Meredith Herald
Volume IX, Issue 20 February 24.1993 Raleigh. North Carolina
Alumnae offer students advice on future
phoio t>y I'nivcy Rawls
Dr. Betty Webb, Class '67 and English professor, l«ad the panel discussion at
Founders' Day Convocation. The panel of Meredith alumnae discussed their
Meredith experiences.
“competing witli bigger-name uni-
News Briefs
• Monday at a fund-raiser for the
Johnlocke Foundation, House GOP
Whip Newt Gingrich said Presi
dent Climon's economic plan will
unnecessarily raise taxes, hurt
small-townNorth Carolina and will
not reduce government. He claimed
Cbnton’s plan means "a bigger wel
fare state, more powerful politi
cians and a weaker and slower
economy."
• The former chief fund-raiser
for Paul Tsongas' presidential
compaign has been charged with
bank fraud and fraud. The charges
against Nicholas A. Rizzo Jr. in
clude depositing $729,000 of
Tsongas' comapign money into his
own bank account. Prosecutors al
lege he used the money to repay
personal loans and gambling debts.
• Peace Presbyterian Church of
Cary paid $850for a full-page ad in
The Technician, NC State
University’s student newspaper.
The ad was entitled "In Defense of
a Little Virginity" and tells stu
dents that the only safe sex comes
after marriage to a faithful partner.
• Gov. Jim Himt, with a 16-mem
ber team, went to Dallas, TX, to
convince American Airlines to keep
its Raleigh hub.
• Sunday NC State celebrated
the 10-year amiiversary of their
NCAA title. Jim Valvano, former
head coach of the team, was present
at the game against Duke. The Blue
Devils defeated State, 91-82.
• In other ACC play, North Caro
lina defeated Virginia, 78-58.
• In the AP Poll, Indiana is ranked
first. From the ACC, Carolina is
third, FSU sixth, Duke ninth. Wake
Forest twelfth and Virginia twenty-
second.
• David Letterman is going to
stay in New York after he leaves
NBC for CBS.
by Susan Finley
On Monday, Feb. 22, Meredith
faculty, students, alumnae and
guests observed the 1993Founders'
Day Convocation.
The ceremonies, which took place
in Jones Auditorium, included a
panel discussiononthe topic “Girls’
School or Women's College: The
Mereditli Experience."
The panelists of Meredith alum
nae included Anne Clark Dahle, ’ 54,
Cynthia Griffith McEnery, ’70,
Karen Britt Peeler, '76, and Tracy
Sternberg, ’90. Dr. Betty Webb, '67,
a member of tlie Meredith English
Department, served as moderator.
In additionto this discussion. Dr.
Daniel B. McGee and Dr. Donald
D. Schmeltekopf, both of Baylor
University, presented the Alumnus
Honoris Causa Award to Dr. Stewart
A. Newman, Professor Emeritus of
Philosofrfiy at Meredith.
Webb opened the panel discus
sion by inviting the audience to “par
ticipate in a conversation” with
Meredith alumnae whose lives rep
resent a variety of experiences in
marriage, career, family and social
background.
Webb reminded everyone that
Meredith was founded with tlie in
tention of being a “female seminary
of high order,” where morals and
and scholarship were the focus.
Webb pointed out that although
panelists attended Meredith at dif
ferent stages in the College’sdevel-
opment, they share a satisfaction
regarding their educations.
“What unites all of us is the con
viction that Meredith served us
well,” said Webb.
Panelists emphasized academic
reputation, size and close relation
ships between faculty and students
as being among the benefits of a
Meredith education.
Sternberg attributed her decision to
attend Meredith to the “opportunities
to become a leader,” and the chance to
get to know professors on a one-to-
one basis.
Other panelists agreed with this,
including McEnery, who said her ex
periences at Meredith gave her “a rea
son to believe tliere were lots of things”
she could do.
Dahle pointed out that she “experi
enced a warmili at Meredith” she did
not encounter on other college cam
puses. Dahle also said tliat her hope
was Meredith would “continue to build
the confidence people need to go out
into the work force.”
Peeler added that at Meredith
women “didn’t liave to compete” in
the traditional ways, and there were
“more opportunities to realize your
self.”
Competition in the difficult job
market of today was one of Uie con
cerns expressed by some of the panel
ists.
According to Sternberg, it is hard
versifies because others do not real
ize the quality of a Meredith educa
tion."'
McEnery echoed this by saying
that a present and future concern of
hers regarding Meredith is whether
or not the name oftlie College “will
carry... beyond tiie boundaries oftlie
state."
The discussion concluded with the
panelists’ sharing soiue of tlioir most
valuable lessons learned at Meredith.
Sternberg said she valued tlie “abil
ity toreprioritize at the dropof a hat."
Dohle added that she gained tlie
“ability to learn to leani."
McEnery concluded that she
benefilied most from learning “to
communicaie” botli orally and in
writing. She added that the Mereditli
faculty forced her to “push tlie enve
lope - tliey wouldn’t accept Uie obvi
ous.”
Webb closed tlie discussion by
pointing out tlie panelists’ conversa
tion regarding “Girls' School or
Women’s College” had proved tliaf
the debate was “moot."