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Black Ink
November 28,1983
o
BLACK INK
If blackness can be converted into words and pictures,
we intend to do it
Albertina Smith
Managing Editor
Cheryl Williams
Features Editor
Gwendolyn Hailey
Editor in Chief
Charles Covington
Business Manager
Willie Little
Advertising Manager
Sonja Payton
News Editor
Lisa Stinson
Circulation Manager
Private lives not a
political issue
when Representative Daniel Crane (R-lll.) spoke out on the investigation in
to sexual activity between congressmen and pages he was adanoent. "If they
can prove it, I hope they sock it to them and throw them out," Crane said when
rumors first broke. It was the beginning of what has soon to be labeled sexgate.
When Crane turned out to be one of only two senators named as a result of
the investigation, the outcome was not only a big sex scandal but a tirade of
hypocracy.
Compelled to do so by the public, the House of Representatives voted to
censure Crane and Representative Gerry Studds (D-Mass.) for having sex with
17-year-old pages 10 years ago. Crane voted, not for his own expulsion of
course, but for censure also.
It has been left up to the voters to decide the fate of those two Con
gressmen. in doing so they should consider the implications of Tuesday's
developments. The chief page of the House, James Howarth, resigned
moments after the House Ethics Committee recommended he be fired for hav
ing sexual relations with a 17-year-old page three years ago. The same commit
tee had recommended the same sexual activity by Congressmen warranted on
ly written reprimands. True, the offices of head page and Congressman are far
from the same, but the crime is the same and the discrepancy in the
punishments is evidence tha the goal of the investigation is not to achieve any
standard and should not be recognized as such.
That year-long, $2.4 million probe into charges of widespread sexual miscon
duct by Congress has netted only four cases is also cause for question. Would
the expenditure of twice as much money revealed twice as many misdoings or
would it have dug up encounters that occurred as long as 20 years ago? Pro
bably neither. Not that there are no other cases to be found, but it is definitely
not a worthwhile expenditure of taxpayers' money.
What is even more hypocritical, however, is the sudden interest in two
political figures by people who would not have heard of the two obscure
representatives, had it not been for their misbegotten sexual urges.
The behavior of those Congressmen and the chief page is not to be condon
ed. But at $800,000 per finding the investigation was hardly economical. If the
search is over the taxpayers should look at the results for what they are —
whatever that is. Votes cast on the next election should not be based on the
private lives of the Representatives, but on the way he carries out his public
duties. If the investigation is still going on a lot of taxpayers' money could be
well saved by calling the whole thing off.
ATTENTION READERS:
This will be the last issue of the BLACK
INK for this semester. We will resume
publication next semester on January 19,
1984. The BLACK INK staff wishes
everyone a happy and safe holiday season.
OP
^VOTeI
4^
Feedback
In reference to the article "Current
Status of BSM — The President
Speaks," I feel the President of the
Black Student Movement owes an
apology to last year's BSM ad
ministration.
It has often been said that when
people get in positions of power they
soon forget from whence they came.
In the article "The President Speaks"
the author does not "communicate
our status to you." I nstead he makes
an unfair comparison of last year's
administration with the present ad
ministration. In this statement he
glosses over the fact that he was a CC
member of the last year had con
siderable input on all decisions. He
negatively criticized those decisions
out of context in his statement.
To the present BSM president 1
ask, were you not an active member
of last year's administration? If the
answer is yes, then they next logical
assumption is that you openly
criticized yourself as well as other
Central Committee members in your
article. If one was to infer an answer
from your essay, one would be forc
ed to assume last year's administra
tion was ineffective and incompe
tent. Based on this implication, my
first question to the BSM president if
"If you were an ineffective and in
competent Central Committee
member last year, why are you serv
ing in the capacity of the president
this year? Obviously the facts weren't
stated as accurately as they should
have been.
In reference to the remainder of
your misleading article I ask the
following questions.
1 )Do you remember when the majori
ty of the present membership signed
up this year?
2)Do you remember why we weren't
able to sign up over 450 members at
our membership drive party last
year?
3)How many of the present 500 plus
members have actively joined com
mittees and attended general body
meetings?
4)Have you forgotten the meetings
the choir and the Central Committee
had in an attempt to solve problems
last year?
5)Did it slip your mind how dynamic
the subgroups were last year?
6)Have you wondered how the
"euphonic" choir was able to record
an album when their alloted funds
were almost depleted?
7)Did you forget how the Opeyo
Dancers filled Great Hall to seating
capacity during their Fall Invita
tional?
8)Has it slipped your rhind how pro
gressive Ebony Readers were last
year?
9)Have you forgotten how the editor
of the BLACK INK managed to print
superb issues while faced with
deadlines and shortage of funds?
10)Did you also forget that the BSM
co-sponsored Max Robinson's visit
last year?
11)Did you forget the success of Pre-
Orientation last year?
12)Have you forgotten your stand on
the choir last year?
13)Do you remember the com
petence and dedication of last year's
Central Committee?
The questions could continue but
my point has been made. Although
last year's administration of the BSM
didn't have the most productive and
supportive year, accomplishments
were made which are still worthy of
praise. The distorted picture you at
tempted to present in your article
was far from accurate.
1 resent the present BSM president
attempting to make this year's ad
ministration shine by discrediting the
administration of last year.
The BSM is more cohesive in
endeavors, more financially secure
and maintains better relations with
other campus organizations and in
stitutions for one reason'The present
"superb" administration is reaping
the benefits of the long, rock road
which was paved by last year's ad
ministration.
Ronald Dixon
Former Central
Committee Member