12 The Tar Heel Thursday, July 17, 1986
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Maedicapped barriers 'grimTies
To the editors:
Once upon a time, there was a great
university. Housed within its walls
were some of the finest scholars the
world had ever known, a tremendous
library and the most up-to-date
research technologies available. But
there was one small problem with this
magnificent school: all of its build
ings were 25 feet off the ground. And
no matter how hard the students
tried, they simply could not reach
high enough to take advantage of the'
university's abundant offerings.
Frustrated, the students approached
the state legislature and asked them
to fund the constuction of huge
ladders to make the school accessible.
But, alas, the legislators refused,
Freshmen, teamidle energy audi
There is Jio. doubt that freshmen
are filled with new energy. The
freshman's challenge and the factor
that will determine whether the
freshman is successful or not is the
directing of this energy. Properly
directed this energy spells certain
success; unmanaged, it will produce
a burned out, depressed mass of
generally disappointed human. In the
June issue of Readers Digest, I came
across an article called "Secrets of
Super Achievers," which offered a
few simple techniques used by many
of the great individual success stories
of our century. These little things can
help the freshman (or any student for
that matter) be a success at anything
MIk audi
When I thought about writing
another column, one word kept
popping into my mind: WHY? It
became very apparent that the
majority of poli sci grad students at
this university would rather have
their gums scraped or be born
without a face than be subjected to
another of my columns. I have
decided to write this because I can't
think of anything I'd rather see
happen to those malcontents than the
two aforementioned atrocities.
But, in order to save these poli sci
monsters from straining their brains
while trying to come up with nick
names for me and my work like
"drunk liberal" and "rabid spittle,"
I have decided to leave issues like
nuclear power alone. In fact, 1 don't
think IH ever touch that subject again
with a ten-foot Geiger counter.
No, this time, I'm just going to
write down some ideas and basically
weird thoughts that pop in and out
of my tired mind.
With the state of global affairs
being as bad as they are, people must
surely wonder what good the summit
meetings between world leaders do.
Representatives from the most pow
erful nations in the world get together
for anywhere from two hours to two
weeks and discuss plans to make the
world a safer place to live by
negotiating arms and human rights
talks. What I'm suggesting is that
maybe, just maybe, these people
would get more done if they encoun-
claiming they had already spent
enough on the university by building
the school in the first place.
Sound like a fairy tale? Unfortu
nately, to the many handicapped
students who attend the 16 campuses
of the University of North Carolina
system, the above is not a horror
story, but the grim reality. All over
the system, handicapped students are
denied access to programs, facilities
and even entire areas of campus
because of architecural barriers.
Buildings lack ramps. Doors are too
heavy to open from a wheelchair.
Entire departments are housed in the
upper floors of tall buildings without
elevators. In short, our universities
have not been modernized suffi
Pill (Logon
The Right Stuff
he does.
First, in order to succeed, everyone
needs a goal, vision, or dream to
shoot for. Even if a life goal has not
been established yet, each semester,
each week, each day needs to have
purpose and direction. Without goals
or direction, every day or semester
will be a time of drudgery and work
between vacations (boring). A goal
Ron - shCuid -discuss
Scotf reig
City Editor
tered each other on more friendly
terms, like the parallel seats of a
Ranger bass boat.
There are some images that come
to mind here they are:
Instead of the major decision of
the day being whether to reduce the
number of ICBMs or SS-20s, Ronald
Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev
could haggle over whether a spinner
bait or a plastic-worm would draw
the "lunker" out of his hiding place
in Lake Okeechobee in southern
Florida. Instead of a translator,
North Carolina's own Hank Parker,
fishing great and TV personality,
could make sure they don't go at each
other's throats with the fish scaler.
As a sign of good faith, Reagan
could make a goodwill mission to the
Soviet Union and go sturgeon fishing
in the Black Sea when they start
spawning in the shallows. That might
not work, though, because Ted
Turner would probably read too
much into the situation and then
anyone who has WTBS or CNN
would end up watching 120 hours of
it over the course of the weekend.
Who knows, maybe Khadafy
will see the error in his ways and
ciently to allow handicapped students
to take advantage of their benefits.
The schools might as well be 25 feet
off the ground.
The problems are by no means
insurmountable. In the past, the state
has allocated money to finance the
removal of these architectural bar
riers. But, amazingly, for the last five
years the N.C. General Assembly has
appropriated no funds no fundi
for the purpose of making our
universities more accessible to the
disabled.
Despite a lobbying effort by the
UNC Association of Student Govern
ments, the joint appropriations bill
for the coming year has continued
for a day makes that day a part of
an overall plan and turns a semester
into a stepping stone to a degree or
a career (less boring). When these
goals are established, hard-nosed
committment should be applied. It
is senseless to have good goals if they
are just going to be written on a piece
of paper and stuck on the wall in
a dorm room. Goals written down,
committed to, and accomplished can
be really satisfying. (More satisfying
than having to explain to parents why
courses and other opportunities were
botched).
Second, new students, whether 17
or 45, have abilities untouched.
