Erskine freshman woman follow tradition and 'Sign the Book'

DUE WEST, SC – September 14, 2010 – The women of the Erskine College Class of 2014 participated in the annual Signing of the Book on Thursday, Sept. 2. Marking the 87th year of this Erskine College tradition, they recited the school’s honor pledge and added their signatures to a book signed by several generations of students who preceded them.

During the evening ceremony in the Bowie Arts Center, this year’s speaker for the event, Amy Rankin Timms ’85, told the freshmen, “You’re not just any student — you’re an Erskine College student.”

 Timms, a longtime math teacher at Belton-Honea Path High School and the mother of freshman Hannah Timms, stressed the importance of the way students conduct themselves as they embark on their college experience. 

“Whether you realize it or not, you’re taking on a huge responsibility. You represent me, you represent Dr. Agnew,” she said, referring to Vice President for Student Services Dr. Robyn Agnew ’84, and going on to include Erskine College women in general.

Timms, who majored in mathematics with an emphasis in computer science and a minor in music, said that when she first came to college she did not speak to people unless they spoke to her first, missing opportunities to make friends.

“Make an effort so speak to everyone. It does not take a lot of effort to make this a habit,” she said, adding that it was not until her senior year that she realized her reserve had been mistaken for snobbery.

“Friends you make here will last a lifetime,” Timms told the women.

 She encouraged the freshmen to take advantage of the academic and extracurricular opportunities Erskine offers. “I got to be a basketball player here,” she joked, referring to intramural sports. “Take a class just for fun.”

Even in a small college setting, Timms said, “Well-rounded people don’t just happen — you have to get in there and get involved.”

A member of the Choraleers and the Erskine Players, Timms was active in campus ministries and the Student Christian Association. She received the Isabel Boyd Phillips Award in her senior year.

Urging the students to work for academic excellence, she suggested placing an encouraging sign in study areas, getting help from professors when needed, and cultivating “a teachable spirit.”

“Your Erskine professors will become your extended family,” she said, recalling a music professor who came by to see her in the dorm, found her going through a difficult time, and stepped in to help.

 Finally, Timms advised the students, “Take time to grow spiritually.” In her own college experience, friendship played an important role in spiritual growth.

 “I wouldn’t have made it without the friendship of a Christian roommate,” she said, noting that she and her Erskine roommate still rely on each other.

Senior McKenzie Campbell, president of the American Chemical Society, welcomed the freshmen; senior Daisy Smith, president of the Student Christian Association, gave the invocation; senior Mary Alex Senn, president of Alpha Lambda Sigma, introduced the speaker; junior Emily Robinson, chair of the Judicial Council, led the recitation of the honor pledge; senior Lauren Wright, president of the Association of Multicultural Students, and Hannah Oates, president of the Society of Visual Arts, conducted the signing of the book.

Senior Rebecca King, a member of the Erskine College Choraleers, led the singing of the Alma Mater; senior Julia Price, president of Baptist Campus Ministries, offered a closing prayer; and senior Holly Campbell, president of the Intersociety Council, adjourned the meeting.

Following the ceremony, Campbell and Senn joined seniors Brooke Pruitt, president of Chi Lambda Sigma Women, Rebekah Reid, vice president of Euphemian Little Sisters, and Lauren Parrish, president of the Philomelean Literary Society, in hosting a reception.