VOLUME XIX, NUMBER 5
NORTH CAROLINA WESLEYAN COLLEGE, ROCKY MOUNT,, N.C.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 1981
The times have changed and so has Wesleyan
By Martie Barbour
Decree staff
Over the last decade
Wesleyan has undergone
many changes. The changes
have taken place in students,
administration, the style of
management, the educational
program, the composition of
faculty, and in student life.
Dr. Wilde cited that back
in 1970 there was a great deal
of student involvement in the
SGA. But the enthusiasm has
worn off, and students aren’t
nearly as involved now as they
once were. The resident
student population has
decreased over the years, so
this may have some bearing
on the drop in active student
involvement.
Dr. Wilde also mentioned
that he has noticed a “Do your
own thing” attitude in
Wesleyan students today. On
the other hand, Mr. Garlow
feels that students today are
more mature and more self-
confident than they were ten
years ago. He add^ that both
groups (those in ‘70, and those
in ‘80) are searching, as all
college students would be, but
the approach is more
systematic and logical now.
The average age of the
student has gone up, as more
and more people who opted
not to get a college education
are now seeing the
importance of it. With the
evening college program
there is more community
Free at last
By Martie Barbour
Decree staff
In the wee hours of the
morning on January 19,
President Carter announced
that an agreement had been
made with Iran to free the
American hostages.
Carter agre^ to unfreeze
the Iranian assets that he had
previously frozen, in
exchange for the freedom of
the 52 American hostages.
After 444 days of
captivity, the 52 were finally
set free. A plane landed in
Algiers, Algeria, at
approximately 8 p.m. on the
20th, and about 45 minutes
later the freed Americans
were seen on the television
across the U.S. for the first
time in many months.
The 52 American heroes
were then flown to Wiesbaden,
West Germany for medical
and psychological care.
Jimmy Carter was sent to
greet them by newly installed
President Ronald Reagan, as
the hostages were released
Inauguration Day.
Carter said that the 14
months of captivity was a
savage act of barbary by Iran.
He also added that terrorism
does not pay, as he had
unfrozen only $3 billion of $11
to $12 billion of Iranian assets
that had been frozen.
The former hostages and
their families will have a long
and difficult adjustment to
make. But I think that we
should thank God that they
are all safe and well and free
at last.
involvement, which also
contributes to the rise in the
average student age.
The curriclum has vastly
improved over the decade.
This change has led to about a
50 percent increase in
students studying in
professional areas, said
Wilde.
In 1975 there was a critical
financial crisis which brought
about many changes. The
college was forced to take a
serious look at what was being
offered, and what could be
done to improve the college in
general. It had lost its vitality,
but the crisis made everybody
pull together in an effort to get
Wesleyan back on its feet
again.
Majors in both Business
and Criminal Justice were two
important additions, as they
are two of the biggest majors
here now. They weren’t even
offered before 1975. Some
other majors that have been
added in the last ten years
include Nursing and
Elementary Education.
The student-faculty
relationships on the Wesleyan
campus are unlike those on
most college campuses today.
But it hasn’t always been that
way. Back in the ‘70’s the
professors catered only to
students’ academic needs.
Now there is more of a
closeness between them. “We
are not as stagnated as we
used to be, as an institution,”
said Garlow.
Faculty members are
willing to provide what
students want, as well as what
they need. Garlow noted that
from a teaching standpoint,
and from a student-oriented
standpoint, Wesleyan has a
better overall faculty now
than ever before.
The administration was
forced to undergo an
enormous change after the
1975 financial crisis. There
was a complete natural
turnover in this area. Wilde
said that the administration is
better now than it ever has
been.
The management was
also forced to make some
drastic changes due to the
financial crisis. In the early
‘70’s it just glided along, and
“rolled with the punches,” so
to speak. Since 1975
management has had a much
more aggressive approach.
Garlow said that running a
college is much like rolling a
rock up a hill. If you stop to
rest the rock will roll back
down the hill. So it is with a
college-everything must be in
forward motion.
