PAGE 2 — THE DECREE — OCTOBER 27,1989
The Decree
OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF
NORTH CAROLINA WESLEYAN COLLEGE
Editors — Terrie Roberts and Diane Jensen
Staff — Patricia Radford, Mark Brett, D.A. Lentz,
Judy Boyd, John "Cy" Moriarty, John Pernell
The Decree is located in the Student Union, Nortli Carolina
Wesleyan College, Wesleyan College Station, Rocky Mount, NC
27801. Policy is determined by the Editorial Hoard of The Decree.
Republiciation of any matter herein without the express consent of
the Editorial Board is strictly forbidden. The Decree is composed
and printed by The Spring Hope Enterprise.
Opinions published do not necessarily reflect those of North
Carolina Wesleyan College.
Better turnouts
are hopeful sign
ctm
that s WHAF
m tmo OF
fc
COLLEGE PRESS SERVICE
Hope beside the stream
A more diverse and larger
than normal student turnout
for North Carolina Wesleyan
events is a refreshing change.
Normally, when Wesleyan
holds a college event, a mere
fraction of the Wesleyan
community attends. It is dis
appointing to spend time and
money planning an event to
have only eight to 15 people
show up for the activity.
Given the increasing activ
ity fee cost, it is surprising
how few Wesleyan students
attend college-sponsored
events. SAC-PAC works long
and hard to provide the
Wesleyan community with
high quality entertainment
which should be of interest to
a majority of the student
body.
During homecoming and
Alcohol Awareness week,
however, a surprising number
of students turned out to par
ticipate in the planned event.
Could the increased participa
tion at Wesleyan events be a
sign that students are joining
together and becoming more
involved? We, along with
many other students and ad
ministrators, hope this to be
true.
Footprints in the snow
By JOHN RIVERS
It was a chilling winter after
noon. The first snow flurries of
the season fell from the Novem
ber sky and gently across the
Virginia mountains. The sky was
full of silver-grey snow filled
clouds. The Autumn leaves had
long since fallen from their
perches in the trees and covered
the ground. From time to time, a
few of the gold, red, and yellow
leaves would be lifted up by
passing cars, and carried away
by the snowflake filled gust of
wind.
A winding stream paralleled
the mountain and for many
miles. The stream was swift
moving with larger grey rocks
obstructing the timeless flow of
the crystal clear water. The result
of the huge stones blocking the
meandering water was a trans
formation from the transparent
sheets to an array of white water
comets that pitched and foamed
into the distance. The water sur-
Gun control story true fiction
Dear Editor
The short story “Gun Control
in the Big City” was very well
written, and is to be commended.
It was also more fantasy than fic
tion.
It is unlikely that New York
police would stop at Burger
King, but that is nothing to the
improbability that they would
carry at .45 pistol. The story also
ignores the fact that for half a
century New York City has had
rigid gun conU'ol laws.
It further implies that the Sec
ond Amendment guarantees
rights of felons to carry guns.
And it makes the fallacious as
sumption that registration of
guns leads to arrests. A form is
filled out every time a firearm is /
purchased. This is federal law. fy
study found that of the massive
number of forms filled out, ap
parently none were ever used to
solve a crime.
The issue of violence needs
Letters to the Editor
immediate attention. If gun laws
were the answer, New York City
would be safer than Rocky
Mount. We seek simple solu
tions because we so desperately
want to solve the problem. But
they oniydeflect us from dealing
with the complex and multi-fac-
eted issues plaguing our society
today!
John G. Steed
Class of'87
/
Dean complimentary
of Homecoming week
Dear Editor:
I would like to take this op
portunity to congratulate the en
tire Wesleyan Community for an
outstanding Homecoming ’89
week.
Right from the opening day
on Monday, Oct. 2, which fea
tured In Search of the Bishop, the
I enthusiasm level was evident.
The Campus Picnic on Oct. 3,
was a rousing success despite the
uninvited swarm of bees who
decided they liked the food as
much as our students. The Drive-
in Movie later that night was
well attended and went off with
out a hitch.
Wednesday, Oct. 4, was a
very exciting day beginning with
the Blue and Gold wearing of the
colors and culminating with the
well attended Dating Game, in
the Student Activities Center.
Paula Poundstone, Comedienne
Extraordinaire, who has been
featured on HBO and David
Letterman, provided us with a
standing room only show on
Thursday evening in the Student
Activities Center. It was very
rewarding to see that many of
our students gathered for a cam
pus activity. Everyone seemed to
have a fantastic time and many
of you even got to meet Paula
following the show.
The concert on Friday night
featuring Sidewinder, went over
very well. The outdoor venue
posed no problems whatsoever
and the entire student body is to
be complimented on this eve
ning. It was by far the best con
cert we have had in years. Sev
eral of the police officers hired
for security commented that it
was the best behaved crowd they
(Continued on Page 3)
face would then smooth out only
to collide with another rock and
repeat the suaying of white wa
ter.
Two lovers sat on the bank of
the stream in the warmth of each
others arms. Both of the people
were young and just beginning to
live. The girl’s black hair fell
about her shoulders and mid way
down her back. Her eyes, color
of a dark stained oak, met the
green-blue eyes of the young
man. Their stare was more than
intimate. In each others eyes they
saw more than the flesh of an iris
or a pupil. In those eyes they saw
life. A tiny smile touched the
face of the girl as her husband
brushed his blond hair from his
forehead.
“The stream is beautiful. Do
you know the name of it?” she
asked.
“I think it is called some In
dian name that means long life.”
She looked up and down
stream, and then to her man to
ask. “Do you think it is pol
luted?”
Her husband nodded. “Yes,
but only in some places.”
“It’s that way with everything
now.”
“Not everywhere. There are a
few places that the silt cannot
reach.”
The girl shivered and the
young man pulled his wife closer
to shield her from the wind and
the snow.
The snow was falling more
rapidly now and a white blanket
began to cover the land.
“I want to bring our baby here
(Continued on Page 3)