The Griffin: volume 56, issue 23 - May 2, 1986

              During his appearance here last Wednesday, Col. Lawrence Tracy of the State Department claimed that President Reagan's actions in Central America are an extension of the policies started by Jimmy Carter. photo by beth hoch Arguello stressed that he would not be on the present speaking tour against the Sandinistas if he felt that they had improved the lot of the common people. He stated, however, that conditions have steadily deteriorated and that until economic improvements were realized, Nicaragua would be in a constant state of unrest. tas and edited the national cultural newspaper, and others quickly became disillusioned and broke with the Sandinistas. He presently serves as advisor to Arturo Cruz, a prominent Contra leader. "The possibility is always there, but you don't want to be foolhardy . . . you want to something expansive," she stated. Dompkowski also commented on the possibility of an airport bombing in London. The trip, which is scheduled to take place July 7-21, will take the group on an extensive tour of England, including stops in such locations as Canterbury and Stratford-on-Avon. The group also has seven theatre reservations: six in London and one at Stratford. Lady Griff Lori Potter lays down a bunt during a game in the Big IV Softball Tournament Saturday at Houghton Park. Photo by MIKE TUBRIDY "We made financial commitments to them (travel agency)," said Zimmermann. "The And even if the group wanted to cancel the trip, it would be extremely difficult to do. "We made the tentative plans for the trip long before Christmas," Zimmermann noted. "We also were in contact with the carriers in September... it takes a long time to plan a tour." Plans for the trip began taking shape at the end of the spring semester of 1985 and, according to Zimmermann the trip has been "simmering" for a long time. by Dave Hibbard Despite the terrorism that has been occurring in Europe over the last several months, the summer tour of England sponsored by the English department is still on, according to the trip's directors, Dr. Judith Dompkowski and Dr. Edward Zimmermann. Of the 26 people who orginally signed for the trip, five have "defected," according to Zimmermann. Not all, however, were for "terrorist reasons." 'There was some concern expressed by those who had never gone overseas before, but they then talked to others The group held a meeting April 19 to discuss the tour. During the meeting, there was a question-and-answer period aimed at expressing the various concerns of the group. "When the air strike in Libya occurred, we lost two people the next day," stated Zimmermann. "However, there is always an undertone, shall we say, of concern with the political situation in Europe." English Dept. European Trip On Despite Recent Wave of Terrorism travel agents are concerned because the fear of terrorism by tourisls has had a huge economic impact on Europe." in the group who have been over. That really helped them," stated Dompkowski. Despite the happenings in Europe, no one was fearful of embarking upon the trip. "In fact, some people signed on after the American bombing of Libya," Dompkowski said. In all, eleven day students (including three adults) will be making the trip. All but one of the travellers are from Canisius. As an incentive, members of the tour group will have an exclusive option to obtain three credits in Area Study III or an major-level English course (ENG 345: Drama). And, according to Zimmermann, the plays seen on the tour will become the subject matter of the course. Colonel, Ex-Sandinista Discuss U.S. Policy in Nicaragua Tracy spoke first for about 25 minutes. His remarks focused on U.S. policy towards Central America and he stressed that the Reagan Administration's policy towards the region is the extension and intensification of the policy started by the Carter Administration. He maintained that while this might be a surprise to some, presidents have traditionally shifted towards the center in their foreign policy making, and Reagan moved in from the right just as Carter moved in from the left. Arguello in particular is a controversial figure who has received attention from the left in this country who accuse him of betraying what they still see as a "viable" experiment in Nicaragua. According to Canisius Public Safety Officers at the event, the school had been informed by U.B. Public Safety to expect spray paint, thrown vegetables and other objects directed at Arguello. Despite the presence of many people in the audience who disagreed with the speakers, there were no incidents at the lecture. Approximately 100 people crowded into Science Building 107 on Wednesday, April 23, to hear a lecture entitled "Nicaragua-The Case for the Contras" Colonel Lawrence L. Tracy, Military Advisor to the Coordinator of Public Diplomacy for latin America and the Carribean of the State Department, and Xavier Arguello, a former Sandinista who is now fighting with the Contras after becoming disillusioned with the Nicaraguan Revolution-and presently on a tour of 26 U.S. cities, spoke about U.S. foreign policy in the region and the internal situation in Nicaragua. by Tom Maulucci The revolution enjoyed wide support as people from all walks of life, including Arguello himself, joined the struggle against Samoza. Marxist rebels who had been unsuccessfully trying to overthrow Samoza for many years worked out a platform for a revolution that democratic forces in the country could and did support, and many groups with different ideological views made a truce with the Marxists shortly before the revolution and joined the Sandinistas, Arguello said. The platform called for political pluralism, a mixed economy and nonalignment with either of the superpowers. After the victory, however, the Marxists, who made up most of the armed forces of the Sandinista movement, gained complete control over the government, Arguello said. Soon, Cuban advisors were brought in, censorship was instituted and the promised pluralism never materialized. Arguello, who had fought with the Sandinis- Arguello followed Tracy and spoke for about 15 minutes. He said that when the revolution occurred, Nicaraguans saw it as a wonderful thing, "like a dream". They hoped that a democratic society would result. Instead, they got a copy of the Cuban revolution after the Sandinistas came to power. Tracy then went on to compare the Nicaraguan revolution against dictator Anastasio Samoza in 1979 with the El Salvadoran revolution against General Romero which occurred later. While both succeeded in replacing repressive rulers, Tracy said both represented opportunities gained and lost by the U.S. While El Salvador's new government became more and more democratic, the exact opposite is true for Nicaragua's. Play Ball . . . P^Jf : , -, ;j4, - •;: . ■ ;' ''■:ki^'-: ■'■' ■ •• > ' v : ':-3v -' '' --"«a *» M*b*~ (8) THE GRIFFIN C:Cv/<S7QServing The College Community VOLUME LVI, NUMBER 23 FRIDAY, MAY 2, 1986