A Conversation with Jim Mallory
Interview with Jim Mallory. This and other articles may be found in the University Archives.
Citation for this article is: "A Conversation with Jim Mallory," ECU Report, Volume 14, No. 5, September 1982.
What is involved in this position of associate dean of student life and judiciary
The main part of the job is solving problems. Last year we had 800 discipline problems and I guess I see more students than any other administrator over the period of the school year.I have a face-to-face meeting with these students and sometimes it is a10 to 15 minute situation, but sometimes I can spend a couple days on a problem. We work closely with the residence halls, the student government, and I'm advisor to the 15 national fraternities.
If discipline is the main part of your job, what are the other aspects?
We are responsible for the orientation of all new students. We had over 3,200 in this year's program and 16 students were hired to assist with this and they did a fantastic job.I say we are the central information bureau, because somehow people come to us with a lot of questions. We find out what the problem is and send them to someone who can give them an answer. This is important when a school becomes so large -- the kids get frustrated if they are shuffled from office to office. Another thing is all withdrawals come through this office and as far as possible, we try to give them an exit interview to see if there is anything we can do to save them.Many times it may be the difference of a few hundred dollars that would keep a kid in school, so we them out to the financial aid office and see if something can be worked out.
[Editor's note: Dean Mallory refers to "we" in discussions of the work of the office and I learned that "we" is he and his secretary.]
Would you tell the readers about the types of problems you handle?
Well, the number one problem on college campuses today is alcohol, not drugs, or a combination of the two, which is deadly. Between 80 to 90 per cent of the cases referred to this office are directly or indirectly caused by alcohol.After that I'd say it would be financial difficulties and then emotional problems.
But hasn't drinking always been a problem on college campuses?
Some people will tell you it hasn't increased, that we just have more people attending college.I believe there are more young people drinking, but I also believe we are more aware and realize we have a problem and we might have had it for years and now we must confront it and take some steps to alleviate it.
What is happening here at ECU in regard to the drinking problem?
We started a program last year in conjunction with the alcohol information center on campus.Any studentwho is written up in an alcohol related incident must attend a three-hour workshop.It is done by their peer group and they discuss responsible drinking, attitudes, behaviors, this type of thing. Within two weeks they must go back and have a one-on-one session, and we asked the 45-50 who participated to evaluate the program and we were pleased. Many said it had caused them to think about their behavior, some realized they needed help and were seeking it. We fee this is a constructive step in the discipline process. This is just one of our approaches. We sometimes refer a student to the guidance center or maybe the student health services, and we have to figure out the best way for each student. We find alcohol problems lead to more vandalism, assaults, and all kinds of mental, emotional and marital problems.
As a disciplinarian, you've probably had some enemies. Has that been a problem?
Not really, other than during the '60's when there was unrest and Dr. Jenkins, Dr. Tucker, and I had to get unlisted phones.I try to do two things in this position:
- I have the policy that my door is always open -- they don't need an appointment -- they don't need to dress all up, and if I can't help, I will send you to someone who can, and
- I don't care if you like me or not, but when you walk out of that door, I want you to know you got a square deal and if you know that, everything else will fall into place.A long time ago I learned that if you are honest with students, they will forgive you. They can spot a phoney a mile away. When you tell them something -- do it. Many times I've given my word and five minutes later I could have bitten my tongue off, but if I said I was going to do it, I had to do it.
Have you ever had any feedback from students who came under your discipline?
Oh yes, that's one of the big satisfactions of this job. Some will come in and laugh about the trouble they caused while here and thank me for the help I gave them.You learn not to give up on people, sometimes the process is very laborious and tedious, but they realize they have to work within the system.I have a whole drawer full of letters of appreciation and any time when you feel you're not appreciated, or the whole world has gone by you, read one or two of those letters, it just makes your whole day.
What does it take to be a disciplinarian?
Naturally you have to get along with people and you have to have a sense of humor and be able to put people at ease. You have to be firm because you must let the students know that what they have done is not acceptable by the University, but that you are willing to help them.
You mentioned the unrest in the '60's. Would you elaborate on how the discipline was handled then?
