serving the students of the University of Nofth Carolina at Asheville Volume 1, Number 5 Thursday, October 7, 1982 Biden blasts Reagan’s reign By Karen Klumb Delaware Senator and potential vice-presidential candidate Joseph Biden, Jr., speaking on the UNCA campus, said he feels, “The nuclear arms freeze movement is the best thing that’s happened to this coun try in ten years,” although he op poses a nuclear arms freeze resolu tion. Biden took the opportunity in his on-campus speech and an ex clusive interview with the Kaleidoscope to blast the current administration, Reaganomics, and North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms. Biden spoke at an event held Mon day, Sept. 27 in Lipinsky Auditorium. The speech, which drew an audience of about 75, was co-sponsored by the UNCA Young Democrats and Students for Clarke. James McClure Clarke is the Democratic candidate for the 11th Congressional District, opposing in cumbent Republican Bill Hendon. “I’m so tired of Jesse Helms and others tying up the Senate, while we are going to hell in a hand basket/’ — Sen. Biden “If I were the President, would I put a freeze proposal on the table?...The answer is ’no,’ I’d put a SALT proposal on the table,” said Biden, who led the fight for the SALT II treaty in committee and on the Senate floor. Biden explained his opposition to a nuclear arms freeze by stating, “As a negotiating tool, it’s too hard to get in place. It takes too long to get into the ques tion of who has what now; and the bottom line is that it would take several years to negotiate a freeze. We don’t have that much time.” Although opposing a freeze, Biden contended that the freeze movement was “the best thing that’s happened to this country in the last ten years, because what it said to the President was: ‘We [the voters] think you’re crazy, building more ^weapons and talking about winning nuclear wars. We want arms control.’” Biden con tinued by saying that when people vote for a freeze, they’re often not sure of what they’re voting for, other than that they’re voting against the arms race. He said, “I think that’s a very, very importarit message for the Ronald Reagans and Jesse Helmses of this world to get, and get it straight. I think that’s the only reason why Ronald Reagan has decided to start arms negotiation discussions - because of the pressure of people in the freeze "TtO /fcixlBnt. Delaware Senator Joseph Biden, Jr., pictured, spoke on the UNCA cam pus Sept 27. A potential vice-presidential candidate, Biden spoke against the current administration, Reaganomics and nuclear freeze. Photo courtesy of Asheville Citizen-Times In the interview as well as in his speech, Biden attacked the Reagan administration’s cuts in Social Security benefits for dependents and survivors, alleging that “by cut ting aid to students and education, this administration is mortgaging the future of our country.” Referring to survivor’s benefits in particular, Biden stated that if a stu dent’s mother or father passed away, after paying money into the social security system, the govern ment has the responsibility of returning that money which was paid, in the form of survivor’s benefits. He stated, “The govern ment’s not doing these students a favor. It’s paying back what’s owed.” While on the subject of education, Biden referred to N. C. Senator Jesse Helms’ attempt to legalize prayer in public schools. He stated that he does not feel that the Helms amendment has much chance of suc ceeding in the Senate. Biden con tends i.hat we should be clarifying, through a constitutional amend ment, the right to voluntarily pray in school. He disagrees with the no tion of a school board deciding what prayer would be prayed by all the children in a given school district. Biden stated, “If you were able to come up with an ecumenical prayer. I’d like to see it. What worries me is that we will have...some school board dominated by some right- wing faction or a Falwell, telling us we have to pray in the strictest in terpretation of the Bible. I respect people who believe that. But I hap pen not to be a strict creationist, and I don’t want to have to say Jesse Helms’ prayer.” Referring to Senator Helms’ at tempt to pass an anti-abortion amendment, Senator Biden stated that he supported Helms’ attempt to break the filibuster, although he opposed the amendment. He stated, “I supported the attempt to break the filibuster so we’d have a vote,” saying that he thought the Senate continued on page 8 An unidentified student marks his ballot for SGA candidates during elections last week. Staff photo by David Pickett Turn-out low Students elect SGA Senators Student Government elections were held last Thursday and Friday for nine senate seats. The three new freshmen senators for student government are Stephen Magoon, Mike Norris, and V^erie Reed. The two new junior senators are Michael Dombrowski and Thomas Reynolds. Newly elected dorm senators are Deborah Wilson and Bryan Joyce. New commuter senators are Terry Lynn Smith and Ken Cagle. Voter turn-out this fall was lower than that of last spring. Last spring, 296 students voted as com pared to 226 students who voted this fall. This figure represents less than 10 percent of the students who are eligi ble to vote. “I didn’t vote because I didn’t feel like it was worth my time,” said one junior. The duty of the senators is to represent the people who elected them,” according to BiffGuilmartin, Student Government Association president. “The senators’ job is to find out what problems students may have. SGA then tries to go to the various people or organizations on campus and solve the problem with policies or other options,” said Guilmartin. Guilmartin plans a “meet your senator party” after fall break, so the students can meet their representatives.

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