NORTH CAROLINA COLLECTION'
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA LIBRARY
CHAPEL HILL, N, C.
S7514
CROSSROADS
Belmont Abbey College
V r o .V s r « tt #/ v
VOLUME 1 - ISSUE 2
JANUARY, 1972
Bold Cuts Insure
Bright Future
As you may have already
heard, Belmont Abbey College
has made some major revisions
in the academic and varsity
sports program. It is felt that the
best presentation of these
changes appears as it was
originally announced by Father
John Bradley, the president.
What follows is: one, the memo
read to the faculty and then
to the student body; two, the
official press release from the
College; three, a reaction of the
press to the announcement.
Presidential Memo
Facing up to the financial
problems afflicting Belmont
Abbey College has been by far
the most worrying and
challenging part of my job since
I came here. Throughout the
whole of last year, I brought this
problem to the urgent attention
of the Trustees, Administration,
and Faculty. Last year,
however, rather than recom
mend serious action to cope with
this problem, I decided to study
the situation further, even
though I knew that many
comparable colleges had
already taken such serious
action.
At the beginning of this year I
asked the Treasurer of the
College to give me an accounting
of the deficit situation. A sum
mary of his detailed report
shows that despite freezing
wages and a slight increase in
student enrollment, the College
has at present an accumulated
deficit of approximately
$200,000. The projection over the
next three years shows that we
would have an additional deficit
of $400,000. This would be the
case even if we continue to freeze
wages during that period, a
policy I am not willing to adopt.
The overall projection,
therefore, shows that by June 1,
1975, the College would have an
accumulated deficit of ap
proximately $600,000. That, of
course, would necessitate the
closing of the College. We are
determined that this shall not
happen. Consequently, bold
measures must be resorted to
now to insure the survival of the
College.
I presented this alarming
situatioji to the Board of
Trustees in September and
received from the Trustees a
letter dated September 28 in
structing the Administration to
study carefully the present
operation of the College and to
take all possible steps to
eliminate our deficit situation.
Responding to this letter, the
Administration, working with
the Budget Committee, drew up
its recommendations.
Included in these recom
mendations are the following
broad measures: a) the ohasing
out of the Pre-Engineering (3-2
and 2-2) Programs; b) the
dropping of a major in
Philosophy; c) the dropping of
baseball, golf, tennis, and track
as intercollegiate sports; d) a
substantial reducation in the
library book budget.
The Administration’s
recommendations, while
requesting the cutting of certain
programs, also requested the
strengthening of other
programs, particularly those
that are experiencing a growing
student demand. In formulating
the recommendations, the Ad
ministration has made every
effort to preserve a healthy
educational program despite the
grave need to effect the
economies that are essential at
this time.
The Administration’s
recommendations were
presented to the Board of
Trustees on Monday, November
1, and after detailed explanation
and discussion, were adopted
unanimously.
My role in these serious
measures is one that I dearly
wish I could have avoided. But it
is my sincere conviction that no
other alternative is open to me at
this time. It is also my sincere
conviction that by taking this
action we can make it possible
Please Turn To Page 2, Col. 1
Father Bertrand is seen looking out of the observatory dome on the
old science building when it was first installed many years before
the move to the William Gaston Science Hall.
Gaston Hall Has New Look
Until the summer of 1971,
thousands of motorists driving
East and West along 1-85 would
have found it hard to identify
William Gaston Science Hall as
a new science building.
Architecturally it was
competing with Pharr’s new
textile complex slightly west of
it. Now, from either approach
to the highway, a reflecting
dome crowns the building, an
obvious science complex with
an observatory.
For many years. Father
Bertrand, who originated the
Abbey’s first observatory out of
a fallout shelter, dreamed of the
establishment of a more
permanent structure. Through
the generosity of his friends in
Maine, the dream is now a
reality. The new site, which
enabled the observatory to be
bodily moved from the old
science building in May, will
allow it to accommodate five
telescopes. The main
telescope, under the dome, will
be a 12” Cassegrainian. The
mirrors were made and donated
The big lift begins.
by Mr. B. T. Dickson of
Gastonia. Because of these and
other generous gifts,
completion of the astronomy
facilities is looked for later this
Fall.
Father Bertrand has already
begun use of the observatory for
please Turn To Page 8, Col. 1