VOLUME VI, IMO. 7 ■ QtHVtBSliy OF ■ Wednesday, January i3. 1971
Coonan Vetoes WUNF Organization Plans
by Ron Cappella
Articles of Organization for
WUNF were presented to the
Student Senate December 16
with the purpose of establishing
the radio station as an
independent body, rather than
as the agency status it has held
since early this year.
The Articles established
officers of the station as well as
corresponding duties and set up
a system of choosing officers for
the coming years. The Senate
was presented a bill which would
allocate $.70 per student per
term effective third term of this
year. The Student Senate, by
suspendmg the general rules by
which it operates, passed the
two bills. In a surprise move,
however, SGA President Bill
Coonan vetoed the bills.
This is the first time in the
history of the UNC-A SGA that
a President has vetoed a law
passed by the Senate.
When Carl Ballard, Chief
Engineer, of WUNF was asked
how he viewed Coonan’s actions,
stated that Coonan wants
complete control of all campus
news media and that the veto
was for the purpose of
continuing the present
autocratic control of the radio
station by the SGA. Mr. Ballard
issued a warning that all campus
news media are in danger of
losing their freedom.
Ray Holden, Station Manager
and David Anders, Programming
Director, were also on hand to
give their less inflammatory
opinions. They stated that since
both the RIDGERUNNER and
WUNF were news media and the
RIDGERUNNER receives
money from the student body,
then WUNF should as well.
When presented with, the
question that a comparison
between the RIDGERUNNER
and WUNF was unfair since the
RIDGERUNNER presents news,
editorials and articles of special
interest whereas WUNF has so
far only presented
entertainment, Anders replied
that WUNF can progress no
further until two problems are
overcome. They are the
problems of stable income and a
formal organization acceptable
to the Federal Communications
Commission.
Anders further commented
that when these two problems
are overcome, WUNF-M will be
as good as WFBC-FM in signal
reception and programming
quality. Mr. Holden answered
the question of what will happen
if the radio station cannot
overcome Coonan’s veto .in the
Senate with a concide “no
comment.”
Anders, Holden and Ballard
added that in the future there
are many advantages to having a
good campus radio station.
Humanity lectures could be
broadcast for the students who
missed them. Live Broadcasts of
sports contests at other schools
could be made direct to the
UNC-A campus as well as in
depth reporting of national and
international news of interest to
students.
President Bill Connan, in an
interview, gave the followin
reasons for the veto. At the
presentation of the two bills to
the Senate, the Senate did not
have time to examine the bills in
detail. Under the articles of
Organization, the radio would be
self-perpetuating and wouia oe a
closed shop (not open to all
students). A minority of
students could capture the radio
station and there was no
editorial board to evaluate the
fairness of the editorials made by
the radio station.
Mr. Coonan also stated that
the Articles of Organization
were not in line with the original
plans made up last year. \^en
asked about the method used by
the radio station to get the two
bills passed, Mr. Coonan said the
radio tried a “railroad job”.
BULLDOGS STAND AT 10-2
ERSKINE ENDS BULLDOG
WINNING STREAK
for The Story ... see page 7
Saga Under Attack From All Sides
Administration Claims
Breach of Contract
photo by Curtis White
Ruth Jones, one of the cooks in the UNC-A cafeteria, feels
that lack of equipment is one of the worst problems besetting
Saga. Recent student complaints about the service Saga provides
have prompted more Administrative action. Bill Pott, Business
Manager for UNC-A began in mid-December taking bids for other
food services to replace Saga.
The Administration is also contemplating managing the food
service on its own.
by Bill Wiley
Recent student complaints
concerning Saga, University food
service and Administrative
investigations have attracted
campus attention.
Approximately a month ago,
petitions appeared in the dorms
which called for changes in the
food plan and improvement of
the food services of Saga.
In early December, the
Administration called a meeting
with Mr. Fred Burger, District
Manager for Saga School
Division in the Carolinas and
Eastern Tennessee. The meeting
was allegedly to clear up a
controversy over the scheduling
of “Steak Night” at Saga.
With the resumption of
school after the holidays, the
confusion has begun again.
Meetings have been called for
next week with Burger, Jolm
Spelman, Food Service Director
at UNC-A and the new FSD who
will take the position at least by
the end of January provided
Saga still retains the school
contract. The meetings
according to Chancellor
Highsmith will be to determine
whether the contracts can be
worked out, if not, a new service
will have to be arranged.
There have been mentions of
breach of contract accusations
against Saga from the
Administration,
Spelman informed Saga in
mid-December that he would be
leaving the post and as Spelman
notes suddenly, all the
fireworks began. The new Food
Serivce Director is scheduled to
take the post in mid-January
when he arrives from Saga’s
training school in Portland,
Oregon.
The original bone of
contention seems to have been
steak night which was at first
scheduled for one constant night
each week. The Administration
claims that when Saga began
rotating the night each week, it
was against the terms of the
contract. Chancellor Highsmith
has been singularly
uncooperative in making
comment on the situation.
The controversy now is
magnified beyond the original
argument over steak night.
Presently, student dissatisfaction
has extended to the qulaity,
diversity and quantity of the
meals offered by the food
service.
There is another side to the
picture, however.
Spelman says that he doesn’t
completely understand the
whole mess. The Administration
is responsible for all equipment
used by the food service. Saga
merely leased the building and
the equipment to set up its
organization. It is Seplman’s
contention that the students
don’t understand the difficulties
involved in the preparation of
food at UNC-A,
-An example is fried chicken.
Students have petitioned that it
is dry and stale by the time it is
served at dinner. Seplman agrees
but he adds that there just is not
sufficient equipment in the
kitchen for a food operation as
large as the one at UNC-A.
Just this year, the cafeteria
finally received a walk-in
refrigerator but that is the
extent of the major appliances
that have been added to the
kitchen in the past two years.
The snack shop has seen
numerous additions in the past
years but the kitchen is still
badly in need of more
equipment. Extra ovens are
immediately needed. In the past
almost all of the desserts have
been home cooked, so to speak,
but the shortage of cooking
space has forced Saga to buy
local bakery products and
frozen; pre-cooked foods to
replace the other desserts. The
increased price of these bakery
goods, of course, is another
drain on Saga,
Just last week, one of the
refrigerators in the kitchen died
of old agof and a replacement is
badly needed.
The hold-up in new
equipment is the state budget
for additions which was
submitted last year. Money on
the state level is tight and many
of the requests were either cut
or eliminated entirely. There just
isn’t enough money for the
additions to the kitchen is the
see “Saga”page ^