10
Friday, October 24, 1997
(Til? oatlg aar Mwl
Erica Beshtars EDITOR
Office Hours. 24 p.m. Fridays
Laura Godwin and Leslie Wilkinson managing editors
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World Wide Web Electronic Edition
http://www.unc.edu/dth
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BOARD EDITORIALS
Key communication
I While the Department of Disability Services helps many students gain an
education, one disabled student’s withdrawal from UNC raises questions.
The recent UNC graduate student’s decision
to withdraw from the University, citing inade
quate disability services, raises many questions
about advertising and communication within
University departments.
The Department of Disability Services at
UNC should provide an equal opportunity in
higher education to disabled students. The
department claims that the services it “provides
are developed and provided on an individual
needs basis.” It’s quite disheartening then, that
Sara Laufer, a hearing impaired student, felt as
if the University could not provide her reason
able accommodations, but even more disheart
ening that Disability Services is not really dis
cussing the issue.
Laufer asserts that she went to a number of
lengths and spoke to University administrators
in order to address her concerns. She claims she
was misinformed about the University’s exist
ing facilities for hearing impaired students and
that little progress had been made after speak
ing with the appropriate officials.
Laufer is only one student out of many who
rely on Disability Services for help with school.
Many more disabled students are able to finish
their education at UNC than leave. However,
even if one student leaves citing a significant
communication problem, any department
should look into the way that they communi
cate with students.
The Department of Disability Services
should closely scrutinize their enunciation and
Snoozing around
The alarm clock goes off. Instead of starting
the day, you hit one of the greatest inventions
on the face of this planet the snooze button.
After striking this bar a few times, it is necessary
to drag yourself out of bed to face your early
morning classes. The only problem is that you
are not awake, and rather than thinking coher
ently you utter sentence fragments and have
problems with academic endeavors.
However, researchers from Brown
University have discovered that when teenagers
begin puberty, their biological clocks shift
which makes it difficult for them to get up in the
morning. Due to this shift in their biological
clocks, teenagers do not release the sleep-induc
ing chemical melatonin in time for a full nights
rest. Some Minneapolis educators have adjust
ed to this scientific discovery and have delayed
the high school schedule by 75 minutes.
Minnesota legislators are trying to pass a bill
to require high schools to open at a later time.
A group of schools that has begun opening later
have reported that there has been a decline in
absenteeism, tardiness and snoozing in class.
With these results in mind, we should con
sider the logic behind 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.
classes for university students. By the nature of
the work load at a university, college students
find it necessary to study into early morning
hours to finish the assigned work. On nights
that they desire to attend a social function, sip
a few drinks at a bar, or enjoy the company of
some friends, they usually do not go out before
10:30 p.m., which makes it difficult to wake up
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CaroliM Papa editorial page editor
NaWToori UMVERSITY EDITOR
Surif Doriumt university editor
Amy CappieDo CITY EDITOR
Whitney Moore state 6 national editor
Aire Morrison SPORTS EDITOR
Tony Merit SPECIAL ASSIGNMENTS EDITOR
Mary-Kalhryn Craft FEATURES EDITOR
Jim Martin ARTS 6 DIVERSIONS EDITOR
.Ann Candler King COPY DESK EDITOR
Jenny .AkeOa COPY DESK EDITOR
Cara Briekman PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Jennifer Guthrie PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
.Aaron Beard SPORTSATUROAY EDITOR
Michael Kanarek DESIGN EDITOR
Jake Zarnegar GRAPHICS EDITOR
Robin Kohii EDITORIAL cartoon editor
organization policies so other disabled students
don’t feel alienated or inadequately treated.
Students should be made aware of all available
services, because the services the University can
provide are no good unless students are able to
take advantage of them.
Furthermore, disabled students should feel
encouraged to confront the department with
suggestions for improvement and change. After
all, it is their needs that the department is trying
to meet. Help without communication can be
very ineffective.
Finally, this incident should serve as a warn
ing for all University departments who might
fall into the same miscommunication problems.
University representatives should be extremely
clear about the services that they make available
to students even if it means repetition.
Sometimes a little repetition is a good thing.
Whether the departments are providing
classes, academic aid or living services, every
one should be clear in what services are actu
ally provided by UNC. All University officials
and representatives should be willing and
informed enough to correctly and clearly
answer any questions that prospective students
might have. And all departments should work
with their students to address any concerns or
suggestions that arise.
Regardless of the conditions surrounding
Laufer’s withdrawal, it’s a shame that a student
felt the need to take such a drastic and final
action.
for their important early morning classes.
University students even more than high school
students have their biological clocks disrupted
and therefore need later class, a 10:00 a.m. or
later, in order to be able to fully comprehend
and participate in their classes.
With all of the recent discussions about the
intellectual climate, later classes could be a con
siderably beneficial addition to ensure that each
and every student has the opportunity to per
form up to their utmost ability.
