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6 Tuesday, November 20, 2001 Opinion (Ek Doilp (Ear Uni Established 1893 • 108 Yean of Editorial Freedom www itafytartwLujm Katie Hunter Editor Office Hours Friday 2 p.m. -3 p.m. Kim Minugh MANAGING EDITOR Sefton Ipock VISUAL COORDINATOR Jermaine Caldwell SPECIAL PROJECTS COORDINATOR Kate Hartig EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR Lizzie Breyer UNIVERSITY EDITOR Kellie Dixon CITY EDITOR Alex Kaplun STATE & NATIONAL EDITOR Rachel Carter SPORTS EDITOR James Giza SPORTS.ATL'RDA’i 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 Jmyerov@email.unc.edu or by phone at 918-1311 Readers' Forum Student Disagrees With Paper’s Placement of Homecoming Stories TO THE EDITOR: UNC recently crowned its newest Mr. and Ms. Homecoming. Those students who did not make it to page three of the Nov. 12 Daily Tar Heel may not know that last Saturday’s honors went to Thurston Cherry and Shayla Higginbotham. For the first time since I’ve been a student here, Mr. and Ms. Homecoming did not make the front page. The fact that the majority of UNC stu dents did not vote in the election is the explanation DTH representatives gave to inquiring minds at the Association of Student Leaders meeting last Monday. However, 1,600 students did vote in the election. Not only is that more than voted in any other past Homecoming election, that’s 1,500 more than the 100 students and faculty who attended the presentation of an honorary degree to Chilean president, Ricardo Lagos Escobar. That event did make Monday’s front page. Comparing the numbers, it seems as though the higher interest fell with Homecoming, but my math might be off. The campus might also be interested to at cj nil? Board Editorials Maintaining Academic Integrity... If the school makes academics a priority, the business of college sports doesn't compromise academic integrity Contrary to what the Knight Commission might think, the commercial ization of college sports doesn’t corrupt aca demic integrity. Ten years ago, the Knight Commission published its study noting the abuses in col lege athletics. Its June report found that not much has changed. The commission cites that large contracts, like the one with Nike, maintain an “arms race” where schools compete against each other and that the impact of advertising and athletic retailers has a negative effect on the universities’ academic integrity. However, UNC does a good job of bal ancing its “big name” athletic program and academics. UNC has high graduation rates for athletes and enforces strict policies on class attendance for athletes. It is up to the school to emphasize academics and not let the business of college sports corrupt aca demic missions. According to a 1998 study, the gradua- ...Or Corrupting Academic Missions? The commercialization of college sports turns sports into "big business" and counteracts academic missions Can’t we just own up to the fact that while most of intercollegiate athletics are valuable and appropriate for universities, big-time college athletics have clearly become commercial enter tainment businesses? While serving the crowds in the sports complexes and behind the television screens, athletics have little if any relevance to the academic mission of universities. It follows the values, if any, of show busi ness - values that should be deemed corrup tive to the academic missions of universities. The Knight Commission recognized this sad reality a decade ago when it published its landmark study on abuses in college ath letics. Unfortunately, it is clear that little has been done to heed its protests -and the large programs across the country have con tinued their downward spiral into a level of commercialization that is at its core corro- know that the members of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, Inc. and Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, Inc. took top honors at the National Pan-Hellenic Step Show Saturday. The show, which featured seven of UNC’s Greek fraternities and sororities stepping for a sold-out Memorial Hall audience, was not covered by the DTH. When asked why, a DTH representative explained that it was difficult to track down information on the event. In the future, I would suggest the fol lowing means of tracking down informa tion: contacting the Director of Greek Affairs (who was a judge), talking with one of the participating organizations, talking with students who attended the event or the always-helpful sending a reporter to the actual event. Carmen Scott Senior Journalism and Mass Communication Faculty Member Foresees Admissions Problems for Satellite School in Qatar TO THE EDITOR: While the faculty discussion ori the Qatar proposal last Friday afternoon was tion gap between the student body and ath letes was almost closed -with 78.2 percent of the student body graduating and 72.4 percent of athletes graduating. The Knight Commission recommended that presidents of schools in the six major ath letic conferences, including the Atlantic Coast Kate Hartig Point/ Counterpoint Conference, come together to look at the effects of commercialization of college sports. While the idea of a commission is good, it is highly unlikely that it would result in the widespread reform the Knight Commission is looking for. And it would be difficult to standardize universities’ policies. Also, although it might be hard for some to admit, the publicity UNC receives from its athletics does