14
Friday, April 7, 2000
Concerns or
comments about
our coverage?
Contact the
ombudsman at
budman@Unc.edu
or call 605-2790.
Scott Hicks
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR
Katie Abel
UNIVERSITY EDITOR
Jacob McConnico
CITY EDITOR
Editorials Series
Saying It Loud
The Employee Forum has the potential to be a strong advocate
for University staff. But for it to be effective, it needs more support,
The voices of staff members at UNC do
not gamer much attention individually. But
through the Employee Forum, UNC’s work
ers can come together to improve their status
and draw attention to their concerns.
Working for Change
The Employee Forum is an advocacy
group. Though it has no legislative powers, it
does represent the collective voice of the staff
of the University. Here are just a few exam
ples of issues it has spoken out on:
■ In September 1995, the forum passed a
resolution that recognized the efforts of UNC
staff members during flooding from the rem
nants of Tropical Storm Jerry on August 27,
1995.
■ In May 1996, the forum passed a reso
lution lobbying for pay increases and
improved working conditions for house
keepers and other low-paid employees. Also,
forum members warned
against any wage cuts that the
University might enact to lower
running costs.
■ In June 1996, it railed
against proposed changes in
the grievance procedure for
state employees that would limit the topics of
grievances, thus lessening the ability of staff
members to speak out when they felt they
were wrongly treated.
As these actions show, the Employee
Forum can be an active voice on campus
when it chooses to be. But as we look at the
state of the forum today, there are some
issues that must be addressed if it is to be an
effective advocate for staff members.
Filling the Ranks
One problem that has come up within the
Employee Forum is representation. In order
to prove to administrators that it is an entity
that should be taken seriously, efforts must
be stepped up to keep the ranks filled.
According to last year’s annual report of
the Employee Forum’s Nominating
Committee, the group has had problems in
recruiting members from staff areas such as
housekeepers, general laborers such as
groundskeepers and vehicle operators and
skilled craftsmen such as lab mechanics.
There have been some ideas tossed
around the forum for boosting awareness
and increasing participation.
These include a monthly forum newsletter
for all University employees, giving out pins
as a show of pride to forum delegates and
pumping more publicity into the Three-
Legged Stool Award, which recognizes
employee achievement.
All of these measures would not only
bring more recognition for the forum; they
would also bring in fresh blood and a loud
er voice.
Dollars and Sense
Another employee concern is that the
forum must be a stronger advocate for
increasing benefits. As its vision statement
Barometer
111-Advised Decision
Officials have extended the dead
line for students to nominate out
standing advisers for an award.
They're missing the point. If there were outstanding
advisers to nominate, students would have done it.
Changing the Guard
New student leaders took the helm
Tuesday eager to start doing wonder
ful things. A whole new administra-
tion most students don't give a damn about.
Tar Heel Quotables
“We’re going to take her to the grocery
store to let her pick out different foods.”
Chapel Hill Mother
Maureen Earnhardt
Discussing her plans for entertaining a German exchange
student this weekend. Way to refute the stereotype of fat
Americans, Ms. Earnhardt.
“We were yelling things like ‘life sucks’ and
throwing clothes around the room.”
Junior Jaime Argila
Commenting on his reaction to UNC's Final Four loss.
Put away the razors, Jaime, there's always next year.
Rob Nelson
EDITOR
Office Hours Friday 3 p.m. - 4 p.m.
states, the forum is a place to “improve the
quality of life” for employees.
One quality of life issue the forum’s efforts
could affect is helping employees obtain a
better education at UNC.
Currently, UNC employees have to pay a
$55 application fee to take classes here, and
the forum has looked into ways of waiving
this cost.
But after discussing the issue with Norm
Loewenthal, director of the Division of
Continuing Education, the committee report
ed that “the division could not simply absorb
this cost and ... the fee would need to be
paid from some other source on behalf of the
employee.”
This goes against the grain of what the
University usually touts in employee recruit
ing efforts - the opportunities for career
development available at UNC.
By finding alternate funding so that the
B" The third I
l in a 3-part
series
workers.
application fee can be waived
and fighting to change the cur
rent policy of requiring super
visory permission for non-job
related courses taken on
University time, the forum can
make UNC a much more
attractive place for employees and a place
where upward mobility is possible.
Stable Work Force
Recruitment and retention is another
problem for the University’s staff.
There are about 600 staff positions open at
UNC, said Linwood Futrelle, the 1998 chair
man of the Employee Forum. This means
University employees have to do more than
just their jobs - they have to take on work
that the nonexistent employees should be
doing.
One of the main problems UNC has in
hiring is that in some cases a department’s
job specifications, the description of the qual
ifications needed for a certain position, have
not been modified since the 1960s or 19705.
