1981-02-26 The Auburn Plainsman

              Q[I)C0uburnpiainsmaii
Volume 87 Number 16 Thursday, February 26, 1981 Auburn Univ., Ala. 36849 28 pages
James granted delay for budgets;
may propose $61.9 million for AU
Sky high Photography: Tom Palmer
Spring is in the air this year, and Luinda Jones, 3ADS/ PV, takes time out
to perfect her kite-flying skills under the sun. With March, the traditional
month for kite flying, only three days away, this coed will have a step ahead
on the other amateur pilots in the area.
By John Mangels
News Editor
Alabama Gov. Fob James twice
last week asked for a delay in
submitting his 1981-82 budgets to the
state legislature. Each request was
granted, but only after a strong
debate in the House and a one-vote
margin in the Senate.
James is required by state law to
present his Special Education Trust
Fund andGeneral Fund budgets to
the Legislature by the fifth day of the
regular legislative session. Failure
to do so could potentially result in the
governor's impeachment.
That fifth day dead-line passed
last Tuesday with no budget from
James. The governor did request a
two-day extension because "all
information for the budgets is not
available." The extension was
granted by the Legislature, but the
Thursday deadline also passed with
no budgets from James.
A second extension, pushing the
governor's deadline back to March
3—the ninth legislative day—passed
both houses of the Legislature, but
not without debate and disagree­ment
among the members. James
had requested a thirteen-day delay.
The House approved the resolution
extending the deadline 80-14 but the
Senate approved the extension by
only one vote—16-15. Speculation
among senators before the vote was
taken was that James was delaying
submitting his budget in hopes that
an alternate Senate or House ver­sion
would be produced—in effect
absolving the governor from criti­cism
concerning budget cuts.
Assistant gubernatorial press
secretary Wendy Leavell said
James had requested the budget
delay for two reasons: to allow the
Cates proposal (which would pro­vide
a onetime windfall of $62
million to the state education fund
by requiring Alabama businessmen
collecting state income taxes to pay
the withholding taxes monthly in­stead
of quarterly) to run its course
in the Legislature, and to provide
time for the governor to attend a
national governors' conference
where potential federal budget cuts
of state monies would be outlined.
Leavell said the Cates proposal
would "definitely have an effect on
state education appropriations."
The bill could potentially restore
$4.6 million to Auburn's state allo­cation
this year. The assistant press
secretary also said James' atten­dance
at the conference was criti­cal,
since some governors who had
already submitted their budgets to
state legislatures without know­ledge
of the federal cuts are now
being forced to redraw their
budgets. "We feel like (the delay)
saved the governor's office a lot of
time and trouble," he said.
Details of James' spending plans
for higher education were given to
House and Senate members two
weeks ago to inform them of the
state administration's plans, and
revealed the governor recom­mended
a total cut in the 1981-82
higher education budgetof $24 mil­lion.
James' preliminary recommen­dation
showed the Auburn system
(including AUM) receiving $61.9
million, a reduction of 2.6 percent of
$1.6 million from what the Univer­sity
was appropriated in fiscal year
1980-81. State finance director Sid
McDonald said no state university
"will receive more than it got this
year after 7 percent proration" in
James' budget.
The governor's request for addi­tional
time to prepare his budget
follows unofficial state tradition.
The Legislature has historically
granted governors additional
budget time when it has been
needed. In 1971, Gov. George Wal­lace
was granted an extension until
the twentieth legislative day of the
regular session to submit his spend
ing plans.
James' education budget last
year was revised and subsequently
killed after it was resubmitted late
in the legislative session. House
speaker Jo McCorquodale said he
hoped thisyear'sbudget "will not be
in the same order as the budgets
'were received last year." The
speaker said he had "no way to
know" if past budget extensions
granted to the governor by the
Legislature were responsible or
irresponsible acts.
Former Auburn researcher
arrested on drug charges
By Peggy Wilhide
Assistant News Editor
Richard "Tony" Fiton, a former
research associate for the depart­ment
of Health, Physical Educa­tion
and Recreation at Auburn was
arrested yesterday at Atlanta's
Hartsfield International Airport on
Budget historically linked to health of state's economy
Editor's note: Inthepast two weeks,
The Plainsman has looked at the
budget appropriation process and
Auburn's prospects for future allo­cations.
In this last report, the
financial history of the University is
examined.
By John Mangels
News Editor
As expected, the trends in Auburn
University's budget appropriations
from the state Legislature over the
past 12 years have generally paral­leled
trends in the state's economy,
since the Special Education Trust
Fund from which the appropriations
are taken is based on sales tax
revenue.
The University began the decade
of the seventies with a slight drop in
enrollment on the main campus and
a decline in the momentum of
support for public education that
prevailed during the 1960s. Au­burn's
appropriation from the state
for fiscal year 1970-71 totalled $18.6
million, virtually equal to the
previous year's allocation.
Auburn quarterback Pat Sullivan
brought the Heisman Trophy home
Auburn
Budget
1981
Part III
in 1972, but the state appropriation
for fiscal year 1971-72 brought no
relief from the continuing financial
bind the University faced. SETF
revenues were higher than the year
before, but inflation-triggered in­creases
in operating costs forced a
limit on new instructional programs
to those which would require little or
no new funding. The state appro­priation
reached $20.8 million.
The state allocation for the 1972-73
fiscal year remained at virtually
level funding despite construction
on the theater, band and Union
building addition projects. How­ever,
the next fiscal year's appro­priation
showed a funding increase
of $8 million, the result of a two-year
lump sum allocation (known as a
beinnum) from the Legislature
totaling $62.9 million which then-president
Harry Philpott called "an
important milestone for education
ip. Alabama.'' The two-year alloca­tion
boosted the 1973-74 budget to
$28.7 million and maintained the
next year's budget at $29.9 million.
The economic upswing of the
mid-seventies produced a record
appropriation in the 1975-76 budget
of $40.3 million, an increase of 35
percent over the previous year.
New chimes, part of an extensive
remodelling program in Samford
Hall, rang in the Bicentennial year,
and construction continued on Dud­ley
Hall and the Goodwin band
building, but no such optimism was
reflected in Auburn's final legisla­tive
appropriation. The budget total
dropped for the first time in the
decade, totalling $39.3 million.
The University fared slightly
better the following fiscal year,
receiving an increase from the
Legislature of $5.6 million for
1977-78, resultng in a total budget
allocation of $44.9 million. A sub­stantial
portion of the increase was
budgeted to provide cost of living
and merit salary increases for
faculty.
The next fiscal year saw the
second highest appropriation in
termsof dollars in Auburn's history,
but it also saw the beginning of what
would turn into three years of
proration. The 1978-79 allocation
was initially boosted $9.1 million to a
total of $54 million, but was subse­quently
reduced to $53.9 million
because of a drop in anticipated
sales tax revenue in the SETF.
Phil pott's last year as president of
the University saw level funding
(equal to the 1978-79 allocation of
$53.9 million), but that allocation
was further reduced a second
straight year of proration because of
tax shortfalls. The 1979-80 legisla­tive
appropriation was dropped to
$50.6 million, forcing an increase in
student fees.
Former AUM chancellor Hanly
Funderburk assumed his new posi­tion
as president of Auburn in April
1980 facing a University on the brink
of a funding crisis. The 1980-81
legislative appropriation called for
Auburn to receive $61.7 million but
the most severe proration yet felt by
the state higher education system —
10 percent—leveled that allocation
to $55.5 million, a reduction of $6.2
million. Funderburk responsored
by declaring a hiring freeze, leaving
faculty and staff position vacant and
setting strict limits on spending.
Auburn requested in December^*
1980 a budge r allocation for the
1981-82 fiscal year of $60.2 million,
but was told by the Legislature's
budget committee to resubmit a
budget reflecting no funding in­crease
over last year. Gov. Fob
James' budget proposal, though not
formally submitted to the Legisla­ture,
recommends Auburn receive
slightly above $39 million.
A. recent study .conducted by Dr.
Gene Boyle, head of the department
of economics, management and
marketing at AUM^hows there is no
clear relationship between enroll­ment
and the state's universities
and legislative funding. Auburn's
enrollment has generally experien­ced
a slight yearly increase. The
study shows a shift of relative
enrollment from Auburn and the
University of Alabama to the four
urban universities in the state.
Boyle's figures indicate the state is
paying less for higher education
than it was in 1970 — in other words
students are receiving about the
same level of education they were 10
years ago.
See BUDGET, page A-6
drug charges.
Fiton, who was charges with
violation of the Georgia Substance
Control Act, had 22,000 dosage units
of various perscription drugs and a
"large quantity of downers," in his
possession, according to Atlanta
police reports.
Fiton, a British citizen, was
employed by Auburn University
from September 1,1979 to August 28,
1980 as a research associate, a
position which is not in the teaching
program but is sponsored by extra­mural
funds, said Dr. Taylor Little­ton,
vice-president of academic
affairs.
"He did not teach at Auburn; he
worked in a program involving
strength and fitness," said Little­ton.
"
Fiton is being held at the Atlanta
City Jail and bond has been set at
$1,500.
Arraignment was scheduled for
yesterday at 3 p.m.
The Reagan ax falls
BEOG andFISL student aid in line for possible cutbacks..
By Keith Ayers
Plainsman Staffwriter
In the wake of President Ronald
Reagan's speech on the proposed
cuts in the federal budget last
Wednesday night, Financial Aid,
Director Larry Ridgeway says that
allocations for student financial aid,
especially Basic Educational Op­portunity
Grant (BEOG) and Fed­erally
Insured Student Loans
(FISL), could be in for a formidable
shearing.
Oddly enough, Reagan's an­nouncement
came just five months
after Congress revised the rules for
basic grant eligibility, makingmore
• ••
students eligible for more money.
This move, a3 reported by The
Plainsman last week, was included
in the Educational Amendments for
1980, passed in September.
The director fears that the cuts
will weigh heaviest on the BEOG
and FISL programs, which are by
far the two costliest financial aid
programs the government carries
out.
The main problem with the BEOG
program, according to Ridgeway, is
that Congress has for thepast few
years eased up gradually on the
stipulations concerning eligibility,
allowing more and more students to
become eligible for these grants. In
the past, he said, Congress hasn't
made enough further allocations to
cover the costs of the loosening of the
financial requirements.
This year 2,700 Auburn students
received more than $2.25 million in
basic grant awards, said Ridgeway,
Students and faculty react to the
proposed cuts, page AS.
who added this figure is growing
larger year to year.
It is because of this snowball effect
that the director feels that this will
be one of the areas hardest hit.
Ridgeway is worried about the
consequences if the funds for basic
grant are cut after students have^
already been told they are receiving
a certain amount of money.
Furthermore, Ridgeway is even
more concerned that the program's
money will be cut after the fall
quarter checks have been distri­buted.
"If the government cuts the
funds after fall quarter starts, we
would have to figure some way to
make adjustments, which might
mean prorating the checks for the
following quarters," said Ridge­way.
He said this problem could put
many students in quite a bind.
The other program that Ridgeway
says is destined to be cut is the
See AID, page A-3
while Vet School, some research
may feel budget pinch soon too
Inside
The Plainsman probes the
past, present and future of blacks
at Auburn University in a special
report, pages A-8—A-10.
Campus Calendar A-6
Classifieds A-13
Doonesbury A-7
Editorials A-4
Entertainment B-ll
Recreation It 9
Sports HI
r. <& &*f. C*S.
LJ U U
h'it^
By Steve Farish
Managing Editor
Though cutbacks in student aid
funds will be the most significant
cuts of the Ronald Reagan adminis­tration
for the university, other
areas could suffer as well,
administration officials say.
One of the bigger cuts may come
from the School of Veterinary
Medicine, said Dr. Horace Morgan,
assistant dean of the school. The loss
would be from "capitation," or
headcount funds, totaling $203,000
for the present year, he said.
The capitation funds, which have
been given for 10 years with a high of
$656,000 in 1974, have been given to
encourage increased enrollments in
medical school, including veteri­nary
medicine, Morgan explained.
When questions arose as to whether
the schools were "overproductive"
in terms of graduates, "attempts
were made to cut it our entirely,"
Morgan said.
' 'The loss of money is coming at
the worst time in our history, with
proration," he said. "We could not
have continued under proration
without these funds." he added.
The capitation funds have been
used by the school also "to improve
the Learning Resource Center and
renovate someolderfacilities, that
is, to assist professional teaching
program," he said.
For the School of Agriculture,
losses may be much less severe, said
Stanley Wilson, vice president for
agriculture.
The people at the Department of
Agriculture "have indicated they
will not cut research and extention,''
Wilson said. That means that the
Agriculture Experiment Station,
which receives about 20 percent of
its budget from the federal govern­ment
and the Cooperative Exten­sion
Service, which receives about
45 percent of its budget from the
feds, should survive cutbacks, he
said.
Wilson said, though, that cuts in
the food stamps program and the
subsidized lunch program, which
may affect some Auburn students,
will change administration in the
Department of Agriculture, for the
social programs provide about half
its resources.
