• Format
  • Publications (documents)
• Type
  • Text
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Identifier
  • HL_WesternCarolinian_1983-03-03_Vol47_No22_03

Editorial Western Carolinian/March 3, 1983 3 Perceptions: U Wastegate": E.P.A. Scandal by M.J. Schutz In the past, I have held the position that all the political activism of the I960's bore no fruit, that for all the screaming and burning of draft cards, college-age activists accomplished basically nothing. That was a hasty generalization on my part. One major change was brought about by peacable demonstratin on the part of concerned citizens, and that was a change in the importance to the nation of the protection of our environment. Demonstrations by such environmental protection organizations as Greenpeace and Save the Whales drew the attention of responsible citizens and businessmen, and things started changing. Rivers were cleared up. public land was beautified, and all over the country, people were heightening their awareness of man's ultimate control over the healthfulness of his environment. A governmental agency was created to oversee the implementation of pollution-related legislation. It is the responsibility of the Environmental Protection Agency to see to it that industry abides by the pollution and waste disposal standards imposed on it by the federal government. In recent weeks, however, it has become increasingly apparent that the EPA has been most concerned for the needs of the very industries it is supposed to regulate. Rita Lavalle, head of the hazardous waste section of the EPA, was dismissed from her position on February 7, setting off a scandal which wags on Capitol Hill have dubbed "Waste Watergate", or "wastegate" for short. It seems that Miss Lavalle was being wined and dined with alarrning frequency by the magnate of the chemical companies that her section was supposed to be regulating. By allowing these companies to pay for the meals she shared with their executives, Miss Lavalle acted in apparent violation of agency regulations, says the EPA. So, exit Miss Lavalle. All this uproar came in the midst ofa House Public Works Committee investigation of the EPA, in which certain documents were subpoenaed by the committee to aid in their investigation of just what happened to some $53 million budgeted to an EPA superfund the whereabouts of which still has not been explained satisfactorily. Ann Gorsuch, the head of the EPA, was cited for contempt of congress for refusing to yield documents related to the superfund. A short two weeks later, two paper shredders mysteriously appeared at the offices of the hazardous waste section, and the documents in question disappeared.Members of the House committee listened as a host of EPA employees tried to explain away the disappearance of the documents. The gist of the explainations offered was that a clerk had "accidently" destroyed the documents. The explaination was reminiscent of Rosemay Wood's attempt to cover up the missing 18 minutes of Richard Nixon's infamous tapes by saying that she had accidently erased the tapes while taking dictation. That is, nobody bought Rosemary's story either. Georgia Representative Elliot Levitas said, "I have information that they (the shredders) were used heavily at night and on weekends. Anyone who believes that this was done by a (clerk) still believes in the tooth fairy." The President had at first tried to avert scandal by supporting Gorsuch's withholding of the documents by invoking his Executive priveledge to protect the documents. But as the story grew, Reagan pledged to support Congress in its investigation of the EPA. and he issued a statement that he would "never use his Executive privelege to cover up wrongdoing". The investigation continues, now with the pledged support of Ann Gorsuch. With all the important documents that have been destroyed. Congress may now find itself unable to discover exactly how the $53 million superfund was spent. At the very least, states Democratic Representative James Scheuer, "EPA officials have been sloppy and imcompetent." At worst, some may be guilty of deliberate mismanagement of funds and abuse of public trust. GorsUch has been called before the committee to answer charges that she deliberately attempted to cripple the EPA through budget cuts. She defended herself to the press recently, saying tearfully, "Nobody can be that wrong all the time. I have tojudge a great deal of (the scandal) as political harassment."She is getting long on mistrust and short on sympathy, however. There is a growing feeling in the country that the EPA is no longer in the slightest bit concerned for the welfare of the environment. It's a feeling that must result in some radical changes if this ill-will is not to be transferred to the Reagan administration in general. Weather Report: Wetness Predicted I he warm conditions of yesterday and today should continue through the weekend. As the weekend approaches, so will an intense Pacific storm system that is currently battering California and the southern Rocky Mountains. This complex system will move steadily eastward through the weekend and increase the clouds over our area Saturday. By late Saturday, rainshowers will begin and continue through most of Sunday. Since this system is rather strong and will be picking up moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, significant rains could occur late Saturday and Sunday. Temperatures this weekend should remain warm with highs averaging in the 60's and lows from the upper ,10's to middle 40's. Temperatures and precipitation taken this past week from the Earth Sciences Department Weather Station atop the Natural Science Building Hi Lo Precip. Thursday. February 24 45 33 0.05 Friday. February 25 36 23 0.02 Saturday. February 26 45 18 0.00 Sunday. February 27 47 17 0.00 Monday. February 28 45 33 0.04 Tuesday, March 1 61 33 0.01 Wednesday, March 2 64 25 0.00 February's precipitation total was 4.04. Western Carolinian Staff Editor in Chief Larry Hardin Business Manager Jim Stewart Associate Editor Charles Sosnik Associate Editor MJ Schut? Sports Editor Russ Randolph Photo Editor Mark Haskett Designer Daniel Mangold Production Editor Susie Nelson Production Supervisor Cathy McDaniel Production