10The Daily Tar HeelThursday, November 16, 1989
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POLITICAL
97th year of editorial freedom
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Sharon Kebschull, Editor
MARY Jo DuNNlNGTON, 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
WILLIAM TaGGART, University Editor
Jessica Lanning, City Editor
CARA BONNETT, Arts and Features Editor
Kelly Thompson, Omnibus Editor
DAVID SUROWIECKI, Photography Editor
Julia Coon, News Editor
All
III -v s
V S I (
Staff issues ignored
New vice chancellor long overdue
board
opinion
Amid continuing '
publicity over the
comparatively low
pay and benefits for -
UNC faculty, a similar problem though
virtually unknown to many has for too
long received little attention from state
officials. Throughout the past 20 years,
inadequate personnel operations have of
ten overlooked the interests of many of the
UNC's 5,300 staff members, including
clerks, secretaries, housekeepers, food
service workers and groundskeepers.
Public protests, petitions and embarrass
ing media coverage have made this institu
tion often appear unconcerned with its
employees. But at last these people will be
granted administrative representation
through the creation of a new post the
vice chancellor of human resources. After
all these years, it's about time.
The new position, to be filled within a
few weeks, was created on the recommen
dations from a study by an outside consult
ing firm. According to the study, the Uni
versity has neglected training programs
and has poor employee benefits and inade
quate grievance procedures, among other
problems. Such problems threaten the
mission of this University.
Chancellor Paul Hardin speaks of serv
ice as one mission of the University, yet no
"service" is shown toward such UNC
housekeepers as Clementine Jones, a single
mother of four who receives a yearly sal
ary well below the poverty level for her 14
years of service to the University. Many
food service workers, groundskeepers and
housekeepers have trouble finding other
jobs and are locked in to these low wages.
One out of five staff employees leave
the University each year, and vacancies in
these positions have neared 300 in recent
years. Until now, no official has spoken di
rectly for the interests of these important
yet largely unappreciated members of the
community.
Relations and communication between
University staff and administrators have
long been strained. In 1969, 1 14 food work
ers went on strike to demand a 20 cent pay
raise to a $ 1 .80 minimum wage. The work
ers received their demands, but not with
out the closing of Lenoir Hall, violence
among students and National Guard sol
diers lined up in the Pit. Clearly, the con
flict could have been lessened by an ad
ministrator whose job was to deal with
workers' concerns.
Two years ago, the Office of State Per
sonnel authorized pay raises for UNC
secretaries and clerks, but when the state
did not deliver the raises, more than 500
employees gathered around South Build
ing to protest. Many of these people had
been faithful to UNC with years of service
but were being punished by the loss of
University purchasing power. Again, had
there been a vice chancellor of human
resources, he or she could have addressed
the protesters and fought for their interests.
Most recently, the lack of administra
tive support for employees filing griev
ances contributed to a fiasco within the
University police department and the reas
signment of the department's director. The
episode might have been avoided had there
been a watchful eye in South Building.
UNC's staff members play an impor
tant behind-the-scenes role in the school's
daily functions. The new post of vice chan
cellor of human resources is a belated,
much-needed way to provide a voice to
those who have gone without for so long.
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A career is no good without self-knowledge
Too little, too late
Navy 'stand-down' not soon enough
To the editor:
In response to the Nov. 1 0 editorial, "Breed
ing boredom: Students ignore education's
purpose" by James Burroughs, I am coming to
the defense of those "career-oriented" stu
dents he refers to as ignoring the purpose of
education. Sure, many students misunderstand
why they are attending the "University of So-and-So,"
but they do not ignore the purpose for
having a higher education. To career-oriented
students and according to the advice of many
of their influences, a collegeuniversity educa
tion is job training.
Before entering a collegeuniversity, career-oriented
students learn that a higher edu
cation is "a leg up on the competition," a way
to "get ahead." High school guidance counsel
ors claim that a college education will get a
person a "good," "successful," high-paying
(the key objective) career and that graduation
from a well-known or any acceptable college
is a strong credential on a resume. So, a lot of
Students come to schools, such as UNC-CH
just to say, "Kilroy waz here 21 790." They
waste four years and $10,000-plus on job
training.
Even after career-oriented students arrive at
"So-and-So State University," they are pro
vided with career fairs and career lectures to
inform them of what needs to be done to get
their desired career. Posted flyers remind
upperclassmen to prepare that resume now or
face the consequences (yeah, you might not get
that job you weren't going to get in the first
place). Getting some type of internship or
entry-level position during school is advised.
