United Nations stands
on edge of intolerance
Those who pause to recall Nazi Germany remember November 10, 1938
as ''Crystal Night," a time when Nazi forces in Germany attacked Jewish
homes and institutions, a time when windows across that country were
smashed by anti-semitic Germans.
Thirty-seven years later, a new "Crystal Night" rocked civilized societies
across the globe as an Arab-inspired, third world-supported resolution,
condemning Zionism as racism, passed the General Assembly of the United
Nations.
The resolution passed Monday night is in many ways a direct threat to the
world position of Israel. Zionism at the least is a nationalist commitment to
the continued existence of Israel; in a more theological vein, according to
Rabbi Robert Seigel, UNC Jewish chaplain, Zionsim is a religious
commitment to the preservation of the Jewish Holy Land.
It is not, by any definition save that of anti-Israeli forces, a form of racism.
For centuries, Jews have been victims of racial and ethnic intolerance and
repression, which in turn has made the Jewish people among the most
racially and ethnically tolerant groups in the world. No evidence was
presented to the General Assembly to prove that the practices of the Jewish
faith or of the state. of Israel have ever reflected racial intolerance or
persecution.
It seems that the resolution passed by the General Assembly is not an
attempt to reduce racial and ethnic tensions in the world but an attempt to
harrass Israel and her supporters. Introduced by Arab delegates and
supported by Communist nations and third world countries in the control of
the Arab block, the resolution has the effect of legitimizing attacks against
Israel and the Jewish community attacks which many of our parents and
friends fought as criminal and illegitimate thirty years ago.
By adopting the resolution, the United Nations has in a large part reneged
on its commitment to world tolerance of all groups and religious
persuasions. It has abandoned international cooperation in favor of
international confrontation. It has forgotten overtures of peace while
recalling images of terror and world disharmony. It has left tolerance behind
in a move toward intolerance.
Israel is not the only nation to suffer international rebuke within the halls
of the United Nations. For years Mainland China was denied a seat in the
United Nations because of the power brokerage of the United States and
friends. That inequitable situation was remedied with the inclusion of that
nation in the U.N. in 1973.
The resolution equating Zionism with racism is as inequitable and more
fearful, since it combines political antagonism toward Israel with religious
and ethnic animosity.
The United States has reacted strongly against the resolution, from a
denunciation by President Ford to angry resolutions passed by both houses
of Congress to mass protests in the streets of New York. On campus,
students have set up a table in front of the undergraduate library to collect
signatures for a petition urging the United States to withdraw from the
United Nations. '
That may be an extreme posture, but it effectively communicates the
sense of rage felt by many sympathetic to the state of Israel. If you agree with
the sentiments of the petition, sign it. If you prefer a less extreme stance,
write your Congressman or the office of the Secretary-General of the U.N.
We cannot endure threatening reminders of Crystal Night.
Cole C. Campbell
Editor
Satlg
Star Mni
83rd Year of Editorial Freedom
mm
To the editor:
The student voice is weaker today with the
departure of Finance Committee
Chairperson Bill Strickland last Friday.
Strickland wasn't forced to resign. It was a
voluntary decision that had troubled him for
quite some time.
As the financial conscience of the Campus
Governing Council, Strickland guided its
Finance Committee from the lengthy and
stormy budget hearings last Spring, through,
the investigations of Student Treasury
violations and finally the DTH financial
crisis and the Black Student Movement
controversies.
-Before taking on his duties as Finance
Chairperson, Strickland was a moderate to
liberal Democrat.. But as Finance
Chairperson he certainly came to adopt and
even champion the fiscally conservative
responsible, if you will position. Money
has a way of doing that to most people.
Unlike many members of the Campus
Governing Council, Strickland wasn't a
member of the more powerful interests such
as BSM, the DTH or the Student Consumer
Action Union, indeed, his chief claim to any
interest group is as head usher for basketball
tickets this year. -
In the past months and particularly the
past weeks, Strickland has worked hard f or a .
more general campus interest in his positions,
on financial matters. That is a position that.
