VOLUME 15
THE LANCE
A Weekly Journal of News and Events At St. Andrews Presbyterian College
LAURD'JBURG, NC, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6,1975 NUMBER 9
Retention Study Planned
M. C. RICHARDS, (above) a Black Mountain professor and
teacher of all kinds of things (poetry and pottery, to name a few)
will be in residence at SA coming week. See “This Week”
(below) for times and places.
A study of student attrition
probability at St. Andrews will
be initiated tomorrow as part
of the spring registration
process, says Registrar
James Stephens.
According to Stephens, who
is overseeing the study as pari;
of the work of the special com
mittee on student retention he
chairs, a questionnaire will be
included in the registration
packet students will pick up
from their faculty advisors
beginning tomorrow.
The qu^tionnaire to be
given to the student com
munity, says Stephens, is one
derived from a four year study
of 230,000 college students by
the^ Cooperative Institutional
Research Program. It uses
statistical information from
the CIRP study to predict, mi
the basis of the answers given
by students filling it out, what
the likelihood is that they will
not complete their four years
at St. Andrews. The question
naire used by CIRP was beai
given at St. Andrews to SAS
classes last year, he said.
M. C, Rwhards Here
This Week
Mary Caroline (M. C.)
Richards, author of “Cen
tering” and “The Crossing
Point,” will be in residence at
St. Andrews November 10-15
to give a series of informal
talks, readings and pottery
demonstrations.
Ms. Richards - who in the
early “fifties taught English
and writing at Black Mountain
College the famed ex-
perimtenal school in western
North Carolina - gained wide
recognitioi as a poet, potter
and prfiilosopher following the
publication of her first book,
“Centering”, which became a
best-seller shortly after it ap
peared in 1964.
In recent years, Ms. Richar
ds has not been tied to any one
school or institution, but has
instead travelled widely,
demonstrating her pottery
techniques, reading from her
writings and entering into
dialogues with those who
share her concerns.
“I am an odd bird in both
academic and craft worlds,”
she admits, “perhaps because
I am a poet, and thus, by
calling, busy with seeing the
similarities between things or
dinarily thought to be dif
ferent.”
Composer John Cage,
another former Black M(mn-
taineer who visited St. An
drews recently, has expressed
admiration for Ms. Richards’
wholistic approach to life, art
and educatiai, remarking that
“the subject ^e teaches isn’t
listed in the catalogues.
Sooner or later we know we’re
studying with her.”
M. C. Richards’ visit to St.
Andrews will be the most
recent in a continuing series of
readings, lectures and per
formances by artists and
thinkers formerly associated
with Black Mountain College,
who began coming to St. An
drews during the college’s
1974 Black Mountain Festival.
“The information we get
from this,” says Stejiiens,
“will help us in another study
currently underway on the ef
fectiveness of the faculty ad
visor system at St. Andrews.
By pinpointing students’
probability of dropping out,
we can get together with them
and see where the problem is
and what we can do about it by
changing the system,” he con
tinued.
Among these have been Buck
minster Fuller, Jonathan
Williams, Robert Creeley,
John Cage, Merce Cun
ningham, Ed Dorn and
Fielding Dawson.
An exhibit of Ms. Richards’
pottery will be on display in St.
Andrews’ Vardell Art Gallery
throughout her visit, and will
officially open on Monday,
Nov. 10 at 8 p.m. with a gallery
talk by the artist. On Tuesday
at 7:30 p jn. Ms. Richards will
read from her writings in
Granville Hall, and on Wed
nesday at 11:30 a.m. she will
present a pottery demon
stration at the St. Andrews
Crafts Center.
During the rest of the week,
Ms. Richards will be oi cam
pus to meet and talk with
members of the St. Andrews
community and any interested
visitors.
In short, it will help us find
out what we’re not doing
well,” Stephens told TOP
LANCE. “Weak departments
problems in dorm’
arrangements-this study will
help us isolate problems in the
collie structure and give us
indications of how to go about
correcting them.”
Stephens was most em
phatic in stressing the need for
(Continued on page 3)
About Page One
A college is people. A rich
diversity of backgrounds, per
sonalities, and interests. A
constant kaleidoscope of ac
tivity.
All this and more are
found on the previous page as
THE LANCE presents a full
page enlargement of The Big
Picture. It contains
-between 475 and 500 people;
-about 73 of which are
faculty and staff;
-8 bicycles;
2-dogs (visible, that is);
-20 feet of computer printout
sheets;
1 inflatable banana;
-1 horse;
-1 stereo speaker;
-2 people with cameras (one
taking a picture of the
photographer taking the pic
ture);
-1 Fiat convertible;
-1 golf cart;
-1 piano;
-fl people on other people’s
backs;
-Isiu^board;
and a host of other things.
Look carefully at ex
pressions. One girl with her
mouth wide open. Others
laughing or shouting. Mike
Dunn looking the wrong way.
A whole crowd watching Neal
Bushoven hide behind Warren
Anderson and Betsy Neff.
George Melton dwarfing his
surroundings. P^ Kays and
Fran Newbold in costume.
It is a frozoi moment of life.
A portrait of a collie as
pevle. It is you.
r
Southern Bel
CONVERSION to a private line phone system in the donns
continues at a .casual pace, but Julian Davis, the college
business manager, says the switchover will be complete by Nov.
This Week
ALL WEEK:
SA Senior Kim McRae’s
photography exhibit on
di^lay in the Varden Gallery.
MONDAY-FRIDAY:
M. C. Richards in residence at
SA. Mmday, 8 p.m. Gallery
talk, Varden Gallery.
Tuesday, 8 p.m., Poetry
reading. New Meek lounge.
Wednesday, 11:30 a.m.. Pot
tery demonstration. Craft
Center.
NOVEMBER fr-7:
Last two performances of
“Land of the Dragon,” a
Chinese children’s fantasy
presented by the theatre
department. 1:30 p.m. in the
Liberal Arts Auditorium.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7:
St. Andrews Review benefit,
featuring Carolyn Kizer,
Waverly Land, Judith Johnsrai
Sherwin,etal.7:30pjn.inthe
Liberal Arts Auditorium.
Tickets $6 single, $10 a couple.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7:
CUB Dance with the band
“Hardwood.” 8 p.m. m the
College Union.
WINTER TERM internships
with state agencies are again
being offered. Notices have
been posted about the cain-
pus. See Prof. Fouke, LA 128,