PAGE 2 — THE DECREE — FEBRUARY 10,1989
OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF
NORTH CAROLINA WESLEYAN COLLEGE
Editor-in-Chief — Don Rhodes
Arts and Entertainment — MikeTriibey
Contributing Editor — Dell Lewis
Photographer— Margaret Culver
The Decree is located in the Student Union, North Carolina
Wesleyan College, Wesleyan College Station, Rocky Mount, NC
27801. Policy is determined by the Editorial Board of The Decree:
Republiciation of any matter herein with6ut the express consent of
the Editorial Board is strictly forbidden. The Decree is composed
and printed by The Spring Hope Enferprise.
Opinions published do not necessarily reflect those of North
Carolina Wesleyan College.
Symposium more
than party excuse
Student proud to serve
Historically, the N.C.
Wesleyan Spring Sympo
sium has been three days
for the students to party and
the fraternities to take their
pledges on ridas. The stu
dent body, because it was
relieved of its classes and
only needed to show up for
one or two events, was
more concerned with its
two day holiday.
The Spring Symposium
this year, however, should
be different. The college
will be blessed with a cele
bration of Eastern North
Carolina’s culture.
Beginning on the eve
ning of Feb. 20, there will
be a variety of events, rang
ing from blues singers to
storytellers. This year there
should be something for
everybody.
Yes, a college sympo
sium is a brief respite from
the rigors of classroom ri
gidity. But at a liberal arts
school it is much more than
that.
A college symposium is
a valuable part of a students
education. It serves to
round out the college ca
reer. Students learn that real
life is more than books and
papers and exams, and they
can also enjoy the learning
process. We can only hope
that students don’t let this
opportunity get by them.
ROTC offers a good deal
BY MIKE MORGAN
Hello my name is Mike Mor
gan. I am a senior at North Caro
lina Wesleyan College, majoring
in Criminal Justice. I am from
Virginia Beach, Va., and came to
NCWC to play soccer and obtain
a liberal arts education.
While at NCWC, I have
played on the Bishop Soccer
team for four years, was elected
to serve on the NCWC Judicial
Board and tapped into the OMI-
CRON DELTA KAPPA honor
society. Additionally, I was se
lected to be the fkst Cadet De
tachment Commander of the
NCWC (ROTC) Military Sci
ence Department for SY 88-89.
Of all these experiences and
accomplishments, I think that
being selected as Cadet Detach-
Violence is never a solution
By STEVE FEREBEE
We have black holes in Col-
trane Theater. I’ve fallen into
several of them lately when I for
get my lines during rehearsals for
True West. And when I’m teach
ing a class and a student asks a
question that sounds like one of
my cues, the line I forgot the
night before bobs out of the dark
ness.
Another kind of black hole is
slipping into a part when you
least expect it. In the play, I hate
Chris LaLonde’s character, and
lately when I see Chris unexpect
edly on campus, my stage anger
boils to the surface.
One of the themes of True
West has to do with violence. I’m
,Dr.;S'tey|:
' s.-/ >
not quite sure what the writer
Sam Shepard is trying to say
about violence. You come to the
play and decide that for yourself.
No greater character change
exists for me than to strike out
physically and violently against
another human being. I don’t
mind - - in fact, some people
would say 1 enjoy - - upsetting
you with verbal abuse, but I
would never hit you. But in the
play, although I accomplish little,
1 strike out viciously. At first, I
just felt uncomfortable, but
sooner or later 1 had to come to
grips with the violence - - to un
derstand why my character re
sorts to it.
How easy violence is. How
much easier to strike out against
your adversary than to reason, to
listen, to accommodate. No won
der Reagan’s troops stormed
Grenada; no wonder terrorists
groups blow up airplanes; no
wonder the government murders
Ted Bundy; no wonder the hu
man male practices pummelling
his peers as a rite of passage on
junior high school playgrounds.
If your opponent lies helpless
in front of you, the immediate
(Continued on Page 3)
ment Commander of the ROTC
program at NCWC has been the
most rewarding.
Being in ROTC has given me
the opportunity to grow physi
cally, mentally, emotionally, so
cially, as well as educationally.
Additionally it has given me a
head start in leadership and man
agement experience. Most im
portantly, when I graduate in
May 1989,1 will have a degree, a
commission as a Second Lieuten
ant in the United States Army,
and a full-time career that will
challenge and reward me.
It all started in the spring se
mester of 1987, when I was a
sophomore. NCWC did not have
an ROTC program at the time and
I had not really thought about
being in the mihtary. NCWC
became a cross-enrolled ROTC
school with Saint Augustine’s
College in Raleigh, NC that se
mester.
Army officers came to our
campus and recruited me to at
tend a six-week ROTC Basic
Camp at Fort Knox, KY during
the summer of 1987.
As my Assistant Professor of
Military Science, MAJ Adams
told me: “the mihtary may not be
for everyone, but it just might be
for you, give yourself that addi
tional opportunity or option for a
career and find out.” I decided to
attend the ROTC Basic Camp,
since there was no obligation and
I could earn $700.
I won a two-year Army ROTC
scholarship from Basic Camp
which has paid for my tuition,
books, fees, room and board at
NCWC (approximately $17,000
over two years) plus $100 per
month for ten months during my
junior and senior years.
Needless to say my parents
are pleased and have more peace
of mind about my educational
expenses. The feeling of self ac
complishment that I experienced
was equally rewarding. After my
junior year I earned an additional
$800 for the completion of
ROTC Advanced Camp and
gained invaluable experience in
leading and working with other
cadets. Additionally I volun
teered for and completed Air
borne Training at Fort Benning,
Ga. following Advanced Camp.
My senior year, as NCWC
ROTC Cadet Commander, I have
earned the opportunity to be
completely in charge of leading,
motivating, and training all other
ROTC cadets. What other col
lege class gives students the
practical experience of being
“the boss” and having the re-
sponsibihty for the welfare of
fellow cadets/students.
The United States Army has
recently selected me to receive a
commission as an Aviation
School, I will receive approxi
mately a quarter of million dol
lars worth of training in flying
Army Helicopters—a dream
come true for me. You can be
next.
I am very proud to wear the
uniform of the United States
Army. It gives me a sense of
pride in that I am doing some
thing worthwhile, not only per
sonally, but for my country,
which affords us all the freedoms
we sometimes take for granted.
I offer this information in
hopes that just one person might
be able to feel the sense of ac
complishment that I have experi
enced while in college. ROTC, it
could be a rewarding experience
for you.