PAGE TWO
Blessings . . . Pope
During the spring vacation I did not get drafted.
Not such a remarkable happening I know. About 450 other mai
from St. Andrews did not get drafted during the break.
But mine does have some significance, at least to me and
probably to the country.
I gave up my student deferment as of January 1, which meant
that the military could only get me during the first three montffs
of the year. After that I belonged to no one, militarily-speak
ing. (Of course they still have dibs on me in case of a natural
disaster.)
This event means something to me, and my mother who stood
guard over the mailbox for three months, but has no real bear
ing to this campus.
But when I was cleaning out my desk the other day I ran
across a story I wrote when I was 18, just after I registered
with the U.S. Government.
At the time 1 wrote it my editor told me that it should not be
printed because the local draft board (bored?) could suddenly
decide that they needed my brave soul to protect the world.
Now that 1 am free, I thought that at long last 1 could run ft
without fear of being hauled into Army greens.
Here goes:
Eighteen. Ah that glorious age to be. It is when one can buy
beer and have a card to identify himself, see almost any movies
he wants and read some of those books that come in plastic bags.
Of course there is one drawback to being 18, that is the Selective
S©rvic6«
I had* no even thought of the SS untilthe night before my 18th
birthday, when 1 realized that 1 had to sign up. My first thoughts
were: Where? How? Why me? (Not necessarily in that order.)
I hurriedly ran for the telephone book to find out where I
was to go for the big “sign in”. To my horror they did not list
.it under “draft” or “service”. Panic! I could just picture my
self in jail trying to explain why I had not registered.
(Gee, officer, I looked for you in the Yellow Pages and couldn’t
find you. So, I thought maybe you had gone out of business. . . or
something.)
Finally, with the aid of my father aiid several friends, I
found the address: 651 West Fifth Street. Although I have lived
in Winston-Salem for eleven years, the only thing I knew about
Fifth Street is that the library is at one end of it, but I was not
sure whether it was East or West?
The next day I took my chances on finding it and rode down
Fifth Street very slowly, much to the displeasure of the driver
behind me. There it was. 1 stomped on the brake and pulled
to the side of the road to park. As I got out of the car, 1 prayed
that I had money for the parking meter.
The SS office was located on the second floor of a two-story
building. I took the elevator up because I did not think that I
could walk up two flights of stairs with my knees shaking like
they were.
As I entered the desk-filled room, one of the smiling ladies
asked me what 1 wanted.
“WeU, I'm 18 today,” I said.
Without wishing me the best for the day, she told me to sit
down while she asked me some questions.
The first thing she wanted to see was my driver’s license,
I guess it was to make sure that I was 18. (Lord, why would
anyone else go down there?)
Then she attempted to fill out my registration card. It took her
four tries to get it correct. She apologized and said it did not
usually take her that many times to :Q11 one out. I smiled and
thought that I could go home and come back. Maybe then she
would have it ready.
After she finished with the card, she told me to read it and
correct any errors I found, then sign it cki the dotted line on
the left side. (That was the only dotted line, but I let her have
her fun.)
Drat the luck. It was all correct. Of course, they say practice
makes perfect and she had practiced many times on that par
ticular card.
With the card out of the way, I was told to go sit at the table
behind me and fill out a 10 page questionaire about my personal
life. (It was really none of their business, but they do have THE
Government on their side.)
After filling in my name and the names of the member of my
family, I had to give them the name of someone to notify in the
event of death. (I wanted to put the name of a good funeral
home, but I don’t think she would have appreciated the little
humor.)
When I got the the part about speaking any foreign languages
fluently I balked, (have never really understood the word
fluently.) I thought, “Well, I have had three years of Spanish
and two of German, why take any chances?” So I put them both
down. I have been worried ever since about being put in the dip
lomatic corps in either Germany or Spain. If that ever happened
the United States would have a real problem on its hands. All
I remember in both languages are several phrases. Among them
are: “Please pass the butter,” and “Where is the bathroom,
stupid head?”
I finished with all of the questions having answered each
and every one with the type of reasoning I used witii the foreign
language section. I gave it to the lady and she read over it.
(Maybe she was really impressed by someone who was hiHngiiai
his senior year in high school. Doubt it.)
Then I got the lecture. Everyone should go down and sign up
just to hear the wonderful commentary that is delivered.
It really makes you feel wanted in the service.
(Continued on this page)
THE T.ANCE_
THURSDAY, APRIL 13,1979
No Posters For Campaign
Presidential Hopeful Says
Dear Editor;
I have annoimced my candi
dacy for the presidency of the
Student Government Associa
tion. I want to take this oppor
tunity to explain \rtiy there will
be no posters or banners
heralding my qualifications and
no sheets in the mail boxes
extolling my virtues.
