I Dexter Rashuad Mullins, being of sound mind, do hereby leave my final wishes for North Carolina A&T State University below.

To start, I would like to thank several people, and leave them each with the knowledge that they led me to success.

To Professor DeWayne Wickham, you have inspired me more than anyone I have ever studied under, and I truly feel privileged to have ever had you as a professor, a mentor, and more importantly, as a friend. You have taught me that journalism is truly a labor of love, and that all I need to be successful is motivation and a dream. To you I leave one of Pulitzer prizes I hope to eventually win, with the knowledge that I wouldn’t have been able to get there without you.

To Professors Gail Wiggins, Valerie Neiman, Dr. Teresa Styles, Dr. Sheila Whitley, Dr. Linda Callahan, and any other professor in the journalism department who has helped not only myself, but all of the other JOMC students, who will actually amount to something.

Those of you that do not teach in two states at the same time, receive two pay checks and double benefits, and anyone who does not bully and disrespect the people who have paved the way for you to have your highly paid job, corner office, or sense of intouchability, I leave all the gratitude my heart can give.

To Mrs. Emily Harris, I leave you a piece of my heart. You have allowed me to lead by example, to learn through mistake, and to develop and grow through experience, all while giving me guidance and comfort when I needed it most. You more than anyone else, deserve a raise, a personal secretary, a bigger office (that actually has climate control), a reserved parking space, your own personal technician for the newsroom, and the requirement to have to only advise the newspaper and not teach. I hope this will suffice as a thank you.

You all are the beacons of hope and kindness in the Journalism Department, and to each of you I leave you with a bigger office, two secretaries, and enough vacation time to make up for every time the department dumped 15 projects on your lap and expected you to singlehandedly handle all of them. Somehow you have always managed to pull off the impossible, and someone that great does not deserve to have to work out of an office filled with the work of other people.

To the University Administration as a whole, I leave several copies of Thomas Paine’s 88-page pamphlet entitled “Common Sense.” It’s been working for millions since 1918, read it and learn something.

To the Treasurer’s Office, Financial Aid Office, and Bookkeeping Office, I leave you all with an intensive customer service training, and the requirement that none of you will be able to work again until you have passed this training. While not all of you have done wrong, the vast majority of you treat the students as though they are a burden, when they are your purpose. Lets try to remember our purpose and focus on it: helping students.

To the Admissions Office, I leave you with a set of admissions standards and a physical cut off deadline for admissions. Please use these items to stop admitting Quetta & Kwan students that are doing nothing but tarnishing the reputation and image of this great institution we all call home. This is not a second chance high school, it’s a top tier university. Start treating it as such.

To the Technology Department, I leave you with real technology and the people who actually know how to use it, administer it, and teach it. I also leave you with enough “Common Sense” (see above) to keep the people who actually deserve to work here like Ruby. Don’t abuse your assets. You may not have them for long if you do. As Chancellor Martin said, we need to put the T, back into A&T.

To the Offices of Student Development, Orientation & First Year Experience, and the Division of Student Affairs, I leave you with several things: first my gratitude for all you have done for me. Many people do not realize how much work you do, and I want to publicly acknowledge and appreciate you. However, I also leave you with much needed staffing, more leadership to spread the workload across the scale more evenly, and a friendlier environment at the most stressful times of the year.

Additionally, the following people in Student Development deserve offices with a window, a reserve parking space, a raise, and a formal thank you from the University: Shauna Irwin, Rosalyn Parker, Jeremicus Porter, and Shakietha Burnette.

To the Department of Housing & Residence Life, I leave you with the ability to listen to and respect your student (or as you like to say “paraprofessional”) staff, and a promotion for the following people: Teron Martin, Elfrida Mensah and Jermaine Foye. Please give them whatever position they desire as they can clearly run the entire department without having a student uprising. I also leave you with the rehiring of Mr. Clency as the Executive Director of Housing upon Mr. Jones’ retirement.

To Chancellor Harold L. Martin, Sr. I leave you with a list of administrators that have caused nothing but grief, struggle, and heartache for the students on this campus. The list will state specifically why each of them deserves a pink slip, effective immediately.  More importantly, I leave you with a humble request; please don’t leave. Some of us have seen as few as one and as many as four chancellors over the course of the last six years. I would really love it if someone would actually stay and help A& T, instead of using it. I love my school, and I also love how much you love A&T, as it is your alma mater as well. Which is why I also leave you with the ability to cut through the red tape, “Aggie Shuffle,” and lies so that you can see the bullying and political nonsense that plagues this campus.

To the Award Winning A&T Register, I leave you with not only your editorial and staffing independence, but also the tools and motivation to become financially independent. Also, I leave you with the privilege of joining the centennial club of collegiate newspapers. The Register has been around since 1893 and it’s been working for student rights, advocating the truth, and serving as a training ground for journalists. Counting up all the gaps in publications, and analyzing the dates, it’s about time someone told you Happy Birthday.

To my staff, I don’t know that I have anything of worldly value that I could give that would be able to express my gratitude enough. Each of you has made an impact on my life, and each of you are special to me in your own ways. I leave you all with my infinite support and trust, and all the thanks in the world. But especially to Malcolm Eustache, I thank you. I would not have been able to do half the things I did this year without you.

To Jasmine Johnson & Kelcie McCrae, I leave you the keys to the office and my phone number should you ever need to call me. It is your turn to take the helm of arguably the best black collegiate newspaper in the country, and despite the challenges you face ahead of you, I know you will do well. Good luck.

And to the students of this campus, I leave you with a sense of REAL Aggie Pride. Your attendance at this institution is a privilege, not a right. Stand tall, respect your history, and go forth in the pursuit of excellence, as only Aggies can do. Remember A&T really means “Assemble & Take OVER.” Do so. 

• Dexter R. Mullins