add to the appeal of the school. Our peer institutions, including the University of Virginia, UCLA and the University of Michigan also are partly known for their athletic programs, but like UNC are balanced with a great reputation sive to the academic integrity of universities. The commission outlined three priorities that should trump college athletics at the symposium last week. They are student welfare, institutional welfare and the dominance of acade mic values over competitive or commercial objectives. Simple enough, right? Amy Dobson Point/Counterpoint But in order to see these priorities realized, universities would have to cut salaries, beef up the eligibility standards for athletes and stop the endless “arms race” for the biggest television and sports apparel contracts. It is high time that UNC acknowledge that being subject to the policies of NCAA, the conferences or the athletic departments is ineffective. It is led or influenced by those who have the most to gain from the farther commercialization of college sports. Instead, one must work with academic organizations, characterized by the acade mic interests of higher education rather edifying, one key question was not asked and should have been considered before the nonbinding vote that favored establish ment of a satellite campus in that small nation on the Arabian peninsula. Much was made of the fact that the same admissions standards will be used to select students for the Doha campus as are used for admission to Chapel Hill. But the program in Qatar is to be limit ed to those seeking a degree in our School of Business. The standards by which stu dents are admitted to this campus do not serve as a guarantee that the student will be admitted to the business school to begin the junior year. Indeed, most students who aspire to enter that school do not meet its demand ing criteria for admission. What happens to the students at Doha? Will they be guaranteed admission into the business program even if their performance in the first two years is substandard by the criteria used in Chapel Hill? Will they have any alternative for pursuing an undergrad uate degree if their performance (or devel oping interests) makes the business option inappropriate? However the above questions are answered, it appears to me that a degree from UNC-Qcould not be interpreted as having anywhere near the same meaning for academics. So what’s the problem? Money. The Knight Commission cites UNC’s $28.34 million renewal contract with Nike, and many are critical of the salaries and extras coaches and players receive from companies. But in a time of state budget woes, it’s a good thing the state doesn’t have to pick up the tab on expensive uniforms, equipment and other related costs. However, in the case of Nike, the com pany does understand the importance of academic integrity at UNC, and has pledged to give a total of SBOO,OOO to the Chancellor’s Academic Enhancement Fund. Also, the Educational Foundation gives money to academics outside of ath letics quite often. It gave $350,000 to the James M. Johnston Center for Undergraduate Excellence. If athletic programs continue to maintain a strong commitment to academic progress of athletes, this is a nonissue. The business of college sports is simply a reality, espe cially at large universities. than the commercial values of the enter tainment industry. UNC General Alumni President Doug Dilbert said the Knight Commission recommended that presidents of schools in the six major athletic confer ences, including the ACC, come together to address these issues. And while starting a dialogue is a crucial first step, the commission should hold all schools accountable to the enactment of widespread reform. If the commission is unable to do this, revenue sports must insist that society respect the role of universities as educational institutions and allow them to spin off big-time college sports to more appropriate venues like minor league teams. While revenue sports are an established reality in universities, this is no excuse to continue the commercial excesses that have emerged. The Knight Commission’s goals are a starting point for the reforms that must take place if universities want to retain any sense of academic integrity. for its holder as a degree earned by stu dents in Chapel Hill. Is the money that the University would receive worth the establishment of this dou ble standard? M. Richard Cramer Department of Sociology Student Poses Challenge: Listen To Horowitz, See What He Has to Offer TO THE EDITOR: As many of you know, David Horowitz is coming on Nov. 28 to Memorial Auditorium at 7 p.m. Rather than resorting to name-calling, protesting, or acts of outrage, I challenge each and every one of you to attend and lis ten to what he has to say. He is one of the only conservative speakers that will visit the campus this year, and he has a very relevant message to deliver. Formerly an anti-war protester, he came to the realization that protesting U.S. war efforts cost many in our military their lives. These protests are publicized by the media, making our country look divided, and thus, prolonging the war. Religious Right In America Time to Leave I admit, I was skeptical about the “War on Terrorism.” I thought it was a great opportunity for CNN to take over our living rooms, an opportunity to broadcast a war that in all truth was much less exciting than the ones I wished could have been broadcasted. (I’m a sick guy, but the