2 — HILLTOP, Friday, October 16, 1987
Editorial
ivc
Just the Facts
Craig Cox
Columnist
Scraps
One of the banes of any writer is
“writer’s block.” This condition not
only afflicts seasoned writers, but
comes home to us amateurs as well.
This amateur has been hit particular
ly hard recently, especially consider
ing the generous amount of space
which I am asked to fill. The block
comes not from having any topics
about which to write, but rather from
not having enough to say about a
given topic. This column, then, is
dedicated to miscellaneous observa
tions and comments which may or
may not have a particular theme. (I
really won’t know until I finish,
because I’m making it up as I go
along.)
I have received many compliments
about this colunrn, and I would like to
publicly offer my thanks. The names
are too numerous to mention, but be
sure that I am indebted to both of you.
On the other hand, I have also had
reason to believe that some of my
writing is not appreciated, and I
would like to address that point be
fore I make any serious enemies.
This column is not to be taken seri
ously. It is intended to be a humorous
commentary on campus life, campus
issues, or whatever else that I can
think of when I have writer’s block. I
did not bribe anyone into letting me
have space in the paper for fraterni
ty-bashing, and if I offended anyone
by having a laugh at the expense of
the Greek associations here on cam
pus, then I can only try to console that
person by pointing out that I prefaced
that by poking fun at myself as well. I
do not wish to alienate any group on
campus, but no group is likely to be
exempt from having jokes made at its
expense (bribes, however, will be
considered). I hope that the different
groups and organizations on campus
have a sense of humor, especially
Epicure, because their turn is coming
rapidly. (Has anyone who got a kick
out of Definitions looked up “epicure”
in the dictionary?. . .)
As long as I have already started to
drag Epicure through the mud, I might
as well get it out of my system so I
only have to publish one apology. It
may be noted that in the first article, I
left out a good definition for “food
fight.” In high school, this involved
two or more students throwing food
at each other. I have seen no less than
eight food fights since I arrived here,
and only one of those involved a stu
dent. In the other seven, four were
won by the entree (3, 4, and 2 rounds
respectively) two by the veggies and
one by a dessert! I lost a lot on that
last, having bet heavily on the casse
role. The most remarkable battle I
didn’t actually get to witaess, but saw
the aftermath of a plate of spaghetti
actually physically attacking a stu
dent. The person’s name I don’t know
(and wouldn’t reveal anyhow) but
whoever it was wasn’t very happy
about the incident. The meal, as I
recall, was charged with assault and
pepper [stop the puns or I cut the col
umn — ed.j Ok, I’ll be good, I swear.
When I first came, I was amazed at
the number of devout students who
prayed before each meal. To thank
God for a meal was a common thing
at home, to be sure, but nobody in a\
school that I had attended ever
thanked anyone for the meals there. I
wondered about the devout attitudes
around me until I got close enough to
one of these people to hear them mut
ter, “Please God don’t let this kill
me.” Now that I understand, I can be
seen in the cafeteria occasionally
praying over my food, too.
If you happen to be lucky (?) enough
to get it all eaten before it wakes up,
the responsibility of the defense of the
body passes from the hands and sil
verware to the digestive system itself.
Foram
Letter to the Editor; Bryan Garmroth,
Assistant Basketball Coach — In ref
erence to Glenn Smith's article: “A
Weighty Matter”
This often results in embarrasingly
loud noses being made for no appar
ent reason. James Herriot, British vet
erinarian and author described the
soimd best in his book All Things
Bright and Beautiful when he wrote,
“the only other time I have heard
such sounds was in a cow with an ad
vanced case of displacement of the
abomasum.” Mr. Herriot had just fin
ished a large roast beef sandwich,
several beers, some large pickled on
ions, and a glass of some kind of
liquor.
Having bitten the hand that feeds
me, I must turn now to utter a short
word in its defense, which is simply
this: it could be worse. My roommate
(who you may hear a lot about; he
provides so much material for this
column that I may ask him to write it
a time or two) spent time at another
school (which again will go nameless
to avoid lawsuit); it was in the cafete
ria at this college, he tells me, that the
food service director was heard to
say in a loud voice, “I don’t care what
color it is, I don’t care what it smells
like, and I don’t care what’s pupating
in it! Just cover it with pasta and feed
it to them!”
As an afterthought, I might add
that in case the cafeteria workers de-
'cide to take this column seriously (in
spite of the above disclaimer), that
the picture that appears at the top
looks absolutely nothing like me.
