6 The Daily Tar Heel Tuesday January 29 1980
David Stacks, Editor
Michele Mecke, Managing Editor
Michael Wade, Associate Editor
Gary Tespening, Associate Editor
Martha Waggone, News Editor
Eddie Marks, University Editor
Carol Hanner, City Editor
Kathy Curry, Staff and National Editor
Reid Tuvim, Sports Editor
Susan Ladd, Features Editor
Laura Elliott, Arts Editor
Andy James, Photography Editor
Dinita James, Weekender Editor
0
National' enrollment in Mack studies drops
3ar Mnl
87 th year of editorial freedom
The House race
When state Rep. Edward S. Holmes of Pittsboro decided not to run
for a fifth term last week, many local political figures were disappointed
because his absence will leave a void in this district's considerable
influence in the state House. Holmes, who was chairman of the powerful
House Appropriations Committee for four years, was a popular
representative and a strong advocate of the University's interests who
would have been a formidable opponent in the 1980 election. But his
decision not to become a candidate opens the race and provides the
opportunity for some fresh debate about the legislative priorities for the
17th District, which is comprised of Orange and Chatham counties.
Rep. Patricia Hunt of Chapel Hill, who also has represented the 17th
District for the past eight years, filed to run for re-election last week.
Hunt has also been an influential voice in the General Assembly, and her
candidacy probably will mean that the other hopefuls in the House race
for this district will concentrate on Holmes seat. At least four Orange
and Chatham county residents who have not yet filed are interested in
running a prospect that indicates the race could stir up some badly
needed interest in the General Assembly races this year.
Counting Hunt, six of the seven people mentioned as possible
opponents for the seats are Orange County residents. Wallace
Kaufman, a Pittsboro real estate appraiser and writer who owns a realty
company in Carrboro, and Chapel Hill Republican James Stephen Blair
have filed to run for the two House seats. The field of potential
candidates includes a Chapel Hill attorney, a Chapel Hill minister and
school board member, a politically active Orange County
commissioner, a Chatham County attorney who has said he is waiting to
see whether other residents of that county will file and the purchasing
agent for the town of Chapel Hill, who also is considering entering the
Congressional race. The diversity of the field could give voters a difficult
decision and a chance to select candidates after the most hotly debated
campaign in recent years.
While the University is a large part of the 17th District, its interests are
often far different from those of the other portions of the district's
population, such as rural Orange and Chatham counties. Both Holmes
and Hunt have demonstrated an ability to represent these diverse
interests, and the possibility of seven or more names on the ballot this
year means that voters would have a good opportunity to choose
representatives who could continue the capable leadership the district
has enjoyed during recent years. The voice of the 17th District has been
strong in Raleigh, and the likelihood of a vigorous 1980 campaign
means chances are good that its influence will continue.
A gold mine
By J A MES A LEX A NDER JR.
During the turbulent 1 960s, enraged students on
college campuses across the nation were marching,
rioting and fighting openly for an active voice in
campus and national affairs. While most of their
protests centered on the Vietnam War and the
draft, many students were seeking more diversified
course curriculums at their respective universities.
At the same time, black students at these schools
wanted black studies to be included in expanded
curriculums.
Today, now that courses in Afro-American
studies are offered at nearly 600 American colleges
and universities in some form, enrollment in this
subject area has apparently taken a sharp turn
downward. A study reports that in 1976, only 442
students earned bachelor's degrees in black studies
in the United States. That number dipped to 325 in
1978 and is not expected to rise above 300 this year.
Van M. Christopher, chairman of the Afro
American studies department at California State
University in Los Angeles, offered one answer for
the dwindling enrollment in black studies
nationwide in a recent U.S. News and World
Report interview. Christopher said the current
economic atmosphere, which has induced college
students to "go for their piece of the American
corporate pie," has prompted many black
collegians to take more practical courses in areas
such as business and engineering. Of the estimated
1.1 million black college students in the country,
more than half are registered in such courses,
letters to the editor
Many students who think of the Carolina Union simply as a place to
grab a snack, shoot some pool or lounge on the sofas aren't aware of the
multitude of social and cultural opportunities the Carolina Union
Activities Board provides. Located in Room 200 of the Union, the board
each semester develops and presents programs and activities ranging
from free flicks to touring Broadway productions. The board's activities
are financed by a student fee of approximately $4 per student per
semester.
The board comprises 10 committees which are chaired by members of
the Activities Board. All Union-sponsored events are planned by
student committee members who volunteer their support and time. In
addition to the Film Committee which sponsors the popular free flicks
held in Carroll Hall, the board has committees devoted to fine and
performing arts, human relations, recreation and social events.
