Salcmite, Nov. 3,1978, Page 2
To
The
Editor.
Dear Eklitor,
“THE” South abounds with persistent myths: that we
all (not unlike “you all”) talk like the Shake and Bake
commercial, that all “men” are genUemen, that life
after death Is found in your geneology, and that girts
shot;i go to a “girls school” for two years and then
transfer to T.H.E. University. But Uke all good
southerners we find ways to question the validity of such
misconceptions.
It seems that the proverbial sophomore malise has
S'ruck Salem C.: transferitis non knowumwhy.
Everyone at one point or another questions their college
choice and if they don’t question their choice, they
question why they are not questioning, well everybody
else is aren’t they??? The unfortunate aspect of tran-
feritis non knowumwhy is that one battles it with alot of _
hindsight and often too little foresight, knowing what the
past year and a half at Salem have done for them, but
having no idea what the next two and a half could,
should or will. Having once been a sophomore and
having spent many a night in the Genetics lab
questioning more than my college choice (i.e. my
sanity, my physical state), I thought maybe I could
afford you sophomores a bit of hindsight,
prejudicial.
Ail myths have a beginning, most in ancient Greece or
Rome. Though ours has no Mycenean origin, it has one
equally as archaic, the ‘ole South, where men were men
and women were housewives. Back then. Daddy packed
“Sweetie Pie” off to a “Girls’ School” to learn the skills
of gracious living and then shipped her into the market
n.e. the male market) hoping that somewhere between
the sorority house and the soda shop she’d nab herself a
“Good ’ole Boy,” a son in-law, a ! IPROVIDER . . . Well,
fortunately most “girls’ schools” are, like hoop skirts, a
thing of the past. Today, “Women’s Colleges” are
focusing on the needs of today’s woman, developing her
mind, her organizational abilities as well as her culinary
skills. Women’s Colleges are tackling a big task:
teaching women to blend a gracious lifestyle with an
exciting career. Salem, I feel, is leading the southern
women’s colleges in this respect.
You have such an opportunity to indulge yourself at
Salem with four years of discovering who you are,
learning your outer most limits as well as your
limitations. An education is much more than learning to
conjugate irregular verbs in French. Its developing
your ability to discern what is Important to you and why.
Salem, for me was the perfect academic Petri dish,
giving me not only the liberal arts background that I
treasure, but also the desire for life long learning. I at
tribute that largely to the professors I had at Salem
professors who were more Interested in my develop
ment than in “publishing or perishing” or their pet
graduate students. Somewhere along the way my
professors here nurtured my condifence and for the firs* i
time in my life I sUrted thinking that maybe there wai.
intelligent life in the vacuous reaches between my ears.
Salem also afforded me what is a rare opportunity for
women, a chance to make my own friends, friends who
weren’t just wives of my potential husband’s business
associates, etc. Its incredible now to see what my Salem
friends are doing, writing masters’ theslses, taking care
of you (and me) at the Infirmary etc. Salem, through
S.G.A., class actlvies and various organisations, gives
you an opportunity to learn to accept responsibility, an
ability that Increases exponentially over the years. My
friends in the business world, in graduate school, etc.
have a pleasant self assurance about them now, not a
brashness, but a simple self confld^ce that will carry
them far. I remember what a fairly homogeneous
Freshman class we were, similar goals, similar
backgrounds... 193 grey sweat suitedstrong. Then over
the four years we watched each other develop skills,
master concepts and launch into lifestyles. Senior year
when everyone was applying to graduate schools,
getting jobs, making life plans, we were all doing it
together, realizing how far we had come together and
how fnr we’d go together. Excitement then was sitting
on the steps of Sisters sharing job offers, acceptances to
gt uduate schools and even marriage proposals as if they
were our very own.
Now, I’m no Pollyanna and I don’t feel that Salem is
for everyone. She’s only for those who realize what a
treasure she is. One complaint that is often voiced about
Salem is that she shelters you from the real world.
