6The Daily Tar HeeirThursday, November 10. 1983
9.rt wr 0 editorial freedom
Kerry DeRochi, mr
Alison Davis, Managing Editor
CHARLES ELLMAKER, Associate Editor FRANK BRUNI, Associate Editor
KELLY SIMMONS, University Editor
KYLE MARSHALL, State and National Editor
Michael DeSisti, Sports Editor
Melissa Moore, News Editor
John Conway, City Editor
KAREN FlSHER, Features Editor
Jeff Grove, Arts Editor
CHARLES W. LeDFORD, Photography Editor
On dogs, cats and rats
Follow the leader?
To what extent do our Congressmen determine our perceptions of im
portant national issues, and to what extent do our opinions on these mat
ters persuade them? This is a question one cannot help but ask in regard
to the startling change of heart among House Democrats formerly oppos
ed to the U.S. military invasion of Grenada. Led by House Speaker
Thomas P. O'Neill Jr., many Democrats who less than a week ago con
tinued to denounce President Reagan's "gunboat diplomacy" are sud
denly endorsing his intervention in Grenada and granting him flexibility
in determining when American troops will return home. Although these
Democrats cite the evidence brought back by a House fact-finding mis
sion to Grenada as the factor most responsible for their new stance on the
issue, it is more likely that overwhelming public support for the Reagan's
rescue mission really changed their minds.
No doubt the politicians in Washington have noticed the polls gauging
public reaction to the invasion of Grenada. While a Washington Post
ABC poll showed 52 percent of Americans for and 37 percent against the
invasion the day after it occurred, figures now indicate a remarkable 65
percent of Americans for and only 27 percent against U.S. military ac
tion. The folks in Congress are all too aware that these same poll subjects
are the people who either perpetuate or terminate a politician's term in
office. They know that, in order to be effective, they must first maintain
their positions through a certain degree of conformity to the desires of
their constituents.
The truly concerned politician, however, must draw the line when the
issue is critical and the public not as informed as he. Voters in this coun
try often base their applause or criticism of leaders' decisions on super
ficial information. In the case of Grenada, Congressmen have access to
information that the public and press are often denied. It is up to these
privileged politicians to show us the light.
The House fact-finding mission in Grenada, however, did little to il
luminate the "right" or "wrong" of our intervention there; their
evidence consisted mostly of subjective appraisals of both the degree of
threat to American lives and the relief expressed by the island's natives
upon the arrival of U.S. troops. Yet it is precisely this evidence that, if we
are to believe O'Neill, altered the opinions of Democrats in Washington.
It is this questionable evidence that seems to outweigh United Nations
condemnation of U.S. intervention.
The blessing of our election system, which puts U.S. Representatives
on the campaign pedestal every two years, is the power it grants the peo
ple of our nation, the voters. The curse of this system, however, is the
harness it puts on the decisions and ideologies of this nation's leaders,
who are often more informed than those who elect them to office. If the
recent transformation of opinion in concern to Grenada among House
Democrats truly was prompted by the new evidence compiled by Pen
tagon officials, then all is well. But if the growing parallel between
public and congressional opinion on the issue is an example of leaders
concealing their convictions undeer the shield of political pragmatism,
then the recent display of U.S. aggression may become the rule, not the
exception.
Double dribble
When a contractor charged recently that faulty construction plagued
the Student Activities Center, his accusations sent chills through Carolina
basketball fans, right down to their blue-and-white pompons. And, when
these accusations were later confirmed, the shivers hit the crisp $100 bills
in the depths of Super Rams' pockets. Since the charges, they have had to
pour in thousands of dollars to examine the alleged faults. Still, it is a
small price to pay, considering the product being purchased safety.
