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OVER 1000 STUDENTS VOTED in the SGA elections Tuesday, in which Don Smart was elected
president, Rick Waites, vice-president, and Tony Lyons,judiciary chairman.
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VOLUME XXXVII- NUMBER TWENTY - TWO
Offended By Language
Blacks Protest Play
By ROB JONES, STAFF WRITER
Approximately 14 blacks
staged a protest this week in
opposition to the use of the word
“nigger” in the play “Why I lived
at the P. 0.” The protest included
demonstrations in front of the
Student Center and in front of the
auditorium, plus a meeting with
President James Boyd. The
members of the group carried
signs and sang during the
demonstrations.
The protest started Monday
night. After the presentation of
the play, three black students
confronted George Chard,
assistant professor of speech,
who had adapted the story to
“Chamber Theatre” form. The
three are reported to have said
that they resented the use of the
word and predicted that every
black on the campus would
Inside Today
Play Review-
See Story on Page 3
Underground Paper-
See Story on Page 2
Mr. King To Retire-
See Story on Page 8
boycott the play for the
remainder of the week if the term
was not removed.
DEMONSTRATION
On Tuesday afternoon a group
of seven demonstrated inside,
and in front of, the Student
Center. Most carried signs. One
sign read.“explain the word
‘nigger’ to us blacks.” They also
sang “We Shall Overcome,” and
other protest songs.
Members of the demonstration
walked out of the performance
Tuesday & Wednesday nights at
the second mention of the word
“nigger.” The cast stood quietly
as the blacks walked out. Another
march was held in front of the
auditorium immediately
following those performances.
Groups consisted of about 15
WEST GEORGIA COLLEGE, CARROLLTON, GA. 30117
members, and several campus
policemen stood watch on the
area while the marches were in
progress.
MEETING WITH PRESIDENT
The protestors met with
President Boyd Wednesday, and
asked that either the word
“nigger” be removed or the
presentations of the play be
cancelled.
Later in the afternoon, Dr.
Oliver Link, associate professor
of speech, Chard, and Dr. James
Mathews, chairman of the
humanities division, met with the
president, vice president, and
dean of the college. The decision
was made to continue the play in
its original form.
The play was one of two
Continued on Page 8
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1,058 Students Vote ;
Smart, Waites Elected
Don Smart, a junior from Baxley, was elected president when 1,508
students went to the polls to vote for officers of the Student
Government Association Tuesday. He received 63.1% of the votes.
“I appreciate all the help from
everyone, because I could not
have been elected without it,” he
said. ‘‘My main goal is to fulfill
the promises of my campaign and
then do a little more.”
In the race for vice-president,
winner Rick Waites, a sophomore
from Douglasville.took 68.2% of
the votes. “I am happy with the
large number of people who
voted,” Waites said, ‘‘and
appreciate the confidence many
have in me. Now I need all those
voters to support me again and
put the SGA back on top where it
belongs.”
Tony Lyons, a junior from
Atlanta, was elected judiciary
chairman with 70.0% of the
votes.
The defeated candidate for
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APPROXIMATELY 14 BLACK STUDENTS left the Chamber
Theatre production of ‘‘Why I Live at the P. 0.” Tuesday night
(above) after being offended by the use of the word “nigger” in the
play. They later staged a march outside the auditorium (below).
president, Pat Debord, said, “I
would like to stay active in the
affairs of the SGA. I want to wait
for the plans for the senate to
become final. Then, possibly, I
will run for election to the
senate.”
Billy Harper opposed Waites in
the race for vice-president and
Richard Russell ran against Lyons
in the contest for judiciary
chairman.
The proposed constitutional
ammendment to move the
appointment of graduate student
representatives from spring to fall
quarter was passed with an 86.5%
affirmative vote.
The participation of over 1500
students in the election is
considered by SGA officials to be
unusually large.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1971