Volume XXVn, Number 19
Montreal-Anderson College
March 31,1994
Financial Aid Office Musters Support as Tuition Increases 11 %
By Joyce Downs
Arise in thecostoftuitionfornext
year forces many individuals to aban
don M-AC and to transfer to a more
affordable institutioa
The announced'94-’95 tuition and
fees charge wUl be $8, 438. This is
approximately an 11% increase of the
’93-'94 school year tuition, $7600. The
amount of $1,686 for room and board
will remain the same.
However, becauseof the increase,
the student's bill will read a total of $ 11,
810 for resident students.
Director of Financial Aid Lisa
Lankford explained that one reasonfor
theincreaseoftuitionisthatcertainfees
such as auto registration and lab fees
have been rolled into the tuition charge.
In having done this, the student's hassle
of having to pay extra fees when they
arrive to school will be diminished.
Aside fiom the other fees such as
graduation or private room, the other
additional fees will consist of the Dis
covery Program, horseback riding, ski
ing, and applied music.
Sophomore resident Kathryn Let-
terman who is unable to return to M-AC
commented angrily, "I wasn't awarded
enough money to come back next year,
butl'mmore upset with the government
than I am with the school. Because my
parents make $50,000 a year, the gov-
emmentexpectsthemtoforkoutmoney
for me to go to college. My parents can't
help me financially, but no one in the
white house considers that"
However, some students are an
gry with the school for raising tuition
prices. One anonymous student ex
pressed that she will be transferring to
another college and this will lessen the
financial burden on herself and her par
ents.
Tirition increases do not effect this
institution alone. The March 17,1993
edition ofTheChronicleofHigherEdu-
cation reported that various private col
leges are struggling with decisions to
increase their tuition.
The article stated that increases
for the following year seemed to stay
around the 6% mark. However, the
article further stated that the percentage
is "double the rise in the consumer price
index for 1992, which was 2.9%."
Thechroniclerevealedthat though
some private colleges are raising their
tuition about 5% to 6%, othCT colleges
liketheUniversityofChicago,Dartmouth
, Mills, arxi the University of Hartford
haveannouncedayeartotwoyear"fieeze"
of tuition in order to attract proqrective
students and retain the current ones.
As far as financial aid is con
cerned, Lankford claimed that more
money has been raised for next year,
however an increase in financial aid
applicants is expected
Lankford accentuated that the fi
nancial aid office is doing its best to keep
up with the college's rising cost She
encouraged those who think they may
not be able to come back next year for
financial reasons to talk to her. She
promised to do the best she can to help.
Business V.-P. Wilmoth Delivers Free Cable & Phone Hook-Ups
" ...room and board fees will not be raised to mask charges.’'
By Jeff Lang
In response to years of student
requests, afree local phone service and
basic cable channels will be provided
beginning next year at no charge to
each dorm room.
Business Office Head, Dirk Wil
moth has been the mover and shaker in
obtaining these benefits. Wilmoth has
insured that room and board fees will
not be raised to mask service charges.
Phone service will be provided
by Raleigh-based, BTL At presenL
students must pay hook-up fees for
phone installments. Next year these
costs will be eliminated Students will
be responsible only for long-distance
calls. These calls will be billed to either
box numbers or to home addresses.
At present there is some confu
sion as to the channels and services
basic cable will provide to dorm rooms.
At a minimum, they will cover the
networksFox,PBS,andperhapsDisney.
Wilmoth is working to see if premium
channels such as HBO will be included
in the basic rate. One cable channel
some students want access to is MTV.
One student, who asked for their name
to be withheld lamented "I really think
we should be able to get MTV if we
could pay for it or have some khxi of
rulesaboutit-parent'spermission under
21." Atpresentthe lobby televisions do
receive the Country Music ChanneL
The irrplementation of these new
services will occur this summer. Dorm
rooms will be furnished with a live
phonejack and cable service. Nextyear
when students arrive aU they need to do
to receive the new services will be to
bring a television set and a phone.
