Newspaper Page Text
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Pagr 4 The Bed and Black. Thursday. November 29. 1979
‘Perception*
A commendation
The Office of Counseling and
Testing needs to be commended
for a study it did recently about
the Rising Junior Test.
The office did a study detailing
the results of all Rising Junior
Tests taken at the University
since 1974. As a result of the
study, students can go to the
Office of Counseling and Testing
and request their previous scores
on the two different parts of the
test.
Before, a student could only
find out if he had passed or
failed.
The study is helpful in that
students can now know how
much work they need to do if
they fail a part of the exam. A
student can now find out if he
just barely failed or if he has a
real problem in that area of the
test and needs to do a lot of
improvement work.
The area in which the study
falls short is that it only applies
to students who have taken the
test at the University. There are
a number of transfer students or
other students here who have not
taken the test at the University.
The study will be of absolutely
no help to these students.
As Dwight Douglas, vice-
president for student affairs,
said, “What we need is complete
access to the record of any
student (here at the University)
who has taken the test anywhere
in the system.”
Douglas went on to say the
information would not be
"particularly productive” at this
point.
But the work that has been
done so far is a help and should
not be overlooked. Now someone
needs to look into the possibility
of making a system as Douglas
has suggested a reality.
Time to abandon
hypocrisy
Stadium seating
University officials are con
sidering adding additional seat
ing, anywhere from 10,000-20,000,
to Sanford Stadium. The pro
blems they are faced with is the
number of seats to put in. where
to put them in, and, as is usually
the problem, money.
We urge the people working
with the expansion not to be
discouraged by the problems
they are facing. There is no
doubt that the
would be filled.
additional seats
They would be a boon to
Georgia football, as well as give
more fans a chance to see the
games (not to mention all the
additional revenue).
We would, however, like to
urge that the seats be put at the
west end of the stadium, so as
not to ruin the tradition of fans
sitting on the tracks.
What are Kennedy’s
chances of winning;
?
Julie Fletcher
The last of the Kennedy brothers is
finally running for president of the
United States The youngest of the three,
the most vulnerable, the most thoroughly
' political, will match nostalgia for his
brothers, his family name, and his good
looks against an incumbent President.
Julie Fletcher is a junior in the School of
Journalism
What are his chances of winning 0 He
will challenge a president who has won
before as an underdog for the
Democratic nomination. Every recent
poll shows that Democrats would prefer
Senator Kennedy over President Carter
to be the party's candidate by at least 10
points
“Kennedy’s strength is unquestionable
in some areas,’’ said a Democratic party
analyst “If Carter does poorly in the
New Hampshire primary and he’s still
low in the polls, the Kennedy drive will
catch fire.”
Many believe the drive has already
caught fire Even before he declared his
candidacy, there were draft-Kennedy
campaigns all over the country. Kennedy
himself is competing with Carter for the
support of Democratic congressmen
Edward Kennedy is. in his own words,
running “because I’m ready now I’ve
made my own record I'm a man of the
Senate, and I can be judged on that.”
Will he be judged on his own merits 0
After all. there are his two assassinated
brothers, the Chappaquiddick ordeal, and
his reputation with women to consider
Many people supporting Kennedy are
doing so partly from nostalgia for brother
John's administration and partly for
brother Robert’s passionate political
struggles But most people don't realize
that this Kennedy is different from his
brothers Ted Kennedy is a calm
decision maker As Kennedy said. “I'm
proud of them, obviously, but I don't
want nostalgia to be a part of this thing
I’m the person who will be judged, not
them.”
Even if the memory of his brothers
helps him. the mystery of
Chappaquiddick will hurt him It has not
been satisfactorily resolved why Kennedy
did not act responsibly at the accident,
why he didn't report it until the next
morning, or even why he was driving
Mary Jo Kopechne over that bridge to
the beach instead of into the town.
However. Kennedy argues that his
behavior then does not reflect on his
judgements today
"People may not believe me or accept
some of my answers." he said in a recent
Time interview "The essence of the
event for me is that the girl is dead
There is nothing else for me to say ”
Added to this. Kennedy and his wife
have been estranged for years, which
makes Kennedy's private life look
unstable in public Many wqnder if the
problems in his private life would hurt
his decision as president
Whatever his personal problems.
Kennedy's charisma seems to overcome
any doubts of his ability to lead He can
jump up on a table, as he did in South
Philadelphia, and rally 3000 working-
class Democrats without using notes. At
times he sounds like his brothers:
"At other times in history when we
were facing problems we didn't throw up
our hands in despair We rolled up our
sleeves And set out on the job to be done
And we can do it again." he told the
workers
At a fundraising reception, though,
some of his own ideas showed through
Kennedy told the audience that the
government's powers to solve problems
are not limited as President Carter
suggested
“They are the counsels of defeat and
despair, excuses for leadership that has
failed to do its job " Kennedy seems to
have found a way to convince many
people that he wants to lead this country.
