i
AfThe Daily Tar HeelTuesday, November 8, 1983
0Jij latlg (Ear 1
95f .year 0 editorial freedom
Kerry DeRochi,
Alison Davis, Managing Editor
CHARLES ElLMAKER, Associate Editor FRANK BRUNI , Associate Editor
Kelly Simmons, University Editor
KYLE MARSHALL, Slate and National Editor
MICHAEL DESlSTI, Sports Editor
Melissa Moore, News Editor
John Conway, City Editor
KAREN FlSHER, Features Editor
Jeff Grove , A m Editor
CHARLES W. LEDFORD, Photography Editor
Suppress
The press is not often liked; less often is it trusted. So when the Pen
tagon forbade press coverage during the first days of the U.S. invasion of
Grenada, the public cheered the Reagan administration for stifling the
meddling press. With no reporters and cameramen to interfere, the
military could single-mindedly pursue its task of expelling Marxist and
communist elements from the Caribbean nation. The press, receiving on
ly official dispatches from the Pentagon and the White House, attempted
any methods to relay uncensored information back to the United States.
Newspapers and television networks attempted to sneak reporters onto
the island. They failed. The most they could offer was muffled ham radio
broadcasts that shed little light on the situation in Grenada. And while
the press squirmed in frustration, the people smiled. The constant bearers
of bad tidings and criticism had been silenced.
With good reason, the public is distrustful of the American press. Time
after time, the press criticizes the actions of our leaders. Most often the
detrimental remarks are made with the benefit of (or the unfair advantage
of) hindsight, leading reporters and columnists to come off as cocky and
belligerent, hell-bent on bringing down those in power. Never a word of
praise.
Other times, the press seems insensitive to the plight of the innocent.
The bombing of the U.S. military headquarters in Beirut was a tragedy.
Reporters felt that loss, too, but they could not divorce themselves from
the fact that it made a great story. TV cameras accompanied military
personnel as they told families of their sons' deaths. Again, it made a
great "human interest" story for the networks. Much of the public felt it
disgusting and a cold-hearted invasion of privacy.
But while the people are chortling, perhaps they should open their eyes
to a more serious situation. For the first time, our press was absolutely
forbidden to do its job during a crisis, during a war. Information released
was censored. Americans constantly condemn the Soviet government for
never telling the whole story to its people. Yet, now they are subjected to
the same treatment. And still they praise the government.
Reagan gave two reasons for the exclusion of the press in Grenada:
The operation required absolute secrecy during its execution, and the
press needed protection from the battle. Neither of these considerations
has ever been entertained before. Even during crucial phases of both
world wars, the press was informed and invited to accompany the
military on its operations. When secrecy has been asked for by the Pen
tagon, the press has, except on rare occasions, obliged the leaders. But
never have they been denied access to a situation. In the end, a civilian
force has always been able to carry forward the truth. The safety of
reporters has always been left up to the reporters themselves, and few
reporters would not take that risk.
This time, the first few days of the Grenada invasion may remain
obscure forever. Only the rosy picture presented by the government sur
vives. The obvious problems are already surfacing, such as the first-day
shelling of the civilian mental hospital. Even that information was not
released until days later. But the bloodshed and destruction of the first
few days was recorded only by the military press corps. That story may
never unfold.
The propagandist films released early by the White House may seem
little to get upset over, but this censoring of information may have set a
precedent. The positive reaction of the American people toward informa
tion suppression has given President Reagan all but carte blanche to con
tinue the practice in the future. Democracy survives only with a free flow
of information to the people. Our democracy has been put on a leash.
THE Daily Crossword byN.E.camPben
ACROSS
1 Chameleon
6 Soft drink
10 Ossicle
14 Adamite
15 Entranceway
16 Consumer
17' Common
contraction
18 Film spool
19 Latvian
seaport
20 Get into
trouble
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24 Wraithlike
25 Impover
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sickness
carriers
32 Stop!
34 Canary food
38 O.T. book
39 Military
post
42 Numerical
prefix
43 Very loyal
45 Inebriated
47 Long and
thin
50 River to
the Seine
51 Subside
54 Paper
quantity
56 Addict?
63 Trumpeter
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64 Ointment
65 Soul
66 Ms. Adams
67 Exhort
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27 Hawaiian
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31 High school
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33 Writing
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37 Embankment
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a
ecrets that shouldn't be
By ROBER T RA GLAND
During the nearly 18 years of my association with
colleges and universities, including four years at
UNC as student, intern, resident or junior faculty
member, I was never aware of a student or faculty
member who .voluntarily made evident his homo
sexuality. My own anxiety connected with this sub
ject has abated over many years and along with it the
horror of a "crime against nature." I have come to
realize that the real crime against nature is the at
tempt by both society, and many individuals to en
capsulate the subject of homosexuality, to keep it
hidden, to force those with a same-gender affinity to
remain secretive about their true sexuality or even to
practice a sexualityforeign to their nature.
