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THE WESLEYAN DECREE
Oct. 31, 1962
Editorials
Visit Of Russians Was Ironical
The visit to Wesleyan by Yuri Vasukueu and Val
entin Shorin, second and third secretaries to the Rus
sian embassy in Washin^on, D. C., is indeed ironical,
for it was only five days later that President Kennedy
issued orders that a naval blockade go into effect at
once against all Russian vessels en route to Cuba. The
purpose behind this order was to prevent any further
arms buildup in the tiny country.
During the very moments these two men were fran
tically trying to convince Wesleyan students that
Russia was advocating absolute peaceful co-existence,
Russian ships were bearing down hard on the island,
carrying cargoes of nuclear war-heads, and Russian
engineers were busy setting up installations for these
missies in Cuba.
Surely Mr. Vasukueu and Mr. Shorin were well
aware of this situation while they were on campus.
And if this is true, there is only one thing left to
say: that this is just another example of the persist
ence with which the Russians deliver their propa
ganda, and the naivete they show when in the public
limelight. And furthermore, we should see that Ame
rica is guilty of same.
Newspaper Encourages Creativity
For some time now, this newspaper has been advo
cating creative writing on campus, for it seems to us
that creative expression, among college students espe
cially, is most important because it serves as a chan
nel through which young persona can show fear, re
bellion, joy, sorrow: traces of the 20th century.
This poignant poetry is an expression of the same:
Lo, these many years
have I
tottered
on the brink
of insanity
and dared not fall in
one Spring day
I was approached
by Madness.
Drowsy aqua-turquoise
Spiraled into
busy hot pink
Madness leered enticingly,
enfolded me
in his wispy
arms of steel
swirling, smirking—
I was ready to submit.
Then under the
stern gaze
of Common Sense
My lover grew impotent,
unalluring,
not worth an affair
Dazed and depleted
I reeled back
into uncertainty,
self-accusation,
trying to pray . . .
Unable to concentrate.
little man on campus MR. X SAYS
• i- ■
■V/r-
r
I 'yyf
"—WaL, p)pjA Bveiz STOP ro think that this
l^g'FUecrA PfZgTTY R90K J03 OF T6^CHINQ?^/
Letters To The Editor
(The editor reserves the rig-ht to accept or refuse to print
any material submitted. Letters printed represent opinions
of the individuals and not those of The Decree staff.)
THAT PING PONG BALL
To the Editor:
Reactions to our remark about
the students who received a
cracked ball and thereby lost a
quarter continue to ti’ickle in.
One faculty member (known for
his sympathetic but firm atti
tude toward student problems)
suggested that anyone who did
n’t check the baU before using
it was a sucker. We would like
to agree, for life is real and
earnest and any boys old enugh
to attend college should know it.
But with aU due deference to
our esteemed colleague, we think
that that is not the point.
Certainly the miserable quar
ter is not the point. Neither is
the mere fact that the student’s
v/ord was not taken, as flagrant
a violation of the Wesleyan Ck)de
as that surely is.
No, the point, we feel, is that
such a denial of the students’
right (BUI of Rights, item one)
is invidious, pernicious, nefari
ous—bad; we feel that It leads
to micropsyeliic development
among our students—and that
v/e are dead set against. It
shrinks the soul. When the “crib
attendant” refused to believe
that the baU had been cracked
Faculty Member Outlines Plan
For Wesleyan’s Future Growth
Reprinted below is part of “A
Faculty Member’s Plan for Wes
leyan” as presented by Dr. C.
Edwin Harwood, professor of
English, during the Founders’
Day Convocation held last Thurs
day in tlie Student Union.
There are Qiose who see the
Wesleyan of the future in terms
of size, 1,200, 1,800, 2,400, 4,000-
even 6,000 students, with build
ing commensurate with the size,
and a faculty in proportion.
There are those who see the
Wesleyan of the future in terms
of athletic loyalty: the Bishops
in conference competition, pos
ters, newspaper write-ups, etc.,
a stadium with 20 or 30 thous
and frenzied fans watching the
Bishops push old Siwash down
the gridiron.
There are those who see the
Wesleyan of the future in terms
of service to the community,
holding training classes like typ
ing and accounting.
Now, without denying the value
of these hopes, let me give a
faculty member’s hope for Wes
leyan—a projection into the fu
ture of the liberal arts college.
As President Carter Davidson
of Union Ck>llege sadd, “Where
tut in the independent liberal
ai'ts college can we find the
general education of the com
plete person still flourishing?”
In the United States there are
over 700 such colleges, but mere
ly to be independent, small, and
liberal is not enough, if we can
take the word of John W. Gus-
tad, dean of liberal arts and
acting dean of the graduate
school of Alfred University. He
speaks of many “institutions
hanging onto life by their fin
gernails and staffed by faculties
of marginal quality.” He quotes
a nameless educator of national
stature who said that “if 500
colleges in the U. S. were quiet
ly knocked in the head, higher
education would be a lot better
off.”
