PAGE 6
N.C. ESSAY
TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 1974
N.C. tJSAY
A Letter To The Editor
Dear Editor,
Forgive me if this letter seems out of
place or otherwise offensive to any
member of the school community, but I
feel that an issue is making itself ap
parent on the campus and I feel that
some time must be spent discussing the
problem of violence.
It seems that after four years of being
on this campus, most of the time, one
would be able to witness the changes that
have taken place. Some of the changes
have been for the better and some have
not. It’s true that people change over
periods of time, and I’m sure that I have
since'I have been here. However, I feel
that anger should be handled in such ai
manner as not to cause harm or danger!
to others or other things. This idea that 11
have is one not of universal peace or
anythmg like that. I just think that a
more mature attitude should be stressea
around here. How do people think it’s
going to be on the “outside”? Will they
be able to vent their anger or discomfort
with violent actions and get away with it?
Can anything be done about this un
controlled physical expression ot anger .'
Where the hell have all the “family”
feelings gone? I remember when
everybody knew everybody else and if
you had a beef, you just went to the
person involved and talked your way
through it somehow. Where is rationale
these days? Can this be a learned
process? Is there a way to deal with the
“problem”? Is there even a problem
involved? Or is it just people being
people? Please explain.
Feed-back welcome,
Peter Girvin
Editor: Crystal Potter
Managing Editor: Sonny Linder Art Editor: Amy Salganik
A RESPONSIBLE STUDENT NEWSPAPER
On Black Grievances
Representatives of the black community at NCSA came unannounced to a student
council meeting last month. They came to present a list of grievances to the Student
Council. The grievances were in the areas of discrimination in hiring of faculty, black
students’ financial aid problems discrimination in housing, discrimination in hiring of
student resident assistants in the dormitories, and entertainment. We agree with the
Student Council that action should be taken on these matters.
There are several openings on the faculty and more will probably be announced
before toe year’s end. We think the administration should make every effort to fill these
vacancies with qualified black people. We stress the “qualified” because we don’t feel
that the educational integrity of the school should be subjugated to any cause, however
just the cause may be. Also, if new faculty positions are created (by act of the state
legislature), especially in the academic department, we suggest that qualified black
people be found to fill them.
The black students’ financial aid problems are all students’ problems. No one can get
a straight answer from Frank Ruark, NCSA Financial Aid Administrator, on even the
sinylest question. Also, there are no written guidelines on financial aid available to
students. Students don’t know what aid may be available to them or even the rules that
go mth toe aid toey do have. We also agree wito toe blacks that lists should be compiled
and published of aid which is avaUable to special interest groups, whetoer toey be black
students, students from Souto Dakota majoring in home economics, or what.
We believe that discrimination in housing does not exist on our campus. If toere has
been any discrimination it was totally unintentional. The housing problems at NCSA
are really quite overwhelming. We believe that toe response to student problems in toe
area of housing has improved 100 percent this year. Karen iaiortridge, Director of
Hou^g, has said toat ^e will be certain that the question of discrimination will be
considered in all her future decisions involving student housing problems. We think that.
the black students should accept this as a matter of policy in toe firture and bring any
complaints in this area directly to Ms. Shortridge.
On toe question of discrimination in toe hiring of student resident assistants, we see
no evidence of discrinmation. There is a ratoer complicated procedure of hi^g toese
people. First, a student must apply for the job. Then toe list of applicants is taken
before toe entire Student Affairs staff for evaluation of qualifications and desirability.
From this meeting, separate lists of those considered desirable for college and hi^
schral RA’s are given to toe Director of Housing (for college) and toe University
Resident Adminii^rators, Tommy Williams and Sara Lou Bradley, (for high school).
The college and high school administrators then choose from toese lists toeir respective
RA’s based on which p^ple toey think toey can best work wito. Therefore, we suggest
that if black students wish to be RA’s next year, toey should apply this spring and hope
they are considered qualified and desirable. We do not think it is toe job of the housing
department to go out and recruit black students for toese jobs simply because toey are
black.
What to schedule for entertainment at NCSA has always been a matter of much
concern to the Student Council. There has been little student interest in toe planning of
these activities, so the job has been handled by Dave Behiap, Director of Activities,
and his assistant, Karen Shortridge. Belnap and Ms. Shortridge are constantly looking
for new ideas for activities. There is a student activities committee vrtiich is suppos^y
responsible for planning activities in cooperation with the Director of Activities. We
urge students, and especially black students, to join this committeee. Ideas in this
reahn have a way of becoming realities.
