Newspapers / North Carolina School of … / Oct. 1, 2004, edition 1 / Page 6
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6 October 2004 op/ed the stentorian I ncssm The Future of What? Happy Half Sara Wise W hen it was time to report to the group sessions to discuss the summer reading book, The Future of Life by Edward Wilson, I had no idea what to expect. Would there be some- sort of test? An essay, even? Would I be asked to make intellectual comments? As a nervous junior, I slipped quiet ly into the classroom, prepared for the worst, with pencil and paper in hand. r Quickly I discovered that there had been no need for such alarm. What followed was casual dis cussion and insightful conver sation between students and advisors regarding the book. Although most students shared a number of comments, a few people sat silently in the back of the classroom. Some of these students were simply more enraptured with their box lunches than with the dis cussion, while others stared ahead mindlessly, half-asleep. 1 left the class slightly confused, with pencil unused and paper still blank. I expressed my concerns to Carter Smith, a senior on my hall. “I don’t understand,” I said. “If that was all we were going to do with our summer reading, I could have easily 617o of students claimed they read the Future of Life." gotten away without reading it at all.” “Exactly,” she replied, “That’s why .half of the seniors didn’t even buy the book.” And so, I decided to determine if that was really true. Wandering around the cafeteria one day, I took an informal survey to discover who really read The Future of Life. Of the students polled, the majority, 61%, claimed they did read the book. Most “yes” responses were followed by groans of irritation for ever having read it at all. 23% of stu dents admit ted they read at least a part of the book. The most amusing responses came from students that readily answered with a “No.” A total of 16% provid ed this answer, the majority seniors. Several couldn’t recall the title of the book, and a few even admitted they never even purchased it. It turns out that our “required summer reading” was, for several students, merely optional. Now that I know this, maybe next year I won’t be nearly as stressed about the discussion meeting. Instead, I think I might just be one of the students in the back row, quietly munching on the carrots from my boxed lunch. J Robert Davis and Tamzin Mitchell T he buzz begins minutes before 10 p.m. Happy Half has not yet begun, but for some this is the only event to which they can claim to always be early. Most nights at NCSSM, students gather on the pavement between Hill ad Watts for the half- h o u r between Super Study and check. But what calls them out there night after night? Is it the pizza? The ever- squeaky, ever-occupied swing set? Or is it the people? To the casual observer. Happy Half is insanity. Countless bodies mill about, forming chattering pods of constant change. As conversations within groups change, or friends see friends, pods rearrange themselves into group after group. But how are these pods connected, and where does each individual fit in this strange cacophony? Happy Half is an extended family reunion, one that spans two generations and dozens of Katie Tygielski individual households. And why not? Everyone at Science & Math is separated from his/her families, whether they live hours away or just down the street. “I really just go because everybody else goes,” says junior Vann Newkirk of Happy Half To many it is a time to bond with fnends and classmates, and to escape from the seem ingly endless hours of homework. Happy Half creates an atmosphere which goes beyond the casual chatter of day-to- day rela- t i o n s and builds a general sense of commu- n i t y . More pro found than any organ ized ice breaker, Happy Half is centered on closeness and hugs. In the end, however, few think about creating a substitute family. As junior Aisha Amuda says, “It’s a fun time to eat other people’s pizza.” It may not be family to everyone, but for some it’s a half hour of home. Jazzcetera: Advice on Life What Handbook? Yajing Gao Jasmine Lagrone r W hat is the NCSSM experience? It’s about going out into a brand new world of inde pendence and responsibility. We were cho sen from among hun dreds of others to take the greater chal lenge, repre senting the best and brightest of North Carolina. After the glory of acceptance, comes the reality of everyday life. Now what? After pulling consecutive all-nighters to finish that physics project or struggling through a grueling day of advanced Spanish, the drive for knowledge comes into question. Maybe you just can’t see the point of knowing about Bacon’s rebellion or interpret ing the meaning of slope. At times, homework seems like a useless burden. However, I hope that we all share a com mon purpose for being here. In reality, this “worthless” knowledge is actually a way to "What is the NCSSM experience?" prove that we are capable to learn. Our grades represent both our past work ethic and great potential. So, make them count. “How do I study?” is the rhetorical question being asked across campus. The answer really varies with the individ ual, but I do have some helpful hints that have served me well through out the years. As you can tell. I’m really more of a writer than a math or sci ence person. Yet, I’ve always per formed fairly well in all my subjects due to my ability to learn, something I’d like to share with all of you. Before you cram for that American studies test, sit down and create sound strate gies that correlate with the r way your brain works. Ask yourself about what makes information absorption effi cient and go with it. For me, there’s something about taking the time to write out things of importance that ingrains the material into my mind. Maybe you’re an auditory or visual learner. Experiment and stretch your natural abilities to produce results. Seeondly, become a life learner for your present as well as your future. Quickly discarding memo rized material does nothing for exam scores. The terrible truth of the matter is that genius only takes far. In the end, the smartest people will learn to learn. Science and Math is an envi- ronment designed to push stu dents to their limits and beyond. Use this opportunity and you’ll find yourself equipped for college and for life. R ecently, I did a quiek unscientific survey around hall, and found only about 15% of my hall has actually read this year's Student Handbook. Even many of the seniors who have leadership positions and juniors who need to read it for an SLIOI assignment failed even r one so " How do I study?' is the question being asked across campus." J. to down load it. This problem could par tially be blamed on the laek of a paper copy in the orientation paeket. Most people simply forgot about the eleetronic notifications for the Handbook and never bothered to look for it. So whaf s new in this year's Handbook? The answer is: nothing more than you would expect. After downloading both last year's Student Handbook (from www.ncssm.edu/stu- dentlife/docs/handbook2003 .p Only about 15% of my hall has actually read this year's Student Handbook." df) and this year's Student Handbook (from At-A- Glance), I used a program called DiffDoc to compare the differences in those two docu ments. It turns out that the bulk of the Student Handbook stayed exactly the same. The only major difference is the use of the trimester system instead of our old semesters. Another issue is the addition of the honor code, which replaced the o 1 d “Statement of Principles.” Minor changes include the new title of President instead of Executive Director, the title of Assisant Director is replaced with Senior Vice President, and instead of Department Head, it's now Department Dean. Also, the security deposit has increased for the juniors from S75 to SI50. Other than that, there is almost no difference between the Student Handbook of last year and this year. J
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