By Compiled By Robert Platt
Thursday, September 25, 1986, things were buzzing on Hofstra campus. General Westmoreland, former commander of U.S. Vietnam forces with over 36 years of military service, was coming to speak at the University. Plans for the second Special Olympics were underway. And the Hofstra Dutchmen were preparing to butt heads with C.W. Post, in a match expected to test the core abilities of each team.
General to speak on campus
“If the other guy can live and fight under those conditions, so can we,” General Westmoreland was quoted as saying in the January, 1986 issue of Time magazine when he was awarded “Man of the Year.”
This average American boy who later became our strategic key during the Vietnam era will appear at the John Cranford Adams Playhouse on Wednesday, Oct. 8 at 11:15 a.m.
Westmoreland will discuss America’s role in Vietnam in a colloquium, “The American Presidency.”
William Childs Westmoreland was born in Spartanburg County, South Carolina on March 26, 1914. He attended a military college in South Carolina for one year and was then appointed to the United States military Academy in West Point, New York by the later Senator James Byrnes. Still very young, Westmoreland moved on very quickly in the ranks of the Army to become, in 1956, the youngest major general in the United States Army.
Throughout his military career Westmoreland was very well recognized. In August 1952, the Republic of Korea awarded his unit the Distinguished Unit Citation; in August 1953, he was awarded the Master Parachutist badge; and in 1960 he was named superintendent of West Point. By mid-year 1964 he was the Pentagon’s natural choice for the top job.
As commander of all United States forces in South Vietnam, Westmoreland directed the historic buildup, drew up the battle plans, and infused the 190.000 men under him with his own idealistic view of U.S. arms and responsibilities.
Under pressure from both home and in Vietnam in 1973 U.S. troops were officially asked to withdraw from South Vietnam. The United States had lost the war but Westmoreland’s well-trained men had hung in there longer than the public opinion thought they would. For the first time in history, the United States in 1965 established a strong defense across the nerve centers of Southeast Asia.
Later on after the war, on July 1, 1972, upon completion of the four-year tour required of a Service Chief of Staff, Westmoreland retired following 36 years of federal service. From November 1972 to March 1974, he served as Chairman of the Governor’s Task Force for Economic Growth for the State of South Carolina.The series of colloquiums was started two years ago by Political Science Professor William Levantrosser.
Westmoreland was originally scheduled to speak in the Student Center Theater, but because of popular demand the conference was relocated to the Playhouse. Colloquium Coordinator Jo-Ann Mahoney said that over 600 people have expressed their desire to attend the conference. “A few high school classes will be present,” she said.
Planning for Olympics begins
The tentative plans to bring the Special Olympics to the Unversity for the second consecutive year are underway, according to Special Olympics Chairman at Hofstra Michael Sampson.
The Special Olympics, the games for the mentally retarded of all ages, is a two day event at the University. A Saturday and Sunday in April 1987 is now being set aside for the games: Saturday will be a “fun day”, where participants will enjoy a carnival-type atmosphere while Sunday will be reserved for the games themselves-sporting events which will include such activities as track and wheelchair events.
The Games have been held at the University for several years, but, for the first time in 1986 were entirely run by Hofstra students. Since the games have been met by moderate success that generated a lot of interest, Sampson expects a “tremendous turnout” this April and he is in need of a lot of help. The problem last year, Sampson said, was that a lot of the clubs, sororities and fraternities said that they needed more time to get involved. Therefore, in his quest for more support, Sampson has seen to it that Circle K has begun its preparations for the April Games.
Circle K, the head sponsor of the games, is a small club which is a part of Kiwanis International, a national sponsor of the Special Olympics.
In order to announce the Special Olympics as its (Circle K’s) first order of business, Sampson said those letters are “already being sent out.”
In previous years, the games have been held on campus but not under the control of the students, said Allan Gurewitz, a volunteer helping to raise support for the games. Last year, however, had sparked such an interest that next year’s games will include many more participants than just the Nassau County residents who played in the previous games.
In anticipation of the ’87 Games, Sampson indicated that the success is reliant upon “getting the entire campus involved, that includes all clubs, sororities and fraternities.”
Sampson added that he feels this is the only even where all the students can work and that even though everyone is welcome to display the insignia for each club they represent, the games must be a collaborative effort.
For example, last year only four fraternities and sororities and small clubs got involved while the Screaming Dutchman Booster Club acted as hosts. But, conceded Sampson, it was Manchester House and Sigma Delta Tau who did most of the work.
Because of the heightened awareness and greater enthusiasm for the games, Sampson is inviting other team’s throughout the area to participate and its predicting a turnout at least three times larger than in other years. ‘We’re expecting a great deal of athletes, perhaps 900,” Sampson stated. Since each participant is assigned a buddy who is a University student, Sampson said he will need “at least 1,000 volunteers.”
But buddies are easy to find, said Sampson. He and Gurewitz both stressed the need for people to work behind the scenes, to deal with the media and handle public relations. Also, they wish to expand upon the present staff of four directors to eight.