Granted, maybe to a certain extent she does. However,
the four years I spent here showed me the BEST of the
uorld and enable me to meet the “not so best” of the
world not with a tainted cynicism, but with a desire to
work toward something better, toward the life and the
kind of people that I know here.
So, Sophomores, in battling your malaise, look around
you, treasure Salem’s nooks and crannies. Some af
ternoon walk through campus when the sun is setting,
notice the tiled roof of the Alumni House, the Geofge
Washington Spring House . . . and think about what a
- place this is to ponder, to grow- Sal em offers so much
more that an education. If you still feel under, ask a
senior or an “oldster” like me what your years here is
like, then sit back and prepare to hear an epistle.
Kem Mims
Dear Editor,
It has come to our attention in observing the habits
formulated over the course of the first two months of
this school year that you, in your laziness and apathy,
have disregarded all requests to “STAY OFF THE
GRASS!!!” If, by chance, this request has not been
stated simply enough for your understanding we will
attempt to aid you further in hopes of salvaging the few
blades of grass yet living. (YES! THERE ARE A
FEW!)
In an earlier issue of the Salemite, an excellent
summary of the situation and its alternatives was made.
Why must immaturity and sheer carlessness pervade
the actions of Salem girls? If it is a lack of energy which
causes you to continually tread a cowpath across the
lawns, let us put your mind to rest: for the average
person, it takes approximately 32 steps to walk across
the “cowpath” as opposed to 43 steps for those who
choose the cobblestone walkways. (We regret that our
research led us to walk the “cowpath” ourselves.)
Taking this to heart, we have no doubts that the health
conscious girls of Salem, repeatedly found jogging,
playing tennis or hockey, and dieting their lives away,
will choose the longer path. We rest our case!
The concered and
exercised few,
deg
slj
P.S. After a lunch of beef stew, mashed potatoes,
salad, and ten chocolate chip cookies, it might help to
take a few extra steps - even if you’re not dieting!
Management
Seminar
Successful
This past Wednesday the
Junior League of Winston-
Salem sponsored a seminar
and presentation on
leadership-management
techniques and staff-board
relations. The featured
speaker was L. Renshaw
Fortier, a nationally
recognized management
consultant. His appearance
here is part of the Junior
League’s Community
Leadership Training Sem
inar.
Interested Salem students
and faculty were invited to
attend the morning workshop
off campus and the evening
“Leadership Roles in
Effecting Change” lecture in
the Salem Fine Arts Center.
Student participation and
response to both sessions
were excellent. Everyone
who attended the programs
found them not only in
teresting and valuable for
future reference, but also
very helpful in the current
management of school af-
Cont’d on 3
Tell It To
Exec. Board
Have you ever had a
brilliant idea concerning
campus life but did not know
who you should tell it to?
Have you ever had a gripe
eating away at your stomach
and wanted to have some
action taken on it? So have
you ever wondered where the
phantom Executive Board of
our Student Government
hides out?
Executive Board officers
can now be found at the Back
Door every morning - usually
around 10 to 11:30. Executive
Board wants more student
input and participation, so
come on and have a cup of
coHee with us at the Back
Door. We want to discuss
campus life or any other
aspect of Salem College that
is on your mind!
Diana Jolltft
SGA Secretary
Executive Board Members:
Connie Caidweil
Kate Waiiace
Paula Myers
Susanne McCaskill
Diana Joilitf
THe WLCMITe
Printad by UndMy Publishiim C«>. and publitbad i>v«ry Friday
of lh« Collette year by lb* Student Body of .Salem Collette.
Editor-in-Chief • Amanda Vannoy
Associate Eklitor - Laura Castellanos del Valle
Layout Editor • Pam Snyder
Sports Eklitor • Sarah Kay
Business Manutter l.oat)vmgton
Circulation Manager - Anne Yaxujtan
Reporters:
Laura Babb
Theresa Barrett
Sheri John.son
M.J. Jone.N
Missy Litth ton
Lucy Anne Luckhardi
Mary Anne Tuggie
Photography:
E^ertisIlMiDSOn,
Pam Snyder
Ann Watters