First Impressions
The Ridgerunner
NOVEMBER 18, 1966 PAGE 2
Natbes To Return
BY JOHN PHAUP
Unhappily, It is tradition that the young people of Western North
Carolina leave their region at the end of school to work in other
parts of the country. Employment in Atlanta, Charlotte, and Nor
folk beckons young graduates from here with more jobs and greater
opportunity. The drain has lasted for years.
Asheville and the surrounding area is not standing still, however.
The last ten years has seen such plants as Gerber’s and Square D
come into the area and older companies here grow and Increase
operations. Modem roads open up the mountains and stimulate
commerce. Advertisements In magazines such as “Saturday
Review" and “Reader’s Digest” bring Asheville before the national
eye.
Perhaps lack of publicity or and intelligence pool has kept many
of the Jobs and hewer employment unknown to students from
Western Carolina. Companies, moreover, usually limit their own
fall and spring recruiting to the larger campuses down east and
elsewhere.
It is at this problem that a local industrial relations firm, the
Western Carolina Industries, began “operation Native Son” during
Easter, 1965. It stands to benefit the people of Western North
Carolina.
This company has contacted twenty-five Industries from Hickory
to Bryson City and is attempting to reach all seniors to graduate
in June. The operation will be a joint recruiting program in Ashe
ville, beginning nine a.m. on December 28 at Lee Edwards High
School. It will last one day.
The project Is student oriented. All expenses are paid by the
recruiting companies; Western Carolina Industries will make no
profit. The procedure for the student is first to complete and
and forward the "Native Son” application. This is followed by a
short resume which is sent to the applying student. Copies of
these on return are made and given to each of the companies.
The companie s have these on file when the day of recruitment
begins.
Through “Native Son” one hundred seniors found jobs and
returned to Western Carolina last year. The results this Decem
ber should improve.
Greener Than Grass
Oj
A/* L
The Ridgerunner
Editor John Phaup
Managing Editor Ginger Kiiig
Division Editors:
Natural Sciences John Moore
Humanities Susan Parkins, Linda Nelms
Social Sciences...., Ken McKenzie
SGA Reporter Cher Griffin
Assemblies Reporter Marilyn Maxwell
The “Rldgenmner” Is published every two weeks by the “Canton
Enterprise,” Canton, N. C., except during exams and holiday
periods.
Asheville - Biltmore is a rel
atively new college, inso far as
its physical plant goes. And by
the standards of colleges such
as Harvard or the University of
North Carolina, the college it
self Is an academic babe In
arms. As far as the Ridgerun
ner goes, when stacked against
the venerable Dartmouth Col
lege’s THE DARTMOUTH, which
bills itself as the oldest col
lege newspaper in America, the
green is of the brightest shade
imaginable.
This is all by the way of say
ing that A-B in almost every
respect is new, green and has
all the pains associated with
growing things. For example,
A-B has yet to build up a cata
log of “college traditions” for
future generations of undergrad
uates to rail against as being
“high school Harry stuff” or as
being old-fashioned.
Even the fraternities are too
new for anyone to have become
acquainted with their less demo
cratic elements. There is no
long brooding resentment against
Greek or independent domina
tion of campus politics. We’re
too new for that; we are not yet
sophisticated enough to make
distinctions.
But in spite of our newness,
there are still to be found some
of the elements that give admin
istrators in older ivy-covered
groves of academe early crops
of gray hair. For example, on
campuses where campus politics
are dominated by either faction,
to the point of becoming an an
nual joke, student government Is
usually a sleepy sort of affair.
There are all the types, stero-
types and usual people staffing
student government. These in
clude the ambitious fraternity
man, out to make a name for him
self and to bring glory to his
brothers through some complex
system of honor by association;
the true believers who solemnly
proclaim that “student govern
ment this year is going to get
as much as it can for the stu
dents, free,” and the True Be
lievers who have the idea that
student government is a sacred
trust and that they must eternally
police their fellow students and
keep them informed of every
ripple in the student government
constitution.
There are the hordes of Bob
by Brooks and Villager-clad co
eds who are always fluttering
around the fringes of the stu
dent government establishment.
“I’ll do anything to help you in
the freshman class magazine
sale,” is their usual line. These
are the eager-to-belleve that us
ually make tl.o posters for class
meetings, hot dog roasts and the
like.
When there is an Issue to be
handled by the student govern
ment, it more often than not
resembles a hungry hobbit nailed
through one of its furry feet
within inches of its honey cakes.
It goes around in circles think
ing that maybe it can get closer
to the real thing by attacking it
from all angles.
