St. Andrews *
S t
N 6 w s p a p e r
ante
ST. ANDREWS PRESBYTERIAN COLLEGE
LAURINBURG, N.C.
THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 1994
New Hope for St. Andrews Community
by Laura Van Riper
In a comm unity forum Mon
day afternoon, more than 100 stu
dents, faculty and administrators
gathered to support St. Andrews'
mission of community. The fo
rum was called in response to stu
dents’ concerns over the place
ment of the St. Andrews Acad
emy in Granville Hall and a con
cern over the student role in the S t.
Andrews community.
Students spoke aboutchange
and the need to become more re
sponsible and involved. "People
have been talking in terms of revo
lution ...If the type of revolution
we're talking about is getting
people involved ...let's make that
attitude the establishment," said
'93-'94 Student Government As
sociation president Brian Doles.
Doles also spoke about stu
dents' fear that the St. Andrews
community isdisintegrating. "We
have proved that is not so." Doles
said to the cheers of students. "Not
just in a handful of students, but in
hundreds."
Jeff Hice, a Granville resi
dent, spoke at the forum on behalf
of wheel ies living in the Adapted
Disabled Living (ADL) apart
ments in Granville Hall. "St.
Andrews goes beyond other col
leges," Hice said. "S.A. says 'We
will adapt to your needs.' " Hice
also spoke of the importance of
ADL's in helping to introduce
wheelies into the general S.A.
college population. He stressed
their meaningfulness not only for
the benefit of the wheehes, but for
the benefit o^able-bodied students
as well.
The forum was sponsored
by a group of students called the
Concerned Students for St.
Andrews Community (CSSAC).
Members of CSSAC, Stu
dent Senate, and several dorm
presidents attended a breakfast
meeting with Warren Board, presi
dent of St. Andrews, prior to the
forum. This meeting focused on
the issues of the S.A. Academy
and the St. Andrews community.
President Boardemphasized
the college's need for money as
well as his concern for the stu
dents. "There ;ire hundredsof ways
a person can fail in the presidency,"
Board said. "One way guaranteed
is for the president not to bring in
the money...It gets to be that
crass...That's what I was doing.
As a new president, I relied on a
process that didn't work. I am the
new president and I will assume
responsibility for that."
Board also gave the students
his personal defininition of com
munity. "We all have different
roles...They are all important, but
still different...I didn't know that
students hadn't been talked to.
That's not something to shove
off..."
The breakfast meeting also
focused on positive means of
moving forward with the St.
Andrews community. "We're in a
stall," said Board. "We've got to
come to an understanding or make
a hard decision."
William McLean, a junior
attending the meeting, requested
that students be given an outline
(Continued p.2)
Students Protest Residence Hall Change
Class, Housing
Boycotts Considered
As Strategies
By Mark Durham
This article has been
reprinted with the expressed
permission of The Laurinburg
Exchange.
An estimated 175 St.
Andrews Presbyterian College
students attended a campus
meeting Wednesday night,
many to express their concerns
about plans to move students
out of Granville Hall so that
housing for an academy of
advanced high school seniors
can be located there.
Some students understood
the purpose of a Tuesday meet
ing with college officials was to
listen to students' opinions on
the housing change. They said
they were disappointed to learn
at that meeting that the decision
to move all non-handicapped
students from the school's
smallest residence hall had
already been made.
"We are basically not being
listened to," said John Clegg, a
junior from Asheville who has
spent his college career in
Granville. "Our opinions are
not being listened to."
Christopher Moyles, who
lived in Granville last year,
agrees. "The issue is not mov
ing students out of Granville,"
he said. "The academy is a
good idea. The larger issue is
students having a voice."
"It's been a tradition here
that St. Andrews operates as a
community of students, faculty
and administrators. That's one
of the reasons I came here."
"I didn't want to feel like a
number, now I feel like a num
ber."
St. Andrews' president Dr.
Warren Board announced
shortly after taking office last
month that the school plans next
year to open an academy for
high school students who are in
the top ten percent of their
classes. The students would
complete their last year of high
school and their first year of
college at the same time.
Elaine Thomas, public
affairs director said, "A sub
group of the administrative
council" looked at possible
housing settings for the acad
emy and recommended that
Granville become its residence
hall.
She said the study group
considered cost, the number of
existing students who would be
required to move out and the
size and location of the hall.
Thirteen students currently
living in Granville are expected
to return to the residence hall
next year, she said. Granville
can house about 60.
Council members and the
future headmaster of the acad
emy informed students of the
recommendation Tuesday night.
On Wednesday, students held
their own meeting to discuss
ways of opposing the change
and demonstrating their concern
about the way the decision was
made.
Clegg said some students
planned to boycott classes
during a specified period Mon
day and are encouraging each
other to refuse to sign housing
contracts for next year.
Granville was the site of a
fire a few years ago. At that
time, some of the rooms were
renovated for wheel chair
students.
Clegg said putting wheel
chair students with high school
seniors contradicts the stated
purpose of keeping wheel chair
students and regular collect
students together.
"I am upset that my dorm
is being taken away from me
and that I was not given a
chance to have my opinions
known," he said.
Clegg said the student
actions should not be construed
as a striking out against school
officials. "We are trying to be
cooperative as possible. We are
not trying to hit the bull in the
face. We're just trying to run
with it and work out a solution,"
he said.