10The Daily Tar HeelMonday, October 30, 1989
97th year of editorial freedom
Sharon Kebschull, Editor
William Taggart, Managing Editor
MARY Jo DUNNINCTON, Editorial Page Editor
JUSTIN McGuiRE, University Editor
KAREN DUNN, State and National Editor
TOM PARKS, Business Editor
Dave Glenn, Sports Editor
MELANIE BLACK, Design Editor
TAMMY BLACKARD, Editorial Page Editor
JENNY Cloninger, University Editor
Jessica Lanning, City Editor
CARA BONNETT, Arts and Features Editor
Kelly Thompson, Omnibus Editor
DAVID SUROWIECKI, Photography Editor
JULIA COON, News Editor
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V ja ThLTPgER
Students not on trial
McKinley's punishment too severe
board
opinion
When CIA Action -Committee
members
Dale McKinley and
Jerry Jones were re- m
cently convicted of trespassing and will
fully obstructing UNC operations by Uni
versity student courts, both received defi
nite probation sentences, which prohibits
them from representing the University and
from participating in extracurricular ac
tivities. However, McKinley has learned
that his sentence prohibits him from teach
ing his political science class a punish
ment that would unfairly disrupt his class
and deny the students a full education.
The protesters do deserve some sort of
censure for their activities, according to
their conviction. The terms of the proba
tion barely affect Jones, because he does
not represent the University in any official
capacity. But McKinley and several others
did not immediately realize that the proba
tion sentence would not allow him to teach
his political science course on contempo
rary Africa. Upon this realization, McKin
ley filed an appeal to the Graduate Student
Court on the basis that his due process was
denied.
Some members of the court did not
seem to intend for this punishment to deny
McKinley his job as a teaching assistant,
and the sentence is obviously proving to be
too severe since McKinley's leave would
produce chaos within the class. Most of the
50 students in the class signed up for the
class because of McKinley this punish
ment would hurt the students more than
McKinley. He is the only expert on Afri
can contemporary affairs in the political
science department, which would make
finding a replacement especially difficult.
In addition, McKinley would unrea
sonably suffer since this position repre
sents 80 percent to 90 percent of his in
come. Banning him from the classroom
in which he gives by far his greatest contri
bution to the University would basi
cally expel him from the University. Ironi
cally, while McKinley and Jones were
tried for obstructing the University, this
sentence only perpetuates an obstruction
of education.
According to the Instrument of Student
Judicial Governance, every sentence of
probation prohibits the student from repre
senting the University and participating in
extracurricular activities. The Graduate
Student Court seems to have its hands tied
in lessening the severity of a probation
sentence. But McKinley has filed an ap
peal under the premise that his due process
was denied, a rather vague argument that
could be difficult to prove. He would have
a stronger chance in the appeal were based
on the severity of the sentence. We hope
that the court includes this in the consid
eration of his appeal.
The Graduate Student Court has an
opportunity to alterthe punishment of Dale
McKinley. The Instrument does not give
the court the flexibility to soften the terms
of the probation, but the court does have
the power to reduce the sentence or even to
dismiss the charges. McKinley's well
being should not be the primary considera
tion to change the punishment, but rather
the well-being of the 50 students who will
be abandoned. The students should not
carry the burden of McKinley's infractions.
Cond
om controversy
Ignorance grounds safe-sex message
Tempers flared last week after an announce- other board members, who voted to reverse a
ment that a 12-story, hot-air balloon shaped decision made by the county manager to allow
like a condom was going to stretch across the flight. Ironically, the county commission
Durham's skyline this weekend. After much ers' decision to cancel the flight resulted in
discussion, Durham County officials announced media coverage that spread pictures of the
they would not let the aircraft lift-off from balloon across the state,
county-owned property. In a city known for its One commissioner said she might have had
medical facilities and research, it is sad that a different reaction to the balloon flight had she
Victorian views would prevent a promotion en- been given more details. "Not knowing much
couraging safe sex. about it, I responded conservatively," she said,
The promotion was imbbbhbhbbbmbbhbmmb reflecting a traditional
JjZ. Balloon's safe-sex
non-profit group to
encouragepeopietouse message is a message
condoms to prevent the
spread of sexually 0f life or death that
transmitted diseases.
The bright yellow bal- Kp VipnrH
loon and its "I Save HlUbl Ue IiearU.
Lives" slogan were immmmmm
messages to Durham County residents that
these diseases are problems in every commu
nity and in their own backyards.
