Page 2 The Lance
OPINION
December 7, iggQ
Editor’s
Desk
Fall Term 1990 -
4 * •
A Community in
Jennifer Woodward
This past week has brought out many questions concerning the Honor Code,
due process in the court, and the power of Dean Greer. There have been sides to
the issue and for the most part it has all been very confusing. So confusing that
at times one cannot decide what is right and what is wrong.
I feel that the problem lies in the interpretation of the Saltire. The wording
is rather vague or too general. The Honor Code conviction is difficult to establish
as was clearly seen this past weekend after the modified sentence. I believe
everyone knows that and understands the justification of the modification. We
as a community we realize that changes are needed to help in future situations.
A new wording will help immensely and many are already in the process of
coming up with new interpretations.
However, the biggest problem most certainly stands with the practice of the
Hearing Court and Dean Greer's involvement. I understand their justification for
her attendance, and even the possibility of her adding to the sentence, but no
where have I seen this written in the Saltire. It seems that we are practicing
unwritten laws and that is not just.
I have studied the Saltire from front to back and I still have not seen any
evidence supporting Dean Greer's attendance at private hearings. As it is stated.
Also, it cleai-ly slatM that onW ^
offices of ,he S.udeTDVft rCo of .he
address ,he coun As i, has bSn ° ‘"rec.Iy
own assumptions and no outside advice with her
-jlw
St. Andrews:
Home Away from Home
I tin,
So where do we go from here? This
seems to be the question being asked
more and more often on campus today.
As a senior I ask this question in regard
to the rest of my life. My St. Andrews
experience is nearly complete, and now
I have to determine what the goals for
the rest of my life will be. Yet, during
this time I am still puzzled and con
cerned about the community which is
arround me, and which is even now
going through troubled times.
St. Andrews has always in my mind
represented a special microcosm which
was very different from the real world.
This has in my experience been a
community based on the ideals of love
and forgiveness. It has been a place for
testing personal beliefs andideals. This
college has been a place where success
was rewarded with community approval
and support and failure was chalked up
to experience and learning. This has
been a place where it was alright to go
out on a limb, because there was a
safety net waiting to catch those who
fell. These atttitudes helped to foster a
sense of responsibility and personal
growth. This is the St. Andrews that I
will always try to remember.
In the past few months however I
have had the sense that our microcosm
has been moving toward something very
different than what I have experienced.
It seems that St. Andrews is moving
away from the ethics which have made
it a unique and special place to live and
grow. It seems to me that we are
quickly becoming nothing more than a
microcosm of the greater society rather
than a community that is different from
the rest of the world. There are several
concrete things which can be pointed to
By Louie Wemmett
Guest Editorial
It is hard for me to believe, but my
stay at St. Andrews is drawing to a
close. This is a time of reflection ...
St. Andrews is a long way from
Iowa, about 1100 miles. I still remem
ber my first trip down to Laurinburg. A
college education is something I’ve
always wanted and I had all these ideas
and thoughts of what college would be
like. I didn’t know it back in January of
1988, but the following three years
would be the most satisfying and fun-
filled years of my life.
I remember my first day of classes;
“Introduction to Politics” with Dr. Neal
Bushoven. I was really surprised when
I could call college professors by their
first name. “Let’s get into groups,” will
forever be a part of my political ideals.
Thanks Neal, for sharing your most
valuable knowledge. I think Neal should
be the mediator for the U.S. - Iran con
flict: Bush and Hussein could could use
some insight.
Everyone had told me that the aca
demics at St.Andrews were top notch.
After three years of dissecting the
faculty’s brains, I would have to agree
with that claim. The professors at this
college are great and really care about
the students. They work far more than a
paycheck. I came to this school when it
was in its lowest peak. President Reusch-
ling has helped the school turn the cor
ner and I believe this college will make
it through these times during which
many private schools disappear.
Living in Laurinburg had its ups and
downs, but working in the P.E. Center
\ 1
always kept me occupied. When you
hang out with the Romans, you become
a Roman, and my fellow students have
made my mind remain young. They
have energized me. Whether it be work
ing on SAGE papers, or playing a game
of hoops. I’ve always felt like this envi
ronment was refreshing.
What will I value the most about my
experience at St. Andrews? Well, the
piece of paper saying I am a college
graduate is great but it doesn’t compare
to the friendships I have made here.
There are few people in Iowa who can
say they have friends from Canada,
South Africa, or Trinidad. Few people
who can say they have several friends
in wheelchairs, and few people who
have so many friends from every facet
of life. Friendships are the shock ab
sorbers for the bumpy road of life.
(How’s that for a phrase Ron Bayes!)
I would especially like to thank the
staff of the P.E. Center. Judy Word is
the greatest secretary on earth. Mark
Simons and Gary Swanson are an asset
to this college; they have been fine
supervisors and more importantly good
friends. Everyone has made me feel at
home and I guess that’s what the “St.
Andrews experience” is all about. From
Charlie the physical plant worker to the
ever optimistic Dean Benson, this small
college community welcomes people
with open arms.
The month of May will be special
when graduation takes place and 1 hope
to come back and watch the baseball
team play in the College World Series.
As the song goes ... “Louie, Louie,
oh We gotta go now —” Thank
you St. Andrews!
Healing
which help substantiate this belief. The
thing which is weighing most heavily
on my mind at this time are the circum
stances which have surrounded the
registration controversy.
