Newspaper Page Text
The Red and Hlack. Tuesday. April 3. 1973
by fcYad W<£>\\
JIMMY JOHNSON
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THE OPINIONS OF THE RED AND BLACK
Endorsements
As the student government
campaign continues in this week
before the elections, organized
groups are beginning to record
their endorsements of candidates
and parties — and the candidates
and parties are beginning to
record their complaints about
the endorsements.
The Red and Black has
received strong protests from
Buck Pennington, Coalition
chairman, and other Coalition
members about the fact that the
Ag Hill Council endorsed the
Progressive Student Alliance
slate without inviting representa
tives of Coalition to appear
before them to discuss the issues
of the election.
Bobby Tankersley, executive
vice-presidential candidate for
PSA, is president of the Ag Hill
council. He says the issue of
endorsement was brought up
from the floor at the council
meeting, and that the meeting
was in no way called for the
purpose of making an endorse
ment. However, that still does
not change the fact that the
endorsement was made without
an appearance by members of
the opposing partv
Of course it is the privilege of
any group or organization to
endorse any candidate or party
in any manner they wish. And
any endorsement, no matter how
arrived at, has some merit' s an
indicator of the feelings of a
group or at least that groups’
leaders. If you know that you
generally agree with the opinions
of the members of a given
organization, then perhaps if you
know their endorsement it will
give you a clue as to how you
might stand on a particular
candidate.
That is, if you don’t know
anything else about the cam
paign.
But it is pretty irresponsible
not to attempt to inform yourself
and make your own decisions on
the basis of how the candidates
stand in relation to your own
feelings on the issues in which
you are interested.
And while you’re trying to
inform yourself, take the en
dorsements into account — but
also take into account the
manner in which at least some of
them are made, and weigh them
accordingly. There are better
factors on which to base a
decision.
Survey
IT happens We
IF You TWoTttiUk Ya*E
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m-K .Yoo'RE CRAZY 11
Harry Lee's lantern:
status symbol saviour
While everyone else in Athens
anxiously awaited bulletins on the radio
and tried to think where they would go if
the skipping black funnel came their way
I stood in my swaying trailer and
wondered why there
was so much light
ning in the simple
thunderstorm I
thought was passing
over.
The ignorance I
displayed concern
ing what was going y
on around me would
be looked upon with »
calm understanding by a few of my more
avid fans in student government. It is sad
to report that my ignorance of the
devastation that was upon us would have
continued until Sunday morning had the
electricity in my little section of town not
been knocked out.
It is with even more sorrow that I must
confess that, as a result of the electricity
being denied my circuits las well as
those of my neighbors for several hours)
it was a South Campus-type animal
science major who told me all about how
only the grace of God and the proper air
currents could save us from devastion
that night.
with a gas lantern. He has been quite
depressed for some weeks because he is
the only person in our little subdivision of
the park who has neither a color
television or a stereo (a small point to
complain about when you have a
fiberglass fishing boat with two trailers
sitting in your yard.)
While we're on the subject of the race
for the most status symbols in our
subdivision of Garden Springs (new
section eventually open and part of a
tennis court available for your enjoy
ment,) it is worth mentioning that Harry
1-ee has taken the competition entirely
too seriously.
It isn't entirely fair to the rest of the
participants to have a fox for a pet. But
this is exactly what he has done Harry
Lee's just deserts for violating the
fair-play doctrine have come, though.
Hipped curtains and furniture tell the
tale of his cheating.
Despite the fact that I think he has
been unfair by getting the fox, accepting
Harry Lee's invitation to sit around by
his latern appeared to be an appealing
alternative to standing around shining a
flashlight on a chicken — bought before
the rise in food prices — which was not
getting cooked in a powerless electric
oven.
The embarassment I felt cannot be
adequately described There I was, a
newsperson dedicated to always being up
to date with all the fast-breaking news,
and Harry Lee Kemp, my two-trailers
down neighbor straight from the depths
of backwardness and ignorance that all
we North Campus-types know South
Campus to be, had to let me know that
any minute I might be swept up into the
sky, never to see this blessed earth
again.
