10
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2004
POINT/CQUNTERPOINT
TOO YOUNG TO DIE?
The U.S. Supreme Court should
ban capital punishment for those
who commit crimes as minors.
p--jhe words “with liberty and justice for all” com-
I plete our pledge of allegiance. Everyday mil-
JL lions of children all over the country stand up
and entrust their lives to a country that promises to
protect all people.
In 1989, the Supreme Court ruled that individu
als who commit a crime under the age of 18 may be
sentenced to the death penalty. Juries were placed
with the responsibility of deciding the fate of those
individuals who lack the mental and emotional
capacity to understand the overall consequences of
an act such as murder.
As the most heinous crime in the nation, murder
grabs the lives of innocent victims across the coun
try daily.
Taking the life of another human being is dis
gusting, but executing minors who do not have the
ability to rationalize their actions is just as repulsive
an action.
The Supreme Court declared in May 2003 that
mentally handicapped individuals could no longer
be given the death penalty on the basis that they
were unable to understand fully the lasting effects
of murder.
Ultimately, the court protected their lack of
understanding and inability to comprehend fully
the lasting effects of such a crime.
Recently, the Supreme Court has realized finally
that perhaps child-offenders need to be taken into
consideration under these terms as well.
Amnesty International states that the United
States is one of the last countries not to protect the
rights of individuals committing a crime under the
, age of 18.
It is ironic that a country promising liberty and
justice for all has been violating the civil liberties of
minors for hundreds of year.
Sentencing a child-offender to be executed is sim
ply not justice.
Given the current bias of the court system, there
is no way that a jury should determine the fate of
individuals who do not understand the severity of
their actions.
In all honesty, conviction based on race, class and
caste has become a major part of our judicial sys
tem.
It is unfair to subject our youth to the social con
structs set in place by a society that continues to
exhibit racist and elitist views.
Along with the social implications associated
with the death penalty, the possibility of innocence
continues to linger in the air.
The execution of criminals whose crimes were
committed when they were minors completely dis
regards the constitutional ban on cruel and unusu
al punishment. People who do not have at their dis
posal rational thought and coherence should not be
subjected to a system that is inconsistent apd unre
liable.
While the occurrence of sentencing minors to
death is rare, the duty of the U.S. government lies in
protecting every single life within the walls of this
country.
One life taken is one too many.
The Supreme Court already has agreed that indi
viduals who lack rational thought must be protect
ed by the constitution.
Child-offenders must be included in this cate
gory.
Minors undergo a completely different judicial
system than adults for a reason.
If the court system can recognize that child
offenders do not need to undergo the same process
as adults, then there must be gn alternative to sen
tencing a minor who commits murder.
Our children believe that the leaders of this coun
try will protect them at any time under any circum
stance.
While death and murder are sensitive subjects,
we should never turn our backs on the youth that
make this country glow.
The United States made a promise to its youth.
Now is the time to keep it.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The above editorials are the opinions of solely The Daily Tar Heel Editorial Board, and were reached after open debate. The
board consists of seven board members, the editorial page associate 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. The DTH Editorial Board reserves the right to publish a
Point/Counterpoint to express both sides of an issue in instances in which the board either cannot come to a majority decision or the
decision is too close to form a definitive editorial stance.
READERS* FORUM
UNC administrators should
admit mistakes, cancel class
TO THE EDITOR:
Why is the administration so
stubborn when it comes to
inclement weather?
Despite the fact that thick ice
remains on both roads around
Chapel Hill and walkways around
campus, students are forced to
trudge through the ice and slush
because classes resumed at 11 a.m.
Tuesday instead of being com
pletely cancelled. Whoever makes
the decisions to close and re-open
campus obviously has a history of
poor judgment.
Last year UNC remained open
during a heavy ice storm that caused
many students to be stranded
because the buses could no longer
run their routes. UNC even stayed
open this fall when a hurricane blew
through the area, knocking over
trees, causing power outages, and
shutting down Franklin Street.
As I walked to campus Tuesday
morning, a gigantic piece of ice slid
off the roof of Hanes Hall and
crashed loudly onto the sidewalk.
This was alter 11 a.m., and classes
were in session. What if someone
was hit by that ice? Many students
and faculty commute to UNC as
well, and with the road conditions
as they are, that is just plain unsafe.
The UNC campus and this area in
general are not properly equipped
to deal with icy conditions, because
it is unusual in North Carolina. I
Heinous crimes warrant the
death penalty, regardless of the
youth of the accused criminal.
fT'jhe United States Supreme Court announced
I Jan. 25 that it would hear the case of a man
JL who was sentenced to death for crimes com
mitted while he was 17 years old.
The case will explore the possibility that sen
tencing a person to death for crimes committed as a
minor falls under the Constitution’s prohibition on
“cruel and unusual punishment.”
With the virtues of the death penalty and the
judicial system in general aside, the courts should
not overturn existing law.
In most states with the death penalty, 16 and 17
year-olds can be tried as adults for particularly
heinous crimes.
