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THE CLARION
Wednesday, April 23,1980
lEDITORIALS) Editor Says
Goodbye
Advisor Speaks
‘Fond Memories’
As the final Clarion of another year is prepared, I’d like to publicly thank
two people who have made my job as advisor rewarding rather than
worrisome. Debi Crane and Bobby Hayes, our editor and sports editor, have
given incalculable time and effort to producing some twenty-four issues over
the past two years. Their good natures and good work have consistently shown
them to be conscientious and reliable. This doesn’t mean they have never been
in the doghouse with the student body, the administration, or with me; they
have. God help the journalist that can’t stir up a conversation. But whether
you’ve liked all of Debi’s editorials or Bobby’s columns, you’ll have to admit
they’ve made a solid attempt to provide a creditable, readable, and
professional student newspaper.
Besides a few staff members, no one but me knows about the staff meetings
on Monday night for correcting and editing copy, the long hours on Friday
afternoons laying out the paper, the headaches of late articles and no pictures,
the waiting and waiting for corrections to come back from the typesetter. It is,
as the saying goes, a thankless job. So you students who have enjoyed reading
about yourselves and your activities these past two years should perhaps say a
word of appreciation to Debi and Bobby and other staffers.
I look forward to next year, working with a new staff and new editors, but I’ll
miss these two whom I’ve seen more often than anyone else, whom I’ve fussed
at and praised, argued with and laughed with, and whom I respect as adults.
Today belongs to you too.
Letter
I feel it is appropriate for me as Dean of Admissions at Brevard College for
the last seven years to comment on the recent editorial regarding academics
at Brevard.
First, it is great to hear that students are concerned about academics. My
first year here the chief concern was whether students had to sign out when
they left campus. Any call for improvement in academic excellence at
Brevard is to be applauded. Hopefully, none of us will ever be fully satisfied
with our college or our individual contribution to it, but no one — not the
graduate of 1955, nor the graduate of 1981 — need develop an apology for this
institution. You are hving proof that Brevard College has indeed lifted its
standards.
Secondly the editorial lacked research and thus was not based on factual
information in my opinion. The averaged combined SAT score of an entering
Brevard College freshman in 1976 was 838, and in 1979 it was 867 (nationally
and in North Carolina, SAT’s have been steadily declining). An average high
school G.P.A. in 1975 for Brevard College freshmen was 2.54, in 1979 it was 2.65
in college preparatory courses.
The often difficult decision on who is admitted to Brevard is not determined
by an individual, but rather by an admissions committee comprised of faculty
from each division and by two students. Each member of this committee has
the same one vote as I do as Dean of Admissions. In 1973, my first year here,
the admissions committee denied admission to very few students. Last year
we denied admission to over three times as many students.
Yes, we do have more developmental courses and more students taking
these courses, but most colleges today do because of the continued concern
and evidence the high school grades are being inflated and many high schools
are simply not adequately preparing students for college in such areas as
English and mathematics.
In conclusion, I hope Brevard will never become an elite institution and turn
its back on students who need extra help in the areas of academic develop
ment. John Gardner, former Secretary of H.E.W., said it so eloquently,
“It is no sin to let average as well as brilliant youngsters into collegk It is a
sin to let any substantial portion of them - average or brilliant - drift through
college without effort, without growth and without a goal. That is the real
scandal in many of our institutions.”
. Bob McLendon
. V. . Dean of Admissions
At last, my two years of Brevard College come to an
end. I find it very hard to find one single adjective to
descrie my time here. Literally hundreds of adjectives
come to my mind when I think of Brevard.
This school has given me many moments that I will
never forget, but I will not. Thankfully, it is this
education of the soul that Brevard has given me.
We have all changed. The shells are the same, but the
inner selves here changed. The faculty should be proud
to know that they have helped to accomplish some of
these transformations.
Hopefully, The Clarion will continue to grow and
bloom into a great little newspaper. I want to offer my
thanks to Mr. Ken Chamlee who has served as advisor to
our staff. We both came here at the same time, and we
have grown together. Thank you, Mr. Chamlee, for
being my mentor.
To our readers, I say goodbye, good luck, and may
God be with you. To life!
Sincerely,
Debi Crane
Final Exams
Habits are a funny thing.
It takes a whole of energy to serious think about
changing.
When all in all... if I’m consistant
I can split the energy factor in half adding to it
knowledge.
The moral of the story is:
Don’t wait till the last night to study.
Congratulations Mr. Perez
Mario P. Perez, Brevard’s Professor of Accounting has
been awarded an Alma Mater Diploma of Merit by the
Association of Public Accountants of Cuba (in exile),
and jointly by his former students, for his former
students, for his many years devoted to the teaching
profession.
The Clarion joins the college community
congratulating Mr. Perez on this fine honor.
in
The Clarion
Published during the College session by students of Brevard College. The opinions
expressed in this periodical are those of the editorial board and not necessarily those
of the college. Any reader comment is welcome. Please address reader replies to Box
156.
Editor-in-Chief Debi Crane
Assistant Kathi Levine
Sports Editor/Business Manager Bobby Hayes
Assistant Sport Editor Ray Duckworth
Photographer Mary Doyle
Reporters. Greg Bare, Kathy “Mud” Clark , Alison Cooperman, Judy Early, Nancy
Ennis, Alan Folk, Michael Ledbetter, Mike McFarland, Nivaldo
Masson, Frank Moody, Yvonne Roop, Richard Rowe, “Tex
Vincent. Mark Kennard and Laurie Krug
Adivsors Ken Chamlee
Typist Linda Branson