Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Sept. 19, 2005, edition 1 / Page 7
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Hatty Gar Heel BOARD EDITORIALS DEARMIN IDLES ON Student Body President Seth Dearmin needs to get his act together sitting quietly in the corner just isn’t going to cut it for students. This editorial board asked Student Body President Seth Dearmin to reach into his bag of tricks and pull out something - anything that could give us more confidence in his ability to lead. So it was with great anticipation that we looked forward to the first meetings of this year’s advisory task force on tuition. Dearmin sits at the helm of that group, and his work will be crucial if the group is to give a reasonable tuition recommendation to the Board of Trustees. While Dearmin should be expounding on his platform, which called for a locked-in tuition plan similar to those in place at Illinois’ state schools, he remains mum. During task force meetings, he has been passive and quiet. And outside the meetings, he says little about the issue - except that he still has a lot to learn. Dearmin told The Daily Tar Heel that he is, “researching former task forces and gauging what areas on campus most need tuition revenue.” One would think that after five months in office, a student leader would know about past task forces and the campus’ tuition needs. BUILDING FUTURES The growing Carolina Covenant program will make a lasting impact by serving both UNC and the larger community simultaneously. In its second year, the ground-breaking Carolina Covenant initiative has been able to expand the number of students it provides financial aid to and is continuing a mentoring program. Such suc cess should be applauded. Last year 225 students were enrolled under the covenant and now 340 freshmen will have the opportunity to attend the flagship univer sity of North Carolina and graduate free of debt. This is a wonderful chance for our fellow Tar Heels to raise from the lowest economic tiers to the top. The Carolina Covenant is a program that helps incoming students who live in households making incomes up to 200 percent of the federal poverty line. In exchange for working 10-12 hours a week at a work-study job, these students will graduate with an undergraduate degree from our prestigious insti tution debt free. This is a long overdue leg up for our neighbors who live in poverty. It is a well-deserved break for the 132 covenant students who will be the first in their families to attend college. By allowing those less fortunate —but still top-notch academics to attend, the University can farther fulfill its mission to serve the state. LET FREEDOM RING The courts need to find a middle ground when it comes to the Pledge of Allegiance otherwise the rights it stands for could be violated. As some of you may be aware, a U.S. District Court ruled last week that reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools is unconstitutional. While understandable, that decision may be carrying concerns of freedom of religion and speech too far. ; The words “under God” have been a point of ■ contention about the Pledge ever since a 2002 U.S. Court of Appeals precedent that came down against the inclusion of the phrase. It is important not to encroach on students’ rights not to be coerced to accept or affirm religious beliefs that they do not share. In this vein, the California District Judge was right. But at the same time, the judge has effectively decreed that the entire school district where the plaintiffs’ children attend school may not recite the Pledge at all. The Pledge is seen by many as an important tool in bolstering patriotism and instilling a sense of civic responsibility. By allowing children to see that they are part of something bigger than themselves, some parents hope that their children will grow up to be responsible adults that will try to contribute to their local and national communities something that EDITOR'S NOTE: The above editorials are the opinions solely of The Daily Tar Heel Editorial Board and were reached after open debate. The board consists of four board members, the associate opinion editor, the opinion editor and the DTH editor. The 2005-06 DTH editor decided not to vote on the board and not to write board editorials. READERS’ FORUM Correction: In her Thursday column “History paints a bleak picture for our future tuition battles,” Emma Burgin incorrectly stated the 1997 in-state and out-of-state tuition rates. The correct figures are 1,386 dollars and 9,918 dollars, respectively. Bandes' stereotypes will threaten others' freedoms TO THE EDITOR: Regardless of the merits of her argument, Jillian Bandes was tact less in her efforts to display an important