Honestly.
So much for food. A subject about
which I have been hearing a lot lately
is C.L.P. I have asked aroimd, and
cannot reliably report whether this
stands for “Community Life Program”
or “Chapel Liability Problem;” it aU
depends on who you talk to. Possibly
the whole problem is that not every
one has the same beef, if indeed
everyone has a beef with CLP. I had
the privilege of attending an enter
taining meeting with Dean Schmelte-
kopf in the lobby of Myers Hall some
time ago, and there was a disparity in
the nature of complaints. The most
famous, that of the student handbook
passage, is being dealt with else
where, but some of the lesser com
plaints deserve attention as well.
“Put sporting events on the list!/
How can we assure attendance?”
Simple: people attending home
games, who want CLP credit, have a
ball and chain placed on their ankles
as they go in; when it comes off, the
CLP point is earned.
“Put dances and other social
events on the list!/You don’t get a
good mix of students and faculty, as
faculty don’t generally attend student
socials.” Well, you didn’t get a good
student mix at chapel before it be
came CLP, either. Simply place a re
quirement on the faculty to show up
at a certain number of events that
they wouldn’t ordinarily attend.
“Chapel is boring/so don’t go, there
are other options.” Has anyone
thought of inviting Richard Pryor or
George Bush or some other celebrity
to conduct chapel?
Of course, it will take time to get
the new program into shape; but with
helpful suggestions like these and
students who are eager to work with
the administration, we will soon have
a committee-produced program
which will be the wonder of college
campuses for miles aroimd.
A final word about writer’s block:
students who are concerned about
writer’s block, please send “Just the
Facts” column ideas and large cash
donations to: The Writers Block Foun
dation, Box 265C, Mars HiU College,
NC 28754. The Foundation is a 100%
profit, non-tax-deductible organiza
tion, and if you have bought any of
this, please see me about a sweet real
estate deal.
No one is more aware of the incon
venience caused by the delayed gym
repair than those of us directly asso
ciated with Chambers Gymnasium. I
would certainly like to apologize for
this inconvenience. Your frustrations
are definitely understandable.
In defense of the “powers that be,”
I would like to explain why certain
decisions such as closing the student
weight room and small gym were
made. Your article indicated some
animosity in the fact that the ten feet
between the door and the student
weight room was roped off, and that
the small gym was closed. It is true
there were only about five days that
the particular areas in question
would have been impassable. How
ever, during this work period the
large gym floor was often covered in
wet floor seal and wet paint. Ideally,
we would like to have closed only the
main floor. However, if you were to
spend thirty minutes around the gym
at any given time, you would discover
the lack of respect for the building
regulations and gym floor. The open
entrance next to the student weight
room and into the large gym is pre
sently roped off. This has proven to
be very ineffective. The majority of
people crawl through the ropes and
stroll directly across the gym floor in
a wide variety of shoes and boots. It
was our assumption from past experi
ence that if the student weight room
and small gym were open during this
period it would be impossible to pre
vent people, regardless of ropes and
signs, from walking across the large
gym floor.
Closing the building to all recrea
tion was not a favorable choice. Al
though after watching people crawl
through the ropes that are up now, I
am convinced that it was the only
way to protect the floor while it was
being repaired.
The building is now open for recre
ation, and we encourage students.
Golden “M” Club members, faculty,
staff and dependents of faculty and
staff to make use of its many benefits.
We do ask that the new instructions,
which are posted, be adhered to.
There are routes to every area of the
building without walking across the
gym floor. Users are also reminded to
bring an ID for admittance. The new
guidelines, as were the repairs, are
not intended to create inconveniences
but to provide and maintain the best
facilities possible at Mars Hill Col
lege.
To the Editor of the Hilltop,
A response to the The Hilltop’s own
"political” cartoonist.
The fusing of President Ronald
Reagan and David Lee Roth, without
any political motive or suggestion, is
an insult to journalism and Mars HUI
College. If Mr. Gossett wishes to satir
ize Mr. Reagan on a particular
political issue, more power to him. I
do not object to this practice for it has
been a vital part of the media for hun
dreds of years. However, the drawing
that appeared in the October 2 issue
of the Hilltop made no statement
other than the fact that Mr. Gossett is
adept at caricatures and is particu
larly equipped when it comes to ex
pressing chest hair. This is an institu
tion of higher learning. As students of
this institution, we deserve more
thought-provoking commentary and
analysis.
