8The Daily Tar Heel Tuesday, March 29, 1988
Readers' Foramri
96 1 h year of editorial freedom
JF.AN LlITliS. Editor
Katun Pit rs. .Mjjciv ior
Karfn Bi i i.. nyi . rjifr
Matt Bivins. ji !.,
KlMBERLY EDENS. University FJttor
SHARON KEBSCHDI.L, jJ National Editor
MIKE BERARDINO, Swm Editor
Kelly Rhodes, rr rior
MANDY SPENC.E, Design Editor
Jon Rust, aiui Mur
KAARIN TlSUE, Neus Editor
Amy Hamilton. Associate Editor
KR1STEN GARDNER, University Editor
Will Lingo, aty Editor
LEIGH ANN McDONALD, Features Editor
CATHY McHUGH, Omnibus Editor
DAVID MINTON, Photography Editor
Steer students, don't drive them
Last Wednesday, Lt. Gov. Bob
Jordan, the Democratic candidate in
the 1988 governor's race, set forth a
program to reduce the number of high
school dropouts in North Carolina.
Among other things, the program
called for appropriating $7.6 million
to establish special counselors for
potential dropouts and revoking or
withholding drivers licenses from
students under 18 who drop out of
high school.
Jordan's proposal shows an admir
able commitment to education. He
cites figures showing that one-fourth
of all ninth graders in North Carolina
will have dropped out by the end of
Gov. Jim Martin's term. Action should
be taken to lower the dropout rate.
The allotment for special counselors
could be a good investment in N.C.
education.
But Jordan's well-intentioned prop
osal to deny licenses to dropouts
approaches the problem from the
wrong angle.
Rather than coercing students into
attendance, he should concentrate on
improving the schools themselves.
After all, high dropout rates are merely
symptoms of other, larger educational
problems. In the long run, making
students want to learn and providing
quality educational facilities will be
much more effective than snatching
their licenses away.
Furthermore, licenses have nothing
to do with school. Jordan could just
as well have proposed prohibiting
dropouts from watching television,
charging them fines, or grounding
them. All of these methods sound silly;
but revoking drivers' licenses is just as
ridiculous.
If nothing else, this could have been
a gutsy proposal, despite its flaws. But
Jordan hedged in order to make his
program more acceptable, hastily
adding that dropouts who need a car
for work would not have their licenses
revoked.
This extra stipulation pulls the teeth
from Jordan's proposal. Every high
school dropout could claim he needed
a car for work; thus, no one would
be denied a license.
By straddling the fence, Jordan
shows the attitude he expressed before
black newspaper executives two weeks
ago. At the time, Jordan said, "I'm
not going to come out with programs
that will defeat me, no matter how I
stand on the program, because I want
to get elected."
Jordan took the already-flawed
dropout proposal and amended it into
no proposal. While he is right to make
education a priority, revoking drivers'
licenses is not the way to keep students
off the streets. Matt Bivens
Racial murder a call for action
"TJw tension problem in Robeson
County is as bad as it has been in 20
years and is forcing us to move back
when we could be progressing
forward. "
Julian Pierce spoke these words on
the UNC campus a week ago.
Just after midnight Saturday morn
ing, Pierce, a Lumbee Indian and
candidate for a Superior Court judge
ship in Robeson County, was killed
by three shotgun blasts fired at point
blank range.
The strife in Robeson County
should come as no surprise to state
officials, since warning signals of rising
racial tensions have been numerous.
Robeson County has a population
that is 37 percent Indian, 37 percent
white and 26 percent black. Active
discrimination against Indians and
blacks has occurred for decades in the
county, where Indians hold few
political offices despite their numbers.
Pierce was trying to become the
county's first Indian judge.
In 1986, an unarmed Lumbee Indian
was beaten to death by Robeson police
officers, enraging the Indian commun
ity. Last month, after the death of a
black jail inmate, two Tuscarora
Cherokee Indians took hostages at the
local newspaper office in Lumberton,
demanding officials outside Robeson
County investigate the inmate's death.
They also asked for a meeting with
Gov. Jim Martin. Martin declined the
meeting, instead sending Paul Kirk, his
chief of staff, to meet with the Indians.
He also established investigative task
forces to "study" the problem.
Understandably, the Indians in
Robeson County feel helpless. They
are left with a corrupt local govern
ment that they are unable to change
even through the electoral process,
as Pierce's murder proved.
