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Western Carolinian Volume 35 Number 06

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  • EDITORIAL COMMENT Editorials are from the Editor's desk unless otherwise indicated by the writer's initials. Opinions expressed by the columnists do not necessarily reflect those of the administration, the newspaper staff, or the student body. Phone Deposit-Yes Or The ball is rolling. The Western Carolina Telephone Company, the University, and the State Utilities Commission have met to establish some criteriom toward the establishment of dormitory room telephones. We are happy to find this beginning; however, one problem still remains in regard to private phones —will a deposit be required on each phone installed in a dormitory room? The State Utilities Commission advocates no deposit. The telephone company advocates $25 to $50 deposit, We advocate an alternative which came out of the meetings. A security bond taken up by the Student Government would be a reasonable, easily workable solution to the deposit dilema. It is the responsibility of the Student Government to serve the student body. By taking the security bond, the SGA would, in effect, be relieving the students of financial burden. We hope that student government will take the initiative to put up such a bond. Several schools down state, including North Carolina State University, have employed this method with success. The SGA reported last year that with over 400 phones in private rooms that leass than $200 in damage or unpaid bills had to be paid. We believe such a system could work in our institution. We strongly urge the Western Carolina Telephone Company to decide in favor of the security bond. If student government decides not to back the bond, then the university itself should assume this role. Such a bond would ease the students* pocketbooks, alleviate expensive bookkeeping by the phone company, and greatly strengthen the phone rental system. We give notice to the Western Carolina Telephone Company that all phases of the univer«i"t« concern regarding telephone service assure the university community adequate service. Statement Of Policy For several years now, the Western Carolinian has maintained a policy of accepting letters the the editor, names being withheld upon request. Such a policy naturally has its drawbacks. Persons may be publicly indicted without ever knowing their indictors. This is probably the major drawback. We feel that even though the unsigned letters are often questionable they do serve a purpose to the university community. Often, students have questions and grievances, and the student newspaper has the responsibility to act as a forum for these issues. The editorial staff shall review all letters carefully, publishing those which may prove to be of some ser= vice. The editor assumes all responsibility for any published unsigned letter. However, all letters must be signed when submitted. The wirter's name, if so requested, shall be withheld. In doing so, the editor accepts the responsibility of protecting student rights, and shall not disclose the identity of the writer. In mamtaining this policy, the editor is within his legal rights. "Man must put an end to war ; or war will put an end to man." John F. Kennedy Letters To The Editor DEAR EDITOR: It seems that I insult the intelligence of the majority of even writing this letter, but I feel that a few things need to be cleared up here and now. If any of you read the last issue of the CAROLINIAN and happened to glance upon an article called "The Paw," I wonder how many of you took it seriously. I shouldn't have. Having been enrolled at Western for over four years, I have constantly been ridden by cute little barbs such as "I was 16 before I knew that damn and Yankee were two words." This was fine. Even when I was bullied into saluting the rebel flag in my freshman dorm, I submitted for I thought it was some sort of ritual every= one from the North had to go through. It 's taken all this time for me to realize that these are not just childish pranks, but harmless acts of aggression stemming from an underlying hatred and bigotry which has been festering in the hearts of many Southerners for over 104 years. This, too, is all right for those who want to continue in this hatred. Their inner fires will eventually consume their rea= son, and the harmless pranks won't be harmless any more. What really bothers me is that such a small minority can ruin it for the vast majority. This is not the real South, not the way I've come to know it here at Western, and the majority of the students here are not really bigoted—conservative yes, bi= goted, no. It saddens me that a columnist for a university newspaper could stoop so low as to dis- spell his vile spewings in print, causing it to be believed that he speaks for himself and the cowering minority of fanatics who hide behind anonymous letters and white sheets, deathly afraid that the progress of the sixties will disturb their pat, small-minded lives. There was a time when this article was a useful tool in breaking up such prejudice and narrow-mindedness, but obviously the tables have been turned. He speaks of the '.'Northern Influence." If students disagreed with a viewpoint, how could they be led to do anything? Does he realize how few "Northern Students" there are at this school? Does he realize that his longhairs mainly come from his home state? I suppose not. The small mind cannot cope with internal change without first blaming it on an external stimulus, andtheNor= them Students were the closest at hand. I've seen this school come up from a Bible-ridden den of prejudice into a semi- conservative almost-univer- sity, and I was really optimistic that the South, as a whole was trying to get back on its feet, I'm confident that the majority of the students wiU keep on progressing toward this ideal, but they've got .a heavy liability in their heritage of hatred, such as was flagrantly vomited forth in "The Paw," which will continue to bog them down and thwart their strongest efforts to survive. Sincerely, Victor Campo The Western Carolinian EDITOR-IN-CHIEF BUSINESS MANAGER DAVID ROCK WHITTEN FRED GLENN CAUSBY MANAGING EDITOR W. WAT HOPKINS Editorial Assistant Gerald W. Matheny Co-Sports Editors . . . ,, John Evenson, Jim Howell Writers .... Patty K. Balding, Ann Quar les. CoUier Smith Lee Presson, Ann Borden, Earl WiUis Columnists Jerry Connor, Wm. Y. Webb, Buddy Davis, David Huskins, J. David Watson, The Jar Typists Mary Jamison, Lee Presson, CoUier Smith Photographer . . . . . ................... ,T. W. Dowdy Sports Photographer .................. Livingston Kelley Cartoonist . . • . . . o...............^^,,. Bob Coleman Circulation Jimmy Ray Secretary Lucy Frances Metcalf Office Assistant KennethT. Welborn Editor Emeritus . J. David Watson in Advisor . . Dr. Gerald Schwartz National advertising by National Educational Advertising . Service, Inc. Local advertising rates available upon request.. Phone 293-7267 Monday or Wednesday nights. Offices, second floor Joyner; Phone 293-7267. Mailing address P. O. Box 317, CuUowhee, N. C. Subscription rate, $4.00 per year. Dear Editor: It has been with a certain amount of interest and a great deal of amusement that I have followed the debate taking place in your paper over the issue of whether or not the Western Carolina University Bands should play "Dixie." ' So at this time I too would like to offer some sort of an opinion in this matter. Much has been said as to the adverse effect on school spirit as well as the football team by not playing Sv* 'fight song.' Might I be permitted to say that after viewing the football game of last Saturday evening, I have never seen more people or a more enthusiastic group of people at a WCU game in the past three years! I hardly doubt that the spirit of this school has been hurt from the exclusion of a single melody. Also worthy of note is the undefeated record which toe Catamounts carry at present. By any stretching of my imagi= nation I cannot see the loss of of a fighting spirit by the team, either! To the people who miss the playing of "Dixie98 I would like to suggest a visit to their local record shop or stereo tape dealer. To the people who at= tend a WCU football game to -cheer for a team and thus add to a fighting spirit of that team. I offer a hearty congratulations and urge them to continue their present actions. Sincerely, Drew K. Laurianti Dear Editor: I would like to protest the playing of "The Star Spangled Banner" at future WCU football games. "The Star Spangled Banner" is a song which came out of the War of 1812, an open conflict with Great Britian. I feel that this song is being played for the explicit purpose of reminding those of us with British ancestory of the defeat suffered by our forebearers. Being an oppressed minority, we feel that this is undue discrimination, and we ask that thi s be ceased. The similarity of our See Letters, p. 5.
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