6The Daily Tar HeelMondav January 31.
he ftftiit
90rt .year of editorial freedom
John Drjescher, e&w
. Ann Peters, Manage Editor
KEN MiNGIS, Associate Editor -
Rachel Perry, University Editor
Lucy Hood, cuyEduor
JIM WRINN, State and National Editor
S.L. Price, Swro eiwt
LAURA SEIFERT. News Editor
GELAREH ASAYESH,
The IPC's challenge
Heard any good jokes about the Interfraternity Council lately?
The IFC, once one of the most powerful and respected organizations
on campus, reached its lowpoint in member participation and respect in
the late 1970s. Now the organization is beginning the difficult and often
slow process of trying to reestablish itself as a respected force on campus.
To do that, the IFC must first prove to UNC's fraternities that it is serious
in its dedication to serving the needs of fraternities and the University
community.
New IFC president Brian Hunnicutt appears to have more ambition
for the organization than any IFC president in years. He's going to need
it. Hunnicutt inherits an organization that suffers from a lack of partici
pation and respect from many of its 28 members.
Hunnicutt, though, seems to understand the IFC's problems with its
members. For years, to most fraternities the IFC has been the organiza
tion that regulated rush and occasionally sent them a mimeographed
newsletter. Hunnicutt realizes that the IFC must do more, especially in
the area of communication. Hunnicutt and top IFC officials need to send
themselves not just newsletters to fraternities to tell them what they
can be doing for each other and the community.
Hunnicutt also appears willing to move in two areas in which the IFC
has long lagged behind: alcohol abuse and race relations. A 1980 Campus
Alcohol Education Service study found that 40 percent of fraternity
members were heavy drinkers, consuming more than 55 drinks per
month. Alcohol abuse in fraternities is often a cherished tradition. The
IFC held an alcohol seminar this year; it can do much more in attempting
to deter alcohol abuse, especially in the area of educating fraternities as to
their legal responsibilities in serving alcohol to minors and intoxicated'
persons.
The IFC also needs to begin addressing the racism in its system. A
good place to start would be by increasing the interaction between the 24
white or predominantly white fraternities and the four black fraternities.
Hunicutt has in mind service projects involving pledge classes of the
various fraternities.
The IFC has a long way to go before it will become a strong, effective
organization, but it is encouraging to see the organization confront the
problems both it and fraternities have had. It has a good role model in the
PanHellenic Council, the sorority organization that has long attracted the
top leadership of sororities. The bottom line is that the IFC must first get
the active participation and support from its membersGaining that
respect will be Hunnicutt's biggest challenge.
E.T. for president?
UNC is not the only place plagued by election apathy. In Wheaton,
111., for example, they've really got problems, says The Wall Street Jour
nal When voters, go to the polls in April they won't find anyone's name
in the mayors slot on the ballot, making the election a wnte-in
candidates' bonanza. Mickey Mouse and E.T., sure to be top contenders
in Chapel Hill onTeF. 8, probably have a good shot at winning in
Wheaton as well.
The non-election took shape when Robert Martin, a councilman in the
Chicago suburb, withdrew his name when the current mayor, Ralph
Barger, decided to run again. Then Barger withdrew after being ap
pointed to the Illinois Legislature. The deadline for filing had passed,
leaving the ballot blank.
Martin, who really does want the job, needs at least 48 write-in votes to
win the non-paying office. Barger, however, may want to reconsider his
change in positions. He had run for the legislature in last spring's primary
but lost to Gerald Weeks. Before the election Weeks died. Kenneth C.
Cole became the new candidate. Cole won, but died last December, so
Barger got the seat, Barger, as you can see, had pretty stiff competition.
If there are any UNC students out there who missed the filing deadline
here but who are still dying to run, Wheaton provides the perfect oppor
tunity. If you can beat E.T.
