Page 2 THE CAROLINA JOURNAL November 12, 1970 Reprinted from Daily Bruin Spectra Tuesday, April 4, 1967 G. Farber is Associate Prof, of English at Cal State, La. The Student (Editor’s Note): Some of the material in this article may not be relevant to UNCC; however, we do feel that it is worthy of the space on this editorial.) by Gerald Farber As Nigger Students are niggers. When you get that straight, our schools begin to make sense. It’s more important, though, to understand why they’re niggers. If we follow that question seriously enough, it will lead us past the zone of academic bullshit, where dedicated teachers' pass their knowledge on to a new generation, and into the nitty-gritty of human needs and hang-ups. And from there, we can go on to consider whether it might even be possible for students to come up from slavery. First, let’s see what’s happening now. Let’s look at the role students play in what we like to call education. At Cal State L.A., where I teach, the students have separate and unequal dining facilities. If I take them to the faculty dining room, my colleagues get uncomfortable, as though there were a bad smell. If I eat in the student cafeteria, I become known as the educational equivalent of a nigger lover. In at least one building, there are even rest rooms which students may not use. At Cal State, also, there is an unwritten law against student-faculty love-making. Fortunately, this anti miscegenation law, like its Southern counterpart, is not 100 per cent effective. Students at Cal State are politically disenfranchised. They are in an academic Lowndes County. Most of them can vote in national elections — their average age is about 26 — but they have no voice in the decisions which affect their academic lives. The students are, it is true, allowed to have a toy government of their own. It is a government run for the most part by Uncle Toms and concerned principally with trivia. The faculty and administrators decide what courses will be offered; the students get to choose their own Homecoming Queen. Occasionally, when student leaders get uppity and rebelhous, they’re either ignored, put off with trivial concessions, or maneuvered expertly out of position. A student at Cal State is expected to know liis place. He calls a faculty member “Sir,” or “Doctor,” or “Professor” — and he smiles and shuffles some as he stands outside the professor’s office waiting for permission to enter. The faculty tell him what courses to take (in my department, English, even electives have to be approved by a Jaculty member); they tejl^ liim what to read, what to write, and frequently, they set the margins on his typewriter. They tell him what’s true and what isn’t. Some teachers insist that they encourage dissent but they’re ahnost always jiving and every student knows it Tell the man what he wants to hear or he’ll fail your ass out of the course. Menhinick claims firemen ruin creek by dean duncan Well friends, you have nothing to worry about from air pollution or water pollution on this campus. The health department assures us that the smoke from the fire department’s training ground has no effect on our air pollution. On Tuesday, November third, at one o’clock, you may have noticed a dark grey pillar of smoke rising from the woods due west of the campus. Breathe assured, this does not add any to air pollution. A spokesman said, “The burning of kerosene and oil by the fire department is harmless to the environment. This is a necessary evil.” vertebrate hfe. Even a few fish who managed to swim TESTiHQ FTC., ETC. ^ i1\ t 111 t i Many of the campus citizens have been upset from time to time about the fire department’s quaisi-firefighting so close to the campus. Perhaps the most concerned is Dr. Menhinick of the Biology department. Not only is Menhinick concerned about air pollution, but he brings forth the'question of water pollution. “The fire’ department washes the residue of the fires into Toby Creek. In a recent study, we found Toby creek to be devoid of downstream into Mallard Creek died. The surface of Toby creek is covered with an oily film after a firefighting,” says Menhinick. The problem of the oily film has bothered the health department also. Another spokesman for the department, one that works with water pollution, assures us that the fire department plans to install a catch basin to trap the oil and keep it from entering the creek. The only other problem the fire department has to combat is a Mecklenburg County ordinance against open burning. This problem is easily cured by a North Carolina Statute that exempts fire training from any