Of course, many will wonder about
Kennedy’s views on important national
issues His Senate record shows that he
has supported Carter 85 out of 97 times in
roll-call votes on administration posi
tions The political positions of both men
are very similar Kennedy is running to
challenge the inept leadership of the past
four years He charges that Carter has
not aggressively pursued promised
campaign programs and policies
However. Kennedy has given no clear
indication of his stands on economic and
other problems Kennedy believes that
the economy has been erratically
managed The problems it has suffered
recently were not anticipated, and many
of those problems are psychological
"I believe those economists who say
that psychology contributes at least 50
percent to the state of the economy."
Kennedy said in the Time story He
would have established wage and price
guidelines earlier than Carter did. and
would have used White House pressure to
support the guidelines Kennedy is also
more inclined than Carter to propose a
tax cut next year to stimulate the
economy
Kennedy orginally opposed the de
regulation of crude oil prices He said
that decontrol was "rationing by price"
the worst kind Now. however, he is more
resigned to the decontrol decision
He has also shifted his position on
national health insurance At first he
proposed a comprehensive government
insurance program to replace all private
programs. That would have cost roughly
$130 billion a year Now he supports a
program to require employers to broaden
the coverage they already supply, and
the government pays everyone else's
medical bills. This plan could cost
anywhere from $28 to $45 billion more
than the present health care expenditure.
Kennedy has learned to tack with the
current political wind Learning to
change, though, has helped shape his
ideas for national programs When an
idea strikes him. Kennedy gives the idea
to his closest advisers who temper, weld,
and mold it like a piece of steel until a
final product emerges Then Kennedy
can support the idea as proudly and
firmly as if he had just built a Rolls
Roycc.
Though his overall philosophy may
seem uncertain sometimes, he is
definitely skilled in politics. Kennedy has
a natural instinct for politics, which is
evident from the way he handles people
and events He presents his politics
expertly because of his years of training
and experience in the Senate.
In spite of continual scrutiny from the
press. Ted Kennedy just may be able to
convince the American people that,
through his prestige, experience, and
Senate record, he has the ability to lead
this country for the next four years.
Justin Gillis
"I am in sympathy with their fight for
equal-rights amendment because I think
it will improve the standard of living by
setting a level on wages equal for both
sexes.
"I hate no fear of its effect on the
home life of the American people. Nearly
every man has his woman on a pedestal
anyway and this will only make the legal
aspects of the situation more satisfactory
from the standpoint of the legal rights of
the women of the country.”
—I'.S. Sen. Harry S. Truman
April 20. 1941
The proposed Equal Rights Amend
ment is an idea which has kicked around
for a long, long time.
Justin Lillis is a staff writer for The Red
and Black
Sadly. ERA looks like an idea about to
die.
Despite a three year extension by
Congress of the amendment's ratification
deadline, medieval-minded women and
conservative men may very well succeed
in blocking ratification.
Using political clout and a whole array
of preposterous seare tactics, the
reactionaries have blocked the amend
ment in several state legislatures and
halted the early momentum to ratify.
ERA now stands three states short of
becoming an amendment to the
Constitution. Thirty-five states have
ratified, with 38 needed for final
approval.
To let the amendment die now would be
a repudiation of the idea of equality
before the law. To let it die now would be
nothing short of shameful.
Foils show the public favors ERA.
Congress gave strong approval in finally
submitting the amendment to the states
in 1972. after 59 years of effort by
supporters. Yet reactionary forces, using
propaganda tactics and outf ight lies, are
very near thwarting the national will
It is time to give men and women equal
rights before the law. It is time to strike
once and for all discrimination based on
sex ERA. with its subsequent litigation,
would end such sex-based discrimination
by the state and federal governments.
As even perfunctory research will
show, the fears about ERA raised by
reactionaries are so much crap.
The Equal Rights Amendment is a
refinement of the Fourteenth Amend
ment, adopted and added to the
Constitution after the Civil War The
Fourteenth Amendment guarantees that
no state shall "deny to any person within
its jurisdiction the equal protection of the
laws."
The justices of the Supreme Court have
refused to hold that women are fully
protected under the Fourteenth Amend
ment equal protection clause. The Court
has on several recent occasions struck
down laws which discriminate against
men or women, but the justices have
steadfastly declined to extend the full
power of the equal protection clause to
cover sex discrimination.
ERA would correct that situation.
In a changing society where women are
no longer viewed as baby factories and
as the center of home life, it is a situation
which desperately needs correction
There are many things ERA would not
do. As Harry Truman observed 35 years
ago. it would little alter the home lives of
Americans ERA would alter laws; it
would not alter customs or beliefs.
ERA applies to state action, just as the
Fourteenth Amendment applies to state
action. ERA does not apply to private
action. It does not apply to private
organizations. If ERA is passed, it
certainly would not lead to federal
marshals standing on every corner
waiting to pounce on any male who opens
a door for his girlfriend. Such beliefs are
just plain silly.
ERA is not a “unisex” amendment at
all. It would not lead to coed bathrooms
or even coed dormitories in state
universities, as many critics claim The
Supreme Court in Roe vs. Wade, Doe vs.
