OCR Text |
Show T Can Westminster Maintain Personal Atmosphere? by Kim Blodgett Forum staff writer For the fir st time i n its 1 history, Westminster College has enrolled over 2000 students. Major changes have occurred as a result of this increase campus-wid- e including the Master Plan and the addition of new faculty members. The tremendous growth Westminster has experienced in the past year has aroused interest among students as to whether the college can maintain its reputation for academic excellence and individual student 14-ye- attention. After . attention to student learning. Westminster provides a personal atmosphere and emphasis on learning that is needed to develop a student, said Katsikathes. Although she said she has not been troubled importance ar spending a summer at Georgetown University, Vasi Katsikathes, ASWC president, said she realized the well-rounde- I realize now, that I am to suffer a very violent and painful death. Someday, will I over the someone somewhere, push edge enough to want to kill me for expressing my concerns and beliefs. A word to the wise never, and I mean never get into a n and discussion about your with a Constitutionally granted rights v drunken sailor. A few nights ago, after returning, still a bit tipsy, from a cast party, I decided to express my rather biased opinions about nationalists, Republicans, the Constitution, and of course, flag burning (seems the subject will never die out of conversation) with a fairly good, yet drunk, friend in the military. After listening to his rather conservative, yet respected speech,' "lasting a good 45 minutes, I had the nerve to express my personal opinions on the subject. This in turn gave me the new title of flag burner, communist scum, etc. and certain threats were made upon my life if I ever have anything to do with any flag burning or the like. Well, lets get one thing straight, I am not a flag burner, I never have been, and I certainly hope never to be. But, when certain unalienable rights, which this country is founded upon, are taken away, thrashed, anddiscarded, I finditimperatiVe to stand up and say, What the hell is going god-give- on? When I have been brought up in a country that insists on educating its youth in the fact that they are free, and then that same government tells me that I am not allowed certain privileges because they may Well, all you petty procrastinators, Feb. 1 was the deadline for scholarship applications! (So quit your whining.) Page 6 Forum d by the rapid growth ofWestminster, various students have expressed their concern to her about the future of the college. Its great that Westminster has reached an enrollment of over 2000, said Basil Chelemes, an MBA student, but its original mission was to serve the student. Chelemes said he is concerned that Westminster may eventually lose this striving to become the Harvard of the West. Over the past three years, Chelemes quality while ' appointments are very easy to make, said Hoster. They do everything they can to help you." She predicts that prices will grup in the future and more faculty members will be hired. Competition is necessary for Westminster to keep up with other colleges and develop a better name for itself, said Hoster. I like the small classes, said Justin Burnside, freshman, who said he has considered transferring to the University I think Marie Hoster, junior, expressed of Utah for social reasons. different views concerning Westminsters Westminster could use fraternities, said growth and development. After spending Burnside. Developingagreek system would one and half years at the University of introduce social aspects that he said it Utah, Hoster still finds the classes at needs. Burnside supports the increased Westminster considerably smaller by enrollment, saying that it can only benefit said he has also noticed a different attitude There is too much among students. competition in the classrooms, said Chelemes, and the weeding out process is something new, especially in introductory Amidst the rapid growth of courses. Westminster, Chelemes said he is afraid that we have forgotten who we are and what we are. Now that the college is out of debt, he said it is time to refocus its attention on the students. Student-teache- r , Westminster comparison. both financially and academically. U.S. Flag: To by M. Shane Cook Forum contributing writer of individual Bum or Not To Burn offend someone else, what am I to believe? To be honest, out of my ignorance, I never knew that flag burning was illegal until last summers Supreme Court decision. I didnt want to bum a flag, but I always assumed that I had that right because I live in the land of the free. The fact that it is legal to burn (desecrate) a national symbol in protest is symbolic of exactly why America exists today, just as much as 01 Glory flying over a monument dedicated to fallen soldiers does. Many of the revol ting colonists likewise burned Great Britains flag in ( protest of what they felt a tyrannical government. Our country would not exist as we know it if American citizens hadnt stood upfor whattheybelievedin. The U.S. continues to grow and develop in its democratic state because We the people have a say in the government and can damn well protest it when we see our rights violated. Where would we be without Susan B. Anthony, Martin Luther King Jr., hippies, Abbie Hoffman, or any other person that stood up for the rights of all peoples. Another hipocracy our government plays upon is the fact that we support individualsin other countries such as China, Czechoslovakia, Poland, and the Soviet Union who burn their flags in protest, but cant handle our own people protesting our perfect government. What this country needs to do is go to the source and find out why individuals dont like it here, try to curb the problem, resulting in taking away the want to bum a flag. By outlawing such protests, we leave ourselvesopen toeventual communist dictatorship. That may seem but by taking away this right, who knows what comes next? The Utah Congress is at the moment trying to pass legislation making it perfectly viable and unpunishable to harass, beat, or us any necessary means (implying killing) to stop a person from desecrating a flag. This means that our government, which was established to protect the rights of its citizens, now supports civil crime even if it means desecrating human life just to save a piece of material (that material being the private property of the buyer). The only way to solve a problem is to become sympathetic to it, not resentful. I love this country, and I am glad to be in a place where I can express my opinions without the worry of a tyrannical government. Some say if you dont like it here, get out, but what good would that do? I like it here, and Im going to do everything far-fetche- Diana Raitt, junior, agrees that it will take a lot more than 2000 kids to take away the personalized atmosphere at Westminster. Although Raitt said she supports the Master Plan, she said the idea that I can do to make sure that everybody of increased tuition disturbs her. I would likes it here. I am afraid of what can like to know that what we are getting is a , happen to this country in the future if such lot better than any where else, said Raitt. Ive never had a problem enrolling in rights are taken away. I do, however, have classes or making appointments, said I faith in the American system, and truly believe that our Constitution and Bill of George Reyes. Enrolled as Rights is one of the finest in the world. But student for the past nine years, Reyes has I refuse to live my life in fear because of my experienced the changes and I will fire continue setting viewpoints, and appreciates what Westminster has to offer, to bushes. As I leave this commentary, I He said he is looking forward to graduating would like to add one last thing; everything in June and entering the job market. I that I stand for, that I believe in, that I am, think some people actually look for small is right here inside of me and will never be college graduates assuming that you have learned more. wrapped up inside a piece of cloth. anon-tradition- al on-goi- ng . d, GREAHSr SLECETCN AVAIIAELE. PRICES START AT $99.95. THE HEEFF JCNES OFFICES ARE IDCAIED AT 363 E. 3300 S. , SUITE NUMBER 5. OFFICE HOURS ARE MONDAY THRU THURSDAY 12--5 PM. GOME AND SEE OUR WIDE SiLECIICN STORE PHONE NIMBER 487-3305. RACE YOUR DEGREE CN CNE SHE & GRADUATION DATE CN THE OTHER! J February HERFF JONES 6, 1990 Issue 15 |