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10The Daily Tar HeelMonday, April 10, 1989 Wit? latlg 97th year of editorial freedom Sharon Kebschull, Editor WILLIAM TAG G ART, Managing Editor LOUIS BlSSETTE, Editorial Page Editor MARY Jo DlJNNINGTON, Editorial Page Editor JUSTIN McGuiRE, University Editor JENNY CLONINGER, University Editor TAMMY BLACKARD, State and National Editor CHARLES BRITTAIN, City Editor ERIK DALE FLIPPO, Business Editor DAVE GLENN, Sports Editor . CaRaBoNNETT, Arts and Features Editor JAMES BENTON, Omnibus Editor JULIA COON, News Editor DAVID SUROWIECKI, Photography Editor Kelly Thompson, Design Editor Police shirk responsibilities In a disturbing example of inac tion and irrespon sibility, Chapel board opinion Hill and Universi ty police spent last week trying to figure out which side has jurisdiction over the investigation of a rape case that occurred March 3 1 on Finley Golf Course. University police first reported that the assault was nothing more than a man kissing a woman and pushing her to the ground; it was not until six days after the incident that Chapel Hill police admitted that the victim a UNC student was raped. Town police said the information and the case had been turned over to Univer sity officials because the incident occurred on University property. When a woman has been raped, police have three immediate respon sibilities: to see that the woman receives physical and psychological aid, to warn the public that a rape has occurred but no arrests have been made, and to begin their investigation. But the police refused to acknow ledge two of those three responsibil ities. The woman found a Chapel Hill police officer after she was raped, and town police took her to N.C. Memor ial Hospital before reporting it to University police. But because the woman only told town police she was raped, UNC police said they could only report an assault, and they could not investigate because the woman did not want to press charges. And they said little more because their informa tion was secondhand everything they know comes from Chapel Hill police. Therefore, both departments now say they cannot investigate; town police can't because it happened on University property, and UNC police can't because the woman has not filed a report of rape with them. While the victim should assist the Singing the copyright blues Publishing companies view copy centers such as Kinko's Service Corp. and Copytron Inc. as natural enemies. Such large corporations see only the business end of a copier the end churning out copies of material the publisher has paid to print. Ignored is the valuable service which copy stores perform for universities across the country and the students who benefit most. A rumored lawsuit by the Associ ation of American Publishers against Kinko's is the latest warning directed toward the copy industry. The AAP has refused to comment about the validity of the rumor or what the organization may feel is improper procedure, but the stakes could be high. Chapel Hill's Copytron alone has estimated that it made 1.8 million copies of educational material for 287 different classes last year. Kinko's has a national copyright office that receives permission from publishers to copy more than 13,000 selections per month. These numbers reflect the surging popularity of individualized course texts, a trend the publishing companies realize in a loss of profit. In this context, the publishing companies are understandably angry. Their business is to make money, and this is not accomplished when profes sors copy material for which they would otherwise have to pay. Also lost is the money from textbooks that It's 10:54 p.m., and we're just putting the finishing touches on the newest addition to our expanding news coverage: the city page. Starting today, the DTH will run a full page of Chapel Hill-Carrboro news every Monday. Last month, we added a weekly business page on Thursdays, and next semester the page should run on Tuesdays as well. As new editors, we would be grateful to receive some feedback from our readers. We'd like you to tell lis if the DTH is covering the kind of news that readers find important. ar Unl police in whatever investigation is being conducted it is the only way to ensure that other women will be safe it is her prerogative not to press charges or speak to University police. But the police departments do not have the prerogative to simply stop inves tigating or to neglect for almost a week to tell the public that it was a rape. Using what little knowledge they have of the case, Chapel Hill and University police should work together to inves tigate and protect the public, which remains at risk. In this case, as in previous incidents of overlap between the two depart ments, the police could effectively use a special investigative team consisting of officers from both sides. This would eliminate the problem of secondhand or no information University police could turn over or have joint jurisdic tion on the case with town police while