Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / April 8, 1980, edition 1 / Page 6
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6 The Daily Tar Heel Tuesday. April 8. 1880 George Shadroui, Editor O Dinita James, Managing Editor Brad Kutrow, Associate Editor Thomas Jessiman, Associate Editor O Martha Waggoner, News Editor Pam Kelley, University Editor Anne-Marie Downey, City Editor Jim Hummel, State and National Editor O Bill Fields, Sports Editor Mark Murrell, Features Editor Laura Elliott, Arts Editor Andy James, Photography Editor Melanie Sill, Weekender Editor letters to the editor Star Mnl 88th year of editorial freedom A long wait At first glance, the recent announcement by the University that it would seek the approval of the N.C. General Assembly to build a new apartment complex seems a noble and worthwhile effort. It would appear on the surface that the University, seeing the perpetual housing problem that faces Carolina students, has decided to take matters into its own hands and deliver students from the inconveniences of tripling, unfavorable lotteries and soaring apartment rents. Yet, if one breaks the surface and delves into the matter, there exists a vast amount of mud and an even greater amount of pessimism. The complex, which would be located on the Couch property off East Franklin Street, has been under consideration for more than two years. Initially, a private developer was planning to build the project, but tightened money supplies, high interest rates and a complete lack of optimism in the economy scared our friend the developer off, along with numerous other housing speculators throughout the country. In fact, the housing situation in this country, until the economy takes a turn for the better, will remain a risky and unprofitable investment. The University is capable of building these much needed apartments but at a higher cost and only if it can secure financial backing in the bond market. And, quite frankly, relying on bond investment, particularly in the housing business, promises to be as successful a venture as President Jimmy Carter's attacks on energy problems and inflation. The economic situation aside, the University cannot guarantee competetive prices because the complex must be self sufficient and prices will be set accordingly. Still, the proposed apartments are an innovative and exciting alternative to high rise dorms and overpriced apartments miles off campus. The project, if it is ever built, would house 768 students. Each student would have his own separate bedroom area, with four students sharing a kitchen, bathroom and living room. Furthermore, and more importantly, it would ease an intolerable housing situation that grows worse rather than better as each year passes. Despite the benefits, the University, like our friend the developer, cannot build until it is financially feasible. This is understandable though we question why such a proposal wasn't in the works years ago. Given the ifs and maybes, those students hoping to see the first brick laid or the concrete cast probably will be in for a long wait. Cleaning up The Bottom Line One for the record Whoever said there is no honor in surrender never got his point across to the Southern Vermont baseball team. The Monarchs came to Greenville Saturday to play East Carolina. The Pirates are a good team their record going into the game was 16-3 but nobody could have expected what happened. The Pirates tallied seven runs in the first inning. That was bad enough. Then, in its half of the second, ECU scored 13 count 'cm, 13 runs. That's 20-0 after two innings, sports fans. While the official scorer was going out to get a pocket calculator to figure up the third inning, the Nuclear power is mot necessary To the editor. Atomic power is not essential in the United States "Energy future hinges on nuclear power," (D TH, March 28). Solar power can provide 20 percent of our power needs by the year 2,000, and North Carolina energy planners estimate that there are at least 300 suitable locations for profitable small-scale hydroelectric generation in the state. Fluidized-bed coal plants are being developed which will generate power with much less pollution. Most importantly, energy consumption can be cut in this country by 20 to 40 percent with conscientious use of energy without affecting the style of life. Only concerted action by a determined minority (the power industry has $50 billion invested in nuclear power) can prevent alternative energy from playing a major role in- this country's future. In recent years, North Carolina has attempted to drag itself out of the nation's economic dungeon by aggressively recruiting and developing industry. While the state has been eager to reap the financial benefits of industrialization, it has been reluctant to accept the accompanying environmental responsibilities. Hundreds of North Carolina plants