10 MONDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2003 BOARD EDITORIALS UNITED BY TRAGEDY The University community’s rememberance of UNC alumnus Stephen Gates exemplifies its cohesion and shows sound values. -• ~r -r+ien a death as shocking as that of Stephen / Gates strikes a community, it at first seems V V impossible that any positive outcome can emerge. By setting up a scholarship in the UNC alumnus’s name, though, the University community has shown that good can come from even the deepest of tragedies. Gates graduated from UNC in 1998 after study ing broadcast journalism. During his college career, he interned for the Tar Heel Sports Network and upon graduating took a full-time job. In his short time there, he served as a sideline reporter for football and was the play-by-play voice for baseball and women’s basketball. Gates died in a tragic pedestrian accident Oct. 4 on Interstate 40. On Tuesday, officials announced the Stephen Kennedy Gates Memorial Scholarship Fund for stu dents in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Although they just have begun taking donations, officials have said the fund will become a permanent STUDENTS FIRST Student Congress' vote to increase scrutiny of student tickets’ use at men’s basketball games will go far in ensuring students aren’t sidelined. The Smith Center is sure to be filled with UNC- Chapel Hill students this coming basketball season, but it’s not just because they all are hoping to catch a glimpse of new men’s basketball coach Roy Williams in action. Anew ticket distribution policy, approved Tuesday by Student Congress, requires those with student tickets to show their UNC ONE Card upon entering the stadium. This is an excellent policy that was long overdue, and the Carolina Athletic Association should be commended for starting off the season on the right track. This new measure ensures that only UNC-CH students will be able to get into the games and cheer from the student seating section. In recent years there has been an unfortunate trend of rival fans sitting in the student section and rooting against the Tar Heels. Many of these interlopers got those tickets from SAFETY DILUTED The Chapel Hill Town Council put bar patrons at risk by watering down a sprinkler code that would have increased safety during fires -tt "T+iile the often-heated debate about the towns \/l / sprinkler ordinance has wrapped up, not T V much will change for downtown bargoers. But in this case, maintaining the status quo might leave customers at risk. The revised ordinance, approved Wednesday by the Chapel Hill Town Council, would require any new, alcohol-serving establishments with an occu pancy exceeding 200 to install sprinklers. Bars with exits above or below street level must install sprin klers if their occupancy exceeds 150. In response to highly publicized bar fires, includ ing one in West Warwick, R. 1., that left 100 patrons dead, the council considered an ordinance that would require bars to install sprinkler systems. Bar owners and many patrons claimed that such a requirement would force many small bars to close due to the high cost of installation. So the Town Council increased the threshold capacity. But bar owners still argued against the pro posal, and the council again yielded to their con cerns. Now, no existing bar will need to have a sprinkler system installed, no matter how many people it holds. EDITORS' 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 editor and the DTH editor. The 2003-04 DTH editor decided not to vote on the board and not to write board editorials.