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■ QUOTABLE
4 • The Red and Black • Thursday, March 8. 1990
OPINIONS
When asked what his favorite weapon was, Watergate master
mind 6. Gordon Uddy responded, It depends on the task —
The Red & Black
Ettabluhtd 1 M3-Incorporated I960
An uuteprndint itudrnt *i/u tpaprr not a/Tihated uttb tK* L'mvtmty of Georgia
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Robert Todd/Opinions Editor
■ EDITORIALS
Bozo button
U S. Rep. Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., is trying to get a
early start on April Fools and his efforts have earned
him The Red and Black’s Bozo Button.
“Education is, by definition, a privilege,” Gingrich
told students at National Student Lobby Day in
Washington, D.C. last weekend.
With attitudes like that, the United States will
never get ahead, or even catch up, to other nations in
education.
Gingrich should be stripped of his car, nice clothes
and most of his money. Then he should be forced to go
back to college and apply for financial aid. Maybe then
he’ll appreciate how much the money is needed. Maybe
then he wouldn’t take such an elitist attitude toward
education. Maybe then he wouldn’t want to strip
students of the funds they need to go to school.
A college education isn’t a privilege. It’s a right that
must be available to everyone with the desire and
ability to attend college.
Gingrich would like to see federal aid be distributed
along stricter academic guidelines because the current
system has “cheapened the process.” What he is unable
to comprehend is that as long as students meet the
enrollment requirements of an institution, they should
meet the academic requirements for financial aid. In
fact, financial need is considered before the University
awards many of its academic scholarships.
Under Gingrich’s wharped philosophy, the rich
kids, who had the advantage of private schools or well-
funded public school systems, would reap the benefits
of federal aid, while those for whom education is the
road out of poverty would be tossed aside.
Gingrich further elavated himself into the Bozo
Academy by ensuring his public relations personnel got
pictures of him warmly greeting the National Student
Lobby participants. No doubt those pictures will
appear on his campaign literature lauding his support
for higher education and Georgia’s underprivileged
citizens.
Attitudes like those displayed by Gingrich only
hamper the nation’s educational progress. Voter’s
should attempt to change his mind.
Land Grant
Goodbye to Eugene Hargrove, who is leaving the
University because he doesn’t want to teach entry-level
classes. Apparently, he would rather work on his
acclaimed Environmental Ethics Journal.
Lest it be forgotten, the University of Georgia is a
land grant institution and as such has three principal
responsibilities: teaching, service and research. At no
time should any one of these commitments be
overlooked, because all are necessary.
If Hargrove wants to be a professor, he should
realize this endeavor includes teaching undergraduate
students. If he wants just to be an editor, than he is free
to do so at the University of North Texas where their
tution and tax dollars will pay his salary.
This isn’t to say that service and research aren’t
important. As another land-grant institution, the
University of Wisconsin, is fond of saying, “Our
boundries extend as far as the state line.”
The University has a duty to all the residents of
Georgia. Cooperative Extension, 4-H, the Institute for
Small Business and similar activities fulfill the service
arm of the University, just as the work at the colleges of
veterinary medicine, agriculture and the School of
Pharmacy meet the research needs. Quality instruction
for University students fulfills the third responsibility.
However if one of these functions is to be given
priority, then it should be teaching and not research.
It’s a shame Hargrove doesn’t feel he can balance the
two.
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Some misconceptions surrounding SA
Perhaps due to my recent defection from the
Student Association, many students have been
e speed ally vocal to me about their objections to
the SA. Despite popular opinion, I am not
against the SA, and am, in tact, a strong sup
porter of it. The concept of an elected body of
student representatives is a fundamental need
at any University. Throughout the past weeks I
have been made extremely aware of various
misconceptions about the SA, and in light of the
real problems that the SA faces, I feel it impor
tant to clear the air and correct these miscon
ceptions.
Misconception 1: The SA is very cliquish, and
dominated by Greeks. This could not be farther
from the truth. The SA is not cliquish, and is in
fact, plagued by disunity. In truth, less than
half of the SA is Greek. The diversity in the SA
is very representative of the campus. Majors
represented range from Food Srience to Land
scape Architecture to Art to Business. In addi
tion, Oriental, Hispanic, African-American,
and Jewish students are represented in the SA.
