About The Red and Black (Athens, Ga.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 12, 1981)
Page I The Red and Black Thursday. November 12. I**HI The Red and Black / Stuhlivhi'd INV.1 — litcorptiralcd IWII GCPA ( hjrli's II. Kusm'II. (mural Manauir Juslin (ijllis, I ililnr in iliul Mm (■iildbirt’. Managing I dilur In /ndi/Htidcni Mudcni hcih/w/xt not ullilwhd „iih the l ninrsiiy «/ (niiryiu Sticking it to students As the University ponders which student fees to increase next fall, we hope the Student Affairs department will keep one thing in mind: Students aren't bags of money. A big jump in the bill we pay each quarter would hurt most students badly. And such a jump is a distinct possibility. The University has already said student- activity fees will have to increase next fall, perhaps even double. The regents are talking about a tuition increase of some 8 percent, more than last year's 5 percent increase. And now Vice President for Student Affairs Dwight Douglas says there is at least an outside chance that every fee students pay — health, tran sportation, etc. — will go up. Douglas estimates the cost of attending school at the University will rise about 10 percent next year, not counting food and housing costs. We recognize that costs do increase for the University, and students must be prepared to help cover higher expenses if they want to see services and programs retain their quality or improve. Yet the University should keep in mind that some fees have literally soared over the past few years, and students who came here under the impression they’d face only gradual fee increases have gotten a rude shock. Matriculation fees for in-state students in creased 5 percent in 1979, a whopping 20 to 40 percent in 1980, and 5 percent in 1981. Add in other fee increases over the past four years and you get this stark comparison: Students who entered the University as fresh men in fall 1978 paid an in-state fee bill of $185, while those same students as seniors paid a fall 1981 bill of $318. That’s an increase of 72 percent. For out-of-state students the increase has been even higher: from $317 in fall '78 to $811 in fall '81, a jump of 155 percent. By comparison, the Consumer Price Index for the period Jan. 1, 1978 to Jan. 1, 1981 went up some 50 percent. Those increases are nothing to laugh about. We know inflation continues to take its sad toll, and some hikes are inevitable; but the University must understand how difficult it is for students and parents who plan their budgets in advance to grapple with increases that out strip the general inflation rate. Douglas correctly points out that percentage increases don’t tell the whole story on student fees, because many University charges are considerably lower than those of comparable state institutions. That is true; but it may also be the reason a lot of students choose the University over other schools. Isn’t it a bit of a cruel joke to lure them here with low charges and then hit them with big increases? In all fairness, Douglas is responsible only for a small part of each student’s total fee bill. The regents set matriculation and tuition charges. But the vice president does have the power to help keep some fees as low as possible, and we call on him to explore every alternative before sticking students with yet another big increase. Honesty honestly "Open mouth, insert foot” must be standard operating procedure in the Reagan ad ministration. The latest gaffe belongs to Office of Management and Budget Director David Stockman, who told an interviewer from the Atlantic Monthly that, yes indeed, the Reagan economic plan is merely a reincarnation of the old Republican trickle-down theory. Yes indeed, Stockman admitted, this was a rich man’s tax plan. Yes, he conceded, the Pentagon was a Reagan sacred cow, but he pledged to go after it with his budget knife next year. Well. You can bet there was glee in Washington's chambers of liberalism the minute the December Atlantic hit the streets. Stockman was left wiping egg off his face, and his press flacks issued lame statements at tempting to discredit the article without denying its substance. Honesty the best policy? In this ad ministration, as Stockman has discovered, honesty is quite a mistake. The maddening side of A1 Al Haig has a way of making some of the people mad all of the time, and all of the people mad some of the time, but we should not all be mad all of the time. In fact, don't get mad, get glad: about some of the people who get mad We should have no qualms about irritating imperialistic communists w ho are willing to deny human rights to advance totalitarianism This means bringing not peace, but a sword to all communist Marxism, which is ideologically constrained to im perialism Even though the triumph of the proletariat is supposed to be inevitable, when it inevitably begins to falter, Marxists with a vision are not adverse to a little bloodshed here or there After all. what's life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness when historical progress is at stake? What belter example of aggressive communism than Cuba's supplying arms to the guerrillas in El Salvador'’ And surely any arms Castro has to offer are really "From Russia With Love.” The early scoop in El Salvador was that the revolution had popular support But now the Catholic bishops there say the agitators are only stirring up un welcome violence Apparently the proletariat in El Salvador just is not ready for its inevitable triumph But imperialistic communism wil have none of that backwardness I hear on NPR's “All Things Con sidered" that Haig is considering a military response