8
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2005
BOARD EDITORIALS
THE BALANCING ACT
Even though more groups requested funds this year, Student Congress’
Finance Committee could have avoided overextending its resources.
Sometimes, you just can’t make everyone happy.
Student Congress’ Finance Committee has
come face to face with that fact, as it looks to
alter at least some of its initial allocation choices to
end up with a balanced budget.
The committee has time to fix the error until
the weekend of Feb. 18, to be exact, which is when
the full Congress meets for its annual budget delib
erations and decides how much student government
funding certain campus groups will receive. But it’s
unfortunate that the problem came about in the first
place, and it could have been prevented with more
foresight on the part of committee members.
In the past, Congress has defended its funding
decisions by pointing out the relative ease of the pro
cess through which campus groups can get funds and
emphasizing organized requests.
Now, it almost seems as if too many groups are
clamoring for money to the point at which the com
mittee might have to alter its treatment of requests,
especially when it deals with the first wave of them.
Committee members should have taken the
NO SMOKING SECTION
State lawmakers should approve measures to curb cigarette smoking,
seeing as how it continues to be hazardous to North Carolina’s health.
State lawmakers have a unique opportunity
before them, with a flurry of anti-smoking pro
posals coming under their consideration.
Most notable among these is a bill to raise the tax
on a pack of cigarettes from 5 cents to $1.20.
In a state that has been traditionally dependent
on tobacco as a primary commodity, there are several
factors at play that should help North Carolina kick
the habit.
The N.C. Senate should be commended for pass
ing a ban on smoking in its chamber.
And the General Assembly should continue to
support prohibitive measures by passing both the
cigarette tax hike and a measure that would ban
smoking in N.C. restaurants.
The Charlotte Observer’s editorial board noted
that restaurants with smoking sections effectively
require their employees to work while being exposed
constantly to second-hand smoke.
The public health benefits of a cigarette tax hike
are obvious. A 2001 study led by John Tauras, an
economics professor at the University of Illinois-
Chicago, showed that the results “clearly indicate that
BACK TO HIS ROOTS
UNC will benefit from the leadership of former Sen. John Edwards,
who is set to head a center to examine and fight poverty in the state.
One of North Carolina’s native sons is coming
back to the University in an effort to serve
his state further.
Former U.S. senator and vice presidential candi
date John Edwards recently announced his intention
to return to UNC, where he received his law degree
in 1977, to establish the Center on Poverty, Work and
Opportunity.
Not only is this a fantastic opportunity for UNC
to bring a talented political thinker and mesmer
izing speaker to campus, but it’s also a chance for
the University to address North Carolina’s poverty
related problems.
Edwards’ presence as the center’s director will
lend gravitas to this new endeavor. If nothing else,
given his experiences in the courtroom, in the U.S.
Capitol and on the campaign trail, he should prove
to be a great guest lecturer who will be an excellent
resource for students.
It would be easy to get caught up in the very politi
cal nature of Edwards’ life during the last seven years.
In representing his state in Washington, D.C., he has
led a distinctly partisan political existence.
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 2004-05
DTH editor decided not to vote on the board and not to write board editorials.
QUOTABLES
* Sometimes, I do feel a bit
like the executioner.”
STEVE FARMER,
DIRECTOR OF UNDERGRADUATE
ADMISSIONS, ON HAVING TO TURN DOWN
THE MAJORITY OF UNC APPLICANTS.
“Now we’re basically
operating on a shoestring
and a prayer, and that’s
really not a good way to be.”
GAYLE WILSON,
DIRECTOR OF ORANGE COUNTY'S SOLID
WASTE MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT, ON
LANDFILL-RELATED PROBLEMS THAT
OFFICIALS ARE FACING,
“Matt Calabria saved all
of you S2OO last week
against the Board of
Trustees, so you can all get
out your wallet.”
ERIKA STALLINGS,
CAMPUS Y DATE AUCTION EMCEE, ON
AUDIENCE MEMBERS'ABILITY TO PUT UP
LARGE BIDS FOR POTENTIAL DATES.
relatively large number of groups that were on the
finance schedule as more of a warning that bud
getary problems might occur. Last year, 70 groups
attended the Finance Committee’s weekend-long
meeting. Ninety-four showed up this year, meaning
that the committee had good reason to be stingier
with allocations from the get-go.
But the budgetary overextension has sent the
committee back to the drawing board. It means a
lot more work for members and more confusion for
groups waiting to know for sure how much money
they will receive from student government.
The committee doesn’t get the respect it deserves
when it does right which is most of the time
because a lot of fanfare usually doesn’t accompany
a balanced budget. Still, when a mistake is made,
word about it must get out so that campus groups
can get the heads-up.
Finding portions of requests to slice and dice is a
thankless task for Congress members to assume.