The schools of journalism, business, educa
tion, law, medicine, nursing, pharmacy and
public health are job-training schools. Career
orientation is supported by reminders, advise
and major departments. No one reminds career-oriented
or non-career-oriented students
that they were admitted to "Susie Q. College"
for the sake of obtaining knowledge that builds
a basis for more intelligent thought. No one
advises students to go beyond their class stud
ies to explore Davis or any of the other 16
UNC-CH libraries for untaught facts and
truths nor are students given time for extracur
ricular bookworming. Not many departments
at UNC-CH (folklore, comparative literature)
are non-career-oriented.
Everyone is aware of the poor values trans
mitted through radio, television and cinema
films. A song played on the radio this weekend,
one line of which went "I want to be rich." How
can a person get rich? By inheriting wealth or
obtaining it legally or by picking a good major
(medicine, perhaps)?
Finally, as hard as it is to admit, parents help
create career-oriented students. "Go to school,
Johnny, and get a degree so that you can be
somebody important and have a better life
than we did." To which Johnny should reply,
"Am I not someone important now? Will I be
doing anything so different than what you guys
have done ... surviving within a mind-poisoning,
hypocritical society that does not even
know that it is being controlled by forces (we
believe to be) beyond our control?" Parents say
what they do out of love. They are not to blame
for how they think (the same bad influences
affected them), but they are partially at fault for
what they have done to their child (or chil
dren). Some of the blame can be placed on the
career-oriented student. They are old enough
to think for themselves. Aren't they? Consider
that all the major influences of most students
brainwash them into thinking the way they do
and hypnotize them on a set path for set treas
ures. Also, remember that a higher education
must be paid for, so a high-paying (but not
necessarily stimulating) career comes in handy.
So, let me be one of the first, if not the first, to
tell career-oriented students that whether they
get $100,000 with Merrill-Lynch or $12,000
with Polanski Cleaning Services there is no
happiness or success without knowledge of the
self and the world. Get an education. Why not?
You're paying for one.
ANTHONY CARTN AIL-BATES
Sophomore
RTVMP
Leaving no stone unturned, the U.S. Navy
ordered a 48-hour "stand-down" to review safety
procedures following a series of serious acci
dents within the past three weeks. While the
Navy should be commended for taking action,
two days of safety classes and review of equip
ment operations may be too little and too late.
This temporary freeze of the Navy means
599,000 sailors, both ashore and on 566 ships,
will spend two days in special training sessions
and equipment operations classes reviewing
basic safety procedures. But placing new
emphasis on safety now is similar to closing the
barn door after the cows have wandered away.
There have been 102
At least 29 people were injured in a fire
aboard the USS Inchon during shipyard main
tenance in Norfolk, Va. An F-1 4 jet crashed off
the coast of Florida. The crew escaped.
When people join any branch of the U.S.
Armed Forces, they are expected to make sac
rifices for the their country. Yet lives should not
be the price of poor training and maintenance.
In a country not at war, too many sailors have
died, while the Navy blames the accidents on
bad luck and coincidence. Some of these acci
dents and deaths cannot be explained away.
On May 1, two sailors were washed over
board, and officials are investigating a report
that their submarine
Readers9 Foram
is simply unacceptable.
?Tto NtacdS: Lives should not be the
While 47 of these . .
deathsresultedfromthe pHCC OI pOOr training
April 19 explosion on
the uss iowa, the av- and incompetence it
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per year since 1984 is
69.5. Why have Navy
of ficials waited so long
to make safety a priority? Since the USS Iowa
tragedy, 25 major accidents involving Navy
personnel have occurred around the world.
This week's unprecedented stand-down
came only after seven serious mishaps in three
weeks, five of which occurred this week.
On Nov. 12, the Destroyer USS Kinkaid
collided with a merchant ship off the coast of
Malaysia, killing one U.S. sailor. On the same
day, a sailor from the USS Forrestal died four
days after an armored hatch hit his head.
On Nov. 13, two Navy attack jets overshot
their practice range and dropped 1 2 500-pound
bombs on a desert campsite in California. One
man was slightly injured and a mobile home
was damaged.
was diving while the
crewmen were on the
deck. Such incompe
tence would not be tol
erated in a private en
terprise, and it should
not be accepted in the
U.S. military.
