Professor killed in car crash

By Kelly Mayo
Editor

February 8, 2013

Photo by Ashley Cole

The Sampson Building houses the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice. Dr. Rohald Meneses taught in the department since 2009.

Dr. Rohald Meneses, 38, a UNCP assistant professor in sociology, was killed in a single-car accident at 1:30 a.m. on Feb. 1.

Dr. Meneses taught at the University of Florida from 2005 to 2009. He arrived at UNCP in August 2009.

He was teaching Introduction to Sociology, Social Statistics and Social Deviance in the spring 2013 semester.

Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Mark Canada said that Dr. Meneses was involved with students through the Go-To Faculty program.

"I know he's going to be very much missed by the students and very much missed by the faculty," Dr. Canada said.

Dr. Mario A. Paparozzi, chair of the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, said that Dr. Meneses also coordinated the Robeson County Teen Court and the Alpha Kappa Delta Sociological Honor Society.

Dr. Paparozzi also said the department planned to organize a memorial service, but will wait to hear from Dr. Meneses' family before doing so.

"We'll follow the family's lead," Dr. Paparozzi said.

Dr. Meneses was to be honored at a faculty award ceremony during halftime of the UNCP basketball game on Feb. 2. Dr. Paparozzi said that Dr. Meneses' T-shirt and plaque will be given to his family.

Many sociology and criminal justice faculty members were close with Dr. Meneses.

Associate Professor Roger Guy said he and Dr. Meneses frequently played racquetball together.

"I only beat him one time. He was very competitive, but he was amicable," Dr. Guy said.

Associate Professor Ottis Murray said that Dr. Meneses' students "really enjoyed his classes" and "came by his office all the time."

Assistant Professor Calvina Ellerbe arrived at UNCP in August 2012. She said Dr. Meneses helped her settle in at her new job.

"He made it a really easy transition. I'm really going to miss him. Having colleagues you can connect with makes work easy," Dr. Ellerbe said.

"There's really no mention of the humanities besides...German language," Dr. Cannata said.

English and Theatre Associate Professor Cynthia Miecznikowski talked about her post-graduate job in an advertising office in New York where she had to write, conduct research and do math.

"The people who wrote the report were probably trained in the liberal arts and sciences," she said.