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Western Carolinian Volume 52 Number 16

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  • The Western Carojinigj^ "Thursday, January 29^ 198;' Editor's Notebook \ Trv Andrew Dawkins Editor in Chief Gimme A Break! I'm excited. This semester holds tremendous possibilities for change, growth, and learning. There is a certain voice in the air that Is shouting "challenge!" This semester we will try to respond with a resounding "yes" as we accept whatever might be tossed our way. There Is so much we can do this time around. So much we will do. The possibilities thrill me to no end. Chilled out In the Big Apple over the Christmas Break, and came back renewed and determined to mold the newspaper into the awesome tool it can be. And, as usual, we need, want, and are hell bent on getting your help In making the newspaper work. We are continuing with some of the Ideas established last semester. And we'll be doing some new things this time around. One of these new things that comes to mind is an idea put forward by Erin Miller, our News and Entertainment Editor. We will be establishing a special section, a special feature we have tentatively named The Trouble Shooter. An announcement pertaining to Mils appears elsewhere In this paper. But let me take a moment out to make a tew comments on fftis. What we hope to do through this feature Is act as a fact tinder, a source of help, a trouble shooter for you as students with whatever problems you might have that is campus related, if you have a problem in finding out what you need to make life here more comfortable for you in whatever area on campus we will attempt to find out the facts and hopefully suggest solutions-to these problems to you. We promise to look Into issues objectively, carefully, responsibly, and thoroughly. In fhisarea, as well as In others, we will attempt to get to the bottom of things to the benefit, hopefully, of everyone concerned. And especially you the student. We will not, in our efforts to serve you, go for SHy?"*'§ throat, draw anyone's blood, or dig up dirt on anyone, that Is not our al m. We don't want to be another Kitty Kelly. We don't want to be sensation seekers. We wilt attempt to examine whatever problems that might confront us on campus, statewide, nationally, and internationally. We will attempt to look carefully at the Issues and try to arrive at some conclusion, some solution. We want you to come away from an Issue feeling you've teamed something new and important. A newspaper, a responsible newspaper, should inform and enlighten its readers at the same time. In light of this don't be hesitant to help us If we approach you for information or help in our search tor answers. We are not out to make anyone look bad. Again let me stress that that Is not our aurpose. This semester we will try to serve you better. Remember we have limited resources. One of the things we will Insist on Is having articles turned In by 4 p.m. on Fridays for Inclusion in the following Thursday's issue. With the exception of news that Is latebreaking and certain sports items, we will postpone late material until the next issue. And we crave your Indulgence on the following other matter: we beg you to have your submissions typed and proofed. Nothing is more time consuming than trying to sort through not only someone's thoughts but also his/her handwriting. Any ideas, criticisms, suggestions? Then let us hear from you. Give us a buzz at 227-7267. We would like to welcome Ransford Nell as the People and International Affairs Editor,Lisa Cable as the Chief Typesetter, and Michelle Davis as the Special Assistant to the Editor. A special welcome back to Cheryl Davis who was business manager for 1985-1986 and who will be assisting the present business manager. Other new staff members are also welcomed as they join the swell newspaper team. Welcome to a new semester. Hope it will be a aroriiictive, creative, and an irle one for you. Trouble Shooter Have you run up against a bureaucractic brick-wail? Have you been involved in a situation which has left you baffled ? OR Are you just curious and want to find out the facts about campus scuttlebut? Let The Western Carolinian's Trouble Shooting Department get the low-down on wharfs going on - for you and the rest of the student body- More than likely the problems you've encountered have been faced by many of your fellow students. The Western Carolinian ts willing to undertake the stops necessary to help, aid or inform you about those situations you want to know more about. Contact our offices at 227-7267 or drop by and see us in the Old Student Union Building. The WESTERN CAROLINIAN is published weekly by the Publication Board of Western Carolina University. It is an independent student publication that recieves its funding through student activities fees and advertising. , Subscriptions'are available at $16.00 per year ($20.00 Canada). The WESTERN CAROLINIAN is printed at the Waynesville Mountaineer in Waynesville. NC Are We a 'Primitive and Paranoid' Society? 