Martin's insensitivity to the county's
problems has allowed the racial
tension to escalate. Lumbee Indian
Jim Hatcher, a candidate for a local
office in Robeson County and friend
of Pierce, revealed the frustration of
his people when he said, "The people
are wanting to talk, but they're scared.
Either Martin's going to do something,
or else."
Martin found time to boost the
campaign of a Republican candidate
for mayor in Charlotte. He also found
time to visit the coast, eating shellfish
to prove that the Red Tide hadn't
harmed them.
However, he couldn't find time to
visit Robeson County.
In the Student Union four days
before his death, Pierce said that "no
matter how you color it, this will be
racial election." He recognized the
seriousness of Robeson County's
racial divisions. Unfortunately, Martin
didn't.
Pierce's death now compels Mar
tin's attention. It's a heavy price to pay
to force North Carolina's state govern
ment into action. Stuart Hathaway
r Gip-n-Save
See Dick go to college. Study, Dick,
study.
See Dick get good grades. Dick is on
the honor roll. Good, Dick, good. Mom
and Dad are proud of Dick.
See Dick watch basketball. See Dick
cheer. Rah, rah, rah. See the players run
up and down the court. Run, run, run. Dick
likes basketball.
See Dick watch basketball instead of
studying. See Dick get bad grades. Bad,
Dick, bad. Mom and Dad are not proud
of Dick. See Mom and Dad take Dick's
car away. Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad! Bye,
transportation!
See Dick watch basketball instead of
spending time with Jane. Jane is very lonely.
See Jane dump Dick.
See Dick neglect Spot. Dick is too busy
watching basketball to play with Spot. See
Spot dump Dick. See Spot and Jane call
Dick nasty names and plot against him.
Plot, Jane. Plot, Spot.
See Dick park it in front of the TV and
not move for weekends at a time. See the
tall men on TV make baskets. Shoot, J.R.,
shoot.
See Dick cheer. See Dick's eyes bulge.
See Dick's face turn red. See Dick's arms
flail. See Dick jump up and down and act
like a madman. Dick likes this. Go, team,
go.
See Dick's team play in the ACC
tournament. Oh, boy. See Dick drink beer.
What's wrong, Dick? Why are you acting
funny? Stagger, Dick, stagger. See Dick's
friends carry him home.
See Dick's team play in the NCAA play
offs. Go, team, go. See Dick's team beat
Loyola. Dick is very happy.
See Dick's team play Michigan. See J.R.
make lots of baskets. See the team win
again. See Dick drink more beer. See Dick
toast Dean. Good, Dean, good.
See Dick's team go to Seattle. The team
is playing Arizona. See the team play hard.
See J.R. miss lots of baskets. Bad, J.R.,
bad.
See the team lose. Poor, poor Dean. Dick
and Dean are very unhappy. See Dick
swear. Swear, Dick, swear. Why are you
swearing at Dean, Dick?
See Dick's team come home. The players
are very sad. Sad, sad, sad.
See Dick lose $50 to his cousin in
Arizona. Cry, Dick, cry.
Cry, cry, cry.
See Jane and Spot smile.
Parking misconceptions run rampant
I am amazed at the ignorance that some
people have about parking on campus.
I have no complaints about permit
holders who are upset because they cannot
find a space, but when writers such as
Felisa Neuringer complain about the
inconvenience of parking without a permit
("Campus parking; a bureaucratic adven
ture for all," March 28), I am appalled.
First, many misconceptions have to be
cleared up. The new security building is
not surrounded by "State-owned vehicles
only" signs. There are several "Visitors
only" signs there. And why is it so
important to drive there anyway? Didn't
your first ticket inform you that you
shouldn't park on campus without a
permit? If it is so inconvenient for you to
walk across campus (an act which South
Campus residents do every day), then you
should mail the payment to the traffic
office.
Second, let's discuss the Student Health
spaces. Although some people have,
unfortunately, been ticketed while getting
their permits (an oversight which is easily
appealed if the person doesn't wait for the
appeal time to expire), the vast majority
of cars are parked there illegally because
people have been too ignorant to get a
permit, or because they are not even at
Student Health. This is a fact corroborated
by the number of complaints from Student
Robert Foster
Guest Writer
Health about cars parked illegally in their
spaces.
