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Registration Issue
Vol. C4, Mo. 1
Chapei Hill, North Carolina, August 25, 1975
Founded February 23, 1893
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I S , , i by Cole C. Campbell
- -1 r : N Editor
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Staff photo by Martha Stevww
If you can't get Mayflower,
the best way to move is to
do it yourself. These
students were part of
3,000 high school
graduates who became
UNC freshmen Friday,
Aug. 22.
President William C. Friday of the
University of North Carolina system
countered last Tuesday charges by the U.S.
Department of Health, Education and
Welfare (HEW) that North Carolina has
neglected desegregation in higher education,
saying University decisions should be based
on educational and not simply racial criteria.
"We shall continue to stand for the right
and authority of the Board of Governors to
make educational decisions free of imposed
restraints," Friday told reporters assembled
in the State Administration Building in
Raleigh.
HEW informed Gov. James E.
Holshouser in a letter dated July 31 that
University and community college officials
"have failed to fulfill the most critical
commitments" set forth in the Revised North
Carolina State Plan for desegregation in
higher education.
In a 5 1 -page evaluation, H EW's Office for
Civil Rights (OCR) listed 58 reports of
failures of both the University system and
the Division of Community Colleges in
meeting commitments outlined in the plan.
Of particular concern to HEW were the
proposed location of a new school of
veterinary medicine and the completion of a
long-term plan to eliminate racial duality in
the University system.
The letter threatened action to cut off
federal funds to the University system if the
General Administration did not respond
within 10 days. That period was extended
upon appeal by Holshouser to HEW
Secretary David Matthews.
The General Administration's response, a
140-page report, was sent to HEW's
Washington office Tuesday. Martin Gerry,
acting OCR director, told the Daily Tar Heel
Friday he had not yet received the report and
therefore "it would be unfair to comment on
it."
' He was optimistic, though, that HEW and:
North Carolina education officials can work
out problems. '
"We have gotten several assurances from
the governor and President Friday that there
is a serious intention to comply (with the
desegregation plan)," Gerry said.
Before Tuesday's press conference,
Holshouser said he thinks more negotiation
will be needed between the state and HEW.
"Our people think there are some things that
need to be worked out further."
North Carolina singled out
Friday objected to the July 3 1 release date
of the HEW letter since the federal officials
were aware that the General Administration
planned to send its second semi-annual
report on desegregation to HEW on the
same day.
"Many of the allegations in this document
are answered in the second semi-annual
report," Friday said in an August 6 press
conference. "More than two-thirds of them
are answered on the face of it."
Friday said he thinks North Carolina was
being unfairly singled out.by HEW.
"Keep , in mind there are several other
states with a dual system that have not been
asked to do anything," Friday said.
Gerry, however, said, "1 don't think North
Carolina has been set aside as an example at
all. As a matter of fact, we've found seven
other states in questionable compliance."
Those states arc Florida. Georgia,
Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania.
Oklahoma and Arkansas. Alabama,
Tennessee. Louisiana and Mississippi are
involved in desegregation litigation with the
U.S. Department of Justice.
North Carolina received a different letter
than the other states, Gerry said, because at
one time the state's higher education officials
decided not to negotiate at all about the
proposed location of the vet school.
"Since that time we have perceived a
different attitude toward discussing
problems," Gerry said.
Vet school controversy
The semi-annual report did not mention
HEW's major concern, the location of the
proposed veterinary school at the
predominantly white N.C. State University
instead of the predominantly black N.C.
A&T University.
Gerry charged that the University
administration refused to consider the
immediate racial impact of the vet school
location, as well as the effect on the ability of
A&T to attract white students.
Gerry also objected to the net increased
disparity between N.C. State and A& I
resulting from a failure of the Board of
Governors to similarly "enhance the
academic program strength of
predominantly black North Carolina ,&. I ."
In March 1975, William 1 nomas of
OCR's Atlanta office told Friday the
university system "must award a program ot
similar stature and attractiveness" to A& I if
the vet school was placed in Raleigh.
Friday said that the location issue is not a
racial question but one of "whether the
Board of Governors can make a decision
based on the educational evidence at hand."
Friday referred to a study by two Ohio
professors under contract to the General
Administration which compares the two
schools on a numerical scale. N.C. State
outranked A&T by a score of 1.051 to 499.
The study did not address any racial
criteria.
Friday has also repeatedly said that the vet
school issue is not releva. now. because the
state legislature has not yet allocated funds
for construction of the proposed school. The
General Administration also maintains that
any action by HEW would be premature
Please turn to page 2
May run for lieutenant governor
by Jim Roberts
News Editor .
Although Chapel Hill Mayor Howard N.
Lee has not officially announced his
candidacy for the Democratic nomination
for lieutenant governor, it's no secret his eyes
are firmly set on the state's second highest
office. Last week, he was even called an
"official" candidate by the Raleigh News and
Observer.
Lee admits the chances are very slim that
he won't run. However, he said last Monday
he would not make a decision to declare until
November, and his official declaration could
come as late as January.