1 ** " SSIlLp^ Erin Millner p During the recent Christmas break, I indulged in the megadoses of fun and laziness which I had prescribed for myself to cure a serious case of "finals burnout." In the course of this treatment I found myself in a movie theatre with a large bucket of popcorn, ready to watch the latest Trekie adventure. For those of you who don't know the plot of the most recent Star Trek sequel, Admiral Kirk is teamed with his well-known cohorts and their efforts are addressed to saving their world from complete and total destruction. To accomplish this feat they must attempt time travel back to the 20th century (that's us), in a make-shift Klingon vessel to kidnapawhale, or two. The then extinct whale is needed to communicate with an alien probe which is causing All the trouble in their own time. This movie is one that is not without its philosophical statements. One of the many which caught my attention was Admiral Kirk's description of the human race inthe20th century. Adescription which labels us as a "primitive and paranoid society." Now I have never previously questioned Admiral Kirk's intelligence or judgement but this remark did not set extremely well with me. But, upon further contemplation I realized that there is a slight possibility that we just might fit this description. And, if we don't now, our great-grandchildren probably will think so. Historically each generation of Earth-beings have considered themselves to have reached the pinacle of the evolution process. They believe in their inventions, hypothesis and theories and often forget that it is extremely possible that theirs may be doomed to obsolescence like the many before them. In "The Voyage Home" 20th century earthlings were being constantly berated for their well- intentioned but misguided practices. Namely, their dabbling in nuclear fission and their medical practices - practices which Dr. McCoy likened to inquisitional torture. While the 20th century has a right to be proud of its technological advancements, it must realize that if we do manage to survive into the 21st century and beyond, these technological miracles are bound to be likened to steam engines. And considering the often undesirable and dangerous effects of many of our current high-tech inventions, there is certainly room f°r 'ouTsoctaHiabits are certainly not free from criticism either. To say that we °'?°™™^l open-minded, secure society would definately be stretching the truth. In our own country, we have ye to come to terms with bigoty and illogical prejudices. While indeed we have come a long way, we have a long way to go if persons can still don white sheets in Georgia and threaten another American's safety. Our foreign policy and that of many other countries is based on the belief that there is a foreign entity which exist only for the purpose of destroying us. Many of us, even live our day-to-day lives questioning the motives of others, and wondering what they have to gain from our cooperation. While of course Star Trek IV is purely conjecture on the part of highly creative hollywood writers, it's interesting to see how our world is viewed by an outsider It is also a little reassuring to think that our world might have a long-lived future and that there will be solutions to the technical and social problems we face. If these possibilities do exist, then being considered "a primitive and paranoid society" would definately be a small price to pay. Erin Millner is News and Entertainment Editor for The Western Carolinian. Purple Haze, Matinees and Reagan's Thighs Well 1987 is here nowand we have our President in trouble because of the mute Marine. This doesn't mean that the President got anyone in trouble, merely that he is having trouble knowing what he knew and knowing when he knew what he knows. Now is Iran on first or is Qaddaffi what's on second? The Giant and the Broncos promise an exciting Super Bowl: if you like games in which one team scores over one hundred points in the first half. Actually Lawrence Taylor may be barred from the game. Quarterbacks have been having a nasty habit of forced retirement since Mr. Taylor started playing pro ball. Maybe the Democratic party should see if they can recruit him into politics for them. Actually, I think most people are glad that 1986 is finally finished. It was not a particularly good year for the Soviet nuclear power industry, nor were there large numbers of people in the United States clamoring to become the next group to fly on the space shuttle. The technological glorification of the post-WWII ear seems to have suffered a setback. However, with a little Teflon Ronnie will make us all sleep better (though even heterosexuals who are married won't be able to engage in oral sex or sodomy). Purple haze was the whole idea of this column. Talkin' 'bout listening to some heavy-duty Jimi Hendrix and the Experience. It's got to be better than 90 percent of the music since then. However, Bob Marley is still Rasta Mon. So it is to be cool to listen to them both. Music and abstract writing sort of go together. I guess I should quote Jimi and say "excuse me, while I kiss the sky". Another paragraph out of the way. Making this stuff up as I go along half an hour before dealine is not the easiest thing in the world to do so I hope my readers appreciate the great personal sacrifice that I am making for them. But really, if it wasn't fun Andrew would have to do it all by himself. Well, back to the year that was. It was the best of times it was the worst of times. Oopps! Not being very original. Strike that and reverse. Movies werefun in '86.Crocodile Dundee about a white Aboriginee who drinks his way to America was among the best. It was subtitled in drool. My favorite was Behind the Green Door II starring Missy Florez, the Republican porn star and champion of safe sex. For those over 12 it is highly educational. However, there is a warning for people with heart conditions and Fundamentalist Christians (see my last column for a definition fo this term) not to watch it. Anyway, except for the disasters, 1986 wasn't that bad. For 1987 we have Madonna as an actress to look forward to (remember the "Jesus Chainsaw Massacre"?). And finally we can look forward to Oliver North doing that old Nixon favority — the "Twist" slowly in the wind! Daniel Breen is a student contributor to Perspectives. Car Junkies and the Parking Lot Di x *'• & Amika Amerson The trees are tired of breathing exhaust, and so am i. Cars are an occupyingforce in our "free" country. People are so addicted to cars thai they won't walk to the corner to buy junk food. We bury ourselves behind buildings' walls all day and night, and any crack of light that happens to shine through when we gel into our cars is dismissed as we hop into our safe "tanks." (And if that's not enough, some people shut the light that shines through the window out with tinted glass.) Our car walls don't sustain well under pressure, though. Since cars were invented there have been two and a half million deaths because those walls weren't secure enough to prevent accidents. Who knows how many animals our rumbling boxes have run over. Big cities are now feeling the choke. 