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(Tljr lath} (Ear Upd Seasoned Vet Lays Out 7 Essentials for SBP Victory Ah, it is that wondrous time of year again. As I walked toward the frozen tundra J. AJoiown as the Pit last week, I heard it, saw it, smelled it and, in my condition, tried my best to avoid it. No, I’m not speaking of the pot heads who litter the wall across from the Lndergraduate Library but the clamorous race for student body president. It is time for the campus to be canvassed by posters and detailed handouts that no one reads, for the endorsements to flow out the wazoo of every campus group and for those highly attended debates over new and impossi ble solutions to our horrendous advising prob lems. What a glorious time to be at Chapel Hill. In actuality, the spectacle I evaded next to the Pit did not excite me, but brought a groan of discontent. Luckily enough, this will be my fourth and final student body president race. My first brought friend Mo Nathan into power, the best there ever was, is and shall be. In the seemingly never-ending fiasco, Reyna Walters defeated history. And who will ever for get Mr. Nic Heinke and his catchy Heineken- Students Face Off On Joining USSA Group Lobbies for Students ■ CORYE D. BARBOUR AND SANDI CHAPMAN VIEWPOINT People in the U.S. Congress and the White House make decisions every day that dramatically affect students at UNC. They create or elimi nate college recruitment programs, they increase or cut money to federal financial aid programs and they make rules universities must follow. There are organizations represent ing banks that profit off student loans, companies that want to win university Contracts and administrators who want bigger salaries. There is one organization that effec tively represents students, and has for 53 years - the United States Students Association. 1 Here is why you should vote yes Tuesday to join the USSA: ■ USSA is effective. ’ Last year Congress proposed an 18 percent cut to all educational pro grams, the largest education cut in his tory. USSA alerted students across the country to fight these cuts. The stu dents bombarded their representatives With calls, and the legislative session ended with increases to higher educa tion. The year before USSA pushed a 0.8 percent reduction in the student loan interest rate that saved the average stu dent with loans SSOO. ■ USSA membership is a bargain. ; Voting yes Tuesday to join the USSA is a vote to protect your inter ests and education. The best thing is, We can receive this protection for less than the price of a latte each year. In addition to a voice in Washington, D.C., membership in USSA will keep 9 cents out of every dollar here on the UNC campus to ” Work on issues like fighting tuition increases. USSA will provide students with a free grassroots leadership train ing that costs non-member schools _53,250. USSA will also be accountable for how our money is spent. ■ USSA is accountable to its mem bers. USSA is completely run by its stu dent members. Every USSA policy stance is voted on by its membership, every member of the USSA board of directors is a current student and every - USSA staff person is a recent student. By voting yes, UNC will be able to influence the national agenda of USSA. In addition, USSA member schools typically re-evaluate their membership every two to three years, either by a Student government audit or by anoth er vote of the student body. UNC is the nation’s oldest public university and has always been a ,leader. It is time for us to take that tra ction to the next level. ...On Tuesday, vote yes for member ship in the United States Student Association. '-Corye D. Barbour, a senior political science major from Durham, also serves as a member of USSA's board of directors. Sandi Chapman is a freshman history and economics major from Chapel Hill. You can reach her at schapmn@email.unc.edu. RJ. PURYEAR VIEWPOINT style posters. They were my favorite of any campaign, Nic. Though painful, lengthy and, at times, down right dirty, I have learned what it takes to win. I have fought in the battles, schemed in the war rooms and even been that guy handing out the pieces of paper you never read. And through all the races and campaigns, I am proud to say 1 have never been on the losing team. So, for you candidates who truly wish to sac rifice your last year of “school” for your student body, I offer some advice. And for you 1,000- odd students who will actually vote in the elec tion, here is my checklist for picking a winner. Below are the seven essential elements to winning the student body president race. Some may seem absurd, probably because they are, but each still could be the deciding factor. 7. Stealing is a crime. Students’ Concerns Not Represented ■ JUSTIN GROSNICK AND STEPHEN MYERS VIEWPOINT On Tuesday, students will vote whether or not to add $3 to our student fees to become members of the United States Students Association. We urge you to vote no. While advocates of the USSA refer endum say that the organization is simply an advocacy group for student concerns, USSA is actually a stridently liberal political organization that push es its agenda in areas that have noth ing to do with education. In 1998, less than 0.3 percent of the USSA’s expenditures went to campus related activities. An examination of the organiza tions with which the USSA associates itself is revealing. “On the Left,” a Marxist publication that holds that “capitalism is inherently an unwork able economic system,” encourages youth activists to support USSA. This apparent hostility to the con tinuation of the American system is shown in USSA’s efforts to eliminate all ROTC programs from college cam puses on the grounds that ROTC dis criminates against homosexuals. In other activities, such as support for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, USSA pushes a homosexual agenda that is nothing short of political. Perhaps the most offensive stance taken by USSA concerns abortion. Through its support for organizations such as Voters for Choice, USSA is very active in ensuring that abortion