Mr. Garlow has seen the
biggest improvement in the
college in the area of student
life. In 1970 there was a dean
of students who was in charge
of the entire student life
program. The program was
not very effective, as it is
impossible for one man to run
the entire thing. This didn’t
change until 1977 when the
staff was increased, and the
quality and effectiveness rose
dramatically.
“Good things have
happened,” said Garlow, “but
the changes that have taken
place haven’t gotten us nearly
where we ou^t to be.”
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MMW.
Wesleyan has changed, but we still have a long way to go.
Good news for med students
Taken from a report from the
Rockefeller Foundation
By Kenneth S. Warren, M.D.,
and John T. Bruer, Ph.D.
An enduring myth within
the academic world is that
getting into medical school is
exhaustingly difficult and that
the doors are open only to
science majors-hence the
soul-destroying premed rat
race. Leaders of the medical
profession themselves
generally hold this belief, yet
the facts are quite otherwise.
They suggest that an excellent
piece of advice for an
outstanding student eager to
be admitted to medical school
is to major in music.
The central fact is this:
over 50 percent of all
applicants to medical schools
this year will find a place in an
American school. Every year
since 1975, when one applicant
in 2.8 was admitted, the odds
have shortened in favor of the
premed student. In 1978,17,000
of 36,000 applicants were
successful, a ratio of 1 in 2.1.
For the 1980 entering class,
the ratio is 1 in 1.8.
Demographic trends indicate
that the odds will improve for
the next several years.
Although changes of 1 in 2
leave half of all aspiring
physicians frustrated, the
situation is considerably
better than most
undergraduates caught in the
premed grind believe.
There is competition for
admission to medical school,
but given a 50-50 chance, the
rampant premed anxiety
appears to be unwarranted.
Excessive anxiety can be
attributed in part to
misperceptions based on
incorrect or inaccurate
information.
Of the 17,000 applicants
admitted to medical school in
1978, two-thirds majored in
natural sciences, 8 percent in
social sciences, and 4 percent
in the humanities. Acceptance
rates for these groups were,
respectively, 46, 42, and 50
percent. By major subject, the
candidate most likely to
succeed is the biochemistry
major, with a 59 percent
acceptance rate, following
surprisingly, by music at 58
percent. Although relatively
few nonscience majors apply,
they are extremely
competitive in the admissions
race.
Many medical educators
do seek a diversified student
body and indicate that there is
no perceptible bias against
nonscience majors in the
admissions process.
There is much more
involved in the practice of
medicine than scientific
competence. In fact, many
medical educators are
concerned that scientific and
technical skills are being
overemphasized in medicine.
Prospective medical
students should know some
science background is
essential for medicine, but
that medicine is not
exclusively a science. Other
values, methods, and
perspectives, which are less
objective and methodical,
have an important and
recognized place in medicine.
This should give further
encouragement to those
whose intellectual interests
are not confined solely to the
sciences, but who still wish to
pursue a medical career.
If you are interested in
medical school:
-Your chances are good.
The chances of being
admitted to an American
medical school are presently
better than 1 in 2. The
situation is not as bad as you
think. It is and will be
competitive, but your
prospects are not as bleak as
you imagine them to be.
-You do not have to be a
biochemist or a molecular
biologist to gain admission to
medical school. There is no
bias against the nonscience
major in the admissions
process. Relatively few
nonscience majors apply, but
those who do are extremely
successful. Fulfill the basic
requirements, do well, and
pursue your own intellectual
interests.
-There is more to medicine
than science. Medical
educators are aware and
concerned about
overemphasizing scientific
and technical skills in
medicine. Not all skills,
perspectives, and methods
needed by the physician can
be learned in the laboratory.
Medicine is an art as well as a
science, whose pursuit and
appreciation is fostered by a
wide and varied cultural
experience.
-A nonscience major is no
handicap in medical school. A
recent study has shown that
medical school performance
and selection of residency are
not significantly different for
the science and nonscience
majors.
The goal of the educator
and counselor should be that
stated by Edmund Pellegrino
at the Rockefeller conference.
“What we want to get across
to students is that you can
major in whatever you please,
and so long as you do well, you
are likely to get into medical
school.”