still assisting with the investigation. This way, all of the information on the case would be available, instead of worrying about what each depart ment can release. For now, the inaction on the part of both departments perpetuates the delusion that Chapel Hill is simply a sleepy little college town, where no one has anything to fear. The violence that has occurred on campus within the last year disproves this notion. And the quick end to the investigations of violent incidents in the past year (such as the death of David Mantey, who fell from a window in Granville Towers), combined with the polices' failure to accurately report crimes, not only prevents awareness but removes accountability from University police. No one can question the investigations if none occur. But the questions about the han dling of this case and the polices' reporting of it must wait for a few days. Right now, the priority should be to improve or simply begin the investigation. professors no longer need, having compiled the necessary material themselves. However, the publishing companies do not, and perhaps cannot, move fast enough to suit university professors. Textbooks take two or three years to write and to publish, which means textbook material is often too old to use in university classrooms, especially those in the sciences and medicine. Many college courses focus on a professor's individual specialty, for which a traditional textbook is not feasible, even for the publishing company. The U.S. Congress took this into account when it passed a copyright act in 1976 that provided for multiple copies of educational material from journals and other academic sources. Kinko's and Copytron simply stepped in to fill the void and to provide those copies. Whether the lawsuit is merely rumor or impending fact, the message is getting through to universities and copy stores everywhere as they check their standards to ensure they comply with federal guidelines. Beyond that, the AAP should leave the situation alone. The copy industry exists for a valid reason; if it does not violate the law, a lawsuit by the AAP would only threaten the availability of important imformation for entirely selfish rea sons. David Starnes the last word We realize that not every reader is going to live or die by what the Orange Water and Sewer Authority does or if the New York Stock Exchange drops two points in light trading, but we think it is relevant news to somebody. We appreciate the responses we get to editorials and to relevant issues of the day, but we'd also like you to tell us what you want to read about and if you think we're going in the right direction. One thing we do know you want is Calvin and Hobbes. Believe us, we're working on it. Erik Dale Flippo and Charles Brittain Hellfire sermons don't emphasize truth To the editor: This letter is a response to Leslie Kushner's article entitled "Follow Chris tian example and take action" (April 5), in which the author asks why people are so apathetic to the message of that faction of Christianity which is characterized by Pit preachers. I have a few suggestions which can be taken or discarded by the reader. As a young man increasingly attracted toward the priesthood, 1 find the behavior of this faction to be offensive, if not dangerously divisive among Christians and non-Christians alike. First, their concept of salvation has a distinct "them and us" flavor which is totally counter to the Catholic claims and nature of Christ i.e., "a year ago I was just like many of you." Salvation as proposed by this group seems to be a rather exclusive contract between God and a select lucky few who will be fine when they are dead, as opposed to the unfortunate outsiders who are condemned to eternal damnation. Yet surely salvation is found in living this life, not espousing religious dogma about the next. The Hindus clarify this beautifully in the Katha Upanishad which says, "the road to salvation is narrow and difficult to tread; thus the wise say it is like a razor's edge." Salvation is found in the path, not a contract, and we must all walk the path. . It is also a little arrogant of such people Keep religion in the Pit To the editor: I am very disappointed in the editorial board of the DTH for choosing to publish an editorial like Leslie Kushner's ("Follow Christian example and take action," Apr. 5). It is poorly written, and by deeming Kushner a "guest writer," the editors seem to imply that they would like UNC to be a school of born-again Christians. Recently, you have been fixated on the apparent apathy of our campus demonstrated by the lack of letters to the editor following spring break (do events such as the "see-saw-athon," the demonstration against Icelandic fish, and even Burnout not count as student concern?). Much editorial space has been devoted to this issue ranging from high points such as Pete Corson's cartoon to what I hope will be the lowest mark: Kushner's editorial. After the first half of the first paragraph, the piece switches from an observation of apathy to