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8 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2004 BOARD EDITORIALS NEW RULES NEEDED Student Congress members should take action to guarantee that their progress thus far isn’t undermined by disrespect and endless debate. It stings to see people of promise failing to meet their potential. It can happen in the classroom. It can happen in the workplace. It can happen to students working for this newspaper. Right now, it’s happening to Student Congress. The body is dealing with complaints that unchecked debate is causing meetings to go on for too long, with claims that such debate is being used to achieve partisan ends and with concerns about decorum or a lack thereof. But imposing strict time limits on members’ speech isn’t the way to go. Congress’ leaders should take the initiative in debate and step in when produc tive discussion has come to an end. It’s clear that there’s a problem that must be addressed. One member already has resigned. Former representative Julie Lamberth stated in a Thursday e-mail to the Congress listserv that while the “recent bickering and ill will” in meetings wasn’t the primary reason for her decision, it was a “con tributing factor.” This is just one example of Congress members grow ing increasingly frustrated with what has been going on during their meetings. Clearly, something needs to be done, without impeding the body’s ability to address fully important issues that come before it. Formal, timed debates are basically performances in which participants are judged partly on how well they can encapsulate their arguments and respond to their opponents’ points. Because Congress uses debate to reach decisions with real implications for real people, such discus sion obviously can’t be governed by the same rules as a formal debate. An alternative method of cutting the amount of time wasted is necessary. Extended debate can be fruitful. But Congress has been witnessing a lot of rehashing and reaffirm ing of points through repetition. In the context of this campus and its student body, allowing for such redundancy hinders Congress’ productivity. ONE STOP TOO MUCH University officials should look to do away with mandatory advising appointments once students can better gauge their graduation needs. University officials are looking to complete changes to the “Analysis of Academic Progress” system on Student Central by fall 2006. UNC students can look forward to a smoother and easier experience at that time. Beyond solving any problems that students might have with the current system of viewing remain ing graduation requirements and finding out what classes they need to take, there are things University administrators can do to make the registration pro cess more student-friendly. Too many students have to deal with a “server busy” message and wait anxiously to sign up for classes after registration opens. Officials should look into increasing server capacity for registration services. But there is a possible change that would make the process easier for students without requiring a significant investment of resources. Some departments at the University require stu dents to meet with an adviser before they can obtain their new personal identification numbers. If they don’t meet with their advisers before their respective registration dates, students in those departments don’t receive the PINs that they need to access the University’s online registration system. But many students don’t necessarily need that meeting. Students have shown that they are capable adults who are here to get a university education. Forcing them to schedule meetings with advis ers sends them the message that department and University officials don’t have the faith in them to make wise decisions about their own academic prog ress. It’s not too difficult for students to keep up with their graduation requirements, which University officials make clear enough for every incoming class. 