The real crime is to segregate these persons from
the mainstream of society and to deform their emo
tional lives.
By-products of coerced secrecy have been many ill
advised marriages, many painful divorces and con
tinued ignorance and prejudice toward homosexuality.
In the natural course, of events, the vast majority
of us quite naturally and spontaneously make mani
fest our affinities, affectional or sexual, through our
behavior in showing love and affection to another.
Those who do not happen to find themselves at
tracted to the opposite sex have been and still are
taught that same gender affinities are an abomina
tion. They are unable to accept their own feelings, or,
if able to do so, are coerced into concealing these af
finities. They live lies and cooperate in their own
emotional .destructions. Those rare persons who do
openly exhibit their same-gender affinities are accus
ed of flaunting their sexuality.
Hoping to stimulate awareness and discussion of
coerced sexual secrecy and its destructive effects on
gay people, their families and society in general, I of
fered a small sum of money to Stanford University,
where I had first become aware of the meaning of my
own feelings, to be given to a male medical student in
his last three years who had "already openly ana
publicly made manifest a same-gender preference."
It was required that ne be "doing creditable work, be
deemed by the faculty to be of good character and
should show a financial need." Also, he must have
applied for this scholarship award.
When this offer was publicized in newspapers
throughout California, I then made the same offer to
five other colleges and universities with which I had
been associated, including UNC. Two men have in
vited me to discuss the matter with them in person,
one dean and one superintendent have rejected the
offer summarily, and two medical school deans re
jected it initially because it was felt to discriminate
"with respect to sex."
I amended the offer to include women, and when
new objections were raised, I waited until the fall
semester to resubmit the same offer to the presidents
of. those two universities. I was refused again. No in
stitution other than Stanford even gave copies of the
offer to the student press. .
Unfortunately every newspaper and institution ap
peared to ignore the issue of coerced secrecy and all
its. ramifications and spoke only to the matter of the
scholarship, which has become a dead issue. It seems
that there is no male medical student at any of the six
medical schools who is both openly gay and qualified
to receive the scholarship.
My purpose was not to help a gay student pay his
way but to raise society's awareness of homosexuality
and the evils of coerced secrecy to help stimulate
discussion of the gay experience in hopes of reducing
the coercive pressures. Copies of the scholarship pro
posal sent to organizations of gay people on cam
puses have resulted in silence or interest only in get
ting scholarship money, except in the case of the Gay
and Lesbian Alliance at Stanford. GLAS raised more
than $2,000 for a scholarship "with preference to be
given to a medical student who has shown a com
mitment to serving the gay community." An example
of the selective inattention to the gay experience and
to coerced secrecy and its effects is shown in the re
action to my letters written to the University of
Florida faculty, president and local and student
press. When a professor was killed there last year by
three jailed male prostitutes who threatened to say
that he was homosexual if he prosecuted them for
forged checks, I asserted that he would not have been
killed had he prosecuted, secure in the support from
faculty and president. He had no such support, and
my claim went unanswered.
Another reaction I have gotten from faculty is con-
cern about community pressures, the Moral Majority
or a negative alumni response. The suggestion that
openly gay faculty be hired elicited the fear that de
partmental funds might be cut.
Since I came out openly eight years ago I have had
personal experience with silence that cannot be
denied. Often I have been told I've overestimated the
secrecy and silence, and the pain I speak of has been
denied. It is a rare friend who can speak of it. Quite
understandably, we all tend to deny the pain of
others. Yet it is destructive here, just as it is no help to
one in pain or bereft of a loved one to bVtolcP'it
doesn't hurt" or "it happened for the best."