Navy veterans, offi
cers, sailors and their
families blame the increase in fatalities on re
laxed training methods, inexperienced person
nel and sub-standard maintenance. There has
been criticism that training standards have fallen
within the past five to 1 0 years. Experts are also
arguing that inexperienced sailors are being
sent into situations above their capabilities.
The Navy must take responsibility for these
accidents and stop this cycle of needless deaths.
While doing so will not return the deceased to
their families, it will ensure that these sacrifices
do not continue. The stand-down is a start, but
only with a program of active inspection, in
tense safety training and high standards can the
Navy regain its prestige as a respected pillar of
the U.S. military. Charles Brittain
Speakers like Gandhi
are special privilege
To the editor:
Monday night atMemorial Hall,
Mr. and Mrs. Arun Gandhi deliv
ered Human Rights Week's key
note address on "Human Rights
and Racism." Astounding in its
simplicity and appeal to human
compassion and wisdom, rather
than to politics, their message was
moving and thought-provoking as
well as informative. Following the
address, the audience was so in
volved that they continued to sit
for an animated discussion with
the Gandhis. It was the
University's honor to have two
such inspiring individuals on
campus. It was unfortunate, how
ever, that only one third of the hall
was filled.
It seems that one of the finest
aspects of attending such a large,
diverse university is the incredible
opportunities open to its students.
Such an event as Human Rights
Week provides an invaluable fo
rum for extra-curricular education;
the speeches, workshops and cul
tural presentations are all free and
open to everyone. It is a shame
that more students and faculty do
not take advantage of the new
opportunities and experiences
which have been virtually brought
to them. We hope that the events
later on this week, including the
second keynote address, will be
better attended. Those students
who saw the Gandhis speak Mon
day were not a privileged, spe
cially informed few. Rather, they
were the few who took advantage
of our special privilege to be
come informed.
MELISSA WILLARD
Freshman
Undecided
ROBIN SPENCE
Freshman
Undecided
Uninformed attack
makes little sense
To the editor:
This letter is in response to
Daniel Rundquist's uninformed
letter entitled "UNC makes turn
ing a profit top priority" in the
Nov. 14 DTH. Displaying a firm
grasp of Econ 10 concepts, Daniel
alleges that "any intelligent per
son will realize" UNC acts as a
profit-maximizing firm. Daniel,
please do not count me as one of
the intelligent people who feel this
way.
UNC obviously is not out to
maximize profits. If it were, UNC
wouldn't turn so many applicants
away each year. Instead, it would
increase tuition prices up to the
point that affording tuition was
the only entrance requirement.
Present excess demand would be
converted directly into revenue.
This, my friend, is how a true
profit-maximizing firm would act.
Daniel also refers to "astronomi
cal rates" paid by out-of-state resi
dents due to some "ambiguous
rule." He must have missed the
day when Dr. Waud discussed a
subsidy. The state of North Caro
lina actually pays for part of its
residents' tuition at UNC. Being
from Atlanta, I must pay the full
cost of my tuition, which explains
the discrepancy Daniel noticed.
To say that we pay "tremen
dous amounts of money" to attend
UNC is absolutely ludicrous. I
think a quick look at our neigh
bors tuition costs down 15-501
should be enough to settle this.
UNC is clearly one of the biggest
bargains in the country in higher
education.
I'm not trying to say that UNC
is without problems, but unin
formed attacks don't solve any of
them. I hope that in the future
people will not be so quick to
criticize the University. Irrational
arguments like Daniel's stating that
we students are "victims of legal
extortion" are counterproductive.
They only serve to divert students
from real issues on campus and to
devalue our diploma which is
surely "more than a piece of pa
per." BILL CRAVER
" Junior
Economics
fetters policy
The Daily Tar Heel welcomes
reader comments and criticisms.
When writing letters to the editor,
please follow these guidelines:
All letters must be dated and
signed by the author(s), with a
limit of two signatures per letter.
All letters must be typed and
double-spaced, for ease of edit
ing. Letters should include the
author's year, major, phone num
ber and hometown.
The DTH reserves the right
to edit letters for space, clarity
and -vulgarity. Remember, brevity
is the soul of wit.
UNC exists to educate, not to turn a profit
The Daily Tar Heel
Assistant editors: Diana Florence and Jessica Yates, arts and features; Karen Dennis and Wendy Johnson, design;
Charles Brittain, editorial page; Staci Cox, managing; B Buckberry, JoAnn Rodak and Steve Wilson, news; Lisa Reichle and
Richard Smith, Omnibus; Evan Eile, photography, Andrew Podolsky, Jay Reed and Jamie Rosenberg, sports; Kari Barlow,
state and national; Sarah Cagle, Will Spears and Amy Wajda, university.
