6 The Daily Tar Heel Tuesday, August 30, 1977
Greg Porter
Editor
Ben Cornelius, Managing Editor
Ed Rankin, Associate Editor
Lou Bilionis, Associate Editor
Laura Scism, University Editor
Elliott Potter, City Editor
Chuck Alston, State and National Editor
Sara Bullarr Features Editor
Jeanne Newsom, Arts Editor
Gene Upchurch, Sports Editor
L.C. Barbour, Photography Editor
3
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85th year of editorial freedom
Hunt should fight Bell's
regressive rate structure
"We have got to have a Utilities Commission that will look out for the
consumer," candidate Jim Hunt said last year. "The Commission has to
make sure the consumer is not paying one cent more than he should be."
And in other campaign literature, Hunt said. "The state needs a governor
who will appoint commissioners who will be fair to the consumer."
Now, Jim Hunt is governor and he has appointed the majority of the
Utilities Commission. And although he was unable to institute a public
advocacy staff in his executive branch as he wished, such staff has been
assembled to work under the auspices of the commission. This apparent
progress will soon be tested. Southern Bell has asked the Commission to
nearly triple its installation rates'and up monthly service charges. Atty. Gen.
Rufus Edmisten has already said the proposed hikes border on "extortion"
and pledged to fight against them.
For Chapel Hillians, the situation seems dire. Because local phone
installation rates have just spiralled from $7.50 to $20.00, the proposed
climb looks all the more steep. Any serious protest of the initial increase in
Chapel Hill would seem to be hopeless in the wake of the proposed statewide
increase. But it should not, because questions raised with the Chapel Hill
increase are just as valid in the case of the statewide increase: Why are
installation rates being increased drastically and monthly service rates only
slightly? Such valid questions hinge on a key consumer concern: do
installation charges fairly reflect installation costs? It is hard to believe that
the cost of installation has tripled. It seems more likely that Southern Bell
has, as always, padded its installation rates to cover other costs and foot a
disproportionate share of the utility bill. This is unfair to all students and
transient persons because they end up paying for other people's services. If
the Utilities Commission has the concern for the consumer it is touted to
have, then Southern Bell will be forced to justify its entire rate structure as
well as its extravagant increases.
So far, the governor has been silent on this cruciat issue. If Governor
Hunt is willing to deliver on the promises of candidate Hunt, he will use his
clout to spare the public Southern Bell's regressive rate structure and
increases. Consumer advocacy has received a great deal of lip service in this
state, but very little real assistance from politicians or their agencies. Hunt
can change that if he and his appointees act now.
School busing
The concerns are emotional
Angry parents have stormed the streets. Neighborhoods have united in
reaction, forming activist groups whose sole intent is revolution. The
young and the old together have taken to violent protest.
The scenario is a modern one; cities like Boston and Louisville have
witnessed a wholesale uprising over school busing dating as far back as the
fall of 1974.
Just this week, a suspicion shared by many an observer of the busing
controversy was verified. Two Duke University professors released an in
depth study of public opposition to court-ordered busing, concluding that
antibusing sentiment is indeed grounded in racial attitudes not the
concern for the education which opponents publicly maintain.
In the paper, which will be presented to the American Psychological
Association, John B. McConahay and Willis D. Hawley, affiliated with the
Institute of Policy Sciences and Public Affairs at Duke, termed opposition
to school busing "symbolic racism." According to the professors, "Parties to
the debate argue as if they were concerned with harm to children or the
family or the community ... (but) the debate is really over whose values will
dominate public life."
McConahay and H awley reached their conclusions after studying the
Louisville, Ky. busing controversy one of the most heated in the nation.
They surveyed over 1 ,000 residents in the Louisville area as part of their
study.
Certainly, this is no news to those who have tried to listen to the violent
overtures in protest of school busing. Perhaps, though, a more generally
accepted understand ing of the true reasons behind public dismay withcourt
ordered desegregation will end once and for all the disruption of an entire
generation's education. The real problem has been identified. It is emotion
not behavioral s.ymptoms which must be confronted.
letters
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U.S. cannot renege on promise to go metric
T" meteorological information only in bureaucracy no one wants to maki
By ED RANKIN metric units. the first move. The weather service'
State and local governments are
having problems getting any leadership
from the federal government on the
subject of conversion to the metric
system. It's obvious that federal officials
are content to cling to pints and pounds
and watch as the United States becomes
the only major nation in the world not to
use the metric system.
Federal agencies are floundering in
confusion and stubbornness over the
switch to metric measurements a
move that was supposed to be complete
by 1980. In June 1977 the federal
highway administration decided to
abandon its plan to begin converting all
road signs to metric measurements. And
the National Weather Service
announced this month that the bureau
had indefinitely delayed its proposal to
begin reporting temperatures, wind
speeds, rainfall and other
At least some state governments and
industry have not fallen into this horse-and-buggy
mentality. General Motors
announced a few weeks ago that with
the 1978 GM cars on the market next
month that company will pass the
halfway point in changing to metric
standards.
