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8The Daily Tar Heel Thursday, March 23, 1989 (Hit? Sailg ular Heel 97th year. of editorial freedom Sharon Kebschull, Editor WILLIAM TAGGART, Managing Editor LOUIS BlSSETTE, Editorial Page Editor MARY Jo DUNNINGTON, Editorial Page Editor JUSTIN McGuiRE, University Editor JENNY CLONINGER, University Editor TAMMY BLACK ARD, State and National Editor Ch ARLES BRITTAIN, City Editor ERIK DALE FlIPPO, Business Editor DAVE GLENN, Sports Editor CARA BONNETT, Arts and Features Editor JAMES BENTON, Omnibus Editor JULIA C00H,News Editor DAVID SUROmtCKl, Photography Editor Kelly Thompson, Design Editor Keep SATs out of ACC battles After the ACC championship game two weeks ago, Coach Dean Smith and the team had something to celebrate in the defeat of Duke. After Smith suspended foward J.R. Reid last week against UCLA for missing curfew, Smith received even more accolades for his commitment to discipline and integrity. Ignored, however, were some unfortunate remarks made by Smith in a press conference preceding the ACC to a query about the likelihood of Reid turning profes sional, Smith labelled the question racist, rightly arguing that the press rarely speculates upon the early departure of white players from college athletic programs. He continued' with . the assertion that Reid's and Scott Williams' SAT scores, when com bined, are greater than Duke players Danny Ferry's and Christian Laettner's. In his defense, Smith later would say, "I was trying to make a point about the assumptions people make about black and white athletes. Ferry and Laettner are very good students, but so are J.R. and Scott." Although his intentions were cor rect, comparing individual SAT scores or any personal academic records of opposing basketball teams is a bad practice that is unfair to both the players and the programs involved. Competition between ACC basketball teams is sufficiently intense on the court, and bringing the classroom into the fray is simply excessive. Similarly, UNC and Duke are two universities which put enormous academic pres sure on their students, and the last thing needed by a student athlete at either institution is the responsibility to outperform the other both on the playing field and off. Then there is the matter of privacy; no one likes to see something as personal as an SAT score paraded through the press and made the center of a public debate. Despite indications that the SAT is at best a weak indicator of success in college, the test's results are still widely viewed as a mark of intelligence or lack thereot. lhe comparison seems especially irrelevant given that three , of the four players cited by Smith are either juniors or seniors, for whom the test is a distant memory. Smith has always been a proponent of class and sportmanship, making them trademarks of the UNC basket ball program. However, he should refrain from bringing the rivalry between UNC and Duke to such a personal level and removing it from the court, even if the press continues to do so. Smith's path to success traditionally has been to accentuate the positive, and it's a path he should continue to follow. David Starnes Diving knee-deep into life's big questions TT Ve been obsessed with life's big questions lately. I mean the really big ones Why, JJLWhat, Where, How many at your table . . . I look for reason and explanation in everything but find nothing. I do things myself I can't explain. Take for example the wrong number syndrome. 1 find it partic uarly baffling. Why is it that when I call a wrong number (unknowingly) and a voice answers I know is not the party I'm trying to reach, or could possibly be in the same house with whom I wish to speak, I still go through with the motions of the call: I call my mother. As soon as the phone is picked up, I hear wild gunfire in the background. I hear the sharp screams of what may be 50 people in agony, and the sound of whole window panes crashing. The greeting is,"Wha' ch'ou want you stinkin' pig?!" Now surely, at least somewhere in my subconscious, I should synthesize this is not my mother. But I don't hang up. "Mom?" "I kill your face you call back here no David Rowell Pardon Me more Again. "Is my mom there?" I can't justify this. Does this mean I'm just normal or should I be administered various levels of electro-shock? I m not certain. And anyway, what is certainty? I can't be certain of anything these days (this excludes my perception of my obese Aunt Bidy, who weighs over 600 pounds. I can look at her and be absolutely certain she is fat). Everything in the world seems so upside down. How can I help but ask the big questions? How can you have confidence in a world plagued by violence, hatred and The Facts of . Life" reruns. People are reluctant to bring up children in this day and age. Is it even safe to graduate? I picked up the newspaper this morning Teaching, not preaching In the last few years, public schools around America have begun to incor porate the study of religion into their curricula. While doing this in elemen tary and secondary schools could be a positive change for the American educational system, educators should proceed with caution to ensure that instruction remains impartial and includes a variety of religions. The N.C. Board of