A glance at the bulletin board near the information desk on the first
floor of the Union gives an indication of the board's efforts to provide a
diverse and fulfilling program of activities for Carolina students. The
premier event of the week on campus, the appearance of former United
Nations Ambassador Andrew Young Wednesday night in Memorial
Hall, is sponsored by the Carolina Forum Committee. A stroll through
the second floor gallery of the Union reveals a display of women's
photography sponsored by the Gallery Committee. And notice of events
scheduled for February a new musical revue and an undergraduate
photo exhibition indicates that the board's efforts are continuous.
The Carolina Union is a lot more than free flicks, bowling lanes and
fast food. Carolina students have a gold mine of activities in their own
backyard, just waiting to be used and enjoyed.
The Bottom Line
Day 3: Ordeal over
The newest rage in terrorism? You
guessed it kidnapping vending
machines.
So far, it seems, the only advocate of
the new craze is 67-year-old Carl C. Lane
of Columbus, Ga. Sick and tired of losing
money in newspaper drop boxes, he
removed an offending machine from a
restaurant in Columbus after the machine
took 50 cents but gave no Sunday paper
in return.
Lane left his name and address with the
restaurant's manager and was
apprehended shortly thereafter. Lane
explained to the arresting officers that he
never intended to keep the box and said,
"It's cheating and swindling to take your
money and give you nothing in return."
After a three-day ordeal, the machine
was returned unharmed.
Unsettling advice
For those of you out there with the
measles, especially the Southern belles,
we only have one piece of advice for you:
Watch out for "Dr. Upchuck." Forget all
the things those Student Health Service
people tell you about medicine. None will
help you if Upchuck decides to get in on
the case.
The phantom physician has become
well-known on the post-surgical scene
recently. Armed with intimate knowledge
of patient cases, the mysterious doctor
has telephoned more than 200 women
with phony medical advice and
unsettling advice it is.
In each case the caller, using the name
of a doctor familiar to the patient, told
the woman to drink two glasses of water
(or other suitable beverage), stick her
fingers down her throat and....
"This guy is wacko he is a madman,"
said one man whose wife received a call
from the wild and crazy physician. The
woman drank the water but called her
husband before following the second part
of the procedure. Smart girl.
Despite the seeming ludicrous nature
of these events, we caution you to be on
guard all the time, folks. The medical
world is deeply worried that the advice, if
followed, could be fatal or worse.
"He will kill someone, eventually," one
doctor said. "Someone will asphyxiate on
vomit or someone will split sutures or
something." Now that is serious.
And possibly the most amazing thing is
that Upchuck knows no cultural barriers.
Fluent in many languages, he caters to the
international clientele as well as the
ordinary Joe(sephine).
Could he be lurking at Carolina? We're
not sure, but well stay on the case. And
remember, if that phantom call does
happen to come, sit on your hands and
don't drink a thing.
And that's the bottom line.
Christopher said.
Aside from this indication of a changed attitude
among black college students toward black studies
and related courses, Christopher pointed out
problems stemming from the universities
themselves.
At many schools, the Afro-American studies
departments have been watered down to levels of
certificate-granting or seminar disciplines, rather
than full-fledged degree programs. Other experts
have attributed the downplaying of black studies
not only to a lack of proper recognition by
universities, but also to a lack of black faculty to
keep the discipline going. For example, at the
University of Texas, John Warfield, director of the
Afro-American studies department, reports that
five black faculty members have been lost in the
last 18 months because of inadequate recognition
of black studies as a true academic discipline by
that university's community.
Despite such reports of black studies vanishing
at most universities because of lowering
enrollment and lack of proper recognition, some
programs are enjoying healthy growth from both
increasing enrollment and administrative
commitments for a strong black-studies program. -To
regenerate an interest in black studies courses,
most institutions have narrowed the focus of the
courses to more specific areas of concern, such as
the black aspect of politics, economics,
consumerism or societal and urban problems.
Many of these courses have been moved out of
Afro-American departments and into their
respective disciplines, where they have received
more attention.
Here at the University, a spokesman for the
Afro-American studies department says there has
been no noticeable decrease in students enrolled in
black-studies courses, based on figures of students
who have taken the introductory courses Afro-Am
40 and 41. In 1978, 98 students were enrolled in
Afro-Am 40, compared with 92 in 1979. In 1978, 43
students took the second half of the course, Afro
Am 41, compared with 62 in 1979.
What's really hurting black studies courses on
American campuses today is probably the fact that
most students and instructors alike are
misunderstanding the purpose of such a
curriculum.
