8The Daily Tar HeelWednesday, Februa; 3. tp
-'DTH' EDITOR RACE-
Candidates discuss their views
lailg ar 1
mi
91st year of editorial freedom
Kerry DeRochi, EJiwr
EDDIE WOOTEN, Managing Editor
CHARLES ElLMAKFR, Associate Editor FRANK BrUNI, Associate Editor
Kelly Simmons, University Editor
KYLE MARSHALL, State and National Editor
MICHAEL DESlSTI, Sports Editor
Melissa Moore, News Editor
Michael Toole, City Editor
Karen Fisher, Features Editor
Jeff Grove, Arts Editor
CHARLES W. LEDFORD, Photography Editor
For CAA, Edmundson
With this year's number of candidates running for president of the
Carolina Athletic Association, students have been bombarded with pro
mises of a better homecoming, better ticket distribution and better seats
in the Student Activities Center. However, one candidate, Jennie Ed
mundson, stands apart from the others, and deserves the Feb. 14 vote.
Instead of proposing what amounts to limp attempts of raising the
"awareness" of the CAA and homecoming, she's decided to tell students
about the organization in her own publication.
If there were a theme for this year's CAA election, it would have to be
bewilderment. Why did UNC students allow a male homecoming queen
to be elected? Why do they not seem to care? To answer these questions,
the five candidates have devised their own new versions of homecoming.
Will Conner, for instance, has advocated including the town's residents .
in homecoming; Mike Barnhill has called for a return to the traditional,
perhaps a picnic or a free band to spark student enthusiasm. Edmundson
has called for increased participation from the Carolina Union; Jeff Byrd
has demanded it. Even the ubiquitous Frank Winstead has called for a
"fun" homecoming.
The candidates do not stop there in echoing each other. Each likes the
current football ticket distribution. Each favors some type of a return to
the select randomness of basketball ticket distribution. Each has called
for greater student involvement in the organization, to make it more ef
fective in dealing with the administration. For these reasons, either of the
candidates, if elected, would probably do an adequate job in continuing
the present policies and goals of the CAA.
However, this year students do have a chance to choose something
tangibly different in the CAA race, a candidate that seems willing to
make the organization stronger instead of waiting for that future day
when students become involved. By advocating the publication of an an
nual newspaper to cover all facts concerning athletics of UNC, Edmund
son has stood out as someone who is geared to face challenges. Pub
lishing a paper even on an annual basis is difficult and costly.
Isn't it nice to have a candidate that is willing to try?
For RHA, Stafford
As it turns out, this year's race for Residence Hall Association presi
dent is one of the least hotly contested, with Mark Stafford squaring off
against the ubiquitous Frank Winstead. That, however, is no reason to
either avoid voting in this race or foresee a weak year of residence hall
leadership. Although Winstead's candidacy must be taken with more
than a grain perhaps a shaker or vat of salt, Stafford emerges as a
candidate both worthy of the position and dedicated to the improvement
of campus living conditions.
Stafford, a junior economics major from Kernersville, has high goals
for his term as RHA president. Foremost, he recognizes one of the largest
obstacles confronting UNC students namely, the lack of living space
on campus. Understanding that RHA by itself can do virtually nothing
about this problem, Stafford promotes a spirit of cooperation between
RHA, the Department of Undergraduate Housing and the admissions
department. Although not willing to take the hard line on housing in
tegration, his proposal for preliminary lotteries allowing minority
students to move in groups of 4 or 6 respects both the freedom of
students and the need for some kind of improvement upon the current
situation.
Stafford's opponent, Winstead, a junior political science major from
Rocky Mount, is also a candidate for Daily Tar Heel editor, student body
president and Carolina Athletic Association president. There is certainly
something to be said for Winstead's energy, his ambition, and the diversi
ty of his interests. There is, however, little that needs to be said about his
candidacy for RHA president. After all, he is the same candidate who, in
his bid for this post last year, advocated doing away with Resident
Assistants. Besides, should Winstead win his race for either student body
president, DTH editor or CAA president, he'd hardly have the time for
this job.
