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14 Thursday, April 13, 2000 Concerns or comments about our coverage? Contact the ombudsman at budmani@Unc.edu or call 605-2790. Scott Hicks EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR Katie Abel UNIVERSITY EDITOR Jacob McConnico CITY EDITOR Board Editorials Garbage Out... ... common sense in? Here's hoping the Chapel Hill Town Council soon makes the right call to stop offering backyard trash pickup. Is keeping up appearances really worth more than $400,000? Chapel Hill residents have long had the luxury of leaving their trash in their back yards for sanitation workers to pick up week ly. That policy is now up for review in the Town Council, and it should ax the policy. By Town Manager Cal Horton’s estimates, cutting the service in favor of a once-a-week curbside pickup would save the town more than $400,000 over the next six years. Residents should feel guilty about taking advantage of a service that costs their town so much, knowing that money could be used in so many better ways. Indeed, the backyard pickup is a luxury few other state residents enjoy. According to recent statistics from the N.C. League of Municipalities, 77 percent of N.C. cities pick up garbage at the curb. Carrboro residents have taken their trash to the curb for years. Durham stopped back yard pickup in the early 19905, but disabled and elderly people there can apply for back yard service if they need it. In Chapel Hill, though, all residents have to do is leave the garbage in their backyard. It seems to go with the belief that the elite shouldn’t have tcf worry over actually walk ing their trash bags all the way out to the Smoking Bad Weed How else can you explain the flagrantly unconstitutional law protecting tobacco companies that state lawmakers recently passed? State lawmakers met in a special session of the N.C. General Assembly last week to pass a law that is unquestionably unconstitutional and a ridiculous waste of time and resources. The law limits the amount N.C. tobacco companies will have to pay in order to appeal lawsuits - whether that lawsuit is being conducted here or Alaska. Members of the General Assembly uncon vincingly claim that the law is a strong stand for the little guy who is going to get screwed when tobacco companies start going broke under the weight of exorbitant lawsuits. But they aren’t fooling anyone. Gov. Jim Hunt called the session at the special request of cigarette manufacturing companies, and that’s certainly who will benefit from this law. Supporters claim that helping these com panies will have a trickle-down effect and aid the common farmer. But they apparently didn’t care enough about that little farmer to support gubernatorial candidate Rep. Leo Daughtry’s attempt at a sunset clause on the law. His law aimed to make cigarette com panies buy more N.C. tobacco, a move that really would have a signficant impact on the little guy in this whole big mess. But no, God forbid the General Assembly actually demand something of cigarette com panies in return for a bill that might as well have been written by Phillip Morris himself. kflip Daily tTur Heel Business and Advertising: Janet Gallagher- Cassei, director/general manager; Chrissy Beck, director of marketing; Laurie Morton, dassified/customer service manager; Lisa Reichle, business manager; Jennifer Mackey, assistant business manager; Elizabeth Martin, retail sales manager. Marketing Group: Cindy Rice, specialist; Carrie Davis, Ben Hartmere, David Huffines and Assistant Editors: Ashley Atkinson and Danielle Eubanks, arts 4 enter tainment, Ginny Sciabbarrasi and Jason Owens, city; Allison Boone and Meredith Werner, copy, Adrienne Coppernoll and Caroline Hupfer, design; Kelli Boutin, editorial page; Rachel Carter, features; Dana Craig and Saleem Reshamwala, graphics; Josh Williams, online, Sefton Ipock and Jeff Pouland, photographv; Will Kimmey, Mike Ogle and Bret Strelow, sports; Lucas fenske, Kathleen Hunter and Cheri Melfi, state 4 national; Lauren Beal, Kim Minugh and Ale* Molaire, university. Arts & Entertainment: Jim Martin and Erin Wynia, senior miters, Shindy Chen, Jeremy Hurtz, Carl Jacobs, Russ Lane, Josh Love, Matt Mansfield, Ferris Morrison, Joanna Pearson, David Povill, Alison Rost, Justin Winters, Carmen Woodruff and Lindsey Zuckerman. Cartoon: Suzanne Buchanan, Teng Moua, Adria Mueller, James Pharr, Zach Warkentin, David Watson, Jim Williams and Michael Wlodek City: Robert Albright, Tricia Barrios, Sarah Brier, Theresa Chen, Erica Coleman, Lisa Crist, Kellie Dixon, Amy Dobson, Nishant Garg, Kate Hartig, Walter Herz, Sabina Hirscnauer, Jon Hoffman, Anjali Kalani, Enyonam Kpeglo, Kevin Krasnow, Kathryn McLamb, Joseph Pardington, Jenny Rosser and Heather Tart. Copy: Lani Harar, Stacey Hartley, Melissa Lentz, Laura Mayhew, Pnil Perry, Terri Rupar, Susan Willetts and Katie Young. Design: Denise Barnes, Beth Buchnolz, Jamie Davis, Cobi Edelson, Catherine Jamison, August Jenkins, Lisa