produce hazardous wastes as byproducts of manufacturing processes. These substances, which range from transmission oil to something called 2,4 dinitrophenol (a wood preservative), can generally be classified as flammable, toxic or caustic. As such, they cannot be incinerated or dumped in ordinary landfills. No one, least of all the state administrators responsible for monitoring these wastes, knows quite how they are disposed of. About half of the wastes produced are simply stored on the companies' property in drums or tanks. Some firms ship their wastes to federally approved hazardous material storage facilities in Alabama, South Carolina and Delaware. However, a significant amount of waste is disposed of illegally: dumped surreptitiously in woods, rivers or secluded areas of the plants themselves. A Charlotte firm, Chematron Inc., was fined earlier this year for dumping 1 ,800 gallons of diluted formaldehyde and other chemicals in a pasture owned by a relative of the firm's owner. State officials admit that little of the illegal dumping is detected, or it is detected too late; the PCB spill that occurred in 1978 along rural eastern and central North Carolina roads is an example. The state hopes to regulate hazardous waste disposal more closely when new EPA regulations go into effect later this year, but administrators admit that enforcement of the new law will be made more difficult because their is no waste storage facility in North Carolina. A site in Warren County has been approved for such a facility, but local officials are suing to prevent its construction. Other counties which might provide safe storage have flatly refused to accept any hazardous wastes. North Carolina ought to assume responsibility for disposal of as much of its own wastes as is feasible. This would reduce the hazards involved in transportation and would also encourage proper disposal by making it relatively less expensive. Local selfishness and shortsightedness should not interfere with state policy, and a comprehensive policy must provide for industrial cleanup as well as industrial recruitment. Monarchs got an idea. When the Pirates scored two runs and had two on with no outs in the third, Southern Vermont decided they had had enough. So, with the score 22-0 and the Pirates threatening to add even more. Southern Vermont conceded. Gave up. The game will go into the record books as a 9-0 forfeit win for the Pirates. That might sound like the coward's way out for the Monarchs, but really they might have done ECU a favor. With a game like that on the books, the ECU team might have set school records that could have never been broken. Besides, at the rate the Pirates were scoring, the final would have been 95-0. And that's the bottom line. Three Mile Island, as William Durham correctly pointed out in his column, was caused by human error. Eliminating that factor does not mean atomic power is safe, though. Three Mile Island was known to be not completely ready for operation when Metropolitan Edison, for tax purposes, put the plant on line Dec. 31, 1978. Tanks built at the Savannah River plant to hold toxic waste (which will be toxic for 24,000 years) are leaking already, as are similar plants at Hanford, Washington and West Lake, N.Y. The McGuire station near Statesville can't be opened until Duke Power figures out why the cooling system won't work as it should. A major disaster was narrowly averted at a plant in Washington because of a failure in the only backup pumping system. To insist on construction and operation of nuclear plants before these kinds of problems have been solved is irresponsible and criminal. To state that no deaths from radiation have occurred near Harrisburg overlooks the fact that the gestation period for cancer (the principal disease caused by low-level radiation) is from 10 to 20 years. The first anniversary of Three Mile Island was Friday. It is our responsibility to our descendants not to leave them with vast stockpiles of supertoxic trash? it is our duty to the rest of the world to use and develop energy wisely. Nuclear power is not essential if Americans display a spirit of responsible cooperation in conserving and developing energy. . Daniel F. Read 100-B Stinson Street right;,, we urr II I m watch I I PiUfe-TfetfeV... IS 0 if Till7 Memorial Service To the editor. Kevin Ihnen died early Friday morning from injuries he received in an accident the day before. He was buried in Raleigh Monday. For those members of the University community Kevin's friends, fraternity brothers, teachers, and classmates who were unable to attend his funeral over the Easter holidays, a special memorial service will be held today at 4 p.m. at The Chapel of the Cross. We also wish to thank the University administration and Father Bob Duncan of The Chapel of the Cross for their help and support duringthe last several days. Less than thirty minutes after