8 The Daily Tar Heel Thursday, March 19, 1987
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95th year of editorial freedom
Jill Gerber, Editor
Amy Hamilton, Managing Editor
SALLY PEARSALL, News Editor
JEAN LUTES, University Editor
DONNA LEINWAND, State and National Editor
JEANNIE FARIS, City Editor
JAMES SUROWIECKI, Sports Editor
FELISA NEURINGER, Business Editor
JULIE BRASWELL, Features Editor
Elizabeth Ellen, Arts Editor
Charlotte Cannon, Photography Editor
KATHY PETERS, Omnibus Editor
Editorials
Message in a bottle
The National Collegiate Athletic
: Association tournament is once again
? wending its way to the Final Four, and
for the seventh straight year, Dean
Smith has steered the Tar Heels to the
Sweet 16. But this year, there is a new
twist for the team as the NCAA has
implemented mandatory drug testing
f . 1 It
. tor participants in us men s oasKeioau
tournament.
; After each game, the seven members
of the winning team with the most
minutes played, along with another
member selected at random, are led
i; into bathrooms by NCAA observers.
i. Each player is watched until he fills
Ji a sample bottle. The players cannot
t do anything until they have given their
samples.
This system has proved to be fraught
with inconvenience and should be
changed.
Whisking players away immediately
5 after a game keeps them from cele-
brating as a team, disrupting the locker
; room euphoria after a hard-won
J victory. Several players, dehydrated
after games, have been delayed for
i hours after the final whistle, vainly
attempting to fill their bottles. Carol-
ina's Jeff Lebo didn't return to the
gleam's hotel in Charlotte until 2 a.m.
after last Thursday's game.
The NCAA claims the tests are
necessary to ensure fair competition
by preventing athletes from chemically
aiding performances.
Unfortunately, after last week's
revelations by former Villanova star
Gary McClain, it does appear that
drug testing is necessary to maintain
the integrity of the tournament.
McClain admitted to playing under the
influence of cocaine in the 1985 NCAA
tournament semifinal against Mem
phis State. Certainly, the tournament
is a valuable asset, and the NCAA has
a right to set standards to protect the
value of the event. However, to only
become concerned about athletes'
welfare when large profits are involved
is self-serving. The NCAA, if truly
interested in athletes welfare, should
set aside some of the revenues it
receives from the tournament to set
up a drug awareness program for
athletes. Furthermore, in addition to
merely suspending a player from
tournament competition for testing
positive, the NCAA should provide
funds and time for drug rehabilitation.
Testing should be done the day after
a game. Then, any illegal substances
will still be in the players' systems,
teams will have a chance to celebrate
together after the game, and players
will not be detained for hours after
the contest. C.C.
Keadleirs' Forumm
Buildings are people, too
People generally want to feel like
they're making progress as they go
through life, and the UNC campus,
while it's not a person, apparently feels
the same way. Its progress is marked
t; for all to see, and anyone who walks
l through campus notices it even if
they don't realize it.
Consider the historical splendor of
Old East and Old West dormitories.
Sure, they may be about 100 years
behind the times when it comes to
plumbing, fire escapes and heating, but
that's the point. People know Old East
s was the first in the University system,
5 and it's believable because of its
5 'architectural style. Old East looks like
it was built in 1793.
But what's not so obvious is that
almost all campus buildings reflect the
ages in which they were built.
Consider some of the more recent
buildings, ones that were built in the
. times today's students can remember.
They too reflect subtle social changes.
X For example, Greenlaw Hall, built in
J the early 1960s, seems to embody the
f institutional attitudes of the civil rights
?: movement. Protest abounded, and
Greenlaw answered it: Dig in and
: prepare for a siege. Only an excellent
f j brick thrower could break the win
f Hows because they're so small, and
i -
n non sequnur
v.
v.
even with the windows broken, it'd be
almost impossible to enter through the
narrow slits. Greenlaw is easily
defended. With only two entrances on
the ground floor, it's a veritable
fortress.
And the south campus dormitories,
built in the late 1960s and early 1970s,
show the "love-in" attitude of the time.
With long, open-aired walkways on
each floor, it's easy to imagine hordes
of sun-worshippers basking there in
cross-legged and love-beaded
splendor. The get-closer, free love ethic
is also there. The rooms are so small
that it's impossible not to get closer
to the people around you.
And lastly, consider Davis Library,
built just a few years ago. It reflects
the dawning of the Age of the Yuppie.