First, I must point out that we at East Carolina were very lucky, because we didn't have any massive sitins or burnings, or takeover of buildings. Dr. Jenkins set the tone when he assembled everyone in the stadium and made one of the greatest speeches I ever heard. He told them demonstrations would be tolerated, because it was their right to do so, but he said East Carolina would not under any circumstances tolerate any violence, any disruption of educational processes and those who insisted on that type of behavior would be arrested.We did have 29 arrests. There were demonstrations nearly every day on the mall and a stage was set up for this and I was visibly present.There was a certain amount of antagonism between students and administration, but compared to what some schools had, we went through that decade without too many problems. Fortunately the student government worked hand in hand with the adminstration.
Have there been any major changes in the way discipline is handled on college campus during your tenure?
Yes, the biggest change has been the demise of in loco parentis (in place of parents) handed down from the courts in the late '60's. This meant the deans, dean of men and dean of women, were no longer the surrogate parents to all students and these youngsters were adults. Before that, we were charged with their welfare and we had awesome authority.Now, this change has made my job considerably easier, but in some ways it is tragic for the students.
How can giving students the responsibility for their behavior be tragic for them?
Mainly because now many youngsters are receiving criminal records who back in the old days would have been handled administratively. Now, they have a permanent public record, so sometimes when you yell about rights, rights, rights, you as the individual in the final analysis will be hurt.We still try to handle on campus the majority of discipline cases through the judiciary system, but if it's a felony, they have to be arrested. The big difference between a public record and a campus disciplinary record is after four years our records are destroyed.
Many people know you as "dean" but as mnay people or more know you as "coach. "Would you tell us about that part of your life?
Well before my coaching days, I was involved in sports as a player. Going back to my boyhood in Lawrenceville, Virginia, I played a lot of ball on the corner lot, because it was depression time and that was all we could do. I went to Fork Union Military Academy for one year and was the only person in the history of the school to letter in five sports, in one year. From there I went to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where I played football and was captain of the baseball team. I played major and minor league baseball and managedsemi-professional teams, and have done umpiring and refereeing, so I guess you could say I've done it all.
At what time did your wife, Lib, come into the picture?
That was during World War II when she was a student at Catawba College. I was there training Air Force cadets in physical fitness. After the war we went to Burlington where I coached for three years and then on to Elong College for coaching and teaching.
Does that bring us to your association with East Carolina?
Yes, in the fall of '53 I came here as baseball coach and assistant football and a teacher in health and physical education.In 1958, Dr. Messick named me dean of men and Dr. Jenkins had a lot to do with this.
Once you were dean of men, did you reliquish coaching?
Oh no, I was dean of men and head baseball coach simultaneously. It was not unusual for me to be down on the baseball field and have a police car wheel up and I get in dressed in my baseball uniform and come back to the administration building and take care of some problem. I was real fortunate because Earl Smith worked with me and I could trun over the baseball duties and know there was proper supervision.But as the school continued to grow, I gave up the coaching duties and then the teaching and concentrated on administrative duties. However, in 1973 Dr. Jenkins called me and asked if I would coach the baseball team as Coach Smith had resigned. I did and thoroughly enjoyed it.We didn't win the championship, but we came close -- second place.
It sounds like holding down two jobs has always been part of your life. Is that true?
I can't remember when I didn't have two or three jobs at the same time, and it still is the case. For the past 13 years, I've been part of a morning TV program, first it was Carolina Today and now it's Almanac. This means getting up at 4:30 a.m. and driving down to Washington and the back home to get ready for this job, but I'm used to it after all these years.
I know you and Lib have two sons. Are they nearby?
The younger son, Fred, is living in Alaska where he is finishing a degree in natural science and wildlife, but the other son James Franklin lives here. Frank is a professional trainer for black lab retrievers and does a lot of traveling in that job. He is married to an East Carolina graduate, Barbara Jamison Mallory, '73 and '79, and they have a daughter.
When retirement does come, do you plan to take life a little easier?
There are a whole lot of options, and a lot of things I want to do, but one thing is sure -- I want to keep real busy.
