Thei.
Friday, September 8, 2006
Page A3
The good, bad and counseling at GWU
By Matt Tessnear
Pilot News Editor
If returning students take a moment
to look around Boiling Springs, it ap
pears few changes have been made
since we left the campus in May;
There’s still an empty, new strip
mall on the right side of N.C. 150, as
you enter Boiling Springs from Shelby.
There are still only a handful of eating
options in town. That open parcel of
land at the intersection of N.C. 150 and
Main Street still sits, untouched. And
Gardner-Webb University remains its
same, predictable self.
Well, the parts about Boiling
Springs may be true, but Gardner-
Webb may not be as predictable as
some upperclassmen have grown to
think.
While many of us were slaving
over summer jobs and sunbathing at
the hottest beach destinations, GWU
faculty and staff were often hard at
work, attempting to make this school a
better place to get an education.
In all fairness, the key word is at
tempting.
Let’s start with some of the “bad”
things that happened, or changed this
summer.
The alcohol policy seems to be a
popular issue on campus, even if pop
ular means “to make fiin of” Boiling
Springs is a dry town and GWU is a
dry campus, but I tend to agree with
students who think the new policy
is a little bit much. I understand the
fines, the community service, the on
line course, and I can even get past the
notification of work-study supervisors
and academic advisors. But counsel
ing?
Having a beer or a glass of wine
with dinner, or even possessing it on
campus, means that I need serious
help? Roman Catholic and Episco
palian churches serve real wine with
corrmiunion. Does the new alcohol
policy mean that Catholic students
come to campus with an immediate
need for counseling?
Tessnear
I’d like an explanation behind the
reasoning of that part of the rule.
Other “bad” changes on cam
pus seem to be subtle in comparison.
There’s a rough spot in the road, liter
ally, on Stadium Drive,
behind the football
complex. Driving over
that a few times mights
lead to a trip to a ga
rage for automobile*^
alignment. Campus of'
town officials should
look into smoothing
out that patch of highway
as soon as possible. Little problems
like that are a big deal to students who
don’t have a lot of money. '
Similarly, what’s up with some of
the problems in the apartments? When
my roommates and I moved in, we had
a whole list of things that could’ve
been fixed over the summer. My desk
wobbles more than a senior citizen on
ice skates. The table in the living room
swivels, although it is not a swivel
table. I didn’t even have a key for my
room when I checked in. Several other
apartments have non-working appli
ances and network connection issues.
Students pay enough tp„ live on
campus, and while I understai^ that
things break and give trouble as the
year goes on, I think all residencies
should be mostly trouble-fite at the
beginning of the year.
If my computer continues to wob
ble on my desk, I may need some of
that counseling to calm my nerves.
I can’t say that all of the changes
around Boiling Springs and GWU are
negative. Many good things greeted us
when we got back to school this year.
The food in the cafeteria has been
alright to this point. Sure, the caf isn’t
going to always dish up what we’re
used to eating at home, but the staff
has made an effort. It appears there are
more choices in the caf, and most of
those choices are good. I’ve seen less
repeat meals during the week. Not to
cause crowding problems for those
who frequent the pizza line, but you
should give the pizza a try. It is sub
stantially improved from last year.
Maybe the cafeteria staff had some
pizza-making counseling over the
summer.
While We have problems inside our
residencies on campus, how about the
job of the landscaping staff? The grass
looks, greener than I can remember
and the mulch around all of the trees
and plants looks fresh. Additionally,
the flagpole in the center of the quad
looks nice, with a plethora of flowers
arranged around it.
Finally, what about our athletic de
partment? Whether you like it or not,
the athletic department at a university
can go a long way towards putting a
positive face on the whole school.
GWU’s athletic department was defi
nitely busy in June and July.
The imiversity announced that
it will become a member of'the Big
South athletic conference, effective
July 1, 2008. The school also an
nounced it will add a men’s swim team
for the 2007-2008 academic year.
With all of this in mind, we can’t
forget that the current sports season
could be the most exciting ever. Appa
lachian State University, the reigning
NCAA Division 1-AA football cham
pion, will come to town Sept. 23, and
the men’s basketball schedule includes
dates with N.C. State, Wake Forest and
Wisconsin.
Another positive is the addition of
Four Star Computers & Multimedia,
located on Main Street, near the Bull
dog Quick Snack. The staff is friendly,
and the shop carries a lot of computer
equipment and accessories. It’s nice to
have at least one multimedia store in
Boiling Springs, so a trip to Shelby or
Gaffney isn’t always necessary.
