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The Red and Black
Wrianday, May IS, IMS
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THE RED AND BLACK
Eitablished 1893 — Incorporated 1980
Harry Montevideo, General Manager
Clarice Makemson, Editor-in-chief
James Kendley, Managing Editor
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• O »H«»*I 'Id ' >UU a* t INI MNU
At* independent itudenl newtpaf.tr not affiliated with the University ofGeorgiu
Opinion
May: a merry month to be mindless
...... ~ la • J.-'l Laain nunnllv ivhu (Hat 11
A necessity
There has been some discussion recently over the necessity of
student minority assistants Minority assistants, or MAs as they
are called, are supposed to help blacks and other minorities with
their special needs and problems. They are to serve the minorities
in addition to the regular resident assistants.
Many white dorm residents resent the MAs' presence and think
an RA should be good enough for all races They do not understand
the necessity for a MA when there are many understanding,
caring RAs (many of whom are not white).
While we can understand the concern and even insult many
white RAs may feel, we do believe MAs have a place in the
residence halls.
Residence halls traditionally have been homes to freshman and
sophomore students. Although a few older students reside in the
dorms, young, inexperienced students are the primary
inhabitants. RAs, in contrast, are generally older students
juniors, seniors and even grad students. The older RAs are,
therefore, supposed to share their wisdom and knowledge with the
younger residents.
We believe this works with MAs too. Many minority students
experiencing their first year at a large university may feel culture
shock. Brought up in homes where at least their parents were the
same color and enrolled in schools where they did not stand out,
minorities may feel especially odd or different when they enter
college. The University is a big place and may seem somewhat
overwhelming to the inexperienced
During their stay, many will experience discrimination of some
sort. When they are unable to deal with such discrimination or
other problems, as MAs experienced advice can be a
welcome reiiet. A white RA cannot know the pain of racial
discrimination. A black MA can.
If we are to ease the fears of upcoming freshmen, encourage
enrollment of minorities and prove we are a caring university, we
must support the MA program. Without it too many minorities
will feel alienated and, in turn, leave the University for a more
comfortable environment. And that is a move we cannot afford
Well, it s getting near the end of the school year, for
sure I can tell, because I’m running out of the
precious commodities I usually run out of this time of
year: toothpaste, clean matching socks without
holes, money (of course), energy and motivation
I’m in real need of a Calgon bath Or something like
that 1 keep waking up with this funny feeling that
today is yesterday, or like every day is Monday, or
like the weekend wasn't long enough I always feel
like I didn't get enough sleep
! tried skipping a class or two to catch up. but it
didn't work At this time of year. I could wake up at
noon every day and still need more sleep How can
they expect us to go to school, work, or anything
during the month of May?
The air is a palette of smells I think the entire state
of Georgia is only half awake, nestled snoozing in
some kind of humid, cosmic flower garden My
favorite smell is honeysuckle, because it reminds me
of the days when I was a kid and we used to pick the
flowers and eat the nectar I still get into that every
once in a while during May
And every spring I find myself climbing a tree or
two, just because the leaves and branches sort of call
me I suppose it's just for nostalgia's sake I always
feel like an idiot when I get up there, but what the
hell, it was there
And then there was the time I kicked a can all the
way from downtown to South Campus, just because it
felt good to make a clanging, clattering noise to
disturb the faithful studiers in front of the library
People gave me some strange looks. I’ll tell you I
guess I didn't look like the little boy I felt like at the
time One lady even asked me if I was trying to relive
my childhood Relive it? I'm not through living it the
first time!
But most of the time I'm thinking about one of the
other vastly, globally important responsibilities I
have every day I could fill a book with all the
obligations I have stacked up for the rest of, this
John Alden
quarter, this year, and even after graduation
I had a nightmare the other night I was driving
through Athens when all of a sudden 1 was pulled over
by one of UGA's finest So I stop, you know, and all of
a sudden there are about 10 cops, and one of them is
the drill sergeant from "Gomer Pyle ” They yank me
out of my car, and order me to spread my stance,
slam me against the car and frisk me
Without even a breath test, I'm told 1 have a DUI,
and I've been resisting arrest Then comes the
clincher
"And what’s more Pyle, you owe $29 in library
fines, $0 in Health Center charges and you haven't
been to class in a week' ” Sarge says
Gee Sarge. I know it's all true, and more besides
But as they're handcuffing me, it’s more than I can
take I start screaming that I'm not going to take it
anymore, and everyone's going to have to bite my
rear!
I figure I can just about hold on until June
The problem is that they seem to expect more
They seem to want some kind of effort
Okay, that's it. I'm calling it off There s just no
point in beating a dead horse I ain't gonna learn no
more, I ain't gonna have any more energy or
motivation than I have now It's not that I'm quitting,
we're all just agreeing to go home a little early,
right’ Right now, before we start taking this school
stuff too seriously
But no. I guess we'll all just continue working for
the weekends The weekends are the only way we
keep our sanity. I don't know exactly why that is
Very few of my weekends are very sane in them
selves But you know how it is.
