• Format
  • Publications (documents)
• Type
  • Text
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Identifier
  • HL_WesternCarolinian_1974-01-17_Vol39_No31_04

PAGE 4 THE WESTERN CAROLINIAN THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 1974 No More Secrecy The open meeting with the faculty members of the chancellor selection committee yesterday turned out as a 'To Tell the Truth" game with Watergate undertones. The audience was forewarned of the confidentiality involved, but it was still frustrating to hear most of the questions answered with "We cannot disclose that information" and "I cannot answer that now." After all, the reason most of the crowd showed up was to discern whether the rumors that abound the campus are fact or fiction. Was one of the prime candidates railroaded through the committee by higher ups in Chapel Hill? Is the selection a fait accompli? The committee members were, of course bound by their vows of secrecy, and, with the exception of Harold Rogers, were unable to express much more than an assurance that the process had been as open and free from interference as possible. And we wonder about Rogers' motive in his dissent. The charges that the UNC system is railroading another autocrat into office may prove to be valid, but at this point his stand appears to be a culmination of personal difficulties with the group. Now, with the names having already publicly aired by WLOS and with rumors circulating wildly, we feel that public disclosure by the search committee of the candidates' names and the criteria used in choosing them would be in order. These rumors are only destructive of any goals of achieving peace at WCU, and to investigate them, we will need more than "I can't answer that now." Politics In Education Former Governor Bob Scott's attempt to take higher education questions out of the General Assembly by setting up an independent UNC Board of Governors has been seriously threatened by East Carolina University's haggling for a degree granting medical school. Scott wanted finances to be distributed to the 16 state institutions according to need, not according to the individual institution's ability to pressure state legislators. However, cowed by ECU'S bellicosity, the Board of Governors procrastinated too long before making a peremptory decision to refuse East Carolina's bid for the medical school. The board's lack of courage in dealing with ECU might ultimately lead to the board's debasement. ECU should have been quickly and sternly whipped in line. Instead, unable to deal with the question itself, the board set up a com mission of out-of-state medical experts to study the practicality of putting a complete medical school at ECU. In the commission's apparently fair and nonpartisan report, it urged against expanding the existing one-year program at ECU. It added that it would cost much less to expand the already existing medical schools than to build a new one. It said that the proposal for full medical school status at ECU "is based upon a lack of understanding of what the establishment of such a school would involve." The Board of Governors overwhelmingly approved the report. Spurned, East Carolina immediately claimed that the report was unfair, and that the Chapel Hill medical school influenced the investigators. ECU then started exerting open pressure on state legislators hoping that they would override the board's decision. ECU argued that there is a shortage of doctors in the eastern part of the state, and the placement of a medical school there would eliminate that problem. In fact, two of North Carolina's three medical schools are in the east, and the third is in the middle of the state. What's more, the mere placement of a medical school in Greenville would not necessarily eliminate any doctor shortage. The shortage is found in rural areas, even those that surround existing medical schools. It probably never occurred to ECU or the ECU partisan legislators, but the shortage and quality of doctors and medical facilities are more severe in the western part of the state than in the east. Although the General Assembly established the Board of Governors to take politics out of higher education, the legislators bowed to the high- pressure tactics of the ECU lobbyists and set up a study commission of their own. Conveniently ignoring the facts and evidence of the case, the legislators resorted to name calling and threats while recommending that the medical school be established at ECU. Painfully demonstrating their callowness on educational matters, the legislators were even discussing "accrediting" the medical school themselves Accreditation by a legislative body would be of dubious value indeed. Regardless of the need or the cost of a new medical school, the legislature has made a serious blunder by interfering with the Board of 3overnors. Such a precedent could set the stage for a return to the old method whereby educators must shamelessly go cap-inhand to lick the boots of whimsical legislators.—DAS. ThtmT VvESTEfAi E-Ai^LifwiAM Published twice weekly through the academic year and weekly during the summer by the students of Western Carolina University. Member: Collegiate Press Service. EDITOR-DN-CHIKF ALICE HARRILL BUSINESS MANAGER MIKE KILLAM Offices, first iloor Joyner, phone 293-7267. Mailing address, Box 66, Cullowhee, NC 28723. Subscription rates, $4.00 per year. <tgfctRL Grant And Scholarship Once again the administration of Western Carolina University has lost sight of the multiple purposes of a University. For their benefit I will iterate and define what seem to be the three primary purposes. First among these is the dissemination of knowledge. Second is the incremental advance of the present state of knowledge. List is the conservative function of certification of acquisition of knowledge. Defined, the first of these functions is teaching, the second is research and publication, and the third is the conferring of degrees or grades. Obviously the first and third functions are closely related and are generally performed bv the same people. But there is a distinct difference in the essential nature of teachingand research, and while some teachers feel that research helps their teaching, and some researchers believe that teaching affects their research positively, there is neither logical nor empirical evidence to support