Making the Grade, Page 7 OU WESTER 1848 The Weekly Student Newspaper of Rhodes College Vol. LXXXVII, No. 4 Wednesday, September22, 1999 Alderson Competes In Miss America Pageant By Steele Means Jane Alderson pointed out that Miss America contestants, who are Associate Editor she speaks to four to five schools per interested in continuing their educa- day on behalf of this program. tion in business management or mar- Twenty-two-year-old Allison Besides competing in categories ket-related fields, to compete for this Alderson, who graduated from such as swimsuit, evening gown, and scholarship. Rhodes College in May of 1999 with interviews, each MissAmerica contes- According to the Miss America a degree in Business Administration, tant is required to choose an issue organization,"The Waterford Crystal competed in the Miss America pag- "about which she cares deeply and Executive Committee selected the eant in Atlantic City, NJ, on Septem- that is of relevance to our nation," ac- Rhodes College graduate on the basis ber 18 as Miss Tennessee. cording to the Miss America organi- of an essay in which she explored the According to the Miss America zation. Miss America and the state implications of product branding." organization, to be eligible to enter the titleholders typically then go on to use "As the Waterford brand expands pageant, a contestant must first win a their positions to generate awareness to encompass a growing group of local competition and then compete for their chosen platform issues. lifestyle products...we are acutely to represent her state, "a process re- Alderson's chosen topic was"Read aware of the importance of nurtur- quiring enormous personal commit- to Succeed." She has been very active ing and enhancing our 216-year-old ment, hard work, and talent." in literacy campaigns and programs brand name," explained Melissa H. Alderson was crowned Miss throughout high school and college. Ingram, Wterford Corporation Events Memphis this past February, and sub- Also, each contestant must choose Executive. "That makes us all the sequently competed in, and won, the particular talents to display in the more eager to know that in the future, Miss Tennessee pageant in June. This competition; Alderson had elected to brand marketing will get the attention pageant is held each year in Jackson, demonstrate her singing and piano- and talent of women like Miss TN, Alderson's hometown. playing abilities. America 2000 candidate Allison According to Alderson's mother, While Alderson was not success- Alderson." Jane Alderson, "Allison was the first ful in her bid to be crowned Miss Alderson said that, in addition to hometown woman to win the Miss America for the year 2000, she did re- pursuing an M.B.A., she also wants Tennessee pageant." ceive the Waterford Crystal Business to return to Rhodes to pursue a M.S. Besides winning scholarship Management and Marketing Scholar- in accounting. money, Alderson is also employed by ship from the Waterford Crystal com- Commenting on her experience the state of Tennessee as the official pany, which is associated with the Miss on the pageant in Atlantic City, spokesperson for the Governor's Al- America organization. This will be Alderson said that the rest of the con- 9 Photo Provided By College Relations liance for a Safe and Drug-Free Ten- used towards funding her enrollment testants were very "down-to-earth" '99 Rhodes Alum Allison Alderson nessee by virtue of serving as Miss in a M.B.A. program. and that they were very focused on Tennessee for this year. Each year, the company invites their education and life goals. Walesa, Belafonte To Receive 1999 Freedom Awards By Bhke Rollins in 1980 when he encouraged advent of the civil rights move- and mobilized their support to Board decided on both individu- Op/Ed Editor workers at the Lenin Shipyard in ment - a cultural uprising he him- bring the civil rights movement to als based on their merit and abil- Gdansk to strike. This led to the self spearheaded. Europe and South Africa. Perceiv- ity to appear in person. Choosing to honor two seem- creation of the national Solidarity In the early 1960s, Belafonte ing the imminent threat on Martin Judith Black, Director of Mar- ingly disparate individuals, The trade federation. became the first black television Luther King's life, he was the only keting at the Civil Rights Museum National Civil Rights Museum se- Imposing marital law in 1981 producer, earning an Emmy his person to purchase life insurance on in downtown Memphis, told The lected Polish labor leader Lech and suspending Solidarity, the first year for the show "Tonight King's life. Following the assassina- Sou'wester she believes the candi- Walesa and Caribbean musician Polish government imprisoned With Harry Belafonte." Later in tion, Belafonte donated the money dates are well paired precisely be- Harry