Newspapers / University of North Carolina … / Feb. 18, 1988, edition 1 / Page 2
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itiiL j3>Ai^iNiLK/i'eDruary i», editorial m SGA needs support For the past two weeks, SGA has been running an ad in the Banner asking for candidates for SGA offices, including president and vice president. The spirit of these ads is designed to get people involved with studoit government and with campus life in general. In addition to SGA promotion-of the upcoming elections, the Banna* plans to sponsor a debate among those seeking SGA offices. Although no time or place has been decided on, all students will have an opportunity to find out what each candidate stan^ for —if they stand for anything at ail. This debate is designed to determine how each candidate feels about issues affecting UNCA students, including General Education requirements, the Creative Retirement Center, the space shortage — and yes, parking. In the past, students have complained that they don’t vote in SGA elections because they don’t know who the candidates are or what they stand for. The whole purpose of the debate is to change this. It is desigp^ to provide an opportunity for students to make an intelligent choice for student government offices. Too oftoi, because of apathy and lack of interest, UNCA students have elected individuals to various SGA offices who did not want to try to solve any problems or change things. Instead, these students were involved in SGA only for the purpose of writing a more impressive resume. Oftentimes, students have mn for office unopposed without ever having to defend or explain their positions on campus issues. They have been elect^ and then done absolutely noting. As a result of this, a handful of students will complain about the lack of impact of SGA and the inability of SGA to get things done for the students. But, if stu(fents don’t get involved in the election process, do they really have a right to complain? Unless all students actively participate in the selection of the next SGA officers, then SGA cannot be an effective and vocal representative of the students’ views. ^ Studaits should choose individuals who will represent their views actively and effectively, and the best way to find out who the right students for the job are is to come to this debate and try to make an intelligent choice. The Banner Editor . . *[b. Julie Ball Managing Editor. • Joan Schnyder Business Manager Tony McKinney News Editor Joan Schnyder Assistant News Editor Sharon Joyce Sports Editor Geoff Cabe Assistant Sports Editor Bill Vickery Entertainment Editor Maria Horton Assistant Entertainment Editor Scarlet ^11 Advertising Manager Bryan Clasen Photography Editor Rudi Schwab Copy Editor Ellen Donnenwirth Circulation Manager Scarlet Bell Production Assistant Alanna Ledford Advisor. ■ Greg Lisby Staff Kristina Ansley, Kristina Beddingheld, Dana Collins, Kassi Day, Joy Flatly, Sarah Gottfried, Jerri Henderson, Stacey Higdon, (^eryl Prause, Andy Rhinehart, Sandra Sigmon, Susan Sigmon, Crystal Smith, Benny Smith, Jackie Young. The BANNER is the University of North Carolina at Asheville student new^per. We publish each Thurs day except during summer sessions, finals week and holiday breaks. Our office is located in Carmichael Hall. 208-A. Phone (704)251-6586 or 251-6591. Nothing in the editorial or opinion sections neces sarily represents the position of the entire BANNER staff, the staff advisor. UNCA’s Student Government Association, administration or faculty. Editorials rep resent the opinion of the majority of the editorial board. Letters, columns, cartoons and reviews represent only the views of their authors. The editorial board makes the final decision about what the BANNER prints. This newspaper represents a public forum for debate at UNCA. The BANNER welcomes letters to the editor and articles, and considers them on the basis of interest, space, tastefulness and timeliness. Letters and articles should be typed double-spaced, or printed le^bly, and Umited to 300 words. They should be signed with the writer's name, followed by year in school, major, or other relationship to UNCA. Please include a telephone number to aid in verification. UNSIGNED LETTERS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED FOR PUBLICATION. All submitted articles are subject to editing. The BANNER regrets it cannot guarantee the return of any article submitted. Deadline for submission is Monday, 6 p.m. SUBSOUPnONS: The BANNER'S subscription rate is $6 per semester or $12 per year. Send Subscriptions to Circulation Manager, Carmichael Hall. One University Heights. UNC-A, Asheville. NC, 28804-3299. mm. NOW (Mp s?m m wsf msmi di mmr , coNsipERfp mmi letters Student defends CIA recruiting Editor, the Banner I was appalled when I read last week’s editorial concerning the Central Intelligence Agency. I recollected myself after realizing that this kind of nonsense was normal for the Banner. What is the big deal with the CIA coming on campus to recruit students? If your personal values do not let you accept the CIA recruiting on campus, you shouldn’t put down possible career opportunities for students. I’m thankful for the opportunity to have an interview with the Central Intelligence Agency. And I’m not going to let someone’s highly biased opinion get in my way. You claimed that the job description "international affairs/information collection" was misleading. You are the one who misled the readers by not listing the many other job opportunities in the CIA other the Career Center for providing than "spying.” By the way, one would only be considered a spy if