Butterfield and the BSU: A viewer analysis
u.. ; i n *
by jennifer knight and vanessa gallman
After a needless and repetitious program which will bring
debate of 45 minutes, Monday, representatives of black
October 12, the Student organizations on predominately
Legislature passed the Black white campuses to UNCC for a
Student Union's budget of weekend-long sharing-out and
$1,175.00. The budget
follows:
NOVEMBER- Focus on
Students: $50.00 - Publicity;
$50.00 - Decorations; Total -
$100.00
FEBRUARY- Gospel Jubilee:
$50.00 - Publicity; $50.00 -
Decorations; Total - $100.00
seminar session. The speakers for
this occasion are not to
participate in the role of lecturers
but as facilitators in the seminars.
It also seemed important to the
BSU that since they were inviting
people to their home, that they
would, at least once, offer their
visitors a meal. The $225.00
APRIL-Black Forum: $150.00 would aid in this attempt to
Correspondence, seminar project hospitality.
Butterfield felt that the BSU
should go to SUB for money for
speakers and felt that giving the
BSU money for a banquet
violated an unwritten policy of
SGA.
Friday, October 19th, more
materials; $600.00 - Speakers;
$225.00 - Banquet; Total -
$975.00
Thursday, October 18, Student
Body President, Richard
Butterfield, vetoed the budget
because he felt that the legislature
had set a bad precedent by passing than 100 black students held a
$225.00 for a banquet and silent picket and protest march
$600.00 for speakers. against Butterfield's veto. The
The banquet and speakers were BSU marched from the Belk
components of a Black Forum, a Tower, single-filed, to the Union
and occupied the SGA offices.
The entrance of Butterfield into
his office commenced an hour and
a half long discussion that never
once got entirely heated.
Butterfield's decision to veto
came after a talk with several
students, admittedly, none of
which were blacks. Again,
Butterfield cited as his reason for
vetoing that the passing of the
banquet and speakers violated an
unwritten policy of SGA. As
Butterfield admitted that
unwritten policies can be changed
at the will of the legislature. Jack
Dunne, chairman of SGA, pointed
out that, evidently, the unwritten
policy had been changed by the
mere fact that the budget was
passed. However, Butterfield
stated that he was uncertain as to
whether the student legislature
"knew what they were doing" in
passing the budget.
Butterfield continuously
stressed the fact that SUB had
much more money that SGA and
It was their responsibility to aid
the BSU in obtaining speakers.
Kenneth Foster, president of
BSU, voiced the BSU's objections
to SUB's aid as the fact that SUB
would sponsor who they wanted
and when they wanted them
without regard to the desires of
BSU. As SUB's responsibility is to
plan activities for the entire
student body, the BSU feels that
even if their speakers were
contracted at the time they
wanted them, the speakers would
be set up as lecturers open to the
entire student body instead of as
facilitators in the closed sessions
of the Black Forum.
Butterfield stated that it was
procedure that an organization
first explore all other possibilities
of financial assistance before
coming to SGA. The fact that'the
budget got to the floor of student
legislature without following this
procedure, Butterfield admits, was
because of inefficient
investigation of the budget by the
Finance Committee. The BSU felt
that they should not be made to
suffer because of the Finance
Committee's negligence.
Richard Butterfield withdrew
his veto after the BSU made it
clear to him that they realize the
injustices perpetuated by SUB and
that they intend to deal with
them.
According to Butterfield, he
took this stand in order to draw
the BSU's attention to SUB and
that he withdrew his veto only
because he felt that this purpose
had been accomplished.
From this ordeal, the SGA, as
represented by Jack Dunne, Jane
Sigmon and even Richard
Butterfield, has gained some
respect of the BSU. But more
important, the BSU has shown to
the student body that they plan
to actively oppose any injustices
levelled toward them. Maybe now,
the BSU will gain some respect
from the student body.
The crisis in the Middle East is
the topic to be discussed by a
distinguished panel Wed., Nov. 7
3t 11:00 a.m, in the Parquet
Room of the Cone University
Center. The program is designed
to give members of the campus
9nd Charlotte communities an
opportunity to become more
enlightened on this issue of grave
end eminent importance.
Knowledgable persons,
representing differing philosophies
and ideological backgrounds have
been invited to participate in a
panel discussion about this crisis.
Rabbi Bernard Zlotowitz of
Temple Beth El and Dr. Nasser
Jehanbani, formerly of Iraq, who
is currently assistant to the
president of Belmont Abbey
College, both have accepted
invitations to be panelists. An
official from the Middle East desk
of the State Department in
Washington is being contacted and
asked to participate, reports Lynn
Zera, Assistant Dean of Students.
In addition, an invitation has
been extended to Dr. Shepard
Jones, Professor Emeritus at
Chapel Hill, who has been a
government consultant on Middle
East affairs. Several university
professors will also participate in
the panel discussion, which will be
moderated by Dr. Nish Jamgotch,
Associate Professor of Political
Science, specializing in Soviet and
International Politics. Students
from Israel and Arab nations will
give some personal reflections
about what is at stake in the
Middle East conflict.
The program format will
include, first, a brief historical
perspective to provide a
background for the discussion.
The panel will then explore the
political and religious issues, and
study the Involvement of the
different factions and the major
powers. They will look at the
present conflict in terms of what
is actually at stake, and will
reflect on the influence of isolated
Arab-lsrael confrontations that
have occured in the past few
years. In conclusion, the panel
will discuss the future direction
that the conflict might take.
The program is being
coordinated by Lynn Zera and
Marian Beane, residence
coordinator of Sanford Hall. Two
UNCC Arab students who have
served as consultants in
developing the format for the
program are Al Hamdiri and
Akram Al-Koor.
Anyone desiring further
information concerning the
program can contact Lynn or
Marian at 597-2267 or 2346.