• Format
  • Publications (documents)
• Type
  • Text
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Identifier
  • HL_WesternCarolinian_1986-10-30_Vol52_No11_01

Volume Fifty-two Number Eleven Thursday, October 30, 1986 (704) 227-7267 p.o. Box 66, Cullowhee, N.C. 28723 ON TAP Crowning of Homecoming Queen 1986 Se,ina Johnson THEY HELD A WAKE to honor a dead computer at the U. of Alabama's Center for Business and Economic Research. The rite honoring the office's departing Univac 1100 was complete with refreshments, burial wreaths (made with black computer tape), and flowers. A $3.5 million IBM system will replace the departed Univac. STUDENT PROTESTERS DEMANDING "REAL CHEESE ON THE CAFETERIA PIZZA," have kidnapped a bust of Florida Atlantic U.'s founding father, Thomas Fleming. The students also want copy machines that work and Royal Crown Cola in campus vending machines. School officials, who were not amused, say the prank is a felony and that the cafeteria does use real cheese. ARIZONA STATE U. STUDENTS CAN SOON SIGN UP FOR A WAKE-UP SERVICE, offered by two student entrepreneurs. They'll charge $10 a month for daily calls -- "Good morning! It's 7 o'clock." Their cheery voices will talk over background sound including reveille and the them from "Rocky." MALE STUDENTS, 18 TO 26, MUST REGISTER FOR THE DRAFT in order to receive federal financial aid. Those who don't may have to pay back any federal money they've received. So far, schools aren't required to verify a student's statement that he's registered. But if a school learns a student hasn't registered, it must recover all funds the student received. THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD. The Kappa Alpha fraternity at Western Kentucky U. wants to move into a house closer to campus, but a neighborhood associatoin is teling them to keep looking. The group, Save Our Old Neighborhood, wants to keep the area "a nice place to live" by preventing additional fraternities from moving in. Three fraternities are already located in the SOON area. LOTTERY REVENUES WILL PARTIALLY PAY FOR SIX PROFESSORSHIPS at the U of Iowa. The state has allotted more than $3 million for three professorships in laser science and engineering and on each in three other fields -- biocatalysis, hydraulics, and manufacturing productivity. "We want productive research. We want the research to turn into jobs as quickly as possible," says the state's director of the Department of Economic Development. TWO U. OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN GYMNASTS who lost their athletic scholarships when they were injured and became unable to compete may still have their day in court. The state's attorney general is investigating whether the university's cancellation of their scholarship is legal under state law. NEW GAME MAKES LEARNING THE CAMPUS CHILD'S PLAY, at the U of Wisconsin-Madison. To get new students out of their dorms and to help them meet other students, a residence hall program coordinator organized a scavenger hunt. Armed with only a map and clues, teams of students searched the campus for answers to questions about specific buildings. MANY RECENT GRADUATES LACK ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT. More than half have changed jobs at least once during the first 18 months following graduation according to "Changing Career Values: Professional Employees in the 1980's," a new study by the College Placement Council Foundation. For a copy of the study, write: CPC Foundation, 62 Highland Ave., Bethlehem, PA 18017. Cost: $14.95. INSIDE Campus and Local page 2 Perspectives pages 3, 4, 5 Cecil Ward Talks Back International Affairs P°9» 6 Arts and Entertainment pages 7, 8 People pages 9,10 Sports pages 12,13 ciassmeas pag* u Features Selina Johnson of Valdese is crowned Western Carolina University's 1986 homecoming queen during halftime ceremonies of the WCU-VMI football game Saturday. Chancellor Myron L. Coulter holds the umbrella to keep out the rain that persisted Saturday, while last year's homecoming queen, Rhonda Kay Ferguson of Waynesville, crowns Miss Johnson, escorted by Ricky Schell. Miss Johnson, a junior majoring in nursing, is sponsored by the Organization of Ebony Students. (John Ashcratt Photo) by Andrew Dawkins Edttor-ln-Chlef ihe results of the preliminary voting for the 1986 Homecoming Court of eight lovely ladies saw her placing third. The Organization of Ebony Students then took advantage of what appeared to be a potential win, rallied their members together and decided that thisyearthey would attempt to have a black girl elected as WCU's HoTnecoming Queen. The result offers strong evidence that their efforts were successful. Selina Johnson, who turned 20 on September 22, emerged victorious at halftime during the WCU/VMI football game on Saturday, October 25 when she was crowned the 1986 WCU Homecoming Queen. Ms. Johnson, who hails from Valdese, North Carolina, comes from a family of four. She is a junior majoring in Nursing and plans to work in the area of Pediatrics. She is fond of children and wants to work closely with them. Her only sibling is a 9-year-old sister for whom she expressed the deepest affection. Ms. Johnson was originally approached by the Alpha Kappa Alpha's, who asked her to consider entering the contest. After careful consideration, she decided to enter the race. Shesaidshehadnodoubtsabout her ability to compete with the other girls, adding that she did not feel that her being black would prove to be a handicap. Ms. Johnson expressed extreme pleasure at her victory during a recent interview. She also described her experience so far as being very rewarding and thanked the WCU student body for its support. She hopes to make the black community proud, and be a dignified representative for the school as a whole. The Johnson victory marks the first time since 1970 that a black has been crowned Homecoming Queen. In 1970 Gail Cureton of Salisbury, N.C. was "the first black student to be crowned Homecoming Queen at WCU and possibly in any southern, predominantly white co-ed college", according to an article in the October 22, 1970 issue of The Western Carolinian. Ms. Cureton was also the very first Homecoming Queen to be elected by the student body at WCU. According to the same article, her victory was a popular one. Bob Scott, Governor of North Carolina a* the time, participated in the Homecoming activities and announced her name as the Homecoming Queen at halftime. He also assisted in her crowning. Johnson is looking forward to a rewarding and enlightening year as she performs her duties and responsibilities as Homecoming Queen 1986. WCU's Admission Standards: Is There A Real Problem? by Erin Millner News Editor WCU admission standards, how do they rate? Is WCU caught in the battle between student enrollement and attracting quality students? While WCU's admission requirements are more clearly outlined that those of many universities they are also more flexible. 