In general, we agree with the grievances that the black students have. Some of toe
points raised are very valid, and we will support the student council in whatever
measures it chooses to take to correct inadequacies. Some points, on the other hand,
seem, to us, picayune and even invahd, or else toey require positive action oh toe part
of the complainants. We strongly urge black students to take action in these areas.
Notice To Our Readers
Due to final exams and spring vacation,
our next issue of THE ESSAY will be
printed on Tuesday, April 16, 1974.
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' Hi
—
Hopping a Train
By MUFFIN COLUMBIA
Copy Editor: Robin Dreyer
Staff Advisors: M’Lou and Bill Bancroft
It was 2 A.M. and colder than I thought
it could ever get in December in North
Carolina. I was standing in toe train
station in Greensboro on my way back to
New York City for Christmas vacation.
There was a motley crew of people
hovering about their luggage waiting for
the train to pull into toe station: parents
with their children clambering all over
them, families going north to spend toeir
vacations with their relatives,, swarms of
students. The train from New Orleans
was late. I stood with a group of four
other students from the School of toe
Arts, our fingers freezing in the cold
night air and our breath steaming
whenever we spoke.
Finally the train pulled into toe station,
roaring so loudly that you could scream
at the top of your lungs and still not hear
yourself. A swarming mass of people,
flailinjg their suitcases and other
belongings began moving up the ramp to
the train. Steam making hideous,
choking and coughing noises poured from
under toe coaches.
Frantic people were shoving their
tickets into the conductors’ faces asking
where to go, what to do. Irritated con
ductors were shouting to be heard above
the train, pointing and sending everyone
flying off in different directions. We
raced back and forth along the platform
trying to find the right car to board, my
arms felt as though they were being tom
off from dragging my luggage, and my
fingers and toes and face were stinging
from the wind. It was like a scene from
“Dr. Zhivago.” I felt like a Russian
peasant fleeing from Moscow during toe
Bolshevik uprising. We boarded the
train as I was about to resign myself to
death by freezing.
Once on board, I was amazed at toe
contrast between the outside and the
inside of the train. Tlie car was
delightfully warm and silent. The
choldng and hissing sounds were barely
audible. The shouts of the conductors and
passengers sounded tiny and muffled and
very far away. I put my suitcase on toe
rack above my head and glanced out toe
window. It was like watching a silent film
with a bunch of silent desperados racing
about toe platform.
Southern Railways’ cars seemed
unusually wide and spacious, wito seats
big and comfortable enough to fall asleep
on I settled down in a seat by one of the
huge windows and toe train started to
move. By then it was nearly 3 A.M. It was
so quiet on toe train and I was so
exhausted that I dozed on and off into
sleep. I woke as toe train slipp^ into
silent stations where passengers boarded
and got off, and toe train glided on into
the noiseless night.
During the periods when I was awake, I
looked out the window. It was like a huge
screen with a panorma of photographs
flashing before me. Three days
previously, toere had been a snowstorm.
The ground and trees and sloping roofs in
toe country were covered with a thick
blanket of snow, moon was huge and
orange that night, as orange as the sun at
sunset.
As we travelled through North
Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland, toe
view from the window was continuously
changing. We passed deserted country
houses covered with snow, deciduous
trees with naked branches silhouette i
against the sky, clumps of evergreens
thick with snow, cows enclosed in frozen
pastures, and silent train stations, with
the full orange moon hanging low in the
sky, a constant backdrop.
The night passed pleasantly and
rapidly. We ate breakfast the next
morning in the dining car and pulled into
Washington Station at about 9 A.M. From
there we took the Amtrack and arrived in
Penn. Station at about 1:30 P.M. The
entire trip had taken less than twelve
hours.
The reason I took the train home was
not for the sole purpose of taking a
leisurely pleasure ride. Because of
reduced student rates and escalation in
ticket prices, the plane fare would have
cost me approximately 50 percent more
than the train fare. Although I enjoyed
the ride once I was seated, the hassle
involved before boarding made me
realize how drastically train service
must be improved if it is to become a
practical means of mass transportation.
Muffin Columbia is a high school senior
violin major.
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