10The Daily Tar HeelFriday, February 10, 1989
96th ear of editorial freedom
Karen Bell, News Editor
MATT BlVENS, Associate Editor
. KlMBERLY EDENS, University Editor
JON K. RUST, Managing Editor
Will Lingo, cuy Editor
Kelly Rhodes, a rts Editor
CATHY McHUGH, Omnibus Editor
SHELLEY ERBLAND, Design Editor
Jean Lutes, Editor
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
Out of the vaccination line and into exile
A streetcar that's not desired
, Improving Franklin Street and the
downtown areas of Chapel Hill and
Carrboro is an idea with which no one
can argue, especially if such improve
ments involve only a minimal cost. The
latest proposal of the Downtown
Commission to the town council could
be the first step in that direction,
providing seemingly painless solutions
to some of the downtown area's more
significant problems. However, some
of the DTCs requests merit closer
inspection.
The apparent beauty of the DTC
plan is that it raises money through
a very minor property tax, approxi
mately seven cents per $100 of prop
erty value, and donations, both from
public and private sources. The
resulting revenue, possibly as much as
$150,000, would fund, among other
things, a trolley system to the down
town area and special events down
town. In the short run, no one loses
that much, and everyone benefits from
an improved business environment.
Not surprisingly, though, such a
Utopian arrangement is not without
its hidden costs and motives. Consider
the trolleys. The DTC proposal would
expend nearly $30,000 to operate a
trolley system from 11 a.m. to 2:30
p.m., prime hours for shopping and
lunching at downtown shops and
restaurants. What, the proposal does
not mention, however, is that Chapel
Hill already has an effective bus
system. Nor does the proposal explain
how the trolleys would improve the
existing bus schedule.
Even if the trolleys served areas that
the buses didn't, trolley riders would
need a place to park their cars and
wait. That could mean building park-and-ride
lots, a contingency which
would cost far more than the initial
$30,000 for the trolleys.
Another aspect of the proposal
bearing scrutiny is the ready availa
bility of private funds, which could
reach as much as $25,000. No one
doubts the civic pride of Chapel Hill's
merchants and financiers, yet money
given usually brings something in
return. What that return might be is
not quite clear, yet a changing Frank
lin Street environment has already
seen the closing of such student
favorites as Cat's Cradle and Logos
Bookstore. And the DTC proposal
could increase the pace of change on
Franklin Street.
The proposal is no doubt harmless
in its intent, and ideas such as more
special events and physical improve
ments in the downtown area are
desirable. The trolleys, however, show
that the proposal should be thought
through more carefully. As for stu
dents, for whom Franklin Street is
already a prime escape from campus,
the watchword is beware. David
Starnes
Leaving education in the cold
One of the most serious drawbacks
to the otherwise illustrious state of
North Carolina is its public education
system. Our state consistently lags
behind nearly all others in standard
ized test scores, dropout rates and
teacher salaries. In his reelection
campaign, Gov. Jim Martin emphas
ized "better schools" and pledged to
raise teacher salaries to the national
average by 1992 leading voters to
believe he would spearhead an effort
to turn things around.
But Martin's latest proposal to delay
a 5.7 percent teacher salary increase
until April 1990 does not fit that image
of commitment to secondary
education.
On Tuesday, some 2,000 teachers
will converge on Raleigh in protest of
the salary freeze. In response, Martin
has scheduled an "education summit"
for top state officials on Monday. This
summit, according to Martin, will
show teachers that despite bipartisan
efforts, the new revenues to support
an immediate pay increase cannot be
found.
House Democrats have criticized
Martin for trying to use the summit
to spread the blame for his own public
relations blunder. But certainly the
General Assembly must accept some
of the responsibility. The problem is
the direct result of a syndrome which
is familiar to most politicians: no one
wants to make the tough decision.
While it is undoubtedly difficult to
find the funds for an immediate hike
in teacher pay, the leaders of this state
must re-examine their priorities and
those of the voters. Martin and the
N.C. legislature should either take the
necessary steps to enact a pay raise
this year, or assure teachers of a more
substantial increase than the proposed
5.7 percent hike in 1990.
