Newspapers / Elizabeth City State University … / Oct. 1, 1983, edition 1 / Page 4
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page 4 Sound Off!!!! M % The opinions expressed in this column in no way reflect those of the Editor or staff Those wishing to reply to or refute any statement^ may, in care of The COMPASS Box 815 Csmpus M Food Fussing About the Petersburg Symphony Orchestra Lyceum Erin Fithian, ’85 “Nathaniel Gatlin told about the Overture of William Tell and what instruments played the sounds like a bird, the calm and the storm. It was the best stuff (Music) I have heard at ECSU since I’ve been going , which is only a year. My favorites were the highlights from “Hello Dolly.” In all, it was really good and I enjoyed it very much.” Joyce Grooms, ’86 “The orchestra had a very strong tone and played very well. It was great understanding what was‘going on, since the director explained each peice of music. Penny Farnell, ’85 “The Petersburg Symphony Orchestra includes people from all walks of life and ranges in age from that of high school students to senior citizens. The conductor is Mr. Nathaniel Gatlin, whose love and enthusiam for music were evident throughout the program. My favorite piece of music was, “The William Tell Over ture.” Mr. Gatlin explained to the audience how the music was used to tell a story. At first there was a calm morning, then a storm erupted, followed by calm again, and then a victory celebration. I really enjoyed this concert and plan to go to other Lyceum programs.” /f\ b The students are the purpose of the University: let them make their own decisions. All students must pay for an education; why try to control your job suppliers? Administrators, how about opening up the prison!!! E.C.S.U.’s Invisible Student” Reaction is mixed on the new Compulsory Class Attendance Policy. “For whatever reason, this school is notorious for its ab senteeism and something definitely should have been done.However, I think that as college-level adults, a more lenient method could have been adopted.” A RESPONSIBLE ADULT “I think it is a good program, designed to motivate students to come to class. This doesn't apply in all cases, however. There are valid reasons for absences that are not acceptable to the Ad- ministration. As for the tardy system, whatever happened to “better late than never?” HORNS DOWN VIKING” “I don’t like it, because they haven’t given us a chance to prove that we can handle it. Give us an extension!! ELONASPENCER” “SHINE UP YOUR BADGES, TRUANT OFFICERS! BULL; UNFAIR! We are in college and if students aren’t responsible enough to go to class, they should not be in school. The main reason for going to an Institution of (a somewhat) higher education is to learn. If the students don’t go to class and pass, give them the grade- and likewise if they fail.” Charles A. Berry “I think - if you don’t want to worry about your absences, GO TO CLASS!” Anothy S. Snell TONE TO THE BONE “My opinion of the ‘new policy’ on absenteeism is that it’s unfair, to a certain extent. I feel that if a student goes to class on a regular basis, he shouldn’t be withdrawn from the class for missing more than three days, if he does the work required for the course. As for coming in a class late, I feel that is a good rule because we must respect the instructors the way we want them to respect us. It’s unfair for the instructor to have to repeat what he has said five or six times due to the tar diness of the student. C.M. “The Nupes take time out to talk about school policy. We personally feel that the policy is unreasonable. We feel that this is an avenue of higher education, and an institution of mature adults. We can take personal responsibilities into our own hands. This institution is supposed to prepare us to be self-sufficient and independent, not looked over by a group of administrators using their authority to abolish the minds of the future. Remember administrators, your job is to instruct us to be better individuals, and not to destroy our character and our stay in Viking Country. THE BROTHERS OF THE EPSILON ALPHA CHAPTER OF KAPPA ALPHA PSI “ Due to uncomfortable living conditions in the dorms, I think we should be excused for days missed during the period of a year. What I mean by un comfortable; cold rooms; stopped-up sinks; cold, COLD showers, getting locked out of your room ten minutes before class, etc. etc. “The absentee policy is a good one. I’m sure. However, I feel that if a student wants an education, he will go to class. I’m trying to say-let the student decide. If an instructor feels that a student has missed too many days, let that teacher fail that student. I feel that the