• Format
  • Publications (documents)
• Type
  • Text
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Identifier
  • HL_WesternCarolinian_1986-10-09_Vol52_No11_04

Perspectives Tha Western Carojinjan 4 "Thursday, October 9, 1986' Editor's Notebook Andrew Dawkins Editor-in-Chief I've Sprouted Wings I respect and admire those who can, with ease, fill their dotted spaces each week with thoughts that flow smoothly and concisely. To be able to write words that come to vivid life in people's mind's must be a rare gift indeed. My kingdom for this gift of gab! * Oh, to be a Barbara Rosenthal, an Ellen Goodman perhaps, a George Will even! Oh, to be able to turn people's courage on with the twist of my pen here, andtheplacingof an appropriate, powerful, emotionally charged word there. I'd give anything, almost anything to be able to write of man's inhumanity to man in such a way that the Pope himself would, after reading my ravings, forget himself and fly Into a mad rage at the injustices I would have so brilliantly captured In Ink. I'd give anything to be able to stir up delicious controversies so that even Joan Collins, or is it Joan Rivers, would be forced to blush crimson at my indiscretion and audacity, question my decency and sanity, while still having to admire my precision and mastery of the English language. I'd give anything to be able to write about world affairs with such a clear understanding of the subtleties of international politics that others would be forced to say, with ego boosting regularity: "Did you read Dawkins' article on, say, the Daniloff affair in this week's issue of the paper? No? Man, you should have. His analysis of the situation was nothing short of brilliant." Then they'd want to have me run for President of the United States of America. Ah, to dream. Wait a minute. I've written a coupla paragraphs here. Are they worth anything? Nah. And I still got the rest of the space to fill. Geez. What would George have done here? That man, I'm sure, could write about anything at the drop of a hat. What is his secret? Is It that he reads profusely? I haven't read a good book in ages, including this semester's texts. There goes my G P.A Anyway... Is it that he buries himself in the library ? I hate to be buried in anything, especially libraries when I could be wasting time vegetating. I can't believe he's able to turn something out everyday. He either has a dictionary for breakfast on a regular basis, or else he's a blinking genius. I've heard tell he has some rather peculiar eating habits. I guess I ain't meant to be no writer, or else it wouldn't be such a darn struggle each week. George does this everyday. Gawd Almighty! Perhaps I should visit the library more often, and take up that copy of Newsweek, or Time, or Life, or that copy of the Wall Street Journal more often than I now do. That might help me overcome my limitations, my weekly handicap. I hear tell this particular excercise will not only provide me with material to fill my alotted colu mn, but that it will also make me a more knowledgeable person. Well, I will start this mind expanding excercise the day after tomorrow. Such a drastic change in lifestyle requires a gentle, gradual shifting of gears. I might hurt myself if I rush into it. To tell the truth, being asked to run for President sure would sound nice. Ketch yuh all nex' week. The WESTERN CAROLINIAN is published weekly by the Publication Board of Western Carolina University. It is an independent student publication that recieves its funding through student activities fees and advertising. Subscriptions are available at $16.00 per year ($20 00 Canada). The WESTERN CAROLINIAN is printed at the Waynesville Mountaineer in Waynesville, N.C. Living Life On the Edge Erin Millner "Never do today what can be put off till tomorrow" is not a time management program. It is the motto ot all procrastinators. Procrastinators is equivalent to living life on the eage and postpoing the inevitable to that last crucial moment. Is there someone in your lite who is always at least five minutes late to everything (especially to 8:00 a.m. classes), usually has no subject for a term paper until six hours before it is due, and consistently files his/her tax return at 11:59 p.m. on April 15. Well if you know of a person fitting this description, it may not be conclusive evidence, but there is a high probability that the person in question is a procrastinafor. Yes, your most fears have been realized but do not despair. Procrastinationdoes not negate a person's reason for living. There is hope for the proscatinator. Procrastination isacharactertraitthathasbeen much berated by society. As a matter of fact is it rated in the "Top Ten'of thedeadly sins. At last count it was somewhere between compulsive lieing and cleptomania. On the other hand however, procrastination is not the evil of society it has been made out to be. Although I do not endorse it as being as being admirable, I do believe that it has been subjected