At the same time, the human resources
department’s rules, by law, do not give
departments flexibility in hiring people
based on skills not included in the job speci
fications.
By advocating an update of the
University’s hiring method, the workload of
employees burdened by more than their fair
share can be remedied.
Room for Improvement
The Employee Forum needs to do more.
However, for its efforts to come to fruition,
the state must also change some of the ways
it deals with the UNC system. Because UNC
is part of the state education system, state leg
islation treats UNC employees like other
state employees.
But a university is a much different setting
than a Department of Motor Vehicles office
and should be treated as such.
It’s a reciprocal relationship - the forum
needs to lobby the University and the state,
and they need to listen.
Taking Attendance
Saturday is the last day of the three
scheduled snow makeup days.
Thank God they're over, but for
most of us, they never really began. By the way,
who even goes to class now that it’s spring?
Unbelievable, Baby
We might not have won the
national title Monday, but UNC's
unexpected Final Four appearance
w
at least served to stop the Weber State jokes.
“He just kept on harassing me. So I finally
broke down.”
Freshman Jill Fowler
Explaining why she bought salon services
from a salesman on campus. Hey, Jill, get some willpower.
Did you really need your eyebrows plucked that badly?
“I feel I can make the 82nd session as effec
tive (as the 81st).”
New Student Congress Speaker
Alexandra Bell
Talk about low standards.
Don’t sell yourself short, Alexandra.
lailti (Far Hrrl
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Disc Golf: The Sport of Champions
“Golf is a good walk spoiled. ”
-Mark Twain
This weekend is the 64th Masters
Tournament, the most elitist tournament
in the most elitist sport.
OK, maybe I’m a little bitter. I blame my
lousy golf game on the golf pro in Illinois who
convinced my folks that I should switch to
right-handed clubs.
Most of the golf courses are designed for
right-handed hitters, he told them, as if I were
going to be on the PGA Tour someday.
But I never had the patience for golf any
way. Too much time. Too much money.
I play disc golf.
Frisbee golf.
Poor man’s golf.
Hippie golf. (Actual slogan: “Throw discs,
not bombs.”)
No need to pay for balls and clubs, they’re
combined into one. No more greens fees or
cart rental.
(Although the best part about playing golf
is getting drunk enough to drive the cart into
the pond.)
You can play disc golf anywhere. No need
to tear down the forest. Just throw up some
baskets in the park.
Hell, you don’t even need baskets. My dad
used to tell us to throw at the neighbors’ mail
boxes.
(Which may have led to my fascination
with blowing them up, but that’s another
story.) Other targets include fire hydrants,
tombstones and kids.
The University has a course at the Outdoor
Education Center. There’s also a couple
courses in Durham. I think one involves hit
ting the BMWs on the Duke campus.
There’s even a tournament coming up at
the O.E.C.
And there is no greater thrill than hearing
the roar of the crowd as you approach the
18th hole in a disc golf tournament.
The O.E.C. tournament will take place
next Friday afternoon. Call 962-1153 for more
information.
Readers' Forum
Letter Writer
No Dummy, Simply
Has An Opinion
TO THE EDITOR:
This letter is in response to Jay
Wilson’s personal attack on me in the
April 3 Daily Tar Heel. Jay not only
misses the point of my original letter,
but he incorrectly stereotypes me as
either a 21-year-old student or a 26-
year-old dunce.
First of all, like many students, I
did not have the privilege of going to
college directly out of high school.
First I spent five years in the Marine
Corps, where I traveled extensively
around the North and South as well
as much of the world.
I know that in this town the mili
tary does not get much respect, but
remember, these people are the ones
protecting the way of life of every sin
gle tiny faction we have in Chapel
Hill, including the feminists, homo
sexuals and the kids at the post office.
So no dumb Marine jokes, please.
After a year abroad I came here to
UNC to study and am graduating in
less than three years with honors. You
do the math for my age. I am sorry,
Jay, but I don’t fit any of the cate
gories you outlined for me. This mis-
Vicky Eckenrode & Cate Doty
managing editors
Thomas Ausman
DESIGN EDITOR
Megan Sharkey
GRAPHICS EDITOR
William Hill
ONLINE EDITOR
BRIAN FREDERICK
ON TAP
Sure, the Masters will feature such pros as
Duval, Nicklaus and Motorola. But the UNC
disc golf tourney will have Peete, Canyon and
Two-Beer.
Instead of a green jacket, the winner gets a
pair of Zubaz pants (Remember the tiger
stripes in assorted colors?), a tank top and a
pair of wrap-around Oakleys.
