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10 Monday, December 2, 2002 Board Editorials Rating Student Congress Members of the 84th session of Student Congress have done a commendable job improving the organization's reputation, but much remains to be done. Student Congress underwent a much-needed metamorphosis this semester. Members of the 84th session of Student Congress rejuvenated the group’s image by being more active than their predecessors and by focusing on student concerns. It’s a dramatic improvement compared to past sessions of Congress spent debat ing futile resolutions to lift the economic sanctions against Iraq instead of issues where the members actually could exer cise some influence over the outcome. Members of the 84th Congress have taken care to pick their batdes based on issues more relevant to students’ every day lives. For instance, Congress created a Textbook Pricing Committee to explore ways to expand the value of students’ dollars. Committee Chairwoman Jennifer Orr has led a determined push for faculty members to contact Student Stores with a list of the books they plan to use in the upcoming semester. Knowing which books will be in demand for spring semester allows Student Stores to purchase those books at a higher price dur ing the buy-back period. In return, there will be more used books available for students to buy in January. The committee is on the verge of meeting its goal of 75 percent of faculty members turning in their reading lists for next semester. Rather than rest on its laurels, however, the committee will begin targeting individual professors via letters and telephone calls, former Speaker of Congress Tony Larson said in an interview. Larson said the textbook committee exemplifies the changing spirit of Student Congress from a somewhat-passive to a more active organization. Past sessions of Congress have served as little more than second fiddle to the student body president. Congress members followed the executive branch’s lead on campus issues, such as passing a resolution against tuition hikes before an important tuition vote. Larson said this session of Congress, however, actively is seeking out student issues that the exec utive branch is not handling already. This wise move is fundamental to causing a permanent change in students’ perception of Congress and in rebuilding the organization. By standing on their own issues, Congress members will increase the vis ibility of the body - eventually leading to higher voter turnout and to increased competition for seats. Congress members, however, are not just focus ing their rebuilding efforts on the student body. Larson said members also are working to improve Feeding the Hungry The Freshman Focus Council's efforts to donate leftover meals to the homeless is a worthwhile demonstration of UNC students' commitment to public service. Hoping to get rid of those last few meals on your meal plan? Well, here’s a chance to put them to good use. On Tuesday, the Freshmen Focus Council, a subgroup of the executive branch of student gov ernment, is organizing a meal drive to benefit the Inter-Faith Council Soup Kitchen. The meal drive is a part of the FFC’s Freshmen Day of Service. Beginning at 11 a.m., students with block meal plans wanting to participate in the program can get a meal from Outta Here, the takeout dining facili ty in Mainstreet Lenoir, and drop it off at a location at the back of Lenoir Dining Hall. All boxed meals collected will be delivered to the IFC. FFC leaders said they hope to collect at least 150 meals through the drive. Tuesday’s drive will be the first organized effort by a campus group to donate meals to those in need. 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. Business and Advertising: Janet Gallagher-Cassel, director/general man ager; Chrissy Beck, director of market ing; Lisa Reichle, business manager; Candace Doby. retail sales manager; Tara Williams, business assistant. Customer Service: Kimberly Craven. Judy Pham, Amanda Taylor, Denise Thompson and Tania Vila, representa tives. Display Advertising: Katie Ashworth, Georgia Boklage, Emily Carstensen, Basinger, Shannan Bowen, Regan Connolly, Billy Corriher, Nate DeGraff, Teri Dombrowski, Eileen Earnhardt, Alyssa Fine, Kathryn Grim, Meredith Jones, Sun Kim, Jack Kimball, Brian Meares, Sumner James Phillips, Megan Putnam, John Russell, Kimberly Silvers, Anik Shah, Ryan Tuck and Emily Vasquez. Copy: Lindsay Apple, Lauren Bahr, Peter Gilchrist, Meghan Greene, Krista) Jones, Elizabeth Kuch, Amanda Walther, lenni Williams and Stefanie Ward. Design: Oria Buckley, Randi Demagistris, Lindsay Beth Ellison, Kim Morrisette, Lisa Venters and Tiffany Ward. Editorial: April Bethea, Nathan Denny, Pat Hogan, Katie Melville, Matt Minchew, Abby Nathanson, Colin Sutker and Beth Swindell, editorial board, Jim Doggett, Tiffanie Drayton, Dan Harrison: Michael McKnight and Joseph Rauch, columnists. Features: Lauren Rippey, senior writer, Kristin Becker, Tina Chang, Joshua D'Agostino, Kirsten