10
MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2005
BQARO EDWORIttI^S
DRAWING THE LINE
Student Body President Matt Calabria’s move against Option C is a
necessary step against an unreasonable tuition hike for nonresidents.
After multiple years of tuition increases, a firm
“no” is the best response for the UNC system
to make to campus-initiated requests for
tuition money. Students shouldn’t pay while the state
abandons its duties to fund the state’s universities.
It’s especially odious that those who already are
paying the full cost of their education are being tar
geted for the largest increases.
That’s why Student Body President Matt Calabria
should be commended for arguing against the tuition
recommendation being touted by Chancellor James
Moeser. One of three proposals of the campus Tuition
Task Force, Option C amounts to an increase of $250
for in-state students and $1,200 for nonresidents.
Although it’s hard to agree that students should be
tapped at all this year, Calabria’s statements advocat
ing equity in tuition increases are grounded in solid,
respectable concerns about the fair treatment of
members of the University community.
Last year, out-of-state students had their tuition
raised by $1,500 —a huge increase for a campus that
has marketed itself as a “best buy” on a national scale.
AN IMPORTANT READ
Timothy Tyson’s “Blood Done Sign My Time’’ is a fine summer reading
selection that takes a no-holds-barred approach to American history.
Toward the end of his book “Blood Done Sign
My Name,” Timothy Tyson evokes the words
of William Faulkner: “The past is never dead.
It’s not even past.”
This sentiment pervades Tyson’s account of his
days growing up in the North Carolina town of
Oxford, which is within an hour’s drive of Chapel
Hill. In reading his book, incoming students will
become aware of an important piece of history they
never might have encountered before.
“Blood Done Sign My Name” explores the civil
rights movement. Specifically, Tyson goes beyond
the oft-cited nonviolent protests and speeches and
describes bloodshed and threats of race war, which he
claims were integral in any progress being made.
The author details tensions and problems that
never could have been solved with strokes of the fed
eral government’s pen. He explains that the landmark
1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of
Education and the passage of the Civil Rights Act
in 1964 did little to change things, especially in the
Southern towns where a certain racial order long had
been established.
WORK IN PROGRESS
Officials need to give the UNC system’s new pilot music downloading
program a better chance for success by working out noticeable flaws.
Although UNC’s music downloading pilot
program is a boon for students, kinks in the
system have some students singing the down
loading blues. Further setbacks with the program
must be fixed as quickly as possible to guarantee its
success.
Given the choice between Cdigix, Napster,
Rhapsody and the Ruckus Network, users are find
ing it difficult to implement and use the program of
their choice.
One of the problems with the program has to do
with the installation process. For example, when
students attempt to download Napster on the UNC
system Web site, they are taken away from the screen
that provides them with the installation key and are
not allowed to return.
This becomes problematic, because users need
these keys to set up the program. Students should
be able to get the right passwords and promotional
codes with ease.
Each program offers a unique downloading experi
ence —but Napster’s ease of use and overall selection
make it the top choice for students who are looking to
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.
READERS’ FORUM
Students' tuition questions
will be welcomed tonight
TO THE EDITOR:
Speak out about tuition. Come
to the Student Tuition Forum at 7
p.m. today in 116 Murphey Hall.
As Carolina students, we always
want to spend our money wisely.
To protect the accessibility of our
University, we demand that each
dollar it spends is used to its fullest
potential. Carolina students should
weigh in when the trustees want to
raise tuition.
Next week, the Board of Trustees
will decide how much your educa
tion will cost Chancellor Moeser will
present a proposal that would raise
out-of-state tuition by $1,200 and
in-state tuition by $250. The BOT
will also consider several student fee
increases, one for as much as $l5O.
Come find out where all that
money goes and just what’s at stake
in this year’s tuition process. After
the presentation, members of the
Tuition Task Force, the provost and
Jerry Lucido from the admissions
office will answer your questions
about tuition.
Your comments will help inform
my presentation to the BOT. It is
your right as a student to voice your
concerns about tuition, and this is
the best way to have those concerns
carried all the way to the trustees.
Join me today at 7 p.m. in Murphey
116. Together, we will form a strat
egy that protects our University and
students’ best interests. Also, please
feel free to attend the UNC Board
Even if the University is losing faith in the General
Assembly to uphold its financial responsibility to the
UNC system, administrators shouldn’t look to non
residents to shoulder the burden disproportionately.
Last year, a study conducted by the National
Association of College and University Business
Officers showed that the cost of educating an under
graduate student at UNC-Chapel Hill amounts to
$15,626. That was $294 less than what out-of-state
students were paying at the time.
It’s patently unfair to treat out-of-state students
as cash cows. Calabria has been in support of a less
drastic hike for nonresidents, and his recent remarks
demonstrate that he is concerned about going too
far, too quickly.
The tuition price elasticity study that is guiding
the UNC-CH Board of Trustees’ discussions noted
uncertainty about what effect tuition hikes would
have on diversity and on graduate students.