Classes at 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. are diffi
cult to get up for and should no longer be
offered. Professors would appreciate classes in
which students were not always nodding off
and are filled with alert students that would
actually participate.
Students and faculty would benefit from
later morning classes. Students could obtain the
needed sleep after later hours of studying to
attend their classes alert and awake. Professors
and faculty could use this time for research,
office hours or as quality family time. Shifting
the schedule of this university back two hours
would not be disruptive because of the manner
in which college life is conducted.
Later morning classes make sense in a uni
versity setting. We should consider all options
that would allow each student to achieve his or
her academic best and enhance his or her edu
cation.
With the deletion of 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.
classes, the intellectual climate would greatly
benefit.
EDITORIAL
Living in closet stifles schoolwork, friendships
I can’t believe I missed National Coming
Out Day. I mean, if I was on top of
things like a good columnist, instead of
dressing up in army fatigues and combat
boots for a night on the town, maybe I
would’ve seen the fliers around campus two
weeks ago.
But now, I’ve got to come out all by myself.
No parading comrades, no heartfelt poetry,
not even a loud microphone in the Pit.
Maybe my apartment-mates have guessed
something was up. I don’t know if even they
suspect a thing about my secret, cause I do a
good job of covering it up out of shame.
I’m tired of living the he. I want to stop
hiding my true self, no matter what others
may think or say 0K... I’m ready. I’m going
to admit it.
I have attention deficit disorder.
(For you voyeurs who were waiting for me
to disclose my orientation, right now it is
south-southwest. Go back to watching Ellen,
and I’ll b-glad on my own time.)
Remember those Warner Bros, cartoons?
My favorite was the coyote who was always
dropping anvils off cliffs and setting up Acme
bomb-laden traps to catch the roadrunner.
Ever wonder why he didn’t just retire from the
apparently lucrative roadrunning trade?
Put yourself in Wile E. Coyote’s shoes.
You’ve got this one-track mind to obsessively
chase after this elusive roadrunner. Every time
you get close, he rounds a sharp curve and
next thing you know, you’ve clear run off the
edge.
Welcome to the world of ADD, where
reaching simple goals seems near impossible
and each tenuous step increases the feeling of
impending collapse.
You’ve experienced ADD if you’ve ever
read Calvin & Hobbes. Early on, I identified
with alternatively hyper and lethargic Calvin.
He is ADD personified. Tuning out the world
in vivid daydreams and unable to compre
hend what’s going on around me, I walk
around in Calvin’s shoes every day.
Since being diagnosed my sophomore year,
I’ve kept my “problem” a secret. Only one
person at UNC knew; she just happened to be
there the day I found out. Until today, I’ve
been in hiding. Not even my parents know.
/ x ,er f ARD 1 % t r ,
Future of computers makes
computer literacy esseutial
TO THE EDITOR:
Let me commend your Oct. 21 editorial
addressing the student government’s recent
discussion of computer literacy requirements.
You’re right to advocate that computer liter
acy instruction be integrated into a variety of
undergraduate courses and that we concern
ourselves with more than the “technical
skills” needed to operate computers. It seems
clear that computer-based research and com
munication is evolving in all disciplines and
that we must teach not only competency with
the basic operations of computers, but also a
critical understanding of and fluency with
electronic forms of research and communi
cation.
As an institution, our reputation in part
depends upon our ability to demonstrate that
students are computer literate. As members of
the UNC community, however, we owe it to
ourselves to extend the definition of comput
er literacy to include familiarity with the
many ways that technology is being integrat
ed into the work of the University. In com
position studies, debates about the rhetoric of
hypertext and the authority of Internet
resources are taking place. In communica
tions, hybrid messages that mix elements of
spoken, written and visual texts are being
studied. In sociology, virtual worlds and inter
actions are analyzed. We’re studying elec
tronic commerce and debating professional
issues in online scientific communities. In
short, each discipline already uses and wres
tles with computer-based tools and issues.
If we focus on introducing students to
computers without teaching them something
about these technology-related issues that are
evolving in every field, we will fall short of
meaningful instruction in “computer litera
cy" and do more long-term damage than
My secrecy was
based on how stu
pid I felt compared
to classmates. My
“closet” was
Learning
Disabilities Services
(literally a series of
walk-in closets
beneath Wilson
Library). I would
duck in there dur
ing the day. telling
friends I was really
going next door to
[ DAVE SNELL j
IGNORANCE IS
STRENGTH
Academic Technology Networks.
College is overwhelming in its demand for
personal discipline. Lately, I’ve been running
the “perfectionist” treadmill, taking on
numerous activities to appear I have it all
together. I’ve created a facade of control and
fulfillment while simultaneously feeling con
fused and empty.
Mixed in is the “Who cares?” attitude.
Since I won’t fully comprehend my readings,
1 reason: Why not drive two counties away at
2 a.m. for a hot Krispy Kreme donut?
At full swing, I take procrastination to
record heights. (This paper’s due tomorrow,
but sure, we can make it to Wrightsville Beach
tonight!)
