Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Sept. 22, 1987, edition 1 / Page 8
Part of Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
8The Daily Tar HeelTuesday, September 22, 1987 latlu Olar 95 th year of editorial freedom Numbers speak Numbers bore a lot of people, espe- ciallv the nnn- board math types who OpiniOfl make the Univer- sity the bastion of liberal arts educa tion that it is. Yet numbers reveal information that helps society put things into perspective. "The Statistical Abstract of Higher Education in North Carolina 1986-87" chronicles who's being educated, where, how and when. Within its charts and graphs lies the agenda of educators at the controls of the 16 member UNC system. First, the abstract contains some revelations about SAT scores. In fall 1986, 63 students were admitted to UNC-Chapel Hill with verbal scores of less than 349. Of those, 1 1 students fell between 250 and 299, and one had a score between 200 and 249. The overall average was 518. For math scores, 21 students were admitted with scores of 300 to 349. The average was 558. Rejected appli cants who had higher scores should have asked admissions officials why they accepted students who obviously did little more than sign their names on the SAT form. Another surprising fact concerns the academic rank and sex of the Univer sity's faculty. Excluding those in Why UNC won't see U2 Anyone who talks to Smith Center Director Steve Camp will quickly catch his enthusiasm. He is a man who has moved from traveling to Los Angeles and New York to book bands to sitting in his office waiting for them to call him. He has watched a series of big-name, sell-out concerts take Chapel Hill by storm, with more on the way. And yet his problems have only begun. The SAC must raise up to $700,000 this year to cover its costs. It is still unsure of its market. Its ticket policy has come under fire. But the biggest problem facing the center is where the University strikes a balance between being an educa tional institution and being in the entertainment business. Camp is quick to maintain that the SAC is a regional facility, not a local one. He says it's simply too big for the University to use exclusively. Yet the University pressures the Smith Center to shape its program ming around the University's agenda. When U2 representatives called with suggested dates for December, they were told that they could not come because it would be exam time. Camp cites an unwritten policy made early non sequ'rtur First came Dian, then came V anna Vanna White is without a doubt the reigning queen of game shows. Because of her, "Wheel of Fortune" has a cult-like following of drooling males. The autobi ography she's writing should be required reading in introductory literature courses. But Vanna was not the first to make her fortune in game shows. "The Price Is Right" groupies will recognize models Janice Pennington, Dian Parkinson and Holly Hallstrom. Janice Pennington is described by USA Today as "the tall blonde who hands the mike to host Bob Barker at the beginning of each show." No doubt there was a lot of behind-the-scenes fighting for such a prestigious position. Janice holds the record for years spent as a game show decoration, at 15. Which explains why she, and not one of the other rocket scientists, gets to give the mike to Bob. Like everybody else these days, Janice is writing a book. Maybe she and Vanna should work together. Vanna could pick the letters, and Janice could guess the price of the hardback edition. And if the book were to somehow bomb, "The Price" and "Wheel" could give copies to losers as consolation prizes, along with Jill Gerber, Editor Amy Hamilton, Managing Editor SALLY PEARSALL, Nw; Editor JEAN LUTES, University Editor DONNA LEINWAND, State and National Editor JEANNIE FARIS, City Editor JAMES SUROWIECKI, Sports Editor FEUSA NEURINGER, Business Editor JUUE BRASWELL, Features Editor Elizabeth Ellen, Am Editor Charlotte Cannon, photography Editor CATHY McHUGH, Omnibus Editor for themselves medicine, 667 of the 724 full professors at UNC last fall were men. Although the majority of North Carolina's college students in recent years have been female, only 57 of the professors were women. Equally surprising, three of them held nothing higher than a bachelor's degree. For the jewel in the system's crown, this is outrageous. Finally, the University has been criticized for its low minority enrol lment. Last fall, black students made up only 7.7 percent of total enrollment, while other minorities made up 5.1 percent. Although the problem has been recognized at UNC, officials should not ignore low minority repres entation at other system schools. At UNC-Asheville, 3.9 percent of all students last year were black; at Appalachian State, 4.4 percent. Educators have to look no further than the abstract's 