Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Nov. 28, 1984, edition 1 / Page 6
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6The Daily Tar Heel Wednesday. November J I TT HllMY. Editor Joiil. HkoaDVC'AY. MaaVmi; I J.,r Mark Stinniiord. .ir., vj,t..r Bl N Pl-RKOVC'SM.li !,. Editor Ki i.i.y Simmons, thiinrsit, Editor VANCI-: TRI;I -.TH1:N. State and National Editor MlU.ANIF. Wril. City EJitor Dan Tillman. Bushu Editor Lynn Davis. News Editor Frank Kennedy , Sports Editor Jeff Grove. Am Editor Sharon Sheridan. Features Editor JEFF NEUVILLE. Photography Editor Good intentions, bad results? It's hard to argue against providing some financial security to WXYC, the Black Student Movement and Student Legal Services. They are vital organi zations that make life here better and enhance the University's reputation well beyond the campus. But the Campus Governing Council would do well to discover better means of funding them than those up for consideration tonight proposals to schedule referendums on whether the BSM and SLS should be guaranteed a set percentage of Student Activies Fees. Not only would approval of those two measures substantially reduce the amount of money available to other campus groups, it would also reduce the council's ability to play watchdog over the use of student funds. The CGC has already approved a student referendum to determine whether WXYC should receive 4 percent of the fees taken in each year (about $19,000 would go to the station under current rates). We backed such a move on the grounds that WXYC provides a valuable alternative to the "bubble gum" stations that dominate the radio dial and has proved itself to be an efficiently run, fiscally responsible organization. Still, there might be better ways. One involves an amendment to the SLS referendum expected to be presented tonight. While complicated, the amend ment makes good mathematical sense. It would call for a separate $3.50-a-semester fee for SLS, thus freeing up additional Student Activities Fees money; but, at the same time, the amendment would reduce those student fees , by , $2 All jthjs would .result in a badly needed net gairi of $i.50-a-. semester in Student Activities Fees, besides ensuring enough money for SLS. Council members should give any such amendment their full consideration. Not that SLS and BSM don't deserve funding. As is the case with WXYC, there are compelling arguments for providing guaranteed funding to the groups. (Passage of the referendums as they read now would give the BSM 2.5 percent of Student Activities Fees, about $12,000 a year, and SLS 18 percent, or $86,000.) As CGC representative Doug Berger pointed out in yesterday's DTH, the BSM, which helps the University meet its minority representation requirements under the consent decree with the federal government, serves as a powerful recruiting tool for minority students and makes UNC a more comfortable home for blacks on a campus where segrega tion was long the rule. Despite their numerous contributions, BSM sub groups such as the Gospel Choir, the Ebony Readers, the Opeyo Dancers and the Black Ink must justify their existence to the CGC each year. Likewise, SLS, which helps students A Grinchly thing to do Watched the tube lately? The Norelco man is back. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Ah, Noel. If you're a kid at heart (and arent we all?), Christmas means mistle toe, egg nog, Saint Nick. . . And cartoons. Christmas isn't Christ mas without cartoons. Who can forget Rudolph's going airborne when Felice told him he was cute? Or poor Max's expression when he realized he had to pull the Grinch's sleigh to the top of Mount Crumpet? Or Charlie Brown's disdain when Snoopy copped the blue ribbon for a decidedly gaudy doghouse? Sigh. If you're like us, those memories are as much a part of the holidays as Slim Whitman and the Singing Dogs. So it makes us all the much angrier that the networks can't show more consideration than to schedule these specials during December's darkest hours. Dont the boys at Black Rock CBS remember what it's like to be young and foolish, to be in college with exams on the brain? Apparently not; theyVe scheduled "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "How the Grinch Stole 28. 1984 Star iUM 92nd year of editorial freedom through problems ranging from the refund of apartment security deposits to disputes with the phone company, is dragged through yearly funding fights. The wonder is that the SLS staff, which could easily make more money else where, doesn't walk out over yearly uncertainty over job and salary security. Still, we wonder if the CGC, armed with the best of intentions, has fully considered the implications of passage of all the referendums: It would amount to a backdoor cut in other campus organizations, leaving about $10,000 less in the pool to divide among 35 other student organizations, many of which are already operating on a shoestring. Considering that students have not voted in favor of a permanent hike in their fees since 1977, the CGC should not count on a fee increase referendum to make up the difference. The three referendums, if all make it through the CGC, will make for a taxing decision-making burden on students when they go to vote in February. That decision-making will be greatly influ enced by how often the student uses each of the groups jockeying for his vote. Considering this campus' past voting