So why the snail's pace by the federal
'government? Perhaps the major
problem is the absence of a U.S. Metric
Board, which was authorized by
Congress in the Metric Conversion Act
of 1975. It was to have full responsibility
to coordinate the changeover in the
United States. President Ford didn't
name members of the board in time for
the Senate to confirm them in 1976 and
President Carter apparently has no
desire to name any this year, either.
The lack of a Metric Board has led to
chain reactions within the Washington
bureaucracy no one wants to make.
the first move. The weather service's
decision to postpone its metric plan is a
good example. An official for the
bureau said simply, "We're looking for
guidance."
Beginning next June, the weather
service has planned to supply Celsius
and Fahrenheit temperature readings
for two months. After that initial
period, only Celsius readings woiild'be
supplied. It's clear that if the U.S. is to
follow other major nations like
Australia and Canada in the shift to
metric, a metric board must be formed
and a staff hired. States and industries
can only do so much to keep the U.S.
from falling farther behind the pack.
President Carter should name members
to the board so our country will not
renege on its promise to go metric.
Ed Rankin, a senior history major
from Concord, N.C., is associate editor
for the Daily Tar Heel.
Check price quotes before allowing repairs
Editor's Note: This advice is prepared
by Student Legal Services, which
maintains an office in Suite C of the
Carolina Union. All UNC students may
obtain free legal advice at this office.
Student consumers are frequently
unhappy with the services performed by
area mechanics. The typical case
involves unauthorized repairs, with the
student requesting a tune-up and
receiving an enormous bill instead. The
mechanic defends his service by saying
the work was needed and tells the
student that he cannot have his car until
he pays the bill.
Although under North Carolina law
he is entitled to assert a mechanic's lien
for the bill, the student does have a
remedy. He may file suit to recover
possession of the car by paying the
amount of the disputed bill to the clerk
of court or posting bond for twice that
amount. The student is then entitled to
his car until the dispute is settled in
court. The student then has the
opportunity to prove to the judge that
the charges for the services rendered
were not mentioned to him when he got
the price quotation and that it was
deceptive to add it later.
Advice for the day: 1) Students
should go over the repair list and price
quotes with the mechanic before
quotes wun ine mecnanic oeiore v .yfsts&t I f f
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writing for proof later as to what was
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Old East claim disputed
To the editor:
As a recent arrivalto UNC, I am quite
distressed by a gla'ring inaccuracy published
in your orientation issue (Aug. 25). I have
come to your campus as a graduate student
in history and thus feel it is my duty to offer a
correction. The oldest college building in
continuous use not only in the United States,
but in all of English-speaking America, is the
Wren Building at the College of William and
Mary located in Williamsburg, Va.
The cornerstone of this historic edifice,
once the sofe classroom of the College, and
now the home of the Department of English,
was laid in 1695, nearly a century before the
construction date of Old East, which the
article states. Although fires have damaged
the Wren Building, and there has been much
restoration, it still maintains its claim to
priority.
Nor, can semantics be used to justify your
article's claim. William and Mary takes
"College" as its title rather than
"University," for historic reasons. It is, in
fact, not a college, but a state university.
In closing, 1 ask that you not take this as a
criticism of the pride you ask Carolina
students to feel in Old East. An academic
edifice which has withstood the test of nearly
two centuries is, at least in this country,
justifiably a source of pride. My main conern
is, as always, to encourage the maintenance
of historical accuracy.
Diana B. Powell
. 312Craige
Editor's Note: Though the Wren Building
may be the oldest college building in use, the
fact remains that William and Mary is a
college. UNC is the first state university and
thus Old East, as our article says and North
Carolina historian William S. Powell
confirms, "is the oldest building in use on
any university campus in the United States."
Clean It up
To the editor:
I have lived in Chapel Hill my entire life,
and have watched it grow from a village of
12,000 into the town it is today. Even while
attending Chapel Hill High School, I never
saw as much trash lying on the ground from
a group of students as 1 did last week during
registration.
You're welcome in our town to go to
school, to party, and to enjoy the hospitality.
But if you're going to litter the streets and
grounds of "the Southern Part of Heaven,"
as they say, you can go home and do it there.
Ada Boone
Chapel Hill
Counting bombs, not shtep
To the editor:
I was glad to learn that the neutron bomb
will only kill humans and other living things
and will not damage tanks, bombs and other
useful devices. I also see that it will only be
dropped on our country or our allies'
territory. That certainly puts my mind at
rest. I guess a war with neutron bombs would
be only a little worse than World War II or
the Vietnam War, exepet for people dying of
cancer for 20 years afterward.
Yes, I can sleep soundly tonight, knowing
that yet another nuclear deterrent is out
there, ready to be used the moment the war
that will never happen breaks out.
John W. Roberts
233-D Jackson Circle
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wining yi uui mi
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Letters chosen for publication are
subject to editing.
