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4 • The Red and Black • Friday, September 21. 1990
OPINIONS
The Red & Black
F.ttabiithed I89S—I•u.orporaUti 19M
An indtpoidtrit itudrnt neutpape' noi a/fuiaieti uith Che University of Georgia
Robert Todd Editor-in-Chief
Jennifer Rampey/Managing Editor
David Johnston/Opinions Editor
I | 3 .V.!:TTT3
Good job
University President
Charles Knapp
STAFF
NEWS: 543-1809
how* Editor jornrfef W km
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how Writof* Editor Bo*h Graridy
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Trondo Editor: V<via fdwa'dt
Aoolotanl Tronda Editor: Stephan* Smith
Between Tha Itodgoa Editor: Oovx) Pace
Aoolatant Botwoon Tho Hodfoo Editor: fnc Gertor
Cortoonlot Mihe Morcu
Editorial Aooiotant. Deo Deo Varga*
Opinion* oaprooood In Tho Bod and Bloch othor than
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Bopnrtf by porm«*ion of tho editor*
University administrators deserve to be
commended for their swift and sensible response to the
unusual number of health problems plaguing staff in
the Biological Sciences Complex.
More the 50 workers in the complex say they have
expert-:, -i headaches, nausea, eye irritation and
insomnia.
Recognizing that local . ~ ”7 ’ ]
agencies don’t have the
equipment or the
knowledge to do the job,
the University wisely
requested that the
Georgia Department of
Human Resources come in
and test the building for
possible health hazards.
Even as he is being
forced to cut an already
tight budget, University
President Charles Knapp
has pledged whatever
resources are needed to
ensure the safety of
students and staff in Bio
Sciences.
During times of budget tightening, it is imperative
for decision makers to establish a clear set of priorities.
In this case, Knapp certainly has his in line.
Open search
The search committee to select a new vice president
for Development and University Relations is now
official President Knapp has recruited 11 members of
the University community to serve on the committee,
and on Monday the University Council’s Executive
Committee will select the last member. Then search
can begin in earnest.
The vice president for development is in one of the
most important positions at the University.
Nearly every aspect of the University is dependent
upon the private fund raising and alumni relations
which these offices oversee.
The offices of development and relations are the
University’s link to the outside world, and the vice
president for development is the University’s
ambassador.
First and foremost the University needs a thorough
and open search.
There are certainly a number of highly qualified
candidates available for this important position, and it
is a far too critical an office to simply be given to an old
friend or unqualified applicant.
A complete and thorough screeening of all
applicants serves everyone’s interests, and the best
way to do that is to keep the entire process open.
Committee meetings, minutes from interviews and a
list of applicants including their resumes must be made
available to the press, the faculty, the students and the
alumni.
If some candidates feel uneasy about such
openness, then they shouldn’t be applying for a job that
requires constant visibility and openness.
Additionally, an open search will provide more
credibility to the search itself. If the search is perceived
as a facade for a selection that has already been made,
then everyone loses. The University loses, Knapp loses
and the new vice president loses.
Without a vote of confidence from the entire
University community, the new vice president will be
impotent and ineffective before even taking office. Then
where will the University be?
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QUOTABLE
We are offering more seats for freshman English this year, but
in winter we will nave used up all of our monetary resources and
will nave less seats available.' — Michael Hendrick, assistant
to the head of the English department dn University budget cuts.
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IllAT DO yoUCAU.
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THAT HASH T BEEN
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APQAICAUyWQldttE?
Caution: Crushes cause courting catastrophe
For just one kiss, darling, anything l would
give/ ‘cause you're a walkin', talkin’ reason to
live — from “Crush On You” by Bruce
Springsteen.
The crush. Is there a more character-
building experience?
The best can brighten your day and the worst
can hand you the most humiliating moments of
your life.
More often than not, they leave you, a year
later, unable to remember the person’s name
but wondering what attracted you in the first
place.
I know — I’ve had my share.
