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FHE HILLTOP
iIPe 63. Issue 7
Friday, January 26, 1990
IHC Helps Homeless
Phanie Pierce
lages
^ Writer
January 1,1990, a group of MHC
■^ents set out for Cincinnati, Ohio to
*hd ten days in the inner city.
^ June 1989 estimate by the Nation-
alliance to End Homelessness
*'^ed that on any given night, as many
^35,000 people in the U.S. are home-
s.
Homeless people are a diverse
composed of people from every
race and health status. The com-
®''lon of the homeless often varies
an ecky Hhong different communities. No
'9cr are they confined just to the back
ad broken out'^^^ lr>oer cities, but their growing
jht Sunday 3od their changing composi-
Fine Arts Buildii’l'^ thrust them into public aware-
onday morning,communities and
Hn a lounge lcj|^^*^°rhoods that not long ago would
loir room in the known of their existence,
ing. Although ^^omas Plaut and eleven MHC
all of the to Cincinnati to work with
re itself was rest ^ 'Ite homeless and the poor. Their
adjoining hallv''^Z ®°risisted of working in different
Or. Wayne pre centers.
there was student was assigned
)ir room, bandg^^'^ community centers to work in,
3veral windoWS)^^^*^''^9 on his or her major. Their
)wn out, and ''®Hed from working in soup
I from the heat working with the senior
'any has beed^h the mentally ill, teaching
he debris. Alls'nH°°*’ ®°°king, and most importantly,
) be covered 1^ homes for the poverty stricken.
he students went to Cincinnati for
various reasons. Linda Plants, a senior,
went “to see the world of the inner city.”
She saw elementary school children
who have experienced what a thirty
year-old here has.
Tim Plaut, also a senior, thought the
trip would be a good chance to see the
medical side of the inner city. He was
most “impressed with the spirit of com
munity and caring” that has helped him
define his priorities about his chosen
profession, working with the elderly.
For both Plaut and Plants, the trip
was a time for spiritual growth: “I saw
what real servanthood and Christianity
was, by people giving of themselves,”
Plaut said.
For Staci Smith, also a senior, the trip
made her realize the number of home
less people there are:“ It’s a chance to
learn about these people, but also to
make a difference in someone else’s
life.”
Other members of the group were:
Donna Burkett, Tonya Diston, Donna
Payne, Angela Voss, John Watts, Steve
Yost, Joan Yerby and Dean Honeycutt.
The trip only cost the team $125 dol
lars each and a little extra cash in case
needed. This trip is taken every year and
those interested in going in 1991 should
talk to a student who has gone or to Dr.
Plaut.
au of Investi9^.
ntothecause‘J^'*‘cle K in Action: Helping Others and Having Fun,
of the investi^TOo!
the time the^ioun o
nages due move again!! Last semester Circle K was involved in many ser-
Sg ®®*ivities to benefit the Mars Hill College community, even during the holiday
i offered the
juries and of the activities included a canned food drive for Neighbors in Need, a high-
>ncernofthef''a(;{L ?!®®o-up on 19-23 and flower delivery to Madison Manor Nursing Home. These
n for the mus'‘'of f, ® oot only helped the campus and community, but also provided a great deal
lasses haV6 >, lui mustJ wnu pcmiuipcucu.
nt of Mars Hil^ Soq- ^ does not stop here!! During the upcoming months. Circle K is planning
remainder ^ well as service events to involve other students In the organization.
>^it aKwill sponsor a pizza party for all those^students willing to com-
entir effort to make Mars Hill a better place. The next event Is for the
1C SODhOf^ a Saturday, February 3-a dance after the basket-
Library ^ events present an excellent opportunity for fun and fellowship, so come and
run thrO^ iP^dend.
3W minut^' ®0rr, Would like to get involved and make a difference at Mars Hill, Circle K wel-
ry and rn^et Monday at 5 p.m. in the Presidential Dining Room of
®feteria. We look forward to seeing you there.
t 9fatifi
'cation for those who participated.
Bailey Mountain Cloggers
Dance Their Way into
Mexicans’ Hearts
Jennifer Enrich
Staff Writer
Do you know what it is like to be real
ly good at something? Several Mars Hill
students do.
It is impossible to be connected to
MHC and not hear of the Bailey Moun
tain Cloggers. They are quite renowned
as individuals as well as a group.
Recently, two of the team members.
Captain Ronette Chapman and Brian
Widener, were named to the All
American Clogging Team. This admit
tance was granted to them following the
annual American Clogging Team Hall of
Fame Championships at Maggie Valley.
The clogging team was organized in
1974 by students themselves. The
group was formed In order to perform in
the Lunsford Festival. The Student
Government Association and the Dean
of Students were in support of the new
group.
Up until 1980, the team remained
student-supported. At that time, the
Southern Appalachian Center assumed
full sponsorship. The Southern Ap
palachian Center sponsors such other
things as festivals, Appalachian drama
and preservation of the mountain
heritage.
The clogging team engages in
several competitions and performs for a
great number of occasions. They per
form in the public schools, which helps
encourage heritage appreciation and af-
firmation of Southern Appalachian
Tradition, according to Richard Dillin
gham, sponsor of the cloggers and the
director of the Southern Appalachian
Center.
The cloggers serve as “ambas
sadors of good will” for MHC as they
travel up and down the Eastern
seaboard to perform. In the past, they
have even carried their talents to
England and Scotland but this January
1-9, thirteen of the team members
travelled to Mexico.
They were not only representing
their college In Mexico, but the United
States as a whole. Many Mexicans, from
bus drivers to important politicians,
watched the cloggers for an impression
of our country. They certainly danced
their way into the Mexicans’ hearts.
To finance the trip “south of the bor
der,” the cloggers held a dance, a
haunted house, and the Southern Ap
palachian Mountains Clogging Cham
pionship. This was the first time the
competition was held and the cloggers
plan to continue sponsoring it annually.
The remainder of the trip was paid by the
students themselves.
The cloggers set up their trip through
the International Cultural Exchange, an
organization which helps sports teams
visit foreign countries. They worked with
the cloggers since it is a part of our
physical education department here.
Yula Moguel, a Mexican lady, arranged
the trip and Yula’s mother became their
tour guide.
Dillingham said he felt the cloggers
“learned more in that one experience
than in a year of academics.” Mexico^
was a virtuai “second-world classroom”
for the dance team. They saw, first
hand, a country other than their own.
The cloggers visited the major cities of
Mexico City, Acapulco and Guadalajara.
One of the things they learned about
Mexico was the amount ‘of poverty
found in the rurai areas. Some were also
surprised to find so much American in
fluence there, including fast food res
taurants. The farther out of the large
cities one goes, the less prevalent the
American influence is.
Much adjustment had to made by
these MHC students. They had to adjust
to the reai Mexican food and the uncer
tainty of the scheduling. Aithough they
had set plans, they often got sidetrack
ed or off schedule.
The cloggers generally performed In
capital cities, oftentimes in plazas in the
middie of the city. On Mexico’s
Christmas Eve, January 5, they were
dancing in Pachuca. The Mexicans
ceiebrate this night commemorating the
wise men’s visit and have so named it.
King’s Night.
As soon as they finished the dance,
an explosion occurred. At first, they did
not know what to think, then they real
ized that it was a fireworks display. Later,
they found out it was ail in honor of them.
Ail in all, the cloggers trip to Mexico was
a real BLAST!