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THE PANTHER
PAGE 2
Coed Visitation
Rights Defended
The issue of coed visitation has been a controver
sial matter on many college campuses and universities.
The Panther applauds President Vivian W. Henderson's
decision this week to permit coed visitation at Clark.
All institutions must have some regulations to func
tion effectively. Regulations should not be designed to
hamper freedom, however, but to facilitate group living.
Administration, faculty and students should be jointly
responsible for maintaining conditions which promote
the mental, physical, social, and spiritual development
of every student on this campus.
The administration and faculty at Clark College as
sumes students are mature and responsible; yet, they
do not give us a chance to prove ourselves. Last year,
a proposal for coed visitation at Brawley Hall on a
experimental basis was drawn up by the Brawley Hall
Senate and Clark College Men’s Association and was
rejected by our administration.
The proposal would have given Clark’s students a
chance to prove to the administration that we are adults
and can conduct ourselves in that manner. The proposal
was on an experimental basis.
There was not a mass student reaction to the rejec
tion of the proposal, because most of the students were
unaware of what was going on.
What has happened here at Clark is that for too long
students have been apathic and have sat back and com
plained and have failed to rise to speak out for bettering
the social conditions at Clark College.
There is no apparent reason why our administration
cannot permit us to establish coed visitation on an ex
perimental basis. Colleges such as Talledega, Bethune
Cookman, Tuskegee Institute, Fisk and even Morehouse
and Spelman have established coed visitation.
Other colleges have given their students a chance to
act like adults, Clark has fallen short in this capacity.
If we are to continue to maintain our status as being
second to none and increasing the options, then we
should get out of that traditional bag and open the door
for chang^. Coed visitation is needed now, not twenty
vears from now.
BOYCOTT GULF
Gulf OH is the largest single U. S. investor in Portu
gal’s three colonial wars against the people of Mozam
bique, Angola and Guinea-t3issau.
Payments by Gulf in the form of taxes and royalities
ties help to ' upply the money needed to continue the op
pressive wars of Portugal against the African people.
Payments by Gulf for 1972 operation reached $61
million an amount which represent’?; 60% of the pro
vinces 1972 military budget. Gulf Oil then finances
60% of the war against the African people in Angola.
Cabinda Gulf Oil is proving an increasingly powerful
prop to >:ne Angolan economy. The oil from Cabinda is
sold in the international market, with tax and royalties
paid to Portugal.
The African people of Angola, Mozambique, and Gui
nea-Bissau have been involved in armed revolt since 1961.
They are fighting for the right to the land that is theirs.
A fight for freedom from colonial rule.
In 1960, in Mozambique, almost 600 people were kill
ed by the Portuguese army with grenades and machine
guns while they demonstrated peacefully in support of
their demands and their right to independence.
At Pidigiuiti, in Guinea-Bissau, 50 African dock wor
kers were-shot down in 1959 during a strike for higher
wages.
In Angola, between 50,000 and 80,000 Angolans were
killed by Potuguese forces between March 16, and June
30, 1961, approximately 20,000 people killed per month.
It is these types of oppressive actions that Gulf Oil
helps support.
Agostinho Neto, President of the Peoples Movement
for theliberation of Angola (MPLA said, “Investment by
U.S. Corporations such as Gulf Oil can only help the Portu-
as they fight us
In a resolution passed November 4, 1972, the general
assembly of the United nations called on . . . All states
to take forthwith all possible measures to put an end to
all activities that help to exploit the territories under
Portuguese domination and the people there in
/ulf Oil Company has disregarded this resolution
ardhas continued to help finance Portugal’s facist colo
nial regime in Angola.
Clark College has all the
problems associated with
present-day higher educa
tion, plus all those en
cumbered as a Black col
lege. There seems to be a
never-ending spiral of
price inflation that taxes
the poor and poor colleges
in an extraordinary fashion;
competition for public and
private funds is complex,
costly, and speculative, but
increasingly necessary and
time-consuming. Well qua
lified professors with
strong commitments to tea
ching are attracted by lu
crative salaries in business
and government, thus mak
ing it more difficult to at
tract them to colleges with
limited salary potential;
and continued explosion in
information and new techno
logy makes it extremely dif
ficult for institutions with
few resources to respond
to new demands in curricu
la and program and new
career opportunities.