to a lot of bad press. One misconception that needs to be dispelled about procrastinators is that they are lazy. That fact is that laziness is a character flaw on it's own and has nothing in common with the true procrastinafor. The successful procrastinafor does not dislike hard work In reality the procrastinafor postpones his/her assignea duties in order to enjoy that frenzied, expulsion of energy required in the eleventh hour. Another untruth about procrastination is that the he/she abhors deadlines. However, if you really consider this point, where would the procrastinar be without a deadline? The true procrastinafor would be lost without one, and, contrary to popular belief, he/she does not ignore it The deadline is a beacon to the true procrastinafor and each day as that deadline approaches the adrenalin level soars. It is when the adrenalin level reaches its peak that the procrastinator's creativity is at its best. You may have noticed that I have used the term successful procrastinafor, and some will see this asa terms. But the successful contradiction in «■"£ d_ not tried to cure ,Crastinator ,s o^jojos ,f er 'a«». b^h^fnaTure but is making every have accepted his/her naiuw miindane life more his/her i te acceP,ea/"*(;'To make'a mundane life more ..ofmiicppur^jornatea ^ .$ ^ ^ challenging. use i exciting and «"""■*_»■ no, accept his/her SSS-n. «S«fS. En* -ceSS ma, ,oc*S i cXB£iSTww **»* °Faiteed It is cbarivJ;*!unrl_rsarjes of procrastinators. souls are ^»°£°6£!ZV*i\ never succeed in But these methodical persons converting a proc^shnat^^.^ o^^hwt^SSt they will continue to Sd^eseTrrS with 5 self-help book on overcoming procrastination, but for one reason or another, I never got around to reading it. I guess I needed a deadline, huh? ~r,n Millner is the News, Arts and Entertainment Editor for The Western Carolinian. A Chance Encounter -Demon or Angei? Erik Horn We talked - he was that kind of being. God and Satan began to take form in the humid air as we sped across rolling forested countryside. The rusted rattling remains of what might have once been a van began a hesitant pull-off onto the side of my deserted stretch of road. I knew immediately that th is was to be another one of th ose encounters with a powerful supernatural being. There was no way that mere earthly means could have kept that "thing" from collapsing into a pile of twisted wreckage, much less kept it rolling! I tasted dust in my mouth as I worked up the courage to approach the waiting vehicle. Electric eyes surrounded by a wrinkle of mahogany skin and tufts of wild scraggly hair and beard passed over my soul. Hunched over the steering wheel, he induced our conveyance to pick up speed at an alarming rate. I nervously divided my attention between the driver, the road and the seemingly cavernous rear of the van. "Erik," he said, "do you believe in the Bible?" I replied that I wasn't really sure... "Well, let me warn you," he continued,'"you've got to be careful with books like that. Satan, he's the master of deceivers-appearing as an angel of light is what they say. You won't be knowing who did all that writing." "You should read all of its books if you want to see it truly. There's parts that scare me - Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy- Moses trying to turn his people into racists and baby killers. It's shameful and confusing." I asked him if he was trying to make me believe that the Bible was inspired by Satan as much as God. "Hear what I'm saying, Son," he told me, "all lies is no lies, and Satan knows it. He knows you've got to mix the lies with truth if you want to be able to sucker people. Pour in truth and goodness with the lies and evil and see if people will swallow it." "There's the seeing and doing, and then there's the rending. A terrible thing has come from that book-that'sjust not God's way. God don'twantus to bow down and worship no books, no way - be it the Vedas, the Koran, that Talamund.those Sutras or whatever. It's the spirit of Satan in us that inspires 'em." "I'm not going to tell you where you'll find what you want, Son. But I can tell you that the Bible ain't gonna help you anymore than that tree over there is. There's the reading, but then there's the seeing and doing." ...I woke up on the side of the road with a cool wind blowing on my face. Stars had just started to appear on the horizon and my stomach felt hollow. God and Satan still hovered in the air. Erik Horn is Special Assistant to the Editor. So, you're sick of dorm life and wa nt to move off- campus into an apartment? You think that moving into an apartment will solve all your problems? Well, while you will solve some, like no longer living in a shoe box, you will create others, like having huge BILLS to pay! I've lived in Harrill and Albright, and let me say that Harrill has really TINY rooms. When I moved into Albright, I thought that I was moving into a giant ballroom compared to where I was before. But it was still in the dorms, which meant