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 six board members, the editorial page associate editor, the editorial page editor and the DTH editor. The 2004-05 DTH editor decided not to vote on the board and not to write board editorials. ©fye Satty (Bar Urri PROFESSIONAL AND BUSINESS STAFF Mulfinger, Judy Pham, Kate Polichnowski, Kia Thacker and Laura Youngs, repre sentatives. Display Advertising: Kate Bingham, Amy Fuschino, Jorie Gripman, Andy Lunnen, Sarah Oglesby, Annette Parker, Phabienne EDITORIAL STAFF Kurowski, sports copy; Selena Beckman- Harned, Jenny Dosler, Chrissy Edwards, Rachel Ferguson, Tricia Horatio, Jen Kling, Andy McNulty, Orr Shtuhl, Leila Watkjns and Cat Williams. Design: Michelle Kuttner, Sport Saturday designer; Jennifer Alliet, Sulnye Bang, Amy Dombrower, Jessa Giroux, Sally Lee and Allison Wonsick. Editorial: Jillian Bandes, Chris Cameron, Dan David, John Kunza, Alyssa Levine and Joseph Starnes, editorial board, Meg Austin, Emily Batchelder, Matt Compton and David Havlick, columnists. Feature Kirsten Valle, senior writer; Laura Bost, Jacqueline Brill, Emily Fisher, Julia Furlong, Ali Gray, Elana Jones, Lily Kuo, Mary Grace Milter, Adam Rodman, Allison Rose, Andrew Satten, and Sarah Schwarz. Online: Ed Bowman, Megan Edison, Kansai Graham, Stephanie Jones, Albert Park and Chris Stone. Photography: Garrett Hall, senior pho tographer, Erin Andrews, Gillian Bolsover, Lirys Cuilinan, Leah Gronning, Daniel Ham, Miranda Harpie, Pat Lapadula, Julia Lebetkin, Ricky Leung, Sara Lewkowicz, Hunter Mcßae, Allison Money, Carter Murphey, Brandy Nash, Mike Raabe, Monica Shah, Samkit Shah, Whitney Shefte and Brandon Smith. Projects Team: Susie Dickson, Jamie Dougher, Sarah Rabil, Nirav Vora and Cleve R.WootsonJr. Business and Advertising: Paul Isom, general manager; Chrissy Beck, advertising director; Lisa Reichle, business manager, Megan Gilchrist, retail sales manager, Ellen Withrow, assistant business manager. Customer Service: Stacy Hopkins, Erin Assistant Editors: Becca Moore and Jim Walsh, arts & entertainment, Shannan Bowen, Meredith Lee Miller and Dan Schwind, city; Scott Spillman and Rebecca Wilhelm, copy; Daniel BeDen and Tiffany Ward, design; Jeff Kim, editorial; Torrye Jones and Linda Shen, features; Alex Foley, online; Justin Smith and Andrew Synowiez, photography; Daniel Blank, Mary Duby and Gabrielle Deßosa, sports; Daniel Malloy and David Moses, Sport Saturday; Erin Gibson, Kavita Pillai and Amy Thomson, state S national; Brian Hudson, Stephanie Jordan and Joseph Schwartz, university. Arts & Entertainment: Nick Parker and Kristen Williams, senior writers; tacky Brammer, Nicole Bobitski, Andrew Chan, Margaret Hair, Amy Jackson, Ayofemi Kirby, Leah Konen, Kate Lord, Salem Neff, Robbie Mackey, Ben Pittard, Tom Previte and Jackie Randell. Cartoon: Doug Anderson, Fitz Holladay, Steven Oklesh and Evann Strathern, City: Briana Bishop, Jonathan Burns, Meghan Davis, Jennifer Fair, Gregg Found, Spencer Gipple, Zachary Jepsen, Terrence Jordan, Megan Lavine, Katie Lewis, Sara Lewkowicz, Lindsey Listrom, Jake Potter, Brandon Reed, Kathryn Reed, Adam Rhew, Catherine Sharoky, Sam Shepard, Tanner Slayden, Liz Stanley, Ted Strong, Eren Tataragasi, Emily Vasquez, Antonio Velarde, Barbara Webb, Jon Weiner and Arley Wolber. Copy: Shannon Hennessy and Rachel The editorials are approved by the majority of the editorial board, which is composed of the editor, editorial page editor, the associate editorial page editor and six editorial writers. The Dally Tar Heel is published by the DTH Publishing Corp., a nonprofit North Carolina corporation, Monday-Friday, according to tne 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 j 962-0245, ISN #10709436 OFFICE: Suite 2409 Carolina Union CAMPUS MAIL ADDRESS: CB# 5210, Carolina Union U.S. MAIL ADDRESS: P.O. Box 3257, Chapel Hill, NC 27515-3257 There are two sides to the scenario. On one hand are major concerns regarding the efficiency of Congress and the tendency of members to become involved in overly long, heated exchanges. On the other are wor ries that placing restrictions on debate could lead to unfavorable views being silenced. The latter point is valid. But there has been no talk of allowing for any statements of opinion to be elimi nated from the body’s discussions. Debate limitations would compel members to say what they mean in a quicker and clearer fashion they wouldn’t neces sarily stifle unpopular viewpoints. On Thursday, Speaker Charlie Anderson sent Congress members an e-mail in which he empha sized the need for mutual respect and urged them to maintain focus. It was a strong message that acknowledged the problems and brought up both active and potential solutions. Unfortunately, Anderson counted out the possibil ity of his introducing debate restrictions to ensure that the body’s sessions run more