Campus News
3
Election 2002
Here is what you need
to know to file for office
Christian organizations on
campus without debate
Christy Sadler
Stan Reporter
The quiel women’s college
on Hillsborough Street has
always had a history with the
Baptists.
So when an evangelical
Christian organization called
Campus Crusade for Christ
(CCC) vied to get official cam
pus recognition last March, one
would have assumed that it
would have been granted easi
ly
Yet it was not.
In fact, it was one of the hot
topics of 2001, inciting editori
als and letters to the editor in
^e Meredith Herald. Eventual
ly the hubbub ceased when
Senate signed Crusade into an
official campus organization,
giving it the legal recognition it
needed to promote its meet
ings.
And everything has been
rather quiet ever since.
However, when InterVarsity
(IV), a similar evangelical
Christian group, received the
go-ahead from the Senate this
past September, it went hardly
’"’-'?Cccbri3ing to' the Senate
chair, junior Lora Tillman, IV
came before Senate in the
spring of 2000 but was rejected
because senators decided that
the existing Meredith Christian
Association (MCA) already
filled the needs of the students.
However, Tillman noted that
this year’s Senate “felt that
more diverse decisions would
be an asset to students and
would not be a deterrent from
other religious organizations
on campus.”
And so IV set up camp on
campus in near obscurity.
And so IV was approved on
campus, but without the angry
students and faculty dissenters
Crusade faced not so long ago.
Tillman said that “in com
parison to the controversy sur
rounding the proposal of Cam
pus Crusade, there were no
complaints regarding IV, and
the organization had the sup
port of MCA and the Meredith
Campus Ministry.”
So what’s the difference?
Campus Minister Sam
Carothers, who opposed Cam
pus Crusade becoming a
Meredith organization because
he felt there were some “unac
ceptable situations that devel
oped in their behavior towards
students of a particular denom
inational heritage that partici
pated in Crusade Bible study
groups,” said that he did not
oppose the formalizing of IV as
a Meredith organization.
“The difference hinges on
the fact that they have, to the
best of my knowledge, been
open and inviting of students
from all denominations in their
group,” he said of InterVarsity.
Carothers said he felt that
the student leadership in Cru
sade had corrected those situa
tions he felt were “unaccept
able.”
Dr. Jean Jackson, Vice Pres
ident for Student Development,
was another faculty member
who expressed concerns about
Crusade last year during its
approval process. Her concern
was that students were being
pressured to attend Crusade, a
concern that led to a meeting
with Crusade leadership last
spring.
Today, Jackson’s concern
seems to have waned.
“I am pleased to date with
Meredith’s Campus Crusade
organization. They have, I
believe, worked hard to publi
cize their meetings without
putting pressure on students to
come,” she said.
“As far as I know. Crusade
has worked hard to respect
Meredith’s expectations of
organizations and has been
well represented on Meredith’s
Interfaith Council,” she added.
Jackson also has high hopes
for IV. She said she looks “for
ward to seeing this organiza
tion become part of the Mered
ith community of faith.”
“I feel confident that the
issues of the past have been
addressed and resolved,” said
Carothers. He noted that these
campus religious organizations
are now part of the Interfaith
Council structure and are
“pledged not only to a cooper
ative spirit in their individual
programs but also to working
towards creating and carrying
out some joint programs.”
The Interfaith Council
includes organizations repre
senting groups such as IV,
CCC. MCA, some Catholic
groups and the Latter Day
Saints.
Now both Crusade and IV
are working to overcome any
stigma associated with being
new religious organizations on
campus.
Crusade has been meeting
on the Meredith campus for
over 25 years in voluntary
small group Bible studies in the
dorms.
The ministry’s weekly meet-
ings-held at NC State on
Thursdays at 10 p.m.-have
long been attended by Mered
ith students.
The only big change since
Crusade’s official passage in
the Senate has been its ability
to advertise on campus and
hold weekly prayer meetings
each Tuesday in Joyner.
Senior Courtney Arrington,
a member of the prayer team
for Crusade, noted that the
prayer meetings at Meredith
are “steadily growing in num
bers.”
She described prayer meet
ings as “vital to the lives of
those who attend as well as to
the Crusade movement
because they are the times that
we leam specifically what God
is doing in individual lives and
on campus, which helps us to
better know what needs
prayer.”
