PAGE 2
THE TWIG
FEBRUARY 8. 1979
THE
HBiBPtTH
TWIfi
CCLLB9B
liCVs complaini
True, it’s nice to be nice, but sometimes being so kind and
polite can be detrimental to one’s health. That seems to be the
case over the infirmary issue, at any rate. While I have heard
complaints and horror stories ever since I was a freshman about
the Meredith medical care, I know of no one who has voiced a
complaint either to the administration or to the infirmary itself.
At last one disgruntled person had the nerve to speak out. Her
vocal complaint led to many vehement agreements, among the
student body, and one more letter to the newspaper. But we all
know that there are more than two people on campus unhappy
over the infirmary. I think it’s time we all found our voices and
quit worrying about whose toes we’ll step on or how many ripples
we’ll make in Meredith’s placid surface.
It could be that all the fears and questions over methods and
ability are just so much dust in the wind. Perhaps the various
students who seek medical care at the infirmary, not being
medically trained, misunderstand the quality of treatment they
get. After hearing of so many bad health experiences from
friends, perhaps we are now ready to put almost anything down
as poor quality care. If our horror is unfounded, the best way to
discover that is to scream our complaints and give the infirmary
a chance to answer for itself.
I don’t think the administration or the infirmary is fully
aware of the infirmary-phobia that has reached epidemic
proportions on campus. We all agree that something should be
done, and I feel certain that the administration would do
something about the problem if they knew how strongly we feel.
So let’s voice our complaints, loud and clear! It’s definitely time
that something be done, either for the health care we’re getting or
the reputation the infirmary has gained.
K
Campus Popcfbock Destsellefs
1. The Women’s Room, by Marilyn French. (Jove/HBJ,
$2.50.) Perspective gn,women's role in society; fictton.
2. My Mother, Myself, by Nancy Friday. (Dell, $2.50.) The
daughter’s search for identity.
3. The Thorn Birds, by Colleen McCullough. (Avon, $2.50.)
Australian family saga: ficton.
4. Doonesbury’s Greatest Hits, by G. B. Trudeau. (Holt
$7.95.) Mid-seventies revue of cartoon strip.
5. Centennial, by James A. Michener. (Fawcett/Crest
$2.95.) Epic story of America's legendary West: fiction.
6. The Amityville Horror, by Jay Anson. (Bantam. $2.50.)
True story of terror in a house possessed.
7. Aii Things Wise and Wonderful, by James Herriot
(Bantam. $2.75.) Continuing story of Yorkshire vet.
8. The Immigrants, by Howard Fast. (Dell, $2.75.) Italian
immigrant's rise and fall from Nob Hill: fiction.
9. The Dieter’s Guide to Weight Loss During Sex, by
Richard Smith. (Workman, $2.95.) Humorous take-off on
sex and diet manuals.
[10. Julia Child & Company, by Julia Child. (Knopf, $8.95.i
I Recipes being featured on her new TV series.
Europeans
a long-held
THE
MEREDITH
Editor
.Assistant Elditor
Reporters
Columnists
TWIG
COLLEGE
Sports Editor
I’hotographer
Art
Business Manager
Advertising Manager
Circulation Editor
Faculty Advisors
Kristy Beattie
Renee Keever Davis
Nancy Newton, Cathy White,
Carolyn Morton, Sarah Williams, Ann Earp,
Dana Warren, Marlene Debo, Jeanne Vivona
Mary Pickett, Valerie Ray, Suzanne Barr,
B.D. Hall, .Mary Katherine Pittman
Regine Nickel,
Ann Stringfield
Darla Stephenson
RymerShaw
Geri Deines
Leslie Landis
Lura Anthony
Carman Warren
Dr. Tom Parra more,
Mr. Bill Norton
work to realize
dream of unity
by Regine Nickel
In the four consecutive
days from June 7th to June 10
180 million Europeans are
going to directly elect a
European parliament.
Belgium, Denmark, the
Federal Republic of Ger
many, France, Eire, Italy,
Luxembourg, the United
Kingdom, and the
Netherlands, all these
countries under one European
flag. It sounds like the dream
of a united Europe come true.
It is not all as rose-coloured as
that, but the direct elections
constitute a valuable step in
the right direction. The United
States of Europe or the
Confederate States of Europe,
whatever it will finally come
to be, are within reasonable
grasp.
Of course there is dissent.
The stage Europe is now in is
comparable to Hie birth pains
of the American nation; states
rights versus federalism, and
the frailty and danger this
brings about for the future of a
new nation. America made it,
and Europe will make it as
well, in due time.
The dream of a united
Europe was born on the
battlefields of World War I.
The bloody trenchwar, Ypern
and Verdun and the
realization that there were no
winners, but only losers in this
war, gave way to this ideal.
Aristide Briand and
Gustaf Stresemann, two great
European minds, dedicated
their lives’ work to this ideal.
Sir Winston Churchill also
endorsed it, only he saw
England set apart from
Europe. Even a man of his
vision could not shake off the
ties of his 19th century
nationalistic upbringing and
foresee the rapid disin
tegration of the British
Empire.
In the twenties and
thirties the European
movement perished in
mistrust, hatred, and
escalated nationalism; in the
intellectual decadence of
Hitler’s Germany and
Mussolini’s Italy.
It took another war and
the postwar power games of
the super nations to finally
make Europe realize its in
terdependence. In 1954 former
West German chancellor
Konrad Adenauer said: “The
unity of Europe used to be the
dream of a few. It became the
hope of a great many. Today it
is a necessity for all of us.’’
