Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Feb. 6, 1989, edition 1 / Page 10
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10The Daily Tar Heel Monday, February 6, 1989 96 th vear of editorial freedom Jean Lutes, Editor Karen Bell, News Editor MATT BIVENS, Associate Editor KlMBERLY EDENS, University Editor JON K. RUST, Managing Editor Will Lingo, oty Editor Kelly Rhodes, Arts Editor CATHY McHUGH, Omnibus Editor SHELLEY ERBLAND, Design Editor For whom the Ever wonder why you can't call for dinner reservations at a Durham or Raleigh restaurant without running up your long-distance bill? Although the place may be only 10 minutes away, it's long distance to the telephone companies. Plans are in the works to change this system, so customers can call all over the Triangle "toll-free." But you're going to pay for it. Area phone service companies have submitted proposals to the N.C. Utilities Commission that would allow Triangle residents to call one another toll-free. But Orange County specifically Chapel Hill and Hillsbo rough would be hit hard by the new charges. Under the proposal, Chapel Hill rates would rise from $10.77 to $18.32. That's $7.55, compared to a proposed increase of 89 cents in Wendell and $1.07 in Raleigh. Hillsborough rates would more than double, going up $9.45, from $8.07 to $17.52. Central Telephone Co., which provides service to Hillsborough, has said toll-free service would require a huge increase because Hillsborough is not linked to any of the 14 other cities in the Triangle. A spokesman for the Southern Bell office in Raleigh said the increase in Chapel Hill rates would be high because Chapel Hill is the only Southern Bell exchange in which more than half of the residents and busi nesses make more than one toll call every month within the Triangle. Rape Duke University has a serious problem on its hands, and members of ihe UNC community should sit up and take notice. The two more rapes reported at Duke last week have students, faculty and administrators searching for a way to end the rash of such incidents that began in September. The arrest and conviction of a man accused of raping a Duke student last April may have temporarily quelled fears at the seemingly secure campus, but seven more attacks in the past five months have created an atmosphere of anger and fear. Many female students and staff members have said that they feel trapped and that their freedom of movement is being suppressed. The latest two incidents, which occurred Monday and Tuesday of last week, have caused students and staff to take some precautions. People are walking in groups, staying on well lighted routes and carrying Mace and whistles. Students have mobilized to promote safety, calling for increased and improved lighting, more emer gency phones and tighter security. University officials also are involved; they have offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect or suspects. UNC students, faculty and staff It's a tabloid. All that means is that the page's size is half the length of a regular newspaper's. I realize that word conjures up headlines such as: "Elvis Sperm Bank Located in Burbank, Calif." or "World's Thinnest Anorexic Thinks She's Still Fat." Well, Omnibus isn't the National Enquirer, but it really is more than just "that thing that falls out of the paper on Thursdays." It's got movie reviews, album reviews, intriguing artsy types, "General College" updates, WXYC's top 20 albums, the handy-dandy "Week's Fare" and, of course, Joe Bob Briggs. You'd be hard pressed to find a scrap of hard news within its pages but you should be able to find what's going on around town and, with any luck, something that makes you laugh or at least smile. But it wasn't always like this. At last year's DTH banquet, then editor Jill Gerber introduced me as the staffs most put-upon editor. All connotations of Rodney Dangcrfield aside, Omnibus hasn't always been treated with the respect that The Daily Tar Heel usually manages to generate. There was always some confusion (even among the staff here) about whether Omnibus was part of the paper or a separate entity. i as prooa KAARIN TlSUE, News Editor LAURA PEARLMAN, Associate Editor Kristen Gardner, University Editor WILLIAM TAGGART, State and National Editor Dave Glenn, sports Editor LEIGH ANN McDONALD, Features Editor BRIAN FOLEY, Photography Editor Kelly Thompson, Design Editor bell tolls The phone companies' logic behind the large increases is that people in Chapel Hill and Hillsborough call Durham and Raleigh more often than people in other areas. Therefore, the companies would lose more by offer ing Chapel Hill and Hillsborough toll free service. The increase in smaller cities, such as Zebulon and Wendell, will not be as high because the companies say residents of those areas do not need to make as many long distance calls. This doesn't seem logical; nor does the low rate