Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Sept. 15, 1977, edition 1 / Page 8
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tThf Dilly Tr HmI Thursday) September 15, 1977 Greg Porter Editor Ben Cornelius, Managing Editor Ed Rankin, Associate Editor Lou BlUONis, Associate Editor Laura Scism, University Editor Elliott Potter. City Editor Chuck Alston, State and National Editor Sara Bullard, Features Editor Chip Ensslin, Arts Editor Gene UPCHUROt, Sports Editor Allen Jernican. Photography Editor Bath: (Far HM 85frt year of editorial freedom Votes can make a difference It is no'secret that there are dozens of unresolved issues of great concern to the students, faculty and staff of this University: the growing parking dilemma has many at their wits end; the future role of public transportation in Chapel Hill and Carrboro is nebulous at best; an entirely inadequate reservoir poses the question as to where the next drop of water will come from; public utilities namely Southern Bell and Duke Power have moved to town, bringing with them a host of problems; city development and expansion, an extension of 1-40 and area housing are all matters of crucial importance. The mayors and aldermen of Carrboro and Chapel Hill are in a position to seek answers to the problems facing the University community, but their effectiveness depends on a clear mandate from the voters who put them in office. The student interest in this town can only be served by massive tallies of student votes. If we want buses to ride to and from campus, we must start by selecting public officials who realize our needs. If we need a larger water supply to meet the greater demands of this community, then we must support the andidates who sense this urgency. If more parking is the answer, it makes good sense to elect the people who understand the problem and share our concern. Students as well as faculty and staff have the right to vote in Orange County. The only r equirements are that you live in Orange County 30 days prior to the Nov. 8 election and are over 18 years of age. You can and should register to vote at the Carrboro Town Hall or Chapel Hill Municipal Buildinjg as soon as possible. Shadesofthe Keystone Cops After all the news coverage given to the Patty Hearst case, it seems that potential kidnappers would have learned from their predecessor's mistakes. But all that wasi missing from this past weekend's madcap 55-hour kidnapping escapade in Nashville, Tenn. was bumbling Chief Inspector Clouseau of Pink Panther fame. So in the genre of the Keystone Cops, here 'goes: Annette Adam s, 19, the daughter of a bank president, was kidnapped last week from a Sijjma Nu fraternity party on the campus of Vanderbilt University. A smooth maneuver so far. The kidnappers seemed to have made a wise choice in picking their victim, as the girl s father would be in a position to pay the $150,000 ransom asked for. But to ensure their getaway, the kidnappers decided to switch cars. It was then that they ran into their first bit of trouble. ' "They got lost and couldn't even find where their other car was," the kidnappee said later. "We spent 45 minutes driving around Nashville trying to find it." Somehow, the kidnappers were able to find the Knoxville, Tenn. pizza parlor where they picked up the ransom. But this final drop was made only after three previous ones failed, cither because of wrong directions or locations. Meanwhil e federal agents were watching each drop, and followed the abductors as the y headed to North Carolina. As much as this state tries to provide tourists with up-to-date information, the kid nappers must have gotten hold of an old brochure. The Asheville airport, where the kidnappers intended to dump their victim, was closed. As other travelers would do in similar situations, they proceeded to a nearby Holiday Inn. Finding one atMorganton, they let Miss Adams out in the parking lot, wh ere she walked away without thanking them for such an amusing weekend. Miss Adams proimptly called the local sheriff and her parents, as the chase for the kidnapper headed to Hickory. The chase ended , however, when a wheel fell offthe abductors' car and the car struck a dumpster in the parking lot of the Sheraton Motor Lodge in Hickory. The kidnappers were captured, and almost all of the ransom was recovered. : It has not yet been confirmed that the kidnappers plan to sell their story to Hollywood, but we're waiting. -' What more could Tinseltown ask for than a slap-stick jaunt reminiscent of the Keystone Cops? Election win a farce Smith continues to cling to impossible dreams Bv ED RANKIN Ian Smith feels about as comfortable these days as a condemned man does watching dawn break on the day of his execution. He knows his time is running out. Though the Rhodesian Prime M inister will not publicly admit it. he must realize that widespread bloodshed is inevitable unless he turns over his beleaguered government to the country's 6.4 million blacks. But Smith is a puzzling man and a stubborn one. His latest plan to achieve a peaceful solution to Rhodesia's gacial conflict, which has raged for II years, is even more problematical. In mid-July he called for a new election from which he would "obtain a mandate for reform from the people of Rhodesia." Said Smith: "1 hope that as a result of this mandate we will be successful in encouraging those responsible blacks who are prepared to turn their backs on terrorism to work constructively for all Rhodesians." But Smith's election victory Aug. 31. his fourth, was a farce. Relatively few blacks are entitled to vote in elections and the outcome was easy to predict the white minority. 