North Carolina Wesleyan College - Dissenter Yearbook (Rocky Mount, NC)

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participate actively in the academic and extracurricular affairs of the collegeg and to uphold those rules and regulations which have been openly and democratically decided. For some of our students this policy does add to their discontent because it forces them to decide for themselves what they will or will not do. It means that they must live with their decision - for the first time for some of our students. Our office is not going to snoop around and check to see if they are abiding with the rules or not. VVe're not going to check to see that they have been to class or if they are studying in their room or down at the Retreat. The students involved in the situation must help me decide whether their action was responsible or not. DISSENTER: In your opinion, do students want this responsibility? VVILDE: Quite a few of our students do. Others find it frustrating. In fact, the majority of the crises of this year in stu- dent affairs have been because students wanted to be involved. They have been in conflict with themselves and the college over their role in the college. The President's Proclamation which came in the midst ofy the boycott in Rocky Mount caused students to l question what their role was and how effective it could be. Students and administrators debated what the proclamation meant, how it could be enforced, how it affected off-campus activities, and what students could do

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What type of image will l project? , What is my social code? , How do l react to the church and to the world? , Shall I drink?f', Shall l experiment with drugs? , etc. His uncertainty contributes to his dis- content. Often, the college serves as a catalyst. Take for example, the parking situation. After repeated complaints from the students about a poorly planned parking pattern, the college hired a man to check parking and give tickets. There were howls of protest from students. So we turned the matter over to the S. G. A. They could not solve the problem, and the President of the S. G. A. asked this office to take the problem back. We immediately announced 510.00 fines for parking in the driveways. The problem was solved but do you know what students then said? All this college is interested in is my money. Another example is the men's dorm. The residents complain about the noise but they won't pass regulations concerning it, and the Dorm Council will not take action. l tell them, ltfs your dorm and you have to live there. Do something about the noise. But they seem to think it is someone else's job. These sloppy attitudes are adolescent characteristics and demonstrate that our students are experiencing growth pains. DISSENTER: Do you think your policy of could add to the student's discontent? And what exactly does freedom of respon- sibility mean? -WILDE: The policy of freedom with responsibility has two direct meanings to students. lt means they have freedom: to learn, to participate in the affairs of the college, to help make decisions about the administration of the college, to learn to make wise decisions about their own personal and individual lives, and to benfireie of meaningless and oppressive rules and regulations which the college might enforce upon them. But, it also means that they have responsibility to consider the ethical, moral, and educational con- sequences of their words, conduct, and activity to themselves, other students, and the college, and to be fully accountable for such words, conduct and activity, to

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g l 4 ,X about the Proclamation. The Senate lost no time in debating the merits of the Proc- lamation. It has taken all year to revise the Proclamation and the students have had a voice - a large voice in the revision. The struggle between the Business Office and the SGA over the pool table money is another example of students trying to identify and maintain their rights. less and his supporters were aware of the financial problems of the college, and they were very aware of the inefficiencies of the maintenance of the campus. Their concern about the lack of student services in com- bination with the fact that when the pool l l . l P A! ,wx pil: 'mi ' rrp, ,, ii -l .,Q ,l i lx ' , rl ' ' .1 N' film: H ,Wifi swirl' illltl p, i vii, l- . . 'l li l.l'f,i'il l shi ' .il i, l T wi ll :ruin ' ,rl ni.. ,il 1 f ililllil N ,Dill Q btw. if ll' 1- fl iw. T ini. , ,wi rr, Jim i tables were set up, that money was to go to the students lead them to stop turning W 1 Y li., iw 1. T ig ,V wwf it l ,3l'il'lfl ,i -.l l i my V .al l . ill-Il . f iw' ,ul disegilul'l11 . ,- ' 1, li Tv' X,',1ii f'l'Wfli the money over to the Business Office.lflfj'l.j.?,jlli 1 Because the money came from the students, fi '1 , , tint X they wanted it used for them. A yearlongllf lllr 'it4illi': lead to the agreement that the SGA would have 752 of the money and 252 would struggle for student control of this moyneymiii r-ri it , ' ,lgilllqllrlyiliwi T 'gli -'ti will - ' F-':.:i,Hj:iA,3r5f l, turned over to the Business Office. .1 5 T itll? Concern of a different nature provoked student's interest in action on behalf of Greg Hall. Students were asking whatlthey could do about faculty members they, thought were being mistreated. Campus: it iw M.: .1 .L f .ll i ii, will , ' , ,i Jw X,..i1 , ., T, ilu ,i id im. M , 'tiff ll: T ii ,,r,, V wi if i'l'Ul3l1.' l .r , M T, ,,,i!,,,,,H,,V- r , . u 1 ,i, '1'.'1llt'1 1 l. ,, , ,i,. . -it--1. ,tgirl it- ,ati xl C - li'-. ,vii '-ill .,,,r5iliXir:f.:, ,ra newspaper coverage, conferences with yyi. President Collins, and a threat to prompted a face the meeting to discuss the problems lofi college. A three-hour conference resolve any problems, but the confrontation of students andlladlmiirnistijaa tion helped convince everyone that more dialogue is needed. Plans have been made for such communication next year. The cone ference did accomplish twoimportant things.. tl: Nl-L '1 ti 5- -' T wif t l ,, -tilul' Y ,: 1 'ill lf .fl 5 :is Rumors about administrative decisions' were dispelled - factswere straightened out and students found, out that there are roles , W lf, ,- - ri 1-' is x it 1, :li