Tfie SdCeinite
Volume LXXII N0.4
The Uncensored Voice of the Salem Community
February 27,1992
Dr.Thrift Reflects on Her First Jan Term
By Hanan AbduTRahim
e of the most unique programs at
lem College is the January Term pro-
am. During the month of January,
Wdents have the opportunity to travel,
larticipate in internships, explore sub-
:ts of interest in an independent study,
'or take a class that is not usually offered
during the semester. January is usually
a time of relaxation, fun, and learning,
nd this year was no exception. How-
iver, this year was different in that we
ihared our January for the first time
ith our new president. Dr. Julianne
ift. Dr. Thrift talked to The Salemite
her impressions of January at
ilem.
fabout
January terms are very important in
Dr. Thrift's opinion because through
internships and independent studies,
students become less intimidated by the
prospwt of jobs and graduate schools.
For this reason, it is important that stu
dents leam,not only from their own
January experiences, but from those of
others as well. Also, Dr. Thrift believes
that there is a measure of frustration in
going from one semester to the next for
four years and that January programs
help relieve that frustration.
Dr. Thrift spent a good deal of her
January traveling to see alumnae. She
told us that she tries not to be a way from
the campus for too long when the stu
dents are here, because she feels it is
very important to be in their midst. If
she could have taken a January term
class. Dr. Thrift said that she would
have liked to travel on the " the Blue
Highways" or perhaps to volunteer for
certain organizations.
Dr. Thrift was very impressed with
the extent to which the faculty tried to
become involved in January term ac
tivities. Such involvement, she feels,
brings about closeness in the student-
faculty relationships. In the future. Dr.
Thrift would like to participate in a
January Term, perhaps by taking a group
of students to Washington. She feels
that she can share with students her
knowledge and understanding of the
political climate there. Dr. Thrift culti
vated that knowledge in the sixteen years
that she spent in Washington.
Finally, Dr. Thrift revealed that she
often felt anxious over January because
" the students were scattered. It was
like they were away from home." So
welcome back to all the students who
were away for January Term, and we
are all glad that Dr. Thrift has come to
share our home with us.
Are You Ready for onua celebrates
Something New?
>alem Commons Opens This Weekend!!
Iby Banner Gregory
he new Salem Commons is opening
Isoon to offer the Salem Community
land friends a change of place. The
ICommons should really ^ an inter-
I esting place to watch developbecause
I it wilt be shared by the college and
academy. The old gym has been
I converted into the Great Hall which
I will allow all students to take advan-
jtage of the area, serving both as a
[gymnasium for physical rducation&
athletics and a space for social events.
If you are concerned about the gym
[floor, the lines are there for sports,
and there is plarmed maintenance to
ensure that the floor is kept in good
condition after social functions. There
will also be ping pong tables under
the balcony available after 6:00pm or
when athletic practices and dasses
are not going on. A balcony extends
over part of the Great Hall and pro
vides seating for the Grille and events
in the Great Hall. The balcony will be
a fabuluous place to hold meetings
during lunch, especially from 12:00-
1:00pm, because there will be no P.E.
classes using the Gymnasium. The
Grille, once the old dance studio, vdll
[ operate as a restaurant that is open to
j ^oSalemCommunityandguests. The
rnenu is great and inexpensive, offer
ing a variety of food including pizza, hot
and cold sandwiches, salads, sweets, fro
zen yogurt, drinks, and more. Boarding
students will be given a 15% discount on
selected foods when they present their
college ID with sticker. There will be a
jukebox to drop quarters into, as well as
vending machines.
The P.E. classrooms and weight center
have also been renovated to give us a
casual lounge. This lounge is for students
and their guests. The guests may be fac
ulty, staff, friends, or even boys! The large
screen TV and VCR will be in this space as
well as a coin-operated pool table. There
will be a large conference table for meet
ings in one corner that can be closed off
with folding doors. The Lounge will be
available for the Academy students until
7:00pm Monday-Friday only. Therefore,
alcohol will be allowed in the Lounge
after 7:00pm on weekdays and on the
weekends.
For any additional information con
cerning policies, please look at your offi
cial Commons Handbook. Please remem
ber that any suggestions are greatly ap
preciated, because everything is on tnal
basis this semester and is subject to change
The Commons will benefit Salem and
become a special place for it.
by Dawn M. Darby
Salem College during the month of
January witnessed some revolutionary
events for the Afro-American Aware
ness group known as ONUA which is
Ghana meaning: sisterhood. Through
the consent of the college and the co-in
struction of Dr. Sid Kelly, professor of
history at Salem and Ms. Delores Smith,
CEO of the Winston-Salem Urban-
Leaguge, an Afro-American culture
studies class was offered as a part of the
curriculum for Salem's Jan-Term. The
students were introduced to, the history
of the African culture prior to the dis
covery of America, as well as paralleled
the present African Society with that of
the Aft'o-American society. This served
as a base for the understanding of the
cultures' merge after the discovery and
implementation of American slavery
along with the respective progression
of the societies. The course involved a
field trip to the Sunday Morning serv
ices at Mt. Zion Baptist church where
the class shared in the Black Southern
Baptists experience and were person
ally greeted by a few of the prominent
members of the Black Community
among which was Dr. Maya Angelou,
author and professor at Wake Forest
University. A major highlight was
unmistakably when the class sponsored
a rught of African dinner and dancing,
which was held in the refectory and
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