8 Th Daily Tar Heel Monday, August 29. 1977
GRF.Ci PORTFR
Editor
Ben Corneuus. Managing Editor
Ed Rankin, Associate Editor
.Lou Bilionis, Associate Editor
Laura Scism, University Editor
Elliott Potter, City Editor
Chick Alston, State and National Editor
Sara Bi'I Lard, Features Editor
Jeanne Newsom. Arts Editor
Gene Upchurch, Sports Editor
L.C. Barbour, Photography Editor
Parking ban faces test
The class-action suit seeking to prohibit the city of Chapel Hill from
enforcing a tough new parking ordinance comes as a relief to those students
banned from parking on residential streets near campus.
If Superior Court Judge Henry A. McKinnon Jr. grants a temporary
restraining order sought in the lawsuit, the Board of Aldermen will be forced
to remedy the double standard the ordinance obviously created. When the
board adopted the ordinance in July, it cited safety as the major reason
behind the crackdown. Parking was making narrow residential streets even
narrower and presenting a safety hazard, the board said.
So the board decided to ban parking on 41 streets between 9 a.m. and 4
p.m. Monday through Friday. Over 500 parking spaces on residential
streets near campus were effected by the ban. The fact that Chapel Hill
decided to limit parking on these streets is in itself not unusual. Several cities
have passed similar ordinances that have withstood court tests.
Hut the new Chapel Hill ordinance allows town residents living on
i estricted streets to apply to the board for free special permits if parking near
their home is not available. The lawsuit contends that this creates a special
class of persons only those with permits can park on free public streets.
Though Judge McKinnon will decide that question, we think that a double
standard clearly exists here. If parking on these 41 streets presents a safety
hazard, why should anyone be allowed permission to park on them? Five
cars parked on a narrow street present as great a hazard to motorists as 20
vehicles.
As the ordinance now stands, it is apparent that the parking crackdown
w as aimed solely as students. Streets declared "unsafe" for parking are still
open to those persons granted permission by the Board of Aldermen.
Students obviously do not qualify for this privilege.
The Board of Aldermen should either declare streets off-limits for
everyone or open them up for students and residents alike. The board was
perhaps not forced to take a careful look at the situation this summer. And it
looks like it will take stern measures, such as a lawsuit, to open the board's
eyes.
The pipeline
Better late than never
Sometimes, it's better late than never.
Last Friday afternoon, the Orange Water and Sewer Authority
(OWASA) came to terms with the town of Hillsborough, assuring
construction of a $1.5 million water pipeline and tying a dry Chapel Hill to
Lake Orange.
The agreement allows Chapel Hill to purchase up to two million gallons
of treated water daily from Hillsborough, providing that the water is not
needed to meet the demands of Hillsborough residents. Also, if the
H illsborough treatment plant should malfunction, OWASA can take water
directly from Lake Orange for purification in Carrboro.
After the severe drought of 1976, as well as numerous water shortages
dating back to the 1950s, it seems that the agreement reached on Friday is a
belated welcome. To make matters even worse, construction of the pipeline
should take between four and five months, wiping out any likelihood of
man-made relief from this drought.
But even though the steps taken by OWASA are late, they are better than
no steps at all. When the University owned and operated the water and
sewer utilities in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, few steps were taken to provide
adequate means for the storage of water. University Lake, a man-made
reservoir constructed in 1932, was not designed for a community in excess of
40,000 residents. And, although the lake has been enlarged once, the
imminent prospect of a wholesale unloading of the U niversity utilities made
long-term capital improvements undesirable.
The H illsborough pipeline, coupled with purchased water from the city of
Durham, should provide some relief during times of severe drought. But it is
obviously not a long term solution to the Chapel Hill and Carrboro water
problem. That solution is at least a few years down the road, when the Cane
Creek and B. Everett Jordan Dam controversies are finally resolved.
Permanent, adequate storage facilities are the preventive medicines which
Chapel Hill and Carrboro have lacked in the past and need for the future.
But, in the meantime, a late step will have to suffice. OWASA recognizes
that fact, and can be commended for its ability to act in the best interests of
the public.
