Newspapers / Brevard College Student Newspaper / Feb. 22, 1969, edition 1 / Page 2
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PAGE TWO THE CLARION February 22 editorial COMMENTS ☆ ☆ ☆ A New President... With the election of Robert A. Davis as Pre^- dent of Brevard College, the academic commumty looks forward to a period of curricular and extra curricular growth and innovation. Mr. Davis pre decessor, Dr. Emmett K. McLarty, Jr., distmpished himself and the College by providmg 'physical fa cilities for future growth. During Dr. McLarty s ten ure, the Bryan Moore Science Building, Bosnamer Gymnasium, Greer Beam Administration Building, I^ena Sue Beam Dormitory, James Addison Jones Li- braryrt and Meyers Dining Hall were constricted. Already begun are the addition to Boshamer Gyro- liasium and the McLarty - Goodson Classroom Build ing (named for the late President following his death). It is expected that the Sim’s Student ter can go under construction with in a year, building program has been underway more than a de cade, and it has cost millions of dollars none ot which was paid by students. Now we need to redirect our efforts, and Mr. Davis’ leadership it can be done. We need to continue the innovative programs of the past: after all, it was our present institution, Rutherford College, which first offered truly co-educational classes in the South. Let us continue that kind of leadership in education. Let us, for example, not just continue the Marine Ecology course in the Bahamas, but un- derv«rite it financially so that a student will not need $500 to attend it. Let us expand that principle by endowing a Washington and New York seminar in government and politics, attendance not dependent upon cash but upon brains. Let us endow a Euro pean travel seminar so that a Western Civ. student can pace across the Roman Forum or the Athenian Agora. Let us find financial resources so that John LTpdike or Philip Roth can be invited to our campus to lecture, so that Richard Tucker or Elizabeth Schwarzkopf can be invited to sing, so that a Rpdin sculpture or a picasso painting can be acquired. Let us find money enough so that students will not be denied admission for want of means, and so that faculty and staff will not forever subsidize — as they presently do — the academic program by receiv ing low salaries. In short, let us get on with the business of making Brevard an educational institu tion of which N. C. and the nation can be proud. We believe Mr. Davis can accomplish these things and more. He is arriving at a college whose history is enviable, whose faculty is _ dedicated, whose administrative officers are committed to the College, whose students are worthy of all the hope and trust we can muster. We say to him “Wel- T • TV/r-i Louis Miles The Presidential Council... Brevard College has a new president, and all the members of the college community look with an ticipation to strong leadership for the future. Yet we could be remiss if in looking ahead we failed to take note of and offer a measure of gratitude for the wise direction which the Presidential Council has given to the affairs of the College. Despite the shortness of their tenure, the five men who were chosen by the Trustees to direct the College, following the death of Dr. McLarty have left their mark on Brevard. As an interim execu tive body, the Council might have chosen to mark time until a new President was named. Instead, realizing that Brevard could not afford to stand still, they have provided courageous, imaginative leadership which has moved Brevard forward ^ and w^hich vnll make the transition from one president to another a smoother one. During its time in office the Presidential Council has hired new faculty members, has moved forward with the construction of new facilities and has main tained the health and stability of the college. Yet to outline the specific duties which these men have performed is to miss their real contribution. For they have moved in other, less well -defined areas to give Brevard a new effectiveness, a new direction, and a n«w vision. Richard Wilson CSAM Has High Hopes With the organizing of the Concerned Students Activist Movement, it appears that the student body of Brevard is to be delivered from its apathetic doldrums. The primary objective ot CSAM is to serve the need of student participation in national affairs. It is an anti-war group oriented to Brevard without national affiliations. By sponsoring open discus sions of Civil rights and the U. S. involvement in Viet Nam, CSiAM hopes to stir campus in terest in these vital areas. To date , Brevard students have been outside this atmos phere of student involvement. This sort of activity is healthy for any campus; if for no other reason, it makes the student aware of his own relevance in matters of national policy. This relevance should not be under estimated. College students brought about Gene McCarthy phenomenon, and it has largely been the youth that have alter ed the course Oif the Viet Nam war. aSAM is not concerned with producing student radicals, but to make students aware of their moral obligations to better America and humanity. We wish success to the Con cerned Students Activist Move ment and its contributors in their continuing efforts to bring relevance to Brevard. The RANKIN FILE BY BILL EANKIN Freedom And F ools By Ken Eaton Freedom and fools, believe it or not, have some things