Page 2- The Michigan Daily - Monday, November 5, 1990 Republicans accused of racism in North Carolina Senate race WASHINGTON (AP) - Democrats yesterday accused Republicans of racism in the North Carolina Senate race as a federal judge scheduled an election-eve hearing on whether the GOP's tactics are intimidating voters. Republican officials dismissed allega- tions that voter mailings in North Carolina and Texas were designed to intimidate mi- nority or elderly voters. But U.S. District Judge Dickinson De- bevoise scheduled a hearing today in Newark, New Jersey, to determine whether the Republican National Committee is vio- lating a 1982 consent decree that bars voter intimidation. The hearing was requested by the Demo- cratic National Committee. "What the Republican Party has done is absolutely disgusting," Democratic party Chairman Ronald Brown said on CBS-TV's "Face the Nation." He accused the GOP of trying to "intimidate the poorest and most vulnerable voters." The controversy has centered primarily in North Carolina, where Republican Sen. Jesse Helms is in a neck-and-neck race with Democrat Harvey Gnatt, who is Black. At issue are 150,000 official-looking postcards that the North Carolina GOP sent to predominantly minority Democratic precincts. Labeled "Voter Registration Bulletin," the cards read, in part, that it is a federal crime "to knowingly give false information about your name, residence or period of res- idence to an Election Official.' "We knew that in a panic Jesse Helms would turn to this kind of tactic, just as Republicans have done in the past," Brown said. Voter mailings also have been sent out in Texas to predominantly elderly Demo- cratic voters, encouraging them to forgo absentee ballots. Charles Black, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee, said he had not seen any of the mailings but in- sisted the GOP has never broken the con- sent decree on voter intimidation. The committee "always plays by the rules," he said. But he added that North Carolina has "a long history of Democrats stealing elections." State and local leaders "have a responsibility to take legal action to ensure the integrity of the ballot, and that's all that's going on there," he said. House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.) disagreed with the Republicans. "The campaign that Jesse Helsm is run- ning is not a lot different than the cam- paign that David Duke ran in Louisiana," Gephardt said. Duke is a former Ku Klux Klan leader who lost in Louisiana's open Senate primary in October. "The message... clearly has racial over- tones. It is clearly designed to appeal to people's prejudice," Gephardt said on NBC's "Meet the Press." S S COMMONS Continued from page 1 Five out of five students interviewed at the Bangkok III stand - the only fast food facility in the Commons - said a bar and more fast food would be their first priorities as far as development of the Commons. However, Daniel Gomota, a graduate student in the School of Engineering, added, "I think what they need to have is a plaee where the engineering students can in- teract with mainstream students. We are very secluded... The first step was the com- puting center which draws in some LSA students, but now we need a place where people can relax together." While the possibility of a bar, because of licensing difficulties, is not an option at this time, "it is still our goal to create a community center type atmosphere so that the commons are like the living room of North Campus," explained Joe Willis, as- sistant director of the Michigan Union/North Campus Commons. "We are in the middle of discussions with UAC, working out the logistics of setting up programs on North Campus. We are already renting out space for dances... so we are working on developing our pro- gramming area, attracting more students to accept ownership in the facility," Willis added. Just last week, the Student Organization Development Center (SODC), which now has its main office in the Union, opened up a branch office in the Commons. "The re- sponse to our open house was fantastic... It's my impression that the organizations out there are very strong... It's our mis- sion to target what their perceived as well as actual needs are and fulfill them," ex- plained SODC Organizational Consultant Beth Adler. "Our challenge now is to do whatever we can to deliver on our original expecta- tion on a low or no budget type situation... Although we feel about not having a glitzy place as far as fast food outlets, I feel we can take the creative energy out on North Campus and create an environment people can come to and feel a sense of commu- nity," concluded Cianciola. y Bill Watterson ISRAEL 3RIAN CANTONI/Daily Mirror, mirror Jamie Obeshaw and Stefani Thomas, both of Clarkston, get a better perspective on art at the Winter Art Fair held in the Track and Tennis Building this weekend. - -- _' Calvin and Hobbes TODAY(I DREW PANOTHER PICTUR.E IN MI " DINAOSAUR I ROKE SLAWPYS" ERES, AD MSS G * E. A 9DMARK WIN ER _t