268,000 strong, continues to dominate the nation's political, economic and military centers. Smith, obviously, is still in deep trouble. The issue is likely to be solved on the battlefield tor a five-year guerrilla war with nationalist forces continues. Whites are fleeing the country in increasing numbers and in-fighting continues between rival black groups for political power. It's all strongly reminiscent of Angola. Some even suspect that Cuba or another outside force, namely the Soviet Union, may end up in Rhodesia before this thing is over. But even worse. Smith ref uses to agree to joint British and American proposals which would allow the nation's black majority to quietly take control. The British-American peace plan, conceived by British Foreign Secretary David Owen and United Nations Ambassador for the U.S. Andrew Young, calls for: a six-month transition period during which Rhodesia would revert to legal status as a British colony. The nation broke from British sovereignty in 1965. a London-appointed administrator to govern the country during the transition who would also organize constitutional conference based on one man. one vote. a United Nations peace-keeping force that would maintain order during the transition. a $ I billion development fund from the U.S., Britain and Saudi Arabia to help bolster the new government. Smith has called the plan "completely unacceptable." His prime worry seems to be the principle of one man, one vote the thought of 20 blacks for every white at the polls makes Smith shudder. He is afraid whites would be left with no representatives i n Parliament . A lso repugnant to S mith is the idea that he would be forced to resign and that some units of his crack white-led Rhodesian army would be replaced by members of the guerilla Patriotic Front. Smith's call for an election this past July was a ploy he was simply trying to avert imposed U.S.-British settlement. A new mandate, he hoped, would allow him to stay in power . and establish a compromise with either of two "acceptable" black leaders - the Rev. NdabaningiSithol-or Bishop Abel Nuzorewa. But powerful black opponents insist that if the government is not turned over to blacks soon, all whites may be ousted in a violent race war. The fears of white Rhodesians over the proposed settlement are legitimate. What happens, for instance to the white Rhodesian landowner during the changeover in government? Will UN forces actually keep the peace? Will nationalist guerrillas let them? A purging of white capital could put the finishing touches on the already staggering economy. It's clear that the futures of lan Smith and the government of Rhodesia will not follow the same path. If the Anglo American plan is finally agreed upon, his political career will be over. Obviously, there will be a risk for the whites who choose to remain when the transition period begins and the white-ruled government folds. But the Young-Owen plan is the only possible route for Rhodesia: The solution, however, must guarantee that order will be maintained during the transition so that responsible black-majority rule can take over. UN forces must be present as a deterrent against chaos. Smith's election win does not represent any new level of power, only a futile attempt to buy more time and postpone what is obviously distasteful to him but necessary if his country is not to be torn apart. If he continues to refuse the British-American plan, one must only conclude that he is determined to take his country down with him. Ed Rankin, a senior history major from Concord, N.C., is associate editor for the Daily Tar Heel. Court needed as watchdog over scientific research By PETER HAPKE Value-free science. The English philosopher Sir Francis Bacon postulated the concept in the late 16th century: all scientific work is done for the greater glory of God and the State, thus scientific knowledge can be separated from moral knowledge. Hence, without moral value, scientists incur no responsibility for their work. And the concept has flourished up into the 20th century. In 1947, the British philsopher C.S. Lewis diagnosed the potential risks of Bacon's creed to mankind in his book. The Abolition of Man:"Man does not dominate nature, rather a few men control nature through science so that they can control other men." Indeed, Lewis's words prophesied the role of science in today's world, as scientists plunge into weapons development, atomic energy and genetics research, often without considering the possible risks to humanity. As evidenced in the recent debate between Harvard University and Cambridge. Massachusetts over whether Harvard should be permitted to conduct recombinant DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) research, it has become imperative that we change the U.S. government's laissez-faire policy toward scientific research and development. Remarkably, scientists themselves have taken the initiative to abolish value-free science. As a result of the DNA furor in Cambridge, the leaders of the nation's major, scientific societies publicly endorsed the creation of a science court - an impartial, quasi-judicial court to weigh the scientific facts in controversial, national issues such as nuclear-reactor safety, food additives (e.g.. Red Dye No. 2). saccharin, pesticides, offshore oil exploitation and genetic experiments such as recombinant DNA research. Indeed, in regard to the recombinant DNA controversy, the Cambridge City Council made a long leap in the d irection of a science court. They placed a moratorium on recombinant DNA research for three months until a comprehensive study could be completed by a citizen's review panel composed of eight nonscientists and headed by Daniel J. Hayes, a Cambridge oil dealer and former Mayor. After the study, the panel recommended that the research be conducted only under a series of safety regulations, including the use of organisms that are federally certified to die outside elaborate laboratory conditions. Granted, the ad hoc Cambridge Council review panel served