Page 2
• The Lance
February 23,1989
• ■
Opinion
Throughout my four years here at St-
Andrews 1 have witnessed many changes in staff
and administration. Some of these changes were
unforeseen and surprising. Students were not
made aware of why these 'hirings and firings’ had
to occur. I am not the only only student that feels
like they were the last to know about what was
going on.
One Lance staff member was told by Dean
Greer in an interview that a certain article wouW
not be appropriate at this time. This article con
cerned the position of campus pastor being
turned Into a chaplain Internship* I felt that pnc%
again decisions would be made and we would t>e
told afterwards when our Input would go un^
heeded.
Opinionated articles (such as this one ) are
reserved to the pages labeled OPINION. I
think we covered the article adequately and
without bias. The facts were stated and hopefully
the rumors that are currently making the rounds
on campus will be put to an end.
Concerning this change in the spiritual life of
the campus, I have received much negative feed
back from students. It is these same students
that came to me In the first place to print the
the article.
Putting aside financial reasons and religious
creed, 1 feel that decision to have interns will
greatly affect some students. Each year St, An-
drews’ students will become guinea pigs for an
unexperienced stranger; Will that person be able
to cope with student tragedies, deaths of family
members and friends and other various crisises
that we face every day? will they be able to
handle the pressure?
I Fellow senior Randa Richards remarked that
the personal nature of this campus Is the essence
of St* Andrews. "That Is what St. Andrews Is all
about." Providing our community with a permaf
nent pastor^ one that we have come to ilove and
trust, Is only one element of this ''personal" na-
ture, :
Christian guidance is only one part of a
pastor's job. A relationship between a student
and their spiritual mentor Is one that Is built on
trust. How can one build that relationship with a
"revolving door?" Will we feel obligated to receive
comfort from someone who barely knows us or we
know them?
St. Andrews is slowly :oslng its character and
here Is a prime example of that deterioration,
iviaybe I shouldn't care this much. After ail, I’ll be
vacating the premisses this iVlay. However, there
are many others who will be left behind to face
the uncertain future of campus ministry.
-D.L.K.
ance
qcillanxa
[D3CIKJ
Editorial
[DaGxiiB
director
^129 [maa™Qcaiflci7 ^
^ 'la3"il3Qaift ■ ■ ■ ."nFyrrffm
' ✓
editor
TiriBe-.ta
K \sm
(MH
gQCP]^..!. M5
Xanthippe
with Mary Griggs
iJiese are itei neces-
sa/i/y/Jf&se o/ Tke Lsnce
ere &/ f/ie tn^V-
/VtfAfCf. rem&ts sre
resfi&nsiM^y &/1 be
EMeritd The Lmce
ve/cemes end etweorsges
respenses le meleri^ in I Ids
paMicsslien, tttl reserves
ri§hi e^ensl /reedem.
P.O. Bex5-757, Ext. Sffff
It is time again to speak of tiie importance of
inclusive language. As spring term '89 gets
under way, the people of St Andrews need to
affirm the value of all members of the community
by being inclusive in their speech and writing.
Exclusive language is very harmful, it is the
most visible sign that true equality and the Ameri
can dream is a farce. Being exclusive in your
language says to women that it doesn't matter
how smart or talented or even how much will they
have to succeed. They can climb the corporate
ladder, achieve a position of responsiblity in gov
ernment, or raise children but they will never be
fully human. Because man is human .
Every professor on this campus will confirm that
being clear in what one says is essential to get
ting the point across to one's audience. Exclusive
language is not clear, it is only exclusive. If one
is talking about all of humanity, then say so. Don't
just talk about the half that is male. Using 'man'
when one is talking about women also invalidates
your point.
If ever anyone wishes to see the power of
language, they need look no further than George
Orwell's 1984j_ or the role of propaganda in
every war. Words are used to define each of us,
so is it right that only half of the world is included
in "mankind's" accomplishments?
The most common response to the request that
one use Inclusive language is that it is unwieldy,
all of those he/she's. Such a statement is pure
bunk. Inclusive language is like a foriegn lan
guage to most of us when we start SAGE. With
practice and determination, however, it is easy to
become fluent in it. A person just needs to think
inclusively.
Finally, for all those old dogs who still don't see
the reasoning behind making such a big deal
about this, remember that using inclusive lan
guage is the policy of St Andrews College. To
borrow from the Selective Service, "it's quick, it's
easy, and it's the law." It is also right.