The Pendulum
March 1, 1979
Bryant M. Cobon
Editor
Craig Hams
News Editor
fimdttlum
Gngma WMH
Sports
Joy Hamilton
Entertainment Editor
Candace Callahan & Priscilla Crumpton
J.P. Hurd
Bryan Bumey
Paste-up
Photography
Distribution Managei
Laurie Alcon Copy reading
Jeannie Hairston Circulation Manager
Loretta Coble Typist
Mary Ellen Priestley Adviser
Published by Communications Media Board of Elon College
in conjunction with the Student Government Association.
Founded on October 14, 1974, as a student newspaper of
Elon College, the Pendulum is published each Thursday
during the school year except during examination, summer
and holiday periods.
Behind the times
North Carolina is being pulled, kicking and screaming,
into the 20th century. The noise is heard across this country
and around the world, and it isn’t doing North Carolina any
good. Witness the third defeat of the Equal Rights
Amendment, the long and costly stance of the UNC Board of
Governors against HEW regarding facilities, duplications and
rights in the 16-campus system, the scrapping of a proposed
labor center bv the UNC planning committee, the
aggressiveness of some toward increased public aid to North
Carolina students in the state’s private colleges, the refusal of
private fundamentalist school officials to comply with the
state’s request for information on qualifications of teachers
and pupils. The list goes on. And the 21st century is not
really far off.
Right here at Elon College, we have our share of
conservaiivism, chauvinism, provincialism and a few other
isms. Not that a certain conservatism isn’t wise and that
regionalism can’t be charming. No one wants change for the
sake of shuffling a few people and things about the campus.
But to come into the late 20th century in America with one
or two Blacks on the faculty and staff combined, this college
is not only behind the times but is suffering sociologically
and educationally.
To come into the 80s with only two or three women inan>
position of real decision-making and power is incredible.
What has happened to our affirmative action committee that
met two or three years ago? We may soon get a nudge froth
the federal government whose rnoney we have been using for
a study to see how things can be improved at Elon.
As the annual decisions on promotions, salaries and such
are made by the men at the top, many students would like to
see action in bringing more qualified women and Blacks (men
and women) into positions within the administration, faculty
and student affairs staff. Let us move toward the 21st
century!
Take part in Founders’ Day
On Founders’ Day, March 7 this year, all students will
have the opportunity to hear the governor of North Carolina
speak in Alumni Memorial Gym and to see the faculty and
administration march in clothed in splendid academic regalia.
Classes will be suspended on Wednesday morning from 10
to 12 for the sole purpose of affording students and faculty a
chance to attend the ceremonies All students should take
advantage of this opportunity.
Letters to the Editor
Vandalism affects majority
Dear Editor,
The time has arrived for
the majority of Elon students
to come out of the woodwork
(or cinderblock) and stand up
for their rights.
There is a growing problem
on Elon’s campus which
seems to be spreading like
Poe’s “mask of the Red
Death” —the problem is van
dalism and the issue is vic
timization.
Even if the SGA never suf
fers the frustrations and irri
tating experience directly, all
Elon students suffer, indirect
ly, for the actions of a degen-
jrated minority.
Last year because of the
arson attempts the college
spent $17,(XX) to pay for fire
patrols. Even in the days of
skyrocketing inflation $17,000
remains a sizeable amount to
spend on fire prevention.
To those students who
choose not to take an interest
in a situation until it directly
affects them I hope you now
realize how totally self-cen
tered and illogical that type of
philosophy can become.
If 1 am wrong in assuming
that this close-mouthed,
blindly dogmatic attitude af
fects only a minority of Elon
students, then may be our
limited freedoms at Elon (i.e.
visitation privileges) will re
main effective until 2001.
Hopefully, I am right in be
lieving students do care about
their school and will refuse to
watch anyone attempt to de
stroy it. We in the SGA do
not wish limited freedom or
the prospect of increasing
But what about now!
Dear Sir,
I am writing this letter con
cerning a common complaint
here at Elon — that of park
ing. On Feb. 14 1 was
issued a ticket by the Elon
College Police for parking on
the pavement on O’Kelly
Drive. I arrived on campus a
few minutes past eight, and
the gym parking lot was full.
Other students were parking
on the shoulder of O’Kelly,
so 1 parked there too, getting
as far off the road as possible
without getting in a snow
drift.
When 1 came back from
classes, 1 had a ticket for
parking on the pavement.
Police Chief Mitchum said he
had checked the lot behind
Huffine’s Texaco, and it was
clear of sm w, so he gave
everyone on O’Kelly Drive
tickets (15 in all).
I had assumed that this lot
was still covered with snow as
it was the day before. Any
where I parked at Elon I
would have gotten a ticket;
the road in front of President
Young’s house is for two
hour parking and 1 have three
classes straight; parking be
tween yellow lines at Elon
gets you a ticket, and parking
in a fire zone gets you towed.
As it was, 1 parked as far off
the road as I could without
getting in a three-foot drift of
snow, and I still got a ticket.
The parking situation in
clear weather is bad, but with
the recent snow it is even
worse. Although commuters
are supposedly excused from
classes, we are urged to come
if at all possible. Last Tues
day 1 came, and couldn’t
believ,, that the gym parking
lot had not been cleared of
snow. If the college is going
to hold classes, they should
clear the lots so that those
commuters who want to can
come without the fear of
getting stuck or getting a
ticket when forced to park
elsewhere. 1 realize a parking
lot is to be made next year at
the Middle School (East cam
pus) but where are we sup
posed to park until then?
Laurie Alcon
freedom students now enjoy
to be endangered by such a
degenerate few.
To this end, the student
senate has created a commit
tee whose sole purpose is to
review Elon’s current security
system and submit a written
report to the Dean of Stu
dents with suggestions for
improvement. If you wish
to contribute to such a com
mittee, please contact ihe
SGA at Ext. 367.
Robin Moser,
SGA President
Why eat?
Dear Editor,
Why is the food at Elon so
bad? Why am I, a dorm
student, forced to buy a meal
ticket? Students at Elon al
most universally dislike Ihe
food. Who likes to eat rict
which is impregnable to any
digestive attempt by the hu
man body? Why are hotdogs
only one half as big as the
buns? Why is the cafeteria
always running out of cups of
forks?
Why doesn’t the school put
the food contracts out for
open bids? Private contrac
tors could be hired by the
year. They certainly could do
no worse than Elon does.
After all, I don’t see a lot
of the faculty eating there -
they don’t have to.
Kevin Robinson
Reward for
lost scarf
Dear Editor,
1 lost a scarf. It is mostly
blue plaid wool. I lost it last
Sat. (Feb. 17) during lunch at
Harden cafeteria.
The scarf has much sen
timental meaning to me.
If anyone has found it.
turn it in at the Lost and
Found in Frank Mianzo’s
office. A reward is being
offered for its return.
Marty Hardison