as a necessary expedient lor the community at large, but what the nation needs is a national judicial body to help politicians and the public filter out scientific facts from economic, political and ethical value judgments. A national science court could evaluate conflicting scientific positions advanced in support of a public issue such as nuclear power or DNA research and determine the critical facts involved. Because our legislative and regulatory bodies face an increasing number of policy decisions based on some assessment of scientific knowledge or fact, they are often ineffectual in clarifying such issues. But the science court offers an eff ective method by which the knowledge on a controversial issue could be clarified in an open forum as a part of the policy-making process. In this way, we could stop potentially dangerous research or at least minimize the risks. Yet. critics of the science court maintain that an effective set of rules cannot be devised to guide the court proceeding, nor can suitable participants be found, nor can objective conclusions be reached. However, two arguments justify experimenting with a science court decreased scientific risk and increased public confidence. A successful experimental science court would provide a basis for planning a permanent institution with benefits to society: namely, by eliminating the social, economic and political risks of controversial scientific research. In addition, experiments that have the support of a prestigious science court would also gain the confidence of the public. Moreoever, most of former President Ford's science advisers supported the science court. And Carter's science adviser. Dr. Frank Press, director of the newly-created Office of Science and Technology (OSTP), publicly endorsed the court with 27 other leading American scientists in a paper published earlier this year. Equally important, some geneticists are so concerned with the risks entailed in their research that they have stopped experiments voluntarily. In 1974, a group of American biologists voluntarily renounced two types of genetic experiments that they considered dangerous to humanity. In 1975, more than 100 scientists from 16 countries, meeting in California, proposed a voluntary ban on potentially hazardous experiments. But the present Mayor of Cambridge voiced one of the best arguments for a science court when he characterized scientific research: "things don't always work out as intended." He refers to the Harvard biology building where the recombinant DNA research is being conducted. The building is infested with a species of Egyptian ant that has resisted the most sophisticated extermination techniques. Harvard scientists believe that the ants escaped from a professor's briefcase years ago. Peter H apke, a senior ecology and English major from Asheville, N.C., is a staff writer for the Daily Tar Heel. llGHT'S OUT ' w t PORNI jj2W IflZft Wallace, conservation board to blame for Jordan Dam controversy To the editor: There will always be people in Chapel Hill who will remember when the controversy over the B. Everett Jordan Dam began, contrary to your beliefs ("Coping with a white elephant," Sept. 14). And there will always be responsible technical experts within the University who will provide the raw facti and competent predictions which . form the basis of value judgments that end up ai public decisions. I represent those people; people who, having most of the data, having heard most of the opinions, and having been subjected time and time again to editorials like yours, must continue to be responsible for putting this controversy in proper light. First, where did the controversy start? It . began in the mind of James C. Wallace, currently mayor of Chapel H ill. Shortly after , passage of the National Environmental Policy Act, the act which requires environmental impact statements for major federal projects, Wallace got a bee in his bonnet. It began to buzz in the meetings of the North Carolina Conservation Board, of which Wallace was a member. The bee continues to buzz. Wallace is still on the board. This is the board that is placing appeals in the path of the completion of the dam project. Wallace is where the controversy began and undoubtedly is where it will end. Now, how about the facts. Random House dictionary defines cesspool as "any filthy receptacle or place." That's not the technical definition that I would give, but it's probably what the editor meant when suggesting that the dam would be one. Careful investigation into the facts indicates that one isolated reach of the proposed reservoir would be . what a sanitarian would call "rich in natural nutrients," despite the relatively good job done by the Chapel Hill sewage treatment plant. Now the value judgment, Is this bad? You decide but first let me give you an analogous situation that many folks on campus are familiar with, Kerr Lake. Way up north on Kerr Reservoir is a section of water called Nutbush. It, too, is "rich in nutrients." That that small section is a pretty good place to grow algae is a major reason for the pleasantness of the lower sections of the lake. It serves as a final "treatment plant" for the water that goes into the reservoir. The same thing will happen behind the Jordan Dam. Now you choose. Do you want something akin to Kerr Reservoir in your backyard? What about the pesky mercury"? Mercury is a hard thing to measure. Often measurements made on the same bottle of water vary significantly. This is the reason given for occasional high mercury readings. In fact, mercury is not a consistently high pollutant in the waters of New Hope Creek and Haw River. The conservation board even embarrassed itself when it decided that were it to condemn the water on the basis of mercury, it would also have to condemn most of the farm ponds throughout the