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8The Daily Tar HeelMonday. Novomfw n Jim Hummel. ;. ' Susan Mauney. Mmww Jonathan Rich. .ix.vii- ljt JOHN DRESCHER. A Uiuv Edwin a Ralston, unmrsuy ejh John Royster. cny cfow CHARLES HERNDON. State anJNanotuI Editor Beth Burrell. n e&w Clifton Barnes. Sxw aw Leah Talley. Am Editor Keith King. Feamm Edit SCOTT SHARPE. Pliohyraphy Editor Ann Peters, sfo jfor Chuck James, ombudsman Atrthor, actre9 poet refills e to specialise lailg year of editorial freedom Tighter restrictions Since it was announced two years ago, Gov. Jim Hunt's decision to put ' a freeze on state hiring has gained little publicity outside the circles of state government. ' . , The policy, adopted in September 1979, put a cap on all hiring of state employees, equipment expenditures and travel expenses. The governor made the move in an attempt to offset shortfalls in state revenues that were predicted at the time. To a large extent, the freeze has proven beneficial to North Carolina, although it has caused some problems for certain groups that receive state money, including the University, which has a higher turnover in personnel than other branches of state government. Anticipating this problem two years ago, Hunt said certain exceptions could be made if there was enough evidence to show the requests were considered essential. But over the past two years, the State Budget Office, which processes the requests for exceptions, has not strictly enforced the original guidelines. It comes as good news, then, that Hunt has decided to toughen the standards for exception and limit purchases and employee travel. The governor was prompted to take this hard line last week after learning that tax collections for October fell short of what was predicted by the state budget office. But, more importantly, Hunt has made a good decision in setting a firm policy because the number of exceptions granted by the State Budget Office had caused the freeze to lose part of its effectiveness. Six months after announcing the hiring freeze, Hunt was criticized for requesting two exceptions for his own staff, including a post in his press office. The governor's action at the time hardly set an example for the rest of state government, which was constricted by the hiring guidelines. Since that time, the rule has more or less drifted into obscurity, with the State Budget Office routinely processing exception requests. Hunt's recent decision has finally given a boost to the original intent of the plan. If carried out properly, it should help the state recoup some of its lost revenue and at the same time give more meaning to a policy that has been largely ignored for too long. By KIMBERLY KLEMAN Editor's Note: Maya Angelou, author of the best-selling book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and most recently The Heart of a Woman, will lecture at 8 p.m. Tuesday, in Memorial Hall. The lecture is free and is sponsored by the Carolina Union Forum Committee. . Maya Angelou is an author. And a poet. And a singer, educator, dancer, historian, lecturer, actress, producer, editor, song writer and playwriter. She speaks six lan guages fluently. ' In an age of specialization, she refuses to specialize. In an era of conservatism, she takes risks. "I think society is timid," she said. "There's a timidity telling young people they have to be polarized and com partmentalized. The expression 'jack of all trades, master of none,' is an example. It's not an eitheror situation. The conjunction is 'and.' So that you can be a brick mason and a ballet dancer, a poet and a painter. I resent being compartmentalized." Moot point The independence of the judiciary has always been tenuously based upon the Constitutional system of checks and balances. This system has been unable to protect the courts from attacks by politicians unhappy with judicial decisions. Last week's statements by U.S. Attorney General William French Smith calling for a diminishing of judicial activism are further indications of the disconcerting strength of the move to strip the judiciary of its authority. Smith proposes to limit judicial jurisdiction by appointing justices;, who will exercise restraint and by challenging decisions that would expand the court's authority. He would also support legislation that would over turn certain court rulings. ' Some people have unfairly combined Smith's proposals with more ex treme plans currently before Congress that could make that body an arbi ter of issues the court could judge. Compared to these initiatives Smith's plans are moderate and backed by popular support. But they are also misguided. Smith is correct in his belief that the judiciary has expanded its authority over the last decade, but he