Financial support is of utmost concern, said Sampson. Individual club fund raisers are just as important as the corporate powerhouses who support the event. McDonald’s, Pepsi and Coca-Cola will again be counted on for their support along with the ARA, who last year, contributed “an unbelievable amount of food,” Sampson said.
The appropriate budget for the coming games has been set at $7000, including costs for food and complimentary t-shirts. “Last year, we gave out 250 t-shirts. That alone amounted to $1200.”
If a surplus of funds does surface after the event, it will be sent to either one of the two main offices located in Manhattan and Washington, D.C.
Sampson is more than eager to enlist volunteers. A general meeting will be held on Oct. 1 at 4:15 p.m. in the Student Center, room 141. The Special Olympics have provided the mentally retarded with encouragement and inspiration for almost 20 years now, since Eunice Kennedy Shriver founded the Games in 1968. Presently, the Special Olympics has more than 1 million participants who compete year-round throughout the United States and 60 foreign countries.
Of the 500,000 volunteers who support the cause, Michael Sampson is the University representative. Having become involved in the games thorugh the National Honor Society in his North Miami Beach high school, Sampson has remained interested in the cause ever since and organized the last year’s games in his freshman year.
Though it takes months of seemingly endless work and thankless dedication, Sampson ended by saying what he enjoys most about providing the special children with two days of fun and excitement is “how great you feel about yourself at the end of the day.”
Dorm damages up
Residence hall damage caused by vandalism has increased this year over the same period last year, according to Residential Life Director Holly Seirup.
Associate Residential Life Director Ted Elling said that $43,000 has been spent for repairs this year, whereas only $28,000 had been spent the year before. According to Elling, vandalism cost the average student $14.68 this year, up from $10.18 the year before. The money is taken from the student’s $50 breakage deposit that is paid at the beginning of each semester. Elling cites increased student population for the rise in vandalism.
Both Seirup and Elling agreed that the main damage occurs to fire safety equipment and windows. Seirup said that the biggest problems are setting fire extinguishers off, breaking fire exit signs, and breaking windows. Ellings puts the price of replacement windows in the range of $100-350 and fire exit signs at $47.80 plus overtime labor charges.
Seirup notes that if an individual is caught damaging school property, he will be billed for the repair costs. If the act is intentionally committed, the matter will be palced in the ahnds of the in-school discipline system. Elling added that if damage is done by a guest, the resident host will be held responsible for the damage.
C.W. Post: Hofstra’s first major test
Let’s get one thing straight here first: Post is a very angry team. And very angry teams tend to want to beat on whoever is next on the schedule.
So why is Post so bent out of shape? Consider that they’ve been beaten by one point, by nationally ranked teams, in each of their last two games. That’s enough frustration and incentive for Post to want to tie Hofstra to the back of their team bus and drag them along Meadowbrook Parkway.
The similarities in both Post losses is striking. In both games, on the road at Salisbury State (they may sound like a menu item at the Rustler, but are ranked 5th) and Merchant Marine (10th ), Post led at the half, failed to score in the second half, and blew the extra point to account for the difference in 17-16 and 21-20 losses.
This team is looking for blood and Hofstra has to be wary.
The Dutchmen will be put to the ultimate test tomorrow night as they face the most complete team on their schedule. This week we’ll also find out if the 1986 version of the Wing-T can move the ball as well as it did in the first two games. Think of Iona and Stony Brook games as open-book quizzes because here comes the mid-term.
Offensively, Post has made the transition from heavily relying on the pass to a team that can beat you with a solid ground game. Senior halfback Joe Chetti (5-10, 220) is Post’s Mr. Everywhere, an All-America who last year rushed for 936 yards and scored 12 touchdowns. So far he’s averaged 5.7 per carry this year, with two TD’s, while leading the team in receiving with 10 catches. Chetti has rushed for over 100 yards in six of his last seven games. He’ll get the ball 20 times and is the player the Dutchmen have to contain to have a chance. Accompanying Chetti is junior Stanley Dwight, a 5-9, 190-pound speedster who is Post’s fastest man, clocked at 4.3 in the 40.
Junior Mike Ihm (6-5, 210) inherits the quarterback spot from All-America Tom Kupec, and is averaging 239 yards passing per game. They do have relatively inexperienced receivers where the top target is senior Mark McDermott.
The key to the defense is the line, which features senior DT Tom Dandiola (6-6, 275), a Liberty Conference all-star with 57 tackles in 1985. He teams with senior ends Mike Janison (6-2, 240) and Glenn Wade (6-2, 230) who combined for 10 sacks last year.
An important factor here is that Post lost two starters in the secondary where its junior safety Larry Mooney (6-1, 190) is the anchor, followed by a couple of sophomores. If Alan Squeri can be as effective as his last two starts and uncover the unproven secondary, Hofstra’s got a fighting chance. With Mike Codella out for the year and Ed Palermo unable to play, Squeri may have to pass more than his average 20 (he’s 29 of 41 with 5 TD’s). Cedric Dawkins and Jim Scully will be relied on heavily, but Hofstra will need the big pass plays in order to upset Post.