Belafonte for its 1999 Free- Walesa until 1982. One year later, life, he served as Goodwill Ambas- from his insurance policy to the cause they seem so unrelated to each dom Award. Walesa won the Nobel Peace Prize. sador for the United Nation's King family. According to the Board other. "What makes [the 1999 Free- Lech Walesa, an instrumental In 1990 Walesa donated his Children's Fund (UNICEF) and of Directors at The National Civil dom Award] interesting is that they actor in ending communism in $200,000 prize to the reconstruc- recently acted in movie roles in the Rights Museum, awarding are entirely different people. Poland, served as a catalyst for the tion of his country. - reverse-racism drama, White Belafonte was "long overdue." [Belafonte and Walesa] are different fall of Soviet control across all of Commonly regarded as the Man's Burden, and Robert The National Civil Rights Mu- in the way they made their changes." Eastern Europe. Head of the Pol- "King of Calypso," Harry Altman's jazz-era film, Kansas seum Board of Directors decides The ceremony will be conducted ish labor movement, Solidarity, he Belafonte achieved mainstream City. on the awardees based on both September 30 at the Temple of De- later became President of a demo- commercial success for his West During his career as a civil their availability to speak as well liverance at 12 pm. It is open to the cratic Poland from 1990-1995. Indian-inspired music that was rights activist, Belafonte garnered as their social contributions. Af- public, and tickets are available:at Walesa's political career began virtually unparalleled before the the attention of other entertainers ter a search is conducted, the Rhodes. Opinion Page 2 Wednesday, September 22, 1999 ----- TOURISTA: The Movie That Never Came To Rhodes BLAKE Roall Editor-in-Chief CURIOUSLY ~iiiii-~i STRONG with moral imperatives - not even to them speak decent Spanish (Latin two years ago. And when you get Matthew Shipe COLUMNIST ~ satisfy a twisted anthropological cu- Americans tend to tease Spaniards home, few people will have seen what Associate Editor riosity to see topless women in a about their accent), but they manage you have. Expect the phone conver- Steele Means What is it about Yanks when they steamy Papua New Guinea jungle. somehow to engage in complicated sation to be longer than a monosyl- Business Managers travel abroad? Normally, Americans We send our young to Europe, activities like banking in.Bolivia. labic answer. Greg Scheuchenzuber behave with a politeness that borders namely Western Europe, because of They even use the local post offices The point of travel is not to fol- Brian Willis on religious experience: etiquette its relative similarity to American to full effect. And the amazing thing is low the map. Travel distinguishes you zealots uttering "Sir" and'Ma'am" in standards of living and safety (actu- they travel on a shoestring and save from others, teaches you to deal with SECTION EDITORS a sick kind of Mr. Rogers Eucharist. ally, crime rates in the EU are sub- money compared to messing around patience and frustration, and, most Op/Ed Editor Blake Rollins But, once U.S. visitors cross that mili- stantially lower than America). in Europe. They know how to save a importantly, makes you interesting A& E Editor Amy Holcombe tarized border with Mexico (usually Shouldering a backpack and hitch- buck and live on the wild side. to people. And traveling in distant Scene Editor Patrick Lane over a chain-link bridge with razor ing across Europe is the rite of pas- Latin America is special to me be- lands is now as cheap (often News Editor Valerie Witte wire dangling overhead) eyebrows sage for graduating seniors these days. cause it attracts a unique mix of for- cheaper) than the obligatory romp Sports Editor Susan Hughes frown and US'ers can't stop com- To confirm this suspicion, con- eigners. There is just the right in London. The Old World is over- Rhode'ster Editor Barrett Hathcock plaining about the service. sult any Rhodes publication that proportion of Germans, Brits, Cana- saturated with tourists. London gets STAFF WRITERS "Damn, this donkey is not happy deals with what recent alumni did the dians, Aussies, Kiwis, French, etc. to over 25 million visitors every sum- Emily Bays Mara Zimmerman enough! Make it smile or you'll lose summer after graduating. A good cook a hearty stew of travelers. And mer. So. what does the local resi- Kalman Benscath Heather Lockridge your job, amigo!" we love to scream half of them went vacationing in Brit- with such a mix of people, you're dent care if you can't find the tube Brad Damare Kenneth Lukas Jennifer Durovchic Anke Mtafu at Tijuana photographers and their ain, France, Spain, Germany, or any bound to learn more about their home- station to Covent Garden? There'll Nik Granger Ami Okasinki pathetic portrait mules.