10The Daily Tar Heel Monday, February 20, 1989 Otti? Satlg (Uar Hn Election Forum. 96th year of editorial freedom Karen Bell, New s Editor MATT BIVENS, Associate Editor KlMBERLY EDENS, University Editor JON K. RUST, Managing Editor Will Lingo, cay Editor Kelly Rhodes, Arts 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 A chorus of yeas Fund a center for fun and fitness We support the referendum to increase student fees in order to construct the proposed Student Recreation Center. The SRC would be an extension of Fetzer Gym and would include a 10,000 square foot weightroom with Nautilus, universal and free weight equipment, a 10,000-square-f oot aerobics multi-purpose exercise room and the UNC Wellness Center, where students would receive free, professional advice on health matters and workout programs. The Carolina Athletic Association proposed building the SRC in response to complaints about the inadequacies of the current facilities for students. The weightrooms in Woollen Gym are crowded and poorly ventilated, and hours of operation of both Fetzer and Woollen are severely limited due to classes and reserved use times for varsity athletes. The con struction of the SRC would alleviate these problems. As unpopular as this idea may be, it's important that students shoulder the project's entire cost $4.5 million. A student board, much like the one that runs the Carolina Union's pro gramming, would manage the SRC, but funding from non-student sources could jeopardize future control of the facility. The lesson comes straight from our experiences in the Smith Center; a facility serves best those who paid to build it. Thus, it will be necessary to raise student fees $13 per semester and $4.35 per summer ses sion, beginning in fall 0 at the earliest. If you would benefit from the construction of this facility and it seems obvious that just about every student would vote in support of the Student Recreation Center referendum. Make the attorney general's life easier The referendum to amend the appointment date for the student attorney general would make a minor but sensible change. The student body president now appoints the new attorney general after the spring elections, but this measure would allow the outgoing president to appoint the attorney general before the elections. The technical change in the student constitution would give the new attorney general time to choose a staff, making the transition smoother. Give undergraduate teaching a boost The referendum to increase student fees for undergraduates by 75 cents per semester offers students a chance to prove that excellence in undergraduate teaching; is. a priority for them. This doesn't' mean that student fees should be uSed"to attract better faculty that's the University administration's job. However, students should be able to use their fees to reward excellent teachers, and that's what this referen dum would do. It would send a powerful message to the faculty: Students want good teachers and they appreciate good teachers. This award, which would give a $5,000 grant to four recipients each year, is unique because a 10-member all-student committee would select the teachers and because any instructor would be eligible, from teaching assistants to department chairmen. This referendum offers students a chance to remind administrators that the quality of undergraduate; teaching must continually 'be evaluatedritalso offers a rare incentive for faculty members to be good teachers, not just a good researchers. Research is central to the University's mission, but too often it is pursued at the expense of students who can't benefit from a professor's elevated level of expertise. Seventy-five cents a semester isn't too much to pay for a chance to show the University administrators and faculty that undergraduate students care about excellence in the classroom. Establish a second-in-command The creation of a vice president's position in student government could be considered the most important referendum on this spring's ballot, especially from student government's point of view. The vice president would represent the student body at meetings the student body president could not attend and would generally make the president's life a little easier. One of the busiest people on this campus is Kevin Martin. As student tody president, he is a member of hearty every significant board and committee on campus, from the Board 6f Trustees to the temporary commit tees established to conduct national searches for top administrators. But, as Martin is acutely aware, he is only human and can only be in one place at a time. He is very supportive of the proposed vice president's position, because he knows how many demands are placed on the student body president. A vice president would free the SBP, and allowing him or her, and indeed student government's entire Executive Branch, to function more effectively. And the proposed selection process is designed to ensure a well-qualified choice, not just a politically expedient one. The student body president-elect would appoint a vice president from a group of candidates submitted by a special student search committee, and the appointment would have to be approved by a two-thirds vote of Student Congress. Let Student Congress set this date , Another referendum on the ballot would allow Student Congress to set the date of its annual budget process. The change is necessary because the Student body president will be inaug urated in April beginning this year; in past years the final budget hearing has been in April. This referendum would give the congress much-needed flexibility in setting the date, to make the budget process run more smoothly and to accommodate the needs of student, groups. We firmly support anything which would make the budget process less of a headache for congress members. Summer programming (some' re not) Th is referendum would eive Summer School students their just share of benefits from student fees, without increasing student fees for any term. It would automatically allocate to the Carolina Union 20 percent of summer student fees, so the funds could be used for summer program ming. Under the current system, about 20 percent of the fees remains unspent at the end of the summer, so that it is used later to support organizations which benefit only spring and fall students. This change won't cost anyone any more money; instead, it will channel summer fees into the Union, which is already well equipped to provide quality programming for students. Expecting summer students to fund programs they may not even be around to appreciate is blatantly unfair, and the system should be changed. Senior class officers affect all students Editor's note: The