Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Nov. 25, 1996, edition 1 / Page 12
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12 Monday, November 25,1996 Satlg (Far Brrl Jurat Fagale EDTTOS Office Bonn, 2-3 p.m. Fridays Graham Brink managing editor / Adam Biutrbi ELECTRONIC EDITION EDITOR r World Wide Web Electronic Edition ill http://www.unc.edu/dth I Established 1893 103 Years of Editorial Freedom BOARD EDITORIALS Out of state, out of mind ■ An increase in UNO’s out-of-state student quota would only compromise the University’s traditional obligations to the citizens of North Carolina. The motive of Chancellor Michael Hooker’s proposal to increase UNC’s out-of-state student population from 18 percent to a minimum of 25 percent contradicts the original mission of the University and undermines the value of all stu dents to UNC With aspirations of becoming the best public university in the country, Hooker seeks an out of-state student population comparable to the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and the University of Virginia. But the corresponding decrease in in-state students will compromise the University’s pri mary obligation: to serve and educate the people of North Carolina. Funded with fewer state tax dollars than UNC, the University of Virginia has less of an obliga tion to educate its citizens. UNC is sustained by a significantly higher sum of tax dollars and must fulfill the mission set out in its original charter. Currently, certain applicants barely gain ad mittance to UNC because ofinsufficient grades, low SAT scores or the misfortune of attending a very competitive high school. Under Hooker’s proposal, these students will unfortunately be denied admission to the Uni versity and the opportunities a UNC education provides. Hooker mentioned out-of-state students are better for the University because they pay higher Drugs of a feather ■ The results of a recent study prove that sentencing disparities for possession of crack and powder cocaine are inherently unfair. According to the current mandatory-sentenc ing guidelines set by the federal government, a large disparity exists between the punishment rendered drug offenders who are convicted of offenses involving crack cocaine and those con victed of ones involving cocaine hydrochloride (powder cocaine). This sharp contrast has been based on the consideration that crack has always been re-: garded as a far more addictive and dangerous drug than powder cocaine. However, anew study conducted by Dorothy Hatsukami and Marian Fischman of the Uni versity ofMinnesota reveals the two drugs are so similar in both their psychoactive and addictive properties, that the existing discrepancy in sen tencing laws is excessive and in serious need of re-evaluation. Currently, sentencing is based on the quantity ofthe drug involved. For two individuals charged with possession of either substance to receive the same sentence, the powder cocaine offender would need 100 times the amount of the crack offender. In 1995, the United States Sentencing Com mission recommended, in light of similar stud Buafnaea Mid AdvartMng: Kevin Schwartz. director/general mangage r Chrissy Mennitt advertising director. Leslie Humphrey, classified ad manager. Lise Rtichle, business manager Megan Stephenson, advertising manager Krista Scevone and Elizabeth Johnson, business assistants. CleeeHM Advertising: Rachel Lomasz. Aeeietent Editors: Lily Thayer, arts and Diversions, MeryKathryn Craft end Angela Moore, city: Amanda Barnett and Dalas Smith, copy: Angela Eubanks, design: David SRverstein. features: Mark Weissman. graphics: Serena Custis and Brad Smith, photo: Mac Morrison. Paul Strelow and Kurt Tondorf. sports. Aaron Beard and M. Lee Teh. Sport S aturday. Todd Darling and Wendy Goodman, stale 6 nabonat Sharif Durtiams. Matva Hinton and John Sweeney. university: Marissa Jones, writing coach. Arts/Dlveraiona: Todd Gilchrist music editor Mitch Bennett and Dean Hair, senior writers: Chris Barge. Robert Breitweiser. Kelly Brswington. Beth Carroll. Marya DeVoto. Louis Dillard. Nathan Ellis, Steven Ferrara. Betsy Greer. Rich Harris, Aziz Huq, Amber Ivey. Claire Jarvis. Verna Kale, Greg Kaliss, Kacey Kinard. Stephen Lee. Sophie Milam. Amelia Rasmus, Brent Simon. Barry Summerllin. Brian Truitt. Nan Vasquez. Scon Whittier and Karen Wiliams. Cartoon: Eric Bishop, Brad