smoothly, stating that “it would be inappropriate as the mediator of debate to be one that limits it as well.” Anderson’s stance is understandable —but ulti mately, the power of the student government body over which he presides might depend on whether or not he is willing to act. If no rule changes are proposed, or if proposals fail to pass, the speaker should step in. Congress is at a crossroads. The body has been doing some very important work, but increased ten sion and squabbling between members is threaten ing to derail its efforts. Without a culture of mutual respect between members, their ability to discuss legislation and issues important to the student body will be dimin ished. Without a system designed to streamline debate, Congress members will only be able to pro ceed at a snail’s pace. As representatives of the student body, they owe it to their constituents to get a move on. Students have to fulfill perspectives in the general college and the College of Arts and Sciences. They must get reasonable grades in the courses for their major and complete other department-specific objectives. Of course, most of them have to pass a swim test —and students are flagged automatically for certain violations. For the most part, students at the University are adapting to a number of new responsibilities. They are expected to find the best ways to manage their time. They are expected to abide by an Honor Code that details both acceptable and unacceptable behav ior in the academic setting. When the work flow decreases, they are expected to conduct themselves responsibly enough while spending their nights on the town or having fun on campus. It isn’t too much to expect that, except in the most special cases, students would be able to manage their schedules on their own. Most of the resources they need are already at their disposal. They can go online and visit depart mental Web sites to determine the requirements for their respective majors. Course catalogs are readily available for students to see what kinds of classes will be available the following semester. This is not to underestimate the importance of the University’s advising services they are vital to stu dents’ academic progress. But mandatory appoint ments, which can be potential stumbling blocks for students who can easily figure out what courses they need to take and when, aren’t absolutely necessary. A revamped, user-friendly degree audit func tion would help officials to make a major change to the registration process eliminating mandatory advising sessions before students sign up for new classes. Parker, Kelsey Scott, Rebecca Stocked and Adam Westin, account executives Advertising Production: Penny Persons, manager, Michelle Rial, assistant Classified Production: Cindy Huntley, manager; Debbie Rosen, assistant. Sports: Ben Couch and Brian MacPherson, senior writers, Jeremy Borden, Meaghan Cole, Matt Estreich, Briana Gorman, Derek Howies, Will Isley, Alicia Jones, Laisee Rintel, Rachel Soder, Andy Wales and John Zhang. State & National: Laura Youngs, senior writer; India Autry, Lorelle Babwah, Danika Barry, Kristin Bostic, Dana Bseiso, Ashley Campe, Arendell Carlton, Kevin Chandler, Marium Chaudhry, Alexandra Dodson, Sherri Engel, Lillian Goidenthal, Brooke Gottlieb, Natalie Hammel, Juliana Hanson, Hilary Hellens, Eric Johnson, Megan McSwain.Anh Ly, Ben Piven, Aaron Pruitt, Mark Puente, iorge Tellez, Katherine Tompkins and Carly Triche. University: Heather Andrews, Kathryn Bales, Elizabeth Black, Kelli Borbet, Rachel Brock, Georgia Cherry, Deborah Cramer, Claire Dorrier, Katherine Evans, Shari Feld, William Fonvielle, Dan Grinder, Lauren Harris, Katie Hoffmann, Al Killeffer, Caroline Kornegay, Lindsay Michel, Charlotte Murpny, Stephanie Newton, Stephanie Novak, Mada Ostrowski, Javaeria Qureshi, John Ramsey, Catherine Robbs, Jenny Ruby, Carly Salvadore, Kristie Spellman, Jacki Spies, Lizzie Stewad, Patrick Tooley and Erin Zureick. Editorial Production: Stacy Wynn, manager. Printing: Triangle Web. Distribution: Triangle Circulation Services. Opinion ON THE DAY’S NEWS “Advice is like snow the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper it sinks into the mind ” SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE, English poet EDITORIAL CARTOON CD J HEAPS 1 V (1 / \ — —TAIUS| / | COMMENTARY Two amazing football victories shall remain with me forever Years from now, when I’ve graduated