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6 • The Red and Black / Finals • Monday,
1990
The Red & Black
Established 1893—Incorporated 1980
An independent itudent ne we paper not affiliated with the University of Georgia
Robert Todd/Editor-in-Chief
Jennifer Rampey/Managing Editor
David Johnston/Opinions Editor
■ EDITORIALS
Take a stand now
For the past four months, The Red and Black’s
editorial board has been generally supportive of
President George Bush’s Persian Gulf policy. At the
same time, we’ve run several signed columns which
were highly critical of the policy.
Whatever your opinion about the Gulf Crisis,
traditional students must realize that it is our
generation which will be most directly affected by a war
in the Middle East.
It will be us, our friends, our brothers or our sisters
who’ll be called up in the event of a draft. We’ll also be
the ones who’ll kill and/or be killed in military action.
It is more than likely that this crisis will be resolved
before or immediately after we return from Christmas
break.
It is imperative that each of us decide how we feel
about the possibility of war and do what we can to
influence the outcome of this crisis — one way or
another.
Write to the president and your senators and
congressman and let them know how you feel before it’s
too late.
Write to Bush at: The White House, Washington,
DC.
The members of Georgia’s congressional delegation
are: Senators Wyche Fowler and Sam Nunn,
Congressmen Lindsay Thomas (1st congressional
district), Charles Hatcher (2nd), Richard Ray (3rd),
Ben Jones (4th), John Lewis (5th), Newt Gingrich (6th),
Buddy Darden (7th), Roy Rowland (6th), Ed Jenkins
(9th) and Doug Barnard (10th, which includes Athens).
You can address separate letters for both Fowler
and Nunn to: Washington, D.C. 20510. Letters to each
of the Congressmen can be addressed to: Washington,
D.C. 20515. Include the Congressman’s name and
district, of course.
STAFF
NEWS: 543-1809
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OPINIONS
Students treated as minority
am unic iaj nuu wiuuier minority to tne use. xes
along with the Blacks, women, Jews, homosexuals,
and Fleetwwod Mac fans, we have a huge minority
group around here. Keep in mind by “minority," ]
mean any group that has less voice in decision making
than the dominant group. In other words, Black
people in South Africa are the minority group despite
being the numerical majority. Anyway, the minorit)
group I’m referring to is college students.
Ridiculous, you say? Have you ever noticed hov
little respect students get? The alumni are treated at
demigods who can do no wrong, the saints of Sanford
I’m sure that's because the University milks them o:
plenty of money in the form of donations and guill
pledges, probably enought to justify another raise foi
the faculty. They are treated like stars and any tres
pa88 is forgiven.
Ever notice which side the band always faces at the
football games? Yes, I hear somebody yelling thal
alumni pay more for their tickets. Well, we student*
are paying in tuition and transportation fees and God
only knows what kind of other fees, and you'd think
every so often the band would face us too. We listen tc
music as much as the alumni do. There also isthe fact
that the Parking Services people ticket for the most
minor infractions, brought on by a lack of spaces, but
visitors on football games get to park everywhere
What makes them special?
a l thin J\ ^ attitude Pervades the entire town ol
Athens. I know there is a hostility toward us transient
students from some of the permanent residents of the
Classic City. I remember last year when there was a
big Tire at the oil refinery and I went out there for a
closer look. 1 was told by one of the local residents that
students rarely came out to the east side of town that
was the way it should be and that we’re a bunch of ir
responsible drunks who litter everywhere we go.
Anyone who was here for homecoming would know
what kind of bull that la. North campus had turned
into a garbage dump within the apace of aeven houra
Bottles were everywhere. You'd think the Delta Iota
Pi fraternity had too large a party, right? Wrong. It
was the sainted alumni. There probably were a few
drunken students who added to the mess, and I know
of at least five decent alums who didn't leave there
bottles wherever. But both of these were in the mi-
nonty.
And that gets me to the subject of selective enforce-
ment. Anyone who was in town last year for that laug.
hable piece of legislation calle the Open Container
keep students from drinking, whether they are of
North campus turned into a garbage
dump within the space of seven
hours. Bottles were everywhere.
You’d think the Delta lota Pi
fraternity had too large a party,
right? Wrong. It was the alumni.
legal age are not.
If the officers really want to clean up the city, they
should target the people who really contribute to the
mess. But no, we can’t antagonize the alumni who
bring in so much revenue.
It should come as no surprise that many of the deci
sion makers here have stereotyped us. We, the stu
dents, are irresponsible drunkards. It is no accident
that cars obviously driven by young people are more
likely to be stopped by the highway patrol. I re
member a police officer who followed me for miles, just
because I might be drunk. Why, because I’m 21?
lhere are two basic problems here, and two solu
tions. Both solutions invlove our deciding that we’re
not going to passively accept this and tell ourselves
that it’s the way things are. Things don’t have to be
any one way.
First is the administration. We need to unify and
remind them that, if not for us matriculating here,
there wouldn’t be a University. There are enough stu
dent organizations here to make our grievances
heard.
The second problem is a lack of representation in
government. I’m sure nobody needs another lecture on
voting, but that is the only way to challenge the people
who make the decisions that affect our lives, as well as
the “permanent" residents.
Johnny Lenka it a senior psychology major.