The SA is also well balanced between on and off
campus students, and also has a Senator who is
married with children. To write the SA ofT as
being “entirely Greek” is an insult to all mem
bers of the SA. I know of no Greek Senator who
was elected solely on the basis of his/her mem
bership in a Greek organization. Being a leader
in a Greek organization will provide a candi
date with a base of support, just as being a
leader in a campus ministry, RHA, or other
large campus organization does.
Misconception 2: The SA doesn’t do anything.
This misconception stems from a fundamental
Mollie
Mednikow
misunderstanding as to what the SA is sup
posed to be. A misunderstanding which, unfor
tunately, exists within the SA also. The SA is a
representative body, not a programming board.
Students realized the importance of student
input with the administration on the SPACE-
NTER Committee, the Academic Honesty Task
Force, the Semester Feasibility Study, etc. This
input logically comes from the SA, as it is the
only campus organization that is wholly elected
by students. Several SA Senators serve on
these committees outside of their SA responsi
bilities. Next year’s SA should work to publicize
the SA’s role in representing the students to the
Administration, as well as work to better un
derstand student opinion on the issues that the
SA deals with. This year’s vote on Physical Ed
ucation requirements is a prime example of SA
Senator’s forgetting that they are supposed to
be representing student opinion. The fact that
no students came to the actual meeting to lobby
against required PE does not change the fact
that the meyority of students believe the re
quirement to be too stringent.
Misconception 3: The inability to pull off a
spring stadium concert is the SAs biggest
failure. This is related to the earlier misconcep
tion about what the SA’s role is. The SA was the
first organization to effectively represent the
student body to the Georgia Athletic Associa
tion and secure the right to use the stadium for
a concert. This is where the SA’s primary re
sponsibility ended. The SA then began to work
with booking agents, in this case the University
Union, to find a band that could perform under
the terms set forth by the GAA. The fact is, the
terms set forth by the Athletic Association,
such as a date after April 28 when most college
bands have stopped touring and only allowing
half of the stadium capacity to be filled, are
wholly unacceptable to the vast majority of
bands. Due to these stringent terms, it was im
possible to find an act to play the stadium. In
this particular instance, the SA’s biggest
failure was not the inability to secure an act,
but instead failing to research the problems
that had been encountered last year when the
SA was unable to have a stadium concert, and
jumping the gun and announcing to the campus
that a spring stadium concert was a very prob
able. Next year’s SA will have to resist the
temptation of gaining instant popularity
through the vehicle of a stadium concert, and
instead vow to sit down with the powers that be
in the GAA and re negotiate more favorable
terms.
Molly Mednikow is a columnist for The Red and
Black.
Recruiting unwarranted and deceptive
For years it seemed as though watching the
seven o’clock news was the kiss of death for an
optimist. No sooner would Dan Rather appear
on the screen than the viewer would entertain
apocalyptic visions of the future. The end of this
century, however, promises to dispel at least
part of that cloud. Events in Eastern Europe
and South Africa do indeed lend hope for a
longer, and dare I say, better future for us all.
So, it is even more disturbing to see the re-
emergence of films glorifying attitudes leftover
from the eighties. ‘Top Gun” was a fiag-totin’
favorite, and in its wake came movies that tar
geted either Eurotrash villains or the ubiqui
tous Arab fanatics. More recently, the film
industry has yielded “The Hunt for Red Oc
tober,” starring every man’s man and every
woman’s man, Sean Connery.
The Tom Clancy novel upon which the film is
based was written during the not so distant,
pre-glasnost past, so the unfashionable use of a
cold war plot can be excused. What I find repre
hensible is the presence of U.S. Navy recruiters
in movie lobbies in Atlanta and other cities
across the country. Recruiters were first
spotted outside showings of Top Gun" in 1986.
