Newspaper Page Text
PAGE $
TUESDAY, APRIL 29. 1969
Editorials
QTtie ftet) anb Jtafe
Opinions
Grad petition
one solution
EDITOR’S NOTE: The announcement of a tuition in
crease has been met with much displeasure. One group
of many University students, the graduate students, will
be affected by the increase; unlike most students who
talk and do little more the graduate students have issued
a petition and letter to Dean Whitehead of the Graduate
School. The petition and letter are printed below.
ATTENTION ALL GRADUATE STUDENTS
The decision by the Board of Regents to increase University
lees as much as MO per quarter has the following effect on
graduate assistants
II) Negates any proposed salary increase next year by dis
proportionately increasing fees
(2j Adds to the exisUng inequities resulting from rennire-
ments that graduate assistants pay tees while performing Uni
versity duties (eg absence of an employee discount)
A Steering Committee is being formed to bring the about sit
uation to the attention of the University administration, since they
are Regents, the legislature and the Governor The situation of
graduate- students must have a priority in budgetary considera
tions
Please circulate the attached petition
PETITION
It is the belief that any increase in State higher educational
institution fees will decrease considerably the "net value of
University graduate assistantships requiring research, teach
ing or laboratory duties
THEREFORE, we the undersigned hereby petition to have
one of the following proposals adopted by the University's ad
ministration
Proposal One - To increase graduate assistanlships com
mensurate with any eventual increase in tuition and or fees
Proposal Two - To waive all University fees - academic
and social for those graduate students having graduate as-
sistanLship duties
The letter to Dean Whitehead reads as follows:
April 23.19M)
Dear Dean Whitehead,
The recent decision by the Board of Regents to increase Uni
versity fees has monumental effects' upon one small seg
ment of the student body - namely, graduate assistants As
you are undoubtedly aware, most graduate assistants salareis
range from 12200 to $.1000 for the nine month school year, de
pending upon the department in which they work and the type of
duties performed
Approximately $300 of that amount is presently expended in
the form of fees
If fees are to be considered a legitimate cost of living indica
tor for graduate students, then an increase of $102 per year —
$32 per quarter when enrolled for 11 credits - raises that seg
ment of living expenditures 34 per cent The net value of a
University assistantship is thereby considerably reduced
The enclosed petition has been circulated among graduate
assistants calling for the University to accept one of two pro
posals for ending the increasing differential between the net
value" and the gross value"" of assistantship awards To date,
187 graduate students have indicated their support of the peti
tion by signing A concerted effort at circulating the petition in
every University department would produce additional signa
tores However, it is believed that the present signatories rep
resent a justifiable concern on behalf of assistants
Therefore, the graduate assistants of the various academic
departments of the University call upon your office to meet its
responsibility under Article XI, Section 2 of the Statutes of the
University and alleviate the present inequities in a manner
proposed by the petition
RrspectfuIR yours,
MICHAEL ROWAN
DOUGLAS WILMS.
Dept, of Geography
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Reprinted from Georgia Southern GEORGE-ANNE
KOWII M I Mil 1U>. \t‘ws Editor
Aired grievances
a progressive step
A few weeks ago the University was the scene of a rally held
bv the Black Students to re air their grievances and demands
What resulted from this rally was what I consider to be one
of the most progressive steps taken here at the University in
some time Not only did the actions of those present serve to
disspell the ever present cries of apathy, that spring so loudly
from those to whom apathy would serve as a virtue, but it also
quieted the fears of some who were afraid that many of the stu
dents here at the University would "act first and question lat
er"
With the warmth of the spring, student unrest around the
country begins to stir Along with the unrest the wrath of the
radicals, who are intent on changing the system in the name of
freedom and equality, stirs to threatening proportions on many
campuses
When one considers the reactions at many of the liberal New
England colleges it was quite encouraging to see how the stu
dents here at the University handled themselves during and
after the rally.
Although I missed a good deal of the rally, the portion I did
observe was truly phenomenal and extremely significant in the
outcome of problems, arising not only from the demands sub
mitted by the Black Students Union but from any other type of
problems that may arise where University students are inv
olved.
As the representatives of the Black Students packed up their
equipment and were making ready to leave, there seemed to be
an uncertainty in the air. A type of tenseness and animosity
hung over more than 1.000 students who milled around the area
Yet just as the crowd was getting ready to disperse, in an igno
rance that had been fed by the harsh words of a few. a truly
phenomenal thing occurred
As I wandered around trying to overhear the words of those
who were talking. I noticed that a number of groups had started
discussing the problems brought forth by the clack students in
their list of demands leading these discussions were black
students Also a representative of SDS and SSOC seemed to be
carrying on a discussion of their own
I'd being lying if I didn't say that the questions being thrown
at the black students weren't prompted by animosity toward
them and what they seemed to be doing However, as the ques
tions continued and the black point of view began being aired
many of those present started questioning, among themselves,
if perhaps their was some justification for what the blacks were
calling for. One group was dealing strictly with the list of de
mands the Black Students had made Another group seemed to
be discussing the problem of civil rights in general.
