Page 2
Forum
March 27,1995
EDITORIAL
Open disciplinary
records necessary
The First Amendment was de
signed to prevent those in power
from squelching public knowledge
of what public officials do. In this
capacity, the press acts as the
public’s watchdog. A collegiate
paper like the Echo has a duty to
act as a watchdog for students on
issues of student governance.
The University’s new sexual
harassment policy is a significant
part of that governance, and the
Echo has a duty to cover sexual
harassment cases on campus, but
federal regulations and University
policy combine to make that job
very difficult.
Hidden from the press
The sexual harassment case of
Claryse Avent reveals just how
much can be hidden from the press
on this campus.
Recent federal regulations have
classified student disciplinary
records as private educational ma
terial that is not open to the press.
This mling will probably be chal
lenged in court soon, but until then,
it’s the rule.
Under NCCU’s sexual harass
ment policy, which is supported by
these regulations, the hearing on
Avent’s sexual harassment case
was closed, and all official records
of it are closed.
All faculty and staff involved in
the case have therefore refused to
speak to the Echo about the hear
ing itself.
Freedom of speech
The students involved were ad
vised not to speak to the press,
even though they are not con
strained by the regulations and even
though such a gag order violates
their right to free speech. Students
should be free to discuss proceed
ings in which they took part.
In such a constrained environ
ment reporting both sides of the
case is difficult. The defendant
refused an interview, and school
officials either refused to talk at all
or were so guarded in what they
said that reporters came away from
the interviews with little informa
tion about the case itself
In protecting the privacy rights
of those involved, the sexual ha
rassment policy violates not only
the freedom of the press but also
the tradition of open judicial fo
rums, institutions which should
work together to ensure fairness to
both sides of a dispute.
Serious concern
If one asks, wouldn’t it be better
to hush the whole thing up, not to
cover the case at all, for the Echo
the answer is clearly no.
The possible misconduct of a
senior ^ is a matter of serious
concern to the student body and to
the University community as a
whole.
Whatever the disposition of the
case, it is important for the school
to resolve the issue as soon as
possible and to clear the name of
the innocent.
For names to be cleared and
reputations to be salvaged, the m
mor mill that has rumbled about
the case for months needs to be
silenced. Only by making the facts
of such a case public can the gossip
associated with it be countered.
Publishing the facts of the offi
cial record would allow the stu
dent body to evaluate the case on
its merits and decide whether or
not the University has acted fairly.
In the name of fairness to both
parties, the University should move
expeditiously to resolve the Avent
case.
In the best interest of the Uni
versity as a whole, it should make
its sexual harassment policy as
open as it can be under current
federal regulations, and it should
petition the U.S. Department of
Education to to revise its recent
rulings that encourage closed stu
dent judicial proceedings.
Delay, secrecy and the gossip
that goes with secrecy undercut
the University’s initiative to end
sexual harassment on campus.
They send a strong message to
women on campus: if harassed,
don’t tell, because the system will
just cover it up.
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Durham to host youth summit
Special to the Echo
Youth from around the nation
will be coming together for an all
day youth summit, plannedZ^y and
for youth, April 8 in Durham.
Youth leaders will present a Youth
Bill of Rights for consideration by
summit participants.
Some of the issues to be ad
dressed include
* AIDS
* racism
* child abuse
* environmental issues
* free speech for youth
* psychiatric abuse of youth
* homeless and runaway youth.
The summit is sponsored by the
National Child Rights Alliance
(NCRA). NCRA represents more
than 20 affiliate organizations and
is directed by youth and adults
who have been abused orneglected
as children, either by guardians or
by society.
Youth from India will also par
ticipate in the summit. They plan
to raise the issue of the exploita
tion of child labor worldwide.
Summit youth say they hope to
involve youth from the Brazilian
street children’s movement and
from other nations as well.
NCRA became known interna
tionally when it organized support
and legal representation for the 12-
year-old Florida boy, Gregory K,
who sought legal standing in court
to terminate his abusive parents’
rights. Although Gregory was ini
tially awarded standing in a ruling
reported around the world, the rul
ing was recently reversed.
