ALETHEIA
Volume XXVn, Number 12
Montreat-Anderson College
Bobbitts
Partake in
Sexual
VigOantism
By Jeff Lang
Lorena Bobbitt severed the pe
nis of her husband, John Bobbitt, with
a kitchen knife last summer, on June
25, 1993, in Miami, Horida.
Bobbitt's worst nightmare came
true when he realized that his immi
grant wife had emasculated him. Af
ter the act, she grabbed his penis and
her purse, jumped in the family car
and drove out of town, tossing his
penis into a desolate field. Later
Bobbitt's penis was retrieved by a
police officer in time to be success
fully sewn back on to Bobbitt's body.
Last month, the Bobbitts went to
court. Bobbitt charged his wife with
malicious assault and mutilation.
Bobbitt's wife counter-charged
Bobbitt with rape and assault. She
contended that Mr. Bobbitt had con
tinually raped and beaten herthrough-
out their marriage. He vigorously
denied her charges.
Despite Mrs. Bobbitt's history
of a "hot temper", along with allega
tions of embezzlement, shoplifting,
and stealing, she was acquitted.
Bobbitt, who many thought seemed a
Febmary 4,1994
Students Rewarded for Academic Excellence
By Kerie Peterson
Students received honorable rec
ognition at Chapel last week, January
28, 1994, when the seventeen Distin
guished Scholars and the thirty-seven
Dean's List Recipients were officially
announced.
Last semester's number of stu
dents to qualify has increased from
semesters past. Vice President for
Academic Affairs Dr. Don King attrib
uted the highernumber of students that
qualified to M-AC's ability to attract a
"better quality of student academically
and stronger students follow through to
performance." Chad Buus, a transfer
student from Florida State University,
attributed his success to the teachers.
"Being a full-time student, and a full
time worker with a family, is tough at
times, but with the smaller number of
students per classroom, it is easier to
achieve a more personal relationship
with the teachers and that allows for
better learning and higher success."
Students must work rigorously to
be a recipient of one of these notable
awards, and must fulfill the guidelines
outlined in the student handbook, this
includes earning a 3.9 or above quality
point average (QPA), for the Distin
guished Scholar List and at least a 3.5
QPA for the Dean's List for the semester.
The recognition of student
achievement is important to the stu
dents. Joy Stumph, a transfer student
from Jacksonville, Florida, expressed
"1 have been on other Dean's Lists and
President's Lists and all we received
was a letter. It is nice to be recognized
by your peers." Senior Kim Trapnell
agreed, "It is always nice to have your
efforts rewarded."
The students are proud of their
achievements and Misty Vamlo, atrans-
fer student from Gilford College, added,
"Afterfouryearsofgetting B'sandC's,
it feels good to finally get a 3.7."
With the challenge and encourage
ment from the teachers and the motiva
tion of the students, it appears as if M-
AC's academic standards are on the rise.
bit shifty and not tmstworthy, was also
acquitted of his wife's counter-charges.
National Feminists Groups
claimed that Mrs. Bobbitt is innocent
of any wrong doing and that she has
galvanized the global women's libera
tion movement, exposing marriage for
what it really is: "the legalized rape and
humiliation of women."
Men's groups recoiled at come
dian jokes and at the mockery that
Bobbitt has endured, lamenting the
societal indifferences to male pain.
As to the media coverage, from
comedians to news reporters. Senior
Justin Ramb indicted the spectacle, "I
think the case is an exploitation of a
society that is looking for sensational
ism, not realism."
Regarding the verdict, question
of guilt, innocence, and just recom
pense for the alleged crimes, students
remained divided. HowertonR.A. Karl
Schleflerdeclared, "She should nothave
been acquitted. I think she should have
something cut off."
There seems to be a general con
sensus among males that perhaps
Bobbitt's wife could have chosen a
different route to justice rather than
sexual vigilantism. No females inter
viewed wanted to make comment on
the decision.
Sophomore Mike Wallen re-- '
marked, "If it was rape, he should have
been incarcerated, but she didn't have
the right to cut off his penis."
The sentiment of most was ex
pressed by Cafeteria Manager Jack
Spencer, who maintained, "If it was
indeed rape, he deserved to have it
whacked off."