InterVarsity is newer to
Meredith’s campus but has
similar activities for students.
About 20 Meredith students
regularly attend the weekly
meetings on Thursday night at
8 p.m. at NC State.
Junior Amy Grasty, an IV
Bible study leader, said they
have also begun holding week
ly prayer meetings on Wednes
day mornings at 7:30 in the
parlor of first Heilman.
Grasty said that while IV is
currently planning several out
reach activities in hopes of
increasing its numbers on cam
pus, they remain focused on
“not only the Bible but also in
evangelism by personal rela
tionships.”
So all remains quiet for now.
Faculty and students seem to
have reached some agreement.
“I do not see the addition of
new groups as a negative influ
ence on either MCA or the
campus,” said Carothers.
Arrington said that Cru
sade’s main purpose “is to
share the love of Christ with
students and faculty.”
She also expressed a belief
that God will continue working
on campus and stated, “our
hearts are still focused on God
and what He wants for this
campus.”
Do you like to meet new people? Would you like to get
involved? Do you want to make a diff«-ence? Would you like to
voice your (pinions and concerns about Meredith? If you
answered yes to any of these questions, you should run for a cam
pus-wide Of class office in the upgomir^ eleeticm.
1)CK6ose an office.
2) .Che;k out the offices Iis{«l in the SGA By-Laws in your
SUidCDt ifeodboc4c and Activitie$ Calendar.
3} Get ffli Board Notebook, fbund in the firet flo»
pariot^ of eiKb residetixe hall and in are Office of Student Activ
ities and Leadership Develc^iment, Md look at the job desaip-
tic^, skills Beaded wd lime required for each posifiOTt.
4) Don't lieslttte to questiwi tte student that ciHTcntiy hoMs
tB whkh you are interested.
5)fole for offiiK.
0 Pick up tros figng card fiiaii the Office of Studaat Activifies
and Leadership Deveio{unent duiiog fiiing week.
^7) Make yow fUing card stand out and be when filling
it out. ITiey w8l be displayed in the Cate CeMer ^aghout die
eloetiOTijMfflod.
S) Borders not exceed one indi on sde. Stunt aiKl
CcKifaaira shouidone fill togdh«.
Atterwi one wwJkshop.
ID}Yc» iB«teqaired to attend otte wcvkshqi. Ymi can
sehe^te a make-iiq> Oe Eieeaons Board Qm.
II) Readtendotits Md iof(»riaUon about caiti^aiguRg cardaf-
ly- .
:...:12)^Kaftyoarcain|«ign.- ■
13) Oi^aalK yoar cam^^ and choose reliable
.'•■■■MJBeareaitiwl
rr I5>F^Qvi? Cf^npaigsiagguideKnes.
16) Choose cafBp»gain£ materbk
J?5=ilaTO;^>ecirf^ eMi^>a^lRg aerial ai^ved by Elec-
Board CMr andOffiee of Student Activiti^ and Leadership
by FWday of Specif Csunpagning Approval
Wcefc..
■ 18^ Be seat^ Boticeabie^ and taste&l.
i5)Can^gB.
20)flavefijo5 :
21} Dii^tibttte. publicity in accxc^[iee with c^npaign g^idC'
lilies. ■
22)TykwittisfiKl»tsabo{ttcMnpusi^ues-
A^nd caadklate speeches.
23^ Be Kspectfiii.
24) Candidates inay ^ot campaign t!l» same platform with
odiCT cattdklales. wiA the exception of Stunt and CtMhuskin’ Co-
chaits.
25) Ftease retoeinber: t^e down all campaign materials the
faUowiog 0f etecttona.
26>’VMe. Castyoiff vote ftora 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. with your Cam-
cad.
Yot wU! be iKaified by |rf\one of tbeelectioB resulte. Arun-off
eiec^D will be held if Ra^lts wUi be posted in tt» first
Qoof of Belk Dining Hall» Johnson Carlyle
Campbell and the C«iter.
SUBMIT YOUR PRESS RELEASE TO
THE HERALD. ALL SUBMISSIONS
MUST BE RECEIVED BY 1 P.M. ON
THE MONDAY BEFORE WEDNES
DAY'S PUBLICATION.