Bolton, and several similar cases has
strongly recognized a constitutional right
to privacy which would protect a state’s
power to separate men and women for
the performance of functions such as
disrobing and sleeping.
ERA definitely would lead to the
drafting of women, if Congress passes
another conscription law However, it
would not prohibit the armed services
from assigning all its draftees to jobs
which they are mentally and physically
capable of handling If a particular
woman is mentally and physically
capable of fighting on the battlefield, she
should do so.
ERA guarantees that each individual
be judged on his or her merits, rather
than on some broad assumption based on
sex.
Why assume just because many
divorced women are poorer than their
ex-husbands the same is true of all? Why
assume the woman is always better able
to care for children and should always be
given custody? Why assume all men are
capable of fighting a war and all women are
not?
Modern American society needs a
constitutional basis for challenging the
battery of state sex-based laws, which
are founded on assumptions too vague
and broad to be valid.
Indeed, modern society demands such
a change. The time has come to abandon
hypocrisy and adopt the Equal Rights
Amendment.
"Traditionally...discrimination (against
women) was rationalized by an attitude
of “romantic paternalism' which. In
practical effect, put women not on a
pedestal, but In a cage."
—U.S. Supreme Court
Frontlero v. Richardson < 1973)
Lett
‘Your true colors are showing’
TO THE EDITOR:
My first reaction upon reading Brian
O’Shea’s editorial in The Red and Black
on Nov. 13 was blue anger, however a
more detailed reading imported a naivete
not uncommon among American whites.
The premise of your article seems to be
that there should be no need for campus
organizations such as the Black Student
Union and the Committee for Black
Programming because there should be no
separatism—students should be treated
the same no matter what race they are.
This outlook on your part is
commendable, but it reflects a grave
misconception of the dynamics of social
change. You see. Brian, this school was
not designed with black students in mind,
as your introductory paragraph noted.
hi,mom! college igT
GREAT! YESTERDAY J LEARNED
About equal protection in
CONgTnvlioNAL LA\W, AND
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"deportthe Persian pies”
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Nineteen years ago. while we were
struggling to get in, the University was
using every legal weapon (and some not
so legal) to keep us out.
Old values, like old soldiers, die hard;
but until the death of racism occurs,
organizations such as BSU and CBP must
continue to function. At this point, these
two organizations are the only means
that black students at the University
have of voicing their opinions about what
goes on here (in the case of the BSU) and
of seeking a social setting where they
won t be ogled at, or as in the case of
Eric Dryden, asked to leave.
Despite what you may think, the time
has not come when black and white
students feel free to socialize together
here at the University. There are certain
limitations on this type of activity owing
to southern mores and traditions. It
would be foolish to try to pinpoint one
specific source of restriction but you
know as well as 1 do that they exist, and
the deliberate extinction of the BSU and
the CBP are not the solution to the
program
The real problem is larger than that
and correspondingly, so is the solution It
is encouraging to know that you are
willing to lend a helping hand. Now if you
can just transfer some of that enthusiasm
to about 21,500 other students you will
have indeed struck a major chord in the
area of racial harmony
Perhaps the major fallacy in your
argument to denecessitate the BSU and
the CBP was the fact that you offered no
viable alternative to fill the gap that
would surely exist should this event
occur Your urging the University to
take positive action is,- I am afraid, a
plea falling on deaf ears. Black students
have been here for 19 years and the
University has not done anything yet
It is one thing to call for the dissolution
of the BSU and CBP, but quite another to
fill the void that would be caused by their
extinction There is no student participa
tion in things that affect them, so what
would you suggest that these students
do 0
You advocate the dissolution of their
only mouthpiece in BSU and their only
social mechanism in CBP, but you are
mute on how this group of people may
effectively be incorporated in the
political body Granted, in an ideal
situation, there would be no need for this
type of separatism, but reality dictates
otherwise in Athens.
And finally, I come to your views on
the message by Minister Farrakhan.
From reading vour article, I got the idea
that you strongly disfavored the
comments made by this gentleman on
Black Solidarity Day. Your right to
disagree is unquestioned in my mind, but
so too is his right to express his views. If
you found the speech so distasteful you
certainly had a way out—the door
But I can see why this man bothered
you. As a matter of fact, he bothered me
too. It was one of the most pleasing ways
that I could possibly think of to be
bothered The comport of the message
was more toward black dignity and
self-pride than at racial hatred as you
seem to imply.
The speech was not aimed so much at
the degradation of the white race as it
was at the uplifting of the black race and
if this bothered you, Mr. O’Shea, you had
better cover yourself because your true
colors are showing
(MISS) JOHNNIE M. GRAHAM
‘To hell with
your bells’
TO THE EDITOR:
An ''o*p letter to the Main Library
Staff
I’ve had enough of your blatantly
arrogant disregard for the atudenta that
pay you.
Why must you ring the bells in such an
immature, obnoxious way, starting 25
minutes before closing? Three soft tones
at !1:5S will suffice, I think.
And, specifically, to the low-life who
actually rang the bells Tuesday night,
and his or her immediate superior:
TO HELL WITH YOUR BELLS!
J. RICHARD BALLENGEE JR.
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