10
Wednesday, October 25, 2000
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Kelli Boutin
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR
Kim Minugh
UNIVERSITY EDITOR
Ginny Sciabbarrasi
CITY EDITOR
Board Editorials
Behind Closed Doors
The recently announced UNC-town committee should open
its meetings to the public.
UNC and town leaders have taken a long
overdue step in improving town-gown rela
tions, which have been rocky in recent
months due to concerns about issues such as
UNC’s Master Plan for campus growth.
At the Franklin Street post office
Thursday, Chapel Hill Mayor Rosemary
Waldorf and Chancellor James Moeser
announced the formation of anew commit
tee composed of Town Council members
and UNC representatives. The committee,
which will start meeting regularly in
November, will advise Waldorf and Moeser
on issues of mutual importance to the town
and the University.
But while the concept is great - it’s about
time the two sides started coming together
regularly to air their differences and find
some common ground - it comes with a big
catch. The majority of the group’s discus
sions will be held behind closed doors.
This infringes on the public’s right to know
and likely violates the state’s Open Meetings
Law. Without question, the meetings should
be completely open.
Waldorf says that the public is welcome to
forward discussion topics to the committee,
but that community members will not be
allowed in the meetings. The reason given
for this decision was that committee mem
bers need to be able to speak candidly about
Speaking Green
The N.C. gubernatorial candidates need to make
environmental issues a top priority.
Amid the hype about prescription drugs
and education this election season, environ
mental issues have gone virtually ignored.
This especially has been the case in North
Carolina’s gubernatorial race between front
runners Mike Easley and Richard Vinroot,
and the state Sierra Club has taken notice. .
Although the club has begrudgingly
endorsed the Democratic candidate, Easley,
many members feel as if their choice is sim
ply the lesser of two evils, and based on the
lack of attention the environment has been
getting in this state, they’re right.
In a region that is plagued by flood dam
age, urban sprawl, suspect hog waste regula
tion, bad air and mass polluting of bodies of
water like the Neuse River, the gubernatori
al candidates need to make the environment
a major priority - both on the campaign trail
and if they take office.
One of the main reasons that neither of the
candidates has been talking about ecological
issues is that to do so would alienate a per
centage of the population. Vinroot or Easley
don’t want to be seen as too pro-environment
because if they did, they would alienate them
selves from the big purses of big industry and
some pro-business voters.
Readers' Forum
Pledges’ Attitude Toward
Rape Crisis Center
Volunteer Disappointing
TO THE EDITOR:
As an Orange County Rape Crisis
Center volunteer since 1997,1 am asked
each fall and spring to talk to fraternity and
sorority pledges about date rape, sexual
harassment and other related issues. These
discussions help inform the prospective
brothers and sisters about safety, preven
tion and community resources.
I have found these sessions to be pro
ductive and, at the very least, well-received.
However, the Wednesday before last, I was
appalled by the comments directed at my
co-presenter and me.
The heckling was not restricted to one
gender, for I was shocked to find the
women in the group either indifferent or
•supportive of the sophomoric remarks and
outbursts during the presentation. The
environment the pledges created totally
undermined the purpose of this session and
moreover, it ironically provided an occa
sion for precisely the kind of sexual mis
conduct that we were there to prevent.
Although the pledges’ comments might
seem like harmless humor, it is exacdy this
kind of attitude that leads to stronger sex
ual harassment. Once these pledges are
inducted into the fraternities and sororities,
Matt Dees
EDITOR
Office Hours Friday 2 p.ra. -3 p.m.
Kathleen Hunter
STATE Et NATIONAL EDITOR
T. Nolan Hayes
SPORTS EDITOR
Will Kimmey
SPORTSATURDAY EDITOR
the issues. But the need to air opinions freely
is not a reason compelling enough to justify
closing the doors on discussions so vital to
the future of the town and the University.
Citizens deserve to know whether and how
their concerns are being handled by the com
mittee. But with closed meetings, it is likely
that much discussed in those meetings will
never make it past Waldorf’s or Moeser’s desk.
If concern for public knowledge is not
enough to convince Waldorf and Moeser to
open the meetings, then perhaps the fact that
their decision stands on questionable legal
ground will. North Carolina’s Open Meetings
Law requires an appointed body with an
advisory function to some level of state gov
ernment to allow the public to attend its
meetings. Other joint town-University com
mittees, such as the Airport Advisory
Committee and the Coordinating and
Consulting Committee, hold open meetings.
But Town Attorney Ralph Karpinos told
The News & Observer that the group does
not have to abide by the law because it is not
going to give advice to the Town Council as a
group and will not make a committee report.
That is a very fine distinction to make, as
Karpinos admitted. Instead of splitting legal
hairs and risking a lawsuit, Moeser and
Waldorf should do what’s best for the groups
they represent and open the meetings.
On the other hand, the candidates also
have been careful not to say anything against
environmental regulations, so that they can
present the fagade of actually caring for the
environment to the average voter. What this
amounts to is a bunch of nothing, and the
people of North Carolina are the big losers.
