Newspapers / Chowan University Student Newspaper / Oct. 11, 1972, edition 1 / Page 2
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Page 2—Smoke Signals, Wednesday, October 11, 1972 EDITORIALS On Voting Every member of the Chowan College community who is eligible to vote should avail himself of that opportunity on November 7. Voting is not only a privilege of citizenship but is also a duty attendant thereto. The most accurate short description of a democratic government is the phrase “government of the people, by the people, and for the people” used by Abraham Lincoln in his Gettysburg address. Actually, the whole purpose and means of American politics are summed up in that succinct and historic phrase. In such a government, a heavy responsibility rests upon every citizen to take full part in civic affairs and to do so to the best of his ability. When a United States citizen is wont to criticize his government, he would do well to remember that he is criticizing not dictatorship but what has evolved through an orderly, democratic process. He should also remember that whatever happens from within to the United States of America will occur because “the people” will have aUowed it to happen. If enough citizens become in different to the ways of government, they can soon take this country down the road to undemocratic practices and to tyranny. Presidential elections always generate more interest than any other kind. Even so, political scientists are disappointed quadrennially at the size of the total vote. In the average Northern or Western state, it has been estimated that 50 to 80 percent participation in state and Federal elections is common. Local elections often attract less than 25 A BETTER IDEA percent of the eligible voters. These are distressing statistics for a represen tative democracy. Compulsory voting has been suggested as a remedy. It has been used with some success in Australia, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Holland and other countries.* Usually a fine is im posed upon those who rail to, participate in elections. Sometimes, the non-voter is disfranchised as well. Compulsory voting has not been applied by any one of our fifty states although it has been jM'oposed repeatedly. A few years ago an editorial appeared in the local paper and was entitled, “Nobody Votes In My Town.” It was written by prisoner no. 8776 whose “town” was Southern Michigan Prison. He wrote that, like so many other blessings in America’s full-fashioned freedom,the privilege of voting is not completely appreciated until it is lost. He knew whereof he spoke, for he had been stripped of his voting rights for many elections to come. He shared fully the sentiments of an immigrant to this country who said, “Americans don’t adequately appreciate their system of government because they don’t un derstand what it ain’t.” The prisoner closed his reflections with these words; But nobody votes in my town. Nobody may. What could be worse, patriotically? Only your town, where every adult may vote . . . and you don’t. No. 8776’s words are worth pondering as Election Day 1972 approaches. —Rachel Pittman Chowan, A Way of Life This year, Chowan College celebrates its 125th Anniversary as an instiution of higher learning. However, Chowan is much more than an institution or a college, Chowan is a way of life. It has its own style of doing things and of relating to people. At Chowan, a student is an individual, not just another number. Both ad ministrators and faculty show concern for the success of the student. The only student who fails here is the one who refuses to co-operate and work for his own good. Whether or not the individual wishes to admit it, Chowan does make a lasting impression on everyone who becomes a part of it. Students, professors and ad ministrators are all influenced in one way or another by Cho'van’s ideals. This is the anniversary we are all celebrating. Not just an anniversary of a college, but an anniversary of a philosophy of life. It is this philosophy of education and life that makes Chowan the school that it is. A school in which we can all be proud! —Richard Jackson A Defense of Truth In 1776, the forefathers of our country fought and gave their lives that their ancestors might have a nation to live in that was free from tryanny. Freedom of speech and freedom of the presa were two ideals protected in our constitution and defended throughout history. Two hundred years later the ideals of freedom of speech and of press are still dear the the American public. Whenever these liberties are threatened, the conscientious American rises to their defense, that they may never be taken from us. Today is no different. Whether the source be radio, television, magazines, private or public news publications, freedom of in dividual, original thought and ex- [ression must be insured. It is true that the truth often steps on certain individual’s toes, but that does not take away from the facts which are known to be true. The truth, as best known by the in dividual, must always be conveyed to his contemporaries. In conclusion, it will be the aim of this student newspaper and this editor to write and publish the truth as best seen and witnessed on this campus and its surroundings. —Richard Jackson Education and Humanities There is no way of deciding the run ning argument between the people who believe in a liberal arts education and those who believe in a technical education until we ask and answer one