Newspapers / University of North Carolina … / March 21, 1972, edition 1 / Page 2
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Campus elections: volume vii, number 21, mvch 21 1972 Dobson's tactics still under fire by Sharon deck Michael Dobson violated no election regulations in his recent campaign for Sanskrit editor, the Elections Board ruled last week. The ruling was the result of a letter written by Steve Garrett, WVFN manager, outlining alleged violations in Dobson's campaign. Garrett plans to carry his objections to the Publications Board this week. Dean Duncan, whom Dobson defeated by seven votes, has also written to the Elections Commitleo to protest the election. Garrett alleged that Dobson stood at the University Center entrance handing out campaign material along with copies of the current Sanskrit, and that he set up a table near the polling place in the UC cafeteria with campaign materials and the Sanskrit. "The use of his present position as editor of the Sanskrit to use and/or cause to be used a student-paid-for publication in behalf of his campaign for re-election is unfair to the students and the other candidates," Garrett Wrote. The Elections Board ruled that Dobson violated no rules by distributing Sanskrit as his campaign material. Also, they said, it was legal for him to maintain a table with campaign material and the Sanskrit, since it was not within 15 feet of the polling place. They also ruled that Dobson violated no publicity regulation by using Sanskrit as campaign material. "I feel I didn't do anything wrong," Dobson maintained. "I'm not a politician. I was trying to show that I was competent, and I had proof of my competence because I had an issue of Sanskrit to show for it." "I handed out very little campaign material, and then only because Duncan did. I felt that if the students didn't like the issue, they would have voted against page two/the Journal/march 21, 1972 Dobson says that he never directly asked students to vote for him. He says he handed the issue to students, told them that he was running for re-election as editor, and that if the students liked the issue and would like to see different things in Sanskrit, he would appreciate their considering voting for him. Dobson said that he was unaware that some of his staff had used Sanskrit covers as campaign posters in the Dorm Cafeteria. He considered the idea, he said, but dismissed it because it might constitute misappropriation of student funds. Lloyd Rose and Patricia Stuut, unaware of Dobson's decision not to use the covers in his campaign, used the covers from their own copies of the magazine as posters. In a,statement to the Journal, Ms. Rose said: "Mr. Dobson did not know that certain of his zealous supporters, i.e., myself and Patricia Stuut, used our magazines and one belonging to my friend William to advertise for his campaign. This mis-use of student funds, albeit innocent, was my idea and the blame is mine, not Mr. Dobson's." Dobson feels that he was justified in distributing the Sanskrit with his campaign material because of similar tactics used by Duncan and Charlie Peek when they ran for the Sanskrit editorship in 1971. "Duncan and Peek used drawings clipped from the Sanskrit as a sign of their previous experience and competence. Apparently, the students did not agree that they were experienced, because they lost the election," Dobson explained. "I did everything Garrett accus^ me of, but I did nothing wrong," he said. Garrett's objections were based more on ethics than on legality. "I don't think anyone should take advantage of his present position as a basis for his campaign," he said. Garrett said he was careful to prevent a biased account of the election by the disc jockeys who were running for office, and he thinks other candidates should also avoid bias in their campaigns. Health services’ examined No time for birth control For ordinary health problems, like diseases and injuries, the UNCC Health Service is adequate. But some students would argue that facilities for crucial student problems, like pregnancy, venereal disease, and psychiatric counseling, cannot meet the needs of the students. The lack of a full-time physician seems to be the cause of the problem. Students who require medical care must go to the Eastway Medical Clinic, or hope that they are one of five sick students on any day, in which case a doctor will come to the Health Service here. Because there has not been enough business to justify having a full-time doctor at UNCC, three doctors at the clinic have volunteered (for pay) to handle medical problems of students. Their already-heavy patient load prohibits their seeing patients unless there is a real need. Although the doctors will see women who think they are pregnant, and they will administer pregnancy tests, they do not have the time to prescribe contraceptives, according to chief nurse Desaree Stroud. Before a doctor prescribes birth control pills, the patient must have a pelvic examination and a Pap smear. If the doctors were to prescribe contraceptives for all women who wanted them, the time required would result in their neglecting their regular patients, she said. The doctors are willing to counsel pregnant women, or direct them to counselors with the UNCC Counseling Center. When asked whether the Bulletin Elections for Student Legislature have been postponed, but University Senate elections will be held March 27 and 28 as scheduled. Because many nominees for Legislature were running unopposed, the nominations will bo re-opened on March 27 and 28. Legislature elections will be held April 19-20. In order to pay students and part-time employees before the holidays, time sheets must be in the Student Aid Office no later than 5:00 P.M., Friday March 24, 1972. This will allow us to have checks available in the Cashier's Office by 2:00 p.m., Thursday, March 30, 1972. The Business Office advises that sutdents who do not have time sheets in according to this schedule will not be paid until the following pay period. Checks not picked up on Thursday, March 30, 1972 will be mailed to the employee's (student and part-time) home address. doctors helped arrange abortions or direct students to abortion counseling .services, Mrs. Stroud replied that she did not know. According to her, the doctors report to the nurses about each patient they see, but do not tell the nurses exactly what they have recommended. The doctors themselves could not be reached for comment. The doctors will give tests for venereal disease, but the student must pay for the tests. Tests are given for free at the Mecklenburg County Health Department. Reports that students have been subjected to third-degree interrogations are mostly exaggerated, Mrs. Stroud said. If a student thinks he has VD, the nurses try to find out who his contact was. A