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(Eljp Daily SJar Hppl Shuttles Must Stay In Flight Shortly after noon, the last group of schoolkids was getting ready to leave Morehead Planetarium. They were loud, and they were run ning around the gift shop playing with the toy shuttles and foam moon rocks. While scores of people nation wide still are grieving the loss of the seven astronauts aboard NASA’s Columbia space shuttle Saturday, these kids don’t seem to have a clue - the gravi ty of the event hasn’t sunk in. For them, a I , MIKE GORMAN STATE & NATIONAL COLUMNIST trip to the planetarium is still a fun day away from class, and the framed, faded flag and Columbia patch hanging on the wall aren’t signs of mourning. But the rest of us aren’t so lucky. NASA officials have their work cut out for them trying to figure out just what went wrong, and people the world over are asking where the space pro gram should go from here. A few critics are calling for the end of manned space expeditions altogeth er. Theodore Postol, professor of sci ence, technology and national security police at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said using robots on unmanned flights “is much safer and doesn’t risk lives.” But while unmanned robotic flights might work for scientific experimenta tion, maintenance and upkeep require a human touch. UNC astronomy Professor Wayne Christiansen recounted the 1993 mis sion to repair the faulty Hubble Space Telescope, which had been placed into low orbit around Earth in 1990. “It was incredibly risky, incredibly sensitive,” he said. “If there were any problems, any glitches at all, the mis sion would have failed and the Hubble would have been useless.” The astronauts trained for a year and a half for that mission. They were able to come up with solutions to problems a machine wouldn’t have been able to deal with. Other critics have attacked the design of the NASA space shuttle itself - they claim that it’s cost-ineffective, that it uses outdated, unsafe technolo gy and that disposable launch cap sules, similar to what Russia uses, would be safer and more efficient. But capsules simply cannot carry effectively the bulky materials required for repair missions or construction on the International Space Station. Shuttles, with their large equipment bays, are the only vehicles that can get the job done. The shutde might need a redesign, but doing away with it alto gether might cripple satellite and tele scope maintenance efforts. Improperly maintained satellites and telescopes could disrupt every thing from cellular phones to costly scientific research. But the most skeptical group ques tions whether space exploration and experimentation are even necessary at all. With so many problems here on Earth, why look to the stars? Thomas Jefferson may have said it best in his endorsement of the 1803 Lewis and Clark expedition, the bicen tennial of which was celebrated Jan. 18. “We want to know our fellow humans and expand the frontier of the human experience,” he said. The Space Age was bom from a dynamic race between the United States and the Soviet Union to land on the moon. But the space program goes beyond a memory of Cold War politics. Many feel an emotional attachment to NASA that stems from the curiosity inherent in human nature. In many ways, look ing outward lets us know more about our own world, both through scientific research and international cooperation. And it’s not out of place to say that the astronauts, who risk death with every mission, are the embodiment of the traditional hero - they’re smart, skilled and daring. And with daring comes danger. “The exploration of space, like the exploration of life, is a risk,” said Gene Ceman, the Apollo 17 astronaut who was the last man to walk on the moon. Many of us wanted to be astronauts when we were young, and in some way, we always live just a bit vicarious ly through them. When they’re taken away from us dramatically and painfully, it hurts. But the pain will fade, and some of those kids in the planetarium very well could grow up to be astronauts. They will live and die by their need to explore, and they’re the reason the space program must go on. Mike Gorman can be reached at jhgorman@email.unc.edu. Role of SBP Blends Responsibility, Possibility By Arman Tolentino Staff Writer No matter the outcome of the Feb. 11 general elections, there are many duties and responsibili ties that lie ahead for the next stu dent body presi dent. Whether in Raleigh lobbying to the state legislature, discussing tuition increases with the UNC Board of f -3S' ■•**?