Page 2
Cliitorialsf
Letter to the Editor
McKetta Commends
Brevard Students
by Melanie Mullins
By tomorrow, we can actually say that we have made
it, barely, through one half of the semester. It has been a
cherry half for some and, of course, a rough half for
others. But, most importantly...we have made it!
Okay, you have a whole other half to improve those
grades, to finally meet that girl (or guy) in your biology
class, or to just overall take hold of your future.
Yet...now is the time.
We, the community of Brevard College, have a lot to
be proud of. This letter recently received from Dr. John
McKetta should make all of us feel honored to be a part
of the college. In essence, we are Brevard College. Way
to go!
Dear Editor
On September 30 I had the pleasure of visiting your
campus, meeting with many of your students and facul
ty, and then the opportunity to lecture to a very nice
group. The purpose of this letter is to convey my con
gratulations to you who so strongly represents the stu
dent body. I teach at a large university and am a
member of the Board of Trustees of another university
(Tri-State University in Angola, Indiana). In all of my
visits to college campuses throughout the country, I
have an opportunity to meet closely with students and
the faculty. I have never noticed the esprit de corps and
friendliness that I encountered on your campus on
September 30. When I visited your cafeteria many of
your students would walk to my seat to greet me and ask
if they could be of any help. The audience gave me as
nice a reception during and after my talk as I have ever
received.
Any group, whether it be student body or industry,
would give anything to enjoy the friendship and close
relations that you enjoy on your campus. Keep it up!
Yours most sincerely,
John J. McKetta
The Joe C. Walter Professor
■
Dr. John J. McKetta addressing Brevard College during his recent visit to the school.
(Photo by Tia Stallings).
Were IRA Deaths In Vain?
by Kari Howard
The death toll in Ireland’s Maze
Prison has come to a halt at 10.
No, this was not the scene of some
horrible freak accident. It was in
the H-Block of this Belfast prison
that 10 suspected I.R.A. (Irish
Republican Army) members
willfully committed a frighten
ingly drawn-out suicide. These
nationalists literally starved
themselves to death, sometimes
taking 70 days to do so. Such
unyielding determination boggles
the mind. And for what? The
Irish struggle is almost identical
to our own in 1776. The Irish,
want to be free of the “bloody
English.” For centuries the con
flict has torn Ireland apart. The
Irish have resorted to terrorist
techniques, reasoning, “If the
English may use their tanks,
what is wrong with using the am
bush in retaliation?” This clam
rationalization may sound alarm
ing, but the Catholics in Northern
Ireland are desperate people.
The self-destruction of the 10
hunger strikers was a chillingly
calculated attempt by the I.R.A.
to gain both world sympathy and
political status in prison. They
succeeded in the former only.
Anyone even suspected to bring a
member of the I.R.A. is thrown
into jail indefinitely without a
trial. Appalling, but true. This is
just one example of the tactics us
ed by the English in Northern
Ireland.
Now that the grisly martyrdom
has ended, I desperately hope
that those 10 men did not die in
vain. Will it ever end? A phrase
used by Leon Uris in Trinity, an
Irish epic novel, sums it up in bit
ter resignation: “In Ireland there
is no future, only the past happen
ing over and over again.”
Vice President Addresses Students
by John McMinn
The most important thing you
will accomplish as a student at
BC is finding out who you are as
an individual. Young people try
different ways to accomplish
this, yet only a few of these ways
work. In your quest to find
yourself, the greatest problem
you face may be the gain of
respect. This is a two way street,
and your view is not the only
view
Several campus problems are a
reflection of the lack of respect
students have for the college, and
even worse, their fellow students.
Abuses of privileges only bring
reprimands and more regula
tions because students are show
ing they cannot handle the
responsibility. Books stolen from
the library, litter in the forest,
vandalism, and parental viola
tions are all reflections of student
immaturity and lack of respect
for the college, the community,
and most importantly, lack of
respect for yourself. What if your
books were stolen, your car van
dalized, or someone came in and
littered the room where you live?
lam sure you would be extreme
ly angry. Cancellation of open
house in the dormitories shows a
lack of respect for the other oc
cupants. The other students don’t
want to lose privileges because of
disrespectful attitudes by a few.
positive only if you open yourself
and give a small portion of your
individuality to the creative at
mosphere on campus. Students
wanting to leave something
positive behind for future BC
students are forming a rugby
club, a hiking club, and a radio
station. There are many young
people that would love to be
where you are this very moment.
It is time to realize, as in
dividuals, you are responsible for
your actions and all ad
ministrative actions are results
from those actions. As young
adults and students, you are
creating the foundation of your
being and realizing the respon
sibility that comes with maturity.
Dunham: Was Renovation Worth It?
by G. Allen Barbee, Jr.
As we sophomore music
students of Brevard College look
back over our freshman year, we
must ask ourselves, “Was the
renovation of Dunham Music
Center worth it?” Many feel that
the constant delay in the comple
tion of the building caused many
students to drop from the music
program. Was the renovation
really that much of a problem?
If we look back over last year,
we can answer that question.
Freshman music majors arrived
to find that we had no music
building. We led a nomadic life.
Classes in music were held in the
Student Union, the first United
Methodist Church, and the
McLarty-Goodson classroom
building. The choirs and the
bands met in the Student Union,
and the recitals were given in the
Student Union. Practice was all
done at the church.
By the second semester, the
situation improved a little. All of
the classes, sooner or later, mov
ed to Dunham. The choirs also
moved to Dunham. The bands
were still in the Student Union,
and the recitals were held in the
Church- Practicing, for the most
part, was still at the church.
Now, we have returned to our
sophomore year, and the situa
tion is quite different. Classes,
choirs, bands and practice are all
in Dunham now. The only part of
Dunham not complete is the
auditorium. This causes the
recitals to be held in the band
room. However, by the end of this
month, the auditorium is schedul
ed to be complete with lipstick-
red seats, carpet, and curtains.
Play rehearsal began four
weeks ago, and the premiere per
formance of “Once Upon a Mat
tress” will mark the grand open
ing of the newly renovated
Dunham Auditorium. The im
proved acoustics of the
auditorium gives an air of profes
sionalism during performances
on the new enlarged stage. Only
now, finally, with the renovation
complete, can the ten remaining
sophomore music majors say
that the wait was worth it.
CLARION STAFF
Melanie Mullins
DeAnna Johnson, Cecil Collier,
Laura Hines, Suzie Updike
Tim Ellis, Randy Ward
Steve Rabey, Tia Stallings,
David Jenkins
Ken Chamlee
Reporters:
Kimo Anderson
Lisa Atkins
Linda Jones
Allen Barbee
Kathy Bennett
Pete Mercier
Cecil Collier
Scott Merusi
Elliott Dugger
Mary Gay Michaels
Jo Anne Folgr,r
Leah Thompson
Richard HPiliburton
Roelundt Van lerssel
Gay Harshbarger
Randy Ward ^
Kari Hov ard
Karen Wehunt
Sandy Hulbert
Regina Wortman
DeAnna Johnson
Lane Yates
Nikki Jardine
Jon Zillioux