author is the senior class president. Every year, The Daily Tar Heel's editorial board prints their endor sement of candidates for student body president, RH A and CAA presidents, DTH editor and senior class president and vice president. Every year, candidates and voters argue the appropriateness of the DTH's active involvement in affecting the outcome of the elections. This year, the DTH has decided not to endorse well, at least not the senior class candidates. The reasons for not endorsing the senior class election are seemingly twofold. First, the editorial board feels like their lack of knowledge about senior class activities would make it difficult for them to judge the candidates fairly. Second, this year the board differentiates the senior class from other elected offices because it does not represent the entire student body. I would like to commend the board on their honest and ethical decision not to endorse an office they know very little about. However, I would encourage future editors to learn more about the senior class, not only because UNC's senior class has Steve Tepper Guest Writer become a national model but because its purpose encompasses the entire University community. I'm not comfortable with the notion that the vitality of an elected office stems solely from the number of DTH readers that happen to be constituents. By using this criteria for selecting who to endorse, the focus is on the voting process rather than the relative impact, importance or scope of the elected office. Perhaps the DTH should consider the number of people affected by an office not only the number of people voting. Will our class gift of a $500,000 endowed teaching chair affect only seniors? How about our "Alumni Outreach" program, which promotes student and alumni interaction in an effort to facilitate career placement? Surely this will affect more than just the Class of 1989. What about our class's initiative in bringing home the University's 200-year-old charter? The chancellor has noted the historic signifi cance of this project as being the Univer? sity's first bicentennial event. Is this a limited impact? What about the class's recommendation to create a new category of student . activities awards which will affect every student organization on campus? What about the Senior Buddy Program, in which seniors, juniors and sophomores help freshmen adapt to UNC? Would revitalizing Carolina's tradition of an a7-campus Fall Germans Dance be considered narrow in focus? Regardless, evidently juniors will have to make a decision about their class officers . without the help of the DTH. There are plenty of criteria to judge on: creativity, responsibility and hard work are just a few.' Take the time to learn about both teams: Hancock Harris and Rosin Brayboy.. Please try to make a responsible choicer. Your class officers will not only affect your senior year, but they have the potential to significantly affect the entire University; for years to come. Steve Tepper is a senior international, studies major from Winston Salem. j Vote yes to summer fees To the editor: I strongly support your edi torial stance urging students to set an example for us all and to set a pattern in their own lives by voting in the student elections. This is particularly important for any referendum on the ballot since a minimum total vote is required for passage. On behalf of the UNC Summer School and its stu dents, I urge a yes vote for the referendum on a new distribu tion of summer student activity fees. This change will not affect the amount of student activity fees in any term fall, spring or summer. Currently, activity fee money is allocated by a budget process that occurs in March and April, when there is seldom anyone seeking specific funds for summer activity programming. The result is that summer students are under-represented and once the summer begins, there is no funding and no student organization prepared to plan or present summer -activities' . " v The new distribution will automatically allocate a por tion of funds to the Carolina Union so that the Union can plan and program summer activities such as films, concerts and Cabaret evenings. This proposal is wise in terms of fairness and effectiveness. Summer students pay a student activity fee for each session and deserve some programming. The Union already has the, expertise, contacts, student board and personnel to do the programming indeed, it exists for such a purpose. Thus, we can expect nearly the full amount of redistributed funds to go for summer programming and not toward establishing ' extra bureaucracy, which would be needed if the Summer School or a new student group became responsible. JIM MURPHY Dean Summer School Support teaching awards To the editor: I am pleased to announce that nominations are being sought for awards for Distin guished Undergraduate Teach ing at UNC-CH. This year there will be six awards valued at $2,000 each: five Tanner Awards and one Nicolas Salgo Award; ; '' '; ' 7 """" w- In the selection of recipients for these awards, students will play a vital role by participating in the process by which can didates are nominated. Please consider nominating those teachers with whom you've studied who have demon strated excellence in the classroom. Don't allow the opportunity to nominate candidates pass you by. Nomination forms for the Distinguished Teaching Awards are available at key locations on campus and in 102 Steele Building. Please take the time to respond to make sure that those faculty members deserving of special recognition in this University receive it. Your help is greatly appreciated. PAUL HARDIN Chancellor FerrisZeeman verdict harmful To the editor: The Student Supreme Court made a decision Thursday night that has harmed the junior class. The candidates who filed the appeal, Hancock, Harris, Rosin and Brayboy, seem to be motivated by inter ests that would benefit their particular campaigns more than that of the class in general. Student Chief Justice James Exum said that "the plaintiffs must 'establish that (they) were harmed by an error." The senior class candidates must have considered Ferris and Zeeman competition for weeks. So it doesn't harm them that Ferris and Zeeman were allowed to run. Their obvious motivation is to eliminate some competitors': from their election race. Aren't' they confident enough in their own experience and abilities to try and win on their own merit? By attacking the system rather; than the issues in this senior class campaign, they are' exploiting the very Elections Board itself, and the process it" uses to ensure fair campaigns. They contest the Elections Board decision to allow Ferris and Zeeman on the ballot, because the board "should