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VOLUME XVII, NUMBER 7
N. C. WESLEYAN COLLEGE, ROCKY MOUNT, N. C.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1977
Bill Garlow
Organizes student life
Bill Garlow is a busy man,
and the biggest favor I could do
for him in this interview is to
let people know exactly what
his responsibilities are not. He
is not the Dean of Students,
which he believes connotes an
“aura of formality.” He is not
the Administrative Bad Guy,
though that image wUl un
doubtedly occur to those stu
dents who fail to Walk Softly
under his Big Stick, (he is the
acting Disciplinarian under the
title of Vice-president in charge
of Student Life, though he
would prefer no title at all.)
Student Life in a new organi
zation at Wesleyan, covering all
student activities outside of
academics. The categories of
Student Life include Student
Activities (under Bertie Bost),
Student Services (under A1
Horne), and Student Discipline
(under Bill Garlow, though BUI
will be ultimately consulted on
all three categories).
In the hour that I spent with
Mr. Garlow, he received eight
phone calls, and two knocks at
the door, which made me
wonder that he had any time,
much less energy, to spend
talking about his job. My
doubts soon vanished, however,
as he enthusiastically, and I
think, gratefully, entered into
the interview.
When asked to explain the
importance of a Student Life
program on campus. Bill ans
wered, “In the past, there had
never been any clear cut organ
ization for student affairs; con
sequently, students didn’t
How to succeed
in college
In writing this article I
solicited advice from various
students and professors on how
to make your college career a
more rewarding one for you.
Read on new students, and
upperclassmen alike, for some
valuable and confusion-saving
tips.
1. Do not be afraid to ask
questions in class. When you
don’t understand something, let
the professor know. The profes
sor will appreciate it, and so
will many of the shyer stu
dents.
2. When you hear a word that
you don’t recognize, look it up,
or ask what it means. Chances
are, the person who used it just
learned it himself.
3. You are not an apple-poli-
sher if you are friendly with
your professors. Say hello to
them and stop for a chat, as
that is good food for everyone’s
soul.
4. Watch those midnight
snacks. Get up early and eat a
nutritious breakfast in the cafe
teria.
5. Do not overextend your
self getting involved in various
clubs and organizations. As
Daisy Thorpe relayed to me,
“Cream will rise to the top.” In
other words, you do not have to
scramble to make a name for
yourself.
6. Dress expressively and
colorfully. Don’t wear what
everybody else is wearing.
Accessories are always fun.
7. There is no class to
cheating in class. If you see
someone cheating in class, eith
er talk privately to the student
or let the professor know about
it. You will be doing yourself a
disservice by letting the situa
tion go uncorrected.
8. As for generalizations:
Theatre people are not neces
sarily freaks; Jocks are some
times smart; Jesus freaks are
not always squares; Education
majors don’t just blow up
balloons all day, and Poli Sci.,
majors are not always a mem
ber of Alpha Delta Chi.
9. If you need to wear glasses
in class, wear them. They are
very fashionable now.
10. Join things, or initiate a
club yourself.
11. This from Dr. Finney
“How to treat your feet-run to
class.
12. Write for the newspaper.
13. Explain absences to pro
fessors. Don’t use the same
tired story. If the excuse isn’t
valid, at least make it entertain
ing.
14. Do not procrastinate.
15. Invite friends and fellow
students into your rooms for
friendly get-togethers.
16. Flush the toUets. Nobody
wants to know everything
about you.
17. If you have any problems,
there are excellent facilities in
Rocky Mount. The Mental
Health Clinic, and the Health
Clinic. For on-campus counsel
ors Daisy Thorpe and Sim
Wilde are good to talk to.
18. Give flowers to those you
admire.
know exactly where to go for
answers and decisions. When
students begin to understand
and get used to this new sys
tem, they will know where they
should go if they want to have a
party, or get a private room, or
to get answers to student rules
and regulations. There will be
better communication between
students and administration.”
He went on to say, “When the
financial crisis hit, things fell
into disarray. Wesleyan just
had to make do. The then Dean
of Students A1 Horne was
pushed into about eight differ
ent jobs, including counselor,
disciplinarian, coach, student
activities coordinator, and so
on. It was a terrible burden for
one person, but now things
have changed, with better or
ganization.”
When asked where he stood
on issues such as open dorms,
and alcohol on campus. Bill was
adamant. “There will be no
open dorms under college poli
cy, and drinking will not be
condoned.” Period. “If a stu
dent is caught violating these
two policies, they will be asked
to leave campus, with the
understanding that they may
reapply for admission after the
semester is over.”
“What about the Methodist
Conference?” I had to ask. “Are
we trying to please them too
much with our new policies?”
Bill answered with this: “When
the President appealed to the
Methodist Conference for funds
they were very hesitant. Wes
leyan had a bad reputation in
terms of values and morality.
Low morale and lack of college
pride were evident every
where. Prospective students
visiting the campus were soli
cited for drugs. Athletic teams
were losing. The Methodist
Conference wasn’t convinced
that Wesleyan was a good
investment. Therefore we had
to prove to them that we were
worth it, and with that decision
came a necessity for order. We
had to turn our public image
around.”
“Just what is the President’s
position in all of this?” I asked.
Bill replied, “What the students
want to know outside of acad
emics is my responsibility. Pre
sident Petteway makes no
front-line decisions concerning
the students. Mine is a very
critical position. My decisions
will not be refuted by the
president to the students. If the
President disagrees with my
position on an issue, he will
consult me privately. My first
consideration upon accepting
this position was that I was able
to make decisions independent
ly.”
On the subject of off-campus
residence for students. Bill
remarked, “As of now, the only
students who may live off
campus are those with senior
standing, and a good academic
and social background. We
don’t encourage off-campus liv
ing because those who chose to
live off campus slowly isolate
themselves from on-campus ac
tivities. When Wesleyan has a
big enough enrollment where it
is necessary for some to find
off-campus housing, then those
with junior status, or who are
21, will not have to petition for
it. They can simply arrange to
live off-campus.”
One of the last remarks he
made concerned the incoming
new students. “Most of our new
students, and most of those
already here seem to be pretty
special as far as academic
status and individual interests.
Over half of the students enroll
ed for the fall semester will be
new faces. Fm looking forward
to their arrival, and I think we
can expect a good year.”
Jan Wilson
Inviting welcome
A visitor admires Wesleyan’s beautiful fountain and attractive welcome sig^. She is probably
relaxing after a hard day of moving in a friend or relative attending Wesleyan.