WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16. 2011 // PAGE 8
the pendulum
Editorial
THE PENDULUM
Established 1974
The Pendulum Is published
each Wednesday of
the academic year. The
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copy deadline Is 5 p.m. the
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Anna Johnson
MANAGING EDITOR
Rebecca Smith
ADVISER
Colin Donohue
SECTION EDITORS
Caitlin O’Donnell
f\lews Editor
Kassondra Cloos
News Editor
Melissa Kansky
Assistant fJews Editor
Rachel Southmayd
Opinions Editor
Bonnie Efird
Features Editor
Lauren Ramsdell
Arts and Entertainment Editor
Jack Rodenfels
Sports Editor
Conor O’Neill
Assistant Sports Editor
SENIOR REPORTERS
Natalie Allison
Sarah Carideo
Sam Parker
Becca Tynes
COPY
Eva Hill
Copy Chief
Ashley Fahey
Copy Editor
Rebecca lannucci
Copy Editor
Lindsay Kimble
Copy Editor
Edith Veremu
Copy Editor
Madelyn Smith
Copy Editor
Kate Riley
Copy Intern
PHOTO DESK
Heather Cassano
Photo Editor
Brian Allenby
Staff Photographer
Molly Carey
Staff Photographer
Merlssa Blitz
Staff Photographer
Tracy Raetz
Staff Photographer
Julia Sayers
Staff Photographer
DESIGN
Gabriela Szewcow
Design Chief
Marlena Chertock
Design Editor
Libby McGuire
Design Editor
Luke Lovett
Graphics Editor
Mark Capozzola
Graphics Editor
Kyra Gemberling
Design Intern
ONLINE
Jeff Stern
Online Editor-In-Chief
Jack Dodson
Multimedia Editor
Maggie Cissel
Multimedia Editor
Zachary Horner
Multimedia Editor
Laura Van Drie
Multimedia Intern
Christine Williams
Multimedia Intern
BUSINESS
E.J. Young
Sus/ness Manager
Natalie Simonds
Assistant Business Manager
Input crucial to succoss of futuro programs
I the easy road and
No matter how many new
dining halls Elon constructs,
the number of student
organizations available
or the variety of housing
offered, there is one key facet
of college life that should
dictate every decision and
interaction that takes place
on campus—learning.
In recent months, students
have been particularly vocal
about activities happening
on campus. Those living in
West Area have expressed
frustration with the noisy
construction taking place
in downtown Elon. Others
have spoken out against the
recently introduced options
for meal plans next year.
Where student response
has been lacking is in regard
to the Quality Enhancement
Plan. Elon is developing this
plan in preparation for a
2013 visit from the Southern
Association of Colleges and
Schools, the university’s
accrediting body.
The final QEP will be
narrowed down from
submitted ideas and is an
initiative meant to enhance
student learning. It could
include anything from a
required course for incoming
freshmen to a mandatory
experience for the senior
class. This plan will redefine
cWXPOTi.e
learning and transform the
direction of Elon's campus for
years to come.
Students are often quick
to point out the flaws they
find in educational programs.
When the teacher evaluation
forms are released at the end
of every semester, they relish
the chance to express their
displeasure with a particular
teacher’s methods.
What is puzzling, then.
RACHEL SOUTHMAYD | Opinions Editor
is the lack of response when
given the chance to directly
influence the current learning
model on campus. Sharing an
idea is as easy as submitting
an e-mail or filling out a slip
of paper. Though only one
final idea will be selected
for implementation, the
best ideas will be reviewed
and combined, so every
submission matters.
Rather than taking
the easy road and
complaining, students have
the opportunity to use
experiences and knowledge
from their time as a student
and put them to good use.
The university administration
is not creating this initiative
and then simply introducing
it to the student body; they
are appealing to the students
for ideas and want student
support throughout its
development.
The committee members,
professors in their own
right, may have led courses
on campus but have never
experienced the modern
Elon classroom from the
other side. They are working
off their assumptions and
understanding of student
life on campus, which many
not be complete without
additional student input.