Eior question. This question: what id of persons do we want our colleges to turn out? Is it enough to “train” students, or do they somehow have to be 'Changed in outlook and attitude if we decide it is not enough just to “train” students, then we must look to the humanities and social sciences for means of changing them. Literature, history, sociology, philosophy, anthropolo^—these differ in much more than subject matter from physics, chemistry, engineering, mathematics. They differ in that the knowledge we have of them affects both the future of the subject and of our selves. Our knowledge of the table of atomic weights does not change the atomic system. Our knowledge of algebra or calculus does not affect those mathematical concepts. Our knowledge of metal fatigue and structural stress does not alter those physical laws. But our knowledge of the humanities and social sciences is an essential part of those systems. In sociology, for in stance, once we truly understand the nature of group pressure and the in fluence of prejudice, both we and the subject have been modified. If we know what Shakespeare was getting at in King Lear, if we can grasp what was wrong with the Treaty of Versailles, if we see what the existen tialists are trying to express-then we are able to utilize this knowledge to reshape our own views of life and to exert in fluence on those we live with and work with. The humanities are not “superior” to the technical studies because they are more ancient or more “cultural” or more intellectual; these would be poor, and snobbish, reasons for granting them any sort of priority. They are superior because they expand the imagination, enlarge the personality, enable us to become something different and better than what we were brfore. Our great need today is not so much for better-trained technicians as it is for well-rounded persons who know how their subject fits into other subjects, and who can relate their experience to some general framework of human ex perience. -Smithfield Herald QO\lERNflE^T Roving Reporter ByJANPITCHFORD QUESTION-What im provements and changes would you like to see at Chowan College? Jim Wilson - More concerts. Letter to the Editor Dear Richard Jackson, I "would like to ask you to' reconsider your harsh estimate of the Chowan cafeteria. The very same night that your editorial appeared in the SMOKE SIGNALS we were served roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, and green beans-a very tasty meal and hunger-quenching. I wonder how many people chose to eat a greasy hot dog or ham burger at a local drive-in because they had already made up their mind that the food would not be worth eating? As for your clever lead paragraph about stomach ailments-I would like to suggest that most stomach ailments are a result of eating too many hot dogs, hamburgers, and snacks because students have predetermined that the food is lousy without giving it a chance. If one has made up his mind that something is bad, nine times out of ten it’s going to be bad. My number one “gripe” (if I must use that word) with this school is with the students who are too busy complaining to be appreciative of any effort, be it from the administration, staff, faculty, or the cafeteria, to give the students their trying best. I know Jerry Wilson, manager of the cafeteria, personally because I worked for him last year. I know that he is a very concerned man who wants to please the students. But, wouldn’t you ex pect him to becomo a little discouraged when everyday students leave trays with cigarette butts and ashes laying on tables all around the cafeteria. Glasses, plates, and silverware are stolen. I’ve seen them in the dorm and left outside the cafeteria in the parking lot. It costs Mr. Wilson money to em ploy help to pick up after seemingly helpless (actually down-right lazy) students everyday. It costs him money to replace stolen dishes, glasses, and silverware. This is money that he coukl invest in better quality and variety of meals. Students can write complaining letters to their parents and have them write complaining letters to the administration. But, I say it is much simpler to tell Mr. Wilson what you like or don’t like. I know he will listen because I’ve done it. To end on a general note - a word of appreciation goes a long way. It gives incentive for trying harder, or to continue doing good. It not only makes the other person feel good, but it also makes life more enjo> able for the one who appreciates. Nancy Long Moria Leary - Open dorms on weekends, later hours for girls, don’t let the city police control the campus. Jan Bishop - Less strict rules about girls signing out and room check. Get more gymnastic apparatus for the gym. W: James Johnson - More ac tivities on campus, get pool tables, start more clubs. Have a night when all the kids get together and talk things over. Liferary M usings p By PROF. ROBERT G. MULDER Some Passing Observations and a Darn Sure Prediction There seems to be a great deal going for the freshman class this fall. Ask any professor about this, and he will probably reply in the ahirmative. Since mid-term grades have not been assembled yet, it remains to be seen if the observation is fact or wishful thinking. I can say one thing, however. Students seem to be more original this year. Not once have I seen scribbled on the stairway that my good friend, Billy Graham, is a pig. It is even possible for me to stroll around classrooms and read desk tops without