Harry Lee wasn’t just going around
bragging about how much he knew about
current weather conditions, it was more
a matter of his pride of being the only
person in Garden Springs Trailer Park
So I went, swallowing my pride as a
journalist and a person, wondering where
I could get a transitor radio, a gas latern
and my very own fox.
Letters policy
Letters should:
• Be typed, double spaced,
on a 60-space line.
• Be brief, to the point.
• Include name address
and phone number of contri
butor.
'Do what Mathilda would'
Prof. Stuart Surlin’s winter
quarter journalism 410 class has
released the results of a survey
of student attitudes toward The
Red and Black and WUOG-FM.
The survey was generally
encouraging to the students
involved with both media. For
those of us with The Red and
Black the survey was also very
informative.
Trying to put out the paper
four times a week to appeal to
the broad interests of the student
body is a difficult task. Knowing
what the students responding to
the survey like, dislike and want
of their paper will help us.
For instance, the survey shows
that students would like to have
more international news included
in The Red and Black.
We are glad students look to us
for news off-campus, too. We
now have more wire-service
news than we carried during
King
We urge all members of the
University community to partici
pate in some way tomorrow in
the services and activities
planned in commemoration of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., on
the fifth anniversary of his
assassination.
The activities, both here and in
Atlanta, center not only around
the memory of Dr. King but
around issues in goverment and
society about which he would
have been concerned were he
still alive today.
The Black Student Union is
bringing two fine speakers to the
winter quarter and every effort
will be made to maintain and
perhaps expand that coverage.
A desire was also shown for
more cultural and entertainment
news. In keeping with that desire
we are now finalizing plans for a
weekly cultural supplement
which should begin publication
within a few weeks.
Prof. Surlin plans a follow-up
survey of faculty and adminis
tration attitudes toward the
campus media and we will be
anxious to see the results of this
poll.
In addition, we would like to
reiterate that The Red and Black
is a student newspaper and it is
here to serve the interests of the
University community.
We will try at all times to
publish a product which has
something for everyone and we
welcome your input.
rally
campus for their noon rally. The
Southern Christian Leadership
Conference is sponsoring a
larger march and rally, with
nationally known speakers, in
Atlanta, also beginning at noon.
Dr. King’s life and death, the
goals he worked for and the good
he accomplished are important
to all of us — and the issues on
which the commemorative ral
lies are focusing are important,
too. This is not a celebration for
Black people — it is for all
people, and those who do not
participate will be doing them
selves a disservice.
TO THE EDITOR:
(An open letter to Senate Vice-Presi
dent Randy Hansen)
It has come to our attention that some
people are charging Mathilda Gorilla
with trying to make a monkey out of the
Student Government elections next wj?ek,
by not offering a serious plan of action,
and thus with trying to undermine the
efforts of those who feel they do have
something to offer the students of UGA
by working through Student Government.
We are not, repeat NOT, interested in
anything but the welfare of the students
of this university!
Mathilda's purpose in swinging through
this campaign was to try to bring
attention, to put focus, on several things
which we feel very strongly (such as a
scalding water in the dorm showers, with
no warning, frequently) need to be
corrected. Our purpose has been to
publicize these things so that those who
are in a position to take effective
remedial action will hopefully do so more
quickly. We quite realize that a large
piece of machinery takes a long time to
process something — but sometimes a
little grease will work wonders! (“Elbow
grease,” especially! As Mathilda’s
mother used to tell her.)
So, believing we have fulfilled our
purpose of pointing out some things we
feel need to be done, we would like to
withdraw Mathilda's name from the
ballot at this point , and issue a challenge
to those who claim a serious interest in
effecting change, to do what Mathilda
would have done, and to have these
things remedied as soon as possible.
