Editorials
September 31,1993
Page;
Letters to the Editor
by Amy Woodard
Well, here it is, my last chance to get a word in about my disappointments
concerns and gripes about good ole’ Salem College. I figured I should use
my “connection” to the paper while I had a chance. And, since I have heard
some of the very complaints that scream in my head from several other
people, I thought 1 would go ahead and put my butt on the line and voice
opinions.
1 find it quite ironic that Communications is one of the largest, if not the
largest majors on this campus, yet communication, or lack of it, I should say
could be the very downfall of this school. For example: (and I could go on
and on and on with examples, but 1 will just pick a couple that stick in my
mind) When wc had the “brownout” during formal weekend and into the next
week, were the students told anything? From my position on third floor
South, 1 never truly got word of what was happening, why it was happening
and when it would stop happtening. Sure Dean Farris did her duty by coming
up and attempting to let us in on the details, but that was a two minute
conversation and nothing was really revealed. So, being the bitchy one that
1 am, 1 proceeded to march over to public safety officers and bless them out
for not getting anything done. 1 had to laugh when they informed me that they
were as clueless as 1. Well, we lived with flashlights for the next 24 hours and
wc all got through it, but I never heard an apology, an offer to refund money
for hotels, postponment of tests or a good explanation for why the entire
fiasco hapitened in the first place. Seems to me that priorities lie in the wrong
place here. Speaking of priorities, that leads me to my next example of the
lack of communication diat 1 find so very irritating at Salem. This past
weekend, my roommate went to sign her boyfriend up for a room in male
housing. Well, unbenounced to her, or anyone else, admissions had decided
it was their right to block up all the rooms in male housing for prospective
students and their parents for the weekend. I guess the folks in admissions
hadn ’ t bothered to take notiee of the fact that it was furniture market weekend
and all of the hotels in Winston and nearby cities had been booked formonths.
1 don’t know what gave them the right to use our facilities in the first place,
and in the .second place, how does anyone explain the lack of phone calls,
memos or posters telling us that male housing would be unavailble? Must be
that lack of communication thing again that we seem to be so damn good at.
1 guess it would be understandable at a large university for students to not
know what important things were taking place at all times around campus,
but at Salem, come on, there is absolutely no excuse. I am sick and tired of
tell ing people outside of our little world what a wonderful place Salem is and
how you can do so much here, and get so much accomplished, and if
something is going wrong, well, you can just get right in there and change it.
In fact, if things don’t start changing. I’m going to stop telling people all of
those things and tell them how 1 really feel about this place. Yes, I love all
the friends I have made here and those friendships will last a lifetime. I heard
Elizabeth Barrett make a great analogy of Salem. It was about a trampoline
that you can use to bounce as high as you choose, but you know it is always
under you to catch you and bring you back up. That’s the way I used to feel
about Salem. But... if you are in a club, especially the head of a club, don’t
expect much help with anything. There is low participation in everything
around campus, people gripe and bitch all the time about not having anything
to do, but no one ever comes to anything and no one seems willing to get
involved and to stay involved. We have 50 percent continuing education
studenus at Salem, therefore we are forced to take night classes, and
sometimes we are the only traditional aged student in certain classes.
Sometimes, 1 have the fear of Salem turning into a community college and
1 would hate for that to happen.
1 am so tired of complaining about things around here. I have tried to talk
to the “nght people” about my complaint, I have written endless comments
on endless surveys but 1 never hear anything about the results or what can be
done about my complaints. 1 guess the purpose of this letter is to hear what
youhave to say. to get yourilcd upeitherin favorof whatihave said, ortotallv
again.st it dl. I do love Salem and I used to be proud and honored to say I
Mtend such a great school, but now I am doubting many things and I need to
be convinced that she is the wonderful school I once thought she was If
anyone would like to wnte a rebuttal against what I have said, I would love
to ^mt It ^d love to see what you have to say. Others who agree with me
well, we should get together and devise a plan of action to gS our beloved
school back to the way we want it. I will spend my lastyear of college hem
nex year and I plan to make it great, with or without the help of the school
The purpose of college
Photography :
Stephanie Peede
Anna Mansfield
Meredith Snellings
Wendy Garrett
Staff
Editor-in-Chief
Stephanie Peede
Layout Editor
Anna Mansfield
by J.D. Lennox
College. To most of us it sym
bolizes the key to open the doors of
our promising future. Is college edu
cation what you want? Of course,
only you can decide. Upon arriving at
Salem this August, we all made a
choice...higher education. Every
woman at Salem is here because she
made a decision to seek her desired
level of intellectual and/or social ful
fillment. Wheter you came here to
make the Dean’s list, get an educa
tion, meet interesting people, or to
introduce yourself to new things, you
are the final factor in deciding wheter
or not you get what you came for. It’s
all what you make out of it.
With all the clubs, sptorts, and
community/social events constantly
happening on and around campus, it
is easy to loose sight of your real goal
at Salem. As a transfer student, I can
say to our Freshman at Salem, “The
first year of your college life is cru
cial, it lays the ground for your next
three years.” Enjoy all the tennis,
field hockey, clubs, parties, but keep
in mind that without obtaining that
higher education all you’ll be left with
is your activities.
