Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / March 28, 1988, edition 1 / Page 10
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
10The Daily Tar Heel Monday, March 28, 1988 ufljF latlg ufar Heel 96th year of editorial freedom Readers' Foruim SUSMSMSjnMSUUUBUUUMPBUMS . mmmt ( - Jean Lutes, KATHY PETERS. Managing FJttor Karen Bell, Neus Editor MATT BlVENS, Associate Edttor KlMBERLY EDENS, University Editor SHARON KEBSCHULL, Statt and National Editor MIKE BERARDINO, Sports Editor KELLY RHODES, Arts Editor MANDY SPENCE, Design Editor FJttor JON RUST, Managing lidttor KAARIN Tisue, Neus Editor AMY HAMILTON, Associate Edttor Kristen Gardner. University Editor Will Lingo, aty Editor Leigh ann Mcdonald, Features Editor Cathy Mchugh, Omnibus Editor DAVID MINTON, Photography Editor Participate in your education Educational Encounter. That's the name of Carolina Sym posium 88, a series of lectures and programs examining a variety of educational philosophies and processes. There's only one problem. The symposium isn't being encountered. On Friday night, New York philan thropist Eugene Lang spoke in Hill Hall Auditorium. Lang, who founded the I Have a Dream Foundation in 1981, discussed his promise to 61 Harlem sixth-graders that he would finance their college tuition if they completed high school. The 30 people in attendance gave him a standing ovation. Floretta McKenzie, former superin tendent of the District of Columbia public schools, spoke Wednesday night in Memorial Hall. Less than 75 people heard her lecture on education policy in the nation's public schools. The Black Student Movement Gospel Choir performed Saturday in the Student Union Great Hall. Since it was formed in 1971, the choir has entertained audiences while raising historical and cultural awareness. During Saturday afternoon's perfor mance, there were more people on stage than in the audience. The Great Hall was filled to capacity once last week. But it wasn't for a symposium event; it was for Tuesday night's Carolina Fever pep rally. Hundreds of people cheered for Jeff Lebo; but less than 50 came to hear anthropologist Wilton Dillon at Hanes Art Center on Monday. While the basketball team deserves student support, Dillon obviously had more to say. The symposium is organized prim arily for students. It is also paid for primarily by students. The Student Congress allocated more than $10,000 in student fees for this year's sympo sium. Congress members expected students to benefit from the sympo sium's offerings. So far, that benefit has been minimal. A week's worth of symposium remains, with 10 programs scheduled for this week. Tonight, six political cartoonists will discuss the power of their pens. James Leutze, former chairman of the UNC Peace, War and Defense curriculum, returns to Chapel Hill Wednesday night to give his "last lecture." And on Thursday night, former Secretary of Education Terrel Bell will speak on the presidential role in education reform. "Learning is a conscious effort," Symposium Co-chairman Rick Maechling said. "Let it weave itself into your thoughts." It's good advice. So get off your duff, open your mind and learn. After all, isn't that why we're here? Kelly Clark Re-evaluate trustee selection Openness to innovation is an aca demic tradition in University class rooms. In board rooms, however, it's disturbingly rare. The Board of Trustees was offered a refreshing dose of that academic tradition last week, when Chancellor Christopher Fordham suggested that his office should nominate members of the board of trustees. Under the current appointment process, the governor nominates four trustees and the Board of Governors (BOG) nominates eight. Then, final choices are made by a standing BOG committee. Fordham said that strengthening the chancellor's role in the selection of trustees would remove politics from the process and help ensure that trustees would be concerned about academics. He said the chancellor could consult with faculty when nominating trustees. Fordham's desire to make trustee appointments less political is commen dable. Without criticizing the current board members, he made a valid point about the nominating process, which has not changed since the UNC system was organized 16 years ago. The trustees, whose authority extends from setting admission poli cies to approving traffic and parking regulations, should be chosen care fully. The BOG members, who are political appointees themselves, and the governor could not possibly understand the needs of the University as well as the chancellor, faculty or students, who must deal with campus problems on a daily basis. While Fordham's suggestion that the chancellor be allowed to nominate the trustees may give his office too much power, state officials should take this opportunity to re-evaluate the nominating process. So far, they have been vaguely supportive of the chan cellor's concerns, but no one has agreed publicly that the nominating process should be examined. BOG Chairman Philip Carson would not