Number 9
Dr. Greer Addresses
Six School Issues
by Kim Ormand
What are your views on visitation
regulations — do you feel that they are
really necessary? Is there any chance in
an extension of weekly visitation hours?
Kim, this is a difficult question to answer
because quite frankly, I can’t give an
answer that will please the student body. I
am convinced that we have a number of
students on our campus who could live a
responsible life-style with a complete open
dormitory situation, however, I am equal
ly convinced that we have a larger number
of students who could not live in the
Brevard College community without
visitation guidelines and regulations. I
believe I could speak for Dean Scar
borough when I say that we are always
open for a proposal for the extension of
weekly visitation hours. On the other hand,
it is my gut feeling that the present visita
tion hours are being abused rather exten
sively.
How did you respond to the last issue of
The Clarion, an issue that raised some in
teresting topics?
Kim, I really applaud the last issue of
The Clarion. It raised the kind of issues
that a college newspaper should be rais
ing. I thought the issue possessed a
balance and responsible journalism. I, for
one, do not mind seeing controversy in the
newspapter as long as those being criticiz
ed have an opportunity in the same issue to
respond to the criticisms or quesitons be
ing raised. Keep up the good work.
Just how far can a teacher go in
establishing his own discipline within the
classroom? Are there limitations?
This question puzzles me a bit for 1
would think that there would be no pro
blem at all concerning discipline in a
Brevard College classroom. When the pro
fessor is in the classroom, he or she is in
charge of what goes on in that room. This
administration expects to stand with a pro
fessor who should have any kind of
disciplinary problem. This may sound a bit
harsh but we simply do not have a place at
Brevard College for the student who
creates a disciplinary problem for a facul
ty member. Our faculty members are
highly professional people and in my
wildest imagination I cannot conceive of
them abusing a student either emotionally
or physically. Should that happen, I can
assure you we would not sit idly by.
It is a fact that music majors here at
Brevard are required to take extra elec
tives while other majors do not have to
take any music. Do you feel that this is
fair?
Kim, there are some major areas of
study that historically have been thought
of as being terribly tough to master. Music
happens to be one of those areas. Demands
on music majors are great and certainly
the music department at Brevard College
has a reputation of being one of the most
rigorous in the Southeast. If the cur
riculum in the music department is unfair,
then I am confident that my colleagues in
the music department will address that
issue.
Do you feel that college students, on the
whole, tend to be rather apathetic? What
about BC students?
I don’t believe that college students are
any more apathetic than society in
general. It has been my observation that
life-styles, opinions and attitudes on a col
lege campus generally mirror the lifes-
styles, opinions and attitudes in society.
Yes, college students are apathetic and so
is the general public. I have been concern
ed that Brevard College students have not
become more involved in the big issues of
society such as world hunger, nuclear war,
peace and Nicaragua.
And finally, do you feel that BC is
becoming a “suitcase college” — in other
words, a college that loses its students on
the weekends?
I am around the College all weekend ana
surely there are weekends when a great
number of our students are gone from the
campus but that is to be expected. I do not
believe that Brevard College is becoming a
“suitcase” College. I certainly hope not
and if there is that feeling among the
students then they need to send a strong
signal to the Student Government Associa
tion in order that the Student Government
Assocation might address the issue of
weekend activities. Part of the excitement
of going to college is the fun that takes
place after class hours and on weekends.
Resident Tutors; Are They Really Necessary?
by Kim Ormand
The Resident Tutor — what a strange
concept. Take a person of supposedly
sound mind and tell them that they are in
charge of a dorm full of young people hav
ing the “college experience.” This position
is one of responsibility and esteem — how
does one go about becoming a Resident
Tutor — and, more importantly perhaps —
why?
The usual route one goes to becoming a
Resident Tutor is a laborious one. Accor
ding to Betty Hauk, the RT for Jones, one
usually applies then comes the resume and
finally a series of interviews which
sometimes includes a visit to the campus.
Yet this is not always the case. For Julie
Johnson (also a Jones RT), the existence
of BC and their need for a new R^ident
Tutor came through a want ad in The
Chronicle of Higher Education. And there
must be other ways that RT’s have found
their way to BC also. But each RT. is
carefully selected for their position — for
after all, they do have a great deal of
responsibility and authority. Why would
one want to be a RT? Well, most of the
RT’s have had some training in the
guidance area so naturally the position of
RT would help them in this area. But most
ly RT’s simply enjoy the feeling of helping
people and “being there” for those that do
need them.
Yet dear readers, as you reahze the
is in a position of great “power” (if you’ll
excuse the vulgar expression). What ot
this power? Are there limitations to what
the RT can do? Betty Hauk insists that
there are limitations to what they can do
saying “everything is made up of checl^
and balances.” There are guidelines that
the RT must follow, procedures if you will,
just as the students have guidelines. Julie
Johnson adds that there is an “unspoken
rule” about guarding students right. And
all the RT’s try to follow it. The RT’s, then,
do realize their limitations and try their
best not to invade anyone’s rights.
So the RT’s do serve a purpose all in all.
They are here to help us, not hinder us.
And even though different RT’s seem to
have a different outlook about the rules,
we must try and remember that RT’s are
people, too.
Honor
Housing:
Is BC Ready?
by Kim Ormand
On many campuses across the United
States there exists a something called
honors housing. This is housing or dorms
specifically set up for students that have
obtained (and sustained) a certain grade
point average (GP A). Brevard College has
the honor roll and Dean’s list to
acknowledge their students with a high
GPA, yet no honors housing. Has there
ever been any kind of special housing at
BC? And what kind of problems would this
cause?
There has never been any honors hous
ing at BC, according to Dean Scarborough,
although they tried “quiet floors.” These
were floors that were specifically set aside
for students who wanted to live in a quieter
atmosphere. This didn’t work, however,
for the rest of the floors were just as noisy
and people weren’t always quiet while
traveling through the “quieter” floors. So
this idea was soon dissolved. Dean Scar
borough sees no problem with special
housing except for the literal problem of
where to put the students. Ideally, the
students would need a relatively small
dorm where the visitation rules could still
be enforced. At BC the new complex or
Ross Hall would be the perfect place. Yet
Dean Scarborough doesn’t know if there
would be enough response to the idea but
feels “it would work if we could have the
right place and response.” Dr. Greer also
would like to see it happen sometime in the
future and says it is being considered. The
only problem he forsees is having all
academically as well as socially mature
students centralized together, instead of
dispersed among the campus.” Would
resentment of these students arise? Shoidd
sophomores get any special treatment for
their grades? It is something to consider.
Having honors housing could acknowledge
students with the grades and encourage
others yet at the same time could cause
severe resentment and isolate those
“special” students. As mentioned earlier,
it’s something to think about - carefuUy.
Highlights of This Issue
Letters to the Editor...page 2
The Color Purple(a critique).page 3
GSWA- Do We Need It?...page 3
Northwind-A Night of Music...page 3
Track Teams Bring Honors...page 4
Tennis Season Continues...page 4