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THE TWIG
NOVEMBER 10, 1976
THE
MEREVITH
TWIG
Campaign wrap-up
COLLEGE
THE
MEREVITH
COLLEGt
Editor Maggie Odell
>:; Assistant Editor Kim Farlow :$
•^Columnist Phyllis Burnett S:
Reporters Kristie Beattie, Rosie Bowers, Nancy •$:
Clendenin, Kim Dale, Debbie Doss, Nancy Newton,'*:■
Darlene Smith, Miriam Victorian, Marty HoUinshed, $$
Carolyn Morton, Vicki Jayne
Marty HoUinshed, Sandy Godwin |:;i
Carol Fitch
Susan Moore
Emily Sockell S
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The peanut farmer made it
Health care needed
A lunch conversation brought up the suggestion last week that
Meredith hire a gynecologist to vist the campus once a month to
tend to feminine health care.
It was a good suggestion, as it reflects the concern for health
awareness that has been prevalent on the campus for the last few
years. While our two nurses and doctor treat many problems,
including vaginitis and cystitis, they are not specifically trained
in feminine health care. Perhaps a part-time nurse practitioner
could fiU that need.
I must frankly admit that I am sometimes bored by demands
for added emphasis on sex education and so on. But every now
and then I am surprised by the overwhelming need at Meredith
for such things.
During last spring’s SGA health symposium. I was surprised
to hear that many Meredith students were ignorant of very basic
physiological facts about themselves. Even more appalling was
the espousal by some students of assorted varieties of “cabbage
patch gynecology,” points of view about life and love which
should have been abandoned in kindergarten.
Well, ignorance is bliss many times, but not on the subject of
sex and not in the city of Raleigh. A few weeks ago in the
Technician it was reported that NCSU doctors were treating from
four to five cases of gonorrhea a week.
Not wishing to make implications about the character of
Meredith women or about their infinite bad luck, I would only
wish to affirm that we would be polish to ignore the sexual
behavior present in most college communities. Meredith may be
a different kind of college community, but we should still take
measures to maintain optimum health. If there is a need at
Meredith for trained personnel in feminine health care, I also
think there would be a good response to any program which made
pelvic examinations, pap smears, tests for vaginal infections, and
counseling on birth control available. The SGA expects favorable
student participation, for example, in the pap smear clinic being
held later this month.
Perhaps continued student support of SGA health programs
will convince the administration that money is available for an
added specialist in the infirmary.
MSO
Invitation to respond
Write to me! In the last few weeks I have touched on problems
which have to do with the way you and I function in this com
munity. I have stated my point of view partly because I like to
hear myself talk but also in order that you may start thinking
about toe problems youuself.
Editors get lonely sometimes. They like to know that people
respond to their ideas, hate their opinions, love their efforts, or
simply see things differently. Let me - and toe rest of toe com
munity - know what you are thinking.
In this issue we’ve left you a blank in which to state your
opinions. This space is designed to make you see how easy it is to
write a letter to toe editor or to anything that has been bothering
you lately. Tear the blank out of toe paper, deliver it to 318
Barefoot (where I live) or to the TWIG office in Cate Center.
Now toe TWIG office is hard to find, but that shouldn’t stop
you. It’s located in toe snack bar area. One door is next to the
faculty lounge, and another is next to the large window.
All letters should be in toe TWIG office or my room by 5 p.m.
on Fridays. You need to sign your name totheletter, but you may
request that we withhold your name from print. Write today.
MSO
by Phyllis Burnett
On last Wednesday
morning a peanut farmer
from plains, Georiga, realized
his dream and became the
first President elected from
toe Old South in over 1(K)
years.
What will this mean for
toe nation and for the South?
Will Jimmy Carter lead the
nation into a new age of
prosperity and glory or will he
fail in his goal to provide new
leadership and insight for
America?
The answers to these
questions are impossible to
find at this point but I hope
to provide a degree of insight
on what basic policy direc
tions I believe Carter will try
to follow.
Once a candidate is
elected to office he is thrown
from the utopian world of
what would be nice for the
nation into the cold, cruel
world of reality. Many of the
candidates’ pre-election
aspirations fall by the wayside
or become virtually
unrecognizable by the
necessity of compromise. This
will undoubtedly happen to
Carter.
Carter will have the ad
vantage of a Congress con
trolled by his party, but this
Congress sees Carter as an
outsider. They are ac
customed to working with a
President who came from
their midst and may well be
hostile and resentful toward
toe Carter administration.
Carter will also have to
deal with the great number of
factions within toe party. The
American people-with a great
deal of justification-expect
more from Carter. The vote
for Carter was undoubtedly
partially a vote for
progressiveness and change
in government. If Carter fails
to come through with an ac
tive administration he will be
a failure as president.
We can therefore expect
Carter to push a large number
Le tter sLettersLe tters
Dear Editor,
In response to the
editorial, “Are re racist?”, I
can never forget the past.
Traditional inhibitions about
blacks cannot be totally
dispelled from your minds by
promoting black participation
on campus, although it is a
start.
I as a black at Meredith
feel that I can never forget the
harsh bondage of my people in
the past and the amiable
bondage that still exists.
Frankly, there is some
bias here and my first year
was spent trying to shake
loose those emotions that
wished to fight against it. It
was not worth the energy I put
into it. It wasted my time and
it gave toe people I lashed out
at a negative view of me. I lost
out in toe end because I
wanted so much to be a part of
this thriving community.
Occasionally, I still
explode into those defensive
emotions but I’ve come to the
conclusion that we are all
individuals and must be dealt
with in that context.
Still, I will never forget
toe wrongs against my people
that toe white race, as a
whole, contributed to. I cannot
fully express my feelings but I
can say that Meredith’s
dominant members have not
accepted us.
Also, I don’t think a panel
of faculty and administrators,
even with our token professor,
can really discuss the real
needs of the black students
here.
Those inhibitions are in
part what gives me the “guts
to stick it out here.” The other
reason is that I worked so
hard to get here to become
something that those in my
family who never had a
chance can be proud of and
the younger members can
look up to and say “I want
what she has” and strive for
it. I want them to know more
than toe alienation I have felt.
Priscilla Chadwick
of new programs and changes
in old programs. I believe the
next four years will be very
different from toe past eight. I
believe the next four years
will be better but if you are a
conservative - Democrat or
Republican - you probably
won’t agree and I'm sure that
many of Carter’s new
programs will be upsetting.
Carter will be less hesitant to
tamper with toe free en
terprise system and the
economy. He will be more
likely toan Gerald Ford to
impose wage and price con
trols and strict energy con
servation measures.
We can expect a change in
the Federal Reserve Board.
The Board at this time is
basically conservative. Under
Carter it will probably
become moderately liberal.
In the area of foreign
policy there will be littie
change except for the
replacement of Henry
Kissinger.
Carter will probably
change the welfare system.
He will try to enlarge the
Social Security system.
Carter will also push for a
mandatory national health
insurance by 1980.
All this obviously is going
to cost more - both monetarily
and in sacrificed personal
freedoms. But it is simply a
matter of priorities. It is a
matter of equality and justice
for everyone in society over
personal freedom and
economic gain.
The Republicans who
have controlled toe White
House for toe past eight years
have opted for toe latter while
Carter will choose the former.
For those who supported Ford
it may be a tough four years.
They fought the good fight and
toe victory was not easy for
Carter.
At this point however it is
to be hoped that all Americans
will have toe good sport-
manship and patriotism to
give Carter a chance.