Page 76 - TheGoldBug1967-68

PAGE 2 THE GOLD BUG APRIL 1,:? 1968 WMC's Problems: Letter The Overworked Student TO THE EDITOR: has become _The word "apathy" A great philosopher once said, "We have too many people who live a victim of overuse and conseq- without worJdng, and we have altogether too manywho work without nv- uent tr-revence , much in the in~." Here at Western Maryland, "the world within a world," the sit- same way that "love" was pack- aged by the hippies and somehow uation is no different. On the one hand, we have the majority of the stu- got thrown away with the wrap- dent body who do the minimum amouut orwork required "tc get by" and pings. Therefore, to talk about spend the rest Oftheir tlme "living" .Onthe other hand, we have a small- er segment of the campus that spends almost every waldng moment "apathy" these days is a rather studying while relegating living to a secondaryfunctton. smrrk-provoktng endeavor. Why are students here driven, for the most part, to either devote their However, something very op- entire existence to studying or to avoid theIr work as best they can? Ac- posite, very contrary, very eon- cording to a recent survey conducted by a professor on campus, the crete occurred on this campus re- principle cause of depression and apathy at Western Maryland is the work cently, and for fear of labeling, I do not wish to give it a name. load. And this is the answer. The average student at this school finds it The Issue of the woment s new dorm almost impossible to complete the minimum amount ofwork he is assig- ned let alone delve further into anythlngwhIchlnterests him. This frus- was involved and the women were trating Situation generally produces two reactions: I) a sacrfftctng of strongly opinionated in regard to all other Interests to be able to have enough time to study or 2) a sur- the role of a dormitory in college render to apathy In the face of an Impossible task. Naturally there are life. The point is not the issue nor other causes involved, but the basic reason for the existence of the the women. The point I am making "goat-oU" and the "woodwork case" Is the excessive work load. concerns the action taken. As of- For evidence of the existence of this situation, one need only compare ten happens on this campus, stu- " dents discovered a new admints- ~t~ :~I~sC~~I::::j:c~~:~a~i~~::::il!~. s~~~tal::yt::a~o~;~~ ~e:~~ We're Right" Is Wrong ~:~~~~:Sl~~~~Ot~~t~~;=i~~~::; preciative understanding of the cultural heritage of mankind; and to dev- elop In them the ablUty to relate this heritage to present-day-living." Three weeks ago the GOLD BUG referring to the World War II de- given definition as It evoived. in How many students here have ever heard of, let alone read, mazagines stooped to a record low of res pons- mand for ship-building laborers purpose, in strategy, in compost- like The New RepubUc, Ramparts, or National Review? Not-many, even Ibility by ridiculing the American tttat opened this position to Neg- tion, and in concern. (Concern is ttough they are all In the college library. But students here are too busy Negro's attempt to improve him- roes for the first time. When the a key work here, despite th~ fact studying or not studying, Is this going to prepare us to relate our herit- self. Suddenly, as riots erupt, you war ended, the last Negroes hired that it's antonym is apathy.) This age to pr-esent-day-Itvlng? Or worse yet, is this a liberal education? see that you can't run away from became the first fired asthewhites time we tried. The college also seeks "to d_evelopmen and women of reason. taste, the problem; and the bloatedbour:" returning trom the war were given We talk about democracy and we and leadership In their local communlt1es, the nation, and the world." geotste of Western Maryland can job preference. So Otis is "just sit- talk about respect for our leaders. This Isanadmlrablegoalandisattemptedthrough trainl_ng In the leader- no longer Ignore the lean and hun- tin' on the dock of the bay wasting However, we sometimes forget ship positions on campus. However, a quick survey of campus leaders gry look of East aaiumoreansv t tlme •••l have nothing to live for, that both are a two-way street. In will reveal that the majority of them are struggling to maintaln a Caver- almost cried three weeks ago after looks like nothing gonna come my a working democracy, that Is, the age. 01 course they are. The work load does not permit Ume for roth readlngtheverbalslayingln"Good