Education, in addition to the Arizona and California boards, has decided to include the discussion of religion into various subjects such as literature and U.S. history. The integration of religion into classes will include the study of ethical traditions, world religions and the impact religion has had in different areas. The importance of religion has largely been ignored in the school systems, leaving many people ignorant of religions and traditions other than their own. These programs could enlighten many students and be a valuable lesson in comparative cultures. But the motives behind the trend are alarming. Many conservatives are supporting the religious studies because they feel the education system has been dominated by secular hum anism, leaving the study of religion, especially Christianity, neglected at all levels of education. Conservatives also say students' faith and moral character will be improved as a result of the changes. To avoid combining preaching with teaching, administrators and teachers must be trained to present different points of view impartially and text books must be scrutinized to ensure objectivity. This process will be difficult, but the importance of keeping the schools separated from the church cannot be understated. Because believers and non-believers are both sensitive to the issue, it is more complicated than a simple constitutional question. As Barry Lynn, a legislative counsel to the American Civil Liberties Union said, biased teaching about Jesus is a more grave matter than biased teach ing about Napoleon. If handled carefully, the study of religion in public schools should be an asset to students. By exploring unfamiliar cultures and beliefs, stu dents will experience a more diverse education and be able to better understand and even question their own beliefs. Most of the changes in course structure and texts will not take place until the early 1990s, so there is still time to investigate the consequences of the integration. The changes are a step in the right direction, but such a controversial issue must be handled with care. Chris Landgraff The Daily Tar Heel Editorial Writers: Kimbcrly Edens, Chris Landgraff and David Starnes. Assistant Editors: Jessica Lanning, city; Myma Miller, features; Staci Cox, managing; Anne Isenhower and Steve Wilson, news; Ellen ThomlonjOmnibus; Andrew Podolsky, Jay Reed and Jamie Rosenberg, sports; Karen Dunn, slate and national; James Burroughs and Amy Wajda, university. News: Craig Allen, Crandall Anderson, John Bakht, Kari Barlow, Maria Batista, Crystal Bernstein, Heather Bowers, Sarah Cagle, Brenda Campbell, James Coblin, Staci Cox, L.D. Curie, Blake Dickinson, Jeff Eckard, Karen Entriken, Deirdre Fallon, Lynn Goswick, Susan Holdsclaw, Jennifer Johnston, Tracy Lawson, Rheta Logan, Dana Clinton Lumsden, Helle Nielsen, Glenn O'Neal, Simone Pam, Tom Parks, Elizabeth Sherrod, Nicolle Skalski, Will Spears, Larry Stone, Laura Taylor, Kelly Thompson, Kathryne Tovo, Stephanie von Isenburg, Sandy Wall, Leslie Wilson, Jennifer Wing, Katie Wolfe and Nancy Wykle. Sports: Mike Berardino, senior writer. Neil Amato, Mark Anderson, John Bland, Christina Frohock, Scott Gold, Doug Hoogervorst, David Kupstas, Bethany Litton, Brendan Matthews, Bobby McCruskey, Natalie Sekicky, Chris Spencer, Dave Surowiecki and Eric Wagnon. Arts and Features: Leigh Ann McDonald and Kelly Rhodes, senior writers. Cheryl Allen, Randy Basinger, Clark Benbow, Adam Bertolett, Roderick Cameron, Ashley Campbell, Pam Emerson, Diana Florence, Laura Francis, Jacki Greenberg, Andrew Lawler, Julie Olson, Lynn Phillips, Leigh Pressley, Anna Tumage and Jessica Yates. Photography: Evan Eile, Steven Exum, Regina Holder and David Minton. Copy Editors: Karen Bell, B Buckberry, Michelle Casale, Yvette Cook, Joy Golden, Bert Hackney, Kathleen Hand, Angela Hill, Susan Holdsclaw, Karen Jackson, Janet McGirt, Angelia Poteat and Clare Weickert. Editorial Assistants: Mark Chilton and Anne Isenhower. Amy Dickinson, letter typist. Design Assistants: Kim Avetta, Melanie Black, Del Lancaster, Nicole Luter, Bill Phillips and Susan Wallace. Cartoonists: Jeff Christian, Adam Cohen, Pete Corson, Bryan Donnell, Trey Entwistle, David Estoye, Greg Humphreys and Mike Sutton. Business and Advertising: Kevin Schwartz, director; Patricia Glance, advertising director; Joan Worth, classified manager; Stephanie Chesson, assistant classified manager; Chrissy Mennitt, advertising manager; Sabrina Goodson, business manager; Dawn Dunning, Beth Harding, Sarah Hoskins, Amy McGuirt, Maureen Mclntyre, Denise Neely, Tina Perry, Pam Strickland, Amanda Tilley and Joye Wiley, display advertising representatives; Leisa Hawley, creative director; Dan Raasch, marketing director; Genevieve Halkett, Camille Philyaw, Tammy Sheldon and Angela Spivey, classified advertising representatives; Jeff Carlson, office manager and Allison Ash worth, secretary. Subscriptions: Ken Murphy, manager. Distribution: David Econopouly, manager; Newton Carpenter, assistant. Production: Bill Leslie and Stacy Wynn, managers; Tammy Sheldon, assistant manager; Anita Bentley, Stephanie LockJear and Leslie Sapp, assistants. Printing: The Village Companies. and read where some guy was arrested for tampering with the prizes in cereal boxes. The Ayatollah has