• Format
  • Publications (documents)
• Type
  • Text
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Identifier
  • HL_WesternCarolinian_1991-10-03_Vol57_No08_04

Volume 57 Number 8 Voices The Western Carolinian Page 4 Thursday, October 3. 1991 John Marshall Dennis Editor-in-Chief At the risk of being uncouth, I will respond to David Martin's letter in this week's issue. First, Mr. Martin I would like to thank you for taking the time to write your letter which I received last Thursday. I have taken the time to read it and have tried to formulate a response that will hopefully answer your questions and also explain why the paper is the way it is. Let me first address the issue of national/world news. You are correct in assuming that I do not, nor will I ever, claim that our paper will reach the level of a New York Times or any other such newspaper. You mentioned in your letter the various conformation hearings, new additions to the U. N. and the ceremonies at the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching. Of those story ideas, the one dealing with the NCC AT is the only one which we would cover. Let me explain. I'm sure you know by now that we are a weekly paper, not daily. I personally cannot justify spending The Western Carolinian's money on an AP wire or any other national news service if we are only going to use it one day a week. In essence, Mr. Martin, we are a local paper, but not a tabloid. I don't think you will ever see a story dealing with flying pigs from Mars or any thing similar to that. However, I mustsay that Robbie may come up with something unusual every now and men for his Out of Bounds column. More current national/world news may be obtained by either watching CNN or a local newscast, or perhaps reading a daily newspaper that covers both areas of news. It would be very difficult for us to produce a newspaper with timely information 1 ike that found via the above media outlets. Our paper focuses on Western Carolina University and Cullowhee. Let me now turn to the issue of ads/copy. It may interest you to know that when I first became editor of The Western Carolinian, the paper was deeply in debt. It is now out of debt and I will do my best to keep it that way. lis not as easy as you may think. Yes, we are allocated a specified amount at the beginning of each fiscal year with which we are to produce the paper. The majority of that money is spent during the fall semester. That leaves ad sales as being the primary source of income to cover expenses in the spring. Your statement that advertising pays for itself is essentially incorrect in this case. You may ask "Where do the profits go?" I'll tell you. Partofthemoneyisspentonmuch needed improvements at The Western Carolinian in the way of computer upgrades, other maintenance costs and equipment purchases that were left lagging when the paper was left in debt in 1989. The majority is held in reserve in the event of an emergency, such as a slow week in ad sales or a computer breakdown. Weneedtocoverourback, so to speak. Not every paper will have the same ratio of ads to copy as did the issue you read. In regard to the staff: You are correct in assuming that it is not too much to ask for each writer or staffer to bring in an article a week. For the most part, mis holds true, however, there is always one or two articles that just don't get turned in. You may want to keep in mind that we are all students, including myself. I'm not trying to make an excuse, but I do request that my employees keep their grades up first. My response to your letter is certainly not "it all sounds good." You have raised some good issues, and if we were a daily paper your points would be more valid. As it is right now, our paper is not capable of doing all mat you ask. Our opportunity is not to "print all the news that's fit," as thcNew York Times does, but rather to learn by doing, to have the opportunity to make mistakes and correct mem and to work together as a team. I never said we cover everything as well as we should, but we cannot be faulted for lack of effort. Sincerely, John M. Dennis P.S. I know his mother, his widow, and two of his sons personally. They haven't complained. I suggest you drop the subject. Letters to the Editor Shockedby" the news" Dear Editor, I was pleased to find in your banner Western Carolinian, the absence of the word "news," "newspaper," or anything that eluded to the the dissemination of relevant information. This is probably a strong note to begin this letter with since there was information that meets that criteria. However, it was small in proportion to the size of your paper. For the sake of argument, I will make the supposition that you want your prod uc t to be m ore than a local tabloid. Also, within the scope of reality, I know that you cannot and will not reach the level of a New York Times or other such newspaper because of your limited budget. None the less, I was appalled by the amount of printed "news" in your paper. The eight pages that made up last week's paper (Sept. 19) contained 17 articles. Those articles were written by nine staff writers and five contributing writers (including one editorial piece and an anonymous piece). If not for dou bling up by the sports staff, there would have been two less articles. Anexcessof45%ofyourpaperwas committed to advertising. If you countcartoons, advertising, as "non- news," less than 40% of your paper was left for news. Advertising pays for itself. What is happening to the money you were given in your budget to produce a paper? Your credit box lists twelve staff members for writing. In addition to that number, there is your editorial staff as well as yourself. (That makes 18) I know you write and I would hope your assistants do also. So, with so many writers, put them to work; let them eamthcirpay! One article per week, per staffer is not so much to ask, is it? With eighteen articles you could actually edit out the good from the bad and still run more articles than you now print. You will note that I have not mentioned anything about the importance of those stories you did run last week. With all the news (of importance) last week (i.e. the confirmation hearings for Gates and Thomas, admission of several new countries to the U.N., unrest in East- em Europe, dedication ceremonies at the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching, etc.), I would hope your writers could find something of interest for the paper, the student body and the general reader. So, if your response to me would be: "It all sounds good, but if I do what you suggest, no one will read my paper!" I say, challenge them! This is a university of higher education. Whosaidthatourminds should be allowed to slip into low gear when we read your Western Carolinian? In closing, let me