Many of the questions and answers were yelled and of course
there were the catcalls and jeering But the major point is that
the animosity and hatred manifested itself in verbal form, rath
er than becoming physical
There is still a great deal of misunderstanding on both side
of the question Tempers are still hot. and feeling high on
ever present problem at the University. Yet as long as .
mature way of questioning, and thus airing of ones feelings i-
used, the violence so repugnant to evervtthing we believe ir.
mavbe averted
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Demosthenians explain society’s objectives
We feel that your editorial
last Thursday The BS-You,”
demands a reply Anyone who
read your column, and did not
have access to the facts.
would be as mis-informed as
you are
The first area of inexact
ness centers around the ex
pressed purpose of the De-
-m duvrsa iu ur tdiu, pi vmu ui uic
Speak up now Pure poppycock!
This is addressed to those students who read the papers,
keep up as best they can and vote in the election
Our student body election has come and gone — but not so
our students You. like your senators, are here all the year, so
why no! be heard "’
Now is not too late Now is the lime
Do you remember those questions that came up in the cam
paign"' What about vour ideas on measures you feel should be
taken next year? Now is the tune to let your new officers know
about how you feel
If you want to know your officers better, demand a personal
appearance If a Red and Black article is not good enough for
you to understand SGA. demand a newsletter of your secretary
Call your senator if you don t want to see freshman curfew-
abolished Make it your business to know how your president
deals with the black students
The 1968-tiU SGA eared about its students, but did its students
care about SGA"* Only one letter of complaint appeared in the
Red and Black all year long, and even then the strongest griev
ance was that the letter appearing in the Student Handbook
from tin* student body president was "mealy-mouthed
Student government is debatable - all year long and not just
during the election Now that you have the interest, senators
and students alike, keep it for as long as you can
After all. student government is only the ideas and aspira
Uons of a few But it has been and will be a reality as long as
I was astounded at the re
cent proposal to give some
student government "upper
echelon" hacks breaks in tui
tion for services rendered
The justification for such
treatment of these "paragons
of public virtue" is beyond
and clearly in violation of
most concepts of fairness that
can be conceived
But alas, given the Gothic
mentality and self-seeking
machinations of which cam
pus politicos are capable, it is
then clear that the bulk of
their number can do at least
five impossible things before
breakfast
If we are to award "virtue"
with recompense, the source
of which will be the great sur
plus from student activities
when most student organiza
tions in the future are to be
cut off these funds then what
If need is to be a criterion
of desert for such financial
blessings, then it is clear that
these "fat cats" are hardly
deserving students who exhih
it a far greater need than
these It might be objected
that since these "leaders of
the masses" must carry on
expensive campaigns, they
must be rewarded for their
labors That is pure poppy
cock'
It is patently false that the
public should have to pay a
candidate back money for
which he has spend littering
the campus, defacing trees
and creating a general state
of nausea in the majority of
living creatures surrounding
such a preposterous state of
affairs
The most dangerous aspect
of this "greasing the pockets
of the few at the expense of
the many" is that what if. in
principle, all holders of cam
pus political offices were to
vote themselves salaries"’
Who would be able to check
this wretched excess Cer
tainly not the students who
elected them democratically
no more than those same stu
dents can check the present
proposal
In the last analysis either
the administration or Un
iversity Council or both would
have the final say, and it is
clear that none of their mem
bers cast ballots for our av
aricious friends
The point is that the pre
sent "window Dressing of
campus politics is no more
democratic with the excep
tion of the electoral process
than were the first attempts
in pre-revolutionary Russia
to create legislative bodies
Democracy is paid lip-service
only and it is clear where the
final power lies
MICHAEL S. WILLIAMS
mosthenian Literary Society
As stated in the Society's
Constitution, which dates
back to 1803. the object of the
Society "shall be to promote
the cause of science and
truth, by the cultivation of
oratory and the art of debate
at weekly meetings " With
this in mind, its members
endeavor to prepare themse
lves "for the varied duties of
life;" they strive to "cul
tivate a correct mode of
speaking;" and they attempt
to express their opinions “in a
correct manner
Our purpose, then, is not to
host "an impressive slate of
speakers . .’’ as you write,
but to coordinate individual
members to become more
adept in the art of debate and
in eloquence of speaking
A second area of mis-rep-
resentation is the so-called
iroblem of the Society-
" frivolity " We do not consi
der extending honorary mem
bership to Winston Cliurchhill
and to Sen Walter F George
to be frivolous Neither is a
resolution expressing disap
proval over the University
policy of allowing private
business to own and control
vending machines on campus
— and urging that the Student
Government to be given this
control and these monetary
profits
On the other hand, whether
or not a matter is " frivolous
would not distract from its
merits in the polishing of
rhetoric, which is. once again,
the purpose of the Society
A third area of misrepre
sentation is your laudation of
Stuart Rado It is at this time
that a few facts should be
brought to light Stuart was
not impeached, instead, he
voluntarily resigned his illegi
timately held office of Presi
dent It seems that Mr Rado
has a grade point average of
"D” and that accounting to
University regtilaUons. this is
too low for him to hold any
office in any recognized or
ganization on this campus
Perhaps if he would chan
nel a bit of his concentrated
efforts' toward his studies,
he would have been able to
face a trial over the charges
of impeachment One of the
primary charges, by the way,
concerned his arrogant (i.e.
