ClwtofiMJOb ^OWtPwJi
^udent Newspaper cf the University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Volume XII, Number 8
October 12, ip76
Carolina Journal photo by Lisa Laney
Candidates meet,
Debate on ceunpus
Congressional candidates Goodman, Schlanger and Martih.
By Brad Rich
N inth District Congressional
candidates Jim Martin, Harley
Schlanger and Arthur Goodman
met head to head Tiiursday,
October 7 in UNCC’s McKnight
Lecture Hall for what had been
advertised as “The Great debate”.
It wasn’t great, it wasn’t a debate,
but it was an excellent opportunity
for the university community to
meet the candidates and learn a
little of the basic philosophies of
the Republican, U.S. Labor and
Democratic Parties.
A student panel consisting of
North Carolina Student Legislature
members Cheryl Furr, Jim Hill and
Steve Kiser posed questions to the
candidates, and received both the
usual rhetoric and some concrete
responses.
The first question, asked by
Steve Kiser dealt with the
question of jobs and poverty.
Martin, the Republican incumbent,
stated both his, and his party’s
position in answer. To alleviate the
unemployment problem, Martin
would encourage “expansion of the
market” through tax incentives. He
said, “This is not an immediate
solution; it could take from 4 or 5
to eight years. ’’ This
'“trickle-down” theory would
encourage citizens to invest in
business, therefore increasing the
amount of jobs. “In the
meantime,” Martin said, “such
things as unemployment
compensation and food stamps
help.”
Goodman, the Democrat,
endorsed the Humphrey-Hawkins
Bill, saying the government, used as
an employer of the last resort,
could provide meaningful jobs for
“every American who wants to
work.” He gave examples of jobs,
such as mental hospital workers
and environmental clean-up
projects, that the unemployed
could fill.
Schlanger, of the US Labor
Party, took a more international
view. He said the problem involves
a world-wide depression, in which
markets are backed up, and
thousands of debts remain unpaid.
Cheryl Furr posed' the second
question, on how to deal with the
problem of energy versus the
environment. Goodman stressed
conservation of our fossil fuels, but
urged that more research be
dedicated to renewable resources
such as solar energy, wind energy
and geo-thermal. “If our modern
technology can put a man on the
moon, why can’t it learn to use
geo-thermal energy” (power
derived from the earth itself).
Schlanger emphasized the
development of nuclear fusion (the
making of helium atoms from
hydrogen atoms). He said,
“Scientists and the oil companies
claim fusion is 25 to. 30 years
away, but our (Labor Party).
scientists say it could be developed ,
in 5 to 8 years.” He said the
holdup is due to “sabotage” by
Nader type groups controlled by
the oil companies, and that world
cooperation on the fusion project
is necessary. He called the oil crisis '
“a complete hoax ’ and blamed, in
nart. Nelson Rockefeller and Henry
Kissinge^.
Martin called for increased
exploration and use of fossil fuels,
while at the same time cutting
down on waste through
conservation. He said there is “no
immediate^ easy answer” and
emphasized the need for continued
development of fusion and solar
energy. He also said he is in favor
of reinstating the oil depletion
allowance.
Jim Hill’s guestion on defense
spending drew severely contrasting
answers from the candidates.
Schlanger advocated
strengthening America and the
world through improved
technology, industry and food
production. He said our greatest
problem is “the presence of Henry
Kissinger in the cabinet,” and
urged that “the third world
nations be brought out of their
underdeveloped state.” He
criticized both Ford and Carter,
saying Carter showed his lack of
compassion by advocating the use
of food as a political and economic
weapon.
Goodman followed the Carter
(cunt, page sixteen]
Carolina Journal photo by Lisa Laney
Dr. McCoy introduces the ‘Great Debate.'
Mathis advocates new law school
By Pat Griendling
The attempt to establish a law
school at UNCC in not new, but is
certain to again become a
controversial issue.
In 1974, the Board of
Governors received requests from
Appalachian State University, East
Carolina University, and UNCC for
authorization to plan a law school.
However, after a study made by
the Board’s Committee on
Educational Planning, Policies., and
Programs through its
Subcommittee on Professional
Education, the request was denied.
The committee concluded the
four present North Carolina law
schools, as well as other current
sources of lawyers, would provide
ample lawyer’s for the State’s
present and future requirements.
One of the strong opponents
of that decision was Ray Mathis,
who is running for the North
Carolina House of Representatives.
\mong his varied list of concerns is
he establishment of a school of
law at UNCC. Mathis said, “During
Vietnam there were many students
going into law and medical school
to avoid Vietnam. Now the
demand isn’t quite so great. We
don t need a new law school, we
just need to relocate the one at
N.C. Central University.”
Right now there are four area
law schools: the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the
North Carolina Central University
at Durham, Duke University, and
Wake Forest University. The reason
Mathis wants to have the N C
Central branch relocated, he says,
IS the school’s continued poor
standards.
According to an AP article,
about three-fourths of the 125
N.C. Central • graduates taking the
bar exam last year failed, while
thrGG-fourths of thG total numbGr
who took the examnination passed.
The article continued, “graduates
of Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill, and
Wake Forest University law schools
kept an almost constant level in the
pass-fail! statistics. ”
A UPI article contained some
interesting facts concerning the
failure rate: “Twenty five percent
of the aspiring lawyers who took
the North Carolina Bar
Examination this summer . failed
the test. It was the highest failure
rate in at least a decade... The
largest number of the 154 persons
failing to pass the test,97, attended
North Carolina Central
University... From 1968 through
1973 the failure rate on the test
among students from North
Carolina Central was high. It
ranged from 68.4 percent to 76.9
percent.” To make up for this poor
showing, the General Assembly this
year provided about 3 million to
upgrade facilities.
In speaking to the
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Republican
Women’s Club, Mathis said, “the
school should be relocated to
UNC-Charlotte or closed. School
administrators have had 36 years to
provide quality education for the
citizens of this state. Yet, the
school is still plauged by radical
problems: .'reverse discrimination,
improper management, funding,
questionable accreditation as well
as the high failure rate on the bar
exam... 1 consider this an injustice
to our system of justice. ”
When asked what he felt was
the cause of low bar exam scores,
Mathis replied, “N.C. Central’s
program does not put much
emphasis on the Law School
Admission Test scores and on the
grade point average. Rarely does a
school not count LSAT. 1 really
don’t think the school will
improve. Even if I cannot succeed
in getting a law school established
at UNCC, I will work to upgrade
standards at N. C. Central.”
“If the planning programmers
are right, by 1995 there will be
75,000 people in this county. We
need some kind of professional
school. Charlotte is both an urban
and sophiscated community.
Planning and growth need to be
■ considered.” Mathis said.