Especially in this time of general
economic prosperity in the state, we
as taxpayers should shoulder some of
the burden. A small tax increase is not
too much of a sacrifice to help ensure
a strong educational foundation for
our young people. Louis Bissette
Pollution crosses all lines
When it comes to environmental
issues, Americans seem to have learned
to focus attention on short-term gains
and immediate gratification, ignoring
the long-term effects of their actions.
It is this short-sighted and material
istic attitude that causes people to balk
when someone actually takes a stand.
Gov. Jim Martin and some state .
legislators have illustrated this point
well with their ridiculous responses to
Tennessee's crackdown on river
pollution.
Martin is concerned, and with
justification, about North Carolinians
who may lose their jobs if the Cham
pion paper mill in Canton has to close
or decrease its production because of
the pollutants it has been dumping into
the Pigeon River. But Martin also
knows he can't change Tennessee's
laws, so he can condemn North
Carolina's western neighbor all he
wants. What's more, he seems to have
forgotten that pollution is not a
problem that can be isolated within
one state; environmental problems
can't be kept within state lines.
Thus, he talks about "punishing"
Tennessee for not making an exception
to its standards for the Champion mill.
He speaks of limiting the amount of
N.C. water made available for Ten
nessee's use and of introducing mea
sures to penalize the state for "gassing
our mountains" with air pollutants
from automobiles.
This is not a surprising reaction.
After all, North Carolina is the state
where the Hardison amendments were
passed years ago. These fine amend
ments prevent state environmental
regulations from being any stricter
than federal standards. And the
Reagan administration managed to
ensure that federal environmental
standards never got too high. When
a recent Senate majority threatened
the existence of these amendments,
lobbyists for business interests such as
Champion International saw to it that
the amendments stayed on the books.
For the 2,300 people employed by
the Champion paper mill, which has
already spent hundreds of millions of
dollars trying to reduce its production
of water pollutants, Tennessee officials
must indeed appear to be the bad guys.
Certainly the situation requires careful
consideration so the repercussions
affect as few as possible.
But this should serve as a warning.
Coping with what we have done and
are doing to our environment will
require sacrifices from everyone. Our
only alternative, however, is to con
tinue to ignore our problems until it's
too late. Mary Jo Dunnington
You would think I'd have built up
an. immunity to it by now. After
four years of dealing with lines and
forms and procedures, all designed to run
smoothly, all disastrous in their implemen
tation, I shouldn't even react to bureau
cracy any more. Then the measles came
to town.
I still remember my first line at Carolina.
By some twist of cosmic fate, I didn't have
to go to drop-add, so I thought I would
take 10 minutes to get my student ID
picture taken. Seniors who asked me where
I was going must have felt like people
watching a horror movie when the first
sucker confidently claims he can spend the
night in the haunted house alone; they
knew 1 was a goner. I walked into the
Union only to find a line wrapping around
the second floor twice. I swapped war
stories with my freshman suitemates for
days. "I waited for two and a half hours
to get my picture taken." I was so proud.
"So what," said another veteran of the
bureaucracy. "I was in drop-add for almost
seven hours, and I'm not even through yet."
Big deal. This guy was not the brightest
person I had ever met, so I figured he had
botched his schedule somehow. I would
later learn that drop-add is not selective
of its victims: We all suffer its wrath at
some point.
I suffered through other bureaucratic
rites of passage at Carolina. I paid my $100
for the privilege of eating in Lenoir. I read
most of the books I was buying for classes
while in line at the Student Stores. I tried
to get back into my dorm room sophomore
year, throwing my fate into the hands of
the housing department and their efficient,
uncomplicated lottery. I'm still not sure
whether I got back in or not.
I know these kinds of hassles are not
unique. Part of the education at UNC. is
Bill Yelverton
Notes from the Abyss
how to deal with an overburdened system
and still maintain your sanity. To this point
in my career I thought I had survived pretty
well. I had conquered my final drop-add
and filled out the required forms to
graduate. I was home free.
Then I read about the outbreak of
measles at N.C. State. What a nightmare
to have to inoculate all those people.
Students being kept out of class, with
drawn from school that couldn't happen
here. Then it spread to Duke, and finally
to UNC. But it didn't seem like that big
of a problem; it just meant waiting in line
for a shot.
