Samford University - Entre Nous Yearbook (Birmingham, AL)

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D 'G O M ancing at Sam- ford? As an in- stitution spon- sored by the Alabama State Baptist Convention, the University did not allow dancing on campus, yet it did take place at fraternity parties and Llniversity-spon- sored band parties. Many students wondered what the difference was. Dean Rick Traylor, as- sociate dean of students, was anxious to clear the air on the subject. According to Traylor, band parties were held off-campus for a variety of reasons. First, because of the support from the Ala- bama Baptist Convention, dancing was not allowed on campus. The Baptist Faith and Message , the official doctrine of the Baptist denomination does not con- done dancing. Secondly, dancing was not sanctioned by the Board of Trustees. Finally, off-campus dances allowed students to ex- perience a change of pace and scenery. l'm excited that Samford has finally opened up the chance to call our 'band par- ties,' 'dances' because our students jam, said senior Colleen Gaynor. Due to Southern Baptist doctrine and support, any school-sponsored dances were required to be held off campus. One aspect of the dancing question pertained to the definition of on and off campus. The biggest question concerned fraterni- ty housing. All the fraternities, except Sigma Chi, had houses on the back portion of the cam- pus that were considered off campus. Sigma Chi was housed on the bottom floor of Crawford-Johnson dorm. Traylor explained that although the Sigma Chi room was more on-campus than off, it was given the same off-campus status as other fraternity housing, and thus, the brothers were allowed to dance at the mix- ers they held in their room. Traylor said he felt very positive and excited about the school-sponsored dances. Anytime you have 1,600 students at a Welcome Back function, it's a big suc- Davld Rlgg cess, Traylor said. The Welcome Back Dance and the first Homecoming Ball were both well attended. As long as students act as they do now, they fthe dancesj will con- tinue, Traylor said. Mem- bers of the bands, policemen and authorities in charge all commented positively on student conduct. lt really makes me proud, Traylor said. Overwhelmingly, students were very much in favor of dancing. The dances are so much fun and they seem to bring the whole campus together instead of focusing on individual groups, said Tom Savage, a sophomore from Birmingham. Kim Ancona, a sopho- more from Atlanta, Ga., said, l meet new people every time l go to a dance and it's neat to see them at school the next week. Chris Perkins, president of the Ministerial Associa- tion said, dances are good, clean fun that everyone seems to enjoy. Some future events were planned, and after the suc- raig Thomas, a freshman religion major from Fayett- ville, Ga., dances to the beat along with a good friend and many other students who turn- ed out for the Jan term dance. cess of the Jan term dance, the Step Sing celebration dance, and the Spring Fling Ball, students were looking forward to what the SGA had in mind. A M'A S'H dance, a Sadie Hawkins dance, and another ball at The Club were all on the agenda for upcoming events. Dawnie Lltz, a freshman from Sarasota, Fla., had her own ideas about how the dances might be improved. She said, It seems like they would be better if there was more entertainment, like bands or contests. Dancing was an issue that many students felt strongly about, and whether one agreed or disagreed, most students appreciated the ef- forts of the administration to work with the students on the issue. The chance to dance? It had finally arrived, as students, side by side with the faculty and administra- tion, reserved the right to say Let's dance! El ,Suzanne Harrington and Rachel Pinson Student Life fi he

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4 af I p a r k l i n g A satin and .shimmering sequins co- vered the Leslie S. Wright stage earlier than usual when the Miss En- tre Nous pageant got under way. The pageant, a preliminary to the Miss Alabama contest, was moved from its usual position during the spring semester to an earlier date in November. The change was made to give the winner more time to prepare for the Miss Alabama pageant in June. Directors Clay Chaffin, Rhonda Garrett and Mar- sha Pritchett worked with officials from the Miss Alabama staff to ensure a professional production. The pageant opened with a parade of the con- testants, and then dazzled the audience during the evening gown competi- tion. The girls wooed the judges in their finery be- fore they were whisked away to prepare for the talent competition. Al- though the back dressing rooms were the scenes of total chaos, with gowns, hot rollers, makeup and hair brushes strewn across the floors, the con- testants managed to change and appear flaw- less in front of the judges. Special talent was pro- vided by i986 Miss Alabama, Angela Cal- lahan, who also emceed the production. She was in the Top 10 of the Miss America pageant, and sang Let Freedom Ring. Cyndi Mashburn, a sophomore physical education major and the reigning 1986 Miss St. Clair County, also made an appearance during the special talent segment of the program. The talent portion of the show entertained the audience with a variety of songs and routines. From piano pieces, vocal rendi- tions and dance routines, the show was saturated with ability. Freshman math major Julie Evans of Sylacauga won the talent competition with Emceeing for the pageant, Angela Callahan 1986 Miss Alabama, sang Let Freedom Ring for a special talent presentation. her piano excerpt. She was sponsored by the sisterhood of Zeta Tau Alpha. Junior Laura Bil- lingsley of Hollywood, Fla., gave a crowd-pleas- ing show with her hilar- ious rendition of the song Ring Them Bells. She advised the girls in the audience to get to know their neighbors! The swimsuit competi- tion was held Friday afternoon before the pageant and was closed to all except the judges. This portion was won by Kim Williamson, a fresh- man from Birmingham. Sponsored by Chi Ome- ga, she danced to the Overture from Mame for her talent. After the talent com- petition, the audience was entertained by 1985 Miss Entre Nous, Christie Dykes, who sang Safe ln The Hands of Jesus, ac- companied by Mark Dowdy a friend from Gainesville, Ga. 1986 Miss Entre Nous, Teresa Chappell, sang We've V Only Just Begun as the audience waited for the announcement of the winners. Chappell man- aged to make it through some tough production difficulties, which in- cluded problems with the tape, to give a beautiful solo rendition of the old Karen Carpenter favorite. Angela Callahan filled in the time until the judges made their final decision with anecdotes from her experiences as Miss Alabama. The contestants in- cluded: Wendy Rooker, who was sponsored by the senior class and sang Amazing Grace, Leisa Wheeler, who was spon- sored by Gamma Sigma Phi and sang WouIdn't It Be Lovely, Laura Bil- lingsley, who was spon- sored by Alpha Delta Pi and sang Ring Them Bells, Tracy Jolly, who was sponsored by the Student Dietetic Associa- tion and sang The Man That Got Away, Sonya Phillips, who was spon- sored by Zeta Tau Alpha Cont. on pg. 26