Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Oct. 1, 1981, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
i fill h p r Balm beech Mostly sunny today, high in the mid-80s. Partly cloudy to night with chance of showers. Beyond integration Race relations have been a many-sided issue at the Uni versity for some time and may be for many more years. t See story on page 9. U i o i Serving the students and the University community since 1893 Volume (y, Issue 7 Thursday, October 1, 1931 Chapel Hill, North Carolina NwtportaAftt SS2-C245 BustnMtAdvwlWng 962-1183 1 r Method sought to help protect (Ml - X i i s i f I : ji i f ff ff 1 OS rights of vo ters By LEISHA PHILLIPS DTH Staff Writer As the House debates extension of the Voting Rights Act this week, the emerging issue is not whether it will be abolished but how some of its provisions will be carried out in the future, several officials said this week. "The Voting Rights Act is not going to evaporate on Aug. 6, 1982," said a spokesman for Senate Judiciary Committee Chair man Strom Thurmond, R-S.C, who has lobbied against certain provisions of the act since its passage in 1965. The spokesman, who asked to remain unidentified, said some permanent provi sions in the act made its expiration next year impossible. The most controversial provision is Section 5, which will ex pire in August, if not extended or amended. It applies to nine states and parts of 13 others targeted after the 1964 presidential election as having low voter turnout and later deemed discriminatory against minority voters. . Under the law, the affected states and counties must preclear any changed from redrawing district boundaries to moving polling sites in voting procedures with the Justice Department or with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Preclearing the changes proves that they do not discriminate against minorities. According to present law, affected jurisdictions can end their ' special coverage only after they can prove to the U.S. District Court they have not used a literacy test or other device to discriminate against voters in the past 17 years. Forty N.C. counties are covered in this provision. Orange County is not one of them. Using low voter turnout (less than 50 percent of the voting age population) to determine which states or counties had pro blems with voter discrimination was an accurate gauge in some instances, but this was not necessarily the case in North Carolina, Alex Brock, director of the N.C. Board of Elections, said Tuesday. "In those special censuses, the U.S. Census Bureau counted the inmates in Central Prison and the mental hospitals as well as all the students at UNC-CH, for example," Brock said. Recent studies conducted by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and published in a report, "The Voting Rights Act: Un fulfilled Goals," found several hundred cases of preclear ance violations by local officials in Alabama, South Carolina, Mississippi and Georgia. In addition, the report said that, despite increased political participation by minorities in many of the states covered, voters still faced problems the act was design ed to overcome. For this reason the commission supports extending the Voting Rights Act 10 more years and has proposed several amendments aimed at more effective enforcement of the act. "The essence of what we're getting at is there should be some sort of penalty for non-compliance with the letter and the spirit of the law," said Bobby Doctor, director of the Southern region of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights in Atlanta. "The key is that the Justice Department responds to com plaints from the local level. If the provisions are not complied with, then changes are implemented without any federal knowledge," he said. But it is this provision requiring federal knowledge that op ponents of the bill, including Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C, protest. Scott Wilson, an aide to Helms, said, "If a city or county can show they have had no problem with compliance, they should be able to move their voting place without having to go to Washington. "The Voting Rights Act had good intentions, but ... it just didn't solve the problem," he said. "Rather, it created more( because it's not applied fairly." Though Wilson said Helms was adamantly opposed to the act, he said the Senator would not be opposed to an amendment that would soften the preclear ance provision. Thurmond also would like a streamlined act that either places all states under preclear ance or establishes methods for the af fected jurisdictions to escape it, his aide said. ' . , Much of the controversy centers on finding a provision to See ACT on page 6 I H ttCD lb d. pilDy(ul I , ' y f i a s if - j t' u J II r Jl t ' '"' A ! i ' iV- if i 1 ' S - j f " -- 1 t- ' "I v ' f 1 ' ? ' 'ti Av.vvi,V.vA'.i,'.