Northeastern University - Cauldron Yearbook (Boston, MA)

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, , ; V- ,:0 Gold Medal Glory for the U.S. at The 1984 Olympics Every four years, the Olympic Games turn unknown amateur athletes into overnight American heroes. The winter and summer Olympics of 1984 were no different, as gold medals were hung around the necks of Scott Hamilton, Mary Lou Retton, Edwin Moses, and Evelyn Ashford, to name just a few. The Winter Olympics were dominated as usual by the northern European countries and the Soviet Union. The XIV Winter Olympic Games were held in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia amidst the scenic beauty and warm hospitality of that nation. While the Soviets and East Germans battled to the wire for the total medals victory, several athletes from the United States performed in spectacular fashion. Scott Hamilton was near perfect in his gold medal performance, as he brought one of the most emotional ovations from spectators. Bill Johnson surprised the world by capturing the first medal ever for the United States in an Olympic downhill by taking the gold. Brothers Phil and Steve Mahre took the gold and silver medals respectively in the men ' s slalom. Rosalyn Sumners captured the hearts of millions in her silver medal performance. The men ' s hockey team failed to live up to the high standards set by its 1980 predecessor ' s gold medal victory, but the team proved that the United States can play competitive hockey on an international level. The Summer Olympics were held in the United States and dominated by the host country. While the Soviets chose to stay home for security reasons, a record number of countries chose to attend the games. There were no security incidents throughout the event, as the United States hosted one of the most memorable and safe Olympics of recent memory. From the outset of the opening ceremonies, the United States demonstrated its own warmth in a Hollywood-type fashion. However, it was the performance of many American athletes that warmed the hearts of many throughout the country. A bundle of smiling energy named Mary Lou Retton tumbled her way into the hearts of viewers. On her way to a gold medal performance, Mary Lou earned a perfect score of ten and established U.S. women ' s gymnastics as a top program. Likewise, the men ' s gymnasts were able to capture the overall men ' s title. The United States earned gold medals at the track as Carl Lewis, Joan Benoit, Evelyn Ashford, and Edwin Moses captured gold medals. The swimming pool, boxing ring, cycling track, and basketball court all held similar results for the United States team. Ultimately, the US dominated the total medals column as they set an Olympic record. While the Soviets claimed the results were tarnished due to their absence, the large number of record performances could not be disputed. While the Olympics were a time for athletes to shine, Peter Ueberroth, the President and Organizer of the Summer Olympics, also gained a great deal of attention for his work that made the games a success. His efforts earned him many awards, including Time ' s Man of the Year. Ferraro Aims for White House In an election year of otherwise low drama and typically boring campaign rhetoric, Walter Mondale infused excitement into the race for the White House by choosing Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate. At the Democratic National Convention in July of 1984, history was made as Mondale announced his decision to place a woman on the presidential ticket. The choice of Ferraro brought mixed emotions from voters throughout the country. However, few denied the historic significance of a Mondale Ferraro candidacy. In fact, Ferraro ' s place on the ticket was important enough for many to tag the race as Reagan Bush vs. Ferraro Mondale. It was obvious that Ferraro was placed on the ticket to bring needed attention to the Democrats, as Reagan was still holding a huge lead in the polls. Ferraro enabled the Democrats ' campaign to begin with a fresh direction, and at the same time caused Republicans to revise their campaign strategy. In the following four months, Ferraro ' s appearance at rallies brought out huge crowds. These same crowds often shrank when Mondale was introduced. In mid-August, Ferraro lost some of her appeal when a crisis involving her husband ' s personal finances was revealed. When the details were released through the media, Ferraro ' s reputation was slightly damaged. In addition, Ferraro ' s political stance supporting abortion outraged many Catholic and pro- life voters. At Democratic rallies, pro-life supporters often showed up and demonstrated against Ferraro ' s policies. Nevertheless, the historic significance was not diminished of a woman being placed on a presidential ticket. Whether or not this sets a precedent for future elections will only be determined in years to come. It seems reasonable to conclude that women will at least be given considerable attention as possible running mates. Who knows? In 1988, maybe Ferraro will be in the position of choosing her running mate.

