NOVEMBER 1993—THE DECREE—PAGE 3
Admission standards need upgrading
By PATRICK BRANNAN
Recently I’ve been thinking
about student involvement on
campus. I am sure that most of
you are tired about hearing this
topic over and over again. But
I’ve been wondering, is it the type
of students that come to Wesleyan
or is it the size of our school that
adds to the problem of student
involvement and the lack thereof?
If you look at the campus and
the student organizations, the
same people are in the leadership
positions of most organizations.
Just look at those that are on GS A
senate and they usually are in
volved in some other organiza
tion and some leadership posi
tion. A smaU percentage, of the
students are those that hold lead
ership positions. Why?
One would first wonder about
Opinion
Full self-knowledge
key to completion
(Continued from Page 2>
then facing the country. “I’m very
sorry, sir, but I am unable to be
of service on this matter,” Stevens
replied. The man callously used
this ignorance as proof that En
gland shouldn’t be a democracy.
The aristocrats should make all
decisions.
Stevens sees the absurdity of a
butler being expected to know the
answer to those particular ques
tions, but he thinks that the idea
that one’s “dignity” is CMiditional
on being able to do so is non
sense. “Let us establish this quite
clearly; a butler’s duty is to iffo-
vide good service. It is not to
meddle in the great a^irs of the
nation.” Dignity, he concludes, is
not taking off one’s clothes in
public. And so he ignored Lord
Darlington’s misguided fraterniz
ing with the Nazis; he served si
lently.
Nevertheless, as Stevens nears
Miss Kenton we be^ to wonder
whether he is going because he
loves her. She had once put flow
ers in his room, they h^ drunk
nightly chocolates together, they
had run Darlington Hall as a team.
Will he take her away from her
abusive husband? Will he claim
his right to take off his clothes in
private at least?
No. Stev^ conducts his tea-
time interview with Miss Kenton
at the same sonorous speed, and
he begins his return journey wcm-
dering only how he can ad^t his
services to his American master,
how he may betto" serve. Stevens
is an honor^le person and a good
butler, but he lives within rigid
boundaries that have become his
only means of identification.
This book is more likely to
appeal to those who like an aria
guitar riffe; the narrative unfolds
slowly and smoothly into a trag
edy rather like Arthur Miller’s
Death of a Salesman. Attention
must be paid to Stevens because
he mistakenly thinks that the mo
tions of living are enough. But at
least Miller’s Willy Loman had
his own past; Stevens is heart-
breakingly empty.
It is one of those mysteries of
art that Ishiguro can draw us near
this husk of a man, make us both
pity him and empathize with him,
and show us that if we want to be
complete we must know ourselves
and love othas. In the quietly ig
norant and unobtrusive Stevens,
Ishiguro creates a tragic figure,
not a pathetic one; and he en
lightens rather than depresses us.
the size. I think that it is one of
the greatest advantages to Wes
leyan. The fact that it is a small
school gives everyone an oppor
tunity to become involved and
hold a leadership position. The
size affords the opportunity for
more people to become leaders.
The type of students that Wes
leyan attracts could be the prob
lem. The fact that it does not take
a high SAT score and high school
GPA to get in means we are not a
competitive school for admis
sions. This means that a different
group of students comes to Wes
leyan.
I get the sense that the major
ity of students really do not care.
It seems many students are inter
ested in doing the bare minimum
to get by and then have the rest of
the time to party. There is a gen
eral lack of interest and school
spirit at Wesleyan.
We’ve all heard the comments
about Wesleyan. Some students
say tiiat if you have the money
you can get into Wesleyan. A
group, and maybe a large group,
of students come to Wesleyan
planning to stay a year to two and
then uansfer to some other school.
People seem not to care.
I think the type of students who
come to Wesleyan are the major
problem with the lack of studetft
involvement There are just not
enough of those students who re-'
ally care about getting involved
and working in the leadd'ship po
sitions of organizations. If the
school was larger there could be
more of the students that showed
high school involvement, scored
well on the SAT and had high
GPAs in high school.
