Page 2
The Belles
November 1988
FHitnrifll Letter to the Editors:
Dear Editor: care, househo
Guinea Pigs
For Free
Every high school student faces that
frightening Saturday of the SAT. The Schol
astic Aptitude Test (SAT) is a 3-hour test
that most colleges use in their admissions
process. The test is divided into six 30-mi-
nute sections: 2 verbal sections, 2 math
sections, 1 Test of Standard Written En
glish, and 1 experimental section. The math
and verbal sections determine one’s score.
The Test of Standard Written English is
used by colleges to place students in En
glish classes. The experimental section of
the SAT is just that — experimental — and
does not count toward’s one’s score.
The experimental section of the SAT is
used to test future questions. A student
spends 30 minutes working on a section
that does not help him at all, but only be
nefits the College Board.
A student pays $12.50 to take the SAT.
Why should the College Board get free
guinea pigs? When people are used in sci
entific experiments, they are paid for their
time. Why isn’t the student paid to be part
of their experiment? At a minimum, the stu
dents should have the option of deciding
whether to attempt the experimental ques
tions.
As it is, the SAT is so long that it creates
frustration and anxiety without having an
extra section. In addition, the questions in
the experimental section, are usually ex
tremely difficult, which only frustrates the
student further.
The College Board should reanalyze the
experimental section. Because of the em
phasis colleges place on SAT scores, a
student is under considerable pressure to
score well on the SAT. Is it fair to create
additional anxiety by requiring students to
participate in an experimental program?
Welcome Back
Mr. Tate
By Michelle Baba
Many returning students have probably
missed the presence of Mr. Tate, an En
glish teacher who has been part of Saint
Mary’s since 1957. Throughout his career,
Mr. Tate has not only been active in the
classroom but also in other areas of cam
pus life. For example, Mr. Tate has worked
to improve our library, and he has helped
students discover the sights and sounds of
Europe. As Santa Claus at the annual Cir
cle/Beacon Christmas Party, Mr. Tate has
created something of a tradition. His jolly
entrance and Santa dance were highlights
of last year’s festivities.
Due to i llness at the end of last semester,
Mr. Tate had to take time off. In January,
however, he will be returning to the class
room. Because of his condition, Mr. Tate
was unable to lead the Shakespeare In En
gland summer course, which he has taught
annually since 1979. This six-week jaunt
through Amsterdam, Paris, Statford-Upon-
Avon, and London combines sightseeing
with the study of Shakespearean plays.
The trip is quite popular, but if thee’s and
thou’s are not your style, there is a Spring
Break trip to London which is pure sightse
eing. If you are interested in either trip, keep
your ears open for more details.
New students should be encouraged to
get to know Mr. Tate. He’s a friendly, funny,
interesting man who has been a crucial part
of Saint Mary’s life for many years. Old
students should take the time in January
to say, "Welcome back!" as well. Let’s
show this special member of our commu
nity how much we have missed him.
Dear Editor:
I want to congratulate The Belles on its
investigative reporting in reviewing the
class attendance matter. You have done
us a service by showing that we do not
sometimes make clear that we know
exactly what the rules are, and we appear
to be inconsistent in our responses. We
will try to do a better job of being clear
about the rules and consequences. I do
have one concern about the response to
the response which was printed in the
November issue of The Belles.
In the final paragraph of her response,
Jennifer Mason links the action of reporting
class absences to the honor system. That
linkage is not correct. The issue of class
attendance does not involve lying, stealing
or cheating. Our honor system relates to
those three aspects of student life.
The question of the reporting of high
school students’ absences to parents in
volves two other issues. First, the faculty
has determined that class attendance is an
important factor in students’ success. Sec
ondly, a number of parents of high school
students have indicated to me and to others
at Saint Mary’s that they desire to receive
information about their daughters’ class at
tendance. In reporting this fact to the par
ents, we are doing more than meeting our
obligations in informing parents about a re
levant academic matter.
This action has nothing whatsoever to
do with the honor code. It is in no way a
questioning of the honor of our high school
students to report their class absences to
their parents as the parents have re^
quested.
We have a commission to study the
honor system at Saint Mary’s, and it is clear
that one thing we need to do is to differen
tiate between those matters that are honor
system matters and those that are not. This
discussion should help focus our study.
Sincerely yours,
Clauston Jenkins
President
Dear Editor:
I am writing to add to the ideas you pre
sented in the editorial "We’re Not Out of
the Woods Yeti" in the November 1988
issue of The Belles. Your editorial states
that “only 15% of the women in this country
are in professional and technical jobs.” You
add that “it’s hard for us to think that in the
80 s there is such a thing as sexual discrimi
nation anymore."
I agree with these points but I would like
to add the following thoughts for you and
your colleagues to consider:
1. Women at a very early time in their
educational development close many pos
sible doors to prestigious colleges and
satisfying professions by choosing to avoid
such fundamental courses as algebra/
trigonometry, chemistry, and physics in
high school. These coures are vital to many
careers including business, law, engineer
ing, science, medicine, etc.