But these are also times
of unusual excitement and
opportunity for Black peo
ple and particularly for
those of us at Clark Col
lege and in the Atlanta
University Center. Stren
gthening of faculty and pro
grams and expansion of
curriculum options have
been our objectives since
1970, and we are beginning
to see results. We are de
veloping a strong corps of
experienced and dedicat
ed teachers; 47 per cent of
the faculty holds the earn
ed doctorate degree; new
curriculum emphasis in
communications, policy
studies, and health sciences
are in full development,
and the four-course struc
ture appears to be giving
us a new upward thrust in
instruction. We have an ag
gressive student body ef
fectively engaged in crea
tive criticism and with
dynamic leadership. Very
importantly, our fund-rais
ing is in high g»-ar and we
are rapidly reaching a le
vel of sophistication in
fund-raising that will allow
us to employ better techni
ques and hopefully, result
in more funds coming to the
College for program, stu
dents, and facilities. Final
ly, we are fortunate to be
located in a thriving metro
politan area where politi
cal, economic, and social
change is the order of the
day, and where new oppor
tunities present themselves
for fulfillment.
GUEST EDITORIAL
The following is a guest editorial from Clark College
President VivianW. Hender-son on ‘Problems and
Processes.’
As President of Clark
College, I am aware of the
nany short comings we ex
perience in such areas as
administration, student
support services, and phy
sical facilities. Most stu
dents, faculty, and alumni
are aware of our continu
ing obsession and unlimit
ed efforts in trying to com
plete fund-raising for a
$3 million health and phy
sical education building and
a $4 million building for
mass communications.
To raise that kind of
money for non-income pro
ducing facilities at this point
in time is no small task.
A few years back when fe
deral funds were availa
ble, it would have been
somewhat easier; but those
funds are not available at
this time. Nonetheless, we
are making effective pro
gress in raising the funds
for these projects.
This year, we are increa
sing our investment in coun
seling with implementation
of a counseling program that
will enable us to effective
ly reach every student and
respond to academic, fin
ancial, and personal coun
seling needs.
In the area of administra
tion, the “Clarkgate” re
ferred to in the last issue
of the Panther, we have
some of our most press
ing and difficult problems.
One analysis of adminis
trative problems reveals an
interesting conclusion.
The budget for the Col
lege was $1.5 million in
1966; today, it is $7 mill
ion. This represents a
growth of $5. 5 million,
or an increase of about
three-and-one-half times..
Administrative arrange
ment to support this increas
ed budget and provide sui
table support for business
and other affairs associat
ed with the budget have chan-
gedL-very, very little.
Likewise, enrollment has
increased from about 800
students in 1966 to about
1,300 students in 1973-- an
increase of 64 percent. Ad
ministrative arrangements
in registration, student
services, and business af
fairs to support that enroll
ment have changed little
during that period. These
REVENUES SOURCE
are but two examples of
change and growth at the
College which have not been
accompanied by improve
ments in administrative
arrangements and demands
associated therewith. Quite
frankly, Clark College, as
with many Colleges like
Clark, is under-administer
ed . I must say, however,
for good reasons we have
had to place our investment
emphasis of the past few
years on faculty improve
ment, student financial aid,
and curriculum improve
ment. Our pay-off from
investments in these prio
rities appears to be on
track.
I mention these two ex
amples to candidly indicate
my awareness of the
“Clarkgate” in our midst.
Even so, however, there is
only so much we can do
within the constraints pos
ed by our limited resour
ces. We cannot charge tui
tion at sufficient rates that
will allow us to meet our
campus needs. Accompany
ing this paper is a chart
showing sources of reve
nue and expenditures for
1973-1974. Note that stu
dent charges account for
only 25 per cent of the cost
of instruction in the form
of tuition and fees ( and
much of that is paid with
financial aid from public
and private sources; and,
moreover, we have ex
treme difficulty getting
students to cooperate in
completing the forms re
quired by public authori
ties for the College to re
ceive payments). It is also
to be noted that 52 per cent
of the budget is for instruc
tion.
At present, Adminis
trative affairs, along with
counseling and student sup
port services, are items of
top priority for the College.
Ill
Effective student invol
vement, leadership, and
student responsibility are
critical to everything we
do at Clark College. Last
week, students were voted
membership on the Acade
mic Council. This means
that students now serve on
every policy-making and
administrative council and
committee on the campus.
Effectiveness of student
participation on the Trustee
Board and campus commit
tees is well established.
It must be continued at an
effective level. In addition,
students can do much to fos
ter a climate of study and
responsible use regarding
the library; students can do
much to reduce disarray
and disruption in resi
dence halls; students can
make the difference in lear
ning experiences; students
can make the difference in
the life of the campus.
In the final analysis, we
can swim together, or we
can sink together. Every
thing points to a good long,
and healthy swim.