April 19, 1993 SMALL TALK Page 3
Students Speak Out.
Clinton Challenges The Youth SuiTllTlCr GradliateS
On Monday, March 1, the 32nd anniversary of John F. Kennedy's founding of the
Peace Corps, President Clinton challenged young people across the nation to "answer
the call to service" and outlined his program to make a college education available to
every American.
In an impassioned address to over ten thousand students at the Rutgers University
Athletic Center in Piscataway, New Jersey, the President invited his audience to join
him in "a great national adventure that will change America forever, and for the bet
ter".
The President also announced his "Summer of Service" summer leadership nam
ing program in which over 1,000 young people wiU work on service projects with
children at risk. The summer program will serve as forerunner to a much larger pro
gram which will eventually allow over 100,000 young people to pay their way to col
lege through community service.
Under the President's plan, young people could borrow the money for college
from the government, then pay back the loan in one of two ways: either as a small per
centage of their income over time, or through one or two years of community service
work before, during, or after college.
In his remarks, the President encouraged listeners to "drop me a line" if they were
interested in the summer program, or to tell him what kind of service projects exist in
their communities and what kinds they would like to see. Following the speech, the
President discussed the program in detail during an interview with MTV's Tabitha
Soren.
Other members of the administration echoed the President's challenge at various
service sites across the country. In Madison, Wisconsin, Vice-President A1 Gore
toured the University of Wisconsin Arboretum built by young people in the Wisconsin
Conservative Corps. Later he discussed the national service initiative with students at
a town hall meeting in the University of Wisconsin Union.
Mrs. Tipper Gore visited the Child Day Care Center and the Flagler Home at St.
Joseph's Villa, a transitional housing program in Richmond, Virginia tlien spoke to
students from the Jepson School of Leadership, a leadership and community service
academic program offered by the University of Richmond.
In North Carolina, Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt helped members of the
Durham Service Corps build a trail at the Clemmons Educational State Forest, in
Clayton. In Boston, Secretary of Labor Robert Reich visited members of Youthbuild,
a corps of youths who rehabilitate low-income housing. And in the Nation's Capital,
Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala visited with members of DC
Service Corps who work with severely ill children at the Hospital for Sick Children.
A Little Respect...
by Kellie S. Fernandez
There appears to be a lack of respect for professors and fellow students on cam
pus. This is both saddening and annoying. First of all, our instructors have years of
training, experience, and education. These people are here to guide us and deserve
proper tteatment by the student body. It seems that many are bUnded to the fact that
these individuals are here for our benefit.
Secondly, some of you have no consideration for those seated around you. Some
may share your careless attitude, yet most are trying to make their college career a
success. Immature behavior interrupts the learning process. A tew examples of this
are:
- coughing
- ratfling car keys
- dropping papers repeatedly
- raising one's hand when you have no comment or question
- talking in an audible voice to a "buddy"
- sighing loudly
- scraping one's chair back and forth
Instead of disturbing your peers and garnering their contempt, one could:
- make a list of what you would rather be doing
- write a letter
- mentally reliving your last vacation
- review things to do for tlie day, week, month, etc.
- pay attention to the lecture
- participate in discussion sessions (Remember, the only dumb question is the one
never asked)
Finally, it is depressing to see individuals act as if they truly do not wish to be
here when our country has tliousands of would-be students who cannot find the neces
sary money or opportunities to attend college. Is there anyone putting a gun to your
head and forcing you to attend? As adults, each and every one of us should want to be
here. If you truly feel that tliis is not for you, then please leave; you are wasting pre
cious time and energy. If being here is what you desire, please have enough self-
respect to behave like an adult moving onward and upward toward life-fulfilling
goals.
Left In The Cold
by vatrice mack
Those students who are graduating
this coming summer are being left out in
the cold because they will be waiting to
receive their diplomas. Summer gradu
ates will not be able to receive their di
plomas until December when they will
be allowed to participate in the gradua
tion ceremony.
Like many summer graduates, I had
anticipated leaving school and getting on
with my career. Now it looks as if sum
mer graduates will have to stick around
to make sure they receive their diplomas
or else pray that the diplomas actually
make it to the forwarding addresses that
they leave behind. If our diplomas do
not reach us, then we have the great op
portunity of calling the school and mak
ing a big fuss over the whereabouts of
Not only will summer graduates not
receive their diplomas until December,
but the fact that they graduated will not
appear on their transcripts until Decem
ber. One solution offered to me was that
the registrar could write a letter to show
prospective employers that I had com
pleted all courses but would not graduate
until December. The idea of carrying
such a letter around to job interviews
strikes me as annojdng. There also is the
possibility that the employer will frown
on the idea of hiring a student who has
completed all the required courses, but
has not graduated yet. This situation
may raise questions and doubts in the
minds of employers. How many employ
ers do you know of that will call the
school to clear up their doubts or ques
tions? Next to none. I think the ad
ministration seems to be confusing the
idea of "graduating" and "participating in
the graduation ceremony". I think that
paiticipating in the ceremony is some
thing that is often done to follow tradi-
our diplomas
Last year a scheduled summer grad
uation was held. The administiation had many students of the past have
an entire year to organize alternatives for j,ot attend graduation
those summer graduates who would not g^ercises. The administration could have
be around to participate in commence- ^jgf, ^ sheet of paper stating
ment exercises in December. Many stu- or not they plan to participate in
dents are here in Fayetteville because of December exercises. If the student does
connections with the military. This participate, then the school
means that many of us will be stationed jgnd them their diplomas this
at other posts by December. summer once they have paid their intent
One alternative that was suggested graduate fee and successfully complet-
to me was to leave a parent's address {jjgjj- coursework.
where the college could send the diplo- Maybe I am wrong about the alterna-
ma. After four hard years of work. I live l was offered, but there certainly
doubt that I want my diploma to be should be a better way to handle this situ-
mailed to a parent. What about those of ation. Witli most issues there are choices
c ■ A that one can make,
us who don t have a re ative or i j^ope that by next summer the ad-
we can trust to receive is ar e ministration will have found a better way
piece ol sheepskin. summer graduates.
A Response
To Respect. . .
Dear Ms. Fernandez,
I must give credit where credit is
due. You did identify a problem that is
quite shameful at a college level. How
ever, I have to take you to task on a
couple of points you raised.
First of all, is it such an unforgivable
sin if one coughs in class? I take it that
you find it particularly offensive if some
one with a running nose or an irritated
throat attends class. Well, ma'am, I have
news for you: good students get sick too!
Secondly, how on earth did you
come up with your so-called solutions to
the problem? "Mentally reUving your
last vacation?" Give me a break! The
only suggestion I can agree with is "pay
attention to the lecture." Otherwise, get
real. The rest of the ideas are ludicrous,
to say the least. For example, you say
"the only dumb question is the one never
asked." Try "a dumb question is one tliat
has absolutely nothing to do at all with
the lesson".
Maybe some people are here against
their own wishes, but you can be sure
that time will weed such "students" out.
You may not believe this, but some peo
ple actually wanl an education. Me, for
example. Why el^ would a person trav
el halfway round the world, leaving
friends and family behind? To party eve
ryday? I don't think so.
Consider this as well: I'm sure tliat
you have heard the phrase "the pot call
ing the kettle black." If you're concentrat
ing so hard on the lecture, what are you
doing surveying your classmates to see
what inattentive students do?
Derek Tang