Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Oct. 6, 1988, edition 1 / Page 8
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8The Daily Tar Heel Thursday, October 6, 1988 96th year of editorial freedom Jean Lutes, Editor Karen Bell, News Editor MATT BlVENS, Associate Editor KlMBERLY EDENS,'(Wrji Editor JON K. RUST, Managing Editor Will Lingo, aty Editor Kelly Rhodes, Arts Editor CATHY McHUGH, Omnibus Editor KAARIN TlSUE, News Editor LAURA PEARLMAN, Associate Editor KRISTEN GARDNER, University Editor SHARON KEBSCHULL, State and National Editor MIKE BERARDINO, Sports Editor LEIGH ANN McDONALD, Features Editor KlM DONEHOWER, Design Editor DAVID MINTON, Photography Editor Hug a library book today board opinion YouVe all seen the "I read banned books" T-shirts on sale at the Bull's Head Bookshop. " Well, let's add a subtitle to that shirt: . . . but I won 't be able to read banned books if my school's system of libraries lacks the money to keep them on the shelves. For the second year in a row, the N.C. General Assembly has denied the University a funding increase for new library materials. Over these two years, funds set aside for the acquisition of new books have shrunk by 29 percent. "So what?" you ask with a yawn. "So we can't buy as many new books as the librarians would like." But the librarians want new mate rials because students and faculty members need them. Librarians dont suffer without books; the quality of education and research does. Libraries across campus have had to deny faculty requests for books, reduce bound materials and cut back on serial subscriptions. Last year, at the Health Sciences Library, more than 175 serial subscriptions were canceled. This is because the cost of books and serials is rising drastically. One-half of all serials and one-fourth of all books are bought in foreign markets, so the decline in the dollar's overseas buying power has worsened the already-spiraling book inflation. To deal with the decline in buying power, the library has had to label all its requests with a priority number "priority one," "priority two," and so on. Now only "priority one" materials are being sent to the acquisitions department for purchase, leaving thousands of lesser-priority materials in reserved limbo. Perhaps the plight of all these lonely books doesnt move your stone heart. If you remain unimpressed with the lost educational opportunities, con sider this: the reputation of your school (as in, the weight of your diploma in a job interview) rests in part on the strength of the libraries. As the Record of the University says, "One asset which contributes to this (the University's) reputation is Carolina's superb library system containing more than a million volumes ranked first in the Sou theast and 17th in the U.S. and Canada by the Association of Research Libraries." And while the librarians have taken great care to gather all of the most important materials, there are still materials that simply aren't available. Many trade journals and other pub lications are valuable to researchers, and not having those materials could hamper UNC's efforts as a research institution. And of course, part of UNC's national acclaim rests on research laurels. When the General Assembly denied the library's request last year for more funding, The Daily Tar Heel ran a board opinion similar to this one. It called on students to lobby the General Assembly for more library funds; it called on the General Assembly to listen. Once again, the call goes out: money must be found for the libraries. With luck, the call will be answered before the librarians have to start pulling "Catcher in the Rye" from the shelves not for its content but for its cost. Running out of time to register The next time you pick up a DTH the paper will resume publishing on Tuesday it will be too late to register to vote in the upcoming presidential elections. So you have to do it now. You can't register at a booth in the Pit any longer, but if you go home for fall break, tear yourself away from Mom's cooking long enough to visit your hometown municipal building. Or better yet, stop by the Chapel Hill Public Library before you leave town and register to vote in Chapel Hill. As Jesse Jackson said during his speech at Duke University earlier this semester, you should register to vote where you live, and "where you live is where you're going to spend the next two or three nights." So, go forth, watch the leaves change, sleep late, read TV Guide, watch soap operas and game shows, forget about papers and exams, and enjoy fall break. And register to vote. Champaign on tax dollars It must be the season to confer on the abundance of problems facing Chapel Hill. Orange County taxpayers dished out nearly $20,000 for last week's Public-Private Partnership conference in Champaign-Urbana, 111. Much of the conversations between Mayor Jonathan Howes, Chancellor Paul Hardin and