Kopkind, Brianne Stethers and Karen Williams. Editorial: Brandon Briscoe, Jonathan Chaney, Nora El-Khouri, Brian Frederick, Erin Mendell, Cameron Mitchell, Joseph Monaco, Amol Naik, Tara Robbins, Mark Slagle. Jennifer Smith, Jenny Stepp, Laura Stoehr and Jonathan Trager Features: Megan Butler, Jermaine The editorials are approved by the majority of the editorial hoard, which is composed of the editoi, editorial page editor, assistant editorial page editor, cartoon editor and seven editorial writers The Daily Tar Heel is published by the DTH Publishing Corp, a non profit North Carolina corporation, Monday-Friday, according to the University calendar. Callers with questions about billing or display advertising should call 962-1163 between 8 30 a.m and 5 p.m. Classified ads can be reached at 962-0252. Editorial questions should be directed to 962-0245. Rob Nelson EDITOR Office Hours Friday 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. curb like most normal Americans. After all, some town movers and shakers think seeing all those green trash cans on the curb make their precious village look bad. Wait a second. Being elite is all good, but surely Chapel Hill can rely on its countless other better-than-average qualities to survive in the upper class. This whole thing with backyard garbage collection is just a blatant waste of cash - more than $400,000 to be exact. That money would be better spent, for example, in helping to keep school resource officers (police who patrol local schools) working. Thanks to a budget crisis, the town manager recently proposed cutting back on the funds paying for these campus police. Or the town could spend more money on affordable housing or mass transit. However the Town Council decides to spend it, it’s at least a step in a better direction. While the town should ensure that dis abled or elderly residents still get backyard pickup, the rest of Chapel Hill can walk those extra few steps to the curb. Mayor Rosemary Waldorf supports installing curbside pickup for trash. Now, all other Town Council members should put on their thinking caps and vote to trash the elite practice of backyard garbage collection. And God forbid the members of the General Assembly actually have some basic understanding of the U.S. Constitution. North Carolina has absolutely no legal right to place a cap on an appeals process being conducted in the Florida court system. Lawmakers might want to brush up on the section of the Constitution known as the “Full Faith and Credit Clause.” The stupidity of the General Assembly is so overwhelming it’s almost unbearable - until you remember who’s financing their campaigns. The law doesn’t really matter because it will undoubtedly be overturned, but lawmakers were just ecstatic at the chance to show their appreciation for their patron saint, Big Tobacco. Cigarette companies are being pounded with lawsuits all across the country. The aver age tobacco worker is going to bear the brunt of that financial cutback sooner or later. But instead of exploring constructive ways to begin to address the very uncertain future of tobacco in North Carolina, the legislators wasted another session by kowtowing to tobacco’s demands and looking like idiots. In plain English, the law is unconstitution al, and state lawmakers already know that. But with elections right around the corner, it sure can’t hurt to get in another few points with your biggest donor. Professional and Business Staff Ashley Ryneska, associates. Customer Service: Holly Herweyer, Locoya Hill, Courtnee Poole, Kelly Russell and Ashley Ryneska, representatives. Display Advertising: Julie Roper, Andrea Van Hoever and Catherine Wilkins, senior account executives; Katie Bawden, Katelyn Bottoms, Jackie House, Kelly McKellogg, Skye Nunnery and Jenn Tyburczy; account executives; Eleanor Editorial Staff Caldwell, Eleanor Cameron, Stuart Crampton, Erika Detmer, Kim Droznek, Rudy Kleysteuber, Alicia Peters, Moira Vanderhoof, Jennifer White and Patricia Wright. Graphics: Jason Cooper, Dan Helias, Hannah Hollar, T Jay Richards and Heather Todd. Online: Wendy Photography: Cara Brickman, senior photographer; Valerie Bruchon, Elan Dassani, Alison Domnas, Katherine taker, Laura Giovanelli, Martha Hoelzet, Meredith Lee, Kate Mellnik, Kaarin Moore, Christine Nguyen, Casey Quillen. Emily Schnure, Matgatet Southern and Greg Wolf. Special Assignments: Geoffrey Graybeal, KaitTin Gurney, Chris Hostetler and Courtney Weill. Sports: Evan Markfield, Brian Murphy and Hugh Pressley, senior writers; Brad Broders, Joe Disney, James Giza, lan Gordon, Adam Hill, Roland Hoffman, Ted Keith, Kelly Lusk, Adam Pohl, Matt Terry, Umur Tuncer and John Zhu, ISN #10709436 Office: Suite 104 Carolina Union Campus Mail Address: CB# S2lO Bo* 49, Carolina Union U.S. Mall Address: P.O. Bo* 3257, Chapel Hill, NC 27515 3257 <lbi' Smly aar Mwl Established 1893 • 107 Years of Editorial Freedom www.unc.edu/dth Matthew B. Dees STATE 6t NATIONAL EDITOR T. Nolan Hayes SPORTS EDITOR