10The Daily Tar Heel Tuesday, October 21, 1986 Satin alar HM 94th year of editorial freedom JIM ZOOK, Editor Randy Farmer, Managing Editor ED BRACKETT, Associate Editor DEWEY MESSER, Associate Editor Tracy Hill, News Editor Grant Parsons, unhenity Editor LINDA MONTANARI, City Editor JILL GERBER, State and National Editor Scott Fowler, sports Editor KATHY PETERS, Features Editor ROBERT KEEFE, Business Editor Elizabeth Ellen, Arts Editor DAN CHARLSON, Photography Editor M In Glaxo venture, use caution ; Since the University announced a research partnership with Glaxo, Inc., a. private drug company, one aspect of the venture has been anxiously disputed: Would the University sac rifice or tarnish its scholarly reputation by working alongside a profit motivated company? While that danger exists, there is much to out weigh such fears. : As part of the deal, Glaxo will build a $2.5-million biology laboratory for lhe UNC School of Medicine. The company will also spend $1.2 million to renovate part of Venable Hall for a chemistry lab. In return, Glaxo will be allowed to use the lab for the next four or five years. The labs will remain University property. Fundamental to this unprecedented cooperation between a N.C. public university and a private company is that both parties stand to gain from the union. Glaxo would receive research assistance from UNC faculty members and students, which could provide fresh insight into discovering treatments for diseases. The research could also provide Glaxo a solid research base when it moves into its new Research Triangle Park lab. : The most tangible gain for the University would be $3.7 million in improved research facilities. These improvements would be especially helpful in light of Gov. Jim Martin's request that the University prepare for (but not necessarily expect) a 3 percent budget cut. The status of the budget will not be known until mid-1987. But the economic gain for the University is perhaps less important and lasting than the knowledge and experience UNC could acquire from this research opportunity. Despite these positive features, some see the association with Glaxo as a threat to the sanctity of academic research. Skeptics fear that the Uni versity will be inhibited in publishing its findings, given the fact that Glaxo will be motivated to protect any drugs that might spring from the enterprise. This concern may prove to be justif iable if the research tends to concen trate on developing drugs for Glaxo's profit, instead of researching for the sake of knowledge and truth. University officials have said that the project would allow Glaxo to focus on developing various drugs if it wished, while UNC would conduct basic research separate from Glaxo. Furthermore, University participants would direct the scope and focus of all research conducted. In its relation ship with Glaxo, the UNC adminis tration must deny any shift toward emphasizing the development of marketable drugs. Only if the Univer sity maintains control of the direction of the research can it avoid becoming the first N.C. university to mingle in the sciences for a profit. If due caution is exercised, UNC can benefit from collaborating with private enterprise. In the partnership with Glaxo, the University will receive laboratory space and the fruits of significant applied science, which are always welcome. If the danger to UNC's independent scholarship is contained and it can be the University and the scientific world would benefit from such public-private cooperation. Serious talks appropriate " Diplomatic jargon has been whiz zing between Moscow and Washing ton at record speeds in the last two months. Tensions soar, then cool, then intensify again. First the Daniloff Zakharov ordeal, then the Reykjavik summit. The perpetual wave machine that ebbs and flows relations between the nations has ranged from tidal wave to barren desert. The Soviet Union announced Mon day that five U.S. diplomats would be expelled for activities "incompatible with their official status." That's bureaucratic slang for calling them spies. - U.S. response was predictable. Secretary of State George Shultz said the United States "will protest and will take some action." White House Chief of Staff Donald Regan called for "appropriate action" by the United States. What is "appropriate action?" Who determines how appropriate an action is? If the Soviets think a U.S. action to be inappropriate, can they send it back and ask for a new one? These questions are indeed silly, but they are no more ridiculous than the level of thought dominating U.S.