PAGE 2
THE DECREE
TUSEDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1972
Thanksgiving
Giving and receiving are two of the finest arts in
our culture todav. The person who has not developed
a mature attitude toward giving can never truly ap
preciate that which he receives, Wesleyan has re
cently been given two large gifts: an elaborate an;i
functional patio which will be constructed behind the
Student Union, and a large number of dogwood trees
and shrubbery which will beautify the campus. Un
fortunately, many of our students have never learned
the art of receiving gratefully and graciously.
Recently we have heard several students complain
ing about the nature of these gifts, “Why do we need
a patio and dogwoods when we don’t even have an
auditorium or a swimming pool?” Indeed, it would
be very nice if someone would donate $2,000,000
for a fine arts complex, but such thinking is little
more than idle dreaming. Only factual consideration
is valid in this regard,
Mr, Frank Brown is a true friend of Wesleyan,
He has given large amounts to the college on sev
eral occasions. As a result of his generosity, we have
a beautiful front wall and gateways, the fountain, the
carillon, and a forthcoming patio. These are the
gifts that make our college a better place to live, the
little niceities of life that the college would never
think to purchase for itself. How often have we heard,
“Oh yes, Wesleyan, That’s the school with the long
wall, isn’t it?” Yes it is. And that wall will con
tinue to be our trademark for years to come.
The Wesleyan community owes a tremendous vote
of thanks to Mr, Brown, And we hope that Frank
Brown Day will be a fine tribute to this generous
friend.
Election Day
It is needless to say that 1972 is a political
year though for the sake of clarity, we will be
gin this editorial by saying so. As the year prog
resses, interest mounts, and as a service to the
Wesleyan community, we of the DECREE are spend
ing the next two weeks conducting a political poll
to determine the preferences of our students for
the major presidential candidates—Democratic, Re
publican, and Independent. We hope to reveal the
results in next week’s issue; however, one inter
esting detail is beginning to develop. A majority
of our students have failed to register to vote—
those of us who have just recently received the right
to the ballot evidently do not intend to use this right.
Ironically, many students have contended on the poll
that the 18-21 year old vote will prove to be a ma
jor factor in determining the outcome of the elec
tions, yet they also report that they have not regis
tered. Something is wrong here. Our conclusion is that
the February and April breaks should be the times
to register; and September, a time to vote.
Open Forum:
; Among
no successful
the ballot
and... they who
appe
the
th
-A^- aham Tjincoln
fe
•{f *’■
•• • 7 -
bullet
iAf. li
Dr. Collins Asked About
Illegal Campus Drug Usage
Editor’s Note: After the re
cent campus concern over the
use of drugs and the public
letter by Dr, Collins in the
local press (reprinted below),
the DECREE asked Dr. Col
lins for an interview on the
subject “Drugs and the Wes
leyan Campus.”
DECREE: What, in your op
inion, is the extent of illegal
drug usage among Wesleyan
students?
Collins: I have no way of
knowing with any precision, A
student who has been at Wes
leyan for several years could
answer this more accurately,
but from answers given on stan
dard questionnaires by the A-
merican Council on Education,
drug experimentation involves
many college students today,
but drug use with any regula
rity or intensity involves a
small minority of college stu
dents. Oi;r students respond
ing, in unsigned questionnair
es, indicate that only a small
minority have any serious in
terest in or problem with drugs
on campus. I personally believe
that drug use is less frequent
on the Wesleyan College cam
pus than on the average col
lege campus as the problem is
presented to me in state and na
tional seminars.
DECREE: Does the college
intend to take any action to
alleviate the problem?
Collins: The College has
President Thomas A. Collins discusses with DECREE staff
his views on illegal drugs.
Open Letter Reprinted
All students have been no
tified in writing on two occa
sions in the past eighteen
months that POSSESSION, USE,
SALE OR PURCHASE OF
MARHUANA IS AGAINST THE
LAW IN THE STATE OF NORTH
CAROLINA,
This college cannot and will
not in any manner interfere with
the full and proper enforcement
of the laws of this state. The
college is obliged to cooperate
with law enforcement officers
when their actions are proper
and legal. WE CAN DO NO
LESS THAN THIS.
Though we mayferventlywish
that all students here avoid the
trauma of arrest and trial for
any felonious act, we know that
avoidance of such grief can only
be assured when felonious or il
legal behaviour is avoided.
Hence, we again urge all stu
dents to obey the law, refuse
to become involved in any way
in use or traffic in marijuana,
and steadfastly resist the tem
ptation to experiment with ma
rijuana, LSD, or any illegal
narcotics, drugs, or sub
stances. As has been noted by
others, these experiments can
be dangerous to you physically,
and will surely put your per
sonal freedom in jeopardy.
In summary, if you have any
marijuana (pot, grass, or what
ever you may call it) GET RID
OF IT NOW. The same advice
holds for any other illegal sub
stances. Furthermore, STAY
CLEAR OF ANY INVOLVE
MENT WITH THESE ILLEGAL
SUBSTANCES IN THE FU
TURE. THE RISKS ARE SIM
PLY TOO GREAT. If you choose
to ignore this good and well-
intended advice, you will pay
for your poor judgment sooner
or later — and perhaps sooner
than you planned,
Thomas A. Collins
President
consistently taken action for se
veral years to reduce the pro
blem, We have sent regular
notices on one or more occa
sions in each of the past three
years noting the problem, the
risk involved (both legal and
physical), and the college rules
on this subject. Illegal drug
use or possession is clearly
understood to be against col
lege rules and regulations. We
have had clinics with our en
tering students each year. We
have reminded our Assistant
Resident Counselors that they
must assist us in reducing any
incidence of use to an abso
lute minimum. We will coop
erate with concerned students
and, when necessary, with offi
cers of the state in enforcing
these regulations, ,
Furthermore, we will be glad
to receive and consider sug
gestions from responsible and
concerned students about steps
we might take to reduce or eli
minate any drug use problem
known to exist here.
DECREE; Many students
seem to feel that the college,
because of financial difficul
ties, will hesitate to sus
pend students who participate
in illegal activities or disci
plinary matters. What are
your thoughts on this matter,
Collins: My position is clear
and should be understood clear
ly. We will discipline any
student guilty of willful dis
regard of college regulations,
and this includes drug abuse,
or any other violation. If the
infraction merits suspension,
that student will be suspended
today as readily as ever. We
will not tolerate willful vio
lation of college regulations
under the assumption that “the
college needs my money.” The
rights of law-abiding students
must be protected and their
integrity preserved, even if this
does “cost” the college some
income. Students who believe
as you indicate in your ques
tion are 100% mistaken. By
their disregard of the rules
made for the whole college, they
may keep us from attracting
able students who want to be a
part of this kind of college com
munity, so we will not hesitate
to try to make this the kind of
college community we profess
(Continued On Page 3)
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OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF
NORTH CAROLINA WESLEYAN COLLEGE
Bruce Wright
ASSISTANT EDITOR Marshall Old
BUSINESS & ADVERTISING MGR Chuck Martin
aRCULATION MANAGER Gail Mabe
PHOTOGRAPHER jay van Hoose
COLUMNISTS: Ralph Rose. Wil! Thomson Torn Hardipon
Charlie Rogers
RE:pORTERS; Liz Reece, Betty Anne Lee,
Ralph Rose, Molly Pollack- Jane Gravely,
Gray Basnight
Business Address: liox 305», Wesleyan College
Rocky Mount, North Carolina 27801
PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY WESLEYAN STUDENTS
Opinions Published Do Not Necessarily Represent
Those Of Wesleyan College