Newspapers / North Carolina School of … / Feb. 1, 2000, edition 1 / Page 8
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page 8 tatures febuary 00 Old friends to new friends shaina schmeltzle When Juniors came to NCSSM in August, they left much behind. Many students had diffi culty giving up home friendships. So, how have students dealt with this problem and do they still keep in touch with their ‘old’ friends? Not surpris ingly, few students keep in touch with their home friends solely by phone. Students agree that the phone bills can add up quickly and most students are on a limited budget. As a result, many students said that their main tool of commu nication has become the Internet. “1 keep in touch through e-mail a lot. It’s free and convenient,” said Junior Anne Chesky. Some students have kept in contact with their hometown friends, and SLI-P7 of the SLI’s is that they are fulfilling a role as police men, issuing levels, and acting as disciplinarians more than offering guid ance for the students. “Most SLI’s get into this because they have counseling back grounds. However, a good part of this job ends up with us as the discipli narians and bad guys. This is not a position we choose, but in a sense, it falls to us. It seems at times that we’re the only adults holding students responsible for their ac tions,” said Wheeler. “I think at first, I had a really hard time bal ancing out my role as a disciplinarian and my role as an approachable coun selor. I notice a difference from this year than from last because I am more comfortable with the stu dents, thus I believe they are more comfortable with me. I think some are go ing to be rude with any one they see as an authority figure and it wouldn’t matter who you are... Overall though, 1 many say that if they have a problem, they will still consult their old friends first. However, in the di versity of the NCSSM stu dent body, some have ally found that being at NCSSM has helped them to grow closer to their hometown friends. “My first instinct is to run to my friends back . I I* i g Andy Lame shows hLifi-iend Kate Compton how to play his fawritcsong in the quad in fivnt of Hunt. found more people they share common ground with. “I’ve found that I’vekmade better friends here,” said Junior Jeffrey Millman. “We just fit in better.” On the other hand, some students have actu- think for the most part they all feel they can con nect with at least one of us on some level,” said Daniels. Furthermore, as much as students hate re ceiving levels, SLI’s hate issuing them. Each level involves tedious paper work, and the higher the level, the more trouble they ensue. “The residential life program could be a very dynamic, challenging aspect of NCSSM . But instead of standing for principles, the NCSSM administra tion tends to take a path of least resistance with re gards to the discipline of students. When SLTs are not supported, then it’s all too easy for SLTs to be gin looking the other way or even encouraging risky, inappropriate behavior, such as drinking, drugs, sex, leaving campus after curfews, climbing the smokestacks, entering Wyche, etc. Last year on 3"“ West, there was a lot of dangerous behavior taking place practically home. I value their friend ship and how well they know me more. We’ve grown closer,” said Junior Megan Lamb. Overall, students seem to agree that it is very hard to keep in touch, but e-mail is the best and most inexpensive way to do so. under my nose, but I felt that I was powerless to do anything about it,” said former SLI Jeff Bray. However, the ad- ministration feels that they are for the most part, very responsive to the SLTs needs, and in many instances, conflict has been from personal is sues, not a general dissat isfaction. Improvements take time and change will be slow. “There have been individual incidents of conflict in terms of en forcement of rules. But for the most part, we are con sistent to the best of our ability. We are trying to instigate a lot of changes to improve the quality of life for SLTs,” said Direc tor of Student Life Joan Barber. The administra tion has drafted propos als requesting salary increases, funds to pay for substitutes in case of SLI illnesses or emergen cies, a day receptionist for the Bryan and Hunt SLI offices, computers in SLI apartments, an additional While some students have found that absence from hometown friends has ‘made the heart grow fonder,’ others have found that fellow students at NCSSM relate better to them and believe they have made much better fiiends. “My friends here understand me more than my friends back home,” said Junior Dawn Pickett, “but I do always consult with my best friend at home, too.” I Students have ^ been drawn to NCSSM I for many reasons. Some came because of the edu- cational opportunity, some came for the diverse atmosphere the school offers, and some came be cause they simply wanted to get away from home. However, no matter what