Newspaper Page Text
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4 • The Red and Black • Thursday, February 22, 1990
■ QUOTABLE
OPINIONS
The Red & Black
EetabUthed 1893—Incorporated 1980
An independent ttudent neui paper not affiliated with the University of Georgia
Charlene Smith/Editor-in-Chief
Amy Bellew/Managing Editor
Robert Todd/Opinions Editor
■ EDITORIALS
Don’t let’m off
The Judicial Council has reduced Sigma Chi
fraternity’s permanent suspension to five years.
Permanent expulsion may have been too harsh for just
letting a party get out of hand. That’s not such a bad
crime when the University has such an asinine open
party policy.
However, Sigma Chi had been in trouble before and
should’ve been carefully abiding every rule. They didn’t
and they should be punished for it. The five-year
suspension will ensure that current Sigma Chi
members won’t be around when the fraternity comes
back. But it does nothing to discourage intolerable
behavior by other fraternities. If these organizations
don’t believe they are responsible for their actions and
subject to punishment, then there is nothing to act as a
deterrent. At least the ruling hasn’t been completely
overturned.
Future Sigma Chi d will have the chance to start
over, and they must start over clean. The fraternity
will be on probation it’s first year back, so if it breaks
any rules, it will be automatically expelled again. That
will ingrain in the members the habit of watching their
every move as long as the court doesn’t let them off
again.
Of course, Sigma Chi will continue to appeal the
decision and when it’s all over, the fraternity will
probably be back on campus after only one year of
suspension.
The next person to hear the appeal is Dwight
Douglas, vice president for Student Affairs. After that,
it will go to University President Charles Knapp for
final consideration. It’s up to Knapp and Douglas to
make sure justice is done in this case. The Student
Judiciary was harsh, but the Judicial Council’s revised
decision must be upheld.
Some people in the University community have
expressed concern that Douglas and Knapp may bend
to pressure from influential Sigma Chi members in the
state such as state Representative Lauren “Bubba”
McDonald, who is running for governor. They base
their concerns on Chi Phi and its mysterious return to
campus only one year into a 15-year suspension. There
are, no doubt, plenty of other well-placed Sigma Chi
members who may contribute large amounts of money
to the University. But their influence shouldn’t weigh
in matters of student discipline.
If administrators reduce the sentence any more, the
whole student judicial process will have been in vain.
Why have a student court if its decisions don’t stick?
This sentence was made by the peers of those on trial.
If students won’t tolerate their behavior, the
administration shouldn’t either.
Nobody’s home
Another question raised is that if Sigma Chi’s sentence
sticks, what will happen to its house, which is on
University property. During the Chi Phi suspension,
the University used Chi Phi house as a storage facility.
If the University wanted to be fair, it could give
traditionally black fraternities and sororities like
Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, Delta Sigma Theta
and Alpha Kappa Alpha a chance to take over the
Sigma Chi house.
These Greek organizations were started here after
the University stopped helping fraternities and
sororities get housing. They can’t afford their own
houses and meet at the Tate Student Center. Sigma
Chi has shown it doesn’t deserve access to the property
and these organizations deserve an opportunity to
move in. Sigma Chi can go to the back of the line and
wait until another piece of property opens up.
STAFF
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"Artists need to come together and have an advocacy group of
their own." —
Jim Hawkins. Athens Area Chamber of Commerce Arts-as-ln-
dustry Task Force Member.
l(7iK4£>lrtbuie
AFRICA
Bans infringe upon American lifestyles
While the Soviet Union and East Germany
and the rest of the Communist nations are be
coming familiar with freedom, we here in
America are being forced into communism. I
thought our country’s motto was the land of the
free, unfortunately, it has been turned into the
land of the ban.
Every time I turn on the news or read a
newspaper, I am blasted with a headline or
quote from some psychopathic, paranoid or rich
housewife who is screaming frantically that we
should all fight to ban an album or book— just
because it contains a bad word or two. It is at
this time that they will get a brilliant idea to
start up a group against things they can’t con
trol or don’t like. (I know you might thinking
that I’m being a little too rough on these
women, but they would say the same thing
about me, if I wanted to ban peroxide.)