To use valuable time and mo
ney for such trivia is (for me)
immoral. The limitations that I
place on my personal freedoms
do not allow me to spend money
on this campaign when that
money could be used by the
Abortion Referral Service, by
the Peace Corps, by the next
Satire
students involved in voter re
gistration suits, for the cash-
lending service in the Student
Union ,., the list is endless.
There will be one reminder in
the Union of my stance on this
issue " but no other publicity.
I recognize how dangerous
this can be for a serious can
didate, I also realize that those
posters would never have given
the voters a sampling of my
philosophies. C»ily someone who
knows of the voter registration
case, of my position favoring
the contraceptives petition, of
my contributions to the con
tracting-grading position pa
per, to the recent student-fa-
culty-rapport retreat, Md par.
ticularly of my knowledge of the
bureaucratic bull that cme must
go throu^ to get things accom
plished rapidly , . . only some-
one who knows my head that
well could possibly support me.
I don’t begrudge that $10.00
that I could have used cam-
paignlng to emphasize this ■
paigning. To emphasize this
point, I have left a check for
that amount with the campus
representatives of NC-PIRg. i
hope that this action can be
minimally symbolic of my de
sire to work for this student
body as president next year.
Respectfully,
Janie Jolly McLawhorn
Failure of Democracy At SA
Requires Drastic Measures
BY JEFF NEILL
The Student-Faculty Appel
late Board ruled student elec
tion procedures invalid this
week. With this there can no
longer remain any doubt that
the St. Andrews experiment of
student responsibility and de
mocracy has failed. Chaos, con
fusion, and anarchy are running
rampant. Terrorists threaten
destruction of vending machines
and irresponsible persons fla-
grantly violate Blue-Card
Rules. In the streets parking
next to yellow curbs has be
come common place and cyc
lists crossing the causewalk
must fear the recklessness of
speed-crazed pedestrians.
The disorderly array that
pervades our campus has even
permeated the most private and
holiest sanctity of all: the class
rooms. There, all semblance of
order and respect have been
done away with as professors
have left their powdered wigs
and black robes in the closet.
Eind reportedly some students
even have the audacity to chal
lenge the worth of courses and
their content.
An end must come to all this.
Order and discipline must be
restored or our cultural and
community achievements stand
to be destroyed and committed
to the annals of forgotten his
tory.
To keep this from hs4)penlng
we call on student President,
Ken Watkins, in conjunction with
Dr. Hart, President of the Col
lege, and Dr. Melton, President
of the faculty, to establish them
selves as a tribunal — doing
away with all constitutions, by
laws and committees (both stu
dent and faculty) -- until such
time as order can be re-im
plemented.
We call upon these individuals
to take upon themselves the
responsibility of restoring de
cency and moral uprightebus-
ness to S. A. Immediate action
needs to be taken. Hall moni
tors must be appointed and in
vested with the authority to
issue and check all movement
passes and to detain suspects
lor indefinite periods of time
without bringing charges
against them.
Dr. Noel-David Burleson, a
faculty member of The center
for Population and Environ
mental Education at the Uni
versity of North Carolina, will
present a lecture on “Popula
tion and the Environment” in
the LAA Friday, April 14, at
1:30.
Drastic times and circum
stances call for drastic mea
sures. And at this time (xily
the most stringent action can ]
restore “the obsolete good old |
days.”
Apathy At Pembroke Too
The following article was taken from the Pembroke paper
“The Pineneedle”
BY ED WILCOX
The apathetic attitudes of the students cm this campus have
revealed themselves in many ways. This problem is well-known
and concerned students have desperately tried to remedy the
problem.
Now apathy has revealed itself in a quite terrifying way.
There are barely enough candidates running for the Senate of
fices.
Student government is given to the students in hopes that they
might be able to shape school policies, or at least have a voice
in this. This government by the students offers a voice which in
the past was seldom heard.
However, in the election this year. It a^ears that the majority
of the students could care less about student government.
This seems to be a trend, for on at least one other college
campus some students are so discontented with their govern
ment that one candidate is promising that, if elected, he will
abolish student government.
Concerned students have sought to find the answer to this
problem. We would like to think that students care, but when
fifty per cent is considered a good turnout in student elections,
apathy seems to be the culprit.
If a student is too lazy to vote, then surely he Is not qualified
to hold an office.
Blessings . . . Pope
(Continuation)
She takes a deep breath and then delivers the entire speech
without taking another breath until the end.
“You understand that you are obligated to report to this
board any and every change In address, physical and mental
condition, and occupational, marital, family, dependency and
military status and any other which might change your classi
fication. You will receive your registration card in the next few
days, you are to carry it with you at all times. Are there any
questions and do you understand everything that I have said?”
I didn’t have the nerve to say no.
THE LANCE
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