Fields, Veneta Georgev, Kelly Ochs, Alison Ross, Matt Saldana, Elizabeth Saputo, Ami Shah and Kirsten Valle. Graphics: Gary Barrier, Amy Blanton, Assistant Editors: Elliott Dube and Brian Millikin, arts & entertainment, Michael Davis and Jamie Dougher, city; Chris Coletta, copy; Michelle Kuttner and Nicole Neuman, design; April Bethea, editorial; Jordan Bartel, features, Adam Seller and Josh Stalford, graphics; Kristen Oliver, online, SaraAorons and Brian Cassella, photography; Tim Candon and Kellie Dixon, sports; Corinne Gundersen, Sport Saturday; Emma Burgin, Jennifer Samuels and Cleve Wootson, state & national; John Frank, Meredith Nicholson and Jeff Silver, university. Arts & Entertainment Michael Abernethy and Harmony Johnson, senior writers, Brook Corwin, Diane Eikenberry, Aaron Freeman, Ashley Harrell, Natalie Harry, Grey Huddleston, Michelle Jarboe, Tacque Kirksey, Caroline Lindsey, Evan Lucas, Duncan Pittman, Allison Rost, Jill Spivey, Erin Sullivan, Kristen Williams and Branson Whiteside. Cartoon: Michelle Bercovici, Adam Hall, Andrew Johnson, Scott Rooker and Karen Spencer. City: Carolyn Pearce, columnist, David Allen, Vida Awumey, William Ball, Shelley The editorials are approved by the majority of the editorial board, which is composed of the edi tor, editorial page editor, assistant editorial page editor and eight editorial writers. The Daily Tar Heel is published by the DTH Publishing Corp., a non-profit North Carolina corpora tion, Monday-Friday, according to the University calendar, Callers with questions about billing or display advertising should call 962-1163 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Classified ads can be reached at 962-0252. Editorial questions should be directed to 962-0245. their image with University administrators through meetings and cooperative efforts. Larson, echoing Student Body President Jen Daum’s philosophy toward governance, said this 1 TONY LARSON FORMER SPEAKER OF STUDENT CONGRESS a commendable job raising the organization from its grave of irrelevancy to increasing prominence. But members of the 84th session of Congress are still facing that persistent boogeyman as their pre decessors - student interest. Congress long has been plagued by low voter turnout and general apathy from the student body. Although Larson and members of the 84th session have come up with long-term solutions to boost interest, more efforts need to be made in the short term. Their key outreach effort this semester, a Fall Forum, fell flat on its face - largely because the event was held the same night as a UNC basketball game. About 40 people attended the event, includ ing numerous Congress members, student govern ment officials and other campus figures. Although those in attendance should be commended for their dedication, it’s vital to reach out to more stu dents by carefully scheduling interest meetings. Additionally, Congress has a vast problem with legitimacy. In February’s election, 15 candidates won a seat in Congress in the February election after receiving 10 votes or fewer. When a single suite can elect a representative, it turns the idea that Congress members can represent their con stituencies into a bad joke. This problem is further highlighted by the body’s failure to ensure that members are in contact with their constituencies. Members are trying to solve the problem by making it easier for students to determine their dis tricts. Although this is a step in the right direction, voter turnout and student interest likely will remain low until members of the Congress prove they can strongly defend student needs and address student concerns. For this semester, Student Congress earns a B+. FFC members say they hope to expand the food drive in the future if this week’s plan is successful. The council deserves a pat on the back for orga nizing Tuesday’s drive, which will help to encour age more involvement within Chapel Hill and Carrboro by University students by tapping into a well-established community group. The IFC soup kitchen serves meals three times a day, 365 days each year to needy individuals from the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area. Last year, the kitchen served about 76,000 meals. The FFC’s meal drive, if successful, will help to boost the efforts of the IFC -and it provides a cre ative solution for students hoping to use any left over meals that they might have on their meal plan. Students should line up on Tuesday to donate a spare meal or two to the meal drive and rest assured that the contributions are going for a good cause. (The Hath} Oar Heel Professional and Business Staff Heather English, Tiffany Flomo, Annie Godwin, Josh Hall, Shannon Plummer and Kameese Wright, account executives Liz Crutcher, assistant account executive. Advertising Production: Penny Editorial Staff Rena Chernotsky, Amber Cope, Katyah Ling, Grace Oh, Purvi Patel, Melissa Pieroni, Niki Randall, Mary Stowell, Diana Suryakasuma, Priscilla Tsai and Lauren Waugh. Online: Kristin