Meredith
February 13,2002
Hi
ERALD
Volume XVm, Issue }i^ /
President proposes $38 million budget
n The figure is
based upon
“conservative
enrollment
projections.”
Christina Holder
Editor- in-Chief
Merit-based scholarships
are in and an increase in
adjunct faculty salaries are out
according to the proposed $38
million budget for 2002-03
which was presented to the
faculty at a meeting on Friday
by the President of the
College.
Dr. Maureen Hartford told
faculty that the “priority list is
always longer and more
robust than [the] monies" in
reference to next year’s
proposed budget that she will
present to the College's Board
of Trustees in the next week-a
budget that has increased $1.3
million since last year but is
still lower than many had
expected.
Hartford said that the goal
for the new budget is
to “continue support for the
initiatives from 2001-02.”
Key initiatives that began in
2001 such as increasing
financial aid, reducing the
leaching load by hiring
additional faculty and
providing resources for
undergraduate research and
leadership programs will con
tinue.
The budget also focuses
upon initiatives scheduled for
the second year of Ihe
College's plan which include
continuing to accrue resources
for fmancial aid, increasing
faculty salaries and beginning
bond payments for the new
science and mathematics
building.
Other principal components
to the new budget are a size
able increase in merit-based
scholarships and an increase in
the salary pool.
Both staff and full-time fac
ulty will receive increases, but
only 3% for staff and 6% for
full-time faculty. Adjunct fac
ulty will not receive an
increase.
Hartford said she under
stood the need lo increase
faculty salaries and
recognized the disproportional
numbers evident when mea
suring Meredith salaries with
those of institutions the Col
lege often uses to compare
itself.
“We felt the faculty
[salaries] were off, but they
were not as off as other institu
tions,” she said.
However, according to the
College’s official 2000-01
Benchmarking Report, which
compares Meredith with
similar colleges and
universities, the average
Meredith faculty salary for all
ranks was still lower than nine
of the institutions and higher
than only six of the 18
institutions that offered salary
data in the report.
The average faculty salaries
for all ranks at Meredith was an
average of $49,300 in 2000-01.
A 6% increase of the average
places Meredith at $52,258.
This figure is just above the
overall average of Meredith’s
peer institutions--$51,800-
according to the report.
“Our goal,” said Hanford,
“is to get our faculty to at least
the median of our peer institu
tions.”
A significant addition to the
budget also includes an
increase in merit-based schol
arships.
Hartford said the increase
was prompted by knowledge
that "talented students who
expect scholarships” were
“geUing them elsewhere.”
The budget includes three
Presidential scholarships of
$10,000 each, eight academic
scholar awards at $7,500 and
19 outstanding scholar awards
at $5,000.
The 15 annual Harris
scholarships will now
uniformly be valued at $3,000
each and the Emei^ing
Leader’s scho^rships will be
raised from $1,500 to $2,000.
However, the concern
of faculty and students weighs
heavier on whether there will
be an increase in fmancial aid
due to the $2,000 tuition
See
BUDGET
page two
Graduation Bibles: Gift or Insult?
□ Graduation
Bibles are being
updated, but are
they becoming
outdated?
Tanesha Wiluams
SiaH Reporter
Everyone acquainted with
Meredith College knows that
the school is deeply grounded
in tradition. From Cornhuskin’
to the daisy chain, it seems
obvious that Meredith will
never change some things.
But times and traditions do
change.
Each year at graduation,
each graduate is given a Bible
as a gift from the College. For
years the College has given
out the King James Version.
This spring, according to
Senior Class President Chris
tine Kelley, students can
expect a new version, the New
International Version.
Kelley believes most of the
senior class is in favor of the
change.
“I asked the class at the class
meeting, and they were
overwhelmingly in favor of the
New International Version,”
said Kelley.
The senior class first dis
cussed changing the version of
the gift Bibles last spring. No
changes were made until this
year.
According to Dr. Rosalind
Reichard, vice-president for
Academic Affairs, many
students wanted something that
was more relevant to their
needs.
Sam Carothers, campus
minister, feels that the New
International Version will suit
student needs better than the
previous King James Version.
“We have given out the King
N THE INSIDE:
James Version since the
beginning,” he said. “I for one
have wondered for years why
we didn’t go with a more mod
ern version. The King James
Version is a bit dated.”
"A lot of people felt like it
was time to move to a more
contemporary version
[because] contemporary
versions are much more read
able.” Carothers said. “I’m
hopeful that these Bibles are
Bibles that students will want
to read."
But what about students who
don’t read the Bible?
Meredith’s student body is
gradually becoming more
culturally and religiously
diverse.
Reichard said that no student
has ever complained about
getting the Bible. According to
Reichard, the College likes to
give out a personalized gift that
is connected with Meredith,
not as a profession of a certain
faith.
“We look at this particular
gift not to signal that anyone
should look towards this faith.
We look at it as a historical
connection. It’s a matter of the
College wanting to give a per
sonalized gift that is connected
with history and tradition.”
said Reichard.
However, Sakenna
Abdulraheem, a Muslim
student, argues that this is not a
personalized gift because she,
as a person, cannot use it.
"I probably won't take one.
Or ril give it to someone who
will actually use it. I don’t
think it will help me or hinder
me,” says Abdulraheem. She
also believes that such a gift is
an assumption that everyone at
Meredith is Christian.
"I never thought it was still a
religious private school," she
said- “I think it's kind of
insensitive to other students
who don’t resort to the Bible.
It's assuming that these
students resort to the Bible, and
that’s not the case at all.”
“It can be taken as an insult,
especially from someone
who is educated,”
Abdulraheem said.
Abdulraheem feels that the
College should change the gift
to something that is more unbi
ased.
“People have to start think
ing on an unbiased level. I
don’t really see [the Bible] as a
gift. I think it’s kind of sad
because it shows the ignorance.
I’m not the only person who’s
annoyed,” she said.
ON HONORS:
ON REVIEW:
Honors students and Teaching
Still need plans for Valentine’s?
Fellows tale joint trip.
Stop by Bogart’s.
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