Administrators should take the fair and prudent
route if they are going to propose an increase. Option
C should be taken off of the table.
Paying attention to Tyson’s narrative should prove
to be a revelatory experience for many new students.
“Blood Done Sign My Name” tackles subjects many
history books don’t cover, and that’s why it might
make some readers uncomfortable.
Tyson is only one man telling a story from his per
spective, and there are sure to be other people who
lived in the South during the mid-20th century and
saw things differently. Like past selections, it will be
up to students to interpret the material as they see
fit. But the book is sure to make them think.
Regardless of how students felt about reading past
summer reading choices, especially “Approaching the
Qur’an” and “Nickel and Dimed,” it will be hard to
argue that the selection committee didn’t pick a clear
winner this time around.
Tyson is a splendid storyteller, as his enthralling
narrative intertwines his small-town experiences with
national-scale events. And his story is important, as
it pertains to a struggle that continues to this day. In
being compelled to take a stronger look at history,
students will prepare themselves for the tough ques
tions that their college courses might ask of them.
download music legally to their computers.
The other programs, such as the Ruckus Network,
aren’t as user-friendly as Napster.
For example, Ruckus claims that it offers its users
“Hollywood blockbusters, cult classics and inde
pendent films.” But the first claim seems somewhat
doubtful.
The selection of films is limited to a very small
assortment of B- and C-rated films many of which
are at least 10 years old.
The quality of the picture is poor, and it’s inconve
nient for students to have to download a movie each
time they want to watch it.
Some students attempting to use Rhapsody have
complained of a long delay in receiving a confir
mation e-mail allowing them to begin to use the
service.
Ever since its conception, the pilot program
offered by the UNC system’s Office of the President
has been an exciting idea.
But now that it’s up and running, administrators
should make a concerted effort to use this test vehicle
to hammer out kinks in the chain.
of TVustees meeting. The two-day
meeting will begin Wednesday in
the Chancellor’s Ballroom East at
the Carolina Inn from 5 p.m. to 6:30
p.m. and will continue on Thursday
from 8 a.m. to noon.
Matt Calabria
Student body president
Tyson's book will open the
eyes of incoming students
TO THE EDITOR:
Asa resident of Oxford, a cur
rent UNC student who participat
ed in the summer reading of 2002
with “Approaching the Qur’an,” and
a student who met Timothy Tyson
during his book-reading and -sign
ing at the Bull’s Head Bookshop
this past fall, I’d like to say that
the selection committee has made
a spectacular decision in choosing
“Blood Done Sign My Name” as
the book for incoming freshmen
to read.
I purchased the book last sum
mer because the title made me
curious, and after reading the book
jacket, I learned it was a true story
about my hometown.
Having been raised in Granville
County, knowing Oxford since I
could comprehend the concept of
place and living there since the
10th grade, I was always aware of
the tense racial relations in the area
—but I was completely unaware
of its callous history until I read
Tyson’s book.
This book is an eye-opener,
Opinion
informing people of the South’s
scarred history by recounting an
event so close to home, a good 40
miles north of Chapel Hill, where it
can often be seen that many residents
of Oxford simply opt to tolerate each
other. Not that race relations are as
bad as they were in the ’7os, but
things are still what one could call
“tense” at times —and until everyone
is willing to make progress toward
change, it will remain that way.
Students will benefit from read
ing this book, not only because it
forces you to realize that race rela
tions are ever-present issues that
need to be addressed continuously,
but also because it will provoke
conversation that encompasses all
issues of diversity so we can con
tinue to make progression toward
a beyond-tolerant, more accepting
society than the one we have today.
Charity Wilson
Junior
English
Society will hold forum for
student candidates Tuesday
TO THE EDITOR:
The Dialectic and Philanthropic
Societies have been long associated
with the tradition of student self
governance on campus. The soci
eties, the origin of student govern
ment, served for years as the mouth
piece for the entire student body.
DiPhi now serves as UNC’s debate
and literary society and is the oldest
student organization on campus.
ON THE DAY’S NEWS
“A persons treatment of money is the most decisive test of his
character, how they make it and how they spend it.”
JAMES MOFFATT. THEOLOGIAN
EDITORIAL CARTOON
COMMENTARY
The best form of government
is the one that barely registers
Government doesn’t work.
It doesn’t deliver the mail
on time, it doesn’t edu
cate American children well and
it doesn’t deliver on any other
promise it makes to its citizens.
Politicians like to play a big
game of “pretend,” where they
pretend that the War on Poverty
really does reduce poverty, that
the War on Drugs really does
reduce drug use and crime and
that gun control laws really do
keep guns out of the hands of bad
guys while still allowing the good
guys a way to protect themselves.
They pretend that every single
new law they propose is going to
solve some problem. All of this
despite the fact that every other
law they’ve ever passed didn’t
work, most likely made the prob
lem even worse and led them back
to the point where they now think
anew law is needed.
