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Show March 15, 1S85 xNi Forum (S jlillniirHSill As we enter another Westminster campaign season, there are several questions we can ask the various candidates questions whose an- Once again, Westminster students are preparing for their annual pilgrimage to the polls hopefully by studying the candidates, the issues and the promises. Hopefully is the operative word. Too often ASWC elections become popularity contests in which dorm students vote for dormies, vote for and everyone treats the election like a joke. swers will shape student government in 1985-8- 6. Why does the candidate want the job he or she is seeking? A good candidate will not seek office for ego gratification, but rather because he or she wants to contribute something to the college community. If the office is being sought for the stipend, more money can be earned with less stress at McDonalds. non-trad- s, And since the four officers that comprise the Executive Cabinet have a large say in how $50,000 is spent, thats pretty sad. $50,000: thats how much the Associated Students of Westminster College has to spend for an academic year. Even with inflation thats a significant amount. To elect people who control this much money on the basis of residence or age is ludicrous. To treat the election as a joke is obscene. A superior candidate will have clear, workable ideas and perceive a need not being met On the other extreme, the very worst type of candidate wants the job as a resume filler and has little or no idea what the position entails. Does the candidate have the necessary time to make the commitment necessary to do a good e job? Mike Pieper had a internship his term. He has during part of been criticized by some for remaining president while working two months in Pennsylvania. full-tim- Unfortunately, in the past elections have been popularity contests in which the best candidate did not necessarily win. We seem to apply a high school student council election mentality to something more important than a high school student council election. off-camp- President Mike Pieper brought a hard-charg- It was a sacrifice that forced her to make. Her willingness to make it speaks much for Butter's character. no one The Forum feels Pieper is the exception rather than the rule. An office-hold- trying to er e work schedule juggle a classes and the responsibilities of an Executive Cabinet position could easily fail at any or all of them. Its not worth the risk. The ideal candidate should have little or no time commitments outside the college community. off-camp- full-tim- st ng What does the candidate stand for? Yes, believe it or not there are issues in Westminster politics. Become familiar with them and support the candidate who most represents you. afraid to questions or approach candidates. If they want to serve, they should willing to take stands on various issues At the same time, however, remember at politicians they might be tempted to make promises they cant keep. Caveat Emptor. Dont non-trad- s. , How will the candidate represent the school if elected? Election to office will tie the person to the college and its student body. This is ticularly important for the person we elect as par-someo- president. The Forum of Westminster College of Salt Lake City will be published and distributed while classes are in nessiun during the spring semester, 1985, by the Associated Students of Westminster College. 1840 South 13U0 East, Salt Lake City, Utah 84105. Mike Moser Editor .John Dahmen Managing Editor and S porta Editor Sales Manager Sheri Hearing : 7. Joel Hastings Director of Photography Pam Dittman Circulation Manager Reporters. Layout Assistants Photographers Trent Alvey, Tammy Armantrout, Angie Babcock, Linda Jeanne Bemut, Chris Bertagnole, Nanci Boyd, Timothy Burke, Stacy Butters, Armen Dilanchian, Karin Jaffie, Denise Janke, Cynthia Jones, John Mailer nee, David Neidert, Mark Paulos, Jack Sanford, Christina Thurmond, Patti Ulibarri, Joe Warner, Marie Weiss Sheri Hearing. Karin Jaffie, Cynthia Jones, Mike Moser, Jack Sanford Angie Babcock, Chris Bertagnole. Sheri Hearing Sanford Staff Artist Kay Uwnbey Faculty Adviser Editorial Policy The Forum welcomes letters from students and other readers. Submissions must be signed and include the author's phone number (phone numbers will only be used to verify authenticity of letters) and avoid the useof pages with lines 50 character spaces wide. profanity and libel. Lengths may not exceed three typed, Deliver letters directly to the Forum office in the basement of Shaw Center (under the door if necessary) by 8 p.m. on Friday one week before the date of publication, or mail them to the Forum office. of Opinions expressed on th e Forum editorial page are those of the writers and are not to be construed as the opinions the Associated Students of Westminster College or of the college administration, faculty or staff. double-space- d It might be hard to improve this years Executive Cabinet but we could certainly get worse. Its all up to you. The m Forum Staff CJ one of THese is useD Vicious TsRRORi&TS who Have mo ReGaRP FoR HUMaNiTY To BY BLOW UP PoLiTiCaL TaRGeTS. THeoTHeR iS useo BY CiTiZeNS To PeMoNSTRaTe 60D-FeaRi- N6 TrteiR BeLieF iN THe SaNCTiTY oF LiFe Stacy Butters willingly postponed her student teaching in order to devote time to her position. Her sacrifice not only prevents her from graduating this year, but also prevents her from entering the job market for a full year. But being lucky this year doesnt decrease our obligation for next year. And thats exactly what we were this year lucky. A typically election gave us a trio humdrum, of officers