Mereditfi Herald
Volume xm. Issue 19 We attract bright, talented, ambitious students. Naturally we’re a women's college. March 5, 1997
On the
inside:
Meredith breaks from Baptist Convention
□ Meredilb
.security M urns
students to be on
the lookout for a
trespasser/ .
shoplifter oii«
canipus. p
Pa^e 2
□ Maichis
National Nutrition
Month iuid the
Meredith Dietetic
Association's
theme "All
Foods CaaFit."
I*aj»e 3
□ The f/era/d
reviews Vertical
llori/»n at the
Bi’cwery and Far
Too Jones at Lake
Boone Country
Club,
Paj;e 5
Meredith Herald
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□ Board of Trustees cut
from Baptist Convention
causes tuition hilce.
Addie Tschamler
Staff Reporter
Fearing a coDsmaiive takeover,
Meredilb College decided officially
Iasi weeks to cut off ties with the
Soutbem Baptist Conventioa. Al
though the decision, made by
Meredith's Board of Trustees, will al
low Meredith more freedom to make
its own decisions, it will also call for
an increase in tuition.
In the past, the Convention has
contributed about $1 million annually
to Mo'edith. The loss of diiscontiibu-
tioD has forced Meredith to raise tu-
itioD by SI070.
The Board of Trustees made the
decision to break with the Couvcntion
because of conccm tliat if Meredith
remained a pan of the Convention, it
would lose its independence, 'llie de
cision will also protect Meredith Irom
the political Influences of the South
ern Baptist Conveotioo, which has be
come more conservative io recent
years. For example, the Cooveotion
has become disinclined to ordain
women as ministers because of bibli*
cal passages such as I Timothy 2:12,
which calls for women to be silent in
church. Without ties to the Conven
tion, Meredith will not have to worry
about outside pressures.
“Our redefined relationship with
the Convention will be somewhat simi
lar to thatof Wake Forest UniveBity’s,”
Meredith President John Weems wrote
in a statement to faculty. In addition,
Meredith will also begin choosing all
of its own Board of Trustee membeis,
rather than the Conevention selecting
them.
A letter was sent out at the end of
last week to parents, explaining
Meredith’s reasons for making a break
with the Southern Baptist Convention
and explaining how it will affect
Meredith fmancially. In a telephone
interview, Chuck Taylor, vice presi
dent and director of business and fi
nance. said that Meredith would not
really be affected fmancially in any
way other than the tuition increase.
The tuition inaease, be said, was based
OQ a budget submitted to trustees. The
trustees decided on the particular in
crease in tuition based on three areas:
I) the normal increase that comes from
operating expenses, 2) approximately
20 different proposals for improving
the college, 3) the loss of the
Convention’s annual gift. The total
cost of tuition, room and board for
1997-98 school year will be $12,240,
as repotted by Weems in the statement
to foculty.
Taylor said that Meredith will do
everything it can for students on finan
cial aid. There will be an increase in
the amount of financial aid that is
available. Taylor said.
“The tuition increase will impact
students,” said SGA President Erica
Balmer. “But compared to other pri
vate schools, Meredith will still be one
of the most affordable, high-quality
schools in the state."
Despite the break from the Con
vention, Meredith will remain a Bap
tist coUege as it has been for the past
106 years.
“Under our revised bylaws, the
majority of our trustees will continue
to be members of Baptist churches,"
wrote Weems.
Meredith hopes to offer new pro
grams and majors in the fall, asaresult
of this new decision. Taylor said, "We
are excited about other programs that
we will begin to start working on.”
Students expressed mixed reac
tion to the decision. Most were more
concerned with the rise in tuition next
year.
Most students agreed tliat the offi
cial break from the Southern Baptist
Convention was a positive one.
Balmer said. “I feel it is a very
positive step for students. It will give
us greato' control in the future."
Weems wrote that as tltc Board of
Trustees plans ahead for Uie next cen
tury, they have embraced this goal;
“Meredith College will define higher
education for women for the 21st cen
tury.”
History/Politics club sponsors kick-off event
□ "Something to talk
about" first program in
"In praise of women.”
Allison Carter
Layout Editor
Women’s History Month has ar
rived. And Meredith’s goal isto woik
to make Meredith College the center
of Women’s History Month for the
Research Triangle and surrounding
areas, according to Dr. Barbara True-
Weber, sponsor of the History/ Poli
tics Club.
The club, along with WINGS,
AMC, Programming Board and other
campus organizations, is sponsoring
“In Praise of Women - a Celebration
of Women’s History Month.” The
kick-offforthemouth,entitled “Some
thing to Talk About,” was held Mon
day, March 3.
Prefaced-by Bonnie Raitt’s hit
“Something to Talk About,” the pro
gram consisted of four area profes-
siooai women as panelists discussing
issues of women and their careers.
True-Weber hosted thediscussion
with the mission to “instigate and fa
cilitate conversation” between the stu
dents and paneUsts.
The four panelists, all media per
sonalities, should be seen as role mod
els for women, as well as public fig
ures, said True-Weber.
Thefirst of the panelists was Linda
Belans, \\Q%tQiTheUndaBelansShow
on WUNC Saturday mornings. Belans
is alsoaguest dance
writer for the News
and Observer, and
a former adjunct
professor at
Meredith. Nicole
Brodeur,the second
of the guests, is a
tri-weekly colum
nist for the News
and Observer.
The other two
panelists, who both
work in ftont of the
camera instead ofin
print media, were
WNCN news an
chor Brooke Hart
and WRAL news
anchor Debra Mor
gan.
True-Weber
started the discussion with thought-
provoking questions centering on one
issue: what were the panelists biggest
challenges in getting theirpresentjobs?
Hart answered first by noting that
she never felt challenged because of
her gender, but rather in figuring out
what she wanted to do with her hfe.
The Stanford graduate continued by
saying that everyone must decide their
own path in life.
Brodeur spoke up with the same
thoughts, but added a bit of her own
advice: “Build thatego!”“Don’tdoubt
your abilities,” she said. “If you do,
your enemies will doubt you more."
Se6 WOMEN page 3
Dr. Baibara Tiue-Weber hcsts 'Somethir^ to talk about'
Nicole Brodeur; and Linda Belans.
with Debra Morgan, Brooke Hart,
Photo by Swan^e Macleay