VOL. 11, NO. 8
North Carolina Wesleyan College, Rocky Mount, N.C.
FRTOAY, FEBRUARY 9,1996
White inaugurated
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PRESIDENT WHITE THANKS CHAIRMAN LEON DUNN BEFORE GIVING ADDRESS. (PHOTO COURTESY OF THE TELEGRAM.)
Panelslooks'ot ‘clarity and charity’
By TEQUALA MOORE
The Symposium discussion
panel, “Clarity and Charity: Life
of the Mind and Spirit,” consisted
of a mixture of staff, students,
and faculty.
Directed by Dr. David Jones,
professor of history, the panel’s
participants were Jones, Resident
Director Sigrid Bonner, Profes
sor of Religion Dr. Fred Grissom,
Professor of Religion and Chap
lain Rev. Kirk Oldham, Profes
sor Emeritus Dr. Rexford Tucker,
and fourth-year student Kelly
Wilson.
Each panelist gave an approxi
mately five-minute speech on the
topic,'expressing different points
of view. Jones presided over the
panel.
Oldham said that with respect
to the relationship of the life of
the mind with life of the spirit,
“one benefits from the other and
one depends on the other.” He
also posed the question to the au
diences of students, faculty, staff,
and guests, “How can we test our
faith without being able to learn
the questions to ask?”
Wilson identified herself as a
fourth-year non-traditional stu
dent. She spoke about what she
believes it means to be educated.
noting, “We can’t be truly edu
cated if we have no morals.” She
also spoke of Wesleyan’s reputa
tion in the community as being a
“party school,” and how it is im
portant to have a good “Christian
standing.”
Bonner anchored her com
ments around the North Carolina
Wesleyan College motto, “Wis
dom and Courage., through Chris
tian... Foundation,” with a focus
on the state of the student body.
“There is a widespread disre
gard for moral values,” Bonner
said. “Students do not take re
sponsibility for their own ac
tions.” But she acknowledged that
not all students fall in this cat
egory and that there are several
student leaders. She also cau
tioned students to show respect
for themselves.
Grissom said, “Study of reli
gion has a special place in a
church-related college.” He also
spoke about another aspect of the
life of the spirit as a “witnessing
to the power of work and knowl
edge ... a teacher who demon
strates care for a student is wit
nessing to the life of the spirit.”
Tucker had a multi-faceted
speech, noting, “Education at
(Continued on Back Page)
Fourth president
assumes office
after weeklong
series of events
By TEQUALA MOORE
Prior to Jan. 23, students, fac
ulty, and staff dashed here and
there preparing for the upcoming
Presidential Inauguration.
Dr. John Benson White was
sworn in as North Carolina
Wesleyan’s fourth President on
Thursday, Jan. 23, but many
events took place prior to the for
mal swearing in.
These events gave faculty, stu
dents, staff, and the community a
better insight into the current con
ditions at Wesleyan and for
White’s plans for Wesleyan’s fu
ture.
The first event, on Jan. 23, was
the Inaugural Symposium with
the theme: “What Should Liberal
Education Be at Wesleyan?”
After the welcome given by
Leon A. Dunn, Jr., chairman of
the board of trustees. Dr. White
introduced the keynote speaker,
Robert E. Calvart of DePauw Uni
versity.
Although many students en
joyed the symposium, some still
questioned why a member of
Wesleyan was not chosen to speak
about the liberal education of the
college.
One student, who asked not to
be named, said the symposium
“was very semi-politically cor
rect. The topic went around the
important issues at the college.
They talked about what liberal
education should be at Wesleyan,
not what it is or how we planned
to obtain it.”
Other students, who weren’t
so much into the symposium it
self, found everything enjoyable
because there was something to
do on campus.
On Jan. 24, at 9 a.m., two more
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