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October 28, 1987 ® In Perspective More black per formers needed in the SAC by ANDREA SHAW Guest Writer Each morning hundreds of UNC students flip open The Daily Tar Heel, on ly to be bombarded with advertisements of upcoming entertainers appearing at the Dean Smith Student Activities Center. Big name acts like Genesis, Billy Joel and David Bowie bring shows to town which sell out 20,000 tickets. But since the SAC’s concert debut in April 1986, none of the acts which have appeared have appealed to a black au dience. Lionel Richie, who appeared last November, sold 20,000 tickets also. Yet Richie, a black cross-over artist, attracts a largely white audience. His opening act, Sheila E., who attracts a black audience, received poor response from the predominantly white audience attending the concert. Smith Center officials contend that the facility is not in the entertainment business. Yet, Smith Center manager Steve Camp said earlier this year that 14 to 20 shows are needed each year to break even at an estimated $600,000 to $800,000. With three concerts under its belt, the Smith Center had five shows scheduled for October. And even with the scheduled appearance of Tina Turner foi Nov. 6, stilt none of the acts appearing would appeal to a black audience. With the Triangle growing and the presence of five predominantly black col leges and universities, all within an hour of Chapel Hill, the likelihood of selling out a concert featuring a top black act is relatively high. Furthermore, the area has a population of more than 85,000 blacks, increasing the potential tor a sellout. In the spring, The Black Ink interviewed Camp. At that time, he cited three reasons for the lack of black acts appearing at the SAC; First, black performers tend to stick with arenas that seat an audience of 10,000 to 12,000. Second, promoters take a high risk when putting up the per former's guarantee. A guarantee is a specified amount of money paid to the performer up front. If promoters don’t make a great return on their investment through ticket sales, they are reluctant to secure acts in the larger arenas. Third, there aren't any black acts on in the region. Black entertainers such as Luther Vandross, Patti LaBelle and Freddie Jackson have sold out both the 10,000-seat Greensboro Coliseum and the 12,000-seat Charlotte Coliseum. Camp said that a minimum of 8,000 to 10,000 tickets would have to be sold before securing a concert at the SAC. Given those statistics along with the population of the area, to sell 8,000 tickets to see a top name black act here shouldn’t be too difficult. Although SAC officials claim they are not in the promotion business, they do secure some of SAC’s performing acts based on community interest. By recruiting and working with the limited number of black promoters in the state, the Smith Center staff might be able to eliminate some of the risk associted with locating performers for concerts. And last, acquiring successful black performers is going to take a cooperative effort from Smith Center staff, promoters and student organizations. By organizing a group of students with various backgrounds and tastes in music, the Smith Center could atract performers that satisfy a variety of tastes and cater to all people, not just one particular group. In a student body of over 22,000, there is enough diversity here to make decisions in what is in the best interest of the whole instead of the majority. Black students are beginning to wonder if they will ever see more than basketball in the SAC. Unless the Univer sity notices that what is best for the ma jority is not what is best for the whole, the SAC cannot truly say it has made a contribution to the University s educa tional process or say that it had proven itself in the market for entertainment. Fire-safe cigarettes Continued from page 5 of cigarettes is only a few months, she said. How acceptable the tire-sate cigar ettes would be to smokers will have to be determined by the tobacco industry, which cooperated in the research, she said. Industry-wide laws establishing perfor mance standards for cigarettes would be better than voluntary compliance which would put some companies and brands at a competitive disadvantage. Waller said that she disagrees with people who consider laws affecting how cigarettes are made to be government interference. “I too have concerns about govern- Why aren’t we do ing it at Caroiina? by GARRAUD ETIENNE Staff Writer When I first tackled the idea of ad dressing the high dropout rate at Carolina, 1 imagined an essay laden with statistics and SAT scores. However, I thought that an editorial based on rational thinking and a lifetime of observations would suit my purpose better. While obviously all those concerned with the struggle of black America to achieve mainstream success realize a pro blem does exist, we find ourselves disagreeing on the cause. The generic explanations I've heard have addressed the difficulty we as black students have adjusting to a predominantly white environment. Blacks currently make up around 8% of UNC-Chapel Hill. All black students can agree that the pressures of being black in this environment only intensify the already rigorous demands of university work. However, to attribute our failure to achieve to the racial mix on campus frightens me. If this indeed is the case, well then I'm afraid it s over for me. you and black people as a race in these United States. To put things mildly, THIS IS A WHITE DOMINATED SOCIETY. To assert that we cannot come to Carolina, play the academic game and play it as well as our white counterparts, tells me we concede the game before it s begun. The only way for a black person to climb the socio-economic ladder (ex cluding those rare artistic talents which most of us are inadequately endowed with) is education. Being born in the poorest country of the western hemisphere, Haiti, and hav ing spent 11 of my 19 years in Brooklyn, NY, I have seen firsthand the plight of people, especially black people, who have never had an opportunity to advance themselves. We have the opportunity not only to do it for ourselves, but also to achieve for our brothers and sisters who have never been given the chance. I want to stress that I do sympathize with fellow black students who feel over whelmed; I had the dubious distinction of being the only black senior out of a class of 355. Having previously lived in an all black urban setting, it was again to put things mildly, “a struggle”. However, once I realized the opportunity that I had, I seized it firmly in my hand, and haven't let go since. You’re black, the odds are stacked against you, now deal with it. Is checking stu dent indentifica- tion the answer? ment interfering in too many areas of our private lives, but you have to consider the trade-offs,” she said. “When most peo ple think of freedom from government, they're not thinking about the freedom to burn up their homes with their families inside. ” “All this report is saying is that we have identified something that contributes to death and serious injury in all kinds of people, not just smokers,” she added. “And we're saying we know how to modify this agent of death, if you will, in such a way that it won't create an effect that the people who were smoking never intended to happen. by TIMIKA SHAFEEK Managing Editor Will checking University student identification prevent fights and vandalism from occuring at the parties given in Great Hall? The general consensus is that it may be a start, but it is not the answer. Although fights and vandalism are not regular occurences at Great Hall, preventative measures are being con sidered because of the incident that took place in September, at the Alpha Phi Alpha jam, which resulted in four fights and damage to a vending machine. Checking for college identification will exclude many of the people that at tend the parties. It is a well known fact that over half of the people who attend Great Hall parties are from surrounding colleges and communities. Checking for UNC identification will therefore result in the reduction of fund raising profits for such organizations as the BSM and the Black Greek organizations. Mia Davis, a member of the junior class, stated, “Cutting the possiblities of fundraising opportunities for Black organizations is a definite setback, but 1 think UNC students are less likely to fight among themselves, and are more likely to cooperate when asked.” “As a student, I see no problems in showing my I.D. to attend Great Hall jams if it will prevent fights,” said sophomore Yolandra Poole, member of the sophomore class. Poole also stated that all college I.D.’s should be accepted, and although many college age students would be denied admittance, if it will prevent fights, it is fair. Cleveland Lewis, member of Kappa Alpha Psi, stated that the emphasis should not be on college I.D.’s. According to Lewis, the hired security guards need to take a more active role when necessary. “Right now, I do not think im plementing new measures to prevent fights is necessary,” said sophomre Vanessa Howard. “But, if things do get out of hand, then something will have to be done.” Copies of The Black ink can be picked up at the following locations: Campus Y Carolina Union Chase Hall Granville Towers Journalism School Undergraduate Library
Black Ink (Black Student Movement, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
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