8
CAMPUS FEA TURES
Letters to the Editor
I beg to differ when you claim that Meredith girls are too wrapped up in our own lives to care about others. While the efforts to support Scottie’s Place may not
have been too successfull, I would like to inform you of ways we do care and we do make a difference in this world.
Meredith has 5 service organizations serving this campus and other communities in Raleigh. Not only do these clubs specifically focus on serving, but also there
is always at least one group sponsoring some sort of drive for books, toys, baby blankets, etc. I can name at least 50 Meredith students who spent Spring Break
2002 volunteering in clothing closets, homeless shelters, and soup kitchens in the D.C. area and also participated in a homeless simulation experience. The same
girls will sper»d this coming Spring Break in Nashville. Tennesee. Other students choose to go on Spring Break with Campus Crusade doing the same sort of serv
ice in Panama City. Operation Christmas Child is a major event that most meredith students participate in.
There are so many more ways to give to the needy other than money Just because we didn’t sleep in a box doesn’t mean that we do not care. If the box sleep
ing for Scottie's Place had been held in the middle of a week day in front of the library I guarantee that the girls who participated woukJ have received more
money Not that many Angels are around in the middle of the night on the weekend. Please give us some credit, after all we are still eaming our wrings.
Emily Cochran
Class of 2003
I am writing in response to the article about the "Box-A-Thon” and the responses from vartous peopte either Involved in the fundraiser or their friends. I am the
Vice President for the Sociology Club and our dub co-sponsored this event witti the Social Work Club. I was there that night and I was one of the main individuals
asking other students and staff, parents etc. for spare change as they passed our boxes that night.
I woukJ say. "Hello, are staying in our t>oxes tonight to raise money for homeless children to go to camp. Would you like to give us some money or do you
have any spare change?" Those wlw said that they were sorry and that they did not have any money on them at that moment did not offend me. It was the indi
viduals who hurried away from us and said rude things like, "Maybe if you get a guitar and sing, people might give you money," or those people who simply
ignored us like we were not even out there. I think the letter that Joni wrote was aimed at those individuals mentioned above, not the people who came to see us
(by the way-they were part of the club) or by people who sponsored us. We appreciated all who participated and helped us out that night. She makes several
valuable points about our lack of awareness of those in need and how important it is for us to help others. Even those virtto were out there were very surprised
about how homeless people are treated. The sad thing is ttiat we held security watch over us and people were not nearly as rude to us as they usually are to
those who are truly homeless.
I think Joni t>elieves the fundraiser was a success-she never said it was not, but she was saying that more pec^le do need to be involved and have an aware
ness of others in the world. This is the only way our society can heal. By the way Socrology/Social Work Clubs plan to make this an annual event and we hope
that ALL students and faculty will support us in this fundraiser, which is about giving homeless kids the chance to have fun at camp.
I also want to thank those that did sponsor me and the oth^s who participated (teachers, students and staff]), but I am highly disappointed in the way that I was
treated by my fellow students that night who simply walked past us. I know most Meredith Students' love children and would never tum away from a child in need,
but that night some of you did.
Jenn Schwachenwald
Class of 2004
Jobs Continued from
Page 4
through a simple mathe
matical calculation which
divides the amount of peo
ple that are employed plus
the amount of people Aat
are unemployed but seek
ing employment, by the
number of people that have
absolutely no work or
income, but are actually
looking for employment.
The current unemployment
rate in the Raleigh Durham
Chapel Hill area is 4.6 per
cent. This is significantly
lower than the all time high
of 5.1percent last August.
According to the News &
Observer, the job market
figures are showing that a
recovery might be taking
hold, but economists are
remaining cautious. It is
still moving very slowly.
Although the level of
hope might seem faint at
this point, Meredith
College is working very
hard to make sure that its
students have the best
opportunities after gradua
tion. The Career Center
located on the second floor
of the Cate Center, is
designed to help students
prepare themselves for post
graduation employment.
Marie Sumerel, director of
the Career Center said the
Career Center is working
hard to create opportunities
for students to meet
employers in the communi
ty-
"We really try to pull our
resources," said Sumerel.
“One of the things that we
have done is help to create
job fairs from local busi
nesses in the community."
In fact, Nov. 19 and 20
there will be a job fair open
to Meredith students at the
Greensboro Marriot. The
fair will host over 75 com
panies looking to hire grad
uating seniors. There will
also be another career fair
in the spring.
The Career Center also
offers workshops to help
students with their graduate
school applications, inter
views, and resumes. They
also have a job book avail
able in the Career Center
for students to look through
for employment opportuni
ties. "As new positions
become available in the
community, we try to send
them out to professors and
email students to let them
know about prospective job
availability in the commu
nity,” said Sumerel.
Another great resource is
the career center website.
\^sit
www.meredith.edu/career
which will connect you to
the website of the career
center to be directly
informed about current
workshops, job fairs and
other upcoming events
hosted by the career center.
And so it would seem
that after investing four
challenging, but academi
cally rewarding years here
at Meredith, finding a job
should be the least of our
worries. However the one
thing our education cannot
buy us is the promise of a
job when our country’s
unemployment rate is a
hi^ 5.7 percent. The valu
able Meredith degree will
help us advance in the
workplace, but we have to
remain patient and flexible
until this recession is over.
Baxter Continued from
Page 2
During his two days on
campus, Baxter will meet
with an American
Literature class and a fic
tion writing class. He will
have lunch with some
Triangle-area writers and
conduct a workshop for
women who have attended
Meredith’s summer writing
workshop, “Focusing on
Form.”
On Thursday, November
21, at 7:30 p.m. in Kresge
Auditorium, Baxter will
read from his work and
answer questions from the
audience. The reading is
free and open to the public.
A book signing will follow,
with books available for
purchase at the auditorium.
Charles Baxter’s visit is
sponsored by the English
depMtment and the Mary
Lynch Johnson Chair.
Correetions
In last week’s Editor’s
Comer it was reported that
no Meredith students gave
to the box-a-thon for
Scottie’s Place. However,
the Herald has been
informed that $ 18 of the
$1300 raised, a total of 1.3
percent, was donated from
Meredith students.
Get your
English
department T-
shirt!
Buy your “Real
Women Quote
Chaucer” shirt
for $11 Nov.
18-22 in the
Cate Center.