say that my intention is not to anger y xi. but to let your see that there is a great opportunity here. At present it is being neglected. David Martin P.S. Dr. Dean Martin (no relation) deserved more than to have the announcement of a fellowship in his honor placed under your lead story of "mud volleyball." Where are WCU's Gulf veterans? Dear Editor, With all of the "renewed" interest in the Gulf, I think it would be interesting to find out how the Desert Storm Veterans of WCU and maybe even Sylva feel about what's going on in Iraq right now. We had a Sociology debate today and I felt we were in Iraq to stifle their industrialization and prove we as the U.S. of A. would always be #1. There was one guy in our class who was very open and even somewhat assertive in telling what the "mission" was of the US and why we had so many troops there during the war and still there even now. Anyway, I really think he was over there. So, maybe there are other students who were there too or students who had relatives (brothers, sisters, mothers or fathers) there who are scared they might have to go back or think we didn't do the job to begin with. The newspaper looks pretty good this year. As the staff gets more experienced and more creative it should be a paper to look forward to. Sincerely, Celeste Abortion: Should it be legal? Editor's Note: Due to time restraints, the Democrats point of view will not be expressed this week. If pro-abortion logic followed, we would accept statements like, "I personally don't believe in slavery, but we should have the right to make personal decisions. You can' t legislate morality, you know!" Americans said that in 1855. "Wait a minute," you say. "That's different! Slavery is an injustice against another person." Precisely. But it is not that different. Let us get straight to the point. When does human life begin? It is a question with only one answer; there is no personal judgement involved. Human life begins at conception — no question about it. Think about it. I did not come into existence three months after conception. For if we look back, that was me at conception; not a rat and not a dog. I was not potential, I was me. At the instant of conception, I was human. I was less developed, but I was not less of a person. Likewise, I am no more of a person today than I was at three years old. I am more developed, but I am no more human. That tact is constant. So how does this relate to a woman's right over her body? Republicans do not want to deny a woman her rights, but we must pro- tect the rights of the unborn. Women have the right to tie their tubes, but no one should have the right to kill their babies. "Butit'smy body," you say. It is, but it's more. That child has its own blood type; he or she has a heart, brain, bloodstream and nervous system solely his or her own. After birth, a woman is responsible for herchild. Before birth, an y thing goes—neglect, abuse, even kill if you like. That child is considered an inconvenience. Such absurdity! How do pro-choicers address the issue? With rhetoric. Their entire argument rests on misleading slogans: "Women must have rights over their bodies"; "Don't let old men in Washington control your rights." While empty slogans are often effective, they miss the point. Pro-choicers repeat the mantra of catch phrases and "what ifs." They chant, "What if she's raped?" when 97% of abortions are matters of convenience; "They'll just be in poverty," when most abortions are for the middle class; "It's personal morality," while sexism, racism, and assault are not. The Republican platform supports legislation that would make abortion illegal except in cases of rape, incest, or a threat to the mother's life. Most Right to Life groups hold the same view. Don't be confused. Roe Vs. Wade made all abortions legal, despite term or circumstances. Can anyone still allow the "choice" to kill children? If so, then everyone should know the result of that choice, that is, the methods of abortion. Take saline abortions, for example, where salt solution is injected into the mother's abdomen so the baby's skin burns as he or she breathes the poison. Where was the baby's choice? Republicans believe in choice, but choices need to be made before conception. No one deserves the "right" to murder on demand. Terry L. Moreau I The Western Carolinian \ Western Carolina University The Old Student Union P.O. Box 66 Cullowhee, NC 28723 John Marshall Dennis Editor-in-Chief Assistant to the Editor Laura Adams Associate Editors Charles Baldwin - Business Jennifer Mann - News Stephanie L. Messcr - Copy and Layout Robert M. Robertson - Sports Writers Photographers Stephanie Mer.ser Hunter Pape Typesetters James Miller Laura Whitmire Office Manager Mike Greene Distribution Elizabeth Phlegar Karen Vollar Advisor John Moore V Misha Baker Dawn Cook Jeff DeMoe Suzanne Kendall Dave McCaskill Barrett Nichols Melissa Richardson Kim Shively Derek Smolik Karen Sovick Jimmy White Julie Wingruber Ad Salesperson Christa Humphrey Student On The Street "Do you feel that you are receiving a quality education at Western or, are higher academic standards needed to improve the quality of education?" Name: Greg Abell Major: Psychology/CJ Class: Freshman Hometown: Raleigh, NC I guess I am receiving a higher education. Name: Donald Obst Major: Pre-Engineering Class: Freshman Hometown: Hickory I think it's pretty good. J Name: Tim Cray Major: Theater Arts Class: Sophomore Hometown: Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. For the size of WCU, they offer an excellentgeneral education program. Name: Steven Wells Major: Art Class: Freshman Hometown: Sylva I feel the general ed. is as good as any other state-funded university. I doubt I could find a belter program for the money. Name: Chris Ferguson Major: Crinimal Justice Class: Freshman Hometown: Asheville I believe that the teachers make the students excel at what they are doing. Name: Maggie McKinney Major: Undelcared Class: Sophomore Hometown: Waynesville I feel that certain majors such as business and nursing have high quality standards but some other majors just don't receive the attention they need. Name: ErikaKessler Major: Environmental Health Class: Sophomore Hometown: Brookfield, Conn. I think we're receiving quality education but if more money was invested in our educational system, the better off we'd be. Name: Erik Machen Major: Art Education Class: Freshman Hometown: Murphy It seems decently high quality, for the price of tuition. Carolinian photos by Hunter Pape

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: 1991-10-03
  • Date digitized: 2019-10-02
• Extent
  • Dimension: 22.75" x 14.25"
  • 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_1991-10-03_Vol57_No08
• Repository
  • Western Carolina University Hunter Library