With any luck, the committee won’t leave any
group too far out in the cold.
increases in the real price of cigarettes (which can be
achieved through excise taxation) will decrease the
number of adolescents who start smoking.”
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, 25 percent of N.C. high school stu
dents smoke cigarettes —a figure that legislators
should feel obligated to fight.
Now is the time to pass such a tax increase, because
the conditions are right to ensure that the state can
deal with most of the repercussions.
Politicians from North Carolina rightfully pushed
for the federal tobacco buyout as a means of moving
further away from the industry. The state has become
less competitive in this area, and it’s already in the
process of moving beyond tobacco.
Furthermore, the current 5-cent tax on ciga
rettes is the second-lowest of its kind in the country.
Although that by itself isn’t a good reason to increase
the burden on adult smokers, it shows that North
Carolina would not be acting unfairly toward them.
These measures would do a great deal to help
improve public health in this state. Legislators
should rush to approve them.
But the center will be a nonpartisan institute,
bringing together public policy experts and faculty
members from relevant fields. These people will
explore topics ranging from wages to economic jus
tice to education in low-income areas.
Its major emphasis will be to look for real solu
tions to poverty, regardless of where they fall in the
liberal-conservative dichotomy.
In itself, the foundation of the center is an affir
mation of the University’s primary goal: serving the
people of North Carolina.
Being a predominantly rural state that has been
affected drastically by the decline of various indus
tries, North Carolina can use all the help it can get
in the fight against poverty.
Having John Edwards at the helm is a boon
that will enrich not only the center but also to the
University’s academic environment.
Welcome back, senator.
Although your political career likely hasn’t reached
its conclusion, we’re glad that you’re willing to spend
some time and effort giving back to UNC and to the
state that bred you.
READERS’ FORUM
Students should be aware
of cigarette health hazards
TO THE EDITOR:
Lately, I have felt that I cannot
walk to class or down Franklin
Street without getting behind a
cloud of cigarette smoke.
My perception might be inac
curate, but it seems to me that
the prevalence of smoking has
increased during my four years at
UNC.
I am not objecting to an individ
ual’s right to choose to smoke.
However, I hope to present
some facts about smoking among
college students that might pre
vent at least one person from
lighting up.
Smoking is the leading pre
ventable cause of death and ill
ness in the United States, with
cigarettes killing over 400,000
people annually, according to the
U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services,
Though smoking prevalence has
decreased in other population seg
ments, young adults tend to ignore
the long-term consequences of
poor health habits.
The Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention states that smoking
prevalence increased to 29 percent
of the 18- to- 24 year old popula
tion in 2002.
Researchers at Harvard
University’s School of Public Health
found that the rate of college stu
dents smoking rose from 22 per
cent 1993 to 28 percent in 1997-
Opinion
Other studies have shown that
most college smokers are social
smokers and believe that they
will stop smoking sometime after
graduation.
The problem is that social
smokers often mistakenly believe
their habits do not place them at
increased risk for disease.
The American Cancer Society
states that there is no safe level of
smoking and links cigarettes to one
out of every five deaths.
The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency declared second
hand smoke a Group A carcinogen,
meaning that more than 60 chemi
cal compounds in secondhand
smoke are associated with cancer.
Smoking does have health con
sequences, for smokers and non
smokers alike.
My hope is that we will rec
ognize these consequences and
reverse current trends to better our
University environment and to save
our own lives before it is too late.
Laura Odell
Senior
Nursing
DTH Editorial Board should
apologize for Duke-bashing
TO THE EDITOR:
I would like to express my shock
at your Wednesday editorial.
“Best shade of blue” and the con
tent below clearly do not match.
Although I have never enjoyed
the style and demeanor of the
ON THE DAT’S NEWS
“Money is always there hut the pockets change”
GERTRUDE STEIN, WRITER AND FEMINIST
EDITORIAL CARTOON
COMMENTARY
Stop fronting, y all, because
its not even about the game
Last Saturday’s Duke distri
bution felt a little bit like
freshman year.
Everyone was sort of awkward
in the cold morning air, but we
were all smiles because we were
finally going to get the tickets for
which we seniors had waited four
years.
There was the kid who used
to live in my building and would
always nod to me as he was walk
ing out the door, and then that guy
who decided that it would be a
good idea to jump out of a second
story window with a sprained ankle
so that he could avoid the cops.
There was a whole host of
people I had forgotten about,
and from the looks on their faces,
they’d forgotten about me, too.
I couldn’t walk 10 feet without
meeting someone whom I knew
or, more properly, had met
once and promptly forgotten until
confronted with an awkward con
versation consisting of a 10-word
summary of the past four years
with a short epilogue describing
that great beast called Next Year.
And of course, the Game was
on every other tongue. Sage
sports-minded seniors prognosti
cated our chances against Duke,
going on to predict a deep run
into the NCAA tournament.
