Page Two
THE SALEMITE
February 22, 1%3|
Our Vacillating Faculty
Ignores Student Maturity
The chapel speaker on the fourteenth could not decide
11 oc “lailioa” m- “ofifls” he set-
whether to address the students as ladies or girls
tied on “ladies/’ it seems as it the faculty and aammistration
are having the same problem. How much easier it would be
for both students and faculty if it were decided once and for
1. 1 li, O rrii-la’ ViAardincr school or a WOmCU S
all whether Salem is a girls’ boarding school or a women's
college, if the decision is made for a girl's boarding school,
then naturally the college is responsible for all student actions
such as class attendance. But if it is decided that the students
are actually young women capable of making their own de
cisions, then they should be given the responsibilities of women.
The indecisiveness of the faculty is particularly evident in
their vacillating class attendance policy. First, the ^students
without requesting it, were given unlimited cuts. Then, de
spite a higher grade average for the total student body than
the previous semester, the faculty took away the student’s right
of deciding between attending class or not attending. The
faculty voted in, without student request, a cut system more
restrictive than the one which had been left behind. We can
only regard this action as a great step backwards in the grow
ing attitude that college students should be adult enough to
make their own decisions.
We do not question the administration’s right to raise the
standards of the college. If they want to raise the quality
point average for classification, graduation or anything else it
is up to them, but it is up to the individual to decide if she
wants to meet these qualifications. The desire to continue in
school must come from the student. If she wants a college
diploma, she will make her grades in two semesters with or
without compulsory attendance. If the student does not care
about her education, then even her attendance in class will not
cause her to do passable work.
We hear so much about the intellectual atmosphere on this
campus. Of course the atmosphere will be low, if students who
do not care about learning are allowed to stay simply because
they do not cut classes. We question the real reason behind
this new rule. Why, when the grades are better than ever, is
such a rule passed? Is it because some of the classrooms are
empty ?
The most important aspect of a college is the finished pro
duct it turns out in its four years of training. Let’s look at
the young woman who graduates from a college which has not
allowed her to decide if she cared enough to go to classes of
her own accord. What kind of a teacher will this woman
make? What kind of wife, mother, citizen?
We want the faculty and administration to make the same
decision our chapel speaker made, but we do not simply want
to be called “ladies.” We want the faculty to know that we
are young women who for our own good must be given the
opportunity to decide if we as individuals really want a college
education.
Hurrah! Salemites Voice Opinions!
'Ole Salem Spirit
A. R.
Dear Editor,
Lately we have heard much critL
cism about the interest and spirit
of the Salem student body. I think
every .girl at Salem realizes these
statements are valid, but, after
Tuesday night, I know that there
is still some “ole Salem spirit left
among a few of the student body.
The “ole Salem spirit” was quite
evident among about 30 Salem stu
dents who met with Wake Forests
IRC Tuesday night for a challenge
quiz. The challenge for a quiz
with Wake Forest students was en
thusiastically accepted by Salem s
IRC. Salem was well represented
on the quiz by a panel made up
of Marsha Ray, Dean Clifford,
Jackie Lamond, and Wendy Mc-
Glinn. Each panel was asked 15
questions on topics of current news
and 20th century history. These
questions ranged from the Com
mon Market to the member na
tions of SEATO in 1954. Both
Salem and Wake Forest were
stumped by the question; “What
is the name of Nehru’s home state
and India’s most densely populated
state?” When the final results
were tallied. Wake Forest won by
a score of 145 to 125 or by a two
question lead.
Although Wake Forest won the
quiz, I think Salem scored the
larger victory. Every girl that
participated in the meeting showed
enthusiasm and good sportsman
ship. The panel members impressed
everyone present with their con
fident knowledge of current affairs
and historical background. The
number of Salem girls who at
tended the quiz gave proof of
Salem spirit and of an mterest by
the students in the “world beyond
the square.”
Barbara Gottschalk
about class attendance in the last
issue of The Salemite.
Raising the standards of Salem
College is not the issue in this
letter, for we are heartily in favor
of this. If Salem is to continue to
keep its present prestige, we feel
that its standards should be raised.