in common. The definition of ■reedom has many different meanings, and it obviously means different things to dif ferent people. To many, freedom means being excused from something —like work, studying, head- iches, or escaping from some thing that one does’t like. Then there is the freedom^ to do something like helping other oeople, finding reasons to keep- crying when there doesn’t seem ‘o be any. And there is also "he freedom to love one in which there is no room for hate, jealousy, malice, or pre judice. But we have heard that be fore and know that it is a bunch of idealistic nonsense because we know a person can’t love or help the blacks in the ghettos, or the “poor white trash” in the mountains, or the dirty rotten Commies, or the stingy Jews, or you or me— because we just can’t. There ain’t no way. We got too many other things to do, too many places to go, and too many peo ple to see to have to worry about anyone else. But there are a few who un derstand that these are ejccuses, not reasons, just to keep from helping. These few are trying to help and to love. Don’t they know they’re making fools ^ them selves? That’s no kind of free dom, or is it? I think I want to be a fool— with that freedom. Who are the real fools, any Well, I guess I asked for it. Thank you, Mrs Tauscher, for giving it to me. At least now I know that there is someone else o ncampus that is opinion, ated. In response to your response I would like to ask wjiat comments you are responding to? I do not recollect implying that the faculty is “dictatorial” and I certainly didn’t call anyone “adult.” I refer- red to an attitude which I conjectured could be the result of unqualified students and/or a lack of moti- vation by the faculty. The fact that yo'U, a faculty member, are motivating me to write this article dis proves partially, at least, the latter gumption. The first, however, you failed to prove, in my opinion, I would have to see a breakdown of your statis tics before I could be convinced of any great educa tional accomplishments here. “Brevard enrolls many low risk students; yet an uncommonly high 90% of its graduates continue their education in four year schools where they do very well academi- cally and socially. What per cent of the total en rollment graduates? How many of these are your “low risk” students? (an ambiguous title). How well do they do in what caliber four year scliools? “If unqualified people are admitted, competent per sons are graduated.” Are these necessarily the same persons ? You assume that I consider Brevard to be a poor institution of learning indeed; and proceed to des cribe it somewhere between a “morass” and perfec tion. To me this seems a fair description. Brevard is between. It is mediocre. This I find more potentially harmful to educ ation than any “morass.” I agree with you when you say that a hostile envirement does not squelch intel- lectuallism. But an apathetic enviroment, I would guess, does have an adverse effect. This is the state to which I was referring when I “sighed,” perhaps no one cares. To elaborate: perhaps no one cares about truth unencumbered by convention; perhaps no one cares if they live in a state of semi-consciousness; perhaps no one cares about himself or his fellow human beings. And, if no one cares, is this not a per version of Christian values? Admittedly, it is easy to talk about probleitis. It is easy to use righteous cliches. It is not easy to convince people who are satisfied with the status quo that a problem does exist. It is even harder to nnd solutions to the problems. If our problem^ is a lack of intellectualism, then I submit that a possible soluTOn might be to “unleash” the minds of the students, (not the “vacant minds” which you mentioned). Of course I don’t know that this would work. Neither does any one know that it would not since it hasn’t been tned. I am not advocating any great educational gam ble. After all, you yourself said that the students here “know their needs.” I also believe this in most ca^' This is one reason that I advocate a suspension of the restrictions here. _ , I can not imagine anyone construing their nee to be a limitation on what they may think. I cona e several rules and practices at Brevard as limitatio upon thinking. I do not find it easy or P? •. as you justify these rules on the grounds that benavi is also bad. Simply stated, what I am for is the ^ for anyone to think or believe anything. This, course, is not a new ideal. But, it is still an ' want it to become a reality. Perhaps I am t realistic in thinking that this can come_ about, (i ably a manifestation of my pseudo-intelletua, nate wisdom). But, until I become so I resent idealistic challenge this will remain my up”. 1. way? Ill They Ve Human Too. If you were up at Ross Hall Sunday afternoon abO'Ut 3:00 you might have seen a strange sight. Mr. Hardin, our dignified bus iness manager, along with Mr. Witek and Mr. Oort, slipping and sliding and sledding in the snow and enjoying it. It really was a joy to me as a student to see miemibers of our administration and ing “more like children^ children.” It made me that although students, ^ and administration may ^ ways click very weU, ^ just human ’ ,„e tb» joy many jn theso'’*' particularly playii^
Brevard College Student Newspaper
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Feb. 22, 1969, edition 1
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