According to Durham County officials, more
than 200 people in Durham County have tested
positive for the AIDS virus since 1985, and
more than 100 people have confirmed AIDS
cases. Durham County also has more than 750
pregnant teen-agers each year. These statistics
show there is a need for increased education,
but county officials chose to ignore this need.
Church members and residents living in
Durham contacted a county commissioner to
complain that the balloon flight was tasteless
and inappropriate. The commissioner contacted
attitude taken by politi
cians to issues regard
ing sex and AIDS.
While a 120-foot-tall
condom may not
have been eye-pleasing
object, it would have
been eye-catching
and that's the point. The
mmmmmmmmmm safe-sex message is one
of life or death. It should not be silenced be
cause of small-minded ideas of good taste.
Education and public awareness are potent
weapons against the spread of AIDS, but in
Durham, it seems that the political attitude
toward safe sex is "out of sight, out of mind
By failing to support a public service an
nouncement because it was controversial,
Durham officials chose to promote ignorance.
In the "City of Medicine," people should not
refuse to accept that a health danger as great as
AIDS must be fought regardless of the means
Politicians need to abandon their hot-air rheto
ric, or the fight against the disease will never
get off the ground. Charles Brittain
the last word n
"Plus ca change, plus ca meme chose."
The layout of The Daily Tar Heel has changed
somewhat this semester, but we'd like to think
it's all in keeping with the direction the paper
has been headed for the last six years.
The DTH has been moving toward carrying
more, and, we hope, better student-written
stories about University news.
Five years ago it was not uncommon to see
one or two of the day's bigger national stories
on front page. This semester, we have only run
one wire story about the California earth
quake supplemented with student quotes on
the front page, and it was the first such story to
run in quite a while.
The California earthquake was an exception
because it was one of those rare stories with
constant updates and information that is almost
impossible for a state and national reporter to
write. The enormity and importance of the
earthquake made it unquestionably front-page
news.
Why not Hurricane Hugo, you ask? Why
didn't we run a wire story? First of all, our
proximity to the situation made it much easier
to get our own information, as shown by the
seemingly daily Hugo-update stories written
by our own writers. And with such a disaster as
a major earthquake, its spontaneity is shocking.
Hugo was something we felt sure everyone was
aware of, and it happened on a weekend domi
nated by hurricane-related stories.
Beginning with Jim Zook, the past four
editors have made University news and student-written
articles the focus of the front page.
As a student paper, student-related news should
go on front.
Zook, who was editor from 1986 to 1987,
moved all but the biggest wire stories from the
front page to page two. By the next year, wire
stories were practically outlawed by editor Jill
Gerber.
University and town news that doesn't make
the front page runs on page three,' which now
comes complete with the logo "Campus and
City." The use of logos should make the news
paper more user-friendly, making it easier to
find local and state news, arts and sports.
By February, University news alone should
fill page three most days, although the town
police roundup will probably still run in the
left-hand briefs column one or two days a
week. With that expansion of coverage, along
with increased business coverage, we hope to
keep students reasonably informed of both
local and national news. Karen Dunn and
Tom Parks
Readers9 Forum
Phrase should not be
made a racial issue
To the editor:
In regards to Courtney N.
Gallop's letter ("Black Monday
perpetuates racism," Oct. 27)
concerning The Daily Tar Heel's
use of the phrase "Black Mon
day" to describe the recent pre
dicted stock market disaster: Her
attack on the DTH was completely
unwarranted and lacked founda
tion. If Miss Gallop would real
ize, the phrase "Black Monday"
was not only "considered to be
sound in terms of journalistic
style" by the DTH, but also by
NBC Nightly News and ABC
World News Tonight. Do you
honestly believe that national
networks that depend on viewers
for their survival would intend to
offend an entire race of Ameri
cans? I certainly do not, and in my
opinion, The Daily Tar Heel would
also not have that intent.
I believe that Miss Gallop is
taking this issue and making it a
personal one when she clearly has
no basis to do so. All of us have
been taught about certain conno
tations that are associated with the
different colors. These connota
tions are a running theme through
out centuries of literature. While
you feel it is now necessary to
remove these connotations from
our language, you base that claim
on one phrase that is not even
remotely associated with black
people as a race. The phrase "B lack
Monday" refers to an economic
situation that unfortunately brings
about images of dread and bad
ness. Are you suggesting that we
remove connotations such as
someone who is considered cow
ardly as "yellow," and what about
psychological groupings of anger
for red and jealousy for green?
Quite honestly, you have no basis
for turning this one phrase into a
racial issue which does not need
to be.
