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Choice For Board Of Historically Black NC College Criticized

Photo courtesy Winston-Salem State University

Some alumni and politicians are questioning a choice for the board of trustees of Winston-Salem State University.

The Winston-Salem Journal reports criticism is being directed at Ken Raymond in part because he successfully pushed to move a voting site away from the school's campus.

Raymond, a Republican, is chair of the Forsyth County Board of Elections and a WSSU alumnus. Senate Leader Phil Berger appointed Raymond in June to the board of trustees of Winston-Salem State.

Forsyth County commissioner Fleming El-Amin says he's concerned that Raymond has a bias against the university because of his effort to remove campus precinct voting.

Brenda Diggs, a former trustee and board member for the school, called Raymond's appointment “disingenuous” because of his actions on student voting.

Raymond maintains that while serving as an election observer in 2013, he overheard WSSU students say they would receive class credit for voting.

Raymond says he hasn't personally heard any criticism from alumni.

Neal Charnoff joined 88.5 WFDD as Morning Edition host in 2014. Raised in the Catskill region of upstate New York, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983. Armed with a liberal arts degree, Neal was fully equipped to be a waiter. So he prolonged his arrested development bouncing around New York and L.A. until discovering that people enjoyed listening to his voice on the radio. After a few years doing overnight shifts at a local rock station, Neal spent most of his career at Vermont Public Radio. He began as host of a nightly jazz program, where he was proud to interview many of his idols, including Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins. Neal graduated to the news department, where he was the local host for NPR's All Things Considered for 14 years. In addition to news interviews and features, he originated and produced the Weekly Conversation On The Arts, as well as VPR Backstage, which profiled theater productions around the state. He contributed several stories to NPR, including coverage of a devastating ice storm. Neal now sees the value of that liberal arts degree, and approaches life with the knowledge that all subjects and all art forms are connected to each other. Neal and his wife Judy are enjoying exploring North Carolina and points south. They would both be happy to never experience a Vermont winter again.

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