state. Lastly, how about that slow flow through the lake? The slower the flow, the cleaner the water at the dam. That, in fact, is the basis for the Santee Project in California. There they drink the water out of the southern most end of the lake system, knowing that the long retention times guarantee them good, safe drinking water. And, let me see now doesn't Chapel Hill have a water shortage problem? You decide. No. Mr. Editor, the Corps of Engineers docs not have a white elephant. They have a gift horse and you are looking it right in the mouth. David W. Schnare Environmental Sciences School of Public Health Anita wouldn't attend To the editor: How could your cartoonist say that Anita Bryant would come to any homosexual exhibition by two super planes? If anything she would run to the nearest and safest soapbox (orange crate?) and proclaim their sin until a public referendum on the subject proved that the real people of this world have had "enough, enough, enough." B. Mcintosh Rt. 4, Pittsboro the necessity of water conservation measures in Chapel Hill? While my fraternity has never been contacted or encouraged by any school official to conserve water, we have acted on our own incentive to help avert the impending water crisis in Chapel H ill. Water restrictors have recently been installed in all shower heads, paper plates are used for the majority of meals and all brothers have been reportedly urged to be conscious of the water shortage. Bill Moss owes an apology to the whole letters to the editor Moss owes apology To the editor: I think it is very unfortunate that Student Body President Bill Moss is expressing meaningless opinions on subjects in which he obviously has little or no knowledge ("Off campus residents plan conserving efforts," Sept. 13). In reference to the purported lack of water conservation measures by Greeks, Bill Moss is quoted as saying. "A lot of them (Greeks) don't know w here the student union is this shows the mentality of some of the Greeks." In response, I can first of all guarantee that every member 6f my fraternity knows exactly where the student union is located (as does every other student in this school). Secondly, what does the geographical location of the student union have to do with Greek system and in the future 1 hope he thinks before he speaks. Keith Cowan Kappa Alpha 1 10 W. Cameron Ave. Quote was exaggeration To the editor: The quotation which appeared in Tuesday's DTH concerning the lack of campus involvement by Greek members was an obvious exaggeration used to stress a point at an Orange Water and Sewer Meeting. Clearly, members of UNC's fraternities and sororities are very involved in a great diversity of extra-curricular activities, both as leaders and participants. Further, the Inter-Fraternity Council, the Pan-Hellenic Council and Student Government are working together to encourage the University community to be mindful of Chapel H ill's water shortage and to conserve water. Bill Moss Student Body President Todd Baker IFC President Julie Blazer Pan-Hellenic President Start job search now To the editor: So now you are a senior. . . but where do you go from here? That year that you have been waiting for has finally arrived. The termination of your undergraduate years is quickly approaching. But do you know what will follow that graduation date? Do you know what types of jobs you could get with your degree? What types of employers want you, the liberal arts student, or you, the science major? Have you prepared that all important resume or did you even realize that you will need to? Are you nervous about those upcoming interviews? Do you really know how to sell yourself to that important employer? I waited too late to begin planning my career. Therefore when 1 graduated, I had to move home until I located a job. A good job search can take anywhere from six to nine months so shouldn't you get started now"? But don't make the mistake that many . seniors make. For some reason, seniors tend to mail out hundreds of resumes to all different employers. But statistics show that for every 300 to 500 resumes sent out, approximately three to five interviews are granted and one to two hires take place. Another fact that may interest you is that only 20 per cent of the jobs available are ever advertised. So you want to know how to look for the other 80 per cent, right? Well, the place to start is Career Planning and Placement. They hold meetings which help you learn how to write a resume which can sell you to that employer, show you how to interview effectively and teach you the best ways to look for those unadvertised jobs. If you are not sure what job you want, they can help you to identify your skills and interests and correlate those with possible job ideas. They even have notebooks filled with job ideas. Also for your use, they have an Alumni Contacts File so that you may talk with someone in the field of your interest in order to get information about that type of job. Why not start early and have a job waiting for you after graduation? Let Career Planning and Placement help you. Their fall meeting for seniors and graduate students is tonight at 7:30. Why not take advantage of all their services now? Ruth Everett 2100 N. Lakeshore Dr. Something for nothing? To the editor: I think that C. Brookhbuse of the English Department should be informed that some cheapskate has been writing letters usiw? his name ("Admission charge a shame," Letters, Sept. 12). Obviously, an associate professor drawing a salary of more than $20,000 per year isn't going to complain about a lousy $2 admission fee. Besides, a hard-working faculty member should have worked through the stage of "wanting something for nothing." John Miller
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Sept. 15, 1977, edition 1
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