and emotional point to her readers in the column, “It’s sad, but racial profiling is necessary for our safety.” Ms. Bandes displayed an absurd level of insensitivity and a complete absence of good judgement. The author’s reference to having Arab- Americans “sexed up” was a disre spectful attempt at humor. Arab-Americans have been treated like second-class citizens and many times unfairly perse cuted for the heinous crimes of a few. As African Americans who ourselves have been subject to profiling, even here at Carolina, we understand the stigma these practices place on people. We know the inner turmoil, pain and anguish that Arab-Americans must But it’s especially odd to hear those words from Dearmin. If he didn’t learn most of the ins and outs of tuition over the summer, what on earth was he spending his time doing? It’s unacceptable for Dearmin to sit back and let others do all the talking especially on a topic, such as tuition, that’s near and dear to all his constituents’ hearts. Let’s make no mistake about it: There is a huge difference between Dearmin’s inactivity and the more useful practice of getting cozy with UNC’s top brass. Last year’s student body president, Matt Calabria, got a lot of grief for what many perceived as his cronyism —but the difference is that Calabria merely refused to antagonize trustees, while Dearmin doesn’t seem to be antagonizing or supporting anybody. It’s high time that Dearmin learned the lessons of his political granddaddy. The Tuition Task Force meets at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday in 212 Peabody Hall. It’s not the best time for students, but if you can make it stop by, introduce yourself and let Dearmin know you want a leader who will stand up for you. The Carolina Covenant also provides a mentoring program for these new students. Those who want to will be assigned in groups of 15 to a mentor who will help them make the transition from high school so that covenant beneficiaries can fully enjoy the college experience without falling behind. Given that students from lower-income backgrounds tend not to have had a lot of college prep courses, a mentoring program is a good way to help these stu dents make the most of their stay at Carolina. This is a great program, one that testifies to Carolina being the “University of the People.” We have a lot to brag about here at UNC, like the men’s basketball team and our outstanding academics but the thing to be the most proud of is our service to the state of North Carolina, At the forefront of that service is the Carolina Covenant. Helping those who have the knowledge but not the means to come here and have a shot at the highly-touted American Dream is something that should make us all swell with pride. It should also encourage us to expand aid to all those who are worthy for the benefit of North Carolina. schools should do more of anyway. Producing better citizens can only be seen as an admirable goal. That being said, forcing children to swear loyalty to an idea they don’t believe in is wrong just as wrong as preventing them from affirming their com mitment to this great nation of ours. In fact, having a class say the Pledge on a daily basis probably doesn’t hurt anyone. But, such as with evolution and sex education, if parents do not want their children to participate, they can withhold them from that particular activity. Just send little Johnny or Susy along with a note for their teacher and they can choose not to partake in reciting the Pledge or can even recite an alternate oath such as one omitting “under God” —of the parent’s choosing. The whole dilemma is how not to infringe on someone else’s rights. No child should be forced to recite the Pledge against their will, but there should be at least equal protection for those that do want to pledge their loyalty to the ideals the United States are founded upon. Hopefully a solution can be reached by the courts that will allow all students to recite or not recite the Pledge as they would wish. feel, knowing that their every move is being scrutinized for no reason other than the color of their skin or the ethnic implication of their name. Yes, terrorism is a serious prob lem in our world. Yes, terrorism threatens the very existence of our society and the freedoms we hold dear. Ms. Bandes’ recent comments should remind us all that racism and ignorance pose an even greater threat to those freedoms. Brandon Hodges President Black Student Movement Julius West 111 Vice President Black Student Movement Alumni are doing their part to help hurricane evacuees TO THE EDITOR: In response to the Sept. 14 arti cle, “Athletics alone to coordinate football game donation drive,” the General Alumni Association would like to share the