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BLACK INK
The essence of freedom is understanding
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Volume 1(5, Number 11 'X
Black Student Movement Official Newspaper
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
September 9,1982
BSM settles controversial issue
Recent Organization of BSM Choir
Wende
Watson - BSM Chairperson
Cheryl Williams Features Editor
The recent reorganization of the Black Stu
dent Movement Choir has caused allegations
to fly and propaganda to spread.
The reorganization includes selecting a
non-religious name for the choir, conducting
auditions and broadening its repertoire.
Recommendations made by the Central
Committee of the BSM had called for a
change in the name in order to facilitate the
expansion of the repertoire. When choir exec
utive officers threatened to leave the choir
because of the changes, the Central Commit
tee offered to conduct auditions for the
1982-83 choir.
However, at a recent general body meeting,
the choir finally agreed to follow the recom
mendations, including the expansion of its
repertoire, without changing its name. Execu
tive officers of the choir made it clear they
had been misunderstood and did not intend to
resign. Therefore, the Central Committee
agreed to allow them to conduct their own
elections as had been done in the past.
All this, however, follows the circulation of
a petition calling for the resignation of BSM
Chairperson Wende Watson, an action seen
by some as an attempt to personalize the
whole issue.
Members of the BSM Gospel Choir who
were opposed to reorganization circulated the
paper, stating the BSM is in turmoil. Chair
person Wende Watson disagrees.
"The BSM is not in turmoil," Watson said.
"Some of the religious choir members and the
ones who think they have been brainwashed
into doing something they didn't want to do,
are in turmoil."
The paper also questioned the BSM elec
tions and called Watson a dictator. Watson,
however, is unmoved by the name-calling be
cause she feels she is just doing her job.
"Name calling is just something people re
sort to when they are upset. Any decisions I
make as chairperson or the Central Commit
tee makes, we do because we feel they are in
the best interests of our constituents," Watson
said. "We certainly aren't a vindictive
committee."
Questions concerning elections procedures
arose at the general body meeting, when
members claimed they had not been informed
of the voting date. The Central Committee,
however, assured members the event had
been well publicized.
The paper also called for the impeachment
of Watson. According to the circulated paper
the 45 signatures from BSM members is neces
sary for impeachment have been obtained.
The group now needs five signatures from
Central Committee members. Watson said she
knew about the move to impeach her but she
did not know the method the opposition
would use.
"I am somewhat relieved." Watson says. "I
had already received indications they were
going to impeach me. I expected it to be
much more sophisticated and it turns out to
be a propaganda sheet."
Watson also disagrees with the choir's use
of the BSM name when they were not sanc
tioned and with their strong opposition to the
rules.
"It was illegal for them to use the name of
BSM to foster religious activity," Watson said.
(Continued on page 8)
Debra Lewis
Staff Writer
No Dormitory Cooking
Over the summer UNC students were sent a
"policy informing them of what kinds of cook
ing appliances could be used in dorm rooms.
This cooking policy eliminated hot plates,
electric fry pans, conventional hot oil pop
corn poppers, and the like. The policy was
organized to increase fire safety in residence
dorms.
On May 19, the N.C. State Insurance Com
mission recommended UNC implement the
policy.
"The University has had a tradition of com
plying with state recommendations," says
Jody Harpster, acting, director of UNC hous
ing, "and if the Commission had ordered us to
comply, it would be like the University was
saying 'you got to make me do it'."
The committee involved in changing the
way students cook in their rooms was a tem
porary ad hoc committee organized during
the summer, comprised of Area Directors,
Jody Harpster, Max Smart-RHA student.
Dean Cansler-Associate Vice-Chancellor,
Vice-Chancellor Boulton, Maria Long-RHA
student and Scott Templeton-President of
RHA.
Harpster said he has had no personal com
plaints from parents about the new policy. He
says parents are supporting the policy and are
only concerned about the welfare of their
children. Harpster feels the complaints are
primarily from returning students who are
angered about financial aid cuts that are
causing them to have less money for other
things, and who think the fire hazard issue has
been exaggerated.
Students also feel several factors caused
the implementation of the new policy.
Last year a mandatory meal plan was pro
posed by the UNC Dining Service to increase
business in the cafeterias. Under this plan
students enrolled at UNC would automatical
ly pay for a meal ticket whether they ate in
the cafeteria or not. The plan was ultimately
rejected and many students now feel the new
cooking policy was a result. Harpster states
this was a "natural coincidence. If we wanted
that to happen. Chase Cafeteria would not
have been closed."
The closing of Chase Cafeteria is another
problem facing South Campus residents,
many of them black. Chase was closed at the
end of May due to renovations and lack of
participation at breakfast and lunch, officials
said. Howard Southerland, Director of UNC
Dining Service, says renovations have not yet
been approved. Approximately 75 people ate
breakfast at Chase, 125 ate lunch, and 500 ate
dinner.
Complaints have come primarily from
South Campus residents who feel they are
caught between a rock and a hard place. Sou
therland feels since South Campus residents
come to North Campus to use the library, for
classes and to go to the Union, it would not be
any more effort on their part to come for an
evening meal.
Some students disagree.
"It takes too long to walk to the Pine Room
from James," said Sallie Davis, a freshman
from Kinston \yho is on the meal plan. "It's in
convenient and by the time you get there,
you're starving!"
Students wait in line at the Carolina Union Fast Break. Because of the closing of Chase Cafeteria and the new cooldng policy,
more students are forced to eat on North Campus.
Poliq' okayed
Sally Davis Staff Writer
Despite the fact many students don't like
the new cooking policy, several said the new
policy is fair.
The new University policy which goes into
effect in January, restricts the use of such high
heat cooking appliances as frying pans, hot
plates and conventional popcorn poppers.
This may seriously affect the average stu
dent, but especially the black student who
lives on a tight budget, who may have been
hurt financially by changes in the financial
aid policies, or just made plans to cook in his
room this year.
"It's messed up!" said Hampton Allen, a
junior majoring in Drama and Speech. "I think
that the people who passed these rules should
have their stoves taken away and be made to
cook in a community kitchen with only one
stove to serve a whole floor of people," he
said.
Another student, however, sided with the
officials. Karryl Roseboro, a sophomore pre-
med student, said the new policy may cause
inconvenience for some and be expensive for
others, but felt it was better to take precau
tions than to be sorry after a fire
"It's a good rule," he said. "I think it's a step
in the right direction."
Black women may be even more seriously
affected since a restriction on the use of hot
plates limits their ability to straighten their
hair in the privacy of their own rooms.
Paulette Hardy, a sophomore majoring in
business administration, opposed the policy.
"It's unfair to students who are not finan
cially able to get on a meal plan. Whereas
they might have a means of buying enough
groceries to cook nourishing meals in their
rooms week by week," Hardy said.
Kathy McCoy, a junior who had been cook
ing in her room since her freshman year,
thought the University should compromise
(Continued on page 8)