Sow
Wednesday, November 12, 1975
Jim Grimsley
Managing Editor
Greg Porter
Associate Editor
Jim Roberts
News Editor
Robin Clark
Features Editor -
Susan
Shackelford
Sport Editor
Barnie Day
Projects Editor
Joyce Fitzpatrick
Graphic Arts Editor
usually was adopted by the Finance
Committee.
However, more often than not decisions of
the Finance Committee were brushed aside
by the full council particularly when the
more powerful special interests were
detrimentally involved.
In these repeated situations, Strickland
made the decision to step aside and allow the
"other" viewpoint full sway. Strickland's
decision was not a hasty one but one that is
certainly lamentable.
Students on this campus often grumble
about what's wrong with Student
Government and even question if there is any
one in Student Government with any sense
at all. The problem that while such
individuals do exist, students either never
find out who they are or they simply are
content to let them go it alone.
Other members of the Campus Governing
Council who represent almost exclusively
their own cliques or interests get sufficient
reinforcement of an immediate nature
through their successes.
CGC members like Bill Strickland have
often times only personal satisfaction and
convictions to sustain them in victories and
more crucially in defeat.
Bill Strickland didn't have an angle on the
CGC. He was dedicated, conscientious and,
right or wrong, earnestly worked on behalf
of the greater student body wherever or
ents
on
Bill Bates
l am strongly opposed to the bill to
establish a Student Government
Comptroller. I'd like to give you my
reasons for taking this stand.
(A) Supporters of the bill claim that
the treasurer should be free from the
fear that carrying out his official duties
could result in his dismissal should he
disagree with the president.
(B) Supporters also claim that the
removal of the treasurer from office
should be done in an open body
deliberation they feel that one man
should not have such powers.
(C) Finally, supporters feel that the
treasurer should be under the legislative
branch. To do this, they have created a
"new office", rather than adopt a
constitutional amendment.
In examining the logic for the
comptroller one finds little validity in
the arguments. First, why estabusn a
new office when the present treasurer is
already carrying out the duties of the
proposed comptroller? It would be an
inefficient addition and complication of
the bureaucracy.
The other two reasons are primarily
based on my recent dismissal of Mike
O'Neal. I readily admit that the
treasurer should be free of the fear that
carrying out his official duties could
result in his dismissal should they be in
disagreement with the president. Also I
agree, as any president would, that
dismissal should occur only after all of
the facts have been weighed. If a
president arbitrarily dismisses a
treasurer, the. students and CGC should
have the recourse of recalling or
impeaching the president. Therefore, I
feel it is necessary for, me to give the
complete reasons compelling me to fire
Mike O'Neal in order (1) to dispel any
doubts that his dismissal was a result of
personal disagreement; (2) and also to
justify the president's dismissal power in
light of the cooperation among the
executive staff necessitated by the
proper functioning of Student
Government.
I publicly claimed that Mike had
overstepped his bounds as treasurer by
Pablo Gil Casado
Research separates UNC from Podunk
One of the major academic questions at
the University is whether there is an
overemphasis on research and whether this
forces professors to live by the dictum
"publish or perish."
Publishing is a matter of life or death for a
professor. A university like UNC at Chapel
Hill, which is nationally recognized for its
academic credentials and which is centrally
structured to offer advanced degrees and
provide future educators trained in both
research and teaching, should demand that
its professors engage themselves in research
in their respective fields and publish the
results. Other researchers will benefit from
these efforts as each discipline in the arts and
sciences advances. In essence, research
strives to extend the boundaries of human
knowledge.
Understood in these terms, academic
research is, nevertheless, not free from
opposition. This opposition falls into three
general categories. Firstly, there are those
who are opposed to any type of research,
considering it unnecessary. One would
surmise from this point of view that human
knowledge in its entirety were contained in a
textbook. Secondly, there are those who
propose that research be entrusted
exclusively to commercial organizations or
to foundations. These possibilities are
available to the sciences and Jo medical
research. But are these same possibilities
available to the humanities? Can one
imagine what General Motors or General
Electric would do with Don Quixote? I
suspect that the result would be a knight
outfitted and riveted in chrome riding an
electronic Rocinante, which, to insure
victory every time, would consult a
whatever it is. We will all be the poorer
without his leadership.