See CUTS, page A-8
. .„..,..i.«. n,mrr*tm*f ~***F*r
£br 9uburn #laiitfman Thursday, February 26, 1981 A-2
World This Week
International
REAGAN DENIES FUTURE EL SALVADOR IN­VOLVEMENT-
President Ronald Reagan said Tues­day
that the United States has ' no intention of becoming
involved in a Vietnam-like conflict in El Salvador, even
as White House officials verified that more American
military advisers may be sent there. The president
added that his response to the "very interesting"
commentsof Soviet President Leonid I. Brezhnev could
be linked to the Kremlin's role in arming El Salvador
insurgents.
National
HARRIS CONVICTED IN SCARSDALE MURDER-Former
girls' school headmistress Jean Harris was
convicted Tuesday of second-degree murder in the fatal
shooting of "Scarsdale Diet" Dr. Herman Tarnower.
The author of the famous book introducing the
Scarsdale diet was the lover of Mrs. Harris for 14 years.
Mrs. Harris shot Tarnower in a rage after he had jilted
her for a younger woman.
ATLANTA KILLINGS CONTINUE-Atlanta detec­tives
had their first hard evidence to the murders of the
black children in the Atlanta area when the state crime
laboratory disclosed that a type carpet thread was
found in theclothesof some of the victims. Last week
13-year-old Curtis Walker became the latest victim of a
killer children refer to as ' 'The Man,'' bringing the total
of murders to 18, with two black youths still missing.
State
HOUSE APPROVES DEATH PENALTY - A new death
penalty bill was approved by a vote of 88-14 by the
Alabama House of Representatives Tuesday. The bill,
which is designed to solve the constitutional problems of
the current death penalty law, now goes to the Senate.
Homecoming campaigns limited
Fiy Steve Farish
Managing Editor
Campaigns for Miss Homecoming
will be curtailed significantly due to
a resolution passed by the SGA
senate Monday night.
The change in the Code of Laws,
passed 16-7, will limit campaign
materials to 11 X17 inch posters. In
the past, the Code of Laws had
permitted T-shirts, large signs, and
painted windows in addition to
posters.
The change also will limit sharply
public appearances by the candi­dates.
Whereas inthe past appear­ances
were not regulated, the
candidates are now limited to
campaigning ' 'at meetings of SGA-chartered
organizations, school
councils, dorm meetings, fraterni­ties
and sorority meetings and
dinners," effectively eliminating
"door-to-door" campaigning.
The resolution, said senators, had
come about due to complaints from
persons involved in the campaigns
this year that too much pressure was
placed on the candidates due to the
extreme number of activities.
The senate in other action de­feated
a resolution brought forth on
the floor by Engineering Sen. Greg
Hardin to require the Phi Gamma
Delta Fraternity and the Delta
Delta Delta and Delta Zeta sorori­ties
to move the date of their
all-campus fund drive because it fell
on April 2, one day before a drive
sponsored by the Tau Kappa E dsilon
fraternity and the Alpha Delta Pi
sorority.
A representative of the TKE
fraternity argued before the sena­tors
that revenue would be taken
from its drive, which had been
approved by the senate fall quarter,
dates. A representative of the Fiji
fraternity said his group would lose
over $500 if forced to change because
of broken arrangements.
The senate also approved a
recommendation of the Budget and
Finance Committee to allocate
$27,770 in student activities fees to
the Performing Arts Committee,
which sponsors various cultural
events on campus such as the recent
performance of "A Chorus Line."
The amount was almost $10,000 less
than the sum requested by the
committee, but committee Chair­man
Betsi Vogel said the group
could come before the budget
committee in spring "to request
more money if necessary."
A permanent charter was also
granted by the senate to the hockey
club of the University, and the
bowling club received a probational
charter.
In addition, the senate heard the
first reading of a Code of Laws
change, to be voted upon next week,
that would form a new public
relations liason at the director's
level in the University Program
Council.
Food stolen
from Se well
By Buddy Davis
Technical Editor
Two athletic-related break-ins
over the weekend netted unknown
suspects two cases of roast beef,
one case of canned ham, and about
$700 in cash, according to campus
police.
Early Sunday morning, someone
broke the glass on the back door of
Sewell Hall, let themselves in, and
made off with the roast beef and
ham, according to Anne C. Graves,
head dietician at Sewell.
The burglars left 10 turkeys and
eight cured hams on the floor of the
kitchen, Graves said, adding they
"stole what the athletes were going
to eat for lunch." As a result, the
athletes at Sewell had to eat at War
Eagle Cafeteria instead, Graves
said.
The burglars also left the door to
the freezer open, which allowed the
food inside to spoil. Total losses for
the stolen meat and the spoiled
meat could come to $620, not
including the cost of repairing the
two doors that were pried open,
Gaves said.
Sometime Monday night in the
Memorial Coliseum manager's of­fice,
someone apparently gained
entry, opened a small safe, and took
about $700 in cash, according to
Capt. Don Rogers of Campus
Security.
"The office was broken into, and
some drawers were rifled through,''
said Rogers. He added that the
money came from a small office
safe, and that it apparently had not
been forced open.
Chief of Campus Security Millard
Dawson, said that the thieves
"might have done some other
things," in the office, but refused to
elaborate.
The stolen cases of meat from
Sewell Hall weighed about 160
pounds each, said Graves, so there
had to be more than one "because
less than two couldn't have carried
it," she said.
Spring perennia
A classic tee-shirt dress tha
Springs eternal. J.G. HOOK's
polo dress is self-belted and
comes in a garden of colors.
wr\s
ViMoo^lTlatt
AAUP resolution voices library concern,
suggests quarterly fee for use of facility
due to the close proximity of the stated.
By Karen Hartley
Assistant News Editor
The Auburn chapter of the Amer­ican
Association of University Pro­fessors
took a strong stance in
support of the financial difficulties
of the Ralph Brown Draughon
Library in a resolution passed
Monday.
The rough draft of the resolution
stated some possible measures to be
taken by the library. The first
suggestion was in response to the
lack of funds to buy any new books
this year.
The resolution proposes to "re­move
all books from the 'New Book'
shelves on the main floor of the
library and put up a sign stating
there are no more new library
purchases." The resolution sug­gested
that this would serve to
dramatize the problem.
Another measure was to "impose
a user's fee upon townspeople who
use the library," the resolution
Mortar Board scholarship
Applications for the Mortar Board
Scholar Award, given this year in
memory of Dean Katharine Cater,
are still available at the Foy Union
desk.
This scholarship is based on
academic achievement and per­sonal
characteristics of leadership,
service and character. Applicants
must be sophomores with an overall
minimum grade point average of
3.25.
All applications are due Feb. 27,
1981 and should be addressed to
Norma Mungenast, 317 Foy Union
Buidling.
A third suggestion was to "require
students, faculty, administrators
and staff to pay a quarterly library
fee."
The resolution also stated that a
restoration should be made of the
periodicals and serials recently cut, •
adding that there were still serial
gaps from the 1940s.
The final measure suggested was
to "place library needs and con­cerns
at the core of the various fund
raising efforts undertaken at the
direction of the central administra­tion.
''
In support of these measures, the
resolution stated the reasons the
AAUP felt the library should receive
this attention.
It stated that the crisis is illu­strated
by the fact that Auburn
(along with Mississippi State and
Ole Miss in the SEC) does not meet
the minimum requirements for
membership in the Association of
Research Libraries.
Another point made in the resolu­tion
was that, "a weak library was
partially responsible for Phi Beta
Kappa's denying the University a
chapter."
The resolution further stated that
an administration's function is to
allocate resources. The resolution
said "it is not a solution simply to
repeat 'There is no money.'
"The Auburn AAUP believes the
board of trustees and their president
need to give the same attention to the
library that they have devoted
recently to hiring a football coach
and picking a radio station to be the
'Voice of Auburn,'" the resolution
stated.
The resolution questioned the
administration in its effectiveness
to evaluate faculty on its awareness
of current events if they didn't have
books and current professional
journals.
"How can the administration
presume to evaluate faculty upon
their 'current knowledge of their
field' at the same time the library is
reduced to begging faculty to donate
books personally purchased in the
past two years?" the resolution
asked.
It continued to state that, "Once
the millionth volume was received,
Auburn seems to have forgotten its
library."
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PUBLIC NOTICE
LIQUIDATION OF COLOR T.V.'s
ONE DAY ONLY FEB. 27,1981
12 NOON TILL SOLD OUT
Zenith - riCA - Motorola
Magnavox - G.E.-etc.
From Portables up to
These sets are repossessions, bankruptcy, reclaimed, etc. $149 to $250
All Sets Thoroughly Checked Out And Each
Comes With A 90 Day Picture Tube Warranty
HOLIDAY INN - OPELIKA
Southeastern Financial Service
One week special!
This diamond pendant
and matching diamond
earrings in 14k gold
Sale
49.50
each
regularly
75.00 each
Real diamonds set in 14k yellow gold make up
accessory jewelry in the daintiest of designs.
Save 25.50 on each item, 51.00 on the set.
Illustration enlarged
VILLAGE MALI
Fine Jewelry Dept.
/
« • •
_^^^ A-8 Thursday, February 2<
Reagan's policies backed by history f~r"Tl
Che auburn Jlairamum
1 J^MrC J^^5>. >%^vv-.
By Monique VanLandingham
Plainsman Staffwriter
"I think it's the right way to go,"
said Robert Herbert, head of
Auburn's economic department,
referring to President Ronald Rea­gan's
proposed economic pro­grams.
He said that there are two sides to
the president's plan.
One is to cut back taxes to
stimulate the economy's growth.
People who pay high taxes will
reduce their spending, but if their
taxes are cut they will have more
money to spend for goods and
services, according to Herbert, the
economy will respond to the in­creased
production.
For instance, if one pays 32
percent taxes and then he is reduced
to 28 percent there will be more
money available to spend. Produc­tion
will be stimulated by the
resulting increase in demand for
goods and services. Herbert said
taxpayers' incomes will rise and
they may once again be kicked up
into the 32 percent tax bracket so the
Financial aid cuts confuse students
By Lynn Brown
Plainsman Staffwriter
Students are confused about the
proposals made by the Reagan
administration to cut financial aid
programs.
In his speech last week, Reagan
was vague about which exact
programs of financial aid he would
cut. However, the proposals he did
make brought on varied reactions
from students relying on the aid of
the funds.
Natalie Turner, 3 LHY of Hunts-ville,
said, "I am against any cuts
that might prevent anyone from
going to school, who cannot go by
any other means."
Lynn Biggs, 3 RSB of Spanish
Fort, added another point to be
considered when the cuts are made.
' 'I understand that the financial aid
cuts might be the best thing for the
economy, but without my financial
aid, since I have a brother here also,
I probably wouldn't be able to
graduate from Auburn," she said.
Bigg's problem is a common one at
Auburn, where many families have
two children attending school simul­taneously.
The Guaranteed Student Loan,
which offers money to students at 4
percent interest, is believed to be a
main target of Reagan's cuts. The
Photography: Mark Almond
osmosis.
Aid Frontpage A-1
Federally Insured Student Loan
(FISL) Program, a program where­by
the student can borrow money
from any lending institution, and the
government pays 9 percent interest
on the loan while the student is in
school. The government also in­sures
the loan, thus the lending
institution takes no risk, and it banks
a9to percent "bonus" just to get
them to participate in the program.
The student need not demonstrate
any particular need for this loan; he
is; just responsible for finding a
lending institution.
Under this program, Ridgeway
says, "The government would most
likely come out cheaper by just
giving the money away'' as opposed
to footing the tremendous interest
bills that must be paid.
Furthermore, Ridgeway says
that the lenders have been most
happy with this program, under
which they can make quite a profit.
The problem has been compounded
by the increasing popularity of the
FISL program, says Ridgeway, who
reports that in 1980-81 more than
4,300 Auburn students took advan­tage
of this program as compared to
1,400 in 1978-79.
The FISL shouldn't be confused
with the National Direct Student
Loans (NDSL), a program through
which students must demonstrate
need on the Family Financial
Statement to be eligible. NDSL 4
percent loans are made directly to
the student by the university. The
NDSL, started in 1958, is a program
in which money coming from pre­vious
loans is loaned to other
students. The program is a revol­ving
one in that after a period of
time, the school should be able to
satisfy its new loan needs totally
from funds from old loans coming in.
Auburn hasn't even come close to
this point yet, but Ridgeway reports
that other universities have.
Last year, Auburn lent out $1.1
million under this program. Ap­proximately
$700,000 was funded
through returns from previous
loans, and $400,000was funded from
"new" money, of which 90 percent
was provided by the government
and 10 percent by Auburn Univer­sity,
according to Financial Aid
Department estimates.
While the NDSL does have a
relatively high rate of default,
contends Ridgeway, the $186 million
it costs the taxpayers each year is
nothing compared to the $2.2 billion
the FISL consumes.