People tend to think that they know
invite the president over to go shark
fishing in the Gulf of Sidra. That
might not work either because there's
no telling how many of his past
enemies Khadafy would try and use
as bait on this little excursion. I
personally suggest certain poli sci
grad students, who shall again
remain nameless (but you know who
you are), as they are easily cut to
shreds and digested. The able leader
of a country full of maniacs would
pass this off as acceptable for the
simple reason that the entire trip
would take place on the Libyan side
of the dreaded "Line of Death."
Ronnie leaning toward the side
of the boat, pausing momentarily to
spit out some of the juice he has
worked up from his big wad of Red
Man Chewing Tobacco, "Hey Mik,
did you see that water boil when that
ol' hawg came out after your buz
zbait. Seeing that type of thing makes
me happier than a clean pig in a fresh
mud hole."
Khadafy hooking into a huge
shark and then having his many wives
take turns reeling in the thing, upon
which he would hail himself as the
greatest fisherman of all time and
immediately hold a press conference.
The highlight of this Middle East
pleasure cruise would definitely be
the picture taking session back at the
dock. There's no telling what you
might find hanging from a hook.
They would then all go to some
secluded spot in the desert where they
the policy of ignoring the needs of
the handicapped. Despite requests of
$2 milion by Governor Martin and
$4.3 milion by the UNC Board of
Governors, the state legislature has
once again proposed a big zero for
barrier removal. It is not that funds
were not availabale well over $4.3
million was parcelled out in less-than-essential
pork barrel programs while
the valid needs of UNC's handi
capped were utterly ignored.
As student body presidents of the
two largest universities in the state,
we are outraged by the General
Assembly's proposed budget in this
area. It is no wonder that students
are disenchanted with our political
goal-setting wisely
themselves and what they can do
well. More times than not, this
becomes an excuse for not doing well
in something. Hard work and a good
attitude (one of determination) can
do just about anything. New areas
or areas where failure has occurred
before should be attacked as oppor
tunities for success rather than
failure. Who knows, a new challeng
ing situation can be a key that
unlocks some hidden ability.
Finally, mistakes are'unavoidable.
Most people use mistakes (bad
grades, a social blunder, etc.) as
excuses to give up. Successful people,
however, use mistakes as learning
experiences. They see what they can
felhieHo mot bombs
would throw a little shindig and take
turns driving around "towel-head's"
tent on his favorite tractor.
Fishing for piranha with special
guest, Nicaraguan strongman Daniel
Ortega.
Sending bass-pro turned envoy
Bill Dance of Memphis, Tenn., over
to Austria to fish with newly elected
President Kurt Waldheim. They
would have spectacular luck because
Waldheim's assistants would have
already rounded up all the "different"
fish and moved them to one special
part of the lake. But Kurt "vudn't
know anyting about dat, vud he."
Canadian Prime Minister Brian
Mulroney and Reagan trolling on
one of the Great Lakes for salmon.
They, like Waldheim and Dance,
would have great success in their
fully-equipped super cruiser outfitted
with all the latest in fishing technol
ogy, which they received for free from
a mysterious benefactor. Halfway
through the trip they receive a call
on the radio from the boat's previous
owner, Michael Deaver, who is just
calling to "see how things are going
and to tell them he can cut them a
deal on aluminum siding, lumber,
etc."
All of these world leaders would
LETTERS NEEDED
The Summer Tar Heel always welcomes letters provided they are
typed double spaced including the author's name, major, and
year in school. Drop in the box outside DTH office.
systems when the pressing concerns
of a substantial number of young
people continually take a back seat
to the budgetary door prizes and
party favors that are handed out in
each appropriations bill. We strongly
urge our legislators, who claim to
advocate education for all our
citizens, to rethink their decision and
vote to fund the removal of archi
tectural barriers on our campuses.
Bryan Hassel
Student Body President, UNC
. Gary Mauney
president, UNC Association of Stu
dent Governments
Student Body President, N.C State
learn from the goof and then move
on, pressing on harder, concentrating
on not making the same error twice.
In this way, a mistake is a' hurdle
rather than a trip wire. A small failure
can be turned into a stepping stone
to a greater success.
There are two types of college
students: students and successful
students. Its easy to be mediocre.
Success is hard work, but the rewards
are well worth it. Direct energy and
be successful.
Bill Logan is a senior biology
major from Chapel Hill who is a staff
writer for the Summer Tar Heel.
spend a day on the water and they
would be better and more relaxed
people for it. There's nothing like
"wetting a line" to take all the worries
out of your mind. The pursuit of the
Largemouth Bass (a.k.a. Lunker,
Hawg, Bucketmouth, Blackie, or
Biggun) is the most popular sport in
America today, and with good
reason.
Reagan, Gorbachev, Khadafy,
Ortega, Pinochet, Thatcher, Mulro
ney and Nakasone should invest in
a party-boat tour out of Morehead
City. I'm betting that by the time the
Sea Maid II pulls back into her slip,
that half of the world's problems have
been solved over a couple of cases
of beer and two boxes of
Dramamine.
To any poli sci grad students who
take exception to my making fun of
a very serious situation (the state of
world politics): "Quit being ridicu
lous, you read way too much into
things; maybe that's how the world
got so messed up in the first place."
Scott Greig is a senior journalism
major from Charlotte who spends
most of his time heading toward
greatness before veering left.