Another point that was made was the
need for 10-minute spaces on campus. For
starters, there are a limited number of these
spaces behind Hanes building. The number
is limited because if there wasn't someone
present to enforce these spaces, the student
who comes for "just five minutes" would
stay all day.
Also, if people would just organize
themselves better so they turned in papers
or returned books during the normal
course of events on campus, there wouldn't
be this need. If people find themselves in
a situation when they must drive to
campus, they should either bring someone
with them to watch the car, leave a message
for the monitor (yes, monitors will wait
five minutes before writing a ticket) or be
prepared to appeal the ticket.
Working with the traffic office for the
last year has brought new insights into how
students view parking. "Fire lanes" become
"temporary loading zones." Because
walking is such an unhealthy activity for
young adults, parking is legal so long as
it is in the closest space to where they have
to eat or go to class. And finally, everyone
unfortunate enough to get a ticket was
parked there for "only five minutes." This
complaint was reinforced when one
violator, whose car was in the process of
being towed, said after a monitor had been
with his car for 45 minutes, "I have only
been here for five minutes."
The parking system is not perfect.
Student permit holders complain about not
being able to park at night, so the traffic
office patrols those lots until 9 p.m., only
to get bombarded with complaints from
students who have tried to bring their cars
to campus. Even with the proposed
parking deck, there will not be enough
spaces on this campus, but complaining
about this fact is not going to make the
situation better, if everyone would respect
the rights of those who pay to park on
campus (a foolish assumption based on
how the word "park" was redefined in the
article), the University would be able to
focus its concerns on finding available
space, and not have to worry about towing
cars down Airport Road.
Robert Foster is a senior history major
from Palmyra, New Jersey.
Art abounds
on campus
To the editor:
I read your editorial of
March 23 concerning the lack
of art on the Chapel Hill
campus ("Lack of campus art
is apalling") with some aston
ishment. In what seems to be
a careful catalogue of works of
art available to students, and
of spaces exhibiting works of
art, no mention is made of the
paintings in the Morehead
rotunda, a distinguished small
collection, nor of the Di-Phi
collection, a group of pictures
unique, so far as I know, in
concept and quality, nor of the
Ackland Art Museum, one of
the finest university museums
in the United States. Although
the Ackland is presently closed
for a University-sponsored
renovation that will double its
original gallery space, I hope
the adventure of walking to the
"far removed" corner of Frank
lin and Columbia Streets will
not in the future make the
Museum's beauties inaccessible
to students.
As to the continuing need to
add to the University's aesthetic
resources, your conclusion
that, "Future graduating
classes, artists and people who
wish to make donations to the
University should consider
giving art works or money for
the purchase of art works" is
certainly a sound one. The
Class of 1988 did, in fact,
consider such a donation but
rejected it in favor of the
fountain mentioned in your
article. Perhaps a future class
will consider a project such as
the creation of an appropriately
landscaped sculpture garden in
the space between the Ackland
and Hanes buildings. Pending
such donations, I would argue
that "Art and other forms of
creative expression" are already
"readily available to everyone
in the University community"
who chooses to seek them out,
and that what the University is
able to present to its students
is exceptional.
CHARLES MILLARD
Director
Ackland Art Museum
("oh geat, hlrT) m .
Pornography
enslaves women
To the editor:
One accomplishment of
Women's Awareness Week was
that it allowed women to voice
their opinions on the way that
our society has wronged them.
As a man, I think it is important
to be sensitive to women's
issues.
One way that our campus
actively promotes the exploita
tion of women is through the
sale of pornography in the
Student Stores. This material
utterly degrades women, reduc
ing them to objects of sexual
pleasure. It defines the value of
women in terms of "what can
this do for me," and totally
ignores their personhood, rob
bing them of all self-esteem. It
promotes a narcissistic ten
dency in relationships, with
personal fulfillment at anoth
er's expense becoming the
ideal. It also puts pressure on
women to measure up to the
unrealistic fantasy world
created by pornography in the
reader's mind.
As long as pornography is
sold on this campus, women
attending this University will
not be free. How dare we point
our finger and criticize other
nations for human rights vio
lations while as a campus we
tolerate and condone the
exploitation and dehumaniza-
tion of 60 percent of our
population?