woman who thinks she is pregnant will probably be asked when her last period was. Mrs. Stroud said that only necessary questions are asked. General counseling on sex and drugs In a letter to the Journal, Dean Duncan said: "First, I would like to thank the 345 people who voted for me for their support. Secondly, I would like for it to be known that I am in no way affiliated with A CONCERNED STUDENT who attacked the campaign practices of my opponent. I feel that if he were to criticize, he should have at least signed his name to the letter. "I am contesting the election for editor of the literary magazine on grounds that Mr. Dobson violated the publicity rules which specifically state that publicity cannot be placed on walls or windows. Mr. Dobson or someone in his campaign placed a cover from the fall issue of the magazine on the door of the Dorm Cafeteria. This is in direct conflict of the law. "The issues in my campaign centered around one point: that the literary magazine, funded by every student's fees, should be representative of tlie university as a whole, instead of a small group of writers, most of whom are in Bertha Harris' creative writing class. Mr. Dobson differed with me completely on this issue. In a discussion with him, he told me that he wanted to publish the best possible material and that the magazine did not have to be representative of the student body as a whole. "I feel that the writers whose works appear in the current issue of the magazine would have no problem being published in an off-campus magazine. And, therefore, work from the student body as a whole should be actively solicited, and not just the work of these few. "Also, I thou^t that Mr. Dobson had been lax in his duty as editor of the magazine by publishing only one issue this school year. While working previously on the magazine, I found it easy to publish several issues, at least one during a semester. , "Though I can sympathize with Mr. Dobson's complaint with the SGA s Judicial Committee, I feel that he could have at least published one issue during the fall semester. "And, if the Elections Board and the Student Courts do not rule in my favor on my protest, I will support Mr. Dobson in every way possible. "But I can only hope that he will take into account that he won by less than 1% of the votes cast, and that the magazine will be published more often and will contain the work of many more students." In response to Duncan's charge of favoritism in publishing, Dobson said: "I'm not going to deliberately publish anything that I feel is bad. I print only the best material I can find. If the best writers come from Bertha Harris' class, it is because they care about writing, they have been working at writing, and they have had expert criticism. It is only reasonable that they should be the best." Dobson said that he often returns submitted work for re-writing, in an effort to get the best material from promising writers. "Dean and I do have different opinions about what kind of material the magazine should include, I take my victory as an endorsement of my opinion." Dobson feels that his handing out the Sanskrit with his campaign literature was not unethical. He pointed out that Stan Patterson and other candidates, including Duncan, used campaign material listing their qualifications and asking students to vote for them on that basis. His use of Sanskrit, he feels, was the same type of approach, with the only difference being a matter of deyee. "If I am unethical, so is everyone else who uses their qualifications as a basis for soliciting votes," he said. by Sharon deck is also lacking. The newly-formed SGA Committee on Human Sexuality may remedy this situation by disseminating information to the students. Some information and counseling is now available through the Counseling Center. Mrs. Stroud believes that the new committee can perform a real service for the students, especially if it decides to publish a sex information booklet, as many colleges are now doing. Some problems of inadequate or inconvenient care may be remedied if a full-time college physician can be hired. The committee and Dean of Students Dennis Rash are presently trying to locate a physician for next year. The present Health Service building has facilities for caring for most student problems, but because of the lack of a resident physician, they are usually lying empty. The building has space for two doctors' offices, four examining rooms, a kitchen, a laboratory, and an x-ray room plus equipment. Plans call for an addition to the building by 1980. The addition will double the number of beds in the present building. Currently, there are six single rooms and eight double rooms. Some of the single rooms have heavily-screened windows, to house patients who are emotionally disturbed. Linking the health service to a UNCC medical school has been discussed, but so far there are no plans to establish a medical school here. Silas Vaughn, Vice-Chancellor for Business Affairs, feels that any decision concerning a medical school here should bo made by the members of the medical profession, and should not be pushed for by the Administration. A more likely alternative, Vaughn feels, is linking the health service to allied health programs, perhaps linked to the nursing school and the Institute for Urban Studies. All these ideas, however, are speculative at the present time. The most pressing need. Administrators feel, is for a full-time doctor or perhaps two. If a doctor is hired, his salary, (around $40-50 thousand) like all expenses of the health service, will be paid by student health fees. Each full-time student pays a health fee of $10 per semester. Students carrying less than eight hours pay $5 per semester, and summer session students pay $3.50. According to Donald MacKay, Director of Auxiliary Services, health fees for the current academic year are estimated at $85,000. Combined with a $33,000 surplus from past years, the health service has $118,()00 with which to meet a $92,000 bud^t. Because of the anticipated $20,(XX) surplus this year, MacKay said, students fees will probably not have to be increased in the near future. Regulations state that any money not spent directly on the health service must be carried forward and may not be spent for anything other than the health service. The fees pay for medications, supplies, and doctors' and nurses salaries. The operation expense is high, MacKay said, because the health service is open around the clock throughout the week. The major expenses are salaries, retirement funds, and social security. Supplies cost about $3,000 each year. The upkeep of the health service station wagon, which is used 1° transport ill or injured students to the clinic or hospital, also requires a large outlay of fui^
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