include a number of graduate and professional students in proportion to the number of those students in the student body." The Elections Board.; chairman himself said there really isn't any way to achieve this if not enough graduate j students apply for the board, j By granting this point, all actions taken by the Elections Board this year, including the I candidates' own election bid as J well as all other campus cam- ' i paigns, will be invalid. Do they have the student body's best interests in mind, or are they ' just interfering in a situation which had already been resolved? r i MATT LOTSPEICH $ Junior $ History political science ALLAN YOUNGER $ Junior ' Industrial relations Letters of support for senior class hopefuls ;: HancockHarris . To the editor: On Feb. 21, all of us juniors are going to take the first step toward shaping our final year at Carolina. Your choice for senior class president and vice president will represent the qualities you feel are important in making our last year the best one weVe experienced. Let me tell you why I am voting for Peter Hancock and Ranchor Harris. These guys are natural lead ers who seem to have a knack for commanding respect from others. Over the past two years IVe known them, I've noticed this esteem and the high value others associate with their friendship. Their communica tion skills and unaffected rela tions with others have been demonstrated through their door-to-door campaigning and appearances before University organizations. Their desire to lead our class and apply their personal qualities on a more official level seems to be a natural product of their personalities. More importantly, I'm vot ing for Peter and Ranchor because I appreciate their com mitment to making an impact on this University. I think facilitating the job hunt by making professor and alumni references and recommenda tions more accessible will be fully appreciated once we all start planning our careers. Also, giving back our time and resources to the University and community through their senior enrichment and campus participation programs is a great way for some of us to say thanks for the fantastic college environment we've been given. Their goal of allowing seniors to award an honorary docto rate to the commencement speaker would not only bring notoriety to the University but also more prestige to the com mencement speakers in the future. I can't write about their entire platform, but these ideas have a lot of appeal to me. I'm voting for Peter Hancock and Ranchor Harris, and I encour: age all juniors to consider my recommendation in making their own decision. MIKE CONNOR. Junior. Political science, international studies, RosinBrayboy To the editor: As a senior at UNC, I have been unaware of what is going on with my class. Part of this may be my fault, but I can't accept all of the blame. Elected senior class officers should understand that commitment is part of the job. This is one of the many reasons why I highly recommend Danny Rosin and Bryan Brayboy as next year's senior class officers. Through their responsible approach to researching, Danny and Bryan will bridge the gap between the seniors and the opportunities that await them. Facilitating the transi tion into the business world is definitely a priority, but Rosin and Brayboy are also commit ted to increasing senior unity through social events with ideas like "Blue Heaven" (a summer blast), more senior nights out with frequent bar specials and senior privileges for seating at athletic events. This is what commitment is all about. But commitment is not all it takes; it also takes the quali fying experience that Danny Rosin and Bryan Brayboy possess. Because Danny has formed an organization that works with Operation Smile (up for a presidential award), he has firsthand experience in creating a successful service project. As a member of the Campus Y Executive, Danny has the ability to effectively work with the many senior class committees. Bryan, with his experience as one of 14 ambas sadors to UNC, has already proven that he can bring job recruiters to our campus. He was also the chairman of a committee that raised more than $7,000 for Chapel Hill's Children's Hospital. T, like many other Carolina students, see the senior class offices as hardly political. Rosin and Brayboy are. genuinely interested in provid ing a memorable senior year and helping seniors find the best jobs attainable. They are not motivated by trying to "brown nose" the administra tion. Juniors, you have a chance to know what's going on with your senior class by taking time out to vote for Danny Rosin and Bryan Bray boy on Feb. 21. CLARENCE CARTER Senior Speech communication psychology To the editor: Over the past few weeks, Danny Rosin and Bryan Bray boy have clearly distinguished themselves as the most innov ative and qualified pair running for the offices of senior class president and vice president. Innovative As part of their six-point platform, Danny and Bryan have pro posed a senior class service project in conjunction with Operation Smile, a non-profit organization composed of sur geons, psychologists, educa tors, physical therapists and student volunteers who provide free medical attention, health education and school supplies to the needy across the world. Qualified As a high school senior, Danny Rosin traveled with Operation Smile and found his experience so reward ing that he started a club at his school to directly contribute to and participate in the program. The club, named the Happy Club, has since expanded to 16 other high schools and cur rently is being considered for a presidential award. Danny brings that expertise and expe rience to the senior class. Innovative Danny and Bryan have also submitted a thoroughly researched and modified proposal to facilitate; in conjunction with UNC's Career Planning and Place ment Services (UCPPS), 3 revolving database consisting of an up-to-date list of Carolina alumni, their jobs and loca tions, to allow seniors to "get their foot in the door" with job openings across the nation, i Qualified For the past year, Bryan Brayboy has worked as a student ambassa-s dor for UCPPS. As a student ambassador, he has worked to successfully convince major corporations to recruit on this campus. Bryan has already. made it possible for UlC students to get that "foot in the. door." Bryan brings that exper tise and experience to the senior class. Danny and Bryan now feel they can best apply their talents as our senior class president and vice president. Innovative and qualified. Demonstrated commitment and experience. Give them a chance to work for you. BROCK WINSLOW Junior Philosophy speech communication

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