Meredith College - Oak Leaves Yearbook (Raleigh, NC)

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of Meredith is seeking communication among its residents. We should broaden the scope from student leadership and policies to more attention to the individual student herself. The moods on Meredith campus are numerous. This annual hopes to portray these moods, treat- ing them in a contemporary manner. Everywhere one looks on campus, there is tension — an up-coming paper, a deadline to meet, an inter- view to attend, a quarrel with someone loved. Too often this all too present feeling of tension is overlooked or merely accepted as one more facet of life ' s hard road. Then there is anticipation. At one point in a life- time, something causes anticipation which some- times leads to worry, sometimes to happy relief. But the feeling is here; why ignore it? Each student at Meredith is involved with the cultural aspects of campus life as well as the life of society. A young lady today finds herself thrown with all types of people and the varying opinions and preferences that these people bring. She listens, ponders, and decides for herself. Col- lege life at Meredith affords a young girl with excellent opportunities for confrontations of this kind. Meredith affords each girl (who will take advan- tage of it) an opportunity to delve into politics or the social problems of the world and area. The Blind School, Dorothea Dix Hospital, the slum areas, and the fact that Raleigh is the government center of North Carolina, to mention a few, pre- sent invaluable experiences for the students of Meredith. We learn that the handicapped or underpriviledged are not in need of our sympa- thy; they are in need of our physical help. There is an opportunity available for each student, whether it be direct contact or financial assis- tance. This outside activity should be more than an organizational function. It should become an individual project. It is hoped that the treatment of these situations will move girls to action. This annual is dedicated to each individual stu- dent at Meredith. It is the purpose of this open- ing section to portray as best as possible the moods on campus, with the single student as a theme. Therefore, it is divided into two distinct sections — Heritage and the Present; one to cap- ture the tradition at Meredith and the other to deal with the moods and involvements of the students. It is my hope that it will make each of you stop and think, whether you are a faculty membe r, an administrative staff member, or a student. There are problems and moods on the Meredith campus which should be reckoned with before new policies and building projects can receive their just appreciation. Meredith affords every young lady every possible oppor- tunity. However, there is an apathetic attitude which will hinder the full value of these oppor- tunities. President Heilman has offered some val- uable advice in his Convocation speech: The best we can hope for as we seek real success this year is a positive and enthusiastic spirit. Ralph Waldo Emerson was right when he said nothing was ever achieved without enthusiasm. If we think that we will succeed as a college only by building a brilliant faculty or by maintaining a good library or by attracting intelligent students or by guaranteeing academic freedom in a broadly objective sense, we are mistaken. Energy and hard work and enthusiasm and imagination spell the difference between any common college and an uncommon one. With the right spirit and enthusiasm we need not be concerned about fail- ing — we will succeed. As a group — as a family — our apathetic feelings will vanish and they will be replaced by enthusiasm. May God bless our efforts.

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