*' v 4 * , m DTOKATE BLACKMAN Freshman Chris Beck (left) and sophomore Carlin Power play soccer on a snow-covered Hooker Field on Thursday evening. The group played an informal match in the cold weather when it did not have enough players for its scheduled intramural game. Panel to Investigate Orr, McCullen By Shelley Walden Staff Writer The Ethics Committee of Student Congress unanimously voted Thursday to investigate allegations that Student Affairs Committee Chairwoman Jennifer Orr and Rep. Chad McCullen violated the Student Code by living outside the districts they were elected to represent. Margaret Thomas, chairwoman of the Ethics Committee, and Reps. William Teeter and Matt Carter approved two separate motions to con tinue to investigate charges against McCullen and Orr. Last week, the committee voted to censure Finance Committee Chairwoman Natalie Russell for living Advertising Student's Gifts Are on the Money By Kelly Ochs Staff Writer Al-Sharik Barksdale didn’t miss the Super Bowl - especially the commer cials. Asa senior advertising and psycholo gy major from Fayetteville, Barksdale said he appreciates the humor and espe- cially the creativity in commer cials. He said the Super Bowl commercials provide an exam ple of creative marketing. Barksdale recently was named one of the top 25 minority advertising students in the nation. Every year, the American Advertising Federation chooses 25 stu dents for the award out of hundreds of nominees interested in careers in mar keting. Students must be nominated, and then they must submit essays for consideration by a panel of judges. “It is a terrific honor,” said journal ism Professor Robert Lauterbom. “The competition is enormous.” Barksdale said the award is a land mark achievement for him. “To me, it’s reflective of my hard Trustees or going around campus talking to students and administrators, the stu dent body president’s job never ends. Reyna Walters, who served during the 1998-99 school year, said the job of student body president is a demanding one. “When you become student body president, the life you once knew is no more,” she said. “That’s a sacrifice that every student body president knowing ly and willingly makes.” Chancellor James Moeser described several roles the student body president WINTER GAMES in Hinton James North Residence Hall, which is outside the district she was elected to represent. But on Tuesday, the full Congress overturned this motion by an overwhelming majority. McCullen, a member of the Ethics Committee, abstained from voting. Rep. Alak Shah resigned from the committee Tuesday night after Congress over turned a recommendation to censure Russell, leaving only three voting mem bers at Thursday’s meeting. McCullen and Orr also live in Hinton James North Residence Hall, which is outside the Hinton James and Morrison district they were elected to represent. Both representatives said they inquired whether living outside their districts would be a problem before they moved and work I’ve put into the school’s advertis ing program,” he said. “I think it shows my passion for what I want to do.” Greg Freeman, a senior business and psychology major who has known Barksdale since the two were freshmen, said Barksdale knows what he wants and knows what he needs to do to get it. “It isn’t surprising to me he got this award,” Freeman said. Only one other student from UNC has recieved this award. Quynh Tran was given the 1 honor several years ago. Tran said the award is sig nificant because advertising plays such a huge role in business [m) that it is important for advertisers to be drawn from all groups in society. “A typical family isn’t one with a mom, a dad, two kids and a dog,” she said, emphasizing the importance of reaching all people through advertising rather than one group. Tran said that a lot of times when people hear about minorities, they think of affirmative action, but she saw that the recipients of this award are very determined, without any addition- News potentially can take. “They are the spokesperson for stu dent interests as well as the leader of stu dent government,” he said. But Moeser warned students not to think of the position of student body president as one with power and author ity. “There’s less power than people imagine,” Moeser said. “The real power comes from moral leadership and the ability to persuade and build a consen sus.” More importandy, Moeser added, the were reassured it would not be an issue. “I think we should stay on equal foot ing for everyone,” Teeter said before suggesting that the committee continue investigating the claims against McCullen and Orr. “I’m not going to speculate what will happen,” McCullen said. “But I feel like they should investigate it. They investi gated the allegations against Natalie, so they should investigate this.” Orr echoed McCullen’s response. “I didn’t expect a different decision,” she said. “It wouldn’t be fair or ethical for them to do something different for us than they did for Natalie.” The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu. al motivations. Next weekend, Barksdale and the other honorees will stay at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York for formal and informal interviews with advertising corporations. The minority population in advertis ing is not that large, said Bryce Townsend, who oversaw Barksdale’s internship at Momentum last summer. “You’re kind of symbolizing a lot more people (as a minority in advertis ing),” Townsend said. Tran said awards like this remind advertisers that there is a need to have minorities represented in marketing. Barksdale already has a job lined up after