The Carolinian [November 24, 1981]

              INSIDE
TODAY'S
ISSUE:
Kdhorials
Arts and Features
Sports
New* CoBiiaiifd
Newt Brief!
I .-II, r. In III. I (III.,!
Kiceieras
Children of A leuer („.,l
Relief From StreM
Women lake First Two
Page 2
rates 4 and S
Pate 6
Page 3
Paie 3
Paie2
Page 7
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
This Issue
UNC-G Dance
Company Presents
Concert
See Pholo Spread on Page
NEXT ISSUE:
Special Runoff
l■ In-tii.il Issue
Interviews With Candidates
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November 24. .HI Voh.aiel.XI N«a.ber23 Tat talverslty of North Carolina at Greensboro Have a siorv idea? Call us at 37»-5041.
Behind the UNC-G Election Scenes
The Curtain Rises
B> SCOTT PITTS
SUM Wrllff
Lust week's story ol intended
corruption in UNC-G Student
Government unlolds rather like a
pity, I he real-lite drama includes
two major acts, several leading
characters, a supporting cast,
suspense, intrigue, some heroes, and
perhaps a less than villainous
villain.
PRI I I HI
UNC-G student Richard Roper
strolled to the cafeteria last Tuesday
evening unaware ol the role soon to
be thrust upon him. Roper, who
then served as Senate Parliamen-tarian
and Chairman ol the Senate
Commille on Legislation, noticed
several iriends manning the polls tor
the SG presidential elections. Roper
sal down near the polling table to
chat lor a while. Former SG Vice-
President Rusty Weadon also stood
near the polling site.
A student approached the table
with the intention ol voting, men-tioning
his total unlamiliahty with
several ol the candidates. Roper
suggested that the voter read the
Iront page ol last Tuesday's
Carolinian before casting a ballot.
The student newspaper provided a
briei look at the candidates and
their viewpoints.
At this point, Weadon scolded
Roper, saying that SG did not want
any accusations of polling
irregularities. Roper protested that
he merely suggested that the voter
be informed, that he did not push a
particular candidate. Weadon then
hinted to Roper that an irregularity
had already occurred. Roper asked
for an explanation and quotes
Weadon as saying, "No, you don't
want to know. It will only upset
you."
Roper continued 10 press lor
details, and he claims that Weadon
finally admitted: "I have 50 more
ballots in my oil ice to use il it looks
like Paul Mcngert is going to win
this election," When Roper voiced
his disapproval, Weadon told him
that Jay Sinclair, Chairman ol the
Senate Appropriations Commil.ee,
already knew ol the matter. Roper
lelt Weadon at the polls and walked
to Sinclair's oil ice on the third lloor
ol Elliott University Center.
ACT I
Roper said he told Sinclair that
"Rusty must be impeached." Roper
and Sinclair began to discuss the
situation, but Weadon's entry into
the ollice cut the conversation
short. Roper (hen walked down the
hallway to the ollice ol Ken Zogry,
Delegation Chairperson ol the Nor-th
Carolina Student Legislature.
"On Tuesday night," Zogry
reported, "Roper came to me and
said there was something he had to
tell me that was going to rock the
campus. He told me thai Rusty had
News Analysis
admitted to taking SO ballots and
marking them (or Mike Bellamy so
that Paul Mengen would not win
the election. At that point, I was
turious. I didn't know what to do.
Roper and I talked about ways ol
indicting Rusty."
Zogry and Roper then went to
Larry Parker, Chairman ol the
University Court. Zogry informed
Parker that he possessed infor-mation
about a high student gover-nment
ollicial possibly involving in
wrong-doing. Zogry explained
the lack ol physical evidence, and
he, Parker, and Roper discussed
various alternatives of action. Zogry
claims thai Parker remained unin-formed
ol the particulars. "We
were very hypothetical about the
whole situation," Zogry said.
