An Open Letter
To the Student Body and Faculty
We, the editors of the Pendulum wish to extend an open
invitation to you to join in the production of the newspaper. We
are hoping to establish a paper which will both serve the needs
of the students and faculty as well as develop a closer rapport
with the greater community.
We intend to report events which are important to both the
students and the faculty, to develop a channel by which
students and faculty members may voice their opinions, to
dispel rumors by gathering all the facts and to insure their
validity before the article is printed.
It is our hope that this paper will evoke a response from those
who read it. We welcome editorials, news articles, features and
literary work—any contributions that you as students and .
faculty members wish to send in. However, we do reserve the
right to edit all work to insure a high quality of journalistic
writing.
Please address all correspondence to P. O. Box 5272. Agam,
we wish to extend you a welcome to the Elon College
community and hope that you have a pleasant and successful
year.
Yours truly,
Patsy Lynch and Debbie Cochran
Co-Editors
Policy Changed on Absence Notes
Due to the great number of students who flock into the
Student Health Center every day, the Student Health Service in
collaboration with the administration has instituted a policy
which no longer enables the student to obtain a note for a
missed class. The policy that is now in effect is that the student
may only obtain a note if he has missed a test or exam, provided
the student has reported in advance his name and excuse.
When asked for a personal reaction, Mrs. Mary Jane Salter,
one of the nurses in the infirmary, stated, "We had to institute
the policy. If we had to stop to write excuses all the time we
would not get to see everyone that needed attention.” Mrs.
Salter also said, "We feel that it may also influence students to
attend classes when they' re on the borderline."
Some students are not aware of the change. Some are still
questioning why they cannot have a note to show their
professors that they truly were sick. It very simply is not
necessary for college students to convey notes from the
infirmary to the professor stating that they had been ill. College
students are expected to be reasonably mature adults capable
of making decisions and assuming responsibility for
themselves. It is solely up to the individual to get the material
that has been covered in a class he or she missed for whatever
reason. If we are responsible college students, it is not
necessary to rely on getting a note from an authoritative figure
to take to our professors. It is a learning experience in itself to
stop relying on others. We must make a clean break from a
constant reliance on our high school traditions.
This change in procedure concerning absences is a mere, but
not to be overlooked, stepping stone in this college's request
for more freedom. Inevitably, freedom breeds responsibility.
At any rate, the Student Health Service is there for our
convenience and protection. We should understand their
purpose and review our own responsibilities to ourselves.
staff
Debbie Cochran
Patsy Lynch
Judi Dean
Gary Austin
Wesley Bennett
Dave Shuford
Doug Wilkerson
Diane Dunker
AI Mann
Gerard Carbone
Roy Avery
Nick Demilio
Jayne Freeman
Reporters
Choosing Your Major
Co-Editor
Co-Editor
Assistant Editor
Sports
Layout
Photographer
Typist
Ray Mason
Vicki Moeser
Lanna Peavy
Michael Pierce
Reed Alexander
Doug Wilkerson
by Frol. Jennings Berry
Counseling Office
Two previiiling and often
perplexing questions on college
campuses are: What should I
major in? What career should I
head toward? Most students
eventually find the answers, but
unfortunately some begin the
• search too late. This fact has a
^lint of tragedy in it. for of all the
■years in a person's life, the
college years provide the best
opportunity to explore various
fields and discover personal
inleresis. "
Timing, however, is perhaps
not so crucial as the care with
which the choice is made.
Although a student should decide
early enough to begin taking
major courses before his junior
year, the decision should not be
rushed. But since a sound
decision will not develop
automatically, the student should
deliberately probe and search.
But where can a student search?
What will help him to make up
his mind?
For one thing, the student can
make use of the idea that
knowledge about a subject may
awaken unexpected interests.
Students often fail to recognize
that taking a variety of subjects
can help them in discovering a
major and a career. In fact, some
students do not give themselves a
chance for this discovery, for
they do not study their subjects
deeply enough to awaken an
interest. To some degree, they
ignore the fact that one cannot
know whether or not he has an
interest in a subject unless he
learns quite a bit about it. For
example, a student may have
musical talent, but he will never
find it out unless he genuinely
tries to play or sing.
There are other means to
discovery and decision. For
Instance, the Counseling and
Parenthood Counseling
by Patsy Lynch
Planned Parenthood is a
voluntary, privately funded
health care facility. The main
goal of this organization is to
"make every child a wanted
child." Having been in existence
Phone
Numbers
Police:
Burlington
Elon College
Fire:
Burlington
Elon College
226-1691
584-1301
226-1611
584-0366
Alamance County Health
Dept.