comment when asked if he would seriously consider changing the method of trustee selection. He said there was no proposal before the board that would alter the process. Carson and other BOG members . should take the initiative and consider making such a proposal. A special trustee nominating committee could be established that would include state officials, faculty members, the chan cellor and even a student representa tive or two. The University community should not be denied a voice in nominating trustees. A call for help from the campus could become a whisper by the time it reaches political decision makers in Raleigh. Jean Lutes The Daily Tar Heel Editorial Writers: Kelly Clark, Stuart Hathaway and Bill Yelverton. Editorial Assistants: Laura Pearlman and Becky Riddick. Assistant Managing Editors: Hannah Drum, Barbara Linn, Felisa Neuringer, Laura Pearlman and Clay Thorp. Assistant Design Editors: Cara Bonnett and Teresa Kriegsman. Design Assistants: Ashley Campbell, Katherine Hortenstine and Laura Ross. News: Kari Barlow, Jeanna Baxter, Katie Beck, Crystal Bell, Laura Bennett, James Benton, Tammy Blackard, Patricia Brown, Brenda Campbell, Lacy Churchill, Jenny Cloninger, Staci Cox, Robin Curtis, Jackie Douglas, Carrie Dove, Laura Francis, Eric Gribbin, Amy Grubbs, William Hildebolt, Kyle Hudson, Sonya Jackson, Helen Jones, Patrice Jones, Chris Landgraff, Barbara Linn, Laura Mayfield, Brian McCollum, Rebecca Nesbit, Helle Nielsen Susan Odenkirchen, Laura Peay, Cheryl Pond, Beth Rhea, Mark Shaver, Christopher Sontchi, William Taggart, Clay Thorp and Amy Weisner. Laura DiGiano, assistant city editor. Amy Winslow, assistant state and national editor. Mark Folk and Justin McGuire, senior writers. Peter Lineberry, Lisa Poole and Juliellen Sarver, wire editors. Sports: Patton McDowell, Jim Muse and Chris Spencer, assistant sports editors. James Surowiecki, senior writer. Robert D'Arnida, Chris Chapman, Steve Giles, Dave Glenn,' Dave Hall, Clay Hodges, Ginger Jonas, Brendan Mathews Patton McDowell, Keith Parsons, Andy Podolsky and Langston Wertz. Features: Jo Lee Credle, Myrna Miller, Jim Mock, Corin OrtlanU Leigh Pressley, Carole Southern, Ellen Thornton Linda van den Berg, Julie Woods and Holly Young. ' Arts: James Burrus, senior writer. Scott Cowen, Stephanie Dean, Kim Donehower, Elizabeth Ellen, David Hester, Julie Olson, Alston Russell and Michael Spinas. Photography: Christie Blom, Amy Hamilton, Janet Jarman, Elizabeth Morrah, Jeff Shuler and Julie Stovall. Copy Editors: Frank Bragg, Cara Bonnett, Carrie Burgin, Toni Creech, Yvette Cook, Julia Coon, Whitney Cork, Bert Hackney, Beth Harding, Danny Hornfeck, Anne Isenhower, Sherry Miller and Nick Montgomery. Cartoonists: Bill Cokas, Jeff Christian and Greg Humphreys. Campus Calendar: Mindelle Rosenberg and David Starnes. Business and Advertising: Anne Fulcher, director; Patricia Glance, advertising director; Joan Worth, advertising coordinator; Peggy Smith, advertising manager; Sheila Baker, business manager; Rita Galloway, accounts receivable clerk; Michael Benfield, Ashley Hinton, Kellie McElhaney, Amy McGuirt, Chrissy Mennitt, Stacey Montford, Lesley Renwrick, Julie Settle, Dave Slovensky, Dean Thompson, Amanda Tilley and Wendy Wegner, display advertising representatives; Diane Cheek, Stephanie Chcsson, Tina Perry and Lisa Poole, classified advertising representatives Had Jeff Carlson and Kris Carlson, secretaries. Subscriptions: Tucker Stevens, manager; Cody McKinney, assistant. Distribution: David Econopouly, manager; Cindy Cowan and Billy Owens, assistants. Production: Bill Leslie and Stacy Wynn. Genevieve Halkett, Leslie Humphrey, Stephanie Locklear and Tammy Sheldon, production assistants. Printing: The Chapel Hill Newspaper. For rape, prevention is the core The Daily Tar Heel reported last week that two UNC students were raped near the Morehead Planetarium during February. The story was printed after DTH staffers called around town checking on rumors that several women had been attacked near the planetarium and arboretum. Resfdent assistants in several dormitories had warned women on their floors to be especially cautious when out at night, because "something" was going on. The rumors were that two, or five, or seven, or 14 women had been attacked near the planetarium and arboretum. Of course, the DTH could not report rumors, so writers began calling to confirm them. The faculty adviser of the UNC Rape Action Project told the DTH that two attacks were reported last month. Sgt. Ned Comar of University police said only two rape incidents had been reported since last July 1. But he added he believed many things happen on campus that are never reported. This does not surprise me. It's a well known fact that many rapes go unreported, especially date acquaintance rape. Comar said only one to three rapes are reported to the department each year. And Jane Cousins, the planner at Chapel Hill police, said the department had nine rapes reported in 1987. What surprises and scares me are the figures from the Orange County Rape Crisis Center. According to these figures, two- or three rapes a month is about the Sandy Dimsdale Guest Writer average. That's a scary average. I cannot do anything about the sick men who attack women on campus. I'm not sure I could anything' if one of them attacked me, besides kick and fight and yell myself hoarse. But I am guilty, like many other women, of ignoring the' most obvious protection against rape. We feel so insulated on this campus, away from the "real world" and the horrible things that happen there, that we ignore simple prevention. