10The Daily Tar HeelMonday, September 25, 1989
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97fi year of editorial freedom
1
Sharon Kebschull, Eifor
WlLUAM TAGGART, Managing Editor
MARY Jo DUNNINGTON, Editorial Page Editor
JUSTIN McGuiRE, University Editor
KAREN DUNN, State and National Editor
TOM PARKS, Business Editor
Dave Glenn, Sports Editor
MELANIE BLACK, Design Editor
TAMMY BLACKARD, Editorial Page Editor
JENNY CLONINGER, University Editor
Jessica Lannig, City Editor
CARA BONNETT, Arts and Features Editor
Kelly Thompson, Omnibus Editor
DAVID SurOWIECKI, Photography Editor
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JULIA COON, News Editor
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Ease congress' tension
Focus on action, not appearances
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board
opinion
: Residents in Stu
dent Congress district
12 witnessed a
slightly childish
power struggle between their two elected
representatives last week. A petition to
recall Rep. Mark Bibbs was circulated,
coming to a halt only when the DTH dis
covered that Bibbs was not guilty of voting
on budgets of groups to which he belongs,
as the petition had suggested. Rep. Mindy
Friedman, who is known to have sup
ported the petition, later stated that she had
nothing to do with it.
; This sort of small game-playing is cer
tainly not unheard of when it comes to
politics, even the politics that run our
country. But the political body in this situ
ation is Student Congress, and the politi
cians are students. It would appear that
members of congress, particularly those in
leadership positions, are losing sight of the
issues as well as their place as students
while searching for greater political
power.
There is much to suggest that congress
has taken a large step toward playing poli
tics since the 71st congress began in the
spring. Many students both congress
members and those who have attended
student congress meetings as observers
have noticed a disturbing trend which one
representative called "an obsession with
procedure." This was
of "voting blocs." This becomes a problem
as congress members become so depend
ent on each other that they always vote
within the same bloc rather than according
to their constituents' wishes or even their
own conscience. One representative noted
that during the frequently-taken roll call
votes at the last congress meeting, many
representatives "passed" during the first
reading of the list of names, implying that
they wanted to see how others voted before
making a commitment either way.
Many people involved in student gov
ernment also complain about the tension
they see between congress and the execu
tive branch of student government. Some
see the two branches competing to take the
credit for new programs or policies that
will benefit students. This sort of politick
ing is simply inappropriate and unneces
sary on campus issues. While checks and
balances are important, it is highly ineffi
cient for congress to insist upon looking at
and approving everything the executive
branch does.
Much of the blame for these changes
must fall on the speaker of Student Con
gress, Gene Davis. The speaker has the
power to set the tone for congress, and
Davis seems responsible for the hostility
and tensions that are prevalent this year.
Davis has also gotten involved in many
other organizations that take away from
the time he can spend
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Readers9 Foram
Music critic needs to do his homework
especially a problem rjii . f nf nnlitirkina on congress matters,
in the spring, when 1 niS SOri 01 pOlUICKing Most recently, Davis
many people, includ- S simply inappropriate waselectedpresident
ing the student gov- i of the Association of
ernment adviser, and Unnecessary On Student Govern-
could not even get P51TTiniUj feeiipc ments organiza-
recognized to speak. camPU2 155 uca tion of student gov-
And sadly, the focus
ernment representa-
bn form inevitably distracts everyone from tives from the 16 UNC-system schools,
the real issues. This surely makes other representatives
Formal rules of order obviously do have feel that they should also get involved in as
aplace in congress meetings, for the simple many powerful positions as possible, rather
reason that they prevent general chaos and than remembering their primary purpose
wasted time. However, those same rules service.