increase in Raleigh. As the home of the state capitol, it seems that many of its residents would need to make a disproportionate number of toll calls. Toll-free service in the Triangle has been needed for a long time. County commissioners in Orange County probably can call less than a quarter of their constituents toll-free under the present system. And residents of Mebane and Graham cannot call N.C. Memorial Hospital or the University toll-free, although both areas are home to more than a few faculty and students. The proposals will be subject to review and revision by the N.C. Utility Commission, and it will probably be at least three months before any decision is made. After studying the proposal, the commission should support toll-free service but conclude that the telephone companies' prop osals have the wrong numbers. Sandy Dimsdale ble as measles shouldn't make the mistake of feeling safe because they are a few miles away in Chapel Hill. The University com munity must realize its vulnerability to the same type of situation. Lighting is poor in many areas, emergency phones are few, dorm security is often lax, and student behavior generally is not cautious. Also, the size and sprawling nature of this campus makes it even more conducive to rapes and assaults. And conditions may actually worsen if Chancellor Paul Hardin approves a recommendation by the ad hoc committee on parking. The recom mendation proposes that students pay $2 to park in all North Campus lots after 7 p.m. Many students then would choose to walk rather than drive to campus at night, increasing their vulnerability to attacks. Students will have a chance to voice their opposition to this proposal during two public forums, Feb. 10 at 3 p.m. in Old Clinic Auditorium and Feb. 13 at 3:30 p.m. in Hamilton 100. The tragic situation at Duke can be prevented from happening at UNC if students and administrators work together and take the necessary precautions. It is of tremendous importance that the University com munity realize that the same thing can happen here. Louis Bissette the last word I'm in the unique position of having no responsibility for putting out "the real paper" every day. (I guess my staff and I put out a "fake paper" every Thursday.) 1 don't have to go to the meetings to plan the next day's paper because Omnibus stands alone. It's a different size, it has its own type style and my staff and I paste it up ourselves. In the old days, stories that didn't quite fit the news category or that were too long to fit in the paper often were bumped over to Omnibus. So, the cover always had a picture on it highlighting a long story in the center spread. The rest of the pages were filled with a hodgepodge of aimless features, reviews and, as always, "Week's Fare." Quite often and despite our best efforts it was boring. Advertisers often weren't interested in a tabloid publication especially a boring one that nobody read. Then our ever-creative editor, Jean Lutes, suggested we make Omnibus fun. Forget pursuing the Pulitzer Prize with attempts at in-depth articles and give the people what they really want: entertainment. So, let us entertain you. It's what we live for. Cathy McIIugh (By the way Joe Bob Briggs is not a student here. Please stop calling the DTH office for him.) Documenting After reading Lisa Stockman's Jan. 27 article, "Definition of 'life' not open for debate," I wondered what kind of world she lives in. Before she defines the word "life," and compares abortion to racism, she makes the com ment that a woman should not have the choice of abortion except for cases of 'rape, incest,. birth control failure, health risk to the mother, etc." Most everyone will agree that abortion is not an honorable thing. However, it must remain a choice for all women to consider when faced with an unexpected pregnancy. Miss Stockman recognizes legitimate reasons for abortion, but she fails to see reality. If abortion were to be abolished with the exception of the reasons above, how are these reasons to be determined before it would be too late in the pregnancy to have the abortion? If a woman were to become pregnant by rape, what steps would she have to take to prove she was raped in order to Have the abortion? Maybe a filed police report would do, but how many women are mentally strong enough to walk into a police station to report being raped, and then explain that they needed documented proof that they were raped so they could Live it on TV To the editor: There are a lot of students complaining about the poorly distributed seats at the Dean Smith Center. I, for one, am one of them. Unfortunately, ' there is not really anything that I, myself, can do about it. Money talks at UNC, and it is talking at the lower section of the Smith Center. As much as I hate to say it, the alumni are going to keep the majority of the lower seats, no matter how much I complain. I have been to many