Abortio
To the editor:
Pro-abortionists have sunk to new lows
of moral obtuseness judging from the re
cent crop of letters to the editor on abor
tion. I offer the following thoughts for
their considerationT ; ,
T.D. Champion insists that a preborn
child is not alive until she is able to survive
outside the womb on her own in "Abor
tion letter hardly a modest proposal"
(DTH, Jan. 24). Does he mean that the
child is dead or inanimate before she
becomes viable, whereupon she magically
comes to life? Viability is merely a measure
of our current artificial life-support
systems, a standard which is being pushed
back to the moment of fertilization by our
constantly improving medical technology.
It is at fertilization that life begins, when a
new human being is endowed with 46
chromosomes from two human parents,
resulting in a unique genetic identity .which
will never be repeated. Twenty-four days
after she is conceived, a baby's heart
starts beating, and by two months gesta
tion all her internal organs are formed,
long before she is viable. All of us started
life in this same way.
Dayna F. Deck questions the right of
men to participate in the abortion struggle
and thereby reveals herself as a sexist in
"Men and abortion" (D7H, Jan. 24). Her
misconceptions of what motivates men to
fight the senseless slaughter of defenseless
preborn babies are shared by many in the
UNC School of Public Health. I am a
man, and I will never experience the sor
row of an unwanted pregnancy, but I can
help women who are so burdened. I sup
port local agencies such as the Pregnancy
Support Services and Birthchoice which
provide housing and medical care to
women in need of alternatives to abortion.
While most pro-lifers do not possess the
vast wealth enjoyed by the abortionists
myself included we offer our help free.
Abortionists charge dearly for their execu
tion services.
Charles A. Murphy Jr. calls anti-abor-
1983
Mux
Linda Robertson, Associate Editor
ELAINE MCCLATCHEY, Projects Editor
TERESA CURRY, Features Editor
Jeff Grove, Arts Editor
Jane Calloway, ww saw
AL STEELE, Photography Editor
Contributions Editor
tion constitutional amendments "silly" in
"Abortion philosophical too" (DTH, Jan.
26). There is nothing "silly" about wan
ting to stop the American abortion
holocaust. You see Charles, every abortion
kills a living human being, and that situa
tion leaves no room for compromise. On
Jan. 22, 1973, the Supreme Court in Roe
y. Wade allowed for abortion-on-demand
up to birth. Since then we have legally
murdered about 15 million babies. What
kind of compromise do you call that?
Perhaps the Ugliest side to this con
troversy involves present-day abortion
methods. Because a preborn baby's nerve
endings develop early in the first trimester
of pregnancy, she can experience pain
before her unnatural death by abortion. In
a suction abortion, the baby feels her body
being sucked out and shredded into a
bloody mass. In a D & C, the baby suffers
terribly as the abortionist slices and
removes her in pieces with a sharp, curved
knife. In a saline abortion, the baby
swallows and breathes a lethal salt solution
which kills her after an hour of agony,
leaving her skin burned off. Second and
third trimester techniques such as pro
staglandins and hysterotomies often expel
babies alive who then face death by either
, strangulation or starvation, depending on
the customary practice of each hospital.
What an uproar there would be on campus
if these methods were ever used on dogs
and squirrels.
Chris Kremer
Carolina Students for Life
One-sided street
To the editor:
One of the problems with editorials is
that they are often extremely closed
minded. Letters which attack other letters
for ignoring the issues propound one-sided
views themselves. I am referring to T.D.
Champion's letter, for abortion. Cham
14 m
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
nterview sign-up explained
To the editor:
University Career Planning and Place
ment Services appreciates the Daily Tar
HeeFs article on the new interview sign-up
system ("Sign up system tries to cut lines,"
DTH, Jan. 28); however, I wish to correct
some errors in the story regarding the
mechanics of the system: 1) Students are
not limited to choosing the three employ
ers with whom they wish to interview.