the accident. Father Duncan was at Memorial Hospital to meet Kevin's parents as they drove in from Raleigh. Chancellor Christopher Fordham 111 and Vice-Chancellor Donald Boulton and Dean Frederic Schroeder of Student Affairs all met with Kevin's parents less than two hours after the accident to see if they or the University could be of any assistance. On what was a dark day for many, their concern, sensitivity, and offers of help stand out as a shining example of compassion. Their efforts will long be remembered by Kevin's family and friends. Tandy Brown The Brothers of Chi Psi Th ornton report implementation unfeasible By FRANCES SEYMOUR The Thornton report: promise or threat? If is is not implemented properly, this proposal to restructure the undergraduate curriculum is definitely a threat. Its stricter requirements threaten the ability of each student to design the best academic program for his or her needs. These requirements could become a series of obstacles to those students who sincerely want to acquire the best education Carolina has to offer. For this reason. Student Government cannot endorse the Thornton Report. On the other hand, we cannot defend the present system as the ideal curriculum, and so must be open to change. In this way, we can view the Thornton Report as a promise. A requirement structure based on various "perspectives" promises to give students the rationale behind the categories from which they must choose their courses. This stated rationale could be used by students to insist that these courses be quality courses that meet specified objectives. These perspective categories might also lend the much maligned advising system a more sensible framework through which to guide its advisees. Under ideal conditions, successful implementation of the Thornton Report would mean a reorientation to general undergraduate education. This would necessitate better departmental and interdepartmental course offerings for non-majors, as well as a greater emphasis on quality teaching. Ideal conditions, however, are hard to come by. The Daily Tar Heel has advocated optimism in regard to curriculum reform. Student Government offers instead a constructive skepticism. If we voice our doubts and anticipate implementation problems, ... we will, keep faculty and administrators honest in their assurances that any change will be in the best interest of the students and will be accompanied by the moral and financial support necessary to ensure its success. Some of our specific areas of concern are as follows: If the more narrowly defined "perspectives" categories are adopted, there should be no decrease in the number of courses from which students can select to fulfill the various requirements. Adequate provisions should be spelled out for exemption from requirements on the basis of high school record. The extent to which Bachelor of Science and double majors and others in restrictive degree programs will be required to conform to the new curriculum is a question that will have to be addressed. Adding requirements could overburden such programs, but exemption could lock students into those programs and preclude the option of changing over to the general curriculum. It is questionable whether or not the foreign language departments will have the financial resources to accommodate the influx of students that a four semester foreign language requirement would induce. A two semester requirement would not meet the educational objectives outlined in the report, so we may be-left with an all or nothing alternative. Student Government plans to raise these and other concerns at an open hearing on the Thornton Report to be held April 15. After this hearing, a central coordinating committee will write a final draft of the report to be presented to the faculty. We urge all interested students to attend this hearing, and to direct their questions and concerns to Student Government's Education Policy Committee in Suite C, Carolina Union. Frances Seymour, a junior zoology major from Chapel Hill, is Educational Policy Coordinator for Student Government. Golf tournaments not what they used to be By REID TV VIM GREENSBORO It had been almost four years since I had seen a professional golf tournament, that rite of spring and summer when thousands of normally responsible people dress funny and pretend they're bosom buddies with Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino or Gary Player. At stops like the Greater Greensboro Open, which most of the names skip, the fans must be content with Ray Floyds, Dave Stocktons, Al Geibergers goodsolid golfers who have won major TOurnaments and young, aspiring stars and Player, the only really famous golfer to always show up at the GGO and, hence, the top crowd favorite year after year. All the greenjacketed and -skirted Greensboro Jaycees who run the thing never seem to mind the snub each year. They