THOMAS JACKSON
Senior
History
Plan parking
for tournament
To the editor:
We are writing to address a
serious problem confronted by
many students on this campus
this past weekend: the parking
problems that the finals of the
State High School Basketball
Tournament presented.
This past Saturday, some
20,000 fans supporting 16 dif
ferent teams invaded Chapel
Hill for a one-day champion
ship round of basketball. The
problems arose when these
people tried to find parking
spaces near the two venues,
Smith Center and Carmichael
Auditorium. Numerous fans
parked in the lots reserved for
students. At Hinton James lot,
there was not a space to be
found as of 4 p.m.. We have
heard similar reports from
residents of Teague and Car
michael dorms.
Either the University or the
North Carolina High School
Athletic Association should
have used greater foresight in
this problem. Nearly two weeks
ago we were bombarded with
another event, the NCAA tour
nament. Whereas the Univer
sity staffed the parking lots for
the NCAAs, in much the same
manner as a regular Carolina
basketball game, we witnessed
maybe two or three such per
sonnel for the high school
tourney.
1 his is the third year in which
the NCHSAA has held the
finals of boys' and girls' bas
ketball in Chapel Hill. Indeed,
there is much to be gained by
having the best in prep basket
ball play at the best college
basketball facilities in the
nation. It is probably one of
Carolina's best recruiting tools.
It would be a shame if this
parking situation would begin
to cause a strain in the rela
tionship between the students
of Carolina and the NCHSAA.
Our hope is that the Univer
sity will address our and other
students' concerns about this
matter to the NCHSAA.
Simply planning ahead is all
that is needed to stop this great
inconvenience.
PAUL TEAGUE
Sophomore
English History
JANEL PUSTILNIK
Sophomore
Business Administration
Letters policy
All letters and columns
must be signed by the
author(s), with a limit of two
signatures per letter or
column.
Panamanian rights and interests denied
To the editor:
I must say that the student body got
a little more educated Tuesday on the
subject of U.S. involvement in Central
America. Jurgen Buchenau's March 22
column ("Reagan's policy repeats past
mistakes' was clear and to the point, that
being, "Haven't we learned from history
yet?" lt seems with the current adminis
tration's policy on Central America that
we are doomed, as a nation, to repeat
ourselves. How depressing. Our chidren
may as well read our history books; just
change some names and it will be more
or less the same.
But how many of you can read what
the history books tell us and not be
incensed by it all? Jimmy Carter (I know
not many like him), despite everything else,
had a conscience when he dealt with
Panama in the 70s. He conceded to former
President Torrijo's every demand, by
returning U.S. government land to
Panama through gradual steps, decreasing
the number of U.S. citizens working
outside of the military in Panama and
setting a date for final U.S. withdrawal
from Panama. Politicians and even edu
cated students say we gave back too much,
that the Panamanians won't take care of
"our" interests and that the government
and the people are too unstable or
distrustful.
But weVe gotten away with so much in
the past that it's the Panamanians who
have the right to distrust us. We had set
up our own little country in the heart of
theirs; wouldn't that rile an American in
all his dignity if it happened here? Imagine
the implications of our own little demo
cracy in their country, where we followed
our own rules while disregarding theirs.
Where the hell did diplomacy, common
courtesy and common sense go?
We have even been known to send U.S.
ambassadors to these countries without
any knowledge of the native language or
customs (read about Mexico). Would we
accept the same? We have Japanese
businessmen who study our customs and
language in order to communicate with us.
Immigrants who had to overcome lan
guage barriers and many other difficulties
to assimilate themselves into our society
would not have gotten anywhere in this
country unless they had made such efforts.
Going back to the case in point, we haven't
been making an effort since banana
plantations were set up in Central America
in the late 18th century, and we have
continued this "policy" today, by playing
cat and mouse with the contras and
whining because Ortega didn't say "pretty
please" to us when he first asked for our
support.
One last note. I've been hearing that
Nicaragua is becoming another Vietnam
in our mental history books. Here's
another one for you; we are deliberately
making it another Cuba parallel the Bay
of Pigs invasion of 1962-63 to the contra
movement of today. In both cases, the
citizens of the attacked country did not
rise up in arms to support the insurgents.
Instead, they saw a clear reason behind
their country's problems us, and as
Jurgen put it, our "Big Stick."
SUSAN LEE
Junior
Latin American Studies