More for his own virtues than for his opponent's vices, Stafford
. deserves to win the election. His experience as academiccultural lieu
tenant governor of Henderson Residence College his freshman year and
governor of HRC this year have prepared him for the job. His emphasis
upon cooperation between RHA and other campus groups and his will
ingness to assist other organizations in tackling such pressing issues as
telephone and cable television contracts in the dormitories seem to pro
mise a year of effective and efficient leadership.
For STV fee
On Tuesday, UNC students can make an investment in their future ,
for the price of a can of soda. They'll be voting on a referendum calling
for a one-year increase of 50 cents per semester in the Student Activities
fee, the money to go to the development of a Student Television Sta
tion. The referendum should be approved, not just for its low cost, but
also for the opportunities a student-run television station would bring to
UNC.
The notion of student run-television is a bit hard to conceive here, on
a campus where the majority of students probably could not recite the
call letters of the student radio station. UNC's neighbors in Durham,
however, have operated such a TV station for eight years and have built
a staff of 260. Through their work, other Duke students are able to
watch dorm cooking shows and a version of David Letterman, called
"Late Nite." In addition, they are able to televise Duke athletic events
that otherwise would not be broadcast. .
If UNC approves the 50 cents on Tuesday, it would give STV $20,000
of the $35,000 it needs to get such programming. Organizers hope the
rest of the money will come in the form of donations from the founda
tions and corporations. The group is even ready to show its ability
sooner, having planned a Friday night taping of the first UNC "Late
Nite" TV show. The program will air over the Village Cable's Channel
1 1 and will feature guests such as fashion designer Bill Blass and UNC
athletes who'may be on the 1984 U.S. Olympic team.
The benefits of the first UNC show, and of the STV concept as a
whole, are.obvious for journalism and RTVMP majors. But it's impor
tant to note that such a station would provide an inducement for
creativity from all students; a chance for anyone to help produce profes
sional, yet student-oriented television shows. And, at the cost of half a
pack of cigarei"s, it's a chance students cannot miss. .
Editor's note: The Daily Tar Heel asked editor
candidates, John Conway, Jeff Hiday, Christine
Manuel and Frank Winstead, to respond to four
questions relevant to their candidacies. The questions
and answers follow.
What is the biggest problem facing the DTH?
Conway: I doffo see any drastic problems with the
DTH. The present structure of the staff and the basic
format of the paper work very well. But this is not to
say that improvements cannot be made. I think the
editor should address those problems which he or she
has the best chances of solving. In my opinion, the
main problem with the DTH that I can tackle is the
irresponsibility and predictability of the editorial
page.
Hiday: The biggest problem facing the DTH is the
restoration of its special UNC flavor, its character."
Without a strong identity, one peculiar to this cam
pus and its inhabitants, the DTH is but another col
lege newspaper. We deserve better than that the
DTH can and should represent, educate and, most
importantly, arouse its readers.
Manuel: The biggest problem facing the DTH is its
lack of responsiveness to student needs. Students
need an alternative to "Letters to the editor" for ex
pressing their opinions about the DTH. The people
who put out the DTH need to become more accessi
ble to students at UNC. The DTH also needs to ad
dress campus issues more. than it does now, with
more University stories and University issues on the
back page.
Winstead: The lack of input from the student body
as a whole. A small group of students with a very
large percentage of student fees have complete con
trol over what goes into our student newspaper. They
possess not only the ability to present the news but to
also select what is news. A fine example of this selec
tive reporting occurred on Feb. 2, 1984. The DTH
did not send a reporter to the Women in Law candi
dates' forum. They ignored a concerned segment of
this student body.