laws. “Sic semper tryanus.” You as a citizen, can do nothing about the fire department practicing on its land near the campus. It is just one of those things Uke wool underwear and traffic cops that you can’t do anything about. Just rest assured that the fires don’t bother you. If you can’t quite understand why they don’t call our friends at the Health Department, 374-2945. They will be glad to talk to you. When a teacher says, “jump, students jump. I know of one professor who refused to take up class time for exams and required students to show up for tests at 6:30 in the morning. And they did, by God! Another, at exam time, provides answer cards to be filled out - each one enclosed in a paper bag with a hole cut in the top to see through. Students stick their writing hands in the bags while taking the test. The teacher isn’t a provo; I wish he were. He does it to prevent cheating. Another colleague once caught a student reading during one of his lectures and threw her book against the wall. Still another lectures his students into stupor and then screams at them when they fall asleep. “Tfic grade is a hell of a weapon Just last week, during the first meeting of a class, one girl got up to leave after about ten minutes had gone by. The teacher rushed over, grabbed her by the arm, saying, “This class is NOT dismissed!” and led her back to her seat. On the same day, another teacher began by informing his class that he does not like beards, moustaches, long hair on boys, or capri pants on girls, and will not tolerate any of that in his class. The class. 5? (continued on page 4) ¥ Dear Editor; THE CAROurfjt JlQURZtfAi:,.. UMCg lYlARCIA WALKEfR , . , , EDITOR MIKE WcCULLEY . . . .mWilSWe EDITOR MIKE COIVL-QS • >. -BUSIUZSS mWAGER SuSAtt^ ii^aTtrON. .. • J^EW^' EDITOR DOWWA RALEY.... ART^ EDITOR MIKE tTAMI^0W..../?PORT5 editor BECKY GLElMlff , . , . COPY EDITOR MIKE WHORLEY. . . . 5TAFF ARTIET ...REET OF THE GANG... SAUY ALLISON, TECaV I* CALDVNELL, JAmcS CutMBERTSON.OMN PONC/hK , SlCPHArt r/ DREVFOS, ROM FOSTER, JOE GAHACHeR, BREMM GlEAlK, Ml holder. mAH KROHN.LINDA /yicCAI^LEV. 3>'NEi Mcknight, ^lav owen, chaklie peek , , . S'POKTff reporters DON COUSAR, Mike HOLLAND, HANK AlELSOM, DAVE TAVLOR,.. . . . PHOTO OAAPHEHF T®M ALSOP, RICHAHD BARTHOLOMEW, EDPtf HARIMAA/, MIKE SMITH..* J'OXXTiTJiL OFFICES LCCATED IN HTH.jUnlviRsitV GENtER. When I read the article “Defeat the System?” by Dr. Thomas I Nonn, I ij: could hardly believe my •j: eyes! Dare someone (especially a prof!) refute the cries of those who are to the left of the middle? Dare a soul speak out loud FOR the USA? Dr. Nonn has lived under two forms of government and has made his choice. Would that we all could do the same. More and more people are becoming aware of the problems in our country. We see that it needs HELP now - not revolution, not civil war, not conservative against liberal, or minority against majority -- but a unified effort on everyone’s part to get the government back on its original track, which is protection of the individual. There can be no peace if one does not speak in Dear Editor: The Carolina Journal accepts all letters to the editor, provided they are typed and limited to a maximum of 300 words. All letters must be signed and the address and phone number of the writer must be Included. The paper reserves the right to edit all letters for libelous statements and good taste. Address letters to Repercussions, The Carolina Journal, in care of University Center. ' terms of peace. As one quote goes, “Peace is not the absence of conflict; it is the ability to cope with it.” Often times a person does not speak out because he is afraid, and he feels that he is all alone. Then, one day, he finds that he is not. "rhank you, Dr. Nonn, for giving a “silent” one the push she needed to speak out, too. It seems that only after an individual has experienced political hell can he present an irrefutable case. I would like this to ;j: serve as a public thank you to the campus organizations which gave ji; or pledged money to the United Appeal. Because of their support UNCC went over the top of its highest United Appeal goal. I might add that the contributions from the organizations were almost ten times the amount ever collected from the student body. Since some of these contributions were pledged and since no direct solicitation was made within the student body I would like to urge students who would like to support United Appeal to attend the functions of the organization which will be earning their pledges during the coming months. Becky Armstrong Edward S. Perzel Campus Chairman, UA