Birmingham Southern College - Southern Accent Yearbook (Birmingham, AL)

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' SOUTHERN SOCIETY: Union of Mind and Heart At BSC, dating is an extension of seriousness: less than passion in the parking lot by the tennis courts, it is more often a study date in the darkened recesses of the library or a period of contemplation behind Yielding Chapel. Apollos and Venuses drink of that potent mead— the BSC Social Mixer (2 parts-Southern Conformity, 2 Greek olives, 3 genteel mint sprigs, little water) -and promptly love ' s labor is lost in that grand illusion, promulgated by the P. R. department: that social life at a small southern school is a many-splendored thing. Thus, publicity broc- hures present a traditional view of social relations at Birmingham-Southern College: hospitality, mint juleps (sans alcohol), et al. But the College is not a social mecca, at least not in the conventional sense. The caliber of students reflects seri- ous pursuits and an attraction to the school primarily for its academic excellence. Most Autumn Visitors come to recognize the constant reminder of broken P. R. image in the term suit-case college — for rumor has it that many freshmen pick up a one-way ticket to Auburn or Alabama, where the action is. It ' s very easy, though, to write off ' Southern as the Date- less Capital of Alabama, when in reality it is so much more. Lettermen performing for the Accent pageant, bridge in snackbar or dorm, chess clubs, pool in the rec room. Cinema 298, mailbox conversation, weekend SGA movies -all disprove the common tango theory of so- cial life on campus: that it requires two of opposite kind to have fun. Nonetheless, the College, of course, provides a purely academic approach to social development: rhythms class, Cinema 10, etc. The union of mind and heart is liberal arts education ' s contribution to social life; and it is a relatively easy thing to achieve, especially with the num- ber of basketball, tennis, and baseball scholarship reci- pients coming to ' Southern.

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Intellectuality is of a special brand on the Hilltop. Far from being GPA or College Theatre, it ' s more like studying in the cafeteria during break or cutting class to talk with Charles Weltner. Education simply can ' t get away from the personal touch — as long as professors spend more time in the snack bar than in the classroom or the President sits down at the break with 50 students to discuss the ever mercurial state of the college. Perhaps some of that prideful glow over our intellectual- ity has dimmed since Dr. Abernethy learned that Quest and the Honor Code are mutually exclusive. THE EDUCATIONAL The College offers so much more than the multi-level, multiplex, multi-dollar university: it requires some rational analysis, a little sublimated Bonhoffer, and a lot of indi- viduality to produce thinking, Birmingham-Southern style. While old curriculum mildews over, new curriculum turns out factory-fresh. The College and its students recognize the need for change (an admirable and surprising quality in a small southern school), for minds wander to Granny for lack of a complete challenge. Yet, the intolerance of mediocrity is for real — and like now, man. Pursuit of academic excellence , the Man says — each in his own way; for intellectualism at ' Southern is as much an individual thing as an avocado toothbrush or a pack of Camels. Granted, most of ' Southern ' s kind are not 3.9 scholars or burners of 2 a.m. oils. Some few even say, We ought to be where there ' s more action and less grind, and those are promptly excluded from the select in-crowd of BSC stu- dents who are committed to a four-year course in anxiety because they believe in the gospel according to HMP— to strive for intellectual refinement . The idea of cocurricularism, the realm beyond the class- room and snack bar that Birmingham-Southern offers, may not appeal to all of the students all of the time; but surely it appeals to some once in a while. 10