10
Friday, February 26, 1999
Sharif Durhams
EDITOR
Office Hours Friday 2 p.m. -3 p.m.
Nahal Toosi
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR
DeVona Brown & Ashley Stephenson
UNIVERSITY EDITORS
Jon Ostendorff
OTYEDrrOR
Board Editorials
Dooking It Out
How far did some students go to get tickets to UNC vs. Duke?
Enough to make the rest of us proud... and worried.
The scene was almost poetic.
Two grown men stood in the Pit
Wednesday morning, clad only in shorts, the
snow falling around them. One wore a
devil’s mask, the other posed as a Tar Heel,
ready to wage war on a tarp of chocolate
cake mix.
After a hard-fought, subfreezing, half
naked brawl, the Tar Heel pinned the pesky
devil. But more importantly, these chocolate
covered warriors earned tickets to the UNC-
Duke showdown Saturday night
The event, of course, was the “What
would you do for a Duke ticket?” contest
sponsored by GlO5, the Carolina Union
Activities Board and the Carolina Athletic
Association. And the competitors, if not envi
able and awe-inspiring, at least offered a
sparkling example of school spirit, something
every student should bring a healthy helping
of to the game Saturday night
As outrageous goes, the contest offered
plenty of blindly fanatical and bodily harm
ful stunts. The “cowboy graduate,” dressed in
a baby-blue graduation gown and 10-gallon
hat, galloped into the Pit ready to show off
his iron stomach. He ate a sandwich filled
with live worms, followed by worm yogurt
for desert and a worm and grapefruit juice
shot to wash it down. But when all was said
and done, he rode out of town with two tick
ets in his hand.
Then came the dirt-eating contestant.
Perils of Privatization
Students, officials and housekeepers at North Carolina Central
University should work to prevent privatization of housekeeping.
N.C. Central University recently took a
step toward proving that college is merely
big business when administrators proposed a
plan to privatize housekeeping.
The move could leave 50 state-paid work
ers, some of whom have given several years
of service, out of a job.
Seeing how UNC battled with the ethics of
privatization a few years ago, NCCU would
be wise to study the situation in Chapel Hill.
When it does, it should find that asking pri
vate companies to run housekeeping would
be a narrow-minded idea that will serve only
to save a few dollars.
In 1996, Chancellor Michael Hooker
worked with housekeepers, students and
other administrators to hammer out a com
promise and prevent housekeeping at UNC
from being privatized. After considering
some of the humanitarian issues brought up
by the prospect - especially because most
housekeepers are low-income African
American women - privatization was ruled
out. Instead, housekeepers now receive job
training and education benefits that help
them qualify to earn at least $6,400 more
than many made in 1991.
NCCU officials should not ignore the
Barometer
Law Suit Yourself
Jermain Reeves, who officially lost
his bid for Residence Hall
Association president, is suing
a
winner Murray Coleman ana Elections Board
Chairwoman Heather Faulk. Ah, the American way.
Race Patrol
Debate continues about a bill which
would require police officers to
document the race of drivers they
pull over. They also must note their religious affilia
tion and whether they prefer boxers or briefs.
I
Tar Heel Quotables
“I’ve never eaten worms before. It’s all
about getting some energy for the game.”
Senior Bill Warren
On eating worms to get UNC-Duke tickets. Hmm ... maybe
anew diet idea for Bill Guthridge's players?
“There was obviously a lot of on-duty
sexual activity.”
Hillsborough Town Manager
Eric Peterson
On why four police officers were suspended. We thought
that being handcuffed and patted down for jay-walking
seemed kind of harsh.
Trisha Dabb & Courtney Weill
STATE & NATIONAL EDITORS
Jonathan Cox
SPECIAL ASSIGNMENTS EDITOR
Brian Murphy
SPORTS EDITOR
Enough said. Next up was a fellow who vol
unteered to shave his head, not outrageous in
itself. That is, not until he grabbed a handful
of his locks and stuffed them down his throat,
trying to gain crowd support
Finally, a true diaper-dandy arrived. A
muscular fellow, he risked hypothermia to
prance around in his Tar Heel-logoed briefs
until he caught a nearby Blue Devil and
hoisted him high into the air, like a victorious
Roman warrior.
Forget for a moment the brain cells that
these characters lack. Forget that they repre
sent the downfall of civilized society. Fact is,
they battled frostbite, hair loss, severe intesti
nal damage and loss of their dignity simply
for a chance to attend this weekend’s
matchup. Some people would call that ludi
crous. Others see it as pure dedication.
