Wheaton College - Nike Yearbook (Norton, MA)

Page 31 text:

disregarded, has tried by strict enforce- ment to make campusing unbreakable, save for emergencies. Not only are repri- mands gone, but so has most loose campus- ing. It is now reserved for petty cases, “incorrigibles,’’ noise makers, for example. C.G.A. not only makes laws and gives judgments but sponsors college busses and the monthly dances, a very material, though pleasant, side overlooked by many of us. We all automatically ac- cept Wheaton College Cit- izenship with its obliga- tions as well as its privil- eges when first we become students, the preamble to the C.G.A. Constitution Bayeeee. (x... eStrives? to “enact and enforce laws promoting the highest standards of honor and integrity.”’ It is trying to obtain codperation, trying to make the entire college feel the respons1- bility of citizenship, that C.G.A. is made up of their own number, for their own Cabinet in Session good, and is not merely a superior body to give out campusing and collect the budget twice a year. The efforts of College Government have been criticized, but the great weight of student opinion is on the side of their new and liberal interpretation of rules. It is one more evidence that Wheaton looks, not back, but for- ward. The new spirit has been felt in every corner of campus; from the Cole Room to the bookstore one meets the serious eyes and intent voices that signify progress.Not that fun has been for- gotten; rather that the seriousness of certain fun- damental ideas of self- government has been realized. And so after a year of new endeavor, C.G.A. feels that it has attained a certain measure of success. It is the work of more than one year. This has been the start— may we see an equally fine continuation. [27]

Page 30 text:

College Government . . C.G.A.’s plans for this year have been big plans. It will take more than one year to complete the job that this year’s Associ- ation has begun. With the abolition of the reprimand system C.G.A. has striven for maturity. Fun has been poked at this over- worked word. Vaudeville panned it. But, none-the-less, it is a good word to use. C.G.A. has tried to reach an understand- ing with the students. It has tried, not only to apply the laws, but to consider the reasons why such rules were made. This has meant more work for all. Every case, no matter how small it is, is brought before Cabinet, discussed, considered, and judgment given. Every case is tried with- out disclosure of the name of the offender. This method makes judgment completely impartial. Every Monday night Cabinet Senior Members, in caps and gowns, meet in the Doll’s House to take up cases. The actual make-up of C.G.A. has not changed. It is still composed of three parts: the Board, an active law-making body; the Council, a deliberative body for discussion where problems discovered by the students and reported to a member of Council are taken up; and—the Cabinet, a judicial body. The four main offices this year were held by Barbara Sprague, Presi- dent, Mildred Poland, Vice-president, Carol Smith, Treasurer, and Bettina Con- ant, Secretary. Rules and structure remain the same. It is only in interpretation and outlook that C.G.A. is changing, not ina revolutionary way but slowly and surely for the better. Penalties, while they have been given freely and are sterner than the treatment of more than three reprimands, have been given carefully. C.G.A., realizing that punishment is not punishment if it can be

Page 32 text:

WG ae One of the oldest and most prominent of Wheaton institutions, Y.W.C.A. holds an honored place among her organiza- tions. Both the promotion of companion- ship and Christian unity, which is the national purpose, and the immediate needs of campus itself are recognized by Whea- ton’s chapter. Although everyone paying her semi-annual budget is officially in- cluded on the roster, there is a wide field of active participation for inter- ested students. During our first few weeks at Wheaton, we were informed of a ‘‘can- dlelight’’ service. That evening arrived, and everyone filed slowly into Chapel, receiving a white candle at the door. It was very quiet within, there was an appreciative si- lence for the short service; then the white-gowned officers lighted their candles and passed down the center aisle, giving their light to those in the darkness. Soon the Chapel glowed with hundreds of tiny lights, someone began to sing, and the assembly moved through the open doors toward Peacock Pond. Here the candles were set adrift on the black water, and the singing became quieter as the white flames floated away. It was symbolic of Wheaton’s unity, her desire to pass the light of learning to all her students. In November we found that the success- ful Riding Meet Dance was another Y.W. venture. Y.W. workers hang spangled stars across a blue cheesecloth sky, invent new delicious punch recipes, and arrange carnival lighting for the November and February formals. Informal dances in the Sem are occasionally sponsored by the social committee. It’s a grand idea for a Saturday evening date, for you can munch sugar-doughnuts while playing your fav- orite Tommy Dorsey recording. Christmas brings an atmosphere of holi- day festivity to Wheaton, for ‘‘Good King Wenceslas,’’ the Mum- mers, and Christmas trees tule the campus. Those green boughs twined a- round the pillars in Ey- erett arethe work of Y.W., as are the Christmas box- es you contribute to with last year’s ski pants and red sweater. Suddenly by the end of the semester, you tealize how much Y.W. means to Wheaton and to you, its attempts to promote cooperatio n and efficiency in so many ways, its con- stant coordination behind scenes, the angora mittens so miraculously restored to you through Lost and Found, the supply of magazines in the Infirmary, the milk chocolate and peppermints sold in dorms. Perhaps one of the most interesting Y.W. features is the Play Club which ar- ranges a weekly meeting of the Norton first grade in the Nursery School. It’s fun to help paint improbable wall murals with the six-year-olds, to watch May Irene riding a dappled hobby-horse, and Lenny leading the band. Among the organization’s varied ac- tivities are the Community Service—aid to the Norton district nurse and Red Cross funds—and the Norton Night School, [ 28 |