These four years of Salem will
shape your life and your future. So
while you should study hard to reach
your potential academic success, do
not neglect the opposite side of col
lege social life at Salem. Learn to
know your Salem sisters and what
they are about. Explorenew interests,
aspire to higher dreams, demand
complete satisfaction and above all
remember it’s what you make out of it
that counts. If you do not achieve
what you’ve set out to do because of
lack of planning and/or discipline on
your part you have no on to blame but
yourself.
We are all on a mission to ex
plore and discover ourselves, our
capabilities, and the changing world
around us. Use your time at Salem to
enrich your mind and discover who
you are. The education you receive at
Salem will stay with you for a life
time, if you know it’s purpose. As
Malcom S. Forbes said, “Education’s
purpose is to replace an empty mind
wih an open one. ” If you leave S alem
with an open mind to new ideas and
different or unusual things, without
being prejudiced or set in your stub
born ways, you have Icam the lesson
of happiness and life.
Take a few minutes to sit down
and ask yourself, “What did I come to
Salem for and am I getting it?” If you
cannot truthfully answer “Yes,” find
out what you need to do and “Just do
it.” I assure you that happiness is
bound to follow and to quote Ben
jamin Franklin, “All the Consitution
guarantees is thepursuitofhappiness.
You have to catch up with it by your
self.” Find your happiness in Salem
and get what you came to college for.
The decision is yours because it all
depends on what you make out of it!
Meal cards, extended hours
would boast grille business
by Dianne Conley
Wouldn’t it be great to go down
to the Grille on a Saturday afternoon
and charge a burger and fires on your
meal card instead of dining in the
Refectory? I feel that these ideas of
meal cards and extended hours would
be great improvements to the Salem
Commons Grille. Instead of facing
the possiblity of closing down, with
these new assets the Grille would draw
in much more business.
Don’t you just hate those days
when you walk through the Refectory
and absolutely nothing looks pleas
ing? You had a potato for lunch and
the lettuce is a bit too wilty for your
tastes. The though of a good juicy
hamburger and curly fires sounds
great, but you have no transportation
or money to go off campus. (I know
that I can perfectly relate to this sce
nario.) What would be a good solu
tion on a day like this one? The Grille.
Reporters:
Beth Andrews
Cindie Burnette
Mary Barcley Churchill
Dianne Conley
Lisa Findlay
Alaina Gieshrecht
Rebecca Grubbs
Not only could you order a meal you
would enjoy, but you wouldn’t have
to pay for it or hike off campus.
The scho 1 has debated for a
while with the ideas of meal cards and
extended hours in the Grille. I feel
that we really need to do something
about it. If they keep operating the
Grille in the same manner they are
now, it wiU end up shutting it’s doors
due to lack of business and the Com
mons will be used less than it is now.
This would be a disgrace, considering
what that it is a great building and our
student center!
As students, I believe that we
need to keep pushing for these ideas
to be put into action. In order to show
your suppport for the Grille and get
our ideas rolling, we need to attend
functions in the Commons and splurge
every once in a while to eat there! If
we want to prove to the Administra
tion that we want improvements in
the Grille, we must start speaking up
now and using it more!
J.D. Lennox
Kristan Majors
Ikisha McNeill
Shannon Newby
Meredith Roseman
Valerie Schlatter
Angela Tatum
Amy Woodard
by Lisa Findlay
First of all, a little intro abo
“Random Thoughts.” This w
be a regular column in T
Salemite. It is strictly desigm
to entertain solhope you enjoy
1. Random though
concerning Clewell’s ghost:
-Sitting inmyroonn
third floor, I often hear our ghc
and many pictures entermyhea
For example,
when furniture is being movi
around at three o’clock in i|
morning, has our little friend ji
had a creative
bout thus causing her to sprit
from her bed and reanange ll
fruniture?
-Then there arc Ihost
times when the adolescent
poltergeist is pounding up
down her attic hall. Is she
preparing herself the 1'
gymnastic championship?
-Lastly, it seems till
my biggest paranoia about seeing
the ghost always happens wheni
am partaking in
everyone’s favorite activity-
going to the bathroom. I sitiheit
in fear that she will pop up ftw
the adjacent
stall and look down upon my
pleasant duty. Yuck!
2. Why isitthatwhenevfl
you go out to the store
night, you arc the only noimil
one there? The rest are
ax murderers or rapists. ItM"
fails!
3. Why is it that when yoi
don’t have a boyfirend no guys
seem interested in you
tend to feel more
unattractive. But when yo"
have a boyfriend, guys s®'
noticing you and you are
out more than ever?
must be a glow we give
something—geez!
4. Why is it that every ti®
you start to pass a truck on
highwayhemanagestociusso^
the middle line just
little so you are
or you have to gun it
90mi* to make it before «
you?
5. LasUy.whydo^
eyebrows? If anyoit
please tell me!
off«
That’s
- “TitS-
pontefornow. UK
month with more—