0
Page 2
editorials
The Pendulum
Thursday, March 31, 1983
Letter sent by^eans Long, White c[uestioned
A letter expressing the concerns of
Deans William Long and Christopher
White over Greek Weekend and signed
by both was sent this week from
Long’s office to all faculty and
administration members.
Previously, Elon’s Greek organiza
tions were allowed an entire week for
their activities, and apparently it was
common during Greek Week for
Friday classes to be skipped.
This year Greek Week has been
shortened to Greek Weekend which
will begin at 6 p.m. on Thursday,
April 7, and continue through April
10.
Lone’s and White’s letter emoha-
sizes that classes will be held on
Friday, April 8. However, the letter
asks that special consideration be given
to fraternity and sorority members
participating in Greek Weekend.
According to the letter, “it would be
stressful if tests or examinations are
scheduled for this time.”
Long’s and White’s letter assures
faculty members that they are not
being asked to forfeit their right to
conduct their courses as they wish.
However, it says that Long and White
wish faculty and administration mem
bers to “be aware of the stress which
may obtain for those students wishing
to participate fully in Greek Weekend
activities.”
Assuming that the primary purpose
in attending college is to get an
education, we do not think Long and
White should ask professors to sched
ule their class plans around Greek
Weekend or any other extracurricular
activity.
White and Long reason in their
letter that in past years, cooperation
between fraternities and sororities has
developed. They cite this cooperation,
the increased number of Greek service
projects and the fact that efforts have
been made to prevent conflicts
between Greek activities and mid-term
exams as grounds to ask faculty and
administration members to take no
action that would be “construed as
being insensitive to these improve
ments.”
The service projects that Greeks
perform or scheduling conflicts that
they resolve are not a relevant basis
for what Long and White ask in their
letter.
Presumably, people do attend col
lege to get an education and earn a
degree. Any extracurricular activities
are just that — extra. Students
participate in these activities by chdice
and should not expect the school to
make any compensations for time
spent away from studies.
Naturally, students cannot be
expected to devote all of their time to
school work. Some leisure time activi
ties must be considered, and Greek
Weekend is supposed to be a weekend
of fun activities. One usually thinks of
such activities as a means of relieving
stress rather than a means of
impounding it, as the letter suggests.
However, if stress buildup in fact
occurs and special considerations are
extended to those participating in
Greek Weekend, in all fairness, the
same considerations should be extend
ed to those participating in or prepar
ing other activities such as homecom
ing weekend, “hell week,” Almost-
Anything-Goes Weekend, Spring Fling
weekend and Parents’ and lottery
weekend. Each of these events takes
much time in preparation and probab
ly equals Greek Weekend in the
buildup of stress.
This editorial is not an attack on
Greek Weekend; however, it does
question the priorities that Long and
White express in their letter, assuming
that people do attend college primarily
to get an education.
College should observe Easter holiday
'We hope that no action of the College will be con
strued as being insensitive to the improvements.'
Other
IS
The subject of
editorial on this page
the college administration
has urged the Elon faculty
not to schedule tests or
anything pertinent to the
objectives of academic
courses on Friday, April 8
because that would interfere
with Greek Weekend activi
ties. The college, however,
has made no such provisions
for Easter Weekend. Some
thing is amiss.
We can only wonder why
a college that was founded
by the Christian church and
has remained closely tied to
the church ever since would
not schedule a holiday on
the celebration of the most
important event in the his
tory of Christianity.
State schools will at least
have Easter Monday off
because that is a North
Carolina state holiday. But
at Elon it is business as
usual.
If students who need three
days to travel home and
back don’t mind skipping
classes next Friday, they can
go home and celebrate
Elon’s Greek Weekend with
their families. But those
same students might not be
able to get home for Easter
if they have a test or paper
due this Friday. That just
doesn’t seem quite right.
TV Paulalui wdcomcs letters, limited to 250 wor*,
iroiB ow rcadm. Longer material may be submitted as
opi^a artlcia for |M|c 3. Editors rcwrre the right to e«t
for kagth, Ubd, go^ taste and accuracy.
Edftor-ta-CUcr
Mamgtaf Edior
Newt Editor
Ad Minigri
Can oo Hist
Head Photographer
SporU E:ilar
Advlior
The Pendulum Staff
The stmff meeis Thursdsys
M 9:30 a.m.
Room 208 in Long Sfudent Center
Jo CrtTCa
Doog Norwood
Lonkla Loaka
BcUnda Pcopia
Tawaaaa WlUtamJ
Rob Kmpp*
Tom WerteaUscr
Robert Nowell
ftjcdu Bo»rd of Elon College
«rvlag the Hon
ptiWishe-3 Thursday durin*
(erms exccpi for ftnd hoiiu^y periods.