can be used to limit debate on an issue or let Davis' commitment to his job is obvi-
one person have the floor for far too long, ous, and his goals of greater student body
Representatives who know the rules can awareness of Student Congress and in-
manipulate and have the clear advantage creased opportunity for participation in
over those who are less familiar with them, student government are admirable. But the
Considering that members of Student emphasis must stay on using that aware
Congress are volunteering their time as ness to serve students better, rather than
students and have reading assignments serving representatives personal goals,
beyond Robert's Rules of Order, it is un- Congress is not there to be used as a step
fair and unreasonable to place too much ping stone for aspiring politicians,
emphasis on procedure. And in the long who attended ioug ,
run, preoccupation with form can be more c s remember a time when
time-consuming than it merits. meetings were held in decidedly unpreten-
There have also been unfortunate inci- tious faces such M room 226 of me Un
dents in which students who attend con- .Qn To(J c s meets fa kces such
gress meetings have been treated less than a me of Govemment bee
politely by congress members. Some rep- Dayis, wQrds Vs mQTQ similar tQ me
resentatives seemingly intent on a show of meetingpiaceof the state legislature. Dress
power often grill the leaders of orgamza- used tQ casual M was me atmosphere
tions beyond the necessary, questioning fo con ,g c leadefS fav0f
their judgment and sometimes even insult- coat tie formal proce.
ing them. At the most recent meeting, durerulesThe emphasis has changed from
Bibbs openly implied that Phoenix Editor issuesand people to appearance and power.
: Ed Davis was lying when Davis stated that perfi me mQSt bolic ch how.
he had spoken with the editor of The Black h mat unlike Dayis who widds a
Ink about thatpaper s use of the Phoenix s . me of order) yesterday.s
proposed computer system. TTus sort of widded a can of RS repellent
behavior is uncalled for and damages r
congress' credibility. We hope that in the next five months
Another dangerous trend in congress is before campus elections, Student Congress
the advent of extensive political factions members will consider how best to serve
and small groups of representatives who the campus, resulting in useful meetings
vote together on issues. Every representa- that are conducted efficiently, politely and
tive interviewed recognized the existence modestly.
the last word
To the editor:
I am writing in response to Ian
Williams' "review" Sept. 13
("Music's terrible top 10 grows to
20"). I have observed, and been
directly involved in, both the lo
cal and national music scenes for
well over 10 years. The problems
that Mr. Williams claims to have
with our popular music are not at
all uncommon among self-righteous
types who have not explored
the history of popular music and
culture in general and its place in '
everyday life.
The first point that I think needs
clarification is in making the dis
tinction between "songs" and
"recordings" in popular music. Mr.
Williams names no less than seven
recordings in his listing that are
not actually the original versions
of the songs that he is so naively
lambasting. Of the remainder, six
more of these songs were written
by someone entirely different than
the person who was mainly re
sponsible for the recordings that
he mentions. And as anyone who
is as involved in music as Mr.
Williams professes to be (after
all, he places himself in some
pretty good company toward the
end of his "review" Beethoven,
Gershwin, Presley and Lennon
although any serious student of
popular culture knows that
Presley's writing talent was mini
mal if at all existent) should know
a song is merely the starting point
in making a recording much as
an envisioned scene is the first
step in creating a painting, or a
script is a beginning step in mak
ing a film. A quality song can be
rendered highly ineffective by a
poorly executed reading, and a
poorly written song can become a
stirring experience when coupled
with a good arrangement and
performance.
In this context, it would seem
that Mr. Williams is criticizing
the recordings themselves and
not the songs as written. I won
der if his opinion of "Once Bit
ten Twice Shy" would differ if
he were aware of the original
recording, or if he really doesn't
like the Beatles' version of "I
Saw Her Standing There"
(maybe he can tell John Lennon
all about it standing next to him
in hell).
A song like "Shake Your
Booty" or "In the Navy" was
written with just as precise a pur
pose in mind as anything by the
Smiths or Schoolly D. Whether
or not a song achieves its in
tended purpose is the true meas
ure of its success, regardless of
what level that achievement
occurs on. This can occur just as
easily andor completely as a re
sult of the performance as it can
by initial song quality.
Mr. Williams doesn't display
much insight into popular cul
ture for someone who professes
to be a student of psychology.