The lucky few who file into the Smith
Center have earned their place solely
because they drew a good ticket distribution
number, should keep these warped warriors
in mind. Chances are, they are the ones who
will be on their feet, cheering the loudest and
taunting Duke the most.
Doing all of that should be child’s play to
them. They’ve proven themselves as true
fans.
Come Saturday, the rest of us have a
chance to do the same. And we won’t even
have to wrestle in cake mix or eat worms to
do it
intangible costs that privatizing would bring
about A private contractor, through cost-cut
ting measures, would detract from the per
sonal connections students form with their
housekeepers and take away from consistent
levels of service.
The fact that NCCU, a historically black
university, would consider privatizing shows
that racism is not intended. But it also shows
how stereotypes about certain jobs can deval
ue respect in both the pay for and the treat
ment of these workers.
Students at NCCU should rally behind the
housekeepers, and look at UNC as an exam
ple. During a five-year period that led into
the privatization debate, concerned UNC
students supported housekeepers in their
fight to improve their pay and working con
ditions. NCCU students should organize to
solve the problems inherent in reconciling
the concerns of housekeepers with those of
the administration.
Specifically, students can work with house
keepers and administrators to find a com
promise similar to the one UNC made with
its housekeepers. If students take the first
step, the administrators would be foolish to
disregard their concerns.
Going Once ...
The Black Student Movement and
Masala auctioned off students as a
charity fund-raiser on Thursday.
*e%
Where's a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation
when you need one?
House Guests
Hey, Dookies, there's a game on
Saturday night. This time, you're
guests in our house. Don't let the
▼
door hit you on the way out.
“We’re both idiots.”
Sophomore David Fernandez
On wrestling a fellow student on a tarp covered with cake
batter to obtain Duke tickets. Sure seems that way,
doesn’t it David?
“For the general population it might have
been kind of intimidating, but if you were a
techie, you were in heaven.”
Computer Science Major Mike Thanh
On the Carolina Technology Expo held on Wednesday.
Maybe he's been playing with his hardware a little too
much.
Editorial
Wc\t laxly sar Mttl
Established 1893 ■ 106 Years of Editorial Freedom
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Kaitlin Gurney
FEATURES EDriOR
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/7T 1 1 V/HftT Would you J
[ Doo< lickets? [ _
AND THE WIWMEPv 15,,., °
Siskel’s Legacy Shines in Journalism
For 24 years, while standing in the lines at
the box office on an opening weekend,
visions of two men danced in movie
goers’ heads. When deciding on whether to
see the next blockbuster action thriller or the
latest romantic comedy, people prayed to the
two deities of movie criticism, Gene Siskel
and Roger Ebert.
Television viewers invited these two men
into their living rooms every week to hear the
last word on cinema. Is the movie they’ve
been hearing so much about going to get
“Two Thumbs Up?”
And so, the “thumbs up, thumbs down”
routine became synonymous with going out
to the movies.
Then last weekend, Siskel lost a battle with
complications he’d been suffering from ever
since he underwent surgery to remove a
growth from his brain, and the face of movie
criticism changed.
In response, Ebert wrote a front-page eulo
gy of sorts in the Chicago Sun-Times dedicat
ed to his screen partner of more than 20 years
on “Siskel and Ebert.” He even asked the
Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and
Sciences to honor Siskel during the Oscar cer
emony March 21.
They wrote for rival papers - Ebert for the
Sun-Times, Siskel for the Chicago Tribune.
They disagreed often on what they thought
about the visions in a darkened movie theater.
And we all watched with open eyes and ears.
We agreed and disagreed.
But we kept watching, waiting to hear
about the next classic or dud. They were
always there with their strong opinions. Both
men could reference the last 50 years of cine
ma. When the American Film Institute ranked
the Top 100 Films of the Century, the dynam
ic duo of film criticism held their own show to
Readers' Forum
Greeks’ Service Work
Deserves Adequate
Coverage in DTH
TO THE EDITOR:
The Daily Tar Heel has once again
decided to fulfill its yearly anti-
Greek-system quota by allowing
Harper Gordek to write a laughable
column about why people “hate
Greeks.” The column was obviously
written to incite anger from the
Greek community. Instead, it made
me laugh.
According to Harper, people on
this campus the Greek community
because we promote our service. The
Greek system alone raised $31,646.17
for the UNC Children’s Hospital
through the Dance Marathon. In fact,
eight of the 12 members of the over
all planning committee for the
marathon were Greek.
