Volume LX
Salem College, Winston-Salem, N.C., Friday, December 2, 1977
Number 10
Helmick Discusses
Task Force
By Jane Dittmann
Direction is important to
Academic Dean Helmick - more
specifically, direction with
respect to the future of Salem
College. According to Dean
Helmick the delineation of
“farsighted objectives enables
intelligent decision making in the
present.”
Direction cannot be imposed by
“administrative fiat,” but should
be the concern of both students
and faculty. Dean Helmick
believes. To establish procedures
which provide a sense of
direction in the academic realm
is the major pursuit of the
recently established faculty task
forces. Dean Helmick conceived
of the task forces as temporary
groups which would examine
areas which have received
minimal or fragmentary
evaluation in the past.
Dean Helmick stresses the
necessity of “shared
responsibility” in the
examination of the task force
topics: Advising, Curriculum
Review, Teaching Effectiveness
and Faculty Development,
Evaluation, Educational
Resources, Governance, and
Long-Range Planning. The
Academic Dean first advanced
the idea of faculty task forces at
the faculty retreat earlier this
year in Boone. Membership was
Bolling Lecture
to be voluntary and faculty
members also volunteered for the
chairmanships of the seven task
forces. (Interestingly, all those
who volunteered to chair the task
forces received the chairmanship
of their choice.) Dean Helmick
characterizes over-all response
to the task forces as “larger than
expected,” and she senses that
those faculty involved are
“convinced of their (faculty task
forces) value” and find them
“well worth their time.”
The task forces were provided
with an initial set of “charges” or
areas of consideration from Dean
Helmick, and a related
bibliography. With a “freedom to
consult” with the dean or change
the charges, the task forces
began their work. The task forces
work individually and determine
their own meeting times- usually
once a week. The groups meet in
the Home Management House
where a library relating to task
force topics is provided, and
where minutes of meetings will
also be kept.
The faculty task forces are not
permanent committees. Dean
Helmick describes the task
forces as “organized to deal with
specific topics in a limited
amount of time.” In January the
task forces will share their
conclusions and recommend
policy concerning the seven
Cont’d. on two
Palestinian Issue
Is Key To Peace
Staff Report
A crisis of niyths and
misunderstandings has combined
"'ith a racial and religious
conflict in the Middle East,
resulting in four wars since 1947.
Peace efforts by Sadat and Begin
are encouraging but, unless the
crucial issue of Palestinian rights
|s settled, a fifth war in the region
js highly possible. Landrum R.
Rolling addressed these issues
and others when he spoke to over
100 students, faculty and
community members in Shirley
Hall Nov. 14.
I in ‘s president of the
•miy Endowment and chiarman
e Internationa! Quaker
Working Party on Middle East
thp^w Through his position in
bpnn Party, Bolling has
an authority on the
( atherine Harris - New Sociology professor explains statistics to
juniors Ann Waters and Susan ('rothers.
Harris Joins Sociology Dept.
By Anne Beidleman
She is not very tall. In fact, she
is positively petite, but her size
belies her intelligence. She is
Catherine Harris, a new faculty
member in the Sociology
department.
Dr. Harris graduated from
college at the age of 20 and began
teaching undergraduate courses
at 21. She received her M.A. from
Duke University and her Ph.D.
from the University of Georgia.
She has taught sociology at
Pfeiffer College; University of
Maryland foreign division in
Heidelberg, Geiropny; Auburn
University, and St. Andrews
Presbyterian College.
Catherine Harris is teaching
“Introduction to Sociology,”
“Sociological Statistics,” and
“Sex Roles in Sociology.” She
will be teaching
“Anthropological Methodology”
during this year’s January Term.
She also serves on the Human
Research Review Committee
with Dr. Linda Dudley.
Dr. Harris currently is co
authoring a textbook on
sociological theory. The textbook
will focus on the emergence of
contemporary issues and their
historical antecedents. Her aims
in writing the textbook are to
relate theory to practical ap
plication and to make
sociological theory un
derstandable to students.
Dr. Harris’ topic specialties
are sociological theory, social
psychology, and anthropology.
Catherine Harris is a valuable
addition to the Sociology
department. She enjoys talking
with interested students’ and
students, regardless of major,
may enjoy talking with her.
Middle East Situation, having
talked at length with leaders on
all sides of the issue. One fact
that was quite evident to Bolling
from these discussions is that all
sides passionately believe that
they are “right” in the conflict.
The primary point of
disagreement has been who has
the legitimate claim to Palestine,
the Israelis or the Palestinians. If
the claim is based upon the
legacy from Abraham to his
“Son.s and Daughters,” then both
sides csn lay claim to the land.
The Israelis formed their state in
1947, based on the assumption
that’ they, “a people without
land” were coming to a “land
without people.” As Bolling
points out, that assumption was
tragically incorrect, as the
Palestinians had been there for
over a thousand years. On the
issue of land, then, both sides are
right and both are wrong.
Both sides have also been
wrong in their approach to
finding a solution. They have
echoed the French approach to
the Algerian crisis of 1945,
claiming that “the only language
these people understand is force,
so we must use that language.”
The four wars in the area are
largely attributable to this myth.
Bolling suggests that the
likelihood of a solution being
reached is enhanced by the high
degree of unanimity between the
two sides as to what a good
solution will be. The major
Smile You're on 'Camera 12'
You - students, faculty, staff - have an opportunity to give your
opinions on political issues, international affairs, student life,
education trends, recent movies or books or ANYTHING I
Channel 12’s “Camera 12” will be interviewing for their noon opinion
show on the Salem campus Tuseday, Dec, 6. Dave Plyler and camera
A’ill be in the Square shortly before noon.
So, clear your throat and mind - put on a .smile - and come to the
Square to “tell what’s on your mind!”
problem that remains is the
question of Palestinian rights in
the area. Israel has refused in the
past to talk of Palestinian
“rights,” agreeing only to
discuss Palestinian “interests"
The Pale.stinians, on the other
hand, have refused to explicitly
acknowledge the right of the
Israelis to ha\c a stale in
Palcstiiu'
I'hc current basis for
negotiations, in Bolling's view, is
the United Nations. ,Securit>
Council Hi'solution 242 of 1967. Its
primar\ attribute is its
ambiguit\, which allows Ixith
sides to accept it as a base.