record and its huge white majority, it would be highly likely, if unfortunate, that constitutitonal funding of the BSM would be rejected on a whim. CGC members must know and expect this, even if they don't acknowledge it. Is it possible, then, that some members, especially those looking to make a run at the student body presidency next semester, see their support of the BSM now as a necessarily shrewd political move? Providing guaranteed funding to the three groups would also greatly reduce the power and importance of the CGC. With The Daily Tar Heel and the Carolina Union already receiving con stitutional funding, providing such assurances to WXYC, BSM and SLS would mean that the CGC would have the power to allocate only 25 percent of the Student Activities Fees paid. Deprived of most of its funding power, the CGC would likely continue its trend toward making ineffectual policy state ments on international issues while ignoring pressing campus concerns. For all its merits, constitutional funding moves organizations away from direct accountability to students. Instead of being controlled by directly elected student representatives, the financial affairs of constitutionally funded organ izations are supervised by boards of directors, consisting largely of appointed members. All of these are good reasons for CGC members to pause for a moment tonight to consider the full consequences of their vote. Sensible alternatives to constitu tional funding, like a separate-fee amendment, deserve their consideration. Christmas" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas" all at the worst possible times (Check your local listings; the 77isn't TV Guide, you know). Only during the last week of classes; only when we twelfth-hour scholars are gearing up for killer finals. It just doesn't make sense. While the network brass continue to knock them selves silly over continually plummeting audience shares, here they go alienating the MTV generation even further. With scheduling like theirs, it's a wonder anyone watches them at all. Don't let them beg your forgiveness with their trendy new "classics" either. Well pass on potential clinkers such as "The Cabbage Patch Kids' First Christ mas," proven losers such as the "Pac Man Christmas Special" and anything featuring the blubiquitous Smurfs. No doubt the Big Three would exercise some vain attempt at rational izing their scheduling decisions something like plugging Christmas toys while there are still shopping days left in the season. Haven't they heard of the Christmas Eve crunch? Mend your ways, guys. Otherwise yule be sorry. It's the most By BILL BARLOW Recent Campus Governing Council action spelling out protest activity to be undertaken in the event that the United States invades Nicaragua has generated much discussion over what an "invasion" is. A woman at a recent meeting of the Carolina Interfaith Task Force on Central America offered a definition as good as any IVe heard. She said an invasion would be the use of U.S. ground troops, American bombing or shelling of Nicaragua, an invasion by proxy forces (i.e., U.S.-backed troops from Honduras or Guatem ala), mining Nicaraguan harbors or an economic blockade constituting a quarantine. At this same meeting Lars Schoultz, a UNC professor of political science, gave a presentation on the openness of the elections he recently witnessed in Nicaragua. Schoultz passed around a sample ballot showing only two communist candidates running out of a field of seven. Following Schoultz's presentation, Joe Stra ley, a UNC professor emeritus of physics, encouraged everyone to join the "pledge of resistance." The pledge is a commitment for active protest should the U.S. government invade Central America. The resistance options range from peaceful vigils to sit-ins. It is intended to be a clear, yet peaceful, individual commitment. All this should give you an idea about what the pledge of resistance is. The options listed for students in the event of an invasion include: participating in prayer at the Newman Center, followed by a candlelight procession to the Franklin Street Post Office; joining in a non violent vigil at the office of 4th Dist. Rep. Ike Andrews; entering Rep. Andrews district office peacefully and prayerfully and staying until he votes to end the invasion or engaging in a non violent protest at the White House to demand an end to the invasion. It's up to students to find a pledge card and sign it. The University has begun to form an "affinity group," a body of individuals who oppose the use of U.S. military aggression against Nicara gua. A pledge card is running as a display advertisement today in The Daily Tar Heel. Tear it out, fill it out and drop it off at the Campus Y. If there is enough response, we shall demonstrate our resistance in our local commun ity. Our objective would be to win the vote of Rep. Andrews' successor, Rep.