• Format
  • Publications (documents)
• Type
  • Text
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Identifier
  • HL_WesternCarolinian_1986-04-20_Vol51_No09_07

WESTERN CAROLINIAN 20 APRIL, 1986 PAGE SEVEN tobb Schrof The Problem with Paula and other Misplaced Ideas... Indeed, and so it would seem. Because of events that were totallyout of our hands, this is to be the last issue of the Carolinian for this year. But so be it. Maybe next year the dolts who hand out our yearly budget could see fit to give us a little more money than they gave us this year(just for the sake of clarity, I'd like to take this opertunity to point out that we've beenoperaing on the same budget that wasalloted to the Carolinian way back in 73) but hey, who am I to bitch... Okay, on to the things that really matter.Using the fact that this is the last time you're apt to see me in Drint(in this publication) as an excuse, I'm going to revert back to myfavorite style of" printsmanship" and load up on a handful of the dreaded Blue Pills before I even begin to consider a direction for what is most likely going to turn in to one un-godly free-for-all of a column. So if you'll pardon my absence for about fifteen minutes while these nasty things take hold, I promise to get back to you... Great leaping mother of god-what the hell is in these blasted things.Jhe first wave is always the strangest...odd numbness in the skull followed up by the ever popular "Oh my god, the room's turning green"effect, which in turn is followed up by six to ten hours of sheer, straight toward, kick-ass fear. By and large, it's the fear aspect that I really get off on... ...Peter Gabriel flows forth from my speakers at window shattering volume "...All you people inT.V. land, I will wake up your empty shells-Peak time viewing, gone in a flash as I burn into your memory cells..." And burn into your cells I shall.my good friends. Because that's my job...As a writer it's my trademark. The whole iOea of my column from day one was to throw things right into your faces that in all probability would make you want to burn a cross on mychest.Get a reaction, be it good or bad, using any means at my disposal. I'm happy to say that for the most part, it worked like the proverbial charm. I've been condemned, hated, praised, snickered at and last but not least, threatend with all sorts hidious proposals. That in itself makes my day, as it is conclusive proof that what I've been doing up here was not a complete waste of time. That out of the way, it's time to sit back and ramble on to another tangent, I mean, why waste perfectly good drugs?... ...Time to put in a new tape and drool all over myself as Sting and the boys belt out Bring On The Night- Somebody asked me a while ago, what exactly I was going to remember most about my stay in this enchanted land ofweirdness that is termed Cullowhee. If I remember correctly, my reply was on the lines of "Nothing, as I plan on having the section of my braJn that contains any memory of this place surgically removed." This however, is not entirely true. I'llforevercarrywith methememoriesofsomeveryunigueand special people. This includes all of the fools and dreamers on the staff of the Carolinian, who have kept me completly off guard with their remarks, actions and occasional "Gift" of some substance or another, just to "...Lighten me up a bit..." Also on this list are four females who have to be among the most extra-ordinary friends I've ever had. First we have Kelly(or to be exact, and pardon the sexism, My Kelly) there is not much I can say a bout her that she doesn't already know. She somehow puts up with every foul mood-swing I've ever had, calmly restores me back to health after I've run amuckand am found unconscious in a ditch near seme party, and still thinks that I'm "Cute" in the morning. Hummm, I'll have to see about getting her some therapy- Number two on this list is Jen. Jen and I started off our friendship in the normal manner: We despised each other. This was due to the fact that we both reminded each other of people we were at one time going out with, and would now like nothing better than to see impailed on a stickand mounted above our respective doorways. Thankfully, and due in part to a trick she showed me involving Jell-O and a fork, that feeling no longer prevails. Mexican food, Jen. Think Mexican food- Next we have yet another Kelly. Although I'm positive that she still thinks I'm a few bricks shy of a full load, she has managed to find a place in my heart by liking me even though I AM a few bricks shy of a full load...A word of caution here Kelly, 'cause if you keep this up you may never be able to get rid of me... Now comes the hard one. As the title of this column states, her name is Paula. Every once in awhile, someone comes into my life that causes my emotions to run off in a direction that is at extreme right angles to reality. Paula holds the distinction of being the first female in this category. Finding the right words to sum up myfeelingsfor her is the hardest thing I've had to do in one hell of a long time. It would be easy to cop-out and use "Love", but that won't work, as what I feel is more than love, less than love, and something that love doesn't even scratch the surface of. Let's just say that Paula can completly baffle my thinking by being incredibly brilliant one moment, and then suddenly balance most of herdinner on her nose the next. This behavior tends to make me miss a beat, and also to wonder if she is one of those rare breed who's insanity keeps them sane, or if she's actuallyjust plain nuts. In any case Paula, you're always one I 'II want around. You're too special to let go of. It may be a while till we see each other again, so I want to leave you with something. As stupid as it may sound, I'm giving you the first song on side one of Roxy Music-Avalon. It's called "More Than This", and says more than I ever could... Well, that's it my friends...I hate saying good-bye, so I'll leave you with a little Bob Dylan: "...Me, I'm still on the road, headed for another joy-We always did feel the same, we just started from a different point of view...Tangled up in blue..." WCU Students Help In... The Plight of the Homeless by Bill Mehle , _„t.r J Catholic Student Center Bums, derelicts, bag ladies, winos...labels which conjur up images with which we are all familiar, either through first hand experience, or through the media's coverage of home- lessness in our country. Such derogatory labels are often used to put people in a box which makes them easier