Muse, 1970-10-30

              ^fORW.
the mus
NOV    3   197!
Volume 21 Number 7
Friday, October 30, 1970
10 cents off campus
Versafoods bitch - in
gastronomical success
"Whaddya mean the turkey sandwiches are too salty?" Versa-foods manager Alex
todd fields complaints from students about his firm 's catering service during the
itch-in held in the TSC lobby lunchtime (fittingly) on Wednesday.
Greasy hamburgers, salty turkey
sandwiches and two cents extra for coke
cups were some of the complaints
students offered Wednesday as the
management of Versafoods held a food
bitch-in in the lobby of Thomson Student
Centre.
The bitch-in went on for close to two
hours and students managed, to air their
complaints despite the squelching,
belching, screeching and general all-round
uselessness of a sound system set up in
the lobby by MUN Radio technicians.
Versafoods hamburgers came in for
numerous shittings upon with most
complaints centred around their relative
greasiness.
One student said that the hamburgers
are composed of 50 per cent grease, 30
per cent; bread and 20 per cent meat, an
allegation hastily refuted by Versafoods
manager Alex Todd who placed the fat
content in a Versa hamburger pattie at 25
per cent, the other 75 per cent being
meat.
Todd said his out-fit is using the same
type pattie being used by the A and W
Drive-in— a pattie low on grease and spices-
but the student countered that he
considered A and W hamburgers the shits
too.
The same student wondered why
people using the cafeterias didn't clean up
their own tables.
Student Rick Hayes complained about
Versafoods tea and suggested that there
be more provisions for students who are
vegetarians. Todd assured Hayes that his
tea is a first class orange pekoe and said
his company is willing to provide food for
Tour • letter words condemned
any student requiring a special diet.
There already are a number of
residence students on special diets and
this service was not provided last year
by the previous caterers, the CNIB.
Chris Cooper grumbled that students
who bring Thermos bottles to school are
being discriminated against because they
have to pay two cents to get a paper cup
in the caf.
He asked Todd whether Versa is
making enough profit on its
watered-down coke to permit them to
give the cups away and end the
ill-treatment of campus thermos-bottlers.
Todd said the charge for cups was
instituted when it was found that most
students going through the line would
take extra cups even when they didn't
appear to need them.
Dave Vincent said that dining hall
glasses are always filthy and Bob
Buckingham wondered why some
Versafoods employees are being paid
below the minimum wage for women.
Todd said that all glasses are,sterilized
and that no Versafoods employees are
being paid less than $1 an hour, the
minimum wage for women.
A few students attempted to turn the
discussion to financial questions such as
the size of Versafoods profits but Todd
persisted that he was not at liberty to talk
about them and suggested that students
talk to university officials who are paying
for the contract.
The only commitments the Versafoods
people made at the bitch-in were to
consider the complaints and to hold more
hearings if the students want them.
-\
Muse shit upon by student councillors
A lively debate on the kind of language used in the
MUSE and on the paper's general merit dominated
Wednesday's meeting of the CSU after councillor Bob
Andrews brought in a motion to have the paper
reprimanded for using "four-letter words and filth".
The motion was eventually dropped in favor of a
suggestion that MUSE editors be asked to use "more
iteration" in their choice of language.
Andrews brought   up   the   subject  claiming that  a
■mberof students have been objecting to the "displays
»or literary talent" in the MUSE. There's "filth and
every article, he said.
's first moved that the MUSE be sent a letter
luncil asking the editors to "use a little more
in their choice of language,  but  on the
of councillor Glen Rowe, who seconded the
he altered it to ask for a reprimand.
we should do something stronger," Rowe
'There's 'shit' and 'fuck' and even 'screw' appearing
nerywhere in that paper and a lot of people are getting
assed off about it.
1 admit that there might be political repercussions
- you know, freedom of the press and all that
— but I think council should do something
sident Bill Bishop agreed with the sentiments
i by Andrews but said there was no point or no
le r a reprimand.
"The MUSE people act like a bunch of overgrown
teen-agers at times...they seem to think they're being
clever or something."
By having the issue debated in council Andrews had
made his point, Bishop said.
Councillor Dave Rooney said he is against
reprimanding anyone for anything until they've had a
chance to defend themselves.
Vice-president Merrill Francis said that while the
Students' Union publishes the MUSE he doesn't feel it is
the council's place to restrict the kind of language the
editors want to use, and Academics Chairman Alan
Pickersgill said if the council has any real complaints
about how the paper is being handled it should take the
logical step of calling for the editors' resignations.
Tim Dunne said he disagreed with some of the words
the MUSE uses in its articles but added that the editors
and staff should have the right to decide for themselves
what language they want to use. He said he opposed any
motion for a reprimand. (
"The editors and staff of the MUSE are volunteers
and I think they're doing a good job."
Freshman Rep and sometime MUSER John Rorke
strongly opposed Andrews' allegation that the editors of
the MUSE aren't giving strict enough supervision to what
gets into the paper and aren't being discreet enough
about their choice of language.
"In my experience with the MUSE there's a great deal
of discretion used and a good bit of sweat and worry
over what will be printed and what won't.
"Also, major decisions on what the paper will publish
are hashed over in meetings of the entire staff," Rorke
said.
He said that recent controversial issues which the
paper has dealt with — the honorary degrees and the
War Measures Act — had been blown out of proportion
and misrepresented by the off-campus news media.
60% vote for pot
Memorial students voted in favor of the legalization of
marijuana in a referendum on Wednesday and Thursday.
They also supported the idea of the CSU posting bail
for students busted for pot, hash and LSD if students
can find no other bail sources within 48 hours.
Returning officer Bob Buckingham told the MUSE
that 1103 students voted in favor of the legalization of
pot, while there were 692 nays, 125 fence-sitters and 3
spoiled ballots.
On the bail question, the ayes had it over the nays by
985 to 866 with 6 spoiled ballots.