Miami Hurricane, January 31, 1984

              enteis COMES TO — PAGE 9
Volume 60 Number 32
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Tuesday, January 31, 1984	I
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Watt Speaks On Controversial Position
Watt interview-press conference / 4
By MARY CRONIN
and
HOLLY GLEASON
Of the Hurricane Staff
Former Secretary of the Interior James Watt attempted to "set the record straight" last Thursday night at Gusman about his administration by blaming the media, Congress and the previous administration for the controversy that surrounded him during his three years in office.
In his first speech at a university, Watt said that his only failure was in communicating the truth about his policies.
"I expected a national press attack, but I didn’t expect the truth to be hidden so well," Watt said.
“I had a difficult time getting the truth out and a hard time dealing with the media," he said. “I wasn't trying to manipulate the media.
“I didn’t get my story to the American people, so they don't know the facts. Frankly, I failed in helping the people know what the real issue was.”
He added that President Reagan supported every policy change in the Department of the Interior.
"He (Reagan| is an unusual man. He recognized that the Department of the Interior could provide jobs and raw materials for defense. He understood my problems because 50 percent of the land in the state of California is under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior."
Watt also attacked Congress and former President Carter by charging that prior to Watt’s administration, the Department of Interior was improperly managed.
“In the four years previous to my taking office, money was cut by 50 percent to restore the national parks system,” he said. "We quadrupled that amount.”
Because of the cut by the prior administration, upon assuming office he changed the priori-
ties of his budget and the problems began, according to Watt.
“We changed the priorities of the budget to meet the priorities of the president. We opened lands to increase Jobs and to reduce our reliance on OPEC nations.
"If the struggle was about public lands and the environment, everyone would have been on my side, but the battle was over a form of government," he said.
“It’s the privileged who do not want to have change,” he added, referring to members of Congress.
He cited the first conflict as dating to the days of John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jack-son. He explained that Adams wanted to regulate the land to preserve it, whereas Jackson wanted to "open the land up to the people. He thought people could utilize the wealth and that they could be trusted."
“It's been a quiet crisis, a raging crisis, a hidden crisis since then," Watt said.
To prove the previous administration wrong and to buttress his record. Watt listed his accomplishments in office.
“In my first year In office I doubled the (monetary) commitment to the national parks. In my second year I tripled it, and in three years I quadrupled it. In 1983, I also added more federally protected lands in one single year than anyone else since 1866. Those are the facts and that is the truth.”
He added that management of lands is always going to be controversial because "the wealth of the United States comes from its lands.”
“We have 80,000,000 acres of national parks, and those are the crown jewels of this country," he said. “We also have 80,000,000 acres of national wildlife ranges and 200,000,000 acres of national forests. There’s always a tremendous conflict over how are these public lands are managed for their multivalues of timber, oil and gas, mining and recreation.”
Government leaders from western states know that unemployment could be alleviated if some of the lands under government regulation
were opened up for saw mills and oil drilling, Watt said.
The Carter administration had high unemployment and inflation because it did not understand this idea, he added
The oil problems of the 1970s also could have been alleviated. Watt said, for the same reasons.
“Forty percent of our oil has been and is still being purchased from Arabs," he said. “The crude oil could have been bought here.
"We have enough energy to meet America’s needs for thousands of years. Eighty percent of undeveloped crude oil, 50 percent of uranium and 30 percent of our coal are in protected government lands."
After the lecture, Watt answered questions. They ranged from why he didn't like the Beach Boys to why he was on the lecture circuit and even to the comments that brought on the criticism of Congress and the press.
On one comment, Watt said. "I did make the joke about there being two kinds of people, Americans and liberals. I had been talking to a group of farmers in California about water and agricultural issues, and I said, ‘These issues aren't partisan at all,' and jokingly added, ‘There are really only two kinds of people, Americans and liberals.'
"Everyone laughed and the press on the West Coast reported on it and said how witty I was. My staff said it was great. But I said to them, 'You wait, this thing is going to come back and bite me.'
“Two weeks later, the East Coast papers got a hold of it, and I opened the Saturday Washington Post to see it as the headline on Page 3.”
Watt offered a different explanation for another publicized comment, which characterized a commission reviewing the Interior as having “a black ... a woman, two Jews and a cripple.”
“The other comment was a mistake, not a joke. It was an Insensitivity, but it was true. People tried to say. 'Oh, Jim was joking.' But I wasn’t joking and I paid a high price for it .... I never laughed about it, and it was a truly insensitive mistake for which I’ve apologized.”
Miami Hurricane/BILL SCHERER
Watt attempts to set the record straight
|Choices program guides students

■
By LOURDES FERNANDEZ
Hurricane News Editor
This is the second part of a series on new programs being offered at UM’s Guidance Center.
A common problem facing many college students is deciding which career to pursue. The Counseling Center has recently added something to existing services which may be of help to those students.
Choices, a computerized career counseling program, is being used in many colleges across Florida, according to Barry Zwibelman of the Counseling Center.