Christensan. Sean GMespie. Tommy Harris. Brian Kahn. Paul Kendal. Toly Long. Adria Mueller. Rob Nelson. Paul Saunders. Brad Timmers. Miles Travis and Michaal Wlodek. CJly: Elizabeth Adams. Sara Griffin. Kate Harrison. Erica Hinton. Mike Hirschel. Christina Kopp. Sadie Lacy. Aaron Levine. Jim Martin. Megan Meadows. Rob Nelson. Gibson Pate. Meegan Smith. Rachel Swain. Stacey Tumage The editorials are approved by the majority of the editorial board, which is composed of the editor, editorial page editor and seven editorial writers. The Daily Tar Heel is published by the DTH Publishing Corp.. e nonprofit North Carolina corporation. Mondayf riday. according to the University calendar. Callers with questions about billing or display advertising should dial 962-1163 between 8:30 am and 5 p.m. Classified ads can be reached at 962-0252. Editorial questions should be directed to 962-0245/0246. tuition and suggested one of the reasons UVa. is ranked so high is its large out-of-state popula tion. The implicit message is that students are only as good as the amount they pay, and in-state students are not “as smart” as their out-of-state peers. Such comments insult the intelligence and contribution of in-state students, in particular, and devalue the importance of all UNC stu dents. Hooker also mentioned increased revenue and “a cross pollination of ideas” as other rea sons for the increase. Issues of revenue and finance are administrative concerns and must not impede deserving individuals access to a higher education. More diversity is a worthy goal, but the means to its fulfillment is not a matter of numbers or money. As it stands, 18 percent is a significant per centage of the student population and out-of state students make an immeasurable contribu tion to student life at UNC. The manner in which the subject arose makes it even more galling. Hooker did not discuss this increase with University officials, students or even the sage legislators in Raleigh. Rather, he broached the issue at a speech to an alumni organization in Los Angeles, Ca. The chancellor obviously did not take his plans seriously enough to present them reason ably. Why should we? ies, that Congress all but eliminate this gap in sentencing. The recommendation was denied. This response only lends credence t those who claim that the federal courts have a racist agenda. Blacks represent more than 85 percent of all crack offenders and only 27 percent of powder cocaine offenders. Comparatively, those who are convicted of using powder cocaine, which is far more expen sive and considered an upper-class “designer drug”, are consistently and overwhelmingly white. In light of this new scientific evidence, the federal guidelines require an intensive review. If the physiological and psychoactive differences between both drugs are negligible, then the dis parity in sentencing should be removed from current legislation. Individuals convictedofpow der cocaine offenses deserve the same punish ment as those convicted of crack cocaine of fenses. Otherwise, what has been regarded as an unintentional tendency to engage in a racial sentencing bias will become nothing short of a concerted and racist effort to specifically incar cerate African-Americans. THE DAILYTAR HEEL BwiMtt & Admrtitiag Staff assistant manager. Customer Service: Shely Harper. Mahan Jcnes. Sherry W. Martin. Laurie Morton, Chemise Overton and Jut* Robertson, representatives. Display Advertising: Bae Auger. Megan Boyle. Eileen Hintz. Wendy Holmes. Shannon Hrdlicka. Henry Jay. Gidget Lamb. Jonh Scott Lesie Stephenson and Amy Waller, account executives: Editorial Staff and Julia Wood. Copy: Jenny Abelia. Sara Batten. Catherine Blair. Karen Glunk. Michelle Jones. Elzabeth Kul. Kendall Mac Queen. Elzabeth Martin. Melissa Minas. April Simun. Jamie Vacca. Brandyne Warren and Elzabeth Whaley. Design: Michelle LaPierre, May-Sung Li, Courtney McCurry, Holy Neel. Trine Ozer. Jennifer Snow, Leslie Wilkinson and Akisb Yiannibas. Editorial: John Adcock. Devona Brown. Matthew Crawford. Chris Dovichak. Susan Hazeldean. Leslie Kendrick. Keith Kocher and Tara Powell. Features: Lauren Agrela. Pooja Asher. Ashley Copeland. Jason Creech. Trisha Dabb. Hilary Franklin. Mark Lineberger. Andrea Luecke. John McAlister. Andrew McLestar. Jason Monel. Oivis Page Brenna Pearson, Cory Van Bekris and Mary Wiliamson. Graphics: Elyse