Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / March 9, 1962, edition 1 / Page 2
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PETE RANGE In its sixty-ninth year of editorial freedom, unhampered by restrictions from either the administration or the student body, 1 3 3 1 The Daily Tar Heel is the official student publication of the Publications Board of the University of North Carolina. I I AW editorials appearing in The Daily TAr Heel wre personal expressions of the editor, unless otherwise credited; they l are not necessarily representative or leeunx. on ivc stuy. March 9, 1962 Tel. 942-2356 Vol. LXIX, No. 110 I 1:3 A Matter Of Choice The lead editorial in the Raleigh Times yesterday rapped the admin istration here for "inviting medio crity" by imposing a low mimimum standard for fraternities under the 80 per cent rule. The gist of the argument was that the rule chal lenges the fraternities to the "low est posible mediocrity" a student can maintain and still graduate. This is all too true. The 80 per cent minimum is certainly not too high, and we do not oppose it on these grounds. We do oppose it on others. .f irst oi an, tne ruling is uiuair in that it is aimed directly at the fraternities, imposinga require ment on them, as collective units, that is not imposed on the rest of the campus. Fraternity membership should be viewed in the same way as participation in any extra-curricular activity. If any academic re quirement is placed on fraternities, it should be done on an individual, hot a colective basis. The responsi bility for maintaining a "C" aver age rests squarely with the student, not with the fraternity. If any member falls below a "C", then any action that is taken should be tak en against him, not against an or ganization to which he happens to belong. The logical extension of the 80 per cent rule would be to place on probation any organization that fails to have 80 per cent of its mem bership maintain a "C". This would mean that an organi zation like the UNC band, for in stance, would be required to have 80 per cent of its members maintain a "C", or be deprived of the privi lege to accept new members. That proposal doesn't make very much sense; yet, it would operate on the same basic principle that spawned the 80 per cent rule now imposed on fraternities. We have no objection to raising standards. But the standards should be individual standards not fra ternity standards, dormitory stand ards, or any other group standards. The problem of maintaining standards is one of choice. If a stu dent chooses to put so much time in fraternity activities that he fails to meet mimimum grade require ments, then he has made the choice himself. The ideal situation would be one in which the standards were set as high as reasonably possible, and the student given the responsibility of meeting them, or failing to meet them. The Powers Case The Senate Armed Service Com mittee, the Central Intelligence A gency and the special commission headed by Judge E. Barrett Pretty man have struggled manfully to re concile the irreconcilable. They have produced probably as much informa tion as it is prudent to produce a bout the extra-ordinary adventure of Francis Gary Powers. They de serve credit for the pains they took to clear up his name. The unan swered questions that remain are monuments to the incompatibility of democratic notions of open con duct of government and the essen tial elements of espionage. Basical ly, the authorities, from the begin ning of the case, have been caught lira in such contradictions. The re sponse of President Eisenhower, at the time of the U-2 flight, reflect ed this embarrassment and nothing is likely to dispel it. We have come a long way from the time when our country had ho need in peacetime for such enter prises. In 1807, Thomas Jefferson, as an ex-President, could suggest to President James Madison that we allay Spanish fears that the Pike expedition to Sante Fe was for es pionage purposes by telling Spain r -nrnr yfj I I EDITORIAL STAFF I m m ft ll 1 Wayne King Editor ll Harry Lloyd, Harve Harris If Managing Editors Lloyd Little Executive News Editor l Jim Clotfelter, Bill Wuamett If News Editors II Jim Wallace M Photography Editor If Chuck Mooney. Feature Editor p Ed Dupree. Sports Editor fl Ctzrry Kirkpatrick II Asst. Sports Editor $ Garry Blanchard Contributing Editor If BUSINESS STAFF If i Ttm Burnett Business Manager If Mike Mathers Advertising Manager ? Jim EvANS.JSubscription Manager Jim Eskrtdge F Circulation Manager Si. Tot Daily Tab Ezkl Is published dally except Monday, examination periods and vacations. It Is entered as second- class matter In the post office In Chapel Bill, N. C, pursuant with the act of . March 8. 1870. Subscription rates: $4.50 t per semester, $8 per year. Tux Daily Tab Hm la a subscriber to X the United Press International and t utilizes the services of the News Bu ceau'of the University of North Caro- Una. , . , - Published by the Publications Board of the University of North Carolina, P uiapei rim, i.K. v.