However, the state must wait until the convict is
at least 18 to execute him, which is not usually a
problem with all of the years of lengthy appeals that
are available and, in fact, are required bylaw in cap
ital cases.
Arguing that 16-year-olds are not capable of
understanding lull well the extent of their crimes is
ridiculous.
Apparently, 16-year-olds are wise and intelligent
enough to drive a car and decide if they want to drop
out of school.
They can, in fact, understand the difference
between right and wrong.
Some would say that an arbitrary age, such as 16
years of age, should not be used to judge one’s eli
gibility for capital punishment.
But Stanford v. Kentucky, the 1989 case in which
this issue was last addressed, stated that individual
maturity tests were required to deliver a judgement
of death.
Unlike drivers license laws, in which individuals
are treated differently if they are under a certain age,
each defendant must be judged separately.
Thus a person might be unable to vote but still be
capable of it, and would remain subject to the full
penalties of the laws of citizenship.
Not being able to drink or vote is just a side effect
of laws that do not require individual maturity
tests. *
Think back to when you were 16.
Sure, you might not have made the best decisions
all of the time, and you certainly are better equipped
to go through the tough spots in life now.
The fact remains, however, that you knew it is
wrong to murder someone in cold blood.
Keep in mind that only 22 inmates have been exe
cuted for crimes committed when they were minors
since the reinstatement of capital sentencing.
This is a punishment reserved for the worst of the
worst, killers who are monsters and cannot be
allowed to continue to live.
Very few juries in the past have sentenced minors
to de&th.
Ijsrep Lee Boyd Malvo, one of the infamous D.C.-
areA snipers was not sentenced to death in his first
round of trials. It takes something particularly grue
some for 12 average Americans to condemn one of
their fellow citizens to death.
Moreover, any sentencer is required by precedent
set down by the Supreme Court to consider and
have access to any and all information that would
possibly provide a basis for a punishment less severe
than death in Penry v. Lynaugh.
The courts also have ruled in Ford v. Wainwright
that the term “cruel and unusual punishment” must
be weighed against what would be considered cruel
and unusual to the authors of the Bill of Rights.
Only an overwhelming societal consensus can over
rule said considerations of the founding fathers’
intentions. It was established in Coker v. Georgia
that that consensus is most likely to come from leg
islation and only the federal government and 15
states prohibit sentencing 16 and 17 year-olds to
death.
There are a slew of precedents that support the
application of the death penalty for 16 and 17 year
old murderers.
To take a step back in our laws would fly in the
face of logic and the American sense of justice.
expect more from my University
leaders than this foolishness. They
need to follow the examples of
other schools like N.C. State and
Duke, both of which were com
pletely closed Tuesday.
However, I’m afraid it will have
to take a serious car accident
involving someone commuting to
campus, or a person becoming
injured on campus and holding the
University liable before adminis
trators review their policies.
Why? Because they’re too con
cerned with appearing superior to
their peer schools (they call it “aca
demic excellence”) to consider the
safety of their employees, their fac
ulty and their students.
Matt Arnold
Senior
Business
Chancellor Moeser correct
to reject salary bonus
TO THE EDITOR:
As The Daily Tar Heel has docu
mented, the University, its com
munity and the people of North
Carolina face difficult financial
challenges these days.
Many of us question the deci
sions of UNC-system President
Molly Broad in giving substantial
bonuses amounting to more
than the yearly pay of some of our
employees to campus chancel
lors in times like these.
It is surely important to recruit
Editorial Page
and retain the best personnel, rec
ognize merit and address
inequities. Yet this allocation of
scarce fimds to top administrators
reflects a shocking misjudgment
on priorities when library sub
scriptions and classes are being cut
to keep the University afloat.
We should be proud of the deci
sion of Chancellor James Moeser
here at UNC-Chapel Hill to forego
such a bonus as a matter of princi
ple when faculty and staff have
received no such largesse. His deci
sion last fall is even more timely
now, when large tuition increases
are being imposed on students. I
hope that others will join me in
commending him, particularly
during a week when the work of his
Task Force on a Better Workplace
is coming to fruition.
Thanks for your commitment,
Mr. Chancellor.
Judith Wegner
Chairwoman
Faculty Council
Independent Weekly column
rife with inaccuracies
TO THE EDITOR:
No doubt some of you have seen
the article, “Digging in their Heels,”
in the Independent that hit the
stands on Jan. 22.
At least one of you was quoted as
an anonymous source for this col
umn, and as students in Jonathan
Howes’ section last semester, we feel
ON THE DAY’S NEWS
“An election is coming. Universal peace is declared, and the foxes
have a sincere interest in prolonging the lives of the poultry.”
GEORGE ELIOT, writer
EDITORIAL CARTOON By Andrew Stevens, crazyaj@email.unc.edu
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CANDIDATE PLATFORMS
Sense of community key for GPSF
raduate and professional
I —students often lack a sense
of community at the
University level.
