Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Jan. 30, 1985, edition 1 / Page 6
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6The Daily Tar Heel Wednesday. January 30, 1985 Racism: practicing what we preach Jl I F HlOAY. VJiiur Joi:i. Broadway. MjuKik i j,i,,t Mark Stinni:.r)rixWi ;,. i-jitr Bl!N Pi;RKOWSKI. Atsmiuti VJitnr Ki:i.i.y Simmons. Vnirvnity v.dur VaNC.K TRI:.FETH1:N. State- and National VJitnr Mixanie Wells, aty tuuor Dan Tillman. Wjx r.diur Lynn Davis. Nvus Editor Frank Kennedy, sports Editor Jeff Grove. Arts Editor Sharon Sheridan, Features Editor JEFF NEVILLE. Photography Editor For president, Wallace There is no candidate who clearly stands above the others in this year's crowded field for student body president. At times weVe been tempted to ask former joke candidate Hugh Reckshun to join the nine candidates so the crowd could form two opposing basketball teams. Then, through a spirited game of roundball, we could narrow the field to a reasonable five. Seriously, the nine candidates, for the most part, are earnest, well-informed and qualified individuals who would serve the University capably as student body president. But, in an extremely close vote, the editors of The Daily Tar Heel have decided to endorse Patricia Wallace for election to the office. We believe her knowledge, experience, dedication and reasonableness best suit her for the position. Two additional candidates Fetzer Mills and Brad Ives also deserve serious consideration. Mills has deve loped a detailed platform for addressing student concerns and may be a respectable alternative to Student Government resume padders. Ives, with his insistence on focusing exclusively on pressing campus concerns, could provide a neces sary balance to forces seeking to turn Student Government into a soapbox for left-wing political causes. Wallace, who has earned a reputation for doing her homework during her two years on the Campus Governing Council, impressed us with her imaginative prop osals and her depth of knowledge. Some of her proposals are ingeniously simple and long overdue. Under her "Drive-a-Drinker" program, student volunteers would help ensure the safe return home of classmates whoVe had too good a time on Franklin Street. Her ideas for using departamental computer terminals for the registration and drop-add process would help unclog chronic bottlenecks. She also offers creative plans for making the Carolina Union a more comfortable place for students to gather, proposing the old Fast Break area be converted into a coffeehouse. While -the student body president has only limited influence on Union policies, Wallace's proposals will focus attention on the need for a more exciting Union. Wallace is susceptible to a certain amount of criticism for being indecisive on the issues. A case in point is her stance on the CGC's controversial bill outlining protest activities in the event the U.S. invades Nicaragua. Wallace abstained on that measure but said later at a campaign For editor, Tonkins on The campaign for Daily Tar Heel editor has been unusually compressed this year's election is a week earlier than usual, and three of the four candidates have been campaigning in earnest only for a couple of weeks. This run of events, we suspect, has a lot to do with the fact that the race has failed to produce substantial, innovative ideas and that the candidates' platforms have been generally undeveloped. The late addition of co-editor candi dates Arne Rickert and Dave Schmidt threw an unexpected, but welcome, twist into the race. Until then, we fully expected to pick former DTH News Editor Stuart Tonkinson's experience and ideas over staff writer Ed Brackett's eagerness but unfortunate lack of experience. The co-candidacy, attractive especially for its certainty to refresh the Tar Heel, made us think twice. Nevertheless, we feel that Tonkinson has come up with the best specific suggestions for improvement of the paper, and that his ample experience he's worked at the DTH variously as a staff writer, copy editor, assistant university editor and news editor makes him best able to implement those ideas. He knows the operation of The Daily Tar Heel inside-out, and, in devoting thousands of hours to the paper since his freshman year, Tonkinson has demonstrated an ability to lead the paper to as high standards of journalistic excellence as possible. Rickert and Schmidt are thoughtful journalists, and in their brief campaign they've shown an impressive sensitivity to the needs of the DTH. Despite Rickert's former spot at the helm of our rival weekly, the co-candidates have convinced us that the DTH would not cSar iSM 92nd year of editorial freedom forum that such bills could have impor tant educational value. Still, what many may see as wishy-washiness on Wallace's part may instead be evidence of an admirable ability to rethink her positions when faced with new information. Wallace has also taken considerable heat during the campaign for her oppo sition to providing constitutionally guaranteed funding to the Black Student Movement and other student organiza tions. Some candidates, waging negative campaigns that have no place in student politics, charge that Wallace's stand indicates a lack of sensitivity to minority concerns. However, Wallace's opposition to constitutional funding is based on solid arguments about maintaining the CGCs control over the appropriation of student fees and the need to ensure student organizations are accountable for their use of funds. To those who accuse Wallace of insensitivity, we point out that her rugged road to gain acceptance as a female candidate will give her great empathy with groups seeking their fair stake on campus. It's not that Wallace has a monopoly of wisdom in the race. We were moved by Mills' account of how his personal