The first indication that things weren't perfect in the 22,000-capacity
blue heaven came when the contractor told University officials that
several key walls had an inadequate amount of steel reinforcements. His
accusations at first were met with $30 million denials. Officials said they
had no reason to believe the accusations, no reason except that the con
tractor had been in charge of that steel. But they soon discovered that five
of eight metal tiers in the main column were missing. And they called in a
specialist from N.C. State. This engineer has said initially that the
building is still safe, but his report has not been completed.
Until it is, University officials shudder to think that the SAC may have
to be torn down, but it still must remain an option. So far they've shown
a commitment to checking out the accusations; now they must make a
commitment to correcting, even rebuilding, mistakes that may have hap
pened. That way, years down the road, a NCAA committee will be able
to consider the Activities Center to be the site of the national champion
ships. And that way, a last-second winning shot will never literally bring
down the Carolina blue house.
The Daily Tar Heel
Editorial Assistants: Bill Riedy and Gigj Sonner.
Assistant Managing Editors: Joel Broadway, Tracy Hilton and Amy Tanner
Assistant News Editor: Gary Meek
News Desk: Cynthia Brown and Pam Weber
News: Tracy Adams, Dick Anderson, Diana Bosniack, Keith Bradsher, Amy Branen, Lisa
Brantley, Hope Buffington, Tom Conlon, Kathie Collins, Kate Cooper, Teresa Cox, Lynn
Davis, Dennis Dowdy, Chris Edwards, Kathy Farley, Steve Ferguson, Genie French, Kim
Gilley, Andy Hodges, Reggie Holley, Sue Kuhn, Thad Ogburn, Beth O'Kelley, Janet Olson,
Rosemary Osborne, Heidi Owen, Beth Ownley, Cindy Parker, Donna Pazdan, Ben
Perkowski, Frank Proctor, Linda Queen, Sarah Raper, Mary Alice Resch, Cindi Ross,
Katherine Schultz, Sharon Sheridan, Deborah Simpkins, Jodi Smith, Sally Smith, Lisa
Stewart, Mark Stinneford, Carrie Szymeczek, Liz Saylor, Amy Tanner, Doug Tate, Wayne
Thompson, Vance Trefethen, Chuck Wallington, Melanie Wells, Scott Wharton, Lynda Wolf,
Rebekah Wright, Jim Yardley and Jim Zook.
Sports: Frank Kennedy, Kurt Rosenberg and Eddie Wooten, assistant sports editors. Glenna
Bun-ess, Kimball Crossley, Pete Fields, John Hackney, Lonnie McCullough, Robyn Nor
wood, Michael Persinger, Julie Peters, Glen Peterson, Lee Roberts, Mike Schoor, Scott Smith,
Mike Waters, David Wells and Bob Young.
Features: Clarice Bickford, Tom Camacho, Toni Carter, Margaret Claiborne, Cindy Dunlevy,
Charles Gibbs, Tom Grey, Marymelda Hall, Kathy Hopper, Charles Karnes, Joel Katzenstein,
Dianna Massie, Kathy Norcross, Jane Osment, Clinton Weaver and Mike Truell, assistant
features editor.
Arts: J. Bonasia, Steve Carr, Ivy Hilliard, Jo Ellen Meekins, Sheryl Thomas and David
Schmidt, assistant arts editor.
Photography: Lori Heeman, Bryce Lankard, Jeff Neuville, Susie Post and Zane Saunders
Business: Anne Fulcher, business manager; Angela Booze and Tammy Martin, accounts
receivable clerks; Dawn Welch, circulationdistribution manager; William Austin, assistant
circulationdistribution manager; Patti Pittman and Julie Jones, classified advertising staff;
Yvette Moxin, receptionist; Debbie McCurdy, secretary. ,
Advertising: Paula Brewer, advertising manager; Mike Tabor, advertising coordinator; Laura
Austin, Kevin Freidheim, Patricia Gorry, Terry Lee, Dong Robinson, Amy Schultz and Anneli
Zeck, ad representatives.
Composition: UNC-CH Printing Department
Printing: Hinton Press, Inc. of Mebane.
