Page Z
VERITAS
Wodiiesday, December
Faculty Column
Activism among Elon College students this year has been healthy.
Each of the students involved seems to be genuinely interested in
moving toward a better Elon College. Requests made are legitimate
and are for privileges that rightly belong to the student body. The
astute student of history recognizes that liberalism (change, reform
or expanded freedom) can be brought about through collectivism.
The anthesis of liberalism is conservatism. Webster’s Dictionary
defines conservatism as “the disposition and tendency to preserve
what is established; opposition to change.” Herein lies the stumb
ling block at Elon College.
Conservatism permeates this campus administration, faculty and
student body. The past for the conservative is a resting place - a
permanent resting place - instead of a place from which to move.
A conservative society will not attempt to solve the problems it
faces and often refuses even to face its problems because it fears
freedom. Activism to the conservative is repulsive because it dis
rupts the status quo, the fixed laws that bind men to the past. The |
conservative attitude is inherently incapable of allowing a rational
and willed change. Collective action by responsible people willing
to enforce demands is necessary if noticeable change is to occur. ^
The Elon faculty bears a large share of the blame for a lack of |
Innovation on this campus, for failure to assert itself and take its,
rightful place in the government of the college. Never before has i
Elon College possessed a better opportunity to achieve at least a |
good measure of the freedom which is contemplated and for which,
we have hoped. And yet, there are those faculty members who “don’t
want to get involved.” Others “have just a few years to retire,
ment.” Another type will tolerate limited freedom “until 1 can find
a job elsewhere.” There are a few who would “deal individually.”
There may be some faculty members who are afraid of dismissal
or failure to secure tenure. A few may be supplementing the spouse’s
income and so will tolerate any condition rather than face loss of
income.
Whatever the case, an agency does exist on this campus for the
presentation of the views of the whole faculty and for support of
student rights. That organization is the American Association of
University Professors. Since its birth on the Elon Campus four
years ago, the AAUP has not been able to get off the pad for lack of
faculty support. This is indicative of the minimal level of profes
sionalism among the Elon College faculty, for the AAUP is the pro-
fessional organization throu^ which all professors, regardless of
discipline, can work together for expanded freedom and rights.
The following are a few examples of privileges that do not exist
for the faculty, but could be realized except for indifference, fear,
negativism and conservatism - the faculty horsemen of the apoca
lypse. These statements are from the AAUP’s statement on Gov-
ernment of Colleges and Universities, 1966.
Faculty status and related matters are primarily a faculty re
sponsibility; this area includes appointments reappointments, de-
cisions not to reappoint, promotions, the granting of tenure, and
dismissal. The faculty should actively participate in the determina
tion of policies and procedures governing salary increases. . .The
chairman or head of a department. . .should be selected either by
departmental elections or by appointment following consultation with
members of the department and of related departments; appoint
ments should normally be in conformity with department members
judgments.
Support for student rights is evident in the following AAUP Joint
Statement on Rights and Freedoms of Students, ISC'?.
As constituents of the academic community, students should be
free, individually and collectively, to express their views on issues
of institutional policy and on matters of general interest to the stu
dent body. The student body should have clearly defined means to
participate in the formulation and application of institutional policy
affecting academic and student affairs. . .The student press should
be free of censorship and advance approval of copy, and its editors
and managers should be free to develop their own editorial policies
and news coverage.
Let the faculty take its place now, beside the student-body in se
curing full opportunity for joint planning and effort. The future of
Elon College demands it. The concerned will answer the call.
The story is recalled of the individual who was stopped by a
friend on his way to the town meeting. “Don't you know, there ain't
no use in going to that there meeting? That Crowd has enough power
to cafry everything they want and more too. You can't make head
way agin' ’em.” “That’s all right,” was the reply. “But I can
worry ’em some.”
The quest for campus liberalization and for faculty-student voice
may be successful, if we “worry ’em some.”