179 pages to determine the direction of the UNC system. In plain black and white, the volume outlines the problems that have been plaguing higher education in North Carolina for years. System officials should welcome the challenge to improve the statistics for next year's abstract. In the meantime, members of the University community who are represented by numbers on a page optimistically await the new edition. in the building's history that its events would not clash with major academic dates. If so, why doesn't the University call Carolina Cable and ask them to stop programming when students should be studying? And what about movie theaters and restaurants on Franklin Street? This is a ridiculous attempt to regulate students' lives and ward off any negative publicity that could result from having a concert during exams. Surely students are mature enough to budget their time. The policy also doesn?t match up with the claim that students aren't what keeps the SAC going. If so many of its patrons come from outside the University, wouldn't they pay to see U2? The SAC has made a fine start. A superb facility widely applauded for its design, it is proving both popular and manageable. To continue on this strong course, the Smith Center should amend its relationship with the University. Refusing top-name acts in response to ill-conceived University pressure could jeopardize the center's future. Jim Greenhill the traditional Turtle Wax, Lee Press-On Nails and Jiffy Pop Popcorn. K Janice's book is about her search for her first husband, Fritz Stammberger, after he disappeared in the Himalayas in 1973. She hopes it will be made into a TV mini-series. Considering some of the mini-series that have come down the line "Amerika," "V," "The Winds of War" Janice probably has a shot at it. God bless this country. Dian Parkinson was Miss USA of 1964, and has been with the show since 1976. Her claim to fame is refreshingly honest: She appears in a bikini at least once a week. On the flip side of Parkinson is Holly Hallstrom, "the brunette who flashes the peace sign at the end of each show." Holly must have used office politics to nail down the second-best job on the show over Dian, who has seniority. Hallstrom is credited with the non sequiturian quote of the week: "My goal is to become the first woman president of the United States. I figure if Reagan can get there as an actor, so can I." That's true. The fact that Reagan was governor of California, was probably never even mentioned in his resume. Maybe he should go write a book or something. Hair bows A flirty ribbon, a playful pouf, a new beau ... We know what girls like." So claims a recent full-page adver tisement in The New York Times. The advertisement displays several designer hairpieces, including a "large pillow pouf" in striped black and white satin for $120, and a "large taffeta bow with rhinestones . . . only $195." One of the less expensive millinery creations is a "chiffon ruffled bow with satin trim" in ivory and pale pink. Only $52. Hair bows and poufs large stuffed bows worn in the 1 8th century constitute the single most visible element in new women's fashion of the past year. Their popularity is most remarkable on Southern college campuses, particularly among sorority women, but is not a local phe nomenon restricted to one age group. Older women are wearing hair bows, as are women outside the South. A sales associate for Niemann Marcus department stores in Beverly Hills, Calif., says his company experienced a 90 percent jump in hair bow purchases in 1986. The vogue is moribund, but far from dead. And while fashion experts such as Ellen Goldstein, head of the Accessories Department of New York's Fashion Institute of Technology, writes it off as "a passing fad with no significance what soever," the reappropriation of this ancient adornment is ripe with meaning. America's favorite silent medium, the female body, is telling an old story in a new way. At first glance, hair bows appear to be emblems of childlike innocence or roman tic femininity, nostalgic artifacts for the Unromantic Generation that provide a cherished link with an era before herpes, Biden is only human To the editor: I am writing in response to the editorial Sept. 18, "Fine words do double duty." It concerns me that James Suro wiecki portrayed Sen. Joe Biden as dishonest and lacking integrity. Yes, Biden admitted that during his first year of law school at Syracuse University he plagiarized an article while writing a paper for a class. He footnoted the article only once, unaware that it required further documentation. A professor at the Syracuse University law school said, it "... was not unusual for students to misun derstand what must be attrib uted when they are learning to write legal briefs." I think this mistake was hardly dishonest and was no