Lewis and Lundblad Emphasize Feminine Topics
Women's Issues Meetings and Women Writer's Class Provided
By Daniell Hartness
The focus goes to women as
Women's Issue Meetings and Con
temporary Women writer classes have
been made available to M-AC Stu
dents.
Dr. Tisa Lewis, Human Devel
opment and Christian Education Pro
fessor, led up the Women's Issue
Meetings. These meetings arc held
every other week in the conference
room of the Belk Campus Center.
The times are posted before each
meeting. This group is more of a
support group, and it is actually open
to anyone, not just women.
The meetings, which began last
semester, covered what to do after
graduation, career plans, interpersonal
problems, and relationships in gen
eral. During S.A.L.T. week, speaker
Linda Watson spoke to the group con
cerning women in the work place.
"These meetings are a time for
catharsis. It is kind of a time for people
to let their hair down, relax, and talk
about issues that are important, per
sonally," says Lewis. The topics can
range anywhere from politics to reli
gion, and are kept confidential.
"I think that it is great that a
Nursing Home Ministry Inactive
By Joyce Downs
This semester M-AC is looking
to get more students involved in the
heart warming Nursing Home Minis
try that has lit the faces of many feeble
and despondent elderly people con
fined to a nursing home.
Nursing Home Visitation Coor
dinator Jeff Lang explains that what
the ministry intends to do is to brighten
the nursing home residents by con
versing and singing hymns with them.
According to Lang, the ministry be
gan in December of 1992 when a
group of M-AC students went Christ
mas Carolling around town. It was
then expanded in January 1993 and
throughout last semester. This semes
ter however, the ministry is not cur
rently active because of the lack of
student interest. The ministry could
get started only "if we could find a
piano player and half a dozen people to
go," declared Lang.
Lang hopes to create two or three
little special projects with the nursing
home this semester rather than have a
weekly meeting if there is not enough
student interest to keep the ministry
active every week.
Human Services and Cross Cul
tural Studies major Anu-Riikka
Henriksson, who's been a part of the
ministry and who has also worked at a
nursing home herself, encouraged any
one to be a part of this ministry. "They
were h^py to see us, it was very re
warding," recalled Henriksson of how
the senior citizens responded to their
visit. Lang agreed that it has been most
gratifying when he witnessed "people
smile and. light up when you walk into
the room."
group of people arc afforded the abil
ity to learn about their heritage, I am
not threatened by the pursuit of tme
knowledge at all," remarked freshman
Scott Bowers, when asked how he felt
about meetings and classes set aside
for women's studies.
Bonnie Lundblad, English Pro
fessor, explained that as a college com
munity, we need to take a look at world
literature.
She continued, stressing the
point, "just as we have a World
History class. World Literature can
give students an opportunity to read
authors that may not be exposed in
other courses. I try to include an
exposure to literatures from Asia,
Africa, and Latin America. In the
same way, wc must look at con
temporary women writers - both
arc ways of filling the gaps."
There is usually a special topic
course or theme each year within the
English Department. Lunblad is teach
ing the course this semester entitled
"Women of Spirit: Contemporaiy Fe
male Writers". This course deals with
issues such as beauty, aging, relation
ships, sex, work, and spirituality from
a contemporary woman's point of view.
Lunblad has in the past been given
a grant from the National Endowment
for the Humanities to put on a series of
programs about women and literature
and film. She docs have a personal
interest and experience in women writ
ers.
Sophomore Karis Boyer com
mented that she wanted to learn more
about literature from a female writer's
viewpoint, whereas Jeff Reardon, SG A
President, states, "I am a sensitive guy,
and I think chics can write."
Groundhog Scared by Shadow...
By Daniell Hartness Winter Attire Still Required
There will be six more weeks of chilling winter, according to the
groundhog from Puxatawncy, Pennsylvania. Early morning on February 2, as
the sun was rising and peering over the horizon, the groundhog emerged from
a deep hibernation only to see his shadow. He then returned to his winter home
for six more weeks of intense sleep.
If the groundhog would have awakened to a cloudy day, he would not have
seen his shadow, thus signaling an early spring.
When asked what kind of validity should be given to the holiday, student
Philip Lomac gave it a lot of merit, "Yes, it is true." Freshman Christy Hough
voiced this when asked what she thought of the observance of Groundhog's
Day, "It was a great movie, but seriously, I wish he would have not seen his
shadow, because I have seen enough snow to last me for the rest of my life."