Unlike its impact in the 1960s, when black
studies w ere installed to keep the interests of black
students who were beginning to attend
predominantly white schools, today's degree or
concentration in this area goes a lot further,
particularly in the job market. At Ohio State
University, where the interest in black studies is
reported to be one of the highest in the nation,
department chairman William Nelson says'
corporations and urban agencies are hurting for
college graduates who have concentrations in
black studies.
Unless both students and universities increase
their commitment to Afro-American studies
programs, enrollment and interest will continue to
dwindle and force black studies into extinction.
James Alexander Jr., a junior journalism major
from Concord, is editorial assistant for The Daily
Tar Heel.
Watch women's b -ball before you knock it
To the editor:
Obviously Tyre Thompson does not
know much about women's basketball.
"Women players don't have what it
takes" (DTH, Jan. 24). His statement that
women's basketball is an unvarying array
of layups and set shots is totally false. The
women's game does have layups, but they
come from steals, the result of good
defensive play, or from well-executed fast
breaks.
It's evident that he hasn't seen many
women's games because most women use
the jump shot, the same as men. In a
women's game one doesn't see many
board-jarring dunks, but the fancy moves
are replaced by teamwork. Passing and
setting screens are offensive weapons that
women use lo offset the fine man-to-man
defense that most college teams now use.
Women's basketball has come a long
way and will continue to progress.
Women players, just like their male
counterparts, continue to get better.
Thompson's assertion that women are
physically incapable of playing an
exciting game of basketball is absurd. His
view must result from some mental block
against women basketball players,
because many women's games are fast
paced and high scoring. He is correct that
support for .the women is not
overwhelming; but it continues to
increase each year. Opinions such as
Thompson's are the reason that the
women's programs are not backed as
strongly as the men's.
Thompson's proposal that other sports
should receive more emphasis because
they are not as dependent on "awesome
physical ability to be enjoyable to the
spectator" is ridiculous. These sports
depend as much on ability as basketball.
I urge everyone to watch a women's
basketball game. You won't see some of
the things you are accustomed to seeing in
the men's game, but look at how they
work together, take notice of the pressure
defenses, and then decide for yourself if
you enjoy women's basketball.
Dixie Thompson
2209 Granville South
But until...
To the editor:
Though I consider the issue a
stalemate, 1 would like to reply to the
"sensitive" letters supporting women's
basketball, "Women's team has what it
takes," (D TH, Jan. 27), in order to clarify
my obviously misunderstood point. I
agree with all of them. 1 have watched
several of our women's team practices,
and they work extremely hard. Women's
basketball is a fast-paced game.
Bernadette McGlade is a fine women's
player who deserves substantial praise for
her rebounding record. But until women
can hit 30-foot jumpers, spin 360 degrees
on a layup or grab rebounds from the
stratosphere, no one will come to their
games.
Attila the Hun
a.k.a. Tyre Thompson
1421 Granville West
Point blown
To the editor:
I don't want to say "1 knew 1 could
count on you;" that sounds cynical and
underhanded. Still, though 1 do
appreciate your having run my letter
"University should halt fouling of our
nest," (DTH. Jan. 28), given it lead
position and all that, it would have been
nice to see it reproduced accurately.
I could cavil about paragraphing,
which is yours; I could complain about
the breaking of my last sentence into two
(1 always hope "Department of English"
will assist in getting people to leave my
copy alone, but alas); but I do take issue
with the omission of a key negative: in
about the middle of your second
paragraph. The parenthetical clause was
supposed to read "(that may not be so
hard to understand)." Your carelessness
blows the point, naturally. Would that we
could have more confidence in our paper
as well as in ourselves.
Davis A. March
Department of English
ON SOUR. MARK..."
Free-flickers: shh!
To the editor:
It's like a Saturday matinee Walt
Disney movie where the audience steals
the show. Their behavior is so disruptive
that the film just becomes part of a
cacophonous chaos.
But the audience is not children at a
matinee; it's students at the free flicks,
and they're making it impossible to enjoy
the movies.
The most irritating distraction is the
inevitable booing and hissing that occurs
whenever a character does or says
something the least bit wicked or devious
and that starts again whenever the
character reappears. Individual
reactions laughing, gasping, crying
indicate a movie's impact and
effectiveness. This audience
participation, this sibilant chorus, only
proclaims what is so clear already. For
less obvious evils, these vociferous
denouncers are quiet: they probably only
understand the most explicit.
Silence is a most important rule for
audience conduct. Besides the booing and
hissing, some members of the audience at
free flicks talk throughout entire movies.
Often they give running commentary:
what they think will happen, what they
think just did happen, who did what or
why he did it. Some conversations have
nothing to do with the movie: when the
film begins they continue talking as
before, sometimes in a lower tone but not
always. Occasional whispers are
acceptable, but continuous dialogue is
not.