Maybe we still have issues, but
for a private, small-town university, I
think our staff and administration are
doing a good job of providing a good
educational environment. The alcohol
policy was designed with student in
terests in mind. We should thank them
by trying to look for the positives they
provide - and by staying out of coun
seling.
Jake and Jack
Debate the Issues
SAT necessary to serve
as means to equalize
student opportunities
Jacob Conley
In the movie “The Per
fect Score,” a group of high
school seniors attempts to
steal the SAT answers be
cause they felt the test is
flawed and discriminatory
along racial boundaries.
Unfortunately, this argu
ment is accepted by far more
people than
the mot
ley crew of
teenagers in
the movie.
Some well-
_ , respected
Con ey schools have
decreased the emphasis on
the SAT, while others have
scrapped it all together in
favor of considering only
GPA and class rank.
The reasoning behind
this shift is noble, but it is
as flawed as some claim
the SAT to be. Without the
SAT, the hope is that more
students will get into a col
lege and be successful. That
is a nice sentiment.
The idea might be plau
sible if we lived in a utopian
society, but we don’t. This
may sound harsh, but not
everyone in America should
go to college. I hate to sound
like a scholastic Nazi, but
because of an influx of stu
dents who would not have
been admitted to college as
recently as 20 years ago, the
college degree has become
diluted.
I have heard that a col
lege degree now means
about as much to a potential
employer as a high school
degree did 30 years ago. Dis
carding the SAT will only
serve to remove another ob
stacle to the groundswell of
unqualified students enter
ing college campuses, and
as a result, the integrity of
the degree will continue to
be cheapened.
Another argument for
why the SAT should no lon
ger be considered is that it
puts too much pressure on
students.
Give me a break. If you
think the SAT is pressure,
try moving to a country like
France. There, if you don’t
pass its version of the SAT,
not only won’t youiiot go to
college, you won’t even fin
ish high school.
Maybe if our education
system incorporated a more
stringent SAT, instead of
abolishing it, then the U.S.
system would not be ranked
the 18*'’ in the world out of
24 industrialized countries,
as it was in a 2002 United
Nations Children’s Fund
study.
Another argument for
the abolishment of the
SAT is that it discriminates
against minorities and the
poor. The gap between
scores of wealthy and un
derprivileged students is
about 140 points. In a 2001
interview with Time maga
zine, members of the Col
lege Board claim that this
is due to the fact that “poor
kids are getting a lousy edu
cation, not because of a flaw
in the test.“
Is this fair? No, and nei
ther is life. But some have
tried to make it fair by dis
regarding the SAT - with
disastrous, results.
For example, the Uni
versity of Texas system bas
es its admissions on class
rank. Therefore, if a student
is in the top 10 percent of
their graduating class, they
are guaranteed a spot in the
system.
A recent “60 Minutes”
investigation compared
two students, one from an
affluent high school, and
one from a less privileged
school. The latter student
had a GPA barely above a
3.0 and was granted a spot
at the University of Texas.
The other had a GPA above
a 5.0, but since this student
did not finish in the top 10
percent of the class, she was
not admitted.
Is this fair? Of course
it’s not. The SAT is the
great equalizer. The test is
the same for the rich and the
poor, regardless of race. The
SAT is not perfect, but it is a
necessity.
SAT a dinosaur without
validity to really show
a student’s potential
Jack Naish
Fii’ot staff writer
It’s 7:32 a.m. on the day
you are taking"the SATs, and
your forehead is glistening
with sweat. Yoiu: stomach
is churning and the moo
shoo pork dinner last night
doesn’t seem to have been a
very good idea.
As you
rifle through
bathroom
drawers
searching
for stomach
medicine,
you think,
“In less than
30minutes,rm
going to take a three-hoiu'
test that will forever dictate
the path of my life. Oh lordy
Where’s the Imodium?”
Most of us at Gardner-
Webb have shared this ex
perience, and we Weren’t
alone. Every year, high
school students across the
nation study and' stress
themselves senseless be
cause of the SAT, knowing
it stands between them and
their college of choice.
But should it ?
I believe the emphasis
on standardized, pre-college
testing should be a thing of
Nalsh
the past. We live in a time
where many students have
learning and testing disabil
ities that have only recently
been'recognized. Some stu
dents struggle to perform to
their potential on the SAT,
leaving many deserving
college applicants in unfor
tunate situations.
