About The Red and Black (Athens, Ga.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 10, 1981)
Hag** 4 The Red and Black Monday. November 10, IWil / \tuhli\ltcJ ISVi — Inmrporuh’d IVSIt W GCPA ( harli's II. Russell, (niur.il Manager .1 iisim (lillis. I ililor m iliul sure (mliHuru. Mumming I dilnr in inJi/u ndi ni student th us/m/H r not affiliated otih //re l nnersth of (n orffiu A First Amendment issue? The city noise ordinance doesn't sit well with fraternities in Athens — understandably, since it leaves them in the dark about exactly how much and what kind of noise they can get away with. Recent changes by the City Council to make the ordinance easier to enforce still don’t answer whether the law itself is unconstitutional. An Athens attorney who successfully defended fraternity members charged with violating the ordinance suggests that the noise law may forbid "activity protected by the First Amendment." That is an intriguing suggestion, and we hope the opportunity arises for someone to challenge the ordinance in the federal courts. The framers of the ordinance clearly had a worthwhile goal: protect citizens of Athens from the noise to which they were being subjected by too- boisterous student parties. Fraternities were and are the most serious violators, and it is safe to say the law was aimed at them. But the City Council made several mistakes when it adopted the law. It classified noise as a nuisance, which technically made the noise ordinance unenforceable, since a judge is suppossed to decide whether something constitutes a nuisance before police can take action. That procedure works fine for things like dead animals and stagnant water, but it's a bit impractical to get a judge's ruling before closing down a party. The party may be over before the judge is out of bed. Clarke County Magistrate Pierre Boulogne pointed out that problem this fall, and the City Council moved last week to correct it by reclassifying excessive noise as an offense rather than a nuisance. But a more serious problem remains. The ordinance prohibits "loud or unusual” noises, including loud music, yelling, shouting, hooting or whistling. A recent amendment to the ordinance makes it effective only during late-night and early morning hours. But a person who wants to have a good time without getting into trouble is no better off after reading the ordinance than he was before. What on earth is a "loud or unusual” noise? The answer is that it's all in the mind of the cop who happens to be cruising around town, and whether one gets cited for violating the ordinance can depend as much as anything else on what kind of mood that cop is in. It is certainly unfair to subject the good people of Athens to excessive noise; we don’t deny the right of the city to make and enforce a noise law. But by the same token, it is unfair to students and particularly fraternities to subject them to the whims of a police department charged with enforcing a law too vague to understand. Perhaps there is something the city can do to clarify exactly how much and w'hat kind of noise is prohibited under the ordinance. If so it should act now. The federal courts have struck down many laws for the “vice of vagueness;” as it stands, the Athens ordinance deserves to be added to the list. Give ’em a break The Board of Regents is studying a plan that would give many University graduate students a substantial break on their tuition. Under the proposal, now being reviewed by the regents’ staff, fully enrolled graduate assistants would pay a flat fee of $100 per quarter. They now pay the same fees as other students. If the regents value quality in graduate programs, and sincerely want to see those programs improve, they’ll say yes to the University proposal. That move is by no means a foregone conclusion, for the board turned down an earlier plan that would have set a $50 fee for graduate assistants. The board rejected that proposal on the specious grounds that it would have cost the University System some $1 million annually in revenue. That cutting tutition for graduate students would cost money is evident. What the regents ignored last time, and what they should now take into account, is that the benefits will far outweigh the costs. The quality of educational programs at any institution depends heavily on the quality of students the graduate program attracts. Not only does good research rely on bright graduate students; good teaching often does too, for graduates teach many lab and beginning-level courses. The University and other state schools are at a disadvantage in trying to attract good graduate students, for many of their competitors have lower graduate tuition or waive it entirely. The quality of University programs cannot improve substantially until that problem is solved. The regents should give this latest proposal their hearty approval. ‘Krueger has his eyes and heart open’ Follies of Mack the Knife 1 I was as pleased as anyone when Herman Talmadge was voted out of the Senate last year Not a lifelong Georgian, I felt no special ties to the Talmadge name or family Quite the contrary, I was highly disrespectful of the good senator, particularly after his dealings with the Senate Ethics Committee. Talmadge represented old-style political demagoguery, and I was glad to see him go Had I been a Georgia voter (l m registered in another state). I probably would have voted for Mack Mattingly. Though I disagreed strongly with his ideas and his support of Ronald Reagan s ideas. Mattingly represented to me a fresh face, someone who might go to Washington without owing anyone anything. All I can say now is I hope you can forgive my naivete I hope you can forgive mine, but I certainly now cannot forgive Mat tingly's naivete. At least I hope his problem is mere naivete and not outright stupidity This week, it