way." ideal government we stUdied In leadership and scholarship. Night Sweet King". Now that your In conclusion, just remember: it fifth grade social studies, the lead- However, the situation is not without hope. It merely renuires change. attitudes have actually killed Dr. Is the have-nets who are doing the Ing power gains respect from the Goucher College In Towson seems to have found the answer. The Goucher King, I can only try to show you rioting. In March S's UFE, Negro people through first, his sensttt- g1rl attends school for three trimesters (September to May) and takes your racism and the. negative et- Gordon Parks' photographs tell a vity to their needs, and second.bts only three courses per trimester. Thus, although she works harder in fect of your article. story that I'm not qualified to tell. abillty to put these neeas and his each course than the WMC student, she need only concentrate on three A recent example comes from The father is out of work and the solutions In creative context. I do subject areas at a Ume rather than five or six. Is It DOtbetter to learn the Reverend Fauntroy,aide to Dr. tamtty has been Uving off of rotting not feel that this process occur-red three subjects well than five or six poorly? By having classes only four King, who spoke here recently. fish for the past few days. Yet the in the handling of the dorm Issue, days a week (no classes on Wednesday) the Goucher g1rl has more Ume WhUe the Land Grant and Home- children wrap themselves in blan- even though the reensnc needs of to readandlearnandllve.ShouldtheWMC student be deprived an equally stead Acts gave European tmmtg- kets to study In the unheated house. the WMC women were made point superior learning situation? Change Is called for. Change is desperately rants land and schools, Congress If you don't want to gtve these kids blank to the administration. The needed. Wake up WMCt Wake up now! has done llttle for the Negro ever decent housing, let them at least administration Instead chose to Joel Smith since they failed to come upwUh have anlnsplrlnglmage Ukethe one hammock a mtstnterpretatton of U.S. Cities: freed slaves. Senator McGeeflatly I get every time I hear "We're • a the fraternityabolltionpaperoItwo "torty acres and a mule" for al1 wtnner-" by the Impressions: years ago. instead administration A Week of Turmoil stated that "there just aren't en- We're a winner, never let anyone The to rely on the inevitable. oughvoteslnCongresstopassany boy, you can't make it, chose say, CIvil Rights legisl;oUon,"whUethe GOLD BUG asks where the money cause a feeble mInd is inyour Human fire on this campus Is too by the mere often way. extinguished The tragic and brutal aSsassination of Dr. Martin Luther King is an Is coming trom. The recent tenure No more tears do we cry, passage of time. event for which white America rrrust De held responsible. America has of themulU-mllliondoUarSaturnV And we've finally dried our eyes This letter is not meant to stir lost her greatest apostle of peace, and it seems questionable whether rocket at least shows where the and we're moving on UP. moving up a stale issue, but Instead to the social structure of this nation can sustain the irreparable loss. AI~ money is going. This is racism In on up. question a pervading mood. In ready the black ghettoes have risen In an expression of frustration and both cases. We're a winner and whatever you other words, we as women stu- bitterness. It Is ironic that Dr. King during his We deplored the violence Despite aU the efforts by re- do, dents are discouraged and cts- that has ragedlnnumerousAmerlcanc1tiesasa result of hts murder;the sponsible people to promote racial Just keep on pushing appointed. Maybe I am merely greatest tribute to Dr.King would have been for all black Americans to understanding, several boys deCid- Like your leaders tell you to. nicknaming apathy with these embrace the non- violent philosophy for which he died. ed to have some fun by scraping Word is out and aU's alert words, and If so, I think it is a sad situation. For in sug- That we're too far from the good very The question that now arises is: what will be the future course of the together some popular raCial myths black dirt, gesting a cause 01 apathy, I am civil rights movement? Will the leadership of the struggle for equality to justify their white supremlst and we're a winner, just keep on unable to provide a cure, mainly be assumed by H. Rap Brown and those who advocate the antithesiS of