Songs on top 40 radio, just like
the plethora of teen movies that
flood the theaters of our nation
all year round or the spate of
situation comedies and highly
implausible action dramas that
blast out of our television sets
nightly, have one purpose that
seems to escape Mr. Williams:
for entertainment, for release,
for interacting with your peers,
to dance to and listen to and
drive your car to. They are not,
for the most part, to take seri
ously; certainly not seriously
enough to warrant causing para
noid fantasies. And as anyone
familiar with the multi-billion
dollar recording industry and,
through demographic study,
painstaking market analysis and
modern recording technology,
turned into product for mass
consumption, made even more
palpable by mass promotional
tools of literally all kinds. In
other words, they are a product,
and that is all they are intended
to be.
If Mr. Williams were aware of
the current advances in recording
technology, he would also realize
that there will not be "albums in
all flavors and packages" at any
time in the future. The long-playing
album, as well as the single,
are being rapidly displaced by the
compact disc and the already welU
entrenched tape cassette. Many
catalogue items are no longer being
manufactured in vinylt, and soon
only major new releases will be
available on vinyl before they are
completely phased out (much to
the chagrin of many of us who
hold a particular affinity for the
"wax" format).
In summary, let me say that
what disturbs me the most about
"critics" like Mr. Williams and
his ilk is not the content of their
opinions. The way that they are
expressed, in such a poorly in
formed and badly thought out way
and amount to not much more
than a "cute" attempt to fill a bit of
newspaper space. These "critics''
appear to be some kind of a musi
cal intellectual at the expense. of
others who work very hard to do
what they do. My advice to folks
like Mr. Williams through the
years has been that it's easy to
criticize others, but "put up or shut
up."
BOB NORTHCOTT
Evening College
Airea has to fight domestic violence
I read recently that the average editorial writer
works as a reporter for 30 years before writing
editorials. That's slightly impossible for this
editorial board, but now that we're all together,
it's time to introduce them and their experience
and explain how the edit board works.
Mary Jo Dunnington has been the editorial
page editor since February, and her new co
editor is Tammy Blackard, who was the state
and national desk editor. Charles Brittain has
just finished up as city desk editor, a job he held
for a semester, and he will be the assistant edit
page editor. Rounding out the areas of experi
ence are James Burroughs, a former assistant
university desk editor, and Jennifer Wing, who
was a university reporter.
Last year, we only ran "board opinions" once
in a while; now, we run one per day. The board
opinions are just that the opinion of the
majority of the board (in the rare case of a tie, I
don't vote). We restrict the board opinions to
campus and city issues since we think we have
the best grasp on them.
We also usually run one, sometimes two,
signed editorials per day. While they are not the
opinion of the board, they are often the opinion
of more than just the person who wrote them, so
we feel they belong on the left side of the page.
One more thing about the writers: Editorial
writers do not report news, as that would be a
conflict of interest. They are not involved in any
groups they may have to write about, with one
exception: Brittain was elected last year as
president of his dorm, long before he knew he
would be writing editorials. So he will not
participate in board opinions on dorms or on the
Residence Hall Association should they arise,
and that will be noted with the editorial.
Finally, the last word is our ombudsman col
umn. It was begun by a former edit page editor
and will be a semi-regular feature We realized
that readers often seem confused about how the
paper works, how decisions are made, and we
think we owe it to them to explain that.Next
week, in this same space, we'll try to explain
why once in a while, your paper may not be on
the racks when you go to your 8 a.m. class. Stay
tuned. Sharon Kebschull
To the editor:
The beginning of the school year usually
brings a series of articles in The Daily Tar
Heel on rates of physical and sexual assault on
campus, including the steps students can take
to safeguard themselves from crime. What the
statistics don't show is the frequency of vio
lence between male and female acquaintances.
But recent studies confirm what most students
already suspect, or have experienced them
selves that violence against women by their
male acquaintances occurs regularly and fre
quently on campus. Consider:
A survey of freshman and sophomores
at a Minnesota university found that more
than one-fifth had been abused or had inflicted
abuse in a pre-marital relationship at least
once; most victims of abuse were women. Of
those who had been abused, 4 percent said
they had been assaulted with closed fists, and
1 percent said they had been choked, strangled,
or had a weapon used against them. If the 4
percent incidence of assault with closed fists
is representative for college campuses, then
more than 400 female students on the UNC
campus may have experienced that form of
violence.
