September 15, 1989
The Lance
Opinion
Editor's
Desk
Michael Roberts
Few will soon forget the
tragic events which un
folded in China, during the
past several months, in
which a student-organized
crusade was veriemently
and violently crushed by the
Chinese government. The
attempt was designed to es
tablish communication net
works between citizens and
the country's political lead-
res in hopes of working to
wards a more ooen and lib
eral, if not Democratic, soci--
ety. These strides were one
sided and met with violent
opposition.
A lesson that we can learn
from this experience, as from
the one in South Africa, is
that feelings of disenfran
chisement, negect, and help
lessness by the governed
will eventually force those in
power to deal with their
concerns. Unfortunately the
Chinese and South African
governments have made it
clear that what matters is
power, and its retention, at
whatever cost.
Most of the students here
have their own private quar
rels with some aspect of St.
Andrews, but last Spring
seemed to be a particularly
unquieting period. The re
Hossin'
Around
sponse to Dr. Neal
Bushoven's "Wall" was over
whelming. Perhaps some
students felt their concerns
would fijially catch the at
tention of someone, at that
point, anyone. Dr. Bushoven
provided a public forum in
which some very valid top
ics of concern were pre
sented. We also felt ne
glected, helpless, and forgot
ten. We have often used pe
titions to make our griev
ances known, but like Dr.
Bushoven's "Wall", their ef
fectiveness is limited, and re
sponse minimal. With a new
President and a new Dean of
Students now comfortably
in place, it it important that a
communication link is
formed and retained. We
ask simply to be informed,
consulted when appropri
ate, and allowed to give our
own input on decisions that
affect us as students of this
institution. Our student
government and courts
should be allowed to operate
as was their intent upon ini
tiation. As a whole, we are
intelligent, articulate, crea
tive, and resourceful. Let us
work together, and be the ex
ample that the rest of the
world can follow.
Freshmen on the first day
here are rather humorous to
watch while they are trying
to find their way about St.
Andrews. 1 mean, you can
really tell who has been here
for a while, and who hasn't,
by expressions on people's
faces. Those that have been
here for a while look only
slightly confused, and ap
pear to be in control of their
lives. Those that are here for
the first time usually have
long faces, half-closed eyes,
and seem to be in the middle
of a nervous breakdovsm, of
sorts, as they fly from one
end of the campus to the
other, at supersonic speed,
appealing to anyone they
meet to tell them where they
are supposed to be. It is, to
say the least, a sight to see.
Yet, to be fair to freshmen,
we must say a few words
about why St. Andrews has
this effect upon them.
To begin, the town of Lau-
rinburg is not the most easily
found place on this planet. It
is pretty much in the middle
of nowhere, and not the
place you would expect to
find any college. I know
from personal experience
that it takes me four hours
and four highway changes to
get here, and that is within
the state. So once the travel-
weary freshman has found
the campus, and steps out of
Pat Hoss
the car to stretcn, tie/she is
immediately assualted by a
squadron of mosquitos and
other flying insects. Thus,
while walking the 5 miles
from the 5,000 car parking lot
to the place he/she thinks
he/she is going, that fresh
man is drained of a large
portion of blood and energy.
Now the student drags
his/her body into the place
he/she thinks he/ she is sup
posed to be, only it's not the
place, and...and...they be
come frantic, and hysteria
sets in. The mad dash starts to
find the right place to be, and
the nearest blood bank. Fi
nally, after a walk which
takes the freshman at least
five trips back and forth
across the lake, he/she finds
the right place. Of course, at
that time it is too late to do
anything, so he/she has to
wait until the next day.
Once checked in and told
what dorm...ooops...
residence hall, in which he/
she will reside, the freshman
is directed over, and then the
next horror begins... paper
work! "Yes, please come in,
and what is your name?
Ah...yes, here you are. Now
before we give you the key,
would you fill this out...and
this...and sign this...and...etc.
When the multitude of pa
perwork has been finished,
they are given a key to their
room. Nine times out of ten it
doesn't unlock your room...or
any room. Once the door has
been jerked, pushed, hit, and
kicked open, the arduous task
of taking everything from the
5,000 car parking lot, conven
iently located five miles away
from anything on the cam
pus, to your small, but not
overly small, room begins.
The final occasion of the day
is when the ragged, tired, and
hungry freshman stands for
hours in a dinner line to
SAGA. This word strikes a
shiver up the backs of those of
us that have been here for at
least a year. Once done, the
ragged, tired, still hungry,
freshman finally put the day
behind him/her by relaxing
in the small, but not overly
small, room in their
dorm....residence hall. There
he /she lies do wn to sleep on a
nice, soft-hard mattress with
a squeaky frame that the
school has supplied for a pal
try sum. (Barely enough to
buy a new car.)
So, who can blame a fresh
man when he/she drives a
car onto campus going to
wards the soccer field? And
when asked if he/she knew
that cars weren't allowed on
the campus, they reply, with
tears in their eyes, "I was look
ing for the cafeteria, and I
can't find it." Oh well, that's
the freshman way, I guess.
This, I suppose, concerns a
bunch of stuff. There are
several questions I'd like to
ask, such as "While the cam
pus really looks good, is it fair
to spiff up the campus while
professors salaries are fro
zen?" Or, "Can the college
really afford to have so many
good teachers (for example
Jessie Jonakin or Pat Cabe)
hightailing it?" And what
about, "Golly, isn't that a neat
policy on parties?"
Probably the most curious
question I have, though, has
to do with the brand new for
1989 policy of NO BARE
FEET. This probably sounds
like a trivial issue. It probably
IS a trivial issue. However, it
is one that is close to my sole.
To begin with, there is a
North Carolina health code
requiring that shoes be worn, ing responsibilityfor their
SAG A, however, hasn't really own choices has worked so
pushed the issue on the far, why has it all of a sudden
understanding that , if the become inadequate? As a
students get hurt because hardline baretboter, 1 can at-
they choose to go barefoot, it test to SAG A's conscientious-
is the student's problem. This about keeping the floor
arrangement has worked clean. I go barefoot every-
fine, at least for the last three'^here (except, of late
years or so, and probably ^^GA), and the only time I've
longer. My question is, if this P'cked up any glass was on
arrangement of students tak-f>^e sidewalk between Meek
lenberg and Orange dorms. If
the new policy of strict en
forcement of the health code
is for the students' benefit,
does this mean a forthcoming
rule that students must now
wear shoes at all times? Per
haps next year we'll have a
campus shoe policy to match
the campus alcohol policy.
Alan Abrams