More news about the big ban theory, Ameri
cans are getting fed up with the recent out
break of pit bull attacks, so now, you guessed it,
time to try and ban the pit bull. These dogs are
not by nature out to get grandma and grandpa,
unless they are taught by some half-crazed,
drunk person with an IQ close to his or her ring
size. For those that qualify, who I’m sure you
don’t know their ring size, let me just say that it
is in between 4 and 10.
Why should we stop with just banning some
dogs? There are other things in this great
country that I just don’t like, and since that
seems to be the only criteria for banning them,
here are some of my suggestions of things
which should be banned. I think the sales of all
Slim Whitman albums, cassettes, and compact
discs should be banned, however, eight track
tapes can stall be purchased.
Also let’s ban stupid people, for instance, if
someone is in the grocery store express lane
and is trying to write a check, then tney should
be banned from ever shopping in my store
again. I also think that the banning of green
polyester pants is a necessity, especially the
ones my grandmother wears every weekend.
Next, I want to ban school zones. Fifteen mph is
just entirely too slow, kids will just have to run
a little faster. Besides it is good for the cardio
vascular system.
Finally, on a non-jocular note, the moat in
credible and inconceivable ban and or law has
occurred in our very own bedrooms. The
hiearchy above has decided that oral sex, (I
know it’s a scary subject to write about, but I
felt it is my patriotic duty) anyway, oral sex is
considered illegal by two consenting adults in
the state of Georgia. For this, 9ome unfortunate
man actually spent 18 months in prison.
I think this law should be taken ofT of the
books. After all the Declaration of Indepen
dence clearly states, “Life, liberty,” and most
appropriately, “The pursuit of happiness!”
Joe Kohn is a humorist for The Red and Black.
Ethics unlikely to cost Barnard votes
As the Federal Government begins to shell
out $300 billion for the Savings & Loan bailout,
most of us are still trying to understand why.
Why did S & L managers make all those lousy
loans? Why is hardly anyone going to jail? Why
do we have to pay for others’ mistakes?
These questions are being pondered while
most of us are trying to understand the whole
mess. As government plays hide and seek with
its on-budge t/off-budget trickery, it assumes
the public is nodding its head with approval.
However, we nod not because we actually ap
prove of the bailout and its methods, but be
cause most of us don’t know what the heck is
going on.
For the most part, the scandal has avoided
Georgia except to raid taxpayer pocketbooks.
However, new evidence is mounting that one of
our Congressmen is tied into the S & L mess.
Reports out of Washington, that are finally
being picked up in the local media, have raised
ethics questions about U.S. Rep. Doug Barnard,
Jr. (D-Augusta). Barnard’s district covers
Athens and Clarke County.
The reports seem to indicate Barnard has ac
cepted over $20,000 from Charles Keating,
owner of the now infamous Lincoln Savings and
Loan in California. A big question is why does
Barnard need this extra cash when it is likely
he will leave Congress with around $500,000 in
his campaign fund. If he leaves before 1992 he
can keep the half million for personal use.
Evidence also indicates Barnard actively de
fended former House Speaker Jim Wright (D-
Texas) and worked as his mouthpiece during
the ethics investigation of Wright. On Wright’s
behalf, Barnard apparently questioned Edwin
Gray, former chairman of the Federal Home
Loan Bank Board on two S & L's in Texas.
Afterwards, Barnard apologized to one of
Gray’s assistants. Barnard said he was really
sorry he had to ask those questions, but the
Speaker told him to do it. (Sort of the old devil-
made-me-do-it defense.)
Recently a book was released on the S & L
crisis. Th« Big Fix by James Adams mentions
Barnard 10 times. In the book, Barnard sides
with the S & L’s and complains of “overly rig
orous and arbitrary” actions by the regulators.
So, what does all this mean for the upcoming
election? On the Democrat side, not much. Un
less the Democratic Leadership asks Barnard
to step down which isn’t likely, he won’t see pri
mary opposition unless the ethics issue gets a
lot more attention.