the reason for coming, all feel that they will take away something very valuable—lifelong fnend- ships. SLI for P' Hunt, nightly supervised study halls, permission to have pets, funds for SLI apartments to be cleaned prior to oc cupancy, and funds to purchase new SLI furni ture and appliances. Even if all these proposals transpire, there is more that needs to be done to increase SLI satisfaction - the attitude of the students, faculty, and administration to wards the SLIs needs to improve. Often times, SLIs leave because the benefits of the job do not outweigh the costs of the job - the costs in terms of disrespect, lack of pri- ■ vacy, and lack of support from the whole commu nity. We, as a whole, need to realize how much the SLIs contribute and how, many times, they’re taken for granted. Our parents have taught us since we were little, as much as we hate to admit it, we don’t realize how much something is worth until it’s gone. But in this case, we can do some thing to change it. Newport News | with ;; My family and I / were waiting in the / Vancouver airport when ^ we got himgry ( customs ;; had worn us out). We / proceeded to get some / food to tide us over until ^ we got to Kelowna, an- ^ other plane ride away. The total came out to be / a little over $20. My mom handed the waitress a ^ hundred, and moments / later gets $120 back in ^ change. ^ Now, it’s not the ex- ;; change rate that immedi- ✓ ately interested me, but / the money. Canadian money is really interest- / ing. In fact, the United z States could use it as an ^ example. All of the bills have / several things in conunon. z First, the person on the ^ front is always on the ;; right of the bill, not in the ^ center. To this person’s / left is always a building ^ of some sort. On the back is a bird of some sort in / its habitat, / CANADA sprawling ^ across the background. ^ When held up to the light, ^ the person on the front z can also be seen on the ;; back, but the back can ^ not be seen on the front. / All of the bills are heavy / white paper with colored ^ ink. ^ The ink of the five z dollar bill is tealish and z has a Mr. Laurier, ;; Canada’s third prime min- ;; ister (“or something,” as / my waitress, Pam, says), z on it. He is staring to- ;; wards the front of the bill, / lips pursed and eyes con- / fused. I believe his con- ^ fusion is towards the ^ American flag that sits / atop the building to his / left. On the back is a Belted Kingfisher in a ;; pond, with a huge / CANADA composing / the sunset. ^ On the ten dollar bill yisz Mr. MacDonald. And, / no, that’s not Ronald / McDonald, but Canada’s first prime minister. ;; MacDonald is a lovely / shade of plum as he gazes / wide eyed at the Ameri- ^ can flag perched on the ^ building that is also on / his left. It should be / noted that MacDonald’s ^ nose is father large and ^ his hair looks like Peter z Robichaux’s hair looked z before he cut it. Only y/ purple. On the back, a^ bulbuzard prepares to^ take flight over some^ rough waters withj^ CANADA on the hori-^ zon. A The twenty dollar^ bill gets a little snazzier,;^ for three main reasons.;^ The first is that there’s woman on the bill, ft’s^ Queen Elizabeth II, look-^ ing slightly reminiscent^ •of Jackie O., but since^ she’s on the front of 2&y the coins, she doesn’t get^ her name on the bill as^ the guys do. Secondly,^ there’s no American flag;;^ on the building (I think^ it’s because she’s looking^ away from the building).^ Lastly,'there’s this cool;^ square in the comer. At^ one angle it’s gold, at an-^ other it’s bright green. On^ the back is a common;;/ loon, forgiven for its^ unoriginality because the^ front is so cool. The;^ twenty is the same shade;^ as our money. ^ Next comes my fa-^ vorite: the fifty. It’s a re-^ ally nifty burnt red colour.;^ There’s some angry man^ named King on the front,^ and an owl on the back.^ It’s got the cool square^ thing in the comer and^ everything. But above^ all, it’s the color that;^ makes this bill so neat. A Canada also has^ fun duo-toned two dollar^ coins and eleven sided^ dollars. They’re both^ great, and a lot more origi-^ nal than our dollar. ^ My plea is this: get^ America new money.^ Why do foreign coun-^ tries have all of the neat^ money? I can see where ^ the government’s trying,^ with the new bills and the^ new quarters, but frankly,^ Canada did the quarter^ thing before us and theirs^ were cooler. They had a^ contest to see which^ drawings would go on the^ back, and so little kids de-^ signed the backs of^ twelve quarters (one for^ each month). A Election time is^ coming up. So vote for^ the best candidate: the^^ one who wants to^ change our money to^ something interesting;^ something aesthetically^ pleasing and yet func-^ tional. Just don’t vote for^ Bush: he is in favor of old^ money. ^ Jennifer E. Newport is a non-syndicated ^ columnist for the Stentorian. ^ '^///////////////////////////^^^
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