10
Wednesday, August 30, 2000
Kelli Boutin
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR
Kim Minugh
UNIVERSITY EDITOR
Ginny Sciabbarrasi
CITY EDITOR
Board Editorials
Purging the Binge
Anti-binge drinking programs should focus on teaching students
how to drink responsibly instead of focusing solely on abstinence.
The crackdown on Saturday night’s Brent
Road party by Alcohol Law Enforcement is
just another example of the misguided effort
that administrators have taken to curb col
lege students’ binge drinking.
At a time when Harvard Public Health
experts report that drinking among college
students is increasing nationwide, the powers
that be should shift the focus of alcohol edu
cation programs from eliminating consump
tion to promoting responsible drinking.
Two separate studies recently released by
Harvard make it quite evident that the cur
rent approach is failing.
One of the studies found 90 percent of col
lege administrators have enhanced programs
to curb alcohol use in recent years, which is
not surprising considering that several stu
dents have been killed in alcohol-related
incidents on area campuses during the last
two years alone.
What is surprising, and alarming, is the
result that these programs seem to be having.
The other Harvard study indicates that
rather than drinking in moderation, more
students are either moving into binge drink
ing or complete abstinence.
These uncompromising anti-drinking pro
grams need to be altered with the realization
Kelli Boutin Editorial Notebook
Hangin’ Around
The "No Loitering" signs in front of Copytron and Ben & Jerry's
will not do enough to keep loafers away.
The days of people hangin’ around on the
comer of Franklin and Columbia streets
finally have come to a close.
All of us who have been intimidated by
the leers of drunks as we attempted to buy an
ice cream cone can breathe a sigh of relief.
And the people who have nowhere else to
go can take the hint and head somewhere
where they are wanted and can get help, like
the Inter-Faith Council shelter or maybe
even inside the businesses they have sat out
side for so many days (to pick up a job appli
cation, of course).
But before those of you who have been
prevented from buying a coursepak or get
ting your sugar fix get too optimistic about
the implications of the “No Loitering” signs
that appeared in the windows of Copytron
and Ben & Jerry’s last month, realize the
problem is in no way solved.
So long as a cluster of benches remains
Have Your Say
; The Daily Tar Heel welcomes submissions from its readers for the Monday Viewpoints page. Guest
columns should be 800 words, written by no more than two people and discuss an issue relevant to
iKrC DTH readers. Submissions should be e-mailed to editdesk@unc.edu by 5 p.m the Wednesday before the
column will appear. Publication is not guaranteed.
For more information, call Editorial Rage Editor Kelli Boutin at 962-0245.
Readers' Forum
Columnist’s Thinking
On Women in Old East,
Old West Outdated
TO THE EDITOR:
Is Ashley Stephenson serious? I read her
column, “UNC Officials Should Leave
Dudes Alone,” several times over, hoping
it was a joke.
I’m assuming that since Ashley is such a
champion of tradition, and UNC-Chapel
Hill was traditionally an all-male institu
tion, she’s already started packing her own
bedspread and stuffed animals and is either
headed home “where a woman should be,”
or on her way to a women’s college.
Both of these arguments were used in
the 1920s when debates thrived around
building a women’s dorm on campus.
Spencer, the first women’s dorm, was built
in 1924.1 think it’s pertinent to note that
Spencer is now a coed residence hall. This
information, by the way, can be found in
back issues of The Daily Tar Heel on
microfiche in Wilson Library - read up,
Ashley, and maybe you’ll learn something.
Like change is good -and necessary.
As always, I am disheartened that atti
tudes like Ashley’s still exist at UNC-
Chapel Hill, but everyone is entitled to his
or her opinion. I don’t think I’m alone,
though, in thinking that an “equality-mind
ed” University administration is not a dis
advantage to campus life, as she implied,
Matt Dees
EDITOR
Office Hours Friday 2 p.m. -3 p.m.
Kathleen Hunter
STATE & NATIONAL EDITOR
T. Nolan Hayes
SKIRTS EDITOR
Will Kimmey
SPORTSATURDAY EDITOR
that some students are going to drink, regard
less of any information they are provided.
As it stands, students who choose to drink
have virtually no information on how to
drink responsibly, or how to care for some
one suffering the effects of heavy drinking.
Here at UNC, we need look no further
than the sexual education programs that are
already in place to find an example of an
educational program designed to work real
istically. These programs educate students
about sex, without encouraging it. Services
such as making condoms available in every
residence hall are realistic ways of dealing
with and controlling an inevitable circum
stance of student life. Similar steps must be
made to address drinking.
One way to accomplish this would be for
campus groups to utilize Student Health
Service in educating students about responsi
ble alcohol consumption, as well as what to do
in the event of a binge-drinking emergency.