policy is irrelevant! CLARISSA HURDLE” “I don’t think there should be any absentee policy. Many of the students have good excuses for being absent from class. I think a student should be allowed to miss at least five or six days, before some action is taken about the matter. CONCERNED FRESHMAN” “Since this policy could affect our education, our career, and our lives in such a negative way, I feel that discretion should be used. Not all matters, that call for a student to miss class, can be documented: diarrhea, men strual cramps, common colds, etc. 6tc. SENIOR PLANNING TO OVERCOME’’ Academic pressure is easy to deal with, if you have the will power. If you want to make a 4.0, you will; if you want to just barely pass, you will. Money Woes Why weren’t mailbox charges added to general fees? Why ARE there mailbox charges at all? Do you realize that YOU (out of your pocket, directly or in taxes to Federal and State financial aid) pay to stand in registratration lines? Why do you pay $90 for Book Rental—and have to buy books? Why isn’t this fee optional? Why pay for Laundry if you have your own sheets? Why pay Commuter Fee and Parking Lot Fee? Some of us walk or ride bicycles. Why should we pay either? Rental on the sidewalks? Why do off-campus students, whose rents are legitimate college expenses, receive less financial aid than on-campus students — especially if those rents are equal to or less than the cost of dormitory living? Why are Fees “...subject to change without notice?” Housing Headaches How long will Bias Hall wait for renovations?— Will those bathtubs EVER go? Approximately 120 students live in the New Complex without a water fountain. The closest one ^ is in Mitchell-Lewis. S.O.L. guys! f Try Butler Hall for cold water! Speaking of Butler (also known as the Roach Motel), will it ever be completely renovated? If atheletes aren’t allowed to live in the Complex, why aren’t there designated areas where they can live together? For example, two floors of Wamack and one floor of Mitchell-Lewis could be set aside as athletic housing. Otherwise, restriction from certain domitories con stitutes discrimination; doesn’t it? Where are the tomatoes in the cafeteria salad? Why do students find buckshot in the meatloaf? Why are potatoes or rice served with EVERY dinner? What do diabetic or hyper tensive students eat? Why is Snack Bar service so slow? Why isn’t it open for the “midnite munchies?” Why are the only meals “mystery meat, mystery fish,” chicken, pasta, liver, and “cardboard chops” (on demand)? Who serves spaghetti, white beans, mashed potatoes, and rolls, all in one meal, at home? We don’t need a dietician — just common sense! Not too many people eat break fast — why can’t we have two eggs? Where can commuting students get a cup of coffee and doughnut on the yard before 9:00? Why can’t students with back- to-back lunch and dinnertime classes get takeout plates? Why can’t your COMPASS staff get takeout plates on the days when they work twelve hour shifts at the DAILY ADVANCE? Why is the silverware dirty? Thanks for the Snack Bar salad bar! Neither the COMPASS nor the VIKING has office space. The VIKING Editor doesn’t even have a desk! Tacky, tacky.... It Here? Is 1984 Coming or Is by William F. McGowan '‘If we give in to book censorship... give in to ... give in to abolishing discussions on controversial subjects...give in to ...or allow editing of student editorials we are preparing for... Big Brother.” Repeating History historian-a person studying past events, patterns and trends which influence and/or determine the outcomes of present or future by Mike Moore situations with Eric Fromm wrote that George Orwell’s “1984” is the expression of a mood, and it is a warning. The warning holds special credence for today’s classroom. As the quality of instruction has fallen, as achievement test scores have become increasingly em barrassing, as the system has failed to meet society’s requirements (valid or not), as budgetary constraints have increased, more and more ad ministrative control has taken over classroom authority in instruction and curriculum. Schools have come under tremendous pressure to save money and to be egalitarian. Through fear, apathy, and ignorance, computer programs may establish philosophies alien to our thinking. The program can come from Big Brother in defense of Big Brother’s ideas. In the English classrooms, students come into contact with the great ideas of the ages through the study of literature and under the guiding hand of an intelligent, caring teacher. Through intimate contact with a fellow human being, intellectual freedom thrives, and students can speak, read, debate and reach into