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loans are perhaps the easiest form of
financial aid to get. John Hugghins,
4 PH of Opp, said he f elt the loans had
been abused. He added, however,
that "the low-interest loans are the
best way for a person to finance his
education because after graduation
you can pay back what you got."
Hugghins also commented that the
people who do abuse the loans should
be severely prosecuted.
The majority of students are just
waiting to see what action the
administration will take. Melissa
Shaw, 3 LPO of Huntsville, stated
that her financial situation for an
education was dependent on the
money she gets from the govern­ment.
"I can't really say what my
reaction is yet, because I'm not sure
what Reagan has in mind for the
cuts," she said.
One point brought up by Lee Ann
Tarvin, 3 FM of Naples, Fla., was
that the cuts might be good in one
way. "A lot of people who don't
actually need the money are getting
it. So with the restrictions or cuts
that Reagan is thinking about,
maybe only the people who really
need the money will get it,'' she said.
government will have as much and
possibly more money from taxes
although taxpayers are left with
more money to spend.
Herbert added that historical
evidence supports Reagan's as­sumption
that cutting taxes will
work to stimulate production and
halt the decline of the nation's
productivity.
The second part of Reagan's plan
is to try to balance the national
budget, said Herbert. The president
intends to accomplish this by
emphasizing government effi­ciency
and cutting down on waste.
He plans to eliminate spending on
some of the federally funded pro­grams
such as welfare.' 'Not for the
really needy, but to trim the fat off of
some of the present programs,"
Herbert said.
Herbert emphasized that Reagan
in his opinion "is off on the right
track." "It distresses me when I
hear people sayit'sabusinessman's
package," he said. "The fact is
consumers bear the brunt of infla­tion,
so if production efficiency is
increased, and the inflation rate
decreases, we'll all benefit. I think
it's very much a consumer package,
although it may take a while to filter
down to the consumer."
Herbert predicts many political
fights over the presidents proposed
economic plan. "I don't know how
I'll feel about the congressional
result," he said. But he added that
economists agree inflation is the
result of overspending and printing
too much money, and he feels
Reagan's thrust is correct.
"We can't continue at the present
rateof inflation without something
catastrophic happening," he
warned.
J. P. Stephen's
Cuts Frontpage A-1
Contrasting ideas
These two students relaxing in the spring sunshine appear to have
contrasting ideas on methods of studying. The gentleman seated finds
opening the book helpful while the more reclined gentleman studies by
Wilson added that aid for teaching
appropriations under the Bankhead
Jones Act, which gavethe university
about$200,000 this year, couldbecut
altogether. This aid presently goes
not only to the School of Agriculture,
but "acros the campus," he said.
Dr. John R. Cooper of the Nuclear
Science Center said cuts may come
in the area of federal research
grants. Responses to grant applica­tions
have not been as positive
recently, he said.
"Either people in the research
grants programs are anticipating
cuts or they are being told to be more
conservative," he said.
In addition, a scale-down of
federal support for the synthetic
fuels program announced by Rea­gan
would hurt Auburn's grants for
synfuels research, Cooper said.
Predictions of cuts in some areas
can be "only conjecture" right now,
though, Wilson said, because the
administration has not outlined
fully its total cutback package.
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gfteSuburn Plainsman Action needed to improve searches
Scott Thurston, editor
Larry R. Klein, business manager
Thursday, February 26, 1981 Volume 87 Number 16 A-4
Breaking the cycle
Roughly 40percent of Alabama's people are
black. Yet here at Auburn University, the
state's largest publicly supported institution of
higher learning, blacks comprise barely 1
percent of the student body.
Obviously, Auburn's mission of service to all
the people of Alabama has not yet been
successfully completed.
Much has been said and written about the
subject of blacks at Auburn. Past Plainsman
staffs have delved into the issue, as we have
today on pages A-8, 9 and 10. The federal
government has also taken an interest q£4ate,
charging Gov. Fob James with the job of
presenting a plan to remove from his state " the
last vestiges of a racially dual system of higher
education."
Governmental efforts to alleviate the
problem are likely to be stymied by a simple
fact, however. No evidence of discrimination
against blacks has been found in Auburn's
admissions or hiring practices. The problem,
then, seems to lie more in attitudes, both black
and white, than in any disregard for civil rights
legislation.
The fact is, more blacks could come to
Auburn if more blacks wanted to.
At this point, however, we seem stuck in a
vicious cycle. As long as so few blacks attend
Auburn now, few blacks will choose to attend
in the future. It follows then, that if the
problem lies more in attitudes rather than laws,
so does the solution.
Arbitrary attempts to break the cycle—
quotas, lowered admissions standards, etc.—
would only fan the flames of the racism
America and Alabama has worked to smother.
If the cycle is ever to be broken, it must first be
broken in the minds of those who, if white, feel
comfortable with the status quo, and if black,
would rather go somewhere else than spend
their college careers trying to change Auburn's
course.
White students, faculty and administrators
must accept the fact that black Alabamians are
just as entitled to an education they pay for
through taxes as whites. And they must stop
viewing black students here as if they were
foreigners (which is partially understandable
since there are actually fewer blacks than
Orientals enrolled at Auburn) from some
faraway place where people aren't all alike.
But even when that attitudinal change is
made, the most stubborn roadblock standing
in the way of an integrated Auburn will
remain. It is that intangible thing called
quality of life, and it more than anything else
has driven blacks away from Auburn to other
colleges where they can feel more a part of the
total college experience most Auburn students
can take for granted.
Black student leaders at Auburn are candid
in their assessment of what Auburn can offer
black students. A good education, but little
else. What social life exists for blacks is at best
insulated from the mainstream of college life.
What can be done to improve this elusive
quality of life? Until mote blacks come to
Auburn, probably very little. You can't do
something with nothing. But the challenge
remains for all Auburn people, black and
white.
Whites must accept blacks at Auburn as
equals and as individuals. Black students must
be made to feel that their chances of success in
all aspects of Auburn life are the same as those
for a white student.
And blacks have a responsibility also. Those
here who are really concerned should show
their concern not merely through rhetorical
complaints, but by involving themselves in
those areas of Auburn life they would like to
participate in, by breaking down barriers which
have kept their numbers here so few.
With a combination of whites' acceptance
and blacks' involvement, perhaps one of
Auburn's smallest minority groups will begin
to feel that it too can share in the Auburn Spirit.
Maybe then, it will spread the word that
Auburn really does serve all the people of
Alabama.
Foresight needed
Gov. James' decision to delay submission of
his education budget proposals V»> the
Legislature may be good news for Auburn.
Whatever the outcome, it certainly couldn't
be much worse than James' original planned
proposal of a 2.6 percent cut in Auburn's
1980-81 appropriation.
James says he asked for the delay to allow for
passage of a bill sponsored by Rep. Eric Cates of
Greenville. Cates' bill has little to do with
higher education, but it would require
Alabama businessmen collecting state
wtholding taxes to pay the witholding taxes to
the state on a monthly rather than quarterly
basis.
If passed, it would result in an estimated $62
nillion windfall, or one-time profit for the
state, which could be used to decrease this
year's 10 percent proration and ease the effects
Attention candidates
"The appearance of clandestine and undemo­cratic
procedures employed by the (Presiden­tial)
Search Committee has created an atmos­phere
of suspicion, distrust and cynicism which
has seriously impaired faculty and staff morale
and will impair the effectiveness of any
president so elected."
These tough words, from a faculty petition of
13 months ago, remind many at Auburn of a time
they might rather forget: the seven-month
presidential search last year.
At that time, the height of the search,
criticism of the process was raised by faculty and
students too. Both felt wronged that they had
not members on the Search Committee, both
complained about the "excessive" secrecy
surrounding the process and both felt "political"
considerations were playing too big a role in
finding a new president. After the search ended
in April, reformers vowed to not let abuses
happen again.
Almost a year later, though, none of the
reforms have been discussed a great deal, much
less acted upon.
The irony of the lack of discussion is that now is
the best time to propose to the board of trustees,
the final authority for any change. The
resistance to change has to be lower now that we
have a new president; the meritous arguments
of students and faculty can now be heard by the
trustees without them seeming so accusative or
threatening to the integrity of the process. Also,
the board can clearly see the negative results
from a lack of student and faculty input into the
search with the current low faculty and student
morale level and unusually high opposition to the
Funderburk administration from faculty be­cause
of distrust fostered by the process that
produced him.
Three actions should be taken quickly by
three distinct groups to assure that reform does
really come.
Steve
Farish
First, the SGA senate should pass a resolution
calling ontheboardto appoint a student member
to any special selection committee of the board.
The faculty senate should simultaneously pass
an identical resolution concerning a faculty
member.
These two actions would serve a dual purpose.
First, they would assure that two groups within
the University that are the most closely affected
by the selection would have their rightful
influences.
Secondly, the presence of a student and
faculty member on the Search Committee would
help eliminate excess secrecy and distrust. Both
the faculty and student member would of course
have to keep from prying colleagues and
reporters certain confidential information, but
they would be able to make public statements
when the search seemed headed in the wrong
direction.
Board members will surely argue that the
presence of the two other members would make
necessary secrecy difficult. If the experience of
thelast search andthe actions of trustee Charles
Smith are an indication, though, the board really
•vould have little room to exalt its own ability to
keep secret sensitive information.
It should be noted that the proposal only
includes ad hoc search committees set up the
board. Committees such as the board's Athletic
Committee, which conducted the recent head
football coach search, would be exempted.
The proposal also would not specify that the
SGA president and the chairman of the faculty
senate necessarily be appointed to the com­mittee.
Special care would have to be taken by
the two groups, though, in seeking out the best
member for the committee, for a bad committee
member might mean a loss of the representation
right in the future.
A third action, much less likely to be approved
by the board without tremendous pressure,
involves the switching of appointment powers
for the ad hoc committee (the board members on
it) from the hands of the chairman of the board to
those of the vice chairman.
The obvious reason for this move is to try to
de-politicize the search. The governor, who is
the chairman of the board, can be influenced
politically, as many believed happened last year.
Because the governor is under political
pressure, his appointments to the committee
could well be politically motivated. The more the
governor can be removed from the search, the
more chance it has to succeed free of political
considerations.
Getting the three-point program approved by
the board will not be easy, nor will its passage
eliminate the conflict of values and personalities
that will naturally arise when a group seeks an
individual leader.
That does not mean we should not try,
however. The uneasy transition that should
have been a period of grace for Funderburk was
due to a faulty search, and the mistake should not
be repeated by intelligent people.
We simply owe to the generation that
succeeds Funderburk's the right to come into its
job with a more natural base of support.
of future prorations through estab'ishment of
a reserve fund.
in 1980-81, Auburn University lost about
$6.8 million because of the proration. If
approved by the Legislature and appropriated
this year, Cates' bill could restore about $4.6
million of the prorated budgeted funds.
In the face of continuing financial shortfalls,
however, legislatots should not be so
shortsighted to allocate the entire windfall at
once. Because it is a one-time source of
revenue,some part of the windfall should be set
aside in case of future prorations.
We hope thet^gislature will pass Cates' bill
and restore part of Auburn's desperately
needed funding. But we also hope they will act
with a vision for the future as well.
•
Springsteen gives reason to love life
A reminder to all candidates for SGA and
publications offices in the spring elections:
Because of the time needed to produce The
Plainsman's election supplement, which will
be published in the first paper of spring
quarter, deadline for candidate platform forms
is March 18, the last day of winter quarter
finals.
Platform statement forms may be picked up
in the SGA office and should be turned in to
the SGA office by the March 18 deadline. No
platform statements turned in after the March
18 deadline will be published.
The election supplement will include
summaries of candidates' qualifications and
pictures of candidates for major offices as well
as brief platform statements.
Che 9uburn JHamsman
Managing Editor, Steve Farish; Associate Editor, John Farish; News Editor, John
Mangels; Features Editor, Anne Harvey; Sports Editor, Becky Hopf; Entertainment
Editor, Burt Lauderdale.
Technical Editor, Buddy R. Davis; Copy Editor, Tammy Kincaid; Photography
Editor, Mark Almond Art Director, Paul Strickland
Assistant News Editors, Peggy Wilhide, Karen Hartley and JoBeth McDaniel;
Assistant Sports Editors, Steve Beaird and Dave Bean; Assistant Entertainment
Editor, Amy Dawes; Assistant Copy Editor, Janet Barbee; Assistant Technical
Editors, Blake Powers, Susan Freeman, MikeSpeakman, and Tim Dorsey; Assistant
Features Editor Abby Pettiss.
Assistant Photography Editor, Tom Palmer; Assistant Art Director, Eddie Ross;
Editorial Page Assistant, Matt Lamere.
Associate Business Manager, Valerie Gay; Advertising Layout Specialists, David
Gibson, Stephanie Davis, Alecia MacBeth and Richard Herring; Advertising Route
Manger, Andrew Mcllmber; Ad Salesman, Donna L. Higgins and Chris Karabinos;
Headline Specialists, Mimi Klein and Susan Moxley.