When I first found out about what
happened I was utterly shocked. I find
myself still asking how could so many
people have so little regard not only for
the honor code but for the community
as well. This community has in my
experience exemplified the highest
standards of honor and caring, espe
cially where others were concerned.
Perhaps what disturbed me the most
about the situation was that the action
served to undermine not simply the
spirit of a group of words which guide
our lifestyles, but undermined the spirit
of community which we have worked
to preserve at this school.
As I began to consider my own re
action to the situation, I had to wrestle
with many different ideas. On one
hand I was angry with those people
who had violated the spirit of honor
and trust inherent to our community. I
believed that those people who had put
themselves ahead of the rest of the
community through lying and cheating
needed to be punished to the full extent
that our judicial system would allow.
The judicial system was quick to react,
render a judgement, and ascess proper
sanctions. All this was enough for me
to accept. The judges of honor in our
community had spoken and that was
enough for me.
For others on our campus however
this was only the beginning of the fight.
There were many, students, faculty,
and administrators who believed that
the action of the court was not strong
enough. Many times veiled remarks
By Bill Cox
Student Government
President
slipped by individuals led me to believe
that there was an attitude that the.court
had not done its job and that there was
a flaw in the system. At this point I
began to become angry with the com
munity. Where was the spirit of for
giveness now? What has happened to
the safety net which allows for mis
takes? Where have these things gone?
At this point I am now very frus
trated. The ethics which have guided
this campus are beginning to disappear.
Since when can we not find it within
ourselves to forgive another member of
out community and allow bygones to be
just that. Since when have we become
so critical that we will not allow indi
viduals to take responsibility for their
actions without exacting the full amount
of pain and guilt possible?
It is not too late for our community to
overcome the stigma which has visited
itself upon us. I truly believe that the
spirit which makes us unique can return
to St. Andrews. I would like to chal
lenge all the members of this commu
nity to look at .this incident with respect
to their own actions and atttitudes. How
do your own ethics and actions relate
with what has happened. In the spirit of
responsibility, love, and honor it is
always impojtant ft? remsrobert that we
must live as we claimi^toeUeve. /We
must recognize that we cannot remove
the mote from the eye of our sister or
brother until we have removed the log
from our own eye. Further, we must
remember those qualities which have
made our community so special and
unique. If we forget these basic things
then we are no different from anyone
else. I do not want to see my alma
matter forget its roofs in a world that
has forgotten about love.
My Fellow Students ...
By Bill Daniels
Guest Editorial
There is an important phenomenon
taking place in the world as well as on
the St. Andrews campus. When I was
growing up in the 60’s it seemed to be
the vogue, in the rural South, to belittle
any and everyone who was different
from one’s own particular social/eco
nomical/spiritual persuasion. This
mind-set was always problematic for
me but with the changes of the 70’s and
80’s, society at large began to feel com
fortable with the “age of acceptance.”
Upon re-entering the academic world
after a twenty year absence, I was, for
the most part, very pleased with the
“youth” of the 90’s.
My first few days here at St. An
drews were emotionally exhausting.
Several times during Orientation and
Convocation I was reminded of my
age: “Sir, the parents are entering on the
other side of the gym.” I still don’t
believe that student really ever believed
that I was indeed one of his peers. As I
registered my car the young man looked
up at me and, believe it or not, said:
What an old student!” Such was my
welcome to the liberal minded institu
tion that I have indeed grown to love.
During the last two years I have
indeed learned a great deal about the
p^st/present/future world, not to men
tion about myself. What has surprised
me about my younger “peers” is the
somewhat reluctance on their part to be
truly accepting of others. Surely this is
a generalization and there is nothing
more sanctimonious than making a
blanket statement, but many members
of this campus need to “wake up and
smell the coffee.”
There is a particularly exciting group
of individuals on this campus that meet
every Tuesday/Thursday at 12:30 in
LA-B4. You may have even seen us
sitting out in the courtyard enjoying the
richness of nature, our own embodied
ness and connectedness to one another,
as well as with our environment, all of
which are sacred to us. We are deeply
concerned with spirituality/ritual/rela
tionships and the empowerment of all,
not the power of one group over an
other. We are a community within a
community.
We are feminist theorists who deal
with justice and fundamental issues of
life which can not possibly be dis
missed. We examine ourselves, our
social structures, and our origins and
development as gendered persons and
societies. In case you have immedi
ately placed us within your own con
structs, let me inform you that there are
our glasses, weight, hair color, freckles,
skin color, clothes, religion, etc.. Don t
succumb to this narrow-minded exclu-
sivistic way of thinking. You have no
doubt been told many times that you
the future leaders of the world. Accept
the challenge! Include in your reper
toire of acquaintances those who don’t
fit into the world as you see it from ypu
dorm room. If there is a word that ne^s
to be immortalized for the 90’s it is ^
elusive. We need on this campus, ;as
well as in the world, a feeling of belong
ing to the greater good for all of human
ity- .
Address the God/dess within ydur
being. Come and go to Malta with us!
Join us in our journey in search Jof
oursleves and each other! Broaden your
horizons and you will instantly notfce
that the wall of feminist stereotypes: is
one of those myths that you have be«n
carrying around with you unnecessarily-
Liehten up! ;
(Editor’s note: Bill Daniels is a Decern
her 1990 graduate, with a double major
EnglishIReligion. He will be entering
Union Theological Seminary in
Richmond, Va., January 1991, and w.ill
be working toward a Master of Divinity
degree.)