many ways that alumni are involved in hurricane relief efforts. Using alumni records, the GAA contacted alumni in the affected states to offer concern and support. Several of the reports published by the UNC Center for Public Service Opinion originated in communications between alumni and the GAA. As it turns out, some alumni living in the affected areas are initiating relief themselves. The GAA is working with Carolina clubs nationwide to deter mine how best to assist the affected communities, including the nearly 3,000 alumni who live in states that were hit. Our Orange/Durham and Wake County Carolina clubs are support ing six families from St. Bernard Parish, La., now living in someone’s driveway in Baton Rouge. Triangle area alumni have made significant donations of clothing, toiletries and money to assist 21 displaced individuals. For more information on this effort, visit alumni.unc.edu/ orangedurham. Many Carolina clubs also are raising funds for the American Red Cross, collecting donations of clothing and food for those in heed, encouraging blood donations in their communities and planning rebuilding and clean-up efforts once the Gulf coast areas are again inhabitable. Visit the Carolina Center for Public Service Web site, http:// www.unc.edu/cps/katrina.html, to learn more. DougDibbert President GAA FROM THE DAY’S HEWS “We the People of the United States ...do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." PREAMBLE TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA EDITORIAL CARTOON Enlll > 1 COMMENTARY Debate not a shouting match is needed at UNC My girlfriend urged me not to write about the Jillian Bandes issue, as she says everyone is tired of reading about it. I agree. I also absolutely hate it when the newspaper becomes the story. I did not care for it when I was a reader, and I do not care for it now that I have a column. But the trajectory this case has taken is indicative of a big ger problem that has recently emerged here at UNC the sad dening direction campus political discourse has taken. Frivolous side-stories all too quickly turn into ill-informed partisan dog fights —and for that reason alone it necessitates examination. The political polarization of America today is quite evident, with talking heads on both sides spewing propaganda that can only be called vaguely truthful. So it would not surprise me if we were talking about the nature of discussion on Air America or Fox News, but I am extremely dis heartened that we delve into such asinine mudslinging at this uni versity which at its core is sup posed to be a forum for learned discussion. In this case, racial profiling and the balance of civil liberties and national security is an extremely timely issue, with practical argu ments on both sides. These are issues we should be tackling, with the decorum necessitated by scholarly analysis. These are the issues that institutions of higher thought are founded in order to remedy. However the familiar cacophony of name-calling and misinformation we have ended up with is anything but constructive. Before exploring the larger causes let’s get this straight Jillian Bandes was let go because she committed what was deemed to be journalistic misconduct. Yes, she did espouse what some have deemed including her to be an overtly conservative Nonresidents are not given enough credit by columnist TO THE EDITOR: I have a problem with the nega tive attitude taken towards nonres ident students by Emma Burgin in her last column —as if the 18 per cent of us who are here somehow leech resources that would other wise go to in-state students. Not only do we fully pay for our education, but we also increase the value of everyone’s degree. If any thing, the out-of-state cap should be increased so as to further bol ster the school’s reputation. That would have the added benefit of increasing tuition revenue thus slowing down the pace of future tuition hikes. In-state students benefit from meeting people of wider back grounds, and having a broader diversity of thought in their recita tion sections and lecture halls. I was born in Winston-Salem, and I was bred a Tar Heel. Someday I’ll be a Tar Heel dead. But right now, I feel like a Tar Heel bled. Stop treating out-of-state stu dents like the cash cows we’ve come to feel like when tuition rises SI,OOO every spring. Nathan Barber Junior Business MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2005 MATT LILES HERE'S TO DOWN HOME viewpoint. And yes there was an overwhelmingly negative reader response to the paper. But had the DTH powers-that-be wanted to quash Bandes’ conservative opinion, there were a number of easier ways to go about it, such as not publishing it in the first place. In this case, as with others, it is