By KATHERINE SCHULTZ
RAT.
That word has negative connotations for just about
everybody, excluding laboratory scientists they are the
only ones who find any use for them.
I can name several of the terrors I associate with rats off
the top of my head r Hitchcock movies, urban slums,
rabiesbubonic plague, several guys I know ....
Very few of us come into close contact with this nasty
breed of rodent. The unlucky ones who do are usually vic
tims of circumstance, circumstance premeditated by a rat.
Rats are evil. Dirty, nasty, vile, cunning evil. Rats have
no redeeming qualities. (I'll make an exception for labora
tory rats.)
I met a rat last week in front of my apartment. It was a
cold, dark Friday night. It was a perfect night for a rat to
stalk an innocent apartment dweller.
I live in Colonial Arms Apartments fondly known as
Colonial Armpits or Colonial Farms. It was 7 p.m. I pull
ed up in front of my apartment, turned off my car and
started gathering my books.
I glanced up and caught a glimpse of a large blob right
in front of me. I turned my car lights on and I saw it
twitch slightly, but it didn't run away.
It was a brown, furry blob about the size of ... an
adult grizzly bear . . . every time I tell the story it gets big
ger. ...
Now, I'll have to think back to the initial confrontation
to remember its actual size. . . . It was a Jittle larger than a
large cantaloupe, a little smaller than a football.
I stepped out of my car trying to decide what the hell
this thing was. Several ideas ran through my head a
groundhog? A gargantuan guinea pig? A baby Wookie?
I walked closer to it; it didn't budge. I saw little brown
eyes glaring at me, so I stepped back. I think I had in
terrupted its one-course meal of crab grass, that exotic
strain of grass that graces the grounds of these glorious
dwellings.
"Ruth Ann, Ruth Ann," I yelled. "Come here and
look at this thing!"
Ruth Ann opened the door and ambled down the stairs
toward me. "What's wrong?"
"You're about to step on it.".
SHRIEEEK. "Oh my God, it's a rat."
It pnly took her a split second to Figure it out. I decided
to take her word for it.
"Don't go near it, Katherine. Those things are vicious
and they bite," she said.
We watched it as it waddled to a better patch of grass.
Most rodents scurry; this one waddled. It had no pride
and no fear. He sat there and gorged himself while we
squealed various adjectives at it,
such as "UUUOOOO! Gross! Oh,
sick! Nasty!"
This slew of girlish expletives
(although I've said worse before)
didn't offend the rafat all. It at
tracted the attention of a neighbor.
He confirmed the creature's identi
ty, but could offer no solution.
The rat still wouldn't go away.
I decided to call the landlady.
Charming woman. I won't mention her name, I'll just
make up one.
"Hello. Is Mrs. Always-Hard-to-Get-Anything-Done
there?
"I thought I'd call and tell you that there is a mon
strosity of a rat outside of our apartment."
The reply was, "Oh really? How interesting. What does
it look like?"
After I gave her a brief description, this overly astute
woman asked me, "Are you sure it wasn't a dog or a
cat?"
I wanted to tell her that was the most imbecilic question
I had ever heard, but instead I
refrained and told her that it was a
rat, not a dog, not a cat.
Of course it was probably an in
nocent mistake on her behalf. I'm
sure a lot of people confuse
descriptions of rats, cats and dogs.
The similarities between the dif
ferent species are so overwhelming.
A dog has a smooth glossy coat
and four long legs. Its head is
separated from its torso by a neck.
A cat has a smooth soft coat and it also has four long
legs. Its head is also separated from the rest of the body by
a neck.
Because cats and dogs both have long legs, the main
parts of their bodies are raised from the ground.
A rat has short, course fur and four short legs that you
can't see unless you get closer than you should. A rat's
head is connected very closely to the body so that he look,
like he doesn't have a neck, although. he does.
Yes, I definitely see the similarities between these
creatures, don't you?