Now that your eye’s on the prize, head to
the sporting goods store. You’re finally gonna
own your own clubs. Kiss the bright yellow
rental bag goodbye.
No need for 15 clubs. As if you could really
tell the difference between a pitching wedge
and a sand wedge. You can play disc golf with
just two discs. A driver and a putter. It will
only cost you 20 bucks. Hell, you can just use
one if you’re really broke. Or if you throw
your driver into a pond. (Damn first hole at
the 0.E.C.)
And while golf equipment sports such regal
names as Titleist, Spalding and Calloway,
discs have names like Viper, Whippet and
Bomb. Plus they come in cool colors like pur
ple, red and camouflage.
(Unfortunately, our leftist friends who
make the discs have chosen to use kilograms
for weight.)
In golf, you aim at a tiny little hole that
needs a flag so you can find it. And if you
make your shot, it makes this little rattling
sound. There’s no missing the basket on a disc
golf course. It’s gray and yellow with chain
links that are built to withstand a nuclear war.
And when you make a shot, it sounds like
some schoolyard bully just threw a smaller kid
take is easy to make, however, in this
town where most people are easily
categorized.
My first letter was never meant to
insult anyone. All I did was point out
my personal observations based on
my experiences. I still believe people
in the South prejudge me more than
those in the North. I have actually
done field research on this very issue,
so it is more an educated statement
than a “jealous invective” as Jay sug
gests.
And no, I do not think
Southerners are dumb just because
they have an accent, but the fact
remains I still haven’t had a professor
with a Southern accent at a North
Carolina state college.
Finally, I believe a large number
of kids in this town are given many
things they have never earned,
including expensive cars, cell phones
and even perhaps degrees from
UNC. This is often represented in a
very elitist attitude. Jay, you can ques
tion my experiences and opinions,
but don’t question my IQ.
Aaron Breedlove
Senior
Psychology
The length rule was waived.
Terry Wimmer
OMBUDSMAN
into a chain-link fence.
(Insert disc-in-hole joke.)
Fairways on a golf course are manicured
daily. With any luck, the disc golf course is
plowed once a year by the city. If you should
throw it into the tall rough, you’re liable to
find a member of the cast of “Hee Haw.”
Only in disc golf is there a chance you’ll
get poison ivy. Other potential dangers
include chiggers, stray dogs and skateboarders
in the parking lot.
A good pair of sneakers is necessary for
hiking through mud, creeks and family picnics
in search of your disc.
Sure, you don’t have golfing spikes, but at
least you can go dancing in your disc golf
shoes without fear of putting a spike through
your girlfriend’s big toe.
No more sweating in the required collared
shirts and Dockers. Standard attire in disc golf
is an X-Men T-shirt and cut-offs.
Ironically, the beer of choice on the golf
course is a case of cheap beer, while on the
disc golf course, guys carry six-packs of
imported botdes.
While Tiger whines at any fan who breaks
his concentration by talking, you’ll learn to
ignore car horns, screaming kids and the
Black Sabbath blaring out of the Firebird on
blocks in the parking lot.
Before you know it, you’ll be a professional
disc golfer. On the tour. Which is sure to bring
you to such disc golf havens as Portland, Ore.,
Boulder, Colo., and Blowing Rock. You’ll
make tens of ones of dollars off sponsorships
with 1-800-COLLECT (anybody can get
sponsorship from them), and have a good
time playing a sport almost as lazy as regular
golf.
The best part about disc golf? You can roll
joints off your discs. Try doing that off a 9-
iron.
Brian Frederick is a graduate student in jour
nalism and mass communication from
Lawrence, Kan., home of the Frederick-Bunch
Disc Golf Invitational. Reach him with ques
tions and comments at brifred@yahoo.com.
Columnists Gave
Courageous Defense
Of Christian Doctrine
TO THE EDITOR:
I wish to give my support to Josh
Self and Marty Baldwin for their
Viewpoints guest column titled
“Relativism Runs Counter to Tenets
of Christianity” (April 3).
I was pleasandy surprised by the
column and found it to present a solid
defense of Christian moral standards
and a solid presentation of the Gospel
of Jesus Christ. Far from being con
descending or callous, the column
was a courageous stand for the prin
ciples of the Christian religion, a
stand which many people on this
campus would just as soon have sup
pressed, if the truth really be known.
I would like to thank both of these
men for their witness to the truth of
the Gospel, that it is the means by
which God seeks to save each and
every one of us, if only we would turn
to Him with contrite hearts.
My hat is off to Self and Baldwin
for their defense of the faith.
Tim Dunkin
Graduate Student
Department of Chemistry
utyp Satly ®ar Hppl
j?
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