Mike O'Neal
Pritchard Avenue
Readable Read
To the editor.
Professor Read's column (Dilemma:
survival of the mind) in Monday's paper
illustrates another aspect of the publish or
perish problem. Professor Read is an
excellent teacher, but if he continues to write
like that, the Daily Tar Heel will be his only
publisher. The medium is the message.
Winston Jones
K-I2 Colony Apts.
No panacea
To the editor:
Gun control is a constructive step in
dealing with violent crime, but it should not
be regarded as a panacea.
Richard Whittle in his column on gun
vjj9
lobbying against my stance on the BSM
issue. 1 believe he should' not have done
so, especially behind my back.
Admittedly though, I was on fine legal
ground with my decision and people
could easily say that Mike was staying in
the realm of his office.
But my complete reason for firing
Mike goes far beyond the BSM issue.'
The fact is, Mike has constantly gone
beyond his office and has used his
position in ways a treasurer should not:
(1) Mike has constantly caused
dissention on my staff. On numerous,
occasions, Mike has told staff members
to ignore what I had previously asked
them to do. This has occured not only
this fall, but last spring and summer as
well. He did so without my knowledge
or consent.
Ik . . V
computer to determine his foe's points of
weakness. Of course, this poor Rocinante
would be obsolete within five years. Thirdly,
there are those who believe that researchers
should research and teachers should teach.
This view regards publishing as a detriment
to university teaching.
The hiring, firing, promotion or tenure of
UNC professors is not only governed by
success or failure in publishing, but also by
success or failure in teaching. There are other
considerations as well. The services which a
professor has rendered to the University
(such as committee work) or to state or
national institutions, are reviewed. Creative
contributions to the arts are also included
among these criteria. At any rate, the quality
of education cannot suffer because of
research. But it is possible that a professor
does not fulfill his responsibilities as a
teacher. However, the contribution made by
the researcher through the research process,
the subsequent publication, and the
advancement of human knowledge cannot
be ignored. And if we believe that the
researcher and the teacher are one and the
same, then we are able to assume that the
university student will benefit, in one way or
another, from these research efforts. The
University, likewise, benefits from the
publication of a worthy study. Clearly, the
department, which relies on members who
publish and publish well, will attract good
professors and good students.
The policy of "publish or perish" is not
without flaws. For one thing, publishing is
the most visible form of success. The
chairperson is always eager to show the
administration of the university that
professors in his department are working
i
control in the Nov. 1 DTH says "we hope
when we create a law that its existence will at
least make less frequent the form of behavior
we seek to discourage " Such a law on gun
control need not ban guns for private
citizens. Rather, a stiff registration program
should be implemented complete with a
government firearm safety course,
graduation from which would be required to
get a gun permit. Guns which could be
legally registered would have to meet certain
specifications of safety. In other words make
owning a gun expensive, and eliminate the
cheap "Saturday night specials." Close the
loopholes.
The reader may wonder why the hell go to
all this trouble instead of simply banning
revolvers. The answer from many gun
owners is the fear of what can follow banning
handguns. Handguns have become an
anachronism, suitable only for the target
range or dispatching Homo sapiens. But.
shotguns and rifles still have a sports
function and, being highly visible, do not!
present the danger of concealment that
handguns do. Yet their future is far from
secure.
The hunters vs. anti-hunters argument is
another can of worms. But it is an
HS
f s a v. ?
3 jut Tuwu V
- J -vS SVV ... I.
'
4
comptroller
(2) Secondly, Mike has lobbied
without my knowledge for matters other
than financial concerns. This summer
Mike did something which severely
strained his credibility with me. He
approached Supreme Court Justice
Ann Ponder and offered his opinion
that she should resign her post. He did
so as an official of the executive branch,
and without my consent." Such action
can severely damage the executive
branch's credibility.
The dissention he has caused on my
staff by creating mixed loyalties and
changing my orders to suit his neecls,
overstepping his bounds by suggesting
the resignation of a student supreme
court justice without my permission, his
legal problems, his untruthfulness
culminating with his lobbying against
43
Publish or perish?