At any rate, Mrs. Always-Hard-to-Get-Anything-Done
told me she would check on things in the morning.
We looked outside. He was still there, and we felt like
prisoners in our own home.
I decided it was time for immediate action, so I called
the police.
The Chapel Hill Police Department is very cooperative
in matters like this, with a little prodding. I explained that
it wasn't a life-or-death emergency but it might be if the
rat ate much more and got a little bolder.
Amid his snickers, the dispatcher told me he would
have to call his supervisor to see what they could do about
it. I reminded him that most policemen carried guns or
billy sticks, but I guess he didn't think the situation war
ranted such action.
He called back a few minutes later and said, amid a few
more snickers, that an animal control officer was on his
way.
Ruth Ann and I kept a watchful eye on the rat from our
front porch so he wouldn't try to give us the slip. We
wanted to make sure this rat did his time in the animal
pokey for harassment.
He never made it to the animal pokey. As we were talk
ing with the animal control officer, the rat attempted to
flee the scene of the crime. By the book, it's known as re
sisting arrest.
A struggle ensued. The rat had met his match.
The rest of the evening was rather anti-climactic. I told
the story over and over to friends, and each time the rat
got a little bigger. By the time I left Papagayo, the rat was.
so huge that only someone as big as Brian Blados could
have tackled it, no pun intended.
When , Dorrie, our other roommate, got home, we
started to tell her about the rat.
"Yeah, I just saw it outside," she said. "I think it's
headed for apartment No. 34. . . ."
Katherine Schultz, a junior journalism major from
Winston-Salem and a staff writer for The Daily Tar Heel,
will be eating rat steak for the next week.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
'DTH' criticisms of Student Government unfair
To the editor:
It's a shame that the authors of DTH
editorials "CGC: TBA" (Oct. 6) and
"Vote Today" (Oct. 25) characterize the
student body and Student Government rep
resentatives of that body as apathetic. The
students of this university are very active
in creating' new projects and legislation
through Student Government that are
valuable to all. The key has been students
who have come into Student Government
believing and trying to make a difference.
If one enters with the attitude that
nothing can be done, then nothing will be
done. If students come into Student
Government with high goals and strong
projects, then improvements may and can
take place at the University.
Many improvements have taken place
this year. Many students and many CGC
representatives, such as myself, are trying
to start up one of the first student TV sta
tions in the country. Legislation to make ,
the DTH funds more accountable to the
student body has been passed. Four
residence halls were opened up to students
who needed the living space for Fall Break.
We allocated funds to SCAU to survey
students about Southern Bell's charges
for non-requested services such as
callwaiting. Southern Bell has responded
by listing such charges on the bill and not
charging those who did not want it. Many
other projects and activities have passed
also.
A student fee increase was proposed
because several organizations will have a
hard time making funds meet their needs
if it is not adopted. The alternative is to
tell the student-funded programs such as
Victory Village's Married Students' Child
Care Program to care for fewer children
or take toys away from the children who
are there. I would hope that this does not
happen. The reason to wait until
February for the increase is to guarantee
that sufficient numbers vote to surpass
the necessary minimum requirement to
count the ballots. Last spring, the
referendum did not bring out sufficient
numbers. We learn by our mistakes, and
thus we wait until the general election.
Please vote for the $1.50 increase. There
has not been one for six years, and even
though it may seem trivial to vote for it,
please do. It means the difference bet
ween partial programs and full care for
many programs such as Victory Village.
The authors of these articles should
realize that the main responsibility of the
CGC is a legislative one. The council has
surpassed, by far, the amount of legisla
tion passed by last year's CGC. Many of
us on the council are very concerned.
There are those of us who spent more
than an average of four hours a day in
budget hearings for three weeks during
the late part of spring semester. Addi
tionally, many of us, on our own time, at
tend many floor meetings and executive
council meetings to gather student input
from our districts. I have gone to more
than 25 and 15, respectively, and know of
many others who have done the same.