If administrators and the ALE really are
concerned about the well-being of students
and not just blindly enforcing a law, they will
find a middle ground from which to curb
college drinking. Until then, activities such as
the over-policing of Brent Road will simply
be exercises in futility.
near the businesses, so will loiterers.
And when the loiterers choose to set up
camp on the benches, as they inevitably will,
there will be nothing the businesses legally
can do to stop them from being there, as the
benches are on town property.
To curb the threat to their businesses effec
tively, then, the stores must take the next step
and ask the town of Chapel Hill to remove
them.
Granted, the benches were placed there to
promote Chapel Hill’s small-town ambiance,
but loiterers such as those who prompted the
signs are not a part of the community’s
charm - they are a nuisance and a deterrent
to would-be customers.
For Chapel Hill to continue to have a
downtown it can be proud of, it is important
that businesses be able to thrive.
If doing that means having a few less
benches, so be it.
but a blessing. I was even more amazed that
this column was actually written by a
woman; maybe I’ll open the paper tomor
row and find a column written by a minor
ity student on why racial diversity on cam
pus is a bad thing (Carolina was tradition
ally an all-white University up to a point).
Let us leave the discussion of letting
women live in Old East and Old West for
a moment, and focus on who let Ashley
Stephenson into the computer lab to begin
with. For a university with a renowned jour
nalism school, I have to say that your col
umn, Ashley, was quite an embarrassment
to the community at large.
First of all, your argument makes no
sense. Why shouldn’t women want to live
in the dorms with the most “rad” location
on campus and nicer rooms “without the
usual chipped paint”?
After reading your thoughts, I can appre
ciate your longing for days of yore, but
words like “rad” should probably remain in
the capable hands of the Ninja Turtles. I did
appreciate, though, your gnarly addition of
the adjective “stoopid-fresh.” I’ve tacked
that gem to my word list. Cowabunga,
dude.
One last thing, Ashley - don’t call me a
chick.
Cynthia Eakes
Class of 2000
The length rule was waived.
Opinion
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For a Better Time, Try Volunteering
I’m a business major, so I guess for many of
you that basically equates to “bloodthirsty
capitalist pig.”
It all began when every Christmas, Santa
Claus (also known as Dad) brought a money
tree, glistening with green bills.
Because of that, I still believe that money
grows on trees, and “materialism” probably
should’ve been my middle name.
My other personal belief is that a job is
something for someone besides me. Work and
I just aren’t friends.
So my involvement with Habitat for
Humanity, which is free work of all things, is
a long and twisted story.
But first you have to know Habitat isn’t
some tree-hugging hippie organization. We
build houses for people who need them.
I discovered Habitat while competing in a
pageant that required a “community service
platform.” I thought: “How cute! I’m going to
add house-builder to my list of hobbies.”
My first assignment was scraping paint for
four miserable hours. But then I realized I was
a volunteer -and didn’t ever have to do that
again.
Then, that itty-bitty, annoying part of me
kept wondering what the house would look
like finished. So I went back and ended up
becoming a first-class paint-scraper and, even
tually, a pretty decent roofer. By the end of the
summer, I had earned some odd level of status.
I returned to school and saw a flier that
said: “Habitat for Humanity: Apply for
Honduras.” I certainly wasn’t the caring
humanitarian society expected me to be, but I
was pretty enamored with traveling. I
thought, how cool would it be to have this
experience on my resume and on my person
al checklist of “been there, done that.”
Naturally, my impeccable skills at acting
landed me a spot as one of 11 chosen to go.
We worked seven months and raised $23,000.
The worst fund-raisers were cleaning up the
Dean Dome and raking leaves, but our benefit
Editorial Misinterprets
Christians’ Motivations
For Football Prayer
TO THE EDITOR:
I am writing regarding your Aug. 28
board editorial about prayer at high school
football games. Although I am compelled
to disagree with your position, I must com
mend you for this: Many critics of public
prayer are quite derisive and condescend
ing. You were not.
Nevertheless, you shortchange the
Christian community in your assessment of
the motivations for their prayer. In Jesus’
day, Pharisees prayed ostentatiously to
demonstrate their false piety to each other.
Your quotation of Matthew 6 equated the
football prayers with those of the Pharisees,
effectively calling them hypocritical.
Public prayer certainly can be hypocrit
ical. But a desire to take a stand for faith
and a desire to resist a court decision that
restricts free exercise of religion modvated
the football game prayers. It was not to
impress other Christians that they prayed,
but to make a statement of faith.
Your main concern was that non-
Christian students not be made “uncom
fortable.” But those students had a chance
to make a statement, too. Their silence was
just as much a statement of faith as the
prayer of the Christian students.
Regardless of what we believe, belief
Sefton Ipock
PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Cobi Edelson
DESIGN EDITOR
Saleem Reshamwala
GRAPHICS EDITOR
it I
\ 4MR
ANNE MARIE TEAGUE
GLAMOROUS TRASH
concert was definitely fun.