the restricted viewpoint that a teacher must perform research. In tact, empirical evidence exists to the contrary. I have not systematically collected data to verifj this statement, but I can offer the limited argument of my personal experience at WCl". In the course of my undergraduate career, I have been exposed to about forty or fifty different professors. For the most part they were forgotten as soon as final exams were over. In only a half-dozen or so instances were the professors who taught me worth seeking out for advice and information beyond the limited scope of the courses which they taught. These men are the influences which made me into a scholar with ambitions for a doctorate, Although I owe them the honor of acknowledgement, I fear that naming them here will label them as candidates for dismissal I can safely name onl.v two; Professor lames Hendrix, formerly of the history department, who taught me the difference between pedestrianism and scholarship, and Professor Alan dram who taught mo how to enjoy scholarship. The loss of Professor Hendrix was a result of the short-sightedness of the administration. No lessons were learned from that, however, and now we are losing Dr. Grant for the same reasons. My only qualification is that I am a serious student. From that position, I am opposed (and I might qualify that toadamant- lv opposed) to the dismissal of Dr. Grant on the grounds that he has not published during his tenure at WCU. That failure or shortcoming on his part has no bearing on his a>. bility as a teacher, and more importantly, on his qualities as a person able to positively influence an uncertain student toward positive scholarship. Unquestionably, when I reach the stage of my career where I am publishing, Grant will be one of the names in my list of acknowledgements which customarily precedes a book. If his dismissal is not rescinded, much of the signi ficance of my undergraduate degree from Western Carolina University will be lost. Sim- pl.v stated, 1 see no reason for pride in a degree from an institution which can onl.v be de . scribed In negative terms like short-sighted, narrow minded, inhibitive, or just plain stupid,. In closing, I must say that I am writing this letter not because I hate Western Carolina University, but because I need to love this school. It is, however, impossible to feel even distant respect for an institution such as Western Carolina is proving itself to be. Yours for scholarship, Charles R. Wellen, Jr. WCl Class of'74 WCU WiU Suffer -i tunny college graduates gripe, "Man, I didn't learn a thing—memorized a bunch of facts and forgot them the day after exams." This sad technique getsman> a student through present college courses. Not so in Allan Grant's English cl-is ■,.-,:: ii. j mmicl-, and fosters creativity tnd wi'.l ) it tolerate memorization, quote for quote feedback, and any otherhalf-assedattemptsat learning. It has been sever a! years Sin? - I had any or his courses but I still retain what I learned ;' his class, i hav- she. Big Tubing Race Is Saturday >. .FROM Page 1 of it becoming an annual event, Scoring for this event will be similar to a track meet. Each represented college will have a team of three pe: sons. The team with the most polr.'.s will receive a 30 inch trophy. Tro- Phies will also go lo the top nrec runners-up. All contestants will receive certificates. Spectators are asked to walk I Possible instead of drive to "» event. If driving, please Park your car somewhere else other than the rive,- bank. The graduated with a degree In En- glish and taught English (and Art) for one year and can safely say that Allan Grant's love for and understanding of English literature benefited me more than all of my other courses combined. I am certain all of his former students since graduated who perhaps do not know of his plight, would support him and agree that WCU — not Allan Grant — will suffer if he is denied tenure. Rose Greer Show Your Concern We would like to thank all people who have contributed to the petition csncer-iuv; 'V. A. Grant's tenure denial. AH concerned people who have not had a copy of the petition available to them will be able to sign a copy at a table located between the Post Office and Town House-,. We feel that many more signatures will be needed to show that students really care. Again, our thanks for your support of a fine man. Chuck Downs Lewis Garner Backwater College The machinations at WCU have continually reminded me of a paraphrase of Omar: Ah, take the credit And let the cash goc You arc '"letting the cash go" the real wealth of a true teacher, if Dr. Grant (& others) are undone & outdone by legal procedure, tenure, or any other fine - sounding machiavellian words. A good teacher with spirit will be lost & out of reach for numbers of students .who need him. I speak as a parent of a student who gained much from Dr. Grant's classes, ll might not be out of context, however, to say that the really good Universities, suchas Harvard, Vale or Princeton could use a teacher of his calibre. Too bad he chose WCU. Is WCl destined to stay in the ''backwaters of the college lil'estream" forever because they will not keep their superior teachers? Good grief! Mickey F, Pruett Rt. 4, Box 43 Canton. N'.C. Rescue Squad will be on hand in case of an emergency and need easv access to the river. Contestants are to report to the Cherokee Hootn in the A at 9:00 a.m. Saturday morning* Wetsuits and further information will then be given out.

The Western Carolinian is Western Carolina University's student-run newspaper. The paper was published as the Cullowhee Yodel from 1924 to 1931 before changing its name to The Western Carolinian in 1933.

• Creator
  • Western Carolina University
• Format
  • Publications (documents)
• Type
  • Text
• Date
  • Date original: 1974-01-17;
  • Date digitized: 2017-11-29
• Extent
  • Dimension: 15.75" x 11"
  • Pages: 8 pages
• Subject - Topic
  • College student newspapers and periodicals
  • Cullowhee (N.C.) -- Newspapers
  • Universities and colleges -- North Carolina -- Cullowhee -- Newspapers
• Location
  • Jackson County (N.C.)
  • Cullowhee (N.C.)
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Source Collection
  • WCU Students Newspapers Collection
• Identifier
  • HL_WesternCarolinian_1974-01-17_Vol39_No31
• Repository
  • Western Carolina University Hunter Library