struggle led to his proposal for a Student Government-sponsored drug and alcohol program. Mills promises to actively fight against the proposed $100 mandatory meal plan, while Wallace seems to believe that the plan is inevitable, though she promises to work to prevent increases in the fee. We were also impressed with the practicality of Mills' proposals that range from establishing a centralized phone system on campus to increasing the hours of Davis Library. We also suspect Mills is a bit of a rebel, though a reasonable pne, and that just might be the right prescription for getting the Board of Trustees to listen to student concerns. Ives has touted himself as the "common sense" candidate, and we agree that there is much of that in his platform. If he is successful in getting more trash cans and better lighting on campus, as he promises, he will be doing more in the eyes of many students than Student Government has done for years. He also offers other innovative ideas including a proposal to raise money for dormitory and classroom building renovations by naming individ ual rooms after donors. We dont think students will go far wrong if they opt for Mills or Ives. However, on balance, we believe Patricia Wallace is best suited to provide students with a responsive and effective Student Government. Schmidt approve of the paper's current emphasis on campus and local news. They propose a weekly public editor column to inform readers of behind-the-scenes editorial decisions. They want to improve the paper's communication with The Black Ink and other campus publications. And, as usual, they want to enliven the writing style of the paper. All these ideas are commendable, but they've become old hat to editorship campaigns. Our main problem with a Rickert Schmidt editorship is the lack of singular leadership. Despite their assurances that major differences of opinion would be managable, there still remains the issue of accountability. Moreover, Rickert and Schmidt are complete strangers to DTH leadership positions, which could pose problems not only for staff mot ivation, but also for seeing to it that their ideas make it into print. Tonkinson proposes several ideas to increase the DTHTs communication with the University community. He wants to run a readership survey on the editorial page that would keep the paper in touch with what readers want to read. He wants to diminish what he sees as arrogance and condescension on the paper's editorial page (which he wants, unwisely we feel, to move to page 2). And Tonkinson would revive the beat system for reporters, which should improve the paper's coverage of campus news. Tonkinson's proposals are by no means revolutionary, but they show a willingness to pinpoint the 77Ts weaknesses and strengthen them. If elected, he will be able to lead the paper forward, making it a better student naiiipnonPf By VANCE TREFETHEN Teddy Kennedy's recent campaign swing through South Africa, where he lost the black vote by a landslide, illustrated the age-old principle that there is only a fine line between a tragedy and an opportunity. Perhaps his rejection by South Africa will persuade him not to pursue his presidential ambitions in 1988, but I won't hold my breath. Racism deserves more than just the public handwringing it gets from ambitious politicians. Racism is a widely recognized evil, but it is more than coincidence that the ethnic group being oppressed in South Africa (blacks), and which many prospective campus and national politi cians publicize, also forms a large voting bloc in U.S. elections. When it comes to racism and oppression in countries with ethnic groups that do not carry much political weight in the U.S., their cries are largely ignored. Contrary to popular belief, South Africa is not the only example of a racist nation that deserves our attention. It's time we stopped using South Africa as a political whipping boy and started opposing racism wherever we find it and not just when it is politically beneficial to do so. If Kennedyites and divesters were serious about opposing racism, they wouldn't have far to look to find it, and on a grander scale than South Africa. The Soviet Union is probably the largest offender, as unpopular as that concept may be. Just about everyone thinks European anti Semitism disappeared in 1945 with the defeat of Nazi Germany. But harassment and the oppression of Jews is a longstanding Russian tradition, carefully preserved by modern regimes despite hypocritical proclamations to the contrary. Other groups in the Soviet Union, like Central Asians and Muslims, find themselves largely excluded from political and military positions reserved for the ruling white European Russians, Ukranians, and Georgians. And of course, Soviet subjugation and slaughter of the Afghan people may well represent the greatest ethnic oppression since World War II. I wonder if Teddy would have the same freedom to tour and speak out against ethnic evil in the USSR as he did in South Africa. In Vietnam, the exodus of 1 million "boat people" from 1975-79 was a painful testimony to the centuries-old custom of Southeast Asian persecution of hard-working and more prosper- LETTERS TO THE Hugs and kisses, yes; boos and To the editor: I disagree with your denunciation of Ann Landers' survey ("Get a grip, Ann," Jan. 28) concerning whether women would be content to "be held close and treated tenderly and forget about 'the act.'" Why is it so amazing that of more than 90,000 respondents, 72 percent would be content with hugs and kisses? You say the question forces women to choose between hugs and kisses and "the act." I don't think so. The question didn't say "would you prefer . . . ," it asked "would "you be content . . . ." And what's Even Mom would To the editor: In regard to the recent concern over the $100 