Pane 2
THE DAILY TAR HEEL
Wednesday, November 1, 1957
Letters To The Editor
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75 Years o Editorial Freedom
Bill Amlong, Editor
Don Walton, Business Manager
Administration Should Ask:
W
hat About The Students?
There's going to be an ad
ministrative planning conference
around here someday, and some
one over there in South Building
is going to ask the question :
"But what about t h e
students?"
Just not today.
Especially not yesterday, or
whichever yesterday it was that
the University decided to convert
Smith Dormitory into an office
building and shift the girls over to
Alexander.
Because a move such as this
shows no consideration whatsoever
for the wants and indeed, even
for the safety of the women
students in Smith.
The ladies of Smith, you see, are
mostly fine arts majors, and as
such spend a great many nights
practicing late at Hill Hall, which
is only an octave or so away from
their home bases. When they are in
Alexander next year, however, the
women will have to walk across a
long stretch of dark campus to get
home at night.
And since there was a coed
murdered here some, two yearjj.ago,,
it ihas been shown-Jthat IrideexF
violence can happen on this cam-
pus.
But was this considered in mak
ing the change? It seems almost
implausible to imagine its not
being a factor, especially when one
knows how much things such as
coeds' safety concern Dean of
Women Katherine Carmichael;
Apparently, however, this
wasn't considered all that heavily
this time, for it certainly didn't
make any difference in the
decision. '
There are also other serious
questions which arise out of the
Administration's handling of this
matter. One of these is, Why
weren't students involved in mak
ing this decision?
The answer for that one is easy,
though. The decision was made by
the Administration and forwarded
to the Board of Trustees in the
same package as the decision to
c o nvert Battle-Vance-Pettigrew
Residence Halls into office
buildings, and since no students
were involved in the BVP planning,
none could have been involved in
the Smith planning.
But this is an answer that tells
us how, instead of why.
The why, we are afraid, is that
the Administration just doesn't
seem to think students count all
that much.
And when you've got your
Administration thinking this way,
there's not a real big chance that
Student Government is going to
have a whole lot of power or ef
fectiveness in representing the
students.
Another question that arises is,
Just how concerned is the
Administration with developing a
strong residential c o 11 (e g e
system?
There has been a whole lot of lip
service and a whole lot of good in
tentions for the RCS during the re-
. cent past, but one seriously
wonders what bearing all this nice
talk has on the real world when it
becomes apparent that all the male
students here are being shipped off
to South Campus, and all the coeds
are being left up on main cam
pus. This question becomes
especially pressing when one
remembers how at a University
sponsored conference on t h e
Don Campbell, Associate Editor
Lytt Stamps, Managing Editor
Hunter George, News Editor
Brant Wansley, Advertising Manager
Residential College System less
than a month ago, experts from all
over were saying how important it
is to have coeducational residence
colleges.
And everybody from Carolina
clapped and said, "Yes, yes, it is
important, it is."
But the words were barely out
of their administrative mouths
before the announcement about
Smith and Alexander was being
made.
And not only does the
Administration plan on making
Alexander a women's dorm but
there are big plans to make Craige
an all-graduate student residtnce
hall. This move, seems, it will
change Criage from being one of
the four South Campus un
dergraduate residence colleges into
. being just a high rise graduate
dorm.
, But all these things are going to
affect only the students.
And they c'oa't seem to count
nearly as mu around here as do
the bureaucrats who will fill the 42
offices to be carved out of Smith. .
Maybe someone even did ask,
"But what about the students?"
The answer must have been:
"What about them?"
Ticket Change
A Good Move
We certainly applaud t h e
Ahtletic Business Office's ruling
Monday that basketball tickets for
home games this year would be
sold only to students, faculty and
Rams Club members.
That was one of those rare rul
ings around this campus which
favors the students.
Limiting tickets to university
connected fans us as it, should be.
The basketball players are
students, not professionals. They
have many friends who are
students here. Student spirit comes
from students and the more
spirit we have around here, the
harder our ACC and Eastern
champs will play.