I went to Woollen Gym Monday
afternoon and waited in line with about
200 other people who wanted to get their
shots. As I was filling out the first form
of the day, I noticed a warning. It said
that those allergic to eggs should not be
vaccinated. Small problem: I'm allergic to
eggs.
I stepped out of line to get the attention
of one of the volunteers. A woman walked
up to me with one of those "you need to
get back in line right this instant young
man" looks on her face and said, "Yes?"
I explained my situation to her and her
expression changed to one of concern. "Oh,
I'm afraid youll have to speak with one
of our medical advisers." She was afraid?
Having to see someone special is never a
good thing in a bureaucracy. I negotiated
a maze of administrators who all had that
"get back in line look" which changed to
fear when I told them where I was going.
I was getting very worried.
The medical advisers explained that the
vaccine was grown in an egg culture, and
that it would be dangerous to inoculate
me. 1 said I understood, and that if they
would just sign my form saying I could
go to class without being inoculated I
would be on my way.
They told me it wasn't quite that simple.
They would not give me the shot, and I
would be barred from class for at least
two weeks unless 1 could prove that at some
point in my life I had been given a shot
that should have killed me.
I called home that afternoon and spoke
with my pediatrician. It turned out that
I had been given a special shot in 1976,
so I was safe. I took this news back to
Woollen Gym. The medical advisers were
happy for me, but unless I could show them
written proof they could not let me have
a card.
I checked Wednesday's mail, only to find
that the records had not come yet.
Yesterday I happened to have two exams,
but because the mail didn't come until 1
p.m., I had to miss them. I've made
arrangements to take make-up exams, but
it seems absurd that I would have to
inconvenience my professors because the
mail was late. I realize that the measles
is a serious and highly contagious disease
I would not lie about my inoculation
status.
Bureaucracy is a necessary evil at an
institution of this size. But to avoid
crippling the institution, the system needs
to have some built-in flexibility. I thought
I had been here long enough to build up
an immunity, but bureaucracy has struck
again and I'm definitely allergic.
Bill Yelverton is a senior English major
from Darien, Conn.
Readers9 For em
Focus
CGLA debate
To the editor:
In less than two weeks we
will once again be exercising
our given rights as students to
elect our student body presi
dent and Student Congress
representatives. But every year,
valuable time is wasted on one
issue funding the CGLA. In
an attempt to save time for
more useful issues, I would like
to explain how the budgeting
process works at UNC.
Through Student Congress,
all campus organizations that
are recognized by the Univer
sity can apply for student
funding. After submitting their
proposed budgets, the groups
are interviewed and questioned
by the finance committee of
Student Congress. The com
mittee budgets are then passed
along to the full Congress for
debate and approval or disap
proval. The budget is then
signed or vetoed by the student
body president.
The importance of this sys
tem, which is often ignored, is
the role of the student body
president. The president has no
vote in the budgeting process;
he only signs or vetoes the
whole budget. Also, the pres
ident has no line-item veto
in other words, he can't single
out one group, such as the
CGLA, and veto them. There
fore, a student body president
can only defund the CGLA by
defunding all campus organiza
tions. Furthermore, a veto
would probably just be over
ridden by the congress.
We should not waste the
student body president candi
dates' time with CGLA debates
because their opinions don't
really matter. I am not taking
a stand on CGLA funding; I'm
only trying to save time wasted
in debating the CGLA for more
important issues student
parking, town-University rela
tions and ticket distribution, to
name a few.
If you are concerned with the
funding status of the CGLA,
then ask your district's congress
candidates what they think of
the issue. Let the student body
president candidates discuss
issues more directly under their
control.
DAVID MAYNARD
Senior
RTVMP
Thanks to
AIDS experts
Editor's note: One other
person signed this letter.
To the editor:
Pharmacy education today
includes not only pathophysi
ology and treatment of dis
eases, but also significant
emphasis in the areas of health
education, communication and
counseling, and health promo
tiondisease prevention. The
national award received from
the Department of Health and
Human Services by the UNC
School of Pharmacy for their
AIDS awareness project recog
nizes the unique educational
background and societal value
of the profession of pharmacy.
