Newspapers / North Carolina Wesleyan University … / Feb. 18, 1994, edition 1 / Page 5
Part of North Carolina Wesleyan University Student Newspaper / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
FEBRUARY 18,1994 — THE DECREE — PAGE 5 Planned changes positive for NCWC By TOMMY ALLEN What is it that makes people so unsusceptible to change? Whether it is a slight modifica tion or a major transformation does not seem to matter — gen erally, people do not like change. Why? One could simply contribute the dislike of change to “the fear of the unknown,” but when one is well informed of the change, can it still be a “fear of the un known”? One could also contribute the dislike of change to exclusion from the formation of the change, but can one successfully rational ize this when the lack of involve ment was by their own choosing? One could say tliat their dislike of change stems from a sense of instability or loss of security. I actually may be on to some thing with this one. The changes that I am specifically speaking of are the ones that were recently introduced to the Wesleyan Com munity by President Gamer and Academy Dean Bussom. As SGA President, I am privy to a lot of things that other committees or boards of North Carolina Wesleyan College are privy to and have therefore heard the above mentioned changes about six or seven times now. I can honestly say that I get more and more enthusiastic about these changes the more that I hear them. Mainly because a lot of these Opinion Thiladelphia’ has tremendous impact (Continued from Page 4) sonal worth. To make a movie about homosexuality itself would be confining that particular mes sage to a very small number of the population. I felt that in the total picture, the movie was very tastefully done. There were no real homo sexual acts, which I feel would have turned me and many of the other heterosexual public off. Demme and Nyswander were wise in making an important mov ie accessible to both the hetero sexual and homoseltual public. Chip Sullivan Library at Wesleyan better than described Dear Editor; As Director of the Library I would cheerfully accept twice the budget and twice as many books and journals as we have at the moment. Any and all advocacy in this area is warmly welcomed, and my thanks go to Matt Hartwiger for the column in the February Decree, in which he ad vocated more and better library resources. I’m worried, however, that af ter reading his letter everyone might start walking to ECU be fore you check us out here. Even admitting the very real limitations of the collection, I am willing to bet that using the re sources that exist in the Pearsall Library right now, we can give any student at NCWC more in formation on most course-related subjects than she/he could read in a semester. TTie problem is that most people simply don’t know the Magic Formula For Finding Information. The Magic Formula involves gazing deep into the eyes of a librarian and reciting the incanta tion, “I need information on (pick your subject).” Then if she/he doesn’t give you enough, yoii have to repeat the incantation, in serting the word “more” between the words “need” and “informa tion.” Curiously enough, the Magic Formula only woiks if you use it two or three weeks before your paper is due. AI LaRose changes will benefit the students, but also because I believe these changes will benefit the college as a whole. Unfortunately, there seem to be those who still have concerns and rightly so. After all, it is a change. However, the one thing that concerns me had been the nature of these worries. If I were to express the majority of the con cerns for the proposed changes in one phrase it would be “Well, what’s in it for me” or “What am I getting (or not getting) out of it.” It seems the “meism” that many of you have hears me speak of has resurfaced. I believe the one thing that ev eryone needs to realize is the North Carolina Wesleyan College of today is not, nor never will the North Carolina Wesleyan Col lege it was in the year 1960. NCWC has come a long way, and it has the potential to go much, much further. So, once again I ask, why are people so un susceptible to change and want to hold Wesleyan back? Besides being unsusceptible to change, it seems we see and hear what we want to (this could con tribute to the fact that Wesleyan is quite a rumor mill and this con tributes to what I am about to say). People (pardon the south ern expression) “make such a fuss over nothing.” From the reactions of some people you’d think that Dr. Gar ner and Dr. Bussom have just changed the college’s name to “Wesleyan Technical College” and announced the end of any Kafka fits Harding (Continued from Page 4) who hates the government cheers her on. Somewhere on a deserted ice rink, a modestly dressed mi nority teenager continues work ing for her chance at endorse ments. Commercial break. (Dan Quayle for potato”e” chips.) As we take a bathroom break (the Olympics themselves), I pause to marvel at how right Kafka had iL Television must sell itself, and in order to do so it has now established a laboratory where “babies” are manufactured, lives invented, and episodes of “news” stories telecast to keep us proles interested... Yeah, well, even Kafka had enemies. Sports are not about love of the game or about the beauty of what the human body can stretch itself to do. Sports are part of the television entertainment industry, and some sports figures have to be wicked because that’s what the script calls for. If they have to break some knees to ensure their chance at the lucrative endorsement con tracts, well, that’s business. And guess who is the customer? Com mercial break. (Tonya for Nike.) liberal arts program including those jobs within the program. You would also think that they have made the announcement that everyone should stop lecturing and teach their courses through active learning. However, they have not. After all, this is impos sible — not all classes can be taught without lecturing. As a student, I must admit, that, I have learned a lot more from the classes that were taught through active learning than the ones that were lectures. Lectures, for the most part, are boring. Ask any student and remember: “The student comes first.” The college is dumping the phrase and hope fully not the concept. You know, with this being a liberal arts college, it’s no won der that the Wesleyan Commu nity thinks a little too much and reads a littie too much into things. The paranoia that surrounds Wes leyan at times like these is enough to make me feel as if this the McCarthy era! There are no “Anti- Wesleyanists” trying to overthrow the liberal arts program! Please remember that Dr. Gamer and Dr. Bussom are not omnipotent They cannot make such changes with out the majority consent of the Wesleyan Community. I spoke with a good friend one evening about this situation and she made me do quite a bit of thinking. I now believe that I un derstand why “Wesleyan-Iittle” is mnning around yelling “The lib eral arts program is falling! The liberal arts program is falUng!” While there is no one out to abol ish the liberal arts program, there was discussion on canceling ma jors that were no longer in de mand by students. It just so happens that the lib eral arts are not in a very high demand where the majority of degree-seeking Wesleyan stu dents are concerned. Thus the link between fading out majors and abolishing the liberal arts pro gram. Wesleyan may not be the same as it was in 1960, but it is still Wesleyan—I have no doubts that the liberal arts program will be staying. The other issue my friend was instmmental in bringing to my attention was the fact that while some of the majors may not be in demand like they once were, there are still students in these majors — students who came here and stayed here for that major (but will not if we do not offer them their classes), and who want to graduate sometime this decade under that major. I strongly believe that this institution has the responsibility of graduating these students un der their chosen majors and within a respectable amount of time. This means offering the courses they need whether there are only two or three students in that class. If a student needs that class, then it should not be canceled. In business terms (which I do not get offended at if the college is referred to this way, and nei ther should others), the college has a contract with these students to help them complete the major offered to them when they en tered and within foiu" years as stated. This is just simple busi ness ethics. Well, I imagine that I have said a mouthful and if nothing else comes of this column, then at least it will help The Decree fill some space. Words of wisdom from a student Do not jump to conclu sions and keep this in mind: self- fulfilling prophecy. Top'ten reasons to go to Wal-Mart at 2 a.m. 10. The great video games. 9. Get an early start on your CJiristmas shopping. 8. The inexpensive and delicious snake bar. 7. Dodging the people re-stocking the selves. 6. Having fun making security guards nervous. 5. No visitation policy at Wal-Mart. 4. Avoid the rush on 250 Sam’s Cola. 3. Only place open at 2 a.m. in Rocky Mount. 2. Setting free hamsters in pet department. 1. Never know what staff members you’ll run into.
North Carolina Wesleyan University Student Newspaper
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Feb. 18, 1994, edition 1
5
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75