I do not know if there is any
relation to the type of student and
the tendency for involvement. Do’
those with better grades and
higher S ATs tend to get involved?
Do those with low grades and
. SATs not get involved? I do not
know. It would be into:esting to
find out Maybe the whole prob
lem is just an example of our so
ciety today. Who knows?
I know that being in a leadCT-
ship position, as I am, it becomes
firustrating whra you seem to call
out to the students yet there is no
reply. It really seems there is a
basic lack of interest and an “I
don’t care” attitude. I’m sure that
I’m not alone. I’m sure that lead
ers of other organizations feel the
same way. I know many of my
friends, when I asked them if it
was the size or the type of stu
dents that Wesleyan attracts that
effects the lack of student involve
ment, said, “the type of students.”
Maybe it’s time that Wesleyan
looks at this a little closer, ff we
are going to admit there is a prob
lem with student involvement, in
terest, or school spirit, we must
also lode at ways to fight it Look
ing at the size to the type of stu
dent that Wesleyan attracts may
be a start.
‘Fantasticks’ lived up to name
in Wesleyan’s fine performance
By ROBIN LANGSTON
Do you remember what it was
like to be 16 years oki and full of
wonder about flie world? When
you get out of college will you be
Remew
Rollins’ tripped up
by tremendous ego
(Continued firom Page 2)
splash in the press. The night be
fore going to woik for Perot, he
was on CNN’s “Crossfire” say
ing that he had not even consid
ered going to woric for the Bush
Or P^t campaigns, but he had a
full list of ideas that both should
be doing.
The man has an ego. He has
discovered press and IDces it. This
time, though, it got out of hand.
He got caught in one of his lies
and is going to have to pay the
price, trying to make the news by
crippling the Republican Party of
New Jersey, he ended up getting
himself named in a slander suit
by the churches he. accused of
having so little principle.
cantabile than those wllO'Iikd loM ”' *" It iS diffiCUlttO 'Mt anyone in
this affair, save Rollins. Gov.-
elect Whitman has sworn to de
cline the office if her campaign is
found to have been involved in
such activity. The churches are
suing the slanderer, a natural re
sponse to being used for political
or persoial gain. If the Republi
can Party really took part in crimi
nal behavior, the other party
would have a logical intrant in
finding out
Ed Rollins has hurt New Jer
sey and everycme involved. The
good news is that several Repub
lican and independent candidates
have announced that they had
considered soliciting his services,
but have now declared they have
no interest in him. There is some
justice after all.;: ‘ |1|‘ !
sensible and get a job, or wiU you
go out and explore the world on
your own? If you explore, will
the world be what you expected
it to be?
I had the opportunity to ex
plore my own feelings on these
questicms when I attended N.C:
Wesleyan’s performance of The
Fantasticks on Nov. 3.
This was my first expaience
in the Coltrane Theatre, and I was
excited as the audience began to
file into the theatre. The audience
quickly became quiet as Clay
Jackscm, the narrate and El Gallo,
began to sing ‘Try to Remem
ber.” This opening song trans
formed the ^dience and set the
ittood, especially as he handed a
live rose to an audience mmdKr.
The stcny moves akmg qokidiy
as a boy and giri fall in love aid
then b^ome disenchanted widi
that love and decide to e:q>loie
greenra^ pastures. Are diey pleased
widi what they find on dieir ex
plorations? I will not answer Ais
for you.
Do not be fooled by aU the
talk of love. TTiere are lots of slap
stick comedy in the play abo.
Christopher Alexander did an ex
cellent job of playing the ImfiaB
with a British accent You msj
even see your own mother in tbe
part of Bell, played beantifUty
by Charlotte Pettitt
The part I enjoyed most ’
that of ^eet but naughty Loisi.
played by Melinda Hardm.
Hanjra should be commraidedfiar
h» wcHiderful singing and acting
performance.
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