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Gardner-Webb University
THE PILOT
March 21, 1997
Issue #8
The Official Campus Newspaper Boiling Springs, NC
GWU graduate shares stories and poetry
by Julie Gibson
staff writer
Ripples of laugiiter along with melancholy
oh's spilled out of Ritch Banquet Hall on the
evening of March 6 as award-winning poet/
author Ron Rash read from his poems and
short stories.
The audience was entranced with GWU
alumnus and local native Rash's depictions of
life in a small southern town, a town they
knew to be their own. The stories and poems
ranged from his grandfather's quest to find his
own home when all the houses looked the
same, to the first time his parents met. Other
stories involved Rash himself and the trials
and tribulations of growing up in a small town
where word travels fast. The captivated
audience hung on every word. /™„ h„
His first book is "When the New Jesus Fell collection of short stories.
to Earth" and it is a collection of short stories. (Photo by Karen Brower]
My Fathers Cadillacs was one of the stories were on their way to the prom when they
in the collection Rash read during his program noticed cars pulling off the side of the road,
that kept the audience rolling and tearing up at date, a girl that he was trying hard to
the same time. impress, burst out in hysterical laughter when
Rash tells vividly of a traumatic time in his realized everyone thought they were a
life when his father bought a cadillac from a funeral procession
funeral home. His teenage troubles hit an all-
time high on the night of his prom. He and his See "Rash " on page 6
Gardner-Webb *s retention on the rise
an analysis by Jenny Rogers
staff writer Retention is typically higher in the spring
—— than in the fall at Gardner-Webb. However.
You might find the campus crowded with recent fall retention trends also look
familiar faces this spring. encouraging. Fall retention has risen steadily
Retention for Spring Semester 1997 is over the last four years, also, revealing an
94%, according to newly-released figures increase of approximately 1% for th'^t period,
compiled by Eric Brewton in Data Processing. Of course, a problem may develop if
This rate is higher than for any of the last four administrators plan space on campus based on
years, all for which figures were available. the number of students they-expect to retain
Out of a total of 1,239 regular students, based on past years' retention. If more
1,162 students returned to school from last students continue to stay, space could run
semester. short. Presumably college officials are
High retention can be positive by planning for such a possibility,
suggesting quality education and a good So far the numbers have not proved to be a
standard of living at a college. If a sizeable significant problem. If enrollment and
number of students find the college good retention rates both continue to increase,
enough to come back to, it bodes well for the however, students could find future semesters
future, experts agree. to be a little more crowded than expected.
A Look Inside...
Pages 2-3
Editorials and Opinions
Pages 4-5
___GWUSport^
Page 7
For Your Information...
A look at
candidates for the
upcoming SGA election'
See Page 8
for details
*111
Gardner-Webb President Chris White and various
dignitaries break ground on March 19 at the future site
of the University Commons Apartments. The
apartments will be completed by August.
(Phoio bv Karen Brower)