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10 Monday, February 5, 2001 Concern or comments jlxxit our coverage? Contact the ombudsman at ombudsmanisunc.edu or can 933-4611. Jonathan Chaney EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR Kim Minugh UNIVERSITY EDITOR Ginny Sciabbarrasi cm EDITOR Board Editorials Necessary Voice The BOT's decision to support a student BOG vote is a step forward. The General Assembly should follow suit to empower students. The concept of having a nonvoting seat on a governing body isn’t exactly the most empowering of all ideas to begin with. But when such a seat is supposed to represent all of the students in the UNC system, this lame duck position is all the more troubling. That’s why the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees should be applauded for its reso lution asking the N.C. General Assembly to adopt legislation allowing the president of the UNC Association of Student Governments a vote on the UNC-system Board of Governors. It’s time the students finally got a voice. For student governments to have any tan gible effect on the lives of students - the very people they are supposed to be representing - they must have a legitimate leg to stand on. A vote on the BOG is a step in that direction. If the existing ASG seat on the BOG is given a vote, it will only be one of 33. As BOT member Richard Williams half-joking ly told The Daily Tar Heel, “It’s just one vote, it won’t destroy the Board of Governors.” In all seriousness, Williams is right. While one student vote would be a vast improve ment for the student voice in the UNC sys tem, it is unlikely to cause major upheaval or some sort of BOG revolution. It will simply give an organization that most students don’t Reforming Standards Recommended state writing test changes would make the tests a better measure of students' abilities and needed improvements. A proposal given to the N.C. Board of Education last week by a panel of educators concerning revamping state writing tests deserves implementation. North Carolina students in fourth, seventh and 10th grades take a standardized writing tests that panel members say are out of line with the way schools teach writing. Students now receive just one grade that supposedly reflects their writing abilities regarding a number of different elements, such as word choice. The study group recommended students receive scores for each of the elements. This would give students much-needed feedback in the areas in which they need the most improvement. Giving students one blanket score doesn’t give them any information about their writ ing abilities. The panel also said students should be able to choose from more than one topic on which to write. This reform would allow students to pick a topic they have some interest in and so would give them more of a chance to demonstrate their skills. Elect Caleb Ritter SBP ■ Provide the student body with services that they can use in their day- to-day lives so that they see that student government can be useful to them. ■ Create an Online Student Book Exchange for students to trade, buy and sell their books to each other online. ■ A UNC class profile, which will provide students with detailed infor mation on classes, such as difficulty, quality of the teacher and class and a composite of old Choose Larry T. Harper ■ Honor Court and attorney general staff reform ■ A Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center ■ UNC course review ■ Textbook Exchange Database ■ Fare-free busing ■ Elimination of Section 11.D.2.d. of the Instrument of Student Judicial Governance (possession of marijuana class drugs) ■ More courtesy phones ■ Increased P2P services ■ Elimination of that damn swim test requirement ■ No mass campaign e-mails or voice mail messages Matt Dees EDITOR Office Hours Friday 2 p.ra -3 p.m. even know exists the ability to legitimately serve its constituents. Opponents to an ASG vote claim that a student representative wouldn’t know enough to vote on major UNC-system issues or that a student would have a too narrow and student-specific perspective. But questioning students’ knowledge and experience is underestimating them. Students who are involved in student gov ernment generally are passionate about what they’re doing, and those who rise to the ASG presidency must be particularly hardwork ing. This is not even mentioning the fact that BOG members have said that a student vote will have little impact in daily operations because a critical issue rarely comes up before the full board. As for the vote having a pro-student bias, so what? Students need someone looking out for their interests, as it sometimes seems as though BOG members are far removed from students’ lives. If the General Assembly once again votes against a student vote on the BOG, it will be a slap in the face to all the students in the UNC system. One vote would mean only a small voice on the BOG, but it’s a small voice students need and deserve. In addition, the study showed students should have more time to edit and revise their writing. And they should. In the real world people don’t hand in writing they haven’t had at least a small amount of time to revise. But the group recommended students have perhaps as long as several days to revise their writing. The test should be given only during one school day - in the morning and then again in the afternoon, for example - because otherwise overzealous parents and teachers might be inclined to get involved in the editing process. Out-of-state