Secretaries, Joy Bufford and Karen Mitchell.
...office located in the basement of the Foy Union. Entered as second class matter at
Auburn, Ala., in 1967 under the Congressional Act of March 3, 1878. Subscription rate by
mail is $8 fora full year and $2.50 a full school quarter (this includes five percent state tax).
All subscriptions must be pre-paid. Please allow two to three weeks for start of
subscription. Circulation is 19,000 weekly during the school year. Address all material to
Auburn Plainsman, 2 Foy Union, Auburn University, Ala., 36849.'
Atlanta and Auburn, according to the civic
section blurb in my phone book, are some 112
miles apart, connected rather tenuously by the
four cold lanes of concrete that are Interstate 85.
Such a distance is not considered vast by the
standards of modern travel, but the ideological
distances separating the slow pace of the
"loveliest village of the plains" and the bustle of
the "city too busy to hate" are much more broad.
The dim recesses of Memorial Coliseum seem
a long way from the glittering opulence of the
Omni, but those gaps and five years in time were
bridged Monday night by a man, a band and a
commonly held belief in the resurrection of a
battered but jubilant American spirit.
Bruce Springsteen, fresh from simultaneous
appearances on the covers of Time and
Newsweek and riding the crest of a wave of
reviews proclaiming him the "new Bob Dylan,"
arrived in Auburn virtually unnoticed in the
spring of 1976. A University concerned with
SGA elections and Gov. Wallace's budget
appropriations produced a crowd of barely 1,500
for the 31-year-old New Jersey native's concert
in the Coliseum.
Paradoxically, though Springsteen had ex­perienced
a large amout of hype from the
national media for more than a year, he was so
unknown in Auburn that Bud McLaughlon a
journalism student, was able to impersonate the
scruffy rocker for a day, appearing on a live
campus radio interview and garnering
numerous party invitationsd and autograph
requests.
And so a University concerned with SGA
elections and Gov. Wallace's budget appro­priations
produced a crowd of barely 1,500 for
the31-year-old New Jersy native's concert in the
Coliseum.
Five years and two albums later, a city
concerned with federal budget cuts and the
deaths of children produced a swaying, singing,
cheering Omni crowd of 14,000 who gladly
climbed, on the emotional rollercoaster of a
Springsteen concert, a crowd who rode joyously
through the peaks and valleys and which didn't
want to get off when the ride was over.
The uninitiated or unfamiliar must question
such devotion, indeed the adulation that would
cause fans to spend nights in ticket lines and to
follow a Springsteen tour. They caravan
through the towns of Mobile and Starke ville and
Buffalo, riding like hobos on the musical coattails
John
Mangels
A
of a man who looks as if he should be working on
your dad's Chevrolet in some grease-staiined
garage.
Springsteen's approach to his music is one
explanation. Mix pain, caring,Ions liness,teasing,
bitterness, friendship, work, pride, dreams,
despair, love; combine this synthesis with a
performance in which musicians really look like
they love what they're doing; add an emotional
bond, a shared, unspoken but understood tie
between performer and audience—the result is
an unequalled three hour experience.
The music itself is another clue. Springsteen
throws open wide the cloak of emotions and
experiences he is wrapped in and pulls the crowd
inside. "Look at me," he shouts, whispers,
pleads—"this is where I've been, what I've felt,
WHO I AM!" Clarence demons' sax alternately
struts and sasses to Springsteen's energetic,
cock-of-the-walk guitar, then sends its quiet cry
from the darkened stage to echo forlornly among
the high rafters, adding counterpoint to
Sprinsteen's hoarse lament. The mood varies
from hushed silence to raucous enthusiasm.
But the special quality about Bruce Sprin-steen
is his ability to answer the questions which
we and the ordinary, working class people he
writes about ultimately must face: "Where do I
go from here—is this all there is?" The gritty
veterans of life who people his songs may still
dream about winning it all, but they've been
through the wringer enough to know better than
to expect total victory.
...But I was living in a world of
childish dreams
Someday these childish dreams must end
To become a man and grow up to dream again
Now I believe in the end
"Where do we go from here?" We go on living,
but in Springsteen's world, that is cause enough
to reioice.
c^O&Hf
{OHIO
flpjjt auburn plainsman
Opinion
Auburn dead last in computer race
Thursday, February 26, 1981 A-5
Entertaining TASS reports
more amusing than 'Lou Grant'
In case you haven't noticed, our newspapers
and networks are regularly reporting the news
releases from TASS (The official Soviet News
Agency).
This sort of nightly entertainment is the most
amusing thing in media today (and now
commands my attention witherto reserved for
"The Lou Grant Show").
They have an inexplicable way of, let's say,
beefing up news stories to make them
interesting to us in the west. To give you an idea
of what these gifted writers can produce, I have
included a list of news stories and how TASS
responsed to them.
The story: Invasion of Afghanistan.
What TASS said: Yes, uh, well they were
filming this war movie there and asked to
borrow some of our tanks, see, and naturally we
would do anything we could to help one of our
free neighbors. After our tanks and troops
arrived, the filming started. Those Afthanies
are such good actors, they really seemed dead
when we shot them.
The story: Reagan's election.
What TASS said: The American people are so
sick of living in their democracy that they feel
death would be better. They elected Ronald
Reagan so they could die by nuclear holocaust.
These Americans know how ridiculous their
military and leaders are. They know that if the
button was pushed, most of the missies would
blow up in the silos with the others making it part
of the way across town before crashing, thus
mercifully killing them all.
The story: The Iranian hostage situation.
What TASS said: Because of new zoning laws
in Tehran, the American Embassy was turned
into a swinging Las Vegas style motel. The
American dignitaries, unable to resist such
debauched capitalist activities, began indulging
in the services of their host. In the course of one
year the Americans got so sloshed that they ran
up a tab of $24 billion and had to pay it by check.
Tim
Dorsey
The Tehran Hilton simply detained them until
their checks cleared.
The story: A group of dissidents demonstra­ting
in Red Square.
What TASS said: Actually, these were not
dissidents at all. They were some youths who
were helping us parallel park one of our patrol
cars. The driver accidentally backed over them.
The story: The gang of four trial in China.
What TASS said: Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha. Those guys
are so silly it's amazing they can still grow rice.
They have absolutely no conception of how a trial
in a communist country is supposed to work.
First you arrest the person that is a danger to the
state. Then you formally read the charges in
court and have a series of witnesses testify in
front of a body of wise judges. Finally, you call off
the trial because the defendant has disappeared.
The story: The Polish labor movement.
What TASS said: Marx said the workers
would rule. Therefore, these unions must be
stopped—they will corrupt the workers by
making them materialistic, valuing such things
as a second set of clothes and a full stomach. Such
desires cloud the mind and make thinking
irrational. We only want to keep them poor so
they can rule better.
The story: Despite all the boycotts against the
Soviets in response to their aggressions, we
continued to support their industries with
technology and equipment.
What TASS said: Thank you.
It has been only a little more than 30 years
since the first computer was built ushering in a
new era in American society and business, yet
the technology of the fledgling industry has
outpaced the developments of any industry in
history.
Three are now mini-computers a person can
hold in his hand, computers that can conceive a
building from multiple angles on a screen about
the size of a television and computer that for a
quarter will lower invaders from outer space on
the cities you are trying desperately to defend.
Thecomputerhasbecomeaninvaluable tool to
business, government and researchers offering
advances in technology previously only
dreamed of.
As a land-grant institution, Auburn, it would
seem, would be one of the schools of the
Southeastleading the way in computing and
computer-related teaching and research. Unfor­tunately,
though, that is not true.
Auburn, in fact, istheonly land-grant school in
the Southeast without a statistics or computer
science department. And the shortcomings in
computer studies at Auburn only begin with
the lack of these departments.
In an interview last week, a professor in
Auburn's business school who requires exten­sive
use of computer in teaching and research
pointed out to me several other problems
making Auburn's computing offerings are
inadequate.
The main problem, he said, is the low priority
put on computing activities by the University
administration. One area where this lack of
emphasis shows is in the lack of a coordinator for
Auburn's computing facilities (a search was
begun 18 months ago for a director but was
inexplicably canceled last spring).
"A director would add the needed coordina­tion
and continuity to computing facilities at
Auburn," said the professor. As a "for instance"
he mentioned a Clemson University director
whoorganized a computer fair where firms could
display their wares. "Some of the firms got
mentioned on the local news" and were so
appreciative of the publicity they gave the
school computer equipment as a donation, the
professor said.
A second problem is the lack of documentation
or short courses to train faculty how to do
research with the computer and to keep
students and faculty abreast of current
developments in technology. He pointed to the
lack of training for the professors as a cause for
lapses and delays in their research for the
University.
In the world of "publish or perish" that
professors live in, most of them cannot achieve
competitive research with their counterparts at
other schools because of a lack of research
Auburn to become loveliest billboard on plains?
Auburn will soon be turned into one
tremendous billboard again.
Last Saturday's false spring was a reminder
that shorts and halters will soon be distracting
easily persuaded students from their studies.
And with spring, come campus elections.
There is something vaguely anachronistic
about these elections. Of course, we need the
people we'll elect to "serve" us. But the concept
of serving implies a master/servant rela­tionship.
In ancient times, say about 50 years
ago, there was a great mass of people who had
little more than a high school education, if they
had that. Such people were not well informed,
and were, in most cases, content to let others tell
them what to do. There were very few draft
resistors during World War II.
But people hadthe same inclination to improve
their lot that has resulted in such great
technological advances as the Gong show,
electric toothbrushes and the rebate.
The children of this generation started going
to colleges and universities. Relatively cheap
land-grant colleges such as Auburn made it
possible for many people who might not have
•
Buddy
Davis
• i
been able to afford college otherwise, to get
more schooling.
And with knowledge came the realization that
our leaders are generally only as smart as the
oeople they're leading. People began question­ing
whether their leaders really knew what they
were doing. Draft resistance was strong, and
voter turnouts began to shrink.
With Watergate, which most people are sick
of hearing about, came the nadir of people's
confidence in government. As President Reagan
has realized, people are also tired of government
interference.
The much bemoaned student apathy comes
from these feelings. Students realize that
student government positions are mainly for
people's resumes, and that the student
government is like a newborn baby—it can make
a lot of noise, but is largely powerless.
When 30 percent of the students turn out, it's a
record turnout. Face it, most students really
don't give a damn who gets what positions. They
don't care who the editor is, they don't care who
gets president. As long as they are basically
competent, and don't get in the way, it really
doesn't matter.
I find that a comforting attitude. Life is much
too short to be worrying about these cosmetic
school positions.
But still, the loveliest village was never meant
to be a billboard.
So it will be easy, when the candidates come
around saying, "Vote for me, I'm the best," to
just smile and say, sure I'll vote for you.
Because it doesn't really matter.
Death penalty discriminatory, not deterrent
Editor, The Plainsman,
I wish to respond to Steve Farish's editorial on
the death penalty that was unfortunately
published in last week's paper. The editorial was
especially spurious in describing arguments
against the death penalty. Either the author was
blinded by his own prejudice or uninformed on
the subject.
A questionable logic and a lack of under­standing
was displayed regarding concerns
about how the death penalty is discriminately
and arbitrarily applied. Mr. Farish dismissed
these concerns by noting the fact minorities
proportionately commit more murder than
whites. He added that with our nation's
supposed "truly changed racial attitudes" the
importance of the death sentence decision
precludes inequality.
What this overlooks is who the death penalty
is applied to for those convicted of murder. This
issue of discrimination is not who commits
murders, but what happens to those found
guilty. The Nov. 20 Atlanta Constitution
reported between 1973 and 1979,14.3 percent of
blacks convicted of killing whites were
sentenced to death.
These differences are not accounted for by
differences in the crime circumstances, they
are not corrected for in subsequent judicial
review and they are consistently found despite
differences in states' capital punishment
statutes. In contrast to Mr. Farish's nostrum on
our changed racial attitudes, our sentencing
patterns appear to value white lives more than
black lives.
If we were to accept Steve's logic that blacks
proportionately kill more, so it is only natural
that more blacks are sentenced to death, we
should expect urban areas which have high
murder rates to have higher death penalty rates.
Availale information (Bowers and Pierce, 1977)
suggests just the opposite.
The deterreuv-v; issue also deserves more
careful consideration than Steve gave it. M.
Watt Espy, working out of the University of
Alabama Law Library, has been researching the
entire history of executions in the United States
for more than 10 years. His research has led him
to conclude that the demoralizing effects of
executions far outweigh any conceivable
deterrent value. He has collected hundreds of
cases of people such as governors, sheriffs,
judges, executioners, members of victims'
families, members of executed murderers'
familes, onlookers at public executions, and
others who have been all too familiar with state
executions and yet, turn right around and
commit murder themselves.
