PAGE 2 — THE DEC31EE — MARCH 27,1992
—I TX
1 he Decree
OFFICIAL STVDBNTNmSPAPBR OF
NORTH CAROUNA WESLEYAN COLLEOE
Co>Editors — John Fentress and James Oakley
Staff — CedBa Nict^ Cox,
TifTaay Page, Joiui Peniel^
Delinda L«e» Josawt Holiaday
lint alette is located ia Iba Student Unkm, North CaroUiia
ytfsigym OdIeg«, Westejm OoB^ Hatton, Rocky Mount, NC
37861. IMtc; is determiaed by die Editmid Bostd of 3%eD«.
R«>ipiil>licaUon ot «ny W«tt«r witboat eiq>t«$«
J» composed and printed by K|p)eyN«ff«paper&of Sprbiglio^
Participation
in elections sad
The editors of The De
cree would like to express
their concern over the recent
elections for student and
class offices. The participa
tion by the students at Wes
leyan College was implau
sible and quite weak. The
percentage of students run
ning and specifically those
voting is inexcusable.
Less than 25 percent of
the full-time student body
even cared to circle names
on the ballots, and that’s
including the votes that were
cast by the students running
for office — which made
up 11 percent of the votes.
Another aspect of the
elections we found surpris
ing was the lack of any
competition on most of the
tickets. Besides five stu
dents running for Sopho
more Class President, six for
Judicial Board, and two for
SGA Treasurer, 16 offices
went unopposed — includ
ing one office that no one
ran for at all.
We congratulate all of
those who ran and are proud
to have them represent us.
We realize the great re
sponsibility they are taking
and are sure that they will
attempt to give the student
body what is needed.
However, we would like
to- iiiform ail of- ^hose* who
“didn’t have time” to circle
a couple of names that we
don’t want to hear any
complaints about how the
Student Government is run
next year.
We understand that many
of you may not have the
capability or care for the
responsibility of holding an
office, but as the disap
pointed SGA President, Carl
Turner, said, “Every student
is part of the SGA and
should take part in partici
pating in its many meetings
and activities.”
The SGA meetings are
held every other Monday in
the Student Activities Cen
ter and everybody in the
Wesleyan community is
encouraged to attend. When
less than five non-board
students attend to contribute
to the discussions and deci
sions, it shows that most
students here really don’t
care what goes on with their
college.
Most students don’t even
have a clue about what goes
on at these meetings and
don’t even realize how
much they have done for us,
including a brand new pool
table in the SAC.
Neal Latta, the SGA
Treasurer, summed up how
many people feel about the
student body’s lack of par-
■ticipationi putting it bliintly,
T’m pissed.’
WUaT DlDSCiKXmODS
RllCKlNmOlDDIMSyaiHffiS;
KRXSmimKKS?
Reaching another milestone
Every year was worth living
By DR. STEVE FEREBEE
By the time you read this, I
wUl be 40 years old. Not since I
turned 21 has any one birthday
seemed so pregnant with mean
ing.
If you’re younger than I am,
you will be thinking I’m an old
fogey with nothing better to think
about. If you’re older, you will
be thinking, “Ha! What does he
know?”
I know it is irrational, but I
hesitate to think about myself as
middle-aged. Though we were the
ones who said not to trust anyone
over 30, as long as I was in my
30’s, I nonchalantly thought of
myself as young.
Actually, except for some in
evitable deterioration and a slight
loss of stamina, I feel better than
I ever did. We learn to take better
care of ourselves. And I don’t
Dr. Steve
think I’m particularly infected by
the American obsession with
youth. But 40? That sounds like
how old my parents were when I
thought they were hopelessly lost
to old age. So, even though I know
a number change is only that, I
think this one has a mf;|g;p[g b«s-
yond the calendar.
We try so hard for adulthood,
and then we push it away. I don't
want to be a child, and in fact I
don’t want to be any age other
than what I am. But why does
everyone on television commer
cials have to be so irritatingly
fresh?
The problem with wanting to
be younger than you are is that
you would have to ignore or ne
gate some part of your life, and I
can’t think of ten or even five
years I’d want to get rid of.
I guess what bothers us is that
we might not have accomplished
what we assumed we would by
the time we were middle-aged.
We may begin to think not so
much about writing the great
American novel or changing the
political system as about one of
our students or children doing it
Mow, don’t get me wrong. The
spint to change and to move and
to ;Challenge>::does not go away.
It’s the body and our responsi
bilities which interfere. Our wants
and desires still change; we still
work our bodies; and we are eager
to try new areas of experience.
What changes is that some
times we more easily forget to
(CoBtinued on Page 3)
Get involved or shut up
Dear Editor:
Everyone has a tendency to
complain; it is human nature. It is
also human nature to make an
attempt to correct what you com
plain about. This is not the case
at Wesleyan.
A typical comment heard
around campus is “SGA does
nothing.” How in the hell would
you know what SGA does? No
one attends the meetings. This
campus is in transition and the
faculty are looking for student
inputs -but you won’t get out of
your room or stay on campus to
Letters to
the Editor
make comments to help them.
Last Wednesday, I sat at a table
and had to literally grab people to
make them vote. Still people told
me that they did not have enough
time to circle three names. People
should want to vote.
- Another thing 4s ^ why do
people constantly complain about
' the cafe? Is it the “in” thing to
do? Everyone has friends from
other colleges visit. We take them
to the cafeteria and see how they
compare their cafe to ours. Why
don’t you take time to congratu
late people more often. Let’s
practice, “Mr. Sparks, the campus
looks great. You have done a re
ally great job.” Now what was so
hard about that?
If you want to make a com
plaint, make it an educated com
plaint that you will try to do
. soijtietjiing at)oujt. Jf,not, shut up!
Neal Latta