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The Pendulum
Thursday, Marctii 7.1905
Editorials
What Reagan’s cuts
will mean for Elon
By Loukia Louka
In last week's editorial (where the subject was limiting federa]
student loans) I focused on student divestiture and maiming the
middle-class if Reagan's proposed budget cuts become a reality.
Maybe I shouldn’t bring it up again, but I have to. A veiy serious
account of what these budget cuts would maen to a private college
like Elon needs to be examined.
What will happen if these college cuts go through is that Elon
will have a very hard time attracting students to their side. Face
it. Without a lot of the federal loans and financial aid currently
needed by Elon students, many fiiture pro^xctives will lean
towards state-supported schools.
Elon then will not be a very attractive choice for many students
and will more than likely result in a drop in admission standards
because recruiters will have trouble side-steppii^ the question of
“What kind of financial aid can I get?”
In the 1984-85 academic year, Qon students will receive
$2,445,000 in federal loans and aid. Of this, $1,526,000 is Na
tional Direct Student Loans. Also, $145,000 is supplementary
Educational Oppoftunity Grants and $513,000 in Pell Grants. Cut
ting along these lines will definitely mean problems for Elon. This
could mean that thousands of students will have to drop out or put
their college education on hold.
Also to ask is whether or not President Fred Young will get the
type of students to enroll here that he spoke about last fidl. Young
wants, by 1989, to have “motivated” students that will be ranked
at the top of North Carolina's private collies.
That is hard to imagine, considering what is fvring students to
day. I can’t say its true for everyone, but a majority of the students
I talk to on a daily basis say that there’s “nothing to do at Elon.
I’m bored.” People complain about Elon's choice (or lack of) for
eMertainment. So here. I have to brii^ in the example of concerts
and what their absence will mean for Elon.
Last week, I watched the Grammy awards and saw all the stars
glittering, witming awards for songs all of us know the words to.
Then I thought about The Tannahill Weavers, a Scottish band that
played here a few weeks ago, sponsored by the Lyceum and the
Student Union Board. I'm sure that the people who attended that
concert enjoyed themselves, but the bottom line is most of the peo
ple who went to see The Tannahil Weavers probably wouldn’t have
been there if it hadn’t been required of them through some act of
bribery known as extra credit.
When you think about it, there really aren’t very many activities
besides these Lyceum-type events, which though culturally
superior, are excruciatingly boring. SUB, which is an organiza
tion responsible for bringing guest speakers, forums and special
events to Elon. has been experiencing smous internal problems
since last semester.
Among the loss of some of their key members was the resigna
tion of Drew VanHom, in January, coordinator of student ac
tivities. His position has been filled (temporarily) by East Area
Coordinator Jonathan Whaley. Even so, Whaley is only a tem
porary answer who has to look over the East Area first and then
SUB’s problems.
SUB needs a fiill-tinie coordinator and people who are
knowledgeable about entertainment and the music industry to bring
the best that Elon can afford, especially sirtce we will be looked
at on that level by prospective students if Reagan’s proposed budget
cuts go through.
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About three years ago, Elon had the chance to capitalize on an
offer to have the Stray Cats perform (this was before they became
famous) for $1,500. SUB turned them down and the next go
around, the group was going for $15,000. Spending that HnH of
money on a concert is a definite no here, since the coU^e
to prefer safer, quieter events that are culturally enricfaiiig.
In an editorial I wrote last Septonber, I cited several focts about
Elon and concerts: the last major group to appear was the Little
River Band in 1980, in 1981 Elon turned down an offer from RaMo
Cruise for $25,000, and last August, NC State Univei^ ad
ministered a new policy banning hard-rock groups—a move that
some feel unconstitutionally limits freedom of expression.
Elon's “policy” on rock concerts has been vague over the years:
fear of vandalism and financial depletion have both been cited as
excuses in £avor of small-time hands and guest speakers.
What before was only seen as a threat to freedom of expression
and apathy forstudmts, should now be seen as a way cut fior Elon.
Elon may have to break out of their''safe” attitude concerning
events to help attract proqiective students. If aivl when finanr^ai
aid cuts come to Elon, wto else goes on here—athletic events,
concerts, performances, special events may become a big A-ai to
someone who will be investing four years of tfieir life here. If Elon
would begin developing those areas now. diere may not be as rtHich
of a problem in the fiiture.
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