HEW desegregation goals:
easier said than done
When Jimmy Carter was elected, it seemed that the South would be safe
from arm-chair liberalism and myopic ivory tower blundering in the field of
civil rights. With a man in the White House who had dealt with the problem
directly, Southerners thought practicality and understanding woould
replace ideological dogmatism and demogoguery.
This certainly has not been the case, and the reason is Joseph Califano,
who heads the Department of Health Education and Welfare (HEW).
Califano and his department have demanded that the University of North
Carolina system increase black enrollment in traditionally white institutions
by 150 per cent in five years. Increased black enrollment is a laudable goal,
but H E W has not bothered to tell the U niversity how to effect the change so
drastically.
The University system worked in good faith to recruit blacks from 1973 to
1 976 and could only muster a 40 per cent increase. Now they have beeo told
that they have not done enough, but they have not been told they are to do
more.
We challenge Califano and his cronies to roll up their shirtsleeves and
work w ith admissions officers at the University of North Carolina and other
university systems to develop the proper vehiclesfor the dramatic social
changes they seek. If they can develop the necessary mechanisms, then they
can demand change. But the chances are the HEW bureaucrats don't really
know what goes on in college recruitment. They only know what "levels"
they think are acceptable.
Califano ought to take seriously his boss's vaunted symbols of
egalitarianism. The way to get things accomplished is to work w ith people,
not demand things of them via long distance.
And Califano ought to take a managerial lesson from the President as
well.
If Jimmy Carter can learn the highly technical facts of the B-l bomber,
then J oseph Califano can learn the simple facts of social change w hich seems
so foreign to him.
BatUj
(Ear HM
84th Yeat of Editorial Freedom
.... j JC
Harrier pilots need stiffer
By ELLIOTT POTTER
Early critics called the AV-8A Harrier
jet a Death Machine.
Their observations can be
substantiated. Two doen of the
controversial jets have crashed since
they became a part of the U.S. Marine
Corps operations in 1971, resulting in
the deaths of nine pilots. Three pilots
have died in six Harrier crashes since
February. The crashes have resulted in
property losses to the military of $70
million.
The expanding list of witnesses of
Harrier crashes includes Budget
Director Bert Lance, Deputy Defense
Secretary Charles Duncan and Naval
Secretary W. Graham Clayton Jr., who
all saw a fatal Harrier crash while
observing a joint military exercise over
the Atlantic Ocean on July 12.
The crashes have also caught the eye
of Time magazine, several state
newspapers and Aviation Week and
Space Technology, the aircraft
industry's most respected publication.
In its Aug. 1 issue. Aviation Week
charged that the attrition rate of H arrier
jets is the highest of any operational
aircraft in naval aviation history.
The Marines have disputed that
charge, citing the crash rate of the F-8
Crusader as a higher total. However, the
Marines' defense will be short-lived
because the F-8 is being phased out of
operation by the military.
Even the commanding officer of three
squadrons of the jets based at Cherry
Point, N.C., the primary station for the
AV-8As, has admitted the crash rate has
been "highly concentratd."
The Harrier is capable of operating
like a conventional jet or flying like a
helicopter. In the Vertical-Short Take
off and Landing mode of flight (V
S TOL), the British-built plane has the
capacity to move backwards or
sideways and brake at top speed in mid
air. In a recent press conference, Maj.
Gen. Richard E. Carey, commander of
the Second Marine Aircraft Wing, said,
"This aircraft has the capabiltiy we need
a great deal of versatility. It has the
ability to provide close air support to the
front in much less time than any other
aircraft."
letters to the
Equality of
To the editor:
I have always assumed that the role of a
Board of Governors was to direct and
facilitate the progress of the institution it
governs. This progress must sometimes be
forced upon the people; it is sometimes
against their will. This is why it is important
to have responsible and enlightened
leadership.
It is no news to any of us that the
University system of the state of North
'Carolina has been and is behind the times.
Campus needs new parking policy
To the editor:
Like many other students. I was
astonished to see the University Police
enforcing the parking permit zones prior
to the first day of classes. Past policy
usually allowed several grace days of
parking before enforcement started
Most students drive in these first lew
days just to get their schedules and books
and to go to drop; add if necessary, not to
stay on campus for long periods of time.
