Newspapers / University of North Carolina … / Jan. 22, 1998, edition 1 / Page 3
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January 22,1998 The Banner Page 3 Perspectives Student activism: a duty to community sssiisiSSKA Randy Williams columnist behind this semester’s increase in student activism. One of the most important rea- It looks like in the upcoming semester there will be more activist events than in any previous one. Organizations like A to Zebra, Amnesty International, the Bahai Club, the Ecology Club, and WAIL are kicking off ambitious semester agendas which will include demonstrations, events, and more. This column, to appear with frequency ■ er this semester, is intended to articulate ihephilosophy behind this movement. It is exploration of the reasons behind stu- Jcnt activism. In each column I will try to :xplain why I am an activist. Although I am primarily an independent ictivist, I am fundamentally interested in facilitating inter-group communication and ipport. I hope that my rationale can serve a window, through which other people n understand the motivational forces sons why I am an activist is because I I believe that power requires responsibil ity, and that many social problems arise when power is used without emphasis on the communal duty of non-harm. believe that power and responsibility are intricately related. Here, power can be de fined as the capacity to influence people, events, and the environment. I believe that power requires responsibil ity, and that many social problems arise when power is used without emphasis on the communal duty of non-harm. Because we live in communities, our actions will inevitably be felt by other people. This means that whether we like it or not, we have power. Our task then, is to decide how we wan t to use that power; how we want to influence people and the envi ronment. Most people, whether they cite scripture, ethical imperatives, or their own hearts, wish to impact their world in a positive way. These people do not want to harm people, nor do they want to harm the environment. Therefore, we must hold all of our actions to this ethical standard. Unfortunately, in contemporary America it has become easy not to think about the implications of our actions because we rarely have to confront them. We can buy gas from a Shell station, without knowing that the oil came at the cost of displacing indigenous people from their lands. We put up posters of naked women without thinking about social implications. We throw away excessive amounts of paper without considering where it goes and if such a process of waste disposal and con sumption can be sustained. And so on. As an activist I am dedicated to the project of increasing people’s awareness of the implications of specific actions. Cer tain actions, I think, can quite clearly be linked to the exploitation of others and the My task is to educate myself and other people as to which actions those are, so that we may abstain from them, and live up to our ideal of non harm. environment. My task is to educate myself and other people as to which actions those are, so that we may abstain from them, and live up to our ideal of non-harm. There are different groups on campus who work to highlight and bring attention to harmful actions. These groups have joined together over the last three months to diagnose the state of student activism at UNCA. GRASP UNCA isa rwo-partevent and the product of the excessive dialogue between these activists. The first part of GRASP UNCA will take place on Tues day, Jan. 27 in the Highsmith Center Lounge at 7 p. m. In multiple student- facilitated discussion groups, students and faculty will share what their experiences have been like at UNCA, in regards to student activism, and suggest ways that it can be improved on campus. All of the attendants, if willing, will become a part of the new activist infastructure that will be contacted via e-mail for all of the upcom ing events. The second part of the event will be dedicated to brainstorming ways that we can increase student activism on campus. The list produced should be im pressive. The second part of the event will take place on Febuary 18th, again to take place in the Highsmith Center Lounge at 7 pm. This event will act as a “briefing” of all the issues that campus, communal, national, and international activist groups are deal ing with. Additionally, at this event there will be literature available from all the major grassroots organizations in the com munity, nation, and world. Letters to the Editor Alumnus dissects ISGA proposals I iDear Editor: It was with dismay that I read that lome elersents of SGA wanted to [attempt !o curtail The Banners Ivoice. In the articles and editorials re lated tothe effort, I saw two justifi cations for the bills affecting The iannf. D/nying The Banner campus comnission funding because of its failire to file paperwork or be ap- prcyed as a student organization thipugh SGA-related procedures. lease correct this letter with an e/itor’s note if I’m wrong, but pesn’t The Banner ^\xh\\s\i thestu- Icnt newspaper via a contract with be university? Ifthisisso,then TheBanner'NO\AA ist as a contracted entity inde- enden t of SGA and Campus Com- lission jurisdiction. Reducing circulation because of tter/waste programs. This is rather specious grounds, icthinks—to punish the newspa- er because of the behavior of its jbscribers. Would it not be more productive attempt to install proper recep- icles on the campus? 