-Soviet Ra tions. The two nations are pro grammed like a pair of computers. Except for a few brief respites, the two have traded turns one-upping the other. Because of the stubbornness and hubris of both sides, no seriously "appropriate action" such as an arms treaty is attained. Sunday's expulsion is obviously in response to the dismissal of 25 Soviet employees to the United Nations. To the less astute observer, the "score" in this latest diplomatic showdown now stands at United States 25, Soviet Union 5. But the rules aren't so simple. Until President Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev realize this, the entire situation will be totally inappropriate. Move over, Coffee Generation Are you a member of the Coffee Generation? "What s the Coffee Gener ation?" you ask. You know. The Coffee Generation i that group of Mary Lou Rettonesque (well, it .should be a word) go-getters who always start their day with bodacious gulps of The Beverage That Refreshes. Several cups of the stuff and they're ready to take on the world and do the impossible, such as comprehend what goes on in their 8 o'clock : class. Well, if you are a member of the Coffee Generation, you should know that your ; "counterparts in the beef industry, never ones 'to be outdone, are after their share of PR, too. The National Livestock and Meat Board has announced a $70 million ad ; campaign to extol the virtues of beef under thc theme, "Beef real food for real , people." Tom McDermott, a vice president of the Livestock and Meat Board, says the group . is looking lor big stars to aid its campaign, someone "with down-to-earth qualities." '. Nothing's official yet, but word is that Sally '. Held, James Garner, Cybill Shepherd and Tina Turner have the inside track at The Qoiiom Line becoming beef spokesmen. At least one star David Bowie - doesn't stand a snow ball's chance, though; the rock singer just "would be wrong," says McDermott. The eat-beef hoopla comes in response to dwindling beef sales in an increasingly tolu-istic (well, it should be a word) society. The campaign is reminiscent of recent radio ads hawking sugar, another old favorite that's been all but forgotten. But Sally Field in a beef commercial? That sounds about as incongruous as having Kurt Vonnegut Jr. plugging coffee, as he did for the Coffee Generation's TV push a few years ago. Vonnegut's arguably a go-getter, sure, but he's certainly a misfit in the incessantly perky Coffee Generation. Field would be similarly lost among the macho-men-and-tough-ladies-only Beef (ieneration. - And what's wrong with David Bowie? He'd be perfect for the part provided he's in his macho phase, ol course. ; Food no payoff To the editor: I find "Pizza payoff (Oct. 15) utterly appalling and plain stupid. ' ' Let me ask you: whenever a large number of people gather together where there is music and or speehes and banners and the chance to see newsmak ers and respected people, is there usually some type of beverage and food available? Sounds quite a bit like a pep rally or even a UNC basketball game, doesn't it? So what is wrong with offering food especially when it is during lunch anyway? And another thing: How can someone feel that the pizza was "nothing more than a gaudy attention-grabbing device for a political race?" Is a piece of pizza, let alone any food, going to change a potential voter's preference? Is someone going to vote for a candidate because he (or a supportive organiza tion) gives out free pizza? II one answers "Yes," then I highly recommend he sit down and search his values. Also, if the Sanford people really were interested in using this as a "gaudy attention grabbing device" ala Steve Cole then perhaps they would have made ads with "FREE PIZZA" in capital letters. Did they? No, "Terry San ford Rally" and all the essen tials (time, date, place) appeared. Then the pizza was at the bottom in smaller letters. That is not trying to "lure" anyone in my book. 1 would not think college students would be so naive, anyway. Finally, I take it that Stephen Cole thinks the Sanford Broyhill Senate race is compar able to the Hunt-Helms race in 1984. Well, he's right: just as before, one is a Democrat and the other is a Republican. That is the only comparison that may be made. I believe this has been and is an issue-oriented campaign and is very clean. I resent the fact that anyone thinks I could be out to sell my vote. Any rational college student knows that a campaign and a theme needs a gathering of its supporters and those who wish to know more about a candidate, whether they are for or against the campaign and a rally is one of the best ways to do that. WAYNE GOODWIN Sophomore Political Science RHA no enemy To the editor: Blaise Byron Faint is a junior who is misinformed about some of the administration on this campus. I agree with the basic content of his Oct. 13 letter, "RHA Red Tape." The lounge use policy he spoke of is ridiculous and I don't think that anyone beyond the resi dents is more aware of that fact than the Residence Hall Association. The RHA is the organization that represents the students. They are the ones who voice the students' response to the policies that Faint spoke of. This organization is not to be confused with the Department of University Housing. They are the ones responsible for all of the asinine policies and rules. In his letter. Faint accuses RHA of "converting the dorms into 'residence halls life assim ulation modules'." If he had paid closer attention to his Daily Tar Heel articles, he would have known that it is the DUH who is attempting this conversion, not RHA. In fact, RHA is opposed to this worth less attempt to make the dorms something contrary to what the resident desires. 