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Student views reflect torn nation |
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| Photo by BLADEN FINCH Wesleyan junior Lyndsey Tripp ties a yellow ribbon around one of the lampposts on campus. |
Photo Illustration by BLADEN FINCH The lighting of candles follows peace prayers from various religions. |
For the war |
Against the war |
Wesleyan community shows support of war with yellow ribbons around campus |
Students, lecturers speak out against war and question Bush administration |
By JOE CALANDRA, JR.“Duty, honor, country.” For many Americans, that mantra has become nothing more than a cliche‚ worthy of the history books. Virginia Wesleyan College Republicans (CR’s) took those words to heart on April 3, placing one yellow ribbon on each lamppost in front of Batten Center, symbolizing support for coalition forces in Operation Iraqi Freedom and best wishes for the safe return of every soldier, sailor, airman and marine to their loved ones stateside. “It was just time,” said 1st Vice Chairman Clay Rushing. “Freedom is not free. It is paid for with the blood, sweat and tears of every member of the US military. It is also paid for by the heartbreak of those families who stand and wait. I just felt we have to do our part for them. They are doing their part for us. If not now, when? If not us then who?” Please see Ribbons Page 3 |
By JULIA GREEN“Many voices from many lands, we all lift our voices for peace.”That was how Jesuit priest and peace activist John Dear was introduced in a lecture given in Boyd Dining Center on April 1. Shortly after peace prayers in numerous different religions, including African, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Native American, Dear rose to speak against the war in Iraq and to promote the idea of nonviolence, in keeping with the Season for Nonviolence promoted by Virginia Wesleyan’s Campus Kaleidoscope. A native of Elizabeth City, N.C., Dear, 43, attended Duke University
and entered the Jesuit order at 21. Arrested 75 times for acts of civil
disobedience, he spent nearly a year in jail after participating in
a symbolic hammering of an F-15E nuclear bomber on Seymour Johnson Air
Force Base in Goldsboro, N.C. Dear is currently a Jesuit priest, a peace
activist and author of 17 books. Please see Protest Page 3 |
In a gesture of immense generosity and philanthropy, Frank Batten and his wife, Jane, recently donated $11.2 million to Virginia Wesleyan College. This donation is the single largest gift in the college’s 41-year history, and comes just five years after their $10 million donation, which provided the majority of the funding used for the construction of the Jane P. Batten Student Center. “We have received some very significant gifts from them through the years,” said William T. Greer, Jr., president of Wesleyan.
This record-breaking donation is one of several that the Battens have made to over eight colleges, universities and educational institutions in the past few weeks totaling somewhere between $170 million and $180 million. Frank Batten, 76, who is the retired chairman of Landmark Communications, Inc., and a business leader, was initially planning on leaving the donations in his will.
However, in light of recent government cutbacks on education and the stagnation of an incorrigible economy, Batten realized that many schools needed the funds now. By making the donations now rather than waiting until after his passing, Batten would also be able help direct and advise the colleges, universities and institutions on how to use these funds. Batten’s inspirational success as an entrepreneur is equaled only by his generosity.
In addition to their gift to Wesleyan, the Battens are reported to have given $32 million to Old Dominion University, $32 million to the Harvard Business School, $20.8 million to the Culver Academies in Indiana, $20 million to the Norfolk Foundation, $11.2 million to the Tidewater Scholarship Foundation’s ACCESS Program, $11.3 million to the College of William and Mary and an undisclosed amount to Hollins University in Roanoke.
Please see Batten, page 3
FIRST PLACE |
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| Photo by BLADEN FINCH Cheerleaders perform a 2-2-1 in Saturday’s competition. See story on page 15. |
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