J
^he Decline and Fall of
c kill®^
that one
n Ashevill®
MiUlnn
Mars Hill, N.C. 28754
Vol. LII., No. 8, March 10, 1979
Wonderful Wednesdays
by Sara LeFever
The
ij open senate meeting on February 28th attracted a packed Belk auditorium.
iWj'o issue for drawing over 300 students was “The Decline and Fall of Wonder-
have been a spurt of rumors associated with the Wednesday topic; mainly
' of mini-term. Dr. Richard Hoffman, Vice President for Academic Affairs,
^-'-vesmen on the subject. He assured the audience that there was no connec-
“ ^iween mini-term and wonderful Wednesdays. The results of a poll taken on
>ii,(1|'^i-term showed 84% of the students who participated had positive feelings
W' Mini-term will continue to be held each January at Mars Hill College.
'•off'' the rumors were cleared up focus returned to the possible loss of Wednes-
V ■ Dr. Hoffman surprised the students by stating that he did not wish to create
iicy f'•hedule but to return to one that supposidly was already in use. This 4-1-4
W 1
^ then, how did ‘Wonderful Wednesdays’ evolve? The 1971 policy was to
'./'“Oiif 11 .1 . .1 r 1.1 _i r* 1 1. xi-_
'^®nt into effect in 1971. The objective was “never to schedule a day off.”
schedules so that the faculty has classes five days a week.” Over the years
• .Ollr- ' * ■ 1 1 . 1 .r. 1 1 1
•liY“°''Ved this plan was not adhered to. Teachers began to shift schedules so
’ Mnesdays were mainly free days. As a result, 2/3 of M.H.C. students do not
®ses in the middle of the week. The main shift-over happened in 1976.
V noffman brought up several problems he has associated with ‘wonderful
''liiH ' "Tn the eyes of some people Wednesdays are a day off, a weekend in
.1 '’die of the week. Under this assumption, Tuesday nights in the dorms are
*(|n is unfair to the 530 students on campus that do have classes the next day. If
some we should do it for all.” Dr. Hoffman feels this problem could be
,1 if everyone had equal commitment in preparation for the next day. He went
out that some students even go home in the middle of the week. “I would
t)J®’urn the focus on the teaching/learning process,” said Hoffman.
V^P'itive response from the senate and students followed. Dr. Hoffman answered
® for over an hour. “I would like to know why students are not confronted in
decisions?” asked senator David Ward. “The student voice should be
%'j^ His point was that students are often not confronted over major decisions
Nut administration. Commuter Sheldon Greene spoke on behalf of the
A“Most commuters do not have classes on Wednesdays. With the price
N day off is essential to our budgets.” The main arguments centered a-
fact that students need Wednesdays to prepare for classes. Tim Carter
.Session by
designed:”
Session by saying, “We would like to fight for what we desire, not for what
Down The Drain
A
’81
Ad ^'”’sing facility have been ap-
m'**- of an athletic dorm is a heavy
According
an
our campus. /\ccorui
Aic VHDERGROUND, “plans for
y key college officials.” The
on to say that in the fall of
\ ^elr,
Of dormitory will be the
Aoij 3ll males that participate in
ijNl sports. That article and
vA ®oussion of the proposal stim-
%, '’utr,
I Of
age amongst the student
Hoffman, Vice President
V Affairs, spoke at the Feb-
V* f,f ^ppen senate meeting on the
’he “jock dorm.” The main
offjj of the dorm, pointed out by
were; 1. to ensure academ-
for the football players, 2. to
A relatively small crowd protested Monday against dropping
"Wonderful Wednesdays."
Returning to a policy that is supposedly already in effect did not strike out as
fair. Most of the large audience left dissatisfied. Dr. Hoffman even admitted that “I
have been irresponsible in enforcing the 1971 policy.” Why the policy went unen
forced was a question not clearly answered.
Time will tell if the meeting accomplished anything. The students at Mars Hill
College are plainly caught in the middle of a policy created nine years ago and a
slackness of enforcement. Wednesdays are a right that have been given to us. They
should not be jerked away.
Middle Income AssistanceTo Aid Students
by David Bowerman
inforce rules and regulations of the foot
ball players, and 3. to consolidate foot
ball housing during pre-school practice.
Dr. Bentley, Dean Holcombe, and Dr.
Hoffman met on the morning previous
to the February 28th senate meeting to
discuss the proposal. The decision
outcome of the trio’s meeting was to
terminate plans for the athletic dorm.
There are many reasons for the aban
donment of the proposal. Dr. Hoffman
said at the senate meeting that he was
“pleased with what I’ve seen develope
in the students over the past couple
weeks”, which proves the student voice
can be heard. We, the students, car
ried dead weight in the protest against
the segregation of the athletes.
Now a lot more people will be elig-
able for financial help from the BEOG
(Basic Educational Opportunity Grant).
According to John Hamrick, Director of
Financial Aid at Mars Hill College, the
eligability for this assistance was great
ly expanded by the Middle Income As
sistance Act, a Federal law passed No
vember 1st. Those students with paren
tal income of $25000 and lower are elig-
able for help with a BEOG. Other cir
cumstances, of course, are involved in
determining the eligability of the in
dividual student. This help could range
from $200-$1800 in the next academic
year.
Other forms of financial aid have
been expanded recently, too. About
60% of the students at MHC are expected
to be affected by this increase. Among
these forms is the Work Study program.
The North Carolina Legislature appro
priates $400 to residents of the state with
need; and this has been recommended
to be raised to $500. This will be vot
ed on during the summer.
Financial aid is still available, and has
been increased. Details are obtain
able in the Financial Aid Office.
The key to receiving financial aid is
in starting early. While it is not too
late, financial aid is awarded on a first-
come, (with need) first-served basis.
Hamrick says that students should
fde a Financial Aid Form, (FAF) and a
Mars Hill College Application for Fi
nancial Aid. For the Basic Grants pro
gram mentioned above, a student fil
ing for the first time will receive, in six
Torm telling of him or her of his
eligibility. A copy of this should be sent
as soon as possible to the Office of Fi
nancial Aid at Mars Hill College so that
the award can be made.
The deadline for the many on-campus
scholarships, another form of financial
aid, was March 1st.