University of North Alabama - Diorama Yearbook (Florence, AL)

Page 30 text:

The votes are in! Clinton wins in a landslide against Bush and Perot By Amy McCleUan For almost a year people waited for Novem- ber 4, the day the American people voiced their preference on whom they wanted to lead them for the next four years in the Oval Office. After months of campaigning and accusa- tions, Amenca decided it was time for a change and elected the Democratic team of Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton and Tennessee Senator Al Gore, along with a Democratic majority in Congress. (Vlany events let up to this changing of the guard. The top reason was the economy. Many months of a seemingly sluggish economy served as the cornerstone of the Clinton cam- paign against Bush. George Bush countered by making Clinton ' s charaaer an issue. Clinton was plagued by accusations of draft dodging and alleged marijuana use. He confused matters more by seeming to switch between admitting to and denying the charges. Voters, uncertain about either candidate, looked to a third— Ross Perot, a Texas billion- aire. Entering the race late, Perot seemed to capture Americans ' imaginations with a promise to eliminate the deficit within five years and to get Congress to work. Perot ' s lack of affiliation with either party and his avoidance of political jargon seemed to make him the people ' s choice as his campaign grew in Counter pttint. I ' .S. Secretary of Educatum Lamar Alexander defended the Bunh administration ' tt educa- titm policy while speaking at the Performance Center m Ociiiher. Alexander, a former Tennessee goivrnor, to k the ttppttrtimity to point out what he perceii ' ed as flaws in the education aspects of the Clinton plat- form. Photo by John Cahoon. momentum. Supporters of Perot worked hard and got his name on the ballot in all fifty states, and his support was boosted by a television interview with Barbara Walters. In July, however, the momentum died as Perot announced he was dropping out of the race, surprising his supporters. The decision lost him much of his support and he was unable to regain that support fully when he re-entered the race. Besides the novelty of having a three- candidate race, this election also set a first for media involvement. From MTV to newspapers, all forms of media seemed to participate either by running a voter registration campaign or endorsing a candidate. don ' t think people were voting for Clinton as much as they were voting against Bush. — John Powers Even Arsenio Hall took part by interviewing Bill Clinton. (And viewers were treated to a saxophone solo by the future President of the United States.) At the university, the eleaion sparked a lot Flor-Ala editor Steve Hiison stayed heavily invoiced throughout the election. Here WUsfm solicits support for his candidate from Kim Cartos and Margaret Hotter. Mlson kept his fingtr on the student fxtdy ' s political pulse. Citing the randttm pttll of the student btjdy designed by ( V.S priiffssor Itr. T. . f orris Jones, H ' ilson said, I was surprised by Hush ' s plurality of support in thut poll because it atnflicts with a national trend. H ' i son is a graduating senutr meytinng injfiur- natism and political science. Photo by .Matt Greene. of reactions from editorials in the campuj newspaper to public debates. The university held a Rock the Vote concert, featuring 12 bands, at Norton Auditorium. Donations wert accepted and were given to the Hurricane Relief Fund to benefit the Dade County, Fla., school system. The Flor-Ala participated by con- ducting a presidential preference poll (45.5 percent of 345 students polled picked Bush; 27.5 percent, Clinton; 1 3 percent, Perot) and by endorsing Clinton on its editorial page. Organizations such as the College Republi- cans met to discuss issues. John Powers, the club ' s adviser, said it was a hard-hitting elec- tion where economics played a key role. He said Bush had not done enough about the economy. 1 don ' t think people were voting for Clinton as much as they were voting against Bush, Powers, assistant professor of history and political science, said. In an interview after the eleaion he said now we have to give our support to the new President and hope he can get us out of the recession. The Young Democrats held meetings and sponsored several projects, including encourag- ing students to register to vote. Naturally, they also urged those newly registered voters (and others) to vote for Clinton. Their efforts, and the efforts of other Clin- ton supporters, obviously were successful

Page 29 text:

Preparing for a new life convocations speaker says that a multi-cultural education is important By Amy McCleUan ' There must be a respect for diversity and iniversality, according to Dr. Samuel letances, guest speaker at the second annual onvocations ceremony on September 15 in Jorton Auditorium. Betances said a university is a community nd students should become one family. Betances, a professor of sociology at North- ast Illinois University, spoke at the ceremony ponsored by Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. The lurpose of the ceremony is to welcome fresh- nen and introduce them to college life. Betances further said, You look alike, but ou are different. You are different, but you re the same. To emphasize his point, he gave examples if hovi diverse a country America is. He said he U.S. is the fifth-largest Spanish speaking ountry in the world and there are more Jewish leople in New York than in Tel Aviv, Israel. Betances also encouraged students to get heir education even though they might some- imes fail. He said teachers often associate fail- ig grades with lack of studying, but that is not Iways the case. He said many fail because they lo not understand or do not have that nowledge. He encouraged teachers to help tudents once they discover what students do lot know. Betances told about the successes and allures in his life. He said he was a high school dropout who tried to join the armed forces, but failed. He said he then began working at a church where he met a women named Mary who helped him see a need for an education. He said she told him he had the talent of time which he could invest in an education. She also told him that God had special work planned for him and for that work, he needed an education. Betances went on to get a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and religion from Columbia Union College in Tacoma Park, Maryland. He then received his masters and doOorate in edu- cation from Harvard University. Betances returned to his point that everyone should get a multi-cultural education. He said the white male brought change to America and now minorities and women are needed to help shape things. According to Betances, 80 per- cent of the early 21st century workers will be from those groups. He also said roles have changed. We may not be used to seeing certain people in charge, he said. He said television had reinforced the stereo- types which make it difficult to accept the changes he mentioned. Television, however, is our greatest teacher and could be used to learn about different cultures according to Betances. Dr. Tom Osborne, associate professor of his- tory and political science, said he thought Betances ' message was good for students. He said, The message he had was exactly what students needed to hear. He said the convo- cation was used to help students adjust to university life that is different from high school. Dr. Osborne said entering students need to know that the expectations are different here and they will have to manage their own time. Draenard Jackson, a freshman, said, I thought it was interesting. Dr. Betances said many things that we needed to hear. His remarks about more minorities and women needing to be in administrative positions were true. You look alike, hut you are different. You are different, hut you are the same. — Dr. Samuel Betances Freshman Tangela Long said, I think con- vocations had a good impact on all of the stu- dents that were there. The speaker taught us that we must respea other people and their differences. Dr. Joe Thomas, vice president for academic affairs and provost, said the convocation is becoming a tradition at the university. ring the Abna Mater for a near-capadt} crowd of freriuntn, traiufer ttudenta and other at Norton Auditarium. Photo by Shannon WttU. wmzM EOrf : .•- • ' 5 »ifi aiif»V ' ' j w . v.-J« •V ' -.-i - e F ' wW3i . • - —. m lf ' f)i! , - Convoution 25

Page 31 text:

y Happy days are here again! Clinton supporters celebrate as election results flash across the screen. Stu- dent Mark WUliams and friend get into the spirit with political masks. Photo by Jason Oleham. Good citizens come in all sizes. Students at Kilby School learned about the American political process through a mock election held on November 3. Grades K through 6 got first-hand experience in campaigning, making posters, debating and voting (minimum voting age at Kilby is K ). Front Row: 5th graders Dru Lee, Jim Rogers. Thomas Boyd, Corey McMullen. Back Row: 6th grader Carnley England. Photo by Shannon Wells.