"i‘K'
"i‘K'
THE TWIG
Newspaper of the Students of Meredith College^
VOL. LII NO, 3
MEREDITH COLLEGE, RALEIGH, N.C.
SEPTEMBER 15, 1977
New Telephone system
comes to campus,
system said to be moce efficient, cheaper
by Jacque Lawrence
The telephone man seems
to be a regular at Meredith
College this year. At a time
when most of the private
telephones have been installed
in dormitory rooms, students
still see the telephone man
with his belt of tools bustling
around campus. Why is he still
here?
Meredith College is in
stalling a new telephone
system with several ad
vantages over the one
presently used. Not wily will
the new system be more ef
ficient, it will also be cheaper.
The extensions presently
used in Johnson Hail and
several other offices at
Meredith are known as sue
button sets. Each of these
telephones has several lines
and a hold button. The
operational fee charged by
Southern Bell for each of these
units is $20 per month.
The new telephone will be
touchtone. At $1.90 per month,
the operational fee for these
will be approximately ten
percent of the cost of the
other.
According to Dr. Marie
Mason, who supervises
Meredith’s telephone system.
“The whole purpose is to get
rid of six button sets.”
Presently, calls cannot be
transferred from one ex
tension to another. The new
system allows for the transfer
of calls.
Also conference calls
within the campus community
can be arranged. This is not
possible with the present
system.
The new system will make
the “outside world” more
available to the Meredith
conununity. There will be
more outside lines. But m(»%
important is the fact that the
campus will have power
failure lines which, as Dr.
Mason says, will assure that
“we’re not isolated here” in
case of an emergency.
Students are only slightly
effected by the new system.
The private telephones in
dormitory rooms will not be
involved in any way.
However, all hall telephones
will be changed.
Unlike faculty and staff,
students will not have to at
tend classes on the operation
of the new telephmies. An
information bo(^et will be
placed on each hall so
Circle K Club meets
service projects
planned
by Carolyn Morton
The Meredith Circle K
Club hosted a night of fun and
food. Sept. 5, to introduce
Meredith students to the
service club. Forty interested
persons met in the first floor
parlor of Vann dormitory to
enjoy punch and cookies while
the club’s officers acted out an
original skit entitled
“Showdown at The Circle K
Corral.”
The club received its
charter last year and is
participating in a vigorous
membership campaign. Last
year the club worked with
such projects as Haven House
for boys, March of Dimes,
Parents Anonymous, and
attended the State Con
vention.
This year the club plans to
work with special children in
connection with Project
Enlightenment. Meetings will
be held at 7:00 p.m. each
Monday night in the first floor
parlor of Poteat dormitory.
“Anyone interested is invited
to join us at the Monday
meetings. We’re looking
forward to a good year and
hope to get more girls in
volved in Circle K,” com
mented club treasurer Janet
Surles.
NewsNews-
Volunteers Needed
Volunteers needed to be
“Big Sisters” to girls from
age 6-15 in the Wake County
area. If you are interested and
have 10-12 hours per month to
.: • ;gjve,-. plfease call Bridges to
f. :,kt. 82l-pw for more
Yearbook Help Wanted
If you are interested in
working on the yearbook,
there are still (^nings on the
staff. Just come to a meeting,
held every Wednesday 6:00
p.m. in the Oak Leave Office,
2nd Floor, Cate Center or drop
by and leave a note.
students can perform the
necessary operations.
Students will not be ef
fected by the cost of the new
system. Even though the
operational fee is con
siderably less, Meredith will
be purchasing the new
equipment. The fee for in
stallation is $3800. According
to Joe Baker, vice-president
for business and finance, at
present, “The monthly bill
won’t be affected but by a few
dollars. There’s not enough
difference in cost now to talk
about.” However, in seven
years, Meredith will own the
equipment and the bUl will be
lowered some $600 to $700.
The monthly operational
fee of the new system is
considerably less. The ad
vantages are many. And as
Dr. Mason says, “It will be
more efficient and give better
service, too.”
The switch-over date for
the new system is scheduled
for Friday and Saturday,
September 16 and 17.
Nondiscriminatory policy
may bring bousing ebange
by Nancy Newton
In Meredith’s attempt to
fulfill the nondiscriminatory
policy towards the han
dicapped, under the guidance
of the department of Health,
Education, and Welfare,
accomodations may have to
be- made in the academic and
housing policies of the cam
pus. Dr, Allen Burris, vice-
president and dean of the
college, in considering the
new legislation, stated that
the ruling will not create any
great changes in the
academic policy of the
campus. Dean Burris pointed
out that the college
matriculated handicapped
students and has made the
needed adjustments to aid the
students when the need was
expressed.
According to the written
legislation, certain
requirements may have to be
altered or substituted, as well
as the length of time needed to
complete a course or degree
program modified, if
necessary, to aid in the
completion of the student’s
college program. As stated in
the ruling, learning aides such
as tape recorders could not be
prohibited nor could the use of
guide dogs or other necessary
equipment be limited. Course
examinations which require
the use of the student’s im
pairment would also have to
be altered.
Dean Burris suggested
that the manner in which
classes were conducted may
have to be adjusted. He also
expressed that as a part of the
Meredith policy towards all
students, the administration is
“committed to meeting the
needs of students and will
continue to do so. The han
dicapped legislation is no
change in the Meredith policy
of being sensitive to, the
student’s needs. I do not
forsee any problems, but if we
do, we will meet it in
dividually as we meet all
others.”
In addition to the
academic adjustments.
housing renovations may
result. Mrs. Joyce White,
Dean of Students expressed a
view similar to that of Dr.
Burris that many of the
requirements have already
been met voluntarily by the
college before the legislation.
Dean White explained
that a part of Meredith’s
policy in the past has been to
locate a student who needed a
room convenient to her
classes, the dining hall and the
library. Upper classmen who
have special needs are given
the opportunity to select a
room prior to her class’s
drawing for rooms. Dean
White did sight the repair (rf
the elevators in the dorms as a
project to aid all students. She
suggested that renovations
may have to made to provide
hand rails in the halls, rooms,
and bathrooms, to adjust the
height of the lavatories and to
provide air conditioning when
needed. All adjustments will
be handled as the individual
needs arises as has been done
in the past.
Honorary history society meets;
activities planned for new year
by Miriam Victorian
The Phi Omicron chapter
of Phi Alpha Theta held their
first meeting, Monday
evening, September 5th in 103
Joyner. The main purpose of
the meeting was to plan the
society’s activities for the up
coming year.
According to President
Tonya Jones, Phi Omicron
will invite Mr. Charles Dunn,
former director of the State
Bureau of Investigation (SBI)
to give a guest lecture. Mr.
Dunn is currently employed
by Channel Five News here in
Raleigh.
The honorary history
society also plans to acquire
films of interest to the
Meredith community in
cluding: “An Occurance at
Owl Creek Bridge” and “The
Autobiography of Miss Jane
Pittman.” Discussions would
follow each film presentation.
Another activity
suggested by the members
was a Student Forum at which
a controversial topic would be
debated. Advisor, Dr. Thomas
Parramore suggested the
Panama canal treaty as a
possibility.
In addition to planning a
trip to historic old Salem in
Winston-Salem and a trip to a
convention in Dallas, fund
raising activities were
discussed.
It was suggested that a
fall initiation be started so
that seniors could obtain
membership in the society at
least one year prior to
graduation.
The chapter’s next
meeting will be held Sep
tember 29th at 6 p.m. in 103
Joyner.