Whoever decided upon early
enforcement did not consider the adverse
side effects. These are: I) students turned
away from lots will only further slow
down and clog the streets as they look for
parking and 2) the belief will be
strengthened that U niversity Police don't
care about student traffic problems. If the
Traffic Office wants to solve student and
University traffic problems, it needs to
take an entirely different approach.
Brad I amh
Rt. X Box 307
But in the airborne relationship of the
Harrier and its pilots, the man, not the
machine seems to be at fault. According
to Marine Corps statistics, nearly three
out of every four AV-8A crashes can be
attributed to pilot error.
One phase of the Harrier program
that has justifiably been questioned by
at least one military official is the pilot
selection process. Pilots for the
unconventional jet, which can hover,
land and take-off vertically, are selected
from recent graduates of flight training
school.
Originally, the Harrier operators
A trainee's first solo flight
were selected from pilots experienced in
flying one-seater conventional jets.
Under the present selection process, a
trainee's first solo flight might be in a
Harrier, which officials have admitted is
a "different type of plane to fly."
The wisdom of the change was
questioned by Lt. Gen. T. H. Miller,
chief of staff of aviation, in a recent
letter to Rep. Les Aspin, D-Wis. Miller
w rote, "I now believe that in view of our
earlier safety record and success we have
attempted to move too rapidly in
assigning new pilots of varied training
operational experience to the AV-8A
program."
The selection process was changed in
1975. That year the accident rate
jumped steeply to 3.06 crashes per
10,000 flight hours from the safe .92
attrition rate recorded in 1974. The
accident rate for the Harrier has
editor
opportunity
As a graduate of Chapel Hill, 1 am
embarrassed and hurt by the prospect that
the Board of Governors finds equality of
opportunity "unrealistic." As a black
American, I wonder how long it will remain
"unrealistic."
At somepoint. provincialism and regional
ignorance will be overcome in North
Carolina. Its downfall, or perhaps I should
say its exposure, will have to be initiated and
legislated by the leaders of the state, perhaps
against the will of the people. But, I tend to
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continued to rise sharply to this year's
rate of 6.0 crashes.
A Marine Corps spokesman admitted
the change did have "some impact" on
the zooming accident rate of the
Harrier. He said one of the reasons for
the change was to alleviate an elitist
attitude that could develop among
Harrier pilots because they were
specially selected for the program.
The change was also made to increase
the number of Harrier pilots.
Marine Corps officials should expect
the expansion of numbers of pilots to be
accompanied by expansion of the lists of
might be in a harrier
accidents. The only method Marine
Corps officials have developed to
eliminate the elitist attitudes of Harrier
pilots is to lower their qualifications.
Judging by the resulting increase in
crashes, that method should be
modified if not dumped. The wisdom of
the officials' suggestion seems to
indicate that the qualifications required
of officers on their level have also been
lowered.
As one official put it: "We're giving a
good plane a bad reputation."
The Marines should realize the
controversy surrounding Harriers no
longer concerns morale; it now focuses
on safety.
Elliott Potter, a senior journalism
major from Belfast, N.C., is city editor
for the Daily Tar Heel.
"unrealistic"
think that the will of the poeple can
withstand some nelightcned abuse, and
much to my sat isfaction, so does the federal
government.
Sherman Golden
Special Assistant to the
Mayor of Atlanta
Cashing in on Vietnam
To the editor:
I recently received a piece of obscene
literature in the mail sent to me by an outfit
in New York called American Management
Associations. It was a brochure announcing
a briefing seminar on "Coming Trade and
Investment Opportunities in Vietnam."
Permit me to quote some of the more
offensive passages: "What do all the current
discussions really mean? When are relations
likely to be normalized? Will this billion
dollar market be important for your
company?"
"50 million people. Vast resources. A
soaring import rate up 33 per cent last
year. And an urgent need for many of the
products and services that American
business can supply. Will this tempting
market be available to your company soon?"
"What can a company do to get its share of
the business if relations are resumed? Is is
necessary to go to Vietnam in person?"
