Newspapers / University of North Carolina … / March 13, 1972, edition 1 / Page 4
Part of University of North Carolina at Charlotte Student Newspaper / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
L editoriak- Unsenuous professor We note with some surprise the emergence from our tiny Community of a butterfly --one pure and winged heavenly host that stands beside the time-forged traditions of America's freedoms and speaks out of both sides of his mouth. This wise sage --a mere 38 (which should cause some wonderment)-- is none other than Dr. Schley R. Lyons, political science professor, part-time television star, and avant-guarde no one. Lyons took the stand (like a good little boy) in court last week to testify for the State in the so-called obscenity trial against two men who shoe sexually explicit films as their use of American "freedom" and a minor effort at some "free" enterprise. The only obscenity observable is the State's prosecution of the men, and Lyons' participation in this injustice further proves tite argument that a professor outside his field or his classroom has trouble remembering to tie his shoes. Lyons stated that he thought "more people than not" would be offended by the movies. He further explained that while most films today have some sex scenes, they also have stories. May we ask Dr. Lyons whether "more people than not" would be offended by the contrary political and social theories taught at UNCC? And, not to forget the horse he put before his cart, can Dr. Lyons refute the fact that while most books have some words, they also have a few pages? The non-point is obvious: the entire repressive and meaningless trial is evidence of the social obscenities (in the human sense) we continue to excrete upon one another, in the various names of "law and order," "redeeming social value," and "pruient interest." Surely if the community standares of Charlotte and North Carolina were applied to the arts, we would never have been allowed Ulysses or I Am Curious (Yellow) or Hair (which we almost didn't get. It was interesting to note the Charlotte News' interest in the case, in keeping with their role of Moral Father and SpiritualsSavior. One of their columnists said the films showed "complete and total perversion." Senile Emery Wister, News resident joke since 1938, said films had become "more open." He thought this was a bad trend. The State's witnesses were blatantly unfamiliar with sex-oriented books mentioned by the prosecution, showing, we think, that they had no idea what they were supposed to be talking about. We felt, apparently prematurely, that private freedoms concerning sexual matters had advanced beyond the old taboo-state. The implied "ideas" underlying the State's case are well-known: sex "harms" society; open sexual freedom (films, books, etc.) leads to sex crimes, perverts Judeo-Christian children, and generally degrades us all. We know of no evidence that any of the above is true. All the recent data -Denmark's legal pornography, for example, has not lead to an increase in sex crimes- indicates that the worst we can do as a society is keep sex hidden and dirty and forbidden. If anyone choses to view the films shown at the Adult Center in downtown Charlotte, he pays for the privilete, sees the film, and leaves. That experience is private and not the concern of the Law in a free society. The entire question of "victimless crimes" clearly confronts modern society as direly in need of re-appraisal and adjustment. The films themselves as educational need no defense. A society so long afraid of open sexual attitudes and discussion has the desperate need of full disclosure -including poorly-made and often boring skin flicks. Perhaps we should take the making of sexual films out of the hands of capitalist exploiters and lousy film-makers and let Hollywood try to improve them, in quality anyway. But, we know what nonsense that is. As long as there is a need sexual in man, he will seek to find a means to fulfill it. And the longer we seek to repress him into dark movie dens and a few fleeting glimpses of sexual experience, the further we are away as a society in harmony with man as a human being. As for now, we hope the Union Board will schedule some hard-core films for us. Why should we have to pay those high prices downtown? A small step for mankind begins at home... And what of Dr. Lyons? The Journal agrees to underwrite all expenses for his trip to Denmark, trusting, of course, in the miracles of modern science to do their duty. But, he doesn't have to go halfway around the world to join the human race. He can go to North Tryon Street, the Adult Center. We've arranged for a free admission. It's the very least we could do... That shadowy figure All the outrage over the ITT—Republican Party pay-off will soon die a quiet death. And the scandal will be dismissed as "boys will be boys" politics and high-level high jinxs that we've all come to know and love. But, we think an important point has been overlooked in the whole mess. The Democrats -that tricky bunch- owe Ma Bell several hundred thousand from the disastrous Humphrey campaign in 1968. And we all know how close Ma Bell and ITT are - it's something like identical twins. Has it occured to anyone that ITT donated their $400,000 to the Republicans as a bit of old-fashioned, get-even-type revenge? They certainly can't be happy with the Democrats over that unpaid bill. We would have been long gone to the deep dark prison if we had failed to pay our measly $10.00 for over two months. And one other thing -somewhere, somehow in all this frantic behind-the-scenes