North Carolina Newspapers

f Page 2 THE DAILY TAR HEEL In Our Op Once More With Feeling: Vote YES On Amendment Discounting the occurence of some dastardly unforseen hap pening between the time this is be ing written and the time of open ing for campus polling places, students today will finally have a chance to vote on the first in stallment of the long - -rumored judicial reform. The proposed amendment has not changed since our last rather lengthy appeal for your support in the referendum which never oc curred. At the sake of being unneces sarily repititious, we remind you of the importance of this constitu tional amendment which would establish a Supreme Court of the student body. Serving as the proverbial foot-in-the-door, for judicial reform it will pave the way for subsequent legislation which will clarify hazy matters concerning what offenses by what students will be heard by what courts. Two more constitu tional amendments are expected to follow closely behind this one. They will deal with a redefinition of student's rights and the limita tion of the Campus Code to the University community. But perhaps the major signifi cance of the amendment up for approval today is that it repre sents the University administra tion's expression of its willingness to allow students to assume full responsibility in what has been a very controversial area that of student appeals from lower courts on questions of procedure. Appointed by the president of the student body and approved by Student Legislature, students' whdf have demonstrated at h o r o; u "g h knowledge of the Student Consti tution and a willingness to apply their knowledge in the best in terest of the student community will serve as Supreme Court jus tices to hear appeals on all ques tions of procedure. This will keep student judicial matters iii the hands of students instead of involving the Faculty Review Board. A detailed explanation of the legal changes that would be wrought through the passage of the amendment appeared in Sat urday's DTH. This same listing of constitutional changes appears on the ballot today. It might look like a lot of fine print with no mean ing to you. Truly, it is a lot of fine print. But it does have definite meaning for you and students who will come here in future years. We at UNC like to boast about our Hon or System and our autonomous student judiciary. But anyone who has lived here as much as a year has no doubt had questions rais ed in his mind about part of the system. The questions are not new. Nei- ther are they invalid. Something is wrong with the way our Honor System is administered. In fact, a great deal is wrong. Student leaders over the years have recog nized this fact, and it is the fruit of their extensive research and planning on which you have an op portunity to act today. Leaders in all branches of Stu dent Government have voiced their approval of the proposed changes. Now it rests with you to place an "X" in the "yes" box on f the ballot today. . .;T Send A Victorygrai We've managed to sit through the first three games of the bas ketball season and let our sports department do all the comment ing on the hardwood game. But our excitement won't keep any longer. . You might have gathered dur ing football season that we like athletics, and win or lose we believe in supporting the team. Maybe you don't believe in the "win or lose" doctrine. Maybe you believe only in rooting for the win ner. In that case, UNC's basket ball squad is your pie in the sky. And apparently our excitement is shared by a great many stu dents. This judgement is made on the grounds of the number of stu dent tickets left yesterday after noon for the UNC-Princeton game which will be played the night be fore classes resume after Christ mas vacation. But, to the matter at hand. It's about these people in Lexington, Ky. They weren't very nice to us when we sent some athletes their way earlier this fall. We have an other team there to play tonight. Kentucky has climbed to t h e fourth position in the national col lege basketball rankings. UNC hasn't been standing still, either, having moved from ninth to sixth position. Those of us with faith will tell anyone who wants to know that our team has the goods to put Ken tucky down handily. But there are pessimests who come back with the theory that we could beat them in Carmichael Auditorium, but on foreign soil, well, they're afraid not. Certainly the support of a pack ed house of enthusiastic cheerers such as has backed the. Tar Heels in every game so far this season does hav its effect. But yelling is not the only way we can show the Heels we are behind them. All it takes is a telegram. It seems to us that this would be a quiet worthwhile project for ev ery residence college (if not every residence hall individual), frater nity and sorority. The cost is only $1.48. And it would take just a few minutes. To insure that the team will receive the messages before the game, they should be filed at the Western Union office by 4 p.m. The address is simple: UNC Basketball Team, Campbell House Inn, Lexington, Ky. The team wants the victory. Let's show them we want it too. 74 Years of Editorial Freedom Fred Thomas, Editor Tom Clark, Business Manager Scott Goodfellow, Managing Ed. John Askew Ad. Mgr. John Greenbacker...... Assoc. Ed Bill