But the rest of the student
body isn’t fooled. Nor are they
lulled into becoming believers.
On campuses with dormitories,
the usual route of the budding
believer is through boredom. Out
of boredom and hatred of a petty
or smelly roommate, the stu
dent volunteers for a student
government committee. Then the
harm is done, the seed is im
planted and nourished by the
already confirmed believers that
Susy Postermaker is a real help
and a valuable member of the
team. From here on out, there
is no return, or If ever, only
a belated discovery of alternative
routes to power.
There are other elements to
the whole business of student
government, but I think you get
the idea. A-B is already on
the well-worn path to a non
functioning type of student gov
ernment. Not that they have
done anything clumsily, or that
apathy has begun to nobble at
their furry feet, but simply by
virtue of being a student gov
ernment, they have within them
their own seeds of destruction,
to paraphrase an earlier rebel,
who incidentally set the stage
for the long - hair - on - men -
as - a - protest - against the
System syndrome.
So the next time a member
of our student government comes
up to you with a plea for “just
a few minutes of your time”
for making posters, selling
magazines for we don’t know
what yet, or to ask your “im
portant opinion” on the feasi-
bUity of buying an all-weather
rotating, multi-colored lighted
fountain as a class project, look
carefully at his eyes. If they
seem to be glazed over with
sincerity and good-will, then he’s
probably a believer. Don’t take
him seriously. After all, he
probably has furry feet under his
Wee’juns.
ROGER WICKER
Ridgerunner
Experience From UNC
The offices are cluttered and dirty, the staff members are
skinny; they have approximately three hours per day to write and
make-up, but they put out one helluva paper at UNC.
The “Dally Tar Heel” is an award winning paper, one of the
top five papers in the United States. The secret of its success is
hard work, a first-rate journalism school, and complete editorial
freedom.
“Ridgerunner” staff members who toured the “DTH” offices late
last month were surprised to learn that the editorial office knew
practically nothing about the business office and its organization.
Each of the offices functions so smoothly and Independently that
their point of contact is made on the pages of the publication Itself.
Carolina subsidizes the “DTH”, providing hall of Its annual
$200,000 budget. The other half is raised through ad sales. It is
printed by The Chapel Hill Publishing Company for approximately
$500 per each six page issue.
Six reporters cover spot news. Each reporter has his own
camera. Stories written by J-School students are kept on file and
used when features are needed to supplement the day’s on-the-spot
reporting.
Althdtigh the “DTH” draws on the talent of the J-School students,
the active staff is no larger than that of the Ridgerunner.
Having a large staff is not the secret of a paper’s success.
Organization, ability, and sound finances add up to a good paper.
perhaps 74 years of editorial freedom has something to do with
the “DTH’s” success. After all, the “Ridgerunner” has been in
business for less than two years.
The “RR” mayneverbecomeadally.butit could become a weekly
of “DTH” quality. At present, the “Ridgerunner” is a hit-or-mlss
affair. Heading the list of the paper’s problems are that only two
members have had previous journalism experience, local merchants
advertise in the paper as a matter of “charity”, and the funds
coming in from activity fees fall far short of matching the $900
debt incurred by last year's staff.
Working on a newspaper staff takes a considerable amount of
time away from studying. Few students can hope to work for the
paper, hold down a part-time job, and do satisfactory school work.
Asheville-Blltmore should provide tuition scholarships fbr the"
editor, managlng-edltor, and business manager if it expects the
“Ridgerunner” to improve and to grow.
Asheville-Blltmore refuses to add even an elementary journal
ism course to its curriculum, and no matter how enterprising
literature majors may be, they need some knowledge of journalism
to produce a NEWSPAPER.
Putting out a newspaper is a business. Students who work on the
paper are those hardy, independent individuals who gain their sat
isfaction from doing a job well. They aren’t on the staff to attract
more dates via Increased social prestige; they might even become
a little less popular. They’re on the staff to work, and every
GOOD thing they accomplish is so much more for Asheville -
Biltmore.
Asheville-Blltmore expects a lot from its students; It should.
But It should open its eyes and realize that progress is measured,
not in the number of doctors on the faculty, but in the caliber of
students it attracts and the quality of work they produce.
The newspaper can go a long way in attracting good students and
unifying the student body.
The “Daily Tar Heel” is a living example of how a newpaper
can increase a college’s prestige. Do Carolina students not take
pride in having an award winning paper? Of course, they do.
Asheville-Blltmore could use a little of that same brand of pride.
Ginger King