April 8, 1997

Required reading can be beneficial
Vanessa Urruela
Editor-in-Chief

"The fear is the worst part. Every time I hear footsteps coming down the hall, or the clink of the key turning in the lock, I'm tempted to curl up in one corner like a hurt animal, whimpering, wanting to be safe. But I know if I do that, I'll be giving in to a low part of myself, and I'll feel even less human. And that is what they want to do, yes, that is what they want to do." -from Maria Teresa's prison diary in the novel, "In the Time of the Butterflies."

In the publicity photo of Julia Alvarez a thin gold chain peeks out from behind her collar. The way it hangs suggests that there is something dangling from it. She looks like an author, simple haircut, sparkly scarf and far away gaze. The picture got me wondering what was hanging from the chain.

When I met the author a few weeks ago I got to ask her.

"My honey designed this and gave it to me when I finished 'Butterflies'," she said, letting the gold butterfly charm perch on her fingertips as she held it out. The butterfly had an emerald body and diamond encrusted wings. Her husband, sitting nearby, beamed at the gift's mention.

The novel she was referring to is her 1994 novel "In The Time of the Butterflies". It chronicles the lives of four real-life sisters who experienced political revolution in the Dominican Republic during the 1950s. Three of the sisters, Patria, Maria Teresa and Minerva were killed by the dictator.

Though Alvarez fictionalized their true story, the novel rings with truth as she researched actual events with the help of the surviving sister Dede.

To require, or not to require...

There is much controversy on this campus about whether or not an entire incoming class of freshmen should be required to read a single novel. I sincerely believe that if any novel should be chosen, "In the Time of the Butterflies" is it.

This novel is based upon actual events which brought the face of democracy to the Dominican Republic. In a country where we all take our freedoms for granted, "In the Time of the Butterflies" offers American readers a different point of view.

There is much to be learned about political systems and theory from reading this book. The characters put a face upon revolution, something that history classes and texts don't always do. It's not fun to memorize dates or geography, but it is interesting to read about how Dominicans struggled to infiltrate the enemy and communicate without being caught.

The structure of the novel is conducive to easy reading though the topics covered aren't always easy to deal with. Alvarez writes periodically from the point of view of each of the sisters. Each passage is clearly labeled so as not to confuse the reader.

The novel begins as Dede remembers what her family was like before the revolution began. This sets up the reader's love for the characters. In The Time of the Butterflies ends with the three sisters being killed, with Dede left alone to carry on their story and their spirit.

The purpose of having the freshman class read a common text is to create a unifying thematic experience which will be incorporated into many classes and most importantly, that will be the theme for convocation.

It is important for freshmen to have some sort of unifying experience. Because I was in the Watauga College program, I was lucky enough to have such a comfortable introduction into college and the body of my peers. Most freshmen don't have that advantage. They enter college blindsided by newfound freedom and academic confusion. Having books to talk about helps people get to know one another and to better understand how they fit into their class. Reading books doesn't just provide a person with a story, it opens them up to a new framework of experience which they can ponder over and grow with.

Who is this Julia Alvarez anyway?

Silvio Sirias, my professor, arranged for our Chicana/Latina Novel class to meet with Alvarez after her recent book signing in Chapel Hill. During that meeting, she expressed her delight over the Summer Reading Program and agreed to be next year's Convocation speaker.

Though I could go on and on about how thrilled I was to meet Alvarez, I'll simply say that she is a dynamic woman who captures a reader's attention with her lively commentary and introspection. In the reading she gave, she definitely inspired the audience. Her own family fled the Dominican Republic in 1960 fearing that her father's involvement in the revolution would be discovered.

Anyone who objects to the required reading program should read the novel before they make a final decision. This text approaches many serious subjects including religion, sexuality, personal growth, politics, family dynamics and identity with grace, truth and wisdom. There is no better way to prepare incoming students for their academic, social and mental journey than in the discussions and lectures that will be held on this novel.

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Our Opinion

Doing things the right way

With the end of the academic year on its way, the staff of The Appalachian has noticed a few areas for improvement as far as life at Appalachian goes.

First of all, the telephone registration system needs some upgrading. Why is the system so slow? We don't think that the system is complex enough to merit waiting five minutes to hear your classes listed. The menu options are somewhat confusing and you can't interrupt the recorded voice's speil with the one you want which is really annoying. Another ridiculously absurd restriction on the system is its hours. Who in the world thought up a system for registering for classes that is only open a few hours a day and can't be accessed for days at a time? It's very frustrating to have to wait until the system is open again when your schedule, ie your life, is on hold.

Another thing that should be changed is the amount of holidays during which students are kicked out of the residence halls. Sure Appalachian Heights and Mountaineer Apartments residents are allowed to stay the whole year without getting the boot for Christmas break or any other, but is this fair to everyone else? Hardly. We realize that Resident Assistants work hard and need a break too, but for the students who have nowhere to go, it's a pain to have to leave.

We think that RAs should volunteer to stay so that each building has at least one during holidays like Fall Break and Easter break.

As mentioned in our now infamous "Reasons to love ASU" column, the textbook rental system doesn't work for everyone. Why pay the $75 if you don't even get any books that semester? Because you have to. It's not fair for students like English majors who rarely get to use rental texts to have to pay the fee. It amounts to paying big bucks for a service you can't use in addition to paying out of pocket for paperbacks and other texts you need for class. The last thing college students need is more expenses.

Now comes something that burns some of our dorm-dwelling staff: the process of dorm registration. It's down-right ridiculous to do this thing alphabetically. By seniority, upperclassmen who choose to live on campus should have first dibs on rooms, regardless of where their last name falls in the alphabet. It's like appointing positions in Congress by name instead of experience. Well, maybe not that severe, but it's an injustice to upperclassmen.

This school obviously has the capabilities to get a listing by class to register for dorms. Isn't that how class registration is done? It really stinks that a freshman named Aardvark could get a preferable room while a senior named Zypstein gets the bottom of the barrel. Everybody has to pay their dues. Everyone remembers those days in crappy rooms far away from everything on campus. Upperclassmen shouldn't have to deal with this year after year just because of their names.

Maybe half the problem is that the university doesn't bother to ask students about things like this that affect almost all of us. It would be helpful to students if they did pay more attention to "trivial concerns".

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Campus Perspectives

Do you feel that incoming freshmen should be required to read books over the summer?

Scarlet Wootten, Jr.
"[No.] I think that, once they get here, they'll be reading enough books."

Shukun Tian, Grad
"[No.] If the writing or anything else is related to my future job... I won't see any immediate benefits, I won't have any motivation to do it; even though it would probably do some good in the long run."

Jennifer Minnicks, Sr.
"Yes, I think it would be good for them to read, because it would help with their writing skills later."

Jason Callicut, Sr.
"Not really; I mean, there could be a benefit to it, but I don't think they should be required to. It would probably help them, but I don't see why it should be a requirement."

Cintya Laranjeira, transfer
"I don't thin kstudents should be required to read books, because I think they should be interested in reading it; and if they try to make them read it, they won't, and it won't be fun."

Lisa Booze, Sr.
"[No.] They should be encouraged... I know people that enjoy reading and do it on their own anyway and spend most of their time preparing to come up here and do other stuff."

Matt Leonard, Fr.
"I don't think you should read over the summer before you come up, [or] you should have to; if you'd like to, you should."

Marcus Johnson, Fr.
"I think they should be required to be creative, like make bolopqxy drums, maybe things like that, maybe go fishing, encourage camping and things like that, but no reading. If they want to do that, they do it on their own, you know."

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