NEWSPAPER OF THE STUDEN'^
OF MEREDITH COLLEGE
VOLUME LXIII NUMBER 18
f
TWIG
FEBRUARY 25, 1965
SGA President-elect
Bridgette Parker and her roommate at the ThanksgMrtg Dinner.
by Beth M. Blankenship
Bridgette Park^ is Meredith Col
lege's Student Government President
elect.
First slate filing speeches were Fet>
ruary 1 and voting occurred the following
Tuesday.
Despite the lowest turnout for voting
in Meredith’s history, Bridgette is optim
istic about the future of student partici
pation at Meredith.
"I'm concerned about the lacl of
support" Bridgette said.
"The whole system is threatened by
this, and it's up to the SGA to do some
thing about it.”
Bridgette is no stranger to the SGA
organization. She has served as SGA
treasurer and is presently SGA Vice-
PfBsident.
‘‘Meredith is a special place because
it offers women the opportunity to
serve," said Bridgette.
“I’m concemed with the direction
Meredith is taking."
Bridgette wants to continue on a
leadership role through h€r career.
She wants to go into either a field of
business or into a government-related
job.
“I always want to be involved in my
church and community.”
'4 want to continue to leam new
skills.”
When Bridgette's not planning for
the SGA, she likes to roadtrip.
'Tm one of these people who'll just
pick up and go on the spur of the mom
ent," Bridgette said.
"I just love to go!”
Bridgette is from Pine Level, N.C.
Elections: Lacic of concern
Student Services key in retention
by Caroline Powell .
Offices are not being filled, and
many who njn are unopposed. Why aren’t
students running for office at Meredith?
Is it a lack of concern, other interests, or
disappointment in present organiza
tions? W& need to know why students are
not getting involved and what we can do
about it.
Perttaps one reeson is tfwt -rrBny
students have a job as well as a full load
of college work. With financial problems
in our economy, students work to help
with expenses. TMs takes time away
from school. Also, the changing role of
women encourages women to concen
trate on jobexperience leading to a car
eer. We want to be prepared for the job
market.
However, we can get experience
right here on campus. We can become
better leaders and organizers by getting
involved in Meredith groups. By holding
responsible positions, we can gain skills
that will t>evaluableinfuturecareers. For
example, sen/ing as treasurer, we leam
to handle finances. As an Honor Council
member, we become acquainted with the
law field. !>>ere are many more positions
that cater to future care^.
A second reason for vacant offices is
the students’ lack of knowledge about
particular positions. We don’t know
where to t>egin, because we think tt>e
structure of a group, like the Student Life
Committee or Honor Council, is too
complex. Maybe we’re not sure of an or
ganization’s purpose and feel unqualified
to do the job.
If we take the time, though, we can
answer questions like these by talking to
someone who has held a particular posi
tion or to an advisor of an organization.
Pertiaps present leaders should en
courage more students to run for office.
Before election time, flyers with brief job
descriptions and objectives could be
sefrt tostudentar We, as-feHow-students,
should express confidence In someone
who is qualified and tell her she'd be a
greet president, or senator, or whatever.
Probably the most serious reason
for vacant offices at Meredith is apathy.
Students lack irrterest ar>d conc^. If we
are disappointed in current organizations
and use that as an excuse not to get In
volved, we are not being responsible. We
should help make changes. W^ need to
ask questions, make suggestions, and
most importantly, take action. A good
way to become interested in an organiza
tion Is to participate in one of its-pro
jects. MCA sends groups to Dorothea Dix
and Governor Morehead School for the
Blind; class officers plan fund raisers
and activities. The list goes on. In order
to revive an Interest in Meredith organi
zations, we need to commit time and
energy to them.
If we feel that morale is low con
cerning elections, we need to make some
improvements. Asa community of dose-
ly-^nit women, we should ertcourage
participation and get involved in organi
zations. Working together, we can fill the
offk^ and boost morale.
The TWIG would like to congratulate these new officers
for the 1965-86 school year.
RHA Ct^airman - Lizzy Mills
Student Life Comm. Chairman - Renee Godwin
Chief Student Advisor - Jonelle Davis
CCA Treasurer - Elizabeth Homthal
CCA Vice-President ■ Sophie Grady
MCA Secretary - Beth Shannon
MCA Vice-President - Mareia Taylor
MRA VIce-Presklent - Donna Giteon
SGA Treasurer - Donna Wilson
RHA Treasurer - Ruth Ponder
Student Life Comm. Secretary - Angie Stroud
Upper Class Hall Pres. • Senlor-Jeanette Whitley
Junior-Connie Compton
Sophomore-Felicia Blount
INOCfll Improving student services
helped eight colleges substantially boost
their tetrention rates in a three-year field
experiment by the Higher Education Re
search Institute at the U. of Califomla-
Los Angeles.
The experiment Involved eight pri
vate, literal arts schools in Southern
California, all of which were operating
tfiWer capacity at'ttiewjts^.'t^ by Dr.'
J. Victor Baldridge,the three-year "action
project," as he descrltMS it, increased
annual retention by as much as 35%and
caused substantial increases In fresh
man and four-year retention as well.
The project, funded by a $371,000
grant from the Kellogg Foundation,
saved the eight colleges hundreds of
thousands of dollars in lost tuition and
fees, says Baldridge. None of the col
leges hired new people for the project;
they merely redirected existing re
sources.
The most effective strategies tor
Keeping students in school proved to
Improved student housing; special pro
grams for commuters; extended orienta-
Woiking on a project In the library
and want to stop having to cany all your
materials back and forth from your room
or car? Carlyle Campb^l library can help.
There are 30 loct«d cabinet on tfte
ground floor which are there for you to
use. They are assigned on a semester-to-
semester basis when you pay a refund
able $1.00 key deposit. Ask at the circu-
tion and counseling sen/ices, particularly
for minorities; and innovative curricula.
Individual retention plans were de
signed for each college, based on their
particula' problems, but using these
general strategies.
Seven of tl>e eight colleges in
creased freshman retention, slowing the
traditionally high drop-out rate between
the freshman and so'phonrwre years. One
school saw an 11% increase'.
Five of' the eight Increased their
four-year retention rate, i.e., the number
of people wt>o entered as freshmen and
eventually graduated. One increased it
28#. Research Institute spokeswoman
Terry Weiner says all eight began with
negative numbers in these categories
three years ago. All eight colleges also
realized increases in annual retention,
that Is, gross enrollment.
"Attractingand retaining students is
becoming an issue of the nr>ost critical
importance,” says Baldridge, since the
number of traditional college-age people
is dropping, the cost of college is up,
and fir^ancial aki is less available.
Inside CCL
latlon desk for information.
And don’t walk by the Bach 300th
anniversary display just Inside the front
entrance of tt>e Mbr^ witftout stopping
to see if you can answer any or all of the
questions. An example is “Bach applied
unsuccessfully for the position of organ
ist of St. James, Hamburg in 1721. Who
was chosen for the post?
COLLEGE REPUBLICAN MEETING
Wednesday
February 27, 1985
7:30 p.m.
104 Joyner Reception Room
Everyone is welcome!
We're talking about the
Upcoming Elections i