Page 2
The Voice
November 19,1981
Editorial-
The Constitution
Weak Tool But Strong Weapon
Amid charges, counter-charges, hints, press leaks, and plain old
malicious gossip, the student senate and SGA president have
squared off in a bitter power struggle. Their strongest weapon
against each other is, ironically, the student body constitution.
When either party makes a move, the other is able to counter that
move by citing some article of the contradictory constitution. No
progress is being made and as the warring waltz ^oes on, the rights
and interests of the student body sit like wallflowers.
Right now there. are only two things that are absolutely
unquestionable. The first is that Mr. Johnson is the SGA president,
elected by a majority vote during last spring’s election. The second
thing is that Mr. Belgrave, as vice president of the SGA, is the
president of the senate. Here all certainty ends.
There is nothing certain about the senate at this point. The con
stitution says senate representatives will be elected from their par
ticular precinct. It states further that the senate shall determine the
definition of precinct. This is a Catch-22 situation which could
mean that whoever shows up for the first senate meeting could
determine that a precinct is a dormitory, campus organization,
academic classification or an intramural basketball team to the ex
clusion or inclusion of any one or more groups. Therefore, there is
uncertainty as to whether the senate now sitting is legal.
Mr. Johnson had the right idea about suspending the senate until
proper verification was received from organizational presidents.
Further, student organizations are largely to blame for the rness the
senate is in because they often fail to send anyone to tTte meetings.
The responsibility is now upon the senate president to have
roll call and a roll-call voting procedure. The senate president would'
also do well to tighten up the parUamentary procedures of the
senate. By doing so, he would prevent individuals'from seizing
valuable floor time to engage in personal ax-grinding at'the expense
of governmental progress on behalf of the student body.
Then they can fix that constitution.
Letters To The Editor
Get Thee Behind Me Satin!
But Don’t Push!
This semester, I had the pleasure of
listening to one of the most moving
speeches delivered by Chancellor
Charles Lyons. The point he made,
which I whole-heartedly agree with, is
to solve problems rather than make
them, and to find solutions rather than
make things more difficult.
At Fayetteville State, I am bombar
ded with rumors and hints of rumors
that each segment, i.e., faculty, ad
ministration, staff and students are
busy blaming each other for what they
feel does not constitute a perfect status
quo. Of course, since I am a librarian,
I hear the potshots that are taken at the
Chesnutt Library. However, most of
the ammunition is shot from a secon
dary rather than a primary source. I
respect the complainers who have the
moral integrity to discuss the problems
they have. To my knowledge, this is the
only way to gain accurate information
and start on the road to recouping a
bad situation. It is always easy to
blame someone else for our own shor
tcomings or reiterate' them at length
than it is to think of viable solutions
and discuss them, with the guilty par
ties.
The only way that this institution
will continue to be a place to point to
with pride is for each segment of the
University to dispose of its unfriendly
attitudes toward each other and em
brace the old philosophy of co
operation.
If all the elements of the University
could-or would-join together in an ef
fort to make the library the “Resource
Center” it is intended to be, helping
the students (our reason for existence
in the first place), not only know what
materials to use, but how to use them,
there might be less conflict, animosity
and misunderstanding between the
library, faculty and administration. As
it is, there are many grumbles, but few
doers.
A community of educators contains
many brilliant people-genius and
otherwise. A true genius is one who
does not braodcast his knowledge, but
radiates warmth. He or she stores truth
to smooth out life’s mighty mountains.
Others often forget that the ladder up
the path of success is often the same
ladder down, and many of the same
people are passed as one travels in both
directions. It’s a small world after all.
Let us work together to make it a great
world.
Evelyn P. Council
(See LETTERS, Page 3)
XMMOVABLe'
OBJECT
XRRe Si stable
Power Struggle
In Student Government
By Gary Snapps
The legitimate object of government is to do for a community of
people whatever they need to have done, but cannot do at all. or can
not do so well for themselves in their separate and individual
capacities.
A. Lincoln
There is no great secret that in all governments power struggles exist. In 1967-
68, Bobby Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson were engaged in one of the most bitter
power struggles in this century. And back in 1828, John Quincy Adams struggled
to maintain power over Andrew Jackson. These are struggles that are expected
and, generally speaking, such power battles are advantageious - they prove that
there is a free exchange of ideas.
Robert Kennedy’s power play, for instance, led to our eventual withdrawal
from Vietnam. Andrew Jackson’s power play led to a democratic government
over the more aristocratic government of John Quincy Adams. But exactly what
kind of impact will a power struggle betwen the SGA president and the student
senate have? And what are the stakes involved? And who really loses?
The struggle between the senate and the president arises mainly because of an
outdated constitution - one which does not clearly separate the powers of the
executive and legislative branches. A constitution that Eillows the president to ap
point the entire judicial branch, but does not require a time limit for senate ac
tion. One half of the semester has passed by without a judicial branch, which
technically means that any student who has been charged by the SGA was denied
due process. So essentially the current power struggle has disabled the student
government to the point that the students are not benefitting from the gover
nment’s existance.
At stake is the iniegrity of the check and balance system and with that all three
branches are considerably weakened. The imperial presidency should not have
the power to run roughshod over the senate. On the other, the senate must not be
allowed to hold up nominations and in effect, close down the judiciary branch
and threaten the goal of justice. In all fairness to the senate, it was carrying out its
duty by postponing the vote on the appointees since careful deliberation is
necessary. The president also acted correctly in his attempt to fill those positions
which are in the interest of the student body. But the SGA has taken a serious
jolt, and how it survives this latest power struggle will depend largely upon how
the new judicial branch operates.
In the future, the senate must realize its duty and try to cooperate with the
president. A permanent judiciary corrlmittee might be established to keep these
squabbles to a minimum. Or as Socrates might suggest, a perfect state will exist
“when philosophers are kings and kings are philosophers.”
RJSC Canteen
Fast Food—When You Can Get It
By Trenetta Tubwell
Have you ever walked into the Can
teen, blind with hunger and stood
patiently in line, waiting for the san
dwich of your dreams? Visions of chili,
pickles, barbecue, lettuce, tomatoes,
and ketchup dance in your head. The
dream quickly turns into a nightmare
as the cook says, “Sorry, but we’re out
of that.”
The Canteen is forever out of one or
more of the basic sandwich ingredien
ts. There have been times when there
were no french fries, chicken or fish
fillets, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce,
onions, or ice cream. And having bar
becue is the exception rather than the
rule.
It is standard fast-food practice to
charge extra for lettuce, tomatoes, and
cheese. But the Canteen goes a step
further in charging extra for pickles
(when they are available.)
Food is brought to the Canteen by a
delivery truck. Since there appears to
be no set days for food to be delivered,
if the Canteen just happens to run out
of something, ice cream for example,
there is a wait of two or three days
before the next shipment. Sometimes,
the wait is not two days but a week.
But according to Mr. William Hall,
manager of the H.L. Cook Dining Hall
as well as the Canteen, there is never a
shortage of the popular foods, such as
hotdogs, at the Canteen. “They are
always there.”