Page Four Columns November 24, 1959 Fire Alarm System Ready (Continued from page one) dormitories were connected on Oc tober 28, with those in other build ings following soon after. According to Grady Snyder, fire warden for Louisburg College^ the reason for getting the semi automatic system instead of the au tomatic type, which works by meas uring the temperature between the walls, was the fact that it woul(^ have been very difficult and tre mendously expensive to locate and maintain the warning stations in the type of walls and building construc tion that is found in Main and Franklin. “Although we now have this semi automatic system,” Mr. Snyder said, “the main prevention measures will have to be taken by the students themselves.” There are several very serious hazards prevalent around the col lege, and any one of them could lead to a very serious fire. Cigarette stubs carelessly thrown on the floors and in the halls, overloaded wiring in practically every room, and the practice of cooking and ironing in unauthorized places — any one of ‘them could lead to a fire, he pointed out. Ash trays were recently placed in the halls by the college. Unfor tunately, there have already been incidents of people taking them into their rooms, or otherwise misusing them. Concerning this, Mr. Snyder said, “The cigarette receptacles are a fire prevention measure; there fore misuse of them is considered as contributing to fire hazards, and will be acted upon accordingly by the Student Council.” “If they are taken away,” he went on, “there remains the danger of people throwing cigarette butts on the floor and the same hazard as before.” He stated also that the ash trays were for cigarettes, not just any trash that happened to be around. As for prevention measures stu- denta can observe now, Mr. Snyder gives these suggestions: 1. Learn the location of all fire extinguishers and fire alarm boxes, and how to use them. 2. Use the ash trays in the halls for cigarettes, not for paper and trash. The same applies for the rooms. Use waste baskets only for paper, not lighted cigarettes. 3. Because outlets are limited in the boys dormitories, extension cords are almost a necessity, but be sure that all of your cords are in good condition — no cracks or breaks in the rubber insulation — and that they do not touch any metal object. 4. DO NOT OVERLOAD ELEC TRICAL WIRING. Hotplates and irons might cause the increased flow of electricity to heat the wires through which it travels, and ignite the wooden wall supports. 5. Keep your waste baskets emptied regularly. 6. Keep your room clean and free from dust. Dust is highly inflam mable. 7. Keep all inflammable fluids, such as nail polish, lighter fluid, cleaning fluids, and oils, in a special place far ^way from any electrical wiring or radiator. 8. Do not cook in your room. Cooking grease is very inflammable. One drop of grease on the red-hot element of a hotplate could start a serious fire. 9. Co-operate with the faculty and with the monitors in preventing fire hazards. 10. DO NOT EXPLODE FIRE CRACKERS. This is not only against state law and the rules of the school, but it could start a fire if a smouldering bit of paper wrap ping landed in an inflammable en vironment. Starting very soon, there will be periodic spot checks of the dormi tories for overloaded circuits (a check will be made for unauthorized hotplates, irons, heaters, coffee pots, etc.), unsafe location of extension cords, improper hanging of the ex tension cords (tacked to wall or floor), worn out plugs and frayed wiring, and unsafe use of cigarettes. These checks, which will be con ducted by Mr. Snyder and the Stu dent Council members, will bring hazards to light, and enable the Council to take action to eliminate them. In addition to the regular day light drills, which will average “at least one a month,” there will be “blocked exit” drills and night drills. A “blocked exit” drill is exactly what its name implies — one of the regular methods of egress is blocked, as might actually happen in a fire, and the students have to use the remaining exits to evacuate the building. These “blocked exit” drills will not be announced, so every student should find out what to do. The night drills will also be unannounced, and can be at any hour. These drills are being held to condition students not to panic in a real fire. Students are not to move cars during the drills, and no one is allowed to obtain extra clothing after the alarm has sounded, either day or night. According to Mr. Snyder, there is a very real danger in the possibility of false alarms. Students who have evacuated the buildings before with no visible evidence of fire will be come used to the warning and not pay any attention to it. This could lead to a tremendous loss of life in a real fire. '■“I am very pleased,” said Mr. Snyder, “at the co-operation of the students in having no false alarms thus far, and I hope the co-operation will continue. I am sure everyone realizes the seriousness of a false alarm.” As to the efficiency of the sys tem so far, he said the “system is fine.” He did say, though, that al though evacuation was very satis factory during the first test, the sec ond was very poor. “The students should learn to go,” he said. “Any time the alarm goes off, it means to move out of the buildings immedi ately.” (3ne of the things that Mr. Snyder expressed his concern over is the practice of students leaving their windows and the doors to the stair ways open when they leave. All win dows should be puUed down, and the fireproof metal doors should be pulled closed by someone passing through. This is important, for the stairways make perfect flues for the spread of any fire from floor to floor. This year, John Patronis and Linda Lea are assistant fire ward ens. Each has been assigned student council members on each floor of the dormitories as monitors, to check for persons in rooms, and to close all doors. Mr. Walter McDonald, Dean of Men, and Miss Miriam Rus sell, Dean of Women, are the faculty assistants, with Mr. Ralph