Aley, Jessica Godwin. Ashley Henkel Anne Rley, Eileen Russel and Kelley Shaw. Photography: Erik Perel. senior photographer Cara Brickman. Ashley Broom. Kely Brown. Lindsay Cage, IGm Clark. Kai Dacosta. Monies Davis, Jon Gardiner. Jennifer Guthrie. Margo Hassatman. John Ikada. Kerri Laz. Ben McAlister. Misti McDaniel. Kristina Morris. Kristin Rohan, M.C. Steed and Vibhuti Uppal. Special Anljrimentr Sarah Frisch, Jessica Galazka. Tony Mecia. Lou Rutigliano, Monica Sanchez and Jonathan Watson. I®pr issKr""* Office Suite 1M Caroline Union Campus Mai Address: CB* 6210 Box 49, Carol ns Union U. 9. Mol Addraoa: P.O. Box 3287, Chapel Hit NC 27618-3267 Ryan Norwood editorial page editor Junk Grifwold UNIVERSITY EDITOR Ltura Godwin CTTY EDITOR Eric* Braheira state s national editor Andrew Puk special assignments editor Robbi Piekeral SPORTS EDITOR JoKph Rolison sportsaturday editor JeC* Banov FEATURES EDITOR MduiaMiliot ARTS 6 DIVERSIONS EDITOR Jnlia Corbin copy desk editor Michael Kanarek copy desk editor Amy Cappicllo photography editor Amy Qoattlebaum DESIGN EDITOR Phillip Molaro GRAPHICS EDITOR Robin Linehan EDITORIAL CARTOON EDITOR Robin Berholi staff development Jodi Brown. Beth Cresemb. Joel Sasser end Barry Wyner. assistant account executives Advertising Production: Beth O'Brien. manager Richard D. Allen. Cindy Henley and Jody Matthews, assistants. Ciaaslfied Production: Penny Persons. Newicleric Chris Dovichak. Sport*: Beverly Morgan, copy. Dave Alexander, Jack Chaney. David Fleming. Kristi Geerken. Paul Holscher. Craig Kiser. Jason Knott Reino Makkonen, Anglea Merritt Jeff Stencel and Mike Sundheim. Staff Development: Chris Barge. Derek Chiang, Jenny Couch. Erica EBs. Adam Gusman, Susan Hazeldean. Greg Kaßs and Sara Lester. State and National: Melissa Steele, senior writer Tiffany Cashwell, Anne Corbett Jonathan Cox. Sara deManigold, April Demart Vickey Eckenrode. Eric Flack. Anne Harden. Holly Hart Charles Hellwig. Emily Howell, Tricia Johnson. Antoinette Kerr. Ashley Matlock. Whitney Moore, Kishma Patna*. Monika Ruef, Andrew Rose. Robin Smith, LeAnn Spradling and Jeff Young. IMhranlty: Rick Conner, Merritt Dempsey, Kaidin Gurney. Ashley Hagler, Leah Haney. Alison Hill. Mindy Hodges. Balkees Jarrah. Teresa Kifiian. Sheng Lee. Evan Markfield. Jim Nicks. Kelly O'Brien, Kerry Ossi. Am Panda. Stephanie Shaw. Sarah Sims, Anasa Sinegal Dave Snell Dana Spangler. Ashley Stephenson, Nahal Toosi Lynn Wadford, Ray Watters. Jon Wiliams, Deanna Wittmer and Sara Yawn. Editorial Production: Stacy Wynn, manager. DTH OmUna: Eddie Bales, production. Printing: Triangle Web. Distribution: Triangle Circulation Services. EDITORIAL [ f/73 \\ / I CPvy mlmtLjniXMg / \Y / / Thanksgiving’s history relevant to modern times Lately some friends have accused me of using my columns to suck up to vari ous teachers. Tothosefriendslwantto say, “What’s your point?” This one’s for you, Dr. Kaufman ... I doubt this will come as a surprise to any of you, but Thanksgiving is coming this Thurs day. With it will come many of my favorite traditions andfood. Football, turkey and pump kin pie are just a few of the things I associate with this holiday. Because of this approaching day, it was with vague interest that I learned for the ump teenth time the origins of the Thanksgiving tradition. While we all know the stories of the Pilgrims and the Indians, I was more inter ested in learning the reasons behind the Pil grims’ trek to the New World. Most of us are familiar with the Pilgrims’ background and their quest for religious free dom. I would wager, however, that a far fewer number are familiar, then, with the motiva tion behind the Pilgrims’ quest. It seems these Pilgrims, or Puritans as they might also be called, fled England to seek a place where they might practice a more.pure,yenion of the. Protestantism that held sway inEngfancfin the late 16th and early 17th centuries, hence the name Puritans. England in the 16th century proved a reli gious battleground that swung back and forth between Catholic and Protestantreforms. The last such swing began with the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Seeking to reclaim England from its most recent swing toward Roman Catholi cism, Elizabeth chose to create a religious environment somewhere in the middle. While devoid of many of the ritual symbols of Ca tholicism, this religious state proved