Newspapers / North Carolina School of … / March 1, 1996, edition 1 / Page 2
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PAGE 2 Editorials March l, 1996 Past decisions should not be confidential Staff Editorial with. The problem with this policy is that the precedent system, the regulator of modem justice, is nul lified. Past decisions must be remade, without full knowledge of previous justification. This vastly increases the chance that two similar cases will result in different judgments. The administration claims that no two cases are exactly identical. Of course not. If precedents were used only in cases that were exactly the same, they would never be used. It is, on the other hand, possible to compare cases and find similarities. This is the basis of the United States judicial system. The NCSSM community should be given access to records of past trials. All names could be removed from the records to protect the persons involved. This simple alteration would give students an opportunity to know better the re sults of their actions before they act, thus deterring students from misbe having. It would also prevent the possible injustice of inconsistency. Although the end of fhe l^ckiy^ I vrant to cststblish a coinmtuitiy forum so that will already he in place next year at the start of school the Forum wm ap pear Oft the Opinions and £diu>rial$ pages and "wUl allow members of the NCSSM oammunity—students, tcathcis, and aU other staff-to voice thdr opinions on issues important to them. This part will be called "‘Forum'" as opposed to ""Liters to the Bditor” to emphasise the fact that this is an oppominiry to address the rest of the community, not just the editor. Opin ions may be e-mailed to “davenportd* or given in hardcopy to Elizabeth Moose in Watts IC^, Submitted opinions should be signed, be no more than 250 words In length, and contain no profanity. TheStentorianixsaycs tben^to td^opiniomhx^kngth, gram mar,and danty11)esdkxtkmcfopink>CBferinch3Sicminthe{uperwiii be basedcxuimdinessandabalanoe and diversity cf viewpoints. ThankYau, l>anid Daverqxitt, Editor-in-chief NCSSM recently held a meet ing between students and Executive Director John Friedrick regarding expulsion procedures. One of the main topics of discussion at this meeting was the subject of consis tency in disciplinary action. Several students expressed the feeling that there have been incon sistencies in the level of punish ments dealt to persons who commit serious offenses. Many students voiced concerns that two people can be given very different punishments for similar offenses. The students at the meeting be lieved this was a problem that needed to be dealt with.' Unlike a legal trial, which is open to the pub lic, NCSSM’s hearings are sealed. Students and faculty who participate in hearings are told not to discuss anything they have seen or heard. This is, according to the admin istration, to protect the defendant. The result of this is that students and faculty lack the right to leam how other situations have been dealt The Stentorian Editor-in-Chief: Daniel Davenport Editorials and Opinions Editor: Jody Smith, Joey Tucker Entertainment Editor: Jennifer Powell Features Editors: Katie Miltich, Manali Patel News Editors: Monica Dev, Anne Fawcett, Rajesh Swaminathan Sports Editor: Rajeev Pandarinath Layout Editors: David Bediz, Theo Luebke, Smita Trivedi Photography Editors: Carolyn Chu, Frances Wall Advertising Manager: Donald Gaye Adviser: Elizabeth Moose Sponsor: Dr. Joan Barber Staff Writers: Akua Asare, Sam Assaf, Maryellcn Corbett, Cammie Hawley, Mike Hess, Karen Master, Nupur Mehta, Katie Miltich, Alton Patrick, Amy Oliver, Erin Shaughnessy John Smith, Phillip Stewart, Adam Tarleton, Sara Vance, Amy White, Debbie Won Photographers: Ted Basladynski, Kimberly Boyd-Bowman, Steven Stewart, Leonard Tran Pro and Con: Earlier this quarter SUs discussed with their halls the issue of having a smoke-free campus within two years. Currently, there are designated smoking areas where smokers, whether stu dents, staff, or guests, may puffin peace. Should NCSSM have a smoke-free campus? .O JxiKe Thibodeaux! I am not a smoker or an advocate for smoking. I have never smoked and I do not feel the inclination to do so. I speak for the population of NCSSM stu dents who are not afraid to admit that smoking is a repulsive habit. Of all the things that should be em phasized at the “best school in North Carolina,” a smoke-free environment should be the most. The mission of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics is “to help meet North Carolina’s need for responsible leadership in the de velopment and application of science, mathematics, and technology” (taken from The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics 1995-96 Hand book, p. 1). The evolution of science through technological advancements has provided statistics which prove that smoking hinders the lives of both smokers and those who live with them. Thus, by endorsing tobacco prod ucts on its campus, does NCSSM not violate the first sentence of the first page of its handbook of rules and regulations? To all who are infuriated by my opinion of what the smoking policy at NCSSM should be, channel "...hy endorsing tobacco products on its campus, does NCSSM not violate the first sentence of the first page of its handbook of rules and regulations?" your frustration (or degradation, so be it) toward your own lack of strength which prevents you from living independently from tobacco addiction. It is the de pendence on this unhealthy substance that degrades human life. To keep with the logistics of academics, shouldn’t NCSSM be more interested in upgrading hu man life? For this reason, I openly support a NO-SMOK ING policy on NCSSM’s campus. I challenge NCSSM to divert its young “leaders” from the well-trodden path of tobacco addiction. I was told that administration is considering banning smoking on campus effective in the fall of 1997, and I have considered both the good and bad sides of this. Of course there are cigarette butts in the pit and at Wyche, but most of these end up in the ash trays. Second-hand smoke cannot be complained about because we only smoke outside. There is also the reputation of the school to consider. I do not feel that cigarette butts and second hand smoke are even valid complaints. Therefore, I will address only the appearance of students smoking on campus. Tm sure that this makes a bad impression on parents and other visi tors; so do the couples that incessantly make out in Hunt Lobby. But PDA is not allowed! So logically, if smoking is not allowed, does the community really think that we still won’t do it? There are still three options: smoking in hid den places on campus, smoking off campus, or smok ing in our rooms. There is no one in this community who can honestly tell me that going off campus at night is not extremely dangerous, and that smoking in dorm rooms is not a fire hazard. These problems, in addition to smoking illegally on campus, only cre ate more work for SLIs and security guards. So the decision comes down to this: community safety or a small blemish on the school’s reputation. In making this decision, one must consider that smokers are not visible from the street. If the pit and Wyche are too open to visitors, then the smoking ar eas should be relocated. My only other point is stu dent rights. Because we live here, we have nowhere else to smoke, especially at night when it is not safe "Nicotine is addictive, and.. .few students can take the stress of quitting smoking in addition to the stress of attending this school." to leave. With the exception of the van loop, we are stuck on campus in the evenings. Therefore, should smokers be punished because we live at school? Nicotine is addictive, and, without placing blame on this addiction or discussing the moral aspects of it, few students can take the stress of quitting smoking in addition to the stress of attending this school. So the smokers have two choices if smoking is banned: the stress of quitting or risking their personal safety and the safety of others. There are many ways to ease the controversy over student smoking areas. The admin istration can obtain parent permission, restrict smok ing to students who are 18, or, as suggested earlier, make the smoking areas more inconspicuous. Forgetting that I smoke and remembering only that I am a student with concern for other students, I feel that the best solution to this problem is not to re strict the rights of students and take the easy way out by getting rid of the problem altogether; it is to com promise and come up with a solution that is beneficial to the entire community.
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics Student Newspaper
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March 1, 1996, edition 1
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