We keep office hours and disseminate in
formation to the student population.
Most of us care about the trust and
responsibility bestowed upon us by the
students and work hard to maintain it.
We welcome your criticisms of Student
Government because we learn from
them. Please come to CGC meetings,
which are open to the public and an
nounced in the Campus Calendar, and
express your concerns. Suggest new pro
jects and programs to us. We want stu
dent input and need it to survive. Your
district representative will recognize you
dent Government and want your input
too.
as they have recognized students all year.
Many students are working hard in Stu-
Greg Hecht
(District 15)
Campus Governing Council
It'syourTV
To the editor:
In recent months, student interest in
obtaining cable television for residence
halls on campus has become widespread.
Certainly the entertainment that cable
could provide common rooms is attrac
tive to most dormitory residents, but
there are other reasons why installation
would benefit these students. Recently
recognized by the University and the
Campus Governing Council, Student
Television (STV) for UNC has program
ming plans that will directly involve
students living on campus. Such produc
tions will be aired over Village Cable's
Channel 11, the University access chan
nel, as well as in the Union over the large
monitors located there. Also, a cable with
transmission capabilities is on its way to
Swain Hall, and programming over
Channel 11 promises to increase once it
arrives. Shouldn't the University be able
to watch the shows it airs on the Universi
ty access channel?
Two questions to be answered before
such a move can be made are: Are
residents willing to have the expense add
ed to their housing contracts? And what
is the best way to actually get the cable in
to the dormitories? STV and the
Residence Hall Association are currently
working on both angles, as the University
and Village Cable have shown little in
terest in actively investigating the matter.
Certainly the 3Vi years of negotiation re
quired to get cable into Odum Village, the
married student housing on Manning
Drive, is enough to discourage the two
parties. However, it seems that with
Odum Village residents enjoying cable
and paying Village Cable the monthly
rates, and Village Cable paying the
University a sum for permitting the in
stallation, everyone benefits.
Wednesday and Thursday night, floor
and hall representatives will be com
ing by with a petition asking for your en
dorsement. . The petition will read as
follows:
"We the undersigned residents of UNC
CH housing are willing to pay up to $5.00
a year for the benefits of cable television
in each and every common TV room. By
signing this petition, we are requesting
that the University actively pursue the in
stallation of cable TV in our residence
halls."
The $5-a-year figure was liberally ap
proximated by dividing the $12-a-month
basic supscription rate by the 100 students
who share each room (again, both
numbers are approximate), and adding in
some of the expense of the installation.
Because of University policy, all cable
must be buried, so the most efficient way
to route the cable and finance its installa
tion must be carefully worked out. The
actual amount will most likely be less.
Also, once cable is in the dormitories, the
opportunity to go into individual rooms
will certainly exist.
To conclude, students should
remember that the University cannot
finance such a project, but they, through
a rent increase of at most $5 a year, must
bear the expense. Although signing the
petition does not guarantee the installa
tion will occur next week, it does docu
ment the support vital to this cause.
John Wilson (STV)
Mark Dalton (RHA)
'Semper fidelis':
One of the few
By S. L. PRICE
Pretty here. Two people walking
outside in the grass kicking through
golden leaves, but I am inside.
Walls, towels, ceiling, floor all
white. My gown, my skin white,
but my hair is brown, so there is a
difference. I've got the ball, hide it,
but it keeps unraveling, the tissues
keep unraveling. Wait. I take the
ends of the tissue and put them
together now and roll it up into a
ball to make it round, perfectly
round, but the tissue comes apart
when I put it down on my stomach.