Another chief rationale explaining why the
candidates haven’t been forcing the issue of
the environment is that they are busy courting
the crucial votes of the elderly, thus explain
ing the emphasis placed on prescription drug
prices in this election. Somewhat understand
ably, the environment doesn’t rank among the
elderly population’s top priorities.
The candidates’ lack of interest in the envi
ronment perhaps also is prompted by the fact
that those who care the most about it, the
youth, usually don’t vote, giving the candidates
no political incentive to address the topic.
Though this cowardly behavior isn’t sur
prising from two politicos, their lack of atten
tion to the environment is inexcusable.
Environmental issues affect us all and should
be among the top priorities for the next
leader of our state. Easley and Vinroot seem
to be forgetting that without a safe environ
ment, all other issues are simply moot points.
it is common that groups breed violence.
These groups of students were tired and
restless during the session, but by no means
drunk. I am concerned that if these
pledges’ respect for others is so diminished
by just being in a large group, the added
effects of alcohol common in the Greek
environment will compromise their already
marred decision-making ability.
The Greek community must take action
to ensure these volunteers are treated with
respect and civility, but most of all, ensure
the safety of the people who will come in
contact with these future brothers and sis
ters. These pledges need to take responsi
bility for their actions, and if not, they
should not have the “honor” of joining the
group they so desire.
In the end, I am sorely disappointed at
them for letting something like this happen.
It is insulting, and I left that night feeling
angry, but mosdy violated, by these pledges.
We must remember that soon these will be
the older brothers and sisters of future gen
erations of pledges. The fraternities and
sororities must realize that if they allow this
type of lurid behavior to come into their
communities, they are only giving more fuel
to their already tainted reputation.
\atalie Cheung
Class of 1999
The length rule was waived.
Opinion
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Remember to Mind Your Manners
Last week I began this column and acci
dentally left my disk in an Undergrad
computer. When I returned, I could
only conclude that my disk had sprouted legs
and run away.
But I’d slathered my name and phone
number on the sticky tab in a billboard-sized
font, and I was sure someone would return
my intellectual property.
Yet, I still have no disk.
Among other things, I decided to put
socializing in neutral and immerse myself in
that place with a lot of books called Davis
Library.
Last Thursday evening I was diligendy
devoting myself to studying when this chatter
box sat down nearby and began a lengthy dis
sertation on her social life.
In all honesty, if you were like me and in
the library on Thursday, you probably didn’t
have much of a social life to be talking about,
anyway.
Several nights later it was the same thing
again. You’d think common sense would be a
given in this town; however, it’s more like a
Visa commercial: priceless if you can find it
anywhere.
So let’s begin with library etiquette. You do
not need a loud mouth, a bullhorn or sub
woofer to blend in. If you take a look around,
you’ll notice it’s not a bar or Lenoir Dining
Hall; it’s a place to - oh my God - study. So if
you need to talk about yourself for an hour,
please avoid the library.
By the same token, people studying in
Lenoir have no right to be aggravated; there’s
a proper place for everything.
Next up: the cell phone. It’s OK to take a
call every once in a while, if you can be quiet
about it. I’m certainly guilty of the occasional
ring, but if you look like you’re auditioning
for a 1-800-COLLECT commercial, then
there’s a problem. And despite popular belief,
“coolness” is not measured by how long you
can hold your phone to your ear. Cell phones
Get Your Sports Scores,
Event Information
In the Pit Starting Today
TO THE EDITOR:
Starting today, the Carolina Athletic
Association will operate a sports ticker on
the front right side of Student Stores facing
the Pit. The ticker will recognize UNC’s
athletic teams and keep students informed
of upcoming campus and athletic events.
Many of UNC’s Olympic sports teams
are among the best in the country. UNC
regularly competes for the Sears Cup,
which is awarded each year to the the
school with the most successful overall ath
letic programs. Last weekend, UNC’s field
hockey team clinched the ACC regular
season championship, the UNC volleyball
team is currently in first place in the ACC
and both our men’s and women’s soccer
teams are currently ranked in the top five
nationally. However, students too often are
npt aware of the accomplishments of many
of our athletes. The sports ticker will rec
ognize the accomplishments of our athletes
and promote upcoming contests.
In addition, students can use the ticker to
stay abreast of other activities and special
events, such as the Homecoming concert
and activities, basketball ticket distribution,
Beat Dook Week and the Michael Hooker
Memorial sk.
Sefton Ipock
PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Cobi Edelson
DESIGN EDITOR
Saleem Reshamwala
GRAPHICS EDITOR
***
■
ANNE MARIE TEAGUE
GLAMOROUS TRASH
have been around for about a decade, and I
think most of us have one.
Besides cell phones being the newest fad in
earrings, it seems that our cars have sped us
into an ultimate race for rudeness.
