Newspapers / North Carolina Wesleyan University … / Jan. 11, 1972, edition 1 / Page 2
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PAGE 2 THE DECREE TUESDAY. JANUARY 11, 1972 Don’t Read This unless you fully intend to read the ENTIRE EDITORIAL. Next week the three fraternities on campus will spon sor the annual Rush Week, a five-day series of ac tivities — parties, receptions, dinners, and what- have-you — designed to attract new brothers into their respective camps. The observance of Rush Week is rather primitive. It is like so many other American institutional practices which are perpetuat ed for the sake of tradition rather than being based on any practical considerations. The week will go something like this: On Monday night, all three fraternities will spon sor an open house for male students in their loung es. After this holocaust, the brothers will then gather to discuss the merits and demerits of the interested rushees. Meanwhile, the interested rushees will ga ther to discuss the merits and demerits of the bro thers and the three fraternities. Everyone will be in bed by about 3 or 4 A.M., and will either skip Tues day's classes or sleep through them, hopingtobe ready for Tuesday night’s functions. Throughout the week, the brothers will be determining, both individually and collectively, the persons whom they consider to pos sess the qualities most representative of their frater nity — what it is and what it is to be. As the week wears on, a universal feeling of exhaustion settles over the student body. Studies and class assign ments have been temporarily put aside, along with sleep and various other life functions which will all require their equal time at some point or another. A few very interesting phenomena will be obser ved during the week. For one thing, fraternity mem bers will all arm themselves with their most cheer ful dispositions and go forth in a not-always genuine attempt to give the prospective member the big “snow job,” Greeks will be seen eating and talking with non-Greeks who have never before occupied a minute’s worth of their time. But we must not judge the fra ternity members too harshly. For the most part, those who assume positions of leadership on the cam pus are members of one fraternity or another. There fore, they are generally busy people. Quite honestly, a formal Rush Week is the only time that many fraternity members feel that they can take the time to look outward, and perhaps begin to cultivate some friendships which might have existed in the first place were it not for the inherent but undesirable exclusion which is practiced by any group of closely- knit people who share common interests and desires. It is obvious the Rush Week was originally design ed for large colleges, colleges in which qualified candidates for fraternity membershipwould never have adequate opportunity to acquaint themselves with the personalities and characteristics of each Greek sys tem, At Wesleyan this is hardly the case. By the beginning of the second semester at a school such as ours, those who wish to become members of a fra ternity should have ample means to make their Interest known. By the same token, the fraternities should have some idea ofthose students whom they would con sider a valuable asset to their organization. The pledge period could still be used as the proving ground for a candidate’s acceptability and willingness to be come a brother. Rush Week is indeed a rather primitive, if not crude, method of attracting new candidates for frater nity membership. But regardless of its shortcom ings, it is still the method which is used year after year. And so we should make the most of it. There are, after all, several good features which stem from the formal rush system. The need to work together as a unitifed body is a tremendous boost to the individual fraternity, and often this spirit of unity will last long after the week has come to an end. Secondly, we must not forget that the functions are de signed to allow Greeks and non-Greeks to become bet ter acquainted and to better analyze the personali ties involved. And thirdly. Rush Week provides a socially dead campus with a full week of partying and excitement. And this, perhaps, is the greatest feature of all. Fraternities at Wesleyan serve a valuable, if not essential, function. Without them, social life would be virtually nonexistent, and other phases of college life would be considerably less exciting. As we en ter Rush Week, let us do so in a spirit of coopera tion, fairness, and honesty. This can and should be an exciting and enjoyable experience. Let’s keep it that way. Forecast ’72-’73 Over the break I had plenty of time to do whatever I pleas ed and off and on I thought about the college. After three years at Wesleyan I have come to expect certain results in certain situations and so am not very surprised when a lot of things happen. While I was home I thought Pd do a little prognos ticating and here is what I came up with: S. G. A. The one thing that is essen tial to the growth of our SGA in the year to come are offi cers (President and Vice Pre sident) that are able to stand on their own feet and arouse and lead the students, so that they