'" After all, the students here get
the short end of the deal. Only nine
games of the some 24 regular
season games are played at
already-outdated Carmichael. V
It is nice to know that a few hun
dre more seats will be available for
students this year.
.
At the same time it is a pain to
think about those long lines of
students waiting to buy tickets.
This year they will be longer than
ever.
The Athletic Business Office has
no alternative to the lines, and we
don't either.
They have promised to have
more ticket distributors available
however, which may help the
situation.
We would make one further sug
gestion. Get more cops to supervise
the lines. On a couple of occasions
last year, students camped out
overnight at Carmichael, only to
get pushed out of the lines the next
morning. Linebreakers are
particularly prevalent and tempers
get hot.
The panic that always ac
companies the opening of the ticket
windows sometimes gets out of
hand. One guy tried to walk
through one of the front glass doors
last year.
Things would go much more
smoothly if the campus police su
pervised the ticket sales.
To The Editor:
It seems ridiculous that anyone in a
position as important as Women's At
torney General should be dismissed sum
marily from office without a formal im
peachment procedure. Why has our
legislature never passed an impeachment
clause, or is our student body to be
governed in accordance with the whims "r
of a few? -
It seems that any charges serious ,
enough to warrant dismissal from office
should be brought to the attention of the
Student Legislature. Judgment should be
passed by this body, not by any single
person or faction. This appears to be a
serious omission in our Student Govern
orient. Mrs. William J. Bruckel
215 Whitehead
University Planners
Lack Imagination
To The Editor:
I hope the following questions and sug
gestions, related only in that they all
concern the future well-being of the
University's students will provide the
University Planners with some food for
thought:
1) Catherine Johansson (Letters to the
Editor, Oct. 28) is -surely on the right
track .when she proposes a bus system to
reduce the parking problem. The system
is working successfully not only at the
University of Michigan, but at Cornell
University as well.
A half-doen or so mini-buses serving
a series of peripheral parking lots would
certainly cost far less than a multi-level
garage, and would be much cnore prac
tical during the rush hours.
The buses, of course, would also stop -at
James dormitory and Victory
Village.
2) The Wilson librarians seem to
'believe . that the new Undergraduate
Library will (have no Tdstening Room." !
Oan this be so? Will students have no op
portunity to hear Shakespeare and Dylan
Thomas and Robert frost? ;
A table with a few record players on
it, such as now serves the student popula-. ;i
tion, simply won't do. v - i;w U. J
There should be avrocnnvwitfr over-n
head speakers which professors could r
reserve for their classes.
There .should be, as well, a control
room, which can play several records and
tapes tat once, operating in conjunction
with multichannel jack and earphone
sets. : -
If a Listening Room is not included in
the library plans, it should at least be in
cluded in the blue-prints being made for
the Bingham Ainnex.
3) The University policy of isolating
the male and female living quarters is
exceedingly reactionary. While young, t
progressive schools build high-rise i
dormitories for men and women that are v
connected by a dining room and snack I
bear, administrations here persist in mov- ?
ing men to the south and women to the
north. f
Perhaps the new Student Union will f
Lette
rs
The Daily Tar Heel accepts all I
letters for publication provided 1
they are typed, double - spaced )
and signed. Letters should be no
longer than 300 words in length.
We reserve the right to edit for
libelous statements. .
TV
jvM-S one
coou
Iran V
alleviate some of the loneliness that
plagues many undergraduates. I doub it
If I felt miserable enough to take the long
walk from James or Craige or Cobb or
the Nurses Dorm to the Union, I would
probably be so self-conscious of what I
wus about that I'd blow the whole bit.
4) And while: we're on the subject of
how the University contributes to mental
deterioration, it seems to me that the
psychic constitution of men and women is
not as radically .different as the
Administration seems to" suppose. There
is no reason why male dormitory
residents should not be supplied with the
same comforts as female. None of the
undergraduate men I know, if furnished
with the comfortable rooms and lounges
the women now enjoy, would react by
setting fire to the draperies or carving
their initials in the French-provincial
furniture. If men are known to
"raise more hell" than wicnen, a part of
their wildness may just be a reaction to
tile floors and cinder-block walls.