to Cuba's cam paigning in El Salvador This will make many of the people mad. Castro will not be delighted, and that is not so bad. We cannot base our foreign policy on pleasing dictators. On the other hand, we cannot so enrage them that negotiations are impossible unless their transgressions warrant the antagonism. Negotiation is always preferable to war, while not always feasible. The idea is to avoid foreclosing feasibility. Haig could stand some extra delicacy in his public announcements, although he has come a long way from the ex cathedra excesses of “I’m in charge here,” after Reagan was shot. Anyway, he is in a better position than I to judge what must be done. It may be that he just has the courage to say these things that Jimmah and his boys could not muster. Here at home, the non discriminating, daisy-in-the-rifle style pacifists, who will not use force even for self-defense, will (yawn) be outraged as usual at Al's admonitions These are people, by the way, who would be quietly purged if the principles they condone were to reign (Conscientious objection is a capital offense in Russia i No responsible foreign policy will satisfy these '60s throwbacks. Al has made some others mad, though Naturally the Senate Defense Committee got a burr in its underwear, if for no other reason than that it was not consulted before the El Salvador statement. Big Al loves coming through the swinging doors, spurs ajangle, with a smoking Colt in his hand Now this certainly sends the right message to Moscow, but he usually forgets to fire a warning shot to Capitol Hill first. This is where Ronnie sharpens up his rein-hand on Haig. Reagan has the political savoir-faire to fire his warning shots at Congress' feet so that it does the “hustle ' It could not hurt to take Al •out to the ranch for a little shot prac tice Now that we are firing a sufficient caliber of ammo, we should be sure we are all together in aiming at the right target And besides, if Haig leveled with Congress, it might very well support him more often than he thinks, and he would be less likely to shoot himself in the foot Birney Bull is a second year student in the School of Law. >©6r,PEKRC««&TI(CSgl Aweriak WE MUST NOT TOlB!ATE50«Ef AGGRESSIOI AND INTERVENTION IN SUCH COUNTRIES AS THE BEHAVIOR OF CHALLENGES NOTCiWi f HE BAS, 1 S0VEREI6 “Simon’ is not only humorous, but intellectually stimulating as well’ TO THE EDITOR: In reference to the letter to the editor concerning Man Martin’s comic strip Simon,'' in which the writer accused “Simon" of being unfunny and of fensive to blacks: I take exception to those opinions. First, “Simon' is not only funny, but at times intelligent True the humor is sometimes subtle, provoking more chuckles than guffaws, but it is also more original. For instance. Martin has managed so far to avoid completely the ubiquitous frightened freshman who cannot gel a date storyline. In fact, his characters are not students as much as they are people who attend college, and that in itself gives the strip a freshness Martin uses the strip format to his advantage by not cluttering the panels and by using a drawing style that visually suggests a close link to reality, which is totally in concert with the artist's style of humor, a style reminiscent of both Thurber and Trudeau. Now as to the offensiveness charge: This is the first strip in The Red and Black that is not entirely about white Anglo-Saxon freshmen (even Murray, the freshman rabbit, was white). Martin can at least be credited with not only having a black character in the strip, but also with including up perclassmen. On the other hand, although the black character is not inherently offensive, I can see the complaintant's point in that Franklin has only appeared when his blackness was the point of the joke; a fault that also plagues "Doonesbury," "Peanuts" and practically every motion picture that comes out of Hollywood. Again, Martin needs to develop his characters more, so that Franklin sometimes can be a part of a joke dealing with his blackness, and con versely another’s whiteness or brownness, and, at other times, be nothing more or less than a person CHUCK ANDERSON Graduate Student, journalism ‘Reconciliation beats about bash’ TO THE EDITOR: I have followed the discussion on "discrimination" and "reconciliation" in The Red and Black with both interest and disgust, and I feel it is time for me to add my voice. Discrimination and segregation do not begin and/or end here on the University campus To talk about reconciliation on campus without going a little deeper is to beat about the bush Blacks are never the cause of discrimination and segregation on campus and therefore, very little, if anything, can be expected of them if we are to solve these problems. Discrimination and segregation are at the very core of the social institution which blacks find themselves a part of as the minority Thus, they only react to these situations It is, perhaps, difficult for a white student to understand, but if you have ever been to a place where you were told that you did not belong there because of the color of your skin, you would not need someone to tell you to go somewhere else where you would be welcome and feel a sense of belonging. It is unfortunate that whenever the question of segregation comes up. it is the black groups that become the ob jects at which fingers arc pointed. In this society, it is okay for whites to get together and do their own thing, but when blacks get together to promote their culture, it is segregation To white America, interaction and conciliation do not mean sharing and embracing others' values, bu the abandonment