NEWS Release

UNCG KING SERVICE AWARD GOES TO SERVICE WORKER

Greensboro – Erma Totten, a service worker in Cone Residence Hall at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, has received the institution's 2001 Martin Luther King Jr. Service Award.

Dr. Carol Disque, UNCG vice chancellor for student affairs, who cited Totten's work on campus and in the community, presented the honor on Jan.18. Totten received a plaque and a cash award. Her name will be added to the wall display in Elliott University Center that carries the names of other King Award winners. The presentation followed an address by Herman Boone, former head football coach and inspiration for the movie "Remember the Titans".

Ms. Erma Totten

Totten, of Greensboro,  has committed herself to being an advocate of the community over three decades by serving in various capacities at her church and on campus providing active leadership on workers' rights issues while serving on the N.C. Public Service Worker's Union. She travels to other UNC campuses and speaks to legislators in Raleigh as an advocate for respect, higher wages and improved working conditions for public service workers. Long before she became an employee of the university, she served informally as a housing rights activist, speaking out for the housing rights of others by contacting landlords and communicating with city officials about code violations. She has been a persistent advocate for the Hope VI Urban Renewal Project, which is scheduled to begin next spring.

A UNCG staff member for 10 years, Totten has proven to be a vital part of the residential community by serving as a mentor, role model and a friend to the students who live there. She was appointed to a panel to study student alcohol abuse among college students and contributed information about how UNCG students live their lives. She is legendary among students for helping homesick freshman get through their toughest months and for providing them the self-confidence necessary for achievement. She was recognized on campus in 1996 as the very first winner of the Ambassador of Service Award, cited as the most outstanding service worker in the Housing and Residence Life department.

In her presentation, Disque quoted Totten's nominator as saying, "The warmth and feeling of togetherness that she helps generate is the soul of the UNCG community. Without this kind of service, community would be a hollow term." Disque said Totten's nomination was special and came from "an extraordinary source". The 30 plus students in the fall 2000 Race and Ethnic Relations course nominated Totten. "Every student in the class signed the nomination form," Disque said.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Award was established at UNCG in 1986 and was first presented in 1987. It recognizes outstanding attributes in the areas of human relations and public service by a UNCG student, faculty or staff member. Last year's award went to Robert Randolph Jr., of Pinetops, a senior political science major.
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