Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Aug. 25, 1977, edition 1 / Page 68
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E6 The Daily tar Heel Thursday, August 25, 1977 Greg Porter Editor Joni Peters, Orientation Issue Editor Ben Cornelius, Managing Editor Ed Rankin, Associate Editor Lou Bilionis, Associate Editor Laura Scism, University Editor Elliott Potter, Cin Editor Chuck Alston, State and National Editor Sara Bullard, Features Editor Jeanne Newsom, Arts Editor Gene Upchurch, Sports Editor L.C. Barbour, Photography Editor A heritage that demands more successes than failures Serving the students and the University community since 1 893 A survey conducted last year uncovered a surprising fact about the Daily Tar Heel. According to the study, 82. 1 per cent of the students at Carolina considered the DTH their primary source of campus and local information. More than radio, more than bulletin boards and the like. An earlier study determined that over 68 per cent of the students considered the Tar Heel their most frequently read paper. The statistics may speak well for the paper, or they may say something about the typical UNC student's reading habits. There is no doubt, though, that they do underscore the need for this paper to live up daily to its role as the student newspaper of Chapel Hill. A long and illustrious heritage precedes all who will work on the DTH this year, but an even longer and more glorious tradition comes before everyone who will read it the tradition of the University itself. Even so, the Thomas Wolfes, Charles Kuralts, Louis Harrises and Tom Wickers who produced Tar Heels of the past are just that figures of the past who have set a tough example to follow. The singular goal of the Daily Tar Heel is to live up to that example; to assure that those 82. 1 per cent of the students at Chapel Hill can continue to rely on their newspaper for campus and local news, interesting and informative features on topical issues, sports, state and national news of particular importance to the student and the University, and an editorial stand on behalf of the greater interest of the 20,000 students that make up the University. If the Tar Heel doesn't stand up to this test, we expect to hear about it. The criticism may not be desired, but is needed. Without feedback from the students who read and use the DTH, a long heritage of service to the community cannot be continued. This paper will err, as it has many times in the past. It will undoubtedly enjoy successes, too, as it has throughout its 84 year history. As long as the DTH continues to keep sight of its identity as the student newspaper, though, the successes will hopefully outnumber the failures and shortcomings. And, with that, the entire community will benefit. Area parking ban an example of board's representation The Chapel Hill Board of Aldermen's decision this summer to prohibit parking on many of the streets surrounding the University is just one more example of the town's potential to ignore the needs of over 40 per cent of its residents 20,000 students. The decision to provide the residents of those streets declared off-limits with stickers permitting them to park in front of their homes is a just one. But the manner in which the decision was made speaks even better of the board's brand of representation. The board chose to deal with the matter while the great majority of students those who will suffer the consequences of the action were away. One can only suspect that the decision would not have been reached as easily or quickly if the University were in full session. Generally, the University has been the primary practitioner of back-door decision-making when the students are vacationing. Major policy edicts concerning drop add, the Upendo Lounge and the like were all unwelcome surprises to returning students in the past. But this town's aldermen are challenging the University's reputation as culprit. In late April, the transportation and planning boards presented the parking plan to the aldermen for study. By that time, students were gearing up for exams. On July 1 1 , the decision was finally made. The second summer session had just begun. If there is an answer to this problem, it seems to depend upon the University administration. Unless South Building proves itself as representative of student as well as faculty concerns, 20,000 members of this community will continue to fall prey to the whims of a half-dozen individuals. The Tin Can Goodbye to a touch of class Students returning to Chapel Hill this week must have found something strangely amiss when they walked or drove down the road from the Bell Tower to Woollen Gym. The Tin Can is gone, leaving behind only graded red clay and a gaping hole in the woods. Most people considered the Tin Can an eyesore a structure out of place on a beautiful Chapel Hill campus. But the Tin Can, a sheet metal building 100 yards long and 1 10 feet wide, served this university faithfully from 1923 until this summer. The student of the 70s cannot dream of what this building meant to students in the '30s and '40s. For many of us, it represented only a place to shoot basketball on sticky autumn afternoons or frigid winter mornings when Woollen Gym was overflowing. But the Tin Can was more than that. It was the home of the 1924 National Championship basketball team and the original site of the Southern Conference Indoor Games. But, most important, the Tin Can was the place in North Carolina for listening to the big band sounds of the 1930s and '40s. Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Kay Kyser, Eddie Duchin, Frank Sinatra, Buddy Rich-they all graced the Tin Can. It was the era of the jitterbug and the dip. A Goodman clarinet solo drew standing ovations that made the walls sway. Cost of construction in 1923? $54,4H2. Construction of a $5.9 million physical education and intramural building will begin on the Tin Can site soon. A facsimile of the Tin Can will be built at the end of Feter Field. For all its ugliness, the Tin Can added a touch of class toCarolina. It was dimmed lights and swing music a relic of an age forced to make way lor the future. Sltr SaiUj 84th Year of Editorial Freedom 0 am. 20 I ! 1 2 m Uowie. Kg r Welcome to the Real World You're here and it's not even cold fiv BILL MOSS You're sure you'll know it when you get there. It'll be cold and cruel. You've heard it all your life. The Real World. Just hearing people talk about it may make you shudder. Unemployment. Crime. Isolation. And yet, there is something mysterious, challenging, and even attractive about this uncharted future. Something about life in the Real World is so appealing and exciting that you're ready to leave school now to begin that Great Adventure. But not yet, you think. "I still have four more years in the artificial world of learning before my real education, my Real World education, can begin." Wrong. You've already made it. Welcome to the Real World. "But this can't be it. It's not cold and cruel." Well., yes and no. But neither is whatever world that awaits you when you leave school. Granted, there are differences, significant differences, between life in an academic community and life outside. A black student's perspective respect lifestyles necessary for race relations to By BERN A DINE WARD When asked to write a column for this orientation issue, I was told that it could be on anything I wanted, but preferably on what it is like to be black at Carolina. Responding to the experiences of 1,000-plus black folk can be difficult, but a short history of the last three years at UNC might prove illustrative. First of all, don't be surprised at anything that happens. This attitude sounds absolutely cynical, doesn't it? Perhaps, but after three years of watching race relations worsen, one learns that UNC isn't one big happy family, except when it concerns basketball. Spring semester of my freshman year was clouded by what has become known as the "David Duke Affair." Duke, at that time national leader of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, was to speak under the auspices of the Union Forum Committee. Black Student Movement (BSM) members protested during the speech, an action which resulted in charges being brought against then BSM chairman, Monte Marbley. Marbley was eventually acquitted. The organization also faced a lawsuit as a result of charges by two white students that the organization was discriminatory. During my sophomore year, the BSM had its funds frozen three times because of treasuiy violations. It was a year of meetings, marches and confrontations with student government and the administration. Anti-BSM sentiment was high during this period and has not completely subsided. Last year, as always, was one of more protest marches and confrontations between black students and the white university community. Black students were particularly upset about the possible elimination of the I'pendo 1 ounge (center of BSM functions), the loeVx)o Chapel Hill enthusiasts today await a phenomenon rivaled only' br f.ie return of the Sviallows to Capristranc, Today this small Southern village will be teeming as observers witness this year's arrival of the Wild-eyed Wonder Boggled (See lllusiracicn . ; But this is still very much the Real World. This is the Real World because we are all facing the same problems and joys that have been dealt with by men and women in every place and every time. However, Chapel Hill is a unique community. The smallness of the town and the heterogeneity of its pursuits makes this area very unusual. But even if Chapel Hill is a unique community, it is nevertheless a microcosm of American society in many respects. We have a dominant culture, often unconsciously subordinating minority culture. We have people who are trying to use that which is not theirs. We even have insufficient funds for our own "local" government. That local government is the manifestation of student self governance. Student Government. First created to administer and enforce the Honor Code over one hundred years ago, it now serves many needs of the student body, from legal aid to the allocating of $330,000 in student fees. But Student Government also has the responsibility of workingto improve the quality of life for students on campus. The most difficult area in terms of quality of life to bring about positive changes is in the area of human relations. water bombing and racial epithets incident at Avery Dorm and the receipt by several students of a letter purportedly from the KKK. Incidentally, racial slurs had been directed at black students all year. What the forthcoming academic year brings, God only knows, but it will undoubtedly be as colorful as those as the past. Not all black students and faculty support the BSM and some question its necessity. A number of black students