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Vol. 79, No. 60
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Traffic backed up on Cameron Avenue Tuesday but this bicycle rider was
undaunted. It's easy for the two-wheelers to go where the four-wheelers can't. (Staff
photo by Cliff Kolovson)
ECU
by Evans Witt
Staff Writer
The editor of the East Carolina
University campus newspaper has been
suspended from school indefinitely and
removed from the paper's staff for
publishing a letter that ended with an
obscenity.
Robert Thonen, editor of the ECU
Fountainhead, was suspended Monday by
the University Judicial Board after
publication of the letter sharply
criticizing ECU President Leo Jenkins. s
The letter, written by an ECU student,
ended with the words "f you, Leo."
Shortly after the letter was printed,
the Judicial Board met and voted to
remove Thonen Trom his duties as editor
due to Thonen's refusal to censor the
letter.
"So long as I am up there as editor,
the paper will not be censored," Thonen
told the Judicial Board.
"I wasn't going to censor anything
that was legal," he said in a telephone
interview Tuesday.
Another hearing was held Monday
night by the Judicial Board to determine
the future status of Thonen as a student
at ECU.
In the proceedings, Thoneij had
Jenkins subpoened to testify on a number
of issues.
One of the admissions Thonen hoped
Jenkins would make was that Jenkins had
used four-letter expletives,, such as the
one used in the . letter, in personal
conversations with Thonen.
Jenkins refused to testify, partly on
the grounds that he would eventually
have to review the case.
At this point in the hearing, Thonen
and approximately 30 of his supporters
walked out of the hearing. For this action
Thonen was cited for contempt of court.
The decision of the Board was to
sentence Thonen to indefinite suspension,
meaning he will be required to petition
the board's permission before he can
return to ECU as a student.
An appeal of the Judicial Board's
Would set policy
GPS
by Jim Minor
Staff Writer
A proposed amendment ot the
Graduate and Professional -Student
Federation's (GPSF) constitution states
that general policy statements of the
GPSF can be made only by referendum.
The amendment was proposed at a
GPSF executive committee meeting
Monday night. It will be voted on next
year.
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decision is being processed through
procedures of the University, according
to Thonen but also a federal court
injunction will be sought to reinstate
Thonen as an ECU student.
Thone, with the help of an American
Civil Liberties Union lawyer, filed a suit
to enjoin the University from prosecuting
him. This originial request was denied.
The letter which stirred all the furor
was a 300-word letter condemning Leo
Jenkins and the ECU Board of Trustees
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The traffic jam on Cameron Avenue was no problem to the Union were a problem to pedestrians. Traffic jams come in all
bike rider, but the bicycles jammed in front of the Carolina sizes. (Staff photo by Cliff Kolovson)
by vote
The constitution presently states
"Only the Senate, or the graduate and
professional student body through
referenda, shall make general policy
statements."
"The amendment would prohibit the
Senate from speaking" for the entire group
on group policies," Charles Vincent,
GPSF vice-president, said Tuesday. 'This
especially applies to political,
non-University-connected statements."
"We are not trying to dissuade
rales
79 Editorial Freedom
Chape! Hill, North Carolina, Wednesday. May 12, 1971
DeconusolidsiMoEii plann
it
by Doug Hall
Staff Writer
Speaker of the North Carolina House
of Representatives Phil "Godwin has
recommended that a proposal to
deconsolidate UNC not be introduced
into this session of the General Assembly.
"With a proposal with such
far-reaching effect, I hate to see us get
involved in it this late in the, session,"
Godwin said. "I don't think the members
Legislature defect
ding
provi
" by Woody Doster
Staff Writer
Consideration of the bill to provide
$3,000 for legal counsel over the summer
months was again denied by Student
Legislature (SL) Monday night.
A second special session has been
called for Thursday, May 1 3 at 7 p.m.
The primary objection to
consideration of the bill was made by
Legislator Landon Shuff, also a member
of the. Graduate-Professional ; Student
Federation (GPSF).