2. We need to be activists in encouraging
our political and corporate leaders to form
ulate national and corporate policies that
are flexible, equitable, and supportive of
utilizing the fine minds of our entire popula
tion as they build careers, are loving and
responsible parents, and caring children of
aging parents. We need creative sharing
of jobs, excellent child and adult care, fam
ilial leave policies, easily transferrable re
tirement plans, etc. These will contribute
not only to better opportunities for women
but also to more sensible work benefits for
all family members. Parents and children
will be less stressed and in the long run
our country will benefit.
3. Lastly, we as women need to consider
having relationships with caring men who
choose to be supportive of women who are
loving, articulate, intelligent, and assertive.
As the role of women changes so must the
role of men widen to include the respon
sibilities that in the past have been consi
dered female such as child rearing, family
care, household maintenance. As we
women develop our professional lives and
take more responsibility in financial mat
ters, we should likewise encourage men to
be more open in their expression of emo
tion and less pressured in the financial sup
port of the family. We all must share the
joys and responsibilities for caring for each
other, our children, our parents, our neigh
bors, our country, and our world.
I appreciate this opportunity to share
these ideas with you.
Alice Z. Greiner
Dear Juniors and Seniors:
Right now you are having the time of
your lives. You might not be looking ahead
to the day when you will be a Freshman.
That would be a big mistake. Being a
freshman is much different from being a
junior or senior. I know that going away to
St. Mary’s is much like going off to college,
but it is not the same. St. Mary’s is a very
small and personal and structured place. I
am attending the University of South
Carolina and it is nothing like St. Mary’s.
Here you are known by your social security
number. It is rare to see someone that you
know walking through campus. Some
teachers could not care less whether you
pass or fail. There will not always be some
one around to cushion your falls.
What I am trying to say is: Get prepared!
Plan ahead! I am attending summer school.
It has helped me learn my way around cam
pus before I have a tight schedule to keep.
It also has allowed me to get some subjects
out of thfe way. Keep the habit of attending
class every day. Many of your teachers in
college will not care if you come to class
or not, but getting behind in college can be
crucial. Your freshman year will be the
basis of your college career. If you have
big dreams in life, do not plan to party your
entire freshman year. It will be tempting,
but there is a whole week set aside for you
to party, it begins the day that the dorms
open. Classes will not be starting for four
more days. There will be parties given by
the school to introduce you to college life.
This is the week to rush a sorority if you
are interested. This is also the time to hit
all the night spots so you will know where
to go on the weekends. Basically this week
is for you to get out all of your initial excite
ment about being away at college before
Keep Us Posted
Do you want your organization’s ac
tivities represented in The Belles? If so,
keep us posted about what’s happening
in your group, and we’ll be glad to see
that the campus learns about your or
ganization too. Appoint someone in your
group to regularly submit articles about
what you are doing, or give us details
and we’ll write the article for you.
DON’T BE LEFT OUT OF THE BEL
LES!!
you really have to buckle down to studying.
So there will be a time for partying, but not
every night.
When you go to the college of your
choice as a freshman you will be scared
and excited. It is a new experience that you
have waited for a long time. You will feel
like the youngest person around, but you
will feel old for being there. You will be
meeting a whole new group of people and
making many new friends. But it is impor
tant to remember how hard you worked to
get there and how important it is to suc
ceed. Remember the sacrifices your par
ents are making to send you to college.
The grades you make in college may deter
mine the rank of job you get when college
is over. College is a time to grow up and
act responsibly, so start off right your
freshman year!
Finally, be excited about being a college
freshman! It can be a great experience.
But, remember, if you do not start preparing
yourself now, it could be the scariest experi
ence of your life! You don’t want to find
yourself repeating your freshman year. You
will be in school long enough without pro
longing it by failure. Keep in mind that in
four years you will be out in thp real world
trying to survive on your, own. If you do
that, I don’t think you will have any trouble
keeping your act together during your
freshman year.
Sincerely,
Beth Cox
Beth Cox is a Saint Mary’s high
schooi graduate from the class of 1988.
Dear Editor:
I am a junior at SMC in my first year
here. The honor code is not one of the
reasons that I chose to attend Saint Mary’s,
but it certainly impressed me when I was
considering prospective schools. I was
even more impressed with President Jen-
^kins’ speech to the new students in the
chapel on Sunday, August 21, my second
day here. I understood him to say that the
honor code is not a system of rules that is
forced upon the students, but rather a mat
ter of the voluntary choice by individuals to
uphold a certain standard of behavior. He
said that the honor code would not work
withour our, the student’s cooperation. I
(Continued on page 4)
Is Something
Bugging You?
The Belles requests and appreciates
any and all comments on school and polit
ical issues in the form of a letter to the
editor from students not on the Belles staff-
Get involved! Don’t miss a chance to voice
.your side! Please send all letters care of
Dr. Schroeder, St. Mary’s mail. We’re wait
ing to here from YOU!
Saint .Marv’S Cl^llhgh
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Raleigh. North Carolina 2760J I689
Staff
Jennifer Mason, Sheri Roberson
y/Vriters: Jenny Caine, Katherine Cloninger,
Elizabeth Evans, Carlyle Herbert,
Kristie Hoffstedder, Lisa Morris,
Kelsea Parker, Suzanne Quebedeaux, Atussa Raoufian,
Charlotte Sears, Elizabeth Stephenson, Cathy Thompson,
Ellen Zimmerman
Photographer: Alicia Dyer
Advisor: Michael Schroeder