Amlong News Ed. Kerry Sipe Feature Ed. Sandy Treadwell Sports Editor Bill Hass-. Asst. Sports Ed. Jock Lauterer Photo Editor Chuck Benner Night Editor STAFF WRITERS Don Campbell Lytt Stamps, Er nest Robl, Steve Bennett, Steve Knowlton, Judy Sipe, Carol Won savage, Diane Warman, Karen Freeman, Cindy Borden, Julie Parker, Peter Harris, Drum mond Bell, Owen Davis, Joey Leigh, Dennis Sanders. CARTOONISTS Bruce Strauch, Jeff MacNelly The Daily Tar Heel is the official news, publication of the University of North Carolina and is published by students daily except Mondays, ex amination periods and vacations. Second class postage paid at the Post Office in Chapel Hffl, N C Subscription rates: $4.50 per semes ter; $3 per year. Printed by the Chapel Hill Publishing Co., Inc!, 501 VV. Franklin St., Chapel Hill, N. C 'I Told You To Pick The Girls More Carefully!' j rrmzm Wrti . mM Wl .... ..TK Jf.CiyjP4i.Wt Tuesday, December 13, 196ff Letters In Comment: Dook Float, UP, Y-Court David Rothman The B)rum A riresis (Editor's note In the wake of the recent drug ar rests on campus the DTH ask ed columnist David Rothman to expand on an article writ ten about the situation for the Charlotte Observer and to include within it his impres sions of the situation. Here are the results.) If authorities were able to arrest every student who has violated drug laws here, Car michael Auditorium might have to be turned into a jail. Most University of North Ca rolina students have illegally used pep pills at one time, according to Frank Hodges, UNC Student Government's At torney General. Hodges said, however, that few of UNC's 13,000 students are habitual users. The Charlotte senior says many try the drugs and stop, "A student once or twice may feel he wants to stay wake for a test by taking Dex." Once or twice, however, is still enough to violate state drug laws, which forbid poss ession of certain stimulants without presecriptions. Hodges, who believes that stimulants are the drugs most frequently used illegally here says his knowledge about the extent of unauthorized drug use is based mainly on obser vations made "as a student." He said that since becom ing student attorney general, he has not seen students il legally taking drugs. "Perhaps they don't (take drugs while he is watching) out of respect for my position." Campus authorities and Cha ple Hill police hesitate to make estimates regarding the amount of illegal use of drugs. Unlike students here, they haven't been able to see the drugs used. Police, however, can say this: Under N. C. law, posses sion of stimulants like Dex edrine without a presecription could mean up to two years m prison, a fine of up to $1 -000, orfcoth. ' Even if students take the drugs only once during their stay at UNC, they are still li able to at least the fine, though authorities say minor offenders do not receive maxi mum punishment. , Even if they are not caught, they still can suffer severe mfuntal or physical damage although only one pill has been taken. Is illegal drug use danger ous? Ask the students whose use is based mainly on obser bodies and minds have been damaged by stimulant drugs so badly that they've had to leave school. Even if students taking drugs don't lose their health or acquire criminal records, they frequently fail to come out ahead. Dr. Clifford Reifler, UNC student infirmary psychiat rist, says many student pro bably use Dex only once and then abandon it because they find "it doesn't do them any good after all." "They might take a test the next morning thinking they know more than they usually do, but when" they get then grades back they find then marks are the same " or worse." Reifler, who says he does not keep track of the number of drug users coming to the infirmary for treatment, said he has a "tremendous range" of "clients." "We get good students and bad ones," he explained, add ing that the good ones most often become bad ones after they've been on the drugs long enough. Authorities say that Dexe drine and related drugs are the main problem, but they also report that UNC has had trouble with students using LSD-type drugs (an offense punishable by federal law). Campus security chief Ar thur Beaumont says certain students receive prescriptions for Dexedrine - type drugs as weight reducers or pain kill ers, then hoard the pills and casually give them to friends. He also suspects that stu dents obtain drugs while on va cation at resort areas, where they may buy the stimulants from peddlers. Hodges says the university is; almost certain the drugs are not coming from the School of Pharmacy, which he insists takes strict precautions against their illegal use. Beaumont said at least one UNC student obtained drugs il legally from a drugstore though he was not 'a pharma cy student. - The security chief did not discuss the details of the case. Legal complications associ ateed with the drugs' use are endless. Beaumont says police do not require doctors to tell them who has been taking the drug. But his remarks apparently don't mean the physicians aren't pressured for these facts, Reifler said: "I have been asked by law enforcement agencies at vari ous times about information gained through professional contact. "The substance of my re sponse is that I cannot dis cuss the content of this infor mation with them. It's