After two decades of American-sponsored
killing and destruction, which only ended
three years ago. our businessmen are poised
to descend on Vietnam in search of profits.
Win or lose, business is ready. What a gross
reniindci of the immorality of our Vietnam
policy?
t arry Kessler
Carrboro
The end of an
era: Groucho
and the King
By LOU BILIONIS
For anyone who has ever seen "Duck
Soup" or "A Night at the Opera," the
death of Groucho Marx last week at the
age of 86 marked the formal end of an
era. Without overstatement, comedy
will never be quite the same again.
And every man, woman and child
who enjoys good old rock-and-roll
grieved the sudden passing of Elvis
Presley during that same week. It seems
that music will never be quite the same
either.
Elvis and Groucho, as different as
they were, had quite a bit in common.
They both had an impact. Three
generations of movie-goers reveled in
the patented one-liner which was
Groucho's trademark. Marxists by the
thousands, as the hardcores preferred to
be called, watched the Master's turns
and struts and the everpresent cigar
with absolute delight. Not a child
grew up during the 50s and 60s without
some experience with the plastic nose,
glasses and moustache which made
Groucho Marx what he was.
A full three generations idolized Elvis
Presley as well. As many a eulogy has
already noted, the King rocked the
world. It's hard to remember what
"Heartbreak Hotel," "Jailhouse Rock"
and "Houndog" meant to a post-war
America, but the effects are still felt
today. Elvis was the liberator, the first
major catalyst urging an entire nation to
let its hair down. Every youth event
from the sock hop to Woodstock and
Watkins Glen owes its existence to
the sad-eyed crooner from Tupelo,
Miss.
Yes, they were from two different
worlds. Groucho hailed from New York
City, and his wit and satire spoke to the
spectrum banded by politics, social teas,
foreign emissaries and tuxedos. Elvis
was a good old southern boy who sang
the blues like only a black man could.
He drove straight to the heart of lower
and middle America with songs of
unrequited love and youthful
exuberance. The one mocked a by-gone
world of class and elegance; the other
ushered in a new age of the young and
restless.
They were different, but they were so
alike. In the role of cult hero, both men
are timeless. Long after their works on
earth fall from favor when Elvis'
recordings are a future day's dusty 78
rpm, when Groucho's gyrations and
quips are mere shadows on brittle
celluloid they will still be
remembered as two of this century's
most imposing social phenomena. The
four corners of the world looked to them
for entertainment and something more.
That "something more" was lost last
week, never to be regained. Future
generations will celebrate new heroes
for new reasons. We relished in
Groucho Marx and Elvis Presley for
reasons unique to our years. They
brought us from a wandering first half
of a century into five decades of
unparalleled progress. But all the while
they made fun of our times and made
our times fun.
Lou Bilionis, a junior economics and
English major from Fitchburg, Mass., is
associate editor for the Daily Tar Heel.
to UNC?
Registration blues
To the editor:
I read the articles (Aug. 25) concerning
drop add and academic advising, and 1 feel
that there are a few other things that need to
be said.
First, there is no academic advising at the
University of North Carolina. If Dean Jicha
had ever approached South Building or a
departmental advisor he would know this. I
have been a student here for three years, one
and one-half year in Arts and Sciences, and I
have never seen my advisor. Most students
can read the catalog as well as their advisors
and prefer to do so since most advisors are
rarely available.
Second, drop add and "closing out"
courses, though the DTH often views them
lightly, are not humorous matters. It is
wrong to laugh when course offerings
seldom respond to demand and a large part
of the student body spends days of good time
waiting in line and filling out forms.
Third, students pay part of the bill, and I
still like to believe that the University could
not get along without them. Students and
professors need to remember who works for
them.
1 was at first amazed by registration at the
University. That amazement evolved to
cynicism as a defense. But the process is
worse each time. I am not trying to raise
consciousness or denounce student apathy. I
wish to remind the other studnets at the
University that it is not idealistic to expect
the University to bend to accommodate
people and that it is not naive to expect a
staff member to give you a few moments. Be
as self-interested, and difficult, as possible
with your administrators.
Rodney A. Craven
27 Spring Garden, Holland Dr.