I would suggest to Miss Gallop
that if she is offended by the phrase
"Black Monday," she should cre
ate a new one and introduce it to
the business world. Otherwise,
please consider all aspects of criti
cism before you present them.
JOHN P. McGRAIL
Freshman
RTVMP
Coverage of College
Republicans was fair
To the editor:
As an employee of the Univer
sity rather than one of its students,
I usually avoid commenting on
matters concerning The Daily Tar
Heel as it is and should be a stu
dent publication. But after read
ing Charlton Allen's senseless
diatribe against the DTH editorial
staff in his letter to the editor
("DTH misrepresents College
Republicans," Oct. 25), I couldn't
remain silent.
Allen is totally off-base in his
criticism of the DTH for its cover
age of the College Republicans,
and particularly their protest of
FMLN spokesman Arnaldo
Ramos. The newspaper's cover
age of the event and the CR's
actions was fair and unbiased. I'm
also shocked to hear Charlton is
distressed by the DTH's alleged
preference for those of the "lib
eral persuasion." Imagine that, a
college newspaper promoting
progressive ideas. What is this
world coming to? Maybe Mr.
Allen would be happier if the DTH
would revert to the kind of think
ing that was popular in Calvin
Coolidge's day.
I do agree with Charlton on one
point. He is right in asserting that
the College Republicans are rep
resentative of the national Repub
lican Party as a whole. That na
tional Republicans, like the Col
lege Republicans, have success
fully purged their ranks of their
moderate and liberal elements over
the past two decades. The ideo
logical focus of both groups is
now mired in the far right wing of
American politics. I would sug
gest, however, that Allen choose
his role models a little more care
fully. He quoted RNC Chairman
Lee Atwater in his letter to the
DTH. Now we all know what a
great guy Atwater is. This is the
same person whose entire politi
cal career has been based on char
acter assassination, a man who
has managed some of the most
foul and vituperative political
campaigns in American history.
I only hope that four years in
Chapel Hill will help open
Charlton's mind to ideas other
than those espoused by the Col
lege Republicans. Or hopefully
that he'll understand that the DTH,
in reporting the incident which
stirred his ire, was not necessarily
advancing the liberal views he
abhors, but rather doing its job in
an efficient and factual manner.
DAVE LOHSE
Assistant director
Sports information
Board's criticism of
Spangler debatable
To the editor:
For a great university newspa
per, you sure managed to botch
the facts in you editorial "Span
gler strikes out: UNC-system
president should resign" (Oct. 26).
To mention a few:
1. You say President CD.
Spangler "gave few concrete,
practical initiatives to clean up
academic abuses at NCSU and
protect the system from future
NCAA violations." Attached is a
list of his 14 recommendations for
all campuses, adopted by the
Board of Governors as university
policy and made available to re
porters, presumably including
yours, at the August 25 meeting.
(You got the month wrong, by the
way.) The board directed the
chancellors and boards of trustees
to put in place procedures for each
campus to ensure there is an ef
fective faculty committee on ath
letics; prohibit admission of any
athlete who fails to meet the
board's minimum admission re
quirements; ensure that student
athletes follow coherent course of
study leading to a degree; and
ensure that athletes in academic
difficulties not be allowed to play.
That is only a partial list of his
recommendations designed to
clear up academic abuses. The
president also proposed, and the
board adopted, a policy of manda
tory drug testing for athletes. What
kinds of concrete, practical initia
tives were you hoping for?
2. You ignore the fact that
President Spangler's report to the
board followed Sam Poole's
memo by two months. During that
time the investigation into athlet
ics at NCSU continued, and some
things that were dangling got
nailed down. As Mr. Poole said
when his draft was released, parts
of it were no longer true. This is
one good reason for not releasing
that draft, which was not, as you
wrote, "a report his commission
compiled." Instead, it was, (again
I am quoting from Poole's pub
lished statement) a "working
paper, roughly written" by Poole
alone that "cannot be construed as
the product of the full commis
sion." Because the president's
report was designed to present a
more complete picture, it was far
more detailed than Sam Poole's
memo, with considerably more
data and information about many
matters, including the academic
side of things from players'
SAT. scores to graduation rates.
3. Your facts are wrong about
President Spangler's meetings
with students at the N.C. School
of the Arts during the turbulence
there last spring, and you imply
that he refused to see them. As I
recall, he met with student emis
saries twice here in Chapel Hill
and he also met with them in
Winston-Salem. Throughout that
very difficult experience, he made
very clear, in public and in pri
vate, that the students were his
No. 1 concern. Moreover, speak
ing generally, if there is someone
in the university system more
concerned with students of all
races and all incomes than this
man, I have yet to meet that per
son. Finally, if your staff finds the
president "invisible," you don't
speak for the students who dine
regularly in Lenoir Hall, where he
can be seen having lunch practi
cally every week.