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Marines Die in Beirut Surely one of the most tragic stories of the last five years was the brutal terrorist attack on the multi-national peace-keeping force in Lebanon. The attack came in mid-October 1983, and left 240 Americans dead and many others injured. The attack occurred while most of the troops were asleep in the compound ' s barracks. A lone suicidal truck driver from a fanatical Islamic group, crashed his vehicle filled with explosives into the compound. The driver was able to pass guard booths with limited problems. Corporal Eddie DiFranco was one of those on guard duty that morning and commented, He (the driver) looked right at me, smiled, that ' s it. I kind of stared for a couple of seconds, then started to load my weapon. I got a round in the chamber after the truck was already through the gate. There wasn ' t much difference for that truck going that speed. News of the attack reached the United States early on a Sunday morning. President Reagan quickly went on national television to take responsibility for the deaths of the Marines. Unclear reports came from Beirut over why the troops were caught by surprise, and why they weren ' t allowed to fire their weapons unless they were ordered. The loss of lives brought vivid images of Vietnam back to many Americans. Public pressure for the withdrawal of these troops mounted, until they were removed a few months later. Innocent soldiers had been killed by the barbaric act of an Islamic group. The attempted peace mission (a truly hopeful chance for stability) was ended by this tragedy. Grenada Is Invaded ;• $x-.i 0 ii tow. A Nation Starves As the holiday season arrived in 1984, shocking reports were publicized on the massive problems of starvation in Ethiopia. Nearly 1 1 million persons were reported starving in the east African country as a result of war, drought, and internal government problems. An estimated 2 million had reportedly perished during 1984, due to a lack of food and medical care. The reports were effective ' in beginning an international effort to combat the desperate conditions. Food, equipment, and other materials were sent to the country from east and west. Although many of these supplies were distributed, sources claimed that the Ethiopian government was not allowing the full relief measures to reach the people. In the United States, relief agencies were never busier, according to officials at Oxfam. The charity organization reported that American contributions were sent at the rate of more than $1 million per month beginning in November. The European Economic Community sent 55,000 metric tons of grain during December. A group of England ' s most noted rock musicians recorded a Christmas song that raised mqre than $2 million for relief efforts. Despite these humane efforts, divisions in Ethiopian politics prevented most of this aid-from being delivered. The Communist government reportedly refused to provide food for suspected rebels, while rebels were accused of preventing people from going to government relief centers. The Reagan administration distributed 195,000 metric tons of food, while the Soviets donated 20,000 metric tons of rice.. In addition, the United States sent doctors and medical supplies to the country.

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: ' ■:■■ ' ■ ■ ■■ ' y- nm:: Gandhi Is Assassinated India ' s Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her own bodyguards as she walked through her gardenson October 31, 1984. News of her death sparked bloody religious riots throughout the country killing nearly 1 ,000 persons in the week following her death. Gandhi was reportedly killed by a group of militant Sikhs who are calling for a separate state. The Sikhs had been upset with Gandhi since she had sent her troops into their most holy shrine in Amritsar during the summer. However, she had sent the troops into the temple in order to prevent Sikh violence which had been spreading, according to reports from India. Gandhi was the most dominant figure in Indian politics for the past 20 years. Her father Jawaharlal Nehru had similarly dominated the political scene for the previous 20 years. Gandhi had been a figure of intense controversy both within her own country and on the international scene. In recent years, she had claimed nonalignrnent. but had pushed for closer ties with the Soviet Union. In 1971, Gandhi had declared a state of national emergency when her political base was threatened. She often resorted to desperate measures to insure her own political power. She put opposition leaders in jail, civil rights were limited, and imposed censorship on the media. She was ousted from power in 1977, but was re- elected in 1980. Although Gandhi had many opponents in India, most of the people saw her as the best choice to run the country. The Sikhs primarily opposed her order to send troops into the temple at Amritsar. Turmoil in Central America Throughout the past five years, conflicts in Central America have often seemed to be leading the United States down a path to another Vietnam. As CIA operations and increased military aid was supported by the Reagan Administration, opponents warned that this strategy would only lead to combat involvement by U.S. troops. Crises in El Salvador, Ni caragua, and Honduras have captured worldwide attention, and will continue to do so in the near future. Tensions reached a frightening degree in the second week of November, 1984. Central Intelligence reports claimed that Soviet ships were heading to Nicaragua with military arms and MIG fighters. Liberals and conservatives agreed that the presence of MIGs in Nicaragua would necessitate a tough response by the United States. While combat troops began preparations at bases in Georgia and Florida, the Nicaraguan government armed their citizens for an anticipated U.S. invasion. On November 8th, U.S. jets flew over Nicaragua as part of a reconnaissance mission. The sonic booms from the jets sent Nicaraguans scurrying for cover as they thought bombings had begun. As the Soviet ships neared Nicaragua, the Reagan Administration learned that there were not any MIGs on the ships. This information was sufficient to end the crisis, yet experts said this episode demonstrated the delicate political turmoil in Central America. Landslide Victory for Reagan The 1984 Presidential election between President Ronald Reagan and Walter Mondale can best be summed up with one word — landslide. President Reagan was returned to office in one of the most convincing electoral and popular vote sweeps in history. Reagan carried every state except for Mondale ' s native state of Minnesota and Washington, D.C. Reagan ' s victory was labeled a mandate by the media nationwide. Reagan termed his re-election as a vote of approval by citizens throughout this country for programs we have implemented. In the next four years, we will continue this plan we began in 1980. If Reagan fulfills his four year term, he will be the first president since Dwight Eisenhower to finish two terms. Although Reagan ' s victory was certainly overwhelming, the coattail effects were not felt very strongly. Democrats managed to hold on to their majority in the House, while the Senate reatined a slight Republican majority. In Massachusetts, John Kerry, Democrat, defeated Ray Shamie, Republican, for the Senate seat vacated by Paul Tsongas. Their campaign was bitter with charges of John Birch Society involvement scattered throughout the campaign. Mondale had realized weeks before that he was not going to defeat Reagan, but he continued a courageous battle in an attempt to prevent a landslide. Despite his confident manner and intelligent policies, his campaign could not match one of the most popular president ' s of this century. Reagan continued to show his mastery of campaigning, and avoided any highly controversial topics that could have cost him his proportions of votes. He also downplayed his age, which has worried many of his campaign workers.