to deal with, somehow less real, less human than us. Labels help us avoid the person, and the often tragic stories of human suffering that comprise personal histories. If we don't see, we don't feel, we don't need to respond. Last month nineteen students from Western chose to see, feel and respond by participating in United-Campus Ministry's annual inner city awareness weekend in Atlanta. Students from St. David s Episcopal CfTurch, Cullowhee covenant, and the Catholic Center worked for a Friday night in one of eight different shelters for homeless persons run by various Churches,, and Synagogues in Atlanta. For most offfie people participating it was a first experience df entering into the reality of homelessness. Students worked in a variety of settings, ranging from small shelters tor single women ana ramnies, to larger shelters for 60-80 men. It seems that the biggest impact of the night was the opportunity to talk with people, hear their stories, their struggles, and get to see them as individuals- -persons whose lives have bottomed out, and as a result, have had to learn to try and survive on the streets of Atlanta. The reasons are varied: mental or emotional illness, physical disability, family break-up, alcoholism and drug addiction, inability to find steady employment or to hold it all together in a highly competitive and increasingly hi-tech society. When these reasons take on flesh before us we cannot dismiss them as easily as statistics on homelessness and poverty. Labels break down, and certainly it becomes more difficult to blame the person for their own misfortune. One student was shocked at the number of children at the shelter at which she worked ana was amazed when they jumped on her and the other volunteers as they walked in the door, displaying deeply felt needs for love, acceptance, and stability. Her reflection on the way home was what kind of person would I have become if I was subject to these same living conditions in my early formative years? Another student could not believe how young many of the men were at his shelter, young men about his own age. It struck nim, how given a few twists in his own history, now easily he could have ended up in the position of one of these men to whom he served suDDer. On Saturday, we visited the Martin Luther King Center for Nonviolent Social Change. In remembering the life and witness of a man who directed his life to the creation of a more just and peaceful woria, we are challenged to consider the directions we are choosing in our own lives. Can we sit back now and say that we did our good deed for the poor for another year, or are we willling to wrestle with how we can respond more fully right here, right now, as well as in our career choices and lifestyle decisions? Each of us formulates an answer through our daily choices. V ester.i Carolinian (704) 227-7267 Western Carolina Univers ity V () K<>x G6 Ojllowhee. North Carolina 2H723 Editor in Chief letters... Dear Editor: Just how safe is it to walk around our campus at night? At the university I formerly attended, the school newspaper had a regular "security report" in which thefts, vandalisms, assaults, etc...were reported weekly. The newpaper here has nothing comparable, is it because we never have any thefts, vandalisms, assaults, etc.? This university I attended also supported (in addition to an escort system similar to our Stray Cat security) martial arts classes and clubs (Shotokan karate, Judo, Aikido) and self-defense programs for those who wanted to learn to be more self-reliant and responsible for themselves. Of course, none of the students here do or ever will need anything similar, right? Last, but not least, this university also had a rape victim support center to provide counseling, guidance, etc...for those who had already been assaulted. I really don'tknowwhat a woman would do at this university. According to Kalhy Logan's letter in the last paper, people don't realize the danger of walking around campus at night because "most incidences (of rape and assault) are kept guiet." I'm afraid she's probably right, you know? Earlier this semester, I spoke with one of the staff members at the housing office about having some martial arts demonstrations in a few of the dorms, for the purpose of making people more aware of a self-defense class being sponsored by L.M.P. The staff member whose responsibility it was to either give or deny me permission finally agreed, if I promised to only mention the sports or "fun" aspects of the martial arts, and avoid mentioning anything about their self-defense value. This was to be done according to him, for the reasons that first of all, there are no assaults or rapes on campus ("it just doesn't happen here!") and secondly, it could frighten some of our students and hurt the universities image. Later that week, a security officer I asked also told me they never had any problems on campus, and only made some vague reference to some incident about three years ago. How is it I ask, that people tell me that a woman was just raped this last semester in Reynolds dorm? Why is it that women tell me their personal experiences of being nearly "date raped"? Why is it that people I know and consider trustworthy and knowledgeable tell me that the security officer I talked to was just "bull-shitting" me and that there have been several atttacks on women between the library and Stillwell? Has there been an on-going cover-up to deliberately keep us in the dark? Is ignorance and surrendering of personal responsibility and self- reliance bliss? Erik Horn Business Manager Typesetting Randy Rosenthal Cheryl Davis Anita Howell The Western Carolinian will terminate publication for the spring semester as of 20 April 1986. Due to the rising costs of the publishing industry, a fact that was totally unforeseen in the determination of the Western Carolinian's budget, we have been forced to take an unexpected sabbatical. Inthe future, under the direction of the University Publication s Board, such a situation will be avoided. The Western Carolinian may receive twice its present budget in the 1987-1988 school year. The Western Carolinian will return for the first summer session. Thank-you for your support. GRAY ERLACHER YOUR VOTE COUNTS! m.2 GUARANTEED

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: 1986-04-20
  • Date digitized: 2019-03-21
• Extent
  • Dimension: 22.75" x 15"
  • Pages: 10 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_1986-04-20_Vol51_No09
• Repository
  • Western Carolina University Hunter Library