and moved away to find my place in the world, I will find my way back home on some September Saturday, and this is what I will remember: four years of college book-ended by the two biggest wins in UNC football history. Four years, too many losses to remember, two wins I will never forget. Two wins against two of the top teams in the country ACC outsiders brought into the confer ence to add heft to our collective football schedule. The first was Florida State, a Goliath that had remained unbeaten by better UNC teams than the one that took the field in 2001. The second was Miami, a Tartuffe —a pre tender given more credence than it deserved, but a team more tal ented than our own, all the same. I’ll remember Ronald Curry and Chad Scott two seniors who came up with big plays when it counted. Curry was asked to be a star in his first game as a Tar Heel when UNC’s starting quarter back went down just months after his high school graduation. For three seasons, he carried the weight of the Tar Heel nation’s expectations. From time to time, he slipped, got hit, got hurt. Not a month after he guided his team to victory against Florida State, UNC fans would berate him from the stands. But through injury and insult, Curry took the field with a quiet confidence. Despite all that, when the pocket broke down and he tucked the ball away to head down field, we would hold our breaths because we knew that Ronald Curry was always a step away from magic. Chad Scott grew up in Florida, and he was recruited to play foot- READERS' FORUM University's short-changing of minority Homecoming Court smacks of racism TO THE EDITOR: Even though the Homecoming game was “unbe lievable,” the announcement of the Homecoming Court and halftime “show” were disappointing. The crowning of Homecoming King and Queen is a big event during the Homecoming football game that has always been held during halftime. This year was different because, for some odd reason, the University decided to hold the crown ing during the pre-game festivities. It’s an outrage, especially because instead of displaying our Homecoming Court during half time, we paid for some lame Elvis impersonator who wasn’t even entertaining. I cannot even call that performance a halftime show, because the band did not march and we weren’t even able to see “Elvis” on the field. I’m not trying to play the race card here, but is it coincidental that this happened during a year when six out of seven candidates were from underrep resented minority backgrounds? In fact, all of the Homecoming Queen candidates were minorities. Instead of giving them their proper recognition, the University gave them a quick ceremony before the game while thousands of University students, alumni and fans were still making their way into the stEidium. This is a slap in the face not only to minorities but to all the students who worked arduously in each of these campaigns for despite their effort, the University disrespected them all because of race. Do you honestly think that if the Homecoming Court had been predominantly white or highlight ed the child of prominent, wealthy alumni, that the crowning would have taken place before the game? Jarrod Jenkins Junior Political science MATT COMPTON POTENTIAL CROSSWORD SPACE ... WASTED ball by the University of Miami. But they didn’t want him to be a tailback. So he went to another Southeastern Conference school— the University of Kentucky —and became the leading rusher in Lexington until coach Hal Mumme was fired. After that, Scott wanted out. He transferred to UNC, but he still had to wait for his chance. With Ronnie McGill and Jacque Lewis out, Scott wasn’t even expected to start Saturday. But start he did. And just like on the field, once Scott finds an opening, he runs with it. On Saturday, his first play of the game was a 16- yard run right into the hearts of Carolina fans everywhere. I’ll remember that our fans still have no idea how to cheer at a football game. We’re a big school with a beautiful stadium and a legitimate team. But when it’s third and long with our boys driving, and our quarterback is trying to change die play, what do you hear? Hark the sound of Tar Heel voices raising such a ruckus that, nine times out of ten, an audible is almost inaudible in Kenan Stadium. You’d never hear that cacoph ony of sound whenever Raymond Felton lines up at the charity stripe in the Smith Center —but game after game