as House counsel to several
House Committees of West Vir-
ginia Legislature 1994-1997. She
was a member of the National
Association of Administrative Law
Judges, during which time she was
a member of the Board of Gover-
nors from 2009-2011. She also
served as a faculty member of the
National Judicial College Reno,
NV.
On January 25, 2014, a memorial
service was held at Ferrell Hall on
the campus of West Virginia State
University. Friends and colleagues
gathered to honor Soror Carter
as she had contributed so much to
her community and those that had
the privilege of knowing her. She
leaves behind her loving husband
of 33 years; Dr. Hazo Carter;
daughter and Delta Legacy, Angela
Carter; sister Shelia ( William)
Franklin; niece Chelsea (Dana)
Thomas; and great-nephew, May-
son Thomas.
In lieu of flowers, donations can
be made to the Judge Phyllis Hard-
en Carter Alpha Delta Chapter;
Delta Sigma Theta Endowed
Scholarship. To make a donation;
contact Cynthia Rakes of the
WVSU Foundation at 304-766-
3130 or [email protected]
On January 18, 2014, Soror Phyllis
H. Carter transitioned in the
Omega Omega Chapter. Since
being inducted into Delta Sigma
Theta Sorority, Inc. in 1979 with
the Chesapeake-Virginia Beach
Alumnae Chapter, Soror Carter
was an active and inspiring mem-
ber of our illustrious sisterhood.
In 1987, Soror Carter became the
“First Lady” of West Virginia State
University, when her husband, Dr.
Hazo Carter was named the ninth
President of the university.
After coming to West Virginia;
Soror Carter became a member
of the Charleston-Institute Alum-
nae Chapter and served her chap-
ter and state well. As a Golden
Life Member; she served as Presi-
dent of the Charleston-Institute
Chapter from 1990-1992 and later
went on to become the State
Coordinator for West Virginia
from 2003-2009. During the 2009
Regional Conference in Charles-
ton, WV; where she served as
Conference Co-Chair; she was
elected to the National Nominat-
ing Committee. Soror Carter also
served as a Primary Advisor for
the Alpha Delta Chapter at
WVSU.
Soror Carter served the state and
the Midwest Region well as a Cer-
tified MIT and DID Trainer, travel-
ing all over the state to educate
and encourage members of the
Sorority. During her tenure as
State Coordinator, she had the
honor of chartering Eastern Pan-
handle Alumnae Chapter in Mar-
tinsburg, WV.
As an advocate for justice, Soror
Carter, a lawyer, by profession;
continued her legal career serving
as an Assistant Attorney General
for the state of West Virginia.
Later Soror Carter became Judge
Phyllis Carter and headed numer-
ous positions in state government:
Commissioner, Department of
Human Services, Executive Direc-
tor of the West Virginia Division
of Juvenile Services; Director of
Federal State Relations and served
WV Mourns the loss of Soror Phyllis H. Carter
February 2014
Volume III, Issue1
WV Delta
Connect ion Special points of
interest:
Founders Day
Greetings from WV
State Coordinator
New WV State Fa-
cilitator appointed
WV Social Action
Committee holds
Poverty Simulation
WV Statewide
Founders Day
speaker announced
Inside this issue:
State Coordinator
Greetings
2
State Facilitator
Introduction
2
Social Action News 3
Greater Morgan-
town Alumnae
4
Huntington Alum-
nae News
6
Eastern Panhandle
Chapter News
7
Memories of Soror
Carter
8
The Honorable Phyllis H. Carter 1948-2014
I greet you with love and over-
whelming joy as we once again
take time to celebrate the anniver-
sary of our beloved Sisterhood.
Today is a monumental day for us.
101 years ago, 22 dynamic college
women decided that they wanted
to be more than a social organiza-
tion. These women of great forti-
tude wanted to confront the injus-
tices of their time and to become
agents of change for their commu-
nities. From their unified vision,
Delta Sigma Theta was born and
history was made. January 13th will
always be a day of celebration, not
only for Delta women, but for the
entire world.
As I began to reflect upon the
significance of 101 years of Schol-
arship, Sisterhood, and Service, I
thought of our Sorors who are
given the title of “Legacy”…those
women whose mothers, grand-
mothers, and sisters set the exam-
ple for them to follow to become
members of Delta Sigma Theta
Sorority, Inc. I meditated on the
definition of a Legacy in our Sister-
hood…Something received from the
past that remains from one genera-
tion to the next; A decedent of
change; A heritage; A family tradition.