Duke and State games, many of which they did not win. How ever, I had such a blast just being a part of the crowd that I loved going back to their games. The first game I attended at the Smith Center was the UCLA game. The Tar Heels played well and convinc ingly won, but I was disap pointed by the crowd's perfor mance. It was dead. Since then, I decided not to go to the Smith Center to watch any more basketball games I have watched every other one on TV. I have great respect for the basketball team and the Dean Smith Center, but not for the guaranteed seating. VICTOR MEIR Freshman Undecided Stop animal torture now To the editor: Among the many distortions and outright lies presented by guest writer Robert Slugg ("PETA demands frightening, unrealistic," Feb. 1), I did manage to find one bit of truth. The majority of the money that PETA raises does go to inform the American public of what really goes on behind closed laboratory doors. One of the missions of PETA and other animal rights groups is to let the public know that its tax and consumer dollars are going to finance costly, cruel and unne cessary research on animals in universities and private labs Ecstasy, Mudd, strippers and " feel good about the changes we've made, and I'm really confident that we're going to be able to take care of the students who want to stay on campus. " Wayne Kuncl, director of University housing, on his decision to guarantee housing for all sophomores. The controversial decision followed much debate and student opposition. DOB "He was a colorful character with a great sense of humor and a great sense of himself He loved to talk and tell stories. People remember him in' that regard." John Sanders, director of the Institute of Government, on the death of the institute's founder, Albert Coates. Coates died Jan. 28 at the age of 92. nun "I started to read my number but didn 't. Finally, I caught on and said 'Wait a minute. ' " Margaret Matthews, a UNC graduate student, who stopped just short of giving her credit card number over the phone to a stranger. University police believe the call was an attempt at credit card fraud. ODD " We certainly have never had an arrest of this magnitude before. " Police planner Jane Cousins on the arrest of a UNC student for possession of 6,000 tablets of MDMA, better known as "ecstasy." The student was arrested at his rape for the abortion police Jo-Anna Davis Guest Writer have an abortion? Then there's always date rape, which in most cases goes unreported. A victim of date rape most often knows her assailant fairly well, and he is some times closely affiliated with her circle of friends. If she wanted to deal with the guy herself instead of sharing the experience with a lot of people, how could she prove she had been raped in order to have the abortion? Much is the same for incest victims. How is a girl supposed to prove that her father, brother or close relative had intercourse with her? Would she need a written statement by him, or would she need to file a police report, too? By the time the girl had come up with the proof that she as a victim of incest, it would almost be public knowledge. The combined trauma of being a victim of incest, being pregnant from that act, and having to let it be known in order to have an abortion would be enough to completely destroy the girl's Readers9 For em RI hi ptAieo our nqJ Kp 3.-6 5 :5St 5a.5r ' " across the country. To classify researchers as "scientists without a slick pub lic relations department" is absurd. The American Medical Association is one of the rich est, most influential lobby groups in the country. Add to that the influence of universities and of major corporations financing labs engaged in pro duct testing and it is no wonder that the public knows so little about the torture of animals in the name of "science." The time is long past when we can be reassured by a pat on the head from someone in a lab coat or the claim that they know what is best for us because they are scientists. As taxpayers and citizens of this state, we have a right to know what is really going on in the labs we finance, and I strongly suspect that we are not going to like it. TONY PATTERSON Class of 2 Embryos aren't Swedes To the editor: This is in response to Frank lin Medlock ("Pro-choice for all women," Feb. 1), who points out that embryos are not adults and concludes that preborn babies are not people. It is true that embryos are not adults. Also, women are not men, and Swedes are not Chinese. There are many real and interesting and useful distinctions which can be drawn among the family of humankind. But which ones matter? Which distinctions are important for which purposes? Sensible people judge, for example, that women are dif ferent from men, but that this difference should not lead to a difference in our rights as citizens. We figure this out by thinking about what a citizen is, and why citizens have