mandatory meal plan, we feel that 35 meals are not enough to ensure good eating habits of uninformed freshman and sopho mores. Furthermore, proper nutri tion is essential to good health, which is, in turn, important in maintaining an intellectual peak. After all, a sound body is crucial for a sound mind. In lieu of the $100 meal plan, we propose not 35 meals, but three meals per day, five days a week. Students will be closely monitored on what they eat and how much, using state-of-the-art computer assisted recording methods. They will be required to consume a breakfast with a U.S. recommended daily allowance of at least 33 percent. During dinner hours, no student will be permitted to pur chase a meal or leave the cafeteria unless he has a minimum of one vegetable on his plate. Following the consumption of the above said vegetable, students will be presented with a vegetable token, which will Let s be careful out there To the editor: I'm sure that many people might disagree with William McQuade's logic in saying that being in ,New York City might change people's views on self-defense in extreme proportions ("How bout a little trip, Youngblood," Jan. 28). They might still say, "The law must be upheld and justice cannot possibly be the result of injustice." I'd like to describe a situation that undoub tably reinforces McQuade's state ment that being in a situation like Bernhard Goetz's is a lot different than talking about it. One night over Christmas break, I was in Philadelphia on South Street with some close friends when a few gang fights started. There were no police officers around although there was a lot of yelling and even a gunshot. My friends and I made our way to a car, but evidently we didnt move quick enough. One gang got in our way and in a matter , of seconds, our "simple bystander" status had changed to victims. We were hit with fists, spiked and studded leather and threatened with nunchaku, for no reason whatsoever. I ne I most IurxJ ( CAri jfOU GET? JIM &) & " M i 1 f ous ethnic Chinese. Their desperation was demonstrated by the risks they took to escape from their "People's Republic," as they were victimized by pirates, rejected by potential host nations, and often lost at sea in leaky, overloaded boats. Many of them would probably have preferred being second-class citizens in South Africa to the slaughter they faced in their own country. Meanwhile, Vietnam continues its heritage of ethnic oppression with its invasion and control of another group of people the Cambodians. I doubt seriously Teddy is buying any plane tickets to Vietnam, and I doubt seriously he even knows what is going on. When was the last time you heard of a national or campus politico in a protest march or a divestment crusade on behalf of oppressed minorities in the dozens of other nations where racial exclusion is occurring on a daily basis? Does racial discrimination have to be white against black before we get concerned? Aren't we being inherently racist when we try to help one group and ignore others? Here at UNC, we make decisions about how to respond to racism 10,000 miles away, although it might be nice to look around and clean up the prejudicial attitudes here on this campus first. It always seems to be easier to protest far-away EDITOR wrong with that? Making love to another person, male or female, doesn't necessarily mean having sex. And as far as forgetting "the act," no one said anything about long term memory. Forgetting "the act" on one occasion does not imply that a woman has totally banned it from her life's agenda. You say "Ann Landers has no business conducting such an unscien tific survey," yet you dare to make statements like "what (people) probably prefer, though, is a mix of the two (hugs and kisses and sex)," and "For every woman who feels she doesn't get hugs and kisses during sex, there is most likely some man who feels just as cheated sexually." Seems to me those con clusions didn't result from polling more than 90,000 people let alone conducting any kind of scientific research. Assume for a moment that Land ers survey is valid. Is it so impos sible that there are a lot of "angry, unfulfilled women out there?" Maybe the so-called sexual revolu tion isn't all it's cracked up to be. Josh McDowell, when he spoke here last September, said that people basically long for intimacy. Today's culture tells us that inti macy can be found in sex. But when that same culture concurrently approve enable the student to purchase one dessert. There will beno desserts sold to students who fail to present a vegetable token. At the conclusion of the academic year, those students who have exemplified excellent eating habits will be presented with a Certificate of Eating Merit at their graduation commencement. These certificates will be suitable for framing and should be held in such high regard that any UNC alumnus would be proud to hang it on his wall. Our proposed mandatory meal plan is priced at a mere $643.53 per semester. Although this price may seem a tad bit steep, the benefits the students will receive will out weigh the cost. Money that could have been squandered away on pizza or hamburgers will be used to purchase nutritious, well rounded meals that will benefit each and every UNC student. John Boldt Richard Tooke Mark Warmuth Granville West To the editor: We strongly agree with Allen W. Rogers that the DTH coverage of the Black Student Movement forum was biased (UDTH writes editorial on front page," Jan. 28). Likewise, we take issue with the headline for the Jan. 28 story on the endorse ments resulting from the forum: "BSM endorses candidates who show unifying qualities." The head line is weak, if not deliberately vague. Isn't the most noteworthy item who the BSM endorsed, or possibly that the BSM found Doug Berger better qualified for its