teachers currently grade the tests, and the panel told the board in-state teachers should be the ones grading them. North Carolina educators have a better idea of how North Carolina schools work and therefore how well students are doing within the state’s school system. Standardized testing will never be perfect but for lack of a better system for testing and comparing student achievement, the educa tor’s panel has come up with some good rec ommendations to personalize it a little more. tests and quizzes for study purposes. ■ Create an Online Student Bulletin Board which will be a place for students to find impor tant aaies and deadlines as well as information about public events going on in the Greek com munity such as late nights, bands and fund rais ers. ■ A Greek affairs committee to relay the concerns of fraternities and sororities to student government and to update the student body on the activates and accomplishments of the Greek community ■ A press relations position to keep The Daily Tar Heel and other campus media forums updated on what student government is working on. Caleb Ritter GJlje Hatty Otar Mwl Established 1893 • 107 Years of Editorial Freedom www.dailytarhed.com Alex Kaplun STATE & NATIONAL EDITOR Rachel Carter SPORTS EDITOR Jermaine Caldwell FEATURES EDITOR j Larry T. Harper Jr. Opinion Ashley Atkinson ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Carolyn Haynes COrt DESK EDITOR Sefton Ipock PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR /I'VE GrOTIT^IUL , X( TUST ADD SOME PEPPERS^! ANt> A DASH OFCMWy... / if*. J \ NOW IT'S PERFECT)! / ? fife? \ L ~~x , / // ' \ w r unc \ v BAskutbauJ i 1 zool gJOHiKJTS SECIHT RECIFE I , ___________ § Naysayers Should Give CCI Chance I am writing this piece in support of the Carolina Computing Initiative and with concern that recent articles in The Daily Tar Heel might give readers only a negative impression of the initiative’s impact. I write reluctandy, in that CCI resources have provided the College of Arts & Sciences with die funding for many of my department’s positions (including my own). Consequendy, my comments might easily be misconstrued as self-serving. Nevertheless, I am drawing on 10 years of experience managing information technology resources in higher education prior to coming to UNC when I state that CCI already has provided immediate, out standing benefits to the faculty, staff and teaching graduate students in the Arts & Sciences. It provides current and ever-increas ing benefits to students. The CCI, among other things: 1.) provides high-quality computers for Aits and Sciences faculty, staff and teaching gradu ate instructors. No full-time faculty or staff member or teaching graduate instructor should have a computer right now that is more than 3 years old. Life cycling standard equip ment on a three- to four-year cycle saves , money in the long run by alleviating the sup port headache caused by a hodgepodge of 5- to 7-year-old computers from various vendors. Institutionalizing the provision of computer technology has freed up departmental time and resources to focus on more important issues than year-to-year technology provision. 2.) provides funding in the Arts & Sciences to hire people to support this massive influx of capable technology and to support integrat ing information technology into the class room. Seven CCI positions have been filled in the past year, and eight more will be hired in the next six to nine months to help support the increased use of technology. Make Justin Young Your Choice Are you sick and tired of a student gov ernment for the few by the few? We are proud to present Justin Young, a student body president candidate dedicated to breaking down old barri ers, defying stereotypes and fighting for all stu dents. Check out his exciting new features! Greater detail on the web at www.unc.edu/ -jcyoung! ■ Reject the salary of student body president and use the money as a down payment on the Justin Young Student Empowerment Endowment, anew system to allow any student with a solution to a campus problem easy access to the resources of student government. ■ Take the Carolina Computing Initiative to the next level by providing fast, reliable off campus Internet access and tech support for all,students. ■ Establish the Carolina Lobby Corps, a diverse group of students trained to effectively advocate for us in the General Assembly. ■ Reform campus construction policies, ensuring that student safety and convenience, as well as environmental protection, become top priorities, especially on South Campus. I am committed to being honest about the problems we face at Carolina and taking bold Lauren Beal & Kathleen Hunter MANAGING EDITORS Beth Buchholz & Catherine Jamison DESIGN EDITORS Jason Cooper GRAPHICS EDITOR Josh Williams ONUNE EDITOR RICK PETERSON POINT OF VIEW 3. provides a cost-effective support envi ronment that community members can count on when their computer equipment breaks. While perhaps unpopular with some Mac users, specifying a single vendor platform stretches thin support dollars and provides higher quality of service as a whole. 4. provides instructors with a “known” stu dent technology capability, allowing them to restructure courses without worrying that some students will not have access to the tech nology and information resources needed to complete certain assignments. 