manipulation and double-dealing is lurking a shadowy dark figure we only get glimpses of. That role is tailor-made for one Howard Hughes, and it's possible he's mixed up in this, too. After all, we know how Howard loves mysteries, don't we? Shafting do admit that the lack of a student-produced Goldigger this year hurt the students a great deal in lost information. Certainly the Goldigger should be printed and distributed early next fall and not pass away silently. It was a useful publication that is much needed. Another problem to campus elections is the almost non-existent time allowed for campaigning. Elections within two days of the closing of nominations are absurd and a sham to responsible voters. Many do not vote in elections because it is a terrible abortion of electoral process to vote uninformed about the candidates and positions. Elections should be at least a full week (five school days) after nominations close. This would give time for posters to go up, speeches to be held, debates scheduled, rallies, newspaper coverage of the campaign's, etc. The Journal has been unable to adequately report candidates' positions because: a) the candidate filed and was elected between issues of the Journal or b) the whole idea of informing the voters about who they are voting for doesn't exist at UNCC. The students of UNCC deserve better than the present SGA Administration has delivered concerning elections. They have removed the ability of the student voter to get informed about candidates. No issues are raised by the candidates because there is no time to fully explore and challenge them. They are instead meaningless promises, inadequately explained, printed on sheets of paper. What does the man stand for? How ill he answer many questions of the voters? The SGA should think more of the students than to expect them to participate in campus elections so ill-timed and mis-managed. When only three or four hundred students on this campus vote, it should signal to Student Government that something is wrong. It cannot be dismissed as pure disinterested students -for if the elections were anything more than popularity polls, with real issues and a sincere concern for student life reflected in the campaigns and electoral process, then the UNCC students would feel encouraged to participate. We have been all-too-willing to dismiss most of the students at UNCC as "not interested" and let it be. We are excluding them from their rights, and we have been wrongly perpetuating a system of elections and government that has not truly made an effort to inform or serve them. There must be something more from a true SGA than token efforts. As with so many campus activities, we feel that second-rate efforts produce only third-rate results and the fourth rate is fast approaching. Student Government has too long been an exclusive domain of a select few students, who involve only their friends and like-thinking associates in the governance system, the vote totals indicate clearly that only the friends or acquaintances of UNCC's student candidates have been electing them. It is no proud assertion to make that the election system at UNCC repeatedly defeats the very concept of electoral politics -and, we are afraid, without reform and change of our system of electing our leaders and officials, our Student Government will never be more than a "social position," achieved and won in campus elections by their friends. Our representatives and leaders will be no better than we require them to be, and if the elections are too ill-timed to allow for informative and competitive issue-raising, then those elected will have no job to do, no commitments to keep, no students to be responsible to. Our Student Government is in desperate shape and we are allowing it to continue fathering itself over and over again... Minutemen of the 24th hour The young and olf faculty alike have shown more interest in decision-making lately, and we can only believe the University shall profit from their diverse views. Faculty meetings may be a tedious, sometimes trivial affair, but it is nonetheless the proper forum for reasonable debate. Lately, the meetings have shown promise of becoming more than rubber-stamping sessions for an Executive Committee, or any other committee. It is a sad reality that committees remain the only viable form of actual formalization of new ideas, planning, etc., when large bodies require action. As someone remarked at a recent faculty meeting, UNCC is indeed young and still suffering growing pains. They need not all hurt. The maturation process does not have to be unduely prolonged for the faculty or the University as it is for the adolescent.. Another of the spring elections has come and gone and a new crop of go-getters and hand-shakers has been elected. It has been UNCC s ritualistic practice, however, to ask the student voter to decide on candidates in a haphazard, frivilous, and absurd manner. What Student Government lacks is some idea of timing and some commitment to the students' right to know their candidates. , The elections invariably (not just this year) are cast open with a suddenness not unlike lightning. Few students know what offices are available, how to apply for them, or even if they are eligible to run. Studen Government should consider a period of three weeks before any nominations are made to inform their students about such matters. The students have a right to expect their student officials in-office to inform them of procedures and details. It is not, as the SGA now contends, sufficient to state that "everybody knows all about election procedures" or