Too many people have been ignored for
too long on this campus, and over things
which we believe reflect discredit not
only on those who brought them about,
but also on those who allowed them to
happen. If it takes a Gorilla to get it done
— then we are glad to have been of
service!
Thank you for your help and
cooperation in this matter
Student of Georgia, thank you for your
support, and rest assured. Mathilda
Gorilla does not forget those who forget
her! We must swing together, or we’re
liable to get lost in the jungle!
RAKE SEMMES
(Penelope I,. I’reitdregasp.
Chairman. Committee
to elect Mathilda Gorilla)
Senate caliber
rests on members
TO THE EDITOR:
The following is the official position of
Coalition party and its candidates on the
student senate:
The primary purpose of the student
>enate is to serve as the voice of the
itudent body and to work for the interests
of those students The senate is students’
only representative body on campus, and,
as such must address issues that affect
the welfare of students and the
functioning of the University
The student senate can be a viable,
effective arm of Suldcr.t Government, if
comprised of individuals who are active,
interested, and concerned with the
betterment of the University As any
other organization, the senate reflects the
caliber and the capabilities of its
membership If the senate is to perform
the very necessary function of research
ing anil developing concrete proposals
and programs for the advancement of the
University, if the senate is to examine
specific areas of concern, to include
relevant positions and attitudes of the
administration; if the senate is to serve
as a clearinghouse for ideas and as a
basic instrument of action in presenting
those ideas to students and administra
tors; if the senate is to take a strong and
active stand on those issues involving the
interests of the student body; then
involved and active individuals are
required to insure that the senate
maintains its commitment to the student
body and that the senate is more than an
“honorary debate society.” Coalition
offers such qualified candidates for the
senate
Coalition recognizes that local, nation
al. and international affairs do have an
impact -- both direct and indirect — on
the lives of students and on the
University community. Coalition will
continue to take responsible positions on
such matters and utilize Student
Government as a vehicle for expression
of student opinion on issues affecting the
campus and community.
If the student senate has failed to meet
student expectations in the past, it is
because Senate leadership has been
inadequate, and because the executive
branch of Student Government has
consistently undercut senate efforts to
provide some meaningful input into
decisions affecting students.
Coalition will restore the kind of
cooperation and mutual effort between
the executive and legislative branches of
SGA so necessary for a united student
front — for the kind of representation
students should expect: concern for their
needs, support for their views, and
defense of the rights and privileges to
which they are entitled.
BUCK PENNINGTON
Chairman
Much overlooked
in seating plan'
TO THE EDITOR:
We would like to express our feelings
concerning the random seating schedule
for next year's football season as printed
irr the March 28, 1973. issue of The Red
and. Black It seems that many points
about this system and the story
concerning it were overlooked Let’s look
at some of these points
First, some people prefer to sit on aisle
twelve in the lower level rather than
anywhere in the upper level and vice
versa If this system must be used why
not separate upper and lower level
tickets.
Second, if a game is not sold out. there
is a possibility that there will be empty
seats on the fifty yard line while loyal
fans are sitting in aisle twelve We have
been told that if this were to happen
these tickets might be sold to the general
public. Does the general public deserve
better seats than the student body?
Third, we also wonder why this new
system was railroaded through without
student voice We were told this was done
for the long-run refinement of the
system Students were asked to vote on a
referendum (which was impossible to
interpret) on changing the Student
Government Constitution, but the student
body was not even asked its opinion on
this new seating system.
Fourth, there is also a possibility that a
student not planning to attend a game
could go by and pick up a ticket (since
this system is suppose to alleviate the
lines for tickets), and if this ticket
happens to be a good seat, he could scalp
a fellow student This has been possible
in the past but a student had to stand in a
line to do so.
Finally we wonder why the article
concerning the ticket system, which
affects a majority of the student body,
was placed on page seven of The Red and
Black, while an article about a gorilla
running for student body president was
front page news. Does The Red and
Black staff think a gorilla for president is
more important than a new football
seating system?
