Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Nov. 13, 2002, edition 1 / Page 8
Part of Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
8 Wednesday, November 13, 2002 Board Editorials Time for a Raise Boosting the pay for UNC-system faculty is long overdue, but there needs to be an alternative plan in case the General Assembly denies or reduces funding. The UNC-system Board of Governors took a bold step Friday when it approved a two-year, 6 per cent pay increase for university faculty members. The BOG, which oversees die UNC system and its 16 campuses, included the faculty pay boost as part of its budget for the 2003-04 and 2004-05 fis cal years approved by the body last Friday. The pay increases would cost s7l million the first year and $149.7 million the next. The system’s budget doesn’t request additional money to increase university staff salaries, but the plan encourages lawmakers to do so the next fiscal year. The BOG budget now goes on to Gov. Mike Easley and then to the General Assembly for con sideration. BOG leaders said the faculty pay increases are needed to improve the status of faculty on its cam puses. “Given the 2002 North Carolina General Assembly’s lack of providing any money - any money - for salary increases, it is increasingly dif ficult for us to attract and retain the best faculty,” said UNC-system President Molly Broad. “And we ignore this truth at our own peril. ... If we fail to add salary increases, we are going to place at risk the quality of our academic offerings.” And they’re right. Faculty members have not received a pay increase from the legislature in nearly a year because of the state’s tight fiscal crunch. Individual campuses, including UNC-Chapel Hill, have provided modest pay increases to their faculties using funds raised by tuition increases, but more should be done. The 6 percent faculty pay increase would go a long way in helping all UNC-system campuses Need a Ride? The SAFE Escort program plays a valuable role in campus security but needs to be either reorganized or replaced in light of last year's financial mismanagement. A year’s worth of payment, less than a year’s worth of service. SAFE Escort, a transportation organization funded by student fees that offers free rides to stu dents on campus, now faces an uncertain future. Student government officials, concerned over the organizational setup of SAFE Escort, have put the program in a tight spot and are considering sus pending the service altogether. With student money not being put to good use, a reorganization of SAFE Escort needs to happen as soon as possible. SAFE Escort’s leadership, as expected, is extreme ly vocal in its opposition to what it sees as the dis mantling of the 15-year-old service organization. Because of financial conduct concerns, SAFE Escort’s leadership was removed this past year and the funding was put in limbo. The specific financial issues were the embezzle ment of funds to pay for the gas of SAFE Escort lead ers that occurred last semester, the unauthorized pur chase of a golf cart and mismanaged bookkeeping. The Student Safety and Security Committee, charged with resolving this debacle, is weighing whether funds from the safety and security fee could be put to better use. An overhaul of SAFE Escort’s billing system must be implemented. Student government was correct to suspend the payment to SAFE Escort. Although the current leadership claims that the proper changes have been made to legitimize the group, room still exists for dishonest officials to embezzle funds in the future. The organizational crisis has cut severely into SAFE Escort’s service to students, which raises seri ous issues concerning safety and efficiency. EDITOR'S NOTE:The above editorials are the opinions of solely The Daily Tar Heel Editorial Board, which were reached after open debate. The board consists of eight board members, the assistant editorial page editor, the editorial page edi tor and the DTH editor. The 2002-03 DTH editor decided not to vote on the board and not to write board editorials. Readers' Forum Editor’s Note: The Nov. 18 Viewpoints page will examine the death penalty. Columns on the topic should be about 800 words. Please e-mail your submissions to editdesk@unc.edu or take them to The Daily Tar Heel office in Suite 104 of the Student Union. Crowd’s Excitement at Movie Mirrors Fervor Surrounding Eminem TO THE EDITOR: Students love free things, but (Thursday’s) melee in the Carolina Student Union Auditorium was a disgrace. As workers prepared to open the doors to a free screening of “8 Mile,” a movie loosely based on rapper Eminem’s life, stu dents in the back bum-rushed the line, cre ating a frantic free-for-all. Those in the front got pushed aside and elbowed, resulting in a girl’s injury. As the auditorium filled, organizers had to turn people away, many of whom were origi nally at the beginning of the line. In the end, the mob won and the movie started as planned. To anyone observing, this display was an embarrassment. In retrospect, however, the scene that occurred in the Union was simply more j? The Daily Tar Heel welcomes reader comments. Letters to the editor should he 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. boost morale among their faculties and could make the system more attractive to future applicants. But although the move is long overdue, the pro posed BOG plan could face trouble in getting sup port from lawmakers. Sen. Walter Dalton, D-Rutherford and co-chair man of the Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee, told The Daily Tar Heel on Monday that the BOG budget is not likely to be fully funded by the General Assembly because of an ongoing budget crunch. The incoming General Assembly is likely to face another multimillion dollar budget shortfall, large ly because of a heavy dependence on nonrecurring funds for ongoing expenses in this year’s budget. State agency cuts are inevitable, and it’s very unlikely that the