5. provides need-based support for student purchase of laptops, eliminating questions of access for those unable to afford a computer. I hope that any faculty, staff and students who still feel that the CCI has not lived up to its expectations will be patient, as the program is still unfolding. In order to make an institu tional change of this size there are formidable challenges to address. For example, faculty and graduate instructors need access to and familiarity with the technology before they are in a position to decide whether integrating it into their particular subject area makes sense. This is a cumulative process that takes place over time through workshops, individual experimentation and reflection. Also, although classrooms on campus con tinue to be renovated, many are presently ill suited to accommodate the technology (wired or wireless) needed to support a complete class of “laptop-enhanced” students. With the recent passing of the higher education bonds, renovation efforts to enhance classroom tech nology will proceed more dramatically. steps to overcome them. ■ Fight for a tuition guarantee, preventing politicians and administrators from raising our tuition faster than the rate of inflation. ■ Work with local cab companies and stu dent organizations to establish a safe ride des ignated driver program. ■ Expand SAFE Escort to allow pick-ups at locations other than Davis Library. ■ Review Davis Library safety procedures in light of recent incidents and extended hours. ■ Create a task force with the Department of Public Safety, Chapel Hill and Carrboro police departments and students to protect us from crime, whether on or off campus. I want to help improve the quality of life at Carolina by encouraging a campus that is racially, intellectually and creatively diverse. ■ Create a Cabinet-level minority affairs director in the executive branch. ■ Publicize mission of the Black Cultural Center through trailers before Union films, C TOPS and other campus venues. ■ Host a statewide race relations confer ence sponsored by student groups, University departments and student government to encourage meaningful dialogue on important issues surrounding race at UNC. ■ Support the creation of a lesbian gay bisexual transgender resource center. ■ Work with the Office of Minority Affairs and other University departments to improve minority recruitment and retention programs and to re-evaluate and expand the Ulljp iailij (Tar Hwl Brian Frederick READERS' ADVOCATE Laura Stoehr SPECIAL ASSIGNMENTS EDITOR While the CCI is still in its early stages of implementation I welcome those with positive and negative experiences to share them in the spirit of moving forward. Shared positive experiences allow us to build on success, and shared negative experiences allow us to solve problems and focus on improving in the future. Already I’m aware that faculty in the English, psychology and mathematics depart- 1 ments have been asking first-year students (since it cannot be assumed yet that all sopho mores, juniors and seniors have access to appropriate computer technology) to bring laptops for use in class, and have been having success in their efforts. Is a goal of the CCI to have students using their laptop every day in every course? Of course not. Each faculty member or graduate instructor will need to decide for themselves the benefit (or detriment) of using these new technologies in support of learning. Can the benefit of having life-cycled com puter technology as an institutional priority be understated in an institution such as Carolina? Can the value of every incoming Carolina undergraduate from now on having 24-hour access to a portable computer be underesti mated? I do not believe so in either case. This program has touched everyone in Arts & Sciences just in time, meeting a desperate „ need for updated computer equipment and l support. As time goes on, I believe the CCI ' will be seen for what it is -a program ahead of its time for a large public university, and one that provides a solid base from which the University community can experiment with innovative technologies that could enhance teaching, learning and research. Rick Peterson is the director of Information Technology for the College of Arts & Sciences. Reach him at rick_peterson@unc.edu. University’s definition of minority. ■ Aggressively recruit minority faculty as many positions become available in the next several years. ■ Build stronger networks and representa tion for international students. The purpose of student government should be to help empower us all to achieve our goals and solve our problems. I want to extend those resources and opportunities to all students. ■ Establish the Student Empowerment Endowment using my student body president salary and donations from alumni, businesses and other sources. ■ Assure a student organization resource center in the new Student Union to allow groups without office space access to comput ers, copiers and phones. ■ Form a president’s council with leaders of student organizations to allow greater coop eration and input. ■ Provide regular progress reports on WXYC, Student Television, The Daily Tar Heel and other campus media. ■ Create anew Web site listing student friendly housing to make landlords account able to students’ needs. ■ Work with Student Legal Services to pre vent landlord rip-offs and fight for the rights of off-campus students. ■ Fight for fare-free busing for students on Chapel Hill and Carrboro buses. ■ Provide University space for summer storage of lofts and furniture.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Feb. 5, 2001, edition 1
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