he or she was giving classified information of the United States to another country or organization. Have you ever been overseas? If you have, the reason you’re still alive might be from the CIA gathering enough information on a possible terrorist attack and stopping it before it amounted to anything. This happens all the time. How could you say today’s government in Nicaragua was freely elected by the people? Before there were contra guerrillas, there were Sandanista guerrillas. And they’ve toppled the government with the wef^Ktns from the Soviet Uiuon via Cuba. And this very day Nicaragoa is economically unstable antf the people want change. Anything less than an apology to the Career Center and the students that benefit from it would be imacceptabte. Tom Nye Sociolt^ Argument offered for remedial math Editor, (he Banner I would like to respond to the article in the Feb. 11 issue written by Professor Jack Wilson. In this article, he encouraged the removal of remedial mathematics from the UNCA ciuriculum. He indicated that if instructors expected immediate high level mathematical performance when the students entered college, the students would most likely perform at the expected level rather than having to use the remedial mathematical class to boost their skills. While I agree that in some instances expectations do play a part in a person’s performance, I must argue that this is not a valid reason for abolishing the basic math courses. I would like to present some reasons why I think these basic math courses have a definite importance to a significant number of present and future UNCA students. First of all, UNCA has a lot of returning older students who have in many cases been away from math and math classes for years. How can you possibly expect such a student to perform at the same mathematical level as a younger student who has just completed math courses? However, many of these students do quite well after having taken these refresher courses. Additionally, some students may not have had the some advantages in their math training. An inferior algebra teacher, for instance, in high school is less likely to produce superior edgebra students than a more positive, effective teacher might. Another important consideration is that some, people do not learn mathematics as easily as others do. This doesn’t mean that they are or will be unsuccessful students in their field of study. They may possess many outstanding abilities in areas other than mathematics. Many times the basic mathematics courses enable these types of persons to take the required math (courses) vrith more confidence and ability. JoyceAim Jones Psychology Champion should clean up river Editor, the Banner I am truly weary of the propaganda being disseminated by Champion supporters. Champion paper has been fouling the air and water of Western North Carolina for eighty years, and it’s time they ceased. Even environmentalists are showing ii lack of conviction by agreeing to compromise with this greedy multinational in order to protect the livelihood of a small group of single interest folks in Haywood County. I say the hell with that! By what right does Champion and its employees lay claim to a river and a region, exploiting the bounty of God’s resources, reaping tremendous private profits and pumping the waste into the pigeon river, as if it were a personal sewer. I firmly believe in a move toward a nature-centered paradigm for this planet. The techno-scientific death machine the Western World is perpetuating is leading us all into oblivion. Man is a small. insignificant iota from a cosmic point of view but a tremendously voracious and destructive one. If we are to stop turning this beautiful sphere into a vast desolation, we must begin making decisions from the standpoint of Mother Earth. Humanity is a teeming parasitic mass on a once totally self-sustaining planet. If in our self-centered greed, with our wanton plundering of God’s treasures, acts of ecological desecration and pollution on a global scale, we have not already set in motion forces that wdll bring all life to a close, then we soon •will. How small and pathetic we ate with our talk of regional economics and employment statistics, in the shadow of mountains that have stood for billions of years. Who does Champion Internationa] think they are? Qean up the river or close the hell down! Jay S. Gertz Library Staff Politics determined General Ed requirements Editor, the Banner Dr. Dorr’s written criticism of my General Education proposal is welcome change. When he was vice chancellor, he tried to fire me as director of the atmospheric sciences program for voicing my opinions. Dr. Dorr referred to the open hearings we had on General Education three years ago including those held in the Rhoades Science Building. In fact, we had several meetings on General Education culminating in a vote by the entire natural science faculty. We voted a clear two-thirds majority for a proposal for the natural science requirement which we science teachers felt was best for students here. Then the Faculty Senate completely ignored what we' recommended and put in their own proposal. This was typical of how the current Generd Education requirements were set. Campus politics were the only deciding' factor. Never were the best interests of the students considered. Unfortunately, this has become a tradition at UNCA. Edward Brotak Associate Professor of Atmospheric Sciences
University of North Carolina at Asheville Student Newspaper
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Feb. 18, 1988, edition 1
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