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8 Wednesday, December 6, 2000 Concerns or comments about an coverage? Contact the ombudsman at ombudsmaiKHinc.edu or caß 933-4611. Kelli Boutin EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR Kim Minugh UNIVERSITY EDITOR Ginny Sciabbarrasi CITY EDITOR Board Editorials Needs Improvement A higher education report card shows that more communication about opportunities to attend college in the state is needed. Last week’s state-by-state higher education report card confirmed what everyone involved in the UNC system knows - post secondary education is extremely affordable in North Carolina. But it also showed that despite its low cost, the system is failing to educate a sufficient number of state residents. The report showed that many North Carolinians are not taking advantage of the opportunities provided by the state’s colleges and universities. But now that North Carolina is shifting away from its traditional economy of tobacco, textiles and furniture to high-tech jobs that require more education, there is no excuse for the low participation in the system. This low score from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education should serve as a wake-up call to teachers, administrators and guidance counselors involved in all levels of education in North Carolina. It is unfortunate that many chil dren across the state apparently still do not see college as a necessary, or perhaps even feasible, option. Awareness, while not the entire solution for getting more North Carolinians to go to college, is a crucial first step in increasing the level of education in a state where only 23 percent of residents have four-year degrees. Starting at a young age, North Carolinians Crisis in Context Although AIDS no longer seems like a big deal to many Americans, it remains a worldwide epidemic that needs attention and funding. World AIDS Day passed on Friday with little hoopla nationwide, a troubling sign that the epidemic is no longer receiving the atten tion that an international crisis warrants. This relative disinterest in AIDS awareness is the result of a dangerous misconception that the battle against the disease is virtually over. One clear way to ensure this perilous trend won’t serve to stem the remarkable progress that already has occurred in pre venting the spread of AIDS is to increase spending for AIDS prevention and treatment programs worldwide, as President Clinton has proposed to Congress. Partly because of advances in AIDS research and prevention recendy, AIDS awareness is no longer a sexy issue. Whereas just five years ago everybody who was any body could be seen sporting a red ribbon, AIDS consciousness now has taken a back seat to issues that many see as more pressing. It is easy to make this mistake, as AIDS death rates in the United States have fallen to their lowest levels since 1987. But to see this progress as a sign that AIDS is even remotely defeated is a grave error. While it is true anew White House report shows that AIDS deaths in the United States have decreased more than 70 percent over the past five years, 40,000 Americans are Readers' Forum DTH-led Honor Code Discussion Should Not Focus on Shortcomings TO THE EDITOR: I would like to thank the writer of Thursday’s board editorial piece, “Steps Toward Reform,” for sharing with the cam pus feasible suggestions for the improve ment of our system of Student Judicial Governance. I also would like to thank the writer for pointing out the single most wor risome truth about the system: “... most importantly, the University community must become better acquainted with the Honor Code itself." First off, it is not at all necessary for a stu dent to be charged with an Honor Code violation before he or she can become acquainted with the intricacies of the Honor Court system or the Honor Code itself. The “inner workings” of the court are publicized. The entire judicial process, from start to finish, is laid out in the Instrument for Student Judicial Governance available in the Office of the Student Attorney General in the Student Union. Additionally, information is avail able on the Internet at http://www.unc.edu/depts/honor. Matt Dees EDITOR Office Hours Friday 2 p.m. -3 p.m. Kathleen Hunter STATE & NATIONAL EDITOR T. Nolan Hayes SPORTS EDITOR Will Kimmey SPORTSATURDAY EDITOR must be told they have the choice -as well as the opportunity - to go to college. By the time a student gets to high school, it might already be too late to convince him or her higher education is an option. The responsibility for spreading the word must not come solely from those involved with children at the kindergarten through 12th-grade levels, however. UNC-system officials must make more of a concerted effort to reach out to potential students, espe cially in communities in poorer, rural areas where the percentage of college graduates is low. For their part, system officials do seem to realize this. UNC-system President Molly Broad told The Daily Tar Heel that the sys tem can increase its grade by stressing the importance of higher education to eighth and ninth-graders. And the N.C. General Assembly must do its part by making the already affordable sys tem even more so. The system currently is seeking full funding from the legislature for a state need-based financial aid program that will provide more than S3O million for needy students. Only with this combination of information and increased aid will North Carolina’s high er education system ever truly meet its mis sion to educate the state’s children. infected with HIV each year. Half of these new infections take place among people age 25 and younger, a statistic that should be an