So what is the purpose of my
column? I am going to be writing
on state and national issues. Now,
I know that every semester they
have someone write about these
same issues, but my column is
going to be different. My column is
going to analyze these issues from
a Libertarian perspective, instead
of the same, tired, worn-out and
cliched rhetoric that you get from
conservatives and liberals.
Part of the column each week
will be analyzing and debunking
the lies that are being pushed
upon us by the Democrats and
Republicans in regard to their
big-government proposals. But
I want this column to be much
more than an attack machine
against their programs.
I want to show you that not only
are the ideas of the Republicans
and Democrats bad, but also what
the Libertarian solution to society’s
problems would be and why they
are so much better. I want you to
In continuation of our long com
mitment to the ideals and practice
of student self-governance, DiPhi is
pleased to sponsor a forum between
candidates seeking the office of stu
dent body president. All members of
the student body may attend and will
be given the opportunity to ask ques
tions of this year’s candidates.
The forum will be held Tuesday
at 8 p.m. in the Philanthropic
Society chambers on the fourth
floor of New East. Regrettably,
the chambers might not be handi
capped-accessible. The forum will
be an exciting chance for students
to hear from those vying to be their
next leader, and DiPhi looks for
ward to seeing many of you there.
Adam Herring
Sophomore
International studies
On. Feb. 8, students should
renew the green energy fee
TO THE EDITOR:
You might not have heard about
the Green Energy Initiative, but
it has been working to improve
our environment and to save you
money for two years. Two years
ago, a special $4 fee was added to
student fees to support renewable
energy sources. Since then, the
Renewable Energy Special Projects
Committee has investigated cheap
er, more efficient energy sources.
During Matt Calabria’s campaign,
he promised to support projects that
“reduce waste, conserve energy, and
~~
PHILIP HENSLEY
LIBERTARIAN STEEZE
see that there is a better way of
doing things.
We don’t need the government
involved in every aspect of our
lives, ruining everything from
health care to education to our
retirements. We don’t need an
income tax or a rule-the-world
foreign policy.
But before we get to that, you
need to know what libertarian
ism is. Libertarians recognize the
most important political truth
concerning government that
government doesn’t work. No
matter how bad you think a prob
lem is, or how much you think
government needs to step in and
solve a problem, government still
doesn’t work.
Libertarians aren’t anarchists
who think that we shouldn’t have
any government at all. Rather,
they want government reduced to
the absolute minimum possible.
They recognize that government
is inefficient, so they want to keep
as many problems as possible
away from this inefficient institu
tion. That way, the coercive force
of government can’t be used to
impose the political will of one
group onto another.
Some people like to say
Libertarians are conservative on
fiscal matters and liberal on social
matters. But the reality is that con
servatives are as fiscally irrespon
sible as liberals, and that liberals
are as contemptuous of individual
rights as conservatives, despite
what they say when campaign-
save Carolina money.” The RESPC’s
first major project has done just
that. It has combined student fee
money and large amounts of outside
grant monies to install a solar array
on Morrison Residence Hall.
When Morrison reopens in fall
2006, solar power will handle
60 percent of the water heating.
These changes not only reduce our
dependence on fossil fiiel, but they
also drive down housing costs and
save students money.
The green energy fee is renewed
by referendum every two years.
When you vote in the upcoming
student elections, you will also
have the option of renewing green
energy on campus.
Vote yes on green energy. Even if
we can’t all agree on environmen
tal policy, we all support reducing
housing costs. Saving money and
saving the earth is worth $4.
Alexa Kleysteuber
Student body vice president
TO SUBMIT A LETTER: The Daily
Tar Heel welcomes reader comments.
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edu.
(Ityp oa% (Tor Hrri
By Philip McFee, pip@email.unc.edu
ing for office. Libertarians believe
in individual liberty, personal
responsibility and limited govern
ment on all issues at all times.
Libertarians believe that you
should be free to live your life as
you want it provided that by
doing so, you aren’t interfering
with the right of others to do the
same not the way George Bush,
John Kerry or John McCain think
you should. You’re not a pawn for
them to use in an effort to create a
social utopia.
If you work, Libertarians believe
you should be the one to save,
spend or give away every single
dollar that you earn as you see fit
because after all, you’re the one
who went to work and earned it.
I don’t expect to create a tidal
wave of Libertarian activism on
campus with this piece. No one is
moved from 0 to 60 mph with a
single column or a couple of witty
sound bites. But I do hope that
everyone who reads this is moved
at least a bit closer to libertarian
ism from where they are now.
I want those who love big
government to love it a little
less, those who are middle-of
the-road to become a little more
liberty-minded and those who are
already liberty-minded to start
doing something about it.
Because space is limited, it’s
tough to lay out an entire argu
ment on an issue without leaving
some stuff out. Therefore, I will
be posting a longer version of my
articles each week on my blog,
which is also a place where you
can go and respond to my col
umns and start discussions. Next
week we’ll start analyzing the
issues, Libertarian-style.
Contact Philip Hensley,
a senior history major,
at http://philiphensleyjr.
blogspot.com.
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