C.W. Harper
1 Associate Professor of Social Science
Lette/u to' Editor
Stanford’s President Experiments
In Progressive Education
Palo Alto, Calif..-(l.P.).Ken-
neth S. Pitzer, Stanford's pre-
sident-elect, has criticized the
draft law, backed student invol
vement in education reform, and
set open communication with stu-
dents and faculty as his most
important immediate objective.
Scheduled to take office Dec.
1, Pitzer went directly from his
first news conference to con.
fer informally and privately with
Student Body President Denis
Hayes and six other students.
On a long.run basis, he told
newsmen, Stanford’s “aim and
ambition should be a university
second to none in the world,”
the equal of Harvard and MIT
combined in the distinction and
range of its academic programs.
He said he was “all in favor”
of Stanford’s recent commitment
to double its minority group en.
rollment by 1970. "We should
digest what we’ve already pro
mised before making more pro-
mises,” he added. The Univer
sity has estimated its costs for
(See NUMBER 3 Page 4)
To the Editors,
It has been fun reading your
“Liberuated Press” newspaper
for the past few weeks. I can-
not think-of any newspaper in
the United States so loaded with
trash except for, of course, the
Daily Worker which is the all-
un. American low.
In issue after issue 1 have
read of how the administration is
the blame for all the ills of Elon.
Actually the administration is
one of the few bright spots left
on this campus. Certainly the
aggregation of long-haired, beard
beatnik slobs and anarchists are
no help, nor are the “ill-man
nered students” who have to yell
up and down the hall to their
favorite boyfriend, girlfriend
(pick the appropriate one) during
classes or block the halls dur
ing breaks so that movement
is impossible. The students at
Elon say they want to be heard
and believe me if you keep only
one ear open you can hear more
swearing and obsenities fast
er than I have time to look them
up in my Funk and Wagner to
find out what they mean. The
students can't help but be heard.
I have read that North Caro
lina needs a zoo. They have one
without knowing it ri^t here at
Elon. The “animals'’ (disquised
as students) would put even the
Bronx zoo to shame.
When Elon students begin to
grow up and act as adults then,
and only then, should the admin
istration give more freedom-,
as for now a cage or baby crib
is the only thing students have
earned. Put that in your pot
and get high on it.
Ronnie Edgerton.
Gentlemen:
As a person who has spent
some two and one.half years
of his life living and teaching
at Elon College, and who still
has a great interest in the af.
fairs of that overall college com-
munity, I was greatly encouraged
by the appearance of a news
paper that is truly representa
tive of the opinion of the student
body. Each ^tion of your paper
has impressed me with its hon
esty, intelligence, and cleaver
reporting. Since I have been fol
lowing activities at Elon this
year through your paper, I thought
1 would take this opportunity to
share my views with you con.
cern^ng spme of these' activi
ties and, more particularly, your
paper’s coverage of them.
Let me first summarize my
views by stating that there doesn’t
seem to have been any major
change in the overall situation at
Elon since the time of my de
parture. There are matters which
still continue to persist that I
find quite objectionable. On the
other hand, there are also many
aspects of Elon life which I
continue to find quite meritor-
ious. My great concern at this
moment is that while your paper
has done a great service in bring,
ing to li^t many of those mat
ters which are objectionable,
Veritas has not as yet proceed
ed to the second stage of in
quiry. By this 1 mean the stu.
dents of Elon must now decide
upon a definite course of action
to change those things which
they find obectionable, and to
encourage those things which they
feel are exemplary. The time
has come to desist from picking
the grapes of wrath and to plant
new seeds of positive growth.
It is time, in my opinion,
to quit complaining about; (A)
a football coach who doesn't al
ways do things the way we want
him to, (and I have disagreed
with him as much as anyone
else) but who nevertheless is
working hard to establish an ath
letic program which has a place
within it for the athlete who also
wishes to be an interested stu
dent; (B) to stop griping a,bout a
food service which is admittedly
below par, but which is operated
by a fine gentleman who is do-
ing his very best to make each
meal as appetizing as possible,
and (C) to cease focusing grie-
vances and complaints upon the
shoulders of any one man--even
if that man happens to be the
president of the college. The point
should be made that the president
of a college has as his prime duty
the recruitment of funds which
that college must have in order
to continue to operate, and the
maintenance of cordial relations
with the community at large.
