Newspapers / Elon University Student Newspaper / Nov. 5, 1998, edition 1 / Page 2
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November 5,1998 Viewpoint You know the drill. Take a perfectly good hour and a half out of your life one evening and, at the behest of your sadistic history teacher or your evil, evil Global prof. march dutifully to McKinnon, Whitley, McCrary or wherever with your notebook in hand and slink, five minutes late of couise, into the latest diatribe by some boring speaker you* ve never heard of. “Sieg heil Elon,” you grumble. You slump down in your chair, yawning* scrawling whatever notes it suits your fancy to record and half dozing, until, blessedly, the question and answer session starts. With ^e speed and agility that only a desperate freshman or a well-seasoned upperclassman possesses, you hurdle over people’s legs, scramble up the aisle and outthedoor, making it home Just in time for '*AlIy McBeaK” Members ofTTie Penduiim staff attended the recent speeches and lectures given by Morris Dees, Robert Kennedy Jr., Kichard Simmons, Jean Bethke Elshtain. Bob Moser and Eton professor David Crowe, some under orders, some by choice^ All were great speakers with plenty [of different views and ideas to share, yet everytmie this behavior by students was an alarming consistency. So why is this-happening? Blon draw$ some very relevant and [weU-ienowned speakers, so why the lack of interest., and politeness? We don’t think Elon students are inherently rude, however we do think that perh^ m*recould be done to stimulate the studeat body into bemg active,and therefaremore attentive,audieiK»membeisatlemires« First,Elon needs tobringin the names thatitudentsreco^ize, aiid with those names, bring any attendantcontroversy. Thinkof riie jif Jesse Helms came to spe^dcl If stiidaits have their «modons touched: by someone, then diat ipers(Hi should bs a prime c^didat^ for ati^ture^ Even if we can't gel big name s|>ea^»r$* simply have more ptiblici^ for the speakers we do Most notably^ hea^ publicisaag worked for Morris Dees» even if students w^e just here to see if the Model Center would be blown to Klan^induced smithereens. Finally,trytogetprofessorsto^thelecture*stopiciiitotheclass andnotsimply as an extracreditincentive, Havepre-tecl»redi«Jwssi6ns, [peih^s in an informal setting like the coffee sh^, mi have it relate to Ae class. Maybe then we can cut down the lecture exodus. * The Pendulum editorial staff Opinions Calling home is not a help The other day I was reminisc ing with a high school buddy about the time we were caught with a bottle of rum on a trip to Puerto Rico with my high school Spanish class. The Monday after we got back from the trip, we returned to school only to have the principal summon my friend and I to his office to question us on the incident. When I got to the principal’s office, I saw my father, who was president of our Board of Education at the time, walking out of the office. Since my father was aware of the incident and not terribly upset with me, I thought that he was try ing to help me out. It turns out that my father was actually requesting that the princi pal give me a tough sentence to “teach me a lesson.” It turned out that even during my high school days I was quite politically savvy, so I was able to B.S. my way out of any punish ment. The interesting thing was that my father was advocating a strict punishment for me, his own flesh and blood, and I couldn’t be hap pier. One thing that I have come to realize is that my parents never shel tered me, pampered me when I didn’t deserve it, or come to my defense when I was obviously wrong. If they taught me anything, it was that I would make mistakes and the only one who would be accountable for them was me. Mark Richter SGA Executive President richm5sO@elon.edu Sure, Papa Richter could have tried to get me out of a punishment, but what would that have taught me? Yes, it would have taught me that I could get away with murder and Mom and Dad would come to my defense. But then again, how would I become this brilliant politician if I was never taught to defend myself and my actions? The other day I spoke with a friend of mine who complained about a problem she was having on campus. I asked her how she was dealing with it. She responded that her father had made a few calls and every thing is now working out fine. Since she was a friend, I asked her, “What, if when you are work ing at your job, the boss reprimands you for being constantly late?” “Daddy ’ s company wouldn ’ t do that,” she responded. That confirmed it for me. Were all Elon students like this? |No, of couse not. I [know plenty of [people were dropped I off here four years I ago and haven’t seen jtheir family since. It seemed all I too often that I see I students who rely too I much on others when jthey make mistakes. I’m currently taking a class in which I am very far behind on the assignments (and probably should be doing them in stead of this column). Instead of crying to my won derful professor, I am taking things like an adult and hoping we can work things out. I know I will suffer for my mistakes, but I am mature enough to accept the conse quences. While you are a student here, or later in life, when you get into a predicament and it seems easy to call home, just think of what a dis service you are doing to yourselves. Sometimes it is more admi rable to stand up for yourself, you’ll be glad you did. Informing the Elon College Community Editor in Chief Michelle Cater News Editor Julie Koch Features Editor Giselle Pole ^orts Editor Chrissie Taylor Asst Sports Editor Troy Adams Opinions Editor Carrie Lancos A &£ Editor Erik Akelaitis Photo Editor Jenny Jamecke Advertising Manager Cathy Woelfel OfHce Manager Melissa Pasternack Online Editor Bill Monken Adviser Byung Lee Reporters Lauren Bigge Marie Blacfctt Katie Bonebrake Ashley Brown Patrick Donovan Stefanie Fox Suzanne George Carolyn Lampila Johannah Lawrence Letitia Lee Lisa McChristian Alan Medeiros Bree Myers Josh Phoebus Tammy Tripp Photographers Megan Anderson Emily MacDonnell Crystal Pape Jennifer Swink Kristy Wolfgang Columnists Brie Bittenbender Rich Blomquist Stephan Dignan Ethan Pell Chris Rash Anna Thysell Copy Editor Eric Ramos The purpose of The Pendulum shall be to inform and entertain the Elon College community. The Pendulum shall be a forum where all members of the college community are able to express their ideas and opinions. Address all correspondence to: The Pendulum 7012 Campus Box Elon College, N.C. 27244. Phone; (336) 584-2331 Fax: (336) 584-2467 E-mail: pendulum @ numen.elon.edu Web page: http ://www.elon.edu/ pendulum What is your definition of an "academic challenge? Michael Hazel, sopho more: An academic challenge is simply something that tests your ability to think or think methodi cally. It’s good nutrition for the brain. Mandie Danielski, fresh man; An academic challenge is something that requires a lot of thought, a lot of research, probably a lot of writing, something that I find I need help with. An academic challenge would be something that I really need people to teach me. Emily Ehrens, freshman; It’s taking a course in something that you don’t know anything about. I’m challenging myself academi cally now because I’m trying to transfer so I need to get in all the courses I can. Andy Kielty, freshman; An academic challenge is a class which is going to challenge me to actually think and utilize my talents to get the answers. Todd Grassi, junior; Not school. I don’t think we’re prop erly challenged in school for most of the tools we need in life. We need tools for business and the real world, not the stuff in textbooks. Jennifer Hager, senior; Anything that stresses me out be yond belief or anything that re quires more than two hours of work. It’s 2(nything that requires research outside of class or any thing that’s worth more than a hundred points in a class.
Elon University Student Newspaper
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Nov. 5, 1998, edition 1
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