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Show The Dally Utah Chronicle, Monday, October 24, Page Five 1983 EDITORIAL fhe day comes to honor Kinjg American heroes " Fifteen wars aftpr hie HarVi th maf rivil riahrc artivist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is still the subject of controversy among many people in this country. King, who was killed by a sniper's bullet on April 4, 1 968, was honored last week when the U.S. Senate sent legislation to President Reagan that would set aside the third Monday in January as a national holiday to commemorate King's birthday. The holiday will start in 1986. Reagan, in a televised news conference, said he would reluctantly sign the bill "since they seem bent on making it a national holiday." The president said he would have prefered something less than a national holiday, but "the symbolism of the day is important enough that I will sign the legislation." King becomes only the second American, the first being George Washington, to be honored with a national holiday. Unfortunately, a small group of Americans do not think the honor is deserved. Sen. Jesse Helms, tried unsuccessfully to defeat In the Kit song "Mrs. Robinson," Simon and Garfunkel sang, "Where have you gone Joe our nation turns its lonely eyes to you . ; " It was a lyrical way of asking society where Di-Migg- io, all the heroes have gone. Those words were popular at the end of the 1960s, America's most turbulent decade. With the nation embroiled in a war few wanted and its institutions in near shambles, heroes were not but also out of fashion. only The pattern continued in the 1970s. Episodes like Watergate further eroded the public's confidence in any national figures. The Camelot years of the Kennedy White House seemed like ancient times. But now, thanks to a new motion picture, the American hero may be back. Preceded by' tremendous publicity and rave reviews, The Right Stuff opened in theatres nationwide Friday. In a nutshell, it is terrific. The epic film finally gives credit to the men who were the American space program. It reminds us " that heroes still exist. j Based on the popular book by Tom Wolfe, i neiKigni oiujj tiiruuiwica uk; iuiujLyv wv plane tests at to the moon from the Edwards Air Force Base in the late 1940s to the culmination of the Mercury spacecraft program in 1963. However, the emphasis isn't on the machinery, as spectacular as it, was; rather, the emphasis is on the men. Thi nilots" who flew those missions were a special breed. They had to be fearless; each time thev wentun, the v flirted with death. They were dedicated arid persevering. Their sense of duty ana allegiance to ine nag were uiucsuuucu. the title suggests, they had the "right stuff." Heretofore unknown figures like Chuck Yeager, the man who finally broke the sound barrier and for years was known as the fastest pilot on earth, come to life in breathtaking fashion on the screen. The trials and tribulations of the original seven astronauts also are highlighted. It is good film making, but more importantly, great storytelling. The movie is not without its critics. Some have complained about its and patriotic emphasis. But those few who have objected to the film just don't understand. To those men, there wasn't any other way of life. Being patriotic was their job. non-existe- nt, R-N.- circumstances surrounding the late Dr. King. Helms, said he wanted the full story on whether King was a communist sympathizer. OPINION BY Tony Tsakakis h The senator wanted to gain access to files based on FBI bugging and wiretapping of King during the 1960s. Helms earlier lost a legal battle to open the files that were closed by 'court order in 1977. According to an agreement between the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Justice 50 Department, the King files cannot be opened until 2027, years after the King family first brought action against the FBI over its surreptitious activities. Even more frightening is that Helms is not alone in his fight Caucus delivered against the King holiday. The Conservative last-ditin a attempt 43,700 signatures petitions containing sent Caucus The from President a veto influence Reagan. to their to million one encourage to people, nearly mailings X-ser- ies ch . "self-righteousne- If The Right nothing to be embarrassed about. Serving one's but own country isn't corny or herioc. The film itself isn't patriotic. It is the and by telling the story that stresses patriotism, emotion is an unavoiaaoie story, result. The United States has accomplished many " tremendous things in its history. Putting a man ? on the moon was truly the most incredible feat in the annals of mankind. The citizens