1 suggest Faint pay attention. He should know with whom he is having a problem instead of misdirecting his attacks. If he wishes to have action taken against a policy, he can direct his grievances to his governor, Neal Keene or to the RHA office. I would venture to guess he has not done this. It angers me when a misin formed individual discredits the people who are working for the benefit of dorm residents. It further angers me that his statements should appear on an editorial page where others may form inaccurate conclu sions. Let it stand that Faint's information was inaccurate and that the RHA is doing a "bang-up job". RONI HARBERT Junior Speech SDRE.TKHNKJliY I . ft Pt I. KM l - - . . The Daily Tar Heel welcomes reader com ment. For style and clarity, we ask that you observe the following guidelines for letters to the editor and columns: fl All letters columns must be signed by the author(s). Limit of two signatures per letter or column. D Students who submit letters I columns hould also include their name, year in school. major and phone number. Professors and other University employees should include their title and department. B All letters I columns must be typed. (For easier editing, we ask that they be double-spaced on a 60-space line.) B The Daily Tar Heel reserves the right to edit letters and columns for style, grammar and accuracy. Star Wars has research merits To the editor: It seems almost everyone finds problems with President Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) the presi dent's unwillingness to limit research, SDI's effectiveness, its cost and so on. However, SDI does have merits that tend to be ignored. First, most current SDI research is directly related to questions in the field of physics. It is true that a lot of research is tied to the defense industry. The big question is not whether the Department of Defense or the Department of Energy is funding the research, but whether or not the government should fund important, basic research. In a technology-based society like ours, it is important for scientific research to increase its scope and explore all areas, including potential defensive weapons. Second, even if SDI does not stop all of the Soviet Union's missiles, it reduces the potential effectiveness of these missiles and the chance of a first strike; in today's world, if you don't destroy the other guy first time around then it's too bad you won't get another chance. SDI would only be effective against land-based ICBMs. This would leave Western Europe fairly vulnerable, but the Soviets realize that the United States would defend Western Europe, and if we had SDI we could launch our missies without having to worry too much about the Soviets retaliating. Submarine-launched and cruise missies would be harder to deal with, but we outnumber the Russians in both categories. Third, it would be cheaper to rely completely on nuclear missies no strategic defense and a very limited conventional force. But nobody likes that option. Since most of the defense money goes for basic research, it is hard to prove that money is either lost or wasted until years later. SDI has some very weighty advantages and the Soviets realize this. They know that a strategic defense race would paralyze and possibly destroy their already lagging economy. To prevent this, they have made killing SDI a prerequisite for arms reduction. What Ameri cans and Russians can't see is that if nuclear missiles were eliminated there would be no need for SDI to be deployed. The knowledge gained could then be applied full-force in other areas and the world would be a whole lot safer. After all, isn't that what we really want? CURTIS HEDGEPETH Sophomore Psychology Hidden kickers To the editor: Past weekends have marked the return of the pep rally and perhaps an increase in school spirit. But what many students may have missed was the intro duction of possibly another Tar Heel tradition, the High Kick ing Heels. The High Kicking Heels are a squad comprised of 22 of UNC's finest dancers who might be likened to the famous Rockettes. These girls