Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Sept. 13, 1993, edition 1 / Page 9
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aHfp Uaily (Ear Housekeepers Need Everyone’s Support Days before his assassination, in the heat of a strike by sanitation workers in Memphis, Tenn., Martin Luther King claimed that the true concern was what would happen to the sanitation work ers “ifl do not stop to help them. ” Twenty five years later, UNC students, faculty and staff are called to consider the same issue. The UNC Housekeepers’ Association charges the University with paying sub poverty wages, failing to offer realistic op portunities for training and advancement and giving tacit approval to patronizing and insulting supervisory attitudes. Most of us hustle to our classes and offices, barely noticing the skimpy news accounts of the struggle or looking past people handing out leaflets on the house keepers’ behalf. But if you do not stop to help the UNC housekeepers, what will happen to them? The typical salary of a UNC house keeper is $13,500 per year, while the fed eral definition of poverty for a family of four is $15,000 per year. (Judge the accu racy of this federal figure by your own experience. Can you imagine how a family of four would live in Chapel Hill’s rental market on this salary?) It would take a housekeeper 750 years of raises at the $25 per year received in 1993 to get from start ing salary to the poverty line. What will happen to them if you do not stop to help? It is true that UNC offers its staff com puter literacy courses. But housekeepers who have tried to take advantage of this have said the courses usually require some basic computer experience. They are de signed for those who already use comput- Three Vital Issues Will Decide Political Future for Clinton Almost every city is endowed with a unique dynamic. Take Chapel Hill. Thousands of students whip this place out of its summer stupor at the end of August. The Tar Heels and final exams furnish variations on the basic college town theme of classes and parties. Life here has direction, or at least a syllabus or two. Pity poor Washington, D.C. Its dynamic resembles a garden hose with the water on full blast and no one to hold on to it. It flails about endlessly and knows no master. Presi dents and Congresses can sometimes con trol it. If they do so well, it’s called “lead ership.” If they’re on the right track, pun dits speak of “focus” or “message control. ” This Labor Day the taps were opened. Last year, Labor Day was the unofficial start of a campaign between a challenger who didn’t inhale and an incumbent who didn’t win. Now our half-hearted toker of a president wants to grab the hose. He has three very important plants to water. Many people would like to see his green thumb shrivel up and fall off. Bill Clinton’s first hard sell will be NAFTA. This free trade pact with Mexico and Canada has an impressive array of enemies, most of whom fear the migration of jobs south of the Rio Grande. “AFTA NAFTA THE SHAFTA!” they charge hysterically. Despite a major revolt within his own party, the president has a chance. Many Republicans support it, which was negotiated by the Bush administration. The loudest, if not the smartest, oppo nent will be Ross Perot, who will empha size the jobs issue. No one knows for cer tain if the accord will create or kill jobs, so Clinton’s task will be to convince the Con gress it will help the economy. In politics, perception is key. If he succeeds, the dy namo of power will sling the president into the next two battles with what George Bush called “the big mo.” “Mo" appar ently means momentum in Washington. Health care reformers want to whip into shape more than $1 trillion worth of eco nomic activity, give 29 million Americans the health insurance they’ve never had and hold down surging costs of treatment. Clintonite reformers hold the moral high ground: going to the doctor should be a medical decision, not a financial one. An other asset is the superb intellect and disci- | GEORGE LOVELAND | ers on their job. Housekeep ers also are al lowed to take GUEST COLUMNIST courses at community colleges and receive reimbursement for tuition, but with the stipulation that the course must be job related. It is hard to find courses at Durham Tech that have a direct relationship to housekeeping. Some housekeepers say that they want opportunities to move into more challeng ing and responsible positions within the University system, and the emphasis on job-related courses makes this impossible. Some charge that being a housekeeper puts them at a disadvantage when apply ing for jobs within the system. They claim that interviewers are more likely to favor candidates from outside the UNC system than housekeepers. What will happen to them if you do not stop to help? If you feel that what will happen to the housekeepers is not your responsibility, that your only obligation is to yourself, let me quote Dr. King again. “Injustice any where is a threat to justice everywhere.” Or as an old labor tallying cry has it, “an injury to one is an injury to all.” Everyone on this campus who occupies a niche in our hierarchical structure now faces a very real threat to their own liberty. Our University is drawing on a rich tradi tion of oppression by intimidation in its firing of Eric Browning. The formula, as any union-busting CEO can tell you, is simple: fire an outspoken leader in the movement and you nurture fear. Immediately make small, meaning- pline of Hillary Rodham Clinton, who chairs the | CARTER DOUGHERTY | GUEST COLUMNIST health care task force. Stick out your tongue and say “Aah,” Washington. But in this mind-bogglingly complex issue, one finds villains lurking everywhere. Three come to mind. The American Medi cal Association dedicates itself to making known the opinions of doctors and lining their pockets. The insurance industry which funnels our money to