1 don't live in the dorms, and I don't
have that much trouble parking, and I've
heard Shakespeare recordings before. In
short, I have no personal axe to grind.
It's simply that I have become appalled
at the dearth of imagination,
thoughtfulness, and sensitivity that goes
into University planning.
Sincerely,
Joel Oseroff, Grad.
A Relatively Brief
Exposition In Which
The Shortcomings
Of Short Phrases
In Editorials
Are Elucidated
To The Editor:
The opinions expressed by the editor
of the Daily Tar Heel are often of dubious
value but occasionally there appears a
worthwhile editorial. Very occasionally.
This letter, however, is not intended to
deal wit& , the - content of the editor's
writingNot ,thisiJetter,,This,3etter is in
tended to deal with the chopped style of
his writing.
And this stinks. Unquote.
The editor may think that the letter is
unjust and does not do proper justice to
his literary technique.
Bull. Unquote.
The flaw is that the editor uses this
form in regard to both the most trivial
and most serious issues, although there
are in actuality only a few instances
where this style may be used to ad
vantage. Such as this one.
AlecMotten
Don Tate
218 Aycock
Writer In Support
Of Physical Eduction
To The Editor:
Is popularity the criteria (for judging
the validity of a course at Carolina? And
being unpopular, does this relinquish all
relevance of this course in the university
curriculum? Then rebel, abolish all Mod.
Civ. and required isciences. I dare say
they are popular. You, sir, have
misunderstood the purpose of institutions
of higher learning all together. The Phy.
witK fUstic
"TVwurt his vi
i
I
5f
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h 1
3
Ed. dept. is not trying to win the coveted
DTH MOST POPULAR AWARD. They
are instead trying to deliver to society a
versatile, knowledgeable person. As you
fail to point out, most emphasis has been
placed upon execution of skills and fun
damentals rather than conditioning the
student. Your solution to the no choice"
problem is very simple minded. You have
suggested random choice of an activity
once every week (as in Toronto). This
free choice would usually be an activity
. in which the student is most familiar and
consequently most ' skilled. This com
pletely destroyes the instructional
emphasis of our required Phy. Ed. pro
gram and the versatility image which
should accompany every diploma award
ed at UXC. I like math, and especially I
am most skilled in trig. But the "silly re
quirements" of the math department
would not let me take four semesters of
Math 15. The next time your editorial
material becomes depleted, why not try a
good squash game in Woollen (you have
heard of squash) instead of a work out on
the typewriter. The end product will be a
good old, wholesome sweat rather than
verbal hogwash. In squash you step on no
toes unless they are your own.
Sincerely,
Ronnie Strickland
The Various Uses
Of A Greek Sheet
To The Editor:
As an impoversihed student, naturally
I was delighted to discover that the Stu
dent Legislature had appropriated $2500
for the publication of a sorority-fraternity
news sheet. Those of us who have been
here for a few years have long recognized
the crying need for just this sort of
publication. To allay doubts, I will list but '
a few of its benefits: V
1. The succinct summary of world af
fairs will enable campus sophisticates to
keep abreast of cocktail-party con
versation, and the definitive editorials
will clear away the troubling com
plexities of major issues.
2. The candid reports of fraternity
sorority goings-on will provide fine stuff
for the daydreams ofrsex-andJvpartyf.:
. -stryed outsiders.-. .At must-for very
dormitory night-stand. ;. " "
3. No doubt the Student Legislature
will see the vistas opened by this bold
venture.
a. By providing publishing facilities
for each dormitory, sorority, fraternity",
and apartment house, the unsightly im
poverished student can be virtually
eliminated from the university.
to. Ultimately, the need for con
versation can be overcome by providing
-every student with the facilities for
publishing a personal news sheet to be
distributed campus-witie every week.
4. Scratch paper (if the margins are
wide enough).
Gratefully,
Mike Byrd
P.S. By the way, earlier this year I
sent $18 to the Student Legislature for the
benefit of all my friends on- campus.