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is not just a cliche. Comar said officers on the third shift tell him every week that they see many young women walking alone at night. Just because attacks are not readily reported does not mean that they can be discounted. I am just as guilty as the next woman, maybe just a little more paranoid. When I left a class in Howell Hall Thursday night, after reading the DTH story on the rapes that very morning, I recklessly walked by the dark and shadowy planetarium to Franklin Street alone. Few people were out just then, and I told myself when I walked down the steps that I was in no danger, because I was only walking a few yards to the well-lit safety of Franklin Street. By the time I got there, I was so scared I was ready to kill every little squirrel on McCorkle Place with my keys, which were dutifully clutched between my fingers as my defense. I remember August of 1985, when I was . a freshman and absolutely terrified of this campus, which seemed so big then. That -year, 23-year-old graduate student Sharon Stewart was abducted from the planeta-. rium parking lot, only an hour after mv suitemates and I had been on Franklin Street. My boyfriend from home threa tened to call my father and tell him to make me come home, where it was safe. Daddy really did not want to let me return after Labor Day. I hope something like that doesn't have to happen again to make the women on this campus aware of the problems that face us. We have an escort service. We have UNC police. We should take advan tage of them, and take care of ourselves. Comar said a police officer went in to a place downtown to get a cup of coffee one night last week and saw a female student, who had probably had one drink too many, talking to some people inside. The officer; approached her to offer her a ride, but the. woman said she just lived on campus, and she didn't believe she needed any help. The officer gave her a number to call if she changed her mind or wanted a ride. She never called. Sandy Dimsdale is a junior journalism major from Conover. Gandhi, My Lai not the worst To the editor: Paul Higgins' letter on March 16 ("From Gandhi to My Lai") shows an appalling lack of reality. He maintains that the assassination of Mohandas Ghandi and the My Lai massacre were "perhaps the two most atrocious acts of violence in the 20th century" (apart from the bombings of ' Hiroshima and Nagasaki). I will assume that Higgins is guilty of simple oversight when he ignores the Holocaust. Per haps the systematic disposal of six million Jews is not "atro cious" enough. Still, it is dif ficult to put the death of one man and a village above a cast of millions of victims. As for the atomic bomb, let's not forget a few facts: the Japanese attacked Pearl Har bor on a Sunday morning without bothering to declare war (I won't call it unprovoked, as the United States had imposed an oil imbargo upon Japan). When President Tru man ordered the bombing of Hiroshima, he gave the Japa nese a chance to surrender beforehand. They refused, not believing the threat. Before Nagasaki, the same offer was made, and again refused. Hav ing started the war and refusing the opportunity to lay down their arms, the Japanese were responsible for the consequen ces. Also, let's put My Lai in perspective. It was undeniably "atrocious," but it was only one dirty deed in a dirty war. The Viet Cong were responsible for their fair share of misery, too: remember the Tet offensive. which saw the slaughter of 25,000 by the Viet Cong in the Imperial Capital. Gandhi was a great man, as was his American protege, Martin Luther King. Both accomplished a great deal but both fell short of their goals. They each became, by their own actions, targets (and then victims) of violence. Those who followed them were never as successful. War is terrible. But violence is often necessary to prevent further violence. At no time in man's history has the entire population been at peace. As harsh as the truth is, it is mankind's nature to fight. That cannot be denied. So let's keep the violence to a minimum, while retaining a sense of reality. After all, the greatest atrocity of the 20th century is the one weVe not yet dared to commit. ROGER SIMPSON Freshman History Put aside homophobia To the editor: This week is Lesbian and Gay Awareness Week, spon sored by the Carolina Gay and Lesbian Association. The 1988 Lesbian and Gay Awareness Week