8
Tuesday, October 30, 2001
Opinion
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Daily (Bar Hrri
Established IBK * JOS Fran of Editorial Freedom
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Katie Hunter
Editor
Office Hours Friday 2 p.m. ■ 3 p.ra.
Kim Minugh
MANAGING EDITOR
Sefton Ipock
VISUAL COORDINATOR
Jermaine Caldwell
SPECIAL PROJECTS COORDINATOR
Kate Hartig
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR
Lizzie Breyer
UNIVERSITY EPrTOR
Kellie Dixon
crry editor
Alex Kaplun
STATE & NATIONAL EDITOR
Rachel Cartel
SPORTS EDDOR
James Giza
SPORTSATURPAY EDITOR
Faith Ray
FEATURES EDITOR
Russ Lane
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Terri Rupar
COPY DESK EDITOR
Kara Arndt
PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Beth Buchholz
DESIGN EDITOR
Cobi Edelson
GRAPHICS EDITOR
Catherine Liao
ONLINE EDITOR
Josh Myerov
OMBUDSMAN
Concerns or comments about our
coverage? Contact the ombudsman at
jmyerovtSemail.unc.edu or bv phone at
918-1311
Readers' Forum
Red Cross Blood Drive
To Take Place in Union
Today and Wednesday
TO THE EDITOR:
In response to the immense tragedy that
struck the United States on Sept. 11, our
country has sprung into action, reminding
many of the United States of the 1940s dur
ing World War 11. Citizens all over our
proud and strong nation are doing whatev
er they can to help, from sending care pack
ages to our brave soldiers overseas to keep
ing high our country’s patriotism.
You too can do your part. Today and
Wednesday, there will be a Red Cross
blood drive in the Student Union.
If enough time has elapsed between
your last donation and now, come on out
and donate again. If you have never donat
ed, there is no time like the present.
Although plasma can be kept for up to
six weeks, donated blood is only good for
42 days, making continual donation a high
priority. So come do your part as an
American and donate blood.
Amanda Thurston
Senior
Communications, Management &
Society
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Board Editorials
The gradual elimination of resident parking calls for reliable and efficient transportation alternatives
The Development Plan strikes again.
On-campus parking for residents might
become a thing of the past, as growth will
affect the problematic parking issue at the
University.
While it is a convenient luxury, and
often thought of as a privilege for those
who have lived on campus for several
years, the proposal to eliminate on-campus
resident parking is unavoidable because of
campus growth.
At the Transportation and Parking
Advisory Committee meeting last
Wednesday, the decision was made for offi
cials to go ahead and implement the
provost’s suggestion to eliminate resident
parking. Assistant Provost Linda Carl was
quoted Friday saying that there was “no
option” - that this indeed will be a reality.
The plan, however, will not affect hard
ship, student commuter or married student
housing parking.
Presently, there are 480 spaces available
for on-campus residents. Within the next
The government needs to enforce the registration of pathogens maintained by academics or private labs
One would think that the United States,
a country that even before Sept. 11 was no
stranger to terrorist threats, would have the
most scrupulous records of the handlers of
biological agents and their locales.
Yet The Washington Post reported
Sunday that the federal government has
“no central inventory of dangerous disease
cultures maintained by academics or pri
vate labs.”
There are no laws or ethical standards
requiring researchers to track their stocks or
report losses and thefts, and informal
exchanges of pathogens can go unreported.
Does the fault lie solely with the govern
ment?
Not at all -a 1999 bill supported by the
Clinton administration and many congres
sional Republicans would have regulated
the movement of pathogens. Unfortunately
the bill was killed in a conference commit
tee due to stanch opposition from univer
sities.
Mayoral Candidate Kevin
Foy Is Chapel Hill’s Best
Choice for Environment
TO THE EDITOR:
I am writing to express my support for
Kevin Foy for mayor of Chapel Hill.
Foy has demonstrated superb leadership
ability.
I think it is important for voters to appre
ciate the kinds of contributions he has
made to our community.
Foy has been a strong advocate for the
environment of Chapel Hill and its sur
roundings.
Among other things, he served on this
year’s bond task force and as a result the
bond will be on November’s ballot that
includes $lO million to purchase land and
$lO million for parkland development.
Foy also serves on the committee to
ensure that the 170-acre Greene Tract, joint
ly owned by Chapel Hill, Carrboro and
Orange County, remains open space for
the whole community. As development
proceeds, this will be an important legacy
for future generations. In fact, it has poten
tial to be a kind of Central Park for Chapel
Hill.
Foy has also supported better public
transportation, another important environ
No Parking Here
four years, half of those will be cut, bein
ning the gradual elimination of all student
resident parking. But residents will be able
to park in the expanded PR lot, so students
will have some options.