doctors and hospitals for a fee will throw up a few roadblocks as well. If reformers even breathe on the privi leges of senior, citizens, the American As sociation ofßetired Persons will bring down the wrath of the Geritol Generation. Even if this reform plan fails, it’ll make lots of lobbyists stinking rich. A presidential success here would be like finding a teetotaler at He’s Not Here —- a miracle. If Congress passes his basic reforms reasonably unscathed, his face should go on anew seven-dollar bill. He’d be a braised but standing political giant. Viewed against this backdrop, the third big battle would be an anticlimax. It’s veep A1 Gore’s plan called “Reinventing Gov ernment.” Gore wants to cut government waste. It’s a desire that has lived and died about 100 times in D.C. Modest success could save money, but utter failure would be a blip on the political screen because no one expects the government to change. The scenario outlined above is optimis tic. It’s at least likely that Clinton will step on a political banana and become a pris oner of events. The garden hose will whip him about in a ruthless display of the power dynamic in our nation’s capital. Oppo nents like Sen. Bob Dole, who vacations in New Hampshire, will steal the initiative and the headlines. Journalists will write his political obituary. Voters will kick dirt on his political grave. But Bill Clinton is smart, and he can learn from past mistakes. He’s president until defeat, resignation or 2001, and has smart people at his side. He’s armed with a sense of urgency in a country groping for its bearings. He must drive Washington’s dynamo or it will roll him. Carter Dougherty is a history graduate student. EDITORIALS less concessions so that you can tell outsid ers that you really are trying to change things, and that only a small group of “agitators” were making all the noise. The movement’s fire is extinguished and those outside who had become interested are reassured that things are really OK. But the housekeepers see through the rase. They are more determined than ever to press their case, and have stood in soli darity behind their co-worker Eric Brown ing in his suit against the University. If you can imagine the injury the house keepers feel, then you have been injured, too. It could, in fact, be you next time. Please join the fight against institutional racism. Write rankingmembersoftheN.C. House and Senate, the chairman of Budget Appropriations and your own state sena tors and representatives. Ask them to sup port the housekeepers’ demands for a liv ing wage and opportunities for job ad vancement. Keep the issue of equality of opportunity alive in your classroom dis cussions and casual conversations. Do not let yourself echo Pastor Niemuller’s anguished regrets after his German homeland had been ripped apart by advocates of racial and ethnic “purity, ”: “When they came for the Jews, I did not speak out because I was not a Jew .... When they came for the homosexuals, I did not speak out because I was not a homosexual.... When they came for the Communists, I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.... When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out. ” George W. Loveland is a 1986 UNC graduate. Citizens 1 Correct Reports Help Police Solve Crimes TO THE EDITOR: Many people do not know that a major ity of all the crimes committed in this country would go unsolved in our law enforcement agencies without the help and cooperation of law-abiding citizens like you and me. We have all seen the news media re ports on serious crimes in large metropoli tan areas that were commissioned in pub lic but were never reported by citizens and of witnesses who say they “did not want to get involved” or that “it was not their responsibility to do anything.” It becomes obvious that those who are committing crimes usually have the least to lose in this society, and that the normal deterrents, such as prison sentences, do not prevent them from committing more crimes. I believe that most students at UNC would report a minor assault occurring on campus before the situation became worse —but how many people would report a similar situation traveling out-of state on a major interstate? For new stu dents arriving on campus who may later witness an infraction of the rules, there are always some dos and don’ts that one should know in order to prevent further inconve nience and possible embarrassment for your fellow classmates. Don’t try to take control of the situa tion, and don’t threaten someone with an Honor Code violation unless you person ally intend to take them to Honor Court; besides, it is a serious accusation. Do immediately notify the proper au thorities —particularly University Police. An immediate and anonymous tip on a probable infraction is often the best method. Don’t urgently plead for help or attempt to give specific details over the phone. To make a report simply give the type of probable violation, the location, a distin guishing description of the violator and the approximate time of occurrence. If a ve hicle is involved, give the model and make, and if possible, the license number. This is all that is usually needed for the authorities to make an investigation, andthatisallyou probably want unless you are personally involved. Besides, it is the only way to reduce crime. It doesn’t take much responsibility to pull over as a witness to a severe automo bile accident, or to pick up the phone if something is suspicious. I am glad to know a few students, some of whom are women, who have made three or more such reports to the police within the past year. Since security should be everyone’s re sponsibility, the next time you hear some one attempting to advocate gun control, do me a favor and simply ask them if they have ever reported a crime. Usually this is the type of person who forgot to notice a simple assault case last year that just caught the comer of their