There are other factors that challenge the
deterrence argument. Use of the death penalty
may even increase the subsequent rate of
murder in a state. A recent, in-depth study of
New York state over a period 1907-63 found
there was, on the average, two additional
homicides occurring in the month following an
execution. This observed "brutalizing" effect of
executions is consistent with research on violent
events such as publicized suicides, mass
murders, and assasinations.
States that abolish the death penalty have not
shown an increased rate oi murder after
abolition. According to the Institute of Southern
Studies, death penalty states had an average
murder rater of 9.3 per 100,000 population, while
abolition states had an average rate of 5.8 in
1974. The states with the six lowest murder
rates were all found to be abolition states.
Steve's faith in a rationalistic fear of death
penalty to prevent "the murder wave" does not
square with the circumstances under which
most murdersoccur. The majority involve angry
or frustrated people who know each other and
often happen under the influence of alcohol or
drugs.
There are other arguments Steve did not
address. One of these is the dange of executing
innocent people. In the past two years alone, two
persons condemned in unrelated cases have
finally been proven innocent after spending year
on Georgia's death row.
I also have a particular problem with Steve's
only reference to a religious influence on his
death penalty perspective. He apparently
believed what he was "taught in the Sunday
Schools of our youth" may not be applicable now
that he is grown. He seemed to be saying that the
messages of Christianity may be selectively
appliedoronly meant for children. I do not know
of anyone who would agree with that!
(I hope persons truly interested in compre­hending
the complexity of the capital punish­ment
issue will take the time to read the October
1980 issue of "Crime & Delinquency," a journal
published by the National Council on Crime and
Delinquency. Most of the studies and material I
referred to are covered more throughly in it.)
Larry Pedersen
St. Dunstan's Alliance
Community Worker
John
Farish
sity has with
equipment.
the addition of some key
facilities (including the library and computer
facilites).
There is also a need to more efficiently use the
hardware resources that the University has in
the area of computing, the professor said. A
simple step towards this goal would be to
"network," or tie in, Auburn's two IBM
computers to make that system more efficient.
Auburn also lacks many vital pieces of
hardware necessary for the efficient running of a
competitive computer program. For instance, as
any basic computer programming student will
tell you, there is often a problem at peak times of
the day in getting on one of the University's
public-access terminals. This is a simple case of
insufficient hardware.
To prove this, he logged on to a computer, via
long distance telephone, at Virginia Tech, a
school with a number of students and hardware
to those at Auburn. The computer there listed
119 users, or roughly three times the capacity of
Auburn's system, at a slack time of the day. The
professor told me it is not unusual for figures as
high as 160 for usage of the VPI system.
What is the difference that allows Virginia
Tech to better use its equipment? For one, VPI
networks, or ties together, the operation of its
two IBM computers. This more advanced
system, along with a front-end loader that allows
for more usage of the system, is a simple way to
more efficiently use the capacities the Univer-
Underlying all of the physical problems,
though, is a problem of shortsightedness. The
people who make decisions about how Auburn is
going to run, from the governor's office to the
board of trustees to the administration at
Auburn, have yet to realize the necessity to the
state of Alabama that its land-grant institution
has a cohesive and farsighted computing
department and computing program.
There are some signs that the administration
is awakening to the needs of the state. For
instance, a "users" meeting was held not long
• ago to air openly some of the concerns of the
users of Auburn's facilities.
There was also the establishment of a
computer science curriculum (not a department)
that is making some headway into the lack of
academic computing programs available to the
university. And there is the positive prospect
that after this year the University will have paid
off its current debts on computing equipment,
and barring proration, can begin to budget the
money that previously went to paying those
costs into improvement of the facilities here.
Even with those advances there is still the
nagging thought that the University will not be
farsighted enough to recognize the already
existing and ever expanding need for a program
at Auburn concerned specifically with com­puting.
It is the school's duty, as Alabama's land-grant
institution, to supply the needs where they exist
in the state.
The need is obviously there. Let us hope the
University recognizes it.
Executions may increase crime,
won't 'stop murder in tracks'
Editor, The Plainsman,
In his column concerning the death penalty
last week, Steve Farish neglected to mention
some important aspects of the issue. In the
interest of space, I will mention but a few of
them.
Farish correctly points out that the U.S.
Supreme Court and several state supreme
courts have been striking down death penalty
laws throughout the nation. He neglects to
mention a major reason why—"cruel and
inhuman" punishment is forbidden by the
Consitution. What could be more cruel or
inhumane than taking a life? Isn't the taking of
another person's life considered the most
heinous crime in our society?
Farish explains away the opposition to the
death penalty in a few swift paragraphs. But it is
not that simple. There is moral, legal and
scientificevidencethat points away from capital
punishment.
For example, several certified studies have
shown that in some cases, an execution actually
contributes to an increase in violent crime. One
suggestion is that the wide publicity an
execution brings might actually encourage some
people to commit a crime and thus recieve such
attention.
On the moral side, Farish suggests that
capital punishment might somehow protect "the
sanctity of human life." How can we defend life
by killing? How does an entire society accept the
collective responsibility for an execution when
about half of the people are opposed to that
execution?
Farish says he wants to stop murder in its
tracks. Rehabilitation, education, and yes, even
learning to recognize which criminals must be
removed from society permanently might
reduce our murder rate.
The death penalty won't.
MarkJ.Skoneki
4GJM
'Chorus line' shows bad taste,
society should protest 'the smell'
Editor, The Plainsman,
I anticipated a pleasant evening of entertain­ment
as I left class to attend Chorus Line on Feb.
19.
After about 30 minutes of the performance,
instead of feeling relaxed, I was quite upset. I
decided at that point why should I subject my
mind to conversation that is vulgar, tasteless
and degrading in the name of entertainment.
Most social groups would consider jokes about
thechurch and gonorrhea in bad taste at least. It
was at this time in the performance that I had
had enough. I cannot comment on what may have
followed. But I understand that others,
especially with children, wished they had stayed
away.
What disturbs me so is that we as a society
allow ourselves to be duped by what appears to
be moral sickness being presented as "entertain­ment'.'
We seem to be gullible to whatever
someone "out there" sets as an acceptable
standard.
This is not an attack on the Performing Arts
Committee. It is one person's expression of
concern for a society that is decaying and
somehow tolerates the smell without protest.
I hurt for society and especially our young
people whose diet should include beauty and
culture and are so often short changed by being
fed mental and cultural "junk-food."
Warren J. Valine
Associate Professor
Counselor Education
Little student alcohol opinion
could be solved in Plainsman
Editor, The Plainsman,
After reading about the Social Life Commit­tee
vote concerning alcohol in dormitories, it
seems that a common complaint against the vote
was a lack of student input.
Could it be that the students do not know to
whom they should voice their opinions? Who are
the senators and committee members and how
can they be contacted?
The answers to these questions could easily be
publicized in The Plainsman's editorial page.
Perhapsthen wecan get a picture of the interest
and opinions of Auburn students and faculty.
Larry Miller
2CE
Editor's note: As The Plainsman reported in its
first issue of winter quarter, all written opinions
concerning the alcohol issue should be sent to
Emily Leischuck, secretary, Social Life Com­mittee,
Cater Hall. Student members of the
Social Life Committee are Peter Riley, Donna
Davis, Norma Munganast, Lindsey Jackins,
Pam Robinson and Trey Ireland. Non-student
members are Mrs. Helen Doughty, Mrs. Emily
Leischuck, Dr. Martha Solomon, Dr. Dan
Holsenbeck, Dr. Lowell Ledbetter, Tom
Sparrow and John Burgess. Chairman of the
committee is Dr. Harold Grand, dean of
students. Names of all SGA senators are
available in the SGA office and in the student
directory.
Alcohol in dorms may keep drunks off the roads
Editor, The Plainsman,
The letter from Professor M. A. Cutchins
printed in the Feb. 19 edition of The Plainsman
seemed to indicate a knee-jerk reaction to the
potential problem of alcohol on campus.
Most of the statistics used by Cutchins in his
argument against alcohol concerned the drug
and driving. Yet when is one most likely to drive
after drinking? (A) After drinking at home,
wherever that might be, or (B) after drinking at a
commercial establishment more than a block or
so from home, wherever that might be, and as
humble as they might be, the dorms are "home"
for many Auburn residents (transients,
desirable and undesirable).
Should not these unfortunates have the rights
and privileges associated with home? Or shall we
be fair—and remove the demon alcohol from all
homes in Auburn to prevent any abuse?
Allowing alcohol in the dorms will not
automatically result in alcohol abuse; it may
reduce the abuseof this drug somewhat since the
environment in which the drinking takes place
will not have been especially designed for the
sole purpose of alcohol consumption.
For the record, I have no interest (financial or
personal) in the issue, since I live off campus and
am not astudent. However, I do have an interest
in getting drunks (and other incompetent
drivers) off the road so that I might cycle in
relative safety on the overcrowded streets of
this burg.
Lloyd E.Townsend Jr.
77
£br Auburn |)Iamsmaii Thursday, February 26, 1981 A-6
hi millions
Budgets for Alabama colleges
Budget
From page A-l
Auburn's budget
Year Budget Year Budget
A comparison between Auburn
and the state's other 13 public
universities shows that, in funding
per weighted credit hour (WCH),
Auburn has for the past six years
ranked last. This means that,
according to the system which
attempts to allocate state resources
on the basis of a university's
productivity and output instead of a
simple "head count," Auburn has
consistently ranked dead last, not
even reaching the state average of
$45.11 per WCH. this situation has
existed since at least 1975, even
though Auburn produces more cre­dit
hours than any other state
institution.
1 9 7 0 - 1 9 71
Appropriated 18,756,879
1 9 7 1 - 1 9 72
Appropriated 20,722,706
1 9 7 2 - 1 9 73
Appropriated 20,722,706
1 9 7 3 - 1 9 74
Appropriated 2 8 , 7 2 0 , 3 85
1 9 7 4 - 1 9 75
Appropriated 29.858,124
1 9 7 5 - 1 9 76
Appropriated 40,320,000
1 9 7 6 - 1 9 77
Appropriated 39,255,800
1 9 7 7 - 1 9 78
Appropriated 4 4 , 9 3 9 , 5 92
1 9 7 8 - 1 9 79
Appropriated 53,974,23f
Received )f 53,894,750
1 9 7 9 - 1 9 80
Appropriated 61,672,000
Received )f 55,504,800
) f Proration
Campus Calendar
AUBURN CHESS CLUB- Anyone
who is interested in playing chess is
invited to a regular meeting tonight
at 7:30 p.m. in 356 Foy Union.
PHOTO CONTEST- Entries for the
contest sponsored by Industrial
Designers Society America will be
accepted until March 12. More
information on the competition is
avialable at the Union desk.
EDUCATION STUDENTS- Th
Education Newsletter will be avail­able
in the LRC, the education office
and dorms on Friday afternoon. Be
sure to get one.
AUBURN RUGBY CLUB- All
interested persons are invited to
practice Tuesday through Friday at
4 p.m. across from the TKE house.
The game against Georgia Tech is
this Sunday in Atlanta. Anyone
interested in attending, please con­tact
Sean Spillane at 887-7551 or
Chris Dyas at 821-7305.
AFRO AMERICAN ASSOCIA­TION-
The public is invited to a
black expression art exhibit in the
Foy Union exhibit room until March
5. This in in conjuction with black
heritage month.
NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR
WOMEN— Anyonewho'sinterested
is invited to a potluck meeting
March 1 at 7 p.m. at 765 McKinley.
Bring canned goods for the shelter.
SIMUN '81 STAFF- There will be a
staff meeting Feb. 27 at 3 p.m. in the
SGA office. Please turn in evalua­tion
forms in SGA mailbox by that
time.
MANAGEMENT CLUB- Every­one
is invited to hear Lamar Odom,
administrator of the Achievement
Center, speak at the March 2
meeting at 7 p.m. in 208 Foy Union.
BETA ALPHA PSI -The accounting
honorary, will hold a Volunteer
Income Tax Assistance (VITA)
workshop March 2-6 from 1-3 p.m.
every day in 304 Mary Martin Hall
PUBLIC RELATIONS CLUB-Any
one interested in PR is invited to
a meeting March 3 at 9 p.m. in 1218
Haley Center.
BLOOD DRIVE- There will be a
one-day make-up blood drive for
people who would like to give on Feb.
26 in the Haley Center Lounge from
12-6 p.m.
SIGMA DELTA CHI- Everyone is
invited to attend a meeting of the
Society of Professional Journalists
tonight at 6:30 in 3234 Haley Center.
AUBURN PLANESMAN R/C
CLUB— There will be a business
meeting for all those interested in
radio-controlled flying today from 7
to 9 p.m. in 360 Foy Union.
FENCING CLUB- Any interested
students are invited to attend the
Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday
meetings from 4 to 5 p.m. in the
Sports Arena. Beginners are wel­come,
no prior fencing experience
necessary.
SOCIETY FOR CREATIVE ANA­CHRONISMS-
All interested per­sons
are invited to attend weekly
meetings at 7 p. m. in 356 Foy Union.
The SCA is a medieval research and
recreation group dedicated to re­creating
the Middle Ages in Auburn.
