Volume 16 Number 1
Gaston Welcomes New Members
September 10,1981
Lincoln Center
Invites Students
Dr. Wayne Scott
President
Greets
Students
Welcome to Gaston College!
The Board of Trustees, the
faculty, staff and the Student
Grovemment Association are
pleased to have you as a student
at Gaston College.
Gaston College is beginning
its eighteenth year of operation.
During the past years, the
College has grown in programs
and in facilities.
Gaston College continues to
be dedicated to providing the
best possible education for you,
the student. You are urged to
take advantage of the rich
human and physical resources
that are available, as you seek to
gain new knowledge and new
skills.
On this campus, and in the
various centers that Gaston
College operates in our
neighboring communities,
many different kinds of people
come together for basic
reasons—a desire to upgrade
their skills, to increase their
knowledge, and to become a
more useful, happy and produc
tive person in a rapidly chang
ing world. We hope to help you
accomplish these things.
Best wishes for a successful
Dear Students:
The new school year offers
many exciting opportunities for
both new and returning
students. I encourage you to use
your time wisely and to explore
what Gaston College and the
Lincoln County Campus have to
offer you.
If you are puzzled or have a
question, please ask the ap
propriate person for an answer.
So we can better serve you,
please feel free to make
suggestions when you see areas
where improvements are need
ed.
I hope you share my
enthusiasm for the new year
and I invite you to call on me if I
Steve Thornburg
can be of assistance.
Sincerely,
L. Steve Thornburg
Cgimpus Director
Reaganomics Affects
Students
year.
Wayne Scott
President
By Myra Short
Dr. Helen Carter of Gaston’s
financial aid department
handles applications for Pell
grants, work study programs
and student loans that go
through Raleigh. Dr. Carter
says that the students of Gaston
have not been hurt too much by
the cut down in federal educa
tion money because the tuition
here is low.
Dr. Carter says, “Last year
the Pell grant allowed a student
to get as much as $762. This year
an eligible student could only
receive $732. While this is a thir
ty dollar cut, it isn’t enough to
keep a student from going to
college.”
The government has lowered
the ceiling on what a family’s in
come can be and still have a
member receiving aid. Dr.
Carter guessed that there may
be more people applying for the
Pell grant this year, but there
will probably be 330 accepted —
the same as last year.
As for work study programs,
there is a certain amount of
money allotted to Gaston each
year. This money must be used
so as to help as many as possible
without “over helping” one and
leaving out another. Students
are allowed to work a limited
number of hours and are p&id
mj -Tt -■ i-r- -} i_ry» w£4^o_
While the work study program
was not actually cut by the
government, it was not in
creased — thereby receiving a
nip from inflation. This means
that if the minimum wage goes
up some students will make
more money for less work — but
it will have less buying power.
At Gaston there are not many
federal loans applied for. These
loans are available at low in
terest rates and are generally
applied for by married people
rather than those who live with
their parents. So far this year
there have been 15 applications
— of these there are three “yes,”
four “no,” and the others
haven’t heard.
Dr. Carter says, “Bigger
schools will be more affected
than small schools like Gaston
because of the big difference in
tuition.”
Noted Parapsychologist To
Appear Here September 22
By Gary Leonhardt
Probably the eighth wonder of
the world, Russ Burgess has
been amazing audiences for
years, and on September 22 at
11:00 in the Myer§ Center, Gas
ton College people will have an
opportunity to see this truly
amazing act — which is
anything but an act.
The show is made possible by
the Gaston College Fine Arte
Council, and there is no admis
sion for the program. This
appearance by Burgess is part
of the “Primary Activity”
schedule (see article on page 2)
and a large crowd is anticipated.
Russ Burgess is a parap
sychologist who stands with the
elite few who can predict the
future with amazing accuracy
and he is also a hypnotist who
can put the most stubborn sub
jects into a trance. Studies from
a major university, incidentally,
show that Burgess’s predictions
are 87% accurate. (That ain’t
bad, folks!)
Burgess has devoted over 25
years of .study, trial and error
and psychological pursuite into
his art and presentation. This
explains part of his ability.
What about the other part?
The man himself is probably
the only person who can explain
his talent. In the past years he
has entertained over a million
people with his mental powers,
and he insiste that there is no
complicity of any type con
nected with the show; to back up
his claim he has a standing offer
of a large sum of money to go to
anyone who can prove that his
feats are rigged.
One week before Burgess
appears at a given location he
mails a prediction in a sealed
envelope to the program
chairperson. At the end of the
show the envelope is opened and
it contains the headline on the
front page of the local paper.
Hypnosis carries a large part
of Burgess’ show. He will hyp
notize a large number of persons
at one time and have virtually
complete control over their
minds.
One of the many incidents in
volving Gaston folks and
Burgess is that of Lisa Digh.
After last year’s show Lisa was
talking with Burgess backstage,
and in that conversation
Burgess, who knew nothing
previously about Lisa, predicted
that she would ’oe accepted as a
student at N.C. State where she
had applied (also without his
knowledge.)
That same day lisa went
home and pulled her acceptance
letter out of the mailbox.
In other feats, Burgess often
tells students their social securi
ty number (if they know it); he
has a student think of a card in a
deck £ind then, after the student
admits which card he has
chosen, Burgess has someone
President Extends Greetings
By Bill Pritchett
On behalf of the Student
Government Association, I
would Uke to welcome you to
Gaston College. We hope that
you will take advantage of the
many opportimities offered here
at Gaston. The social life at Gas
ton Clollege can be as rewarding
as you, the studente, make it. We
ask you to help support our
school by participating in its
clubs, intramurals and all
S.G.A.-sponsored activities.
I want to urge each of you to
cooperate with the Administra
tion, Faculty and Student
Government. By cooperating
you vrill enable Gaston College
to grow.
The S.G.A. has three primary
means of communicating vrith
the studente. They are: the Gras-
light, the Marquee, between the
Learning Resources Center and
the Myers Center, and the
bulletin boards in each building
on campus. All of these sources
will enable you to achieve any
information in extra-curricular
activities. This year we of the
Executive Council are looking
for a complete turnaround in
student activities. We have had
a new Primary Activities plan
passed by tne Faculty Senate on
a one year trial. These activities
will be known as “Primary Ac
tivities” to distinguish them
from other activities. Atten
dance to “Primary Activities”
will not result in less of class
Bill Pritchett
time but may be coimted as an
excused absence. All instructors
will be notified at least 14 days
in advance of occurrences. For
the plsm to work with us (the
S.G.A.) and excuse studente
when “Primary Activities” are
planned, studente must plan to
attend the activities, not go run
ning on campus or the plan will
fall flat on ite face.
The S.G.A. is elected by you.
In order for us to function
properly, we want and need your
help.
Please make it a point to
recognize and know your
senators. All studente are in
vited to attend the S.G.A.
meetings on Thursday at 12:00
ment Conference Room upstairs
in the Myers Center.
Once again, welcome to Gas
ton College.
Bill Pritchett
S.G.A. President
The SGA would like to welcome all incoming freshmen
with the first dance of the Fall. The Original Eh-ifters will be
appearing in the Myers Center Building on September 10th
from 9:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. All students with a valid I.D. will
be admitted free of charge. Tickets will be sold at the door.
($3.00, no more than 300 non-students will be admitted.)
open the envelope he had sent a
week earlier — and the message
is the correct suit and number of
the card chosen.
He’s hard to believe, but come
September 22 and see for
yourself that the future may in
deed be within our grasps.