Spanish-Americalii War would have been kick-ass). But, lo and behold our “War” worked, or at least the first stage. The Taliban has essentially been rooted out, and a “coalition" government is developing. Or is it? That’s not my point, so let’s just assume Afghanistan will be the next bastion of democracy and hope. Right. What we do know is that since the religious right - the Taliban - has fall- en in Afghanistan, the papers and television shows have been filled with images of liberated men and women, shav ing their long beards, uncloaking, playing soccer, listening to radios, dancing and just plain being people again. Bottom line. The religious, oppressive Right falls in an ailing country, and people are liberated - super. Guess what, people: The very same should happen in the United States. That’s right, it’s time we root out the “religious right” here at home. As soon as we’re tired of banding together and crushing people who aren’t ruled byJudeo-Christian values, the reli gious right will go right back to its oppressive agenda - anti-gay sentiment, prayer in the classrooms, teaching the Bible as literal history, refusing to teach sexual education, you know the deal. Fundamentalists already blow up buildings and kill doc tors who perform abortions. They want to cover up Britney Spears and teach intelli gent design theory (which if you don’t know is a just the newest craze in getting God into classrooms across America and putting Charles Darwin in the same category asJJ. Thompson’s “plum pudding” model). OK. So we’ve got a group of people that wants to cover women up, teach one set of beliefs, reject tolerance and have us listen to Tim McGraw. Anyways, this sounds like the freaking Taliban to me (minus the country music) - the American Taliban. I’m even willing to disregard the financial corruption/influence the religious right has in America and abroad. I’m willing to look past the fact that Pat Robertson is in the diamond business with Charles Taylor, maybe the worst dictator in the world, based out of Liberia. It’s the religious right’s agenda and jaded perspective that does the most damage. For instance, there has been a great deal of noise made about Jerry Falwell’s comments after Sept. 11, and rightfully so. On Sept. 13, Falwell went on TV preacher Pat Robertson’s “700 Club” program to discuss the terrorist attacks. Falwell blamed the events on judges who uphold church-state separation, abortion rights activists, gay peo ple, civil liberties activists and others who are “trying to secularize America.” He later apologized, but I think you get the point. If you look around the world, you’ll find that very few (if any) developed countries are as religious as the United States - it’s not a factor. Madison, Hamilton andjay knew that without the sepa ration of church and state, Pat Robertson would be Mullah Omar. Jerry Falwell would be Osama bin Laden. Tinky Winky, he’d be an overbearing Boy Scout troop leader. I can deal with religion, but it has no place in gover nance. When religion takes over government policy, it can be unethical and intellectually stifling and bring a thriving culture to a pathetic limp. Look at it this way. The broad coalition doesn’t want to replace the Taliban with another religiously motivated gov ernment. It would be unfair to Afghans in the same way that rewarding the religious right in America with political clout is criminal. It’s unfortunate that so many turn to spiritual leaders for guidance when the message offered is far from what their religions had in mind. The hypocrisy is well documented and not worth getting into. People need to stop arguing with the religious right in this country, give them the finger and move on. The Southern Baptists need to dance, drink and show some skin. Sure it’s called heresy by some, but it’s called life by others. Josh Baylin is willing to compromise his religious dearth for the right woman. He’ll be Greek Orthodox if you’ve got the right stuff. E-mail him at jbaylin@email.unc.edu. Mr. Horowitz is the editor-in-chief of www.frontpagemag.com, a best-selling author and the president of the Center for the Study of Popular Culture. He is more than qualified to address some of the issues that plague our campus and should be treated with the utmost dig nity and respect. Allie Perry Sophomore Political Science and English Editor’s Note In the Nov. 16 Reader's Forum, the letter to the editor “Qatar Proposal Looks Like Administration is Auctioning Off UNC” was written by Peter M. Smith, a professor in classics, not a sophomore in economics. The Daily Tar Heel regrets the error. Interested in becoming a columnist, edi torial board member or a cartoonist? Pick up an application in the front offices of the Daily Tar Heel, Suite 104 of the Student Union. Applications are due Friday, Nov. 30. to the DTH offices. No e-mail applications will be accepted. Any questions? E-mail Kate Hartig, the edi torial page editor, at khartig@email.unc.edu. 0% oaily alar JOSH BAYLIN HELL UP IN HARLEM P 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, dou ble-spaced, dated and signed by no more than two people. Students should include their year, major and phone num ber. Faculty and staff should include their title, department and phone number. The DTH reserves the right to edit letters tor space, clarity and vul garity, Publication is not guaranteed. 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.
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