neither Catholic nor Protestant in its entirety. In response to Elizabeth’s attempt at re form, anew group sprang up in protest. This group wanted England entirely Protestant, centering around the reforms of such notables as John Calvin and Martin Luther. This group, the Puritans or Purifiers, wanted a more pure religion and felt that Elizabeth’s reforms had Editorial cartoon insensitive toward victims of tragedy TO THE EDITOR: I am writing in response to the cartoon titled “Fraternities Respond to Town Ordi nance” featured on the Editorial Page of the Nov. 20 Daily Tar Heel. I was shocked that the cartoon was approved for publishing; it hit a sensitive spot in the hearts of those of us who suffered the loss of a friend in the Phi Gamma Delta fire in May. Being from Rocky Mount, I saw my little brother cry because he lost his swim team coach. I saw my good friend, along with count less Phi Gams, cry because he lost his older brother. I saw my Pi Beta Phi sisters cry because they lost a sorority sister and a best friend. Words cannot describe the experience of attending three funerals within a period of two days. Anyone who walks by the skeleton of the Phi Gam house everyday relives those two days almost every time. The cartoon was an unsuccessful attempt to make light of a situation that is not a laughing matter. Despite the factors involved the night of the Phi Gamma Delta fire, fives and loves were lost, and thoseofuswho suffer with each reminder will never recover. Let the fraterni ties and sororities do what they must do in order to make their houses safe, and please do not mock us for our efforts. It does nothing but remind us of our losses. Hayes Ferguson FRESHMAN PSYCHOLOGY Exploitation of Greek system f pseudojournalistic pap 1 The author is a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. TO THE EDITOR: The fraternity fire ordinance cartoon you ran on Nov. 20 not only trivializes an issue of vital importance, it went so far as to insult the memory of those lost in the tragic fire of May not gone far enough. This new group alarmed Elizabeth and the English church which she, as England’s ruling monarch, headed. It seemed the Puri tans were preach ing the law. Later characterized as “fire and brim stone,” puritanical teaching was criti- w MAH OSMAN OSMAN IA cized for trying to scare people into accepting God. Puritans felt by showing people the impos sible scope of God’s law, they could push their listeners to accept God’s grace when they real ized they were incapable of saving themselves by following a set standard. In reality, the only aspect of the Puritans teachings that stood out to the English church leaders was the idea that biblical law was unattainable in its demand forperfection. They. saw this doctrine as a seditious teaching which might lead to widespread disobedience of gov ernmental rule, reasoning that if people knew one set of laws couldn’t be followed, then English citizens would cease trying to follow any law, secular or religious. Applying this idea broadly, they came to fear a society where people wouldn’t stop with disobeying God’s law but would engage in civil disobedience as well. Fearing potential anarchy, church leaders persecuted Puritans in an attempt to stop the spread of their teachings and ideas. This perse cution provided the impetus for the Puritans’ voyage to the New World. Feeling that God’s divine providence and will had led them to a new haven, they so named their new settle ments, Providence and New Haven. Most interesting to me was to learn of the Puritans religious struggles once they reached the New World. It seems that following their readers’porum The Daily Tar Heel welcomes reader comments and criticism. Letters to the editor should be no longer than 400 words and must be typed, double-spaced, dated and signed by no more than two people. Students should include their year, major and phone number. Faculty and staff should include their title, department and phone number. The DTH reserves the right to edit letters for space, clarity and vulgarity. Bring letters to the DTH office at Suite 104, Carolina Union, mail them to P.O. Box 3257, Chapel Hill, NC 27515 or email forum to: dth@unc.edu. 12. Your decision to run this cartoon is just another example of the pseudojoumafistic pap put out by The Daily Tar Heel. As ifyou have not exploited the fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta enough over the past year, you choose to rub salt in the wound with garbage like this. I sat through an entire semes ter while you milked the rush letter for all it was worth, and held my tongue. Well, no more! I’ll be damned if you’ll use the deaths of five good people to move more of these rags off the Your lucky day Got an opinion? We want to splash it across the back pages of The Daily Tar Heel. That's right. It’s that time of year again: Appli cations are out for spring 1997 columnist and editorial board positions. Applications will be available today in Suite 104 of the Student Union, otherwise known as the DTH office. They're due by 5 p.m. Dec. 2, which gives you all of Thanksgiving to ruminate over your feast and a snazzy application. Don’t delay. Contact Editor Jeanne Fugate at 9624086 if you have any questions. (Uljr Saily sar Hrri- friendship with the Indians, they sought to proselytize their new-found friends, like the Jesuit and other missionaries in South Amerita had done before them. However, it seems these early attempts failed miserably as the Puritans struggled to convey what they thought was the gravity of their message of salvation. It seems the Indians had no use for the fear mongering and guilt the Pilgrims were peddling. In retrospect it seems rather obvious that the Indians would fail to understand concepts of guilt and sin, two con cepts with little weight in their world prior to the Pilgrim’s settlement The Puritans, it seems, failed to understand their audience. They didn’t tailor their me£ sage to the logic and perceptions of their listen” ers and because of this faltered in their evange listic attempts. Maybe if the Pilgrims had attempted to understand their audience, they would have found a better tack. Perhaps a focus on God’s love and creation would have been more ap peafing. My experience in religion classes, both past and. present, .has .shown roe.tiMi.Gbristiaoity., has many facets. Choosing one focus is impor tant when sharing with others, provided that this focus is not taken out of context. Rather this facet, in agreement with the whole from which it has been culled, should point to the abounding love and grace found in God. It may seem like I went a long a way to make a point. While that may be the case, I don’t want to lose sight of the significance of this holiday as a chance to reflect upon and be. grateful for the many blessings I have been granted. What are you thankful for? Why? Like the Pilgrims who thanked God forprotecting them through their quest for religious freedom, I hope there are tilings for which you are grate ful. If there aren’t, then what is important in our life, and why is it important if it isn’t worth being thankful for? Matt Osman is a senior history major from Charlotte. stands. I only hope in the future you will use a modicum of decency and discretion when choosing the contents of this fish wrapper you call a newspaper. 1 Dean Hingson JUNIOR ECONOMICS Swim test letter perpetuates myths of female helplessness;' TO THE EDITOR: We are writing in response to Tamara Reynolds’ ridiculous complaint regarding the - timing ofthe swim test (“Required Swim Test ■ Ignores Female Biological Phases,” Nov. 19). Besides being statistically improbable, the ar- . tide presents a ludicrous picture of women as debilitated for a great part of the month, sti much that they are unable to complete a graduJ ation requirement. In speaking for an apart? ment of six girls, we sincerely doubt that the swim test is a plot contrived by the male dominated administration to punish or to sup press women. Underthe disguise ofpromoting. women’s rights, she is actually undermining • the efforts for equality by pleading for sperial concessions. Furthermore, this is a private matter that' should have been taken up with the adminis tration, not brought to the attention of the entire student body. In the future, Ms. Reynolds, please don’t - take the liberty to speak for the rest of us. Aubrey Sabala. SOPHOMORE’’ PSYCHOLOGY • Laura Gilbert " JUNIOR JOURNAUSiyi , For the Record In Thursday’s Barometer ('Busted.' Nov. 21), the- CIA director should have been identified as John M.. Deutch. The DTH regrets the error.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Nov. 25, 1996, edition 1
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