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“oar media is a means of liberation,
aa instrument of clalriflcation, information,
education and mobilization."
Kwame NKramah
ItaOwkCdbf*
VOL. XXXXNOTT
j MOV EMBER 1977
THEY ARE M AD AS HELL
CC Students Irked
over Housing
By Suleiman Abdul-Azeez
In a recent survey of 30
Clark College Courts (CCC)
residents, over half complained
of the lack of rat and roach
control, repairs, security and
furnishings in their apartments.
Of the students surveyed,
25 complained of roaches in
their apartments. Roommates in
two apartments said they had
seen rats running around.
Moreover, 18 of the
s'udents had not seen their
apartments exterminated. They
generally agreed that more
regular exterminations were
needed to combat the rodent
and insect problems. Cans of
insect spray, purchased by the
s’udents,could be seen in many
apar’ments.
Repairs, or the lack of
’hem, ranked second among the
s’udents complaints, with 25
complaining that Clark takes too
long to make repairs. In some
instances the repairs were not
made.
One student complained of
broken glass in her sliding living
room door which she has been
reques'ing to have repaired
since September.
Several students com
plained of ovens needing
repairs. At least two students
showed holes in each of their
bathroom ceilings.
The sentiment among the
students is that of frustration in
trying to get Clark to make
repairs.
“You go down there (the
business office), the man makes
promises, but he doesn’t do
anything,” one student said.
“You have to keep running
them down,” another student
said.
Security at the apartment
complex is inadequate ac
cording to 19 of the CCC
Hole in wall and hole in window in pictures above are examples of
housing problems in Clark College Courts about which students
complain.
students surveyed. One student
said, “This apartment building
is too big for just one security
guard.”
Another added, “It would
make a lot of people more
comfortable if more security
could be seen.”
A large number of students
have put additional locks on the
apartment doors or said they
plan to do so. Many of the
women students felt that it
would be unsafe to use the
telephone in the lobby of the
"Birdcage” at night or in the
early morning because of
inadequate security. (The
Birdcage is the first of the two
circular buildings com arising
the CCC apartment complex .
One student said lie hopes
that Clark would strengthen
security during the holiday
season when he and many other
students would be going home.
Only six of the students
cited no problem with security.
Furnishings and related
services received an “in
sufficient” rating from 18
students. The biggest com
plaints were about un
shampooed or poorly sham
pooed rugs.
One student told of having
'.to use “creative lighting” to
hide the streaks in her newly
shampooed rug. Drapes were
,|tom, badly worn, discolored or
1'in need of cleaning in many of
M’he students’ apartments.
Additionally, students
pointed to mismatched fur-
• ni'ure, wobbly coffee tables,
’ md the lack of lamps, end
ables and chairs.
“Furniture has to be ab-
Jsolutely unusable to be
'replaced,” a resident said.
Another student said that
he was told that he would get
jsome new furniture “when the
i'ruck comes in,” he quipped. “I
guess it must be coming from
Japan.”
Of the 30 students sur
veyed, four were seniors, 13
ljuniors, 10 sophomores and 3
are freshmen. This is the first
year at CCC for about 19 of
those surveyed and the third
year for only about 3 of them.
Rent, for those whose
financial aid package does not
cover it, is $90 monthly per
student or $180 monthly per ont-
bedroom apartment.
Continued on Page 3
Campus Housing #
Stinks Nationally
By Helen Cordes
They’re mad as hell and
they’re not going to take it any
longer! That’s what people are
saying these days, as spiraling
housing costs chop away at their
budgets. These people are
among thousands nationwide
who are organizing tenant
unions to fight rent increases
and substandard housing.
Most everyone who has
ever rented has had problems
with a rotten landlord. Needed
repairs go unfixed for months;
heating and cooling systems
show no correspondence to the
weather, yet the rent bill climbs.
Virtually all students are
familiar with this song-and-
dance. Many rallied to the
housing cause in the early
seventies. The Madison,
Wisconsin Tenant Union, now
one of the best organized city
tenant unions in the country,
was initiated by University of
Wisconsin students in 1969.
Activity lagged in the past few
years - and now is experiencing
a resurgence.
The Student Tenant Union
(STU) at Madison took on one of
Madison’s most powerful
landlords this spring. Marvin
Marcus, owner of several
apartment buildings, was
notorious for “non
maintenance” and withholding
damage deposits, says STU.
When STU organizers at
tempted to leaflet an apartment
building with an announcement
of a tenant’s picnic and
meeting, they were met by
Marcus, his business partner,
and two other “large em
ployees” who made it clear that
no leafleting was allowed. Sue
McCabe, STU member, said
Marcus’ strong-arm tactics have
prevented effective organization
in Marcus-owned buildings.
STU can move on to other
projects, though, as Marcus
recently sold many of his
properties and split for Texas.
Back at the office, STU is
most active in fielding
grievances, most of which deal
with security deposits being
withheld. They instruct students
to file a claim in small claims
courts and refer students to
lawyers who will assist them in
filing for little or no fees. STU
also keeps track of which lan
dlords are being complained
about, and passes this in
formation on to inquiring
students. STU’s new innovation
is to train people in buigding
code regulat ionsT" Ttie~ volun
teers then inspect buildings as
requested, and work with city
inspectors in brining violations
to light.
This summer, students,
faculty and university em
ployees at Wayne State
Unversity (WSU) in Detroit
merged to form the WSU
Housing Tenants Council. They
were fed up with the quality and
cost of University housing.
For one thing, rent had
increased from 7 percent to 16
percent in different buildings.
The mandatory parking fees
were one of the highest in the
nation (45 to $50 ca quarter),
and payment didn’t necessarily
insure a parking space at all
times. Maintenance was
sketchy, the Council said. Older
buildings had potentially
dangerous problems such as
hazardous wiring, unhealthy
heating systems, and poor
plumbing.
Continued on Page 3
A Critical Time
By Lariy Simpson
Clark College, as a
historically Black institution,
has to continued to be an
alternative to and a bulwark
against the forces of racism in
American life, said the 19th
president of this institution in
his first convocation speech.
Elias Blake, Jr., speaking
at the 109th Convocation, said
the (Allen) Bakke case raises
serious questions concerning
Black students and black
colleges which Clark, in its
historic role, must address.
For Blacks
“The Bakke case argues
whether or not new methods
Black Americans had fashioned
to advance education were
unconstitutional.
“A serious question is if
any method P'acks use to
advance education should be
posed as a constitutional issue,”
he said.
“This should give us pause
to think where Blacks are in
America in 1977.
Continued on Page 3