To build this sense of belonging
to a community, the Graduate and
Professional Student Federation
will work with the graduate school
to bolster the current orientation
offerings and improve alumni con
nections.
Furthermore, two major issues
for the GPSF population are the
University’s recognition of the
GPSF and communication from
the side of the organization. Plans
to ameliorate these issues include:
■ A Meet-and-Greet Session
between the SBP Executive
Committee, Cabinet and the
GPSF “counterparts.”
■ Outreach by the GPSF to
the Deans and student govern
ments of the professional schools
■ Town relations —of particu
lar importance to the GPSF popu
lation since most live off campus.
RHA hopeful to seek resident input
I will have the Residence Hall
Association work with
Student Government, Student
Congress, and campus depart
ments and organizations to tackle
important issues.
We will address the issues by
listening to what residents have
to say so that we are working on
the “right things.”
Doing this will make RHA
stronger and give students a larger
voice in what happens at UNC.
■ Have RHA represented on
the student government Safety and
Security Committee to promote a
safer on-campus community as
well as having University Police
meet regularly with the committee.
■ Promote safety in residence
halls through more community
policing efforts with the
Department of Public Safety.
■ Provide a substitute for
it our duty to set the record straight.
Indy Weekly’s column was slop
py. The first half was simply a
rehashing of other journalists’ work.
But the part of the column dealing
with Carolina’s American Studies
94 course showed a complete failing
of journalistic principle. Not only
was the article a gross misrepresen
tation of “The Role of the University
in American Life,” it was written on
a tip from one student who refused
to go on record, describing confi
dential conversation, obviously
recalled after-the-fact, ripped out of
context, and not corroborated by
any other person in the room.
To the two of us, the only thing
that the Independent reports in a
column like this is its own anti-
University bias.
Rachel Willis, the lead professor
for the course, taught the class
mindful of the quote from former
University President Franklin
Porter Graham’s tombstone, telling
us, “He trusted the students, and
they gave him their best.”
Our professors in AMST 94
trusted us, but at least one person
violated that trust. The purpose of
the course was the acquisition of
knowledge, not the political indoc
trination or manipulation of stu
dent leaders.
All the class discussions in both
lecture sessions and recitations
were student-initiated and domi
nated, promoting informed dis
course and the analysis of a slew of
issues relating to Carolina.
Tuition
Though the
UNC Board of
Triisteeshas
made their rul
ing, the tuition
conversation is
far from over.
The GPSF must
Jen Bushman
continue to
advocate strongly for graduate and
professional students.
Teaching Assistants
■ Workload discrepancies
■ Honor Code Training
■ Parking and Transportation
Services and resources
■ Career Development
Conference With the Career
Development Office and the
Graduate School, we will organize
a conference designed to give
closed comput
er labs through
exploring the
use of printing
stations and
cyber lounges.
■ Play an
active role in
the selection
process for the
new Vice
Colin Scott
Chancellor for Student Affairs.
■ Expand committees to allow
students to have more input.
■ Accommodate residents off
set by the pending policy proposal
on smoking in the residence halls.
■ Inform residents of the
impacts of construction through e
mails with maps and timetables.
■ Form a committee to create
programs that promote diversity
and on-going dialogue.
■ Capitalize on what we’ve
Jonathan Howes is an excellent
asset to the University community,
and he continues to act as an
invaluable resource to his students.
Surely, the Independent can do a
better job reporting on an issue as
•big as Carolina North. And surely,
the Independent can find a better
source for its columns than a stu
dent motivated by some sort of
agenda. And if the point of this arti
cle was to reveal how the University
was manipulating its student lead
ers, then clearly, the Independent
can do better than be manipulated
by those who would wish us ill.
i
Matthew Compton
Junior
History
Ashley Castevens
Junior
Public Policy
The length rule was waived.
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them to editdeskOunc.edu.
jp Saily (Bar Hrri
graduate and professional stu
dents the experience needed to
succeed and network at “real-life”
professional conferences.
■ Carolina Athletic
Association Ticket Policies The
GPSF will ensure that ticket poli
cies more fairly include graduate
and professional students.
Judicial improvements
■ Collaboration between sepa
rate systems
■ Stable funding for opera
tional expenses
International students
■ Investigate the current sys
tem for assessing the readiness of
international teaching assistants.
■ Promotion of international
student social interaction with
other international students as
well as other members of the
University.
already learned to continue water
conservation and apply it to elec
tricity and promoting recycling.
■ Continue RHA!s commit
ment to the community through
volunteering and donations.
■ Increase enhancements in
residence halls by streamlining
current budget procedure.
■ Continue to have a repre
sentative from RHA on the
Student Advisory Committee to
the Chancellor.
■ Make RHA visible and
accessible to residents through
residence hall forums and better
utilization of the Web site.
■ Increase RHA membership
through drives at the beginning at
each semester.
■ Reduce turnover at the local
level of RHA and make the organi
zation stronger through better
administration and training.
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