In the meantime, until additional park
ing facilities are constructed, it is important
that fare-free busing is implemented with
efficiency and becomes a dependable alter
native transportation source for students.
This option must also be a reliable trans
portation option for employees, whose
campus parking options will be similarly
affected. However, the Development Plan,
which details campus growth for the next
eight years, will create more parking spaces
on campus, including decks or surface lots
at Ramshead, near Swain Hall, on
Manning Drive and near the Bell Tower.
Dealing with the Development Plan is
not going to be easy for the University
community.
While it is going to be difficult, the
University community will have to bear
Registration Time
The requests of universities to continue
dealing with harmful biological agents
without meticulous bookkeeping were
painfully shortsighted. With the number of
sites contaminated by anthrax and cases of
infection constantly on the rise, there is no
room for sloppiness or naivete on the part
of universities or the government.
The federal government must imple
ment and oversee a detailed pathogen reg
istry -with or without the nod of universi
ties. This registry must account for future
exchanges of pathogens as well as for every
person presently handling cultures that
could be used as biological weapons.
Before 1996, nearly anyone could obtain
harmful microbes by filling out a simple
form and writing the request under a con
vincing letterhead. The 1996 Anti-Terrorism
Act requires anyone intending to send or
receive the most dangerous microbes to reg
ister with the Centers for Disease Control
and demonstrate the scientific or medical
mental issue.
Foy led the task force on fare-free buses.
Through a series of negotiations, the task
force developed a plan to provide free bus
service to the entire town.
Asa result, beginning in January the
buses in Chapel Hill will be free.
This effort involved work and coopera
tion to carry out: adoption of the plan by
both towns, agreement by UNC students to
increase student fees and contributions
from UNC. Not only will this plan help stu
dents get back and forth to school, it will
also expand demand, enabling the town to
increase the frequency of buses. Better
transportation provides an alternative to
single-occupancy vehicles and reduces the
need to widen roads and build more park
ing spaces. This reduces the amount of
impervious surface and water run-off, lead
ing to less water pollution and air pollution.
I have always appreciated Foy’s thought
fulness and honesty. He is the kind of
leader who takes the time to understand the
details of issues and builds consensus.
He has a compelling vision for Chapel
Hill and the drive and skills to make the
vision a reality. I hope you wili join me in
voting for him Nov. 6.
Tiffany Kiernan
Chapel Hill
with the plan’s changes and construction
inconveniences, including parking.
In the meantime, while officials say res
ident parking will be eliminated, there are
going to have to be some exceptions to the
rule.
Hardship parking will need to be some
what extended to on-campus residents with
legitimate circumstances. The expansion of
PR lots might not be a reasonable option
for some students with extenuating cir
cumstances.
The Development Plan is addressing
parking problems. It allows for many addi
tional parking options that eliminate the
University’s parking crunch.
Campus growth is not going to be an
easy process. However, University officials
need to make sure that the process remains
as smooth as possible.
In the meantime, it’s important that alter
native transportation resources are avail
able and reliable for students, employees
and faculty.
purpose that the microbe will fill.
This law, however, did not criminalize
the possession of dangerous pathogens by
nonscientists nor did it contain measures to
hold universities and private labs account
able for inventory and movement of the
pathogens. Before the law was enacted, sev
eral U.S. labs sold anthrax and other poten
tial pathogens to countries now believed to
be sponsors of terrorism —and fully under
the auspices of the U.S. government.
While it is beyond comprehension why
such deals were made, there is little to be
done to recover the sold microbes.
Tracking handlers of biological agents
and future exchanges is essential. A
pathogen registry must be put into action
with the full cooperation of the U.S. gov
ernment, universities and private labs.
Until such action is taken, there is little to
hinder the next terrorist from obtaining
another, and perhaps more deadly, biolog
ical agent.
APPLES Programs Offer
Unique Experiences For
Students to Get Involved
TO THE EDITOR:
For the past two years I have been a part
of an extremely unique program on cam
pus sponsored by the APPLES Service-
Learning Organization.
As both a participant and a student
leader, I have taken part in two Alternative
Spring Break trips -one to eastern North
Carolina to aid in flood relief and one to
the Outer Banks to work on various pro
jects with Habitat for Humanity, a local
Alzheimer’s center and The Nature
Conservancy.
Both trips gave me the chance to reach
out of the campus bubble and to become
aware and active in dealing with issues in
other North Carolina communities. They
also introduced me to two incredible
groups of people who shared in my experi
ence.
While many universities around the
country sponsor Alternative Spring Break
programs, most trips require extensive fund
raising.