and gave new meaning to activist student government. To add to ASWCs good fortune, Legislative Assembly wisely appointed a treasurer (replacing the elected one who resigned) willing to be innovative and resourceful. Should we then hope that chance gives us another Executive Cabinet as good as this one? If we do, were playing with fire. And when plays with fire that someone will eventually be burned. non-sectari- an m e Floyd George the oldest officer in ASWC history, certainly belied the impression that student government is for the dormies, by the Empty superactive, and ignores labels mean little to George and should mean little to us. off-camp- long-distan- style to office with him, while also working quietly with Westminster Colleges administration to make things better for all students. Whoever replaces him will have very large shoes to fill. The same can be said for Vice President Bill Tatomer, Secretary Stacy Butters, and Treasurer Floyd George. Each deserve congratulations for a job well done. hard-worki- As president of ASWC, that person becomes the primary spokesman for the student body, both on and As students at the only accredited private, college in Utah, we need a president willing and able to represent the highest ideals of this college. Pieper rightly refused his stipend during that period and participated in Executive Cabinet meetings via telephone. While his absence was felt, he kept abreast of AS W C happenings and there was no long-terdamage done. Luckily for ASWC, this years Executive Cabinet is the best Westminster College has seen in many years. YVithout exception, the officers have done their jobs selflessly, and more importantly, done them well. low-intere- Rage 3 BY BLOWING UP 2BoRTioN CLiHiCS. t mm is ram? -- S STrirt 4 ROOtV MTkI. . NtA Mfcurg) y O1 Abortion Not A Moral Issue by Nanci Boyd With the recent outbreaks of violence to abortion clinics, Im beginning to wonder if were edging closer, once again to the days of coat hangers. 1984 marked the twelfth anniversary of legalized abortion and, in honor of this occasion, over 30 abortion clinics were terrorized. "pro-lifeThese bombed, set fires, and vandalized the clinics while harassing clinic workers and patients. Maybe these radicals need to realize that you dont save a life by taking one. If you are then you are automatically nontruly pro-lif- e violent. But their philosophy seems to be that if they cant make abortion illegal then they are going to make it impossible. The problem with these radical extremists is that theyre hurting the movement more than they are helping it and beyond everything else, they are missing the point They are keeping abortion a moral issue when it can no longer be a moral issue. Its been debated time and again on a moral level and it hasnt gotten anyone anywhere. The reason for this is simple; the questions cannot be answered. We could go through those questions, Is it a life at conception or birth? or, When is it justified; when its rape, incest, or the mothers life is in danger? But there arent any right or wrong answers to these questions. There isnt any answer at all. What these people need to realize is that abortion has to be kept on a political level. That is the only way any questions can be answered. Its as simple as this, a man sitting in a plush chair in a $30,000 office in the White House doesnt have any place making decisions for a woman. Number one, he will never know what it feels like to be pregnant and not want to be. ' And number two, though these radical picketer-terrorist- s (including women) have the freedom from the Constitution to picket. so-call-ed rs they do not have the right to terrorize innocent people. Especially when they are the minority harassing the majority. Recent polls show that over 75 percent of Americans support some form of legalized abortion. But more importantly is the aspect of abortion. Do these radical nuts and the conservative Republicans in office right now (including Ronnie) realize the implications if abortion were once again illegal? I dont think they do. Their heads are too far buried in the sand. Over 25,000 women died because of ilUgal abortions prior to the Roe vs. Wade decision that legalized abortion. Maybe that number seems minimal because of the over 1 million abortions now. But double that for the fetus life that was lost too and you now have 50,000, add that to the rich women who can pay the price and go to a safe doctor and you are only short a couple hundred thousand from the 1 million abortions annually now. Wise up people; the doctors that are giving abortions now dont just disappear into the woodwork once abortion is illegal. They are still around and believe in the right of abortion. For any woman that can pay the price, they will do it So now the political aspects of illegal abortion encompass a socioeconomic level too. Its like this, the Senators wife goes to the doctor and the poverty-stricke- n woman goes in a back alley with a coat hanger. Ar.d dont think that Im exaggerating, if you think I am pull your head out of the sand too. Finally, women should have the freedom to make their own decisions and not have them made for them. As a taxi cab driver once told Gloria Steinem, If men could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament. And isnt it true, how much of a mans world it still is? But even all the women radical need to realize what the movement really is about. Its not an attempt to save lives anymore and it probably never was, but it is definitely another example of the determination to control womens lives. Wise up women, even if they have to control us with a coat hanger, they will. ille-galiz- ed ts |