was reported that Mattingly has thrice tried to pass a bill turning over some of Congress' budgeting power to Reagan-appointed department heads Rather than have Congress set a budget for. say, the Department of the Interior. Mattingly wanted to tell James Watt. "OK. you cut your budget by 9 percent from last year. I don't care how you do it. just do it —make the cuts." Goodness, senator, has someone hidden your copy of the Constitution? I’m a little worried, because someone needs to tell Mattingly that in a representative democracy, the legislative body sets the budget Responding to criticism of his legislation. Mattingly said turning over the budget to department heads would not be surrendering Congress' power to the executive branch because — he really said this — department heads “are not part of the executive branch I can imagine the incredulous looks in the faces of the people who heard that startling revelation Questioned twice whether a department head was a part of the executive branch, Mattingly finally admitted, "Oh. yeah. I guess he is." Were that an isolated incident, you could forgive the senator But that type of ignorance has been with Mack as far back as his 1980 campaign, when he claimed that Zimbabwe was part of South Africa The thought of giving James Watt ' carte blanche over the Interior budget, without any oversight from Congress, is horrifying at best. Even if one agrees with Watt’s policies, one should be able to see the danger of handling budgetary responsibilities over to faceless bureaucrats who are protected from the voters' reach. We learn in public administration courses that budgeting is the best way to keep track of legislators' views. Congressmen are forced to make decisions on politically explosive issues when they have to decide whether to fund a project or not. All the hot air aside, if you want to find out how Howard Baker feels about the Clinch River Breeder Reactor, you see if he voted to fund it. If you want to know how Ted Kennedy really feels 1 about slashing defense spending, see if he has really voted to slash it Turning over budgeting decisions to political appointees would be the first step in a slow but steady walk toward totalitarianism. I'm not suggesting that Mattingly is a Soviet sympathizer But surely, even he must recognize what his hills would do to the authority of the legislative branch of the government Mattingly says we should do it his way because the Congress owes some special allegiance to passing Reagan's programs Horse hockey. The country may have elected Reagan last year, but there were plenty of Congressmen elected who opposed Reagan's views. Congress owes Ronald Reagan nothing Quite the contrary, it should carefully examine Reagan's proposals to be sure they are actually best for the country. Just because it bears the initials RR does not make it gospel. Mattingly's stance reminds me of the political cowardice I saw some of my hometown county commissioners exhibit this summer when they wanted to turn over their budget hassles to the county executive The executive, to his credit, refused to let the commissioners off the hook. Frankly, I'm a little surprised Mattingly would want to give up the “glory" of personally passing the president's exalted programs Or perhaps Mattingly is just hedging his bets, in case the California rancher- actor-horseback rider isn’t so popular by 1986 Tom Lee is editorial page editor of The Red and Black. 115 ANOTHER OHEOF YOUR CH6CK5 PROM THE SOCIAL SECURITY OFFICE,,, A day in the life of death : TO THE EDITOR: : Bill Krueger's article "University ; Integrated by Definition Only." Nov J, ; shows that he not only has his eyes ; open, but his heart as well. Work done by people like Ralph E McGill is not regarded with esteem because of its unpopularity, or because it will inconvenience us somehow to • make efforts to understand other races I beyond our own. This is particularly ! true in relationships between blacks ; and whites Arbitrary skin color robs us ! of incalculable mutual coexistence ; Other immigrants like the Jews, the ; Irish, the Italians, and even ; Hispanics have been totally ’• integrated into the so-called "white" ’ society simply because you cannot ■ differentiate one from another by just looking at them ; The days of civil rights marches are ; over There will never be another • Martin Luther King Jr to do our • homework for us I It is up to us to utilize whatever advantages we have now — our youth and ability to accept changes ifor the ; better). If we do not change now, ; someday when we are old, we will ; watch our children and grandchildren go through the same life we were supposed to have made better for them CHAMBERLAIN C. DIALA Graduate Student, biochemistry 'Reconciliation everyone’s job’ TO THE EDITOR: There are bigots on this campus. There are also those who can honestly say they are not bigots I am a strong supporter of integration, and have always believed that if both races can learn to ignore color rather than be conscious of it, the varieties of skin hue will become (as they should; no more important in defining a person than hair color Segregation is not always evident in calling people "white" or "black ” To some, it is a mere description, as one would say "blonde" or "brunette." It is not necessarily a derogatory classification, unless you choose to take it as such. So is it true that, as the president of the Afrikan Student Union puts it, “the Caucasian is the guilty one and everything is his doing - ’" And hence it is not the black students' duty to attempt reconciliation with white students? Slavery is over in America Prejudice is not All too many whites on this campus are bigots, and Emmett Dennis seems to be one too. as he condemns each person with white skin as "the guilty one." It is every person's duty to reach out a