that it is the student's obligation to seek out the details of campus politics. Where can he look of he doesn't even know campus politics exist? The SGA is responsible for serving the students, and that includes taking the responsibiltiy to disseminate information to all students on election matters. We The faculty is barely discovering its power with the Administration in effecting change. We have always suspected that it is not the students at UNCC that worried the Administration the most, but, indeed, the faculty have that potential honor. The faculty cannot be dismissed without answers, or diverted into wasted efforts. The faculty cannot be intimidated (as a body) or required to follow unreasonable rules or regulations they do not set themselves, for themselves. The faculty are just discovering the blessedness of freedom and the sheer joy in experimenting with doing what they want to do until someone or something tries to stop them. We maintain a belief in the overall right of the faculty to assert itself into University affairs to the full extent of its desires and energies. With students, the faculty form the essential base of this University and it should be well-known that wherever the base goes, the top must follow or fall. Think of it as possible. It is. And it will be as long as there are Witherspoons, and Jordans, and Mayeses, and Burnes, and CArvers, and Joneses, and Smiths, and the list grows on and on and on... ■»pr opinion t 1 The Yep, Virginia, there is a faculty, and they are finally alive if not totally well as yet. Recent weeks have seen the awakening of the Great Sleeping Bear and we loudly admit pleasure in their self-discovery. Like most of us, the faculty are crisis-oriented, acting to save their mortal necks only when the noose is about to be tightened down for good. We can only hope that some inner watchdog spirit emerges henceforth, a private guardian concern for their domain and the University as a whole. It is only by the famous "eternal vigilance" concept that today's free man is tomorrow's still-free man. Sleeping dogs all-too-often return to the warm comfort of the well-worn rug when the immediate emergency has been met. The faculty at UNCC has some vivid personalities and vocal representatives. It is not a purely unified body, but then, no social group of Americans is ever unified except momentarily in crisis. But, we notice with admiring glances the faculty's response to threat -and decisive, collective action by many factions to that threat. The passage of the AAUP document by the faculty is perhaps their most significant single achievement as a body since the campus became a University. It is not reality yet, but it is the measure of a commitment to certain principles that the boyd hold necessary for proper freedom, advancement, and protection in their jobs. The Administration must act on their decision, and that will include off-campus reports to the Board of Governors and President Friday on implementation. The University Code is under revision and the passage of this document by UNCC's faculty can influence the revision process. It may be necessary at a later date to send faculty spokesmen to hearings on the matter, but that, too, is a measure of victory, i.e., establishing their voice of desire on the issue. WASHINGTON CPS)j^ Peking last week to obse'^j,)|t because she shouts; ChiafS ( youger than her tM fc- d’ long-sleeved belted dress ® e babies at a commune and and the departure to the They also were able « eats cottage cheese for ijor ')it i, ® disclosure by John ’ while Barbara Walters “P ,(,e l*i||v » ' Though spectacular '"sutil^’L^ video broadcasts of «-ican’>L possibly all time- P®**'ialif unprecedented superficia' ^ q si The "China Trip" witnessed — assassinatio^^ unique in that it marks |jntin‘*N resources in providing conclusion is that those oe^: Though the most I nougn tne mosi a leam Vier, - newspeople still have no poV t nothing at all when there Jo Peking were not far beh'P^igp "news" have themselves^|3,e w ^ ti -the illusion of the in’”*j:tc) is. ® fage reality inherent in the nn^ jp nething ...r^nmu desperate for something prC information access to ^J.^.indereiL -■ Press reports often Rich expounded on tn Karnow of the Washing* v ^ I rush on Chinese th'C^ unidentified staff write* .g t*i^it(,' with the prize vacuity^' !«*•’'?! W "All the PU****® .f^itslf ^Sex expected, results of f**® had If the failure o*. however, the media _ extraordinary. But the . personal Ph'lPe°P^'®® *‘j\ista category, the media Conceived attitod^. terminology of condecen On the first even'^ of tf'C?, interpreter down in f’’°.-p the political re-educe^ts®'C ^ returned to the n’O**’j[>he f they were living jevre*^, That this was to b®JJ^ters returned to the wher^‘^th^|K®y interviewer. Barbara full-time nurse though *°^'imilar double Kar*?® Standard- were excess* the government-contr^ d**P®**e^f^ Chou-Nixon talks iii n® own newspaper had - Peking either. „hasi*®^,8 "litial All the media the day of Nixon's arriv ploy was underfoot. pki The news that *•* nyerag^ _ blacked out all TV '^pd newspapers from the inch wire service filleP I, thf^ljVrr Commentators on specially flown in fP* yyell ^Siaji and athletic display i standards, very poor. thrP^Wik. Here, as was the fSizing Incapable of intellec^gd ou* yV _ American reporters indifferent to the government directi^^ en ^ When the President ^ Ka > untypical - they
University of North Carolina at Charlotte Student Newspaper
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
March 13, 1972, edition 1
4
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75