OPINION
The Chronicle
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Ernest H. Pitt Publisher/Co-Founder
Donna Rogers Managing Editor
Elaine Pitt Business Manager
Our Mission
The Chronicle is dedicated to serving the
residents of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County
by giving voice to the voiceless, speaking truth
to power, staruling for integrity and
encouraging open communication and
lively debate throughout the community.
Let us hope
UNC Board
changes tune
The votes are in. The results are out. The General
Assembly has named the 16 members of the
University of North Carolina Board of Governors
who will replace the 16 whose terms are expiring.
Eight were chosen by the Senate and eight by the
House. They start their terms on July 1.
Current Chairman John Fennebresque and Vice
Chairman Louis Bissette were chosen by the Senate
to return. Board member Harry Smith Jr.'s term
won't be up until 2017.
Smith will have Fennebresque to help lead the
charge to "right-size" the 17-campus UNC system.
Will any of the new members have the courage to
vote against such a move?
The Senate chose four incumbents and four new
comers. The House chose three incumbents and five
newcomers. Among the 16 people are a few former
law enforcement officers, some present and former
lawmakers, attorneys, an accountant and a former
business executive.
The current Board is top-heavy with people in
occupations related to business as an owner, a retired
owner or top official of a business.
The next occupations that people on the Board
have are attorneys and people in the financial arena.
There are only two people connected to government
and two connected to community volunteer work.
There is one doctor. There are no educators or former
educators. ,
Fennebresque and Bissettfe are attorneys. Smith is
a businessman.
These are the people who govern the 17-campus
UNC system, an education system. How can a poli
cy-making body make decisions about education
when there are no educators or former educators on
the Board?
While the Board of Governors entertains talk of
closing schools, maybe they should get educated in
finance.
According to a February report on the collective
economic value of the UNC System, during the fis
cal year 2012-13 analysis year, shows that payroll
and operations spending of UNC universities and the
UNC Medical Center, together with the spending of
their students, visitors, alumni and start-up compa
nies, created $27.9 billion in added state income to
the North Carolina economy.
So, who wants to cut any of that money out of the
state economy? And who wants to close schools that
are educating students and giving them education
that helps them find jobs and make good money?
That's what Winston-Salem State University
Chancellor Elwood Robinson calls "nonsense."
WSSU has statistics to show that officials, faculty
and staff are doing what colleges and universities are
supposed to do: educate students to achieve success.
Let's hope the new members on the UNC Board
of Governors will bring common sense to the board
and no more "nonsense."
New UNC Board members
" Chosen by the Senate
?Sen. Thom Goolsby of Wilmington
?O. Temple Sloan III. the previous chief executive of
the Raleigh-based Carquest auto parts chain now
owned by Advance Auto Parts
?Former U.S. Magistrate Judge William Webb
?Fayetteville lawyer Michael Williford
?Current Chairman John Fennebresque
?CurrentVice Chairman Louis Bissette
?Incumbent Frank Grainger
?Incumbent Anna Spangler Nelson
Chosen by the House
Rep. Pearl Burris-Floyd
Former Rutherford County Sheriff Philip Byers
Accountant Walter Davenport
Attorney Joe Knott III
Land developer Alex Mitchell
Incumbent James Holmes Jr.
Incumbent Mary Ann Maxwell
Incumbent David Powers
Go to http://www.northcarolina.edu/apps/bog/mem
bers.htm for the list of current UNC Board
of Governors.
Go to http://www.northcarolina.edu/7qscontent/unc
onomic-value-full-report to see the economic report.
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
We need disclosure
from Roy Cooper
To the Editor:
Attorney General Roy Cooper is
again not fully disclosing to the North
Carolina public his role in supporting
and defending what many have
termed as one of the most restrictive
voter suppression laws in America.
On this important issue, it is
extremely
unfortunate
that Attorney
General Roy
Cooper
would mis
lead the recip
ients of his
most recent
email and
video regard
ing his own
actions as
Attorney
General and
the voter sup
Spalding
picNMUii laws
in North
Carolina. Roy
Cooper's
video criti
cizes the
Republican
governor and
legislature
about their
recently
enacted voter
suppression
laws, while at
the same time
leaving out
the fact that
Cooper
he and his Office are defending and
supporting these same voter suppres
sion laws in court.