Everything must be new, showing the
hope of the future, but it must pay
at least a passing respect for what has
come before with a twist. The
banners hanging from the ceiling
hearken back to the days of Arthurian
coats of arms, but they are not. And
the triumphal arches over the Human
ities Reading room call up images of
the classic Roman arch. However, in
true 1980s fashion, the design includes
not one, but two arches. Everyone
knows two are better than one.
Aren't we something? G.P.
Rise up, all ye tubular masses
Non sequiturian voices have finally
begun to penetrate the muffling drone of
stuffy conformists around the globe. Yes,
friends, substantial progress has been made
on the crusade to live, act and feel as non
sequiturians wish. But the war has yet
begun.
Unfortunately, today's word-of-the-day
has been postponed until next Tuesday,
when this space will be blessed with two
words (that day's today's word, and of
course, today's today's word), so that there
will be ample room to highlight a few of
these recent battles. Here are some voices
of the brave, fighting on the front for non
sequiturian ideals:
o "1 did take it," said Wesley J. Shattuck,
a NCSU campus policeman who has been
with his department for six years, after he
was questioned by Major Larry Liles for
lifting and eating a Hostess Twinkie while
on duty. "When I walked through, I -just
leaned over and picked it up. Then bam,
bam, bam I'm suspended, I'm fired and
practically in jail."
Big deal, Shattuck, so you hot-fingered
a cream puff. A shiny badge is no shield
against sensual urges for tubular masses of
golden sponge cake.
a "I'm hoping it will be just like it's
always been," said Machelle Outlaw, who
was expelled from her Goldsboro church
school for modeling bathing suits, after the
N.C. Superior Court ruled that she be
allowed to return to classes. Reginald
Kingsley, the school's principal, said that
Miss Outlaw could return only if she gave
up her homecoming crown and promised
not to model any more suits before she
graduated.
Tighten your Speedo strings, Kingsley.
If you want to live in the past, don't let
a little thing like constitutional rights stand
in your way. It's your school, and, as
principal, you have the authority to dictate
what students wear outside class. Those
who do not suit you should be Outlawed.
B "No one knows," said Jan R. Aufder
Heide, a spokeswoman for the Upjohn
Company, when asked to explain how
Rogaine, the company's new drug that
supposedly combats baldness works.
Upjohn is the company that made taking
vitamins kind of like watching cartoons.
Look, AufderHeide, there're 30 million men
and 20 million women suffering from
varying degrees of chrome dome syndrome
in this country. If Upjohn says it works,
well, that's good enough.
Years only add to Bach's worl
In 1821 Napoleon died in exiie on the
thankless rock of St. Helena. But that
year, an event far mightier in conse
quence quietly took place at the Royal.
Library in Berlin. Rummaging through
reams of aging musical scores, a young Felix
Mendelssohn came across the original
manuscript of Johann Sebastian Bach's "St.
Matthew's Passion." The "Passion," along
with Bach's entire work, had been forgotten
since Bach's death in 1750. One can only
imagine (and envy) how overwhelmed
Mendelssohn was by his discovery. And
thanks to his ensuing dedication, the works
of the greatest composer of all time began
to take their rightful place in the history
of music.
This Saturday, when Bach's 302nd
birthday is celebrated, it is unlikely that
radio stations and concert halls the world
over will let the occasion pass by unnoticed.
Of course it is a bit subjective to call Bach
the "greatest." Mozart is by far the most
popular composer nowadays, as attested by
such stations as WCPE's merciless overplay
ing of the Jupiter Symphony and Ein
Kleinenacht Musik, among other Mozart
hits. Then there are those who think that
because Beethoven was good with drums
and very loud with odes to joy, he should
be the mightiest. Some good Christians
might even believe that Handel should be
the best, if only because he makes us think
of the Messiah on all too numerous
occasions. And then there is John Lennon,
Phil Collins, and of course my neighbor,
who's good with the flute . . .
We can't argue with taste, and that is for
the better because it prevents countless
pointless arguments. But I like to think that
Bach is above matters of taste and judgment,
for totally absurd reasons that go back a
few years.
I don't remember exactly when I first
heard Bach, but maternal legend has it that
it was within a matter of weeks of my birth,
when after a breast feeding session and
healthy burp, 1 was allowed to sleep
somewhere near the living room ferns. My
mother believed and still believes that
her plants liked music. But they preferred
Pierre Tristam
Guest Writer
Bach. And she gave them Bach straight,
arranged for the xylophone, siing by the
King's Singers ...