haughty and insolent i manner
in which he conducted himself
as President (de facto) of the
Society.
As you implicitly admit,
Mr Rado attempted to plan
programs and to change the
nature of the Society "without
asking the Society" for its
approval According not only
to tradition, but also to the
Society's By-laws, there can
be. at most, three speakers
per quarter, and these are to
be voted upon by the mem
bers of the Satiety.
Despite the cancellation of
some of the planned speakers,
the Society has. or will have,
hosted three such programs
this quarter: a governmental
forum featuring Lt. Gov.
Smith, Secretary of State
Fortson, Superintendent of
Schools Nix, and Congress-
SGA - body that
cannot govern
Student election campaigns
are always a scene of elabo
rate promises and detailed
programs No candidacy is
complete without a statement
of what the candidate will
undertake to do when he is
elected Unfortunately, the
nature of student government
as it is presently constituted
can not solve many problems
that students face and that
student government attempts
to solve
Uusually such organiza
tions have no authority or
power at universities Their
attempts to influence those
who have the power to act are
often failures or watered-
down compromises of valid
proposals
Administrators and boards
of governors retain all deci
sion-making power They can
suppress SGA programs with
which they do not agree and
offer little or no explanation
Consequently, students have
little faith in their student
governments, because these
groups seem to function only
as student forums, debating
societies and — at the most
— advisory bodies to adminis
trators
Many students are apathet
ic. They have limited interest
in a government that cannot
govern Even the faculty as a
force on campus has little, if
any. decision-making power
in problems that affect their
activities
If students and faculty are
to be effective groups they
must be given authority and
power in the areas of their
specific concern Such a radi
cal change from present Un
iversity and Regent policy
will require the President and
the Regents (maybe even the
Legislature! to concede cer
tain powers and privileges by
voluntarily surrendering
some control over these
areas.
However, a deliberate,
concerted program by these
authorities to do so would be
an admission that students
and faculty can be more than
advisory bodies in the deci
sion-making process and that
they can be trusted to act re
sponsibly Now administra
tors really GOVERN, making
the decisions Cooperative
students and faculty can only
obey or offer recommenda
tions
Perhaps one solution to
these upsurging problems
might be a student-faculty
senate to which particular,
expressed powers could be
delegated by the present pow
er structure Unfortunately,
many people have little faith
in the desire of the power
structure to act positively
They have become frustrated
and even destructive I be
lieve that if the power struc
ture were aware of the possi
ble future alternatives it
would be willing to concede
some of its all-encompassing
authority
ROBERT R. CROUT
man Stephens; a sports forum
featuring Joel Eaves. Coach
Erskine Russell, and Coach
Pat Stephens; and the Rev
erend Dr Ralph Abernathy,
head of the SCLC. We believe
that this is in keeping with our
"prestigeous position” you
mention
Lastly, there is one glaring
fact that you fail to mention
That is the fate of the person
responsible for the "mali
cious destruction of Universi
ty property" resulting from
the glueing of "material on
desks, windows and podiums
." as was charged in the let
ter from Phi Kappa to Presi
dent Davison. One person
alone was responsible for this
which we consider making
"more than a joke out of
Demosthenian." and that per
son was Stuart Rado
In conclusion, and for ever
yone's enlightenment, we
would like to quote from Mr
Colbert Hawkins, "37. when he
stated: the "'Demosthenian
Literary Society today stands
as a monument to the art of
public speaking and argumen
tation. In the spirit of its illus
trious founders the primary
purpose of this Society re
mains that of encouraging a
dilligent search for truth by
means of debate. In the histo
ry of a great university, De
mosthenian stands as a con
necting link between a glo
rious past and a brilliant fu
ture."
From another point of
view, the purpose of the Socie
ty can easily be deduced from
its name. “Demosthenian " It
was Demosthenes, the great
est orator of all times, who
once said, "A vessel is known
by the sound whether it be
cracked or not. so men are
proved, by their speech,
whether they be wise or fool
ish "
H PARKS REDWINE II
Solicitor-General
SHERILL E. WATKIN
President
CRAIG KIMBROUGH
Secretary-Treas.
ROBERT L LOW,
Sergent at Arms
MARTIN K. 0"TOOI E.
librarian
AND OTHER MEMBERS