They may list as many employers as they
wish, but they must rank order their list
according to their preferences. 2)
Assignments for interviews will not be
based on a pure lottery but a combination
of chance and a systemized method for in
suring that every student has at least one
week of every four during which he or she
will be in a group given their first
preference.
Since it is difficult to fully explain the
new procedure in this limited space, I en
courage all who are interested in under
standing it to pick up a set of instructions
in 211 Hanes" and attend one of the
meetings which will be held to explain it in
detail. The meetings will be on Jan. 31 and
Feb. 1 from 3 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. in 209
Hanes Hall.
Marcia B. Harris
Director
University Career Planning &
Placement Services
We're ready, Ralph
To the editor:
The ticket office tries to avoid Tuesday
and Thursday distribution whenever possi
ble because the hourly check-ins cause
students to miss entire classes. There have
only been a few distributions on these days
in the past, and no special provisions have
Twelve hours in front
By RANDY WALKER
vegetate, v. to lead a passive existence without exertion
of body or mind.
Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary
It was late afternoon in Carr Building. In the TV room,
the Booking Phenom sat reading a German book; the
Freshman sprawled on the sofa, staring at the television. It
was the part of the day when small-timers gathered to
talk, laugh, eat Hector's fries and bask in the cathode ray.
Smalltime walked in and sat on the Freshman just to ir
ritate him.
"So, Freshman," he said, "getting into a little video
whack action?"
"More than a little," said the Booking Phenom, look
ing up from his book. "He's been down here since Lust
Boat this morning."
Smalltime nodded. "Man, doing your cabbage imita
tion again?" he said to the Freshman. "Somebody put
some fertilizer on this boy." -
The Freshman took his eyes off the TV. "Man, this
ain't nothing," he said. "When I'm at home sometimes I
veg-out 12 hours straight."
"No way man," Smalltime said. "Not even a cathode
king could do that."
"Yeah?" the Freshman huffed. Smalltime picked on
him all the time now he was getting pissed. "I can
watch TV for 24 hours straight without even trying."
Smalltime snorted. Who did this Freshman think he
was?
"A case of Black Label says you can't," Smalltime
said.
"You're on," said the Freshman. He shoved Smalltime
away and strode to the door. "I begin at 7 o'clock
tonight. Be there."
pro and con
pion begins by denouncing Phillip K.
Parkerson's anti-abortion letter as being
"truth distorting," "sick," and
"disgusting," and makes a vapid inference
about pro-choicers wanting to "knock up
our girlfriends so they can have an abor
tion." I, too, found Parkerson's letter
strong and distasteful, but he made his
point well. Champion's letter has more
loopholes: He claims that he is no doctor,
then proceeds to define a live fetus as one
which could survive outside of the womb
without artificial aid. True, this point is
not reached in three months: the infant's
oxygen and blood supplies, for example,
are dependent upon the mother until birth.
But I would not say that life begins at
birth: If Champion heard the heart beat Of
a three-month-old; felt it turn in the
mother's belly; observed an amnioscOpy;
or realized the dependency of a 2-year-old
on its mothercaretaker (lack of "artifical
aid" infanticide?), I think that he
would reconsider his definition of life.
Champion continues, again travelling
down a one-sided street. He admits good '
fortune in being born to a family- that
wanted him, but says that he would
"rather not have been born (i.e. aborted?)
than to be born to parents who didn't
want me." Point well taken, but he ig
nores the major alternative: adoption. He
advocates abortion for all the wrong
reasons: because anyone who is irresponsi
ble enough to have an unwanted pregnan
cy is nQt mature enough to raise a child;
because some children are unplanned; be
cause life doesn't really begin until after
three months anyway. Often, abortions
are necessary. I believe that they should be
safe and legal, but only used as a last,
resort. If a woman is responsible for
becoming pregnant, she should seriously
consider being responsible enough to carry
her child to full-time and allow adoption
by parents who can care for and love the
. baby. My biological mother was a nursing
student; my biological father, a medical
student at Berkeley. Convenience said
ever been made to adjust the check-in
schedule. .