Lester as the staff assistant. Louisburg^ College Offers Many Clubs, Societies Louisburg College offers to its student body a number of organi zations, clubs and honor fraternities. The organizations and clubs are open to all students desiring to par ticipate in their varied activities. The honor fraternities receive member ship only by bids given to student^ with outstanding scholastic ability and character. The Future Business Leaders of America Club is open to all busi ness students. The Louisburg Club is affiliated with the state and na tional F.B.L.A. Club. This club pro vides a means for social contacts within the business department and promotes educational programs per taining to office practices and equip ment. Open to all students with vocal talent and an interest in choral music is the Louisburg College Glee Club. Rehearsals for the club are held Tuesday and Thursday after noons, and selections used by the club are selected for their wide ap peal. During the year concerts are given at various churches, civic meetings and public auditoriums throughout North Carolina. The Dramatics Club attracts stu dents who are interested in the vari ous phases of drama and acting. The Club gives programs of various kinds and presents plays for the Col lege and for the community. The purpose of the Young Wom en’s Christian Association and the Young Men’s Christian Association is to emphasize Christian ideals and the Christian way of life on the col lege campus. Any student is eligible to join. Religious services are con ducted weekly by the YM-YWCA. The Monday and Friday night so cials are sponsored by the “Y” so cial committee. All students who show outstand ing ability in athletics and complete specified requirements are awarded monograms by the Monogram Club. This Club, sponsored by the direc tor of athletics, seeks to foster su perior ideals of sportsmanship in its members and in the school. The Young Democrat’s Club is composed of students interested in politics and the Democrat party. The Y.D.C. plans to sponsor many social events in the coming school year. Speakers who are well known in the field of politics will be the itinerary of many of the regular meetings. The honor fraternities on the Louisburg College campus are open for students who receive bids for high-scholastic ratings, good charac ter and for outstanding achieve nents in particular fields. Phi Theta Kappa is a national character - scholarship fraternity which holds the same rank in junior O’Neal Drug Company Variety of PANGBURN & HOLLINGSWORTH CANDIES "We Appreciate Your Business" Phone GY 6-3543 The Meaning of College By ROSS LANE To get a general view of what the layman thinks the meaning of col lege is, I conducted a survey in Louisburg. Here in this small, typi cal American town I asked five people this question, “What do you think the meaning of college is?” Here are their replies: “I think college is where a young man can prepare himself for a better way of life.” — A merchant. “College is where a person can have plenty of fun.” — A barber. “College is the best place to pre pare yourself for a better job.” — A restaurant owner. “To become a man with money you almost have to go to college.” — A car mechanic. “College is for the birds.” — A salesman. I will explain the comments of these five persons and try to show their weaknesses and strengths. First, I will classify the mechanic, merchant, and restaurant owner’s statements together. Their answers are somewhat similar in that they all agree that college guarantees se curity in later life. Is,a college edu cation attained for security alone? With this question left unanswered, I will turn to the other two men — colleges that Phi Beta Kappa holds in four-year schools. The Gamma Upsilon chapter of Phi Theta Kappa was chartered and organized in 1939. Membership is open only to Liberal Arts students and those who receive bids for membership must have made a grade of eighty-five per cent and must stand in the upper ten per cent of their class. A national honorary fraternity open to business students is Alpha Phi Epsilon. Students who are ac cepted must have a standing of B or better, an outstanding personality, and good character. Beta Phi Gamma is the junior college division of Alpha Phi Gamma, a national co-educational journalistic fraternity. The purpose of this fraternity is to recognize in dividual ability and achievement in journalistic pursuits in junior col leges. A prospective member must rank scholastically in the upper two- thirds of his class. the barber and the salesman. I will deal with each man separately. The barber’s answer is the idea many people have about college. This attitude may even be instilled in some college students. These stu dents have the false idea that col lege is a place to practice their thoughtless actions. This type of stu dent feels college is a place to let off steam because he knows he wiU not be supervised as he was at home. I do not wish to imply that college is not fun, but for any educated per son to believe that college is a play ground is ridiculous. College is a mixture of fun and work. The salesman’s absurd statement cannot be explained. He could not even explain his own statement. That a person should make such a remark immediately marks him as ignorant or bitter about college. I will summarize the statements as a whole. College is for security and can be fun. This may be true, but college to me means more than this statement implies. College, in my estimation, is a place of higher learning where the student is prepared by dedicated teachers and his own will power to have a direct purpose in life. What ever the purpose may be — doctor, lawyer, or minister — it is deeply enriched by the right attitude to ward college. The Toggery Shop The Place to Shop for Your THANKSGIVING READY-TO-WEAR LOUISBURG, N. C. Phone GY 6-5411 McKinne’s Seaboard Stores, Inc. HARDWARE & SPORTING GOODS LOUISBURG, N. C. Everyone meets and eats at mim DRiiE-M ON BICKETT BLVD. SHOP at POPES 5c to $5.00 We’re never undersold