graduation working on marketing events and promotions for the NBA in New York. “I know this is what he wants to do,” Freeman said. “He watches TV to look at the com mercials.” Barksdale said the advertising indus try is a tough one to break into because advertising is the first thing that gets cut out of budgets. See BARKSDALE, Page 5 student body president serves as an ex officio member of the BOT, represent ing student concerns on the University’s governing body. “One of the complexities of being a member of the BOT is that they have to take off their student body president hat and put on their trustee hat,” he said. “The board emphasizes the separation between the two positions.” BOT Chairman Tim Burnett said the student body president serves on the board to bring forth the issues and con cerns of the entire University, not a per Committee Hears Impeachment Case By Jenny Immel Assistant University Editor The Rules and Judiciary Committee of Student Congress voted 3-1 Thursday that charges brought forth against Representative Alak Shah might be proven by evidence but might not warrant impeachment. Evidence will be investigated further Monday in a congressional hearing. Shah is being charged with not com municating well with his constituents, violating elections policies, abusing authority as a member of the Finance Committee and attacking the character of other campus representatives, Student Body Presidentjen Daum and Chancellorjames Moeser. Blair Sweeney, chairman of the Rules and Judiciary Committee, said the com mittee needs more clarification of the Student Code regarding what the group’s exact purpose is at this point in the impeachment process. The code requires that the committee vote on the charges but does not give it the option to stop the bill from further investigation, nor does it say complete evidence must be presented by the prosecution. “Unfortunately, that was the hand we were dealt,” Sweeney said. Both the prosecution - Finance Committee Chairwoman Natalie Russell; Jennifer Orr, Student Affairs Committee chairwoman; Charlie Anderson, Finance Committee vice chairman; Speaker Pro Tem Matt Liles; School Board Adopts Redistricting Plan By Michi Nair Staff Writer Sixteen months and 15 plans later, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education voted 6-1 on Thursday to enact the 3v3L elementary school redis tricting plan, anew addition to recent revisions of the original 3v3 plan. One thousand fifteen students will be redistricted according to the new plan. The original 3v3 plan was revised by board member lisa Stuckey. “Every time you move someone, something else shifts,” said Stuckey. Superintendent Neil Pedersen also supported the plan, although he expressed concern about neighborhoods in downtown Chapel Hill being divided after the elementary school transition. The redistricting process began in September, when the board formed a redistricting committee headed by Stuckey. The school board created the 3v3 relocation plan to accommodate the construction of anew elementary DTH GARRETT HALL Al-Sharik Barksdale was named one of the top 25 minority advertising students nationwide by the American Advertising Federation. Friday, February 7, 2003 sonal agenda. “They are a trustee who has the stu dent perspective,” he said. “They are not there to be a messenger for student gov ernment. We want them to be thinking of the University and what needs to be done." Nic Heinke, who served as student body president during the 1999-2000 school year, said preparation and research are the keys to working with the BOT, the N.C. General Assembly See SBP ROLE, Page 5 r DTH/JOANIE TOBIN Congress member Alak Shah confers with William Teeter, his defense manager. and Representative Matt Conley -and the defense - Shah were given five minutes to present their cases. Aaron Hiller, student body vice pres ident and manager for the prosecution, presented two pieces of evidence against Shah and accused him of bringing pre vious ethics charges against Russell to promote publicity. “This is an individual who has placed his personal political See R&J, Page 5 school, Rashkis Elementary, in the Meadowmont community while easing overcrowding at other area schools. Meadowmont has not generated the expected student enrollment, however. The 3v3 plan received the most sup port from parents and board members. Revisions of the plan reduced the total number of relocated students but induced overcrowding at Estes Hills Elementary and possibly at McDougle Elementary School. After presenting six revisions, Steve Scroggs, assistant superintendent for sup port services, said each of the revisions was more improved than the original. The 3v3L plan achieves the greatest balance of socio-economic status and racial diversity across districts while bal ancing enrollment numbers in eastern and western sides of the school district, he said. The plan leaves Glenwood Elementary School about 100 students fewer than capacity to allow room for students across the district to enroll in bilingual Chinese- See REDISTRICTING, Page 5 3
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