Brewer, Stephen Cheng, Katie Christian, Melissa Furtner, Rachel Gurlitz, Matt Hair, Alexander Hurst, Janet Kwami and Heather O'Kelley. Photography: Joshua Greer, senior photographer; Alonzo Alston, Laura Bernard, Kate Blackman, Ashley Boykin, Mallory Davis, Beth Floyd, Jessica Foster, Kristin Goode, Garrett Hall, Lucas Hammonds, Meredith Hill, Michael Jerch, Jon Kirby, Streeter Lecka, David Liu, Greg Logan, Anne Meadows, Jessica Newfiekr Anne Phillips, Charlotte Powell, Rebecca O'Doherty, Jonathan Saas, Joanie Tobin and Liz Winter. Sports: James Giza and lan Gordon, senior writers Dan Blank, Jeremy Borden, Brandon Couch, Brandon Coward, Chris Gilfillan, Adam Hill, Jacob Karabell, Mike Martinez, Brian MacPherson, Hunter Powell, Chris Richter, Lauren Ritter and Randy Wellington; Sarah McConnaghy; sports copy. Editorial Page push is based on the belief that students generally can achieve more by working alongside administrators than by orga nizing protests in the Pit. Although working hand in hand with officials carries many benefits, there is always the danger of becoming too willing to compromise on issues vital to the stu dent body. Congress members must com bat that attitude by making a special effort to remember that their constituents don’t always see eye-to-eye with administrators. Overall, members of Student Congress, particularly Larson, have done Persons, manager; Kathryn Klein and Karen Stone, assistants. Classified Production: Cindy Henley. State & National: Nathan Perez, colum nist, Jennifer Haqin, senior writer, India Autry, Gillian Bolsover, Adam Cardais, Matt Crook, Alexandra Dodson, Margaux Escutin, Faye Fernandes, Mike Gorman, Matt Hanson, Ashley Holt, Amanda Jepsen, Rebecca Jones, Stephanie Jordan, Jamie McGee, Rachel Leonard, Stephanie Poole, Kathryn Roebuck, Lindsey White, Tiffany Womack and Laura Youngs. University: Karey Wutkowski, columnist, Will Arey, Kemp Baldwin, Lauren Biggers, Jessica Bonnem, Laura Bost, Vanessa Capobianco, Meredith Craig, Elizabeth Daniels, Erin Ganley, Jennifer Johnson, Alex Granados, Kate Harrington, Rachel Hodges, Jenny Immel, Lance Johnson, Jennifer Johnson, Caroline Kornegay, Sarah Kott, Rob Leichner, John Lipps, Esnanthi Ranasinghe, Joelle Ruben, Lynne Shallcross, Emily Steel, Lizzie Stewart, Dave Szwedo, Arman Tolentino, Shelley Walden, Ruthie Warshenbrot and Nikki Werking. Editorial Production: Stacy Wynn, man ager. Printing: Triangle Web. Distribution: Triangle Circulation Services. ISN #10709436 Office: Suite 104 Carolina Union Campus Mall Address: CB# 5210 Box 49, Carolina Union U.S. Mail Address: P.O. Box 1257, Chapel Hill, NC 27515-3257 (Tlrp Satlg (Tar Mni 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 Ashburn TUTORIAL PAGE EDITOR UNIVERSITY EDTOR CITY EDITOR STATE & NATIONAL EDITOR Kelly Lusk Aaron Fitt Addie Sluder Nick Parker SPORTS EDITOR SPORTSATURDAY EDITOR FEATURES EDITOR ARTS (t ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Terri Rupar Kimberly Craven Beth Buchholz & Tiffany Pease Cobi Edelson COPYEDITOR PHOTO EDITOR 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. UH'OH.'..NOW m MICHAEL'StRYINGTo'X W SN IN BACfcTHE PLIBU CBY \ ftDANGLING UZAMINNELLI'S ' Reader Feedback Contributes To DTH Learning Experience Weil, looks likewq’ve reached the. end of the road, both literally and figuratively. Finals are rapid ly approaching, and we’ve all got more to do, with classes and the approaching holidays, than any of us would care to mention. In the spirit of the end of the semester, I’d like to end by tying up some loose ends and recap my experiences this semester as a columnist. Bobby Knight, head basketball coach at Texas Tech, once said, “A0 of us learn to write in the second grade. Most of us go on to greater things.” He couldn’t be further from the truth. This column certainly has been an excep tional learning experience in more ways than this space can afford me to describe. First, I was gifted with some truly bril liant readers. The readers who replied to my various columns and rantings throughout the semester Were as varied and diverse as University admissions pur ports. Undergraduate and graduate stu dents, even professors, from a variety of disciplines with exquisitely diverse opin ions graced my e-mail inbox throughout the semester. This does not take into account the e-mails I received from resi dents in Chapel Hill and alumni from lit erally all over the world who keep up through The Daily Tar Heel online. If my column had one ultimate pur- Readers' Forum j? The Daily Tar Heel welcomes reader comments. 