misun derstands the reasons for this expansion. He assumes it has come from an outright power grab by justices who callously intrude upon legislative pre rogatives. In fact, much of the expansion has come from legislatures vol untarily giving up jurisdiction in matters too hot for them to handle. A prime example is the N.C. General Assembly's recent abdication of state redistricting to the courts. Smith's proposals have a definite political purpose. They are aimed pri marily at the issues of busing, abortion and school prayer and are intended to roll back past liberal decisions in these matters. Smith contends that the 1980 election shows support for conservative decisions on these issues. Such an analysis of the election is not only debatable, but irrelevant to judicial matters. The strength of the judiciary is dependent upon its inde pendence from political influence. This independence has made the judiciary the most activist branch of government over the past decade. That activism has left a legacy of pro gressive decisions marred only by a few unimportant abuses of authority. Those few abuses do not justify Smith's unwarranted actions. The Daily Tar Heel Assistant Managing Editors: Mark Ancona, Cindy Cranford, Rachel Perry Editorial Writers: Kerry DeRochi, Geoffrey Mock, Beverly Shepard Assistant News Editor: David Jarrett News Desk: Melodi Adams, Cheryl Anderson, Paul Boyce, Stacia Clawson, Keith Cooke, Lisa Evans, Martie Hayworth, Reniece Henry,. Ivy Hilliard, David McHugh, Melissa Moore, Sharon Moylan, Lynn Prithman, Michele Pelkey, Laura Pfeiffer, Yvette Ruffin, Laura Seifert, Jan Sharpe, Kelly Simmons, Louise Spieler, Steven Stock, Darryl Williams and Chip Wilson. News: Greg Batten, Scott Bolejack, Sherri Boles, Laurie Bradsher, Alan Chappie, Michelle Christenbury, John Conway, David Curran, Nancy Davis, Tamara Davis, Pam Duncan, Lynn Earley, Richard Flynn, Tracy Ford, Jane Foyr Deborah Goodson, Steve Griffin, Louise Guntcr, Karen Haywood, J.B. Howard, Peter Judge, Frank Kennedy, Dave Krihsky, Katherine Long, Dean Lowman, Elizabeth Lucas, Diane Lupton, Kyle Marshall, Elaine McClatchey, David McHugh, Alexandra McMillan, Ken Mingis, Robert Montgomery, Eddie Nickens, Jamee Osborn, Lynn Pcithman, Leisha Phillips, Scott Phillips, Jeannie Reynolds, Suzette Roach, Nancy Rucker, Mark Schoen, Laura Seifert, Frances Silva, Ken Siman, Kelly Simmons, Jonathan Smylie, Jonathan Takott, Anna Tate, Lynne Thomson, Arcane Vendetta, Lynn Worth, ; Jim Wrinn and Kevin Kirk, wire editor." Sports: Norman Cannada, Linda Robertson, assistant sports editors; Kim Adams, Tom Berry, Jackie Blackburn, R.L. Bynum, Stephanie Graham, Morris Haywood, Adam Kandell, Sharon Kester, Draggan Mihailovich, Scott Price, Lee Sullivan, and Tracy Young. Features: Jill Anderson, Ramona Brown, Shelley Block, Jane Calloway, Teresa Curry, Lorrie Douglas, Valeria Du Sold, Amy Edwards, Cindy Haga, Susan Hudson, Chip Karnes, Lisbeth Levine, Lucy McCauley, Mary McKenna, Steve Moore, Mitzi Morris, David Rome, Sandy Steacy, Vince Steele, Lawrence Turner, Rosemary Wagner, Randy Walker, Cathy Warren and Chip Wilson, assistant Spotlight editor. Arts; Marc Routh assistant arts editor; Peter Cash well, Jesse Farrell, Dennis Goss, Vick Griffin, Julian Karchmer, Ed Lei ten, Christine Manuel, Dawn McDonald, Tim Mooney, David Nelson, Nissen Ritter, Karen Rosen, Bob Royalty, Cathy Schulze, Guha Shankar and Charles Upchurch. Graphic Arts: Suzanne Conversano, Matt Cooper, Pan Corbett, Danny Harrell, Dane Huffman, Janice Murphy and Tom Westarp, artists; Jay Hyman, Faith Quintavell and Al Steele, photographers. Business: Rejeanne, V. Caron, business manager; Linda A. Cooper, secretaryreceptionist; Brooks Wicker, bookkeeper; Dawn Welch, circulationdistribution manager; Julie Jones, and Angie Wolfe, classifieds. Advertising: Paula Brewer, advertising manager; Mike Tabor, advertising coordinator; Jeff Glance, Julie Granberry, Julia Kim, Keith Lee, Robin Matthews, Jeff McElhaney, Karen Newell and Betsy Swartzbaugh, ad representatives. . . . Composition: Frank Porter Graham Composition Division, UNC-CH Printing Department. Printing: Hinton Press, Inc., of Mebane.