Snow flurries are here and winter is just around the corner.  It’s hard to believe but we’re near the end of the fall semester. 

Of course that means our friends up in Boone are about to visit for the annual Battle for the Old Mountain Jug.  I hope all of you plan to come out on Saturday, enjoy the last football tailgating opportunity of the year, and support both the Pride of the Mountains Marching Band and your Catamount Football Team.

I’m co-writing this note with a WCU student’s father, Master Chief Ray Cerda, U.S. Navy (Ret.).  I met Chief Cerda last year following the tragic death of his son Sean Cerda.  Sean died in October 2007 while he was a student here at WCU.  Sean’s father asked if we could share information about the U. S. Navy’s Buddy System with all WCU students in Sean’s memory.

In closing…  Please take think about using the Buddy System, drop by my office and pick up a button.  Taking basic steps like the Buddy System can help keep you and your friends safe, and make your college years even more fun.  As always, send your comments and suggestions to me at vc-notes@wcu.edu  Go Catamounts!
Be a buddy for someone!  - Dr. Sam

In Memory of Sean Anthony Cerda

The U. S. Navy Buddy System

Upon leaving home for the first time, inexperience can endanger young adults in ways that gives their families sleepless nights.  One method the US Navy uses to help inexperienced sailors avoid preventable accidents is “The Buddy System”.  The Buddy System requires that those who leave the ship do so with at least one other person.  In the Buddy System, sailors leave the ship with shipmates and they all return to the ship together.  The Buddy System provides immediate assistance should there be an accident. It also promotes the use of a designated driver or one person being designated as responsible for getting the group back to the ship.  Once back in the safe confines of the ship, sailors continue to provide support and encouragement to their shipmates.   Buddies look out for their shipmates and act to protect the group from harm when necessary.  The Navy Buddy System guidelines are credited with successfully preventing incidents caused by inexperience and mitigating the effects of poor decision-making.   As a parent who mourns the loss of a son, I encourage you to adopt the Buddy System when you are out with your friends.  When you go out, take care of each other and be sure to return together.

I ask all of you on the WCU campus to embrace the Buddy System.  I also encourage you to visit the Department of Student Community Ethics in Scott East and speak with Walter Turner should you have questions or need strategies on handling difficult situations.  Pick up a “Buddy” button in the Student Affairs reception area while you are there and talk to others about the Buddy System.  The Buddy System may save your life or someone else’s one day.  Please remember you are your parents’ most precious gift.  It is my sincerest hope that another family doesn’t experience the grief that mine has experienced upon losing a treasured child needlessly.

- Sean’s Dad, Master Chief Raymond Anthony Cerda, U.S. Navy (Ret.)