continues without restriction. Like all of the issues mentioned, there is certainly more than one opin ion as to the propriety of abortion. However, it cannot be denied that this is an intensely political and personal issue. It is not an issue which should have either side of the debate funded by student dollars. While some stu dents might support USSA in all of its political activity, we hope that they would have the courtesy not to force students who morally oppose those stances to pay money to support them. Aside from the moral and political complications of USSA, there are problems with organizational corrup tion. The flaws inherent in USSA’s dealings with students are best repre sented at UNC. The main proponent of UNC mem bership in USSA has been Student Congress representative and student body president candidate Erica Smiley, who spent this past summer in Washington, D.C., at a paid internship with USSA. When Smiley and her co-workers campaign for USSA, is it because of loyalty to UNC students or loyalty to her benefactors at USSA? Remember on Tuesday to vote against the USSA referendum. Mandatory student fees should not go to a corrupt political institution. Submission to a particular ideology should not be a graduation require ment. Justin Grosnick is chairman of Students for Life and Liberty. Stephen Myers is the group’s event coordinator. Send questions or comments to sgmyers7@hotmail.com. Carolina Vote 2000 That’s right, boys and girls, it’s probably in your best interest not to indulge in ripping off the University. So if you are thinking about “borrowing" a couch or only paying in state tuition when you aren’t from these parts, you might want to reconsider. 6. E xperience. Most every student body president has served within the executive branch or at least deceived us into thinking they did. So if you haven’t, I recommend creating a committee no one has ever heard of. Say it was a special com mittee formed by anonymous executive branch members and the chancellor. Besides, I don’t even think he even exists. 5. And the Greeks shall rule. This could possibly be a dubious essential because apparently all we are good for is step shows, late nights and gang rape. However, the trend has been that a Greek sits atop our amaz ing student government, and trends at this school seem to last. 4. Compassionate speeches against tuition. •• • c InA 'vi'-fh cGKTi pus | e (eci ion •.- Readers Endorse Candidates for 2000 Elections Ever-Smiling Redhead Announces Bid for SBP, Outlines Platform TO THE EDITOR: I’m Bobby Hilburn! You may know me - I am the boy that smiles all the time, with reddish hair and a definite Southern accent and talks a whole bunch to everybody. Well, I have some news.to share with all of you. After talking about student government with my friends Chris, John and Ann, three out of four agreed that I should run for student body pres ident as a write-in candidate. That means my name is not on the ballot but with a little help from you all it could end up on it. So write it in! If you are wondering what my plat form is, keep reading. I want to increase the interaction among all students of every back ground, would like to create a more diverse faculty, demand a better e mail system, seek other sources to lighten the tuition increase, be approachable and have personality and be real, demand better toilet paper and support a cam pus playground. Tuesday morning, go vote or write-in somebody. This is your chance to do something. If you don’t vote, don’t com plain. Good luck. Brad, Erica, Michael, Preston,Jay and Matt! Vote Songer and Walters for CAA co-presidents. Say hey when you see me. I will be the same regardless of the outcome, so don’t worry - the smile won’t go away. Bobby Lee Hilburn Junior History Level Head, Experience Give Matthews an Edge In Contest for SBP TO THE EDITOR: One man stands out amid the mass of student body president candidates this year as the one who is ready and able to fight for the concerns of all stu dents on this campus. That man is Brad Matthews, and we enthusiastically endorse him for the office of student body president. Brad’s experience in student govern ment will help him succeed in dealings with administrators and University offi cials. But far from being an executive Fight it to the governor’s desk if you have to, just make sure you stand against any and all tuition increases despite economic trends such as inflation. Besides, we all know the teachers come to Carolina because of the students. 3. Chi Psi connection. Attention any and all freshmen (as well as student body president candidates): The Lodge is a guarantee for victory, success and I’d say at least a 5 percent increase in your overall IQ. I don’t know if they put something in the brown ies or if they’re just that smart, but make sure some of them are behind you. 2. Three letters: D-T-H. The Daily Tar Heel is to Carolina what tele vision is to those who live in reality. Whether or not you agree with what they write, this paper is the determinant in most everything students believe and fight for. If you want to win, the main medium helps. 1. Black power. That’s right, candidates and voters, the No. 1 essential element to winning the student body president race is the Black Student Movement branch insider, Brad is a political mav erick who knows how to use the system to students’ advantage. He won’t waste energy storming South Building in protest if a conversation with adminis trators can reach the same conclusion. Brad knows what student govern ment can achieve and how to begin achieving it from his first day in office. Having spent two summers lobbying state lawmakers on a variety of issues, including halting a proposed tuition increase last summer, Brad also knows the right people in state government and has proven himself capable of swaying them when students’ needs are at stake. Brad is as level-headed and pragmatic as any of the system’s top officials, but while they might forget that he is a student, he never will. With the proposed tuition increases looming over the next year, students need a leader whom administrators