eye, or if later ques tioned about a particular crime, could not even give an adequate description of the assailants. More important, ask yourself if that person is someone whom you could feel safe with after witnessing a crime to gether at night. I’ve already made my deci sion. How about you? Bill Coppridge GRADUATE StUDENT BUSINESS LAW Women Should Not Blame Men for Societal Problems TO THE EDITOR: This letter regards the increasing fre quency of male-bashing that seems to be present on this campus, as well as other universities. I understand that some “fe males” choose to regard the entire male gender with contempt, but is this fair? I respond with a resounding “NO!” I would first like to refer to an incident that occurred last year at the University of Maryland. A woman’s organization, obvi ously determined to psychologically dam age the men of the T errapin campus, posted flyers with lists of potential rapists, urging women to beware of these dangerous luna tics. The fliers, which said, “These men could be potential rapists:” proceeded to list random names of male students taken ' ‘ '• •"•T*..’ .• • b f ./ ,'.‘l READERS’FORUM The Daily Tar Heel welcomes reader comments and critcism. Letters to the editor should be no longer than 400 words and must be typed, double-spaced, dated and signed by no more than two people. Students should include their year, major and phone number. Faculty and staff should include their title, department and phone number. The DTH reserves the right to edit letters for space, clarity and vulgarity. from the phone book. This does not seem to be the most realistic approach to solving the problem. The “rape-free zone” established on campus last year is another instance of a poor problem-solving approach. What ex actly does the rape-free zone imply, raping is OK in some areas, but not in others? Does it indicate that our society is so pa thetic that we must actually set aside areas in which no raping should take place? It seems to me that if that is the case we might as well declare the whole country a “rape free zone” and see what happens. However, the incident that pushed me over the edge and provoked this letter hap pened Tuesday. While walking past the Union I passed tables for several groups, among them “MEN for Domestic Vio lence” and “MEN who Think Abuse is Good,” none of which I was interested in. Finally, I came to the WAR table, Women Against Rape. Hello? Are we saying that women are against rape, while men are picketing Congress for the constitutional right to rape? Is it possible that any group, male or female, could propose something so completely ludicrous? I am not saying I am for legalized raping or anything of the sort. But in an age where women repeatedly demand respect, as a man, I demand some too. Of all victims of domestic violence, 5 percent are men. But dolpost lists ofwomen’snames, announc ing that, “These are unlikely, yet potential, rapists.” Of course not. In “Die Hard,” Brace Willis screams, “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem... quit being part of the ... problem.” Don’t blame men for every major problem in society. And don’t rape. Andy Diamondstein SOPHOMORE HISTORY Letter Promotes Hatred Against South Africans TO THE EDITOR: I would like to comment on Jonathan Hart’s letter on South Africa that appeared in the Daily Tar Heel on Aug. 30. While I am extremely angered by the suggestions of his letter and could spend a considerable amount of time trying to set the record straight on who is at fault in South Africa, I think it would suffice to show Hart’sbasic flaw in reasoning that renders his letter a prime candidate for a model to be used in Stupidity 101. It is the broad generaliza tions that Hart subscribes to that lead to the makings of a hateful society that we have today. Hart’s letter suggests retribution from all black South Africans (such as nuke ’em and economic sanctions) based on the actions of a few black South Afri cans. To claim that the actions of a few black South Africans that led to the murder of Amy Biehl is representative ofthe whole black South African population is absurd. Following Hart’s reasoning, itwouldbe reasonable to claim that all white South Africans should be nuked since the racist, murderous South African government (consisting of whites) has killed thousands of blacks in South Africa since the incep tion of apartheid. Going a little further, why not nuke all the English, since the British Empire, in its colonialist spirit, murdered, maimed and tortured millions of colonized peoples. Since we are at this point, it would be reasonable, then, to nuke all white Americans since millions of Native Americans were and are being killed by the actions ofa few white Americans. In that case, Mr. Hart, we would not have to listen to your outrageous, hateful recom- mendations, which would be OK by me. Perhaps, in the future, the editorial board will decline to print letters like Hart’s based on hate. For all the free speech advocates, please be reminded that there are numer ous publications out there that print letters based on hate and promote hate. Institu tions of higher learning are dedicated to the growth and understanding of the hu man spirit, not promotion of hate that we were supposed to have left behind. Amit Srivastava CHAPEL HILL Housing Should Complete Work in Timely Manner TO THE EDITOR: Around two weeks ago, my roommate and I noticed a small bulge appearing in our dormitory floor. At first, we thought it was nothing, but as it continued to grow, we realized we had a problem. Wepromptly , took our concerns to oAir resident assistant, who was very responsible with contacting the appropriate person for the maintenance work. We were told that the floor would be looked at the next morning. The next day went by with no word. Again, we spoke with our RA who took the problem to our area director. Our dorm was to be repaired within the next