of this country have every reason to be proud, v see inc The Chronicle encourages everyone to ul n Simon film. Those Who do Will be aDie tO answer and Garfunkel: like the Mercury astronauts, Joe just forgot Dimmaeio never went anywhere. We .. about him. old-fashion- flag-wavi- ed, ng i ; There has been considerable interest in the n plan of the College of Engineering, expressed in letters to the Editor that require clarification. The College of Engineering's severe enrollment increases began in 1980 and have progressed to the present. Enrollment n level were imposed this fall in limitations at the most departments. There was considerable notice and an extensive transition period for the enrollment limitation on the major level. It became clear during the last year that this action was insufficient to maintain the quality of engineering education courses. It because of the many students taking sophomore-lev- el enrollment-limitatio- upper-divisio- also clear, given the enrollment restrictions at the level, that it would be misleading to allow a large number of students to take sophomore courses if there isn't room courses. For this and many other for them in upper-divisiis upper-divisi- The Daily Utah Chronicle if ah independent student newspaper pubttfhed dtily during fall, winter and spring quarters, excluding test weeks and quarter breaks, by the University Publications Council. Editorials,, reflect the opinion of the editorial board, and not necessarily the opinions of the student body or the administration reasons, an enrollment limitation plan at the sophomore level was developed and discussed this summer. It will be implemented fall 1984. This provides over a year's notice for students to consider majoring in engineering. This enrollment limitation plan only affects students who are presently freshmen at the University and desire to study engineering. It does not significantly affect those who will be completing their sophomore engineering classes this year or who n have already completed them. Their admission to major status in engineering may, however, be restricted because of upper-divisiquotas. For example, effective fall 1984, science required a 3.4 GPA for admission to its computer program. We are used to enrollment limitations in most professional schools, Certainly in the College of Medicine and the College of Law. Engineering on this campus is no different. Engineering upper-divisio- on educaiton requires considerable laboratory and individual level. One cannot interaction, particulary in upper-division engineers, just as one cannot, or certainly should physicians. not, Those who elect to study engineering must realize tnat tney muct moVe a substantial commitment. Borderline and marginal students will have considerable difficulty and are advised to look educational and vocational goals. enrollment has 7 anonymous letter of Oct. 17 asked: "If thebe hired? Can't members increased so much, can't more faculty ,. of these nA VmSlt? answer tnhoth The u. .. -kM.ht .. DCHcr mwiuucs miugiu " mass-produ- ce mass-produ- ce ..r Lrnngton, Ann J. Bardsley, Peter Behle, Richard Adams, Marcus Gilbreatni J . jwcnaci sbcukj, j Tsakakis.-' Associate ; . I ; Editor.. $10 an . . . . ?v':. . .". . ' News Editor X '. :. . , Assistant News Editor Chief Copy Editor . . rv J:.". pxitnr Assistant Copy Editors acadeaic year, Subscriptions I be must prepaid... All subscriptions quarter. rward all subscription correspondence, ., Night Editor including change of address, to the Business Editorial Editor Manager, Daily Utah Chronicle, 240 Union, i( Mtaw : University 01 wan, am mm vwy are $25 a on on , INIGLE .... eH. D-G- a., D-Ms- s.. enrollment plan clarified Engineering mtor ss" Stuff has a theme: America has C, the bill, because of what he felt were extenuating opposition to the proposed holiday. The mailing included a who urged letter from Rep. Lawrence McDonald, a mistake." McDonald, terrible "this Americans to help stop victims 269 of one was the Birch of the John member Society, of the Korean Airlines massacre. Americans are It is unbelievable that some modern-da- y still as ignorant as 18th centurv slave owners. offered some poignant Sen. Edward Kennedv. commemoration of the the to King magnitude insight this which deserves the legislation gives mm place "(King) heside Washington and Columbus. In a verv real sense, he was the second father of our country, the second founder of a new world that is not only a place, a piece of geography, but a noble set of ideals." Exactly. I only hope that the recognition of Martin Luther King will tear down the walls of injustice surrounding blacks in this country. Some of the Census Bureau's major