On the Republican side, however, two Repub
licans have announced their intentions to chal
lenge Barnard. Mark Meyers, who ran
unsuccessfully in 1988, said he is ready to chal
lenge Barnard again this year. Myers plans to
raise more than the $10,000 he used in 1988.
He also has been very vocal on Barnard’s ethics
problems.
To face Barnard again, however, Myers will
first have to get by Sam Jones of Columbia
County. Jones, a newcomer to the race, prom
ises to make things interesting. According to
sources, he has raised around $16,000 in only
three weeks.
Therefore, the two main variables in this
year’s 10th District Congressional election are
1) Will the ethics charges hurt Doug Barnard
enough to take away his support?, and 2) Will
the Republican who faces Barnard after the
July primary have enough money left to make a
serious challenge?
Only time will tell.
Phillip Foil is a columnist for The Red and
Black.
Leaders don’t need money
■ FORUM
□ The Red and Black welcomes letters to the editor and prints them In the Forum
column as space permits. All letters are subject to editing for length, style and li
belous material, tetters should be typed, doublespaced and must include the name,
address and daytime telephone number of the writer. Please Include student classifl
cation and major other appropriate identification Names can be omitted with a valid
reason upon request Letters can be sent by U.S. mail or brought in person to The Red
and Black's offices at 123 N. Jackon St. Athens. Ga.
Those that forget past student
governments are bound to be repe
titively haunted. An article in The
Red and Black had the audacious
title ‘Student Leaders need to be
paid.” I was confused about the
inner meaning of the article, since
the term “need" has so many philo
sophical connotations. Consulta
tion with Mr. Webster provided
guidance. The primary definition
of “need" is: necessary duty; obliga
tion. No one could assert that stu
dent leaders have a birthright to be
paid. Hence, the primary definition
didn't seem to apply.
An alternative definition of
“need" is: to be in want. That’s the
ticket! Student leaders want to be
paid. In that case, let me say that
University professors need to be
paid more and Sanford Stadium
needs to be returned to its prior
state so I can watch games from
the tracks.
Student leaders — the SGA
President and Vice-PresidenWs)
and the Student Senate executives
— were indeed paid a grand sum of
$5,000 annually in the 1970s. In
1978, the Student Senate Trea
surer attempted to abolish salaries
and return the money to the
overall activities fund, but the omi
nous student leaders defeated the
move, proclaiming, yes, indeed,
that they needed to be paid.
Such self-centered actions by
leaders who had no evidence of ac
complishment made a useful foun
dation with which to build the
deathknell of SGA.
J. Harold Mulherin III
Washington, DC
Recycle, dammit
Now we have them, the con
tainers to collect paper for recy
cling. However, most of The Red
and Black newspapers are thrown
away into ordinary trash bins.
Why? It’s easy to blame the stu
dents for not making ample use of
the new containers, but one reason
is obvious: the next trash bin is al
ways nearer than the next con
tainer. So it is simply easier to
throw The Red and Black away.
The key to recycling the bulk of
The Red and Blacks thrown
around campus is to put containers
where The Red and Black is mostly
read and thrown away, like the
dining halls and Tate Center. The
Red and Black staff shouldn’t only
care for the distribution of the new-
paper but also for its recycling.
Andrees Slebert
graduate etudent, artificial Intelli
gence
Editor's note: The Red and Black
does recycle papers left in our dis
tribution bins and has a recycling
program at our offices.
Adopt for child’s sake
Each person is conceived and
brought into this world for a
reason. By stating that a woman
gives up her rights to freedom and
individuality when she gives birth
to a child seems abeurd to me. If an
individual chooses to engage in
sexual activity, ahe is quite aware
of the consequences that may
occur. Therefore, she should be
prepared to make a decision re
garding the child.
Whether or not the birth mother
“wants” a child at this particular
time in her life doesn’t reflect the
worth of the child. At the age of 16,
my mother gave birth to me and
chose to give me up for adoption;
not because she didn’t want or love
me, but because she loved me so
much that she wanted a better life
for me; one that she couldn’t pro
vide. My adopted parents waited
for four years for me and if that's
not “want" I don’t know what is.
Mary Kay Vollrath
sophomore, Journalism