Page 2
October 1996
EDITORIAL
The Bubble Theory
Just because we live in a bubble doesn’t mean we can’t
cause trouble. But then again’ maybe it does. Here at the
wonderfully advanced School of Science and Math, the stu
dents seem oblivious of the world around them. Face it, we
live on a campus encased in a little plastic bubble which keeps
us ignorant and uninformed about the outside world.
The day before Fran decided to grace us with her pres
ence, many people did not even know she existed. A week
after the US government decided to bomb Iraq, most students
did not know about it. Two weeks after Tupac met with an
untimely death, we did not know about it. The majority of
students probably do not even know what Notre Dame’s record
is so far this season.
This lack of or apathy towards knowledge is appall
ing. There are newspapers, yes, professional ones, which we
have access to daily. There are television sets which, as fate
would have it, do broadcast the news every now and again.
But most students still do not use any of these wonderful re
sources. When Harvey Gantt walked through campus, some
students did not evn know who he was.
Not that it is completely our fault that the student body,
as a whole, is uninformed. Teachers, too, could follow the
example of Mr. Litle and other history teachers and take a
moment to tell us important little tibits such as the fact that
Ross Perot is not allowed to participate in presidential debates
The administration could also help via the daily bulle
tin, which, while informative of in-bubble activities, seems to
be more than lacking in the world news category. Just a sen
tence or two about how a six-year-old boy was dismissed from
school for kissing a girl on the cheek would be sufficient.
Basically, the students of NCSSM really need to burst
the bubble. Go out and read the paper, or even skim the head
lines, at least once a week. Or, if you have enough to read
already, turn on CNN sometime, they will probably have some
news every now and again. And teachers, please, if some
thing profound happens that you feel somehow affects the
world, just mentioning it in class would help tremendously.
Contrary to popular beliefs, the world does not revolve
around Science and Math. We need to get involved, or at the
very least get informed. We are suppose to be the best in the
state, the leaders of tomorrow, but how can we succeed in
leading tomorrow when we do not even know what is going
on today?
OPINION
Papa John's dishes up racism
THEO LUEBKE
Up until a few
weeks ago, had you asked
me, I would have gladly
bought a pizza from Papa
John’s. Cer
tainly you know
them, the pizza
deliverers at
NCSSM, their
ubiquitous red
and green boxes
and coupons
plastered from
Fourth Bryan to
Fourth East.
But a
few weeks ago I
stopped by the
small neon hut
like structure
that sits a block
from Brightleaf Square. It
was then I discovered
some behavior I had
thought went out with the
1960s and 70s.
You see. Papa
John’s will not deliver to
predominantiy Black areas
of Durham.
Papa John’s does
not deliver to Rigsbee
Street, a north-south
Downtown avenue. Nor do
they deliver to Sheperd
Street or Carroll Street
(where I once lived) both
located on the edge of the
mostly poor and Black
West End neighborhood.
Both of these re
gions are predominantly
Black, and almost a third
closer a drive from Papa
John’s than is NCSSM’s cam
pus.
If you ask Papa John’s
why they
to
It is our job as
NCSSM students
and members of the
Durham community
to hold Papa John's
accountable for its
actions. Let Papa
John's know that you
are unhappy with
their refusal to
provide equal service
to all citizens.
seem
have for
gotten the
basic ge
ography of
Durham,
they will
tell you
that they
have had
too many
“ p r o b -
lems” in
those ar
eas.
But Papa John’s will also not
deliver to the middle class ar
eas around the North Carolina
Central University campus,
where the Black leadership of
Durham has lived for decades.
Located almost exactly the
same distance from Papa
John’s as NCSSM, the N. C.
Central neighborhood is the
home to past and present suc
cessful businesspersons, city
council members, and school
board members.
So where does Papa
John’s deliver? If you were to
take a look at the five or so
plastic sheets that are plas
tered to the area below the
counter at Papa John’s, the re
The Stentorian
Kditors-ln-Chlef: Monica Dev, Anne Fawcett
Editorials and Opinions Editor: Sami Assaf Features Editors: Amy White, Manali Patel
News Editors: Sara Vance, Akua Asare Sports Editor: Alton Patrick Layout Editors: Theo Luebke, Smiu Trivedi
Photography Editors: Leonard Tran Advertising Manager: Donald Gaye
Adviser: E. M. Pugh Sponsor: Dr. Joan Barber
Staff Writers: Rebecca Booi, John Bowman, Jordan Classman, Camille Hawley, K'Shana Haynie, Caroline Hon, Carrie Johnston, Erica Jones, Jocelyn Kearney,
Sriyesh Krishnan, David Lawson, Jennifer Li, Alex Mann, Karen Master, Monica McClain, Kim McCumber, Celeste Moore, Anna Morrison, Sara Nataraja,
Dominic Pazzula, Philip Stewart, Adam Tarleton, Tiale Tawake
Photographers: Sam Boyarsky, Lakhdecp Deol, Clara Holzwarth, Steven Stewart, Julie Thibodeaux, Nitche Ward
Layout Staff: Belinda Borelli, Whitney Duff, Kristin Wright
Advertising Staff: Amy Choi, Daniel King, April Kinsey
suiting map would be a big
slice of Durham with its
northern edge on Roxboro
Road, and its western edge
somewhere south of Duke. In
cluding Duke University, this
area is predominantly White.
Given this, it is little wonder
that Papa John’s plans to open
a new location near South
Square, conveniently located
near the well-to-do White sub
urbs that blanket southwestern
Durham.
In my opinion, this be
havior by Papa John’s is no
better than Whites-only lunch
counters 40 years ago, or dis
crimination in housing and
employment today. Unfortu
nately, unlike the previous
two examples, both of which
are prohibited by federal law,
there is nothing to prevent
Papa John’s from making a
decision on its delivery pat
terns. Never mind that such
patterns ignore most of Black
Durham.
It is our job as
NCSSM students and mem
bers of the Durham commu
nity to hold Papa John’s ac
countable for its actions. Let
Papa John’s know that you are
unhappy with their refusal to
provide equal service to all
citizens of Durham. We must
be willing to take a principled
stand against racial discrimi
nation, even if that means for
saking your next pizza in the
red and green box.
The
Stentorian
welcomes
letters to
the editor