75 percent of the carbon monoxide in the air comes from automobiles. Even with catalytic converters, places like Southern California and London can't see through the left-overs. In L.A. one graffito read, 7 Shot An Arrow In The A ir — It Stuck There.' In places like Germany, imposing a speed limit would cut their air pollution down eighteen percent. But instead, the forests, the grapevines, and the orchards continue to die. An automobile to middle - class people is like an "inflated" ego, and as much of a problem. The automobile is our new archetype of power and protection. When i walk around campus, i see all the cars filling the tar spaces provided for them by knocking down trees. I hear people talking about what type of car they will aspire to when they're rich. I was in class one day, and the professor asked us what could improve the campus most. The most common response was to build more parking lots nearer to buildings. Cars are so much a part of us that they now out- breathe us. Each particle of air we breathe in metropolitan areas has been through the cylinders of at least one car. Automobiles suck up the few natural resources we put in them, and then blow it all back out as one long, carcinogenic fart. There is a time, maybe a few generations away, when transportation by private cars will be stopped. If people plan to breathe, automobile use will need to be curtailed sharply. I'm not suggesting that you burn your car (that would have worse effects on the en vironment). I do think that we as college students should be aware of what is around us and what we will inevitably face after college, besides just giving a good interview. There are many ways to free ourselves from the occupation of cars. Train systems, bussysems, car pools, bicyles, and even feel are alternative methods that will enhance the air we breathe, and maybe even be the only ways to go in the future. I've found thai walking is always accessable. I see more people, look at the sky, and even notice the trees. A road never looks the same after you've walked it. The trees will like you better too— they have enough problems with chemicals dumped on their limbs. To read: Ecotopia — Ernest Callenbach Passages About Earth — William Irwin Thompson Amika Amerson is a student contributor fo Perspectives. College Democrats The College Democratswould like to welcome everyone back from Christmas Break and hope you will have a successful semester. The College Democrats have many things planned for the semester, hut they can only be aone by interested rmmbers. One of the items on our agenda is continuing a program begun last semester called STUDENTS AGAINST THECONTRAS. We are planning to hold a debate between two distinguished speakers on the topic of giving aid to the contras. A second item on ouragenda is to take a trip to either Washington, DC or Raleigh to see our elected representatives and visit our party headquarters. Athird Item is to promote a political atmosphere during the elections for SGA offices in March. We also will continue our weekly article on a particular issue facing the world, the nation, the state, or our locality. All students interested in participating in the College Democrats should feel welcomed in coming to ourfirst meeting of the semester on Thursday, January 29, 1987, at 7:00 in the Dogwood Room, University Center The WESTERN CAROLINIAN is looking for a few opinionated students to be regular contributors to its Perspectives page. If you feel you have something to say on any issue that would be of interest to the student body and can do so in a regular and responsible manner, The WESTERN CAROLINIAN would welcome your contribution. You will be exposed to a readership of approximately 10,000 per week. Your photograph, name, and status will accompany your weekly column of approximately 500 words. Send resume plus sample editorial, and small black S?£'«M?£J'7ava'lable) to: Perspectives/The ^ErlEoR7NooC^0LINIAN/ P0B°x 66/ Cullowhee, 1 ™5 P 9r dmp " offat the Mwspaper offices in the Old Student Union Building. The Student VoiCe... Dld vou vo,e for Reagan in the last election? Would you vote for him if he was allowed to run for a third term? Edwin Carlton Photos Alison Balfour Nursing Marlboro, Mass. Yes, I did previously vote for Reagan. Yes, I would vote for him again because I feel overall he has don* a good job - despite this recent Incident with Iran. Rick Pennington Music Ed. Rabbi nsvllle.NC . Yes, I did. Yes, he really seemed to know what he was talking about wtlti the arms talks. I think he Is really doing a good Job. He has also done a tot about the national debt. Kerwyn D. Wilson Sports Management Mocksvllle, NO The answer Is no to both questions. Reagan Is cutting Into the money stated to help those who really need It. Instead, I feel he should use some of the defense money to help those who need help. Mike Justice Vietnam Vet Graduate Student Huntington, VA No. No. I've netvr registered. Jocqul Webster Photography Durham, NC No, I didn't. No, Decause he reduced financial aid tor students, and he has gotten the country In a bad deficit situation, and I don't think he has done much If anything tor world affairs.
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