Page 80 - ThePhoenix1992-93

r /,J'LetteJsw Words Professor of Communications From, Page 3 Speaks in Favor of Name Change are seemingly insurmountable problems that will require sacri- fice and tremendous work if they are ever to be solved. Luckily, Dear Editor, who were planning to start a that.) not blind ourselves with mere sucb is not the case. If we are to In May of 1892, in a memo- college in the town of westrmn- Those of us who have come sentiment. Were we to change believe the wisdom of President rial article published in the srer, and in 1867, having put up to love WMC know beUer, of our name, the gazebo would still Robert Chambers, all we must do Western Maryland College much of the money needed to course, but as was reported in once have been an icc house, is change the name of our nation. Monthly, WMCs first presi- buy what we now call "The Tile Phoenix earlier this year, our alumni would still have re- Perhaps Bob's 27th through 47th dent.l.T. Ward,saidthefollow- Hili," he was named to the first the College receives approxt- ceived an excellent education, Parallels would do the trick. tng of a recently deceased col- board of directors of the as yet mately 75% of its income from and, likely, John Smttn's gener- Clearly, changing our name will league: unnamed institution. At its first student tuition and fees, and ap- osity would still go automatically solve all of these meeting in 1868, the Board proximately 5% from alumni unremembered by most. We troublesome problems. The name of John Smith of elected him as its president, and contributions. This is not to say would, in other words, still be The skeptical among you will Wakefield will be remembered it was he who later, as CEO of that alumni contributions are us. saythatitcannotbethateasy. You and revered by all friends of the railroad, offered free pas- not vitally important., but when I feel as uncomfortable as will by to persuade us that our pre- Western Maryland College as sage to anyone who wanted to our survey data shows that you do with the thought of vious name was not the source of long as it exists ... attend the cornerstone cer- many students who are looking trading the name of tbe Col- our ovcrwbelming difficulties. emony for "Old Common," the for exactly our kind of college lege for money, and as I said You will then point out that since The question I would raise with College's first academic build- don't even open our mail be- to your reporter, I don't like our name was not the source, it those who argue that tradition mg. cause they think we're a distant the idea of choosing a new could not possibly be the solution. does not permit us to cbange the However, Smith was not in- campus of tbe University of name for no other reason You will attempt to convince us name of the College is this: do terested in taking credit for his Maryland, then we have a prob- than to improve our adver- that we are hiding behind a name. you remember John Smith? efforts, and so, at his sugges- Iem. using. But I have a stronger You will assert that the problems Born on November 27, 1806 tion, the Board chose Western To put that problem in per- desire that we buy more which besiege us have rea] causes in the part of Frederick County Maryland as the name of the specuve, consider that our en- books for the Library, and and effects that will not be magi- that later became Carroll new institution. Perhaps if John rollment target this fall was 400 renovate tbe residence halls, cally erased with the changing of a County, John Smith "received a Smith had been less modest, or more new students, and we and keep the computer labs name. You will try to make us re- good common school educa- WMC would now be called fell short by twenty students. open for longer hours,. alize that our problems are a result tion," worked as a clerk in Bal- Smith CoLLege,and the value of The tuition and fees from an- and a long list of other im- of our own making, and that viable timore, and then returned to our name would not be an issue other twenty students would provernents that require. solutions will requiremcre energy, manage the family farm and by of discussion. So it goes. amount to approximately well. .. more money- and, effort, and commitment than that "industrious study acquainted The first rule of commuruca- 360,000. There are many ways if changing our name will which went into their creation. himself with various branches ttonts. "you can'tnot communt- in which we could put that in- accomplish that, then I think But alas, youskepecs will fail in of knowledge." Some twenty cate," And we know for a fact come to good use. that it's time to get on with your seeminIy nobel endeavour. years later in 1860, he helped tbat to many, our present name That something has re- it. We the people of Bob's 27th survey a part of tbe route for the communicates falsely. It says mained unchanged for a period through47th Parallelsstand united new Western Maryland Rail- that we are located somewhere of time does not mean that we Sincerely, in the conviction that any and au road. At this time he bought near Frostburg. (1s it cold in should never change it. More problems can be solved by the stock in the company, and a few "Frost-burg ... ? Would you importantly, the name is not the R.W. Dillman changing of a few words. years later he was asked to be- want to go to school "out thing. We should not appeal to come its president. therc?") And it says that we are "tradition" without understand- Greta Powell Shortly after that. Smith was a part of a large state university ing the history from whence the Department Math '94 contacted by a group of people (and not the main campus, at tradition springs. We should of Communication Lab Attendants Oppose Letter to Editor To theEditorof7he Phoenix. ooneon'Iuesdayrromrogstromg-jj applyto'NOlkfortiu"ee to fourbours a We recently read the editoriaJ tolO:OOa.m,tlruscausingthelabto week, the lab could be open rroreaed Michal Hall wrote on the openatadiffmnttirretha1day,oot it\\OOldaisobepossibletodevelopan microcomputing lab in Hoover U- because the anemant was late. alternativelisl.. brnryaniwooldliketoofIertheview A 9XOIld IIIisuOOerstaOOg is Peoplearequalifiedforalabatten- of two "inoo:ent"labatten!ants win "the odd practice of non-retuming" dant position if they have good com- havecollectivelyworkedinthel.ewls attm!antsafterathundetstorm. We rnmication skills, are kmwledgeable Power Lab, theMerooriai reM Lab ooagreetha1thelabattendantonduty wlthatleastore Macintosh. word pr0- ani the Hoover Lab over the past sbould return; however, ttx=re are III cessing application (such as three years. During this titre we have written gWdelire> about this. This WriteNow), have eceoece with or also talked with Dr. Eshleman, the makes it extremely difficult to know be willing to learn how to operate person in charge of Ihese labs, about wtKnaniifitispossibletoreopenthe an MS-DOS computer, are inter- the problerrn that occurred in the labs . lab. Some.tinrs a storm rmy seem to ested in helping users, and punc- mwhatsOOuldbeOOreaOOutthem pass, yet starts up again. A genernl tual and dependable. If anyone is We feel there were inaccurate state- ruJeofthumbthatmmylabatteruants dissatisfied with the current opera- rrrnts rmde which need to be ad- use is if there is an adequate arrount tion of the lab, then please go to the dressed offureleflon_shift,lhenthey Academic Computing Office and FIN, the claim that ''students have return to reopen fill out an application. Either do sat forup to anrour waiting for anat- AooIm" rniscoo:eption is the lab something about it or stop com- tendanttosOOwforhiS'h!rscheduled atten:lant position is "a !Ought after plaining. work..fure."1relatestweeverlv:::ard job." 1retruthisthaleachsern::stcr thataIabatterxlartshJwedupforhis theAcademicCo~ting