their respective staffs were aimed toward resolving town-gown conflicts. Thirteen Chapel Hill officials, at a cost of $6,493, and eight University officials, at a cost of $3,996, attended the conference. So did 94 other county officials and businessmen. Next week, some of the same officials will be attending the N.C. League of Munic ipalities conference in Asheville. And some of them won't. Hillsbo rough Mayor Fred Cates said he would not be able to go because the high cost of the Illinois conference about $499 a person used up the money Hillsborough had budgeted for such conferences. No one would say relations between the University and the town are unimportant. Howes and Hardin both reported much progress had been made toward bettering communica tion between Chapel Hill residents and members of the University community at the conference, so it obviously had its merits. But why did 1 15 people have to go to Illinois, many at the taxpayers' expense, to make these giant steps toward improving Chapel Hill? The local organizers of the trip said they chose Champaign-Urbana as the site of the conference because of the towns' similarities to Chapel Hill and Carrboro. With the University of Illinois in the midst of the neighboring cities, Champaign-Urbana is faced with problems such as public trans portation, parking, green space and town-gown relations, making the cities' situation very comparable to that of Chapel Hill and Carrboro. That's perfectly valid. But couldn't a Chapel Hill contingent of, say 25 tour the cities and report back to a conference of local policy-makers here? The 115 people who attended the conference included local bankers, real estate brokers, architects, hoteliers and restaurateurs. Why do the University and town administrators need these local businessmen and women's per ceptions of Champaign-Urbana? How many people does it take to evaluate another town's programs? Next year, the fourth such confer ence probably will be scheduled at another of the nation's college towns, To reduce the taxpayers tab, a select group of policy-makers should make the trip, and anyone interested in the fruits of their labors should be invited to listen to presentations at a later date in Chapel Hill. This way, administrators would have a time to work together on the town's problems and a separate time to work with area merchants. The town and University officials would benefit, and so would the residents who are picking up the check. Sandy Dimsdale 'Relationship' should be a four-letter word M ale-female relationships are cur ious things. For some, they work out fine and are wonderful experiences. For others, it's best just to go out and buy a hamster. As college students we can either get involved in serious relationships or choose, instead, to date around. Personally, I'm dating around right now, which in practical terms means around every 10 years or so I get a date. It's an ongoing quest. In my last relationship, I thought being the sensitive guy was the thing to do. Only after that relationship ended did I realize that being a sensitive guy meant being attentive and understanding. I had thought being a sensitve guy meant being sensitive, so every time she asked me how I was doing, I'd scream, "And just what the hell is that supposed to mean?!" We eventually broke it off. Then I read somewhere that acting like you're not interested really attracts a girl. The article said playing hard to get poses an attractive challenge. Well, in this particular relationship I'm thinking about, I did my part. I never called her. I never went by to see her. Of course, she never called or came to visit me either. David Ro well Pardon Me Just being friends with a girl can be a tremendous relief from all the stress relationships cause. At the same time, it may cause you to have the sex life of an oak tree. What's dangerous in these relationships is that you, or more to the point I, cant help thinking what would happen if things were to become a little more romantic. But then these complica tions date back to the dawn of man, so I know I am not the first guy to fall to such thinking. Few know that the fate of the world lay in jeopardy because Eve only thought of Adam as a friend. He had strong feelings for her, and wanted their relation ship to be more, but Eve was a little unsure. She was going out with a pear tree at the time. . Unfortunately, I can't exactly use the same rational defense in my friendships with girls. I try cash incentives and bonuses instead. (For the record, the word platonic comes from the Latin , phrase "amicus platonicus," literally translated as "friend ship without tongue.") So what's a lonely guy to do? I suppose I could go out to the bars, trying to meet girls. But I never have any good lines to use, and if I do, they come out wrong, like "So, where's your major from." I just get too damm nervous approaching strangers. Some girl will tell me she's from Greensboro and IH say, "Yeah? IVe got a cousin from Raleigh." ' Anyway, the whole idea of trying to get know some girl whose blood-alcohol content is around two-thirds is a little depressing. Why is it that when other people have serious relationships, that means deep commitment and love, but when I'm in a serious relationship, it means we sit around discussing Watergate and the dangers of cholesterol? Love is hell. In these rough, in-a-slump days, I cant help but wish I was an inanimate object, devoid of all the heartaches male-female relation ships can bring. I wish I was a paperclip. David Rowell is a junior R TV MP major from Fayetteville. 