...or teach?
hard and producing. The professors realize
that publishing is the letter of
recommendation which will guarantee them
a promotion. From this attitude arises the
danger of publishing for the need to publish
regardless of what it may be and usually
results in a product of little or no value.
The layman does not always understand
every aspect of the "publish or perish'"
phenomenon. This is due, in part, to the
inherent contradiction in publishing.
'Although the University requires
publications, it generally does not assume
the expenses for the projects. (1 am referring
not to the case of one involved in pure
research, but rather the professor who
teaches and at the same time is obliged to
carry on research in order to accumulate
merits.) In this case the teacher must solicit
unfortunate coincidence that the present gun
control drive has overlapped the anti
hunting movement. Such a witch hunt with
popular support will eventually crush the
"gun forces" in this country, regardless of
who possesses "the facts."
Drastic solutions seldom deliver paradise.
Will Jones
222 Teague
'Heavies' and the student interest
To the editor.
"Now the student interest has been
flaunted by the heavy-handed clumsiness of
the Athletic Department." This is from the
Tar Heel editorial of Nov. 6, concerning the
Athletic Department's attitude toward
Delmar Williams' candidacy for
Homecoming Queen. Oh really, Tar Heel
editorialist. Again you have confused the
"student interest" with your interest.
In all reports I have seen about the
Homecoming election, Williams was
described as a winner by a plurality of votes,
thus implying that the majority of students
who voted in the election voted for female
candidates and in opposition of Delmar .
Williams' candidacy.
:
Ha
my BSM decision caused me to lose
faith in his qualifications as treasurer of
the student body.
Therefore, I felt 1 had no other
recourse but to dismiss him.
I urge you now not to pass this bill.
The president is responsible for
executing the policies of Student
Government. As the past has shown, the
president with a treasurer to assist him
has been more than able to do this.
There is no need for the establishment of
a new office. If a president becomes
irresponsible and unjustifiably fires a
constitutional official, you, the CGC
and the students have means of
restraining the president either through
recall or impeachment.
BUI Bates, student body president, is a senior
political science major from FayetteviUe.
-WE PWLV Tf rtEETU-
the means and find a way to realize his
research. Regardless of the outcome of his
work, the researcher experiences the same
problems. Research and writing, whether
done at home or in the library, necessitates a
considerable expenditure of time and often
one must travel. Preparing the manuscript
and then finding a publisher also require
significant expenditures of time and money.
One normally sends copies of the work to
several publishers and ends up publishing it
on a university press. Since scholarly books,
because of their specialized nature, have a
very restricted market, the editor will
probably require the author to pay a certain
part of the printing costs. This means two or
three thousand dollars. As an alternative, the
author can seek one of the national subsidies
that do exist. But competition is fierce and
allows one a chance of some one in three
hundred of receiving such assistance. Within
the university community one can solicit the
research dean for a subsidy. If he is fortunate
he will receive between five hundred and one
thousand dollars. . .the repayment of which
is contingent upon any receipts for the book.
If he doesn't receive a subsidy (and it is rather
difficult to do so nowadays), he must assume
the entire cost. This situation, which has
arisen from the pressure to publish,
frequently creates resentment. It means a
considerable effort and expenses, an effort
which every professor is not ready to make
and expenses which not everyone can wants
to lay out. ..but which are unavoidable. A
professor at UNC-CH has no other recourse.
It is that or move to Podunk College.
Pablo Cil Casado is an associate professor of
Spanish.
This implication leads me to believe that
the "heavies" of the Athletic Department (as
you designate Homer Rice and Rick
Brewer), with their own opposition to
Williams' candidacy, are in better touch with
what the real students interest is than you.
Tar Heel editorialist. Of course you have the
right to present your opinion on any matter,
but please don't try to add viability to your
editorial slights of the UNC Athletic
Department by including as plaintiff the
"student interest" when that interest is
actually contradictory to your own.
Jay Morgan
318 Winston
A fish without a bicycle
V
. yJ
To the editor.
It is with great personal pleasure that 1
note the recent addition to your small, but
classy, comic section. I refer specifically to
the humourous weekly, "Why Do the
Heathen Rage."
After all, as a bathroom sage wisely noted,
a man without a God is like a fish without a
bicycle.
Bob Jones
359 James