of one's culture and total assimilation into the majority's Quite unfortunate, isn’t it? 1 am not a separatist Far from that. However, I believe that until all at titudes of colonialism and patriarchy have been eradicated from the society and our lives, there will be a distinct and urgent need for different programs and activities to exist and function with a large part of autonomy within the society. I also believe that until we give up the power that legitimizes attitudes of sexism and racism and embrace unequivocably the will to transform the fabric of our existence, there will always be the need for people of common descent to get together and promote their culture where conscious efforts are taken to wipe them out “Slavery is over in America. Prejudice is not," maintains Dorie Bargmann Yet. Bargmann is confident in asserting that “It is every person’s duty to reach out a hand of recon ciliation" while we are still prejudiced against each other. What is that? Bigotry or hipoerisy? KOJO AGYEMAN Afrikan Students Union ‘Mattingly has done a good job’ TO THE EDITOR: Tom Lee’s column on Sen. Mat tingly’s legislative effort in Tuesday's edition of The Red and Black does not present an accurate assessment of what the senator tried to do in Washington last week. Senator Mattingly introduced several amendments to bring appropriations in line with the president’s budget request figures. For instance, the Energy and Water Bill came in 2.6 percent over w hat the administration had requested Mattingly's amendment brought the total down by 2.6 percent. Where the cuts were to be made was left to the department head in charge of energy and water, with the stipulation that no more than (.5 percent of any specific program could be cut. Sen. Mattingly has hardly given department heads an uncensored axe. He has done his best to keep Congress within the bounds of President Reagan's proposed budget. HARRY F. KNOX Junior, political science ‘I would like my 5 percent’ TO THE EDITOR: 1 applied and was approved for a Guaranteed Student Loan at the beginn ing of this academic year. Five percent of my loan was taken off the top and paid in the form of an "origination fee," whatever that means, to the bank issu ing the loan Prior to this administration, the federal government paid this 5 percent, nearly adequate to pay one quarter's tuition It seems to me the federal government would be willing to make this small investment in future leaders and not further penalize those who are working hard for an education and can least afford it. CURTIS R. FELDMAN Graduate student. Ag education Departments Editorial: 543-1809 Chief copy editor Sylvia Colwell Copy editor* Elaine liukaka Kate Wyatt Joan Lamm Sr.1 editor EdLegf* Associate new* editor David Nelaon Spsj'ta editor Mack Browning k nterimutmernt editor Kevin Biofcnrll Ph.Hoed.tor Nancy Shepherd Art directs* Lorn Pre-Mon r mining coordinator Andna Krewsor. All.Hunt new. editor. Denise Neolev Boh Keyes Assistant sports editor Mike Christensen A ssitauf|ikiO eddo' Bill Tutnblin Editor,al page editor Tom l.re Wire editor Oiri* Tiegreen L'CA Today coordinator Maeveen Behan Librarian Jan Hulling* Advertising: 543-1791 Advertising -nunoger David Kaine* Sale* Training manager Vickie * I Bnen Classified ad manager Paul Pendrrgrass Advertising representatives Lee Ashworth. Dnug Bailey Jeff Herrin* Lisa Lindgrrn Mark Malon* > Production: 543-1791 Production manager krytuA it..:. Assistant production manager Liu H Morgan Production staff Karteen Oulkrr. Sonya Boltin. Joy Pennington. Bill Krueger. Dara Sawyer. Brenda Cleveland Contributions The Red and Black an independent student new 'paper not al filiated with the University of (leorgia is published Tuesday through Friday with the esception of holiday* and examination period* by The Ked and Black Publishing Co . Inc an indepen dent nonprofit corporation The Ked and Black is printed bv Walton Press Inc Monroe La Second clat** pnutage paid at Athem La Mol The Ked and Black welcomes letters to the editor and prints them a* space permit* I hie to space limitation and legal consideration^ al* letters are subject to standard editing lor libelous material and length Short letters are prrterred To he cunwsdeml f«* puMwa lion letters must he typed dDutds* spaced .m .• Mi space line The* must include the name address ansi telephone number of Ihr writer Please includr student classifuatum and mag* •* ap propriate identification • profess** l'man officer sic • We can i-rnii v our name in print lor a valid reason on Wfg Ialter* should not emceed 2 1 doubts' spaced I' pew ritlen pages The Ked and Black also prints guest rdrtoral rofumao under the same conditions tha> apply to letters to Ihr editor Column* should not exceed (our double spaced tv pew mien pages Columns and letters should be addressed TO THE KIMTOK. The Ked and Black 123 N Jackson Si Athens La «*oi I alters can also br driixrred to the editorial office al the above address, or depnwfrd •" any of The Ked ami Black » classified art hoses on cam pus Opinions espressed m The Ked amt Black other than unsigned ediii*iats are the opinions of the writers of signed column* «* car toen* and are mg necessarily those of Th. Ked and BUk Publishing Co . Iik* The entire content' •>( The Ked ami Hlnck are Copvrighl I INI Its The Ked and HLuk Publishing Co Inc Ail rights reserved Reprints by prrmissmn of the 1x111.** Inquiries concerning articles that have appeared in The Kid and Black sftnuld be made at Ihr editorial offirrs last In quiries about advertising should be made at the Imsinrs* off ire. kfiMHIBI Subscription rale is *24 per year Call ttHCsO 1791 for inf.*ma