The bill was turned away from the
floor of the Legislature last Thursday
night because copies of its were not
for attempting "to legislate morality" for
the ECU students ir regards to the
visitation policy.
Visitation has been an explosive issue
oh the ECU campus for much of this
year, according to Thonen. ,
According to Thonen, the letter was a
fvery well reasoned, logical, rational one
which the author saw fit to end with the
phrase objectionable to some members of
the ECU University community."
' The author of the letter was also
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members from presenting political views
individually," he said, "but we feel they
should not do so when acting as
representatives of the entire group."
"This is one reason GPSF was formed.
We felt the undergraduate student
government did issue such statements,"
Vincent said.
He said the Federation will have
referendums from time to ' time on
controversial topics. The results will then
be published. However, the statements
of the General Assembly would have the
itime to give it the consideration it
deserves."
Godwin was referring to the
recommendations of a 23-member study
committee for restructuring higher
education in North Carolina. The report
will probably be presented to Gov. Bob
Scott next week.
The committee was divided 1 3 to 8 on
the proposal and Godwin said he forsees
I much division in the General Assembly.
summer
available 24 hours in advance. A single
objection, provided by Ways and Means
Chairman Kathy McGuire, was enough to
stop consideration.
Speaking for consideration on the bill,
Legislator Gerry Cohen said, "This bill
will allow a lawyer to consider some
j crucial issues that, may come up this
summer, when the students aren't in
Chapel Hill.
; He noted the "attacks" against The
Daily Tar Heel and the University's
visitation policy, in the N.C. Legislature,
which will be in session through the
summer. '
In addition, there will be a meeting of
the Board of Trustees of the University,
suspended from school by the Judicial
Board, but the sentence was suspended.
The writer of the letter has since
dropped out of ECU.
The Fountainhead is published in
Thonen's absence by Bev Denny,
Thonen's assistant editor.
In an editorial discussing the letter and
the hearings, she reprinted the words
which brought about the controversy.
The future status of the paper is still in
doubt at ECU, according to Thonen.
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will reflect the views of members of
GPSF, not of only the Senate.
"We need cohension to accomplish our
goals, especially since we are a new
group," Vincent said. "Advocating
political doctrines which are not really
connected the University could do away
with this cohesion."
"We do not want to serve as a podium
for certain people expressing their
individual convictions," he said. 'This is
cot the aim of GPSF."
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"Something as controversial as this
should come up at the first of the
session," he said. "Then, it could have the
full course of committee hearings and
legislative process."
Godwin said he also doubts whether
the public has had the chance "to grasp
the full importance of the proposal." The
General Assdmbly and the public do not
have the advantage of the knowledge
collected by the committee,-he said.
The proposal was made Saturday by
ts
awver
"in which the students need
representation." "
"I think this bill has adequate
safeguards to prevent any unethical
spending of the money," Cohen
continued.
Finance Committee Chairman Robert
Grady, who is also a member of the body
which will chose a lawyer, said "in all
probability" the summer lawyer would be
John BrooTcs, who presently is doing
some- legal work for Student
Government. "I believe the Legislature
should re-examine this issue very
carefully," Shuff said. "The
appropriation for Student Government
legal counsel was discussed for several
meetings before it was approved. This bill
is asking us to abdicate control over
something that we considered so
carefully."
Shuff noted provisions 'put in the
'original appropriation required that SL
would hire the lawyer and decide what he
should consider.
With the bill under discussion, a vote
of four out of five of the members of the
Summer School Governing Board could
hire the lawyer and decide his functions.
'The idea of the Executive Branch
seems to be use the lawyer as much as
you can while there is no control over
him," Shuff said. "He could be used to
gather arguments against the GPSF, when
we are paying part of his salary."
Graduate students comprise about
one-third of the student body, and their
fees will provide one-third of the lawyer's
retainer.
