“The Time Of Your Life” Starts Thursday
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Permit No. 217
Rocky Mount, N. C.
Non-Profit Organization
‘CAROLINA WESLEYAN
VOLUME XV, NUMBER 3
ROCKY MOUNT, N. C.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1973
Theatre Production Set
Dr. Jim Purser To Direct
Computer Programs Study
DR. JIMMY PURSER
The Department of Physical
Sciences at North Carolina
Wesleyan College has institut
ed a Computer Studies pro
gram on the campus, according
to an announcement by Dr.
Thomas A. Collins, Wesleyan
president. The program will be
directed by Dr. J. M. Purser,
assistant professor of chemis
try, who will serve as Faculty
Coordinator of Computer Us
age and Director of the Com
puter Center.
The computer facilities have
been acquired through the
North Carolina Educational
Computing Center located in
the Research Triangle Park in
Raleigh, North Carolina. Wes
leyan will ‘time-share” using
the 370-165 IBM computer
located at the Triangle Uni
versities Computation Center
(TUCC;. “Time-Sharing” invol
ves the use of one large
computer by several users. The
computation time for most
projects is so short that one
may effectively consider him
self to be the only user in
practical application.
The Wesleyan Computer
System will provide as much
computer power and potential
for use as is available to any
other educational institution in
the state.
“We feel that many of the
directed studies which will be
conducted at Wesleyan using
the computer may provide
information of benefit to the
Rocky Mount community and at
the same time provide an
unique educational experience
for our students. We solicit
suggestions for studies from
the public,” stated Dr. Purser.
During the academic year
Dr. Purser will coordinate the
Project to Stimulate Computer
Usage (PSCU). The purpose of
PSCU will be to involve all the
members of the Wesleyan
faculty in the use of the
computer as an educational aid
in their courses as well as a
computational support in their
research projects.
One of the major applications
of the computer in the educa
tional program will be through
the use of computer simula
tions. For example, the compu
ter may be given enough
information so that it can
simulate a business. The
student would be given several
options such as what price to
charge for a given commodity
or how many workers to
employ. Once his decisions are
made the computer would use
its information on how a
business operates to tell the
student the results of his
decisions. The student could
learn to improve his decision
making ability through this
process and might well be
better qualified to undertake
his future occupation. The same
approach could be used in
problem solving in any discip
line area.
A secondary use of the
computer will be in the analysis
of data. For example, a student
doing a directed study in
political science or sociology
might collect data on Nash
County elections. He might
theorize that the majority of
Nash County voters are
white-collar workers and have
on the average a tenth g^ade
education. Through the use of a
computer program written for
the appropriate statistical anal
ysis, the student could analyze
the data to test his theory. The
information might be used by
the county to communicate
better with the county voters
and perhaps to stimulate more
people to vote.
The Computer Studies pro
gram will consist of an
introduction to the computer
and automated data analysis, a
programming course, and a
directed study in which the
student will apply the computer
to some specific problem of
interest to him.
Dr. Purser noted, “We at
Wesleyan feel that the acquisi
tion of our computer facilities
will better enable us to offer a
future-oriented curriculum to
our students.” He continued,
“In today’s society there is an
increasing demand placed on
each of us to know something
about computers which are
influencing each of our lives in
some way.”
NEWS BUREAU-N. C. Wes
leyan welcomed the Rocky
Mount Area Wesleyan College
Foundation directors, their
wives and guests to the campus
on Thursday evening for an
orientation program and out
door buffet dinner. The RMA-
WC Foundation, chartered in'
1957, has worked continually
since that year to provide
annual operating financial sup
port for Wesleyan.
Foundation president for
1973-74 is Leon A. Dunn, Jr.,
and vice-president and camp
aign chairman for the current
year is Thomas A. Betts, Jr.,
who have scheduled this year’s
support drive to begin October
30.
Visiting directors were met
at 6:30 p.m. at Everett
Gymnasium by Wesleyan offi
cials who conducted a tour of
the main college facilities and
campus. Among the college’s
administrative officers who
greeted guests were Dr.
Thomas A. Collins, president;
William B. Thomas, vice-presi-
dent for development; J.W.E.