feel that marching on South Building to ascertain that their rights are not infringed upon, is not "their purpose" for being here. Such individuals forget that, were it not for the demonstrations of the 1950s and '60s, odds are they might not be on this campus today. Please, do be prepared to hear your counterparts of the caucasoid persuasion argue that "Slavery was necessary and that's all there is to it," and that "1 was always taught to call old blacks aunt and uncle (not Mr., Miss or Mrs.) and that as far as I'm concerned, nothing is wrong with it." Thought you left that behind, didn't you? Well, not quite. Oh yes! If those competent individuals termed instructors and advisors agree that you should take 20 hours your first semester, if they know nothing about double major requirements, or if they tell you that a total average of C is needed for a major, instead of a C in 1 8 hours in each of six different courses, do not be alarmed. Experiences such as these are shared not only by black students, but by the majority student populace as well. If I had to do all over again, I would still attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Despite the gloomy picture painted, UNC is one of the best academically-ranked schools in the nation. The majority of faculty care about their students, are know ledgcable in their fields, and are capable of transmitting this information. Referral services are available for whatever problems you may encounter. In addition, academic and athletic facilties It is relatively easy to bring about procedural changes such as a change in the room painting policy. But it is very difficult to bring about positive changes in human relations, whether the differences are economic, social or sexual. If changes are possible, they are possible here. Even though we may reflect modern society, we are also different. Every person on campus has at least one thing in common: we are all students. The great thing about living at an institution which primarily exists to search for truth and to improve man's condition is that we can apply what we learn in our classrooms to everyday life. We can try to consciously try to correct social injustices; not intangible concepts like the poverty level incomes for minority groups in the South, but we can help black or poor individuals who feel alienated in, what is for many of them, an uncomfortable situation. Since we are all students, then it is important that we are supportive of other students in their quests, whether it is social justice, social activities, or knowledge and truth. In recent years, student support for other students' quest for truth and knowledge has been, at times, sadly absent. The very foundation of student are constantly expanding as are sororities, fraternities, clubs and organizations. In case it does not occur to you, there is a community beyond the University. Do some exploring, talk to the residents of Chapel Hill, visit their churches, schools, and community centers find out how they feel about that institution of higher learning in their midst. The two are interrelated and interdependent in many situations. Never forget that this is your university and never be afraid to appraise it justly or to take advantage of all that it has to offer. Of course, all whites aren't racists or members of the kk ', n ' -t, such a t r'i;iizatir.i 4 ", r BSM members protested Student t ' and cruel self-governance and Student Government the Honor Code is being adhered to less today than any time since the Code was first created. This break-down of belief in the Code has been attributed to such things as ineffective honor courts, the unwillingness of students to "rat" on one another and the pervasive moral laxity in modern society. Whatever the reasons, the widespread cheating and plagiarism that has hit the campus has caused many students to call for faculty proctoring, stiffer sanctions and a re organized Honor Court. Some students are even calling for the abolishment of the Honor Code and the Honor Courts altogether. It is very strange to watch students calling for more faculty responsibility and proctoring of all exams while the faculty members and administrators are asking the students to slow down and not bring about such changes so hastily. Clearly, this issue will be widely discussed this year, and significant changes in the Honor Code and the Honor Courts probably will take place. Carolina can be the Real World for you, but only if you are a part of it. Don't let life in Chapel Hill pass you by. Welcome to the Real World. BUI Moss is student body president. for different improve exists on campus. Nor do they all want to see the BSM liquidated. Student Body President Bill Moss has said that hope for improving human and race relations on campus lies with you the class of '81. Through concentrated effort, perhaps students and administration will learn to respect and understand lifestyles and cultures other than their own. After all, people, those beings gifted with the ability to reason, to feel, to be defeated, and to have the courage to try again are the greatest factors of any university. BernaOine Ward is a senior RTVMP and Afro-American studies major from Fourth, N.C. ! - . " " ' s. ----- Government freeze of funds in 1975 Ptoto by Howard StMntorrt
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Aug. 25, 1977, edition 1
68
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