky Mount campus.
About 50 ECC students are veterans or active duty military.
The Veterans Day Memorial and Recognition Ceremony was sponsored by the College and the Student Veterans Association, which promotes academic achievement and camaraderie among the student veteran population.
The student club also provides a venue for veterans to seek assistance concerning academic and student life issues. The SVA participates in community affairs and activities.