227-0101
Alamance Mental Health
Center
228-1727
Alamance Ccunty Suicide &
Crisis Intervention Service
227-6220
Memorial Hospital
Information
228-1711
411
Adviser, Dr. Mary Ellen Priestley
Published by the Communications Media Board of Elon College
in conjunction with the Student Government Association.
All correspondence and articles:
Box 5272
Elon College
Fall
by Lanna Leavy
As I sit here in this class,
Slowly watching the time pass.
My mind tends to drift and
wander,
While the professor lectures on
with a thunder...
My sleepy eyes gaze out at the
morning sun,
I can't help falling into total
oblivion,
What a "tarheel" blue the sky is
today,
The Earth is loving the weather
this way...
It's so hard to concentrate with
the window so near,
The lecture is confusing me—yet
everything outside is so clear.
No one else in here seems to be
listening at all,
Perhaps they too are notcing the
beauty of Fall.
for two years, they offer a
variety of services ranging from
literature on various
contraceptive devices to health
services which include a
complete physical examination
before a method of birth control
is prescribed. These services are
available at a small fee based on a
sliding income scale.
Some of the functions of
Planned Parenthood include:
1. Counseling and education
in human sexuality.
2. First termester abortion.
3. Pregnancy testing,
referrals for prenatal care,
infertility, contraceptive
services, homes for unwed
mothers, adoption service,
and sterilization.
Editors' Note:
This is the first in a series of
articles designed to inform
students and other interested
persons about the facilities which
are available at little or no cost to
them.
600 Students
Aided by Funds
by Michael Pierce
More than 600 students at Elon
College might not have come
here if not for the services of the
Financial Aid Department. This
department, under the direction
of Barry Simmons, is the center
for all information, counseling
and application pertaining to
state and federal grants,
endowments, institutional
scholarships, the work study
program and veteran affairs.
These students have received a
total of $473,655 this term in
federal, state and institutional
funds. The work study program,
which offers on-campus
employment tor students, is
expected to employ 400 students
this year.
This financial assistance is
neither a welfare agency nor a
loan company. All programs
have regulations concerning need
and depend on applications at the
correct time. Students requesting
aid must fill out an Elon College
financial aid application and a
Parent's Confidential Statement
(PCS) or similar statement for
independet students. The
classification of independent or
dependent student must be
determined before any funding
can be considered.
Placement Office (Alainance j
104) has sources describing a I
wide variety of courses, a
student may browse through
such sources to see for himself
the nature of specific careers, the
requirements, the pay ranges,
and such. The Counseling Office
j;an also administer an hour test
"«i'hich may be valuable in
indicating to the student his
potential interests. Many faculty
members can provide
information about careers. In
addition, the library has sources j
that are well worth pursuing. A
student may also talk with
representatives who visit the
campus to interview students. In
short, the student who actively
seeks can find information and
assistance.
While some careers require
specialized training, others
welcome broadly trained
persons. In fact, a broadly based
education often has more
flexibility in meeting social and
employment changes. In
addition, specialization is often
more soundly developed if there
is a broad base upon which to
build. The student should
explore both specialized and
general preparations and should
try to discover as early as
possible what careers are open to
the major he is considering: or, if
he is confirmed in his major, he
should find out what careers the
major may prepare him for.
Editor's note: Future articles
will pursue this topic of majors
and careers, considering various
majors at Elon College.
Students Can Be
Heard by S.G.A.
by Mark Mancini
A men's dorm government has
been organized through the
combined efforts of the Dean of
Students and the S.G.A. This
government eventually will
become the judicial and
legislative body within each
dorm.
The reduced concert program
of the 1974 Homecoming
Weekend was caused by the lack
of student participation in
preparing for the events. The
variety of social organizations on
this campus make it difficult for
S.G.A. activities during the
Homecoming Weekend.
Therefore, the S.G.A.'s
Entertainment Committee is
planning a "big-band" concert
towards the end of November.
This concert will be set in an
"off-weekend" to insure a large
attendance by students.
A Student Life Coordinating
Committee has been formed by
the Elon College administration
and the S.G.A. This committee
has been established as a hearing
board to help improve student
life at Elon College. Any student
who has ^a problem with any
aspect of student life is invited to
attend these semi-monthly
meetings and express his views
to the committee. To appear
before this committee, a student
need only make an appointment
through Dr. James Moncure s
office.
An open public hearing was
held earlier on the S.G.A.
budget, and the president of the
S.G.A. has expressed his hope
that the students have a chance,
through these open hearings, to
express their views on the
spending of S.G.A. funds.