Now, let's get back to fair and
accurate journalism.
WYNDHAM ROBERTSON
Vice president
for communications
Qeneral Administration
Sentence does not just
punish the guilty one
To the editor:
I'm sure we've all heard the name
Dale McKinley somewhere around
campus. Anyone who has followed
his case knows that he is on proba
tion and is prohibited from repre
senting the University in any offi
cial way. This includes teaching his
Poli 59 class, of which I am a
member. Apparently, there is no
one else qualified to teach this
course. Whether he deserves his
sentence, it directly affects students.
He is one of the most interesting
teachers I've had at UNC. Even if
somebody was ready to take his
place, the class wouldn't be the
same, and probably wouldn't be as
good. But this is not the point. The
point islhat the University did not
give any thought to students when it
barred McKinley from teaching. He
is appealing their decision, and until
the appeals process is finished he
will continue to teach. What if he
had decided not to appeal? Fifty
students would be left in the middle
of the semester with three less credit
hours. The administration obviously
did not take into consideration
people on financial aid or living in
dorms; they are not allowed, ac
cording to University policy, to drop
below 12 hours. Nor did they stop
to think about seniors who had cal
culated their hours, and would have
to take three extra hours the follow
ing semester in order to graduate.
Yes, it would be a problem to have
a teacher, and thus a class, disap
pear mid-semester.
UNC has not been faced with a
"Dale McKinley situation" before.
Oh those liberal-radical-trouble-making
types! But who's to say this
situation won't arise again? It is
understandable that the Honor Court
wants to give him a just sentence.
Whether or not it is fair to him, it is
not fair to us, the students. The
University should not be able to
completely disrupt a class because
of how it feels it should punish the
teacher. Were he a murderer or a
rapist, I would understand that the
University might feel compelled to
immediately bar him from the class
room. But an activist? Give me a
break. McKinley was on trial, and
he is the one to whom the punish
ment is supposed to be directed.
There is no reason for 50 students to
be punished alongside him.
LISA JORDAN
Junior
French
Community deserves truth about research
To the editor:
I wish to address a statement Andrew Peter
son made in his letter concerning animal re
search at UNC ("University needs to work
with SETA," Oct. 20). He makes the outra
geous statement "animal research is archaic."
No, animal research is not archaic, it is neces
sary. People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals and Students for the Ethical Treat
ment of Animals are constantly calling for a
stop to animal research and a start for alterna
tive methods. Don't you think if alternatives
were available scientists would use them?
The facts are that alternatives have not been
developed to address many of the questions
that most researchers are asking today, and
any alternatives which are available have been
developed by animal researchers!
I must also point out that alternatives to
animal research, such as computer models, are
themselves based upon animal research. Ani
mal research must continue, for the sake of
science today and the hope for alternatives
tomorrow.
Most importantly, Mr. Peterson says he
was "shocked and embarrassed" when he read
a pamphlet by PETA claiming "atrocities"
were occurring at UNC. I believe the Univer
sity community deserves the full truth about
the allegations presented by PETA as "fact."
About half of these claims were based upon an
illegal entry of an animal facility by PETA last
spring.
Among other claims, they accused UNC of
the following "atrocities:" cats having ear
mites and health charts which had not been
kept. The full truth of the matter is as follows:
Yes, the cats had ear mites and were being
treatedby a veterinarian for it! The claim that
health records were not being kept on the
animals is outrageous. The full truth of the
matter is that old health charts were hanging in
the animal rooms untouched untouched
because the animal care facility had just
switched over from an outmoded system of
monitored animal care to a more efficient,
more people-oriented system. The old charts
were no longer in use. PETA interpreted the
empty charts hanging on the walls as not keeping
records when, in fact, a more efficient method of
monitored animal are was in place.
Each allegation that PETA made in its pam
phlet, when fully and truthfully explained, be
comes not a matter of animal abuse but a matter
of misinterpretation presented by PETA to the
public. The actions of SETAPETA have been
extremely irresponsible and Mr. Peterson won
ders why the University seems unwilling to
engage in dialogue with animal rights groups.
Unbiased, good journalism by the DTH would
reveal their distortions. It is time that PETA is
held accountable and liable for its accusations. I
believe the University community has a right,
and should demand, the full truth about such
matters.
MICHELLE NICOLLE
Graduate student
Neurobiology