Leigh Davis FEATURES EDITOR Cameron, Tonya Day, Locoya Hill, Nathan Mayberry and Melissa McDaniel, assistant account executives. Advertising Production: Penny Persons, manager; Julie Marks and Lauryn Mitchiner, assistants. Classified Production: Melanie Todd State & National: Kristina Casto, Jessica Chism, Worth Civils, Anne Fawcett, Alicia Gaddy, Kimberly Grabiner, Jennifer Hagin, Lani Harac, Ale* Kaplun, Taena Kim, Kristian Kordula, Rachel Leonard, Jonah Mitry. Jonathan Moseley, Deepika Narasimhan and Gavin Off. Tech: Jennifer Fauteu*, Ale* McAllister and Eric Williams. University: Arman Anvari, Jason Arthurs, Elizabeth Breyer, Allison Ford, Will Foushee, Jennifer Heffernan, Harmony Johnson, John Maberry, Courtney Mabeus, Kate Macek, Derick Mattern, Katy Nelson, John O'Hale, Beth O'Brien, Shahrzad Rezvani, Brooke Roseman, Denise Scott, Matthew Smith, Alsha Thomas, Mark Thomas, Jamila Vernon, Geoffrey Wessel and Karey Wutkowski, Editorial Production: Stacy Wynn, manager. Printing: Triangle Web Distribution: Triangle Circulation Services, Opinions Robin Clemow ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Carolyn Haynes COPY DESK EDITOR Miller Pearsall PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR fiM M ATTEfWT to cm voters, the cops CAMPAIGN HA& K.LEA££D A SEft&S OF N&W X\l. ADS. k ——— m .u ’-■* :xrmi 1 ■""" "" — J DTH in Search of Diverse Opinions Diversity itself is not inherently a good thing. Certainly there was some diver sity of opinion in Topeka in 1954 as to whether Linda Brown, a black child, should be permitted to attend Monroe Elementary School with a lot of white children. Similarly, there was diversity of practice among business owners under the reign of Jim Crow, some of whom chose to serve blacks and others of whom did not. In a diverse environment, both the best and the worst in human nature has the chance to surface. Though not intrinsically good, diversity - or more specifically, intellectual dissent - is nonetheless absolutely necessary. We need diversity not because people’s instincts are comprehensively trustworthy, but because they are so frequently corrupt and so easily confused. In theory, if right and wrong were always self-evident, we wouldn’t need a forum for debate such as this opinions page; The Daily Tar Heel could simply report facts for readers to absorb. But because right and wrong, and better and worse, are often difficult to discern, it is important for many people to lend their voic es to the expression of their convictions and for many debates to carry on at length until issues become clear. Efforts toward diverse representation occur not only in national politics but at the University level as well. On Friday, several DTH columnists and editorial board members met to discuss the need for the newspaper, especially the editorial page, to express more diverse per spectives - not simply to print more ideas, but better to reflect the variety of convictions held by members of the University community. Our convictions must be evaluated through the reasonable debate and thorough investiga tion that can (and sometimes even does) take place on the editorial page. Sometimes, however, a natural human eagerness to take the moral high ground leads people to silence dissent rather than to per- Readers' Forum Chancellor Invites Students to Recognize Award-Winning Peers TO THE EDITOR: Today some of Carolina’s most tal ented students will be honored at the annual Chancellor’s Awards Ceremony. The ceremony is truly a special time for our University com munity. Although departmental awards are not uncommon, the Chancellor’s Awards Ceremony is the only cam puswide gathering to honor students for their outstanding academic and leadership abilities. In addition, the ceremony also rec ognizes the student-selected teaching award winners. Please consider attending this important event and showing your support for the award winners. The ceremony begins at 3 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Student Union. A reception will follow. I hope to see you today. Bill McCoy Interim Chancellor Vicky Eckenrode & Cate Doty MANAGING EDITORS Thomas Ausman DESIGN EDITOR Megan Sharkey GRAPHICS EDITOR William Hill ONLINE EDITOR TARA ROBBINS SMALL PRINT suade those who disagree. For example, I mentioned last week a case in Boston involving a bar owner who was accused of promoting racism with a display of stuffed animals in his establishment. One of the most interesting aspects of the case was the way information about the bar owner and his staff had been gathered. A state government commission had sent undercover agents to his bar to eavesdrop on conversa tions and determine whether his bar should be shut down. Because the objective was to censure racism, few objections to the involvement of this agency were raised in The Boston Herald’s coverage of the case. But the concept of the government sending its agents on such a mission is troubling. The bar owner’s work was nearly taken away