Whines &
Gripes
collected by Ritika Seal
Thank You Oaks for in
troducing me to these
huge spiders!! Now I re
ally appreciate my time in
Poteat!
With such low tempera
tures in SMB, I think they
should provide us with a
free sweatshirt upon regis
tering! !
Dear certain professor.
Please realize that your
class isn’t the only one we
are taking this semester,
so please be understand
ing when you assign
homework. You wouldn’t
want us to fail everything
and ace just your class
would you?
What happened to hav
ing ten students per class
and personal attention? So
much for advertising!
Dear BDH,
Could you please make the
food taste as yummy as
you promised?
When I said, “Don’t eat
my brownies roommate”,
I did'never implied “Eat
it all and if you leave me a
thank you note.”!
To my ex study partner
and friend.
Did you just ignore me
after studying together for
that Cell Biology class for
an entire semester? At
this rate you’ll be losing
friends faster than BDH
lost its distinction.
The Looming Question of Co-Education
Christa Riley, Staff Writer
Meredith College is most widely
known for being a wonderful and chal
lenging college for women. Ever since
Peace College made the decision to
become co-ed, some people have been
looking toward Meredith and won
dering if it will do the same. In my
opinion, Meredith should not begin
admitting men into the undergradu
ate program because of the essence of
tradition, loss of funding and publicity,
and the loss of community on campus.
If Meredith started admitting men
into the college, we would jeopardize
our foundations and traditions. For
example, how many men would want to
participate in Tea for Two or Guardian
Angel dance? Since these events were
thought of and carried out with women
in mind, we would have to either add
more events catering just to men or,
scrap them all together. After all, in
the event that we DID become co-ed,
we would want the experience to be
the same for both men and women on
campus.
I have been reading the reactions
to Peace College’s decision from
alumna and current students and
the reception has been less than
cold. Most of them are outraged,
mostly because of the fact that they
were not informed before the gen
eral public: there was no poll, no
debate, not even a mention of the
change until this summer. A lot of
the alumnae have said that they will
not donate to Peace any longer. If
we were to implicate the change,
would we receive as much funding
and sponsoring as we do now? With
out the “all-women” label, we would
not bring in as much publicity as we
do now.
One of the most important things
about Meredith to me is the commu
nity and the unity that I feel while
I’m on campus and during class.
Where else could you leave your wal
let, purse, and laptop unattended on
the table while you go and get your
food? My friends who often visit
Meredith are always surprised and
think that I’m crazy when I do this,
WILLIAM PEACE
UNIVERSITY
Smt:ess. Our Miisiou.
image via nccollegefinder.org
but it is just an everyday thing for me.
The classroom would be very differ
ent with men. Would we still have
that confidence to speak out during
class? Many girls and young women
have said that they usually feel over
shadowed by their male classmates.
Some critics say that we should be
going to school with men to prepare
us for the working environment; they
believe that we are not having any
male interaction while at Meredith.
This is not true. We are in contact
with men very often, whether it is at
our jobs, in our classes with profes
sors, or at social events. We will be
well prepared to work with men when
we graduate and are applying for
jobs.
How many things would change if
we were to adopt this co-ed principle?
Would we have to adjust or throw out
the honor code? Would we still have
the same number of students com
ing in, or would we have to expand?
Would class still be an intimate set
ting as it is now? While I am scrolling
through all of the historical women’s
colleges in the United States, I notice
that most of them have either closed
or have become co-educational. I
do not want another girl to lose her
opportunity to go to an all women’s
college and make something of her
self while working in a friendly and
understanding environment.
Uniforms or Uniformity?
Samantha Biswas, Staff Writer
A women’s college often brings to mind
strict rules, curfews, and, of course, no
boys on campus! This stereotype raises
the debate of whether or not Meredith
College should have required uniforms.
I went to public school all of my life,
and going to a private school is a big
change; I am not yet accustomed to the
smaller classrooms and the emphasis on
the honor code, rules, and attendance.
Though these things are important in
school, one thing that has always been
controversial about public school is the
ability of students to express their indi
viduality through their clothes. Private
schools often enforce a strict uniform
policy, as it suggests conformity and unity
within the group - but the biggest criti
cism about uniforms is that they suppress
individuality and creativity. Most of the
time, uniforms come in bland colors such
as gray, white, and black - nothing bold.
In addition to the limited colors, students
aren’t allowed to accessorize those uni
forms which restricts students’ ability to
express the way they feel. I have realized
that uniforms restrict students from
displaying their personalities and self-
confidence, encouraging students not
to be leaders but to become followers.
Social psychology teaches that some
type of control over people is needed
in order to advance, but uniforms are
a symbol of obedience and a means for
the authority to combine many into
one. Do uniforms represent unity?
Yes, they do, but uniforms hold a
deeper meaning than unity; they show
that the wearers are willing to be one
by wearing the same clothes.
Clothing, especially for girls, is a
form of expression. Through pieces
such as jewelry, t-shirts, and pants,
we illustrate our tastes and our self-
confidence through our image. A lot of
parents believe that school uniforms
looks nicer and that they prevent
distractions, while others feel that
school uniforms help to build school
spirit. On the other hand, having and
showing school spirit requires cre
ativity in the outfits that the students
wear. Uniforms force us to be someone
that we aren’t. They are a way of forc
ing rules and discipline onto those who
don’t necessarily wish to be one with
everyone. Sometimes I see people who
dress provocatively, which uniforms
would help prevent, but uniforms also
hinder our ability to be creative. They
inhibit the part of our brain which ex
plores the events in our lives. Through
our attire, we display our feelings and,
anthropologically, humans make tradi
tional clothes, tattoos, and art in order
to record history and form cultures.
Even in the 2ist century, we are mak
ing history by recycling designs and by
creating new ways to wear those de
signs. Just like everything else, school
uniforms have pros and cons. In my '
opinion, uniforms are a means of creat
ing conformity and hindering our cre
ative abilities and critical thinking skills
- and if our society encourages cre
ativity and critical thinking, we should
step back from enforcing uniforms in
colleges and private schools.