can get what they want. This has generally not happened in the past and will not happen this year. The SGA will con tinue to be a paper tiger. Academics Unless recruiting has dras tically changed, the students who are to carry track HI on to greater and greater heights won’t show up on this campus. Since they won’t be coming the new three track program will lack the zest and brilliance it can easily have. There will be some more surprising chan ges in the faculty in terms of personnel changes. Faculty members will continue to play the numbers game for stu dents. The psychology depart ment will probably come out on top in the game with the lang uages and English getting more pressure. Most of the other majors will maintain their pre sent status. May term and convocation will eventually be dropped due to lack of student Interest, Enrollment will drop again next year. Administration Convocations Calendar Here is the program of con vocations for Winter Semester, 1972. For the most part the Convocations Committee is continuing the theme of “Love and Death in America,” Of a total of eight offerings, stu dents can meet a semester’s requirement by attending six. January 13: Professor Do nald Robinson, Smith College Department of Government, Northampton, Massachusetts, “For Love of God and Coun try: Faith and Politics in Am- erica.” January 20: Dr. Takey Crist, UNC at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Department of Ob stetrics and Gynecology, "The Right to Death in Love: Abor tion.” January 27: Manana, a play in one act by Joe Orton, per formed by Gray Basnight and Carol Roane, February 3: Mr. James Hunt, candidate for Lt. Gover nor of North Carolina. (Oontinued On Page 3) UMiffn X- VvTidWi: r.aU'z.Bd jvrs-t \nx)UJ iMudo -tViey've loo-6ev\e6 up Notice The Federal Government re quires every person who is not a citizen of the United States to report his address to the Gov ernment each January, The Go vernment has printed cards which non-citizens use to re port their addresses. The cards are available at Post Offices of Offices of the Immigration and Natualization Service. The law requires that these cards be filled out before Ja nuary 31 of each year. This notice does not apply to you if you are a citizen of the United States. However, you will be assisting the Govern ment and any of your friends who are not United States citi zens if you will remind them of the address report require ment. No change in the coming year. Social Life The SGA will become prima rily a social organizer, but since the budget will remain ap proximately what it is now we can look forward to seeing Los Indios Tabaros (or whatever) and the Ferndale Ballet crop shooters, inc. Fraternities will prosper (although Sigma Omega will have growing pains) and continue to offer the ma jority of student preferred ac tivities. As far as the frats and the Board of Trustees are concerned it seems likely that the frats will come off of pro bation but will have to both re main on campus and continue to be local. Drug use is appro aching a peak and will increase in the coming year until the big bust comes. Most of what I have said will probably surprise no one and to many it will sound pessimistic. Well Mr. Scrooge, the Ghost of Things to Come is subject to change. Those that have lead in the past years have failed to reach what they dreamed for merely because they just drea med and did nothing. Foundation Gift Is Announced NEWS BUREAU—R. J. Rey nolds Tobacco Company has given $100,000 to the North Carolina Foundation of Church- Related Colleges, according to an announcement received by Dr. Thomas A. Collins, Presi dent of N. C. Wesleyan College here. Reynolds, a long-time sup porter of church-related col leges, has contributed to the N. C. Foundation for 17 con secutive yeairs, bringing the to tal contribution to $1,480,000, according to Brant R. Snave- ly, executive director of the Foundation. N. C. Wesleyan is a member of the Church-Related Colleges Foundation, which has its of fices in Winston-Salem and Is a fund-raising organization for 26 North Carolina colleges, all privately funded. Sixty percent of the funds raised bythe Foun dation Is divided equally among the member colleges, and the remaining 40 percent is distri buted in shares based on en rollment. The goal for the Foundation this year is to raise $1 million before the end of its fund-rais ing campaign in April, ttxtz OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF NORTH CAROLINA WESLEYAN COLLEGE EDITOR Bruce Wright ASSISTANT EDITOR Marshall Old BUSINESS & ADVERTISING MGR Chuck Martin CIRCULATION MANAGER Gail Mabe PHOTOGRAPHER jgy Van Hoose COLUMNISTS: Raich Rose, Will Thomson Tom Hardison REPORTERS: Liz Reece, Betty Anne Lee, Charlie Rogers. Ralph Rose, Moily PolIack> Jane Gravely, Gray Basnight Business Address: Box 3056, Wesleyan College Rocky Mount, North Carolina 27801 PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY WESLEYAN STUDENTS Opinions Pirfjlished Do Not Necessarily Represent Those Of Wesleyan College
North Carolina Wesleyan University Student Newspaper
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Jan. 11, 1972, edition 1
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