'Readers9 Foraoi Blame Congress for the deficit To the editor: Upon reading the letter entitled "Big spending conser vatives" (Sept. 27), I was struck by the complete lack of political knowledge exhibited by the author. As is obvious from his inaccurate rantings about the deficit, he is totally unaware of the roles played in the federal government by both the pres ident and the Congress. The reality of the situation is that the U.S. Congress is responsi ble for the huge federal deficit Americans are now 'facing. It is the Congress, and not the president, that allocates, and spends every red cent of the taxpayers money, and then some! Because the Congress, which is controlled by the liberal Democrats, has contin ually chosen to be economically irresponsible, the deficit has continued to rage out of con trol. It will continue to do so until the American public decides to get serious about the deficit and cast their vote for economic responsibility. HOLLY PIERSON Sophomore Political science 51 minutes of pain To the editor: I am writing on behalf of students who have classes in Carroll Hall who occasionally desire to use the restroom facilities. I am sure that many of us have found them to be locked in our times of need. Seeing that Carroll 106 seats approximately 300 people, it seems logical that the 'res trooms may be needed some times. Like now. It is now 12:59, and I have to sit through the next 51 minutes in pain. Of course, my concentration on economics will be lessened because the Diet Coke I had at lunch may soon be on this seat. I know I could have gone to another building before class started, but why should I have to? I have to go here and now! I tried two women's restrooms in this building and both are locked. Maybe they are worried about vandalism in the res trooms, but which is worse writing on the walls or the alternative on my seat? AUDREY HARMON Sophomore Industrial Relations CH I LC JN PRESIDENTIAL K ' vX' Ov DEBATE Sm 1 vW Tradition continues To the editor. It looks like the UNC tra dition will continue next year when, most likely, sophomores won't be able to park on campus. What tradition do I speak of? Just look around. Marriott Corporation charges $3.13 for 4 ounces of Maxwell House. In Lenoir or Chase Hall, one is lucky to spend under five or six dollars per decent meal (decent here con notes proportion, not quality). The Student Stores take in about $200 per student for books and give back about 50. Professors are too busy doing research to care whether we didnt understand something explained in class, and TAs dont keep their office hours because they have to hold side jobs to keep above the poverty level. Student Congress could help us if we knew what it was and actually volunteered for some of the empty seats. The Uni versity might help us if it werent so busy catering to the athletic program, the Rams Club, finding new ways to get money out of us and slapping student radicals on the back of the hand. It looks like this will be "business as usual" for the indefinite future. Yes, the tra dition continues at UNC. JOE KENDRICK Sophomore Undecided Game support refreshing To the editor: I will admit that during the early stages of last Saturday's Louisville-Carolina game was the first time during my years following the Tar Heels I have ever thought about the ' rule which allows officials to sus pend a game because of violent weather. Those thunderstorms looked really bad when they moved into the area and eventually drenched the fans.' But in the midst of all that bad weather, I could still hear and see a lot of students and the band sup porting the Heels. I talked about their efforts on the Tar Heel Sports Network, but I wanted to personally congrat ulate them plus urge them to keep it up and stay behind this team. When Coach Brown arrived, he asked for the patience of the students and alumni as he embarked upon his transition period. He and his staff, along with this year's team, are work ing hard to give us something to get excited about, not just this year but on into the future. I would not think anybody has given up yet, just dont give out. I apologize for missing the familiar "Woody, Woody" chant during the Oklahoma game. The new press box is nice, but it's so