* Carolina football begins
,^‘^T . (More game pics on pages 6 & 7)
BLACK INK
The essence of freedom is understanding
m.
BIACK SrUDlNI MOVIMtNT OtIICIAl NtVVSHAHtK University of North Carolina, Chapel Mil
Volume 13, Number 2^
/ 1
AlexanderMerrickchosenheadJ.V. cheerleader
CYNTHIA TATE
Staff Writer
for the >>econd lime in UNC.'s history a
Hlack person has been (hosen head
(heerleader, and lor the first time m the
school's history that person received the ti
tle his first year on the squad
freshm.in Alexander Merrick of Wilm-
inKton was rerenlly selected head ot the
19WJ-BI IV cheerleading squad UNC's first
Black cheerleader, David Belton, also held
the title of head cheerleader
A former cheerleader at New Hanover
High School m Wilmington, Merrick said
he didn I want to let the position go to his
head. I jUst took it in stride, " he said. "I
knew I had to get right to work and assume
the responsibilities.”
As head cheerleader, Merrick will call
most of the cheers and stunts. He will also
organize practices.
He said he hopes he will leave an impres
sion on the squad. No matter what color
you are, each person is unique," he said.
You can always change something."
Merrick feels the absence of Blacks on
the jV squad isn't necessarily due to in
justice during the final decisions, but
because not enough Blacks go out for the
Students at right cross
the 'street at the Chase
Cafeteria cross walk.
Some people teel the
crosses alk could be
dangerous (statt photo by
Beatrice Ta\lor)
® (Z-D
^ -f.
Crosswalk could be dangerous
LAWRENCE TURNER
Newt Editor
The crosswalk in frofil of Chase Hall and
CraiRe dofmilory could be dangerous ac
cording lo some UNC slucients
"Tf>ere s iust loo much traffic on that lit
tle toad." senior Tyron Aveni said
He explained that cars do not slop at the
crosswalk unless the driver sees the
pedestrian
"I think they need at least a yield across
that crossway, he said
A pedestrian crossing sign is placed
bel6re Craige and Ntorrison dormitories
and one is placed coming up the hill bet
ween (hrmghaus and Hinton lames dor
mitories saying the crosswalk is JOO feet
ahead on Manning Drive
lesse Cureton, BSM Vice Chairperson,
said the crosswalk can be dangerous when
students get off at the bus stop lo cross to
Craige or Hinlon fames if drivers only stop
when they see people crossing The Univer
sity would probably only act lo the situation
when someone got hurt or killed, he said
Both Cureton and Avent live in Hinlon
lames and the students there and in Craige
use the c rosswalk daily According to the
Department of Housing b09 stgdents live in
Craige and 987 students live in Hinton
lames
The Chapel Hill police reported one acci
dent at the crosswalk in the last three years
The accident (Kcurred November 19, 1977,
at 12 45 a m A driver going west on Mann
ing Drive was distracted by a car on Ridge
Road and hit a person crossing from Chase
Hall The accident victim was hospitalized.
Bus driver Eli Lack, who drives the cam
pus Belt%Soulh Campus Loop, said the
crosswalk is "really not dangerous except
when pople walk and don I look The
curves (on Ridge Road and on Manning
(Continued on page 6)
i
Ginger Williams
squad. On the first day of tryouts five Black
girls and two Black guys showed up. Out of
those, three tried out for the first cut and
two made it, but Merrick was the only one
to make the final cut.
He said he didn't expect, nor did he feel
he received any special privileges because
he was Black.
"But by being Black you have to put for
ward a special effort," he said.
Community talks
MYRA BLUE
Community Editor
Black Chapel Hill
residents feel Blacks
on the UNC campus
are not as concerned
with campus and
town communities as
they should be.
In recent interviews
conducted in the
Chapel Hill com
munity, the Black
Chapel Hill residents
responded with
dissatisfaction when
asked to give general
opinions of the Black
students.at UNC.
Some of the
residents felt the
Black students probably were not as inform
ed on on-campus and off-campus activities
as they should be, which in turn would ex
plain the lag in involvement. Others said
they felt the students just were not in
terested
Hattie Davis, a 48-year-old salesperson at
Nowell's in University Mall said she felt
students were not given an opportunity to
gel involved because they were not inform
ed on various campus activities.
I've not been in as close contact with
the students as I have been in the past," she
said But I have a daughter who went to
schcK)l at UNC ten years ago and I know
that opp>ortunities for the students were very
limited at that lime
'Also. I work on the Student Crisis Line
on a volunteer basis.and I know of only one
Black student who works there. This tyfje
thing could definitely use some more Black
input," she said
"I don't see or hear much about the Black
students around in the community." 26-
year-old Ginger Williams, another Nowell's
employee, said. "I think the younger age
group can relate well with one another and
should take advantage of opportunities to
do so," she said.
Kenneth Davis, a 27-year-old student at
UNC said the students were pretty good
people "The problem I conceive, " he said,
"is that the Blacks don't seem to know what
is happening around them They don't
(Contlnaed on page 8)
Kenneth Davis