Jeff Hiday
How do you plan to solve that problem? '
Conway: Many of the DTHs editorials are written
hastily and under deadline pressure. If elected, I
would have editorials written a day in advance of
their publication. This will give the editorial desk am
ple time to research the issues and write "well
informed and well-researched opinions.
My editorial policy will be moderate. We should
look beyond personalities and concentrate on the
issues that are important to the University com
munity. It's the paper's responsibility to provide you
with the arguments on all sides of the issues and to
reach logical conclusions. It's not the paper's duty to
make personal attacks or create news.
Hiday: The first step is to tap into the .University's
creative jukes. The School of Journalism is an enor
mous asset to the DTH, but it should not be relied
upon for producing all the paper's best writers. By
modifying the "DTH Writing Test," I hope to bring
more diverse talent to the paper.
Another way to improve the DTH is to make bet
ter use of "explanatory journalism," something I
will stress. The DTH can provide that by doing more
than just "laying out the facts" it should help in
terpret them. In addition to such writing in the
DTH's objective news coverage, I will ensure the
regular appearance of staff-written personal and opi
nionated articles.
Manuel: To change the inaccessibility of the DTH,
I would appoint an ombudsman who would be out
side the DTH office talking to students about the
paper. Students could tell the ombudsman the type
of stories they want to read, the type they don't want
to read, and any complaints they have. The ombuds
man would report to the DTH Board of Directors,
not just to the editor, to ensure action on student
suggestions.
(
John Conway
I would also hold open meetings in dorms and in
the Union where students could come and talk to the
editor about the DTH. The editor and the ombuds
man would be more visible, more accessible to the
students they serve.
As editor, I would increase University news and
comment in the paper. The DTH needs to address
University issues on its editorial page and have a
strong impact on campus.
Winstead: Through greater involvement of the stu
dent body. I would like to see more segments of the
student body working for the DTH, especially those
who make up sizable minorities within the student
population. I am specifically referring to blacks and
graduate students.
What specific changes do you plan for the DTH?
Conway: First, I would expand sports coverage by
devoting a full page to sports on Mondays. This will
allow us to more adequately cover non-revenue
sports, intramurals and club sports, as well as pro
viding more action photos, statistics and team stand
ings. I would have a section called "Headline News,"
which would appear either on the front page "or on
page two, designed to summarize the major interna
tional, national, state and University community
events.
In addition, I would appoint a contributions editor
who would recruit more humor and creative writing
for the editorial page. I also plan to redesign the
DTH writing test, in cooperation with the School of
Journalism, to ensure that the paper recruits and
selects the best writers and reporters.
Frank Winstead
Hiday: Specifically, I have in mind the return of
DTH columnists. For the back page, I would like to
see the return of a personal-expression type column
not unlike David Poole's "Life In The Turnlane," a
weekly feature than ran in 1980-81 and enjoyed a
large, dedicated readership. I'd like to see a similar
column run once or twice weekly on the sports pages;
there's a real need to provide space in the DTH for
commentary on athletics both inside and outside of
UNC.
In addition, I will create an elections desk to
cover 1984 politics from an informed, student
perspective and a business desk, to bring UNC
students the best possible information about making
the transition from university to graduate school or
career.
Besides adding a sports columnist, I will make sure
the DTH covers UNC women's and non-revenue
teams adequately, as well as UNC intramurals, main
ly by increasing sports coverage on Mondays. These
are all activities that if you don't read about them
in the DTH you can't read about them elsewhere.
Finally, to address the interests of a majority of
this campus, I will print an "Around the State"
weekly column to highlight the goings-on in various
N.C. cities, towns and regions.
Manuel: To cover the 1984 elections, I would have
a column called "Selection '84" that would have
news briefs about the campaigns for president,
governor, senator and other state elections.
I would also like a column on the back page called
"Overheard" that would be a collection of quota
tions from the week. This column would summarize
the week's events in a creative, entertaining way
without just rewriting the week's news.