CRISIS CENTER- Free training in
listening skills offered in exchange
for four hours of volunteer work
each week. Listeners must be
mature, caring and non-judgmen­tal.
Training weekends are sche­duled
in February and March. To
volunteer, call 821-8600 and for more
information, call Janice Johnson at
887-5919.
AUBURN FANTASY GAMERS-Everyone
is invited to club meetings
every Friday at 7 p. m. in 2320 Haley
Center.
MUSLIM STUDENT ASSOCIA­TION—
Weekly meetings are held
Friday from 12 to 1 p.m. and Sunday
from 1 to 3 p.m. in 356 Foy Union.
Everyone is invited to attend.
FREE STUDY HELP- The Study
Partner Program offers free study
help in several subjects each week
from Sunday evening through
BALFOUR CLASS RINGS
Today and Tomorrow between
9:00 AM-3:00 PM
10 K Gold Specials
$5.oo off any dinner ring
$10.oo off any large sized ring
$20-00 off any jumbo sized ring
Celestrium Specials
free 15 pt. diamondique with mens ring
free 10 pt. diamondique with ladies ring
OR
Free Fireburst, Starflame, or India Cut
$10 deposit
Good trade-ins on high school rings
Now taking orders for the classes
of
481 '82 '83
Thursday evening at Haley Center
Lounge and CDV apartments. Call
826-5972 or come by 315 Martin Hall
for a detailed schedule.
VOLUNTEER HELP WANTED-Volunteers
are needed for the
Project Uplift PRO Volunteer Pro­gram.
Men are especially needed.
Call 826-4480 to sign up for the next
training session, held at 6:30 p.m.
Dates are March 2-3 and March
30-31. Project Uplift is a one-to-one
freindship service for children and
teenagers in the county that want
and need service.
TRI DELT LOCAL SCHOLAR­SHIPS-
Applications for the Delta
Delta Delta local scholarships must
be submitted to the Auburn chapter
before March 15. Applications are
available from the director of
Financial Aid, office of the dean of
students or Tri-Delt Service Pro­jects
Chairman. All undergraduate
women are invited to apply.
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS-Everyone
is invited to a spaghetti
supper Feb. 28 from 5:30 to 8:30p.m.
at St. Michael's student center. This
is a yearly service activity pri­marily
for students of Auburn
University. There is an entry fee of
$1.50 for adults and 75 cents for
children.
GREEKS VS. JOCKS- The Pi
Kappa Phi Fraternity is having a
benefit basketball game Feb. 27 at
7:30 p.m. in the Sports Arena. The
general public and Auburn students
are invited to attend at a $2 entrance
fee. All proceeds go toward project
P.U.S.H. (Play Units for the Se­verely
Handicapped).
YARD SALE- Everyone is invited
to a yard sale by the senior vel
students on Feb. 28 at 8 a.m. at the
Veterinary School.
ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA - All inter­ested
women are invited to a spring
quarter rush party March 1 at 6 p. m.
in 246 Foy Union. Anyone who is
interested but unable to attend
should contact Linda Wright at
887-5112.
AU WATERSKI CLUB- Anyone
who is interested in waterskiing is
invited to attend meetings every
Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in Foy Union.
UNITARIAN FELLOWSHIP OF
AUBURN — Professor Connie Price
of Tuskegee Institute will present a
program on "The Current Status of
Feminist Theology" Feb. 22 at 11
a.m. The public Is invited to attend.
For further information, please call
887-5274.
READERS THEATER- The
readers theater will present a show
entitled "What is an American"
Feb. 24, 25 and 26, in 1203 Haley
Center at 7 p.m.
EAT MORE CHEESE
and advertise in
The Plainsman
POTS®.
PANS
-SKILLETS
-SAUCEPANS
-COVERED
CASSEROLES
LeCreuset
Enameled Cast Iron Cook ware
Cuisinart
Suioleu Ste«l Cookware
Calphalon
Head-crafted Aluminum Cookware
Comer VslUge
Auburn
821-8110
STEREO SALE
NEW
USED
DEMO
00
00
TECHNICS SLD2 turntable with SIGNET TKIEcart. ,_, ^nn
reg. $200.00 NOW $139
BOSTON ACOUSTICS model A100 loudspeakers - used
reg. $200.00ea. NOW $149.
L'JX R1030 AM/FM stereo receiver - 30 watts rms-demo
reg. $400.00 NOW $219.00
LUX K - 5A metal cassette deck - new - 3 year warranty
reg. $400.00 NOW $299.00
CARVER M400 power amplifier - 200 watts rms - demo
reg.$400.00 NOW $349.00
SIGNET electrostatic headphones The Ultimate Sound
reg. $275.00 NOW $1590.0
ALSO
demo SIGNET cartridges
50% off
demo MAGNEPLANARS
20% off
JENSEN car speakers
25% off
\l •HUlll.Uk
lloMfcham Avenue Auburn, Alabama36830 (2Q5I821-7700
*
A-7 Thursday, February 26,1981 Ebt 9uburn ©latiwman
^DOONESBURY
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EXPECT YOU'D
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AUBURN,AL
Students to match skills E-Day
With the event growing in popu­larity
each year, Auburn Univer­sity's
School of Engineering has set
Friday, Feb. 27, for its annual
E-Day. More than 1,500 visitors
again are expected for the annual
"open house" for high school and
two-year college students.
E- (for Engineering) Day, cli­maxing
the observance of National
Engineers Week, Feb. 22-28, is
designed to give prospective
students and the public an overview
of engineering education and the
variety of career opportunities open
to professional engineers.
The day is sponsored by the
Engineering Student Council and
the Auburn chapter of the Alabama
Society of Professional Engineers.
After a morning devoted to the
more serious aspects of engineering
education, the afternoon program
will focus on entertaining applica­tions
of engineering principles in
three contests. Students will match
their skills in bridge building, a
rocket rack, and egg drop.
Commenting on this year's theme
for Engineering Week, "Engineer
plus Opportunity equals Progress,''
Dean of Engineering Chester
Carroll noted that through most of
this country's history engineers
have regarded problems as oppor­tunities
to apply their talents and
contribute to the nation's progress.
"I think that there is more
contributing to the popularity of
E-Day than the excellent job market
awaiting engineering graduates,"
said Carroll, University vice presi­dent
for research now serving also
as interim engineering dean.
"There seems to be a renewed
appreciation of the role of the
engineer as a person who, while
designing new structures, devices
and systems, can improve the lives
of many people by helping to solve
such problems as providing a
balance in energy supplies and
needs, a comprehensive transpor­tation
network, a sound environ­ment,
and livable cities. E-Day can
aid young people as an early step in
measuring the challenge of
engineering and their own aptitudes
and interests."
E-Day visitors may see repre­sentative
displays of each depart­ment—
aerospace, chemical, civil,
electrical, industrial, mechanical,
and textile engineering, and visit
laboratories to see typical experi­ments
and research projects.
Contest chairman Bob
McCutchen, an aerospace engineer­ing
senior, says the first competition
will be the structures contest in
which model bridges are loaded
with increasing weights to the
breaking point. The winner is
decided by the best ration of weight
supported to weight of the bridge.
A new event this year is the rocket
race, a contest to see whose rubber-band-
propelled rocket can travel
farthest along a taunt wire. Final
event is the egg drop. From a coat
hanger, rubber bands, and balsa
wood, contestants fashion devices to
keep an egg unbroken as the devices
are dropped from progressively
higher floors of the nine-story Haley
Center.
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Segregated Alabama colleges could lose federal funds
V
By JoBeth McDaniel
Assistant News Editor
According to the federal government, Auburn and
other Alabama universities have been maintaining a
racially dual system of education that discriminates
against blacks.
Furthermore, the U.S. Department of Education says
failure to correct this segregated system could result in
loss of federal funds for Alabama's colleges and
universities.
The basis for the government's conclusion rests on the
enrollment figures of the state's higher education
institutions. Nearly 99 percent of Alabama's white
undergraduate students attend traditionally white
schools, such as Auburn, while more than half of the
state's black students are enrolled in either Alabama
State University or Alabama A&M, both predominently
black schools.
DOE investigated segregation in Alabama's higher
education system and then drew up a 66-page report
which was presented to Gov. Fob James early in
January. The report concerned the lack of black
students, faculty and administrators in traditionally
white schools, possible funding inequalities and
expansion of curricula for various schools.
The report included possible solutions for more
effective integration of the state schools, but the
responsibility of drawing up and enforcing a final plan
for desegregation was placed on the governor. He is
required to submit a plan to the DOE by March 7, though
he has requested an extension on that deadline.
As a possible solution, James had originally
considered merging predominently white and black
schools in Montgomery and possibly Huntsville, but he
has since been under pressure from both sides to drop
this plan. Alabama State University representatives
first filed suit calling for the merger, but soon
afterward other blacks associated with ASU began
working against the merger because it would destroy
ASU'simage as one of the landmark colleges for blacks,
in the nation.
One of the main points of the DOE report is that
universities in Alabama can be identified as black or
white schools, thus encouraging students to select a
school according to race rather than with regard to
merit.
DOE regional civil rights director Willie Thomas
prefaced the report with a six-page letter explaining the
charges and specific pointsof the investigation. Thomas
said the investigation revealed that the University of
Alabama in Huntsville and Auburn University in
Montgomery receive more state money than A&M or
ASU, traditionally black schools in the same cities,
though the black institutions are both about 75 years
older than the other two.
The letter also said the state had financed expansions
in Auburn University's agriculture, home economics,
engineering and veterinary programs while limiting
A&M's expansion of the same programs. Both are
land-grand institutions.
The report stated that less than 2 percent of the
students enrolled at Auburn are black, as compared to
the University of Alabama and four other traditionally
white schools where more than 10 percent of the students
enrolled are black.
The percentage of black teachers was also discussed
in the report. Blacks comprise about 2 percent of AU's
faculty, as compared to the state average of 3.1 perceent
at traditionally white schools. The predominently black
schools employ about 95 percent black faculty.
Thomas stated in the letter that' 'the concentration of
black faculty and administrators at the traditionally
black schools and white faculty and administrators at
the traditionally white schools again confirms the racial
identifiability of these schools...the racial identifia-bilityof
faculty and staff serves to perpetuate the state's
former (segregated) system by deterring students
from selecting schools without regard to race."
Alabama is not the only state to receive such an
investigation from the Department of Education. South
Carolina, West Virginia and Delaware have also been
presented with similar documents. DOE is presently
investigating segregation in five other states.
Auburn actively recruits blacks,
but number of black faculty few
By Tammy Kincaid
Copy Editor
A routine audit filed annually by
Auburn University to the U.S.
Department of Labor showed that
out of 1,128 professional staff mem­bers
there are two black males and
two black females.
According to the report, there are
898 white males and 197 white
females. Twenty-eight other staff
members were listed as other
minority such as Hispanic.
Blacks at Auburn
ja Plainsman Probe » e
The report was filed in fall 1980
and according to Lillian Schaffer,
adminsitrative assistant for Dr.
Taylor Littleton, vice president for
academic affairs, academic ad­ministrative
faculty such as herself
were also counted.
Out of 231 counted academic
administrative non-professionals,
169 were white males and 54 were
white females. Six blacks or four
black males and two blacks females
were reported along with two
females listed in the minority
category.
Schaffer said Auburn tries to
actively recruit black faculty mem­bers
but there is a "limited supply"
getting degrees.
"Areas such as architecture,
veterinary medicine and English
have the fewest graduates who are
black or the minority types,'' Schaf­fer
said. "We are competing with
businesses plus other schools to get
the graduates and there is few
available when everyone's re­cruiting."
The University periodically ga­thers
availability statistics which
gives a list of graduating minorities
and their degrees," Schaffer said.
"The list comes from the Office of
Institutional Analysis and based on
this, if any department is under-utilizing
female or minority em­ployees,
the lists assists them in
recruiting.
"No quotas are set pertaining to
the hiring of minority employees
unless an order has been made by
the Department of Labor because of
discrimination, "she said.
Schaffer also said each depart­ment
projects its vacancies each
year and determines the utilization
of females and minorities for these
vacancies. "The personnel are then
recruited through various means
according to the category of the
position."
She said non-professional em­ployees
are hired on a local basis.
"We recruit from Lee County and
the four surrounding counties
through notices on bulletin boards,
advertisements inlocal newspapers
and through the AU Report."
Faculty members are recruited
on a national basis, Schaffer said.
"Advertisements are placed in
journals appropriate to the dis­cipline.
If we are advertising for a
graduate in veterinary medicine,
then we would advertise in a journal
pertaining to veterinary medicine,''
she said.
"We try to make our advertising
visible to everyone and we advertise
that we are non discriminatory and
an equal opportunity employer. Our
faculty recruiting is also on a local
basis and we do advertise in the AU
Report for these jobs.
"But if our recruitees apply in
more than one area where better
benefits and pay are offered, then
you can't blame the recruitees for
taking a job elsewhere."