What is needed is open discussion by both gay and
non-gay people: a dialogue. Obviously doing this is
fraught with danger for gay people, especially for
those in the professions and in high places in indus
try, who might carry the most weight. It also arouses
anxiety among most heterosexual persons. Where are
the men and women of good will in my generation
who will help make it possible for their gay peers and
for gay professional people to discuss this sensitive
subject? Who among gay people can come out enough
to foster a beginning dialogue so that gay people can
be seen as human beings not much different from
others?
Robert B. Ragltmd, M.D., a graduate of the Uni
versity of Florida and Duke University, a former
psychiatry fellow at UNC and a graduate of the
seminary at the University of the South, is a retired
physician living in Jacksonville, Fla.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Misinformed 'DTH' amazes again
To the editor:
The Daily Tar Heel never ceases to
amaze me. For the last decade the news
paper has supported ardently those in
Carrboro who have sought to bring stu
dents into politics. Now we find that the
DTH is supporting, of all people, those
who have done their best to keep them
out. For those who may not be well
versed in the arcane politics of Carrboro,
let me provide a little background.
Until the early '70s, Carrboro politics
were dominated by a group of long-time
conservative residents. But about a
decade ago, a coalition of professors, stu
dents and blacks put together the Carr-
ooro Community Coalition, now dor
mant, to bring change to the town. By
1974 the Board of Aldermen was in coali
tion hands, with immediate results: Over
bitter opposition, public transportation
was introduced, bike paths were built, a
new community park system constructed,
and the town itself was thoroughly de
segregated at the administrative level.
In opposition to the coalition, a group
of the displaced conservatives organized,
first to fight the bus system, and then,
when it became clear that with student
backing the buses would roll, to fight
against student registration to vote. The
founders of this conservative reaction
Pay scale unfair
To the editor:
One aspect of UNC President
William C. Friday's remarks on
salaries in the Oct. 26 DTH was de
pressingly familiar in making them,
he ignored the vast majority of Uni
versity employees.
SPA staff members (those subject
to the provisions of the State Per
sonnel Act) outnumber faculty by
more than 2 to 1, and these 4,400 peo
ple must try to survive on salaries that
are between one-half and one-fifth of
those enjoyed by many faculty mem
bers. Far too many staff members find
that they must supplement their
salaries with food stamps, subsidized
child care and other forms of public
assistance.
This has happened because state
pay raises run far behind increases in
the cost of living. As of Jan. 1, staff
salaries retained only 70-72 percent of
the buying power of the same pay
grades in 1973. Considering that
North Carolina salaries were low to
begin with, this has put many staff
members into an intolerable financial
squeeze.
The situation is made worse by the
immobility of most of the staff. Facul
ty can (and do) find jobs in other
states, because those jobs are national
ly advertised and the hiring institution
will often pay travel expenses for ah
interview. Staff must take on all the
expenses of finding and applying for
another job and this on a lower
salary. Since the state is by far the
largest employer of workers in educa
tion, it effectively sets salary levels
statewide. Thus, staff members must
either change careers or resign them
selves to being paid far less than they
are worth. The effect on morale and
turnover is plain to see.
People should not be penalized for
choosing any job in the University
system. Staff members house, register,
admit, hire and pay students; they
provide the library and the other ser
vices on which students and faculty
depend. The University can no more
do without staff than it can without
faculty. So as I congratulate President
Friday on his 27 years with UNC, I
urge him to work for fair salaries and
benefits for all University employees.
Peter J. Schledorn
Serials Department
Wilson Library
the Riggsbees, the Granthams, the Oakes
(the apartment owner and personal
friend of Jesse Helms) transformed
this movement into the Alliance for a Bet
ter Carrboro (known to its detractors as
Always Be Conservative), three of whose
candidates, White, Boone and Anderson,
the DTH has just endorsed.
It seems to me that there are two pos
sible explanations for this endorsement.
First, although improbable, the politics
of the ABC mirror those of the editors of
the DTH. More likely, the editors simply
ventured into waters over their heads,
passing judgments without the requisite
knowledge of Carrboro politics. Did they
realize that the ABC members of the
Board of Aldermen have consistently
voted against progress? On a straight
faction-line vote, for example, the ABC
dominated board this summer turned
down a Greenways proposal that would
not even have required the condemnation
of land. Only under extreme pressure did
it provide any protection for University
Lake's watershed. ABC members have
consistently voted against any form of
town planning: When asked last spring
about the necessity to plan for the next 10
years, one ABC member on the board re
sponded, "I will worry about that in 10
years." Did the editors know that the per
son they endorsed for mayor (White) had
not even paid his local taxes until a week
before the last election, when the news
papers pointed this out? Did the editors
know that, if elected, the ABC slate (re
member, politics are by slate in Carrboro)
will control all six board seats and the
mayor's office? Did the editors know
that, if elected, White, a conservative
Methodist preacher, will have on his
board three of his former parishioners?