an invocation for Christian ity. I am glad to know that Leslie is an "ambassador of Christ," but I do not "need to hear" such words condemning me to hell for not sharing the writer's beliefs. Kushner implores us to take action, yet presents us with no direction for our efforts other than becoming born again. I doubt this would have an effect on civil rights in South Africa. The writer spends so much time quoting the Bible that the point of the article cannot be divined. I do not understand why this article received the status of "guest writer" rather than just a letter and why it was given so much space and a large headline. Editorial policy states that letters may be edited for length; Kushner's certainly could have been shortened without much change in con tent. I am sure that the paper did not expressly ask for this letter to be written or mean to imply support for its content, but its title and position on the page did indeed imply . such endorsement. The DTH should be careful Logic lost in o; n March 29, 1989, there were four Pit preachers during an hour period. My questions are who pays these Pit preachers? Are they part of the unemployment statistics? Is there a net work of "Save the Students' Souls" Pit preachers who travel around to various campuses? And notice, have you ever seen a woman Pit preacher? My guess is that most potential women Pit preachers are all obedient, housewives who are home taking care of the children, or maybe fooling around with the gardner . . . naah! On this bright and sunny day in the Pit the subjects were homosexuality, abortion, Jesus Christ and guess what yeah, sin. The two subjects that caused me to stop reading the great informational source, the DTH, were homosexuality and the vari ation of sin. The Pit preachers all consistently seemed to ignorantly attack the subject of homo sexuality. The peak of this ignorance was seen when one Pit preacher asked the question, "Do you (the Pit audience) think there should be a 'gay club' on campus?" After most of the audience corrected the term 'gay club,' they said that they did not have a problem with the CGLA. The preacher said that if we supported a 'gay club' then we should support a rape club and an incest club. He said his point is that all these acts are wrong in God's eyes,, so if we are going to support one act we should support all wrong acts. Since he Readers9 Forem to claim to be the ambassadors of Christ who tell us that we "need" to hear their views and who claim to be "living breathing examples that the word of God is true." Other types of people manifest God's truths, too for example, Mother , Theresa, who manifests quiet devotion to the Christ who is found in the sick, poor and imprisoned. To use Kushner's argu ment, you don't just talk about it, you have to do something, which also brings to mind the activist groups which Kushner insulted as apathetic. Groups such as Amnesty International don't simply talk about political prisoners, they deal with the issue. Are these works to be regarded as irrelevant by Christianity? There is also little wonder that Pit preachers gain little respect. The other day I was enjoying a quiet chat with a friend over a hamburger, when the peace was shattered by the appearance of a screaming religious lunatic who jumped around shouting hellfire and even rolled around on the ground. If he represented an ordinate norm in anything, then I will be happy to be labeled a freak for the rest of my life. When was this guy going to . tell us the good news, I asked myself?! But the fundamental problem for this would-be priest is in the nature of this faction. The eloquent Christian philo sopher (and Trappist monk) Thomas Merton had problems with proselytizers HAV YOU CosfiOfZEt 'pit pmcm$r CAREER PLANNING! XAND PLACEMENT J X. in the future to avoid printing such material which comes across essentially as a religious tract. Though I bear no malice to having their views presented to me as the chosen religion, I object to having their views presented to me as the only view. I hope that if the DTH is truly this desperate for letters in the future, the editors will make a wiser use of the excess space. 1) "Abortion is not murder, it is self-defense." Q. Doesn't self-defense pre sume that one kills the attacker and not the innocent co-victim? 2) "There would be a baby surplus of 600,000 if we stopped aborting." Q. Is this Econ. 101: Supply exceeds demand; reduce supply kiU 600,000 people? 3) "The planet can only support so many people." Q. Retroactive birth control see above. 4) "You can't dictate morality." Q. Why do we punish ter rorists for blowing up airplanes aren't we dictating their morality? 