Newspapers / Meredith College Student Newspaper / Sept. 21, 1978, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of Meredith College Student Newspaper / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
THE TWIG Newspaper of the Students of Wleredith College VOL. LIII, NO. 4 MEREDITH COLLEGE, RALEIGH, N.C. SEPTEMBER 21, 1978 Chapel construction kickoff A $62,000 gift from Mrs. T. Barton Smoot of Richmond, Va., and a $50,000 gift from the Meredith Class of 1928 have kicked off a drive at Meredith College to construct a chapel, Meredith President John F. Weems has announced. The chapel is expected to cost $700,000. Currently, the Baptist-related women’s college holds religious services in Jones Auditorium. A small chapel is located in the basement of Jones Hall. Interest in the construction of the chapel was developed by Mrs. Mabel Claire Maddrey and Mrs. Mary Rodwell Smith, both of Ralei^. Mrs. Maddrey, a Meredith trustee and project chairman of the Class of 1928, and Mrs. Smith, the 1928 class agent, announced that the class had checks and pledges for more than $50,000 during class day exercises at the college. Mrs. Smoot, a native of Salisbury and a member of the Meredith Class of 1933, recently presented the college with a restricted gift of $62,000 for the chapel. “We are extremely pleased with the interest of our alumnae in the construction of a chapel,” President Weems said. “Their efforts greatly stimulate the fund drive that will provide a focal point for worship on the campus and affirms our heritage in Christian higher education.” President Weems pointed out that additional sources of revenue are being sought to completely fund construction of the chapel. No construction date has been decided by college officials. Mrs. Smoot is a member of the Steering Committee of the Richmond chapter of the Meredith College Alumnae Association. Her mother was a member of the first class to graduate at Meredith in 1902. “Her gift has been designated as the leadership gift for the chapel fund,” President Weems said. “It is to be used for the purchase of an organ which will be a memorial to Mrs. Smoot’s mother, a talented musician,” Mrs. Smoot is a member of the First Baptist Church in Richmond. Her husband is Thomas Barton Smoot. (Office of Information Services) Grades gain consideration by Mary Pickett How many students at Meredith or, in fact, in any institution of higher learning would deny that grade consciousness role in their college experience? Certainly everyone has shared feelings of frustration over a grade considered too low, or pride as the result of a mark that rewarded a semester of tedious study and concentration. Recent publicity concerning grade inflation has caused a stir of interest within university settings,and some members of the Meredith community shared their sentiments wiUi respect to current grading trends. A visit with Dean Burris revealed much about grading on the Meredith campus. It seems that the average grade for a Meredith student has risen slowly but steadily with few fluctuations over the past ten years. In 1968-69 the grade point average was 2.58 and factors were responsible for this increase? Was it a change in professors, students, or merely circumstance? The Dean indicated that all three were, and continue to be, elements contributing to grading patterns. When asked if he felt that the marked improvement of grades over the ten year span resulted from easier grading on the part of professors. Dean Burris responded that that should not be a general assumption, although possibly true in specific instances. Rather, he feels that a compilation of . factors influence grading, and these are impossible to recognize individually as being sole determinants of grade deviations. Certainty the introduction of the pass-fail option at Meredith in 1968 ..encouraged, _ grade improvement. The Dean also noted that much of the grade change has taken place at upper level courses, and some departments traditionally have demonstrated higher averages than others. From his personal perspective. Dean Burris commented that grades are not necessarily the most significant indication of academic achievement. High school SAT scores still rank high in their ability to predict success in a university environment. The Dean revealed, too, that when professors sense that their grading is becoming too lenient they make more (Continued on Page 3) \ ..... ^ % $ £ ^9 - If ' 0.^! John Ingram Ingram meets Meredith by Cathy White On September 25, Meredith will welcome to its monthly Convocation a prominent politician from North Carolina, John Ingram. Dr. Ingram is a lawyer and has been elected Commissioner of Insurance of North Carolina since 1972. He is currently the Democratic Nominee for the United States Senate from North Carolina. Dr. Ingram is a native of Randolph County and was graduated from the University of North Carolina School of Business, and as President of his law class from the University of North Carolina Law School, where he obtained a Doctor of Law degree. As well as being very active in his community. Dr. Ingram has been a public figure politically since 1971 when he was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives. Among his many accomplishments during his term in the House, Ingram is credited with being the author of the House Bill which ratified for North Carolina the 18-year-old vote. As Insurance Commissioner, Ingram is known for many other accomplishments. Among these, he abolished age and sex discrimination in auto insurance with a safe driver plan. He also created a Consumer Insurance Information Division that has helped over 100,000 North Carolinians to date. All members of the Meredith community and their guests are encouraged to attend this lecture and the question and answer session on September 25. FAME receives fund On September 16, freshmen and transfer pledged the Honor Code under the leadership of the SGA. (Photo by Rymer Shaw.) Meredith College has received a $50,000 challenge grant from The Brown Foundation, Inc. of Houston, Texas, for the Faculty Applied Meredith Endowment (FAME), Meredith President John E. Weems has announced. FAME was established in 1977 by the Meredith College Board of Associates under the direction of Mrs. Laura W. Harrill of Raleigh. It was established as an independent fund for supplemental faculty benefits, such as salary stipends for outstanding teaching and sabbatical leave and support for research and publication efforts. “This generous support by The Brown Foundation will serve as a stimulus in our efforts to completely fund FAME,” Dr. Weems said. “Since Meredith is primarily a teaching institution and her primary resource is her faculty, FAME will provide us with the continued ability to attract and retain an outstanding faculty.” The Brown grant specifies that Meredith must raise $150,000 within one year to retain the entire grant. Meredith officials hope to bring FAME’S total assets to $1 million over a three-year period. Incorporated in 1951 by George R. Brown and late Herman Brown, The Brown Foundation is headed by George Brown, president of Brown and Root, Inc., one of the world’s largest construction and engineering firms.
Meredith College Student Newspaper
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Sept. 21, 1978, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75