Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / June 24, 1971, edition 1 / Page 2
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2 The Tar Heel Thursday, June 24, 1971 o omrrtiffee bi 9 by Norman Black Staff Writer A bill that would have abolished visitation in the dormitory rooms of state-supported universities died last Tuesday in the Senate Committee on Higher Education, The bill was defeated by a 9-4 vote and given an unfavorable recommendation. Senator J. Russell Kirby, chairman of the Committee, was a bit surprised at the vote. "I figured it would be given an unfavorable report, but not by that wide of a margin." Since the bill's sponsor, Sen. Jyles Coggins (D-Wake), didnot submit a minority report, the bill is now officially dead. The bill that would prohibit state universities from requiring students to pay for Subscriptions to student publications also received an unfavorable report in committee. It, however, reached the Senate floor through a minority report written in support of the bill. Many of the chancellors of the Consolidated University and senators on the Committee on Higher Education were opposed to the bill. They felt it was not a matter for the Senate to consider. "The policy that was worked out with the students, administration, faculty and trustees should stand," commented Chancellor John Caldwell of N.C. State. "There was a tremendous amount of involvement in preparing the present policy. This is something that should be left to the Board of Trustees." Last Thursday, during the first committee hearing on the bill, university officials from across the state were unanimous in their opposition to the bill. "This question is one of administrative and trustee responsibility," said Bill Dees of Goldsboro, a University of North Carolina trustee. Dees felt that all students should not be penalized because a few violate the right to visit in dormitory rooms of the opposite sex. Herbert F. Reinhard, vice-president for student development at Western Carolina University, said his campus does not allow coed visitation now, although dorms are allowed to hold open house on certain occasions. "Most people conjure in their minds sexual activity during visitation, but it isn't necessarily so," Reinhard said. "It is a means of giving students privacy, a commodity which is in short supply on most campuses." Coggins was prompted to submit the legislation because of the "publicity and commotion that has come out in recent weeks from some of these schools." "These students and some outsiders are using college dormitories for living together and sleeping together," he said. Coggins said though some college administrators may not object to it, he believes the general public does. During the hearing, Coggins told the committee his intent was not to legislate morals but to see that the policies of state institutions conform with the moral standards of society. Bill Dees disagreed with Coggins' stated intent. "Any time you forbid a boy and a girl from visiting in a bedroom, that bill has a moral purpose," he said. Coggins also spoke against booklets on contraception which are distributed by colleges, such as UNC's Elephants and Butterflies. "When an 18 year old child who's never been away from home goes to school and they give him this book that tells them how to keep from getting pregnant and then invite them to go to their rooms and turn on the music and study it-what do you think they're going to do? Study Einstein's Theory?" Since defeat of Coggins' bill appeared a foregone conclusion when the committee met Tuesday, no additional legislators spoke against it. However, Coggins argued at length for the committee to at least send the bill to the Senate floor without taking a stand on it either way. "I know it's the tendency of some of you to say, 'Oh let's let the University do everything they want, we're sophisticated and broad-minded, which is a lot of hooey, just like those patronizing platitudes to young people, 'Oh let them make the decision,' " Coggins said. 0(n) by Rick Gray Special to Tar Heel The compromise that everyone had predicted came in the battle over restructuring higher education this week in Raleigh. As late as Tuesday night Gov. Robert Scott, who introduced the idea of making major revisions in the structure of the state's system of higher education, was standing firm in support of action before July adjournment of the General Assembly. But early Wednesday morning Scott decided a compromise was necessary if he was to keep his hopes for reorganization alive. Until Monday observers thought Scott's plan as outlined in the report of the Warren Commission-calling for creation of a "superboard" to govern all state-supported institutions and deconsolidation of the Consolidated University of North Carolina -would pass the General Assembly. Overenro 00 1500 students must live 3 per room by Norman Black Staff Writer be of or The University will faced with a shortage dormitory rooms entering freshmen this fall. The problem was explained in a letter written to entering students by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. "The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is faced with an unprecedented enrollment situation for the fall of 