The more that I meditated the
more I realized that we are all
Legacies just as we are all heirs of
God.
The illustrious 22 have entrusted
us with a rich heritage. We are
their legacy and with this title
comes an awesome responsibility.
I challenge you to ask yourself on
this day of renewal, “What have I
done to uphold the ideals and
virtues of this great Sorority?”
Happy Founders Day! We, in Del-
ta Sigma Theta, are truly blessed.
Sisterly,
Carla Hunter
Chapter during the fall semester
of 2011, and served as President
from 2011 to 2013. Upon gradua-
tion She plans on developing a non
profit organization that helps col-
lege athletes transition into pro-
fessional leagues by providing
mental, financial, and physical de-
velopment programs.
As State Facilitator for West Vir-
ginia, Soror Rogers has established
the following goals for the state
collegiate chapters:
STATE GOALS
The Mighty Midwest Regional
goals are to raise each chapter
GPAs to 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, by
having (3) Study Tables per semes-
ter/quarter. Hold at least (1)
Social Action program per semes-
ter/quarter by implementing the
D.I.V.A Movement, Delta RED,
Soror Carla Hunter announced
the appointment of Parissa Rogers
at WV State Facilitator. Soror
Rogers is from Baltimore, Mary-
land and a senior attending West
Virginia University, majoring in
Sport Management, and minoring
in Africana Studies and Sport and
Exercise Psychology. She was
initiated into the Omicron Upsilon
Gun Laws, The value of life in our
justice system, Prisoner re-entry
into programs and events. Also,
increase Delta Days attendance by
include expense in the budget,
asking for Alumnae assistance.
Collaborate with an Alumnae
chapter for at least (1) program
during the sorority year. Transi-
tion 80% of graduating chapter
members to Alumnae chapters by
visiting an Alumnae chapter meet-
ings. Participate and remain con-
stant with one (a) community
service organization throughout
the year by choosing an organiza-
tion under Project 13.
WV State Coordinator Founders Day Greetings
Parissa Rogers Appointed as WV State Facilitator
“Legacy: Something received
from the past that remains
from one generation to the
next; A decedent of change; A
heritage; A family tradition”
Page 2 WV Delta Connect ion
Life on the edge is what more
than 19% of West Virginians live
on a daily basis. Could you survive
a month in poverty? Many more
have income above the poverty
line, but their incomes are still low
enough to qualify for programs
like Food Stamps and Medicaid.
The recent economic down turn
has seen unemployment rates rise
and the use of emergency food
pantries increase. Sometimes it is
difficult to imagine to truly under-
stand the situation that families
living in poverty experience every
day—the decisions that they have
to make and the fears and frustra-
tions they feel. That is why com-
munity leaders, college personnel,
students and everyday people
were invited to walk a mile in the
life of the in the life of a person
living in poverty.
The West Virginia Chapters of
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.,
West Virginia State University
Office of Student Activities,
WVSU Student Activities Council
and the TRIO Programs spon-
sored a Community Action Pov-
erty Simulation on Saturday, Oc-
tober 26, 2013 from 10:00 a.m.-
1:00 p.m. in the Wilson Student
Union located at West Virginia
State University. The Poverty
Simulation was a unique oppor-
tunity to help the community un-
derstand what life is like with a
shortage of money and an abun-
dance of stress. It was a powerful
learning experience designed to
create an insight into the state of
chronic crisis that consumes so
many working poor families. Par-
ticipants experience “one month”
of poverty compressed into a real
time simulation. Participants role-
played the lives of low-income
families. Family scenarios were
given out to groups of participants
who must decide how to seek
services and support, obtain finan-
cial assistance and determine how
to spend what little money the
family has in order to survive.
Some were TANF recipients,
some were disabled, and some
were senior citizens on Social
Security. They had the stressful
tasks of providing the basics ne-
cessities and shelter on a limited
budget during the course of four
15-minutes “weeks.” They inter-
acted with human services agen-
cies, grocers, pawnbrokers, bill
collectors, job interviews, police
officers and others.
The power of the simulation was
further enhanced by a compelling
debriefing process where partici-
pants shared insights gained into
the unfamiliar world of living in
poverty. The Simulation was de-
signed to raise awareness of the
issues of people living in poverty
and most importantly, it moved
participants to action to make a
difference.
