8
Friday, March 10, 2000
Concerns or
comments about
our coverage?
Contact the
ombudsman at
budmanounc.edu
or call 605-2790.
Scott Hicks
EDrrORIAL PAGE EDITOR
Katie Abel
UNivEßsrrv editor
Jacob McConnico
crrv EDITOR
Board Editorials
Delay the Decision
The Chancellor Search Committee could announce its decision next
week. It should wait until students return from Spring Break.
Once again, the Chancellor Search
Committee is pulling the wool over students’
eyes.
A source close to the chancellor search
process told The Daily Tar Heel on Thursday
that the committee had picked its finalist for
the position and planned to reveal its deci
sion in time for the Board of Governors’
March 17 meeting, which conveniently will
occur during Spring Break.
It appears that U.S. Secretary for Health
and Human Services Donna Shalala, who is
the former chancellor of the University of
Wisconsin, might be UNC’s next leader.
While it is relieving to know that the com
mittee will probably meet its
Commencement deadline and the outlook is
good that UNC will not end the academic
year without a chancellor, the timing could
not be worse.
Such a major announcement should not
come at a time when students are not going
to be on campus.
Even though students have had little voice
in the actual search process, and indeed have
been essentially shut out since it began, com
mittee members must not deny them the
opportunity to express their opinions about
its choice.
After all, the decisions the new chancellor
You Cruise, You Lose
Environmentally conscious UNC students can do their part
to reduce cruise ship waste this Spring Break.
Coast Guard and Justice Department offi
cials are concerned about the effect of the
millions of gallons of wastewater that are
legally discharged by cruise ships each year
on sensitive marine life.
Ah, but don’t start mourning the loss of
those cute little seahorses just yet. With a lit
tle bit of sacrifice, UNC students can help
combat the problem during Spring Break.
Here’s how:
First, UNC students should avoid going
on cruises. That’s right. Call the travel agent
and cancel the plans. Tell your friends to do
the same. Advertise this idea extensively,
using the slogan, “You cruise, seahorses
lose.”
There is, after all, plenty of fun to be had
at home. Imagine a relaxing week with the
family back in good of Hickory.
If you absolutely cannot endure the
thought of missing out on the Caribbean or
the Keys this Spring Break, you can still aid
this noble cause. Simply swim from island to
island.
Admittedly, it is not quite as efficient a
mode of transportation as a Carnival Cruise
ship, but think of all the seahorses that will
thank you.
All the girls who discovered the weight
room this past week should be in top physi
Barometer
Heartbreaker
As if losing to Dook's men’s team
Saturday wasn't bad enough, the
women also fell to the Devils
B
Monday. At least their loss came in the ACC
Tournament final, a game the men won't likely see.
Cheesy Solution
Chiara D'Amore agreed last week to
write a letter of apology to Kraft Inc.
for her protest last fall. We hope she
*
at least got free mac W cheese out of the deal.
Tar Heel Quotables
“The atmosphere is great - it’s kind of sad
you only get to play here once a year.”
UNC Point Guard Ed Cota
Discussing how he enjoys playing in Cameron Indoor
Stadium. You know there’s something wrong when our
players look forward to their away games.
“A little flash of flesh adds to everyone’s
fun.”
New Orleans Bartender Ashley
Kennedy
Discussing how she chose to celebrate Mardi Gras this year.
Many UNC students undoubtedly will adhere to that
philosophy next week.
Rob Nelson
editor
Office Hours Friday 3 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Matthew B. Dees
STATE & NATIONAL EDITOR
T. Nolan Hayes
SPORTS EDITOR
Leigh Davis
FEATURES EDITOR
will need to make soon after arriving at UNC
will likely impact students more than any
other group at the University.
This year has been marked by controver
sial issues with the potential to have a signif
icant impact of students’ lives, such as the
proposed tuition increase and the debate
over grade inflation. UNC’s new leader will
play a major role in directing campus dis
cussion about such topics.
That is why it is so important that students
be here when the committee formally
announces its decision.
Students must have the chance to speak
out about the choice immediately. Picketing,
letters to the editor, petitions and other ways
of expressing dissatisfaction will not be very
effective the week after.
And even if students are happy with the
committee’s recommendation, they still
should be able to say so before the recom
mendation is sent for final approval.
For the sake of fairness, committee mem
bers should wait on this one. After keeping
them in the dark for so long, they owe the
students at least that much.
Besides, the search has dragged on for
months past the group’s original, self
imposed December deadline.
What difference could one week make?
cal condition anyway.
Swimming should be easy compared to
fighting over the treadmill.
However, if staying home or doing the
backstroke from port to port are not viable
options, there are other ways you can help.
For example, you could avoid the use of
water while on board your ship.
Don’t drink it. Drink beer. Drink martinis.