There are other ways to
determine a student’s worth.
Many universities, Gardner-
Webb University included,
look at a student’s humani
tarian efforts.
When standardized test
scores prove to be a stu
dent’s most lofty concern,
commimal responsibilities
fade into the haze of math,
critical reading and writing.
Why then do schools dimin
ish the importance of social
involvement by setting a
minimum SAT score?
High school students
need not be placed under
such stressful situations.
No standardized test
should carry so much
weight so early in one’s life.
College admissions should
be based on a student’s abil
ity to succeed in their previ
ous academic and civic en
deavors, not their ability to
bubble dots on a Saturday
morning.
New Alcohol
POLICY TOO
STRICT?
Revised alcohol code
has ramifications that
go beyond drinking
By Jacob Conley
I love Gardner-Webb
and the Christian values she
stands for. And it is because
of this love that I am going
to point out the dangerous;
slippery slope that GWU is
on now.
My concern deals with
the new alcohol policy.
The cumulative aspect
of offenses, fines, online
course, visit to the counsel
or’s office and suspension
after a third offense are not
the portions of the policy
that are problematic. The
problem is with the ban on
alcohol-related posters and
other advertising mediums,
such as T-shirts.
Now, I’m as conserva
tive as “Amazing Grace,”
dinner on the grounds, and
James Dobson, but this por
tion of the new policy is ri
diculous.
For example, my Pan
thers poster is now contra
band because it has a small
Miller Lite logo in the bot
tom left comer. What about
the NASCAR fans on cam
pus? Because of this new
policy, students can no
longer wear T-shirts with a
picture of North Carolina
native Dale Earnhardt Jr. on
them, because his sponsor is
Budweiser.
If the members of the
Alcohol and Other Drugs
committee can prohibit
T-shirts and posters, what
will they ban next - coun
try music with references
to alcohol? That pretty
much eliminates the entire
genre.
Or maybe, in the not-
too- distant future, students
will no longer be able to
watch Sportscenter because
of the Budweiser Hotseat
segment.
You have to draw the
line somewhere. Students
need to let their opinion
be heard. Because if they
don’t, GWU could become
the Bob Jones University of
Boiling Springs.
Having said that, I am in
no way advocating that stu
dents should line up outside
of Dr. Bormer’s door de
manding school-sponsored
keg stands. What I am say
ing is that the people who
made the alcohol policy
are rational human beings.
If legitimate concerns are
brought to their attention
- and the T-shirt and poster
issue certainly fits in that
category - then they are
more likely to make policy
adjustments.
I just hope that students
will voice their opinions and
the committee will listen so
that GWU does not continue
on the slippery slope.
New policy adheres
to Christian Ideals
university represents
tian values, si
■
■
By Ciara Lilly
Pilot staff writer
The new Gardner-Webb
University alcohol policy
came as no surprise to me.
We do attend a private uni
versity with strong Chris
tian values, so alcohol and
drug abuse
prevention
serve a ma
jor role in
develop
ing a strong
foundation
for our uni-
Lilly versity.
I under
stand the efforts that are be
ing made to ensure that the
students of GWU get the op
portunity to engage in an al
cohol- and drug-free school
zone. Alcohol and drug
usage should not be legal
at any university. I am not
aware of a university that
welcomes student drinking
or student drug usage, so
why is the new policy a sur
prise to GWU students?
Some students believe
Gardner-Webb is becom
ing a prison. In my opinion,
Gardner-Webb molds itself
into a finer university by
establishing stricter policies
for issues that are so serious
to college students.
The dangers associated
with alcohol are crucial
for us to learn. If Gardner-
Webb decided to remain lax
about whether students were
drinking or doing drugs on
campus, in essence it was
putting our lives at risk, Stu
dents will drink on campus,
believing that because they
are in their rooms nothing
bad could happen.
Yet, campus fatalities
can result from this belief
With this new policy,
students are forced to thiijc
twice about having alcohol
or drugs on campus. At ev
ery university there should
be a high standard for stu
dents to exemplify.
Here at Gardner-Webb,
we follow an Honor Code
that serves to keep the uni
versity and students well
balanced.
It makes no sense to
jeopardize your educa
tion for alcohol. The new
alcohol policy isn’t go
ing away, so there is no
need to fret and complain.
We are all here to obtain
a quality education. Let
that, above all things, be
your main goal.