The Virginia game distribution has been
set for Tuesday, Feb. 1. Obviously, these
tickets will be in great demand, and people
will be willing to make great sacrifices to
receive one; however, mid-term examina
tion season is approaching, and it is not
the feeling of those in the CAA office that
students should have to risk their academic
standing just to watch UNC beat Virginia.
Therefore, numbers will be checked at 8
a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m., and 4 p.m.
Tickets will be distributed at 5 p.m. There
will be no check-ins at 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 12
p.m., and 1 p.m. .
Perry Morrison Jr.
: President
Carolina Athletic Association
BSM controversy
To the editor:
During the past several months, I have
read with considerable interest, concern
and yes, some alarm, the articles and
editorials about the problems which plague
the Black Student Movement. To suggest
that the BSM has not had to deal with a
number of internal problems would be an
astounding assertion. However, I do want
to point out that it is not unusual for stu
dent organizations to experience' such
difficulties. After serving as Faculty Ad
viser of the BSM for almost 10 years, I
know that the BSM has had to resolve
some internal problems in the past that
were of more consequence than the
charges which have been leveled at the pre
sent leadership.
I am writing to comment on two aspects
of the present controversy: the reporting
of various internal problems of the BSM
All that evening the Freshman lay on the sofa, staring at
the TV. He said nothing. He did not even do any caffeine
hitters.
During Charlie's Angels (or Charlie's Hosebags, or the
Hosebags, or the Bags), Smalltime called the Booking
Phenom into the hall.
"You don't think.he's really gonna make it, do you?"
"Man, I heard A&P was having a sale on Black
Label," the Booking Phenom said. "Freshmen may be
stupid, but they have endurance. Old timers like us can't
compete."
Multiple
Smalltime sighed. "Phenom, man, what happened to
us? Seems like just yesterday we were freshmen."
"I know it, man." The Booking Phenom listened to the
laughing voices of the TV room. He smelled spaghetti
cooking in the kitchen. "But man," he said, "if it wasn't
for us, who would teach the freshmen which pizza is best
how to flick bottle caps how to nuke popcorn in the
microwave? Who would teach them the dorm secrets?"
A bottle cap sailed out of the TV room, barely missing
Smalltime.
"Good point," he said. ,
By 6:30 the next day Smalltime was getting worried.
"So, Freshman," he said, "anything good on TV?"
The Freshman lay there, comatose, his eyes glassy but
undeniably open. He had not made a sound since he had
suddenly laughed at the wrong time during Family Feud.
abort. They said adopt. I am as lucky as
Champion: "I am fortunate in that I have
good loving parents who adopted! me,
wanted me, raised me, and eventually sent
me to college."
Lauren Gray
Chapel Hill
No compassion
To the editor: ;
Although Parkerson expounds a vehe
ment compassion in identifying with the
fetus in his letter, "A Modest Proposal,"
(DTH, Jan. 24), he apparently lacks com
passion for the woman, reducing her to an
obligatory womb upon which he heaps
moral condemnation. If Parkerson is as
intensely sensitive and compassionate to
the needs of women as he is to the needs of
the fetus, he would be touched by the suf
fering inflicted upon unwed teen-agers,
upon poor women who, pushed to the end
of their limits, must resort to dangerous, il
legal, abortions to , survive; of how a
woman forced to bear an unwanted child
may never know the joy of having a
wanted child.
His strong moral condemnation of
women who seek abortions, assuming they .
do it for "mere convenience," is the pro
duct of a long line of male moral
authorities from St. Augustine to Jerry
Falwell. Being males, they personally will
never undergo the dilemmas pregnancy en
tails. As Mark Twain stated, "It is easy to
bear adversity another man's I mean."
Perhaps this should be changed to
"another person's particularly a
woman's."