Many of you do things like diving off the tops of
fraternity houses into homemade swimming pools, or
off stages into crowds You do things like attempting
a breakdance headspin in the O'Malley s parking lot
at 1:30 a m And together you are the controlled
substance capital of the Southeast.
But every once in a while we burn out, and go home
for the weekend, in spring more than any other time
IPs a new place for us We haven't been there really
for months So. burdened by all the responsibilities
we have no choice but to ignore, we decide we need a
quiet get away with the units
That’s what I did last weekend It was to restore my
energy, renew my soul, reform my vices, help me
regain my direction in life
1 guess it wasn’t their fault it didn t work. After all.
1 was only there roughly a day
Anyway, 1 think the point is that it's May, and I've
lost control over where my mind goes Or sometimes
it just isn't any where at all. It’s been a long year I've
been busy cramming the last of my childhood into it.
and It 'S beginning to turn me into a blithering idiot
But I have noticed one thing about this fitful
summer dream of May It's been one hell of a good
time being half awake, even just watching television
at home I caught the end of "Fishin' with Chuck
McGoon" or something like that, so now I'm pic
turing myself on the banks of a certain mountain
lake, barefooted, with beer and a fishing pole by my
side
So if you see a grinning idiot walking around
campus, it’s probably me Point me in the direction of
the J-school and give me a shove It's the only wav
I'll get there
John Alden is
Black
a senior reporter for The Red and
Some blacks inconsiderate and unfair to whites
TO THE EDITOR:
I am writing this letter in response to
the editorial written by Mitzi Taylor in
the Thursday, May 9, edition of The Red
and Black She seems like a nice,
considerate person However. I would
like todearupa few things
To ask a question or voice an opinion
is not a sign of ignorance But to ver
bally attack someone for their "open
minded" opinion is If I understand
Mini's letter correctly, this is exactly
what happened lo a while resident
assistant when she asked a question at
the speech given by Pulton County
Commissioner Michael Lomax I will
not debate the point of whether or not
minority assistants are needed, but I
would ask the question Why was the
white RA attacked for her opinion’ Is
not this the very thing that blacks so
often protest’
It is my opinion that many blacks are
being very inconsiderate and unfair to
whites in general The U S government
tries very hard to make our quality of
life fair to everyone A good chunk of
our tax money is spent on agencies that
try to enforce these policies 1 am
convinced that for every case of
discrimination that exists, there are
just as many cases of reverse
discrimination The latter is just not
publicized as much
Some double standards, right here at
No harm done
TO THE EDITOR:
First of all I'd like to say that I am not
anti-Semitic (my girlfriend is Jewish in
fact) nor am I taking up for President
Reagan Anyone familiar with the
situation knows that President Reagan
promised Chancellor Kohl that he
would visit a German war cemetery a
few months bark and made the error of
not finding out there were S S officers
buried there Nevertheless it would
have been even more unwise for him to
renege on his word, and this, in my
opinion, is beside the point anyway
Most any literate person knows of
how terrible the Nazi “reign of terror"
was. but what happened during those
times of hell in Europe is something
that can never be adequately ex
plained
Since the end of the Second World
War Germany has proven to be one of
our strongest allies, and I certainly saw
no harm in a brief visit to the Bitburg
cemetery if it made the German people
a bit more at ease with their past After
all. to a lot of Americans and even more
Europeans the visit was not an act of
honoring Nazi murderers, but an act by
the United States of America displaying
our spirit of forgiveness
GRADY LEWIS
Junior. Forest Management
the University, are unfair to whites
For example, the requirements for an
academic scholarship are 200 points
lower for black students than whites
The University's argument for this is
the need to attract more minority
students My opinion is that it is
academic unfairness Because the
majority of the state's blacks choose to
go to other colleges we are said to be
prejudiced Maybe blacks want to go to
black campuses That's un
derstandable Hut if a w hite wants to go
to a white campus, he is considered to
be prejudiced
Another double standard is the black
Miss UGA Pageant Never mind the
fact that a black woman won the
regular pageant two years ago (which
seems to say something for the fairness
in which it was judged ) Whites cannot
have all white events or institutions.
some thoughts
and it disturbs me that blacks can
If people want equality, it should go
both w ays These double standards hurt
the black population because the
connotations say blacks cannot com
pete on the same level as whites I have
talked with my black friends on these
subjects, and they agree so I know it is
not just myS A W B opinion
I am not racist, so I would not ap
preciate hearing any name-calling
from anyone I would, however, ap
preciate some answers to my open
minded questions The fact that my
name does not appear on this letter
does not reflect any cowardice on my
part It just goes to show you that I. a
white person, would most surely ex
penence some type of racism if my
name were disclosed
NAME WITHHELD
erik johnson
STK.PHC.KI in
CZODWA 4 SO 1 ' THIS
aw ILLEGAL Dorhi per
AMD TMST JOX.ER PUTS
HIS NAME. Ou you??
..OH Witt WAUfMIKCK'
Kltt. HAILENBECK'!