- m i m m M m i m that "this government has never employed a spy in any case." If it was an honest assurance then, it did not long continue to be an ex planation that could be used with candor. The kind of espionage in which Francis Gary Powers engaged no doubt was a lot less embarrassing (and a lot less in conflict with old fashioned notions of propriety) than some other kinds of espionage. His daring enterprise involved none tf the duplicities and deceits in which more conventional spies have had to engage, throughout history. Photo reconnaisance is morally tidier than fome other types of inquiry. We have profited a great deal ethically by shifting emphasis to the camera to "Mati Hari with a glass eye." We should be grateful for that. Citizens who are at all sensitive well may be kept awake nights by speculation about the deeds that are done in their names. It is bet ter that they lose their sleep than that we lose our country. The case of Francis Gary Powers came to light because his mission failed. Of other cases, involving like risks and dangers, citizens will never leam. The Government has made an ap propriate deferential bow to the right of citizens to know about 'ope rations of a kind that they never can have full knowledge about. The very frame of secrecy that in'evit ably surrounds su'eh endeavors, Jiowever, imposes Especial obliga tions on those who authorize and execute these missions. Their fail ures may involve not only the lives of their agents but also the fate of their country. Since history does not disclose its alternative, we 'cannot say what would have happened if this U-2 overflight never had taken place. We can say tor a certainty that events would have been different. We are left to wonder how -different things Tnight have been if the Par is Summit had taken place and if President Eisenhower had gone to the Soviet Union. And this wonder, on 'the whole, ought "to 'trahsehd our wonder about the fidelity with which the U-2 pilot carried out his contract. We cannot know much more -a b o 1.1 1. one of these riddles than we know about the other. Si . . J Of laitiie Splits B Editor's Note: Junior Pete Range is currently studying at Goettingen under the UNC-Goettingen exchange program. GOETTINGEN, GERMANY Never have I felt the weight of the (world situation upon my own shoulders the way I do now after another five-day visit to Berlin. This torn city of international strife, de spite the many pleasures and mod ern beauties of its western side, brings the feeling of tension and in humanity indelibly into the fore front of the thinking of any visitor who really understands Berlin. Though Berlin West) has many outstanding attractions and unusual features to offer her visitors, you feel yourself far more drawn to the ugly Wall that Ulbricht built, thus drawing a hard, thin line between East and West, between freedom and totalitarianism, than to famous museums, castles, or restaurants. We visited Ulbricht's "Wall of Shame" (as we call it here in Ger many) in many places along its 45 kilometer length. In the southern (American) sector we climbed up on little stands and parts of the Wall itself to gaze over at the two blank faced German Vopos ten yards a way on the eastern side. They say nothing to you, nothing to one an other. We know they will use their tommy-guns on us and each other if necessary. All Vopos work in pairs, never alone. And the pairs are switched around from day-to-day so that the possibility o f getting to know each other is e x e 1 i ti ed. Although the Vopos are without doubt the hardest of those few East Germans whb have been convinced that corrimunisrh and Ul bricht are indeed right, there is no doubt that many of them deplore the present inhuman situation. If, there fore, two Vopos got to know each other well enough to realize that both wanted to escape, there Would be many more Vopos coming over The Wall to West Berlin every day. As it is more than one hundred have flown in the six months since the erection of The Wall. In the middle of the sector border (British sector) stands the beautiful and impressive Brandenburg Gate, for years now the symbol Xvdrn 'on lapels and carried in the hearts of all Germans in their longing for a reunified Berlin nnd Germany. Because on the 13th of August the Germans stormed the Russian rrie morial, which "is 'guarded by Russian soldiers and lies "on the Western side of the the Gate, the West'Berlin po lice cannot allow Germans, ttnly foreigners, to approach Within 200 yards of the Gate bn the Vesterft side. Through the targe columns of his Symbol of 'FYeedorri, the Gate, the West Berliner sees the long and beautiful boulevard, Unter den Lin den, with his East Berlin brothers trapped behind an ugly wall, on the other side. Because they also realize, the delicacy of the situation at the Brandenburg Gate point, the East German government built the W7all about seven feet thick here, as Op posed to two feet thick everywhere else. The most moving and cruel sight is the extension of the Wall along Bernsuerstrasse in the north French sector), where the most es cape attempts and scrapes between East and WTest police have taken place. The border of the Soviet sec tor here comes exactly as far as the sidewalk, the fronts of the build ings forming the border. On the east ern Side all the windows and doors have been bricked in, all the build ings Within 100 yards of the border emptied of their families (in a city "with an acute housing shortage). In the places where the Wall stands be tween buildings it "is about thirty feet high, as opposed to ten every where else. And besides the barbed Wire tm top, two-inch-square pieces of broken glas bottles have been em bedded into the concrete, producing & tremendously bestial impression on the Viewer. Xlorig the sidewalk of Bernauer strasse stand three memorials now. They trorrtfrtemorate t h r e e persons among them an old