As students, we should
strive not only for our own
personal gain in school, but
for everyone to have access to
great teachers, programs and
resources. It’s about taking
what works and sharing it to
make the student experience
better for everyone on
campus. It's time to show the
university administration
that students care about their
learning and are striving to
make it even better.
There’s a whole world beyond these brick walls
Elon University exists as a little entity
unto itself. There are places to eat, sleep,
socialize and even shop. And while that
is all well and good, every now and again,
we have to look outside of the bubble and
realize that there is a big world out there,
and it isn't always pretty. But it does us
no good to live like ostriches with our
heads buried in acorn-covered sands.
When a major world event happens,
we at The Pendulum try to balance what
we feel is a need to inform and educate
the public with the specific needs of our
target audience; members of the Elon
community.
When protests broke out in Tunisia
and then Egypt, we provided coverage of
students and faculty directly impacted
by these events. In 2010, we ran stories
about the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile,
supplemented with material written by
students who happened to be there at the
time or had a personal connection to the
tragedies.
And this week, we bring you the story
of the disaster in Japan.
As of now, the number of people dead
is still unknown. No monetary amount
has been placed on the damages yet, and
there really can’t be a figure assigned to
the value of the countless homes, families
and lives destroyed.
But that’s all “over there," right? It
doesn’t affect us here in school.
Wrong.
There are three Elon students in Japan
right now, witnessing the aftermath of
the devastating earthquake, tsunami
and nuclear fallout. Elon Sophomore
Junko Aoyama, an international student
from Japan, who knows people directly
affected by the disasters, was kind
enough to share her story with us and
illustrate her feelings through a cartoon.
The Earth’s axis has shifted more than
four inches, Japan’s coastline slid more
than eight feet and the length of the
day has been shortened by almost two
microseconds.
This tragedy isn’t limited to a nation
of islands thousands of miles from North
Carolina. Its scope is gigantic.
Give money, give blood, give other
forms of physical support but most of all,
give a damn.
We may live in a bubble, but we cannot
forget the world that exists and spins all
around us. We cannot forget that first
and foremost, before we are residents of
Elon or our home states or the U.S., we are
members of the global community. And it
is our duty to step up and help our fellow
citizens of the world.
h/LORE ONLINE: OPINIONS
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Recently, Elon announced its
latest group of tenured professors.
Receiving tenure at Elon is the
goal of every professor on that
track, as it solidifies job security
and symbolizes the pinnacle of a
career.
I read the list of names and was
pleasantly surprised to see several
black professors on that list. I am
interested in the progression of
Elon’s number of tenured black
professors because freshman
year, I helped lead a movement
to highlight the lack of black
tenured professors at Elon. Black
professors serve as mentors on
campus, and provide invaluable
support for black students.
I applaud Elon for their efforts
in increasing diversity, but I am
still jaded; Elon shouldn’t have
been in this position to begin
with. During my matriculation,
Elon did not tenure two black
professors who were outstanding
and highly regarded by their
students; Dr. Ocek Eke and Dr.
Norris Gunby. I still feel the pain
of seeing those professors’ lives
turned upside down by losing the
teaching positions they worked so
hard for.
Elon’s number one goal in
its strategic plan is to increase
diversity, and that is slowly
occurring. But what if this goal
had been present all along? Would
Dr. Eke and Dr. Gunby be tenured?
Having diverse professors is
paramount to Elon becoming
better. Diverse backgrounds
are part of what makes a great
community. Currently, there are
not any black male professors
tenured in the School of Business.
This fact affects me especially
because I am a marketing major.
There Is still a large disparity
in the number of tenured black
professors, but Elon has a chance
to continue to change for the
better. Also, the newly tenured
black professors have a chance to
continue to show the school their
merits and talents. They will set
the standard for black professors
of the future.
Everyone should respect and
realize the struggle Drs. Eke and
Gunby faced and continue to face.
Hopefully, in the future, Elon will
continue to make progress and
recognize the worth of diverse
professors.
Trevor Wynn
Class of 2011