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THE
MEREflTH
TWIO
COLLEG-E
Should student leaders
be appointed by
a nominating committee?
With spring elections not so very far away, it has once again
been suggested by several members of the Meredith community
that our election system be changed to include a nominating
committee. This would mean that the process of self-nomination
or self-filing would be deleted in favor of, for instance, a faculty-
student committee which would submit nominations to the
student body for the various SGA offices.
1 think it a resonable assumption to say that those who favor
this committee procedure are, in effect, indicating their
dissatisfaction with present and past SGA officers who were
elected by the self-nominating process. If those who favor a
nominating committee think they will obtain better student
leadership with their procedure, then they are dead wrong.
The present SGA officers are a good group; they get high
marks in, among other things, co-operation and willingness to
work. These girls filed for their respective offices, indicating
interest and willingness to serve; the caliber of their leadership is
the best proof that the self-nominating process can, indeed, work.
This is not to say that every problem at Meredith has been
effectively dealt with by the SGA officers. This is quite literally an
impossibility. More than anything else, the effectiveness of their
leadership depends on the co-operation they get from the student
body in finding, defining, and eliminating problems here. If there
is a problem area in some part of campus life, then it is a joint
responsibility of both SGA leaders and student body members to
help alleviate it. No group of leaders can do much of anything if
the student body is unwilling to help. If a nominating committee
exf)ects to nominate what they believe to be more responsible
leaders, they will discover this fact soon enough.
I can’t help wondering exactly what such a committee would
achieve by selecting candidates for SGA offices. Power to dictate
to these student leaders?
THE TWIG
JANUARY 31,1974
Letters to the editor
Dear Editor,
Due to several incidences
during registration on Mon
day, January 14, we have been
prompted to write a letter
concerning an infringement of
students’ rights. Some
students were made to pay a
late registration fee because
they failed to receive in
formation concerning
registration procedures which
was distributed in grade
reports. At this point, the five
dollar fee is not the issue but
rather that students were
treated disrespectfully as well
as having been taken ad
vantage of. It is not our
purpose to degrade the ad
ministration but we do feel
that students should not pay
the price for mistakes made
within the registrar’s office.
In the future we hope that
administrative offices will be
able to admit their mistakes
more freely.
Donnell Peeler
Myra McCachren
Dear Editor:
During last semester I
received a request through the
Student Government
Association suggestion box to
comment in the TWIG upon
the tenure policies of Meredith
College. I have now found
time to do that.
One of the most important
personnel decisions a college
can make is to grant tenure to
a member of the faculty. In so
doing the college says, in
effect, that this particular
teacher is so good that we
want her-him as a permanent
part of the teaching staff. This
could mean a commitment of
the next thirty years,
depending upon the age of the
person. Why should a college
make such a commitment?
The fundamental reason is the
concern of the college to build
and preserve a community of
learning and free inquiry. A
lively, intellectually
inquisitive cadre of teachers
is the essential factor in such a
community. A teacher must
have a reasonable degree of
security in order to function as
a free and productive member
inthe process. Tenure can help
to assure that security. With
tenure a profressor cannot be
dismissed at the whim of the
Department Chairman, the
Dean, or the President.
Adequate cause must be
established through due
process which includes the
judgments of the Department
Chairman, the Dean, the
President, the Faculty, and
the Board of Trustees.
Tenure is not a cure-all.
Some critics assert that
tenure too often protects the
non-productive faculty
member along with the
productive. I expect that such
a criticism is sometimes true
but until a better system
evolves, or is invented,
Meredith is committed to a
judicious use of tenure as a
necessary part of her effort to
preserve academic freedom
and to provide an atmosphere
within which true learning can
thrive.
If any student wishes to
examine the details of how
tenure is granted and under
what conditions, I refer them
to the Faculty Handbook, p-
ages 22-23. For a statement on
Academic Freedom, pages
23a-24 will be helpful. I or
almost any faculty member
will be glad to make the
Handbook available.
Allen Burris
Vice President and
Dean of the College
Jack Anderson’s
Weekly special
Formation of a campus intelligence ring? Obviously, these
are extreme possibilities, and I seriously doubt that Meredith
students would tolerate anything of the sort. But in conclusion, I
do think that the whole suggestion of a nominating committee is a
downright insult to the present SGA leaders. THE TWIG would be
interested in hearing from those who favor the committee
procedure; we are especially interested in the specific reasoning
behind such a suggestion.
EEH
WASHINGTON - The oil
squeeze has caused world oil
prices to skyrocket. The in
crease will add an estimated
175 billion to the price that oil
consuming countries must
pay for their economic
lifeblood.
This is simply more than
most nations can afford
without inviting economic
disaster.
World leaders have been
communicating secretly over
how to cope with the oil crisis.
The United States has taken
the lead in urging the oil con
sumers to join together in
planning a common strategy.
Behind Mills’ Offer; House
Ways and Means Chairman
Wilbur Mills, probably the
most powerful member of
Congress, has offered to in
troduce legislation granting
President Nixon immunity
from prosecution if he will
Here’s the story
this extraordinary
resign,
behind
offer:
Mills is conducting the
investigation into President
Nixon’s tax returns. This was
requested by the President
himself to determine whether
he owes more taxes. The
central controversy is over
the $576,000 tax deduction he
claimed for giving his vice
presidential papers to the
government.
Mills’ investigators have
now established that the deed,
turning over the papers, was
backdated to make it appear
that they were donated before
July 25, 1969. Thereafter, tax
deductions were no longer
allowed for historical papers.
The investigators have
also uncovered the Ralph
Newman, the appraiser,
didn’t even select which
papers should be donated until
November 1969 - four months
after the deadline.
The use of a backdated
deed to gain more than a half
million dollar tax deduction
could indicate possible fraud
and tax evasion. The Nixon
tax returns, of course, were
signed by the President and
the First Lady who are legally
responsible for the statements
therein.
It’s the possibility of tax
fraud that prompted Wilbur
Mills to seek immunity from
prosecution for the President
in return for his resignation.
(Copyright, 2974, by United Feature
Syndicate, Inc.)
SNACK BAR HOURS
The Student Center snack
bar hours for this semester
are:
Mon.-Thurs 8A.M.-9P.M.
Friday 8 A.M.-8 P.M.
Saturday 9 A.M.-2 P.M.
Sunday 5 P.M.-9 P.M.
The grill, however, closes
one-half hour before closing
time.
Many new items have
been or will be added to the
snack bars menu this
semester
Editor
Managing Editor
Reporting Staff
Cohimnist
Faculty Advisors
Business Manager
Advertising Manager
Advertising Staff
Circulation Manager
Circulation Staff
Faculty Advisor
Photographers
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IT VANIISHEP quite. SLOWLY-EMDIMG WITH THE GRIM, WHICH REMAIVJE >
SOKAE TIME APTER TVIE REST OP IT HAP GONE.. "
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