Think of the possibilities. How far the
DTH has come in these last 10 years.
David M. Griffiths
Department of History
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PERSONALLY u n r LIKEP THE WW AIRLINES WERE &F0RE PERFLATION ,
Write your representative
Is there no justice?
To the editor:
Granted, parking is a major problem in
Chapel Hill. Limited parking facilities
just have to be accepted. There is,
however, no excuse for the inconsistency
with which the Chapel Hill Police Depart
ment enforces parking violations.
Saturday, I was fined $25 and forced to
move my car from a "traffic lane" in
front of Whitehead Residence Hall. This
being the day of the Clemson game, all
the parking lots in Scott Residence Col
lege were reserved for the Rams Club.
Not only was I barred from the parking
lots, but I was also forced to spend a half
hour searching for a virtually nonexistent
parking space.
At approximately 3:10 p.m., I returned
from the game, only to find several cars
parked in the illegal "traffic lane" from
which I was previously forbidden. I am in
censed at the fact that I was fined $25 for
BLOOM COUNTY :
the privilege of allowing someone else to
park in the space that I had vacated under
the threat of being towed. I realize that
the Chapel Hill Police Department is
undermanned, but in this case, however,
it is irrelevant. At approximately 3:40
p.m. I saw two officers, one from whom I
received the ticket, walking past
Whitehead. The violations of the "traf
fic lane" were clearly obvious. Why
should I pay a fine when the consistency
of enforcement is blatantly disregarded?
Parking is difficult enough. The public
should not be subjected to the police
department's whimsical method of ran
dom selection for violators. It is unjust
and unforgivable. Do it right or don't do
it at all!
Anne Yates
Whitehead
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To the editor:
Upon my acceptance into Phi Eta
Sigma, I became aware of the problem
discussed in the Nov. 1 issue of the DTH,
and I feel that it affects the entire student
body.
For eight years now, Phi Eta Sigma at
UNC has compiled and published the Phi
Eta Sigma Course Description, growing
from just a mimeographed sheet the first
year to the polished publication now
available. The Course Description offers
an objective view of the courses listed, of
fering students an opportunity to hear
about a particular course directly from
the professor who teaches it. The Phi Eta
Sigma Course Description has served the
entire student body for several years now,
but because of lack of funds, this may be
its last year published.
As each member is inducted into Phi
Eta Sigma, all of his $5 local chapter fee
goes toward the publication of the
Course Description, leaving no funds for
other projects of the club. Is it fair for
such a small group of students to pay for
something that benefits the entire student
body? In the past, the College of Arts and
Sciences has donated money, but it is
unlikely that the college will continue the
funding next year. There is also the very
real possibility that funds from the Cam
pus Governing Council will cease as well.
The CGC would prefer that the Course
Description combine with the Carolina
Course Review rather than remain a
separate publication. However, the
Carolina Course Review is a completely
subjective publication based on students' .
ratings of different courses. In contrast,
the Phi Eta Sigma Course Description is
an objective view of the courses by pro
fessors who teach them. A combination
of the two publications would involve the
combination of two completely divergent
opinions and would involve the possible
loss of Phi Eta Sigma' s involvement in its
publication. Who would do the work for
such a publication, those involved with
the Course Review, or Phi Eta Sigma
or would the combination involve each
group working separately and then trying
to organize one publication?
As I've said before, the Phi Eta Sigma
Course Description has served the entire
student body for several years now, and
I'm sure many of you have used this
publication to choose the classes you now
attend. That is why it is so important to
continue the publication of this most im
portant student aid. I urge anyone who
has benefited from this course description
to write their CGC representative and
urge continued support and funding of
such a worthwhile publication.
Amy A. DeStefano
Ruffin
Two-way racism
To the editor:
Recently Jesse Jackson announced
his decision to run for president, say
ing he believed there should be a black
president. All across the nation black
leaders are organizing registration
drives to get more blacks into office.
This is called unity or use of the
political process. If someone were to
get white voters to register in order to
elect white people to offices, would
this not be considered racism?
Fred Pearlman
Carrboro