not my business to report to police. If they want my records they have to get them by court or der." The week before last a court order was exactly what Dis trict Solicitor T. D. Cooper began seeking so that he could possibly use as court evidence the medical records of; at least one student who was in the infirmary in No vember. He has since been transfered to N. C. Memorial Hospital itself. Hearings were held Satur day in Alamance County Su perior Court, and the records were ordered released. North Carolina law allows superior court judges to order medical records released if the judges feer the, release, is, necessary for the proper ad ministration of justice "That which keeps physi cians from disclosing what information their patients give them is professional ethics," Reifler says. According to Reifler, the University hasn't interfered with the "confidential doctor patient relationship" which he believes makes drug patients and others feel more free to seek treatment at the infirm ary. Beaumont declines to con firm or deny reports from a reliable source that the Uni versity contacted the State Bureau of Investigation con cerning the student whose re cords were seized. Superior Court Judge James Latham's order turning the medical records over to Solic itor Cooper is regretable. It is regretable because in effect it discourages narcotics users from promptly coming to physicians for the treatment they might need so badly. Now, besides worrying about their health, persons taking the drugs will also have to worry about finding doctors -whose records won't be made available to authorities as eas ily as the student's were. Now, it appears, students can't use the infirmary without knowing that their doctors may be compelled through court or ders to become policemen. This is not to say, however, that North Carolina should abandon its present drug laws (though possibly they could be modified); the state should merely provide police forces with additional funds to catch drug users through means oth er than doctors' medical re cords. Nevertheless, as shown by Frank Hedges statement that most UNC studnts are violat ing the laws the statues ap parently fail to accomplish their main purpose, which is to discourage illegal narcotics use. Therefore, more attention should be devoted to rehabil itating drug users than to pun ishing them. And, very obvi ously, the way to encourage their rehabilitation is to let them enjoy medical assistance without fear of being molest ed legally. Meanwhile, efforts should be stepped up to convict drug users through means other than medical records so that the courts, rather than seek ing mainly to punish the us ers, can compel them to re ceive the professional help that the ones who go to doctors already are obtaining. Letter Rebuttal Editor, The Daily Tar Heel: The students at Chapel Hill were indeed fortunate to be introduced to a new genre of letter-writing. For Mr. Fred Stevens, in his recent reply to my letter commenting on Mr. Sam West's statements, has gone one up on Truman Ca pote by creating the "non fiction non-reply." This new communication form has several virtues, I must confess. In contrast to Mr. West's letter, Mr. Stev ens' "non-fiction non - reply" was literate, witty, and sar castic. So much for its merits. On the debit side, in his mode he misconceived my in tent, misinterpreted my main points, and misdirected his own criticisms. My purpose in responding to Mr. West was not to set my self ud as a self-aDDointed Messiah. Such an attempt would be presumptous of me, since I lack the three req uisite qualities of omnis cience, omnipotence, and om nipresence. So if Mr. Stevens is looking for a surrogate fath er, I surely cannot help him. Also, I have no ax to grind with the fraternity system per se. After all, some of my best friends. . .It simply seemed to me that the DTH's characterization of Mr. West's letter was an unintended slur against the character and good sense of fraternity men in general. But this, of course, was not the main thrust of my reply. The central points at issue were first, writer West's rec ommendation that all Chapel Hill protesters leave if they cannot accept the status quo; second, his branding as "homosexual" all dissenters at UNC; and third, his cava lier rationalization of Kappa Alpha's malicious prank. I responded to the first point by declining his suggestion, saying that by my appeals to his better judgment he might someday come around to my position. My rejoinder to the second point took the form of ques tioning whether it was not a . -convenient mask for his own subconscious fears and anxie ties. Too often have I seen the labels "queer," "Commu nist," "Jew," serve to dis credit humanistic causes and sensitive individuals. Finally, to Mr. West's un thinking defense of the "spook Dook" episode, I asserted that this action affronted not only the dignity of the seven or eight Negro youngsters, but his and my (and Mr. Stevens') dignity. Underlying this contention is the thought echoed by Al bert Camus and Martin Bu ber, among others, namely, that one should always treat individuals as human beings, never as mere things. Is this not the fundamental issue? What confuses me most in the Stevens "non-reply" is his implicit, accusation that I fail to realize that "the fra