Our concern is the way in which
the faculty has decided to raise
Salem’s academic standards. Last
year the faculty gave the student
body a vote of confidence when it
was decided that all upperclassmen
would have unlimited cuts. This
change in policy was not asked for
by the students, and we feel that
we have lived up to our responsi
bility. Is not the overall distri-
bution of grades higher? Were
not more seniors classified? Yet,
in less than two semesters the fac
ulty has decided to take a step
backwards by reverting to the first
semester freshman class cut system
if a girl does not have the required
classification necessary. Not only
is this a restriction on unclassified
students, but also those classified,
for, when the roll is called, conse
quently we will be checked on.
We feel that the students de
served the consideration of being
approached with this plan, because
we are adults and are the ones that
will be affected by this change.
Technically the faculty has the
right to take this action, but we
feel that it was not ethical. Since
the students had not betrayed the
trust given them, was there a valid
reason for this change ?
Sincerely,
Connie Rucker
Elaine Tayloe
Americans’ apathy with the con.l
trasting fervor of Latin AmericaJ
African, and European students!
Although these students often
to extremes in their political re.|
actions, they DO take a stand.
Perhaps Mr. Keniston’s accusa.l
tion of American Youth is toj
harsh, but as far as he can
his statements are correct. N5J
being a student himself maybe ||g|
doesn’t hear our heated discussions!
of issues like Medicare,
unions, or integration. He
looks for outward signs that thesj
subjects have had student con.[
sideration. But, like many profes.|
sors here at Salem, he looks anlj
hopes and often finds nothing.
But finally two students han|
taken stands on a controversy ;
only involving Salem, but tliJ
whole nation. If we are to be
all in step with these times, eaclj
student here will have to take 1
definite position on many conteml
porary issues. Not only must ij
be willing to speak individually, hj
above all we must be anxious tt|
act.
Alice Reid
Do Take A Stand!
Faculty Distrusts?
Dear Editor;
We wish to express our surprise
and dismay concerning the an
nouncement of the new ruling
Coloring Craze Hits Campus:
”Oh, Oh! See Our Coloring Book”
by Patty Nash and Jane Hall
A new craze is sweeping the
country — coloring! And Salem,
being the craze conscious school
tliat it is, has joined in the move
ment to make coloring a national
pastime. Salem students have been
seen indulging in this sport at such
places as Babcock Dorm, the Tri
angle, the Polo, Blowing Rock, and
even in Johnson City, Tennessee.
Just imagine certain typical cam
pus scenes—in black and white, of
course—and these “colors” to go
along with them to be filled in:
“Oh, oh, this is the Book Store.
See all the students picking up
books. Some of them are drooling
over all the other goodies that can
be seen. Color it expensive.
“Look at the Refectory. There
arc lots of tables and chairs, but
most of them are empty. Every
body is walking out of the door.
Published every Friday of the College
year by the Student Body of
Salem College
OFFICES:
Basement of Lehman Hall
414 Bank St., S.W.
Editor-in-chief - Becky Boswell
Business Manager Alice Reid
Associate Editor Anne Romig
Executive Editor Ginger Ward
News Editor Patty Nash
Feature Editor
..Bonnie Hauch
They are going to the Dairy Barn.
Color it prune whip and cheese
be tty.
“See all the students. They are
at assembly. They have used all
five of their chapel cuts. It is the
fourth week of the semester. Most
of them are asleep. Color them
bored.
“This is a typical Salem student.
She is sitting in the Dairy Barn.
She is wearing a Villager blouse
and sweater. On her feet are Bass
Weejuns. Draped on the chair is
a camel’s hair coat. She is talking
about which fraternities are the
best at Wake Forest. Color her
blah.’
“See the girl looking at the
ground. , She is a member of IRS.
She sees fresh ‘Weegie Monster’
tracks. She is looking for grass,
but there is none to be seen any
where. Color the ground ugly.
Color the girl angry.
“This is The Salemite, the cam
pus newspaper. The staff is scurry
ing around all over campus. None
of the articles have come in on
time. There is nothing to put in
the paper, not even a letter to the
editor concerning last week’s edi
torial. Color it blank.
“Oh, oh! See the faculty mem
ber. It is time to call the roll, but
he doesn’t know what a roll is. He
hasn’t used one in the last year.
He is having trouble getting the
main point of his lecture across to
his students. After class he will go
to the faculty lounge to drink cof
fee and to discuss his problems
with other faculty members. Color
him confused.
“Do you see Spring Vacation?
Yes, there it is, just around the
corner. It looks like a cold, lonely
beach with no boys from Davidson,
Carolina, State, Duke, or Wake
Forest. We see only Salem girls.
Color it two weeks too soon.”