will take seriously, and the ideal choice is Brad. Brad’s platform is built around a simple idea: opportunity. The opportu nities to think and learn but most importantly, the opportunity to flourish. He is the best candidate for student body president because he offers all stu dents those opportunities, and where they don’t exist he will create them. We support Brad Matthews for stu dent body president, and we urge you to vote for him Tuesday. Will Alston Vice President Senior Class Lee Conner President Graduate and Professional Student Federation Smiley Has Dedication To Fight for Student Interests at University TO THE EDITOR: This letter is to personally endorse Erica Smiley for the office of student body president. After working with her for a number of years on affirmative action, voting and tuition issues, we can say with full confidence that Smiley pos sesses a sincere dedication to fighting for student concerns that is unmatched by her competition. Even more impressive than her ded ication is Smiley’s understanding that we as students must be at the forefront in the fight for our issues. Smiley pos sesses an ability to not only fight for stu dents but to empower students to fight for themselves. The is of extreme importance, as the University is embarking onto anew era. In this new era, the University will have to make decisions about a number of issues, including who has access to the University, whether employees will receive adequate payment and whether the contributions and needs of minority students will finally be adequately rec ognized and addressed. Each of these issues proves too mas sive and vital for one student to suc cessfully address. Each requires a uni fied and coherent effort by all students. And to my knowledge, only one candi date possesses the ability or even the understanding necessary to accomplish this unity. Therefore, we offer our unequivocal and complete support to Erica Smiley for student body president and urge anyone who shares any con cern for the future of students at UNC to do the same. Brandon Lofton Co-Vice President Black Student Movement Linda Chupkowski Co-Chairwoman Student Environmental Action Coalition Smith’s Accessibility, Lack of ‘Experience’ Make Him Top Choice TO THE EDITOR: It’s too bad that the Black Student Movement refused to allow Preston Smith to speak at its candidates' forum. The BSM might have - no, definitely - missed out on hearing one of the most qualified people ever to run for student body president. I’ve known Preston for some time, and one thing stands out both with the person and with his platform. This guy isn’t just a talker. He gets things done. Last year, although only in his first year as a member of Student Congress, he pointed out that some nominees to the Board of Trustees’ Student Advisory Committee hadn’t been questioned by Congress. Congress rejected the nomi nees. For a rookie member, that took guts. We need someone with that kind of courage in Suite C. Monday, February 14, 2000 endorsement No other group on campus has the power of these students. I’m putting my money on their candidate to go all the way, because the members of the movement constitute an overwhelming majori ty of the minority of students who actually care. If you want to win, you best learn how to be less Eurocentric while praising their winning efforts in respect to the Sonja H. Stone Black Cultural Center, because if these voters don’t like you, you are simply going to lose. Well, here are your guidelines for evaluating your chances or picking your horse, whichever you might be doing. Without these credentials, student body president hopefuls, you might not only be throwing away your precious money (that could go to your tuition), but wasting your precious time trying to get me to vote. Besides, I’d rather be sitting on the wall across from the Undergrad. RJ. Puryear is a senior political science and communication studies major from Jamestown. Reach him at everett@email.unc.edu. Preston wants to put the “student” back in student government. While Aaron Nelson, Mo Nathan, Reyna Walters and Nic Heinke have tried to make themselves more than distant fig ures on campus, their suggestions for increasing visibility are nothing com pared to Preston’s proposals. WTien was the last time a student body president even suggested that he’d make himself available for weekly chat sessions, a weekly radio show or a weekly TV show - let alone all three? Normally, lack of experience would be a disadvantage. But in Preston’s case, it’s an advantage. What should matter isn’t experience, but accountability. Preston defines accountability - which is why you should vote for him Tuesday. Darrell Lucas Senior Journalism and Mass Communication Cota, Newby Team Up To Endorse Tee Pruitt For CAA President TO THE EDITOR: We support Tee Pruitt for CAA pres ident. He is the only candidate with the credibility to deliver bleacher seats around the court at the Dean Dome to students. If you sit in bleachers by the court you’re going to be in the other team’s ear. You can make narrow loss es into memorable wins. Pruitt has the credibility that his opponents do not because he has served for one year and has a fantastic working relationship with Director of Athletics Dick Baddour. If Tee hadn’t been such a great president Baddour wouldn’t have awarded us a game in Carmichael Auditorium. Before Tee’s administration, we had n’t played in Carmichael for several years. The relationship they have takes time, many months, to build. If Tee is not president next year, the relationship is lost and the new president has to start all over again. If students hadn’t gone to the game that night, Dick Baddour would never have reconsidered student seating. If it weren’t for Tee, we never would’ve been there. It is now time for us to re-arm and re-elect the best CAA president we’ve ever had and see what Tee Pruitt can do for us next year. Ed Cota and Terrence Newby Point Guards Varsity Men’s Basketball Team 15
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Feb. 14, 2000, edition 1
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