do a number of marvelous, complex dance routines. In its short existence, the group has gained support by both the school administration and a large part of the student body. Unfortunately, this group's debut was missed by many. Placed behind the band, majorettes and flag girls, the High Kicking Heels have per formed their energetic routines to the visitors' side, receiving the definite approval of those fans as well as our otherwise lifeless alulmni, while we, the students, missed out on these ' routines. It seems to me unfair that we should be denied the privilege of watching these girls, who have worked so hard for the opportunity to perform. It is also ironic that all the half-time shows including the band, cheerleaders,, flag girls and majorettes performed facing the students, while the High Kicking Heels were placed out of our view. Should these girls again be placed where we cannot see them perform, 1 would ask you to join me in showing your support and respect for these girls' efforts by walking to the visitor's side at half-time to see their routines. TOM MCCUISTON Sophomore Unfair food To the editor: In response to Steve Cole's letter, "Pizza Payoff", I want to say that 1, too, was shocked by the free pizza offered at the Terry Sanford rally. The gall it took these liberals to think they could sucker me with a slice of pepperoni and cheese and an ice cold coke after 1 hadn't eaten all day was incredible. I also thought the mud, or should I say food, slinging tactics of the 1984 senatorial race were gone forever. Appar ently, in their losing struggle against the successes of Reag anism. Democrats have been reduced to hiding their inadeq uacies behind the mask of Italian food. Beware, civic minded students! Don't let these blatant efforts to influ ence your vote by taking advan tage of your empty stomach fool you. What is this great country coming to when people think my vote can be bought for the paltry price of junk food? Do what 1 did. Next time one of these corrupt rallies is held, consume the free stuff and don't listen to what the candi date has to say. That way, you can kill those mid-day hunger pangs, keep your conscience free and preserve your civic virtue. DAN TIKVART Senior History Political Science A push to show Tar Heel pride To the editor: All Tar Heel football fans. It is long overdue to see if your vocal cords still operate. Loosen those ties, wake up your dates, focus vour eyes on the field and 'yell. Why? What is there to cheer about, you ask? Ill tell you. This 1986 team is good. Our defense has been a stonewall. Led by pre season AU-American Reuben David, Wild Man Mitch Wike and others, the Tar Heel defenders have humiliated their opponents. The likes of Harris Barton. Creighton "The Big Man" lncorminias, and Derrick Fenner lead an offense wait ing to explode. This team is packed with enough talent to win the conference and a prestigious bowl game. The fans in the past have not been medio cre. We have been hapless, noiseless and non supportive. It is time to change. Our players sacrifice many hours, not to mention their bodies, to prepare for 60 minutes of football. We can't show support for 30 seconds. Too many of us are more interested in who is at the game than who the Heels are playing. Let's get off our seats, open our mouths and give the team what they deserve and need loud, obnoxious, loyal fans they can rely on for a deafening, rocking Kenan Stadium. DAVID W. SMITH Senior Pharmacy To the editor: 1 agree with Ufuk Tukel ("Tar Heel fans could be 6th man." Oct. 14) when he says that Tar Heel fans lack enthusiam when it comes to supporting athletic teams. Tukel, however, speaks of poor participation at the basketball games when the real problem is crowd sup port at Kenan Stadium. From hearing the silence of the crowd at Kenan, one would think the Heels hadn't won a game all year. Aside from the quiet, few people bother, to wear Carolina blue. It would be an awesome sight if eve ryone were to wear the color on football Saturdays. Anyone who has been to a Clemson football game in Death Valley can attest to that. 1 disagree with Tukel's definition of crowd support. One of the things that separ ates Carolina's athletic pro gram from the others is our "class." Waving arms behind the goal during foul shots and yelling obscenities at opposing coaches or offi cials is a show of poor sportsmanship and has no place at UNC. Carolina's excellent recruiting record is based largely on the ablility of coaches to sell high school athletes, on Carolina's tra dition of class and poise, not on showing films of wild parties. Yes. let's be loud and supportive at both bas ketball and football games, but let's do it in a way that will maintain Carolina's reputation as a class institution. JOHN BOONE Sophomore Business