Dear Editor,
Hurrah for Magos and Heath.
It’s about time someone here at
Salem publicly took a stand on the
integration issue, or any issue for
that matter. Now that a European
has confronted us with our image
abroad and a native Southerner has
frankly pointed out the hypocrisy
visible in our own country, surely
we at Salem cannot continue to
sit by and tacitly preserve that
image. Those who want to oblite
rate the prejudice of many South
erners toward the Negro must
speak out and take action if neces
sary.
But taking a stand on one ques
tion should not suffice. In a re
cent issue of The American Schola]
Kenneth Keniston states that “de
spite prosperity and the highest
level of education in the world
our young men and women remain
overwhelmingly uninterested in the
state of the nation and the world.”
Mr. Keniston attributes this disin
terest of American students to
their pre-occupation with triviali
ties. He goes on to compare young
Responsibility?
Dear Editor:
The term “academic probation" ii
the article, “QP’s Will Affect Clasil
Cuts, Office Holding,” seems to mi
to be contradictory to anotliiil
term, “student responsibility,'
which we so often hear. I aul
wholly in agreement with wisw
to raise overall standards of Sales!
by stiffening requirements.
But, unless the overall qualitij
point average has lowered since tlij
granting of unlimited cuts, I qu6'
tion the need to put in an academj
probation system for upperclas
men who have not made tliei|!
grades. This regulation seems nd,
only unnecessary but also deb
mental to Salem,
After their freshman year, stt
dents should know how much
can cut. Having had two semestenj
to regulate their study habits aii
reap the results, and having proW
ably made their lowest grades tk
first year, students are then moij
ing more into fields of special ii!
terest to them and should be caH
able of deciding whether or nottj
go to class.
For, it seems to me, unlimiteij
cuts are more important in prii
ciple than in practice. Most sti
dents want to feel that they af
imposing the responsibility of
ing to class on themselves far moiij
than they want to cut.
Then, too, students who wotii
be on probation under the new syi
tern seem to fall basically into W
categories: those who care d
those who don’t. Realizing the:
vulnerable position, those who cai
will attend classes. Need they I
(Continued on page 4)
Revolution Puzzles Reactionary
by Frances Bailey
Were a reactionary to visit Salem
this week, he would be, to say the
least, greatly upset. For there have
been revolutions all over campus.
Mr. Reactionary is at first dis
turbed by the speech of his guide,
who seems to have adopted an un
usual utterance of vowel sounds.
Through her “uuuuh eeeh uuoh
awk,” he learns that her speech is
in the transitional stage before it
can become nonsectional and easily
understood.
First he is taken to Old Chapel
where he sees, not an ordinary
stage, but one with four levels,
which projects seven feet out into
the audience. He is shocked by
the words uttered by a nearby
freshman . . . something about a
skit and other four letter words.
Next he visits a classroom, where
the art of note taking has been
revolutionized. Handwriting has
taken on an kifinitesimal cramped
character as students record five
hundred years of history on one
side of a piece of exam book paper
and spout loud knowledgable facts
at the same time. In another class
room he sees "students filling note
books with round, perfect letters
composing no more than two words
per line.
Still slightly confused, he finally
seeks refuge in a dorm lounge,
where he is equally bewildered by
conversation over bridge tables,
which are filled by the still inces
sant flow of healthy students as
more and more faculty succumb to
the Asian flu. Conversations at
these tables is far from the usual
chatter about who’s dating whom.
In fact, it seems that no one be
came pinned or engaged this week
end. Instead, Mr. Reactionary
hears such comments as: “Did you
hear that DeGaulle almost got shot
again? . . . Wait, Jackie, here’s
that IRC panel . . .• Treaty
Rome, 1958 . . . Betty Gail,
your turn to read aloud the U.
News and World Report to M
sha while she rolls her hair .
Staggering from shock and tk
thickness of smoke in the root
Mr. Reactionary considers leavk
when he hears of the approach •
Peggy, whose bout with the »
has more than made up the Jil
ference between the number
faculty and students affected,
makes a ’ fast exit, however, wk
a thermometer requesting stud®
is admonished by her roominat
“Trudi, don’t you have enoug
fever to get into the infirffl^''
yet?”
Poor Mr. Reactionary. His ®
comfort is the despair of the s®
iors, who as yet have been una’
to revolutionize the methods
obtaining jobs. Laboriously
structed letters and fearful job ®
another fact you might need for terviews remain constant.