April 1,2019 I TheHilarion
Hilarion
Page H3
Opinion
Too much light on campus
By Bry’Kendrick Moore
staff Writer
Every year for one hour the world shuts off
every light to bring attention to climate change.
This event takes place on the last Saturday of
March every year.
It has been a Brevard tradition to participate
in this particular event for the last ten years.
As Brevard is one of the most Earth friendly
campuses in the state of North Carolina,
not participating in this years event was
disappointing to say the least.
To avoid having this happening again and
to keep the eco friendly label for the college
we should remove the lights on campus.
Astronomy professor Mike Castelaz suggested
getting the lights in and around campus
removed years ago for the astronomy class
that is offered on campus.
Professor Castelaz is the one of the physics
professors here on campus. He is also the
instructor for the astronomy course that
will now be available all semester. He first
brought up the removal of lights because he
is concerned with the light pollution.
Light pollution is the brightening of the night
sky caused by street lights and other man-
This night-time picture of the Brevard Coiiege campus, seen prior to iast year’s graduation ceremony,
shows the contamination of iight poiiution near the beii tower, in the academic quad, and atop Moore
Science iighting the cupoia.
made sources, which has a disruptive effect
on natural cycles and inhibits the observation
of stars and planets.
With the removal of the lights on campus
we would save money and we can end our
partnership with PARI, and we can start doing
our observations from campus. Along with the
students, Castelaz would like to have the class
and the lab on campus.
This could be very beneficial to both parties
honestly. More people get to learn about stars
and other space stuff, while being on campus
for the lab component. All in all, this is a great
idea by Castelaz, this will benefit the faculty,
staff, and students in the long run. The removal
of the lights will begin June 2019.
Brevard College: Honors & Awards Day
will be replaced with 'Shame Day'
BC embraces ‘bottom-up ’approach
By Mary Lewe
Managing Editor
Brevard College recently announced that
its typical Honors and Awards Day, held
each spring semester to honor high achieving
individuals, would be cancelled. It is to be
replaced with a campus wide Shame Day.
Awards to be given include certificates for
Lowest Attendance, GPA below 2.0, Most
Disciplinary Action as well as awards in
each major degree program for Least Likely
to Actually Secure a Job in This Discipline.
Students with failing grades are asked
to arrive early to practice receiving their
certificates, and to be fitted for their sandwich
boards, which will display a large red letter
“F”. Students are invited to gather in the
academic quad to be photographed with their
boards and certificates.
Parents, family and friends of underachieving
students are welcome to come to the event, and
are encouraged to share a few words of their
own disappointment following the ceremony.
Professors hope that the bottom-up approach
will be beneficial for all students, providing a
sense of reality along with the encouragement
needed to get students to care less about grades
and more about how others perceive them.
This will also prepare students for future
work meetings where such topics as “who
did this?” and “why would you do this?” may
be discussed.
Students will not be the only ones being
honored during Shame Day festivities.
Attendees can expect to find out which
professors will be recognized for highest
fail rates in each academic area. Professors
receiving this award will also be receiving a
0.04% raise in their annual salary, a small but
well-deserved token of the school’s gratitude.
This approach will also be paired with
changes to the typical spring commencement
ceremony. Students not quite meeting
traditional graduation requirements will be
honored with Certificates of Participation at
the May commencement ceremony.
What do you think of this ideological
change? Either way, get ready to embrace it!
Senior Cersei Lannister, an IWIL student from
Westeros, demonstrates BC’s new “Shame Day.’