ternity system on this cam pus, as well as the entire stu dent body, was composed of individuals, each with his own opinions and his own right to differ with fellow students." I whole-heartedly agree, if the stipulation is included that these opinions may be freely expressed. His comment, then, is misdirected. It is Mr. West, not I, who would deprive him of this right; it is not I, but Mr. West who would enthrone himself and assume the right to "ar ticulate the complex sentiment of all fraternity members on campus and authoritatively condemn those within the sys tem who beg to differ with articulation." My humanistic society of community does not, as Mr. Stevens believes, necessitate rigid conformity. It does, how ever, require a humane atti tude toward each individual, whether white or black, North erner or Southerner, Jew or gentile. That is why, in the final analysis, the problem reduces to one between man and man To allay Mr. Stevens of any suspicions he has about my -manliness, let me.satte ex plicitly that I would prefer an ugly girl to a pretty boy anv day. J Ernest J .Yanarella Poor Taste Editor, The Daily Tar Heel: The University of North Carolina and the Daily Tar Heel are well known for lib eralism and uninhibited ac tivities, however the cartoon depicting a coed with her finger in an extended posi tion in the Dec. 3 issue of the DTH exceeds the limit of com mon decency. The University of North Carolina is a highly respected institution and to publish such a base cartoon is an affront to the student body and the: administration. " David A. Burton. jr' UP Sliould Cooperate Editor, the Daily Tar Heel: This wek I read, with some r?gret, of Dave Keil's resignation from the Univer sity Party. Since I have been a student here, I have associated Dave and the UP almost as one and the same, although I realize there are others who consti tute the party. I admired him and the oth er members of the Student Government for their co-operation across party lines. Now I find that this has been one criticism the other members of the UP hold against Dave. So far, I have seen very little to choose between the two parties. I have not join ed either, although I leaned toward the UP. After reading the account of.. Dave Kiel's resignation, I'd like to make a suggestion to -the UP leadership. Instead of merely opposing the SP and the current administration,, why not present something bet ter? , In this way you'll not only improve the UP, you'll also ' aid the University and the stu dent body. Doug Clapp Y'Court Innocent Editor, The Daily Tar Heel: It is obvious from the con-. ' tent of your editorial of 8 De-- cember that j'our complaint, with the Y-Court Snack Bar is with the Book Exchange man-' agement. Why then is the editorial"; cartoon a humiliating attack-:: on the innocent women who work behind the Snack Bar .' soda fountain? What the hell.;: do they have to do with the price of coffee or the amount of ice cream you get for a" dime? As for the Snack Bar being '" "generally untidy", I shouldn't think that a little filth would bother anyone who published the recent advertisement from Troy's Stereo Center. ft Caleb Burch Banks Secretary Scolded Editor, The Daily Tar Heel: John Gardner's recent col umn captures in all its full and nauseating glory the pompous "seriousness," as Sartre calls it, the moral com- mitment, the essence of the bourgeois spirit. , Like a fly blindly buzzing in a shoebox, Gardner knows '$ only one reality, one "spec trum. . .(along which) every individual must decide where v to place himself." S At one pole, the philosopher,; the impotent, creative, but--concerned social critic; at the other, the king, the forceful, unreflective, but concerned so cial organizer or reformer; and the universities hybridiz- ; ing them. ; A pretty picture, but in fact . you can avoid this decision Gardner wants to ram dcr- -;; your throat, by deciding to make your stand outside his little spectrum altogether. You can resolve to find no mean ing in life, to pass up the tawdry self - esteem of the idealist, who regards himself as a means to some end in stead of an end in himself. You can repudiate your' devt to your fellow man and refuse to find a place in, or make a contribution (except a coincidental one) to, society. Gardner, along with the preachers, politicians, and parents, wants universities to prepare you for roles and en courage you to find an iden tity, to develop character, in tegrity, and maturity, but you can screw up their preparations. You can posit and defend your absolute freedom through total disengagement in purely egotistical exploitation of your sensual, aesthetic, emotional, and reflective potentialities. As John Hick says in "Faith and Knowledge," "If a man chooses to.be a moral solip sist, or absolute egoist, recog nizing no responsibility to ward other people, no one can prove to him that he has any such responsibilities . . . He can of course be compelled by threats of punishment, to conform to a stated code of behavior; but he cannot be compelled to feel moral obli gation." The great Western tradition of rugged individualism is not, and never has been, an easy road. It lakes much more courage to deny your respon-1 sibilities than to face up to them. But, for those who have ' what it takes, the road is open. ; Bill Michaux