But an infant's ears are better suited for
the soothing sound of a fly buzzing against
the ceiling than a monstrous passacaglia
orchestrated by Leopold Stokowski. And so,
whimpering relentlessly, I rebelled and was
never left to nap near the ferns aeain.
Legend aside, my first memory of hearing;
Bach took place seven or eight years later.
It was a very clever trick on Mother's part.
She was just beginning to host a radio show.
For a theme, she chose none other than
Bach's Badinnerie from one of his orchestral
suites. I don't know if she did this with her
ferns in mind or to force me and my brothers
to listen to "good" music. At any rate, her
strategy worked. We could not but listen.
When she came home from the airwaves,
I was surprised to discover that Mother had
lifted the Badinnerie from a children's record
of Bach's story. Wearily, I played the record,
and wearily, I listened, expecting to hear
an imposing voice relate a life as dull as
the music itself. But the anecdotes were
seducing. It was surprising and even
heartwarming to hear that such a great man
had once been seven or eight, and that he
used to sneak into his brother's study at night
and steal musical scores so that he might
copy them for himslf, or was bad-tempered.
But that Bach had more than a dozen
children enchanted me. And that they were
rowdy and called him "the old wig"
enchanted me even more since I thought
even his own children could not put up with
his music. From then on, I proudly felt an
unbreakable bond of solidarity with the
Bach kids. : 1
I cannot remember much of Bach's story
as it was told then beyond the family quarrels
and the Badinnerie, which occurred at the
end of the record's first side. The second
side must have dealt with Bach's older days,
his great choral works, his blindness and,
of course, his death, in which I was not
interested in the least.
It was nearly a dozen years later that Bach
came in handy for me, though my appre
ciation had nothing to do with his greatness
yet. It had to do with his tendency to produce
long works, or at least boxed sets of records
I could play in succession while writing
essays or studying for classes I had very little
interest in. Bach became an antidote for
academic boredom.
He still is, and now more than ever,
though his music has become much more
than an antidote. The effect of listening to
him, willingly or unwillingly when I was a
child, and later as a means of distraction,
has developed into an attachment that can
only be compared with the meaning of a
great memory, except that Bach's is a
memory that can be brought back to life
with the merest access to a radio or a
turntable. I could make fanciful analogies,
call Bach a drug or at least an elixir of
magical potentials, but that would mean
nothing at all.
Whatever it is that makes Bach's music
something divine lies in each of his works
and for whatever reason one may decide to
listen to him. It is a bit sad that his popular
reputation rests mainly on the Brendenbug
concerti, a few hymns and a few airs when
there are in Bach's name more than thousand
works for every conceivable instrument of
his time. One need not be a musicologist
or an expert in fugue construction to be
touched by a suite for harpsichord or for
full orchestra once meant for the leisurely
evenings of a Prussian court, or by variations
he wrote for an insomniac prince or by little
preludes and fuguettas he wrote for his wife,
Anna Magdalena . . .
One only needs to listen.
WUNC will play Bach's music all day
Saturday.
Pierre Tristam is a history graduate student
from Carrboro.
Student aid
breeds
mediocrity
To the editor:
Financial aid has financed
the drive to mediocrity under
taken by American universities
since tne ivous. ompeung lor
federal dollars, universities
lowered their standards until
virtually anyone who could
sign a financial aid receipt was
admitted. This University, sup
posedly North Carolina's lead
ing institution, began admitting
students with SAT scores
below 1000 who are barely
literate. Other universities
within the UNC system reput
edly admit those with SAT
scores below 700 on financial
aid.
Financial aid began in the
early 1960s as a program to pay
the universitv costs of able
students whose parents could
not afford to pay. These two
criteria were abandoned during
the 1960s as the middle class
sought to protect its sons from
being drafted and sent to Viet
nam. By the 1980s, the merit
concept had been entirely aban
doned; it is little wonder that
the costs of the program have
increased exponentially.
The Reagan administration
will not solve the problem by
simply tightening up; what is
required is a return to the
original concept. The ideals of
financial aid can be better
served by restricting benefits to
the top 30 percent of SAT
takers in any given year.
NICK BAGSHAWE
Senior
Political Science
Burnout out,
Toastout in
To the editor:
You know, the Chapel Hill
Town Council is a lot smarter,
than we think. If you're like me,
you picture a bunch of stupid
country bumpkin-redneck-hicks
running the show. Well,
they're not stupid. The poten
tial for damage to twigs and
branches at Burnout's present
site is unlimited.
