Meredith Herald
September 13, 2000
Campus Opinion
Don’t place faith in ranking
From the
For the past several years. Meredith College has made national
rankings in U.S. News and World Report’s annual college ranking
issue. This year, Meredith placed seventeenth on the list of south
ern regional university rankings, dropping
five places from last year’s twelfth.
The rankings are based on academic rep-
1 Editor utation, retention of students, faculty
I resources, student selectivity, financial
resources and alumni giving.
Other colleges on the southern regional universities include
UNC-Charlotte and Appalachain State University.
While Meredith staff, faculty and students should be proud of
their school, they should also keep in mind that rankings are not
what make Meredith the school that it is.
What makes Meredith is the recent news that last year’s fresh
men class w/as the strongest in a good while. The class of 2003 had
the highest grades since 1961, a very high retention rate and the
most entering students in Meredith’s history.
What makes Meredith is the way that faculty members make
students feel like they can accomplish great things, whether the
students are incoming freshmen or graduating seniors.
What makes Meredith is the feeling of being at home while
walking across campus, the feeling of knowing fellow students,
staff members, faculty members and administrators.
What makes Meredith is the support that the students and fac
ulty receive from each other.
Meredith, as the rankings suggest, does have a good academic
reputation, strong alumni support and is growing more and more
selective.
But if Meredith were not on the list, would it be a worse school?
Meredith community members must remember the reason they are
here, and it’s probably not because they read a ranking in a maga
zine.
Meredith Herald
Editor in Chief. Leslie Maxwell
Associate Editor. «... Christina Holder
Copy Editor. ! Stephanie Jordan
Layout ^itcw. Leesha Austin
News Editor. Jenny Costa
Reporters Hilary Allen, Jennifer Boyce.
Holden Burke, Lindsey McAdams,
Betsy Rhame, Joni Smith,
Tracy Sumner, Lynda-Marie Taurasi,
Lora Tillmar), Heather Thomson,
Jamie Tunnell, Tanesha Wtiliams,
Lisa \^1lson
Photographers Holden Burke, Emily Collins,
Elizabeth Davis, Abby Spencer
Distribution Hilary Allen. Jennifer Boyce
Subscriptions Abby Spencer
Faculty Advi-ser. Dr. Rebecca Duncan
Editorial Policy:
The Meredith Herald is published by the College throughout the
academic year. The paper is funded by the College and through
independent advertising. The opinions expressed in the editorial
columns do not necessarily reflect those of the college admini«;tra-
lion. faculty or student body.
How to reach the Herald;
If you have an article idea for the staff, contact the office at 760-
2H24. You can also e-mail the paper at maxwelll@meredith.edu>.
All ideas will be considered but may not necessarily be used.
Campus forum
Gone, not forgotten:
Seniors, remember
friend with doll
Dear Editor:
This letter is addressed to the
class of 200 Ll’ve never been a
very vocal member of our
class, not having much in com
mon with many members of it.
I do, however, have a group of
close friends whom I rely on
and who rely on me.
And it is because of a friend
that I am writing this letter. L
unfortunately, missed the first
senior class meeting of the
year, but my roommate report
ed back to me on what
occurred.
I didn’t think we would talk
yet about the class doll, but we
did. The subject of what ethnic
ity the doll should be came up.
And since my freshman
year, I have thought of what the
doll should look like: a sweet
Oriental face; straight, black
hair; and deep, black eyes, ail
in remembrance of one of my
friends, Akie Segawa.
I don't know how many of
you knew Akie. but 1 know she
touched the lives of the 1997-
98 first Vann residents and
many other people in the
Meredith community in the
short time she was here.
She especially touched the
lives of Christine Furmick (her
roommate), Kate Sension,
Shara Vanguess, Jessica Car
ton, Debra Stinson, Christian
Melvin and me. Christine.
Kate, Shara and Jessica were
present at the time of her death.
I can still remember the call
from Christian and the pain and
confusion I fell. She was so
young, my age, and full of life
the last time I saw her.
J remember getting back to
school and being asked to talk
at the hall meeting since the
others were in a hotel room
together. As I walked into that
hall meeting, 1 remembered the
advice to “remember the good
times," and that is what I told
my hall mates about-”the good
times."
I remembered that Christian
called Akie her "Japanese girl”
and Akie called Chri.stian her
“American girl.” I remembered
how Jessica told Akie that Jes
sica’s family was going to
adopt Akie. and her name
would be Akie Garton, Akie
thought that sounded .so funny.
1 came to learn that on the
day she died, she found out
what cheesy poofs are and
what the word crunchy means.
The week before her death, she
had noticed Christian's Miss
Piggy doll and we played the
song "Rainbow Connection”
for her. She had wanted to learn
more about the Muppets. and I
promised her that I would bring
my copy of The Muppets Take
Manhattan back to school on
Sunday night for her to watch.
Thankfully, 1 was unable to
find the video that weekend.
1 did. however, find it this
summer when I was going
through my video tapes. I
thought of Akie although it
isn’t like I don’t think of her
every day.
As our years have pro
gressed at Meredith. 1 have
really wished she was here for
this or that event or happening.
And though I know her spirit
watches over us and that she
knows we think of her. I want
her to know that we remember
her and want her spirit to never
be forgotten here at Meredith.
The best way to do that is to
immortalize her in our class
doll, the symbol of our class.
I heard there is to be a vote
at our next senior class meeting
concerning how the doll should
look. Maybe I’m not the best
person to make this urging, but
I feel someone has to, and I've
taken that job.
So if you'd like to support
me in this campaign, then
please attend the next class
meeting on Tuesday. Sept. 26
at 9 p.m. in Belk Dining Hall.
If you cannot attend, the
please let it be known that you
want the class doll to be in
remembrance of Akie.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Lynn Witt, class of 2(X)l
Editor’s note: Akie Segawa.
a Japane.ie exchange student
and member of the cla.ss of
2001. died on Sunday. Feb. 15,
1998. as a result of cardiac
arrest from a condition called
diomyopathy.
Posters depicting
alcohol, residence
halls mix again
Dear Editor:
My name is Heidi LeCount,
and 1 am the new director of
Residence Life here at Mered
ith. i am writing in respon.se to
the Meredith Herald opinion
piece (“Opinion: Ridiculous
rule must go.” Aug. 30) that
addressed the issue of resi
dence hall students not being
permitted to hang posters
depicting alcohol in their
rooms. I would like the oppor
tunity to clarify this issue.
The information about not
permitting alcohol posters in
rooms is written in the Resi
dence Life manual, which is
used by all Residence Life
staff. The resident assistants
hold floor meetings at the
beginning of the year to intro
duce themselves and to outline
Residence Life policies among
other things. It is most likely
that the information regarding
alcohol posters was discussed
with residents by RAs.
The policies in the Resi
dence Life manual are also
reflected in the Student Hand
book and Activities Calendar
and the Guide to Community
Living. In the Guide to Com
munity Living, the alcohol pol
icy states. "Memento bottles,
shot glasses, alcohol bottles
with sand or other alcohol
paraphernalia are not allowed."
This policy does not—and
should not— exclude posters
from residence hall rooms.
Next year, we will be sure
that the information and poli
cies concur in all of our publi
cations.
It is through students’ voic
ing their concerns that the alco-
hol-poster policy discrepancy
was discovered. If at any time
you have a question about a
Residence Life policy, please
contact me in the Office of
Residence Life, at 760-8633, to
di.scuss your concern. Thank
you to the students who
brought this concern to our
attention. 1 hope that your
semester goes well.
Sincerely.
Heidi LeCount,
director of Residence Lite