Spring Break came. Flying into Honduras
was like flying into the heart of nowhere. The
runway was a singular strip of pavement.
There were these little tin shacks lined not
too far from the runway. I didn’t know what
they were. Then I realized - they were homes.
The experience was like a wrecking ball,
coming at me full force with every breath I
took at every site I saw. The natural beauty of
the land was awe-inspiring, while the poverty
of the country was heart wrenching.
But I know, your Spring Break - getting
drunk in the Bahamas and hooking up with
enough people to form a small nation-state, all
while frying up a tan and gorging yourself on
the cruise ship buffet - was far more fun than
anything I did in a poor Third World country.
We spent the first weekend in a small town
called Copan. We danced at a fiesta, made
tortillas and explored ancient Mayan ruins.
We then traveled on to help build a home for
a family that cost a whole whopping $7OO.
Think about how easily you’ve blown a cou
ple hundred of Mom and Dad’s money for a
month of rent, anew system for your car, a
portion of sorority fees.
It’s also the cost of a home.
The children came home every day after
school with their little shovels and helped us
work. The family didn’t have indoor plumb
ing or a shower. They bathed outside in their
clothes. It was saddening, but life is simpler. I
often requires taking unpopular positions.
The non-Christian students took such a
position by their silence. The Christian stu
dents took such a position by bucking the
legal system and the media - two institu
tions that vigorously oppose their efforts
and “brisde with hostility at all things reli
gious in public life” (to quote Justice
Rehnquist).
Perhaps most important is the notion
that sincere Christians should never have to
apologize or feel guilty for prayer, public or
otherwise. It is my hope that Christians at
Carolina and elsewhere will continue to
“pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Jonathan Marx
Sophomore
Economics and Political Science
Empty Seats Not Fault
Of a Nonresponsive
Student Congress
TO THE EDITOR:
I feel that your Aug. 24 editorial, “Now
Hiring,” painted an inaccurate portrait of
the efforts of student government.
■ Student government, like any other
organization, is imperfect. Its work ethic,
however, is very strong.
During the summer, while most students
were taking some time off, a number of stu
Cate Doty & Lauren Beal
MANAGING EDITORS
Josh Williams
ONLINE EDITOR
Brian Frederick
OMBUDSMAN
didn’t have my laptop, cell phone or even my
curling iron. And the weird thing is, I didn’t
miss them.
I successfully mangled the Spanish lan
guage enough to communicate and still “estoy
tratando.” (In other words, “I’m trying.”)
I came home from exquisite Honduran
beaches to nine unwanted messages on my
answering machine, finance homework to do
and cold, rainy Chapel Hill. But when I
looked at my shower, when I remembered the
family’s generosity, when I remembered the
women hand-washing clothes on stone, when
I looked at my car or the jewelry on my
hands, I realized how lucky I was for all that I
had and all that I had to give.
I’m still pretty much the same selfish per
son I always was, but I’m thinking about for
going the MTV bump-n-grind, tan-n-fry,
drink-n-get-high Spring Break again for a
more contented week in paradise.
You have to take my word on this one.
Check out Habitat for Humanity. The applica
tion process is in September.
The organization’s only fault: It thinks only
13 people are needed in the Third World. So
if you aren’t chosen to go, don’t worry. There
are other ways to help.
Maybe I’ll see you around in the
Dominican Republic with Orphanage
Outreach, where I’ll most likely be teaching
orphaned and abandoned kids English. For
more information, check out
www.users.uswest.net.
Just think what those 30,000 International
Monetary Fund protesters could’ve done if
only they’d given a week of their lives to mak
ing a difference instead of spending a week in
Washington putting on a show for the news
media. Last time I checked, actions spoke
louder than words.
Anne Marie Teague is a senior business
administration major from Lumberton.
E-mail her at teague@email.unc.edu.
dent government representatives, including
Student Body President Brad Matthews and
Student Congress Speaker Alexandra Bell,
were in Chapel Hill, and they were very
active.
Everyone had numerous individual tasks
to accomplish.
Despite this hard work, a small number
of seats in Student Congress remain
unfilled. However, to assert that this is the
result of nonresponsiveness on the part of
student government is irresponsible.
As you well know, there are always a few
unfilled seats in Student Congress at the
beginning of the fall semester.
Unfortunately, students cannot be drafted -
from residence halls or graduate schools -
into Congress. They must choose to serve.
(Last year, it took two special elections to
fill all the seats.)
It is therefore erroneous to call
Congress’s credibility into question for not
completely filling its seats.
Furthermore, 32 out of 37 ain’t bad.
That being said, the lack of an Elections
Board Chair is quite clearly a problem.
Both the executive and the legislative
branches of student government are work
ing to resolve it expediently and amicably
through the proper protocol, which unfor
tunately takes time.
It will be resolved soon.
Michael Woods
Student Body Secretary
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A
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