- In Q rv -i I h ' ."N I a V I ' "it i j& 'A Pt I I - ftKiv'h tJf : in I I wv, I Jv Al U v - v - I 1 i v -ill Maya Angelou Letters to the editor Though students today appear more conservative than those of past years, Angelou said the spirit of risk-taking was still alive. ' "Young people don't articulate to themselves the risks they're taking. But in these economic times, to continue to go to school implies risk-taking," she said. "To fall in love or to have the gall to accept love in return is also a risk. For the children that were born from the 1940s on, I think risking is in their genes and molecules. They are taking such risks at living at all." uotes' Though Angelou has received awards for her television documentaries, has toured Europe as the lead dancer for . "Porgy and Bess" and is waiting the Broadway opening of a new musical, she considers herself first and foremost an author and poet. She is, perhaps, best known for I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the first of four volumes of her autobiography. . Angelou was asked in 1968 to write the book by Ran dom House after meeting with agent Jules Feiffer and his wife. "James Baldwin took me to the home of Jules and his . wife, as we began telling stories about our lives," she said. "The next day, Mrs. Feiffer called and asked me to write an autobiography." Angelou declined after repeated requests; at the time, she was working on a documentary. "Finally, Jules called and said: 'You know, it's just as well you didn't try. To write an autobiography as literature is extremely hard. That is the reason so few people attempt it,' " she said. "Well, if that is the case, I'll try it." Angelou said the challenge was so great that she decid ed to make it her life's work. "In autobiography you have poetry, prose, history and a personal journal, which you must trim to re-create one form," she said. "Maybe by my sixth or seventh book, I'll understand." Each of the four volumes of her autobiography covers a period of her life. In Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, for example, the reader is introduced to Angelou's life as a black child living in Stamps, Ark. "High points in Stamps were negative," she wrote, "droughts, floods, iynchings, deaths." Angelou's most recent work, The Heart of a Woman, describes the author's life in the 1960s from the time she moved to New York and entered the society of black ar tists and writers to the time she moved to Cairo as the first editor of the English-language magazine there. - Angelou said it took a long time to prepare to write. "Each time I write a book I have to enchant myself back to the time I'm describing what I was like, what other people were like," she said. "I always have the fear that once I am back in a certain place and time, I will not be able to get out of it." The writing process is exacting, she said. "Autobiogra phies are usually extremely dry. I didn't want anything like that," she said. "If I told the truth about my life, I thought I could find something universal for my readers. I try to go behind the facts to expose truths." Angelou said she tried to write in a style in which the words jump off the page. "I want to write 20 to 30 pages so the reader can read without knowing he's reading," she said. "This means it takes much more than just put ting words down. It takes courage on the part of the writer to exact the discipline well." "I will allow no human being to minimize my life, and that is what would happen if I allowed others' expectations to enclose around me. I won't have it. I just won't." Maya Angelou But Angelou's life also has required a different kind of courage, one that has enabled her to overcome bar riers of prejudice, poverty and doubts of her capabilities. "I will allow no human being to niinimize my life, and that is what would happen if I allowed others' expecta tions to enclose around me. I won't have it. I just won't," she said. Angelou is now a professor.at Wake Forest University and has lived in Winston-Salem for five months. "I like to lecture students because I have something to say to young people. And that is that there is something noble about humanity that we rise." Kimberly Kleman, a junior journalism major from New Providence, N.J., is chairwoman of the Carolina Union Forum Committee Canadian contrasts Toronto with Carolina ... k & mJmi? uKtb wem war? ok. HUCl7 tMK? mK: OK.OOTIf. To the editor: Yes, Beverly, there is iced tea in Canada. But wanting it in Toronto, in January, is considered slightly insane by a people who cultivate the fine art of staying . warm in winter. Grits are another sub ject. The closest simile that could be of fered, if you were to find an enlightened Canadian, is cream of wheat. To most, though, grits are what you sprinkle on the bottom of a bird cage to aid in the diges tion of its occupant. Barring the problems of mismatching, the Toronto Exchange must be lauded for the knowledge and insights gained by both sides in the endeavour. The program has been a pleasant surprise to me, a Canadian who was convinced that the cultural exchange being carried on across the borders was one-way. I am pleased to see efforts being made by Americans to gain knowledge of the similarities and dif ferences of their northern neighbors. My only desire is to see the program ex panded beyond the boundaries