Lapses in my attention span also affect my
physical ability. Body coordination is not my
strong suit. Plus, team sports require close
attention to what’s going on and I can’t
change my focus as quick as the ball changes
hands.
Living with ADD wouldn’t be bad if it was
limited to just academics and athletics. I can
be in Hamilton 100 and no one knows if my
mind is there or wandering across campus
somewhere. Academic failure is only a letter.
Likewise, I’d love to stay alert enough to
guard another player on the court, or be coor
dinated enough to receive a pass while run
ning. But I’ll settle for watching pro sports.
However, I can’t do the same with friends.
I can’t check out in the middle of a conversa
tion, because social fouls lead to much worse:
possible anger and/or rejection.
For example, I can barely follow long con-
READERS’TORUM
The Daily Tar Heel welcomes reader comments and
criticism. Letters to the editor should be no longer
than 400 words and must be typed, doublespaced,
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Students should include their year, major and phone
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Hill, NC 27515 or e-mail forum to: dth@unc.edu.
good to our students and our reputation. If,
on the other hand, we enable the many tal
ented individuals who are already working
with technology in every field to introduce
that work to students, we’ll foster competen
cy with computers and critical understanding
of the complexities of computer-based
research and communication. As important,
we’ll encourage those who are already con
sidering and practicing computer-assisted
research and teaching to continue that work.
We’ll provide an opportunity for instructors
and students to study further the best ways to
integrate computers into the many complex
disciplines of knowledge that make up the
University.
As we integrate technology into instruction
at UNC, we’ll continually have to make
choices. How should we teach computer
basics? How can we integrate advanced com
munications technology into our classes?
Which classes? How can we teach with tech
Slje Batlg (Tar Heel
versation. Either I dominate the talking to
force myself to concentrate, or my mind goes
rummaging through random thoughts.
Mostly, I just smile and nod my head, staying
silent if lost in the verbal chatter. And with a
mind like a sieve, “verbal incontinence” (or
“foot in the mouth” disease) occurs. Secrets
are divulged and rumors spread as words slip
out. Inappropriate thoughts and comments
escape, causing friends to doubt me.
Imagine a miracle operation existed where
neurosurgeons could remove the “ADD”
gene from the brain. Would I rush down to
UNC Hospitals?
No. Not because I would fear the risks
involved in brain surgery. Not even because I
probably couldn’t foot the bill.
Simply because I just couldn’t imagine liv
ing without ADD.
Distractibility allows for creativity, not
locking me into the "ordinary” way.
Hyperactivity is advantageous if I can manage
to channel it into schoolwork. And impul
siveness can be attractive; spontaneity makes
you more fun and exciting. Most importantly,
I believe I have ADD for a reason. God does
n’t give His children anything they cannot
handle. So it is enough for me to realize my
Lord hasn’t cursed me, but rather challenged
me with ADD.
Don’t get me wrong, there are days when
I blame God for messing up my life with this
“unfair” burden. I see others doing more and
meeting friends with greater ease than me.
And jealousy over their unintentional way of
making me feel inferior certainly is a daily
struggle.
I don’t know why I have ADD. But it is a
continuous, humbling reminder of who has
control of my life. My ADD-induced lack of
self-control gives me more reason to let God
take the steering wheel. I don’t face as much
temptation to be a backseat driver since I
know I can’t. Maybe that’s my silver lining.
"Know what I pray for? The strength to change
what I can, the inability to accept what lean % and
the incapacity to tell the difference. ’’-Calvin
Dave Snell is a junior political science major from
Wilmington who thanks Krissy and Monica for being
there and Jeremy for pushing him on his swing.
nology in ways that benefit our efforts at
research and scholarship? What possibilities
does instructional technology present for real
izing the intellectual climate we desire at
Chapel Hill? What roles should students
have?
Whatever method we pick for teaching
computer basics, let’s endeavor to choose with
a mind full of the many questions that we’ll
need to consider if our students are to devel
op an understanding of computers that is
sophisticated enough to count as computer lit
eracy.
Daniel Anderson
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
Panel discussions celebrate
women's roles, lives at UNC
TO THE EDITOR:
Thank you for your continuing excellent
coverage of the Centennial Celebration of
Women at the University. I wanted to extend
a special invitation to students to join in the
General Alumni Association’s remarkable
five-week program, Self-Made Success: One
Hundred Years of Women at Carolina.
From Oct. 23 through Nov. 20, Thursday
afternoons at 3:30 p.m., the Alumni Center
will be hosting five phenomenal panels on
women’s contributions to the University.
Faculty, staff, alumni and friends of the
University can register for the entire series or
for individual sessions at a nominal cost.
Students are admitted free. Please come and
hear the wisdom, wit and words of 25 of the
most remarkable women —and one man
as we celebrate a century of progress at
Carolina.
Rachel Willis
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
AMERICAN STUDIES