Page 2
editorials
Thursday, April 28, 1983
^Pick up a Colonnades
— good stuff!
\
As Mitterrand severs Soviet ties.
a stronger France may emerge
When France’s Socialist President Fran
cois Metterand expelled 47 Soviet officials
on charges of espionage, he did far more
than merely tweak the nose of a major
power. He shrewdly gave his nation a
chance to survive with relative independence
from two great spheres of influence, the
Soviet Union and the United States.
Mitterand broke from precedents esta
blished by his predecessors Charles De
Gaulle, Georges Pompidou and Valery
Giscard d’Estaing that provided for a close
Franco-Soviet relationship. This relation
ship was vigorously pursued to assure
France independence, particularly from the
United States, and to give France access to
what French leaders hoped would be a very
lucrative commercial market in the Soviet
Union.
But both objectives failed as France
could not break with the United States
without aligning itself with the Soviet
Union, and the French ended up importing
more from the Soviet Union than it
exported to the Soviet Union.
Some observers suggest that one of
Mitterrand’s motives in expelling the Soviet
spies is to gain influence in next month’s
summit of industrial democracies in Wil
liamsburg, Va. By expelling the Soviets,
Mitterand seems to have made a strong
conunitment to France’s NATO allies. By
doing so, he is now a position to oppose
the Reagan administration’s policy aeain«t
selling high-technology equipment and se
crets to the Soviet Union and its satellites
without suggestion that he is overly sym
pathetic to the Communists
Such a suggestion was aired when
Mitterand allowed French communists in
his cabinet. Though many analysts think
Mitterrand included the Communists be
cause he could better control them
the govenunent than in opposition to the
government, he still raised the ire of Ronald
Reagan and other western leaders. Now
they say he is trying to appease his fellow
Western leaders.
Whatever Mitterrand’s reasons are in
adopting a “pro-West” stance, he has
niany friends in the West by portraying
himself as being as tough as anyone in his
dealins with Moscow. At the same time, he
has alienated Conmiunists both in FRance
and the Soviet Union.
Washington is applauding Mitterrand
because it still holds the Cold War view
that whatever is anti-Soviet must be
pro-American, and Mitterrand’s expulsion
of Soviet spies is seen as anti-Soviet. But
Americans might also want to consider the
possibility of France’s President Mitterrand
is first and foremost pro-France.
Colonnades reflects
well upon college
Ttiis year’s Colonnades has arrived and is being
distributed around campus. The literary magazine is
the product of editor Tanmiy Cook’s work and her
10 student assistants and two faculty staff members.
Cook and her staff accepted poetry, prose, essays
and fine arts, graphics and photography during the
r^ular school year. They reviewed the submissions
and chose which would be included in the 1983
edition of Colonnades. These choices were turned
over to faculty judges who chose contest winners.
After the magazine’s choices were made, the staff
then had to determine the layout of the magazine
and how it should be assembled.
Although this is only a brief sketch of the months
of work that went into the Colonnades’ production,
Cook and the Colonnades staff should be recogniz
ed for their effort and for turning out an attractive
and successful book.
The book reflects well on Elon in two respects.
The magazine shows the hard work of just a few
students, but their effort is appreciated across the
nation.
Of the 54 contributors who had work accepted
into the magazine, 32 are from North Carolina or
attend Elon College.
The remaining 22 contributors are from states
across the country including New York, Florida^
Wisconsin and California, among others.
For the Colonnades to attract contributors from
such a wide radius seems to reflect favorably upon
its value to Elon College.
Although a great number of submissions do come
from outside of Elon and North Carolina, Elon can
be proud that of the five first prize winners, two are
Elon College students, one is an English professor
here and the other two are North Carolina
residents.
Judges review submissions without knowledge of
who submitted them or where the contributors
reside. That three of the five winners are associattJ
with Elon compliments the school.
Copies of Colonnades can be found in the lobby
of Long Student Center and in dorm lounges.
Everyone should pick up a copy to recognize the
works of fellow students and to see one way that
Elon reaches people across the country.
The Pcndnlam wekomes letters, limited to 250 words,
from our readers. Longer material may be submitted as
opinion artidcs for page 3. Editors reserve the right to edit
for length, libel, good taste and accuracy.
Edttor-i»Ckicf
Mau(lag Editor
Newi EdHor
Ad Muacer
The Pendulum Staff
Jo Craven
Doug Norwood
Lookia Louka
Belinda Peoples
Ron Kmppa
Penny Tbomai
Tom Weslenhiser
Robert Nowell
Head Pbotograpkcr
Fealwa Editor
Sports Eoitor
Advisor
Tlie staff meets Thursdays
at 9:30 a.m.
Room 208 In Ix>ng Student Center
PabUsked by the Comaiuilcalions Media Board of Elon College.
Founded on October 14, 1974 as the student newspaper serving the Elon
CoUege cooimDBlty, tbc Pendulum Is publbhed each Thursday during
the regular temu except for examfnattoL^ and huUday periods.