I still had all those stupid rules to follow. Some of these rules regulate visitation and quiet hours, as well as dictate what you can and cannot have in your room. Just let your imaginations wander on the regulation, especiallyif you have a dirty mind. Living in an apartment, where there are no rules is not as great as you'd think. If you want to study, you have to go to the library. I personally The Trade-Off cannot study there because of 'distractions'. There are no "Quiet Hours", so your neighbor cranks all 500 watts of his stereo all day and night, and there is nothing ttiat you can do but turn yours up louder. Don't get me wrong; I'm not giving my landlord notice, so that I can move back into the dorms! No way! I'd never live in the dorms again. Let's take a further look at the pros and cons of dorm vs. apartment life... In the dorms, you get a meal plan. This is both a pro AND con, depending on the degree of your stomach's strength and the strength of your desire for good food. You don't have to shop for the food, you don't have to cook it, and you don't have to clean dirty pots, pans, and dishes. Living in an apartment, you have to put up with all that crap, but you also eat whenever you want, how much you want, while watching TV, with yourgirlfriend, or alone. Plus, the food is real food, not breaded boot leather from WW 11! There's one drawback to apartment life, however. If you are a bachelor, it's either learn to cook - or STARVE! Another idiotic rule in dorms is the visitation policy. At a magic hour, your girlfriend, or boyfriend if you are a girl, or something else that likes guys, has to leave. But if you live in an apartment (like me), your girlfriend can LIVE with you. Well, at least I 've got the apartment..Anyway. Parking near the dorms can be frustrating, bt when you live "off campus", you can park outside your door, or if you have a motorcycle, you can park it at the foot of your bed (like somebody I know). In the area of conveniences, the dorms have apartments beat. Your mail comes right to the lobby and laundry facilities are downstairs. But in apartments, both of these necessities are miles away - literally. In the dorms you get "free" phone service, but if I wanted that simple luxury, I'd have to buy a phone and pay $21 a month for local service alone. Another nice thing about living in the dorms is that you can meet plenty of people: you've got hall parties, TV lobbies, RHC, and you can also "hear about" upcoming parties via posters and such in the cafeterias. But there's one thing renting an apartment gives you that dorms never will -freedom. You've got it all: a stove, refrigerator, kitchen, and bathroom (which in the dorms are quite nasty, especially after the guys from down the hall have partied too much! Right, Chuck and Tim?). Plus, you have your own keys to the place, so you don't get locked out at X- mas. Then there is the peace of mind that comes with successfully moving out into the "real world". Now, if only those bills would take care of themselves.... ■ k.m.u. Mike Doerner is a staff writer and Photographer for The Western Carolinian. The WESTERN CAROLINIAN is looking for a few opinionated students to be regular contributors to its Perspectives page. Ifyou feel you have something to say on any issue that would be of interest to the. student body and can do so in a regular and responsible manner. The WESTERN CAROLINIAN would welcome your contribution. You will be exposed to a readership of approximately 10,000 per week. Your photograph, name, and status will accompany your weekly column of approximately 500 woids. Send resume plus sample editorial, and small black u^errlM!?'0 (if available) to: Perspectives/ The !rS^,C5[,NMN/ Poe°* 66/ Cullowhee, *LJ?Z?. 9r drop n offat the newspaper offices in the Old Student Union Building. The Student Voice... ^^ is You!; °P'nion <* Evangelists Running for the Presidency of the U.S.? Mike Doerner photo Steve Aumasy Raleigh, N.C. RTV Hey its a free country. Let them run if they want to. Take Pat Robertson, I really don't care if he runs. I would give him as much chance of winning as I give the Colts winning the Super Bowl. Heather Pittillo Cullowhee, N.C. Undeclared Let him (her) run, for God's sake! as long as his religious views don't get in the way of his politics Tamara Jessup Pilot Mtn, N.C. RTV-BA I think it's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of and think it would be an awful experience for everyone. Jeff Johnson Lumberton, N.C. RTV (minor german) Keep church and state separate. Electing religious leaders may do more harm than good. Leroy Gasque Georgetown, S C RTV Religion and Politics just don t mix. I think it's just too diverse to comment on

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: 1986-10-09
  • Date digitized: 2019-03-29
• Extent
  • Dimension: 22.75" x 15"
  • Pages: 12 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_1986-10-09_Vol52_No11
• Repository
  • Western Carolina University Hunter Library