Women must break cultural role of passivity to fulfill sports potential
By DR. KENNETH F. DYER
AND BARRY R. THOMS
In 1976, the American woman, Miki Gorman, ran a
marathon in two h ours, 39 minutes and 1 1 seconds
fast enough to have won the men's Olympic gold
medal in 1896, 100, 1908 or 1924.
Fifty years ago ., ai woman became the first person
ever to swim the E nglish Channel and today the fastest
times for the channe 1 crossing in both directions
are still held by women.
And in shorter events female swimmers from East
Germany, the U.S. and Australia regularly run in
faster times than male swimmers from many other
countries.
All of these add up to a convincing rebuttal to the
old "self-evident" t ruth that biological reasons alone
prevent women fro m equaling men in sports.
Women 'may never hit a baseball as far as Mickey
Mantle or serve a tennis ball as hard as Jimmy
Connors but in o ther sporting events they may be
biologically superior to men.
Long--distance running and swimming provide a
case in, point. Dr. Joan Ullyot, a doctor of sports
medicine and a runner herself, says women have more
body fat than men, so even after men have used up
their, source of energy (carbohydrates), women can
kee p going on their body fat. This lets them run or
sw im farther than men, if not necessarily faster, she
s?,ys, and it may explain the female dominance of
Finglish Channel swimming.
In shorter running races as well as the long-distance
events, women's times are progressively catching up
with men's:. the women's 100-meter world record was
first recognized in 1934 at 11.7 seconds and for the
same year, the men's record was 10.3 seconds, a
superiority of 1 3.6 per cent. But by 1954, the difference
in the two records had declined to 1 1 .8 per cent, and in
1974 to 91 per cent. Also between 1934 and 1974, the
difference between men's and women's 800-meter
records dropped steadily from 24.6 per cent to 1 1 .4
per cent.
More than in running, women's swimming
performances are on the average closer to those of
men. And the women's rate of improvement in times
has been even greater than the men's. For example, the
average d if ference between the 1 5 recognized male and
female world records in 1976 stood at 9.2 per cent. For
seven of these events in which both male and female
records were recognized in 1956, the average
difference stood at 12.2 per cent.
Predicting the future is always a risky business, but
all the figures available indicate that average
performance in speed and endurance events for
women could eventually equal that of men.
While women may be improving their performance
compared with men, they've been sadly neglected in
the U.S., according to Womensports magazine, which
reports that American universities spend little more
than two per cent of their total athletic budget on
women's sports.
"Money is a big part of making a program go, and
men's sports have tremendous control over it," says
women's coach Kathy Scott. Enthusiasm is fine, she
says, but you can't really do a good job without
money.
Another problem is the lack of facilities and
coaches. Many women's coaches don't put all their
efforts into their jobs because they feel they are not
getting any help from school administrators and
others, according to one coach. "After a while, they
throw up their hands and say 'What's the use?' " she
says.
U.S. women athletes also face outmoded training
methods. For example, the conventional wisdom is
that women cannot lift weights without developing
bulging muscles. But Dr. Jack Wilmore, head of
physical education at the University of Arizona, says
weight training will produce great improvement in
strength with a negligible increase in muscle mass. In
the same weight program, he argues, women will
develop only one-tenth the muscle mass of men.
Another coach adds that it's the male hormone
testosterone that produces big muscles, and that
women have only very small amounts of it in their
bodies.
While U.S. women athletes operate under these
handicaps, conditions are different in other countries.
And the statistics indicate sociocultural factors, such
as money and motivation, may be far more important
than biology.
Eastern European countries encourage their female
athletes more than Western countries do, and the
small gap between men's and women's performances
reflects this.
For example, the average difference between men's
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American women are onen taugnt not to be
competitive in sports.
and women's track records in nine events was 12 per
cent in East Germany in 1974. In Russia, it was 12.6
per cent and in Hungary, 13.4 per cent. But the
difference in France was 15.6 per cent, in South
Africa, 16.8 per cent and in Belgium, 17.6 per cent.
"Considering the handicaps U.S. women athletes
have lack of money, lack of facilities, cultural biases
against women's sports I'd say U.S. women are
doing well," says Dr. Leroy Walker, track coach at
North Carolina Central University.
But the biggest barrier to U.S. women's sports
performance may be psychological.
"Success in sports is 90 per cent motivation," says
Walker. And here, he says, U.S. women are at a
tremendous disadvantage because they aren't raised to
be competitive.
American women who are competitive and
successful are taunted about their loss of "femininity,"
say Dr. Thomas Boslooper and Marcia Hayes in their
book The Femininity Game.
Worrying about their femininity, they lose the will
to win and, adds one coach, "If you don't believe in
yourself, you won't beat anybody."
Ultimately, women's success in sports will depend
, on their own heads, says Dr. Boslooper.
If they can break out of their traditional role of
passivity and non-competitiveness, he says, they can
begin to fulfill their potential in sports.
This column was provided by the courtesy of the
Pacific News Service.