Joyner, development associate;
Leo Bishop, chairman of the
By BRUCE VAN BLARCOM
The Wesleyan College Thea
tre Department will open is
1973-74 season on October 24
with a production of William
Saroyan’s THE TIME OF
YOUR LIFE, which will run
through the 27th.
The production is directed by
Bruce Van Blarcom and design
ed by Richard Kagey, both
members of the Wesleyan
theatre faculty. Technical dir
ector for the show is Donald
Williams and stage managers
are Bettie Garrick and Jane
Gravely. The cast includes
Doug Elder, Cathy Chrismon,
Tim Hill, Gray Basnight, Mark
Lambert, Bruce Van Blarcom,
Mike Sledge, Hank Piacentino,
Donald Williams, Jim Thomp
son, Gail Shearer, Doug
Wright, Bob Varanelli, Caro-
lynne Beane, Jane Gravely, and
Robin Lambert.
This particular production
looks to be a very special
undertaking for both partici
pants and audience alike. The
beautifully lyrical quality of the
script has been complemented
by a very warm and close-knit
rehearsal period shared by all
members of the production
staff. Director Van Blarcom
says that “rehearsals for this
production have been charac
terized by a special kind of
quietness, an intense quietness
which has led to extreme
giddyness and hysteria in some
instances and to some somber
mathematics department, as
faculty representative; and
Trustee Chairman Thomas J.
Pearsall. Student representa
tives assisting were Tom
Hardison, president of the
Student Government Associa
tion, and Cindy Trimm, a senior
elementary education major.
Following the tour. Dr. and
Mrs. Collins welcomed the
guests at the President’s Home
where an outdoor buffet dinner
was served. A brief program
was presented by the college’s
representatives, explaining va
rious aspects of Wesleyan’s
academic program, student life
and expressing the college’s
gratitude for the valuable
assistance rendered to Wesley
an from the area community
through the RMAWC Founda
tion.
During the evening, music
was provided on the lawn by
the Pantera Jazz Band, which
originated last year at Wesley
an and now plays engagements
throughout Eastern Carolina.
Approximately 50 Founda
tion directors and guests
attended the orientation event
held in their honor.
and powerful pieces of acting in
others. There has been some
magic. What remains is to give
it to the audience.”
Doug Elder, who plays the
leading role in the show, says
“it’s enjoyable, we have a very
good cast. It’s different from
any other show I’ve ever
worked on, in that simplicity is
demanded of my performance,
a simplicity devoid of the usual
“tricks” of the trade. Another
thing has been the difficulty of
remaining objective that is,
trying to keep myself from
being caught up in the charac
ter. I hope the audience will
take the play for what it is, in
its simplicity and its time
lessness, in its relation to all
things and all people.”
The Wesleyan Theatre will
produce three more major pro
ductions during the year, and
eight student-directed one-
acts. The Theatre asks that
anyone interested in working
either on or backstage on these
productions please show them
selves. No experience is nece
ssary. It’s work, but it’s fun.
We need you.
Curtain time for THE TIME
OF YOUR LIFE is 8:30 p.m.
Please call the box office,
extension 38, for reservations.
Come and see what we’re
doing. Then join us. You won’t
find theatre anywhere else but
the threatre. And the threatre
is here.
Bicycle Race Set
NEWS BUREAU-One of the
highlights of Parents’ Weekend
at N. C. Wesleyan will be a
bicycle race on Saturday, Oct.
27, on the college campus drive,
with registration set for 11:30
a.m. The public is invited to
participate.
Prizes have been offered by
several local business firms,
including Sears, Back-to-Na-
ture. Mason’s, Montgomery-
Wards, Braswell’s, Moore’s,
Western Auto and Belk’s.
Applications may be obtained
at either of the above stores or
at the registration table at
Wesleyan just prior to the
races.
Racing categories are as
follows: men’s race, for 15
years and older men, is a
ten-mile race which begins at
12:10 p.m.; the women’s race
starts at 12:45 p.m. and is a five
mile race, open to women 15
years and older; and the final
race is a ten-mile team race
between Wesleyan students
and faculty. Prizes will be
presented to the top finishers in
each category.
Gary Martin, assistant pro
fessor of economics at Wesley
an, and Grant Mann, a junior
♦Please turn to Page 3
Foundation Directors Visit