Joseph W. Scott
The following is a list of the Hill
top’s copy and distribution dates for
upcoming editions. We welcome con
tributions, story ideas, and editorials.
Copy Dates Distribution Dates
Oct. 16 Oct. 30
Oct. 27 Nov. 6
Nov. 10 Nov. 20
Dec. 1 Dec. 11
NFL Strike: 2Cl
I
Give Me A
Glenn Smith
Sports Editor
Offensive?
Or Humorous?
Well, they have done it
National Football League I ^
strike. Now check me if I’mi
doesn’t it seem a httle ridip^in
someone who is getting paT** 3
of dollars to play a game qo
of line going on strike? ^^gj.y than
have never played the ganfe^j jg
me 11 million and I will gag gf “Qg,
without a helmet or for ttjgjg jg pj*j
shoulder pads. If the PLAft ^sh
trying to find a cure for | ghowijig
teaching our youth, I coul^g ggtton.
they could warrant a strike,fjtm is i
they are in the field of entst probabh
it is hard to feel sorry for ^gt wbo is i
so many other people havsg qj. ^vEo (
for ten times less than jj'0gg^g of
mediocre players get. I willgg pj'obab
they do work for years oi ggy
talent to enable them to pijg slight
sional sports, but they shioyggided t(
that it is a gift and they i
honored to be chosen to dj j arrivec
talents. 'The main stalaaigg thgt ha(
strike negotiations seeinsg gg them
issue of free agency and fg rowdy,
of years a player must be (crowd hi
before he can declare fn pother ri
The players want it to beUggggjj gj,,
while management wants! jg ggj^ g
Doesn t it seem that a coi( group oi
seven years could be read ^j^gg
while, however, people listians ar
MHC quarterback Joe Pi^hat I rea
ting another chance at NJj gf ^gj^g
in what are so eloquentlybgp.jgrking
“scab” games. I salute thigwhat di
ers for replacing the teg jg ^g
Free Loaders (get it NFL) gjj gchool
giving it their best shot fo
five thousand dollars a
Paige Lancaster
Guest Writer
Persoi^
‘”rhey’re profane!”
“They’re not helping the problem.
They’re making fim of it.”
“How could anyone wear them?”
“I don’t like gays. So I like the
shirt.”
“I think the shirts are a good idea,
and people get the message.”
Reaction to the message on T-shirts
designed by a friend of John Weeks, a
Mars Hill College senior, is definitely
split.
After selling the shirts at his home
in Virginia Beach, Va., Weeks decid
ed to sell them at Mars Hill to make
extra spending money. In three weeks
he sold out his stock of 100 and has
ordered more.
But many people are offended be
cause of the message. The back says
“Stop AIDS.” On the front pocket are
stick drawings of two figures in an
“embrace.” The words underneath
are: “No N Da Butt.”
“I’m sure people feel the shirts are
profane, but they need to realize that
[the shirts] are not aimed to cut any
one down; they primarily represent
how the AIDS virus is spread,”
Weeks said.
“Homosexuality should be banned,
and if gay people see these shirts they
may think twice,” a female senior
said. Another student stated, “If
wearing these shirts opens the eyes of
the public, I hope everyone wears
one.”
Others disagree. “The T-shirts
aren’t helping the problem of AIDS.
They are making fun of it,” said one
coed. ‘”rhey’re also making money
from someone else’s misery,” added
Dr. J. P. Schubert, professor of
English.
“I consider it to be gross and unap
propriate behavior on this college,”
stated Dr. Don Anderson, chairman
of the Division of Social and Behavior
al Sciences.
Dr. Ken Sanchagrin feels even
more strongly: “If a student came to
my class wearing one, one of us
would have to leave.”
Some have other views. “I think
they’re humorous,” one student said.
“And it doesn’t hurt to laugh at s'
problem every once in awhile.”
Others believe that AIDS is in no
way humorous. “Worldwide, AIDS is
r.
A Time To
Keith Kramer
Guest Writer
his livir
jvery omi
pu can a(
loing prel
[even moi
decides
a young we see tl
STOP A'®®
Back of the T-shirt.
primarily a heterosexual disease.
Only in America is it labeled as homo
sexual. And that perception is rapidly
changing,” stated another professor.
“When I first saw them, I felt the
individuals were within their first
amendment rights of freedom of
speech,” said Tim Story, a senior.
However, I would think that mature
individuals would have a moral obli
gation, especially toward this cam
pus, not to display something that
would... offend a number of stu
dents. The message further promotes
the hysteria based on false informa
tion surrounding the tragic disease,
AIDS. It’s a time for understanding
and research. A lot of innocent people
and children are contracting AIDS.”
