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The Wolverine Observer
October 27, 1980
THE MBC WOLVERINE
Telling It Like It Is! j
Editor In Chief
Sybil Thomas
News Editor
Ronald Fudge
Feature Editor
Susan Ashe
Photographer Editor
Corey Johnson
Photographers
Lawrence Flournoy
Jerald Sanders
Fashion Editor
Linda Toon
Art Editor
Michael Foreman
Layout & Design
Sybil Thomas
Advisor
Dr. David Passler
Reporters
Mark Williams
Carol Gibbs
James Henry
Brian Hart
Greg Benton
The Wolverine Observer is designed to inform the students,
faculty and administration of Morris Brown College, and to
serve as a communications channel between the Morris Brown
family and the community. Opinions expressed in articles and
letters.^re those of the author and do not necessarily reflect
either the opinions or policies of the college.
Letter From The Editor
By Sybil Thomas
There are times when I don’t
understand the things that go on
around me. There are times
when I wonder whatthis world is
coming to, but I don’tstopthere.
I try to understand more by read
ing more, and when I can't find
my answers through reading, I
ask questions. I have a question
to ask, even though I suspect it
has no real answer. Why is it
whenever you ask students what
their major is and they tell you,
they can never tell you about
their other activities? Answer:
because they are not involved in
any. For example, I have met
many students who tell me that
their major is Mass Com
munications, but I can count on
one hand the number who are
members of the yearbook staff or
The x Wolverine -Observer.
Nowadays it is imperative for all
Mass Communications majors to
have some experience in layout,
speaking, writing, and editing to
get a job after graduation. Where
are their brains? Out to lunch, I
suppose. The business majors are
lazy, too. All organizations need
business managers, secretaries,
ad managers, and so forth, but
again I can count on one hand
the number of business majors
who take advantage of the
business-related opportunities
this campus has to offer. It would
be interesting to see certain
current events from the point of
view of various departments
such as ^psychology, law, and
even though we’ve been looking
for such a story for a long time,
no one ever turns one in.
Since I have become editor of
the Observer, I've noticed other
serious problems among the
students here: most of us cannot
write a coherent paper, with
clear paragraphs, correct verb
forms, smooth phrasing, and
complete sentences.
It really saddens me to think
that some students with and
without drugs are on a long trip.
They will never wake up. They
will never grow up because they
are too busy being childish
which is why the administration
treats us like children. They do
not want to fight to keep
themselves alive. We are here to
further our knowledge, not to
enjoy cafe food, co-ed visitation,
and numerous parties. We are
not here to fight our sister and
brother schools and to abuse
each other verbally and
physically. Blacks are vulnerable
enough without their going out
of their way stupidly to make
Sybil Thomas
Editor of the Wolverine Observer
their situation worse.
I am tired of Black on Black
Crime. I am sick and tired of the
sisters at A.U.C. leaving their
brains on the hat rack. We need
to take astand,andstartshowing
some measure of intelligence. If
not, we, along with out school,
will crumble. A lot of you will
read this and throw it to the side.
That is fine, but you may be, for
just a minute while you are wat
ching the-tube, eating your bar-
be-cue potato chips, and sucking
on a Mr. Pibb, you should think
about what I have just said and
realize that the world (a lot un
friendly)’is looking at you.
Priority
In simple terms priority means
putting that which is most im
portant first. It involves sacrific
ing immediate desires that may
hinder or inhibit your success at
achieving long-term goals. For
example, taking time out in the
afternoons and weekends to
develop good study habits
should take priority over fre
quent concerts, card games and
house parties.
Goals are important when set
ting priorities. They determine
how we will allocate our atten
tion and study time. As scholars,
our number one priority is
knowledge and all its uses.
Anyone or thing that impedes or
prohibits our attaining
excellence in our educational
endeavors should be placed low
on our list of priorities. No club,
organization, or activity within
an institution should be placed
before the academic
performance of its students. If
these functions are given greater
priority than the students that
keep them going, then the
institution or organization
should evaluate how its basic
principles fit in with the general
welfare of the students.
continued on page 12
Voters Undecided
Campus Digest Sews Service
Pollsters show that more than half
the voters they have polled recently
don’t particularly like any of the can
didates for president.
People always have seemed to
dislike politicians so this is nothing
new. However in past presidential
elections, voters generally considered
one presidential candidate to have
more good qualities than another.
This election year, history is not
repeating itself.
■ This time many voters lack the en
thusiasm of the past. Analysts predict
that voter turnout on Nov. '4 will be
the lowest since 1924. In that year,
only 43.8 percent of the eligible voters
went to the polls.
According to the polls, the public
doesn’t seem to be impressed with
anything the candidates do or say.
Even the televised debate between
Anderson and Reagan did not end
with either being a clear winner or
loser according to the polls, Approx
imately 50 million Americans watch
ed the debates.
Although Carter refused to par
ticipate in the debate because of
Anderson’s presence, polls showed
that Carter neither lost nor gained
popularity because of his absence.
The public seems disenchanted with
the current Democratic and
Republican parties, as a June Gallup
poll showed that 31 percent of the
registered voters surveyed said they
would prefer a new middle-of-the-
road party.
Voter apathy seems to be more
prevalent in the United States than in
other countries. One reason for this
apathy may be that the United States
has a voluntary voter registration
while many countries initiate the
registration process by going door-to-
door while others have mandatory
citizen registration.
Changing the U.S. method of voter
registration does not guarantee that
voter apathy would be eliminated.
For example, Switzerland with its
mandatory registration, had a poor
turnout at the polls in 1979 with only
47.8 percent of those eligible voting.
The Census Bureau has compiled a
composite of the typical non-voter.
The prototype is a white Southern
woman who is married and lives in
the suburbs. She has at least a high
school education and is in her mid-
thirties. The non-voter is a blue-collar
worker and had a family income of
$10,000 in 1976.
The bureau also composed a com
posite of the typical voter. The com
posite is similar to a non-voter except
that the woman is older - in her mid
forties - and is a white-collar worker
who had a family income of approx
imately $13,500 in 1976.
During the 1976 presidential elec
tion, the bureau found that the lowest
participation was by those in the
18-24 age group. Only 42.2 percent
voted, while 63 percent of those older
came to the polls.
The voting rate for blacks was only
49 percent' while 61 percent of whites
voted.