the future. The sterile machine misses the vital body language signs that an ex perienced teacher intuitively employs and reacts to in students. Knowledge builds with intellectual freedom of inquiry, criticism, and dissent. A machine may be programme, allowing students to respond to different theories with multiple- choice answers, may set up arguments in Aristotelian fashion, may list ideas and details for correction, but it can never bring into play that in tangible that makes a great teacher and brings forth the latent talent in a reticent student. The fear today, and the element which may bring on “1984” and Big Brother, is the continuing influx of weak in structors and the climate of insecurity among tenured in structors. The weak, insecure teacher is easy prey to autocratic rule and to censorship. It is only the strong, the well educated, the internally secure individual who defeats Big Brother. The Unholy Trinity of Fear, Ignorance, and Intolerance comes with a society that con fronts apparently unsolvable problems. When society does not know what to do, where to lay the blame, or where to pinpoint the problem, it challenges the schools, further eroding academic freedom, creates textbooks which are purged of any controversial data or in formation, and encourages the use of software,which promises success in business and financial rewards. The environment breeds self-censorship. We may awake one day and find a curriculum which is homogenized, giving little or nothing that is challenging or intellectual. The goal becomes“Let’s not offend anyone.” Born of a philosophy of half-truths and apathetic teacher submission, “1984” has arrived. • We must not give way to the fears of our society, or we will become robots bowing to the terminal. Anonymous programmers provide only an anonymous curriculum that meets the standards of mediocrity, the requirements of budgetary efficiency, the committee standards set by the fear of the moment, and the demand of those who rule. They say that a computer will release us from chores we do not wish to perform-correcting papers, totaling test scores, developing tests. If we bow to those “Little changes”which “really don’t affect our programs.” we are, in effect, giving in to Big Brother and going the way of “1984.” If we give in to book censorship in the name of community har mony. give in to curriculum changes which allow for the reduction of library and classroom facilities, give in to abolishing discussions on con troversial subjects, and give in to decisions about who will choose the next play or allow editing of student editorials, we are preparing for “1984” and the Big Brother. xta Certain contemporary situations present themselves which suggest having similarities with situations of bygone days. August 31, 1983-Soviet aircraft shoot an unarmed, Korean passenger jet from the sky. The Soviets accuse the U.S. of using the plane for spying purposes over a top-secret, Soviet submarine base in the area. 61 U.S. citizens die when the jet crashes into Soviet national waters. March 7, 1915-a Ger man U-boat torpedoes the passenger ship “Lusitania,” en route from America to Great Britain. The ship perishes with 128 Americans aboard. Oct. 1, 1938-March 15, 1939--the German Reich annexes the entire nation of Czechoslovakia to its expanding empire. December, 1979-The U.S.S.R. sends a large military contingency into the country of Afghanistan, eventually oc cupying the entire nation. similar circumstances July/August, 1983-a Soviet youth runs away while in the U.S. with his father. His father is a Russian diplomat. The boy was eventually delivered to Soviet authorities only after the Soviet Union had placed intense political pressure on the U.S. The Germans launch an intense propaganda campaign encouraging German youths to adhere to certain political ideals (Nazi ideals), c. 1940. International politics have refined themselves com paratively with the technological advances of the second half of the twentieth century. The aforementioned German in stances all contributed to Ger many’s entry into both World Wars. Perhaps the U.S.S.R. fails to realize the similarities between this past pattern of events and the pattern of international events forming today. Perhaps, also American international politics have matured beyond the point where this nation needs to flaunt its military might. American foreign policy, in* deed,has progressed to the level where world war is seen as no solution to any international problem.
Elizabeth City State University Student Newspaper
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Oct. 1, 1983, edition 1
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