-elect Bill Cobey, should the invasion question reach the House of Representatives. Don't be called the silent majority commit yourself. On Dec. 1, there will be an anti-invasion lobby conference in Washington D.C. Joe Straley has information for those interested in joining. LETTERS TO THE What does he To the editor: Well, music critic Eddie Huffman has struck again ("Lou Reed's show disappointingly average," Nov. 26). We're not sure what Huffman was expecting Lou Reed to do in concert. Perhaps if he had come out in drag and led off his set with "Heroin" and then demolished his guitar, he would have merited "above average" status. One shudders to think what he would have had to do to be considered "transcendent." Yes, Lou Reed was surrounded by a great deal of mystique in the '60s mostly involving drugs. Judging from his fit, muscular onstage appearance and the coherence and tightness of his music, he has largely abandoned the chemical lifestyle. (How many of Lou's 40-year-old contemporar ies are making music as exciting as he is?) To answer an objection voiced by Huffman in his review almost all of the music Lou Reed has ever written has been fairly "unambiguous, straightforward rock 'n' roll" with intelligent and provocative lyrics not the artsy, non-melodic surrealism that char acterizes the efforts of so many "creative geniuses." What songs did you want Lou to play, Eddie? There are limits to what you can do with a two-hour Stand out, don't To the editor: OK, you gays, if you're so fired up about making us straight people aware of your perverted sex life, then why dont you make yourselves known? If Gay Awareness Week is intended to familiarize people with the queer community, then why are you hiding out in the catacombs of the Student Union? If you're not ashamed of your sickness (accord ing to Monty Laycox's article in the DTH, "For GAW open-mindedness is the goal," Nov. 26) and "are not ashamed of being gay because we find nothing in it for which we ought to be ashamed," then why don't you reveal yourselves publicly? Since this is GAW, this would be the best time to do this. Maybe you could hold a gay rally in the Pit around lunch time. In other words, to quote a phrase, why don't you come out of the closet? To further address Laycox's article, I would like to take a few of his issues and expound on them from a straight person's perspective. Laycox said, "As homosexuals we still are made to feel ashamed of our feelings, fearful of the conse quences should someone find out what we are. Yet, what are we? Are we truly different from other people?" Damn right you're different! Onto this earth were put males and females. There was a reason for this particular arrangement, princi pally for the purpose of reproduc tion and the socialization of the positive thing we can do """""" " 11 1 '"'Vjil. i M"i'M'"' iiiiiiiuiiii wm'tpm ll- , n..i.....u-,-nili.M..,-. , , p ",i- ZlZ. " imummuwi6uKm&f. ekSJiF& mm4iLi--, i , , ,, -, , , j Remember that the campus was rocked 14 years ago by the emotional response to the Kent State slayings and the continued U.S. involve ment in Southeast Asia. Firebombs were thrown at two campus buildings, Chapel Hill High School and two local stores. There were several protest marches. The troubles mounted, culmi nating with a call for a strike by the students of the University. The strike call read: If one is seriously concerned about the invasion of Cambodia and the murder of the students at Kent State, and continuing repression of dissent in this country, he should be willing to make a concrete commitment for change. Petitions, telegrams, letters, statements are only words .... They can be ignored. Action is called for. Only through a strike can the University act as a body (and) forcefully express its indignation over United States policies .... During a crisis of the present severity, inaction and "business as usual" must be viewed as complete approval of the present United States . . . repressive policies .... The University must exercise its right to free debate and responsible dissent .... A University-wide strike will lift the burden of martyrdom from the shoulders of the few who now bear a heavy responsiblity for having the courage to speak out. Collective action will diminish reprisals against individuals, and all shall survive. expect? n--.iT ySi:xvELL,wH0t vX CMITK- not vaxpcwm;-v W ymi- J UTTl PG, UTTLE HWCX set and one encore, and the music that his band produced was calcu lated for a high-energy crowd, or did you miss the people standing on their seats and dancing in the aisles?. Did you want to see an aging, emaciated drug addict stand on stage with an acoustic guitar and mumble some of the "great songs" that he turned into "mere boogie" with his fresh approach? Electrify ing "Walk On the Wild Side" doesnt make it just another rock 'n' roll song, and it doesn't make Lou Reed just another rock 'n' roller; making the music move doesn't diminish one bit of the lyrical complexity. You can't separate Lou Reed from controversy but Lou isn't just about controversy, and neither is his music. He's still one of the finest rock musicians going, and patronizing comments to the effect that he delivered a pleasant (but disappointingly average) little show certainly won't alter that. With any luck, if he works real hard, maybe Lou will work his way up to Prince's level of musical achievement. We can hope, can't we? Barry Campell Nicole Sarrocco Hinton James To the editor: UNC students received a lot of heat for leaving the UNC-UVa football game too early. Though I stayed for the entire football game, DTH Assistant Sports Editor Lee Roberts must not know about fantastic finishes. Eric Streater's touchdown pass and touchdown reception against UVa pulled him out of his brother Steve's shadow. However, it was Steve who took part in the closing drive according to Roberts. Mistake? Maybe, but had Roberts stayed for the end of the game he would not have been so