woman and a "Sorry, Old Boy, Bnt Your Wife And I Feel You're Becoming An Embarrassment" Co mniente On B Ian To the Editor: As a rnember of the committee making arrangements for the visit to this campus of a group of 11 yotmg people from the Soviet Union, to be here from the 21st to the 27th of March, X read Mr. Garry Blan chard's article about the visit in yesterday's TAR HEEL with some concern. It occurred to me that a hasty reading of the article might lead some to think that Mr. Blanch ard has a hostile or negative atti tude toward the visit, which I am sure is not the case. In order to contribute to a broader understand ing of the matter, therefore, I would like to offer DTH readers some fur ther facts about our visitors. Most of the Soviets are in their late '20's or early '30's; the group in cludes several engineers and teach ers, a journalist, an architect, and so on. Rather than being students, they are members of the rising gen eration of young Soviets, to whom the last war is becoming a dim memory (but let me warn you, not so dim as in this country!). In oth er words, these are people who, having already made a successful beginning to their careers, will in 10 or 15 years be occupying really im portant decision-making positions in Soviet society. It . is obviously quite important that such people have an accurate understanding of the na ture of our own society and, of course, we of theirs. It is this broad purpose that we hope the visit will serve. Mr. Blanchard was quite right in pointing out that our Soviet guests vill undoubtedly be representative of what the Soviet regime considers to be the best the USSR has to offer. A trip to America is a great plum for a Soviet citizen, especially of the younger generation, and their selec tion as members of this group is a sign that our visitors are being re warded for their exemplary behav ior and achievements. I think, though, that Mr. Blanch ard may have exaggerated a bit in his estimation of the probable intel lectual complexion of the group. My experience with similar examples of Soviet young people, both in this country and in the USSR, leads me to expect that our Soviets will be neither fanatic ideological zealots, nor mindless robots, tonelessly mum bling the Party line. They Will sim ply be bright, intelligent young peo ple, very much interested in seeing how things are done here, and quite eager to listen to what we have to say - about ourselves. Naturally, much of their vocabulary on social problems will be structured in terms of the 'official' line their society lays down but after all, nobody, in cluding ourselves, escapes this en tirely. To those of you who have a chance to meet and talk With Our "guests (and we hope there Wffl be many such opportunities), may 1 'offer this advice: in meeting the Soviet Visit or, throw away most of yOur precon ceptions, and approach him for what he is an attractive, intelligent per son who shares many thoughts and perceptions with you, but also hon estly sees some important matters from a different point Of view. Don't be afraid to Vigorously urge your own point of view, of course your Soviet acquaintance expects you to do so, and Will be disappoint ed if he suspects you of deliberate ly holding back from :a frank expres sion of your opinion. And while you should speak without hesitation of shortcomings in Our own society, don't start apologizing for it, 'eith er; he will almost certainly misun derstand your mearring. Just talk with your Soviet friend ( especially about anything you have in com mon) in a friendly, good-tempered way; you will be surprised to learn student, killed by the fall and Vopo bullets in their escape attempts. On the spot where each of them was killed stand three poles which are wrapped With barbed-wire, symboliz ing the odds which they tried to sur mount. Around the memorials are al ways a number of funeral wreaths, brought there by West iBerliners (At torney General Kennedy added one from the United States during his visit last week). In the Bernauer strasse area especially, the West Berliners have written "KZ" on the Wall in many places, meaning "Con centration Camp." It was with an extremely grave and heavy feeling that we ended our tour of the Wall. Adding most significantly to my feeling of compasiOn for the East Berliners and East Germans and the incredulity of the Ulbricht-Soviet in humanity were my talks with East Berliners. Though the West Germans have to wait about three hours to get through the checkpoints into East Berlin, for foreigners it goes rather rapidly, although the check ing police can make things just as difficult and lengthy as they feel like. Though you never lose the feel ing of being in the concentration camp you are rather free to go any where in East Berlin. I found myself i.i a student's room. We spoke about the future of the East German now. Now that the only exit route and contact with the free world has been walled up, that it. Since 1953's unsuccessful June 17th rebellion, the possibility of revolu tion has been out. And the hope that Uibricht-Moscow will change their politics is gone. "For all these years since the war I have been hold ins out living the rotten life they give us over here, hoping there would be a change 6r an escape someday." said an East German worker who was with us. He had to leave his home town, where there is no work for him, to come to Berlin where the Wall and the heavy police population has given them all too much