"It gives us another tool to work with,” said Zwibelman. He added that, with Choices, the results are available immediately.
A student using Choices would first pick up a workbook, which takes about two hours to complete. An assistant will help the student enter the information into the computer.
The information includes activities he is involved in, interests he wants to fulfill, the kind of tasks he enjoys doing, the job responsibilities he feels best suited for, and the amount of education he plans to pursue.
The system was chosen because it is the one most used in the state.
"It was our first venture into this type of system,” said Zwibelman. “We are continuing to evaluate Choices, as well as others. We may change to another one in the future.”
Choices has 300 occupations from which to choose from. Zwibelman usually tries to narrow the list of suitable occupations to five to ten.
"It is very good at narrowing down [job occupations] if you have very little idea of what you want," he said. "The occupations range from requiring advanced professional work, such as physicians, psychologists, and college professors, all the way down to various technicians.
"The high-level professions are well represented in the system.”
He added that the Counseling Center expects the student to make the final decision.
Students who would most likely use the system are undeclared majors, of which there are approximately 300, said Zwibelman.
The program, in use for a year, is free of charge to students. About 100 students have used it since the beginning of the academic year, said Zwibelman
SAFAC turns down second I BS request
Miami Hurricane/JEFF GOTTLIEB
eeing-eye dog?
Kki Boni and her dog. Major, enjoy the sun Friday at the pool. Both owner and pet sport a pair of glasses; ajor's case, a pair of goggles.
in
By RONNIE RAMOS
Hurricane Editor in Chief
The Student Activity Fee Allocation Committee Thursday night decided not to reconsider its allocation for the United Black Students’ Black Awareness Month, despite the fact that more than $4,000 <*f UBS’ listed anticipated revenue fell through.
Inside
Jamboree
The Career Planning and Placement Center hosts another Career .lamhoree /PAGE 2
To change or not to change
A point-counterpoint on whether WVUM should change its musical format /PAGE 6
Film Festival
The Miami Film Festival comes to town and Beaumont hosts many of these foreign films /PAGE 8
Making a splash
The swimming team begins its season with a loss and a win /PAGE 10
Month sparks black
By TEQUESTA BRYANT
Hurricane Assistant News Editor
United Black Students and other black organizations on campus kick off Black Awareness Month tomorrow.
The events will begin with an opening ceremony on the steps outside the Student Union at noon. A reception will follow in the Ibis Cafeteria at 1:30 p.m.
Chairperson Patrick F. Howell and the committee members, sororities, fraternities, and international student groups worked throughout last semester to plan the events that are to take place this month.
The idea is to touch on all aspects of black life around the world — as in the movie Haitian Lifestyle, which will be shown on Feb. 16 in the first floor of the Student Union and at the Caribbean Awareness Day on the Student Union Patio at noon.
Traditionally, the favorite events of the month tend to be the crowning of Miss Black UM, to be held Feb. 10 at 8 p.m., and the Greek Extravaganza, an all-Greek step^show in which the participants sing (ar^l dance)
the praises of their particular group. The Extrav, as it is affectionately known, will be held on the Student Union Patio Feb. 26 at 6 p.m.
Lectures will also rank high on the list of events Four guest speakers, not including speakers for the opening ceremonies and closing banquet, will speak on black relations in the white world, the basis of black history, and on black Florida writer Zora Neale Hurston.
Dr. Willie C. Robinson will be the guest speaker at a general body meeting Feb. 7 at 7 p.m.
As a change from the usual observances, UBS will present a week-long art show in the International Lounge Feb. 20-24.
Also new this year, Omega Psi Phi fraternity is sponsoring an all-Greek basketball tournament, and Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity is sponsoring a fashion show. As it also has done in the past, the Black Awareness Month committee will present a fashion show entitled “A Night of Enchantment."
A complete schedule of events is listed in News-briefs on Page 2.
SAFAC voted 6-1 with two abstentions not to reopen the discussion on the allocation
United Black Students President Kevin Morris went back before the SAFAC (or the second time in a week Thursday to clarify some points and to ask the committee to reconsider its allocation for Black Awareness Month.
Morris told SAFAC that the official name of the month was Black Awareness Month, not Black History Month, as he had presented it the week before. He also informed the committee that the African Dance Company would be performing at Brockway Hall and asked the committee to remove its stipulation that the company be required to dance outdoors. The motion passed, 7-1, with one abstension.
Morris also told SAFAC that alt the money UBS was expecting from other sources, almost $7,000, would not materialize. Morris said the President’s Office had informed him that President Foote would not be giving the $1,000 listed and that the Vice President's Office would be giving “about $1,200" instead of the $3,000 UBS had hoped for The Lecture Series, Morris added, would not be donating the $1,500 UBS had anticipated.
In other business. SAFAC allocated $1,000 for Parents' Weekend and $760 for Circle K to pay registration fees for 20 of its members at a convention.