Hogai
Nassery
The Air Force and Navy were obviously
counting on the momentary jingoistic fervor
generated by Tom Cruise flipping off a MiG
pilot to drum up enlistment.
As disgusting as it was to see that five years
ago, to see such efforts today is even more de
pressing. It is pathetic to watch our country’s
armed forces resort to tactics that border on de
ception.
First, let’s ask ourselves if it’s fair to us. Do
we want soldiers operating tanks and flying
fighter jets that we paid for, who are motivated
to serve their country by a celluloid-induced de
sire for quick glory and Kelly McGillis? With all
the opportunities and benefits that the military
supposedly has to offer, surely it can count on
an individual’s intelligence, not testosterone, to
convince him to enlist.
More importantly, is this practice fair to the
prospective enlistee? Obviously, the recruiters
are hoping to manipulate young people into
making a commitment that will affect ther en
tire lives, based on a shallow sense of patri
otism, or, better yet, Hollywood-ism. Many
people have argued that we are all slaves to the
mass media; our government obviously thinks
so and is blatantly exploiting our susceptibility.
Military recruiting tactics have been under
scrutiny for years now, and this will continue
for as long as recruiters operate on commission.
In light of the Defense Department’s proposed
cuts in personnel, however, it’s hard to see the
need for such desperation. My advice is, see
“Born on the Fourth of July" instead.
Hogai Nassery is o columnist for The Red and
Black.
Purchase recycled goods
Congratulations to the Univer
sity Administration for taking a
step in the right direction as far as
resource management and recy
cling are concerned. However, an
important aspect is being over
looked, and it should be discussed
and well understood.
Collection of (waste) paper and
other recyclable materials is only
the first step of a successful recy
cling program. For instance, once
discarded paper has been collected,
sorted, bailed and shipped to a
manufacturer, it is processed into
new products that need to be
bought by both public and private
entities at large.
The University, along with other
state and federal agencies, uses
huge auantities of paper products
fVom classroom handouts to inter
departmental memos.
1 propose that the University,
and eventually the local, state and
federal governments should adopt
a written policy (backed by action)
which states that of all paper pur
chases made each year, a certain
percentage be recycled products.
Establishing markets for re
cycled goods is vital for the in
dustry at large and cannot be
understated. Whatever program
evolves, it must be fully account
able to ensure public cooperation,
participation and trust.
Nsll D. Saunders
Athsns
Pill still good method
I commend J.D. Squillante for
her excellent article (Feb. 28) on
Norplant, the new implantable
birtn control method. Clearly, in an
era of anti-abortion sentiment, new
contraceptive options are of utmost
importance to women.
1 would like to add a caveat to
the article, however. The kicker
above the article’s headline de
scribes Norplant as “a replacement
■ FORUM
□ The Red snd Blech welcomes letters to the editor and prints them In the Forum
column et space permits. All letters are subject to editing for length, style and II-
belout material, tetters should be typed, doublespaced snd must Include the name,
address end daytime telephone number of the writer. Ptease Include student clasilIT
cation snd major other appropriate Identification. Names esn be omitted with a valid
reeson upon request Letters can be sent ty U.S. mall or brought In person to The Red
snd Blach e offices at 123 N. Jachon St., Athens. Ga.
for the pill." I think it would be
more accurate to say Norplant is
an altematve to the pill.
The pill does provide advantages
over Norplant, so it’s still a good al
ternative.
Theresa Waldron
editor, Contracepthra Technology
Update
Sacco is blind leftist
I am writing in response to
Steven Sacco’s column (March 2).
Sacco states that school children
•houldn’t recite The Pledge of Alle
giance because they cannot under
stand concepts like “one nation
under God." Consideration of God,
he says, should be left up to theolo
gians and philosophers. Is Sacco
suggesting that everyone else be
dismissed from the burden of reli
gious thought?
Undaunted, Sacco continues by
urging that we not tell children the
big lie about "liberty and justice* in
America. Horrors!
And, oh yet, reciting the pledge
produces blind patriotism. Right. It
surely didn’t save Sacco from be
coming a blind leftist.
Uaa McCraney
sophomore, microbiology