Abortion is a very difficult personal
decision for most women to make. To be
condemned, in addition, by self-righteous
moral authorities, especially if they are
males, is callous and cruel.
I hope the compassion Parkerson ex
and the implications of a recall election for
all student organizations. It is important to
state at the outset that I would never ques
tion the right of a newspaper to cover the
ongoing activities and problems of an or
ganization. I am concerned because, in the
reporting of the BSM matters, sufficient
attention was not given to the personal
motivations of the persons bringing the
charges against the leadership of the BSM.
I am convinced that full and balanced
reporting would require that some atten
tion be given to the question of motiva
tion. Reporting which does not give atten
tion to the question of motivation,
especially when there is such a clear rela
tionship between the charges and motiva
tions of the accusers, leaves the reader with
only half of the story.
Now there are occasions when some
members of an organization will go out
side of the organization to seek to have
their goals for the organization forced
upon the organization. When this is done,
it ought to be done above board and with
some notion of the consequences of such
an action. To request that an outside agen
cy, the Elections Board in this instance,
conduct a recall election to resolve the in
ternal problems of the BSM creates a con
stitutional conflict between the constitu
tion of the Student Government and the
BSM constitution. The BSM constitution
requires the support the BSM Central
Committee before the process of removing
an officer can begin. This requirement ,
provides some protection against impeach
ment efforts which are motivated by per
sonal considerations. This protection and,
many others are sacrificed when outside
agencies are called in to conduct or super
vise the affairs of an organization.
I call upon the members of the BSM to
consider if they are willing to have their in-,
ternal affairs controlled by an external
of the T
Choice
V
By RANDY WALKER
pounds for the fetus will extend beyond to
the woman and the entire complex situa
tion which entwines her life. For as history
has demonstrated, to turn back the clock
and make abortions illegal again will only
bring back the return of the lethal self
induced abortions, the deadly coat
hangers, the unsafe back-alley abortions.
This is the sinister reality of a world where
abortions are illegal, a reality that men will
never experience.
With this in mind, I am grateful for the
"sheer audacity of our modern day U.S.
lawmakers" who show enough compas
sion for women to prevent this sinister
reality of the abortion dilemma from
resurfacing by keeping abortions safe and
legal, and keeping us from returning to the
"dark ages" of fear and hypocrisy.
As there are so many differing views in
this complex issue, such as when life
begins, the varying situations of each
woman and her family, and the certain
reality of unsafe,' illegal abortions, the pro
choice position appears to be the most
realistic way of handling this harrowing
dilemma. ?
Sylvanne Beck
UNC-CH
National Abortion Rights Action League
Abortion a tragedy
To the editor:
What gives you the right, Phillip
Parkerson, to pass absolute judgment on
those whose lives you do not understand?
You, being a very righteous person, are of
course without sin. You cither do not sleep
with women, or in the eventuality of an in
timate relationship, participate fully in the
necessary birth control measures. And, of
course, in the event of failure of those
measures, would participate fully in the
pregnancy, delivery, and raising of the
agency and thereby give up their own con
stitutional protections. In addition, I call
upon the members of all student organiza
tions to consider what this recall effort
portends for their organizations and their
constitutional protections. '
Finally, I w&nt to comment on one of
the human tragedies involved in the pre
sent controversy. Wende,, Watson, BSM
chairperson, has had to endure several
months of personal attacks upon her in
tegrity, leadership abilities, and commit
ment to the BSM. For someone who has
served the BSM faithfully and effectively
as vice chairperson, interim chairperson,
and chairperson, she deserved better treat
ment. At the beginning of her term as
BSM chairperson, Watson launched an
ambitious program which stressed organi
zational efficiency and unity. The ac
complishments of her administration have
gone; unnoticed because of the lingering
controversy. Watson should be commend
ed for her restraint in the face of unceasing
personal attacks. She has represented the
BSM well during a difficult period.
