t
A
^Ifie S (demite
‘]/o[ume LXXI 9{p. 3
OctoBer 12, 1990
Dr. Litzenburg to Step Down From Presidency
by Patricia Earnhardt
The Salemite
After eight years of service to Sa-
[jem Academy and College, Dr.
Thomas Litzenburg will relinquish
his duties as President.
Litzenburg officially announced
|his resignation on September 27,
1990. However, students were notified
of his decision during emergency resi
dence hall meetings on September 26.
On September 27 at a meeting spon
sored by SGA Executive Board, to
answer questions and further explain
his decision to resign.
Litzenburg said that his decision to
step down was both the most difficult
and the easiest of decisions for him.
"The decision to step down was for
laudia Wallis Addresses
fealem Community
111 the Real "Feminists" Please Stand
by Patricia Earnhardt
The Salemite
When Claudia Wallis asked for a
[ show of hands of those persons who
):onsidered themselves to be feminists,
i^ery few hands were raised.
The same question, however brought
i different response when asked at the
end of her lecture. The number of
rjifeminists' had grown to a more sub
stantial number.
, j Wallis's lecture on women, which
■^followed the feminist movement from
#he 1930's into the 1990's, gave femi-
jj^ism a fresh image. She portrayed
y3,fominists not as radical bra-bumers,
Dut as intelligent, well-rounded women
genuinely concerned about their posi-
f ion in history and society.
Wallis, a senior editor at Time Maga
zine, was invited to Salem to speak on
the "State of Women in America" as
part of the Knight Grant.
The Knight Grant is set up by the
Salem College Women's Achievement
Initiative to bring v/omen of national
stature to campus.
Wallis described the topic of women
as the "San Andreas fault of journal
ism." Recalling her first experience
j writing about women, Wallis said she
remembered thinking, " I've been [a
woman] for a long time. This should be
easy."
However, when she began her re
search Wallis said she could not figure
out how women had made it this far.
Wallis said the "world around us has
not changed or conformed to new stan
dards." For example, women continue
to receive 70 cents to the man's dollar
in the U.S.
me very, very difficult because of my
unqualifying love for what I have come
to call the most special place in the
world. And it was the easiest. Simply,
it was time," he said.
"1 think your future is full of extraor
dinary promise and hope. And 1 think
the Trustees and the students and oth
ers will move with gusto to find a
successor."
Litzenburg refrained from further
comment concerning his successor, but
said he will remain in office until a
successor can be found.
In a letter from Mary Bryant Newell,
chairwoman of the Board of Trustees,
to the Salem Community Mrs. Newell
announced the [Board of Trustees] Ex
ecutive Board's intention to act quickly
on the appointment of a presidential
search committee.
Litzenburg and Newell requested that
the Salem Community rally in support
of Salem.
While women's positions in society
have fluctuated over the years, they
have never been given the opportunity
to compete alongside men for the same
rewards. Wallis said a survey of women
in college in the 1950's defined per
sonal success as having a prominent
husband and successful children. There
were no ideals of personal achieve
ment for women.
However, previously in the 1930's,
the economic outcome of the Great
Depression forced many women to en
ter the work force. "Women marrying
later and leaving the home was not a
part of the (women's) movement, it
was part of life," she said. Women had
jobs in order to feed their families, not
to increase their sense of self-worth or
to achieve equality with men.
In discussing the history of femi
nism, Wallis also mentioned the Suf
fragettes and their fight to have the
right to vote, as well as the women who
fought for the ERA.
Wallis has been at Time since 1978
and has written national news, the
people section, and medicine. Her
longest post was as Time's medicine
writer. She has been a senior editor for
three years. And, is the third woman in
Time's 67 year history to be named a
senior editor.
Farris and Dudley Rank as two of
the Best Local College Professors
by Angela Shotts
The Salemite
While recently discussing possible
topics for articles in this paper and it
was suggested that 1 write an article on
the awards Dr. Farris and Dr. Dudley
received recently.
In my usually "clueless" form I re
plied, "What awards?" After I dug up
a copy of Style for September 5 -11,1
Dr. Dudley
Dr. Farris
discovered what everyone was talking
about. Jeremy Byman had written an
article entitled "Hot College Profes
sors" profiling eight local college pro
fessors.
Two of these select few were our
very own Dr. Farris and Dr. Dudley.
Even though 1 have never taken a class
that they teach, I was not surprised to
find that they were selected. When
ever students are talking about classes
and teachers they enjoy, these two
names invariably arise. After reading
the article I realized why this is true.
Both Dr. Farris and Dr. Dudley use
teaching methods that go beyond the
normal lecture-only technique.
Case studies and free writing exer
cises are used to add a spark to class
and to assure that their students are, in
fact, thinking on their own. In addi
tion, both professors stressed that they
want students to know they are always
available.
Salem College has an unusual abun
dance of exceptional professors. The
students here already recognize this
fact. It is wonderful to know that now
theoutside community is also a ware of
this. Congratulations Dr. Farris and
Dr. Dudley!