PAGE TWO
THE DECREE
Editamk
Ambiguity seerr^ to be a key trait of most general
affairs here at Wesleyan, as is at many schools, and no
one seems willing to do much about it. Consequently,
many heat^ arguments arise over subjects and courses
of action which can be best be described as “vague” and
wliich wuld have been prevented by postitive clarifi
cation. rhe list is long and it ranges from social policy to
which should at this time be noted
^d added to the list, is the academic category, I am re
ferring to the policy of final exams to graduating seniors.
tir. adopted which stated
1 > wu f knowledge, and, apparently, to anyone
el^s) that seniore with an “A” or “B” average in any
ffven course could, with the consent of the professor in
that course, exempted from taking the final examina
tion and receive their total grade average in that couxse.
which do this, which leads on to
question such a pohcy as being academically healthy for
t^ college or for the graduate. In fact,“many coUeges
r^uire comprehensive examinations in a student’s major
^foia^raduating. This, however, is
not directly concerned with the main point.
hand is the ambiguity of such a policy
in the first place. The decision oTwlfether or not final
exams should be given lies with the individu»l professor
(or perhaps, one could suspect, thejjiepartment). Hence
seniors m one area may not have taken any finals at all’
while seniors in another area may have as many as five
or six finals. In short, there is no definite policy, which
really leaves the matter somewhat doubtful as to its
fairness and equality. Supposedly this loose policy was
adopted to ease the hectic confusion of the seniors which
anses near graduation and to reward those seniors with
^h grades. But it doesn’t seem to work that way at all
^me qu^fied semors are even granted this privflege at
tfie end of the first semester. This is obviously and over
extension of the basic “policy”.
Ordinarily, I would be the last person on this campus
to suggest an mtrusion into the right of individual pro
fessors to teach their courses as they please. However,
m this case, ^mething should be done. Some students
^ poOTly on fmal exams while others often pull up on
them. To grant exemption to some and deny it to others
obviously produces a distorted picture on the records of
some individuals when the class grades are viewed as a
whole. In short, this “policy” is unjust and unfair. Either
every senior who has an “A” or “B” in a course should
TO exempted from that exam, or this privilege should not
be grated at all. Whatever the final outcome something
should be done.
What, oh what, ever hajjpens to all the reasonable
student requests around here? Do all requests have to go
through formal channels where they are so susceptible
being bogged down with red tape? The business doesn’t
mind spending money on yellow paint, yellow signs, and
red tickets to emphasize and enforce parking regulations
which are really unneeded, but they just can’t seem
to bring themselves around to installing an information
bulletin board for the students in the S.U. building. Could
this be due to the fact that since parking lot signs etc.
aren’t student originated they aren’t permanently filed
away somewhere? Or could it be that the “powers that
be” don’t consider student requests worth botherii\g
with? Whatever the reason, such action isn’t conclusive
to a good college atmosphere and the bulletin board is
but one of a lengthy list. Most requests must be officially
filed, substantiated, and then run through at least 4 offices
and 10 people before they are even considered. After this
is done they for the most part ignored or explained away.
I guess the real reason is that students are actually
quite inferior to most other forms of campus life and the
possibility of one of them coming up with a good idea for
request is quite slim, therefore, why waste time on them.
“THE PATHS OF GLORY”
I have just been reading an interesting article in the
Wake Forest paper, OLD GOLD & BLACK, (one of
many interesting articles, I might add) concerning an
Honors Seminar Program which was begun there in 1961.
To graduate with honors a student must complete 12
hours of Honor Courses, write a major paper and pass an
oral examination in their field of study while maintaining
a minimum 2.0 quality point ratio. The aim of this fasci
nating program is “to stimulate intellectually curious peo
ple” into greater heights of intellectual pursuit. I couldn’t
help but think, “What a fascinating opportunity!” Then
I began to conduct an appraisal of our own programs
designed to stimulate academic interest and excellence
and I was imable to come up with very much. It is true
that we do have seminars, student teaching assistants,
and a handful of acadmeic rewards in various fields, but
this really isn’t much. Why is this and what is the result?
CKir school is plagued by apathy—especially academic
apathy. Any why shouldn’t it be. . . .after all, we have
little if nothing to work for except a diploma and possible
dep>artmental honors, and I’m afraid that the old maxim,
“work is its own reward”, wears rather thin, especially
B
iV-s A
- I'ti
sewioes
I •'
doKj'T
after 4 years. In short, a student can work hard, malrp
good grades, achieve various personal academic suc-
esses, and still receive veiy little reward for it other than
a postage stamp sized piece of paper. Granted, every
student should have a long range goal, but tliere should
also be some sort of plan to provide various intermediary
goals for encouragement and honor, God Imows, little
enough respect is shown for high academic achievement
in the general college atmosphere as it is, notwithstand
ing the. fact that we have far less honorary goals ttian
most schools.