eye-opener to the UNC community. Asa recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study showed, funding for education is just as vital as that for research and treatment of AIDS. It reports that near ly 19 percent of those surveyed agreed with the statement “people who got AIDS through sex or drug use have gotten what they deserved.” Increased AIDS education is vital in eliminating such ignorance, as the survey also showed that those with more knowledge about the disease were less inclined to agree with the archaic statement. Sadly, increased spending on AIDS pro grams is even more paramount internation ally, as 16,000 people become infected worldwide every day, totaling 5.3 million new infections last year alone. Without a sub stantial American monetary influx, impov erished African nations, where nearly 75 per cent of all new infections occurred this year, are going to continue to be virtually helpless in stopping the spread of the AIDS virus. It is time for Congress to step up funding for international AIDS programs. The AIDS epidemic remains one that is no less of an international crisis than it ever has been. I feel compelled to point out that Thursday’s editorial was not without fur ther factual error. Rest assured, the Honor Court does not deal with any drug offense or sexual assault case not also coming under the jurisdiction of our state’s legal system. The University’s judicial system serves to appropriately redefine drug and sex offenders’ relationship with the University; it in no way serves in place of a court of criminal law. •If a crime is committed in violation of the Code of Student Conduct, the Honor Court imposes sanctions of expulsion, sus pension or probation upon those found guilty of. code violations so as to readjust the relationship of guilty students to the University. Criminal courts additionally jail, probate or fine the same students if said students are found guilty under the statu tory laws used to try persons for crimes in criminal courts. The University’s honor system and state’s judicial system act simultaneously, not one in place of the other. The honor system deads with students as students, whereas the state’s legal system deals with students as citizens of a society extending beyond the University’s walls. I wish I could say that the discussion of honor at the University is not one in need Opinion latljj aar Wnl Established 1893 • 107 Years of Editorial Freedom www.dailytirheel.com Jermaine Caldwell FEATURES EDITOR Ashley Atkinson MTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Carolyn Haynes COPY DESK EDITOR i— —— —— -3S=t% ,*••**„* : > 1 ME.TETOROUOSV "St 7-B- ~ ~~ ■■ ’ *l 1. Always forccasF* -The compl+ =||L_ opposite of whaf is goikig +o >/ \ t EEEr actually happen. \C Hf " 2.. Flipping and coin is Hie So Much to Say at Semester’s End It just hit me last week that I really spent an entire semester writing for the DTH, which is something I always secretly dreamt of doing, yet something I thought would never happen. So, I would like to thank my editors for allowing me this voyage of dis covery. When I first told my family and friends that I’d be writing for the DTH, they had a few suggestions that went something like this: “Don’t talk about drugs; don’t talk about sex; don’t talk about race or religion; don’t curse; don’t be controversial,” etc. But really, how much fun would that have been? As for my column this semester -1 don’t take life too seriously. If I can be appalling or funny while making a point at the same time, then I feel like I’ve accomplished something. My initial goal was not to bore you to death, but then I realized I wanted to do more than just wisecrack every week. And here I am with so much I still want to say. Here goes... Music is my passion, and always will be. I continue to support the legalization of marijuana. I think women can be intelligent and sexy, while being respected at the same time. Sexuality doesn’t have to compromise intellect. I am a proud Southerner who respects other cultures and only asks that ours be respected as well. I give money to homeless people because as long I have anything to give, I will. (And no amount of rationalization ever will con vince me that generosity is a societal prob lem.) For the most part, people who protest waste a lot of paper and usually accomplish nothing. Sometimes, the time could be better spent directly helping people. I support Artists Against Piracy. Creative control and freedom from censorship are two of the most important things an artist can have. And concerning abortion, there would be no choice for me: I’m glad that every woman has a choice. I believe that motherhood is the of facilitation. The discourse in which this campus is beginning to engage needs to extend well beyond talk of judicial proce dure to include discussion of the core val ues that undergird the more than 200-year old traditions at Carolina. The Daily Tar Heel finds itself in a unique position at the University in that it has a voice heard on this campus above any other. I would encourage the paper to make responsible editorial decisions that will facilitate discussion of the honor and campus codes beyond the shortcomings of the system used to enforce them. Cory S. Menees Honor Court Vice Chairman The length rule was waived. Don’t Blame Baddour For Torbush’s Firing, Blame Lackluster Record TO THE EDITOR: I don’t know why everyone is so upset over the firing of Carl Torbush. Don’t get me wrong, I feel bad for him - he’s a good guy, he did a lot for his players, and he was no doubt a class act. Sefton Ipock PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Cobi Edelson DESIGN EDITOR Saleem Reshamwala GRAPHICS EDITOR % ANNE MARIE