Although play money was used,
the Community Action Poverty
Simulation program was not a
game. It was a simulation that
enabled participants to look at
poverty from a variety of angles
and then to recognize and discuss
the potential for change within
their local communities. The simu-
lation was designed to sensitize
those who frequently deal with
low-income families as well as to
create a broader awareness of
realities of poverty among policy
makers, community leaders and
others. The Poverty Simulation
was facilitated by Mr. Reggie Jones,
executive director with Pride
Community Services of Logan
County. Ms. Carla Hunter, WV
State Coordinator of Delta Sigma
Theta Sorority stated “Delta Sig-
ma Theta Sorority, Inc. is commit-
ted to fighting social injustice. Just
two months after their founding
on January 13, 1913, the Founders
participated in the Women’s Suf-
frage March in Washington, DC.
As members of this great organi-
zation, it is our responsibility to
speak for those members of our
society who do not have a voice”.
WV Social Action Committee Sponsors Poverty Simulation
Page 3
Volume I I I , I s sue1
“Delta Sigma Theta
Sorority, Inc. is com-
mitted to fighting
social injustice. “
Leadership Team with Reggie
Jones
The Huntington Alumnae Chapter
will be hosting the WV Statewide
Founders Day celebration on
March 19, 2014 at the Big Sandy
Arena in Huntington, WV. Dr.
Leslie D. Callahan, the first female
to be called to pastor the historic
St. Paul’s Baptist Church in Phila-
delphia, PA, will be the guest
speaker. A native of Gary, WV,
Dr. Callahan, currently serves as a
Commissioner for the Philadelphia
Housing Authority and in an active
member of the Philadelphia Alum-
nae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta
Sorority, Inc. In addition to her
ministry and scholarly pursuits,
Dr. Callahan enjoys traveling, golf-
ing, reading, movies, and sports.
For more information, you may
contact the Chapter President, B J
Murrell at the following address:
walk. The chapter presented the
American Heart Association with
a donation in honor of Soror
Cheryl Williams, Chapter Presi-
dent, as she continues to success-
fully battle heart issues throughout
her adult life. The Greater Mor-
gantown Alumnae Chapter is ex-
cited to continue this partnership
in 2014.
American Heart Association
The Greater Morgantown Alum-
nae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta
Sorority, Inc. took part in the
annual American Heart Associa-
tion's Heart Walk 2013, as part of
our Project 13 Initiative. Sorors
graciously volunteered with regis-
tration, providing information,
encouragement, and assisted with
other activities during the 2013
WV Statewide Founders Day
Greater Morgantown Chapter News (cont.)
Greater Morgantown Alumnae Chapter News
every child and family de-
serves. The Hoss Foundation
provides financial support and
the Greater Morgantown Alumnae
Chapter shopped for the families
in need. This project takes place
every year at the I-68 Wal-Mart in
Morgantown, WV; this
was Greater Morgantown Alum-
nae Chapter's second year partici-
pating. The entire Monongalia
County community comes togeth-
er and it is truly an inspiring event
during the Christmas Season.
The Greater Morgantown Alum-
nae Chapter is excited about our
growth and advancing our pro-
gramming and planning contribu-
tions to the community for the
upcoming year!
The Gift Project
The Greater Morgantown Alum-
nae Chapter ended 2013 by part-
nering with the Hoss Foundation's
'Gift Project-Night of Shopping’ on
December 7th. This project assists
children and families in the Mo-
nongalia County of West Virginia
facing hardships due to traumatic
injury, illness, or financial crisis,
which hinders them from having
the kind of holiday and Christmas
Page 4 WV Delta Connect ion
Soror Florita Montgomery, Soror Rochelle Thomas, and
Soror Robyn Wade
Pictured: GMAC President, Soror
Cheryl Williams, Soror Terina
McDowell (Omicron Upsilon), State
Facilitator, Soror Parissa Rogers
Christian Help
The Greater Morgantown Alum-
nae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta
Sorority, Inc. welcomed the op-
portunity to give back to our
community by helping Christian
Help of Morgantown with its Back
-to-School Drive in August 2013.