How AIDS came to the U.S. is in
dispute. A letter in the Asheville
Citizen-Times said that The British
Medical Journal, April 1985, reported
“the purchase of huge quantities of
plasma from Haiti and Zaire in the
1970s by major American pharma
ceutical companies. The plasma was
pooled with hundreds of donations at
a time, allowing one infected donation
to contaminate hundreds.”
“I think the AIDS T-shirts are a
cruel joke or a serious problem. AIDS
is killing us and only 10% [of the
cases] are caused by homosexual ac
tivity. If they want to help the prob
lem, the money should be sent to the
ADDS foundation. It’s like wearing a
T-shirt with a stick figure and a line
through it saying, ‘No Starvation,”’
said Leah Pardue, a sophomore.
Weeks defends his use of the stick
figures by saying, “I don’t think the
T-shirts would sell if they had two
people ‘shooting up.’”
“I’m not trying to make any par
ticular statement. I feel there is a
humorous side to most everything. I
realize the seriousness of AIDS and
that one can get it many different
ways. The initial spread of AIDS was
mainly restricted to homosexuals,”
Weeks added.
Dr. Tom Plaut, professor of sociolo
gy, sees the T-shirts as vulgar not only
because they portray anal sex but
also because they scapegoat a par
ticular element of the population.
“If you’re going to have a T-shirt
about AIDS, have one about the vic
tim. T-shirts focus on homosexuality
to the point where you wonder ‘Is the
shirt against AIDS or homosexuali
ty?”’ Plaut said. “What kind of
response do you want people to have?
Anger or compassion?”
Plaut compared the shirts to
Hitler’s blaming all Germany’s
economic problems after WWI on the
Jews.
Thus, many people feel the shirts
show discrimination and capitalize on
prejudice. If so, “Are the shirts
spreading homophobia when Chris
tian compassion is needed?” one pro
fessor asked.
Whatever the answer, because of
the controversy, more shirts probably
will be sold.
Last night
with me. It was a difficu! vith his i
through, but I felt comp; that he
this experience of dying i s father j
was a young woman of 3'dam (he
year-old daughter. Leuk^amed Ti
cause of death. hngelist :
We had talked during tpughout
didn’t realize at the time
she was. She took a big
5:00 p.m. and her hi
dropped to nearly not
help of some fluids, she (credits fii
up into the 90’s (systolicln was no
with nc
firm stoi
luring ti
itinues t
sure). But in a short time.iteresting
fall again for the last tini story me
Earlier in our talks tljts aboi
had been a bit confusetyialogue,
some of the things shefians in tl
made too much sense |[s all. The
asked me if I thought wlives and
get out of here. I told herr not belli
but that we could try inot try t
give up hope. And afterVhich goe
her, I wasn’t sure that Ilj). They d
the right advice. p from c
It had been a painful l(iy of us s
her family battling thisiy. they
loss of hair and discoloty did no
products of the last yeajssed Hir
She started to go, andjt is wh
knew this was it. It was if e) a sue
struggle, but it wasn’t i
way is right? She lay
hope and nothing for met
do but watch her die.
It was quiet among otl
held her hand and strokej
an attempt to somehow (
in life. We repeatedly '
was not alone; we were i
would not leave her. 1'
there was comfort in
sions for her. Her heart J
and she took her last _
secretary hugged her mi
ran down their cheeks. l)"29. 8 p
when we called upon Gi’ 2:30 p
~ fg ti Radio 1
Hilltop Staff
Editor-in-Chief Disa Starnes
Assistant Editor Scott Frady
Lay-out Editor I™ Parks
Photographic Editor John Edwards
Sports Editor Gleim Smith
Business Manager Laurie Israel
Staff Writers Michelle Barber, Laurie Israel,
Jay Jackson, Allen Kromer, Heather Osen, Lea Pardue,
Becky Horner, Laura Smithwick, Duane Partin, Lisa Ramsey, Craig Cox
Cartoonists Wade Astin, Mike Houston, Scott Gossett
AdvisorJohn CampbeU
Typesetting and Printing by Clark’s Printing
’The Hilltop is the official student newspaper of Mars Hill College. The opin
ions expressed in the paper do not necessarily reflect those of the admims-
tration, faculty, or staff of the college. Nor do the opinions necessarily
reflect those of the Hilltop staff.
Hilltop, P.O. Box 1148-C
inter
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