MA HA HA
Editorial: 543-1809
Advertising: 543-1791
Discriminating against Braves fans
CM*/Copy Editor UnGknn
Promt Page Copy Editor Todd Hokum h
Copy Editor* Rusty ( artmill and Kevin Procter
Newt Editor Jamne Pam her
Editorial Page Editor Tammy Suns
Sport, editor David Johman
Entertainment Editor JimTretnavne
UG4 Today Coordinator Beth Overton
Photographv Editor Jo* Schwam
Atoaeiate Sewt Editor* Andy Smith Tammy
Tamhnaon
A teuton! Sport* Editor Chip To* en
A Mutant Photo Editor ViRmer
Sontor Reporter, J«ha Alden Tracey Brown
Tami Drnmv Joan Mane Hamm Sheila Joma
Beth Pate. Sum nor W ood
Librarian Tracey Brown
Advertising Director Bill W o%a«l
Adverting Sale* Manager Tammy Timm
AdvertUInf Representative* Pal A«nm» Sheila
Dovia, Kimberly Hauler Sheet Hayward. Brent
Hoffman. K.*n Moll.* Keith Nimili Carey
Parrott Charles Shrevea. Sandy Somnwki
Mindy Waddell Kim Voat
Production Manage’ Jeff Jone*
Production Staff Lit Alexander Nanci
Bateman Brenda (V%eland Hubert Coburci
Johnna Cotemfn Manpat Findley Koaann
Kent. Mary Ellen LaRochell* Michelle Manic.
Carroildhetman. Robert ('kite Woodworth
Contributions
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Almost every evening, hours of invaluable study
lime are being denied, maliciously and relentlessly,
to a major segment of the University population Yes,
the painful tnith is that the University System, as it
stands, discriminates unfairly against the student
Braves fan This represents social repression and
discrimination in its most sinister and subliminal
form It's time thal we, the student Braves fans,
organized a massive restructuring of the University-
System to make it conform to the lifestyles of the
majority of students here at the University I propose
the immediate formation of STUFAT (Students for
America 's Team i and any interested students should
send their letters to STUFAT, The Red and Black, 123
N Jackson St., Athens, Ga., 30601 This will be an
organization for radical change
The fact is, Ernie Johnson and Dale Murphy are
unknowingly facilitating the corruption of the future
of this great state, and it's all a product of the
inadequacies of the current system Ted Turner
broadcasts ISO out of 162 games over his omnipotent
and omnipresent Superstation. At three hours per
game, that's 450 hours of potential study time
removed from the busy schedule of each student
Braves fan (assuming summer quarter enrollment i
And assuming there’s 21,000 Braves fans at the
University lie the number of in-state students) then
thst's a potential 1,450.000 study hours lost among the
future leaders at the nation This is not only unfair to
native Georgia students, but it represents a
catastrophy of almost epidemic proportions for the
future state of Georgia
Perhaps some students — although I question their
patriotism — are skeptical at all this But let's take
an individual case study so we can get to the roots at
the problem The typical Braves fan is not a Braves
fan by choice He (or she) was probably encouraged
at an early age by his father (or mother) to keep up
Every evening presents an
unvanquishable conflict
between the quest to maintain
academic success and the
inherent passionate desire to
watch every pitch thrown
during a Braves game.
with the scores and statistics Thu involvement in the
Braves experience was further rewarded by trips to
the ball park which served as a reinforcing stimulus
to the facilitation at Braves tannest So st an early
age. the youngster had been conditioned to become a
Braves fan. through no choice of his own
As he grew older he had the opportunity to play
little league baseball, which further stimulated hu
interest and knowledge in the game Box scores,
batting averages and earned run averages served as
fodder for his growing appetite and passion for the
game So the reality is, we were brought up as Braves
fans, just as we were brought up as boys and girls,
and to deny us. during these growing years of college,
the full Braves experience, is to deny us our very
existence and identity as human beings and Braves
fans
This is unfair because it leaves the non-Braves fan
or non-baseball fan at a distinct academic disad
vantage Therefore the very welfare of the Braves
fan's potential to become a future taxpaying
successful citizen The Texas Rangers of the
Cleveland Indians fans at the University, however,
are rarely distracted from their study time by
irresistable coverage of their favorite team But
Braves coverage is truly irresistable Every evening
presents an unvanquishable conflict between the
quest to maintain academic success and the inherent
passionate desire to watch every pitch thrown during
a Braves game. And the coverage is outstanding
Years ago. Athens didn’t have cable coverage of
Braves games, but for today's student, coverage is
so convenient. We Braves fans cannot be expected to
pass up coverage of America s team placed ef
fortlesslv within our grasp in our own living room
bo it is clear the system must change If provisions
are not made immediately by the administration to
remediate and compensate for this discrimination
then we in STUFAT will become, as Bruce Benedict
says, "A lean mean fighting machine And if the
administration continues to ignore our crusade then
we will get Terry Forster to bite a cellophane
baseball in order to frighten the officials into
capitulations. Oooooohhh. are we mad.
WllliamSmlM, la a junior in tht College of Arts and