Realty duo re'sound'ing hit - Hoover Library

RON TAfT, assistant professor of
sociology, started something four years
ago ~hich is slowly but certainly catching
on In the student ranks at Western
Maryland. He become a Big Brother.
As of today, seven WMC undergraduate students
have joined Tail as Big Brothers or Big Sisters, each
assigned to a youngster in need of a mature and often
stabilizing friend-relationship. Open to children 6-18
from single-parent homes, the program seeks to build
the self image of each child over a period of time - to
let each child know, according to Mrs. Carol
Kershner, field director in the Carroll County area for
Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Central Maryland,
"another person cares about what he's going through
enough to come back," and cares enough to stand by
him when he needs a friend.
"Until last school year, no more than two students
at any given time were involved with the program,"
says Carol. "Now that's accelerating and I believe
Dr. Tait has made the difference."
"I'd been aware of the Big Brothers program for a
number of years," explains Dr. Tail whose Little
Brother is now 16. When Ron was first matched with
his Little Brother, the two spent their days together
swimming, bowling, throwing a football and playing
pinball. They also went sledding together and Ron
learned about the advantages of waxing the runners
from his Little Brother. "It gave me the chance to do
something other friends my own age were not
interested in," he muses. "
As the two grew closer in their relation~h,I~, their
time was spent less on fun and school acnvnres an.d
more on projects intended to help the youth as hIS
interests moved closer to the work world. Together
they tackled repair projects and dabbled in carpentry
and brick work. When the youth opted out of school,
Dr. Tait tried to help him find employment. Now,
even though the young man has entered the work
force, he still occasionally calls Ron who explains, "I
help out by being there and doing things that an older
brother might do. He really is an awful neat guy -
he's got his own way of doing things."
As Mrs. Kershner points out, each relationship in
the program is unique. Contrasting Dr. Tait's match is
the match between sophomore math major Pam
Huffington of Churchville, Md., and her Little Sister,
Pam learned about the program through Dr. Tait.
At the time of Pam's decision to become a Big
Sister 1 1 ,12 years ago, her soon-to-te Little Sister's
family was new to the area. The mother, concerned
about her lack of time for her daughter, contacted Big
Brothers/Big Sisters. A frequent visitor now to her
By Cindy O'Neal
Keefer
Little Sister's home, Pam is often invited to join the
family for dinner and is pleased to admit that when the
mother talks to friends, she refers to Pam as her
daughter's
sister.
We get along real well," says the attractive,
soft-spoken coed of her Lillie Sister's mother. "We
have from the start. I know she trusts me."
According to the program director, Pam',s
relationship with her Little Sister's fam.ily IS
representative; most parents are very happy With th,e
rogram. "They probably give us much more credit
ihan we're really due," Kershner adds of the
prevailing positive attitude. .'
Pam also enjoys visits from her LIttle Sister.
"That's something neat - bringing her to sch~1
activities," she says explaining that the once shy child
now opens up around her college f~e.n~s, Together
they work on crafts and seasonal acnviues. . .
Although Pam sees herself as a ~riend -:a big sister
_ rather than a counseior, she IS conscious of her
Little Sister's needs and problems. "I basically know
what's going on in the family, they're honest with me
and it helps me to deal with her."
Ed DeWitt became a Big Brother through contact
with Joe Della Badia, '80, and his Little Brother who
sat on the sideline with Ed during Joe's baseball
games.
Ed and his 10-year-old Little Brother of several
months spend time throwing a football, watching
weekend sports and visiting the gameroom. "And he
wants to show me around the town some day,"
DeWitt
adds.
The junior social work major from New Jersey
spends four to 10 hours a week with his Little Brother
"I consider myself a gung hojock," laughs Ed, "yet
here's a little boy who's way ahead of me. He's been
photographed with half of the Baltimore Orioles; and
I've never known someone with so many baseball
cards!" Continuing, Ed adds, "We're just friends
right now but 1 think as time goes on it'll develop into
more of a brother-brother relationship."
Sixteen boys and nine girls in the Carrol! County
area are currently matched with volunteers according
to Mrs. Kershner, yet that does not nearly meet the
need. Although there are enough Big Sisters
available, the local program is so drastically short of
Big Brothers that Carol cannot even accept referrals
let alone place the boys currently on her waiting list
She is pleased with the response from the WMC
community. Although 21 is the stated age limit for
volunteers, exceptions based on individual maturity
are frequently made. "In my work with the students
here, they make up in enthusiasm for what they lack
in experience. On the whole, I have really been
impressed with student volunteers," she says,
explaining that each volunteer is expected to be
committed to the match for at least a year, to see his
Little Brother for at least four hours a week, and to
remain in contact over the summer.