We would like to recognize Dr.
Dennis Williams and Dr. Betty
Dennis, who provided the
responses for "Answers to
tough AIDS questions" (Feb.
1). Contrary to the editor's note
citing faculty members of the
School of Medicine as the
source, Dr. Dennis and Dr.
Williams are professors of
pharmacy practice at the UNC
School of Pharmacy. We are
grateful for their assistance
with the AIDS awareness pro
ject and regret the oversight of
their contributions.
DANA KISER
Fourth year
Pharmacy
GENE BROWN
Fourth year
Pharmacy
Jesus yardstick
irrelevant
To the editor:
Thanks for the general over
view you gave on religions on
the campus.
However, I was a little aston
ished when I read that I was
a "reformED" Jew; I do not
think I ever committed any
crime in my life and therefore
I have no reason to reform
myself.
It was also surprising to read
that "Judaism is based on a
different philosophy (than
other groups of the Christian
doctrine)" while "Hinduism is
less different from Christian
ity." Indeed, I do not think that,
ranking religions using the
"Jesus-stallion-standard" is
very relevant.
All in all, being a well
rounded person is not an easy
task!
SONIA ABECASSIS
Graduate student
French
Non-immunized student wants answers
w;
'hen I received my vaccination
card Tuesday evening, I didn't
think I had much to worry about.
After all, the religious objection in my
medical file had always taken care of any
immunization requirement for N.C. public
schools, as guaranteed by state law.
However, a call to Student Health Service
after my Wednesday classes painted me a
picture quite different from the one I
expected. It seemed that despite the validity
of my objection, I would not be permitted
to attend my classes.
I went to Woollen Gym in order to find
out exactly what would happen to me and
why. After waiting in three separate lines
and talking to five people on various levels
of the vaccination program, I was granted
an audience with Daniel Reimer, director
of the Orange County Public Health
Department (OCPHD). In nearly a half
hour of question and answer, all he was
able to convey to me was the following:
1) that he had decided to bar me from
attending UNC both for my own safety
and for that of vaccinated students, who
were still somehow imperiled by my
presence; 2) that his authority was based
on N.C. General Statute 130A, sections 144
and 145, which in the current "emergency"
situation of impending "epidemic" created
by UNC's single-case "outbreak" of
measles granted him the power to "qua-
Neal Thornburg
Guest Writer
rantine"and "isolate" (he would not specify
whether the persons to be quarantined or
isolated had to actually have or carry the
disease or could be chosen solely at his
discretion); 3) that those who could not,
or would not, have the vaccination would
not only be barred from classes, but also
from the campus and the residence halls;
and 4) that this suspension was open
ended, its duration to extend two weeks
beyond the last reported case of measles
at UNC. When I asked to see a copy of
his decisions in writing he refused to give
me one, saying that this was a matter I
would have to discuss with the University.
The University, however, could tell me
even less than Mr. Reimer. The office of
vice chancellor for student affairs referred
me to the office of the dean of students,
which in turn referred me to SHS. There
I was told that no decision concerning the
academic consequences of my suspension
had yet been made. They could only offer
me a telephone number to call "Friday or
Monday," which so far has not been
answered.
Clearly the University and OCPHD
have shown tremendous irresponsibility in
their, attempts to handle the measles
"outbreak." How can they deprive students
and employees who are within their legal
rights in refusing the vaccine, or who have
no choice (several medical considerations
can preclude the possibility of a measles
vaccination), of the education they have
paid for and the jobs on which they
depend? How can they make decisions
which so profoundly affect us without
planning for the consequences or offering
any official explanation? It is the latter
questions which most disturbs me, because
it shows the recklessness with which the
current program was conceived and is
being implemented. I call upon Mr. Reimer
and Dr. Judith Cowan, co-signers of the
vague and threatening card sent to many
thousands of UNC students, and which
ever University official is responsible for
overseeing the rights of students, to issue
a complete explanation of the threat, the
protective measures undertaken, and their
plan to deal with the consequences
immediately, and to distribute this expla
nation to all who are affected.
Neal Thornburg is a sophomore history
and political science major from
Lincolnton.
I