My projection of Wesleyan is
fully conscious of this danger!
Wesleyan College should em-
pLahize certain characteristics
to prevent falling into the finger
nail class. I name six.
A large share of students
should always live on campus.
Frequent conferences with fac
ulty members in “studies”—not
business-like “offices” — should
take place. We should have
many ceremonial occasions, and
many cultural and intellectual
ones also.
There should be attractions to
keep students and faculty on
campus—a bookshop, which is
as important as library or lab-
on delivery, how did our mis-
bom heroes feel? Did they feel
bad because a Bill of Rights
had been violated? They never
thought of it. But they did feel
shrunken, rejected, less capa
ble, less responsible because
they had been humiliated by a
necessary but impersonal rule.
And that, dear readers, is what
the Wesleyan Code is all about.
It seeks to make members
of its community feel taU, re
spected, trusted. So that’s why
tl.at cracked ping pong baU
means so much: it has become
the symbol of a flawed spirit—
and that is important.
Dr. C. Edwin Harwood
EDITORIAL TOO SOFT
To the Editor;
If the purpose of an editorial
is to expose an issue at hand,
v/hy was the issue on “Com
munity Trust” which appeared
iu the last issue padded?
It seems to me that the illus-
ti-ations set foiih by the editor
only covered up the issue at
hand: that students are to be
treated as adults.
As a comment, it seems ap
propriate to remind the com
munity tliat it takes an adult
to recognize an adidt, and that
the opinion of age is not always
directed towards the young per
son’s best Interest. Rather, it is
sometimes hard and set in old
ways. The students as a whole
do not raise insignificant is
sues. But when their rights are
dictated they will bolt. And they
should!
So we can safely say that the
real issue behind the ping pong
ball and sex poster was the in
ability of some members of the
Administration to recognize col-
Isn’t it unusual that our col
lege doesn’t display the Ameri
can flag anywhere on campus?
First senior class, take the hint,
A good flagpole with base,
plaque, and flag costs around
$500 installed. Can you handle
it?
What’s this we hear about a
select few organizing a frater
nity on campus? A recent is
sue of Newsweek magazine re
ports that “fraternities have
lost in prestige, especially at
the prestige colleges.” The ar
ticle further states that “nation
al fraternities long ago disap
peared at Harvard and Prince
ton, while at Yale they are
withering on the ivy viine.”
And it is evident that such
schools as Amherst, Brown Uni
versity, and Williams College
(a 169-year old Massachussetts
school) are also taking steps to
eliminate fraternities, which
“have come to exercise a dis-
approportionate role in under
graduate life.” What advan
tages would fraternity mem
bership bring on a campus as
small as Wesleyan? Would it
hinder or promote a friendly
atmosphere? Make your de
cisions wisely, gentlemen.
This week’s “pat-on-the-back”
and “thank-you, sir” goes to
Dr. C. E. Harwood. Upperclass
men like the way he presents
his lectures on literature—with
out trying to glorify everything
in the text. If it’s bad. Dr. Har-
v/ood says it’s bad. ’Nuff said.
C!elestial humor: When the
next man in line stepped up
to the Pearly Gates, Saint Peter
said, “Who is there?” The man
replied: “It is I.” Saint Peter
answered: “Go to hell, dad;
we’ve got enough English teach
ers in here now!”
And that’s the very end.
Ferrer Stars In
Picture Of Week
Cyrano De Bergerac, starring
Jose Ferrer, will be shown Fri
day evening, Nov. 9, in Room
105 of the Administration Build
ing under the auspices of the
Music Department.
The award-winning movie of
Edmund Rostand’s dramatic
play also features Mala Powers
and William Prince.
An American actor of great
versatility, Ferrer won an Aca
demy Award in 1950 for his per
formance as the man with the
abnormally large nose.
The play was first presented
in 1891 in Paris as a three-act
comedy in verse. Because of its
tremendous success there, the
play has been translated into
many languages and is now a
familiar comedy to people all
over the world.
oratory and a “good deal more
important than a stadium,” and
should be operated even at a
loss, like the theatre, music and
athletic events.
And finally, v/e should develop
a warm but questioning rela
tionship between town and gown
between the commimity and
the college.
To be strong, a private col
lege must have a strong consti
tuency which believes in a mis
sion to be accomplished and is
willing to back that mission with
its money.
lege students as adults, and
treat them accordingly. And
until this is done, I suspect that
the students wil fight for their
rights for a long, long time.
Larry Post
Official Student Newspaper of
North Carolina Wesleyan College
m
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EDITOR
Mary C. Hodgin
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Walter White
BUSINESS MANAGER
Susie Black