feelings. These myths make the pushing, because I do not know of one. Un- Dr. King's philosophy? A few factors are noteworthy In asse'ss1ng the fu- confused white person unsym- We're a wirmerl less some great day the admin- ture role of the Black Power movement. The nature of the cJvil rights pathetic toward any legitimate istration decides to make a leap movement has undergone a transition of profound significance in the last Negro demands and cause the Negro J. Sklrmer of faith in student concern. few years. First of all, civil rights leaders are becoming more adamant; himself to doubt his own worth. a few years of paper-mache progress can't change a few centuries of :~~:dony~:le~~;~:~ O~e:O~I~;:n:~ "_l1_'O_V_o_' _",_'h_'_o deprivation and discrimination. Secondly, the emphasis of the movement has shifted because voting rights acts and poll tax amendments don't do Scott? The N.A.A.C.P. got the for- THE GOLD BUG anything to alleviate the condition of the ghetto and the resUlting atmos- mer o!tthe air alongwiththeblack- phere of despair and discontent which pervades every aspect of the ghetto faced singers like Al Jolson. The Official student newspaper of Western Maryland College, pub- cartoon Calvin and the Colonel was Negro's 11fe. The ghetto Negro is alienated from the mainstream of American life, and tp_isestrangement has not been mitigated by the gov- a disguised attempt to keep the old ~~:~ ~'!v~~rt';::~i~nesF~i~:;~~nn~:r:·d::~~na;·'c~~·:n~~~; ~te~~~ ment. Rather, it has been ignored, although we have had a commission Negro image alive. Butas Bill Cos- Post Office, Westminster, Maryland 21151, under Act of March 3, whose recommendations were disregarded because we're "busy" else- by put in UFE, "The Negro's 1819. where. The third factor is that Negroes are refusing to accept the white whole image IS changing. He's no SECOND.CLASSPOSTAGEPAID AT WESTMINSTER,MO.21151 man's advice to "just go slow and wait for the passage of time." How longer thOUghtofasshlfuess,lazY"':::;;;;;;;ii1ii!~~Ui~[i;!]2El~~C===: much time? Two handred years? Four hundred? Black leaders no longer no, he's thought of as atoughsono! accepts this advice. a bitch." It's criticaJtoAmerica's If no one fiUs the voId, the Black Power movement and others who have survival that ayoungNegrocanfol- repudiated nonviolence could conceivably acquire control ot the civil low Dr. King, not Rapp Brown. rights movement. Extremists are unyielding; they capitaUzeonthe con~ Here are some more questions 1tions of ghetto life they refuse towait for progress. The death of Martin that reveal the difference in your Luther King could easUyhave created a climate of opinion among Negroes image needs and mine. Duyoudis- which will be conducJve to the acceptance of the assertion that the non- like Mohammed Ali (and don't ra- DaveWeber... . BusinessManager NewsEditor violent civil rights movement should be replaced by a more openly milit- tionalize your answers)? Do you LisaRenshaw....... . .. Editorial Page resent Frank Robinson holding out Je~ryHopple.... ant approach. The rioting of the past few days assumes ominous significance in view 4 times the money of the aveTage ~~;: ~:~;~~~:·J~h~·~·~~·~i~~.:::.:.:.:::::::.::::::::::::::::::::::::.:::::::::::::.:·F:;:: ~~ii::: of this struggle between advocates of nonviolence and proponents of viol- baU player? If youwonderwhysoul MikeWeinblatt AdvertisingManager ence. Riots can't be dismissed as the actions of criminals who use any music is so popular, I have anans- Cliff King. Inside News given Incident as an excuse.Itisequallyfallacious to reason that the In- wer. Soul music expresses the Frank Bowe PublishingEditor cJdent itself is the fundamental cause: the inCident is merely the agent harshne'ss and pain of a Negro's Alan Winik :'Happening Page" which lights the fuse. In actuality, riots are generated by the hopelessness everyday life that makes all other Pat Wilkinson Greek Page Editor which results when grinding poverty is accompanied by discrimination music seem lifeless in comparison. Photography: Cindy Treherne, Tom Van Sickle, Gordon Shelton, MikeShultz and an unresponsive community. The riots are glvingwarnlng that Amer- For example, when Otis Redding A.rtEdi~or . EUenVon Oehsen ica Is diseased, and that there have been no attempts to cure (or even says "he left hIs home inGeorgia CirculatIonand Exchenge Editor , , Jane Elicker effectively analyze) the disease. head~d for the Frisco Bay," he'~ Typing Editor , , , Nancy Jecker