TODAY: partly cloudy and warm;
30 per cent chance of precipitation
today; 60 per cent chance of
precipitation tonight.
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by Jessica Hanc har
Staff Writer
Student Body President Joe Stallings
expressed a desire Tuesday that the
Infirmary evaluation report "not be filed
away like so many other reports and the
information not used."
The report states Infirmary probems
and the lack of student input as main
areas needing improvement.
Stallings pointed out two
recommendations the report made of
particular importance.
The first is the recommendation that a
student board with voting power be
established immediately to help establish
health services policy.
"A service paid for exclusively by
student fees and utilized, for the most
part by students should, to a certain
extent, be under the direction of
students," Stallings said.
'This is the same principle as the one
that a consumer should be able to
determine what he's paying for," he
added.
The second recommendation Stallings
emphasized was that financing and
budgetary accountability should be
reviewed. -
The report recommended an
itemization of the services available under
bill
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Founded February 23, IS93
the Governor's Committee on the
Organization and Structure of Higher
Education. It recommended the
University be deconsolidated and the
State Board of Higher Education be
strengthened as part of the rcstructurcing
of the state's system of universities.
The present system, according to the
proposal, would be replaced with a
network of 16 individaui institutions
guided by a single coordinating board.
The central board of regents would be
responsible for programs, functions and
allocation of budgets of each of the 16
state-supported universities.
Godwin said he has talked with Lt.
Gov. Pat Taylor, and they have set a goal
of June 30 to terminate this session of
General Assembly, but the session could
run longer if neceisary.
'The majority of the members have
been here since January," he said. 'They
left businesses unattended and want to go
home.
"I don't want us to get panicky and
pass or kill something just to go home.
We are just not in the frame of mind to
give the proposal the attention it
deserves."
Former State Sen. Lindsay C. Warren
Jr., chairman of the study committee,
outlined the proposal in a news release
Saturday.
Warren said the proposal included
individual boards of trustees for each of
the 16 institutions to govern the internal
affairs of the universities.
Scott appointed the 23-member panel
in January to study the state's system of
higher education and make
recommendations to eliminate the
duplication waste and political infighting
in the state system of universities.
The study committee is composed of
trustees from the Consolidated
University7"the nine regional universities;
the School of the Arts and members of
the Board of Higher Education.
Consolidated University President
William C. Friday said Saturday he is
opposed to the deconsolidation proposal,
"which would deconsolidate this
university and effectively discard the
unified and highly successful efforts of
the faculties of the six university
campuses."
'The Consolidated University of
North Carolina, established through the
imaginative leadership of O. Max Gardner
and effectively administered by Frank
Graham, Billy Carmichael and Gordon
.Gray, under policies established by its
trustees, had through its distinguished
faculty and staff served the people of
North Carolina faithfully and well," he
said.
Friday denied the charge that the
Consolidated University has been
wasteful and allowed duplication cf
educational services.
"Through wise and efficient use of tax
funds, the university has established an
assignment of responsibilities amont its
campuses and thereby avoided wasteful
duplication," he said.
praises
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. student fees should be published for the
stidents.
"In the past, it has been difficult for
students to find out how their money is
being spent, not only in the Infirmary but
in many segments of the University,,"
Stallings commented.
"Individuals sometimes can obtain
financial information only after spending
a great deal of time trying to convince the
University of the importance of getting
this information," he continued.
"The University's general policy
should be one of openness in University
finances," Stallings charged.
The report was compiled by Dr. Addie
Klotz, director of the Health Service at
San Fernando Valley State CoHge; Joseph
Axelrod, director of Health Planning at
Yale University; and Dr. John Curtis,
director of the Health Service at the
University of Georgia.
The" consultants were charged by
Chancellor J. Cariyle Sitterson with the
task of evaluating the present Infirmsry
and making suggestions about future
goals.
Stallings said he was "impressed with
their perception and their ability to mse
valid judgments about our present hi-'.h
services" when he met the th-.e
consultants during their visit to tie
University last March.