PAGE 6 — THE DECREE — SEPTEMBER 22,1997
Money Magazine ranks
colleges as ‘best buys’
By COLLEEN DEBAISE
Enrolling at the California In
stitute of Technology could carve
a chunk out of anyone's wallet,
considering the tuition is $ 18,816
a year.
But when Caltech’s got, say,
24 Nobel-prize winning profes
sors and alumni to their credit,
who’s counting dollars?
Money Magazine is. And de
spite the hefty price tag. Caltech
still offers the best bang for the
buck, the magazine says in its an
nual report on top college values.
Some of the reasons: the uni
versity spends $47,677 on each
student — the most of any U.S.
college and nine times more than
the national average of $5,110,
according to magazine. There’s
one professor for every three stu
dents, and almost every faculty
member has a doctorate, com
pared with a national average of
54 percent.
“We think we’re a great
value,” said Dr. Steven Koonin,
Caltech’s vice president and pro
vost. “For a bright high school
student with a keen interest in
science and technology, a Caltech
education is an exciting experi-
Student survey selects
West Virginia IJniversity
as top U.S. ‘party school’
Debauchery reigns at West
Virginia University.
Well, that’s according to an
annual student survey by the
Princeton Review, which recently
gave WVU the nod as the No. 1
party school in the nation.
The distinction — which of
ten endears students but dismays
faculty — is based on the popu
larity of alcohol, drugs, the Greek
system, and, last but not least,
studying on campus.
“School isn’t taken very seri
ously here,” an anonymous WVU
junior told the Princeton Review.
The test-preparation company
based their rankings on a survey
of 56,000 college students.
“Drinking is a way of life,”
another reported.
WVU, nestled in the Appala
chian hills, knocked out last year’s
party school, Florida State Uni
versity, from the top spot. Be
hind WVU were University of
Wisconsin at Madison, State Uni
versity of New York-Albany,
University of Colorado at Boul
der and Trinity College in Hart
ford, Conn.
Rounding out’ the lop 10 li.st
were Florida State, Emory Uni
versity, the University of Kansas,
the University of Vermont, and
Louisiana State University.
As part of its annual survey
the Princeton Review ranked col
leges in 61 other categories as
well.
The vote for No. 1 “Stone Cold
Sober School” went to California
Institute of Technology, where
campus life is described as “Sleep,
study, socialize: Pick two,” ac
cording to the Princeton Review.
Other categories included:
• Best food: Deep Springs Col
lege in California.
• Future Rotarians: U.S. Na
val Academy.
• Dorms like palaces:
Randolph-Macon Woman’s Col
lege.
• Worst dorms: Tuskegee Uni
versity.
• Happy students: Washington
and Lee University.
• Students never stop study
ing: Princeton University.
• Students almost never study:
University of Missouri at Colum
bia.
• Jock school: Wabash. Col
lege.
• Best quality of life: Univer
sity of Richmond.
ence that can launch a fulfilling
career.”
To pick its top college buys,
Money evaluated 16 measures at
1,115 four-year colleges — in
cluding entrance exam scores,
faculty resources, graduation
rates, and library resources—and
compared the results to each
school’s costs.
“While no college is right for
all students, and no two of our
top 10 schools are exactly alike,
an examination of their excellence
can assist... in conducting a suc
cessful college search,” Money
says.
After Caltech, Rice University
grabbed the No. 2 spot, replacing
the New College of the Univer
sity of South Florida, which slid
to sixth. The University of North
Carolina-Chapel Hill took third
place.
Rounding out the top 10 were:
4. State University of New York-
Binghamton; 5. Spelman College;
6. New College of the University
of South Florida; 7. College of
New Jersey; 8. Truman State Uni
versity; 9. State University of
New York-Geneseo; and 10. Uni
versity of Florida.
Despite their lofty reputations
the Ivy League schools were
driven from the top of the
Money’s list by their steep prices.
Yale University, which was No.
3 in this year’s U.S. News &
World Report’s annual list of the
best U.S. universities, fared the
best, ranking 21st. Harvard, No.
1 in the U.S. News poll, was 43rd;
Dartmouth, 90th; and Princeton,
98th. Cornell and Columbia didn’t
make the top 100, but fell into the
101-150 range, where colleges are
listed alphabetically.
Visiting Writer Series
to hear Michael Parker
■ Novelist Michael Parker will
be the featured speaker at North
Carolina Wesleyan College’s Vis
iting Writers Series this Tuesday,
Sept. 23, at 7:30 p.m. in the Pow
ers Recital Hall.
The public is invited to attend
this free program.
Parker is from Clinton, in
Sampson County, and comes to
Wesleyan by way of the M.F.A.
program at the University of
North Carolina-Chapel Hill and
the UNC-G creative writing pro
gram w'here he is an assistant pro
fessor.
%
MOVING IN — Freshmen students were surrounded by belong
ings as they moved into the dorms at the beginning of the semes
ter.
Spanish language
program begins
Recently, Granta, the much-
respected English arts organiza
tion, named Parker as one of the
40 best young writers in America.
Dr. Linda Flowers, English pro
fessor at North Carolina
Wesleyan, says of Parker, “His
work is finely crafted and deeply
felt. He writes with insight and
humor about growing up in the
American South.”
Parker’s works include Hello,
Down There (Penguin, 1994) his
first novel; and The Geographi
cal Cure (Penguin, 1995), his first
collection of stories.
By DONALD AGREE
Recently the North Carolina
Wesleyan College community has
been given a Spanish language
program instructed by Teresa
Chapa.
Chapa comes to Wesleyan
from Northern Arizona Univer
sity in Flagstaff, Ariz. Chapa, a
professor in Hispanic and Span
ish studies, says she believes it is
“a good idea for people to learn a
second language.”
When asked how she likes
North Carolina Wesleyan College
so far Chapa replied, “It has been
hectic, but the staff and smdents
have made me feel welcome. I
hope to meet more students when
the Hispanic Learning Center
opens.”
“At this time taking a foreign
language is not a requirement for
students, but it will be up to the
faculty to determine whether or
not it will be required,” says Presi
dent John White. He feels that in
today’s society learning a second
language will not only help stu
dents for their careers in the fu
ture, but it will also help North
Carolina Wesleyan College ap
peal to international students and
make them feel at home.
White wants to see the stu
dents of North Carolina Wesleyan
College support this cultural pro
gram. He says, “There is a possi
bility for other language programs
depending on the demand for
other languages. This is sure to
be a valuable learning experience
that all students at North Caro
lina Wesleyan College should try
and will enjoy!”
Like to write?
Want to join the De
cree? Staff meetings
are every Monday at 8
p.m. in the Braswell Ad
ministration Building,
Room 238. Stop by!