In addition to Ed and Pam, other student volunteers
include: Cathy Fiden, 'SO, Jeff Johnson, 'SO, Jo
Della Badia, 'SI, Bruce Reiner, 'SO and Pam Owen,
'81, whose Little Sister is a high school senior.
"College students who are matched can gel
valuable personal experience with actual
involvement," explains Carol. She feels that students
looking to a career in social work have an opportunity
through Big Brothers to learn whether they ..... really
enjoy the field. Stressing again the individual nat~re
of each match, she says, "We really do work WIth
children of all social classes. Divorce hits all classes
-'~~~~~n~sv:~~t;:r~o::;~~~ hardships of time and
pressures," concludes Kershner.
Students are willing. nonetheless, and three are
currently waiting to be matched. As Pam Huffington
says, "I thought it would be something im~rtantreally
worthwhile "" to spend my nme on. T lr
After being a BIg Brother for four years, Dr. at
doesn't hesitate when he has a ch~nce ,t~ ~~~rui: n;~
volunteers 10 the program. For hIm,. B g "
Brother can be heavy, but a lot of it is JUS! sheer fun
News From The Hlll
It just Occurs
By Ralph C. John, President
Recently the local chapter of Pi Gamma Mu.
Ih~. national social science honor society,
initiated new members. Its president invited
me to make a brier statement as a part of the
ceremony. This I was glad to do, particularly
since I was Initiated into one or the four charter
chapters of this society during my own college
days.
Only a few weeks before the Pi Gamma Mu
event, we had one of the most exciting
Saturday afternoons that many of us at the
college can remember. While we knew that the
triennial meeting or the governing body of Phi
Beta Kappa was in sess~on in Ne~ Orleans.
and that we were being nominated for
institutional membership, we did not dare take
anything for granted.
But the welcome call came to Dr. Cornelius
P. Darcy, chairperson of the f'acuhy
petitioning group: You have just been voted a
charter for a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa at
Western Maryland College. Needless to say, for professional responsibilities on the Hill.
the word spread rapidly.
This must never mean, however, that we
These experiences bring up a question that consider ourselves superior or intrinsically
has been sharply debated in recent years. The more important or valuable than anyone else.
question: Is there a place for any variety of If perchance we are any of these, let others
elitism in an academic community
discover the fact and say it. Snobbery is
The background of this question does not offensive and inexcusable. ln fact, it is
need to be labored. There has been a populistic immoral.
thrust since the people movements of the A college. on the other hand, has
Sixties and early seventies that has had a specialized intellectual/cultural purposes.
levelling influence. ln many respects the Excellence in aptitude, motivation and
effects have been good. There is no place, for
performance in relation to these purposes,
example, for rankings of human beings based'
particularly within the college itself. is
on race, birth or relative position before the
legitimately celebrated, So we have honor
law.
societies.
In other respects, however. there are
In 1969, when there was a press to do away
in~erent inequalities in the very nature of
with grades for a pass/fail alternative, and
things. Physical prowess varies from one
when many high schools stopped giving the
individual to another. As many athletic halls of
class rank of seniors to college admissions
fame as there are. some of us could never
officers - even stopped computing rank in
make any of them, how.everhard ~e might try
class - [ attended the annual meeting of
Others will never smg an ana, write a
Omicron Delta Kappa. a leadership honor
worthwhile poem or resolve a Complicated
SOCietyin Washington, D.C. Usually there is
mathematical equation. These are things for
something substantive on the agendas of these
which we have to depend upon each other.
meetings, but not that year for ODK. For two
Western Maryland is in the fortunate
whole days the student delegates, some of
position of being a selective college in
whom had come all the way from California,
admissions and in the screening of candidates
debated doing away with the traditional key.
2
WMC Receives
0BK Charter _
Western Maryland College has. been se~ec:~~
as one of three new chapters ~atlonwlde. y 'al
1979 Phi Beta Kappa Council at the trlenn~
Council meeting on Oct. 20. Our chapter t:W
known as Delta of the Maryland .Cha~lerSims,
receive its charter from camerme S. f Phi
~i~~aPke:~~ca~t~: ~hs~a~~;:~~ ~:~~I~~~~i~S on
M':Ihil Beta Kappa was founded in 1776 at the