Wake Forest University - Howler Yearbook (Winston Salem, NC)

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Outwardly Wake Forest exists in its red brick and white columns. It makes no difference whether a person is a joiner or an activist, a dedicated member of one organization, or a person who needs all his time to study. The people he lives with and the hilarious experiences he has while working in an organization could compile his memories of college. But so could the idea that his time was his own, and that he had no responsibilities except to him- self. And as for relaxation — that is entirely up to the individual. The parties are always there, and so are the CU concerts. Possibly, he would rather go to a violin concert, take a walk in the gardens or sit down and read the book that he has been saving for such a long time. Whatever the student is looking for in college, it is his individual responsibility to find it. In the process he is bound to change, as is the system of which he is a part. But it is his obligation to take an active part and to care. He must also think and use his values by doubt- ing and questioning. Finding out more about himself and his world, he will be able to express himself crea- tively; sensitive and enlightened communication is, after all, the only means to order and progress. Ulti- mately, it is the only mean s to the life of productivity and joy that comes with committing oneself to what one does best. ?vW % !«• '

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or a rationale which never existed for him before. Or he may have fun proving a theorem. This excitement in learning is part of the motivation in education. It is indeed sad when a student hears a poem read to him in class, and he is embarrassed because it makes him want to cry or because he wants to jump up and say. Hey, I ' ve felt that way, too. No one should feel this type of embarrassment. True learning cannot take place until there is an emotional response. Nonetheless, some students complain of a non-intellec- tual atmosphere. They bemoan superfluous courses and an infrequency of seminars and independent study. They say that professors merely lecture and never en- courage class discussion. But they note, too, that when discussion is encouraged, many students do not par- ticipate. Much of what these unsatisfied students seek is already at Wake Forest; it is here for them to take an active interest in and to build upon. But the chal- lenge of this sensitive atmosphere and demanding cur- riculum will not be laid in their laps, it will be available for them to grasp. Of course, there are other students who do not care at all for arguing radical ideas or confronting new at- titudes. Even in their conservatism, however, they have learned from their exposure to these ideas. A small class in which they can talk and disagree with their professor is not where they feel most comfortable: they would rather take lecture notes. And text books are what they prefer in classes; they do not work well within the confines of a reading list or student investi- gation and presentation of a topic. Because these stu- dents are more at ease in and more familiar with this atmosphere of lectures and objective quizzes they do not seek out such field studies as the Anthropology department ' s summer in Belize or the freedom of in- dependent study. Wake Forest offers both of these atmospheres to the student, as its liberal arts curriculum demands. If the idea of this polarity in academic structure is bother- some, one must realize that each student will seek and develop his most conducive atmosphere for study. In the curriculum changes which are promised for the near future, students will find new structures to meet their needs and new and exciting challenges. This is the tradition of Wake Forest. A parallel to these disparities of academic life is the range of life styles of the different students. For the die-hard Greek there is a fellowship that exists best where it is talked about least, and for the independent, as many friendships and activities as he craves. Ml

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