Page 2
The Pendulum
Editorials
Thursday, December 1,1903
THE Day AFrCR
‘The Day After’ stimulates interest,
promotes nuclear arms discussions
Scholarships can hurt
financial aid stature
Many of Elon’s students are
involved in the school’s work-
study program — tutors, admis
sions assistants, teachers’
assistants and lab proctors, to
name a few. This program not
only serves as a financial aid
means for these students but it
is also an invaluable learning
experience. Yet many of these
students find their working
positions at school in jeopardy
when they are awarded an
academic scholarship.
Academic scholarships are
given to students who have ex
celled in the classroom and in
extra-curricular activities, and
these funds are essentially re
wards for such achievements.
Yet this money is accounted for
in the overall financial aid
plan for each student just as if
it were work-study profit, a
loan or grant, or any other form
of financial aid. As a result,
many students lose their work-
study rights because qf the
scholarship.
However, these students
often find themselves still in
need of financial support
above a scholarship because
the amount of the scholarship
is often less than the amount of
work-study funds that they
would have otherwise re
ceived. In essence, there are
many cases where it would
prove more beneficial finan
cially to continue working in
stead of accepting a scho
larship. This seems to be more
of an injustice to high-
achieving students than a re
ward for their excellence.
This also defeats the whole
purpose behind Elon’s work-
study program. The benefits
are not solely based on finan
cial earnings, but are focused
more on learning skills and
time management. However,
scholarship students may be
•excluded,fjrpm ^his,
For example, an academic
tutor is a high-achieving stu
dent because he must attain a
high GPA just to be a tutor.
These students are often scho
larship recipients. When such
a reward affects their financial
aid stature, they must some
times forfeit positions as tutors
on the work-study program.
What kind of academic stand
ing can we expect our tutors to
maintain when this situation is
an affector? Certainly work-
study participation is a consid
eration in the awarding of a
scholarship. Such participa
tion proves leadership and re
sponsibility, both of which are
specified and stated in scho
larship award standards.
Students, such as lab proc
tors, artists and assistants pos
sess specialized skills that can
not be replaced so convenient
ly. By losing working pri
vileges, the student is not the
only one who is adversely
affected. Professors, staff
members and other students
who benefit from such skills
and services of the students
can also be affected by the loss
of a talented student on the
school’s work program.
A scholarship is “an award,”
granted to excelling students.
A scholarship should be a
financial aid in itself. With the
incredible cost of an educa
tion, a grant is a welcomed and
well-deserved addition to a
student’s budget It should not
replace loans, state grants or
work-study earnings. A student
should not be given an “ultima
tum” as to whether to keep his
school job or accept a scho
larship grant Ifthis happens to
be the choice, then the mean
ing of a scholarship is lost com
pletely, and a student has lost a
,y|luabl? chance at learning*
The Day After, a television film aired on Nov.
20, opened and closed with the hymn “How
Firm A Foundatioa,”but how firm can a found
ation be that is weighted down with nuclear
warheads?
The effects of a nuclear holocaust portrayed
in The Day After are less severe than those of an
actual nuclear attack. According to astronomer
Carl Sagan, even a small nuclear war would
reduce temperatures to sub-zero degrees, wipe
out agriculture and on a larger scale, wipe out
humanity.
The film was followed by a panel discussion
presided over by newsman Ted Kopel. The
panel included Henry Kissinger, Carl Sagan,
Robert McNamara, William F. Buckley, Elie
Wiesel and Brent Scowcroft. Secretary of State
George Shultz was interviewed before the
panel discussion began.
All of the panelists presented different views
of the movie. Kissinger contended that the
movie is simple-minded because it “translates
into pictures statistics that have been known
for several years. Are we to make policy by scar
ing ourselves to death?”
He said that the film depicts how devastating
nuclear war would be, but he recommended
that instead of discussing how awful nuclear
war is, people should discuss how to avoid it
Kissingers description of The Day After as
picture-translation of statistics may be true, but
he is not justified in labeling the film simple-
minded for this reason. People do need to think
about the possibility — and consequences — of
nuclear war and discuss ways to avoid it Some
thing needed to be done to renew interest in
this issue, and The Day After has stimulated
this interest
As Kissinger said, statistics of the effects of a
nuclear holocaust have been available for
several years, but the general public has not
become involved in the issue to the extent it
should be. If it takes a movie which realistically
shows people dying from nuclear attacks and
survivors of the attacks with flesh rotting from
Letters to the editor
radiation bums to renew intersest in nacleir
disarmament and our future, then the film ii
certainly worthwhile.
Kopel compared The Day Alter with Charies
Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. He said that Tk
DayAIteristbe nuclear version of Dickens’tak
and wondered whether the movie-is a vision o(
the future as it will be or as it could be.
Secretary of the State Shultz said that the
movie is only a dramatic portrayal that nucleai
war is unacceptable. “We (the United Statesjdo
not accept nuclear war and we’ve been success
fill in preventing it,” Shultz said.
To say that the United States has been sue
cessfiil in preventing nuclear war seems to be
admitting that the threat of a nuclear holocaust
does exist, no matter how “unacceptable” the
idea may be.
“We tend to think the existence of nuclear
weapons means that nuclear war can’t exist,'
Scowcroft said. Scowcroft referred to the Ut
ited States’ nuclear supply as a means of check
ing other countries’ aggression with nuclei!
arms, but the very existence of these weapons
proves that nuclear war could occur.
If nuclear attacks were launched, in order to
prevent the total destruction of humanity, the
number of existing nuclear warheads woaU
have to be “well below 1,000,” Sagan said.
Yet between the United States and Russii,
McNamara said 40,000 nuclear warheads exist
It would take 10 to 15 years to reduce this nw
ber to half, McNamara said.
These weapons have one million times grea^
ter the destruction power of the bomb droppeii
in Hiroshima, McNamara said. Although de^
truction in The Day After is less than what it
would be in reality, the movie has provoked
discussion of nuclear arms and generated nfl
interest in nuclear arms reduction and dis
armament Hopefully, this renewed inter^
will stimulate discussion between the Soviet
Union and the United States and encourage
nuclear disarmament
Efforts appreciated
To the Editor:
Permit me to say a word of
appreciation to all of you who
were so interested and helpful
to little Josh Brooks. As you
know, his life ended early
Saturday morning. His body re
jected the new liver and medic
al science was unable to cope
with the problems which were
presented by this develop
ment
Many of you contributed to
the Josh Brooks Liver Fund.
The Zetas with their dance-a-
thon and other efforts raised
considerable money. The
Brooks want you to know that
they deeply appreciated this
Involvement by persoi^ here at
Elon where both June and Rick
graduated.
Josh Brooks was a very spe
cial person. His life and the
heroic efforts by so many to
make it possible for him to con
tinue to live have impacted
many of us and left us with in
delible memories. June and
Rick Brooks are Elon gradu
ates of whom we can be very
proud. They are handling this
tragedy with courage and
strength and an unshakeable
faith. On their behalf, and for
those of us here who are their
fiiends, a special thank you to
all of you.
J- Earl Danieley
Professor of Chemistry
The Pendulum Staff
EdHor-in-Chief Jo Craw
Associate Editor Lxxto la**
Head Ptiotogr^iher Paul Ham
EdHoridEdMor CanUtt
Features EdAor Penny'Ow*
ArtsEditor Feida FogtenW
Sports Editor TomWes»*s»
Adviser RobatNoW
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