just put out hits on all cast members of "Alice" and the California Raisins have been poisoned. And, not only is Elvis alive, but he hasn't trimmed his sideburns! For those of you on major hallucinogens, this essay should not be rambling at all. I tell my mother I cant be expected to send out resumes to ensure my future when we still don't know the origins of man (this excuse is not particularly effective, but it's all I have). But what about man's beginning? Did we really descend from the apes? I've been very sensitive about the whole issue since my sixth birthday party, when a few guests in the back proceeded with their own version of the birthday song. It went: "Happy Birthday to you, you live in a zoo, you look like a monkey, and you smell like one, too." Don't tell me that was spontane ous. It didnt help that my cousin Reginald bore an uncanny resemblance to Curious George. So who knows? And how can I not wonder about death, since I'm busy worrying about everything else? When death comes knocking on my door, should I just not answer it? I'm comforted by the fact that I believe in heaven, and that's what awaits me but what if complications arise? I worry IH get to the front desk and they won't have my name tag. "Rowell. No, we don't have a Rowell. We have a Roper." "I had an 8:30 appointment. Could you check again? I was sure they were expecting me. I just finished a screenplay of 'Satanic Verses.' R-o-w-e-1-1." The idea of being turned down at the gates of heaven makes me nervous. And think how embarrassing it would be if I was with a date. That's the bad thing about eternity the hours are murder. For those of you coming out of the Betty Ford Clinic, this essay should make no sense whatsoever. I realize I'm only graduating and not facing the electric chair. But I feel it's best to ponder these things now, before it's too late. Look at the dinosaurs. You think they were expecting something as unheard of as an ice age to come wipe them out? No. They were just sitting around, playing Crazy Eights when one brontosaurus casually mumbled, "Is it me, or is turning cooler?" The next thing you know they're roped in next to the Louis Pasteur exhibit. So is the answer love? Maybe, what was the question? They say it makes the world go 'round, but I thought that was centrifugal force. Are the two interchangeable? Does that mean I'd stand just as good a chance if I told the girl in my psych class that I was in centrifugal force with her? People are always saying, "The key to life is ..." I find it a little distressing that life is locked in the first place. Too bad it's not open for all of us, and we can't all have the same affordable accommodations. Wouldn't it be nice if everyone in the world was given the same key, and no one was left out in the cold. The Earth could be one big Howard Johnson's and we'd all get HBO, clean sheets and three square meals a day. If all the "Hotel Managers" got their priorities staight, maybe it wouldn't be such an impossible thing. David Rowell is a senior RTVMP major from Fayetteville. Readers9 For mm Newspaper rack praised To the editor: I would like to commend the Chapel Hill Appearance Com mission Ad Hoc Committee for its prompt handling of the newspaper dispenser problem which has so long beseiged our beloved Franklin Street. Thanks to the committee these dispensers, which used to be chaotically assembled in a crooked line in front of Taco Bell, are now elegantly arranged within a wooden dispenser case labelled "news papers" (the designer wisely included the label in order to put an end to the controversy over the USA Today box, which is often confused with a television set). The committee has cleverly ordered the dis pensers according to their relative sizes (those of similar heights are next to one another) and yet has retained some of the variety of the original arrangement by dispersing those of similar colors. Unfor tunately, the rack was only big enough to contain five dis pensers, but the committee generously placed the boxes of less prestigious newspapers (such as The Phoenix and the DTH) next to the rack. I would make only one recommendation; I suggest that the committee's next project should involve the placement of another sign with a picture of a newspaper over the word "newspapers" so that the illiter ate members of the public won't waste their time trying to find the "closed caption" attach ment on the USA Today box. DAVID McCOLLUM Junior Chemistry English 11 tt WHAT SWEET Take time to visit BCC To the editor: After reading the article titled "BCC is a step in the wrong direction" by Joanna Christie (DTH, March 9), I concluded that the Ms. Christie is ignorant about the Black Cultural Center. The Black Cultural Center serves as the cultural, intellec tual, psychological and socio logical catalyst of UNC's black community. The BCC's pur pose is not to separate the races, but to educate all races (includ ing the black race) about black history, culture, music, litera ture, drama and people. When Ms. Christie says that she has questions about the BCC, I wonder why she did not go to the present BCC and direct those questions to Margo Crawford and her staff. It is simple common sense to research a topic before you comment on it. Surely, Ms. Christie was in the vicinity of