On the other hand, there were
people out there in the cold who
had not a clue about Carolina
basketball. Sure, they knew that
there was a game —but as one
recent letter to The Daily Tar Heel
pointed out, “There will be seniors
at the game who can’t explain
what McCants’ dynasty symbol
means.”
But that letter, I think, misses
the point. While basketball is
being played, the basketball isn’t
really the thing that makes the
game what it is. Sports Illustrated
picked this match-up as the sec-
Cameron Crazies, I recognize that
they are excited fans immature
and annoying, yes, but such words
can easily describe Carolina stu
dents as well.
While I wish that fans at any
sporting venue would show a vis
iting team more respect, it doesn’t
happen much anywhere includ
ing the Dean Dome of late.
Beyond that, however, is my
utter dismay and disgust with the
general language, imagery and lack
of respect the piece carries.
Duke University is a fine institu
tion of learning, and while I love to
hate its basketball team, I respect
its academic achievements.
What The Daily Tar Heel’s edi
torial board published, however, is
a clear message that the student
newspaper has no such respect.
What really irritates me is that,
under the guise of calling out Duke
as a hoity-toity bunch of jerks, you
have shown yourself to be just
that.
You have truly done our news
paper —and its credentials —a
disservice.
You have let me down as a stu
dent, and I am sure the faculty, as
well as Coach Williams, can share
that disappointment.
I have previously trusted the
editorial board to be a fair-mind
ed, judicious and otherwise unbi
ased board, expressing views that
would identify controversies and
give direction for the benefit of the
student population.
No more. Perhaps, had one of
By Letycia Nunez-Argote, letycia@email.unc.edu
Nfe- J 9 fig ¥
TIMUR HAMMOND
HOLDING UP THE MIRROR
ond-best rivalry ever, but I still
don’t think that it’s the actual
basketball that makes this game
important.
Step back for a moment and
think about how strange it is to
get all riled up about basketball.
In the first place, if one didn’t
know the rules of the game,
basketball would seem like a
pretty strange sport almost
on par with cricket, in my mind.
Consider dribbling what a
strange way to move a ball around
a court of arbitrary size, with rims
that just happen to be at 10 feet.
Add in all sorts of rules about
three seconds, traveling, moving
screens and blocking fouls, and
basketball begins to seem a little,
well, strange.
Granted, it’s nowhere near as
bizarre as baseball or football
—and cricket just eludes me
entirely —but basketball, with
all the rules that have cropped up
during the years, can seem like a
strange event.
There is plenty to love, mind
you. I can think of few things bet
ter than sitting in row U of the
upper level of the Dean Dome
and screaming hackneyed heckles
at the opposing player lined up
at the charity stripe. Or yelling
loudly because we happen to be
on defense. Or whatever.
Which brings me back to this
event. Carolina basketball is
something of a sacred cow. It’s
a beautiful, exciting, engaging,
moving and mesmerizing thing,
the writers on your staff written
the piece in a personal column,
this situation would be slightly
different.
Instead, the board, and by exten
sion the entire DTH staff, must suf
fer the consequences libelous
consequences at that.
In any event, I sincerely hope
that an apology is quickly offered.
Not only should such an apol
ogy be addressed to this campus,
but also the institution you sought
to defame.
At the very least, the DTH
staff should apologize to Duke
University, Coach Mike Krzyzewski,
J.J. Redick, Shelden Williams
and, most importantly, Shavlik
Randolph.
Thank you for your time and
consideration.
I hope you do the right thing.
lan ONeill
Sophomore
History
TO SUBMIT A LETTER: 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 num
ber. 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.
Imlg Ear Hrrl
but it’s hardly about the basket
ball at all.
If it was, the only people who
would be going to the games
would be those who truly under
stood the game, those who knew
the nuances of the 2-3 matchup
zone and those who could rattle
off the field-goal percentages of
all our ACC opponents.
And to watch the Duke distri
bution last Saturday was to realize
that it’s not just about basketball.
The game has grown into one of
those things that one does.
A friend remarked that her par
ents had asked her every spring if
she had gone to a Carolina game
yet, and that the March 6 Duke
game would be her first —and
last.
For my own part, I have been
to a couple of games, and I have
a passing understanding of what
happens on the court. All the
same, the game is not really a bas
ketball game.
Rather, it is one of those
strange affirmations of the
Carolina experience, as if one’s
presence in the Dean Dome on
March 6 somehow would guaran
tee that college has been worth it.
That seems ridiculous that
this basketball game somehow
justifies one’s academic experi
ence —but how else is one sup
posed to account for the fact that
hundreds of seniors who had
never once been to line check
dragged their way down to the
Dean Dome early Saturday?
It’s not about the game.
Basketball, for better or for worse,
is not what makes this University
what it is.
So props to the fools who don’t
know about dynasty: Y’all other
folks are just missing the point.
Contact Timur Hammond
at thammond@email.unc.edu.
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