of Toron to and, better still, beyond the borders of Ontario. Being a resident of one of Toronto's keenest rivals and who is influ enced by the richness of the French Cana dian experience, I can only hope that North Carolinians will have the opportu nity to taste the diversities that lie both east and west of Toronto. In the eyes of many Canadians, Toronto is seen as the most American of Canadian cities. The glitter, the size and the language are shared by their southern neighbors. This successful project could spread out to encompass the dual nature of the Canadian culture and stand to gain even more. Perhaps a letter to the Inter national Centre of McGill University in Montreal might do the trick. Winter is even more chilling there! As to missing those things that distin guish Canada from the United States, I have a few items that should be brought up. Where are fresh cheese curds in North Carolina? My craving for them knows no bounds. For those of you who thrive on grits, might I tantalize you with a steaming bowl of Red River Cereal co vered in maple syrup and cream? When I go home for the holidays, I will not greet the Canadian winter or feel nos talgic for it. I can safely say that I have reached the penultimate in the art of keeping warm by wintering here. But I will feel no regrets about North Carolina as I nestle in front of the TV with my bot tle of Brador beer and my plate of fresh cheese curds to watch "Front Page Chal lenge" and Gordon Sinclair ask a politi cian how much he makes. Cathy McCarthy Library Science Ottawa, Ontario Dead interview To the editor: As we were interviewed by Shelley Block last Monday, I had a feeling that she was going to write whatever she wanted no matter what we told her. And there are several spots in her Spotlight ar ticle, ("The Dead Baggers," Spotlight Nov. 5) that seem to bear out that feeling. First of all, we never said we were anti Greek. We are anti-preppie. But to as sume that all Greeks are preps is another thing. Also, we are not on this planet "to keep up with the new wave trend," as Block suggests. She also said, "The Dead Baggers have carried out the punk rock S motif even to their outfits." No, we don't sit around and get clever fashion tips from Cosmopunkitan magazine. Block seems to have boiled down any thing having to do with "new wave" or "punk" to a fashion trend. Also, we are not "best known by their logo of a dead alligator." We have no logo. , I have one suggestion for future articles get someone who knows about rock 'n' roll to write about it. If not, your music articles may be as believable as an art column written by Ray Charles. Cliff Carmichael Dead Bagger 214 Cameron Ave. Sharpe stuff To the editor: We would like to extend our thanks and appreciation to Sharpe's Formal Wear. Their avid support of the Tar Heels, shown by donating tuxedoes and formal wear for the UNC-State game, continued our tradition as the "class" university of the Atlantic Coast Con ference. Again many thanks The Carolina Cheerleaders Letters? The Daily Tar Heel welcomes let ters to the editor and contributions of columns to the editorial pages. All contributions should be typed,' triple-spaced, on a 60-space line, and are subject to editing. Column writers should include their majors and hometowns; each letter should include the writer's name, address and telephone number. Unsigned letters will not be printed. The three faces-ofwhut happened on lust eve By TOM MOORE Listen, officer, you don't want to arrest us; it was just one of those college pranks. We've been drinking a bit, and I admit maybe things got a little bit out of hand, but it was all in fun, you understand. What would we do with 16 street signs anyway? We aren't planning to build any roads or anything crazy like that. We were going to put them all back up Monday, first thing Monday morning. You see our point, attd I know you're a good guy and that you're go ing to just pretend nothing happened. See, Lex over there is already putting that stop sign back up. You can see I'm telling the truth. It wasn't even our idea, officer. But we just joined this fraternity. We're the pledge class, and to prove your loyalty they make you do all sorts of crazy tuff. The brothers just told us to go downtown and steal 16 street signs. And the brothers would never want to keep 16 street signs. Street signs are just too tacky to hang up in the house; the national chapter would never stand for it.... Besides, you know what good citizens the brothers are; they come from some of the best families in the South. Do you think we would want to make a nice guy like you work harder than you already do? Look, Lex's already got that stop sign back up, and if you just let us go free, we'll put the rest of them back