a mistake to confuse correlation with causation. Many of the responses to Ms. Bandes’ column I heard were quick to label her as racist, igno rant or even worse. But just as Bandes’ presentation of the issue was irresponsible, so are the reac tions that were overtly defama tory. These terms are not ones to be thrown around lightly —and serve only to heighten tensions —and do not explain away a mis guided position. It is this kind of escalation that allows those outsiders who feed off controversy to take over the direction of our discussions, and lead us into the arena of partisan hackjobs. This instance in partic ular is an example of how some thing small can begin to spiral out of control due in part to the interference of right-wing scholar Ann Coulter. So after a problem reaches this kind of prominence, news stations, action groups and elected officials are called to line up on their pre determined sides. Now they will drive the discussion based on gen eralizations and perceptions more often than facts —with the objec tive of scoring political points, not finding answers. I posit that the rash actions We welcome letters to the editor and aim to publish as many as possible. In writing, please follow these simple guidelines: Keep letters under 300 words. Type them. Date them. Sign them; make sure they're signed by no more than two people. If you're a student, include your year, major and phone number. Faculty and staff: Give us your department and phone number. The DTH edits for space, clarity, accuracy and vulgarity. Bring letters to our office at Suite 2409 in the Student Union, e-mail them to editdesk@unc.edu, or send them to P.O. Box 3257, Chapel Hill, N.C., 27515. All letters also will appear in our blogs section. City Hotly dor lircl Established 1893 112 years of editorialfreedom RYAN C. TUCK EDITOR, 962-4086 RCTUCK@EMAIL.UNC.EDU OFFICE HOURS: TUESDAY, THURSDAY 1-2 P.M. PIT SIT: FRIDAY 12-1 P.M. JOSEPH R. SCHWARTZ MANAGING EDITOR, 962-0750 JOSEPH_SCHWARTZ@UNC.EDU REBECCA WILHELM DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR, 962-0750 BECCAO7@EMAIL.UNC.EDU CHRIS COLETTA OPINION EDITOR, 962-0750 EDITDESK@UNC.EDU BRIAN HUDSON UNIVERSITY EDITOR, 962-0372 UDESK@UNC.EDU TED STRONG CITY EDITOR, 962-4209 CITYOESK@UNC.EDU KAVITA PILLAI STATE & NATIONAL EDITOR, 962-4103 STNTDESK@UNC.EDU DANIEL MALLOY SPORTS EDITOR, 962-4710 SPORTS@UNC.EDU By Philip Mcfee, pip@email.unc.edu and reactions that cause these spats stem from a similar frus tration held by both sides of the aisle at UNC. Liberals on campus mistakenly feel like they are an island of reason surrounded by a state that votes Republican in a country where the government is controlled by Republicans. And conservatives also wrongly victim ize themselves as members of a minority opinion who are actively oppressed at a university that is portrayed as a bastion of liberal ism. The truth is probably some where in the middle, and that is why we should be talking. Just like last year’s AIO mess was about refusing to adhere to university policy and the “Approaching the Qur’an” hubbub in 2003 was really about ask ing students to read a book, this current snowballing is about a columnist unethically misleading her sources. The point I am trying to get across is that we need to find a way to have a dialogue on issues on this campus without them develop ing into shouting matches where half-truths and outside influences steer us into misunderstanding. Everyone involved should just take a deep breath and step back for a moment before they start the next round of knee-jerk reactions. But maybe you disagree. Maybe you think I am a liberal hack. Maybe you think it is productive that some of our own elected offi cials characterize UNC as an ideo logically predatory place. That would be your opinion, which I would gladly debate with you as long as we can get back to discus sions characterized by tact and reason. That is the right way for this university to carry on a tradi tion of scholarly argument. At least, that’s what I think. Contact Matt Liles, a first-year law student, at limat@email.unc.edu. TORRYE JONES FEATURES EDITOR, 962 4214 FEATURES@UNC.EDU JIM WALSH ARTS S ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR, 962-4214 ARTSDESK@UNC.EDU SCOn SPILLMAN CO-COPY EDITOR, 962-4103 CATHERINE WILLIAMS CO-COPY EDITOR, 962-4103 WHITNEY SHEFTE PHOTO EDITOR, 962-0750 JEN ALLIET CO-DESIGN EDITOR, 962-0750 DANIEL BEDEN CO-DESIGN EDITOR, 962-0750 FEILDING CAGE GRAPHICS AND MULTIMEDIA EDITOR, 962-0246 CHRIS JOHNSON ONLINE EDITOR, 962-0750 ONLINE@UNC.EDU KELLY OCHS WRITER'S COACH, 962-0372 EMILY STEEL WRITER'S COACH, 962-0372 ELLIOTT DUBE PUBLIC EDITOR, 260-9084 DUBEE@EMAIt.UNC.EDU 7
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