Sacrifice for the seahorses.
Don’t brush your teeth. Get Tic-Tacs.
Don’t shower. Use the coconut-scented
suntan lotion.
Most importantly, do not use the toilets.
Bring a cup or a pail. Sandwich bags work
well, too.
If repulsed by this concept, please remem
ber you’re on a boat. Find a quiet spot
behind the life raft, and relieve yourself over
the side (ladies, it is suggested you put on
your personal floatation device beforehand).
This might not be the best strategy, as you
would then be adding to the problem you’re
trying to alleviate.
But it’s the thought that counts.
Certainly, this might not be the cruise you
had envisioned. Sometimes, however, you
need to sacrifice for those causes that are of
monumental importance.
Remember, it’s for the seahorses.
Got Jesus?
As proof that everything, and
everyone, has its own week these
days, students gathered in the Pit
this week to celebrate "Jesus Awareness Week."
Rumor has it that the honoree didn't even show up.
Outta Here
Goodbye midterms; hello sun, fun
and, most importantly, plenty of
sleep. Hope the weather is as good
'W'-
for Spring Break as it was this week.
“What you got is a group of arrogant
schools that banned together to make a
point.”
Yahoo! Internet Life Senior Editor Rob
Bernstein
Commenting on the institutions that are boycotting the
magazine's survey of the country’s most wired campuses.
It's not surprising that Duke is one of those arrogant 11.
“Every time I park illegally, I get a ticket.”
Junior Brandi Coble
Commenting on the Department of Public Safety's recent
crackdown on parking violations. Maybe it's time to take
the hint, Brandi.
Opinions
ahr latltj (Far itel
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Robin Clemow
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Carolyn Haynes
COPY DESK EDITOR
Miller Pearsall
PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
*£?*£&* .a
Buying Beer an American Freedom
When I turned 21 last December, I
thought 1 had finally obtained the
right to kick back and enjoy a Miller
High Life beer after a long day of school with
out the bitter aftertaste of others forcing their
morals upon me.
Nearly three years after I signed my draft
card, I was able to buy my first legal draft
beer. I returned to Chapel Hill in January
ready to take on anew semester and ready to
enjoy my new freedom to purchase and con
sume alcohol. My hopes and dreams were
shattered on Jan. 11, 2000, when Harris Teeter
of Carrboro denied me my newfound free
dom.
It was the Tuesday before classes began,
and I was doing my grocery shopping for the
week with my girlfriend. We were shopping
independendy, but we shared the same gro
cery cart. She was putting her items in the
front of the cart, and 1 put mine towards the
back to keep them separate.
Our cart was filled with the typical, mun
dane items most people buy at the grocery
store: bananas, paper towels, soft drinks,
snack foods, etc. In addition to these items, I
picked up a 12-pack of Miller High Life bot
tles that I planned to enjoy in the privacy of
my home throughout the week. I, like many
college students, enjoy relaxing with a beer
when I come home at night.
Once we arrived at the checkout counter,
my girlfriend took her items out of the cart
and paid for them separately. She waited
patiently with her purchased groceries about
10 feet away from the checkout counter.
When the clerk rang up my High Life, he
asked for my identification. I was happy to be
presenting my of-age driver’s license for the
Readers' Forum
Columnist’s Views
About Prison, Crime
Rates Unfounded
TO THE EDITOR:
Jonathan Chaney’s Viewpoints
column Monday contains two impor
tant factual errors in the first two
paragraphs alone.
First, crime rates are falling, not, as
Chaney claims, rising. Second, he
states that “due punishment” (a
phrase he presumably invented) has
“fled the legal system,” but in fact,
criminal sentences are stricter now
than they have been in decades.
Why did the editors allow such
misstatements to appear in print?
Chaney later writes that “the big
house has become a vacation.” I sup
pose he knows this because of all the
lime he has spent in American pris
ons.
No, Chaney probably just watches
too much television and listens to
Rush Limbaugh every day.
IVi son is no vacation - trust me on
this one. Physical abuse by prisoners
and guards, at least 20 hours every
day spent in an 8-by-10 cell, no sun
light, horrendous “food,” humiliation,
rape ... not a vacation I want to take.
Prison has four purposes: rehabil
itation, protection of society, deter
rence and revenge (often called “pun
ishment”). Chaney writes as if only
this last one is worth discussing. He
should do better research next time.
Abraham Daniels
Chapel Hill
Vicky Eckenrode & Cate Doit
MANAGING EDITORS
Thomas Ausman
DESIGN EDITOR
Megan Sharkey
GRAPHICS EDITOR
William Hill
ONLINE EDITOR
CHARLIE TODD
POINT OF VIEW
first time at a grocery store.