is designed to educate the student body and various com munity groups about the seriousness of issues such as AIDS and human rights, and the role of the CGLA on this campus. We would like to encourage the campus to take advantage of the educational opportunitities made available to them throughout this week. If, like many, you feel unin formed about a number of issues concerning AIDS and homosexual rights, use this opportunity to educate your self. You will be surprised at the number of misconceptions you may have had on these issues. FIFI K AS H ANI-S ABET Junior International Studies French BROCK WINSLOW Sophomore Philosophy History Letters policy The DTH reserves the right to edit letters for space, clarity and vulgarity. UNC blacks must help themselves o the Black Student Movement: At the risk of vituperative back- Ji. lash, because I am a white person, I wish to address your grievance concern ing the alleged low graduation rates of black students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. To make this problem a strictly racial issue is in itself racist. It is quite true that you live as blacks in a predominantly white society. Your blackness makes you special. You are not white; whites are not black. As blacks, you should not desire to be whites, nor should whites be expected to ' want to be blacks. What makes people of all races special are their differences in physiognomy, languages, thought and culture. These differences are to be celebrated as joyful variations on the human theme. There are things about growing up black in America which no non-black in America can (or ever should be expected to) understand. Likewise, there are aspects of being white, or hispanic, or Asian, or Iroquois in America which no black can or ever should be expected to understand. There are problems to education all over the world. In the United States, children are taught by underpaid, apathetic teachers. In some cases, dissatisfied students terrorize the classroom, robbing their classmates of the precious opportun ity to a thorough education. High school graduates in America often enter college without the fundamental ability to read a newspaper or balance their checkbooks let alone . plow through Comparative William Lampley Guest Writer Literature 21, Calculus, Anthropology 105, and History 167. Yes, it's hard to be black in America. It's hard to be anything anywhere. As long as you persist in making the real world your enemy, you will lose. No one will feel sorry for you. Certainly not the European, Asian, African, and Latin American students who come here to study in a foreign language and to excel at the things they cannot get at home. Certainly not the quadraplegic, dislexic, blind, and hearing-impaired students who regularly graduate with honors. Seeking better advisement and counsel ing systems for minority students is commendable; however, in this case the minority disadvantage is not racial, but economic. There are undereducated whites as well as blacks and Indians. Certain regions in the country have lower standards than others. Certain unfortunate pockets within high-standard regions are woefully depressed and underdeveloped. Making veiled threats if the system doesn't bend to your exclusive will is immature, counterproductive and antagonistic. The purpose of the Affirmative Action Pro grams is to provide equal opportunities for everybody. The idea behind remedial counseling and special tutoring is to give every disadvantaged student a chance to catch up to the University's scholastic standard. If such a broad-based program is still not enough for you, then, like the Jews who emerged from bondage to attain cultural, scientific and political eminence in the world, you must pool your resources to provide for yourselves that which the system either cannot or will not provide. You owe a debt for the suffering struggles and humiliation of your own proud and beautiful race. Dont insult the dream of your ancestors, who prayed and literally oiaTvu onojr ill lUdl YOU, "inCU i descendants, would have a chance to excel on no less than the same terms as anyone else. Equal opportunity demands the price of equal responsibility. You have a responsibility to yourselves, your families, your country (same as mine) to share your gifts with each other to get ahead in this society, like it or not. It may not be fair that you were raised by different standards than the majority of your fellow students, but wake up and face the real world. Life isn't fair, it just is. There are already enough ignorant people in the world. Instead of angrily trying to challenge the standards of a world that doesn't care abouf vour success nr failure vnn mnct mIco hah. . i t w, j imok, jrvui wwii aicuiuarus and prove in real world terms that you are everything your parents hoped for. William Lampley is d junior economics major from Hendersonville.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
March 28, 1988, edition 1
10
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75