What is even more insulting to
minorities, non-minorities, independ
ents, unaffiliated voters, Democrats
and others in this state is that Roy
Cooper is seeking to raise campaign
contributions from the very people
who are being misled and not told the
full story about his role in defending
these voter suppression laws in court.
This is wrong and these are the types
of actions that have soured so many
people against politics and politi
cians. In North Carolina, we can do
better.
As governor, I would encourage
our citizens to vote and be a construc
tive part of electing our public offi
cials into office. Restricting the pool
of voters for political gain would not
be a part of our strong and fair North
Carolina democracy. It is unfortunate
that Attorney General Roy Cooper
and his Office have been a part of the
problem and not a part of the solution.
Ken Spaulding,
Democratic candidate for gover
nor of North Carolina
We can stop pollution
by pigs with our meals
To the Editor,
North Carolina's pork industry is
facing a federal lawsuit for mucking
up the state's lakes and rivers and
polluting the air. While pig farmers
should be held accountable for
degrading the environment, we must
all share in the responsibility for
cleaning up our planet. Everyone can
help do this simply by eating more
vegan foods.
News reports indicate that the 10
million hogs in North Carolina pro
duce as much fecal waste in a day as
100 million humans. This manure is
stored in giant lagoons as large as
three football fields.
The treated waste ? which con
tains nitrates, phosphorus, and bacte
ria ? is then sprayed on fields, and
it often seeps into waterways. The
Environmental Protection Agency
has said that factory farms pollute
our waterways more than all other
industrial
sources com
bined.
If this was- I
n't bad enough,!
the meat indus-1
try also con:
tributes to cli- I
mate change,
deforestation, and other serious prob
lems. If you like the taste of pork,
but don't want to contribute to envi
ronmental degradation or animal suf
fering, choose great-tasting vegan
meats, including soy sausage and
veggie bacon.
See www.PETA.org for more
information and product suggestions.
Heather Moore
The PETA Foundation
Norfolk, VA
Could Winston-Salem
be next victim?
To the Editor,
The Wake County
Commissioners and the Greensboro
City Council are now victims of the
gerrymandering genius of the
Republican controlled N.C. General
Assembly. Presently, both of these
local government bodies have
Democrat majorities, and the
Republicans cannot tolerate such an
anomaly in North Carolina.
The plan is to gerrymander both
Wake County and city of Greensboro
so that Republicans will gain control
in the next election. While this gov
ernment overreach is probably legal
according to the N.C. Constitution,
the hypocrisy and arrogance are
astounding.
These ideologues are always
shouting about "small government,"
states' rights, and more control by
local government. The redistricting
did not originate with the citizens. It
was the brainchild of the Legislature
and perhaps beyond.
The citizens of the respective
entities elected the Wake County
Commissioners and Greensboro City
Council. When the citizens urged
the Legislators to leave the county
and city districts as they are, their
voices fell on deaf ears.
Article I, Section 2 of the N.C.
Constitution reads, "All political
power is vested in and derived from
the people; all government of right
originates from the people, is found
ed upon their will only, and is insti
tuted solely for the good of the
whole." Who are the constituents in
these actions?
Could this happen to Winston
Salem? Why not? Are we prepared
to resist a takeover of our city gov
ernment?
I would hope The Chronicle
would take note and join in any
resistance if our city is potentially to
be one of the next political casual
ties. We must be vigilant!
Anne G. Wilson
Thank you for
Lifetime Achievement
Award
To the Editor:
I would like to thank the
Chronicle for giving me one of its
Lifetime Achievement Awards at its
30th Annual Community Service
Awards. I have received awards and
honors from all over the United
States. This awards means more to
me than any because it was given to
me by my peers, colleagues, commu
nity and hometown.
Last year I received the Carl H.
Russell Sr. Community Center Black
History Role Model Award.
Benjamin H. Piggott is the center
director. ^
The Modicum within me causes
me to be flattered to receive such an
award because it is a symbol of The
Chronicle's acknowledgement of my
contributions to the community.
Conversely, sometimes people
are honored after they are dead. I
am glad to be honored while 1 am
still alive.
Lenwood G. Davis
Retired WSSU professor
and author