Editorial writers: James Burroughs and Jennifer Wing.
University: Cathy Apgar, Marcie Bailey, Debbie Baker, Lynette Blair, Robert Brown, Chris Helms, Jeff D. Hill, Joey Hill,
Katherine Houston, Stephanie Johnston, Stacey Kaplan, Jason Kelly, Dionne Loy, Kenny Monteith, Simone Pam, Jennifer Pilla,
Myron B. Pitts, Mike Sutton, Bryan Tyson, Nancy Wykle.
City: Steve Adams, Tim Bennett, Julie Campbell, Jennifer Dickens, Jeff Moyer, Sheila Long, Enk Rogers, Katherine Snow,
CamState and National: Crystal Bernstein, Robert Berry.JenniferBlackwell, Wendy Bounds, Wagner Dotto.JulieGammill.Eric
Lusk, Alan Martin, Kimberly Maxwell, Jeff Moyer, Glenn O'Neal, Kyle York Spencer, Emilie Van Poucke, Sandy Wall, Chuck
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Sports: Neil Amato, Mark Anderson, Jason Bates, John Bland, Laurie Dhue, Chris Fialko, Christina Frohock, Scott Gold,
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Production: Stacy Wynn, manager, Greg Miller, assistant.
To the editor:
If one were to believe Daniel Rundquist
("UNC makes turning a profit top priority,"
Nov. 14), then they'd have to conclude that
there are a lot of unintelligent people in the
world. Many of us "unintelligent" people will
be receiving our MBA's in May. I'm referring
to Mr. Rundquist's grand assertion that "any
intelligent person will realize that this Univer
sity is difirm ... which is in business in order to
maximize profits like any other firm."
A firm, Mr. Rundquist, is an entity which a)
is owned by one or more individuals; b) seeks
to maximize the wealth of those owners; c) in
the case of non-profit firms, seeks to equalize
revenues and expenditures while providing a
service; d) charges a price for its product or
service; e)has its viability determined by market
forces (exceptions include public utilities and
American farmers).
While private schools exhibit some of these
characteristics, UNC exhibits none. First, UNC
is merely a cog in a larger governmental bu
reaucracy. Second, UJNC does not strive to
maximize the wealth of anyone (and if it does
seek to do this, it has done a very poor job of it).
Third, UNC does not strive to equalize reve
nues and expenditures like private non-profit
firms. Instead its purpose is to provide a rea
sonably priced, quality education for citizens
of North Carolina. An indication of this is the
fact that UNC charges different tuition rates
based on where a student's home is. If the
University were truly a firm it would charge
different tuition rates for different majors
surely it costs more to educate a chemistry
major than it costs to educate a history major.
Finally, we will never see UNC go out of
business due to market forces. It will remain an
entity because it is supported by the taxpayers
of North Carolina and by generous alumni.
Mr. Rundquist's next assertion that "stu
dents at UNC ... might be thought of as victims
of legal extortion" would be ridiculous were it
not so funny. Students choose to come here. If
we feel like we don't want to pay the price
(both monetarily and non-monetarily), we can
simply leave. No one forces us to stay here, and
no one forces us to take more classes to "make
us more intelligent." The University merely
provides a forum for us to develop our minds,
but becoming more intelligent is up to each of
us.
We should, as Mr. Rundquist says, encour
age UNC to improve its faculty, help its stu
dents and lower the student-to-teacher ratio.
All these efforts, however, cost money. Since
the state legislature is being less than generous
in their allocation of funds, UNC will have to
depend more on contributions from alumni to
achieve its goals. Therefore, it is in our best
interest to not constantly engage in alumni
bashing. The University is not and should not
be just for the students, as Mr. Rundquist
states. The alumni are an important part of the
University as well. Surely the alumni shouldn't
be given keys to the store, but we should take
into account their needs and desires and find a
way to integrate them with the needs and de
sires of students (firms call this "goal congru
ence"). Concerned students like Mr. Rundquist need
to form alliances with the alumni instead of
encouraging an adversarial relationship with
them and the administration. Doing so will
give students more credibility than will writing
letters which contain highly erroneous asser
tions. J.L. WESLEY IH
Graduate student
Business administration
f