Housing Shortage
UNCC Residence Life Office Coordinator Chuck
Lynch.
Chuck Lynch, UNCC
housing coordinator, faced a
shortage • problem heretofore
unique to the UNCC campus.
An overflow of about one
hundred residents forced Lynch
to convert study rooms to dorm
rooms and to move some
students in with resident
advisors.
A mass of late applications
came from students who had no
expectations of a shortage.
Additional to late aplications,
many local area students moved
to the dorms to save gas.
Although rooms were
assigned generally on a
first-come first-serve basis, the
housing o ,ffice asked local
students to commute rather
than move on campus so that
o u t-of-t owners could be
accommodated. Priorities were
adjusted so that in overflow
assignments transfers would live
in study rooms and freshmen
would room with resident
advisors to facilitate the more
difficult freshman transition.
Even with these solutions, more
students are pitching tents near
dorms 72 and 73 as well as
sleeping in their cars. Room
changes are harder to get thus
raising the frustration level of
dissatisfied roommates.
Lynch indicates that future
plans call for more dorm space
and possible married-student
housing to meet the needs of
the fast-growing UNCC campus.
Meanwhile, it looks like UNCC
is experiencing its first real
housing shortage with no
appareniantidote until future
plans can be met..
Bookstore Undergoes
The forced resignation of bookstore manager David MacAuley and
firing of "paperback orderer" Larry Williams was a major summer
shakeup in the University bookstore. James Mecredy, formerly head of
Receiving and Stores, was named as the new manager.
Director of Business Services, Tom Feamster, said the reason for
the firing of MacAuley was his lack of organization and profits,
although recently completed year-end statements show bookstore
profits at 8.6 percent or $52,233-the highest percentage since 1971.
MacAuley was in his second year of management.
The firing of Williams occurred on the second day of Mecredy's
tenure. Mecredy cited noncompliance with general bookstore policy.
Specifically, Williams says, he did not remain in the bookstore at all
times during the work d y as he found it necessary in the course of his
duties to make trips to the library and academic departments. Williams
is currently apealing his firing, although recently he has been offered
his job back.
MacAuley cannot apeal because he technically was not fired but
asked to resign. He says he thought of refusing to resign and apeal his
firing, but he decided it was better to take the "hint" and resign as
Feamster intimated that if he did not he would get a "bad report
card". •
The bookstore profit figure indicates only "net profitability"
according to Feamster. The figure includes $36,433 in "credits" from
bookstore vendors,, which Feamster says cannot be redeemed in cash
but only in further purchases. It is the consensus among observers that
these credits could be converted to cash by requesting a refund, as this
IS money owed the bookstore and is termed credits only as a mutual
administrative convenience.
MacAuley says that the large amount of outstanding credits and a
high rate of pilferage (shoplifting, theft, etc.) contributed to his
dismissal. Also an underlying cause was a personality conflict, a fact
which is acknowledged by both MacAuley and Feamster. Feamster
Vital Changes
- by jay eaker
contends that MacAuley failed to follow through on many ot his
suggestions and MacAuley claims that many of Feamster's
recommendations were impractical and cites instances such as being
told to put price stickers on 10,000 bluebooks.
Security in the bookstore was hard to maintain, MacAuley asserts,
because of existing check-out lines, library shelving which did not quite
come to the ceiling and it vvas also discovered early this year that the
back door to the store could be opened with a credit card. MacAuley
says that he asked for improvements for the facility but they were not
provided..
The new manager has installed new check-out lanes and has been
able to hire additional student help. MacAuley says that he was doing a
gross business of $100,000 per employee while most bookstores in the
state operate at $45,000 per employee,
MacAuley says that a further demoralizing factor was a surprise
inventory in December of 1973 which was performed by Vice
Chancellor for Business Affairs Lou Moelchert, Tom Feamster and
Security Chief Jerry Hudson, whose men took the inventory.
MacAuley termed the inventory a "CIA operation and a botched job at
that". He discovered five inventory sheets afterwards that had been
misplaced, and forwarded them to Feamster. After this he was told his
profit margin was too low (the surprise inventory placed it at 5.7%)
and told unless he improved he was in trouble. Feamster told him he
had to have 8.0%—a percentage which MacAuley told him was
impossible to attain. He finished with 8.56%.
The major function of the bookstore, all concerned agree, is service
to the University community. 5upplying the textbooks for the
University, which comprises 78% of total sales and are the lowest
profit-makers, is their reason for being. MacAuley states that when he
was hired the first emphasis was on service to the University and
second, profits. Feamster said the primary reason for the change in
management is the desire to increase profit and to organize, agreeing
(cont. on page two)
NORML
Plans
Film
by mike evans
The National Organization
for the Reform of Marijuana
Lavvs(NORML) is presenting a
viewing of the film Reefer
Madness September 13 at eight
and ten p.m. Both showings will
have a 75-cent admission fee.
Reefer Madness was
produced in the 1930's and
depicts people going insane
from smoking marijuana. At its
release it was considered to be a
serious movie, but the present
public views it as quite
humorous. The film has been an
effective fundraiser for
NORML.
NORML is a nonprofit
public interest lobby which does
not advocate the use of
marijuana. However, the
organization does feel that
people should not be sentenced
to prison for using the drug. In
North Carolina, the immediate
goal of NORML is the
decriminilization of the use of
marijuana. They will be actively
lobbying in the 1975 session of
the N.C. Assembly.
The removal of all criminal
penalties from the private
possession and use of marijuana
has been endorsed or
recommended by many
prominent organizations and
persons. Among these are the
American Bar Association, the
National Council of Churches,
the National Education
Association, William F. Buckley,
Jr., and Barry Goldwater..
John Finlator, the former
deputy director of the Bureau
of Narcotics and Dangerous
Drugs has publicly spoken in
favor of NORML. He has even
done some radio spots for the
organization.
Anyone interested in
NORML can write NORML,
P.O. Box 25882, Charlotte, N.C.
28212, or contact Chris Fuller,
the campus leader of NORML.