high up that youll have to be really loud, and I hope you can see me respond. I can see the mike man's platform and about the first 12 rowk so I hope they can see me. Let's try again during the N.C. State game. Ill be listening for you. WOODY DURHAM The Voice of the Tarheels Why stop with Catholics? To the editor: . In- a lecture Monday night hosted by GAI A, a "population expert" warned students that the Catholic church repres ented a "security threat" to the United States, and that we need to do something "before the bishops completely control the -White House." He asserted that the Church is to blame for everything from overpopula tion to the greenhouse effect, and that the right-to-life move ment is an attempt to impose Catholic principles on the nation. Dr. Mumford's alarming condemnation of the Catholic policy is remindful of Hitler's scapegoating of the Jews. He claims that overpopulation is not caused by poverty, ignor ance or labor-intensive econo mies. He believes it is all the doing of the Catholic church, even in non-Christian lands such as Egypt and Iran (I'm sure the Bishop of Tehran is very powerful). In the United States, it is the right of all interest groups to lobby for what they believe. Blacks lobby through the NAACP, Jews lobby for pro Israel policies and Catholics lobby against abortion To deny a group its right to lobby because Dr. Mumford believes that the Church is "run by a few people who dont care about abortion they're just trying to make rank" would be unconstitutional. Granted, organized religion is rather inflexible; the Vati can's view on contraception contributes to overpopulation in Catholic nations, and there are Catholics in American politics. But if we follow Dr. Mumford's suggestion, we cant just stop with the Cathol ics, we need to suppress the blacks, and the Jews, and . . . . JOHNSCHABER Sophomore Chemistry Letters policy B Place letters in the box marked "Letters to the Editor" outside the DTH office in the Student Union. Review plays with enlightened opinions To the editor: Kelly Rhodes' review ("Imaginative casting, acting make this 'Marriage' work," Sept. 26) of the PlayMakers' production of "The Marriage of Figaro" is a model of bad critical practices, for it is both uninformed and uninforming, concerning both the history of the play and this production. Painfully unaware of performance tradition, Rhodes manages to rewrite the history of Beaumarchais' classic comedy with serious undertones. As a graduate student in French specializing in the 18th century, I recoiled in horror and stupe faction at Rhodes' assertion that the casting of Lynn Passarella as Cherubino was in ,any way non-traditional. Any real theater-lover knows that the role of the young page is normally played by a woman. Beaumarchais himself writes that the role is to be played be a very "young and beautiful woman." And Mozart continues and deepens this convention in his opera version, where a mezzo-soprano role of Cherubino. So how can this PlayMakers' production be considered non-traditional? But then what about Figaro? Casting the black Addison in the role of the valet may be out of the casting tradition, but it is in keeping with the spirit of the work, as well as allusive to the conditions of the antebellum South. However, Addison was not up to the part. And this is where Rhodes is at her blindest. Obviously, she has never read, the play, for if she had, she would have cringed at Addison's one dimensional, wooden performance. He aped and made silly faces at the drop of a hat and angrily declaimed Figaro's famous monologue of the fifth act, thus limiting the character to the two poles of comedy and tragedy, buffoonery and anger, the comic and the serious. However, Figaro's character is never so black and white, rather more in the gray, especially during the monologue. Besides missing Addison's flat reading of the part, Rhodes also overlooks the substantial tampering with the text. Part of the joy of seeing "The Marriage of Figaro" is the celebrated opening scene with Figaro on the floor measuring the space for his nuptial bed. PlayMakers interrupts this touchstone scene and adds a monologue of dubious authorship and necessity. Thousands upon thousands of spectators have, for centuries, come to performances of "Figaro" and taken joy and comfort in this most famous of opening scenes, left intact. It is not necessary for Figaro to introduce himself at the outset of this play. Beaumarchais artfully avoids such bald-face and clumsy exposition, so typical of regional theater productions. Everything you need to know about Figaro's role in the earlier play is presented when you need to know it and not before. The PlayMakers addition is both superfluous and annoying to Figaro lovers. KARLFATTIG Graduate French
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Oct. 6, 1988, edition 1
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