1 would suggest this, but (pardon >y waning memory if I am wrong) INCA already has recycling and fuse containers galore. These justifications amount to adly cut fig leaves for censorship, nd I would think that UNCA stu dents would see through these little disguises. Which they did, appar ently. The lopsided vote defeating the censorship bills was the best deci sion the Student Senate could have made. I would hope they Would con tinue to display the wisdom to say “no” to these sorts of blatant at tempts at censorship. James Hertsch 1997 Alumnus, mass communica tion Editor’s Note: James Hertsch is correct on all counts regarding the attempted Stu dent Government Association regu lation of In December, SGA Residential Senator Doug Jones submitted a bill seeking to revoke Banner funding because we had not gone through what he thought was the proper channel to get funding, the SGA. As Mr. Hertsch points out, The Banner deals directly with the university for funding—not via recognition from the SGA. A blast from the past Dear Editor, “Gaggers,” pardon this letter, for it’s gag-worthy content, but I must respond to two of your fellow “gag-mates’” messages sent on be half of Ms. Sulock’s Nov. 13 article on the Judgment House. Heather Garren and Tanner Gamble both manifest critical points concerning, Christianity in their letters but refuse to notice their qwn “mis^ , guided” opinions. First of all, as a Christian, I do not consider Halloween as the, as Ms. Garren was so quick to assume, “devil’s holiday.” I am sure some her Christian pals do, in fact, place that title on All Hallow’s Eve, but I am not one of those people. Frankly, I know many Christians who celebrate Halloween with their family and friends and have no reservations doing so. Only if one chooses to consider that night the “devil’s holiday,” does it then become offensive to the Christian community. By allowing yourself to associate devilish characteristics with this holiday, you obviously are not do ing your part as a true Christian. Ideally, the Christian would want to portray love in everything he does. What is wrong with sharing a happy, fun-filled, and Christian, nonetheless, moment with one’s family? Does it really matter what the occasion, as long as love is com pletely expressed in the celebration? If you find some sort of betraying qualities in celebrating one holiday stemming from the old pagan festi vals, forget about your beloved Christmas fiascos. Ever decorated a Christmas tree? I bet your Christian church even installs one lovely evergreen into its sanctuary every holiday season, right? Woops, don’t let your other ■ Christian pals know. , ■ This celebration, too, has its ori gins in the pagan rituals of long ago. Go ahead and regard Christmas with the same amount of “disgust” you muster up for the “devil’s holi day” because, historically, it’s one too. And to Tanner Gamble, please spare us the santimony of your ser mon in disguise. By stating that,” We possess a faith that transcends all in this world,” your own close-mindedness virtu ally shines through. True, Christianity does prove the “transcending faith” to you person ally, but let us not forget the many other faith’s devoutly worshipped on this planet. Because one does' not share the same faith in your God, is not an invitation for you to label him a “non-believer.” No, he may, in fact, believe very strongly, just not in the same con text as yourself It appears you have not “spread his love and salvation to all” but, rather, your judgment. And, I might add, who are you to judge? Who is anyone to blast down another’s faith with the hypocrisy of their own? In this case, and probably this case only, I am proud to pla/ the “devil’s advocate.” Paula Carter Freshman, undeclared Editorial Board Brian Castle Erin King Chris Brooker Renee Slaydon Chris Garner Preston Gannaway Amanda Thorn Nate Conroy Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor News Editor Features Editor Sports Editor Photo Editor Copy Editor Electronic Editor Staff Travis Barker, Amanda Huston, Eric Jacobson, Nicole Miller, Amelia Morrison, Andrew Pearson, Greg Sessoms, Christie Wild, Gene Zaleski Letters to the editor may be submitted to The Banner at One University Heights, 208ACarmichaeiHaii, Asheville, NC28804, e-mailed to banner@unca.edu, or submitted via The Banner Online. Letters should be typed, single-spaced, and limited to 300 words or less. Submissions may be edited for space and content. Letters to the editor must be signed and include the author’s classification and major or other relationship to UNCA. Susan Johnson Fatima Johnson Managers Columnists Advertising Manager Circulation Manager Wiley Cash, Nate Conroy, Jim Kirk, Julie Pearson, Rebecca Sulock, Randy Williams Contributing Writers Andrew Hart, Catharine Sutherland Online Staff Matt Hunt, Hugh Kelly, Richard Preston, Darrell Sellers Mark West, faculty advisor The Banner is the student newspaper of the University of North Carolina at Asheville. We publish each Thursday except durinesummer sessions, final exam weeks and holi day Dreaks. Our offices are located in Carmichael Hall, Room 208-A. Our telephone number is (704) 251-6586. Our campus e- mail address is banner@unca.edu. An on-line version of The Banner is also available at http://www.unca.edu/banner/ Nothin? in our editorial or opinions sections necessarily reflects the opinion of the entire Banner staff, the faculty advisor, or the university faculty, administration or staff Unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of a majority of The Banner editorial board. Letters, columns, cartoons and re views represent only the opinions of their respective authors. The Bannery/eXcomcs submissions of letters and articles for publication. Ail submissions are subject to editing for clarity, content and length and are considered on the basis of interest, space, taste, and timeliness. Letters should be typed, double-spaced, and should not exceed 300 words. Letters for publication should also con tain the author's signature, classification, major or other relationshm with UNCA. The deadline for letters is noon on Tuesday. If you have a submission, you can send it to The Banner, 208A Carmichael Hall, One University Heights, Asheville NC 28804. The deadline for display ads and the FYI calendar is on Friday at noon. The deadline for classified ads is at noon on Tuesday.
University of North Carolina at Asheville Student Newspaper
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Jan. 22, 1998, edition 1
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