RODNEY CARSON
PHIL HANSON
i) win 1*1 UtflON
PHILLIP WRIGHT
CHIP MILLER
GEORGE WILLIAMS
RUSSEL HINTON
JAMES R. THRIFT
JAMES II. LANGFORD
WILLIAM W. IIINSLEY
Better counseling
needed for gays
TO THE EDITOR:
Coalition is more than a political party
which supports the eflorts of gays to cast
off the burden of their oppression. It is, in
act. not an exaggeration to say that
Coalition is a viable part of the gay
movement on campus, that Coalition IS
gays just as Colition is women and blacks
seeking their liberation. The chairperson
of our party is also a director of the
Committee on Gay Education, and six of
our senatorial candidates are members
of CGE These facts are ample proof that
Coalition is not merely an elitist
organization which espouses fashionable
liberal causes, but a genuine alliance of
people working together to achieve their
goals.
One of our primary concerns, as
evidenced in our platform, is with the
counseling services offered by the
University. Because of the prejudices of
a large and influential segment of the
University population, gays are continu
ally subjected to potentially ego-damag
ing pressures. For this reason, it is
imperative that competent and construc
tive counseling services be made
available Gays are justifiably suspicious
of the mental health profession as a
prime contributor to their oppression,
and the basis tor this suspicion must be
eliminated. No one w .o fails to recognize
the intrinsic worth and dignity of a gay
lifestyle should occupy a counseling
position There also exists a need for the
establishment of a self-help facility for
gays, such as the one presently under
consideration by CGE, since student-to-
student counseling is very often more
effective than the services of a
"professional."
We must recognize, however, that
improvement of counseling services is
not a final answer What is required, in
terms of a more far-reaching program, is
role-models for gays The administration
has indicated that it does not oppose the
hiring of men and women who are openly
gay The administration should hire, on a
non-discriminatory basis, gays to fill
positions in all areas of University
employment and at all levels of
authority.
Our stand in the platform with regard
to the ROTC program and armed
services recruiters on campus requires
no explanation. The University cannot
permit the use of its facilities by any
group which discriminates against gays.
To allow such use is to tacitly endorse
and contribute to oppression, which is the
very antithesis of the free and open
atmosphere a university should provide
In summary, it is our goal to make the
University of Georgia a model for
society-at large: a place where gays are
encouraged to express themselves"openly
and to pursue their own life-styles freely
and without fear of legal or social
reprisal. The gay "problem” is nothing
more, or less, than the failure to accept,
cultivate, and cherish variety in human
existence. Together, as a true Coaliton,
we will work to correct this failure
BUCK PENNINGTON
Coalition chairman
R&B HAS FAILED
TO COVER
CAMPAIGN’
TO THE EDITOR:
After looking through the March 27
issue of The Red and Black for news
about the developing student government
election campaigns, I was more than
disappointed Coverage was limited to
one article that told me two things about
the parties from which I might choose'to
represent me in student government:
that there are two parties seemingly in
the race and that both of these parties
have chosen their senatorial candidates
by caucus.
From this I could deduce that neither
party has taken much action toward
stating the issues on which it will run
Imagine my surprise when I found that
Coalition had printed and begun to
distribute their complete platform last
week as well as releasing several
detailed position papers on specific issues
early this week I, as well as my fellow
students, would never have obtained this
information from the source from which
we should be able to expect it.
At this time apparently no specific
stances on issues have been released by
PSA But because no comparison of
positions on issues is possible at this time
is no valid reason that the students on
this campus should not be informed of
the stances taken by the party that has
released such information. Coalition has
done the students a service in fully
explaining their position as early as
possible in order to give students
maximum time to consider them
carefully
The time at which PSA chooses to
release information on their positions is
their business. But, in the meantime, it is
my opinion that The Red and Black has
failed in its responsibility to relate to
students information that has been made
public for their benefit to facilitate
formulation of a choice that they must
make in the short time before the
election date
ARTHUR LEON