"I had a fraternity event that
evening," Zogry recalled, "and 1
got out about 11 o'clock. I went and
found Roper and he said that while
we had talked to Larry, Jay had
talked to Rusty. Apparently, Jay
told Rusty what he was doing was
wrong and the Rusty must destroy
the ballots. Rusty destroyed the
ballots, which meant we lost our
evidence. Well, at this point, I
didn't know what to do. Roper said,
'I don't want anything more to do
with it. I've had it. I'm gone, and I
don't care what happens now.' "
Tuesday night, Roper resigned all
ol his Senate positions. "I was not
going to work with Rusty
anymore," Roper later told The
Carolinian.
Weadon's own version ol his
conversation with Sinclair closely
parallels that ollered by Roper.
"Jay and I talked it over," Weadon
said. "He said it was terribly wrong
and asked me not to go through
with it. I realized it was wrong, and
so I took the ballots home and
destroyed them."
Roper implied that Sinclair
threatened to resign il Rusty went
through with his intention to lix the
election results. Weadon said he did
not recall a threat ol resignation
Irom Sinclair. When asked il he
threatened to resign, Sinclair him-sell
replied, "Nocomment."
THE CRISIS
Alter Roper voluntarily bowed
out ol the picture, Zogry recruited
two friends for a brainstorming
session. The trio retired to Zogry's
room in Hinshaw Hall, making one
unsuccesslul attempt to lure Roper
back lor lurther participation. "We
basically sat up until six o'clock in
the morning figuring out what to
do," Zogry slated.
During those early morning
hours, Zogry applied a lesson he
recently learned in a Political Scien-ce
course. "We had been studying
the Cuban Missile Crisis, and 1
decided to use the same basic
strategy (hat Kennedy had used,"
Zogry said. "I was really pleased
that I could use something I learned
at this university."
pnoto By rlertwn lumbtll. If
Using a large poster, some Hlnshaw residents voke (heir opinion concerning the SG decision to Invalidate last
week's presidential election.
"While the factors and slakes ol
this incident were very dissimilar to
those ol (he Cuban Missile Crisis,
many parallels as to the decision-making
process could be made. Fir-st,
the issue could be made known
or we could let il lie lorcver, since
no tampering had actually occurred.
Kennedy realized thai something
had to be done about (he missies, or
they could destroy our country. I
realized something had to be done
about Weadon, or the election
could be corrupted.
"Secondly, what should be done
and when? Kennedy knew he had to
do something about the missies im-mediately,
or (hey could become
operational. I realized something
had (o be done about Weadon im-mediately,
or the chance lor a fixed
election still existed.
"Thirdly, how was the situation
to be handled? Kennedy had three
options as how to inform the world
ol the crisis: inlorm the U.N., tell
the press, or confront Khrushchev.
The same avenues were open here:
tell the Elections Board, inlorm The
Carolinian and The Greensboro
Daily News, or conl ront Weadon.
Fourthly, how should the con-
Irontation take place? Kennedy
decided that instead ol questioning
Khrushchev if the missiles existed or
implying that we thought (hey
existed, he could conlront him with
the fact that we knew they existed.
This, I decided, was also (he best
route (o use with Weadon.
Fifthly, I realized that Kennedy
had made it easy lor Khrushchev lo
back out gracefully, correcdy
assuming Khrushchev would more
easily remove the missiles. Kennedy
did this by promising to remove the
naval blockade around Cuba and by
promising never to invade the
island. I decided to promise
Weadon thai il he resigned I would
never tell this story or let the truth
be known, thereby making it look
like he resigned of his own conscien-ce.
Bui Roper leaked (he story to
The Carolinian and lorced my
hand. I fell il was better to come
lorward and let the whole (ruth be
known, rather than allow rumors
and hall truths lo inundate the cam-pus."
