page e(even/the journal/february 20,1974
I and yesteryear
T journal photo/paul beck
self over some ridiculous issue,
lack Dunne exhibits the most
nge from his behavior last
^rior to his election to the
■P spot, Dunne was an
emelv quiet person on the
One got the impression that
of his work was done beh ind
scenes. Dunne still leaves you
that impression. Of course,
c isn't much reward to being
gcd with the care and feeding
ome several dozen legislature
ihers, Dunne does as good a
of controlling them as I have
io a long time.
here are a few members of
legislature who have been
'for quite some time, and I
'Id like to mention these
f!y,
he first who comes to mind is
Foster, the figurehead of the
Committee. Rules is
Sed with making sure that
'of the by laws are. violated
JJthe course of the meetings,
en Foster brought up a rule,
"^guaranteed to either swiftly
'fe matters or confuse the
Out of everyone, or at least
■eporter.
has changed some in
year. He's gotten quiter.
•^I^s less on issues that corhe
I® the body and seems to be
■ ored with the whole thing.
^ Sigmon has also, gotten
by charlotte porter
quieter. Jane has always been a
powerhouse in the legislature, but
she's sitting back now and letting
the younger, more rabid, members
do all the bitching on the floor.
Ms. Sigmon's working is behind
the scenes, where she is chairman
of the Ways and Means
committee.
One thing that hasn't changed
is the number of turkeys on the
body.
They are unavoidable. Certain
types gravitate to political life,
and two of those tyises are those
who are concerned and intellegent
enough to do something and those
who are concerned but unable to
do anything but waste the
legislature's time with inanities
and their own expanded sense of
self.
There isn't much one can do
about them. The legislature may
be congratulated for having less of
them than they did last year. But
while losing some turkeys, they
also lost some of the best minds
ever on the legislature, most
notably Ron Young and David
House.
In conclusion, 1 may say "Ron,
wherever you are, get back here."
Not looking forward to the
legislature elections. Somehow it
seems that no. one can change the
legislature; all end up being
corrupted.
legislature and life
'The statement, 'God does not
exist' is a contradiction, due to
the affirmation and denial of the
subject. To say 'Jack Dunne does
not exist' is not only
contradictory, but blasphemous.
The National Lampoon had a
cartoon of a man fucking a giant
apple pie as his disraught mother
implores "Is nothing sacred?"
Homecoming Week at UNCC has
put me in a quandry as to what to
say about it. That it did not exist,
as was the contention of the
piously ignorant on campus,
would be a more interesting
speculation, but reality is, and so
was Homecoming Week. The 50's
nostalgia thing is fun. It gives
people a chance to ridicule an era
that they desperately would like
to return to. The values of more
than a decade ago seem absurd,
yet are facinating"...(From Dr.
Minter's "Discourses on
Pataphysics", Oxford Univ. Press,
1974).
What, you may ask yourself,
has the-above selection to do with
our venerable Student
Legislature? Is this perhaps some
esoteric ontology, cleverly
constructed as to allow for a
direct experience of the Student
Legislature, or is it meaningless
jargon? Let us examine more
closely the suggested relationships
between the Student Legislature
and Homecoming Week, or yet
even less ambiguous. Politics and
Michael Mouse. It is Politics
obviously, but is it Legislation?
Can Legislation be confined to a
definition? What is the
relationship between Legislation
and life? It can at times be
accused as mere imitation, and yet
it loses its form when it aspires to
duplication. Alas! A quick and
steadfast answer is not to be had.
"But these queries have no
relevancy to problem solving
methodology!" You are quick to
exclaim. This is a legitimate point,
but upon closer examination we
find that this attitude is not only
false, but indicative of a serious,
deep-seated misconception
rampant In our society. Next
week we will take a closer look at
the causes of such illusions, real or
imagined, temporary or
impermanent, sacred or profrne.
However I digress. Let us examine
the real issue at hand, or in
medical terminology, at philanges.
Dr. William Lowrance explains the
by dr. win minter
matter thusly..."Where the roots
of Western culture, both Greek
and Hebrew, considered the aim
of life the perfection of Student
Legislatures, modern man is
concerned with his genitalia." Dr.
Patrick Miller concurs with his
classic..."Est'-et non". Now my
question to you, if "you" is
discernable from that which is not
"you", is "How Can the delimma
of The Legislature being of
UNCC, yet transcending it by self
sentience, be solved' '? The
Legislature has awareness of itself,
and this awareness of itself as a
separate entity makes it feel
unbearably alone, lost, powerless.
Perhaps Dr. Jane Ross reconciles
this contradiction in part In her
contention, "Videri quam esse,
qua qua qua, hie hoc bonjour
madame, ca va?"
I hope that this short
explanation has cleared up any
doubts as to the function and
application of the Student
Legislature. As my time grows
short, I have only these words to
leave you with... "Ne'er pass a
wooden farthing, lest the Keep/At
Horn and Hardart comes out
swinging wild"... Polonius.
a review:
legislature, Feb. 18 Performance
The door opened into the
simple but cleanly designed set of
the SGA meeting on Feb. 18,
1974 at 11:30. In the tradition of
Pirandello and Scheckner the
characters were either in place or
casually roaming in. Action began
when Jack Dunn deftly called
order with the assistance of the
ashtray, which played itself. The
slow rythmic thud of the ashtray
set the pace for this as yet
unappreciated mode of
experiential theatre.
Richard Butterfield turned in a
fine sensitive performance; what
can one say, the man has
presence. His lack of a report was
in itself a statement of the
existentalist abyss which we all
must face in these frightening
times.
Jack Dunn provided the strong
base on which all the action
pivoted. He embellished his
gravitas with exquisite hand
movements of approval at the
proper moments. It set one to
mind of the finely honed
discipline of Balanese temple
dancers. His deep insight into the
tone of the experience was
demonstrated in his statement, "I
guess everybody must be asleep
this morning."
Bill Kincaid, as UNCC's
Everyman, added color to the
meeting. His statement in
reference to a 30 keg, all day.
outdoor beer party planned for
the spring: " The students will get
out of class, go to the Belk Tower,
grab a brew, and listen to the
band," exemplified the lusty,
funloving, vital nature of the
typical UNCC student.
Barbara Sapp's sweet young
voice and concern for all the
students as to the planned
Spring-In party brought a lump to
the throat and a tear to the eye.
The music, performed by Eric
Nelson, which blared in through
the wall, crescendoed at just the
proper moments in order to
-by bill hipp
obliterate anything interesting
which might have been said.
Perhaps the essence of the
event could be most clearly seen
in the relationship of the chorus
of yeas and nays which would
follow each question. The form
itself was probably borrowed
from the tent revival theme of an
assenting Amen. But its tenor
suggested It Is directly derived
from some Junglan archetypical
ritual, a deep low neanderthal
chant. Seeing our legislature's
performance is indeed a positive
edifying experience. It forces the
person witnessing it to re evaluate
certain aspects of their life.
Presenting such an excellent
exercise in boredom the
legislature reveals the excitement
of other such overlooked
activities, such as sleep, or thumb
twiddling. The next presentation
will be Monday, Feb. 25, in the
Parquet Room, admission is free.
journal photo/john baynard