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 indude 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. pose, tfus semester, it was to get people thinking. Whether that thinking ended up being productive and generated thought ful internal debate I will never know. But whatever I had to say, readers did not hesitate to e-mail or call to let me know what they thought. And I must say we certainly have a campus that can both creatively compliment and insult with equal vigor. I’ve been accused of being too lib eral, too conservative, brilliant and moronic by my readers. You’ve described what you JOSEPH RAUCH THE RAGING BULL think I do to sheep in my free time, and how you think my columns are written in crayon on construction paper. Those certainly gave me the best laughs. It was a bit shocking at first to get feed back describing to which bodily function my columns were roughly equivalent Regardless, I am eternally grateful for the feedback. At the very least it let me know people out there were reading and cared enough to respond. Many, in fact, questioned where I got the tide for my column - “The Raging Bull.” To be honest, it’s a shameless and unabashed rip-off (or homage depending on your point of view) to the film by the same name. The movie is two parts Greek tragedy and two parts “Rocky” without Sylvester Stallone’s incomprehensible ram blings. Plus, I felt the film’s tide accurately Restricting Occupancy Creates Many Unanswered Questions TO THE EDITOR: Often when I read or hear an ambiguous and obfuscated pronouncement from a group of politi cians, I wonder if they are incapable of clarity or if they simply do not wish to say exactly what they mean. A recent case in point is the Chapel Hill Town Council. See if you answer the following questions: (1) Exactly what constitutes “more than four unrelated persons?” (2) Could I move in with a family of four (for example, husband, wife and two children)? Here, although there would be more than four people in the unit, I would be unrelated to only four of them and each of them would be living with only one per son to whom they were unrelated. (3) Could two sets of quadruplets from different families share an apartment? Although this would mean eight occupants, each person would be living with only four persons to whom he was unrelated. (4) What, exactly, does “related” mean? Recently I met a group of my cousins. Although they were all either siblings or first cousins of one another they are all my second cousins thrice removed. Would the Town Council deem them to be related to me? (5) If the Town Council really meant no more than four UNC students, why did they not just say so? J.T. Mac Queen Class of 1962 (Tltp ilaily <Har Heel reflected what this column would do - pre sent viewpoints in an unabashed manner that many might find rather striking. This presentation manner, however, would not have been possible without the presence of many of the right people in the right places on the DTH staff. I think the other columnists would agree that Lucas Fenske, our editor, was genuinely concerned with letting each of us have our own voice and view not be stifled by editorial restraint. With that freedom for all the colum nists came great responsibility. I felt, week in and week out, that since we were trust ed to write about whatever we wished our columns should at least be a reflection of our respective thoughts and opinions at the time. Fenske, along with the rest of the hard-working DTH staff, certainly has my possible highest praise. Jack Kerouac, who gets my vote for greatest writer of the 20th century, once said of his writing, “The fact was I had the vision ... I think everyone has ... what we lack is the method.” This semester has been another step toward finding that method. For everyone I neglected to mention who provided guidance and advice along the way, from Lake Tahoe to right here in Chapel Hill, thank you. And please, above all else, keep thinking. Reach Joseph Rauch at rauch@email.unc.edu. Living Wages Best Answer to High-Priced Homes in County TO THE EDITOR: The Nov. 26 “Priced Out of a Home” editorial is a great example of fuzzy thinking. Why should Orange County be ashamed to have the highest priced homes in the Triangle? By definition, one of the six counties has to. Chapel Hill and Orange County have the added advantage of smart local lead ers who have put the brakes on growth. The last thing these leaders need to do is destroy more open space to build cheap homes for the poor. Gasp! - read on. People seem to forget that the goal of progress and development is to eliminate poverty, not institution alize it. We do not need a commitment to “econom ic diversity” because we do not need poor people. If we needed poor people, we would not be always trying to make them better off. Instead, we need a stronger commitment to paying local workers enough to live in Chapel Hill. If we are not rich enough to afford to pay our janitors, landscapers, trash collectors and even public school teachers a living wage, per haps our quality of life isn’t as high as we think. Civic and University leaders should leave Orange County open space alone, stop the growth of employment to match the existing limits to hous ing and then strive to ensure all of the workers we employ can actually afford to live here. Ron Sutherland Chapel Hill
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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