Initial participating organiza
tions include Students and Teens
Opposed to Psychiatric Abuse,
Kids Helping Kids, People’s As
sociation for Rural Development
(India), Children Opposed to Rape
and Molestation, Coalition of Peer
Educators (COPE) and Youth Edu
cation Life-Line (YELL), the Na
tional Child Rights Alliance, and
Children’s Rights of Pennsylva-
ROXY AND FAYE
Genital herpes
doesn't mean
he's cheating
Dear Roxy and Faye,
I have recently been diagnosed
with Genital Herpes. I have only
had sex with my boyfriend. I think
he may have cheated on me. What
should I do?
Unaware
Dear Unaware,
Girl! Wake up! If you haven’t
ever had sex with anyone except
your boyfriend then of course he
got it from someone else!
The problem is, he could have
had it for years, so he may not be
cheating on you now. But you need
to confront him, because if he
doesn't know, he needs to. And if
he did know and didn't tell you,
you need to give him the boot
because no man loves or cares for
you if he brings you a disease.
He could also infect you with
other diseases—like AIDS! Next
time, use protection.
Herpes is incurable, but it is
manageable. Go by the Student
Health Services for more informa
tion on Herpes and how to keep
from infecting someone else.
Roxy and Faye
Abusive boyfriend
Dear Roxy and Faye,
I have been dating my boy
friend for two years and every
thing has been going well with our
relationship.
He has always had somewhat of
a temper but has never attempted
to hit me until now. He says it will
not happen again, but I am not sure
whether he is truthful.
I really don’t want to end our
relationship because when he’s not
abusive he treats me like a Queen.
What should I do about my boy
friend?
Unsure
For further information about
the Summit, contact Kate Barnhart,
Acting Coordinator, 2804 Blos
som St., Brooklyn, NY 11231,
phone 718/522-4955 or through
the network at 73763 .34
©CompuServe .com
The Campus Echo is the bi-monthly student newspaper of
North Carolina Central University. The paper can be found at
several sites on NCCU’s campus, including the Alfonso Elder
Student Union and Shepard Library.
Co-Editors - Geraldine Ndiforchu and Terri Boykin
Entertainment Editor - Robert Thornton
Sports Editor - Carey Johnson
Art - Dustin Harewood
Staff Reporters - Shelvia Dancy, Danny Hooley,Virginia
Richards
Layout and Design - Terri Boykin, Geraldine Ndiforchu
The Echo is published seven times a semester; next issue is out
on March. The deadline for advertisements, calender of events,
letters to the editor, etc. is March for the March issue.
Mail all material to:
The Campus Echo, c/o NCCU English Dept.
1801 Fayetteville Street, Durham, NC 27707
Phone: (919) 560-6504; Fax (919) 560-3348.
The Echo office is located in Room 319 of the Farrison-Newton
Communications Building, NCCU.
Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to submit articles,
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Policy on Letters
The Campus Echo welcomes letters from readers. Letters should
be no more than 300 words in length. Our editors reserve the right
to edit all letters and articles submitted for correctness.
Dear Unsure,
There’s definitely a problem!!
Though he’s only hit you once, it is
once too many.
Since you want to stay together,
we feel you and your boyfriend
need to get counseling.
If you don’t have the cash, you
can take advantage of the counsel
ing center in the Old Senior Build
ing on the 3rd floor.
If he refuses to go, then you
need to analyze whether he really
cares for you, because obviously
you don’t trust him.
You still should see a counselor
by yourself. Your physical well
being is a lot more important than
material things. If this brother
doesn’t wanna come correct then
there’s plenty of other strong re
spectful men in the world.
Roxy and Faye
If you have a problem that you
would like Roxy and Faye to an
swer, please send it to Roxy and
Faye, c/o The CmapusEcho, room
319 of the Farrison-Newton Com
munications Building, NCCU