reflection on Bid en's character or his ability to serve the American people. Biden was also accused of using quotes and portions of speeches from other politicians without attribution. Quoting past leaders is a common practice in politics, so common in fact, that it is unclear where certain ideas and statements originated. Considering this ambiguity, it is hardly fair to condemn someone for voicing familiar themes of the past. In regard to Biden's use of parts of a speech from a Neil Kin nock commercial, of the many times that Biden has included the inspiring story in his debates and speeches, only twice did he mistakenly neglect to credit the British Labor Party leader. So, Joe Biden is human. He makes mistakes like the rest of us. But he also an honest man of great integrity and a capable leader. He is respected by many, including Republican Sen. Alan Simpson of Wyom ing, who said about the alle gations, "Hang on tight. You have at least the guts to throw yourself in the public arena, to run for the presidency. And rime parking spots don't grow on trees To the editor: In response to David Gilpin's letter of Sept. 18 ("For traffic office, bottom line is money'O, I would like to point out that several of his statements just aint so. First, Gilpin seems to believe that residence hall lots are the only lots available for parking in the evening. In fact, after 5 p.m. all employee lots and that includes substantial amounts of parking on North Campus near Davis Library are available to everyone. I'm assuming that the reason most non-residents come to campus after 5 p.m. is to go to Davis or the Undergraduate Library. Many people are just creatures of habit, or don't want to walk five minutes from a parking lot to the library. Spaces are usually available behind Hill Hall and Swain Hall after 7:30 p.m., and these are certainly not dimly lit areas. The Department of Transportation and Parking did not, as Gilpin implies, arbitrarily or capriciously decide that parking restrictions in resident student lots would be enforced until 9 p.m. We were asked to monitor these lots until 9 p.m. feadte' Foiry and born-again virgins Sean Rowe Staff Columnist before AIDS, before the hydrogen bomb the mythical 1950s. At worst, they seem to express a perverse youthfulness, a whimsical refusal to enter wholeheartedly into the adult world. But although the intentions of those who wear hair bows may be entirely innocent or entirely nonexistent, deriving from simple aesthetic conf ormism it must be remembered that women's fashion has never been created by or meant for women themselves. "Fashion is always manipulative, and it's always sexual," says Bobbi Owen, a costume designer and professor in the drama department. "Women dress to attract the opposite sex and men dress to look like they can support them. And there's always something about young. Virgins are always in demand." The hair bow's ascendance in the fashion world involves a parody of innocence, a subtle burlesque of virginity. Whatever a woman's intentions, when she puts on a pouf she enters into a cultural process namely, the infantalization of women. Consider the pigtails of the porn star, her wide eyes and pale skin, and you will see an extreme version of a sorority-girl-with-hair-bow. Consider why there is little place in prostitution for women out of their teens, and that incest has less to do with sexual attraction between members of the same family than it does with the attraction of men to young girls and the powerlessness they represent. Consider the Christmas issue of Playboy magazine, with its cover OWL HILL that's better than a lot of faint hearted detractors will ever do in this world, and they will be the ones who will try to sully you arid pull you down." i NANCY JOHNSON Sophomore Political Science A question of honor To the editor: I am delighted to lend my enthusiastic support to Student Honor Awareness Week, which, as a newly instituted campus activity, reminds us of the essential role of honor and trust in our community. I wish to commend the stu dents who have made this week possible and the faculty advis ers who have encouraged them. I urge all freshmen and transfer students to attend the small group sessions during this week. They will provide you with an excellent opportunity to learn about the student judicial system, which is founded upon principles of personal honor. Student self-governance in preserving the honor code has a long tradition extending more than 100 years on this campus, and we are all committed to continuing its vitality. The validation of one's grades, transcripts and degrees through the exercise and respect for honor and trust stands in profound contrast to the pro fessional and required proctor ing systems employed by many. I am profoundly grateful to the students and faculty who have made