“ZTie Scdemite
9{pvcmBer 2, 1990
"Is There Really a Ghost
in Sisters Dorm?"
by Leah Petree
The Salemite
)r. Mavis Hetherington answers questions following her lecture on "His
nd Her Divorce." Photo by Patricia Earnhardt
hetherington: Scholar
Speaks on Divorce and
the Family
pi/ Patricia Earnhardt &
^ancy Jeanrenaud
r/ie Salemite
The time has come for clinicians to
^.. accept the single-parent family as nor-
i ' lal.
This was the over-all message Dr.
la vis Hetherington, the James M. Page
■'ofessor of Psychology, University of
irginia and Salem's Scholar-in-Resi-
ence, gave during her lecture on "His
livorce Her Divorce."
*1 Hetherington's lecture was a continu-
1 -lation of this year's lecture series on is-
j ‘jsues affecting America's children.
During a divorce, Hetherington said
parents are unable to give the necessary
stability to their children because of their
>wn emotional status. The lack of pa-
■ental support during this time can cause
problems during early post-divorce
'ears.
The parent-child relationships after
pi vorce were an important part of Heth-
prington's lecture.
Studies show that after divorce, boys
E o better when living under the father's
ustody and daughters when under the
riother's custody.
The impact of a divorce on boys be-
fcins earlier than on girls.
I In single parent families where the
Inother becomes the head of the house
hold, mothers and sons go through a
percive cycle - sons fight their mothers'
iles causing mothers to feel incompe
tent in child rearing. Hetherington said
the cycle typically ends when the mother
takes on a stronger role and demands
that the child behave.
Hetherington said that in girls the
effects of divorce are not evident until
their teenage years.
The period of adolescence is typically
another time of trouble for single par
ent families. Fathers tend not to moni
tor children enough during their teen
age years, causing problems with ado
lescent development. Fathers also are
likely to ignore their daughter's ap
proach to puberty out of embarrass
ment.
During their teens, mothers and sons
tend to experience role reversal. Heth
erington gave the example of a mother
who was dating - when her date came to
the house, the son began to question his
intentions, the time his mother would
be out of the house, the proposed desti
nation, and the time his mother would
be home. A time was given, and the son
replied "Okay, I'll be up."
Another factor of divorce affecting
children is that extended relationships
withnon-custodial fathersbegin to drop
about five years after divorce. Hether
ington said that only 16 percent of non
custodial fathers see their children an
average of once per week five years
conL on pg 2
"Is there Really a Ghost in Sisters
Dorm?
Halloween has arrived, and it is a
time for the dead spirits to rise and
walk the earth. Will Salem be fortunate
enough to encounter those ghostly
spirits of the other world? Time will
tell, but a spirit supposedly lurks in
Sisters Dorm.
The ghost is known by the name of
"Patsy." Indeed, this ghost has an in
teresting history. "Patsy" is thought to
have once been a student of Salem
College, and she supposedly ended her
own life under the pressure of unre
lenting grief over not being accepted
into an on-campus society. According
to the residents of Sisters Dorm, "Patsy"
is the spirit of a young, beautiful girl
with long, blond hair. She is ususally
seen in a white nightgown. "Patsy" is
thought to take the most liking to girls
with long, blond hair, and she espe
cially likes it when a student having
long, blonde hair rooms with a student
having long, brown hair.
"Patsy" is an apparition that indulges
in the art of moving things around and
making unsuspecting noises. Strangely,
this spiritual indulging leads to steady
but random happenings. Some of the
students in Sisters Dorm reveal strange
occurrences such as fans and radios sud
denly coming on, things constan t ly being
misplaced, objects such as soft drink cans
floating across tables, strange shadows
passing, sudden footsteps in places where
nobody is seen making those footsteps,
and so forth. Also, "Patsy" seems to like
moving things around in students' clos
ets. Libby Brown, a resident of Sisters
Dorm, said that she remembers seeing
"Patsy" one night in her closet. On that
fateful night. Miss Brown had shut her
closet door; but she later saw that the
closet door was open and that "Patsy"
was in the closet in a white nightgown
moving things around. During this
cont. on pg 2
Old Salem Celebrates Its 40th
by Robin Wilson
The Salemite
On Saturday, October 13, Old Salem Inc. celebrated it's 40th anniversary. Also
celebrating it's 25th anniversary was MESDA (the Museum of Early Southern
Decorative Arts). Along with the other highlights of the day were the performances
of George Hamilton IV, the Salem College Archways, Philip's Chapel Choir and the
Salem Academy Glee Club on the square. Planters Lifesavers helped celebrate by
serving free refreshments and bringing their giant inflatable Mr. Peanut. Tours
were given all day of our campus, through Main Hall, the Inspector's House, the
Alumni House & various dorms.
Old Salem began with only a few buildings open to the public. Tours, at that time,
cost only a quarter. Today, Old Salem owns a large number of restored buildings
and historic land. Although the price has increased for a general public admission
to the buildings, Salem students get a better deal than anyone—-admission for us
if FREE! All you have to do is take your Salem I.D. down to the Visitor Center,
where they will give you an admission ticket for Old Salem and MESDA(located
down at the end of the restoration, past theTavem.) This might be a worthwhile(and
cheap) idea for Parent's Weekend. Remember—there is much more to Old Salem
than just the bakery!
The celebration of Old Salem and MESDA was definitely a success. Approxi
mately 8000 people attended. At this point plans for another such celebration are
tentative.
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