findings, released in Seotember. show: Between 1972 and 1982, the number of unemployed blacks inmivfl 140 nercent to 1.3 million. Incomes of black families continue to trail that of the general noDulation. In 1980, blacks comprised about 10 percent of the total civilian work force but accounted for 54 percent of all private household cleaners and servants and 25 percent of all postal clerks and nursing attendents. Meanwhile, blacks represent only 3 percent ot all physicians, lawyers ana engineers ana nnlv 4 nercent of managers and administrators. Even more shockine were the results of a poll conducted in the U.S. Senate. Of the 870 employees holding professional positions of the personal staffs of senators, only 27, or about three nercent. were black. Hard to swallow when you con sider that blacks make up 66 percent of the labor force in Washington, D.C. A man far ahead of his time, King paved the way for us to acknowledge and admit the problems of being black in this country. Obviously, the Nobel Prize committee saw fit to recognize and honor Kins bv awardine him the Peace Prize in 1964. In kind, is time for the American people to honor Dr. Martin Luther King with a national holiday. ." . . . . : . ... . -- J- - : . Tony Tsakakis Brian Aggeler Richard A"08 Patricia J. Posey Michael Smedley . Phil Sahm Balfour Oswald . John Horsley Marcus Gilbreath Jeff Arrington Peter Behk A . ...... ..... .V. Unfortunatley, the tremendous increase in engineering enrollment was not planned for. Frankly, we are playing catch-ii- p ball with this problem. To let the present situation ride, that is, to take all comers, would mean very large classes, faculty with inordinate teaching loads (who would leave for better positions elsewhere, as they already are), and insufficient We would laboratory experience for our students. The result? graduate more engineers, but they would not be very good and engineers. We would be putting out amuch poorer product degrading the degree for everyone involved. We don't want that, and we don't think you do either. We have to put the brakes on enrollent in order to provide a quality engineering education. individuals 0 This policy will severely impact those unable to major in engineering. Those 2,500 or so who do, however, will find that upon graduation their degree will mean watered-dowsomething. It will not be a one can degree. There are plenty of engineering schools where get those. The University will not be one of them. dedicated engineering faculty, Speaking for the we are sorry that a significant number of students will be unable to study engineering at Utah. Given our resources and the requirements for quality engineering education, we see no alternative! Thank you for your understanding. J.D. Andrade, Ph.D Dean of College of Engineering 500-80- hard-workin- g, with Letters to the editor must be typed double-space- d line. Letters must be signed, and verifiable a identification provided. The Chronicle reserves the right to edit letters for, space and libel. Because of the large number received, the Chronicle can neither acknowledge nor return letters or submitted columns. The Chronicle is under no obligation to print any letter or column submitted; that decision is left to the discretion of the editorial editor and the Editorial Board. 74-colu- mn ...... Jill Aggeler Accountant Classifieds Production Managers Production Assistants DonReichert Photographers Business Manager Ad Representatives mass-produc- ed n, Assistant Sports Edi Mike Johnson Photography Editor Ann J. Bardsley Entertainment Editor Editor Kathryn Samuel Assistant Entertainment Marilyn Abildskov Senior Reporters . Debbie Eldredge Maribeth Thueson Alan Overmoe Liz Grant ........ . increase questions is a cautious yes. If the Legislature saw fit to additional the University's budget substantially to enable facilities to be built and more faculty and staff positions to be added, then we could teach more engineering students. But that is not the point. The point is that we are inundated with students now, and there is simply no practical way that one can build if the buildings and add significant number of faculty, even budget were available, in such a short time. 17 little more Regarding the last sentence in the Oct. letter: "A thought given to the consequences of this policy couldn't hurt." We gave considerable thought to the consequences of this policy. ." Scott Hall Robert McOmber Julia Jenkins Steve Hauskenecht Jerry Sanger Typesetters t Steve Wilson Sonja Penttila Lori Baucum . : . Holly Miller Greta Doutre Maryam Hedayati Mike Lloyd Kimberley Lude Robb Welch Douglas A. Tubbs Rodney Dallin Alison Van Frank Lisa Jones Tina E. Neinstedt |
