The Yellow Jacket (Brownwood, Tex.), Vol. 78, No. 22, Ed. 1, Friday, April 26, 1991 Page: 3 of 8
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Page 3
Viewpoint
Letters to the Editor
Potter Reveals
To the Editor:
I would like the opportunity even
though I am a member of the faculty to
respond to the recent editorial regarding
student apathy and traditions at Howard
Payne. If my remarks are out of line
please forgive me I have only been at
Howard Payne for four years with
family ties at Howard Payne back to the
late 1950's but if a freshman editor
knows more about tradition than I I
will gladly bow to his greater wisdom
and experience.
My first point is that change and
progress is a fact of life since life is
fluid rather than static. Percy Shellye
(an English poet for the uninitiated)
said it this way in his poem
"Mutability": 'Man's yesterday may
ne'er be like his morrow Nought may
endure but mutability.'
Howard Payne has many traditions
from her glorious past which it seems
no one cares to mention when
bemoaning the demise of her glorious
past. The first and greatest tradition of
HP that fell by the wayside in 1984 was
the Old main administration building.
For better or worse no matter how one
Organizations Defended
To The Editor:
The last two editions of The Yellow
Jacket have contained editorials
addressing the issue of student apathy
and All School Sing. The editor stated
that they apathy of "so-called spirit
organizations" with the exception of
AAK IAK IAZ AXP and An
was to blame for the cancellation of
Sing. There were several points missed
however.
1. According to the 90-91 Student
Handbook AXP and An do not claim
to be spirit organizations.
2. AAK SAK and ZAI are the
only groups still in existence that are
listed as spirit organizations. What
other organizations were being referred
to?
3. HPU students are not known for
their wealth and the $40 entry fee for
Sing was simply more than many
groups could afford to spend.
4. Sing was scheduled at a bad time.
First there were no Stinger Daze guests
to impress. Second at this time of
year most students are spending their
spare time getting ready for final tests
and projects - the longest standing
tradition of any at HPU.
Spirit and apathy are choices and
Thoughts Concerning Tradition at HPU
feels about it. Old Main is forever a
thing of the past. When my parents
were freshmen at Howard Payne College
in the mid-fifties they were required (all
freshmen) to wear beanies. They wore
them not for a week or four or five days
a week but for an entire semester.
They also went to chapel five days a
week (I know that everyone would like
to see that tradition return). Out where I
live my neighbor across the street is a
1930 graduate of Daniel Baker College.
Last Saturday as we visited over a glass
of tea he mentioned that he never dated
the Howard Payne girls much because
-they had to have a chaperone along even
to go to a movie and "you didn't dare
ask one to a dance." I believe that I
would be hard pressed to find anyone
.interested in resurrecting that particular
tradition. My point here is that not all
change is bad not all change is good
just that all change is inevitable.
Perhaps All School Sing is one
tradition whose time has come. Perhaps
not however not all change is brought
about by apathy.
On the subject of apathy I have a
comment or two. First an editor who
neither can be created through guilt.
However All School Sing was not
canceled forever and hopefully we'll
have better luck with it next year.
In the meantime if it's apathy and
neglect of long standing traditions we're
looking for we need look no further
than the flag which flies in Old Main
Park. That is. the one which we have
left up day and night darkness or rain
unattended. Perhaps the next one to
gripe about a "lost tradition" should be
the first on c to care enough to take our
national symbol out of the rain.
Sincerely
Jeannette Altus
Student Foundation
Appreciates "Sing"
Coverage
To the Editor:
Thank you for the work you did for
the All School Sing. Also thank you
for the articles you wrote in last week's
paper.
Thanks
Noelle Anzalone
Student Foundation
is so very concerned about apathy might
be well advised to eare enough about his
charge to check' his facts before
publication of his editorials. The
editorial of April 19 is only one
example of the general lack of
information under which Mr. Carruthers
tends to operate. I will cite a few more
examples. During the Fans v.
Cheerleaders war at the beginning of the
semester Todd Sims wrote a well
articulated letter on the subject of fan
apathy. The cartoon accompanying said
letter (Feb. 15) had the Authority figure
labeled as "Faculty." This seemed to
imply that Mr. Sims is a faculty
member. I think that Mr. Sims does a
wonderful job as Assistant Production
manager at the theatre however he is
not and would not claim to be faculty.
Mr. Carruthers might also give a little
more attention to the front page
headlines and not be quite so apathetic
about the spelling there. My reference
here is the headline of April 19 which
states "HPU Boosts TEG to Govenor
(sic). Legislators." The word
"governor" comes from the root of
"govern" and means basically "one who
governs." Many college graduates may
not be able to spell this word however
any journalist must be able to spell this
word (at least) and many other words as
J M GOVERNMENT H j
J O JOBS Hi
i $16040- Bill
i H $59230yr. H II
H Call P
O 1-900-468-2437 ON!
I HH 24 Hour Hotline JJ
fl $2.95 per mln. J
""(I 1 1 '
i 11 IMlMMMlilllllMMMHulJJi
well. Also our students may have a
better attitude about Howard Payne and
life in general if our student publication
were not so completely negative about
them their alma mater and the town in
which she resides.
My final point (do I hear a cheer) is
that if we are so concerned about student
apathy there are greater or perhaps
lesser examples which abound.
Students here do not seem to know why
there arc bumps on Center and Fisk.
These bumps are for parallel parking
purposes. A car will fit inside these
more important than this however is
the fact' that an old college tradition of
actually caring about one's classes is
being sacrificed on the altar of ennui. I
have taught here for nearly four years
this semester I have more students either
failing or on the verge of failing due to
inattendance than any other semester. If
we need something to care about I
believe there are many more important
things than whether or not the students
are willing to make fools of themselves
for the amusement of others at an All
School Sing.
Waxlcssly
Andrew Jay Potter
Instructor of Mathematics
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The Yellow Jacket (Brownwood, Tex.), Vol. 78, No. 22, Ed. 1, Friday, April 26, 1991, newspaper, April 26, 1991; Brownwood, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth103248/m1/3/?q=music: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Howard Payne University Library.