Black student leaders
see leadership growth
Auburn University has made headway since the first black was admitted
17 years ago, but longer strides still loom ahead. Recently, the university
has been criticized by the Department of Education for the noticeable lack
of black students and faculty. While many school have increased black
Long strides Photography: Mark Almond
enrollment considerably since the first black was admitted to a state
institution in 1963, Auburn continues to lag behind. Today at Auburn only 1
out of every 616 students are black.
By Steve Farish
Managing Editor
Black student leaders may not
agree on the reasons for a lack of
blacks at Auburn University or the
ways to change the situation, but
they are all in agreement on one
thing: they know that the number of
black student leaders is small and is
likely to stay that way in the near
future without major changes.
' 'I think that black students are as
active as white students in terms of
percentages," said Maisha Shani
Hadiya, a leading member of the
Afro-American Association, "But
the only way we are going to be
noticed is to increase black en­rollment."
Other black leaders agreed there
exists no shortage of black leaders
on campus, only a shortage of blacks
that prevents them from spreading
themselves enough.
"There simply hasn't been
enough (students) to go around,"
said Wilber Owens past president of
AAA. Because of numbers, the
amount of black students with the
interest of student leadership is
naturally smaller, he said.
Almost all black, leaders inter­viewed,
though, thought the number
Lack of social life contributes to low black enrollment
By Jed Butler
Plainsman Staffwriter
Citing lack of social life, the
discomfort of being in such a small
minority, and being in largely
white-oriented academic and social
programs, two black college stu­dents
(one attending Auburn, the
otherTuskegee) anda white Auburn
professor share their views on the
conditions for blacks at Auburn.
The Auburn student, who enrolled
at Auburn because of its academic
reputation and "to get used to
whites" (she grew up in Tuskegee),
said that in Auburn there are "not
enough blacks, no real balance, and
no social life."
The female noted that the conven­tional
"marriage market" role
of the large university is not fulfilled
for Auburn blacks since so few are
here. "The pickings for black
females are small," she said,
noting that "if you're a black man
at Auburn, you're either an athelete
or an engineer."
She estimates about 45 percent to
50 percent of black males at Auburn
are "jocks" and that a large
proportion of the othere are engi­neering
majors. She quickly added
that her intention was not toslight
either group but to comment on the
lack of variety.
One reason she chose to attend
Auburn was adaptation. "When you
get out in the real world, white
people have the power; they have
the money, they oversee the jobs.
You've got to learn to get along, "she
said. She said that, in Tuskegee, she
was too protected.
"Most of the other blacks at
Auburn are different from me.
They've gone to integrated high
schools," she said. "They had to
learn to hold back, couldn't open up.
Every night of my freshman year I
would go out and party, have a good
time."
"People asked if I was from the
city, but I'm from Tuskegee. We
hold our heads up. They (blacks
from integrated schools) has to look
down to get by. Now I've learned to
get along."
She said laughingly that life in
Auburn has "been an experience. I
don't regret going to Auburn. But,
interestingly enough, most of the
things I've learned here, I learned
from blacks, not whites."
The Tuskegee student, also a
female from Tuskegee, chose Tus­kegee
because of the heritage it has
in black achievement and because
"there was not social life for blacks
at the University of Alabama,"
which she attended for a year.
She said, however, that "those
students who come from small
towns—largely black— have a hard
time adapting" to white univer­sities.
This difficulty in coping with
college seems to be more emotional
and social than academic, she said.
Of Alabama, she said, "I got up
there and saw reality. It wasn't what
I thought it would be. Some of the
joints, like Bonnie and Clyde's
practically turned us around at the
door, even though we were dressed
nicely."
She said Auburn's scarcity of
black students could not be attri­buted
to economic factors, since
tuition at Tuskegee Institute is
$1,100 per year.
Nelson Reid, director of the Social
Work Program at Auburn, said,
"The factors associated with Au­burn's
extremely low enrollment of
blacks are probably historical or
situational; that is, I don't believe it
has been the policy of the university
to discourage blacks.
"But, realizing that blacks don't
enroll here because of the non-urban
environment, because of selective
admission requirements or because
of the more substantial enrollment
of blacks at U.A.B. or U.A., it
behooves us to try to compensate for
these factors. Specifically, we need
aggressive recruitment and the use
of special scholarships and awards
to attract blacks'Reid said.
"It is not reasonable that there are
only 400 blacks in Alabama inter­ested
in Auburn and qualified for
admission," he said. "Once a
reasonable number of black stu­dents
are enrolled, the special
efforts could probably be relaxed,
because Auburn would have gained
a reputation as hospitable to blacks,
and there would be enough blacks
here to make new students com­fortable
and to attract these new
students through family or com­munity
contacts."
Reid said there are several argu­ments
to be made why Auburn
should recruit blacks: One being the
position that some compensation
should be made for the decade of
discrimination blacks have endured
prior to and since the gains of the 60s.
But, he said, a more direct
argument can be made concerning
Alabama schools' obligations to
blacks. .
"The Special Education Trust
Fund, outof which appropriations to
Auburn are made, is largely com­posed
of sales tax revenues," he
said. "The sales tax is regressive in
that lower income people allocate a
larger portion of their income to
sales taxed consumption."
"The Alabama black population
as a whole is substantially lower in
income than the Alabama white
population. Therefore, you could
say that Alabama blacks bear a
proportionately greater burden fo
support for education, including
higher education, than do Alabama
whites." Reid said.
In response to Reid's statement,
Dr. Harold Grant, assistant dean of
students and formerly in charge of
the university's compliance with
Equal Opportunity regulations, said
he would "basically agree" with it.
But he maintained that "we are
aggressively recruiting," citing as
examples Auburn's involvement
with the Special Merit Scholarship
Fund and a cooperative effort
between the Afro-American As­sociation
and the Department of
High School Relations in which
black students around the state
were given tickets to the A.U.­Richmond
game and tours around
the campus.
"Three people showed up," he
said. "It was pretty disappointing."
Photography: Sherri Lilly
ROLLING
.Onward to class
of black students and student
leaders will increase in the future.
"I'm optimistic," said Tony Hol­land,
SGA director of Minority
Relations and past president of
Kappa Alph Psi fraternity. Like
others, however, Holland does not
see change coming rapidly. He said
it may be 20 years before a black is
elected again to a major position
(Anthony Copeland won the SGA
vice-presidential race in 1971) on
campus.
Holland said it will be difficult to
get blacks into key positions be­cause
' 'Sometimes positions are not
publicized enough to black stu­dents."
Roderick Hawkins, president of
AAA and Kappa Alpha Psi frater­nity
agreed. "The situation will get
better because black enrollment is
increasing, but it is something that
will be a gradual change," he said.
Some student pointed out changes
they would like to see in processes
that have discouraged blacks in the
past.
Owens said black groups, for
example, have tried to obtain a
cultural center for activities, but
have been rebuffed. "We were not
successful with the (Philpott) ad-ministratrion,"
he said.
"Because we are black, we cannot
do as white do," said Yolanda
Bolerware, a member of Tigerettes,
Alpha Epsilon Rho and an anchor-person
on WEGL-FM. She said
black sororities and fraternities
have had difficulty getting housing
to hold activities.
Even with some disadvantages,
Hadiya said, the black groups are
preparing to mold leaders of up­coming
students. Shesaidthe recent
hiring by the administration of
Milton Frischa, long-time student
adviser at Talledega College, should
help black students become more
active. In addition, she said "one of
our priorities is to have a leadership
workshop."
The leaders were mixed in opin­ions
about whether racism at Au­burn
exists enough to be a barrier to
black advancement. Holland said
"I have not encountered that," but
Hawkins said, "yes, I feel it."
Holland said the racism often
comes in the form of quotas; that is,
some groups initiate "token" blacks
but go little beyond that.
Hadiya was more outspoken
about racism she has seen. She said
black groups tried to open up access
to blacks in groups last year such as
War Eagle Girls and Plainsmem,
but that finally "we felt it was
necessary to go to the administra­tion
and ask" for help.
Among administrators, she
noted, "there have been some
people on campus who have been
very helpful."
At least one of the leaders felt it is
hard to determine whether some
motives at Auburn are racially
motivated. "Sometimes, it's very
difficult to determine if it exists,"
said Owens.
A-9 Thursday, February 26. 1981 Zht 3uburn plainsman
First black student liberated9 Auburn
ADMITTED FIRST
.Harold A. Franklin, the first black student at Auburn
By Abby Pettiss
Assistant Features Editor
One hundred state troopers
waited for Harold A. Franklin,
Auburn University's first black
student, to arrive for registration on
Jan. 4,1964. The word was out from
Alabama Public Safety director-there
would be "no allowance for
disorderly crowds or mobs of stu­dents
at any time, any place."
Auburn was determined to proceed
with its integration "without in­cident."
And it was relatively quiet that
Saturday morning when Franklin
went to the "new" (yet to be named)
Ralph Brown DraughonLibrary to
register. Mainly because Public
Safety Director Al Lingo had closed
off the campus that morning at 6
a.m., allowing only persons with
University I.D.'s to enter. The state
troopers almost didn't let Franklin
on campus to register.
"They were just harrassing me, I
could see that," Franklin said, "I
was being escorted by Dean Foy and
Dean Ragan to the library from my
dorm, when they stopped me to ask
for my Auburn I.D. and of course, I
didn't have one. It was apparent
what they were doing. They knew
who I was; it was just plain
harrassment."
Eventually he showed them iden­tification
and they let him pass.
Franklin, then 31, was a veteran
and graduate of Alabama State
College in Montgomery, now Ala­bama
State University. He origin­ally
applied to the Graduate School
in political science and history on
Nov. 30,1962, but was turned down in
February of 1963. Auburn required
an undergraduate degree from an
accredited school and Alabama
State had lost its accreditation two
years before.
On Aug. 26,1963 Franklin filed suit
against Auburn for admission,
claiming discrimination. U.S. Dis­trict
Judge Frank M. Johnson of
Montgomery issued his decision on
Nov. 5,1963, stating that the dean of
the Graduate School, William V.
Parker could not reject Franklin on
grounds that his depree was not
accredited. Auburn tried to appeal
on Dec. 4, 1963 but the Fifth Circuit
Court of Appeals in New Orleans
turned down the motion seeking
delay to effect court-ordered dese­gregation
at Auburn.
Franklin remembers his first day
of registration vividly, although he
admits some parts are getting hazy
as he gets older. "I think the
administration resented me, but
they didn't show it. I know they
wanted desegregation over with.
They knew it would have to come
eventually and they just wanted to
get it behind them so they could go on
to other things.
"That day they almost ignored
me, though. I think the administra­tion
and city police were more
concerned with Li.igo's troops. You
see, Lingo jusl came in and tookover,
on orders from Wallace-closing off
the campus and doing pretty much
what he pleased.
"You could say he imposed
military rule on Auburn. The city
police and campus officials were too
mad at him to bother paying much
attention to me. They just wanted
their town back."
Franklin's wife, Lilla was preg­nant
when he registered. His son
was born 17 days later.' 'My son was
born Jan. 21,17 days after I came to
Auburn. Certainly it was rough
being away from my family, but my
wife and I knew that from the outset
it would be. We had discussed it
thoroughly before we made the
decision to apply there," Franklin
said.
The decision to go to Auburn was
based solely on its closeness to
Montgomery, Franklin said. He was
not a crusader, he only wanted a
chance at a good degree. "I came to
Auburn for the opportunity. That's
all," he said.
"I knew all about white prejudice.
But at that time the whole South was
putting on a show to the country that
all was well in the South with
desegregation. All I expected from
Auburn was to be graded objec­tively."
He had no illusions that Auburn
would greet him with open arms. "I
didn't expect people to be friendly.
Basically, I was just ignored. There !
was some name-calling, of course. It
never bothered me, like I said, I
wasn't looking for friends. Anyway,
I'm basically a loner by nature," he
said.
There were some friendly people
in Auburn, however. Franklin said
head of Campus Security, Millard
Dawson, is still one of his good
friends. "I got turned around one
day and was heading back to the
dorm from the wrong direction. He
stopped and took me by the arm and
explained how to tell whichwing of
Magnolia was mine,'' Franklin said.
There weren't any real restric­tions
made for Franklin, like
separate restrooms, but he did live
alone in one wing of Magnolia
Dormitory. "I had the whole wing of
Magnolia to myself, in East Mag,"
he said.
Franklin left Auburn without his
degree after 12 months. ' 'I thought I
was not graded fairly. You know
how it's customary to get literature
on the preparation of your thesis?
Well, I was given no sheet. So I never
really knew if there was one (sheet),
but no one told me what require­ments
there were for my thesis.
' 'I started believing I was getting
a run-around. I got very impatient,
but I was in no position to argue with
my committee," Franklin said. "So
eventually I just gave up. I couldn't
see spending all that money and
accomplishing nothing."
Franklin, now 48, teaches political
science at Tuskeegee Institute.