-..-.-.-.-.-.-.-.'.-.'..-.v.,.',11,.v.'.-.'A'.'.VA'.-.',-.-.-..'.v.-.v.'. . ..a- j.;:::-.:;:;;; .,vA'.v.-.V.V.v.,.-.v,-,V.V.'.v -..-.-..v-v.v.v . ,v. . S , . llill ' mm This ain't bad ' " V' " DTHScott Sharpe Cindy Melton and 4-year-old Jason Hope enjoy a snack while waiting for the bus Wednesday afternoon in front of the NCNB plaza on Frank lin Street. Late book orders costly The Associated Press WASHINGTON President Ronald Reagan has decided to scatter 100 MX missiles among 1,000 shelters in the West and to build the B-l bomber while a more advanced, radar-eluding Stealth aircraft is developed, sources said Wednesday. A key Senate source, asking anonymity, said he understood Reagan had not settled on which states would house the new generation of nuclear missiles. The possibilities include shuttling them, shell-game fashion, on desert land in Nevada and possibly Utah, or basing some in existing Minuteman missile silos in other states. The president is to announce those multibillion dollar decisions on Friday as he discloses plans to modernize the nation's strategic forces, which he contends have fallen dangerously behind those of the Soviet Union. One thousand vertical Minuteman silos are buried on Air Force bases in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Wyoming. Four hundred of those are large enough to accommodate the MX and would re quire little modification. Of the 400, 150 are controlled by Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota, 50 by Maelstrom AFB in Montana and 200 by Francis E. Warren AFB in Wyoming. Delaying a decision on where to deploy the MX would not necessarily set back the target date of 1986, when the first of the missiles is scheduled to be in operation, Air Force spokesman Lt. Col. Mike Terrill said. In fact, Terrill said, the Air Force does not expect environmental impact statements on all the areas under consideration Nevada, Utah, Texas and New Mexico to be completed until next month at the earliest. "We had not planned on making the selection on the deployment area until late November or early December," he said. But a delay of several months past December could set back the MX schedule because of problems with further environmental studies and land acquisitions," Terrill said. "You run into a problem with land withdrawal," he said. Reagan is expected to go ahead with plans to manufacture the B-l bomber, which was rejected by then-President Jimmy Carter, and to develop Stealth bombers able to elude enemy radar, the source said. Air defenses of the continental United States would also be strengthened. Aides to several members and committees of Con gress concerned with the MX project said they were having difficulty nailing down the president's plans. "We've been up a good part of the night and this morning"-trying to confirm various news reports, said Mary Lou Cooper, an assistant to Rep. Jim San tini, D-Nev. Rep. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., complained that he was rebuffed by White House officials as well. Dorgan said he did not think using the Minuteman shelters for the new missiles made much sense since the administration had contended the silos would be sitting ducks for destruction in a Soviet attack and therefore would require a mobile system. A 100-missile MX system would be a scaled-down version of the now-discarded Carter plan to rotate 200 missiles among 4,600 shelters in Nevada and Utah. The Carter plan had drawn strong opposition from environmentalists, ranchers and the influential Mor mon Church in those states, and the prospect of a smaller version has not mollified many of the critics. Nevada Gov. Robert List said in an interview on NBC-TV's "Today" show Wednesday: "We don't think it makes good sense militarily. We feel very clearly it would just tumour landscape and lifestyle upside-down." Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger, noting conflicting reports about Reagan's decision, urged the news media and others to be patient until the of ficial word Friday. ' v. By KEN MINGIS DTH Staff Writer With next semester's textbook orders due Oct. 9, chairmen of academic departments that had many late orders last spring are urging their faculty members to get book orders in on time. Research recently completed by the Univer sity Services Committee of Student Govern ment shows that several departments had more than 75 percent of their orders placed after the deadline last spring. Committee Chairman Donald Beeson said the committee figures were based on last se mester's book orders, which are kept on file at the Student Stores. The committee went through and checked to see which textbook orders were turned in aftef the deadline. "We're embarrassed about the number of late orders," said