Volume VIII, Number 2
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1 ebi a !•-i-ng Meredith’s ChaiTe:. Cent enii i .a 1
September 6,1991
Raleigh, North Carolina
Index
Editorial p.2
Renowned Biopsychologist
Addresses Freshmen p. 3
Up and Coming Volleyball
Team p. 7
Mystery, Romance Abound
in "Dead Again" p. 7
Contributors Welcome and
Needed!
Meredith Supports Trustees
Chairman Named for
Second Century
Campaign
by Jeannie Morelock
Raleigh businessman Eugene M. Langley has
been appointed as Wake County chairman of the Meredith
College Second Century Challenge Campaign. Mr.
Langley, president of Resource Management Associates
of Raleigh, will assist the College in its efforts to raise
$10.6 million. These funds will be used for construction
of a new classsroom building, for lacilities renovation,
for fecidty development, and for financial assistance and
scholarships tor students. The overall campaign eflbrt,
chaired by Philip Kirk and Barbara Allen, both of Ra
leigh, has aheady received over $2.5 million to date.
Mr. Langley, a nahve of Stanly County, attended
North Carolina State University and graduated from
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1962. He
has served on the Meredith Board of Associates and is a
past president of Meredith Parent’s Association. He is
married to Vicky Martin Langley, and their daughter,
Kathryn Langley Lease, is a Meredith graduate.
“I believe that Meredith very much deserves the
support of the community; the college has been a vital
part of this area,” said Mr. Langley.
In addition to his participation at Meredith, Mr.
Langley also serves on the YMCA Board, the Rex
Hospital Foundation Board, and the North Society to
Prevent Blindness.
by Jessica Cook
In the future, there will be no more dances at Meredith,
certain books in the library will be banned, (cieoce
classes that teach the process of evolution will be re
structured to teach creatiooism, and professors will be
fired at will if they do not adhere to a speciHt set of
religious beliefs. Sound shocking? According to Dr.
Bernard Cochran, head of the religion department, these
disastrous changes could have been a reality on the
Meredith campus if the board of trustees had not recently
voted to separate themselves from the Nwth Carolina
State Baptist Convention.
Dr. John E. Weems, president of the college,
stated that the trouble with die convention started brew
ing thirteen years ago, when a group of uttra-conserva-
tives t>egan to take over the Southern Baptist Conven
tion, which owns all the baptist seminaries and elects
their trustees. Recently the convention has been replac
ing (rusttfes on the boards of theses institutions with the
fimdamental Baptists—those who believe the Bible has
no errors. Up until now, Meredith receive one million
dollars a year from the North Carolina State Baptist
Convention, and the group elected ttie cdlege’s trustees.
The convention is now controlled by moderates; how
ever, a tal^-over by ultra-conservatives is possible. If
this take-over occurred, the convention would elect
fundamentalist trustees to run the school, spelling the
ruin of the learning institution. To prevent this disaster,
the board of trustees recently passed a resolution staling
that the North Carolina Baptist Convention could no
longer elect Meredith trustees. Instead, those serving on
the board would elect replacements when a seat on the
board was vacated. Due to the decision, Dr. Weems
predicts the convention will withdraw its funding to the
college starting next year.
Dr. Cochran predicts three possible responses to
Meredith's actions. He believes Meredith can retain
academic freedom, denominational su]^x>rt and experi
ence a ‘‘renewed commitment to remain true to its mis-
sicn.” He recalls the vision of Thomas M^edith to form
an educational institutixi of ‘‘hi^ order’' and free from
sectarian influence.” All this will be accomplished at a
small cost: '‘theeliminaticxioftheelectionofnewboard
members at the annual meeting.'' Cochran also foresees
the wididrawal of financial support from ttie convention.
Finally, the legality of Meredith's actions can be chal
lenged. If these actions are found illegal, Meredith
would “be vulnerable to a take-over as before.” Cochran
assures. “ the recent actim of the Board of Trustees will
insure years of continued service in the best North
Carolina tradition.”
The Reverend Sam Carothers, campus minister,
says he is “very pleased” with the decision. He does not
foresee possible negative aftershocks in Meredith’s bap
tist community; although the decision marks a loss of
connectedness with Meredith’s denominational heri
tage, he feels certain the community will discover ways
to compensate for this loss. He has noted the traiuna the
Southeastem Seminary has undergone with a fimdamen-
Eugene M. Langley, Wake County Chairman, Meredith College Second Century Challenge
1891-1991
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