rights. It turns out that the difference between women and men doesn't touch on these consid erations. Similarly, embryos are different from adults. But why should the difference lead to a difference in intrinsic value the life of an adult being sacred, but the life of a baby being compared to that of a germ? Why do we value human life? John Paul II says that all human life, even when it is weak and suffering, is infinitely precious. Do you reject that? If you accept that, then think, "Where does that value come from? Do adults have more of it than children?" There are many reasons why we are tempted to value embryos less than the least lovable adults. Preborn child ren (call them embryos if you're anxious to keep them at a Week in Quotes apartment following a tip from a confi dential informer. "He knew his limits. He will always be remembered as The Great Communicator, even if his administrative skills are questioned. " Rogers. Smith, associate professor of political science at Yale University, on the Reagan legacy. DDD "I'm not so sure parking is the answer to attracting quality faculty. Especially at the expense of resident students. " Jimmy Randolph, president of the Res idence Hall Association, on the controver sial proposal to eliminate 350 student parking spaces on campus. The chancel lor's ad hoc committee on parking said in the proposal that lack of parking on campus is related to the University's failure to attract and retain faculty. ODD "And he said 'Oh sure, but that would be cheating. What we're doing here is just playing. It's fun and games; it's not cheating. ' " Catherine Mary Kampen, the stripper who implicated evangelist Jimmy Swaggart, on Swaggart's descrip tion of the nature of their relationship. BOB mentality. As to the exception of birth control failure, the methods of proof are almost laughable. Anyone, victim of preventive, failure or not, can present an empty pack of birth control pills, a torn condom, or a used intrauterine device, sponge, or an other used preventive method available! There's really no way to have absolute proof that someone is a victim of birth? control failure. The fact is, if abortion were abolished, the only legal abortions would be in cases ' where there was a health risk to the mother, : and possibly in instances of rape. A woman has the right to make choices about her own body. If she is forced into intercourse, or has good intentions but the preventive' methods fail, then she should be able to have all options available if a pregnancy occurs. The choice of whether to have an' abortion or not needs to be the individual's choice, made by her own set of values, not by the values and standards set by. others. Jo-Anna Davis is a freshman journalism, major from Sanford. distance) are voiceless, powfef less, hidden, dependent and inconvenient. But for which of these reasons should they bjs treated as trash? What are tfes implications for other segments of society of your value judgment? It isn't enough to be able o draw distinctions. You need to. understand when they are appropriate. ; LUCY O'KEEFE ""K" Graduate Physics Student Health: needs help The University has asked service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega to enlist students to help in coping with the measles outbreak. ' Students are needed to help coordinate the mass notifica tions and innoculations. Stu dent Health Service needs 16. people to work for three hours, during these times: 11:30 a.m., to 9 p.m. today, 9 a.m. to 9. p.m. Tuesday and 9 a.m. to 9. p.m. Wednesday. Any student organization whose members are willing to offer their services should contact APO at 962-1044 as'j soon as possible. ' UNC-Boone "I don't believe the people at Appalach ian State University would like thai institution to be renamed UNC-Boone. " Tom Lambeth, president-elect of trie General Alumni Association and chairman of a task force whose goal is to rename . TINC-CH simnlv UNC. He savs that other universities in the system might want to get new names, too. B B B "Based upon experiences in the past, it seemed time to have a more effective way of monitoring elections at the Campus Y. " Fifi Kashani-Sabet, co-president of the Campus Y, on the new membership policy which requires all students interested in joining the Campus Y to complete a registration form two weeks prior to election day. DOB V ft r "We wanted one tailored to our class,, our University. Who's better tailored to it than someone from the University?" benior uiass rresiaent 5teve lepper on ' nit iiiviiaiiuu tAitiiutu iu iwgci muuu iu deliver the commencement address this' May. Mudd received his master's degree in American history from UNC in 1953,v anu ins sun grauuaiea wun inc ciass oi 1983. nan Compiled by associate editor Laura' Pearlman. V
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Feb. 6, 1989, edition 1
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