At several free flicks the auditorium
has been so full viewers were turned
away. Then those who did get in created
such distractions the movies were ruined.
Those who prefer to talk, discuss and
participate belong at home in front of
television. ,f
Hope Bryan
Q-17 Royal Park Apts.
Produce more of our own
To the editor:
Jim Cox, in his response ("U.S. should
concentatc on conservation," DTH. Jan.
21) to my argument that we should worry
about producing, not conserving, energy,
emphasizes one point which I included in
my letter and which I wholeheartedly
support: we must conserve to eliminate
wasteful use of energy. He also lays
conservation is necessary to break the
grip of OPEC on our economy. But he
misses my point. To solve the energy
problem, including breaking the power of
OPEC, we should produce more of our
own energy in addition to conserving to
eliminate waste.
I should have been more specific. What
we should do is keep our hands off the oil
companies and all other energy
producers. Cox is right: oil is not in
unlimited supply. But we are far from
running out. Michael Halbouty, a
geologist and independent oil producer,
says there is as much oil yet to found in
the United States and in the world as has
been found so far. It will not all be as
inexpensive to produce as what we have
produced so far, but that is not a major
obstacle. As OPEC oil becomes more
expensive, other sources become more
attractive, and economic growth makes
them more affordable.
What is ridiculous is that the federal
government is subsidizing the production
of gasohol at costs which exceed the price
of OPEC oil. Instead of producingenergy
politically, we should produce it
economically. Cox mentions that the
Department of Energy is encouraging the
development of certain energy sources.
What he omits is the fact that the
government is deliberately discouraging
the production of oil by constantly trying
to punish the oil companies for making
profits. The fact is the only way the
Department of Energy is going to
encourage the efficient production of
anything is to keep its hands off the
producers.
Specifically, we can begin to encourage
energy production in those areas in w hich
we have the most expertise, including oil.
We should make it profitable for
companies to produce oil or they simply
will not produce. If you tax something,
you get less of it. The windfall profit tax is
a burden on production of oil. There is no
excuse for our government responding to
an energy shortage by slapping
constraints on energy producers. The
windfall profit tax takes money away
from production and diverts it to many
other uses, none of w hich will produce as
much energy as leaving the money where
it is. There is no good reason for taking a
dollar from those who would use it to
produce oil and spending it instead on a
government campaign to conserve
energy.
Yes. we need to conserve, to cut w a&tc.
But we need to produce energy in order to
reduce our dependence on foreign oil
while maintaining economic growth. The
windfall profit tax can only make uj more
dependent on OPEC.
Doug Chapman
Chapel Hill
Murder
To the editor;
Many of the commcnti in "A matter of
choice" ( DTH, Jan. 24) arc representative
of the view of many pro-abortionivts.
Unfortunately, several of the comment
are misleading and require clarification.
Pro-lifers are not attempting to impose
their moral views on others any more
than pro-abortionists are trying to
impose their humanistic views on others.
The only time when morality must be
imposed is when the actions of one person
impinge on the personal welfare of
another.
It is a biological fact that the infant is
genetically distinct from the mother a
unique being derived from the union of a
sperm and an egg. The mere fact of
attachment docs not make the child a part
of the mother. In addition, the fetus does
not have potential for life, but is life itself.
It does not have the potential to be a
human being; it is a human being with
potential. The concept of potentiality
may be ascribed only to that state prior to
the union of a sperm and an egg.
Also contrary to what was said in the
letter, abortions are being performed at a
time when a child can live outside the
womb, since there have been "survivors"
of these types of abortions. Some have
even been adopted.
Just because a poll of Americans showi
that some people support the killing of
innocent children in the womb docs not
make it "apparent that most people do
not believe that life begins at conception."
I think it is safe to say that in general pro
abortionists have not been fully informed
of what goes on during intra-utcrine
development and what actually happens
to both mothers and children during an
abortion. For those that are informed,
they choose to disregard medical facts
and opt for the quality of the life of the
mother over the life of the child.
I urge anyone who reads this letter to
examine the facts for himself. Do not
continue to be brainwashed by some in
the medical profession and the media.
Except in a situation where the life of the
mother is being threatened, the
performing of an abortion is murder
nothing more, nothing lc.
Austin Spruill
Department of Anatomy
Columns?
The Daily Tar Heel welcomes
contributions and letters to the
editor. For prompt publication, all
submissions muit be typed triple
spaced on a 60-space line and
signed. Utter writers ihould
include their address ami phone
number. Column writers should
include their class, major and
hometown. All contributions are
lubject to editing.