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Show frictions Apathetic Students Subject Converse Noise Disruptions Food And Drink Policies To Be Enforced by Carrie Stults Forum staff writer by Carrie Stults Forum staff writer It is a full-tim- e job for Westminster custodian John McMaster to keep the refurbished Converse Hall clean from spills and trash. The lxk of an effective policy for the building means that people often bring it in. I clean up at least one spill a day, said McMaster, noting that there are several places in the building where the carpet is permanently stained by coffee. New furniture was added to the foyer on the second floor of Converse this year, this combined with the hard wood floors, gives Its the custodian a greater challenge. hard to keep things looking nice and new, he said, The floors get sticky with Cokes and people leave their wrappers all over. A Coke spilled in the foyer two weeks ago splashed all over the wall, staining a picture of Professor Emeritus, Robert G. Wamock, that has been hanging in the hall for less than a year. We havent figured out how to clean it I without ruining it, said McMaster, think its permanently damaged. Richard Brockmyer, director of plant and facilities operations, was unable to Bill Simmons: comment on the situation, but Wendy Barlow, administrative assistant for plant and facilities said there is a policy in effect for the building as Jewett center. well as for the newly-bui- lt Linda Wyngarden, manager of the photo lab, located on the second floor in Converse, said she often brings a Coke into the building and sometimes eats lunch in the foyer. Ive never seen a sign that says you I saw the Coke that cant, she said. was spilled all over. It was a mess. It looked like it was on purpose, normal spills just dont look like that, she said. Acci A ' r ts Forum staff writer Bill Simmons is a familiar face on Ive been bouncing around campus. Westminster College for awhile now, he said. . He is the new assistant director of admissions for the college, but until recently, students knew Simmons as director of academic support services. A post he had been very happy with since he joined the faculty in 1982. I was offered the position of assistant director of admissions twice before and never accepted. The third time I sat down and made a list of pros and cons. It came out equal, so I threw it out, went on gut feeling - and here I am! Now in his second month on the job, Simmons views this change as a positive one. Im looking forward to the new Page 2Forum building. No candy or soda machines are located in Converse. There is a recycling barrel located on the first floor and trash cans on every, floor. No signs were to be found concerning school policy about eating and drinking in the building. Signs have been ordered for Converse as well as the Jewett Center, and will be posted as soon as they are received, said Barlow. Although it will be hard to enforce as a policy, she said. r challenge and struggle, he said. But I also hope to never get too far from the personal level. I want my students, especially the learning disabled, to know that I havent abandoned them. Im still around, and I hope they will still come up to see me. Simmons is determined to retain, and even strengthen, his ties with the students. As one of seven Westminster College admissions counselors, Simmons is responfreshsible for recruiting I really love the challenges and man. rewards of working with students, said Simmons. Many of them are scared to death and it is my job to assure them that they will probably do better academically than they ever did before, because of - not in spite of - their age and situation. Helping people through what he sees as a transition stage is what Simmons enjoys the most It is never too late to pursue an education, he said. I dont want the prospect of coming to school after several, or even many, years to intimidate any prospective students. If a degree is important to someone, then they should justjump right in and do it. He related a story about a retired man who came into his office recently wanting to register for classes. This new enrollee had attended Westminster in 1949 and 1950, but dropped out because of his low academic standing. Nowastudcntagainat67, he hopes his new maturity will encourage him to study a little more. It is this mix and range of students that Simmons admires in the college. The student gains knowledge and insight from the traditional student and vice versa. non-tradition- by Mari Herold dents do happen, but for the most part I think its OK to have food and drinks in the Familiar Face, But A New Title non-traditio- Mari Herold The sometimes excessive noise made by students in Converse Hall brought ASWC Vice President Jeff Swanson to question Dr. Ray Ownbey, dean of arts and sciences, about posting Quiet, Students In Class, notices in the building. Students actlike theyre the only people in the building, said Swansong who often studies in the foyer on the second floor. Students out of class or on their way to class make noise without thinking maybe somebody is studying, or even in class, he said. Freshman art major, Alex Big Al Ferguson, saidhe studies in Converse rather than the library because it is more comfortable and the lighting is better. The noise gets pretty bad on Thursdays. Its impossible to study, said Ferguson, who would like to see a noise ordinance in place. Dr. Michael Popich, associate professor of philosophy, said he often closes his classroom door because the noise is disrupting to his classes. Theres generally too much noise in the building, said Popich, who agrees that signs would help ease the problem . People wander around talking, without thinking that maybe someone is in class. Its quite annoying, he said. Swanson told Ownbey there are plenty of places to socialize on campus, but limited places to study noise-freUnfortunately for Swanson, Ownbey isnt the person to make the change. Students who are concerned about the noise levels should speak to Richard Brockmyer, director of plants and facilities operations. His office is located in Bamberger Hall. This is a new complaint to us, said Wendy Barlow, administrative assistant for plants and facilities. Signs could be posted if it were a big enough concern to the students. This is something ASWC could consider proposing, she said. non-tradition- al al But it is costly to retain this diversity. According to Simmons, it cost the school approximately seven times more to recruit a student fresh out of high school, than it does to recruit a transfer or older, returning e. student Simmons feels the added expense is justified. Traditional students are the ones who fill the residence hall, who support the food service, attend school functions. If we lost that we would lose a lot of what college life is about, he said. It wouldnt be the same type of a campus. We would become too much of a commuter school. Without active recruiting of students of all ages, Simmons believes that Westminster could slip into this role too easily. Retaining a diverse student body comprised of all types, backgrounds, and talents is sure to remain the struggle, the challenge, and the reward of the entire admissions staff. FORUM Forum Editor, Bill Kilpack; Copy Editor, Peterson; Production Manager, Kirsten Heaton; Photo Editor, Heather Bush; Business Manager, Sheiiey Parsons Staff Writers: Nancy Bennett, Heather Liz - Bradley, Calvin Harrington, Mari Herold, Matt Thunm Kellogg, Lynette Rundell, CarrieStults, Fred Thaller, Christopher Thomas, Jennifer Thompson, Benjamin' Williams Photo Staff: Heather Bush, Mari Herold, Amanda .Johnsen, Matt Thurm" Kellogg, Liz Bill Moyers: Spirit and Nature Special This special looks at religious and ethical beliefs in regard to the environment Like PB Ss successful broadcast of "Facing Evil" three years ago, this report is based on a four-da- y conference. Featured are representatives from various faiths who met at Middlebury College last fall to explore how religion can shape an ethic that cherishes the natural environment instead of desecrating it Included are the Dalai Lama; Ismar Schorsch, the Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary; and leading Protestant and Muslim thologians. Tuesday, December 10, 9 p.m., KUED. Peterson -- Cartoonists: Kirk Jensen and Kenneth J. Strait Faculty Advisor: Dr. Fred Fogo The. Forum is published every Tuesday. The address of the Forum is 1 840 South 1300 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84105. The Forum editorial staff encourage letters from students (include major), faculty and all other readers. Submissions must be sent to Converse Hall, room 205, no later than 3 p.m., the week prior to publication. Due to limited space availability, Forum editors reserve the right to edit all copy submitted. Opinions expressed on the editorial or commentary pages are those of the writers and are not to be construed as those of the Forum, Associated Students of Westminster College, the college administration, faculty or staff. Mail subscriptions are $20 oer year. |