But wait, the DTH forgot to send a
reporter to the marathon, so it would-
Rob Nelson & Leslie Wilkinson
MANAGING EDriORS
Cara Brickman
PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Thomas Ausman
DESIGN EDITOR
Brad Christensen
CARTOON EDITOR
mL -M-**
■
JIM MARTIN
BY NO MEANS NECESSARY
review the great films.
Now, movies can no longer receive “Two
Enthusiastic Thumbs Up!,” at least not from
the same duo.
Siskel is gone, but he left a lasting impres
sion on film criticism that no one will ever be
able to tarnish or wipe away. The journalism
world lost one of its greatest reporters last
week when Siskel died. I say the journalism
world and not Hollywood because Siskel was
a reporter, not a screenwriter, actor or director.
Siskel and Ebert were journalists, something
not enough people credited them for.
For three decades, Siskel dissected films,
analyzing them with a critical eye. A journal
ist’s job is to bring to the forefront the issues
readers need to be informed about. Siskel did
this, working to bring audiences closer to the
movies they watched.
Unlike some critics, Siskel, along with
Ebert, never acted pretentious with his com
mentaries. The two went to the Sundance
Film Festival and Cannes without putting on
superior airs like some of their counterparts,
even though they were often judges and held
the fate of independent filmmakers in their
hands. They criticized and encouraged film
makers simultaneously. Together, they often
commented on the state of journalism and
n’t know. The only press the
marathon received was a small pic
ture with a small caption underneath
indicating that the event raised more
than $40,000.
The irony is that five Triangle-area
TV stations and The Chapel Hill
Herald decided the event was worthy
of coverage, yet our campus paper
seemingly forgot about it. It’s also
ironic that the marathon occurred on
the same day that Kappa Delta’s
annual Shamrock 5K raised more
than SIO,OOO for breast cancer.
Well, I guess I should shut up now.
I’m promoting Greek service. People
might hate me for it.
I’ll admit that I did not join a social
fraternity for its tradition of service. I
joined a fraternity to have fun. So did
all of my brothers. We are not forced
to do community service, but we do.
Did you join the DTH for its long
standing devotion to community ser
vice? No. Does the DTH promote
community service? Not much.
Kyle Hanlin
ONLINE EDITOR
Amy Cappiello
WRITING COACH
John Sweeney
OMBUDSMAN
film reviewing. They took a harsh stand
against press junkets (where movie studios
invite critics to all-expense paid vacations to
see movies and interview stars).
Siskel and Ebert analyzed movies on highly
critical and scholarly levels, yet they still ren-,
dered their reviews readable and understand
able by mainstream audiences.
Any journalist can learn from that formula
of having readable copy which contains
insightful critical analysis.
In his reviews, Siskel always made it clear
to his viewers what they could leant or take
away from a specific movie, if anything was
indeed positive. Such a humanistic approach
to reporting is what the media dearly needs.
The two of them are mentors to those
fledgling critics hoping to follow Hollywood
as diligently as the pair did.
They brought entertaining news right into
the living room of news-craving people all
over the world. Along with Ebert, he peti
tioned the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts
and Sciences every year with their “memo to
the Academy” to follow suit with audience
reactions when handing out Oscars.
Siskel delved into all aspects of Hollywood
becoming an insider, privy to goings-on that
other reporters wouldn’t have been able to
find. Like any responsible reporter, he dis
seminated the knowledge to his readers and
viewers as soon as he could.
Ebert, fans, journalists and the movie
industry are mourning Gene Siskel’s passing,
because sadly, without Siskel, the balcony is
closed.
Jim Martin is a junior English major from
Charlotte who likes movies more than peo
ple. You can send your comments to
jmartinß@email.unc.edu.
When was the last time the DTH
raised more than $40,000 for charity
in a weekend? Never. The DTH is not
obligated to help charities, but it is in
a unique position to recognize orga
nizations, both Greek and non-Greek,
when they help the community. In
that capacity, the DTH has failed.
In the end, there are several rea
sons the public hates the DTH,
whether it’s the paper’s weak fight
against the powers that be, its insa
tiable self-love or jealousy.
Me, I’ll just hate them because
they forgot to write an article about
the Dance Marathon and Kappa
Delta’s 5K on the same day they crit
icized the Greek system.
Scott Benson
Sophomore
Business
Editor's Note: The writer is a
member of Lambda Chi Alpha
fraternity and served as finance
chairman for the Dance Marathon.
Satly (Ear Mppl
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