up, too. Yes, we'll go peacefully. But really, sir, you know you're making a big mistake. I've explained it again and again, and I know you see what we were doing that we didn't mean any harm. No, sir, you don't need to put any handcuffs on me. No, sir, I don't think I'm being obnoxious. I'm just trying to keep you from making a big mistake. The others are being quiet just because I'm the best speaker here; I can make things clear and keep a big mistake from being made. Yes, sir, I'll get in the car. But I really think you're making a big mistake. . . ' Hello, Dad. I really don't know how to tell you this, so I guess I'll just be point-blank and tell you. I got -arrested last night for pulling down street signs. Wait. Wait. Let me finish. It was all a big mistake, Dad. I'm innocent, really. Wgat happened was I spent the whole night studying in tlp library; you know how diligent a student I am. And f decided about 1 1 o'clock to take a break and go see the late movie. Citizen Kane was on, and since I never had seen it I decided to go. After all, Dad, I spend about 60 hours a week in the library study ing, Dad, and I really need a break come Saturday night. And I figured Citizen Kane would make me a better rounded person culturally more sophisticated. Wait. Wait. I'm getting to that, but I want to go slow so you'll understand the dilemma I'm in. lOuttoLunchi Well, after I found what Rosebud was I really couldn't believe it was his sled well, I leave the theater, and who do I see but a bunch of my fraternity brothers, and they are pulling down all these street signs. Oh, my goodness, I thought, these fellows are destroying public property that hard-working taxpayers like my own hard-working father pay for. Now you've met these boys, and you know what fine young men they are. And you know they would never do anything like this normally. But they'd been drinking, and some people just don't hold their liquor that well. And I must admit there are a couple of boys in the frat who really are so spoiled, they just don't have any respect for public property. And these two spoiled brats were down there leading the others into trouble. Well, I see all this going on, and I go over and I plead with them to stop destroying public property. I'm telling them all this, and then the worst thing that could possibly happen happens. These two policemen drive up and see the brothers carrying all these street signs.... I tried to ex plain that I wasn't one of the bad bunch, that I was trying to get the others to stop. But the policemen wouldn't lis ten to me. Those guys are just out to nail fraternity bro thers at anything. It was all a big mistake. A big, big mis take. I'm glad you believe me, Dad. I'm so embarrassed that I'm sick to my stomach. We'll fight it all the way in the courts. That really makes me proud that you'd say that. You're a great father. o Boy, was Saturday night ever wild. You guys should have been there, or maybe you're better off that you weren't. But it sure was wild. What happened was Jay and Dick and Steve, fraternity brothers of mine, and Lex and Tim, who live upstairs, went and bought two cases of Bud. We were going to get drunk as hell, and Lex, he had these 8mm films that his brother brought back from Tiajuana. Well, we watched those things over and over. Lex said whoever makes that kind of movie must make a mint," all you need is a guy and a girl and a motel room. And then we started talking about how we all want to be pretty rich when we grow up. We kicked around a few ways to get rich quick. Then I said one way to get rich quick would be to sell street signs to college students to hang in the dorm rooms. And the other guys all agreed that this, would be a great way to get rich because you wouldn't have any overhead. You could just steal all the signs, and everything would be profit. Why don't we do it, I asked. Why noto right down town and start our own sign business? It funded like a great idea. It was about 3 a.m. and nobody was down town. We started taking every streetsign in sight. We got 16 of the things when all of a sudden this cop drives up, and we all knew it was over. I tried to bribe him, but it didn't work. These locals are so stupid that they never question their job. I tried to talk him out of it, too, but that slob had it in for us. Me, especially. But there's no way this is going to hold up in court. My Dad is getting a lawyer, and he'll run circles around that stupid cop. And before you know it, we'll have our sign business started up again. Tom Moore, a senior history major from Greensboro, is a staff writer for The Daily Tar Heel.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Nov. 9, 1981, edition 1
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