After leaving Auburn in 1965, he
abandoned hope of getting a
master's degree until 1975 when he
was given a scholarship to study at
the University of Colorado, after
teaching at Talledega Junior
College. He now has a master's
degree.
He hopes more blacks will go to
Auburn, for the purpose of getting a
good education, but he doesn't see it
happening. "Auburn does not
extend invitations to blacks. I feel
they (Auburn) owe it to blacks from
past discrimination to go out and
actively recruit blacks, not just
black athletes, either," Franklin
said. "If Auburn made a special
effort, maybe hire some black
recruiters, it would increase black
enrollment.
' 'Auburn is a small town and most
blacks are from rural areas and
want to get away to bigger towns.
But if they were convinced by a
black, if they could see the indi­vidual
in a from of authority, they
could be persuaded to attend
Auburn."
Black enrollment is almost to the
500-mark, and while Franklin said
he is disappointed there aren' t more
blacks at Auburn, he's glad he
opened the door for them in 1964. "I
would hate to think no blacks were to
come after me, that my coming was
in vain," he said.
"In a sense I feel like I liberated
Auburn for the blacks. Someone had
to do it and I'm glad I had the
chance."
Fraternities give opinions on Auburn's segregated Greek system
By Sean Bowlin
Plainsman Staffwriter
In Auburn's history, there have
been strickly all-white or black
fraternities. Today, that remains
true with 28 social fraternities, of
which three are black.
David Price, 4HRA, is the his­torian
of Auburn's Phi Gamma
Delta chapter. He said one black
attempted to "rush " his chapter last
fall. He didn't make it.
"He didn't pass the vote," said
Price. While he wouldn't commeni
on the specific reason why the
student was rejected because "all
chapter meetings are closed."
Rick Childs, 3FI,a Sigma Pi said,
'You're going to find prejudice
Liny where." He was receptive to the
idea of having blacks in his chapter.
"It'sfine with me," he said. "Na­tionally,
our fraternity has quite a
few blacks."
John Winters, 3HRA, feels that the
reason no blacks have actively
sought membership in his Pi Kappa
Alpha chapter is because "they
wouldn't feel at home in a white
fraternity."
"I'm not prejudiced at all,"
Winters said, "but a lot of people in
my fraternity would definitely not
like to have a black as a member."
» Tradition is the reason why there
are not blacks in his fraternity
Kappa Alpha, said MarkHarbarger,
4FI. "Kappa Alpha is a Southern-based
fraternity, one of the few
founded nationally with those prin-
:iples," Harbarger said. He said
hat one of those Southern principles
;vas non-interference by outsiders
ind interfraternal affairs, "sort of
ike the states' right concept."
Harbarger felt that a lot of alumni
would be opposed to seeing blacks in
Kappa Alpha, "especially if it was
forced." He added that he is aware
that very qualified blacks are trying
to get into traditionally all-white
fraternities. "However, I don't see it
succeeding in the near future," he
said.
Theta Chi Vice President, Alan
Jackson, 3 APS said that while his
chapter contains no blacks, he is not
opposed to the idea.
No blacks have ever tried to
pledge his fraternity chapter, Jack­son
said, "They only come around
one night and never came back,"
said Jackson, "probably because
they didn't see any blacks. They
looked around and then left."
Jimmy Shoulders, 3EE, president
of Phi Delta Theta, said he thought
the lack of black interest is why he
has never seen any blacks trying to
pledge to his fraternity. "Most
people," he said, "don't think that a
black person would try to get into a
fraternity that was all white."
Mike Bagget, 4FI, president of
Sigma Alpha Epsilon, said it didn't
matter to him if a black tried to join
his fraternity. However, he thought
that the issue may be controversial
among his fraternity brothers.
FarmHouse's Les Roberson
doesn't remember any blacks try­ing
to become Chapter members.
"However, we don't have a formal
rush," he said, noting that lack of
information about rush procedures
could be the reason.
"I've never been aware of a black
trying to actively seek membership
in this chapter," said Tau Kappa
Epsilon President Frank Magazine,
4CE.
"We're a small chapter. And with
attitudes about blacks the way they
are around here, if we started by
taking in a black guy, a lot of other
guys wouldn't want to join. The
chapter then would die because of
lacks of funds. I'm not prejudiced—
I'm just looking at it from an
economic standpoint," he said.
Tony Holland, 3PC, former pre­sident
of black fraternity Kappa
Alpha Psi said the main reason for
the lack of involvement in Auburn's
Greek system is Auburn's low black
enrollment.
"One reason for the low black
enrollment is lack of publicity,"
said Holland. "Publicity about the
University of Alabama among
blacks has been stronger, especially
at the high school level."
Holland said that nationally,
Kappa Alpha Psi permits whites.
"It's in our constitution," he said.
However, there are no whites in his
14-member chapter.
Lindsey Thompson, president of
Phi Beta Sigma, said he believed the
reason more blacks weren't in­volved
in his six-member fraternity
is the GPA requirement. "As far as
Phi Beta Sigma fraternity is con­cerned
the GPA requirement is
higher than the University requires
and that makes it more difficult to
pledge
"Also, most of the black fra­ternities
have little to offer in the
form of social activities like the
white fraternities do. And, of course,
enrollment in general for blacks is
low," Thompson said.
He feels integration of Auburn's
Greek system will have to come.
"It's inevitable. Eventually things
will have to change," Thompson
said.
Discrimination not reason for sorority segregation,
Blacks, whites join separate sororities by tradition
By Kaye Dickie
Plainsman Staffwriter
The social life of Auburn's black
students is lacking, Debora Nichols,
a senior in pharmacy, believes.
Nichols, presidentqf Delta Sigma
Theta, an all-black service sorority
on campus, is one of only 12 black
girls involved in Auburn sorority
life.
Daphne White, the only black
member of ROTC's Mariners for
two years, feels the reason blacks
aren't deeply involved in campus
life is because "Auburn has a
reputation of being a hard school to
graduate from. Most people here
are too involved with their studies to
spend time with extracurricular
activities," she said.
According to Panhellenic rules,
any girl, regardless of race, can join
any campus sorority. Still, blacks
and whites at Auburn tend to join
separate sororities. Two all-black
service sororities, Alpha Kappa
Alpha and Delta Sigma Theta with
six members each, serve the 2
percent black student population.
There are no black social sorori­ties
on campus.
"I think it's just tradition for
blacks and whites to group separa­tely.
That's just the way it's always
been," said DeAnna Nelson, sopho­more
president of Alpha Kappa
Alpha.
Of the other 16 sororities and two
coed service organizations, not a
single member is black.
Emily Leischuck, assistant to the
d ean of student life and adviser to
Auburn sororities, said although the
Panhellenic Council doesn't go out
of its way to especially encourage
blacks to join sororities, it doesn't
discriminate.
"At the beginning of each year, we
send letters to all girls, black and
white, who have been accepted to
the University, explaining rush and
other things," she said.
Leischuck attributes Auburn's
lack of black sororities to the fact
that to establish a sorority, a group
has to go through national channels.
And nationally, there are few
organizations geared towards black
membership.
Alpha Kappa Alpha and Delta
Sigma Theta were both started at
Howard University in Washington,
D.C. respectively in 1904 and 1913.
Nichols doesn't feel out of place
being among the low black student
population here. "I think a lot of
blacks go to predominantly black
schools because they have family
ties elsewhere," she said.
Nichols said the sorority girls
don't let low membership get their
spirits down. "I think percentage­wise,
our two sororities involve as
many girls as the other sororities
involve white girls," she said.
White said, "I think many of the
black girls on campus are in the
professional groups. I don't feel out
of place being the only black girl in
the Mariners.. At least not until we
have something social come up. But
I don't let it bother me."
Nichols feels that although a black
girl in one of Auburn's all-white
sororities is possible, "it isn't
feasible. Everyone seems happy
just the way things are."
If the tables turned, Nichols said a
white girl would be welcomed into
Delta Sigma Theta, as long as she
met the academic and financial
qualifications.
"Delta Sigma Theta is an inter­racial
group. We don't have any
white members here at Auburn, but
groups elsewhere do," she said.
"We once had a white girl here to
ask for an interview, but she didn't
show up for it," Nichols said.
Nelson said Alpha Kappa Alpha's
biggest problem is financial. "It's
hard to keep a sorority financially
fit. A pledge pays an intitial $100, and
membership dues are between $35
and $40 yearly, but a lot of that
money goes to the national organiza­tion.
Only a part of it stays here," she
said.
Nelson explained that the money
from Alpha Kappa Alpha's social
parties and annual projects doesn't
go entirely to the sorority but to
charitable organizations such as the
United Negro College Fund, Sickle
Cell Anemia, the NAACP and RIF.
Alpha Kappa Alpha also has a
scholarship fund set up for high
school seniors.
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£br fhiburn plainsman Thursday, February 28, 1981 A-10
Does UA offer more for black students than AU ?
By Anne Harvey
Features Editor
Exactly 25 y e a r s ago a black was
admitted to an all-white university,
the University of Alabama. Riots
and politics took the upper hand.
Artherine Lucy stayed two or three
days before she was expelled.
Seven years later the same insti­tution
accepted the second and third
black ever to enter a white univer­sity,
after national guardsmen re­moved
Gov. George Wallace who
was blocking the doorway. He
stayed.
Only two years later Auburn
opened its doors to a black. And the
doors have been open ever since.
So why does the University of
Alabama have about 1,700 blacks
and Auburn only 300?
"The problem may be they think
there's more here for them," said
retired UA journalism professor,
John Luskin. "The variety is proba­bly
greater here. The reasons are
probably pretty complicated. May­be
it's because Tuscaloosa is more
centrally located."
Kervin Jones, who just finished
his term as president of UA Afro-
American Association, also said
location may be "one difference.
The city of Auburn is predominantly
white,isn't i t ?"
One group, the Afro-American
Association, is funded through the
SGA. In its officers' election last
week, more than 60 percent of the
black population voted. That's the
biggest turnout in the history of the
group.
The University of Alabama is the
same a s Auburn in one respect. Both
schools still have segregated fra­ternities
and sororities.
A new sorority was formed at UA
recently and "a couple of blacks
tried to go through, but they didn't
make it," Jones said.
"We have a lot of problems still,
but we're working on them," he
said. "As long a s we're growing, I 'm
happy."
Greg Hundley, a black junior at
UA, never thought of going to
another school although many of his
relatives attended a predominantly
black college.
"My father and his sister and
brother went to Tuskegee, but they
told me not to go t h e r e , " he said,
"probably because they thought I
could get a better quality of educa­tion
at a larger school."
Hundley, a business major, said it
wouldn't bother him to go to school
where blacks only composed less
than 2 percent of the student body,
"but it would effect some people."
Hundley is a member of an SGA
committee called Students Helping
Students Recruit Students. Three or
four of these committee members
go with a university official to high
school recruitment sessions.
This year Hundley went to John
Carroll High School in Birmingham,
a predominantly Catholic school.
"Parents would come up to me and
ask what our program has to offer
and if there was any way for blacks
to getinvolved in all-white organiza­tion.
''
"Probably a lot of blacks feel like
they don't have anyone to relate to.
Sometimes the kids can relate more
to black kids, and to kids more their
a g e , " he said. r
"ffittggg'ftfr/^
Employment solutions cited
by black Auburn professors
By Peggy WHhide
Assistant News Editor
If black enrollment at Auburn
seems at the proportionate end of
the student population spectrum,
the image is furthered by the lack of
black faculty employed by the
University. Boasting a total of four
black faculty members, Auburn has
been criticized for not actively
recruiting blacks to teaching.
Three out of four blacks currently
leaching at Auburn did not obtain
faculty positions through active
recruitment, but were filtered up to
teaching positions through grad­uate
school programs at Auburn.
The competition for qualified
black faculty is keen, according to
Dr. Earl Higgins, a counselor
education professor.' 'Any qualified
black faculty member who can
come to Auburn can probably go
anywhere in the country," he said.
"With that kind of competition, it
makes it tough to recruit."
Dr. Curtis Jolly, who was one of
the first blacks to complete
graduate studies in the School of
Agriculture at Auburn, said this
University must offer salaries com­petitive
with other schools to better
recruitment of blacks.
"Black faculty members are not
easy to get since there are not many
black PhD's," he said.
Jolly said working as a faculty
member at Auburn takes quite a bit
of adjustment. "It is difficult work­ing
here, said Jolly. "It is quite
different than being a student. They
just aren't used to having black
professors here."
If the University developed a
more positive "attitude of ac­ceptance"
toward black faculty
members, more black faculty would
be inclined to come to Auburn, said
Shirley Henson, of the health,
physical education and recreation
department.
Auburn is not exactly considered
an oasis of opportunities for many
black professors. Jolly, had trouble
finding a house to live in when he
returned to Auburn as a professor
after working on his master's
degree at Louisiana State Uni­versity.
" In Baton Rouge, my wife, who is
also a PhD, had a-job,'' he s a i d , ' 'But
now she is unemployed. There just
aren't that ma