PAGE 4 — THE DECREE — APRIL 15,1996
El|C
OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF
NORTH CAROLINA WESLEYAN COLLEGE
Editor-in-Chief — Kimberly Curse«n
Copy Editor — Kevin Corbett
Advertising Manager — John Morgan
Staff — Greg Purcell, Jessica BroSvn, Teaqula Moore, Marcy Stover,
Alan Felton, Jessica Gohoon, Charlotte Pettitt, Karolyn Braun
Advisor—Chris LaLonde
The Decree \s located in the Hardees Building, North Carolina
Wesleyan College, 3400 Wesleyan Blvd., Rocky Mount, NC 27801.
W'^eekly staff meetings are held Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. in the Decree
office.
Re-publicatio^ of any matter herein without the express consent of
the Editorial Board is strictly forbidden. The Decree is composed and
printed by the Spring Hope Enterprise. Opinions published do not
necessarily reflectthoseof North Carolina Wesleyan College.
Today’s decisions
can affect future
There is life after college.
The question is what kind
of life?
The answer to that ques
tion can be determined only
by each individual. The an
swer is gotten by the amount
of preparation and hard
work each person is willing
to put towards their future.
A few weeks ago, a pro
gram in the Leaders in the
Making Series called “Col
lege a four year fling...”
posed a very interesting
question to the Wesleyan
community. Why are stu
dents here? What is the role
of college in their lives?
How will college help them
achieve their goals?
As graduation draws
near, seniors are forced to
face these questions. They
not only have to answer
them but apply them in a
plan for the future after col
lege. By the time the senior
year rolls around, all the
choices made in the last
three years have set a course
that will either prove to limit
questions about the future
or provide the senior with
unlimited opportunities.
The truth is that from the
day you walk on campus as
Publication date changes
Because of a last-minute,
and unexpected, change in
printers beyond the control
of the staff, the Decree is
being published this issue
and next on Monday rather
than Friday. We regreat any
inconvenience this causes.
IFWiaCME,
TUEIESMWIWOF
iB5t5ra»?uiareB
OQiREnt?
r.
a freshman you have set into
motion a direction for your
future. Every decision made
will affect every other deci
sion in your college career.
It seems that many have
let their academics respon
sibilities take a back seat to
whatever short-term plea
sure presents itself at the
time. The thinking seems to
be, “Well, I have plenty of
time to pull up those grades”
or “It is not in my major so
it doesn’t matter what I
make.” The feel is that there
is always next semester.
Eventually there will not be
a “next semester” and it is
not always possible to re
cover from every bad grade.
The future after college
should be at the forefront of
decisions that students make
while at Wesleyan. Ac
countability applies to ev
eryone. All of us will be held
accountable for the deci
sions we make.
College is an incredible
opportunity and a privilege
— a privilege many are un
able to have. Students, make
the most of your time here
because the quality of your
time here will determine the
quality of your time later.
Warmth overcomes cold rain
Generations meet in shop
By DR. STEVE FEREBEE
An unexpectedly cool and
rainy day at the beach leads to a
dusty antique store and four Bac
chanalians.
I hope by now that April has
arrived in fact as well as in name,
but spring’s refusal to serve up
liquid blue-green-yellow days of
warmth climaxed for me when I
found myself staring out at a
sludgy brown-gray ocean instead
of reading on sunbaked white
sands as I had imagined I would
be.
Innocently deciding I had to
make a move, I bundled up and
headed into town where I
stumbled into a scene out of a
Twilight Zone episode. 1 opened
the door of a seemingly normal
shop and heard 1940’s big band
music. Gathered around a little
space heater, four people were
drinking martinis and singing.
Welcome, they said, insisting I
join them. What could I do?
The man who runs the store
asked me why I had come in. I
said I was looking for these cut-
glass tumblers my mother col
lects.
He bounced over to a counter,
gathered tbjee likely looking ex
amples, filled one with what I was
beginning to suspect was deadly
magic, and said that I looked like
his oldest son. Did I know So-
and-So who went to Blah-Blah
High School? No? Well, have an
other. Life is short, sonny.
(Sonny?)
When these revelers, all in
their 70’s at least, discovered I
was an English teacher, they be-
Dk Steve
Muses
gan yelling that no one knew how
to write any more. One of them
retrieved an old mildewy copy of
Shakespeare from a pile of books,
and he began reading wildly from
Othello’s speech just as he is kill
ing Desdamona. He claimed to
have read this to his wife when
ever she “acted up.” His wife
laughed and bonked him with the
newspaper.
They tossed down another
drink. Merrily. They were drink
ing merrily, I would say. One
couple was visiting from “up
north” for a reunion of college
friends. The owner pulled me t
the back and pointed to a pile of
rusty signs from the stores which
used to line this street before “the
war.”
He had a good one of a Robert
Young, Father-Knows-Best type,
dressed in suit and tie, smiling
and holding a dripping cold coke
bottle to his sun-steaming face.
I asked how much, but the man
moaned, “I can’t sell these. These
are my life.”
Beginning to wonder what he
did sell, I rummaged through a
box of old records. I should have
known better. They began telling
me how bad all music has been
since “that Elvis person” came
along and ruined it. I defended
the faith, and they turned up a
Bing Crosby record full blast to
drown out my dissension.
Another unsuspecting “cus
tomer” wandered into the fray and
was immediately offered one of
my mother’s glasses. “You don’t
like Elvis, too, do you?” This poor
lady wasn’t up to it, however, and
she dashed back into the rain. 1
began edging toward the door as
well. Thank-you and good-bye.
“Wait, wait, young man,” said
the newspaper-swinging wife. “1
want you to clear up an argu
ment. Isn’t it true that your gen
eration has more sex partners than
ours did?” This lady looked like
my grandmother! 1 stuttered and
flustered until they all burst out
laughing. “We’re so glad to see
each other, we don’t care about
the weather. Let’s dance!”
When I finally found my way
out, two recently used glasses in
a paper bag, I realized that I did
feel much warmer.
Letters to the editor policy
The Decree accepts only signed letters to the editors.
Unsigned letters will not be printed. Letters should not
exceed 400 words. Letters need to be placed in the campus
post office and marked “Decree” or placed in the Decree
offlce in the Hardees building. Letters must be received by
Friday of the week prior to the next issue in order to be
printed in that issue. The Decree reserves the right to edit or
reject letters for grammar, libel, or good taste.