having my shodesty mocked (sic). Thus far, it seems, students have not felt compelled to share with their classmates every now-known biological function of the body. I am learning a few philosophical things, in addition, about modem living. One desk in Marks HaU proudly promises that “Dope will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no dope.” If the author of those words referred to a bottle of pills and I had an excedrin headache, I should be inclined to agree. David Started All This Whenever news is slow and action is dull, one can be assured that someone will come up with a literary take-off on something sacred. I never could tolerate those popular cruelty jokes made at the expense of Jesus. Readers know to what I refer; such jokes as “I don’t care who you are, you can’t walk around on my mill pond! ” have always rubbed me the wrong way. Last spring in an issue of Smoke Signals, there appeared an article titled “23rd Psalm is Paraphrased About Drug Use.” It seems that Senator Sam J. Ervin, Jr., of North Carolina recently included this paraphrase into the Congressional Record. Writen by a twenty-three yea^'old heroin addict, the piece begins; “King Heroin is my shepherd, I shall always want;” and continues to the startling conclusion; “Surely heroin addiction shall stalk me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the land of the Damned forever.” Now the young lady who wrote those lines is dead by her own hand, and my sympathy goes to her family and to all others who are involved in similar I^oblems; however, I am even more DISTRESSED about what has happened to the beautiful words of David’s Psalm. What David composed was a masterpiece, a psalm which has since its creation blessed and strengthened tiie lives of untold thousands. He probably has turned uncomfortably in his tomb many times as his work has been so mutilated in recent years. Song writers have tried unsuccessfully to capture the spirit of the piece, and the beautiful lines are ever in the hands of paraphrasers. I have read such obnoxious mess as “Alcohol is my shepherd” from the standpoint of alcoholics and “The woman is my shepherd” from the lecherous-minded until I become in creasingly uncomfortable in my stomach every time I seen these unoriginal take-offs. Where has creativity gone? Why must man play with the sacred words of the Bible to fit his own weaknesses? Perhaps man’s own personal weaknesses would be corrected if the Shepherd were put as the Subject of the Psalm where He belongs. And Now - The Prediction That editorial in the first issue of Smoke Signals titled “Pass the Alka Seltzer” certainly deserves comment. In the first place, to write such a piece the editor eased himself rather quickly out upon a touchy limb. He must have known that his editorial would provoke a few remarks to the contrary. While I do not place this prediction in a sealed envelope to be opened on the next issue’s publication, I make the IH'ognostication for public viewing in this column: What the editor expressed in this editorial was his own personal opinion. Of course, it was a rather harsh attack based upon his own feelings at a given time. He has a right as a member of this student body to express this opinion. At the same time, other students may express opinions of opposite views. I predict that such a view will be ex- [H'essed, most likely by a seasoned sophomore with an optimistic nature. New University Program John Massey - Open dorms, more helpings of food at meals. Allow beer on campus. Scholars University, a graduate institute offering the Ph.D., Ed.D. and M.A. degrees in 25 areas of Summer On-Campus work plus Independent Study Off- Campus, announces its first On- Campus cwsses will be held beginning this July 3, at its campus in the State of Florida. In announcing the inauguration of the new university, Dr. F. R. Serlin, president, stated: “Today’s student is increasingly unwilling to sit in a classroom when he feeq that he can learn as much working independently in fewer hours than he would spend attending class lectures. “Today’s student doesn’t feel he has ttoe to postpone his work experience yet another year or three while acquiring his Master’s or Doctoral degree— hence the burgeoning of universities with minimal On- Campus-rsidency programs. “He wants to learn, but he wants to learn only what is meaningful to him . . . hence an Independent Study program that can involve him in studying areas meaningful to him. • “And he is a more mature individual than his counterpart of a decade or so ago. Hence the mushrooming of programs of study predicted upon the con viction that the student will discipline himself, if an academic program is devised that is meaningful to him.” The Scholars Unrsity program is by no means without structure, Dr. Serlin emphasized. Gllda Carter - Chowan should have more dances, and fumlah more equipment for the gym. Terry Boone - Refrigerators in the rooms, less strict rules. Dennis Walsak - Open dorms, and more student activities. SmKB sruo^Nr ot CNOW/tN coicfcp onwas EDITOR — Richard Jackson ASSOCIATE EDITOR — Steve Bowman SPORTS EDITOR — John Stanford — STAFF — Barry Bradberry Karen Humberstone Lynn Deaner Courtney Boggs Mendy Wiggs Buddy Tunstall Jim Moore Steve Bennett Jan Pitchford Bonnie Harrell PHOTOGRAPHER — Lyne Dennis
Chowan University Student Newspaper
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Oct. 11, 1972, edition 1
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