CONFRONTATION
Wednesday morning. Zogry and
two Iriends walked to the cafeteria
and found Weadon managing the
dorm student's polling place by
himsell. When President pro tern ol
the Senate Diedra Smith arrived a
lew minutes later, Zogry asked
Smith lo walch over the polls and
asked Weadon to walk to Elliott lor
a conversation.
Zogry and his two Iriends accom-paincd
Weadon to the Vice-president's
office. Zogry recalled
the event: "I said, 'Rusty, we know
what happened last night. 1 leel you
have committed a moral and ethical
wrong. You have violated the oath
of ollice you took. You have
disgraced the campus. You have vir-tually
committed a crime. 1 demand
your resignation by live o'clock."
Continued on page 8
Students Sound OffAbout Student Government
B> JOY BRITT
Newt K*io<-
Five elections and two scandals
later, students have made known
their feelings and thoughts on the
elections, on Student Government
and ils power at this point in time.
Most ol (he students' reactions
were uninvolved, or even unifor-med.
One siudeni who has been
keeping track ol the news, David
Reid, responded, "I don't think
thai (he Student Government here
has much power and so I didn't
vote. It really doesn't surprise me in
reference to what happened with
don't get brought out." He added,
"I ihink (he elections have brought
more interest into Student Gover-nment
but it's going to take a long
time to build the trust back up.
When this happens, perhaps SG will
bcmorepowerlul."
Kathleen Dickie exclaimed, "I'm
disappointed with the student elec-
Bill Murray said, "I hate to see
what has happened with SG. I musl
say I was shocked by what hap-pened,
but I respect Rusty lor what
he did (conlessing). I hope thai we
can now get a President in ollice
and that SG can get back on its feet
and continue its work. (It) can do a
lot lor the students in working with
have laughed over the lact that the
lasl election was thrown out lor a
ballot box that "may" have been
tampered wilh.
Helen Carson stated. "They
shouldn't have thrown it ((he elec-tion)
out. They casl a slur on the
candidates and on everyone else in
Vicki Bosch reiterated, "I don't
think they should have called (he
elections oil. II they hadn't, the
people would have had a president.
1 think that most students are
thinking, 'oh it's just another elec-tion
and il will go on and on like
that'. " She also contributed, "I
don't think people should look at
David Reid
"It doesn't really surprise me In
reference lo whal happened wlih
Miller and Wendon."
contained varying degrees ol
dismay, distrust, dislike, and disap-pointment
. Many labelled the ordeal
with monosyllables, "shocking",
"ridiculous", "joke". Then there
»crc others who had no opinion.
Eric Roseman
"Id going lo lake n long lime to
build the irusi back up."
Miller and Weadon. 1 think that
kind ol thing goes on all the time."
Eric Roseman'lelt the same way.
"1 Ihink thai things like (lixing the
election) happen all the time in
Student Government. They just
Kathleen Dickie
"II seems as If the government ran
pre..) xuaes!ifull> without tuvlag a
president."
lions, I'm disappointed with the
Student Government. It seems as il
the governmeni ran pretty sue-ccsslully
without having a president.
1 wonder il it's a waste ol time
having one."
Bill Murray
"I hope Ihe stadeatt will lake this
■pcomlng election seriously.''
the administration and lacully and
Board ol Trustees. I hope the
students will take this upcoming
election seriously."
"What happened in the past" has
led to now a 6th election. Many
Helen Carson
"They shoaMa'l have Ihrowa Ihe
elections out because they casl ■ slur
on Ihe candidates."
the election process by implying that
they were in with Mr. Weadon's
potential wrongdoing. I think they
should have taken his resignation
(and upheld the election).They jum-ped
to some conclusions."
Vicki Bosch
"There aeeds lo be a Hate of
forgiveness. ..a healing of
opinions."
Rusty and say, 'Oh well, that's jirt
another example of bad governmeni
and ostracize Rusty lor the rest ol
Ihe school year. There's a lime ol
lorgiveness. There needs lo be a
healing ol opinions."