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The News Argus, October 2003 The News Argus The Student Newspaper of Winston-Salem State University Nicole Ferguson Editor-in-Chief George Croom Janell J. Lewis Managing Editor News Editor Reporters: Stephanie Price, Mary-Ann Joseph, Lisa BtKjne, Shumerial Ratcliff, Demond Cureton, Troy Smith, Brandlyn Bryant and Daysha Lynei Scruggs. Photographers; Erik Warren and Garrett Garmes * The News Argus is a monthly campus newspaper for the students, faculty and staff of WSSU. * Opinions expressed in The News Argus are not necessarily those of the faculty or staff at WSSU. * For advertising information, please call (336) 750- 2327, or e-mail newzargus@yahoo.com www.thenewsargus.com •Opinion EDITORIALS American society is advancing to a halt By Scott Molski and Silvio Laccetti (KRT) Recent developments indicate that Americans are spending the majority of their time in "technology advancement," w'hile neglecting social and cultural progress. We create too many gizmos and not enough new cultural forms and institutions to improve the lot of humanity. In order to achieve a better social product — soci ety — we need two things; creativity and the leisure time in which to develop or exercise it. Behind the situ ation are some paradoxes regarding work, productivity and leisure. Is the typical American overworked? One side argues that the average workweek has steadily increased for both white- and blue-collar workers. They say Americans take fewer days off per year than workers in any other industrial country, and that this situation is forced upon the American worker. The other side presents labor statistics to show that the average workweek has remained fairly constant over the last 40 years. And, where the workweek has increased for certain individuals, it has been by choice: the typical American worker wants more hours because it means more pay or career advancement. Ironically, in the workplace we are increasingly pro ductive and innovative. The U.S. government tracks worker productivity, which has hit record levels recent ly, according to the Labor Department. With greater productivity, one might think that there is more leisure time, but there isn't. The importance of creative leisure time was made abundantly clear by the ancient Greeks. They astound ed their world with creations that are the very founda tion of our Western Civilization. From their surplus of leisure came totally new forms and concepts: democra cy, philosophy, naturalistic art and literature. What do we do with our leisure? According to a 2002 Harris Preference Poll, Americans have about 20 hours per week to pursue leisure activities, an amount largely unchanged since 1989. American adults indicated reading (26 percent) as one of their top two or three leisure time activities (respondents could name up to three activities). Other top activities were watching TV (15 percent), spending time with family (11 percent), fishing (8 percent), gar dening (8 percent), playing team sports (7 percent), going to the movies (6 percent), and swimming and golf (5 percent each). Painting and writing were 2 per cent and 1 percent each, respectively. What conclusions can be drawn from this survey? Reading is an encouraging sign, dependmg of course on what is being read! Otherwise, the poll shows that Americans are involved in mentally passive leisure. Americans are spending their leisure hme mostly entertaining themselves. Very few are creating or dis cussing ideas, are thinking about society and the fuhire, or are coming into contact with others who should be doing the same thing. What to do? In light of Sept. 11, our society needs more interaction and exchange of ideas in our various groups and com munities. We know the impact the Internet has had on technological discourse and development. We must also be aware of the impact it can have in promoting American social progress. Lately, political candidates like Howard Dean, former governor of Vermont, have realized the Internet s poten tial for political organization. Other things can and must be done in this electronic environment where any one person can found a non-governmental organization with every hope of attracting attention to their cause. Technology can be a major aid in socially constructive leisure. Of course recreation is still important. People will never be able to function at their mental peak if they are in poor physical health. Everyone needs to have some time to kick-up his or her feet or go swimming. The Greeks knew this too. But they still allotted time enough for reflection and pondering the meaning and improve ment of life. These uses of time do not seem to exist for today's Americans. Lack of constructive leisure time is much to our disadvantage as the world's leading power. So what needs to be done? Americans must realize the need for social advancement as well as technical and sci entific advancement. In the years to come, our technol ogy will continue to be superior, but if we are unable to make progress as a society, interacting with one another, the greatest technologies will be wasted in narrow applications. Leonardo da Vinci said, "Iron rusts from disuse, stag nant water loses its purity and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigors of the mind." Let us, as Americans, not have our collective brainpower waste away by overlooking or ignoring social concerns. We need to realize value of those issues and strive for more quality leisure time. New tune: Napster goes legit; Kazaa offers a deal TUITION, from page 3 fident that federal loan subsidies would help cushion the increase," said then-Secretary of Education VYilliam ]. Bennett in 1987. The "Bennett hypoth esis" — the theory that as long as someone ensures the bills will get paid, colleges will raise tuition — makes sense, especially in light of government's guarantee of an affordable college education for all who want one. It's a reality corroborated by Murray State University President Dr. F. King Alexander, who in a recent hearing told the House Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness that some schools do, in fact, raise tuition because government will cover it. Unfortunately, despite Alexander's revelation, subcommittee members spent little time digging deeper into the Bennett hypothesis. It's an atti tude reflected in "The College Cost Crisis," which gives Bennett's theory only a cursory — but emphatic — nod, with quotes from recent articles in Newsweek and Forbes: "Because parents and students keep coming back for more, there is 'no mar ket constraint to keep them from raising tuition,' Newsweek quotes Ronald Ehrenberg, director of the Cornell Higher Education Research Institute, as saying. 