Christian Help, a non-profit Unit-
ed Way agency, aids the less for-
tunate in the community with
food, clothing, and comfort. Each
year, Christian Help hosts their
annual Back-To-School event to
provide elementary, middle and
high school students with new
backpacks equipped with school
supplies and clothing for the 2013-
2014 school year. Sorors sorted
and organized donated items, as
well as assisted families in back-to-
school 'shopping' for their chil-
dren.
Greater Morgantown Chapter News (cont.)
turing experience that included
games, laughs, and memories.
Service awards were also present-
ed to Soror Robyn Wade, Soror
Towanna Gwynn-Johnson and
Soror Rochelle Thomas for their
commitment to Delta Sigma Theta
Sorority, Inc.. This event was the
epitome of the Delta Spirit.
Sisterhood & Service
The ladies of Greater Morgan-
town Alumnae Chapter hosted
their first Afternoon Tea in No-
vember 2013 to celebrate 25
years (or more) of service and
dedication of four of its members:
Soror Eveldora Wheeler, Soror
Kasey Statum, Soror Claudia Brooks, and Soror Claudette
Brooks. Sorors and friends were
treated to a variety of fine teas,
savory tea sandwiches, and sweet
pastries. The afternoon was truly
an unforgettable bonding and nur-
Page 5
Greater Morgantown Chapter News (cont.)
Volume I I I , I s sue1
On Thursday, November 7, 2013,
the Huntington Alumnae Chapter
of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority in
conjunction with the Theta Ome-
ga undergraduate chapter held our
annual Diabetes Awareness Day.
Our event, which was held at the
Marshall University student center
was designed to both inform and educate students, faculty, and staff
of the risk factors of diabetes.
As many may know, diabetes is a
chronic metabolic disease associ-
ated with abnormally high levels of
glucose (sugar) in the blood. Insu-
lin is a hormone produced in the
pancreas by cells. In type- 2 diabe-
tes (the most common form of
diabetes), your fat, liver, and mus-
cle cells do not respond correctly
to insulin.
When this occurs, blood sugar
does not get into the cells to be
stored for energy. When sugar
cannot enter the cells, a high level
of sugar builds up in the blood.
This is called hyperglycemia. Peo-
ple with type- 2 diabetes often
have no symptoms at first. They
may not have symptoms for many
years. This is why it is so im-
portant to educate our communi-
ty to help teach them ways to
decrease their risk factors for this
disease.
Statistics show that nearly 26 mil-
lion children and adults in the United States have diabetes and
another 79 million have pre-
diabetes and are at risk for devel-
oping the disease. Realizing these
outrageous statistics, we felt it
vital to use our sorority as a plat-
form in helping to educate our
community about this serious
medical condition. Our event,
which was well received by the
campus provided diabetic screen-
ings as well as on-site consulta-
tions provided by our own sorors’
husband, Dr. Leonard White, MD.
Individuals and passerby’s were able to obtain information, ask
questions, and have their blood
glucose measured. The event was
definitely a success and was timed
precisely with the month of No-
vember as Diabetes Awareness
month.
Huntington Alumnae Chapter News
“Diabetes is a chronic
metabolic disease
associated with
abnormally high levels
of glucose (sugar) in
the blood”
Page 6 WV Delta Connect ion
EPAC Sponsors Life Saving
Domestic Violence Clinic
On October 18, 2013, the ladies
of Eastern Panhandle Alumnae
Chapter (EPAC) held a Free Self
Defense Clinic for local families.
EPAC partnered with several local
organizations to make the event a
huge success. Partners included the Victim’s Advocate Offices of
the Berkeley County and Jefferson
County Prosecuting Attorney’s
Offices, as well as the Martinsburg
Boys and Girls Club. The Victim
Advocates provided information
about the event to known victims
of domestic violence who were
already involved in the criminal
justice system – individuals who
are often repeat victims of the
same violence by the same offend-
er.
EPAC brought in law enforcement
officers, Keith Sigulinsky and An-
thony Mancine, who are co-
owners and operators of Sigman
Tactical Concepts, to offer a 2-
hour life-saving clinic to over 25
attendees. The instructors have
over thirty years of law enforce-
ment experience and twenty years
assigned to tactical police opera-
tions. “Sig” holds the position of
SWAT Commander/ Team Leader and “Tony” is assigned to “Alpha”
team as a primary sniper/entry
team member during SWAT oper-
ations. Both are certified through
the FBI as instructors.