20% or one out of every five freshman students enters WCU under its provisional program. A program which allows entry to students who do not quite meet the requirement standards of WCU. Mr. Bowman, director of WCU Admissions, outlined the requirements for enrollment. A student must achieve a SAT score of 800 or not less 350 on both the math and English portions of the test. A student must have ranked in the top 50% of his or her high school class or earned a "C" average in a college prep curriculum. Mr. Bownman stated that these are all part of the New Fall '87 requirements for the North Carolina University system which WCU has opted to implement for the 1986 academic year. Mr. Bowman stressed that in recruiting freshman students the admissions office seeks quality in new students and emphasizes excellence in education. These new admission requirements ate in result of that concern. WCU's average SAT score for entering freshman is around 835, which is in line with the state average, but it is lower than other university institutions in North Carolina. Appalachian has a 900 SAT average for entering freshman and UNC in Raleigh has 1025. Eastern Carolina University's average of 840 is comparable to WCU's. WCU has also experienced an increase in rejected applications. This year 15%-18% of students who applied for enrollment were turned down. However, WCU's acceptance rate is higher, around 10% higher than other NC universities questioned. These statistics back up the statements that say it is easier to get into WCU than other universities, but how do they affect the classroom? Mr. Ledford, Director of the Counseling, Advisement and Placement Center, expressed adamant feelings that the benefits of a flexible admissions program greatly outweighs any adverse effects. Mr. Ledford has been at WCU for 17 years and is involved with the National Advising Society, an organization which addresses these problems within educational institutions. He states that the enrollment statistics for WCU are indicative of small, regional colleges and universities across the nation. Both he and Mr. Bowman point out the impracticallity of WCU'S attempting to compete with larger, flagship schools in regard to admissions and enrollment, and they believe that it would not be in the best interest of WCU to do so. Mr. Ledford feels the necessity of flexible admission standards and of a case by case review of borderline students. (This practice is not unique in the university system, and many institutions admit borderline students on an individual review system.) Mr. Ledford was quick to point out that SAT scores merely provide information concerning the student's future ability or intelligence. Mr. Ledford has many case histories which prove that a student's high school records and entrance exam scores do not necessarily reflect the student's future college performance. He recounted one such case in which an entering student was in the borton 33% of her high school class and scored only 670 on the SAT exam. The admissions office has projected that student's first year G PA at considerably less than 2.0. However the student achieved a 3.4 in her freshman year, and now, as a junior, she has mantained a 3.4 average. Mr. Ledford states that the admissions policies at WCU offer the opportunity for a college education to many persons who otherwise would be denied a higher education, and he sees this as a positive attribute of WCU. He sees many instances where students may have an average or an above average high school record and do poorly on entrance exams or visa-versa. He feels that it would not be in the best interest of wCU to disregard the potential of these student based soley on historical education data. The individual student's determination and motivation to achieve in college must play an important role in whether or not to enroll the student in the university. Ledford is Due to technical difficulties The Western Carolinian was not published as scheduled last week. We offer our apologies to our readers and advertisers and crave your indulgence as we try to serve you more efficiently now and in the immediate future. Let Your Vote Count Nov. 4 —j , — ■* ■ Bomb Threats Disrupt Campus Life by Erin Millner News Editor In a period of one week three bomb threats have disrupted classes and emptied buildings on the normally quiet Cullowhee campus. On Friday, October 17, at 9:10 a.m. an anonymous caller warned an office in Stillwell that there was a bomb planted in the building. On Thursday, October 23 a similiar call was again recieved in Stillwell at 10:50 a.m. The third call was recieved in the University Center at 10:00 a.m. and warned that a bomb was located in the Music/English Building. In all instances the buildings were evacuated and the premises searched by the Security Department. Gene McAbee, Director of Traffic and Security, stated that his department is actively investigating these bomb threats although he was not at liberty to divulge any of the details that have been uncovered so far. McAbee did say that he believes all three calls are related and that security had several individuals to talk to about the matter. McAbee is optimistic about finding the responsible parties. "But it is more important," he added, "that the bomb threats stop." The procedure WCU's administration follows in the event of a bomb threat are to, first, find out as much about the caller as possible; next take down the caller's exact word; and then evaluate the conversation. In most instances the building will be The Western Carolinian Striving to be the best we can be. You've got to stand tor somethin' or you're gonna fall for anything. —Jonn Cougar Mellencamp

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: 1986-10-30
  • Date digitized: 2019-03-29
• Extent
  • Dimension: 22.75" x 15"
  • Pages: 14 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_1986-10-30_Vol52_No11
• Repository
  • Western Carolina University Hunter Library