My shortest crush lasted 2 days (until I had
to leave Camp Rock Eagle and that cute sev
enth-grader from Charlton County); my longest
spanned eight months and developed into a real
romance that broke my heart in sixteen places.
But I got over it.
That’s the thing about crushes — they are as
short-lived as that new smell in a recently-pur
chased car. But during that short time they can
take you to the heights of bliss and the dreg-
bottom depths of utter embarassment.
The bliss is when he likes you, too. Or, at
least, when you think he does. Then every little
smile is a major thrilling event, akin to Atlanta
getting the Olympics.
And you have to call your roommate right
then to tell her about it. And you must describe
it in detail to your diary. Above all, you must
Beth
Graddy
analyze it to death.
Analyzing my last crush drove me absolutely
crazy because I saw him all the time. So many
words, smiles and looks to interpret.
If he said “Hi” I was so excited I couldn’t see
straight. If he actually carried on a conversa
tion, I was unable to reciprocate, developing a
stutter and blushing magenta.
The conversation could be about the Bull
dogs’ chances against the University of Ala
bama, but, blinded by a crush, I can infer a
proposal of marriage from the phrase, “How
’bout them dogs?”
But bliss seems to go hand-in-hand with
broken-hearted embarassment in the case of
crushes.
Remember the last time you really bottomed-
out? You vowed to never leave your room again.
The thing to remember is that you are NOT
alone. Comfort yourself with these scenarios.
Patrick (names have been changed to protect
the innocent) tells of skipping lacrosse practicd
three times to ride the bus home after school
with Sue only to discover she was riding the bus
to her boyfriend’s ’
Although it was v v *rs ago, Patrick had
never recovered from the scars of humiliation.!
Another Patrick (what a coincidence, but thif
isn’t his real name either) tells of a girl he fell
for who, in turn, blew him off. The next time hi
saw her he asked, “So, have you dumped
anyone lately?”
He says, “It just popped out, you know? But II
was so emharassed.”
Carol developed a crush on a local radio disci
jockey. They talked often when she called in her!
requests. Finally she came up with an excuse tofl
visit him at the station. (Carol is a creative!
genius.)
“It was awful,” she said. “I can’t talk about it,|
but you can imagine.”
Yes, we can.
Diana described having a crush on a guy who]
told her she was really beautiful. But it was not 1
to be.
“My boyfriend got in the way,” she explained. I
Don says he averages five or six crushes aj
quarter, and they all end in tragedy.
Asked why he doesn’t just stop, he explained, ■
“Hey, it’s fun.”
So it is, so it is.
Beth Graddy is an associate news editor for The j
Red and Black.
Unification offers students new opportunities
Students new to Athens or those returning
after a three month absence may be unaware
that this summer has brought major changes to
the local political organization.
The unification of the Clarke County and
Athen’s city governments offers exciting oppor
tunities to students - if they choose to take ad
vantage of them. The most drastic change
affecting students is the enclosure of the Uni
versity and a fairly large portion of student
apartment complexes within a single district.
The previous system had gerrymandered
students into several city council wards. This
division all but destroyed student chances of
electing one of their own to a seat in local gov
ernment. Candidates for the city council didn’t
have to court the votes of a transient student
population seen to be unconcerned with local
affairs.
Now that the campus is entirely contained
within Ward A of the new District 4, candidates
to that seat will have to be especially sensitive
to student issues. Among the issues candidates
for the 4th District should be attuned to are the
following:
Historic Preservation: Last year saw the
destruction of the Hull-Snelling House. The 147
year-old antebellum home was torn down to
make room for a Holiday Inn parking lot. The
former city council lacked the votes necessary
to designate the area as a historic district.
Recently, concerned citizens have opposed
the efforts of a largely unresponsive County
Commission to tear down Athen’s historic Fire
Hall in order to build a Civic Center. Students
worried about the destruction of Athen’s unique
architectual style should push to elect histori
cally-minded representatives.
After years of a solidly-entrenched county
commission that favors business interests over
Stephanie
Stuckey
preserving local culture, it is time to vote for
change.
