Newspapers / Elon University Student Newspaper / Dec. 6, 1979, edition 1 / Page 2
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Page 2 The Pendulum December 6, 1979 Save arts and sciences As Elon College adds to its lisr of professional majors— education, business, accounting, medical lab technology, human services, physical education, secretarial services and soon, recreation and computer science— the college is answering a need for job-getting ability in our graduates. This response to need in the world of work is commendable and necessary. Each such major also adds costs to the college in space, equipment, faculty members, staff, and library books in the field. But it is assumed that the demand will be or is strong enough that each major will more than pay its own way. Some will no doubt attract grants and aid programs as well. It is hoped that the faculty remember that enthusiasm for cur’-ent fashions in vocations should be tempered with wisdom by continual support of the liberal arts, those courses of study that teach the student to think, to weigh evidence, to see relationships, to know his heritage and history, to read literature, to develop ideals and to enunciate sensible priorities. If these courses or studies can be an integral part of the career studies, then the graduate may know not only how to make a living but also how to live. He will have leeu'ned that money or fame or power alone does not make the good life. He should be more thoughtful, more compassionate, more caring as a citizen. Surely, the faculty who are responsible for curriculum at Elon College will hold on to the arts and sciences, even though some individual classes may be small. They should encourage students to take these necessary liberal arts courses. Foreign Language, Too Hardly a week passes that some national publication does not call for a return to more widespread teaching of foreign languages in the United States. The latest cause for alarm because of ignorance of other people’s languages is that national security is at stake. If more of our citizens knew Persian, for instance, more of ust might have know what was going in Iran under the Shah and ini the mind of the Ayatollah Khomeini. And add Russia, China, India, Japan, Israel, Brazil. Or look at business. Who knows when he graduates with a B.A. or B.S. in business whether he will stay in the USA or go abroad for his company? Today, if the student can use a second language, he or she may be the one who lands the exciting job abroad— selling, advertising, managing or inspecting. Across the country, high schools and colleges are reassessing their modern foreign language courses because the hiatus in language teaching has left its negative mark on education . Elon College students and faculty members need to take note and to take action quickly. Crmif Harris Editor Editor Craig Harris News Editor„ Keith Nelson Features Joy Hamilton Entertainment Editor Jeff Batts Sports Vicki Blankenship Advertising Manager Roger Blanchard Photographers John Hurd & Craig Stanfield Typist Sandra Beach Layout Ellen Buchanan & Bob [Fish] Trout Composition Priscilla Crumpton Karen Carrouth Adviser Mary EUen Priestley Published by the Communications Media Board of Elon College. Founded on October 14, 1974, as the student newspaper serving the Elon College community, the Pendulum is published each Thursday during the regular icrms except for examination and holiday periods. The meets Thursdays at 4 p.m. Commcrctaltzch C[li|rt0tmas> our groas tiational probuct Letters to the Editor Request for heat came too late Editor of the Pendulum: In recent weeks, the heat in Smith Residence Hall has been less than desirable. Many requests by students to residence counselors have led to reports to area coordina tors, ending with the dean of student affairs. The result of all these reports still left the Smith students without heat, with excuses more flimsy than that of an elementary school child. It seems that the College doesn’t know what to do when something doesn’t work in the residence halls. Is there a lack of funds? If the heating were malfunctioning in the Powell Building, surely repair crews would have worked through the night to restore service, but the excuse given to the Smith students was that the request for repairs came too late, and it would be a shame to wake up the repair man. The same problem existed on Saturday and Sunday nights with the director of the physical plant finally being called in, only to say that he couldn’t do anything but run the thermo stat up. What is the problem? Is our money for board not enough to insure something as essential as heat? If the head administrators of the college are aware of these problems, possibly the people in the right departments responsible for the heat will stop slipping in their own excuses and get with it! We’re Ranking by hours obsolete Dear Editor, Many second-year stu dents are being classified as freshmen because they have not completed the standard number of credit hours re quired to become a sopho more. Third- and fourth-year students are also finding that meeting their class ranking is sometimes impossible. I think this type of ranking is unfair. Most colleges and univer sities now base ranking on the number of years the students has attended college instead of the rankings of credit hours to class rank. Elon’s lumping of students into the four classes is an incomplete and inaccurate division. I feel that in order to be fair to all students, a system of numbers based on the years the student has attended should replace the* obsolete system. I think the admini stration should consider using this base of classification instead of unjustly punishing us by the old meth^. Don G. Fisher The Pendulum needs an advertising manager for next semester. This position pays a IS percent commisaon on all advertising revenue col lected. A business major is preferred for this job, but isn’t required. tired of freezing our A’S of S off! Thomas Greeley Letter Rebuttal To the editor. In response to Joy Hamil ton’s letter in your Nov. 29 issue, I would hke to state that the main gripe in the music students is not the remarks made in the review of Nov. 1, but the fact that the Pops Concert was re viewed at all. As any professional journalist can tell you, it is not customary to review a student production. The music students at Elon are not professionals, they are here to learn how to eventually become profession als. Therefore, they should not be expected to live up to the high standards that are set for a professional produc tion. B^ide this fact, there is no student here at Elon who is qualified to review a musical production, whether it be performed by students or professionals. When I become a profes sional musician, I will gladly submit to a qualified critic. Until that time, I feel that it is my right to be regarded as a student, and not to be expected to teach the stan dard set for professional musicians. Carol Clark Editor’s Note: If the student musical productions are not to be subject to critique, then how are the students involved to attain professional standards?
Elon University Student Newspaper
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Dec. 6, 1979, edition 1
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