1971. As a normal procedure, this Office admits beyond the number of desired students, expecting a certain number of admitted students to cancel and attend elsewhere. The number of students accepting our offer was . far greater than anticipated and we are facing an over-enrollment of some 500 students." The letter goes on to state further that "while we can handle this enrollment in most facets of the Institution, we are unable to offer housing as required except by having three students occupy a room where room size allows for this situation." The Office of Residence Life and its director, Robert Kepner, have thus been put in quite a spot. "I have to provide housing for the freshmen." Kepner said. Kepner said he has already started putting three in a room in some of the men's dorms. "But the housing shortage is more acute for women than for men," he added. "I will soon be sending a letter to all other students, asking them if they would accept a third roommate. There 'will be a 10 percent decrease in rent for those people room." Any can be with three in a dorm on campus affected bv this tripling arrangement, except those on South Campus. "There is just not enough space in those rooms for three people," Kepner said. Kepner has also been forced to reclaim many rooms in the residence colleges which were not used for living quarters last year. In addition, he has set aside the social room of both Spencer and Stacy dorms for temporary quarters. This arrangement was used last year, when there was a similar housing shortage. "There are invariably people who drop out of school." Kepner said. "In a relatively short time we can place the people out of these temporary quarters." It was evident a fight would be had between opponents and supporters of the University. The bombshell fell early Monday afternoon. Sen. John Burney (D-New Hanover) tossed what he termed a "molotov cocktail" into the thick of the argument. Burney introduced a bill in the Senate-co-signed by a majority of senators-which would have established a legislative study commission on higher education and ordered that committee to report back to the 1973 session of the General Assembly, while nominally strengthening the Board of Education. Burney arid Scott agreed Wednesday morning to have restructuring as the only topic of a special session of the General Assembly to be called this fall. For Scott, Burney's bill would have posed a highly substantial obstacle. He had spent the week before the introduction of the bill "calling in green stamps," and the 28 co-signers of the Burney bill showed that he didn't have enough books filled to collect the prize he wanted. Scott, reports from Raleigh said, looked at the situation and realized he stood a good chance of losing if he continued to press for action on restructuring before adjournment. Raleigh is hot in July, and legislators were becoming more and more anxious to finish up the business of state and get home to the business of business. There was a chance that many legislators, especially some in the House of Representatives, would vote to support the Burney bill simply to avoid having to go through the rigors of a floor fight. Scott agreed to compromise, taking a gamble and maintaining he had made no compromise -adding some touches to his plan and calling it an "improvement." For both sides the postponement of action is a risk. The gap between adjournment and the special session will give both Burney and Scott time to gather more support and strengthen present commitments. Burney actually had little choice in the matter. Some of his early support was fading in the face of Scott's initial rejection of the compromise motion. He elected to agree to delay consideration rather than face a lengthy debate this summer. Scott's new plan-the one he will push this fall-still calls for a deconsolidation of the University of North Carolina and the creation of a "Board of Regents" to coordinate the entire university system. But the revised Scott plan is designed after the system used in Georgia. Under Scott's plan the Board of Regents would not only have budgetary and planning control over the state's universities, it would also have complete governing power over all campuses. By postponing action on restructuring the education system in the stale, both sides will gain some advantages. For supporters of Scott's plan the postponement is good in thai it will give Ihem more lime to "collect green stamps" and it will also put legislators in closer contact with the voters al home where feeling often runs high against the Consolidated University. Favoring the University's supporters is Ihe time element. They will have lime to draw up a compromise proposal and to drum up more support in the General Assembly. The delay will also mean thai schools will be in lull operation wlk-n the legislature meets, and that will give both Consolidated University President William C Friday and Fast Carolina University President l.eo Jenkins, both of whom oppose I he Warren Commission Report, a firmer haw from which to work next fall.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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June 24, 1971, edition 1
2
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