In short, there is very little academic stimulus here
at Wesleyan for student, gifted or not There is no
academic pride. Until we establish some sort of plan in
this area I am afraid that many potentially excellent
students will drop to mediocracy and those who do main
tain high standards will be forced to pass on into graduate
school or further before they will receive the recognition
which they truly deserve, potentially this is the best of
times. In reality is it the worst of times. It is up to the
policy makers of this school to begin devising some pro
grams and to begin making some changes in order that an
acadenucally stimulating atmosphere may finally be
attained,
POETRY CORNER
HEARK YE ALL!
By King Fun Ho
The moon—a crystal disc of
desire.
The sky—a velvet deep and blue.
The sky was built for—
the moon’s perfection.
And you were made for—
the world’s4elight.
The moon is a unique disc—
to which artists aspire.
The sky is a stretch of blue—
wherein lie peace and hope
ETERNITY is made for them,
my dear.
PRESENT is made for you.
POEM BY TROLL
A bridge
Connecting two bodies of land,
And on either side
Black and white
An attack
Much like a calvary charge,
An attempt of black dispersion
A circle
Bombs, beatings, no arrest
no reason
Thank you, God, for justice
Who needs Hitler?
THE DECREE
Official Student Newspaper of
North Carolina Wesleyan College
TmWo, m. c.
Boa 31M
. c vmWtm c«aM
• ‘ r Ummt, n c
NEWS STAFF
Editor-in-Chief
Assistant Editor
Sports Co-editors
Layout Ekiitor
Fritz Smith
Marilyn Spenoer
Asst. Layout Editor
Photographers
BUSINESS
STAFF
Tom Davis
Business Manager
Secretary
Marilyn Shepard
Circulation Manaiger
Mailing
GENERAL. STAFF
Claire Anderson
Aileen Parker
King Fun Ho
Bob Kirkman
Tom Inscoe
Alyce Nixon
Doug Windes
Dale Pixley
JoUy Alligood
Blaine Adams
Ekxiie Waters
TUESDAY. MARCH 39. 196S
Modern
Myth
Ed, Note:
The following is an excerpt
from the Richmond College Col-
legian. It is reprinted due to
th e fact that it Is quite per
tinent to our college problems
today.
“Everyone is going to col
lege” is a modern American
myth, and the “ simple truth
is that It still requires a cer
tain level of Intelligence to be
college educated,” Dr. Austin E.
Grigg, head of the Department
of Psychology, in the third of
four addresses in the Alumnae-
Alumni Lecture Series Tuesday
night.
Dr. Grigg, in his speech en
titled “Brainpower Unlimited: A
Modern American Myth,” ex
pressed concern over the fact
that a common attitude today,
particularly In the business
world, Is that everyone must go
to college. Dr. Grigg said that
with the population increasing at
fantastic rates “people are
brighter today than ever be
fore,” but “brainpower is the
major limiting ' factor” in get
ting a college education.
He stressed ihat colleges must
not lower their standards In or
der that diplomas might be gran
ted to more and become “some
new conformity symbol.” Dr.
Grigg emphasized that it was col
leges’ responsibility “to turn
out a quality (pr^uct,” and that
“they dare not water down stan
dards now because of this myth”.
Dr. Grigg cited, as a clear
example of the myth which ex
ists, a prediction in FORTUNE
that in 20 years, 65 pef cent
of all college age people in the
U. S. will be attending college.
Surveys in 1960 have shown that
slightly over 40 per cent of all
high school graduates in the U.
S. are being admitted to col
lege, Considering the total age
group for high school grad
uates, which includes drop-outs
only about 27 per cent are en
tering college, and of the high
school graduates who enter col
lege, only about 20 per cent
now graduate, other studies have
shown that only one-third of any
given age group are able to pro
fit from college. These figures
as well as others cited by Dr.
Grigg, substantiate his state-
nrent that “you simpiy ao not
find 65 per cent of college age
people in the U. S. bright enough
for college.”
Dr. Grigg told the group that
their children will need the best
training they can get to live In
this complex world where
“stress will be tremendous.”
This same generation which is
“perfectly willing to pay 50 mil
lion doHars for a bomb and
hardly 50 cents for a good poem ”
said Dr. Grigg, is the genera
tion which “must pass on to the
next generation the best.” He
implied that it was time every
one stopped talking and did some
thing to prevent the myth being
circulated in p. T. A. meetings
and magazines across the nation
from spreading and lowering our
college standards.
NEWSNOTE:
The Van Guard Class, an adult
group, of the First Methodist
Church of Rocky Mount, recently
contributed a wheel chair to the
infirmary of N.C.W.C. Mrs. Opal
Barrow, house mother of Nash
Dormitory, is a member of the
class and suggested the idea as
a project for the church group.