Lee's only reservation about entering the
race is raising enough money to finance a
campaign. "I will run, provided I can raise
the money," he said. He said he hopes to
collect approximately 5300,000 between
now and November.
"I'll utilize the months of September,
October and November to start fund raising
activities across the state and to identify key
leadership within the state."
Even though funding is delaying Lee's
announcement, he is outwardly confident he
can raise the money. "I feel that I have
enough friends in the state to collect the
money 1 need," he said.
In Lee's unsuccessful 1972 campaign for
the Democratic nomination for the 2nd
District congressional seat, he was the only
candidate whose campaign expenses were
paid at the end of the race. "We did that
campaign with mainly dimes and quarters,"
he said.
For this election, Lee also plans to collect
funds in small amounts. "1 want to at least
feel that if 1 win, I will go in with the help of
the little people across the state."
To collect the money. Lee's campaign staff
will initially send 1,000 solicitation letters to
potential contributors. "Ultimately we hope
to send 5,000 to 10,000 letters to friends," he
added.
Lee also said he doesn't feel he will have
trouble raising enough support for his
candidacy to run first or second in the
primary. Currently, he thinks he has the
highest recognition level of any potential
candidate.
Those candidates officially in the race for
lieutenant governor include Wake County
Commissioner Waverly F. Akins; state Rep.
Herbert L. Hyde, D-Buncombe; state Sen.
Herman Moore, D-Mecklenburg; and E.
Frank Stephenson Jr., Chowan College
director of admissions.
Lee attributed his high recognition level to
his active personality, his record in Chapel
Hill and his work with the Democratic
Party.
Many North Carolinians will remember
him from 1969 when he became the first
black mayor of a predominantly white
southern town. But he said he thinks his
being black will be neither an asset nor a
liability in his campaign for the lieutenant
governorship.
"I want to be a candidate who happens to
be black, not a black who happens to be a
candidate. 1 personally want to play race
down. If my opponents want to make it an
issue, it will be their issue."
Despite his enthusiasm over his statewide
recognition. Mayor Lee is wary of the
backlash it can create later in the campaign.
As the race continues, "recognition levels
tend toNequalize and a high recognition level
is sometimes a liability since campaigns that
start with a bang often tend to fizz out in the
end."
Lee, whose term as mayor will end in
December, said he would consider reforms
in the tax laws, health care services and the
criminal' justice system his three major
priorities, if he is elected. He said that
because the state has changed so much, it is
necessary to totally redesign the tax system.
Concerning health care, he said.'T would
like to see health care made accessible and
affordable for everyone."
in the area of criminal justice, Lee said he
objects to first offenders being jailed with
repeat offenders. He said court
overcrowding is another major problem in
the state justice system.
Lee said if he is elected he will push for a
program to equalize educational
opportunities. "1 want to make sure that a
child from a rich county and a child from a
poor county get the same minimal level of
education," he said. He added that equalized
educational opportunities will help bring
Please turn to page 6
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Staff pttoto by Martha ttavans
Howard Lee, current mayor of Chapei
Hill and. a probable candidate for
lieutenant governor in 1976
BSM, four others
have funds frozen
by Carotin Bakewell
Steff Writer
The list of student organizations
suspended from the Student Government
budget for alleged treasury violations grew
to five on Aug. 1 when another organization
admitted having mishandled funds.
The Political Science Association
voluntarily reported having an illegal
checking account and its funds were frozen,
pending investigation by the Campus
Governing Council Finance Committee later
this fall. Student Body Treasurer Mike
O'Neal said Wednesday.
"They've turned in all the information. I
feel we'll be able to settle the matter in their
favor," said O'Neal.
A series of investigations of various
student groups began when the Football
Club, the graduate History Society and later
the Black Student Movement and
Biostatistics Department were suspended
from the budget.
Officials from the Football Club and the
History Society declined to mention exact
charges against the groups, but O'Neal said
both had operated illegal checking or sav ings
accounts.
The Black Student Movement (BSM),
charged with operating a checking account
and allegedly making questionable use of
funds from the account, has been suspended
from the budget until Finance Committee
investigations are completed.
The BS M case is the most important, since
it involves S500. the largest sum. O'Neal said
Wednesday. The checking account was
opened with money won by the BSM Gospel
Choir at a Duke concert.
Part of the money may have been used
illegally, O'Neal said, adding that cancelled
BSM checks presented at the July 29 CGC
meeting indicated that payments had been
made to Kentucky Fried Chicken and to pay
off a speeding ticket.
Although CGC member Greg Reid. w ho is
also a member of the BSM, provided check
stubs and other information at the July 29
meeting,' the information has been
withdrawn from CGC records, O'Neal said.
"The BSM has pledged cooperation." he
said. "If they don't, the CGC might be forced
to freeze their funds indefinitely."
"1 think the CGC took an inflexible
approach to the whole matter." BSM
President D. Lester Diggs said July 29. "I
think the funds should be unfrozen and. at
most, we should be given a reprimand."
The Biostat group, which allegedly
operated a savings account, was put on three
months probation. During this period, the
organization can use its funds only with the
permission of the Student Body treasurer
and the Finance Committee chairperson.