In my opinion, Dr. Danieley is
doing his job, as I have just
defined it.
While 1 feel that many of the
complaints of the student body
are unjustified, I also believe
that there are several insti
tutions now existing at Elon that
are much worthier of a correc
tional movement. How a student
body can continue to tolerate
the type of individual vrtio begins
each class with a “nigger joke,”
and who is not qualified to teach
on the college level in the first
place, continues to amaze me.
How a student body and faculty
can continue to allow itself to
be ruled over by an Academic
Dean who, though a very fine mus
ician, knows very little about
academic matters relating to
other fields is another source of
confusion for me. Finally, and in
a more general vein, I am per
haps most shocked by the tol
erance of allconcerned for those
members of the faculty who show
no desire to continue to improve
themselves as teachers. Let me
clarify this last statement--there
are many fine teachers at Elon,
and certainly they deserve much
praise for their efforts to bring
truth to their students, but there
are still far too many professors
who are strictly disinterested
in the improvement of the col.
lege’s academic atmosphere.
These people show up for class
es and are in their offices for
the minimum number of hours
required “by law”--at this point
they feel their duties are fin
ished. It should be pointed out to
them that their responsibilities
are not.
I am not asking that the stu
dent body take up my crusades,
however, it is time for concern
ed individuals, and Veritas, to
turn their attention from secon-
dary issues and to focus their
energies on undertaking positive
programs which have as their
ultimate goal the building of a
better Elon.
Sincerely yours,
Paul G. Sebo
Dear Editor;
I find “Dear BeverlyAxebiod”
a stimulating and enlightening
feature of Veritas.
It is unfortunate that the spirit
of pride manifested in the Black
Power movement is not prevalent
where it is needed most--in the
South.
Traditional Southern white ra
cism, which has psychogically
conditioned the Black Man to be
lieve he is inferior, stems from
ignorance which has breeded
hate. This hate has not always
been emotionally felt but tra
ditionally taught and accepted.
May the Black American be-
Veritas
editiorial staff
CO-editors
borton c. shav^
randoll s. spencer
sports editor
cfiarles t. butler
lay-out editor
raymond y. sorrel!
associate editors
david Spicer
earl white
contributing editor
rolph moore
advertising manager
linda I. long
reportorial staff
richard beam
jay fisher
tom harris
cheryl hopkins
kathy mangum
mdrgie mcclung
denny mcquire
edward mcginnis
john mcconnell
carrol mckinney
morrow miller
ann patterson
nancy reger
bee skipsey
bruce woshburn
barbara waugh
linsey wyatt
publisher
noel alien
s.g.g-
come aware of his inner humaii
self. Only then will the “ni
gra know his place.”
Randy Davis
Editor of Veritas
Congratulations on the re
sponse to theBiafra-NigeraFood
Fund wliich amounted to nearly
$200. Surely it is not God’s will
that any suffer for lack of food,
and there are no technical rea-
sons why any should go hungry.
There is enough and to spare. If
we will, we can bring relief
from hunger to millions. “The
will--there lies ourbitterneed.”
Hunger is the greatest of hu
man problems. The World Food
Congress says one-third of the
world's population is on a star
vation diet, and one-half of these
are at the stage called “belly-
fire,” the gnawing pains that
come as the body slowly de
vours itself for want of food
Kevin Miller, a student at Man
chester College in Indiana, drew
a picture especially for Than^
giving this year. It is posj
on the bulletin board in the Stu
dent Center. At first I thii* ^
meant it as a satire, holOT
up a ridicule and scorn the tra
ditional Thanksgiving emphasis
with fruits of the field and or
chard pouring out '
monly large cornucopia. The
is the most satiric I®rt o
picture, a combination of the
American images of Uncle
(the hat), Peter Pilgrim, ^
Santa Claus. The cornucopia ^
in keeping with surrealistic
Here are mixed humanoid
with huge apples,
and flowers. Thehumafloidfor
seem to indicate
Is the most important el
in our abundance.
(Continued on page 4)