Western Front - 1980 February 5

              TKe VOL. 72, NO. 8 WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1980
Majority of students oppose the draft
Over half of the 253 Western students
questioned in a poll conducted by the
Front stated they were against reinstate­ment
of the draft.
The survey was initiated after Presi­dent
Carter's State of the Union address
in which he asked for the authority to
revive registration for the draft and
threatened to use military force in the
Persian Gulf.
The Front conducted 253 telephone
interviews of students scientifically
chosen at random from the campus direc­tory.
Students were asked questions
about the possible reinstatement of the
draft and related issues.
Although over one-half said they were
against reinstatement of the draft, two-thirds
said they would register if the draft
were reinstated.
A survey at the University of Michigan
found that 52 percent of the students
were against registration for the draft. At
the University of Oklahoma 60 percent of
the students polled stated they were
against registration.
Almost one-half of those questioned in
the Front survey said they considered
themselves politically moderate. Three-quarters
of the respondents were 22 years
old or younger.
Over one-half of the students said they
would not avoid the draft if it were.rein-stated,
but one-third of those polled said
they would.
In a poll taken at Northwestern Uni­versity
46 percent of the men and 67 per­cent
of the women surveyed said they
would serve if drafted. In a University of
The results:
Do you consider yourself politically as a
liberal, conservative, or moderate?
a) liberal (25.7%)
b) conservative (14.6%)
c) moderate (49.8%)
d) other (9.9%)
Do you favor reinstatement of the draft?
a) yes (32.4%)
b)no (52.2%)
c) undecided (15.0%)
If the draft is reinstated, do you favor
drafting women?
a) yes (65.6%)
b)no (28.1%)
c) undecided (5.9%)
Would you avoid the draft?
a) yes (33.2%)
b)no (52.2%)
c) undecided (13.0%)
If a registration for the draft is started,
will you register?
a) yes (66.4%)
b) no (19.8%)
c) undecided (12.3%)
California at Berkeley poll 51 percent of
the students said they would go if drafted.
The majority of the students in the
Front survey who said they would avoid
the draft said they would do so by going
to another country. Canadian officials
have said that if the draft is reinstated in
the United States they will not allow draft
resisters to enter Canada.
Almost two-thirds of the respondents
said they favored drafting women. Presi­dent
Carter has not announced whether
he is going to request that women be
drafted.
More than three-quarters of the people
interviewed said they would support a
war against the Russians if American ter­ritory
was threatened, but only 17 per-cent
said they would support a war
against the Russians in Afghanistan.
Would you support a war against Rus­sians
in Afghanistan?
a) yes (17.0%)
b)no (67.6%)
c) undecided (15.4%)
Would you support a war against Rus­sians
if they threaten American territory?
a) yes (78.3%)
.b) no (13.4%)
c) undecided (8.3%) -
Would you support a war against Rus­sians
if they threaten the Persian Gulf?
Students were divided over whether to
support a war against the Russians if they
threatened the Persian Gulf. The figures
were too close to accurately gauge stu^
dent sentiment.
But while students said in some instan­ces
they would approve of a war, an
overwhelming 85 percent said they would
live without Mideast oil if it meant
avoiding war.
On another subject, 60 percent of stu­dents
polled said they felt the Olympics
should be moved from Moscow. Carter is
heading an effort to have the games boy-cottead
by U.S. athletes and other coun­tries
and having alternative games
elsewhere.
—Gary Lorentson/
Leslie Kelly
a)yes (30.0%)
b)no (41.1%)
c) undecided (28.9%)
. Would you be willing to live without mid-east
oil to avoid going to war?
a) yes (85.4%)
b)no (9.5%)
c) undecided (5.1%)
On another subject, should the Olympics
be:
a) moved (60.1%)
b) boycotted (16.6%)
c) continued as planned (19.8%)
Black-clothed pair's art
reflects life's evil side
Who are they? This question is pon­dered
by many who came in contact with
these two Western students.