this honor system work, who believe in it and who represent its future and critical value of trust in honor in our society. CHRISTOPHER FORDHAM Chancellor No place for sarcasm To the editor: So soon in the year I have grown tired of the DTH's glib and condescending editorial attitude. Too quickly your writers stoop to insulting peo ple rather than making a state ment and supporting it with evidence. by resident students. Those who have problems with the new restrictions on parking may want to consider moving on campus and buying a resident parking permit. Their parking will then be protected until late in the evening. Alternatively, one may consider taking the bus from his house or apartment. x Gilpin asks, "Why not just ticket -violations in a filled lot?" Excuse me, but it seems that if we wait until a lot is filled with violators, issuing tickets will do little or nothing to create spaces for residents who have paid for the privilege of parking on campus. In any case, the compaint that we would hear would be, "But the lot wasn't full when I parked there. Why did you ticket me?" Reasonable research would have revealed that during special events we block resident student lots and allow only resident students to park there. If anyone has tried to park in a resident student lot during a special event and been denied, it's because he does not have a parking mm photo of woman presented as a package, complete with bow, and you will discover that hair bows belong to the same class of current fashion items as studded bracelets and women's harem belts, the whole dark array of watered-down S V M garb. A related explanation is economic. In her 1984 book "Femininity," Susan Brownmiller writes: "A sociological fact of the 1980s is that female competition for two scarce resources men and jobs is especially fierce. So it is not surprising that we are currently witnessing a renewed interest in femininity and an unabashed indulgence in feminine pursuits." Women want men and jobs; the problem is that competition is incompatible with what men mean by femininity. At some level, men are threatened by competitive women, and the trick for a woman today is to go about her business being careful to remain "feminine." The same message that pop-rocker Madonna conveyed outrageously in her "Like a Virgin" concert tour is conveyed more subtly by the hair bow in its fashion context: In the supposedly virginless landscape of the 1980s, the "fashion statement" of the hair bow is not "We are untouchable," but rather, "We have not been touched by the women's movement." Madonna, a hair bow fan herself, might as well be singing that cryptic advertising jingle: "I can bring home the bacon fry it up in a pan and never, never let him forget he's a man 'cause I'm a woman." Sean Ro eisa senior journalism major Jrom Douf ira. But the editorial which prompts this letter is the Sept. 16 board opinion "Campus parking with a 4P'." The point you are attempting to make is that it is unfair to continue ticketing cars at dorms until 9 p.m. I completely agree. Unfor tunately, your editorial disinte grates into a characterization of those who write the tickets as "orange-clad bureaucratic peons" and further claims that the sole purpose of the new rule is to "extend the pleasure-filled ticketing hours" of these "peons." Chapel Hill is but a micro cosm in a huge world, and the DTH is a speck in the micro cosm. So instead of pretending you have some sort of wisdom you have to inflict upon us spitefully, make your points reasonably and accurately. It's that simple. In the grand scheme of things, what you think just isn't that important, so it doesn't make sense to pretend it does. THOMAS HUDSON Sophomore Psychology permit for that lot and has no right to park there. In reference to the proposed Craige parking deck, Gilpin claims that revenue from parking tickets which has averaged $450,800 over the last seven years would quickly pay for the proposed parking deck. The budget for the deck is over $ 1 2 million. If every penny of parking ticket revenue were dedicated to the deck, we could pay for it about 20 years from now. Of course, by that time the price tag might be five times as high as it is now. Gilpin is right about one thing. The bottom line is money. Parking is an expensive resource to build, maintain and operate. One parking space in a surface parking lot costs between $800 and $2,000 to build. Spaces in a deck cost between $7,000 and $12,000 to build. This summer, $800,000 was spent for resurfacing and patching existing parking lots. People who pay for parking are allowed to park. People who don't pay don't park. JOHN GARDNER Transportation Planner Traffic and Parking Office H
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Sept. 22, 1987, edition 1
8
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75