UNC system will go unscathed. Thus, while a 6 percent faculty pay boost sends a strong message to the legislature as to the UNC system’s commitment to improve the quality of life for its faculty members, the dismal budget forecast might make it virtqally impossible to fulfill the sys tem’s request. UNC-system leaders should work hard to pro pose a more feasible plan that addresses faculty pay but that is not too lofty that it turns off lawmakers. A two-year 4 percent or 5 percent pay increase still w'ould be a significant boost from previous years, but the figure could be more feasible given the economic situation. No one questions the need to boost pay for faculty members or to demand that state lawmakers live up to their duty to pro vide for quality higher education in the state. But given the tight fiscal restraints on the state in recent years, a 6 percent pay increase unfortu nately might be too much to ask for this year. With one cart unpaid for, SAFE Escort only has one working cart to transport students. Wait time to get a ride home is often 30 minutes. The long wait time can force students to walk home to save time even if they do not feel safe doing so. The lack of equipment has left SAFE Escort unable to perform its main duty, one that is publi cized by this University as a student resource. Its service is invaluable for dealing with student safety concerns. A survey conducted by The Daily Tar Heel last semester showed that one in three stu dents felt unsafe at nighttime. With almost the first semester over, the use of student money has been inefficient at best. According to student government, it costs $6 per student to operate SAFE Escort. For that price, it would almost make more financial sense for SAFE Escort to hire cabs for students. Hence, the efficiency of SAFE Escort must be improved. Transportation that costs $6 per person is terribly inefficient. The addition of more carts would reduce line length and would increase the number of students participating in the program. Lastly, SAFE Escort must expand its service to ensure that the program covers students who feel unsafe walking home. Students collectively fund the $30,000 budget SAFE Escort receives out of the safety and security fee and must receive service in return. Should the Student Safety and Security com mission opt to do away with SAFE Escort, then an alternative program needs to be implemented immediately. UNC students deserve a quick resolution to the problem or a better alternative, because it’s ulti mately student money funding the program. than unruly college students vying for seats to a movie because they were too cheap to buy the tickets in theaters. The buildup to the chaos and the cross section of students in their GAP and Fubu jeans who waited three hours before the movie began reflected the rise that Eminem has made in the last two years. In 2000, Eminem served as the poster boy for everything that was wrong with white America. He was white trash, a misogynist and a homophobe. Today, people still do not know how to describe this young man. He still harbors resentment at society, yet his music is frank, revealing and sur prisingly personal. The movie was the only highlight of the night. It deals with a man who learns how to have confidence in himself. As the anthem goes, “You better lose yourself in the music, the moment/You own it, you better never let it go/You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow/This opportunity comes once in a lifetime.” The chaos of (Thursday) night, then, was an ironic testament of Eminem’s pop ularity and undeniable talent. Long Vo Senior Anthropology Editorial Page Zhv Hatty (Ear 3lrrl Established 1893 • 109 Years of Editorial Freedom www.dailytarheel.com Kim Minugh Alex Kaplun Lizzie Breyer EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR PROJECTS EDITOR Office Hours Noon-2 Friday Lucas Fenske Daniel Thigpen Jon Dougherty Elyse Ashbum EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR UNIVERSITY EDITOR CITY EDITOR STATE & NATIONAL EDITOR Kelly Lusk Aaron Fitt Addie Sluder Nick Parker SPORTS EDITOR SPORTSATURDAY EDITOR FEATURES EDITOR ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Terri Rupar Kimberly Craven Beth Buchholz & Tiffany Pease Cobi Edelson COPYEDITOR PHOTO EDrTOR DESIGN EDITORS GRAPHICS EDITOR Adam Shupe Michael Flynn ONLINE EDITOR OMBUDSMAN If you have any concerns or comments about our coverage, please contact Ombudsman Michael Flynn at mlflynn@email.unc.edu or by phone at 843-5794. 1 BPI Mil 43 / 2 ’ te -*** ' \vV © fftjlWU Past Election Shows Democrats Need a Clearly Defined Message f I the fire lapped around the edges of I defeated N.C. Supreme Court Justice J. G.K. Butterfield’s face. The rims of Erskine Bowles’ glasses went up in smoke. We all sat around the fire, feed ing its flame with leftover cam paign handbills and fliers from defeated Democratic candidates. This past weekend, I joined the executive board of the UNC Young Democrats on its semes ter retreat. As one might imag ine, the mood was more somber than usual. There have been better times to be a Democrat. A week ago, the Republican Party captured full control of Congress and reclaimed the N.C. House of Representatives. A questionably elect ed president with no mandate has won a mandate from an election whose results are hard to question. While defeat is always hard to stomach, Democrats have almost grown accustomed to it. Our country has been drifting to the right for the past 30 years. Since 1968, six out of the nine presidents elected have been Republicans. And our presidents - irrespective of their party - have been becoming more conservative: Richard Nixon’s policies were often more liberal than those of Bill Clinton. More and more Americans now cyni cally believe that government can’t play a positive role in our lives. The burden of proof always rests with Democrats to ‘8 Mile’ Premier Marked By Crowd Stampeding To Get Into Theater TO THE EDITOR: I have never been so embarrassed and disgusted with my fellow students here at UNC than during the events that took place before Thursday night’s screening of Eminem’s new movie,“B Mile.” The way in which many of the students acted when trying to secure a place in line was just shameful. If you want to see the movie, you must arrive early, thus guaranteeing admittance to the theater. You do not show up late hoping to find someone you consider a friend in the front line and skip everyone else to sit with them. I was shocked to see this occur an hour before show time as 100 students stamped ed toward the entrance, forgoing any authority, dignity or regard for fellow stu dents in line. A mad rush ensued when a few students decided to run straight for the door. Others, seeing their early line position reduced drastically, followed suit Hundreds of bodies tried to cram into one small door way, and this left many students, who had been waiting patiendy for over an hour, in a position that meant they would not see the movie. One girl had an asthma or panic show they’re not big government liberals who want to tax for taxation’s sake, while Republicans aren’t forced to account for the public schools, their tax cuts have turned into trailer parks or the avoidable illnesses suffered by those denied access to health care. This year’s election should have been one of the most electric in recent history. Our nation is on the verge of war, and our economy has implod ed, with millions of Americans losing their jobs. Our president has responded by signing a budget-busting tax cut, 70 per- JIM DOCCETT REACH EXCEEDS GRASP cent of which will go to wealthiest 20 per cent of Americans and only 2.5 percent of which will go to the poorest 20 percent. Instead of running to engage the Republicans on these issues, Democrats ran from them. On Election Day, the country was asked to choose between a party proud of its positions and another that maybe kinda sorta didn’t like the drift of things a little bit (but not too much). The choice was clear - Who will stand behind a party too cowardly to stand up for its principles? A little more than 30 years ago, the Republican Party found itself in a similar situation. Between 1932 and 1960, six out of the eight presidents last elected had been Democrats. How did they respond? They nominated a candidate for president attack as a result of the sickening chaos. Those in charge should have canceled the screening that night as a result. There must be a better and more efficient way to regulate screenings so that these incidents do not happen again. Give out tickets on a first-come, first-serve basis, or hand tickets to those who were in line early. Do not allow the mob mentality to take over. All students who participated in that event should be ashamed of themselves. Christopher Baker Junior Communications CUAB Should Rethink Movie, Crowd Policies In Light of *8 Mile’ Movie TO THE EDITOR: I never thought that I would be a part of a pushing, crushing crowd ever, and espe cially not at a Carolina Union Activities Board-sponsored movie. Like many other people I stood in line for more than two hours so I could see the preview for “8 Mile.” When my friends and I got to the Great Hall we were relatively close to the front and there was not a big crowd. Things changed; however, people started skipping, then pushing and shoving. My Saily (Ear MM who had absolutely no chance of being elected. And, not surprisingly, Sen. Barry Goldwater lost the 1964 presidential elec tion to Lyndon Johnson by 23 percentage points. In the short term, the Democrats racked up veto-proof congressional majorities and passed reforms that Republicans still are trying to dismande today. But in the long term, Goldwater’s idealism fueled the conservative tide that pushed Ronald Reagan into landslide vic tories in the 1980s. The thrill of short-term victory is noth ing without idealism. About 41.2 million Americans lacked health insurance in 2001. Our administra tion has no interest in exploring alternative renewable energy resources that could break our addiction to oil. About 32.9 mil lion Americans in 2001 lived beneath the poverty line, and many more had trouble meeting the basic cost of living with their stagnant wages. Our administration’s response to recent corporate scandals has been so inadequate that it was forced to bury the news of the resignation of its Securities and Exchange Commission chairman on the day after the election. It’s time for the Democratic Party to lead, not to follow. To quote Sen. Goldwater: “Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. Moderation in the pur suit of justice is no virtue.” E-mail Jim Doggett at jdoggett@email.unc.edu. friends and I got caught in the middle of the crowd and could not move. People were lit erally pushing into our backs, and the force of the crowd was not only a claustrophobic’s worst nightmare, but it was also very painful. Police officers came and helped some of Us out, yet people were still acting like idiots. I was embarrassed by the display that these college students were making just to see a movie! This event was definitely a wake-up call for CUAB, who has always had lax policies concerning free movies, but now they should definitely make sure that this can never happen again. What is the purpose of having staff who were warned minutes before this happened and who responded that they couldn’t do anything? People could have gotten hurt and things could have been worse, still the movie was shown. Those rude and igno rant students were rewarded for their behavior, and the rest of us were turned away with profuse apologies. I hope the ones who had a part in the pushing and running are very proud of their ignorance, and I hope they get repaid in kind one day. Crystal Bullard Senior international Studies
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Nov. 13, 2002, edition 1
8
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75