PIRG not students’ rights issue,
Savs Dean of Students Dennis Rash
... r tViom ” be as efficient as their method, but then
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The Student Newspaper of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Charlotte, North Carolina
By Brad Rich
According to Dean of Students,
Dennis Rash, the decision not to fund
PIRG, the Public Interest Research
Group patterned after Ralph Nader s
organization, should not be made into a
students’ rights issue.
Rash said the whole controversy
stems from PIRG’s belief that it should
have a separate system of accountability.
He said when students voted to increase
their fees by two dollars to fund PIRG
last year, the Administration was acting
under a 1971 memorandum from
University System President William
Friday that basically gave only duly
authorized representatives of student
organizations the right to expend activity
fees. The administration would have no
authority, save that of auditing.
When the system was reorganized in
1971 to expand from six to 16
universities, a Board of Governors was
created. This board set up a “Code”, one
provision of which stated that the
Chancellor now was responsible for how
all student activity fees were spent. Rash
said this new policy, Section 502 D-3 of
the codebook., superceeded the old
policy.
Rash said PIRG, by asking for a
separate system of accountability, would
not help the' accountability. “The
Chancellor he said, “Being a prudent
man, seeing the audit reports(of
organizations that had overspent in the
past), and knowing he was now
responsible, set up the Student Activity
Fees Review Committee. What has
emerged is a need for a better
accountability mechanism, as opposed to
a better appropriations mechanism.”
In the Chancellor’s judgement, and
mine, too, the single most important
issue on campus is establishing this
mechanism, an organization that looks at
each organization’s expenditures every
month and determines whether it is spent
right,” he said.
Rash said he feels, as does the
Chancellor, that any money PIRG
obtains should have to go through this
new committee just like any other
student organization. “PIRG asked for a
lump sum,” he said. “They didn’t want
to have any system of yearly
accountability. Of course, they’d have to
report to their own Board of Directors,
but it wouldn’t be made up
predominately of UNCC Students.”
If we allowed PIRG an end-around
the system, a special process of
accountability, it would encourage other
organizations to seek the same thing. That
definitely would not help general
accountability.”
Rash emphasized the point no one
ever said PIRG can’t receive campus
funding. He said, “If PIRG wants to
come before the Fees Review Committee
or whatever body is set up, submit a
budget,etc., they can.”
Rash also said he thinks that if
accountability was tightened on other
student organizations, as much as ten to
fifteen thousand dollars could be freed to
fund PIRG or “any other student
organization.” PIRG, Rash said, “Asked
for a negative check-off.” That is, they
proposed to raise student fees by two
dollars for every student, unless a student
checked-off that he didn’t want to give
the money. It is impossible to deduce
how much money this would have
anounted to, because it’s impossible to
know how many students would have
, checked off,” he said.
■ Rash said he was against raising the
student fees at all when many of them
were not being spent efficiently in the
first place. It’s the same way I feel about
taxes. As long as they are being
spent inefficiently,, I would never be in
favor of raising them.”
In summary, Rash said, “I’m not yet
convinced that PIRG cannot operate in
the same manner as other student
organizations. Of course, this wouldn’t
Carolina Journal photo by Lisa Laney
Dean Rash gave the Administration’s views on the PIRG question.
Chase Idol
By Patti Tracey
Chase Idol, our new
Student Body President, is a
native of Charlotte who never
planned on attending UNCC, or
any other college for that
matter. Now he’s a junior
accounting major, after a try at
engineering, who really enjoys
school and campus life.
According to Chase, his
mother has been a great
influence on him and it was she
who convinced him to try
college. Chase and his mother
are very close and she was a
source of great support to him
throughout his campaign.
Oddly enough, Chase has
had no experience in Student
Government. But he feels his 1 ]/2
years of experience as an R.A.
in ‘73 have given him a good
foundation for the presidency.
When asked why he decided
to run, he replied, “I feel that I
know enough students so that 1
can represent an overview of
their opinions when dealing
with the administration, faculty,
and staff, which is basically the
job of the Student Body
President”. Chase made it clear
that his decision wasn’t a hasty
one. He spoke to a good many
people in student government,
including Ricky Pharr and Doug
Lerner.
Looking back over the
campaign. Chase feels it was
(continued on page 2)
be as efficient as their method, but then.
I’d rather not have to explain exactly
what Fm doing and how I’m spending
my money either.”
WFAE...
90.9 FM
By Brad Rich
WFAE has received periiiission from
the FCC to begin programming tests-
Monday, April 18. According to station
manager Bo Pittman, at this time the
station will begin its regular program day,
currently scheduled to begin between
4:30 p.m. and il0:00p.m.
Pittman said permission to begin
programming tests does not, however,
insure that the FCC will license the
station. The FCC grants permission to
begin program tests when a station has
shown itself to be in good operation.
The current schedule calls for the
“Spider’s Web,” a continuing scries ot
literature classics, to be aired at 4:30
daily. The show, produced by WGFV in
Boston, Massachussetts, is designed to
entertain the entire family, and will
present such literary classics as Thipugh
the Looking Glass,” “Winnie the Pooh,”
“The Hobbit,” and even a scries on “The
Little House on the Prairie.
At 7:00, WFAE will air programs
from National Public Radio. Station
Mananagcr Pittman said, “1 haven t really
heard many of these, so I’m not sure
exactly what all of them are. They will
be educational, though; such things as
the British Broadcasting Corporation’s
Science Magazine, and interviews with
Dixie Lee Ray on nuclear power.”
Classical music will be heard from
5:00 to 7:00 daily. Pittman said the
classical programming is going pretty
well, and will be an integral part of the
station’s programming.
Tuesday and Thursday at 8:00 will
be Special Features. Pittman said this will
include bluegrass, folk and blues. \.
Jazz will be aired between 8:00 and
10:00 Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Paul Stribbling has been developing the
programming for jazz, and at first the
emphasis will be put on traditional and
contemporary artists. Pittman said, “At
first we’ll Start off conservative, then go
on from there. We’ll play people like
Maynard Ferguson and some , from A1
DiMeola, but we probably won’t get as
modern as, say Weather Report at first.
News Director John Edwards said his
department is crippled by a lack of
money and personnel, but he still has
ideas for the near future. The news
probably will be left out initially, but
after a while Edwards said plans call for
“a couple of short news shows a day
dealing mainly with campus issues and a
once-a-week special similar to the
-“National Column” in, the Carolina
journal.
Edwards said at first the lack of
money will prohibit his department from
purchasing a teletype machine, but
“there will be as much investigative
reporting as personnel allows.” He said
investigative reporting on campus will
have to be done “delicately,” though,
and in a “hunt and peck” style.