work. "But now iVe given up hope com pletely, there's not a chance now." he added. "Something like this jut can't go on eternally." I replied. "Sure it can," answered my friends. "As long as those monkeys ruling us have the guns and Soviet support, there's no hope for us for any thing better." There was nothing I could answer. I could only sit back and silently listen as the two de pressed Germans talked of their situation, giving many examples and stories of life under a corrupt and inhuman system. Never has the sad ness and hopelessness of a human situation rested itself so heavily on my own heart. (Life is bad in East Berlin. Many commodities are lacking. Fear and mistrust are everywhere. You don't know if your neighbor will turn you in to the Vopos for listening to the wrong radio station or not. A stu dent's entire university career is endangered if he misses one of the many political meetings he is requir ed to attend each month. The sui cide rate of East Berlin has climb ed considerably since the Thirteenth (of August). People have no more hope. What will Ulbricht pull next? What can we do? Where will it lead? Go Home Little oys The antics of these little boys from New Hampshire who are cn a hun ger strike at Fort Bragg because nobody will tell them when they're supposed to get out of the Army are getting boring. Those little boys are Army reserv ists. They are at Fort Bragg be cause the nation need their services.' If they hadn't been reservists, they wouldn't have been ordered to ac tive duty. Most likely they were re servists in the first place so that they wouldn't have to go on active duty then and there. Most people don't like being in the Army. About 15,000,000 Americans didn't like it a bit during World A)out Letters l.'he Dally Tar Heel Invites readers to use it for expres- m sior s of opinion on current I topics regardless of viewpoint. Lexers must be signed, con- tain a verifiable address, and i be free of libelous material, i Brevity and legibility In- crease the chance of publica tion. Lengthy letters may be V edited or omitted. Absolutely I- none will be returned. War II, but they did their duty and most of them did it well. They did n't act like little boys who went on hunger strikes because they could n't have their own way. It would seem entirely proper to suggest that the Department of De fense send these little fellows back to New Hampshire as soon as pos sible on grounds that their continu ed presence in the Army surely is n't doing the defense posture of this country much, if any, good. Reflections More on a detections than reflec tions point of view, we notice that the local merchants are storking up on $9.95 a piece Bausch and Lomb small size telescopes. At first this was interpreted as anticipation of a market of neuveau astronomers due to the recent Glenn flight, but scrutiny of consumers and of the major areas represented i.e. Everette and Stacy Men's Dormitories led DTI I research ers to another conclusion. Sports men in that area are fitting these scopes on guns in preparation for open season to be declared on Cobb next fall. ard Editorial how open he is, and that he is not ,at all as rigid and doctrinaire as you may have expected. ?. JAMES W. ROBERTS TO the Editor: Garry Elanchard's editorial in Tuesday's DTH was aptly titled "A "Unique Opportunity." It uniquely represented tor our own society that Which it was attempting to portray for communist society. The piece be gan with the traditional call to holy war hy raising the traditional stereo types, and proceeded to outline a texture of further preconceptions which could only serve to frustrate any possible good that the mission of Russian graduate students to the university could accomplish. Wit ness the self fulfilling prophesies. We "are urged to condemn the Rus sian leaders 'ho have forged a system that turns people into "semi automatons as many persons expect our guests to he." ts this Southern hospitality? It Would seem to stretch the meaning of the word hospitality fcVy onti recognition to identify a warning stich 'as the following with ;it: We know that they are really a bunch of automatons who can do nothing but reflect and ventilate stereotypes, but let's tolerate them and listen closely. We MAY find out "what makes them tick." This is the author's hospitality. And furthrr. "We are almost certain to be frus trated in our attempts to befriend the students." I wonder how many of us have become friends with peo ple toward whom we were "almost certain" to become unfriendly. One could attempt to unravel other in consistencies from this mass of un reasoned ideological projection but its final sentence sums up its them es rather well. . . we should ex pect to learn from them that which we are told we have most to fear from communism." When one wishes to see what ho already knows in a new situation, the odds are high that he WILL see it. No new knowledge can possiibly a nse. Wrhen one wishes to see what he has been told to see, it would seem that there has been no know ledge to begin with. When one think what he has been told to think out of fear, the result can only be per version. The editorial, in adapting the mode of thought which it con demns, has merited its own con demnation. JOSEPH W. LELLA WILLIAM L. GRAVES BARBARA BRADS HAW
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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March 9, 1962, edition 1
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