Meredith Herald
Volume XVII, Issue 17
Educating Women to Excel
January 31, 2001
On the
inside:
□ How do
Meredith com
munity mem
bers feel about
our new Presi
dent?
Page 2
□ Peace suc
cumbs to
Meredith’s bas
ketball power.
Page 5
□ Find out
what the Enter
tainment &
Sports Arena
has to offer
you.
Page 8
Meredith Herald
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FAX (919) 760-2869
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Heilman fire raises safety issues
□ Right to
smoke in
dorms ques
tioned
Leesha Austin
Layout Editor
To smoke or not to smoke in
the dorms—that is the ques
tion. This issue has made its
way into numerous conversa
tions around campus following
the recent fire on the third floor
of Heilman Residence Hall.
So what, is everyone saying?
According to Kamelah Nel
son, residence director for
Heilman and Barefoot Resi
dence Halls, “most everyone
I’ve heard from wants smoking
in the dorms banned.”
“A lot of people have come
to me very upset,” she added.
"Someone asked me, ‘Does
someone have to die before we
ban smoking?’”
Nelson stressed that she will
“be there for residents” and
will ‘‘back them up.”
Junior Pal Newton, resident
assistant on third Heilman, said
that her residents had mixed
reactions to the fire. She agreed
with Nelson that many resi
dents were upset by the fire and
feel that smoking should be
banned; however, she added
that some students believe that
smoking should not be banned.
“My residents were split
about 50/50 on whether or not
smoking should be banned in
the dorms. Most smokers
seemed to want to be permitted
to continue smoking, at least
until this semester is over,”
said Newton.
She added that while she and
everyone in her suite are smok
ers, they all believe that smok
ing should be banned in the
dorms.
“1 believe that the safety of a
group of girls is more impor
tant than allowing smokers to
smoke in their dorm rooms,"
said Newton.
Senior Hilary Allen lived on
first Heilman last year and was
displaced from her room for
the last month of school as a
result of last year's first floor
fire, which started when an
improperly extinguished ciga
rette ignited the contents of the
laundry room trash can.
Allen said, “You’d think that
Residence Life would have
learned from last year's fire.
Both fires could and should
have been prevented.
“Allowing residents to
smoke in their dorm rooms,
endangers the lives of so many
people. It’s scary. It’s really
scary,” she added.
Jenni Antinore, a third Heil
man resident, says that she
“understands where other peo
ple are coming from on the
safety issue.”
However, she is not certain
that smoking in the dorms
should necessarily be banned.
“I personally feel that it
should not be banned since we
have been allowed to smoke
ever since our freshmen year,”
she explained.
Yet Antinore does believe
that non-smokers should not
have to live on them.
“I am a smoker, but if I did
n’t smoke, I would cenainly
not want to live on a smoking
hall,” she said.
She also said, "As a 20-year-
o(^ adult, I know how to be
safe and responsible, and I
would think most people
would; however, after the last
two fires I am beginning to
question that.”
Newton said that on the
night of the fire, everyone on
her hall automatically assumed
that it was caused by a cigarette
in the trash can.
After the investigation, the
captain of the Raleigh Fire
Department reported that they
are 99 percent sure that the fire
was accidental and that it was
caused by either a hot match or
a cigarette.
Senior Sheny Stephens, a
resident of first Heilman during
last year's fire, believes that
smoking in dorm rooms should
be banned.
“I signed a petition calling
for a ban of smoking in dorm
rooms last semester, and I
know a lot of smokers signed it
as well,” said Stephens.
Senior Heather Spell, Stu
dent Life chair, explained that
this petition was circulated last
semester and was turned into
Heidi LeCount, director of
Residence Life.
Stephens added that while
she thinks the fires were likely
caused by cigarettes, she thinks
that Meredith should investi
gate the wiring in the build
ings.
“These buildings are old,
and I think it is suspicious that
there have been so many fires
in recent years. I think it is
especially important to investi-
Please see
FIRE
page two
Thomas describes joy of Spain, art
□I Professor of
Spanish speaks
on Monday
Laura Lee Collins
Stan Writer
Professor of. Spanish Dr.
Mary Lorene Thomas told a
crowd of faculty and students
that Spain draws her presence
“again and again" in in Jones
Auditorium Monday night. The
Faculty Distinguished Lecture
has occurred on campus once
or twice a year since 1963.
Over the years, 38 faculty
members have been awarded
the chance to present their
scholarly lectures.
Thomas, the newest member
of this esteemed group, gave
her lecture entitled “Buen
Retiro, Madrid: September 17,
1665.”
The lecture began with a
short introduction of Thomas
by Dr. Brent Pitts, head of the
department of foreign lan
guages and literature. Pitts
referred to Thomas as a “high
ly regarded member” of the
faculty, and he briefly dis
cussed her contributions to
Meredith throughout her years
here.
An obviously honored
Thomas took the podium to
deliver her lecture on the
Baroque period in Spain. The
Spanish palace Buen Retiro
was the focus of her lecture,
along with its contribution to
the art and drama of the Span
ish Baroque period.
From reading the program
the audience was already well
informed of Thomas’ love of
Spain and its artistic communi
ty. She said, “My greatest intel
lectual pleasure has been
derived from studying Spain's
Golden Age drama in its many
manifestations.”
Thomas gave a detailed
description of the palace and
the art that it housed. The
palace hosted two thousand or
more paintings and also was
the site of many dramatic per
formances called “comedias.”
Thomas showed slides of the
palace and paintings through
out her lecture.
Thomas stressed the impor
tance of the weak economic
status of Spain at the time of
the Baroque period and pointed
out that the art and drama dur
ing the time were thriving.
Buen Retiro was a represen
tation of the Baroque period
and its “original creativity.”
Thomas concluded her lec
ture by stating that Buen Retiro
was a special type of palace. It
was, she noted, a “monument
devoted to representative art"
and "a palace of monarchical
artistical delight.”
Thomas has been a member
of the Meredith faculty for 20
years and is currently serving
as the Director of Faculty
Development, as well as a for
eign language professor.