Janet I ink. Tammy Greene. Kathy Miller. Lynn Hyde, Debbie Sanders. Judy Murphy, lulie Carpenter. Theresa Moore Ad Manager Charles Sosnik Ad Sales Frank Baldwin, Jim MacRae Ad Design Scott Shcrrill. Jim Stewart Circulation Manager ' Jim MacRae Staff Photographer Ken lauber Stall Writers Kay Arrowood. Karen Ashe. Darrcll Beck, Willie Dawkins. Allan Dawson. Naomi Orr, Brian Dcvinncy. Carole Hudgcns. Judy Murphy. David Oder. Curtis Pate. Frank Thies. Ashley Osment. Myron McGhee, Donna Hudgins. Pam I et williger. Paul Griffin Faculty Advisor Dr. Gerald Schwartz Secretaries Terri Stewart. Julie Carpenter What are yours? by Larry Hardin Recently I was asked to respond to a national survey concerning the attitudes toward the student press. In completing this survey I became curious as to how the student body of WCU would respond to these questions 1 was asked as the editor ot the paper. Out of this curiousity I have decided to present part of the survey and see what the students of this campus (or at least those who respond) think or believe about the press. Simply detach this form and return it to the Western Carolinian offices in the old Student Union, or mail it to us at P.O. Box 66, Cullowhee, NC 28723. As soon as we can tabulate the results they will be published in the Carolinian. We at the Carolinian are interested in knowing what the student attitude is toward the press and its rights as a newpaper. Please respond to each of the following hypothetical accounts about student newspapers and college administrators by indicating the number which best describes your reaction to each story. Again, answer only on the basis of your own opinion or feeling about each account. Question: How do you feel about the scenario? Responses: 1 2 3 4 5 Strong)) Strongly ff\ Ot 1 HVOI hi\oi Cavoi news paper's newspaper's Don t know. college's college's position position don't cart.- position position Attitudes Toward the Press A student newspaper publishes an editorial urging all students not to attend any classes for three days to protest a particular action by the college administration. Many students respond by cutting classes. The college responds by bringing the editors before its disciplinary board and issuing an official reprimand with the warning that a second such offense by the editors will result in their suspension from the college for one semester. The dean justifies the action by arguing that the editorial's bidding disrupted the basic functioning of the institution. Response ;— A reporter for a student newspaper attends a class in which he is enrolled as a student and takes thorough notes on what the professor is saying. Shortly thereafter, he publishes an article in the school newspaper describing the class and quoting liberally from the professor's lecture. The article is uncomplimentary toward the professor and concludes by criticizing his teaching style and labeling him unfit for his position. The college responds by issuing an official reprimand to the reporter and the paper's editor in chief - to be recorded permanently in their transcripts. The justification given by the college's disciplinary board is that the reporter did not identify himself and his purpose while attending the class and that he did not obtain any rebuttal or comment from the professor. Response . On the particular campus which I (that is, you, the respondent) inhabit, a college newspaper which were to indulge constantly in controversy and stir up ill will would, in the long run. do a lot more good than harm. A fair amount of controversy is a healthy thing for a college. Response . A college is a community, and members of that community should treat one another with respect. An aggressive student newspaper may sound like a good thing, but it can really hurt people when it criticizes them. When in doubt, a student newspaper should refrain from publishing a controversial story or editorial that could upset the balance of the community. Response- A "real-world" newspaper can be punished if it commits libel or defamation or publishes obscenity, but not if a government official simply disagrees with it or considers it to be excessively controversial. We should be able to say precisely the same for college newspapers in regard to college administrators. The same rules should apply for campus papers as for any other media. Response As the person in charge of looking out for the well-being of the campus, the dean (or president of the college) should have some say regarding the campus newspaper(s). If an article or photograph harms the community, the dean should have the power to punish the paper in order to prevent further excesses on the part of its editors. Response A student newspaper publishes an article in which it reveals that the dean of the college is about to announce a decision to abolish the college's fraternity/sorority or club system. In the same issue of the paper, an editorial sharply criticizes the dean both for the decision itself and for his not having obtained the opinions of students before making it, labeling his actions "secretive". The college responds by suspending the editor in chief for one semester. The dean justifies the action by arguing the the newspaper's revelation of the decision before it was officially announced interfered with college policy-making, adding that the editorial has libeled him. Response

The Western Carolinian is Western Carolina University's student-run newspaper. The paper was published as the Cullowhee Yodel from 1924 to 1931 before changing its name to The Western Carolinian in 1933.

• Creator
  • Western Carolina University
• Format
  • Publications (documents)
• Type
  • Text
• Date
  • Date original: 1983-03-03
  • Date digitized: 2019-01-31
• Extent
  • Dimension: 15" x 11.5"
  • Pages: 16 pages
• Subject - Topic
  • College student newspapers and periodicals
  • Cullowhee (N.C.) -- Newspapers
  • Universities and colleges -- North Carolina -- Cullowhee -- Newspapers
• Location
  • Jackson County (N.C.)
  • Cullowhee (N.C.)
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Source Collection
  • WCU Students Newspapers Collection
• Identifier
  • HL_WesternCarolinian_1983-03-03_Vol47_No22
• Repository
  • Western Carolina University Hunter Library