TEAGUE GLAMOROUS TRASH most beautiful, selfless act that a woman can choose. (And if feminists truly want to empower all women, they should be big enough to allow every woman to speak for herself. Women, like me, might actually believe in a more “radical notion” than you might imagine.) More importantly, if I’d spent a semester writing something that would make everyone happy, how could I ever have made you think? Or did I at all? If we fester in our own ideologies to the point that we are so blind and deaf to any thing or anyone else, how enlightened are we? If we are so afraid to face our own insecuri ties, then how are we ever supposed to change or liberate anyone or anything? If I have pissed you off, if I have touched your heart, if I have made you laugh, if I have made you think, then I have done my job as a journalist. This isn’t a popularity contest. I’m just one person, like you, who decided to share her thoughts, opinions, frustrations, angst and confusion with the world. Some of you have glorified me to semi celebrity status for it, and some of you proba bly would’ve thrown the first stone. I didn’t expect you to agree with everything I had to say. What I did desire was for you to appreci ate the courage that this job requires. How many of you will have the passion or the interest in others and the world around you to take over this position as I leave it vacant? If there is anything that you should know about me it is that I value my integrity wildly. But I don’t blame Dick Baddour for seeking someone who can be all that and win games on the field. Dean Smith was a legend here not only because of his out standing character, but because he won games. He had that combination, and our basketball program is built on the combi nation of success on and off the court. I don’t see how Dick Baddour is at fault for seeking that combination for our football program as well. The comparison of Coach Torbush to Joe DiMaggio in Thursday’s editorial note book was slightly farfetched. DiMaggio was an American icon and was admired for his character, but he was also a winner on the field. That is something Torbush’s teams sim ply were not. The editorial notebook also claimed that Torbush represented every thing this University stands for. I would like to think UNC is not a place content with mediocrity in any realm - on the playing field or anywhere else. The unrealized potential of this year’s team should not have been ignored to save Coach Torbush’s job just because he’s a good guy. The bottom line is that sports are about building character and learning skills to be successful in all aspects of life, but they are also about winning. I have faith that Dick Cate Doty & Lauren Beal MANAGING EDITORS Josh Williams ONLINE EDITOR Brian Frederick OMBUDSMAN Laura Stoehr SPECIAL ASSIGNMENTS EDITOR And for me, integrity means standing beside what you do and what you say. I will always question and regard with skepticism my elders, civilization and any thing that could have the word “mediocre” attached. I wish more than anything there were more passionate idealists instead of the masses who are so caught up in taking the road most traveled. But above all, life is simply not worth living if you don’t have dreams and dare to go all out for them. 1 can only hope that you will chase your dreams like a fire raging through a forest, because the greatest risk in life is never taking one. On a final note, I would really like to see our generation achieve more than the status quo or the lining of our pockets. I would like to see people let their actions speak louder than their words, or, at the very least, make those words matter. You don’t have to write a column to do it, but you are important and what you have to say to your government, your peers and to the person you wake up and see in the minor is important also. Passion is like air to breathe. It’s what con tinues development, incites change and what breeds innovation. Goodness flows to you only when it flows from you, that’s the circle of the universe. Go out and change the world - for the bet ter. “I shall pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being let me do it now. Let me not defer of neglect it for I shall not pass this way again. ” -EXUBRIS Signing off... Anne Marie Anne Marie Teague is a senior business administration major from Lumberton who is thankful for her parents’ health, encouragement and love. E-mail her for the last time at teague@email.unc.edu. Baddour can find a coach who can bring that to our football program. Chris Fun Junior Religious Studies Today’s Your Last Chance! Remember to get your applications for columnist, editorial board or cartoonist positions for spring 2001 in today by 5 p.m. Applications for the Editorial Page are still available at the DTH front office in Suite 104 of the Student Union. Those chosen will be notified by 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. I I. Get one now before it’s too late. Got any questions? Call Editorial Page Editor-select Jonathan Chaney at 962-4086 or e-mail him at jhchaney@email.unc.edu. Today also is your last chance to send in a Viewpoints column this semester. Guest columns for Monday's Viewpoints page are due tonight by 6 p.m. Either bring them by the DTH office or e-mail them to editdesk@unc.edu. Keep them at about 800 words and remember to include your name, year, major, hometown and e-mail address. Publication is not guaranteed. Call Editorial Page Editor Kelli Boutin with questions at 962-4086. (Th? Satly (Tar Hrrl |2> A 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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Dec. 6, 2000, edition 1
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