two days. By this time, the floor had become extremely hazardous, not just for us but for UNC as well. If someone were to get injured, it would be the school’s fault. Upon returning from Labor Day, my roommate and I were shocked to find our floor in worse shape than ever, despite the housing department’s promise. We have just been notified that in order to fix the floor, we must move out within the next few days. Now the burden of UNC’s prob lem is upon our shoulders. This would not have to be if the housing department had responded properly to our RA's continu ous efforts. Hopefully, this will be con structive criticism to the department. In the future, paying attention may save money and hassles. Terence], McDevitt FRESHMAN COMPUTER SCIENCE Russell T. Creel FRESHMAN MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES Writers Should Not Forget Importance of Community TO THE EDITOR: Mr. James Jennings (“University Doesn’t Owe BCC to Black Students,” Aug. 26) makes his case logically. How ever, like any other logical argument, it is no better than the premises it rests upon. If Loma Haughton’s defense of the BCC is truly based on racial guilt and intergenerational guilt, and if racial and intergenerational guilt are not “particu larly persuasive nor are they intellectually respectable,” as Mr. Jennings says, then his reasoning seems to hold together. However, that something is not persua sive or respectable to Mr. Jennings is not sufficient to prove it false. HesaysthatMs. Haughton’s argument runs thus: “Some white people oppress black people; there fore, because you are white, you must share this guilt even though you personally are guilty of no oppression because you share the guilt of your ancestors.” Mr. Jennings’ argument may with equal fair ness be stated thus: “Racial and intergenerational guilt are unpersuasive and Monday, September 13,1993 not intellectually respectable; therefore, blacks are owed nothing by me or other living whites who have not oppressed blacks.” Mr. Jennings ignores the Judeo-Chris tian tradition of communal guilt. The Old Testament contains many references to the “sins of the fathers” being visited on the children. The New Testament modifies this doctrine somewhat (see the passage on the man bom blind), but Christianity con tinues to hold that everyone is, to some degree, responsible for everyone’swelfare. Secular liberal social doctrine concurs with Christianity on this point. All must help all develop themselves fully, to realize their full potential. Racial and intergenerational guilt can be seen as variations on this theme of communal responsibility. They are not as serious as personal guilt; we are not expected to solve every problem; nev ertheless, we do share guilt. Communal responsibility may be, to Mr. Jennings and others, unpersuasive and not intellectually respectable; I don’t know if this is the case. My argument, like his, rests on unprovable assertions. I can only say that I feel better, believing in it, rather than in some individualistic standard. When something is unprovable, feelings are often the best one has. This is not to say that I disagree with everything Mr. Jennings has written. Cer tainly, arrogance and inconsistency have been displayed by supporters of the BCC; certainly their proclamations of multiculturalism appear hypocritical, in the light of their refusal to honor other ethnic and racial groups at the BCC. Cer tainly racial and intergenerational guilt can be exaggerated. Our guilt, our connec tion, is not the same as those who person ally held slaves. But where Mr. Jennings is wrong, crucially wrong, is here: “One and for all, Haughton, I owe you nothing.” This is not a world of pure individuals; it is a community. Mr. Jennings and Ms. Haughton both seem to have forgotten this. In this way their views mirror each other strangely. Mr. Jennings should re member that he does owe Ms. Haughton something. It is what we all owe each other, as a matter ofjustice and love. Those who support the BCC should remember that blacks and whites, and the other races and ethnic groups, are not separate spe cies, but one people. Whatever the history of the oppression of blacks, and the record is dark indeed, nothing justifies separation or segregation. Those who reject the truths of commu nity and connection, from either side of the ideological continuum, are equally wrong. Kevin J. Salmon SECRETARY DEPARTMENT OF MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH Advertisement Misleads Readers About Church TO THE EDITOR: I must register an emphatic protest to the deceptive advertisement on page 15 of the DTH of Aug. 23 headed “ 1928 Book of Common Prayer.” The Book of Common Prayer is NOT used by the Rev. William Foote. He uses the MISSAL. This adver tisement has appeared previously in the DTH and it simply is false. Further, St. Benedict’s Church is NOT Anglican. It is presently under the de facto control of a claimed archbishop/metro politan, one William Oliver Lewis of Ath ens, Georgia, of the present so-called An glican Catholic Church which is neither in any authentic sense Anglican or Catholic. Readers will recall the famous bogus baron of Duke University. They should knowthatthe “Anglican Catholic Church” also has a bogus archbishop/metropolitan. Asa founding member of St. Benedict’s Church, I publicly denounce the present de facto control of the parish facilities by Wil liam Walter Foote, a Canadian citizen who pays no state or federal taxes on his sizable salary, and William Oliver Lewis. I invite and challenge Mr. Foote and Mr. Lewis to join me at a press conference at any time in your office to answer any and all questions you might wish to ask. Deception by the leaders of a “Chris tian” body cannot be tolerated. Robert Markham Pace CLASS OF 1953 9
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Sept. 13, 1993, edition 1
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