Have you received it yet? No? Whatever
could have happened it it? ?- ?
Why Not Challenge
Southern Myths?
To The Editor:
I had promised myself only one reply
to my critics, but Mr. Meyer's letter is
too amusing to pass up. Judging from the
fraternity he belongs to I strongly
UiKo loot? o4.er
I m .
c s
or- . y
---(
t V- i r i.t , r you'll
m
suspect that his ancstors were doing
much the same thing mine were in 1S51
65 and that sure as hell wasn't fighting to
defend slavery. More than likely they
were fighting, but fitting to save their
skins' frcm the pogroms in Russia or
perhaps Germany or Poland. As for the
vaunted southern honesty please fit in
Leo Frank.
To all cny critics I would like to say,
you have entirely distorted the meaning
of my letter. I wrote that North Caroli
nians did not like the Civil War and
deserted in larger numbers than in any
other southern state. In return all I -got'
was a repetition of the Confederate
myths of southern dead and southern
courage. My letter was written with
honesty and I got back Pavlovian
responses such as have been circulating
in the South for too long. If my method of
criticism was cavalier I apologize. I too
am fond of the South, I like it because it
has a history, not because I necessarily
like its history (some of which I do and
some of which I do not). Circumstances
willing, I intend to make a career out of
teaching the history of this section (and
or region). I ask you people to stop being
baited into mindless reaction on your
history; investigate and challenge your
myths. One final point to say that the
North (or East, Mid-West, Southwest,
Far West, etc.) is no better than the
South really says nothing. In reality it is
an all too sad and all too real comment
on the past, present, and probably the
future of the .United States. "
Stephen Appeil
They're Not Surprised
About The "C" Rating
To The Editor:
The news of the "C" rating given to
Chase Cafeteria came as no surprise to
us. If one has ever eaten at Chase, the
"C" seems a generous rating.
First of all, the price .(hat ac
companies the food is ridiculous. Ex
amples: one scoop of bar-b-cue is fifty--five
cents; one small squart of filet is
thirty-five cents; vegetables range from
ten to twenty cents, depending, it seems,
jupon.the jnood of the manager from day
..to ;day. .Of bourse, there; is no difference
hi the "amount of food one "gets "for ten,"
- fifteen, ' or twenty cents. Maybe" the"price
depends on the number of letters in the
word.
Robbing the students of cash isn't
enough to suit the management; they
also gross out their customers with filthy
silverware and deplorable handling 0f
food. Examples: we dare you to pick out
silverware without checking first for left
oa food and - or dishwater stains. Finding
clean silverware at Chase is an art. The
handling of food is just about par with the
grubby silverware. For instance, we have
noticed french "fries being picked off the
counters and placed back into the pan
with other fries, later to be sold to some
poor unfortunate soul. While you're out
checking the silver and fries, you had
better give notice to the hamburgers, too.
We have had the pleasure of picking
hairs out of them. .
-Finally, the general attitude of the
employes is one of utter disregard for the
convenience of Chase's patrons.
Disgusted with Chase? You betcha.
Richard Caddy
Sterling Hudson
1045 James
library Grad Lounge
Needs Decorating
To The Editor:
As a new .graduate student at UNC, I
was quite favorably impressed with the
care that the University gives to its
buildings; for example, the reception
areas of the women's dormitories are at
tractively decorated. Then I entered the
Graduate Lounge in the Wilson Library.
It resembles southern Texas apres le
deluge."
.1 propose that it be carpeted; that its :
walls be adorned with prints of con
temporary artists such as Picasso,
Chagall, Dab and Miro; that a magaine
table be added ,with subscriptions- to :
Jtfehty magaines such as Comentary,
The Reporter, and The New Yorker; and '
that a beverage machine dispensing hot -and
cold drinks be installed.
Sincerely yours,
Eugene Sarver
Jte DB ,'.,y Tar Heel is the official
Me?uPb,,c?t,on of the University of
North Carolina and is published by
students daily except Mondays, ex
amination periods and vacations.
hM o".6 second floor of Gra
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, Circulation, advertising S33
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