the BCC when she dropped her letter off at the DTH office. Everyone knows you cannot judge a book by its cover and that anything is in walking distance if you have the time. It is obvious that she did not have the time. or she just did not want to learn about the BCC on a first-hand basis. However, I do agree with Ms. Christie when she says that racism and prejudice are here at UNC. My race of all races should know that. It is quite obvious that racism is here when a sorority cannot conduct its symbolic Greek Rites with out being confronted with racial remarks and acts or when two black students cannot return to their room without noticing racial remarks on their door. Ms. Christie also says, "If it (the BCC) is to be a center 'for all students' why then does the name itself discriminate?" This question is ridiculous. The Black Cultural Center is a center for all students to learn about the black culture. There fore, the name is more than appropriate. As a challenge to all of you, including Ms. Christie, who have questions regarding the BCC, I dare you to go to the BCC and ask them. I guarantee that you will be greeted warmly and your questions will be fully answered. Only by doing this will this campus take a step in the right direction not by writing an article in the paper about something you don't know about. Also, I would like to remind this campus that it would be immature to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determi nation of UNC's black students. THOMAS LEATHER Freshman Accounting Opportunities ripe to deploy Star Wars March 23 marks the sixth anniversary of Ronald Reagan's unveiling of the Strategic Defense Initiative. In these six years there has been a lot of confusion about what SDI really is. It would not be a perfect defense or a population shield. It would not solve all our strategic problems, nor would it make nuclear weapons obsolete. SDI would not stop bombs fired from long-range bombers, nuclear1 weapons on cruise missiles, or a nuclear device smuggled into the country. What SDI could do is provide a limited defense for our strategic nuclear weapons. This would protect the U.S. from an accidental attack or a small attack by a nonsuperpower. A limited defense would not have to be perfect. Right now, the Soviets have far more first-strike warheads than we have first-strike targets. It is theoretically possible for them to launch a first-strike attack that would destroy our nuclear forces and communications. Our land-based missiles would all be destroyed. As it stands now, we have no defense against Soviet missiles. We could retaliate with only sea- and air-based missiles. The U.S: has 1500 first-strike targets. The Soviets had 5240 first-strike weapons in 1985; they will have at least 8000 by 1995. This is the reason we have developed SDI. If SDI were only 50 percent effective, it would make a Soviet first-strike a gamble at best. The Soviet Daniel Jolley Guest Writer threat would lose its credibility. SDI is a problem for Moscow because it threatens the Soviet nuclear superiority; it is not a problem for the U.S. We need to deploy SDI as soon as possible, while also building up our offensive forces. We should not seek nuclear super iority, but nuclear equality. We could deploy MX missiles in fixed silos, while also deploying mobile Midgetman missiles. This sort of strategic defense would effectively make a Soviet first-strike impossible. Our strategic weapons would be able to with stand a saturation attack, enabling the U.S. to retaliate. As if stand now, the only option for an American president in the event of nuclear attack is surrender. SDI would improve security and strategic stability. The U.S? should deploy SDI immediately, while moving forward with modernization of our nuclear offensive forces. The U.S. should not get into a legalistic Daniel Jolley is a freshman economics argument over the ABM Treaty, a treaty political science major from Shelby. the Soviets have disregarded on numerous occasions. The treaty was written in the early 1970s to serve U.S. security interests then, not now. If we need a limited strategic defense to ensure our security, we should decide what is practical and take the steps to deploy it. If this requires the renegotiation of the ABM Treaty, we should talk with Moscow about changing it. If they will not go along with this, we should invoke our right under the treaty to suspend its provisions after a six-month notice. We should move forward with deployment of SDI, modernizatiuon of our nuclear forces, and arms control talks. We must never make concessions on SDI in hopes of getting a START agreement. In the words of Pat Buchanan, "No treaty Moscow will offer us is worth giving up SDI." We are moving in the right direction, but not fast enough. We should deploy a limited defense and stop fantasizing about a population defense. We must press forward now while we have the advantage, before the Soviets develop their own SDI capabilities. In another six years we can possibly put an end to Soviet first strike superiority and ensure the security of the United States.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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March 23, 1989, edition 1
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