Yes, the council clearly knew
that the alternative to Burnout
at Finley Golf Course was
"Burnout somewhere else" and
not "no Burnout at all," like
some people think. Of course,
we'd have to change the name
of it if we moved it; there's only
one real place for Burnout
in the woods. So how about
Toastout? Everybody could
bring a few beers for the toast
(wink-wink) victims and a case
or two. Oh, and we'd have it
on Franklin Street.
The Town Council obviously
wants what is best for the heart
and soul of the community. I
figure they want us to move to
Franklin Street for a few rea
sons. First, there's the conven
ience factor. It's so much easier
for us to get to Franklin than
Finley anyway.
Second, .acres the noise.
Surely, youH agree the sounds
of smashing windows and dent
ing cars is much quieter than
that satanic rock 'n' roll they
played last year.
Third, there's the traffic. ItH
be a chance just to get rid of
all those cars on Franklin
Street for a day.
Another reason has to be
those pesky businesses on
Franklin Street that contribute
to excessive growth and even
progress in the community.
Once vandalized, maybe they 11
clear out at last.
The final reason is fun. ItH
be more fun to toast than burn,
and the council knew this.
Imagine 10,000 rowdy people
united in one common goal:
aiding the toasted. I'm sure
when the Town Council
watches the television coverage
of Toastout and sees happy
students using Silent Sam as a
battering ram on Spanky's
windows, they'll smile and feel
confident in their decision.
Thanks to them, this year's
party wont be like any other.
DAVE SHAW
Junior
RTVMP
TheDTHhas
done it again
To the editor:
Daily Tar Heel, you have
done it again! YouVe managed
to put your foot in your mouth
once more and advocate blat
ant racism. As a black male
student, I almost choked on my
own disgust after reading the
column written by Tom Camp
("Quick flash leaves lasting
burn," March 16).
The column details Camp's
trip to Florida in which he talks
about spring break delirium, a
begging bag lady and his regret
ting to give the lady a ride. Near
the end, Camp describes watch
ing a terrified "trashy looking
white girl" fall out of a van
owned by a black man. Accord
ing to Camp, the "sweaty"
black man smiled, buttoned his
pants and boasted, "That's
number two. Time to get
another." Camp then concludes
by reflecting on this scene and
wondering if he should have
given the bag lady a ride.
Camp, what was the point?
Was it to describe a spring
break experience or to make
black men look once again like
sex-hungry animals or rapists?
There is nothing wrong with
controversy, but when you
continuously and ignorantly
target a minority group one
which this school claims to be
so desperately recruiting you
not only undermine minority
recruitment ('cause we do tell
these little horror stories to
potential minority enrollees),
but you create a tense racial
climate.
Wake up, DTH, or must
"we" have to proofread your
articles for their "Gosh, can't
you minorities take a joke,"
mentality?
WILLIAM WYNN
, Freshman
Pharmacy
Town Council decision narrow-miiided
To the editor:
The Chapel Hill Town Council's move
to block Burnout showed an alarming
narrow-mindedness and a lack of thought
on the part of five council members. The
council acted on the advice of interim Police
, Chief Arnold Gold, who recommended a
noise permit be denied. Xiold based his
decision; on "an unknown number of
complaints" from the Oaks that were called
in and not recorded last year. Gold and the
police department would appear to have
memories as vague as President Reagan's.
Dr. H.D. Peterson said, "I live in the Oaks,
and I never heard any complaints. The noise
wasnt a problem. There wasn't any signif
icant vandalism. 1 would know about it."
Nevertheless, Pi Kappa Phi has provided
a solution for the complaints and even
council member John Howes said, ". . . in
spite of the, fact that you have met our
demands." So why is the council trying to
stop a party that would raise $6,000 for
research, patient care and burn prevention
at the N.C. Burn Center? "We want to move
such events to the center of the campus,"
Howes said. This is an attitude that surfaced
in August and could very well surface again
in several weeks. The town seems afraid of
students gathering off-campus and partic
ularly on Franklin Street. However, when
a large number of people from the Triangle
area gathered in the street in Augusfrifte
police did nothing to stop the few who
caused damage. They merely stood and
watched and blamed the students later. On
Halloween, the predominately UNC crowd,
supervised by police, was peaceful. The
students, especially evidenced by Pi Kappa
Phi's thoughtfully prepared plan, have
shown that they are ready and capable to
address and solve problems between the
town and the University. The Town Council
should be expected to do the same.
ERIC MILLER
Freshman
Political Science