on the gridiron, that same sour note gets played by our fans. And with less than a minute left in the fourth quarter, with DTH coverage of presidential. Senate contests strongly indicates liberal bias TO THE EDITOR: In the past few weeks, I have come to notice The Daily Tar Heel’s partisan approach to this election. In the recurring section on the ups and downs of a presidential campaign, I was hoping to one day see an article featuring George W. Bush. To my disap pointment, each article featured Kerry and Edwards and made no mention of Bush or Cheney. Pictures of Kerry and Edwards were repeatedly featured on the front page, giving them an unequal amount of face time. In order to be objective jour nalists, the DTH’s staff should give equal spsice to both Democratic and Republican candidates. Another example of this partisanship was in the DTH’s coverage of the race between Richard Burr and Erskine Bowles. The particular article I saw featured sections stating why people should vote for Bowles and why they shouldn’t vote for Burr, which gives an obvious bias toward Bowles. Tuesday’s paper featured a section where the DTH Editorial Board endorsed, to everyone’s sur prise, only Democratic candidates. Instances such as these serve only to further my opinion of the liberal bias of the DTH to lessen its objective cred ibility and accountability to the journalistic ideal. Trevor Maxson Junior Religious studies TO SUBMIT A LETTER: The Daily Tar Heel welcomes read er 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 include their title, department and phone number. The DTH reserves the right to edit letters for space, clarity and vulgarity. Publication is not guaranteed. Bring letters to the DTH office at Suite 2409, Carolina Union, mail them to P.O. Box 3257, Chapel Hill, NC 27515 or e-mail them to editdesk@unc.edu. (Tfjp latU| alar Urri By Evann Strathem, evann@email.unc.edu our freshman kicker lining up to attempt the first game-win ning play of his life, our fans are already scaling the walls that sur round the field. Had that moment of dimwitted overexuberance dis rupted play on the field, it could have cost us the game. And once on the field, the over excited masses almost let their exuberance get the best of them again. Jason Brown, the ACC offensive lineman of the week, had to yell at fans to make them stop pounding on his injured shoulder. Connor Barth the man with the golden leg had to put his helmet back on to protect his head from the cheerful slaps of the Tar Heel faithful. Our fans almost did more harm to our not-so-healthy team than the vaunted Miami defense. But somehow in the space between the two wins, we learned how to bring down a goal post. In 2001, it took students a good 40 minutes of lusty bouncing to bring down the post in the west end zone. On Saturday, both goal posts were down in less than five minutes. Come to think of it, I don’t know whether our offense seemingly unstoppable that day was able to score against Miami that quickly. And for that, pur fans deserve as much applause as our team. They can be forgiven for not quite knowing what to do with them selves during the game. As soon as the game was over, I ran onto the field to shake the hand of every player I could find. Whenever I did, I had just one thing to say: “Thank you.” Something tells me that if ever I run into these men again, I’ll say the exact same thing. Contact Matt Compton at mattcomp@gmail.com. Established 1893 111 years of editorialfreedom ©tjp lailg ©ar www.dthanUite.coin MICHELLE JARBOE EDITOR, 962-4086 OFFICE HOURS 11:30 A.M. -12:30 PM MON., WED. CHRIS COLETTA MANAGING EDITOR. 962-0750 NIKKI WERKING DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR, 962-0750 ELLIOTT DUBE EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR, 962-0750 EMILY STEEL UNIVERSITY EDITOR, 962-0372 RYAN C. TUCK CITY EDITOR, 962-4209 EMMA BURGIN STATE & NATIONAL EDITOR. 962-4103 JACOB KARABELL SPORTS EDITOR, 962-4710 KELLY OCHS FEATURES EDITOR, 962-4214 PHILIP MCFEE ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR, 962-4214 KATIE SCHWING COPY EDITOR, 962-4103 LAURA MORTON PHOTO EDITOR, 962-0750 RANDI DEMAGISTRIS NICOLE NEUMAN DESIGN EDITORS, 962-0750 MARY JANE KATZ GRAPHICS EDITOR, 962-0750 BRANDON PARKER SPORTSATURDAY EDITOR, 962-4710 FEILDING CAGE ONLINE EDITOR, 962-0750 MATT HANSON PROJECTS TEAM LEADER, 962-0246
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