One is fair-skinned, dressed in black
and is wearing a unique medallion.
The other is also fair-skinned, wears a
long black dress, with black gloves and
shoes.
Despite various rumors and private
beliefs, Harold Arthur McNeill II and
Laurie Gospodenovich claim they are not
Satanists or Nazi followers.
They both wear black because of per­sonal
taste; the medallions mean
nothing; and their art, reflecting evil and
almost Satanic connotations, has raised
controversy. The pair, however, simply
claim to represent individuality.
McNeilli a sophomore, is uncertain
whether to major in art, economics or
political science. Gospodenovich is a
freshman in the art department.
Their work in the field of art has
started rumors. McNeill molded a wax
creation of a gargoyle-like creature atop
a pedestal with upside-down crucifixes.
"It doesn't represent a thing I believe.
It's just representation of something,"
McNeill said.
For an art class, Gospodenovich once
created a plaster, life-like sculpture of
two hands, with bloodied palms, rising
from the stones of a grave. Students
within the art department thought this
dealt with an anti-Christian view of Jesus
Christ, Gospodenovich said. She titled it
"The Rise of Nationalism."
The mood of their sculptures js con­sistent
in their paintings.
"I don't believe the painting represents
evil," Gospodenovich said. "Simply an
expression with a spiritual sort of
influence."
McNeill calls it "a reflection of indi­vidual
taste and mental nature" that
comes from the subconscious during the
process of painting.
"There is duality in nature," McNeill
explained. He referred to an inner
conflict of attitudes and mentalities, one
being ominous. He spoke of his prior
attitude of destruction, evil and chaos.
"I used to enjoy that sort of thing," he
said.
Gospodenovich is from the Bel-lingham
area. McNeill was raised in San
Francisco by a Russian stepmother. "She
many times tried to kill me," he recalled.
"She thought snakes were evil and I
was the son of the devil. I'd wake up with
THE 'DARK SIDE' of one's subconscious may come out in the form of art,
according to Western students Harold Arthur McNeill II and Laurie
Gospodenovich. The sculptures (above) and Laurie's painting (left) are a part of
their collection which has left them victims of rumor, (photos by Rick Ross)
her spitting in my face, all kinds of things
like that," he said.
"She was more of my Bette Davis
image than my mother image. She should
have had an axe," he added.
"Growing up with frustration and
hatred could be a factor in my taste of
art," McNeill said.
This "taste" applies to music and litera­ture
also. He enjoys music ranging from
the Beatles to the Third Reich and Roll.
His library contains literature concern­ing
Nazism, Soviet communism and phi­losophy
such as "Twilight of the Gods"
and "Anti-Christ."
While living in Highland Hall for one
quarter last year, McNeill found that his
taste provoked gossip and rumors.
"People would shout things and close
their doors. Some would write things on
the window in the front office," he said.
Now residing in a trailer south of Mt.
Vernon, McNeill and Gospodenovich
have few people bothering them.
"I was being hassled a bit, but that's
not the reason I left," McNeill said. "I'm
never afraid of confrontation. Never."
McNeill believes in individuality and
humanity.
"Our present society is headed for dis­aster.
This government is dying and
won't exist in another 15 years," he said.
"It's a massive parasite sucking the mar­row
out of the middle class."
Unlike many critics, he has his own
answers that he "knows are correct."
When the downfall begins, McNeill
wants the public to be aware of an alter­native
it can turn to.
His faith is in the human element,
rather than Christianity.
"The term 'Christians' is ambiguous,"
McNeill said. He claims there is an empti­ness
in churches.
"I've met a lot of Christians who don't
even deal with the dark side," McNeill
said. "It's dangerous. If you don't even
look, you can't be aware of how it's work­ing
in the world."
This "dark side" McNeill said, may
explain their taste in the arts.
Both McNeill and Gospodenovich
plan to continue their artwork and hope
to have some examples displayed in the
Viking Union gallery. McNeill also plans
to study economics and politics.
—Rick Ross