endorsement than the only black candidate for student body presi dent? Yet the headline stressed the candidates' unifying qualities (wha tever that means). We can sympathize with headline writers who may have found it impossible to include Berger, Rick ert and Schmidt, Rogers, Tichener and Wellons in the same headline, but that isn't really necessary. One strategy, taught in UNC journalism classes, is to select the most impor tant items out of a list for a headline or lead. Most would agree that By this time, a feeling that never hit me before hit me hard. It was a feeling of true fear fear for my life. I didn't know if any members of the gang had guns or knives, but they probably did. What I was sure of is that if we had fought back with fists, it was highly possible that we would be killed. This is a situation that I am sure that if I had had a gun, I could have easily shot someone, although I am not at all a violent person. The feeling of not knowing what is going to happen to you next in such a situation is enough to make you strike back with extreme measures. Goetz is simply a man who diffused a potentially life threatening situation before it got out of hand. I sympathize with him for being forced into such a situa tion, and commend him for being smart and quick enough to get himself out of it. If you disagree, go with McQuade to New York City and get into a situation where you can find out for yourself. Believe me, it's not an enjoyable experience. Charles R. McClellan Avery To the editor: Monday night at the Hinton James forum for student body president, I witnessed a most obnox ious act. After the last question had been asked and the forum had supposedly been ended, current Student Body President Paul Parker was escorted onto the scene by a group of excited supporters of one of the candidates. After asking the audience and candidates to remain, he then confronted us with a poster recently found in the Student Union that did calculated injustice against a certain candidate. In his best "crime-stoppers" manner, he then asked if any of the Pin the To the editor: I agree with the Republican National Committee's magazine, First Monday, which says the Democrats are in the "Seven Dwarfs" stage: You ask them about the past, and they're happy. You ask them about racism and feel morally good about ourselves than to actually do anything to end racism right here at UNC. Too many people are protesting South African segregation and then going home and segregating themselves from people of other races and feeling good because they're "con cerned" and "aware" of South African racial problems. It's time we changed that. An ancient saying has it that a university without a foreign policy is like a fish without a bicycle. If UNC really needs a foreign policy, then let it be a consistent one. If we oppose intervention in the internal affairs of other nations, then let's forget about racism abroad and bury our heads in the sand. If we favor intervention, then let's oppose racism wherever we find it. If we're going to divest, let's divest from all countries that practice racism. If we're going to have forums and speakers and protests, then let's have them for all oppressed ethnic groups. Racism is tragedy enough without politicians trying to capitalize on it for their own political gain. Vance Trefethen, a junior economics major from Bangor, Maine, is state and national editor oThe Daily Tar Heel. hisses, 'DTH' reduces sex to an expression of deep emotional attachment, at best, and an "if it feels good, do it" pastime, at the least, it is no wonder people feel short-changed in their search for intimacy. I think Landers' survey is an indication that sex, in a majority of cases, is not fulfilling a woman's desire to be intimate. Women are not retreating to the idea that sex is wrong or bad. Instead, more women are deciding that sex is something to be shared between two people in an atmosphere of mutual love, commitment and intimacy. And that is not an old Victorian concept. It's the Creator's. Missy Holland Parker New speak, 'DTH' style student body president is the most important seat up for grabs, with DTH editor a probable second, as Janet Olson (commendably) struc tured her lead paragraph. So what about "BSM seeks unity; backs Berger, Rickert and Schmidt" or "BSM backs Berger for SBP; Rickert and Schmidt," or something like these? (Both of these sugges tions have almost the same char acter count as the DTH headline.) Could it be that the DTH, know ing the weight BSM endorsements carry, avoided naming them in a front-page headline? Perhaps the DTH writers wished to de-publicize candidates they do not support. To back such a nasty claim, we point out that this is the second time the DTH has short-changed Berger; the biased coverage of the BSM forum mentioned not a word of his speech. Furthermore, it could be that the DTH fears a coup d'etat by Phoenix editor Arne Rickert. Renae Lias Neil Claffey Ehringhaus Say you 're sorry, Paul members ot the audience had any information about the doer of this low act, to please get in touch with him. That Parker did not first meet privately with the candidates over this occurrence shows a blatant lack of mature judgment. His appeal, of course, caused quite a sensation but what stands out more is that Parker did not deal with the situa tion in a responsible manner. I believe, at the very least, an apology by Parker to all of the SBP can didates is in order. Sabine French Chapel Hill label on the donkey the present, and they're grumpy. When you ask them who's to blame, they're bashful. And if they think the future will be better for them, they're dopey. Allen A. Taylor UNC College Republicans
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Jan. 30, 1985, edition 1
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