ATTACKING FORCE SEIZES
AIRFIELD BUT IS SLOWED
CUBANS CLASH WITH FORCE
30 SOVIET ADVISERS
DEFENSE DEPT. SAYS MARINES
AND RANGERS QUICKLY
Stop. Where is mom? she said last
time that she is coming today. Her
and dad fought last time, I want him
out he said can't you see what it's
doing to him? But they turned
toward me, she said, can't you see
he's asleep do you want to wake him
hush up! But I was faking and my
eyes were closed, I had the ball of
tissue in my hand. He said I don't
give a damn anymore we've got to
get him out of here. They said I
smiled at that. But I was faking,
wasn't I? I smell food, remember
Sunday mornings with the newspaper
and the football game on the TV
and sausage and pastries and eggs
and eat up boy! how you expect to
get big and strong ifn you don't
eat? and Call her up son, she won't
know you're mad if you don't call
her we've got to get him out of here,
what kind of countryshhhhhhhhh
can't you see he's sleeping?
1,900 U.S. TROOPS, WITH
CARIBBEAN ALLIES FEAR
OF 'ANOTHER IRAN' FORCE
SEIZES AIRPORTS BUT IS
NEED ARISING FOR MORE
TROOPS, SHIPS AND PLANES
MOSCOW PROTESTS: BRITISH
ARE CRITICAL - AT LEJEUNE,
CHILD GETS EXTRA HUG after
receiving a formal request for help, a
unanimous request from our
neighboring states, I concluded the
United States had no choice but to
TOLL IN BEIRUT BLAST EX
CEEDS ANY SINGLE VIETNAM.
Beirut. The doctor said son, try
not to think about it, just try and
put it out of your what's wrong
with my mind. She said don't go
and sign up your life, but she didn't
know there vu nuiliiiU1 uc 1 kneu
how to A Few Good Men. Semper
Fi, Mac. This, This gun, boy, this
gun is your baby. You're gonna
learn to run, walk, spit, speak with
it, sleep with it, you're gonna take it
apart, put it back together again
blindfolded. Forget your mothers
and your girlfriends they can't save
you now, boy. This is your best
friend in the world, take care of it
and
and I ran in the back yard with
my stick bangbangbangbang I got
you, you're dead! Watching John
Wayne on Iwo Jima and Rat Patrol
and Seargent Nick Fury and His
Howling Commandos how come he
always had a cigar in his mouth?
Tell it to the firstinthe
fightalwaysfaithfulsendin the
Marines. Where is that Hitler,
Mussolini, Ho Chi Minh, oh those
dirty japs (lock 'em all up) where are
all those American heroes, where all
the enemies? far from the green,
green grass of home
INVADE GRENADA AND FIGHT
LEFTIST UNITS U.S. WAS
WARNED BY MRS. THATCHER
214 U.S. SERVICEMEN DEAD,
20 TO 30 LOST REAGAN CON
SIDERED INVASION WHILE
PLAYING GOLF CAPITOL
HILL IS SHARPLY SPLIT The im
pact on our President was very
severe. WUhout being parochial, I
think I can say he loves the marines
SOME IN CONGRESS QUESTION
IF SECURITY WAS ADEQUATE
AIR FORCE BASE IN
DELAWARE AWAITS BODIES
INJURED MARINES ARRIVE AT
BURN UNIT IN TEXAS IN
GERMANY; MEDALS FOR THE
WOUNDED
Here they come. And I'm faking
now asleep. Dad says Doctor when
can we bring our boy home? And
mom is sniffling hard and moaning
and I don't get it why is everyone
upset here, I'm OK right? Mom's
pushing my hair back from my
forehead why am I so sweaty? the
ball of tissue is soaked through it's
coming apart on my finders Mom is
sitting so close on the bed but I
don't want to see her cry, so I'm
asleep. And he's whispering to the
doctor now but mom is just staring
at me I can feel it, my eyes are
closed but she's staring at me so
close. I can smell the coffee on her
breath, she's breathing so hard, why
is she so close? She's sitting in front
of me on my thighs, but I don't feel
the weight, are they still numb? Her
hand is in my hair why can't I feel
her sitting, she's sitting on my
ohmygodwherearemy? legs.
S.L. Price i senior huffish major
from Litchfield, Conn.