5) "Making abortion illegal won't stop it, it will just drive people into back alleys for coat hanger abortions." . Q. Why is murder illegal; don't people still do it? Also, who am I supposed to feel sorry for the one using the coat hanger or the one getting stabbed to death with it? STEPHEN McLOUGHLIN Graduate Evening college MATTHEW CERVI Freshman Business administration Arguments muddled To the editor: . There must be some logical (albeit immoral) arguments in favor of abortion; I just have not enountered any in the Daily Tar Heel. The recent rash of letters to the editor have been a perfect study in muddled thinking. Here are some paraphrased samples, along with my question: Pit preachers' Fitzgerald Edwards Guest Writer used the Bible as a reference point to distinguish between right and wrong, his logic was correct. However, I tried to tell him, over his shouting voice, that he should not lump all these issues together , for simplicity's sake, but instead he should examine each individual case and make a judgment based on reasoning which would not have to be based solely on the Bible. He disregarded my suggestion as being sinfully motivated. Also, the preacher referred to two women spectators as his lesbian friends. I asked him how he knew that these two women were lesbians, but he gave no response. I looked at these two women for a moment to see what would have influ enced the preacher to stereotype them as lesbians. The only things I saw were long tie-dyed skirts, bare feet, numerous bracelets on ankle and wrist and they were together. Also, these women verbally expressed their disagreement with the preacher's views. I guess that this behavior and appearance equates to lesbianism. Rational, huh? After the preachers explained homosexual acts, in more detail, they all condemned homosexuality in the name of Jesus Christ. who essentially justify their truths by the-! number of conversions made and tfie-; uniformity bred by conforming people to4 the preacher's norms. Merton argued that truth is far more self evident and modeled many of his ideas on Gandhi. It is far betted to quietly and clearly speak your trutl$ and live by them, even if people don't seerrK to listen. Your truths will remain and will 4 not be made more truthful by shouting , , louder. ... ,,t No doubt this letter will annoy people; like Kushner, but all 1 am attempting to ; do is to explain away the apparent "apathy" toward Pit preachers. Kushner-, may in fact regard me as a WASH (White. Anglo-Sa::on Heretic), but I am offended when I am told that I have rejected Christ because I am not "born again" in their way,-, because I learn from other religions and because I refuse to conform to Pit preacher Christianity. My truths are not dogmatic, they cannot be argued by shouting and screaming. In no way do I wish to detract from the teachings and claims of Christ. As a priest I want to identify with and help ease people's sufferings, and this cannot be done by screaming hellfire at them. MARK SID AW AY Wtt,MR.HAY2&P, Yousbbm to ENJOY TALKING jo PBoPLZ YOU DoM'T KNOW WHO DOM' T WANT TO LISTEN TO YOU ABOUT TH-ING-S YOU KNOW NOTHING- ABOUT Letters policy The Daily Tar Heel welcomes reader comments and criticisms. When writing letters to the editor, please follow these guidelines: All letters must be typed i and double-spaced, for ease hf editing. fl Students should include' -name, year in school, major; phone number and home town. Other members of the r University community should . include similar information., ; t t B All letters must be signed ' by the author(s), with a limit , of two signatures per letter., B Place letters in the boX marked "Letters to the Editor"' outside the DTH office in the;' Student Union. B The DTH reserves the ' right to edit letters for space', ' clarity and vulgarity. Remember, brevity is the soul of wit. messages The next subject the preacher addressed was the general sinning of humans who have no respect for God's wishes. Some way along the line the preacher started to make distinctions between different degrees of sin. Correct me if I am wrong, but I was told that sin is sin. Anyway, one distinction that particularly bothered me was when he said that the sin, such as fornication against God's wishes, that a woman commits between her and God is more sinful than the sin of an man who has committed fornication with her. He failed to mention that the sin between the man who fornicated and God is just as severe. This oversight might have been just' a mistake or a blatant sexist interpretation of the Bible. However, the danger of this oversight is that it might simultaneousjy;. appeal to chauvinistic men and also scare;! women into feeling more obligated to be" - . i Ai . nuii-Miiiicia man men. ayisu, 11 pcipciuuc5 the whole idea that women force men to commit temptation acts, just like Eve who talked Adam into eating the apple. The'1 eating of the apple is now responsible for " human sinning and suffering. For the gullible mind, this rationale might be appealing. However, I would encourage, everyone to take responsibility for hisher. actions instead of blaming others for them. ' Fitzgerald Edwards is a sophomore interdisciplinary studies major from Chapel Hill.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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April 10, 1989, edition 1
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