quick to count the Heels out against Duke. Roberts reports ("Mistakes kill Duke as UNC holds on, 17-15," Nov. 26): "The play was an attemp ted 22-yard field goal by Duke dress up! offspring. Neither guys and guys nor girls and girls can make babies, or haven't you gays figured that out yet? Another matter which I would like to address is this Blue Jeans Day garbage. For the past two years now, I've noticed that more people wear jeans on this day than any other day to show defiance of the ludicrous belief that only homosex uals and those who support them will wear jeans on this day. If you ask me, that's exactly what the Carolina Gay Association wanted. This way they aren't really distin guished from anybody else because they are aware that many people will wear jeans anyway. Why don't you gays and your supporters wear something that will really distin guish you from everybody else? Buttons would be effective, or maybe a red arm band, but not something as "universal" as a pair of jeans. Or is it just that you're scared that you will be recognized or made aware of, as you sup posedly desire in the first place? Lastly, if you gays want your rights and if you want everyone to be aware of you, then make your selves noticeable. Either stand up publicly (and not behind your elected leaders or from the depths of the Union) for your right to be gay or just shut up about being discriminated against! Keith Lyall Granville West To the editor: I find interesting that Ralph Reed ("Rally protests CGC resolution," Nov. 20), in his characterization of Human Rights Week as "a joke," must not have bothered to read about nor attend the different sessions which dealt with political rights and American foreign policy in Central America. In the discussion session which I led (and which was reported in the DTH the next day) the expul sion of foreign priests from Nica ragua and the human rights viola tions of Miskito Indians were discussed at length and appropriate sources reports from Amnesty International and Americas Watch were used to document these facts. I feel that it is important for all of us, as students in the process of education ourselves, to consider the source of our informational flow and be willing to critically analyse it. To blankly accept the word of the Reagan Administration or the Sandinistas, for that matter as "100 percent fact," without being DTH File photo On May 8, 1970, Daniel Okun, then chairman of the faculty, asked instructors to give students involved in the anti-war movement the maximum possible latitude in completing and fulfilling course requirments. Okun also presented an emotional pledge of support for the students' action. The Graduate Coordinating Committee was formed on May 7, 1970, in support of the hard pressed Strike Steering Committee. By May 15, $1,003 had been collected toward buying a national commercial sponsored by the University of Rochester. At a general faculty meeting, the faculty agreed to arrange for buses to transport interested members of the University community to Washington to participate in protest activity. After unprecendented support was shown for the Graduate Coordinating Committee, it was adopted by the Graduate Student Organization. Is it 14 years ago or nine months from now? The spring of 1970 was hard and bitter. We feel our current action can prevent all this emotion from being tested once more. We look on the pledge of resistance as the most positive thing we can do to avoid having the U.S. involved in a war in Central America. Bill Barlow, a graduate student in city and regional planning from Winston-Salem, is the CGC representative from District 4 and a member of the SEEDS campus political party. EDITOR ' Don't count 'em out, 'DTH' kicker Ken Harper that would have given the Blue Devils a season ending 18-17 win over North Carolina." Wait!! After Streater's offensive show early, we did not score against UVa for a long time. However, we did score twice in the final four minutes. Why then couldn't we have scored one field goal against Duke in the two minutes plus that remained? UNC athletes work too hard to be written off before theii games, matches and meets are over. Just read the last issue of Carolina Blue for an article about coming from behind to beat Duke. I hope you did not leave that game early!! Mark Scott Carrboro Speak out, but be informed willing to search the truth, does a great disservice to oneself. Educa tion means more than believing everything you read or hear. As for Fazio, Reed, and Long's negation of the possibility of a U.S. invasion of Nicaragua, I would suggest that they return to their history books and or take a long look at present U.S. Government documents. It would be interesting to know from what informational base they are operating. . . if indeed they have one. As for speaking out against the actions of our government, criticism of our nation is nothing to be ashamed of! It is through construc tive criticism that we can make this nation great; supportive of human rights throughout the world. We should never be ashamed to speak out against injustice, aggres sion, racism or any other factors which serve more as a detriment to our country than as a factor which supports our positive development. Let us make America great! Brian Richmond Chapel Hill
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Nov. 28, 1984, edition 1
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