Attendees learned a series of eva-
sive maneuvers and tactical re-
sponses to stranger and acquaint-
ance attacks. Instruction included
the importance of understanding
your surrounds and being pre-
pared before an attack – noting
that offenders often look for weak
victim when targeting strangers.
Those in attendance partnered up
and practiced the maneuvers on
one another.
Sigman also discussed and demon-
strated at length defenses maneu-
vers that are often successful
against domestic partner. One
attendee commented afterwards
that, “[I] wish I had the benefit of
a class like this before my last
relationship. I have surgery on part of my skull next month to fix
the work of my ex.” The instruc-
tion was valuable and hopefully life
-saving.
The community response was so
positive the Chapter is considering
a Domestic Violence Series,
wherein Sigman will offer a series
of clinics on methods of fighting
back, fleeing when possible, and
barricading and hiding when there
is no other options.
300,000 residents in nine counties
in West Virginia were told they
could not drink, wash, or cook
with tap water after the chemical
4-methylcyclohexane methanol
spilled into the Elk River tainting
the water supply. The chemical,
which tainted the river and ulti-
mately the water supply to nine
counties, is used in the production
of coal.
The warning came after a 40,000-
gallon tank belonging to Freedom
Industries was compromised spill-
ing chemicals onto the ground and
into the water supply. State offi-
cials said they believe about 7,500
CLEAN WATER ANYONE?
Water. It is one of THE most
important resources on the plan-
et. It is essential to life. Have you
ever wondered what your life
would be like without it? What if
water could not come from the
tap? What if your ability to have
water was dependent upon your
ability to buy it bottled from a
store? What if, given its value,
bottled water was guarded by
gunpoint in the stores located in
the very town or city you live in?
On January 9, an estimated
gallons leaked from the tank, alt-
hough there is no way to accu-
rately determine the exact figure.
It is also unclear how long the
chemical spill occurred before
being reported. It should be not-
ed that Freedom Industries was
not the source of the report.
After the water crisis, the Eastern
Panhandle Alumnae Chapter an-
swered a call from its local legisla-
tor to provide bottled water,
paper plates, and plastic utensils to
the impacted residents - which
included hundreds of our Midwest
sorors. EPAC donated hours and
packaged items for delivery to the
Eastern Panhandle Alumnae Chapter News
Eastern Panhandle Alumnae Chapter News (cont.)
“[I] wish I had the
benefit of a class like this
before my last
relationship. I have
surgery on part of my
skull next month to fix
the work of my ex.”
Page 7
Water: The most im-
portant planet resource
Volume I I I , I s sue1
EPAC members with Keith Sigulinksy & Anthony
Mancine
(Clean Water Anyone? Contin-
ued)
Southern part of the State by the
WV National Guard. Donated
items included microwave meals,
ready-made baby formula, hand
sanitizer, and baby wipes.
At the time of the warnings, au-
thorities claim that the chemical,
even in its most concentrated
form, isn’t deadly; however, peo-
ple were told they should not
wash their clothes in affected wa-
ter, as the compound can cause
symptoms ranging from skin irrita-
tion and rashes to vomiting and
diarrhea.
Many West Virginia residents
were hospitalized, several class-
action lawsuits were filed, and
Freedom Industries has already
filed for Bankruptcy.
Weeks have gone by since this
incident, authorities have worked
hard to clean the water, and the
Governor of the state has lifted
the “do not use order.”
The local economy also suf-
fered during the water ban. Res-
taurants, day-care centers and
schools closed during the emer-
gency, and there were still ques-
tions about how the leak occurred
and whether Freedom Industries
took too long to tell state officials
there was a problem.
What is clear, is that every
Delta chapter needs an Emergency
Response Team. We need to be
our Sister’s Keeper!
Eastern Panhandle Alumnae Chapter News (cont.)
Memories of Soror Carter
Page 8 WV Delta Connect ion
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.
A Public Service Sorority Founded in 1913
Vibrant and visible chapters impacting the
communities of West Virginia”
WV Delta Connection
For Regional Conference updates: Like us on Facebook “Delta Sigma Theta Midwest
Regional Conference 2014” or follow us on Instagram @dstmwrc2014
Carla Hunter
State Coordinator
Parissa Rogers
State Facilitator
Marsha Lawson
State Journalist
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