Recycling: Recycling programs in Athens
have not been implemented on a uniform basis.
Some neighborhoods, such as Five Points, have
active programs with curbside pickups and gov
ernment-provided recycling bins, while other
areas are devoid of any recycling efforts.
The few programs in effect have been ini
tiated by the city council. The county commis
sioners nave failed to appropriate any funds to
a recycling program. Now that unification is at
hand, there is the potential to enact a county
and city-wide effort, if voters choose candidates
who are environmentally aware.
The Open Container Law: Although it’s
unfair to associate alcohol laws with students,
the fact remains that students are the targets
of local drinking ordinances. The most contro
versial ordinance to date has been the open con
tainer law. Created under the guise of
combatting the downtown litter problem, the
ordinance is primarily aimed at students seen
drinking in public.
The ordinance might have some validity if it
were not for its arbitrary enforcement. Stu
dents are frequently cited for walking down
town with a beer in hand (and even, on one
occasion, for sipping a beer on the stairwell of a I
licensed downtown establishment). However, I
rich and powerful alumni are rarely cited forF
public drinking and tailgating at football*
games. And, judging by littered parking lots on g
game days, the litter problem is far from erad
icated.
If Athens is to have an effective drinking or
litter ordinance, let’s have one that addresses
the problem and that is uniformly enforced.]
The representative from the 4th District should
be responsive to student concerns on this and 1
other drinking issues.
Bicycling Lancs: An issue that has been re
peatedly tabled by the city council is the pro- j
posal of reserved lanes for bikers. With the |
ever-increasing parking problems on campus, a \
substantial portion of the student body now I
bikes to school. Students have often voiced con
cerns at city council meetings about appro- m
priating funds for creating bike lanes. Now that £
the student voice has been unified into one
voting block, this issue may attract the notice it
deserves.
Students are now faced with a unique chal
lenge. The vote they cast on November 6th will jj
have substantial impact on the role of students h
and their concerns in the new unified govern- J
ment.
If you haven’t already registered to vote, do it
now (the deadline is October 9.) If you’re regis- j
tered in your hometown, now may be the time
to seriously consider changing over your regis
tration. Student activists in the past have re
peatedly tried to organize the student vote, but
to no avail. Now that we’re on the verge of
achieving this goal, let’s not let the efforts of
our predecessors be in vain.
Stephanie Stuckey is a second year law student
Opposition to flag is attempt at cultural revolt
<*h
We are witnessing an attempt at a cultural
revolution in this country, which does not con
form to the present egalitarian ideology of our
liberal/leftist media and academic establish
ment.
The fierce attacks upon the Confederate flag
are symbolic of a much deeper hostility raising
its ugly head in American political and social
discourse — the modem arrogance that as
sumes that everyone and everything is totally
flawed if it does not dove tail with certain
narrow 1990 viewpoints.
The accompanying campaign to obliterate all
respect for the past and to socially engineer a
new world order through intensivemedia prop
aganda and governmental coercion bears too
many resemblances to the recently failed Com
munist experiment for comfort.
Perhaps one of the most fundamental values
that the Confederate flag stands for is individu-
William
Cawthon
ality, the right to be different, the right to
“defy,” if you will, a government grown too pow
erful for the good of the people. It stands for the
liberty and the right to self-determination as
surely as does the American flag.
It is highly ironic that those who attack the
Confederate flag cast themselves as defenders
of a minority.
The many contributions that black Ameri
cans have made to this country are being at
long last given their due recognition, but all too
often this new respect is accompanied by de
nunciations of the character and values of an
other major minority. Southern heritage is
today under constant attack and continual con
tempt.
Southerners love the Confederate flag be
cause it represents their own personal heritage.
It represents valor, devotion to duty, defense of
liberty, and our own dear Southland. When you
attack the Confederate banner, you attack
something very deep; in fact the soul of our hu
manity. To expect Southerners to give up the
Confederate flag is to expect them to denounce
themselves.
William Cawthon, Jr. is a graduate student in
history.