from him based on this evidence. (If we think about the businesses our parents have poured their lifeblood into for decades, the seriousness of this penalty becomes clear.) The argument for the government’s involvement is presumably that racism threat ens the community (as it in fact does). In practice, however, healthful dissent is too easily mistaken for deviance. Established institutions have consistently opposed threats to their status that come in the form of scientific advancement and social dissidence. Groups in power want to stay in power, and groups excluded from power want to gain power. Simply silencing objectionable pronounce ments will not end bigotry; open debate and Ombudsman Correct In Criticizing Paper For Drama 16 Slight TO THE EDITOR: In response to Ombudsman Terry Wimmer’s column (“DTH Handling of Out ‘N’ About, CAA Policy Screwed Readers,” April 6), I am in complete agreement with his assess ment of the situation with Professor Charles Mitchell’s Drama 16 class. Currently a student in his 1 p.m. Drama 16 class, I was disturbed by The Daily Tar Heel’s supplement “Out ‘N’ About," which deemed Mitchell’s class as “Best Class to Do Crossword in.” As Wimmer explained, there is no sufficient evidence suggesting that Professor Mitchell’s class is indeed a “fluke” class. Asa student of Mitchell’s, he issued his ground rules the first day of the semester to the entire class. One of his rules stated that students could not read or take out a DTH while he is lecturing out of respect for him (which is justifiable). On a couple of occasions, he has Terry Wimmer OMBUDSMAN freely conducted research will demonstrate its absurdity. As evidenced in the meeting about increasing diversity, the DTH takes seriously its role in supporting this kind of interchange, and it offers opportunities for involvement. Each semester, the DTH editorial page editor solicits applications for columnists and editori al board members. If you have ever complained about the content of the back page or about a University issue you wish would receive a little more press, watch for information in the coming weeks on how to apply for some of these positions: Editorial Board. The DTH editorial board meets several times per week and discusses news items. Board members take turns writing the unsigned editorials that appear to the left of this column. Columnists. Columnists have it much easier. We write our columns at home each week and send them to the editorial page editors. Writing for the opinions page entails some commitment and discipline, but of course, there’s your picture in the paper to send to mom and dad. Besides that, as Brandon Briscoe and I dis covered when talking about the feedback we’ve gotten on our columns throughout the semester, nearly all of the mail each of us received has come from readers of the oppo site sex. Go figure. Frivolous commentary on glamorous perks aside, my point is that the DTH opinion page should reflect the varied experiences, perspectives, and hopes of the University community. Dissent is absolutely critical to an intellec tually stimulating environment, so if you’ve got something to say, you should consider yourself invited to join in. Tara Robbins is a graduate student in the Department of English from Millville, N.J. You can reach her at trobbins@unc.edu. thrown students out of class for vio lating this rule. So when looking around in class, the majority of stu dents can be seen paying attention to Mitchell. Also, the perception of class being an easy A is false. The tests are harder than those given by an ex-Drama 16 professor (whom I will not identify). The additional coursework (papers, quizzes, etc.) is relevant to Drama 16’s status as an introductory course. This course is not Chemistry 61. Trust me, achieving an A is not easy in Mitchell’s class. I find it dis turbing that a newspaper seeking journalistic integrity would cause harm to a professor’s reputation among superiors and peers in his community for a useless category that was not determined by students in his class. I call for the elimination of the cat egory in future editions of The Daily Tar Heel. Godwin Ogunmefun Junior Exercise and Sport Science ahr Haiti! aar Urrl © ala The Daily Tar Heel wel comes reader comments and criticism. Letters to the editor should be no longer than 300 words and must be typed, double-spaced, dated and signed by no more than two people. Students should include their year, major and phone number. Faculty and staff should include their title, department and phone number. The DTH reserves the right to edit letters for space, clarity and vulgarity. Publication is not guaran teed. Bring letters to the DTH office at Suite 104, Carolina Union, mail them to P.O. Box 3257, Chapel Hill, NC 27515 or e-mail forum to: editdesk@unc.edu.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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April 13, 2000, edition 1
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