hand of reconciliation, or how else can hands be shaken and reconciliation take place’ DOKIK BARGMANN Junior, political science ‘The majority discriminates’ TO THE EDITOR: I'm writing to comment on Bill Krueger's article "University Intergrated by Definition Only" in last Tuesday's Red and Black. First of all, I would like to compliment him on speaking out on a problem everyone at the University knows exists I am a freshman and assumed when I got to college that things between blacks and whites would be different than high school. I learned, soon enough, that the majority of University students discriminate against skin color In my wav of thinking this is narrow minded. hypocritical, and totally out of date We are the near future for our country and should be setting an example of harmonious existance between all men It is time that we re examine our values and begin to change JAMI CANTRELL Freshman I’ve ridden my bicycle through a local cemetery to and from school for almost two years. But only the other day did I happen upon my first funeral there A cemetery is supposed to be a quiet, restful place I don't know why. It's not like you're going to disturb any of the tenants. This particular funeral, however, was far from serene. Workmen were clearing land for an apartment complex about 50 yards away from the grave, and the bulldozers and chainsaws never quit. You could hear trucks and cars moving along the nearby highway And the strains of beach music from a nearby- fraternity stereo did not add to the solemnity of the moment Of course, some of those in at tendance were crying, while one child, dressed in an uncomfortable black suit, kept fidgeting at his mother's side He didn't want to be there any more than the guest of honor. There were lots of flowers and an impressive coffin It all looked kind of ridiculous to me, because the dead man could not have cared less about any of this Think of all the millions of people who have died since the dawn of civilization, many of them buried in the ground Think of all the land taken up by cemeteries Think of all the flowers placed at the graves Think of all the tombstones Think of all the money spent on funerals All to the memory of dead people The pyramids of Egypt and Central America are just big crypts A lot of people died so that the bigw igs could have a proper place to rest. The Vikings had an interesting method of disposal They put the body in a ship with all his possessions, including his wife Then they set it on fire and put it out to sea Some American Indians had an early form of cremation They'd put the body- on a platform and burn it Burning certainly takes care of the space problem of cemeteries and pyramids Modern cremation puts the ashes in a jar. They could remain i pardon the pun I with a relative to put on the mantle as a great conversation piece. Better yet, it could he sprinkled in some symbolic location, such as the sea, Yankee Stadium or the Grand Canyon. You might not be able to take it with you, so why not just stay with it? Cemeteries and funerals, however, serve a purpose: they make the sur vivors feel better People are scared of what's going to happen after they die That's part of the attraction of religion — it tells them what's in store But in cemeteries, people have a concrete destination They can even pick out the exact spot. They know where they'll be, they know they won't be alone and they know their surv ivors will have a focal point to help them remember So now that the relative is well taken care of, why do the survivors grieve’ A part of it comes from the loss of the person, particularly if the survivors feel the person went prematurely Some of the sorrow comes from the reminder of our mortality Why do we have to be reminded’ We all die Death is a part of life. Just because each day brings you closer to your death, is that any reason to let the rest of your life get ruined’ Judeo-Christian philosophy pervades the country It says, in various forms, that you go to heaven w hen you die And if you're an atheist, you don't have to worry The survivors should be happy The person is in heaven, or at least free of the problems of this world What is needed in America is the tradition of a big party for a wake Get everyone together with food, drink and music to celebrate the memory of the dearly departed Either that or celebrate being free of a problem If I die unexpectedly and don't leave a will, then cremate me and throw the biggest party anyone has ever seen this side of the Georgia-Florida game Joe Krakoviak it a staff writer/or The Red and Black. Editorial: 543-1809 Chi*/copy editor Sylvia Colwell Copy editors Kbit)* Dukakis Kate Wyatt J< Lmm \ew» editor EdLegge As so. mfewwi editor David Nelson Sports editor Mack Browning Erf'taimm*nt editor K*v in Bicfcnrll P*ob,ed-to- Nancy shepherd 4n director Lorn Print on Teaming coordinator Andna KmH* Amtfanf n*»t #dft«r« I>*ros* Seales Bob Key* 4 MiMant «port* editor MikeChrmlemen Amttant photo editor Bill Tumbhn Editorial pap* editor Tam Lee Wire editor ( hris Tirgret n L’GA Today coordinator Maeveen Behan Lib»o'ia« Jan Hulling* A d vertising: 543-1791 Adverrump manofer David Karnes Sa'ea T’ammg manager Vickie O Brian Ciaaai/iedod mannpe' Paul Pendergrass Adve'iiainf repreaentat'.ea Lee Ashworth. Doug Bailey Jeff Herring l.isa Lmdgren MartMakmry Production: 543-1791 Production m«inope» Stephan A Beard Asaiatant production manager Lna K Morgan Production ata// Karteen ( halker. Sonya Boltin. Joy Pennington Bill Krueger. Dara Sawyer. Brenda Cleveland • Contributions The Red and Black an independent student new paper nut af filiated aith the University of (Georgia i* published Tuesday through Friday with the exception ot holiday* and examination periods bv The Red and Black Publishing Ca . 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