'People continue to knock on their doors.' And, of course, the fed eral government contin ues to increase spend ing. ..." So what does the report suggest as a pos sible solution to the tuition inflation prob lem? Colleges and uni versities policing them selves. It would rely on "commitment from the higher education com munity to not only acknowledge the prob lem but work toward addressing it, and broad cooperative efforts from all stakeholders in high er education...." Good luck. If the Bennett hypothesis is true, schools have no incentive to rein in costs. As long as colleges are in competition, and uni versity jobs and salaries depend on schools drawing kids away from competitors, institutions of higher learning won't stop buying the latest equipment, building new facilities, and hiring expensive, "celebrity" professors. That is, unless tuition and other funds become more scarce. Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act is an excellent opportunity for all the college-edu cated folks in Congress to explore the real caus es of skyrocketing tuition. Unfortunately, if "The College Cost Crisis" is any indication, higher education will continue to be treated as a federally ensured enti tlement, driving politi cians to keep on fueling the tuition rocket they say they want to ground. ABOUT THE WRITER Neal McCIiiskcy is a pol- icy analyst ivith the Center for Educational Freedom at the Cato Institute. Readers may write to the author at the Cato Institute, 1000 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20001; Web site: unimicato.org. Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service (KRT) The re-emergence of Napster as a legitimate online music vendor grabbed attention last week for good reason. The former bad boy that Santa Clara-based Roxio Corp. * bought after recording companies drove it under will offer 500,000 tunes, selling downloads for a dollar and jukebox sub scriptions by the month. But another press confer ence was just as intriguing — and perhaps, in the long run, more significant. An organization repre senting the parent compa ny of Kazaa, the most pop ular file-sharing network since Napster's demise, threw out an offer and an olive branch. It proposed a plan to stop piracy by enabling music companies to sell music to their customers over Kazaa and other file- sharing services. Internet service providers would monitor and bill for songs that customers down loaded. The details are sketchy and, at this point, the idea appears far-fetched. ISPs have expressed no interest in serving as file-sharers' bookkeepers, and the music industry w'ould rather break Kazaa's back than break bread with it. But it may also signal the opening move in Kazaa's effort to deal with the music industry's com plaints and forestall retri bution from Congress. And other file-sharing ser vices and some consumer groups are pushing a simpler idea that deserves a look, notwithstanding the labels' initial opposi tion: some form of compul sory licensing of music over the Internet. Under that concept, all Internet users would pay a monthly fee, perhaps based on the speed of their Internet connection, enti tling them to download and trade whatever tunes they want. An independent body would distribute roy alties based on artists' mar ket share of downloads. That's how it works in radio and with public per formances: ASCAP and BMI license copyrighted works and, through exten sive sampling, parcel out the money. There are legal prece dents, an economic ratio nale and a technological argument for compulsory licensing. Peer-to-peer networks, with decentralized control and redundancy, are a technological advance and should be embraced, not demonized. If the formula for distrib uting royalties is fair, musi cians will make more money. Once everyone pays a levy or fee, piracy disap pears, and consumers are treated as customers again, not bandits. For now, the labels are ignoring the file-sharing services' overtures and pursuing a double-edged strategy of suing big file swappers while striking deals with a growing num ber of vendors like Napster and Apple's iTunes. The labels' commitment to selling music over the Internet, though belated, is real. But their refusal to consider including peer-to- peer networks may be self- defeating. Millions of young people continue to swap files illegally, notwithstanding the labels' modest success in scaring them through litigation. The lost revenue is stagger ing. The labels may never see peer-to-peer as a cure to their troubles. But Congress should take a detached view, weigh the benefits of new technology and explore options Uke compulsory licenses. Corrections In sports article by Samuel Harley, the ending to the story was inadvertently cut off. It should have read, "the Rams finished with a victory." Also in the KRT headline for the story "Bush asks for Millions to aid rebuilding Iraq," the presi dent asked the country for billions not millions. Also, the ending of this story was also cut off. It should have read, "But they've been throwing bombs instead. " We do apologize for these errors. — The News Argus Staff I i't'l a link' ill.' Do \()ii ilic Micivc.'', or hacks;' ( liilK, sweals or Uols'.* Don I s|nii! Miiirday krliu(> luui. 1‘niiicCaix- is ojK ii 7 la)s a ucck. Aiul voii can see a iliK'iot uiilunii ait ap|»)iniiiu‘iii. So Feel Better Now. t all I’riiiK C an . Kemersville, Business 40 and Hwy 66. Winston-Salem, 600 Highland Oaks Dr. near Hanes Mall. PrimeCare, •fUtadvitti Foiftt AMM CMV /
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