My favorite people are the ones who plas
ter their social and political agendas all over
the ass of their car in the form of bumper
stickers. It always seems like the owners of
bumper stickers I disagree with are the ones
who slam on brakes and never use a turn sig
nal. But it’s the “tease” turn signal that really
gets me. It’s like, “I’m too cool to fully signal,
so instead I’ll just tease you and let you ques
tion whether you need glasses.”
Regardless of what people think about this
mini-metropolis, it is an obstacle course. We
don’t need impatient drivers, but this chaotic
environment fosters it. The day that I don’t
have to play horizontal Umbo between a
series of orange-and-white barrels will be joy
ous.
But on the same token, drivers don’t need
to be toyed with. By who, you ask? By those
power-wielding, panic-inducing pedestrians,
of course.
Most pedestrians are either courteous or
fearful of death, but there are always a few out
to provoke me. So I’d like to help them be
mindful of their manners.
Those white lines, painted about every 10
inches in the street, well, you walk in them.
They are called crosswalks. Unless you want
Students, check out the sports ticker in
the Pit for all the latest UNC sports scores,
schedules, events and policies.
Michael Songer
Special Projects Coordinator
Carolina Athletic Association
Errors in Israel Column
Show Author’s Lack
Of Knowledge on Subject
TO THE EDITOR:
Anne Fawcett’s Oct. 18 column “Ties to
Israel Make America Poor Mediator”
describing Israel’s relationship vis-a-vis the
Palestinian Arabs contains no fewer than
five historical and factual errors, and
reveals her poor knowledge on the subject.
The “original plan” for dividing the
region today known as Israel and Jordan to
which Ms. Fawcett alludes was approved
by the United Nations in 1947 in the form
of Resolution 181, and would have provid
ed both Arabs and Jews with respective
homelands. But this resolution was rejected
by the Arabs (who objected to any Jewish
presence in the region), not by the Jews,
and the former, including the countries of
Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq, launched a
military offensive in order to abort the
Jewish state at its internationally approved
birth.
Cate Doty & Lauren Beal
MANAGING EDITORS
Josh Williams
ONUNE EDITOR
Brian Frederick
OMBUDSMAN
Laura Stoehr
special assignments editor
to risk your life and my sanity, please don’t
continue to jump in front of my car like rabid
jackrabbits.
But what really makes no sense is that the
University graffitied roadways with crosswalks
just about everywhere there isn’t a bus stop.
Apparendy, the word “planning” is not in its
working vocabulary. With the tragic accidents
of recent years, drivers deserved to be pun
ished, but now pedestrians have a runaway
ticket to confidently fling themselves into the
road while drivers get the joy of slamming on
brakes and being choked by their seat belts.
What is most troubling is the undeniable
increase in functional illiteracy. All over town
there are these bright signs that no one reads.
They say “don’t walk,” and would you believe
it, translated in the English language that
means, '"don’t walk.”
Why is it so hard to be courteous? Are we
simply too self-centered?
Or does it just not matter because it can’t
be given some screwy politically correct term?
Does anyone remember Robert, the friendly
U-bus driver who used to be a mentor like
Chef is on South Park, saying, “Good morn
ing to all the ladies and gendemen on the
bus”?
You freshman probably don’t remember
because it only took one schmuck to force the
town to prevent the kindness of one individ
ual who was a benefit to my daily U-bus ride.
And what’s happened? We’ve forgotten
how to be ladies and gendemen.
You know, you can be a courteous person
without tangling your hair or your social and
political views.
So let’s all see if we can’t be ladies and gen
demen, hmmmkay?
Anne Marie Teague is a senior business
administration major from Lumberton. E-mail
her with suggestions on driving and how to
spray her two-gallon Super Soaker at unruly
pedestrians at teague@email.unc.edu.
Approximately 700,000 Jews were
expelled from Arab countries as a result of
the fighting; this figure is equal to the num
ber of Arabs who fled Israel. While Israel
repelled the attack, Jordan obtained control
of eastern Jerusalem, including the Old
City. During the next 19 years, the
Jordanian Arab forces demolished 58 syn
agogues in the Old City, uprooted Jewish
cemeteries and prevented Jews from visit
ing their holy sites on the pain of death.
Israel liberated the Old City during the
1967 defensive war, when it was again
attacked byjordanian, Egyptian and Syrian
forces, but following the way allowed the
Muslim Waqf (religious authority) contin
ued administrative control over the Temple
Mount.
Today, Jews are not permitted to pray
there, and Israeli police arrest those
attempting to do so. Further, the United
Nation’s current disapproval of Israeli
defense policies is nothing new; of 690
General Assembly resolutions before 1990,
429 were directed against Israel.
For a state that resides in 0.0001 percent
of the total Arab lands (it is smaller than the
state of Maryland), Israel receives a dis
proportionate amount of the world’s
hatred.
David B. Hoffman
Department of Biology
Class of 1999
Ullju iaily Star Hrrl
(3)
A
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