R. Don Higginbotham, his tory department chiarman. Of the textbook orders placed by the history department, 80 percent were late. "We're certainly after a better track record this time," he said. "I've mentioned it to the faculty in a memo." In the anthropology department, 75 percent of the orders were late. "I had no idea that it was of that magni tude," said Donald Brockington, anthropo logy department chairman. "When three quarters of our orders are late, that's unneces sary." . The psychology department also had a high number of late book orders: 99 percent. De partment chairman John Schopler explained that his department was understaffed last semester. "The reason so many of them (the orders) were late is that we didn't have enough secre taries," he said. "We were already late when our administrative secretary realized we hadn't made our orders. "It was awful," he said. "We've already distributed next semester's order forms." Different reasons were offered for the late book orders, ranging from carelessness on the part of faculty members to difficulty in plan ning ahead for next semester. "We're all busy, and people frequently just put things off," Brockington said. Higginbotham said the deadline was some times too early for professors to being plan ning another course. "It's difficult to get psyched up about a course that you're not going to be teaching for ' a few months to come," he said. "I'm not defending them; I'm just trying to explain what happens," he said. Joseph Flora, English department chair man, said changes in faculty often caused a delay. Only 18 percent of the English textbook orders were in oh time. "Because instructors are not always named until after the deadline, book orders are going to be late," he said "People can't order the books before they have the courses." One department that had the highest per centage of books in on time the geology de partment, with only 12 percent late orders has found a solution to the problem. . "It simply takes one conscientious person in each department to get them in on time," said Paul Fullagar, chairman of the geology de partment. "We have one person in the depart ment who takes care of all the orders," he said. "If any of them are late, she really gets after the faculty," he said. "Otherwise, a lot of the order forms seem to get misplaced." Flora questioned the percentages found by the committee research. "I'm not sure about those statistics," he said. "My secretary for undergraduate litera ture courses has told me she doesn't think the total of late books (for English) was more than 25 percent." But Donald Beeson, chairman of the com mittee looking into the problem, defended the figures. ' "We went through the late book orders that are in a notebook over at the Student Stores," he said. "The figures are entirely accurate." Because of late book orders, Student Stores cannot easily buy used books and must instead buy more expensive new ones, said Thomas Shetley, Student Stores director of merchan dise. "The demand for used books nationwide is always stronger than the supplyVhe said. "We have to get out and beat the bushes early. The sooner we get the order, the more time we have." Shetley explained that when an order was very late, Student Stores must not only pur chase new books, but also pay students only wholesale prices for their books. A few fraternity members take part in ritual i 1 .. , . . w v. By NANCY RUCKER DTH Staff Writer , A sense of mystique surrounds many fraterni ty traditions, and to those outside the Greek system, perhaps none is more mysterious than the voluntary branding of some members. Among men in UNC fraternities that practice branding, the ritual is closely guarded. The president of Omega Psi Phi fraternity, senior Keith Williams, said that branding has been a part of that fraternity's rituals since the fraternity was founded. But the tradition is not in the national constitution by-laws he said. Nine of Omega's 15 members are branded, ' which includes everyone except pledges. Although members of a few other fraternities on campus share this tradition, it is more promi nent among the Omegas, Williams said, adding that he had seen brands on out-of-state fraterni ty brothers. Goser to home, members of Omega chapters at Duke, North Carolina State and North Carolina Central universities participate in branding, he said. The branding of the Omega symbol on the upper arm is not part of the pledging process,' but is done after initiation, Williams said. "You say 'yes or 'no, then it stops at that there's no peer pressure," he said. "It's strictly his (the pledge's) decision ... there is no type of harassment." Williams said he saw branding as part of the spirit of the fraternity. "I was really happy to do it. It's just something that shows you're an en