Yet, due to the success of the APPLES
program, UNC students have the opportu
nity to attend one of three Alternative
Hope In Dope:
Lighting the
Economy Up
Both our national security and our economy are at
risk. We need sound solutions - here comes one.
Legalize marijuana.
No, I’m not trying to start a revolution or create anew
breed of super hippie protester types - they suck. I will not
make traditional wom-out arguments
for the legalization of marijuana
which have been futile. Instead ...
National Security
The New York Times reported
Sunday that since Sept. 11, a shift in
demands has had an adverse effect
on the nation’s police forces.
In short, police departments that
could barely keep up before are now
over-extended and becoming less and
less effective.
The report goes further, saying that the burden will
increase as the Federal Bureau of Investigation shifts its
focus away from its traditional responsibilities like bank
robbery and drug trafficking to its efforts against terrorism.
Let’s look at the alternative.
George W. Bush has clearly sent out the message that he
will do whatever it takes to protect our homeland and erad
icate a known threat.
He is doing the right thing.
But, if the United States legalizes marijuana, it further
acknowledges a need to shift its focus from enforcing (in a
discriminatory manner I may add) petty drug laws to pro
tecting its citizens from unimaginable acts.
If that requires loosening the tight grip the United States
holds on the illegal drug market - than so be it.
Notice I say the illegal drug market, as it seems clear that
the Food and Drug Administration has no grip on the ruth
less pharmaceutical industry.
The drug OxyContin, a legal, potent painkiller was
recently found to have played a role in the deaths 282 peo
ple in the last 19 months (including one here at UNC)
according to a federal study.
Say what you will about marijuana - it ain’t OxyContin.
I told you I would not talk about the traditional argu
ments but please allow me to digress.
It’s clear that most governmental institutions forced to
deal with minor drug offenses are overburdened - policing
forces, jails, the judicial system.
We have the opportunity to lighten the load when it
needs to be lightened - this is the ripe moment.
it's the Economy, Stoner
We all know, especially my fellow seniors, just how
much of a downturn our economy has taken.
Before Sept. 11, the United States was approaching a
recession. After combining funding for relief and rebuild
ing efforts, industry bailouts and countless other expenses, I
think you get where I’m going. But I’m not going to say the
R-word.
Problem solved - our new cash crop.
The one thing that marijuana certainly promotes is con
sumption —and consumption stimulates the economy.
Within days of legalizing marijuana (which in and of
itself would generate millions for the United States govern
ment assuming its sale was government controlled), I’d
want to own stock in Frito-Lay, Nestle and a controlling
interest in Gumby’s.
Sure you may scoff at this, but aside from typical in
house munchie food, restaurants will be packed full of Ston
ers with credit cards. Borrowing money saves economies
right? Thank you Mr. Greenspan.
On top of that you’d probably see a substantial increase
in so-called luxury items that are necessary for a nation of
stoners - Nintendos, Play Stations, satellite TVs and even
more cordless phones for those that are “hard core” immo
bile. Cha-ching!
It’s even possible anew American conscious could
develop. Maybe we’d be like the Beats again and do the
whole creative thing -new music, art, literature. That all
sells.
And with the Pentagon’s recent invitation to Americans
for creative homeland security suggestions, I’m sure
Poopoo and Ray-ray would come up with something after
rolling down a doobie.
C’mon, they once figured out how to make a potato gun
that ran on the power of a blender.
With solutions like that, maybe we could thwart terror
ism with the wisdom of Poo-poo and Ray-ray. Hell, our
pragmatic, thoughtful stuff hasn’t worked!
Josh Baylin just listened to Pink Floyd’s Dork Side of the
Moon with the lights off. E-mail him at jbaylin@email.unc.edu.
Spring Break trips for free.
In addition, students also earn one
hour of pass/fail credit by meeting with
their groups once a week during the
spring semester in preparation for the
trip.
This year APPLES will send groups of
students to the Outer Banks, Wilmington,
and Cherokee.
APPLES is still looking for interested
people to apply for this program.
Applications are available at the Union
Desk and at the APPLES office in Union
Suite 108, and they are due this Friday.
Take advantage of something unique to
our school. You won’t find many other
opportunities like this.
Meredith Gaylord
Junior
Communication Studies
Editor’s Note
Interested in writing a guest column or
op-ed piece for the Viewpoints page that
runs each Monday? Let us know!
Submissions must be between 700 and
750 words, and be submitted for consider
ation no later than the Thursday before the
Monday of intended publication.
E-mail submissions or questions to Kate
Hartig, editorial page editor, at
editdesk@unc.edu.
(Elje ®aily (Ear Mrrl
JOSH BAYLIN
HELL UP
IN HARLEM
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