On Misunderstandings
We received a letter last week which is
printed on the next page and which illus
trates a basic misunderstanding on the part
of its authors as to the point of recent Journal
editorials. Since the letter is signed by a
student and a faculty member, we feel it may
reflect a similar misunderstanding by large
numbers in both groups. Therefore, we will
direct an editorial to the members of both
groups in answer to the propositions discussed
in the letter.
In answer to the charge that we tried to
play match - up with junior and senior high
mascots and those suggested by the committee,
we must admit that we not only tried; we
did, successfully. We endeavored to show how
absurd the suggestions of the committee were
in this manner. We still do not believe stu
dents here really want to share a mascot with
a Charlotte prep school.
The letter writers continue, by saying they
feel certain that “the match-ups could be com
pleted, by looking to other cities for Bisons
and Chargers." This is quite a profound state
ment considering the fact that we said, in
the February 8 editorial, that we wonder if
students would like the name Bisons if they
knew “that Wilson Junior High has been going
by it for quite some time now." We also said,
in reference to Chargers in the same edi
torial, “We realize there's a professional
football team in San Diego by the same ap
pellation...” It makes us happy to note that
students and faculty members read our edi
torials carefully.
Now let’s get to another point in the letter.
The example of Hampshire Hills choosing
the same mascot as that of Clemson or Prince
ton is not exactly applicable in the case of
UNC-C. Hampshire Hills following in the
footsteps of Clemson is fine, but Clemson
following the example of Hampshire Hills is
ridiculous. The latter is what the writers of
the letter would have UNC—C do bv naming
its mascot after that of Catholic High in
Charlotte.
The letter writers state, for their parti
cular groups, we presume, that the mascots
of junior high and high schools should have
nothing to do with UNC-C and that they
“hope we will have broader support for our
athletic teams than just the immediate Char
lotte area." We would ask them and the
groups they represent, “What better way can
we dissociate ourselves from junior and sen
ior highs then by picking a mascot not in
use by one of them, like Chargers?” Further
more, we wonder how we could ever hope to
draw broad support for our teams if people
in our own Charlotte area were given the
chance to confuse us with the fine teams of
Charlotte Catholic High. Yet this is what the
letter writers advocate when they recommend
we adopt the nickname Cougars.
As for the bit about a living mascot, again
we stated in the February 8 editorial, “Char
gers... can be readily associated with animals
such as rams, bulls..." Indeed, Chapel Hill
teams are know as Tar Heels but a ram
makes an appearance at athletic events and
this situation produces no awkwardness If
the name Chargers wins the election, we do
not foresee the use of the Ajax White Knight
as a living mascot unless the groups which
the writers represent would have it that way.
This school needs a fresh, clean name by
which to be known in order to stand out among
Dodgers Called ^Sawdust
By Roger Rapaporf
The Collegiate Press Service
(Last of a two - part series)
TORONTO — “Pve always
thought a man had an obligation
to go firght where his country
tells him to,” says Corporal Ron
McIntosh, a career soldier with
the Canadian Army. “But it seems
to me that the United States hasn’t
given its boys much of an ex
planation on why they sliould go to
Viet Nam. So if they want to come
up here to escape the draft it’s
fine with me.”
Most of official Canada views
things the same way. Police, civic,
and university administrators
as well as the press solidly en-
dorese the right of U. S. citizens
to avert conscription. U. S. dip
lomatic and military officials
are not visibly dismayed by the
situation either.
“There’s no reason to get your
blood pressure up when you have
a few hundred draft dodgers a-
midst 30 million draft regis
trants,” National Selective Ser
vice Director Lt. Gen. Lewis B.
Hershey said.
“You can’t have a sawmill with
out a little sawdust and these
draft - dodgers are just sawdust.,
Besides I don’t think they are much
of an asset to the United States.
I’ve told my Canadian friends that
they are weicome to them.”
Canada seems happy to oblige.
“We don’t even think about it,”
says a spokesman for the city of
Toronto in the town’sposhnewcity
hall. What’s the saying? What you
don’t know doesn’t hurt you,” he
says whimsically.
A spokesman for the Royal Cana -
dian Mounted Police explains
that the draft status of U. S. immi
grants is not a matter of Canadian
concern.
And the Toronto Globe and Mail
wrote in a recent editorial, “The
granting of political asylum is an
accepted principle of all civilized
countries. Canada cannot, decently
breach this principle.”
At the University of Toronto ad
missions director E. M. Davidson
says the draft status of American
applicants is not a factor in ad
mission to the school. “We admit
exclusively on academic and be
havioral grounds.”
Davidson has noticed no upsurge
of applicants from American men
to the school. In fact, the number
of U. S. male applicants has fallen
off in recent months. “But that’s
probably because the draft
is draining off a lot of our pro
spective American students,” he
explains.
Several Canadian organizations
actively assist expatriates. The
Student Union for Peace Action with
headquarters at 659 Spadina St. has
become the Welcome Wagon for
American draft dodgers. It helps
new arrivals to settle.
While SUPA leader Tony Hyde
is quick to explain that his organ
ization “makes no move to get
people to come up here,” it has
published an informative 15-cent
pamphlet called “Coming to Can-
ada?” for “American concerned
about the possibility of being
drafted.”
The informative document in
cludes all pertinent information
on such crucial matters as de
deportation, extradition, customs,
and landed immigrant status (a
prerequisite to Canadian citizen
ship). In essence it says that
coming to Canada poses no major
problem for the draft dodger who
plans ahead.
Hyde says the pamphlet is “our
fastest selling item at present. We
lost two cents on every pamphlet
since we send them out airmail
at 17 cents. But we want to do it
that way since a lot of our orders
come from urgent cases.”
Gilman To Speak—
(Continued from Page 1)
GHman was graduated from the Gilman was awarded a Rocke-
University of Wisconsin in 1947 feller grant to travel throughout
with a B. A. degree in English, the United States from 1963 to
He furthered his studies at Col- 1964 to study American theatres,
umbia University, TheNewSchool, In 1964 he received a Guggenheim
education institutions. Chargers comes closest
of the three remaining names to filling this
need. The name also symbolizes a young
university charging to the top in all its many
phases.
We feel that if the letter writers and the
groups they represent will stop and think,
they will realize that Chargers is, in fact,
the best name for this school. However, until
the students and faculty of UNC-C develop
enough pride in their institution to being to
put some mature thought into the editorials
which they read, well meaning^ but ill thought
out letters to the editor will continue to be
written.
Fellowship and that year wrote
“Contemporary American Cul
ture”, soon to be published by
Random House.
Wliile writing for Newsweek,
Gilman was a visiting lecturer
on (drama at Columbia University
from 1964 to 1965. The summer
of 1965 he was asked to lecture
oi modern American drama at
the Salzburg Seminars in American
Studies. At the present Gilman is
in London studying the British
theatre. After his appearance here
he will be at Duke University to
attend a similiar conference.
Concerning the acquisition of
such a distinguished speaker for
the forum. Dr. Loy Witherspoon,
forum committee member, re
marked, “We feel that we have an
outstanding personality as well as
a gifted writer and thinker in
Richard Gilman. We are very for
tunate to be able to have him
here.”
The forum will be held oi March
2,
“No, I wasn’t worried about making the Dean’s List, I was just
worried about making 'Ma Skidmore’s’ list."