thused person about Omega Psi Phi.... Maybe it's just deep inside with the sense of brotherhood, which we do have." ' Jim Maynard, president of the Interfraternity Council and a UNC senior said branding was as much a ritual as a secret, "These rituals are kept secret among the brothers themselves, even to the extent of (ex cluding) pledges and rushees," Maynard said. ' "Part of the uniqueness of each fraternity is the ... different types of beliefs that are secretive to each group," he added., Some members of Zeta Psi fraternity, which is not recognized by the University, follow this custom. President Walton Joyner declined com ment in a telephone interview, saying, "It is an. intra-fraternity thing that we don't want to publicize." His position was echoed by .another member who wished to remain anonymous, saying the branding was "nobody else's business," David Brown, president of the 10-member Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, said that at UNC fraternity brothers did not brand, but that he, had seen brothers in other chapters of this fraternity that did. Specifically, he mentioned A&T State University in Greensboro. "(Bran ding) is done by their own will after they become a member." Brown said. Williams said that all possible cares were taken to ensure the safety of Omega members. He said alcohol was used to sterilize the bran- Professor finds Czechs curious about everyday life in America DTH;f aith Quintavell Fraternity brand decorates arm ... sign of pride for some ding iron and that Vaseline or cocoa butter was applied to the skin to help the burn heal. But Dr. Edward J. O'Keefe, associate pro fessor of dermatology, said that branding could cause serious medical complications. It is a third-degree burn that heals slowly. "If the branding weren't done right, it would produce a very deep wound that wouldn't heal for a long time," he said. By CINDY HAGA DTH Staff Writer , Library hours, the American women's movement and college admission are some of the topics Czecho slovakian teachers of English are curious about, says Thadious Davis, a UNC associate professor of English. . "They were rather interested in whether or not people with pull can get in," Davis said. They talk about the sons and daughters of influential people perhaps receiving special treatment in their colleges. There are not many colleges in Czechoslovakia, and they are all run by the state. Applicants are very competitive, and admissions are based strongly on test results, he said. Davis was one of four guest speakers at an English Language seminar held in September in Olomouc, Czechoslovakia. Davis spoke on modern American literary movements, emphasizing Southern literature. During the afternoons, the seminar became an open discussion forum where Czechs often asked questions about everyday life, Davis said. For instance, they wanted to know how long our libraries stay open, Davis said. Czech libraries close around 5 or 6 p.m. The Czechs did not understand how American teachers could keep up with newly-published books, Davis said. In Czechoslovakia, a list of new books is handed out to teachers each Thursday. The Czech teachers also questioned Davis about issues such as the women's movement. Czech language teachers became competitive when they got the chance to attend the English seminar, Davis said. Two Britons and one other American dis cussed English linguistics at the seminar. "It's predominately English that they're interested in," Davis said. v The seminar program, sponsored there by the Czech Ministry of Education, also included a Russian and a French language seminar. These seminars had 1 1 and 12 participants. Thirty nine language teachers attended the English seminar. Davis said she felt that since the Czechs are limited in their travels to America and since they don't hear many English speakers, they were naturally eager for . V ',1 f an opportunity 10 use cngnsn wun nauvc speakers. The seminar also helped to refresh the Czechs' un derstanding and knowledge of the English language and of American literature, Davis said. "They were very enthusiastic about everything dis cussed," Davis said. Davis covered three major literary topics in her lec tures: the Southern Renaissance, the Harlem Renais sance and Contemporary Southern writers. Porter, O'Connor, Faulkner and Wright were some of the writers Davis focused on. The Czech teachers read the novels, then discussed them during classes with Davis. "They like to talk about the different use of lan guage among the writers," Davis said. t The Czechs also enjoyed pointing out to the speakers the differences in British and American usage of the language, Davis said. See CZECH on pago 2
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Oct. 1, 1981, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75