Another study at Arizona State Univer
sity revealed that 60 percent of students sur
veyed reported being either a victim or perpe
trator of abuse in a dating relationship. Forty
six percent of the students reporting abuse
said they had been kicked or shoved, 19 per
cent were punched or kicked, and 21 percent
were pushed to the floor.
Some of the studies show that physical
Tom Rudin
Guest Writer
abuse is more likely to occur in serious rather
than casual dating relationships. As docu
mented by the Orange-Durham Coalition for
Battered Women, more than 700 women from
the two counties sought help from the battered
women's shelter last year. Approximately
1,600 "assault on a female" warrants were
issued in those two counties during that same
period. These women can attest to the fact that
battering is a frequent occurance in many
marriages and other intimate relationships.
Why does such abuse occur? Through his
use of abusive behaviors and tactics, the bat
terer is able to gain power and control over his
partner. This need to be in control has histori
cal, social, cultural and political roots men
choose to be abusive to maintain this "right"
to control their partners.
Often men blame their behavior on alcohol,
jealousy or a "bad upbringing," all in an effort
to minimize or deny their actions. The fact is,
however, that men get angry with people
other than their partners but they do not attack
them. So the issue remains, why do men
choose to strike out at their partners?
The reason: The abuse serves a purpose in
exacting and maintaining control. For the
violence to stop men must know that our
community will no longer support their ac
tions. The coalition is working with the police
and courts in developing a comprehensive proto
col that clearly holds the batterer accountable
and works towards the woman's safety.
Men's beliefs about "owning" or being domi
nant over women must also change. Abusive as
well as non-abusive men must be willing to
examine how their beliefs about women might
be victimizing our sisters and mothers, nieces
and friends, or aiding and abetting those beliefs.
Fortunately, a program exists to address men's
abusive behavior toward their partners. The
CHANGE Program, a component of the Coali
tion, provides domestic violence counseling for
men. The CHANGE model emphasizes the need
for the man to take responsibility for his actions,
realize the impact his actions have had by exam
ining their effects on his partner and eliminate
the desire to deny or minimize these effects.
Ultimately, the program encourages the formu
lation of an alternative set of values based on
respect for women. The Coalition is eager io
recruit concerned men and women graduate
students, faculty and staff from the UNC campus
to facilitate the CHANGE groups. !
Often the situation of domestic violence seems
far removed from our daily existence. Rarely is
it discussed openly. But for thousands of women
in the Triangle area, and perhaps for hundreds of
women on this campus, the problem is quite real
and its consequences are profound. Your partici
pation in confronting the problem may help stop
the violence and perhaps save a life.
Tom Rudin is a graduate student in social
work from Carrboro.
Republicans, rallies, storms and streakers
"It's indicative of the closed-mindedness
of the College Republicans in general. First
of all I think it's juvenile, and it's a misrep
resentation of what the CIAAC has done in
the past." Dale McKinley, a member of
the CIA Action Committee, responding to
satiric posters denouncing the committee
that the N.C. Federation of College Repub
licans posted around campus last week.
"People are worried and getting a little
bit nervous. They have asked everything
from where Hugo will hit to if the State
Carolina game will be affected." Larry
Stone of WCHL radio, who said the station
had received numerous phone calls about
Week in Quotes
the hurricane Thursday. The storm caused
billions of dollars in damage in Charleston,
S.C., and many Charlotte residents will be
without power for at least another week.
"When the protests began, I rented a
room in the Shangri-la Hotel, one of the few
places that got uninterrupted satellite trans
missions, and watched CNN (Cable News
Network) to find out what was going on in
China. Then CNN called me to get an eye
witness report of what's going on in China,
when all I knew is what I'd seen on CNN."
Sociology Professor Craig Calhoun, who was
in Beijing during the student protest in Tian
anmen Square.
-
"The rally gives students the chance to
wave a few signs to say they're not happy."
Student Body President Brien Lewis at a rally
held last week to respond to tuition hikes.
"This is one of those crimes where we've got
to have a complainant." Campus police
Sgt. Ned Comar, who said there were no
complaints filed about Wednesday's Lewis
Streak, so no arrests were made for indecent
exposure. J
if