Student reaction concerning the
announcementhas been positive. How
erton resident Chris Cauley excitedly
commented "I think it's a great idea and
long overdue." An incoming freshman
Greg Beaman of Mauldin, South Caro
lina, declared 'Tm glad M-AC is offer
ing the TV and phone benefits. None of
the other schools I've looked at offered
the free aspect of the deal." Former
dorm resident and senior Randy Olsen
reminisced "I would have liked to have
had phone and cable service in the dorm
rooms when I lived there. It would have
made life a lot easier. No hours of
waiting for the hall phone." Bearded
senior and English Education major
Eric Bush exclaimed with enthusiasm,
' 'i believe it will be an information revo
lution at Montreat-Anderson College!"
Lassiter Successfully Defends Dissertation
By Daniell Hartness
Biology professor Mark Lassiter
became Dr. Lassiter after ^ years of
hard woik and perseverance.
Lassiter began his journey attend
ing William and Mary College in
Williamsburg, Virginia He received
his degree as a bachelor of Sciaice -
Biology. He also received adegree as a
Doctor of Philosophy in Entomology
ard a minor in Toxicology in 1985.
He married his wife in 1985. "It
was the best decision I ever made," he
proudly commented. His wife is an
ordained pastor in the Baptist church
and has an interest in carrpusaiKi drama
ministiy. 'We felt a joint call to this
place. It was an exciting opportunity to
combine an academicpositionwith min
istry," emphasized Lassiter as he ex
plained that he and his spouse had origi
nally planned to start a canp in environ
mental studies.
He worked and received his last
year of official education at North Caro
lina State. He taught biological sciences
and organic chemistry.
Lassiter worked on his dissertation
in the NC State laboratory part-time get
ting his degree research on weekends
"and many long nights," stressed Las
siter.
He finally received his Fh.D. in
Scienceafterapproximately 15,000hours
of research and 1,000 hours of actual
writing on mosquito development
Lassiter had to go in front of de
fence, which is acommunity thatdecides
whether or not a dissertation is credible.
"Things wentwell. Itwas great," Lassiter
commented with , a sigh of relief. He
continued, "Alotofpeoplehadusintheir
prayers. WearenemindedofGod'sgrace
extended to us, this [could not have been]
possible without it"
Sink a Hole-in-One Tomorrow Night
By Chad Smith
Tomorow night student activities will be spcxisoring a night of putt-putt mini golf. The
sclKX)lvanwillleaveHowertonpaiidnglotat7pm. Anyone whoneedsarideorwhoisplanning
on going needs to be there a few minutes early so that a fun night of excitement and competition
can begin.
The games will be played at the putt-putt course near Sam's Wholesale Club on Patton
Avenue located in Asheville.
The cost of each person will be $3. The price includes two games of putt-putt and then
a tournament game. The winner of the tournament will then be pesented with a trqrhy.
Director of Student Activities Cary Willcox expessed that it will be a night to get away
and enjoy some good clean fun.
Willcox also shared that since many students will be going home because of Easter
Break, he plans to schedule another putt-putt night after the break.
Snipes, Smith Volunteer as Social Workers
By Sean Anderson
The social work internship class
has students volunteering up to 15
hours of their time in different places
throughout Montreat and the Black
Mountain area. Interns can volunteer
as social workers in such places as the
Princess Pearl Nursing Home or the
women's prison in Black Mountain.
The class has been offered for
six years and is currently taught by
Wilma Gray, wife of English profes
sor Rich Gray in conjunction with the
curriculum of the Family Science
major.
Senior Shon Snipes admitted,
"It is a great experience for us to get
involved in an area of our interests
and [prepare us] for the future. I love
working with people .. .it brings me
joy to know that I have made an
impact on the lives of the young and
old."
Howerton resident Jay Smith
volunteers at the Juvenile Evaluation
Center in Swannanoa, which is one of
the six evaluation centers in North
Carolina. The center is for kids under
the age of 18 who have had trouble
with the law. Most of the kids were
placed there for property crimes such
as vandalism or breaking and enter
ing. Smith expressed, "I enjoy very
much working with people. That job
gives me the opportunity to work with
youth and that is what I would like to
do with the rest of my life."