After entering my date of birth into the
machine, the clerk said, “Ell have to see her
ID, too.” Not understanding what he meant, I
asked, “Who?” He pointed to my girlfriend,
who was still standing within earshot waiting
for me to check out. “ This isn’t for her,” 1 told
him. “I’m buying it for myself.” “It doesn’t
matter,” he replied. “I need to see her ID.”
To prevent my girlfriend from having to
walk over and fish out her license, I informed
the clerk that she was 20. “I’m sorry. 1 can’t
sell this to you.” I asked to speak with a man
ager, and he called one over.
I explained my situation to the manager:
“I’m 21 years old. I would like to buy these
beers to drink in my apartment this week.
They are for me, not her.” The manager was
cold as ice: “We have a policy to card every
member of your party, sir. We can’t sell this
beer to you.” I explained to her that my girl
friend had checked out separately and that my
purchase was entirely my own. The manager
offered me no sympathy, and informed me
what she was doing to me was state law. I
countered that it wasn’t state law but Harris
Teeter policy, and an absurd policy to boot.
She didn’t budge. I began to loose my tem
per. “You can’t tell me,” I said as I pointed to
the 30-year-old woman and her young chil
dren in line behind me, “that if this woman
tried to buy alcohol that you would card these
children.” “We would if they brought the alco
hol up to the counter,” she replied. “But my
Behavior of Some
Students During
Lecture Embarrassing
TO THE EDITOR:
Tuesday night I attended a lecture
by Nina Kruscheva on the current
and future political situation in
Russia. This lecture was presented by
the Great Decisions program, which
is a series of lectures about various
foreign issues.
I was incredibly embarrassed by
the rude and immature audience our
students provided.
Many, but not all, of the students
in attendance whispered throughout
the entire lecture, creating an incred
ible level of noise over which it was
difficult to hear the speaker.
This behavior is appalling. It
shows a clear disrespect for the
speaker, who traveled many states to
address us last night, as well as disre
spect for the students who are gen
uinely interested in the topic.
Additionally, this type of behavior
is disrespectful to the course teaching
assistants, who are also UNC stu
dents.
This pattern of behavior has
occurred repeatedly in this lecture
series.
It is time that students grow up,
behave like college-age adults, and
learn to act with politeness and inatu
rity during public lectures. In the
future, students who want to talk for
an hour and a half with their friends
should go to a coffee shop.
There is no reason that this
Terry Wimmer
OMBUDSMAN
girlfriend didn’t bring this beer up to the
counter, I did!” I said, knowing that I had out
reasoned her.
She ignored my retort, confiscated the
beer, and stormed off, refusing to speak with
me further.
Regardless of whether it was store policy or
state law that prevented my purchase, what
happened to me was wrong. Our national and
state governments continue to believe it is
their job to tell us w hat we can put in our bod
ies and when it is an appropriate time to do
so.
Why can !8-year-olds be drafted into mili
tary combat but not consume alcohol in the
privacy of their home? Why must bars stop
serving alcohol at 2 a.m.? Why can’t an athe
ist buy alcohol before noon on Sundays?
The simple purchase and consumption of
alcohol is a victimless crime, harming no one
but the consumer. Our government should
take a cue from European countries and real
ize that making alcohol a societal taboo is
only going to lead to more minors abusing it.
In Spain, where beer is sold out of vending
machines in public places, there are very few
problems with binge-drinking in teenagers.
Even the Alcohol Law Enforcement Web site
admits that prohibition led to rampant crime
and corruption in the 19205.
Why can’t our government realize that pro
hibiting alcohol to its 18- to 20-year-old citi
zens is causing more problems than it is solv
ing? I am ready to make my own decisions;
please allow me the freedom to do so.
Charlie Todd is a junior dramatic arts
major from Columbia, S.C. Reach him at
ctodd@email.unc.edu.
University needs to be embarrassed
by a few impertinent students.
Karalyn Emrich
Senior
History and Political Science
Abu-Jamal, Hatcher
Cases Show Need
To End Death Penalty
TO THE EDITOR:
Mumia Abujamal is still impris
oned after almost 20 years of incar
ceration and faces the possibility of
being executed by the state of
Pennsylvania for his political beliefs.
On Feb. 29, thousands of people
gathered in Washington, D.C., and
San Francisco to speak out against
political prisoners unjustly held in the
United States and to call for an end to
the death penalty.
Among those joining the protest
were a group of area residents, UNC
students and high school students
who traveled by bus to the steps of
the Supreme Court. T here, below the
pillars of justice, a mass peaceful civil
disobedience took place.
1 urge you to get informed about
the death penalty and cases of politi
cal prisoners such as Mumia Abu-
Jamal and North Carolina’s own
Eddie Hatcher. The more you learn,
the more you will find yourself asking
why we kill people to show that
killing people is wrong.
Gabriele Pelli
Chapel Hill
(The Daily (Ear Hprl
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