All five groups are charged w ith v iolations
of Section V of the treasury law. which
states, "All organizations receiving funds or
appropriations from this budget . . . shall be
required to deposit all revenue, regardless of
Please turn to page 4
ixtle
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by Tim Pittman
Staff Writer
Joan Little's murder trial is over, but there is
much discussion among state government
officials and women's rights leaders as to the
effect of the trial's publicity on the North
Carolina county jail system and on women's
rights in rape cases.
As far as most correction officials are
concerned, the Little trial was an isolated and
unfortunate incident, which received an
undeserved degree of publicity. Most qfficials
will not speculate on county jail reforms other
than to say the state has been and will continue to
upgrade its correctional facilities.
Many women's leaders in the Chapel Hill area
disagree about the trial's impact on women.,
Some say the trial will encourage women to fight
when being sexually attacked. Others argue that
the trial became more of a racial issue than a
question of rape.
However, both officials and women agree that
the Little trial did bring vital questions
concerning both rape and the jail system to a
level of public inspection and concern.
Joan Little, a 21 -year-old black woman, was
acquitted August 15 of charges that she
murdered Beaufort County jailer Clarence T.
Alligood, who she said forced her to perform
oral sex. She fled the jail after stabbing Alligood
with the ice pick she said he had used to threaten
her.
The jury declared Little not guilty after a single
unanimous vote which took only 78 minutes.
Speaking to the press after the verdict was
announced, jury members said the state had not
provided enough evidence to prove that Little
had murdered the jailer.
Little's lawyers contended throughout the
trial, which drew press coverage from all over the
nation, that questions of sexism and racism were
vital aspects of the case. Following the trial the
lawyers called the verdict a "victory for the
people."
Little still faces a seven-to-10 year sentence for
breaking and entering which she was appealing
when the stabbing took place. She remains free
on a $ 1 5,000 bond, while she awaits judgment on
her appeal.
"The Little situation was unique and
unfortunate," Woodburn Williams, director of
the Jail and Detention Services of the North
Carolina Department of Resources, said in a
recent interview. "We're very concerned about it
because it reflects poorly on jails throughout the
South. North Caroina's jail system does have its
inadequacies, but the jails are improving
throughout the state."
Williams said the Little trial would probably
not have a major effect on the county jail system,
because county jails are primarily governed by
local supervision.
"I feel certain, however, that this incident will
make sheriffs more responsible and attentive to
the needs of their female prisoners," Williams
added.
"No one wants that kind of thing to happen m
a jail, so I can only hope county jail officials will
begin to make positive changes to prevent a
reoccurance."
Deputy Atty. Gen. Jack Saforn also labeled
the Little incident an isolated case. "It's one
incident in one jail involving one prisoner and
one jailer it is really nothing more," he said.
Saforn cited local jurisdiction over county jails
as a barrier against sweeping changes in the jail
system, despite the trial's publicity.
He said a General Assembly pay hike for jail
workers and legislature-set standards of jail
operation will aid in upgrading the county jail
system. He added, however, that both programs
were established prior to the Little .incident
Beaufort County sheriff O.E. Davis said he did
not know of any changes being made in the jail
system because of the Little case.
"There could be some changes in order to
prevent a similar situation," he said. "Personally
I don't anticipate any changes."
Despite these assertions that the trial will
effect no changes in jail systems, one of Little's
defense lawyers, Milton Williamson, said the
trial has already brought about numerous
changes.
"There have been substantial changes in many
jails throughout the state," Williamson said. He
cited Pitt and Beaufort counties as examples
where more women matrons have been hired. "In
other places, jail layouts and privacy standards
are being upgraded," William said.
Raleigh American Civil Liberties Union
(ACLU) lawyer John Parker agreed with
Williamson. "The trial itself did not offer any
solutions, but I have heard that a lot of counties
in Eastern North Carolina are quietly hiring
women matrons," Parker said.
But Parker warned that real reforms will
depend on citizens of the state. "The Joan Little
trial served as an exclamation point to a horrible
situation," Parker said. "If any major changes
are to result, the people must become involved."
The Little trial has sparked debate from
women's leaders as well as from state officials
and lawyers concerning rape victims rights.
Miriam Slifkin, founder of the Chapel Hill
Carrboro Rape Crisis Center and former
president of the local chapter of the National
Organization for Women (NOW), said she feels
the verdict of the Little trial will encourage
women to fight back at rapists.
"A lot of women feel that we have been kept in
our place by the threat of rape," Slifkin said.
"But now, through the Joan Little case, the court
has essentially said that women can defend
themselves by fighting back. I'm sure it will free a
lot of women from their personal prison."
But the current president of the Chapel Hill
chapter of NOW, Ruth Meyer did not share
Slifkin's optimism about the trial's impact on
rape.
"I'm not sure that this case will have a major
effect with regard to rape," Meyer said. "The
black vs. white issue and the conditions of the
prisons were played up to such an extent that
much of the sexual impact was lost."
"The issue at hand was 'Does a black have
redress against a white much more than does a
woman have redress against a man in a rape
situation." Meyer said. "I just don't think
people thought of Joan Little as a raped
woman."