; Harold G. Wallace
BSM Faculty Adviser
SWAD forum today
To the editor: '
Sorority Women Against Discrimina
tion (SWAD) will be holding an open
forum in Gerrard Hall at 8 p.m. today. At
this forum, we hope to share our efforts
and intentions with the public. By opening
the floor to the public, we hope to gain
greater understanding of the issue at hand.
Anyone interested in sharing comments or
asking questions is invited to attend. We
welcome your input.
-i
Constance Barkley
SWAD Council Representative
"Freshman, you're approaching cathode ray tolerance
level Think what those rays are doing to your retinas."
No response.
Smalltime whistled. "Freshman, hear that whistle?
That's the Z-train. It's, calling you, man. Can you hear it?
Freshman, Ijust talked to the conductor of the Z-train.
Do you know what he told me? He told me that Cheryl
Ladd is waiting for you in Shut-eye town. She wants you
bad. Real bad." .
"Cheryl," the Freshman mumbled.
"That's right, Cheryl. All you have to do is close your
eyes." , .. ) ,
But it was no use. The Freshman's mind was gone, but
his eyes were open. ; , j j .
"Remember, you forced me 'to do this. Booking
Phenom, may I borrow your Poly Slide 42 book?" He
held the book in front of the Freshman's face. Everybody
knew that Poly, Slide books give off Z-rays that are so
strong, no, man, can read a page and ismain awake. . T.
??Hey ImbmlSittalltime vwhispebV'bow- long
does this take to work?" .,,(V. ., .v-; U '
"It ought to be working now,' me Booking Phenom
said. "I can't underetand itl It's never failed before.";
The Freshman stared straight ahead. On the tube, flung
Fu was almost over. The Freshman had five more
minutes. .
"Okay, you win!" Smalltime shouted. He threw the
book to the floor. "Man, you are the Emperor of the
Plant Kingdom! You ought to be a botany major! Leaves
are sprouting from your head! We're talking brain death!
Straight-line EKG! Disconnect all life-support systems!"
v The Freshman managed a stupefied grin. "Anything
else?':., : ..'v
Smalltime nodded. "You played a tree in your third
grade'play." ' '
The Freshman's eyes closed for the first time in 24
hours. His mouth was open.
"Water me with Black Label."
Randy Walker, a senior from Richmond, Va., is presi
dent of Carr Dorm.
child.
My friend, you have obviously not seen
the world as it is. Have you ever sat with a
woman, facing the dilemma of an un
planned pregnancy? In a university com
munity there are many cases in which the
woman is financially dependent on others
in order to complete the training for her
career. Though the world has softened in
recent years, many parents and friends are
not supportive financially or emotionally
of a woman who: produces an "il
legitimate" child. She sees her life and that
of her child as one of a struggle far beyond
that which life normally deals us. Will she
be able, without the support of those
. around her, to offer her child not only the
necessities of life, but far more important
ly, an atmosphere of love and security she
knows, it must have to develop fully? The
prospect is very grim in such a world as we
live in. But what is offered by the alter
native? ' No, Phillip, not escape and
freedom, but the prospect of stopping a
life before it has begun. Yes, it's a life. No
pregnant woman I've met . would deny
that. It is with a great feeling of grief and
sadness that a woman must face the deci
sion to have an abortion. Only a very
' strong person can face the prospect of end
ing the hope that a new life brings. Many
shut off the reality in a private corner of
their minds, but they suffer nonetheless.
"Phillip, what you don't realize is that
abortion is a yagedy of our lives. Many, if
not most, women would greet a pregnancy
with joy if they knew a world where their
child could grow and face happiness. You
have lived in a very protected world where
decisions are cut and dried, where right
and wrong are-well defined. In a way I
envy you, but in another, I pity you, for
life is not like that. Please, go out and real
ly talk to people, see what life is really like,
then tell me what you think.
Deborah A. Adams
Carrboro