understand that, because the Masters always follows the GGO, many golfers head to Augusta a week early for extra practice. Besides, someday, when one of the no-names who more often than not wins the GGO makes it big, they'll be able to say, "We knew him when." And the people in the crowd don't seem to mind, either; they enjoy saying "Great shot, Ray" or "Way to go, Dave" just as much as if it were Arnie or Jack. None of that's changed since I saw the 1976 U.S. Open. But those spectators who oohed and aahed at booming drives and then watched them fade into the trees are now doing it more often. And cardboard periscopes seem to have grown in popularitybut not in usefulness. These are the people who come out to live their rounds through the guys on the tour. Every swing becomes something special. But these arc also the people who miss half the shots because they're running to the next tee or up to the green to get a good view. ' Now everybody comes dressed in alligator shirts and double-knit slacks, golf shoes and golf caps. Or multi-colored sundresses and get this shoes with five-inch heels. I guess these women heard everyone wore spikes on the course. Now everyone comes dressed in alligator shirts and double-knit slacks, golf shoes and golf caps. Or multi-colored sundresses and get this shoes with five inch heels. I guess these women heard everyone wore spikes on the course. Not many people seemed interested in what I always considered a major part of a golf tournament getting a suntan and not enough women were cooperating with another major purpose girlwatching. The guys, most of whom had made frequent visits to concession stands for not-so-cold beer, found themselves frustrated by the new fashions and the preponderance of high schoolers roaming the course, which winds through a housing subdivision, apparently home to many of the youngsters. Watching golf certainly shouldn't be a main reason for going to a tournament. It's nearly impossible to see what's going on. The people in the bleachers around the 1 8th hole pretended they could see, but the fairway and green were too far away. Actually, the grandstanders all had special buttons on and were more interested in drinking martinis and planning the trip down to Augusta the next weekend so they can go through the whole thing again. I walked around and watched all of this before settling in next to the 18th green to catch a few rays and a few glimpses of women while waiting for group after group to come up the fairway. All of a sudden a short woman picked her way through the crowd. "Excuse me, excuse me. That's my husband coming up now." Mrs. Bill Kratzert couldn't see, so we parted and let her in. "Oh, please, knock it to a foot," she muttered as hubby stood a six iron away. Kratzert was in a four-way tie for second behind eventual winner Craig Stadler and a birdie would make about a $10,000 difference in his payday. "We need the extra money to feed my horses," she said in between bites on her fingernails. But it was not to be. Kratzert put his shot 45 feet away ("Shit!" from the missus), lagged his putt to about two feet ("Son of a biscuit") and holed out to finish in the tie ("Great tourney, Kratz"). By the way, Kratzert picked up $16,500. It was a different story for Bill Calfec, though. He started Sunday in second place and ended up with the worst round of the day. But he finished right ahead of Stadler in the contest for the best headcovers. Stadler, who is a bit chubby, is nicknamed "Walrus" and has some of the furry little things protecting his woods. Judging by how Calfec's headcovers looked, he must have spent some time in the trees. Miss Piggy's hair was just full of briars and needed combing out something terrible. And Kermit's dazed look matched that of Calfec's caddy, who watched a 79 take his golfer out of contention. A lot of sportswritcr in the press room were starting to look glassy eyed, too. Here n as almost 5. U), and Willie, the refreshment attendant for the media, had still not wrved any beer, having been told to hold off tapping the keg until the last golfers had been interviewed. Ever since 1 f - i v i , -'" r " - - - i -- - r ( a a i Muppct headcovers Stadler had opened a six-shot lead early in the afternoon, many of the writers had set their sights on 5 p.m. and a tall cold one, and now wmc of them were getting frantic. "No beer until 6 o'clock. Can you believe that? Hey Skcctcr, can't you do something about that?" one of them yelled to Marvin "Skceter" Francis, who has been posting the score of golfers in the GGO prts room for 20 years. No beer. Golf tournament sure have changed. Hi'id Tuvim, a senior journalism major from Charlotte, is a stajj writer lor The Daily lar Heel.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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April 8, 1980, edition 1
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