fc MemJd
Drtnhf^r QR
October 26, 2016
Ghosts of MC
Carolina Brust, Staff Writer
Halloween: that one time of year that
you can enjoy a bowl of candy alone
and wear what you want without any
shame. And with costumes and candy
come ghosts. We all have a ghost
story, or at least know someone that
does. Meredith College is no exception
to this, having its own fair share of
paranormal ghouls. Throughout the
years, Angels have reported strange
sightings on campus, in their residence
halls, and even in the elevator. In spirit
of the Halloween season, I present to
you... Ghosts of Meredith College.
According to legend, Molly
was a sophomore resident of Brewer
when she discovered she was
pregnant. With the father of the child
unknown, she decided to save herself
from the scandal by jumping down
the elevator shaft. Her body is said
to reside in the basement of Brewer
and her spirit haunts the elevator to
this day. Rumor has it that every time
you ride the elevator, you have to be
nice to the resident ghost or face the
consequences. “I’ve had some friends
that were taken to the basement
instead of the first floor at Brewer, they
said it really creepy!” said Torie Tracy,
The weird thing is, there is no button to
the basement but a key hole instead.
The only way to get down there is
either with a key or have someone
in the basement call for the elevator.
Remember this next time you get on
the elevator, and give a little hello to
Molly for me.
The other ghosts of MC
are recorded in the archives of the
Meredith Herald, previously named
The Twig. In an article appropriately
titled “Ghost on Campus...Aaaagi”, a
former staff writer writes about the
ghosts on campus during the ‘90s
and recounts her own experiences.
“The most well-known haunt is in 4th
Brewer....a student hanged herself
and haunts the hall to this day.
Moaning fills the silences - though I’m
told she stops if you ask her to,” writes
Ginny Bonkemeyer, How sweet, just
like our dear friend Molly. Bonkemeyer
continues to tell of a ghost that scaled
the trees of Stringfield and peeked
through the windows. The last ghost is
a personal favorite to Bonkemeyer, by
the name of Casper. “My loyalties will
always remain with our little friend,..in
my 1st Vann bathroom. Casper would
move the bathroom door and cast
shadowy lights...but he always kept us
company.”
Do you have any ghost stories
to share? Have a Happy Halloween
and keep an eye out for your
neighborhood spirits!
The Experience - Corn-tastrophes and All
Teressa Berton, Staff Writer
It’s the most wonderful time of the
year! That’s right, Cornhuskin’ is here!
While many students here on campus
will be a part of this beloved Meredith
tradition, few know its history on
campus. Cornhuskin’ has been a part
of campus life since its conception
in 1945 as the Meredith College
Corn Shucking Bee. The tradition
was originally intended to be a way
to welcome freshmen to campus,
but quickly became the class-wide
competition that we know and love.
In its earliest years,
Cornhuskin’ was made up of many
events, some familiar, like the parade
and hog callin’, and others less familiar.
Some of the less familiar events
include cow milkin’, where students
made their own cows compete, or the
hillbilly couples’ dance. In the hillbilly
couples’ dance competition, students
would dress in their best hillbilly
costumes and perform a dance.
Over time, more events were added,
like tall tale and apple bobbin’, and
competition continued to escalate. By
the 1960s, the competition heated up
with water pranks and other pranks
on dorms. In 1976, safety regulations
were put into place, creating what we
know today as Hall Raids, as well as
safety guidelines for competition. As
time has gone by, more events have
been added including tall tale, skit,
and the sing-song competition which
has transformed into the class song
event.
However, Corn is not always
100% fun all the time. Everyone knows
that as Cornhuskin’ approaches
and tensions rise, it can seem as
if Cornhuskin’ is bringing nothing
but disasters. Whether it be a reign
of terror to your sleep schedule or
making day-to-day life a little more
hectic, the current struggles of Corn
season are nothing compared to the
corn-tastrophies of the past.
We have all heard rumors
of the insanity that was Cornhuskin’
before the implementation of the
rules of conduct in 1976. Maybe you
have heard the unconfirmed story of
a sneaky student who fell through the
roof of Jones Auditorium while spying
on the senior class’ preparations.
Other catastrophes were the water
pranks played on students by
upperclassmen, as well as damage to
college property. Water pranks often
consisted of students pouring boiling
water down from the breezeways
between Stringfield and Vann onto
unsuspecting victims. Thankfully,
today the only remaining pranking
traditions are hall raids.
Over the years, Cornhuskin’
has continued to be a beloved
tradition, that has grown and evolved
with the college becoming a unifying
force across campus. As times have
changed, we can be thankful that we
have a found a happy balance in our
Cornhuskin’ festivities. With the rules
of conduct in place, we can focus on
unity as a college, and become even
cornier together. Whether keeping
students up all night, bringing Odds
and Evens together, or joining alumnae
across generations, Cornhuskin’ is a
tradition worth experiencing.
Women of MC
Seung Pang, Staff Writer
Neema Kimaru;
“The BLM protest was important to me
because it forced students, faculty, and
staff on our campus to acknowledge
the issue of police brutality among
innocent African Americans, as well
as other minorities. For some people
it’s easy to ignore that this is an issue.
You can turn off the news, the radio,
block things out on social media, but
it’s hard to ignore a group of over 100
people dressed in all black, laying in
the grass protesting on your way to
class. I appreciated that the Black
Student Union offered a discussion
session the following day so that
people could come together, learn,
and discuss change.”
Leena Torky:
“Being here at Meredith has been
the biggest confidence boost for
me. Being at a women’s college
surrounded by smart, driven, and
caring individuals has really helped
me get so involved and learn a lot
about myself in the process. My
amazing Big, Taylor Hudgins, started
the FEM club (Female Empowerment
at Meredith) during my freshman
year and I have been involved ever
since. Bri Crumbley was the second
president of the club and really helped
to get me even more involved in
campus activities, and I really look up
to her as a role model. This year is my
first as president of FEM, and I couldn’t
be happier. Meeting every week with
such awesome and intelligent folks
to discuss all sorts of intersectional
feminist topics feels like a dream. This
organization is a safe place for women
and gender-nonconforming
individuals to talk about important
issues, and most importantly to learn
and grow from one another. It has
truly been one of the most enriching
and empowering experiences for me,
and I look forward to every meeting.
There’s just so much to learn from all
the amazing people on this campus!”
STAFF
Emily Chilton, Editor in Chief. Sarah Kiser, Associate Editor. Sarah Smerko, Features Editor. Caroline Garrett, A&E Editor. Niki Beil, Op-Ed Editor. Rachel Crawford, News Editor. Mallory Dean,
Layout Designer. Olivia McElvaney, Online Editor.
Staff Writers; Katrina Thomas, Yessy Anorve-Basoria, Kayla Kushner, Laurie Diggett, Carolina Brust, Morgan Whithaus, Lauren Cannon, Lizbeth Hall, Anesia Fletcher, Teressa Berton,
Seung Pang.