That was the ideal. History
had shown that ideals alone
don’t work. Europe’s nations
needed a feasible incentive;
an incentive that could be felt
by the voting population. An
idea that could make the
budget thrive becomes a
reality. The first step to a
united Europe was therefore
the Common Market,
developed from loose
economic agreements in 1950
to the European Common
Market of the Roman treaties
in 1957.
1979 is the year of Europe.
Economic pressures propelled
the elections - it could be said
that inflation and unem
ployment are the godparents
of a united Europe - and they
are going to increase in the
future. Maybe economic
necessities are one sure road
to a political European
community.
The greatest European,
Robert Schuman, had hoped
for a united Europe by the
year 2000. Maybe it is not too
late yet.
Letters to the editor
Dear Editor,
I’m writing this letter in
regard to the termination of
the announcements presented
in Belk. I felt that the an
nouncements were a welcome
valuable and informative
method to relay messages to
the student body. I hope to see
the announcements reinstated
in Belk. Perhaps a jsroad-
casfihg system would be more
effective than the previous
system. . .
Thank you,
Jeanne Vivona
Dear Editor,
1 have written this letter
because I feel that a certain
member of your staff needs to
be made aware of the reac
tions her weekly stories
receive. I enjoy the writing
style and basic story line of
Ms. Stringfield’s feature
stories, but I find her caustic
remarks and negative com
ments slightly overwhelming.
I’m not saying she’s not en
titled to her opinion but what
this campus needs is an op
timistic viewpoint to touchy
subjects, not blatant
criticism. I hope she will take
this letter constructively and
not as a degradation of her
potential writing ability.
A reader
Dear Editor,
I am writing in concern
about the situation in the
Meredith College infirmary.
As a freshman, I became ill
with a bad case of
mononucleosis which was
diagnosed by the doctor as
bronchitis. 1 was extremely ill
for a full month before my
family doctor rediagnosed my
, problem. Not only did Dr. r—
give me the wrong
medication, which made me
worse than I should have
been, but through his error my
hall was also exposed to the
mononucleosis. I definitely
feel that the infirmary staff
should be re-evaluated, and in
some cases replaced. Not only
was this a tremendous added
expense, but it also destroyed
my confidence in the medical
services offered at Meredith
College.
Unsigned
Dear Editor,
Allow me some comments
on some of the points made the
editorial “Civil Prepared
ness.”
1. In our age of nuclear
overkill both NATO and War
saw Pact have enough - and
10 X more than that - bombs to
blast our entire blue planet
into oblivion. The earth will
not be temporarily
uninhabitable, it will be gone.
What good will fallout shelters
do then, but calm down the
populace in the eye of
destonation?
2. A nuclear attack will most
certainly be preceded by a
period of international ten
sion. Although popular
belief has it otherwise. Pearl
.Harbor was preceded by a
great deal of tension, not the
least of which was the great
working relationship the
Royal Navy (at war with
Japan) and the U.S. Navy
(neutral to Japan) had in the
pacific - before Pearl Harbor.
3.U has apropos ratsin fallout
shelter; they should provide a
valuable source of protein and
thus add greatly to water and
crackers - that is no joke!
4. Instead of worrying the
Meredith community about a
nuclear holocaust, shouldn’t
we ask the question what to do
in the event of a tornado? Now
that is really likely to happen
without warning! Maybe even
this evening
The Hleadowline Tales
by Ann Stringfield
“Now exactly what is this
with the Chinese?” Nan
asked, sitting upon her bed in
room 303.
“What do you mean?” I
asked quizzically.
“Well, here the U.S. is,
supporting Taiwan for years
and suddenly we drop them
like a hot potato and chum
around with the Communists.
I mean really. What is this?
Aren’t we supposed to be
making the world safe for
democracy?”
“Not only do we chum
around with the Communists
over there. We also bring
them over here and let them
play in our spaceships pd
everyone thinks they’re just
great. I can see a new TV show
on the horizon: “My Favorite
Communist.”
“Well,” I choked out,
convulsed with laughter,
“Carter has outlined several
reasons for what we’re doing,
but I think the real one is that
there’s oil in them thar shores
off China. And since Iran is no
longer supplying oil...”
“A soap opera. This is an
absolute soap opera with
foreign countries in the
leading roles. You still have
your cheating husbands, in
cestuous children, etc. It’s
worse than “The Young and
the Restless.”
“Is that the soap of the
day around here?”
“That and ‘General
Hospital’. You see, Jill...”
We are interrupted by the
phone. Nan, directly beside
the phone, waits until it has
rung twice before answering,
saying, “I don’t want to seem
too anxious.”
“Hello?!?” she prac
tically screams into the
receiver. “Oh, hi mom. No, I
don’t have a date with Steve
tonight. What? I don’t know
why, ask him. Hmmm? The
dog chewed your biteguards?
That’s interesting. Say what?
The sherriff arrest^ Mrs.
Richardson’s boarder?
Because she what? Oh. Hey,
Mom....MOM MOTHER!!!
Listen, can I call you back?
Yea, okay, I love you too.
Bye.”
“Anyway,” Nan con
tinued, “foreign policy is
getting unreal, don’t you think
so?”
“Well....”
“And it’s not any better at
home what with breast
feeding firefighters and rich
bankrobbers.... The world is
nuts.”
“Yes,” I agreed, “But....”
“Sorry, I have to go and
study French so I won’t be too
embarrassed if Dr. Holt calls
on me. He’s so crazy. He even
imitates Mork. Can you
imagine, a Harvard graduate
imitating Mork?!? Eezba?”
This is Allison Robinson
until next time. Hello.