As editor, I would write a weekly column on
various topics to give the paper a sense of direction
and unity. It would let students see a consistency in
the paper without the formality of an editorial.
Winstead: The elimination of the DTH writing
test. It only serves the purpose of allowing the DTH
aristocracy to have an excuse to keep people off the
paper who might differ from the image the DTH tries
to uphold. Any student at this University should be
capable of literately presenting facts in a manner
suitable or a campus publication.
Christine Manuel
What is your biggest weakness?
Conway: This is a good question for all the can
didates because an effective leader needs to know his
strengths as well as his weaknesses. I think my major
weakness can easily become one of my strengths.
I really like the people I work with, and sometimes
it is difficult to make the clear distinction between be
ing an editor and being a friend. A good editor needs
to exercise authority and sometimes make unpopular
decisions. But a good editor needs to be under
standing and realize that the people he is working
with are his peers. The best editor must balance these
two qualities.
Hiday: My biggest weakness is a desire to achieve
perfection in The Daily Tar Heel. The pitfalls of such
a goal are that perfection is very difficult to attain
and that it puts a lot of pressure on those who work
at the paper. Hopefully, though, the benefits
outweigh the losses. Next year's staff will be a very
experienced one, a staff as capable of reaching per
fection as any. I'm capable of sacrificing perfection
to lead and work with the staff to put out the best
paper possible.
Manuel: I am probably too idealistic at times.
Sometimes I tend to overlook subtle nuances in many
situations. But my idealism also breeds creativity and
imagination, things I'd like to bring to the DTH. I
also have made a special effort to make concrete,
specific changes for the DTH that I feel will make it
an informative and entertaining newspaper.
Winstead: My weakness would be my inability to
tell people no. If I felt someone working for me was
seeking an unattainable goal, I would not try to dis
courage them. I do not feel that I know everything.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Sentimental for the loss of Wilson
To the editor:
Perhaps Kate Elliot was correct in her
letter referring to last Friday's editorial
on the Wilson as "melodramatic,"
(" 'DTH': Stupid and confused," DTH,
Feb. 6) but she missed the point by con
demning it as "sentimental tripe."
Whether or not it was tripe is a decision
best left to the individual reader, but in
calling it sentimental, she was entirely
correct. Why shouldn't the editorial have
been sentimental? She ridicules the
thought of going into Wilson "clutching
(her) roommate for support," but for
those of us who arrived here as freshman
from areas not served by large libraries,
Wilson was a huge wonder to be ap
proached with an element of caution and
to be carefully explored. It confirmed
that we were no longer in high school, but
at a university a place for us to take
our education into our own hands and be
responsible for putting into our minds the
knowledge and ideas that would hopeful
ly result in maturity. Wilson was an
elegant reminder of this ideal. Certainly it
is not "scheduled for demolition within
the week," but no longer will those who
used it regularly be able to rely on its
familiar surroundings for most of their
materials.
The opening of a larger library reminds
me of the constant growth of the Univer
sity and of the need to adapt; but I am
also reminded of the beauty and tradition
of this campus, and the need to incor
porate this into our education. Even with
something as mundane as moving a col
lection of materials into a larger facility,
there is nothing self-indulgent or
ridiculous in recognizing that our ex
perience here is more than merely func
tional. Anyone who walked through the
snow on campus Monday morning and
was disappointed by not seeing the
chandeliers shining through the windows
oi Wilson will understand. Certainly
Davis will have much to offer and will
eventually develop a personality of its
own, but I hope that not everyone on this
campus is so worldly and jaded as to ig
nore a simple loss such as this. .
Maggie Bryan
Morrison
Letters?
The Daily Tar Heel welcomes letters
to the editor and contributions to col
umns for the editorial page.
Such contributions should be typed,
triple spaced, on a G0-space line, and
are subject to editing. Contributions
must be" submitted by noon the day
before publication.
Column writers should include their
majors and hometown; each letter
should include the writer's name, ad
dress and telephone number.