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12 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2005 HAPPY 212TH, UNC Students, faculty and staff should make arrangements to attend today s University Day festivities, which start at 11 a.m. in Memorial Hall. On this day 212 years ago, some of North Carolina’s most prominent public leaders gathered on mud-soaked ground to lay the cornerstone for a building most everyone reading this editorial knows quite well. The building, of course, was —and is Old East, the oldest public university structure in the United States. Two years later, UNC opened its doors to students, and North Carolina’s first great public experiment was well on its way toward becoming the venerable institution it is today. To honor that history, students, faculty and staff should do everything they can to make it out to today’s University Day festivities. They’re the reason classes are canceled between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., and while those extra hours of sleep might be tempting, it’s not too hard to roll out of bed during the middle of the morning to give a little shout-out to the place that’s providing your education. This is a storied place. Some of the Tar Heel state’s most vaunted public servants visionaries such as University founder William Davie and UNC-system WE CAN DO BETTER The trio of options for this year’s senior class gift lacks the creative touch other graduating classes have demonstrated in past years. The senior class officers unveiled Monday the top three choices for the gift that the class of 2006 will bestow upon the University. Unfortunately, the announcement —one of the most important that Senior Class President Bobby Whisnant and Vice President Jenny Peddycord will make during their tenure was disappointing. The three options show a lack of creativity and originality. The first idea, a welcome sign in McCorkle Place, tvould ruin the tranquil feel of the area. It also seems superfluous, as the stone wall that for years and years has symbolically defined campus boundaries makes it pretty obvious you’re on UNC’s turf. A gift like the Unsung Founders Memorial, recently put on McCorkle Place, is a good example of how to thoughtfully pay homage to the University while leaving a mark on its outer boundaries. It helps celebrate an important —and overlooked part of UNC’s past. This year’s suggestion for the upper quad doesn’t do that, and as such, it comes off as tacky. The second choice an endowment to help train advisers is good in theory. But we’re skeptical about its ability to actually help the thousands of students PEER AT THE FUTURE The UNC systems work on changing the list of UNC-Chapel Hills peer institutions includes some good ideas and many well-placed priorities. It’s not quite the most glamorous issue to appear in the news in the last few weeks. But the UNC system’s push to create lists of peer universities for all its campuses will have a serious impact on life here in Chapel Hill. The folks in charge use those lists to help them determine appropriate rates for tuition and faculty salaries, among other key numbers that help shape the University’s future. It’s good, then, that the people remaking the list for UNC seem to have their priorities straight. For example, the core of the list flagship public universities such as the University of Virginia, the University of California-Berkeley and the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor remains intact. As it should; UNC looks at that list of public schools when it thinks about tuition policy, and it makes sense that we compare apples to apples in setting costs for the more than 24,000 students here. The proposed changes, which include removing Southern private schools such as Emory, Vanderbilt and Duke in favor of a more national list, including New York University and the University of Southern California, also ring true. If UNC is truly to become a 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. Guerriero was needlessly disrespected by protester TO THE EDITOR: After attending the Patrick Guerriero lecture Monday, I was deeply frustrated by the lack of respect given to the speaker. While I do not think we should all agree with Mr. Guerriero on his political views, I do believe his lecture adds to a healthier marketplace of ideas —one I know the local LGBT community wants to promote. Throwing pies and pulling fire alarms to disrupt an event do not constitute mature ways of protesting a speaker. Asa gay UNC student, I was hoping to be exposed to new per spectives on sexuality and politics in America. However, were it not for the resolve of Mr. Guerriero, shared by the rest of the audience, a few bad apples could have ruined such an event. Too often individuals on both sides of the political spectrum demand respect to have their own views heard. Why then do some choose to be hypocritical, stifling opportunity for others to promote their views? UNC students can do a better job to provide a more grown-up wel come to future guests. Thomas Cluderay Editor Blue Cf White founder Bill Friday passed through this place and spent their entire lives making sure the students here today have a place to come for an inexpensive, quality education. They built a University that crackles with the audacity of youth, that sings with knowledge, that made the school color sky blue so everyone else could understand its limitless boundaries. As former UNC President Frank Porter Graham said, “There is music in the air of the place.” There are problems at the University. Some of our neighbors say we don’t care about their concerns; some of our supporters want us to turn a blind eye to the rest of the state’s universities; some of our students feel the pinch of rising costs. These are all legitimate concerns. Like any good university, we must find a way to solve them. That still doesn’t diminish the weight of the last two plus centuries, however. They are worth honoring, and taking two hours every year to do so won’t kill anyone. The actual festivities start at 11 a.m. in Memorial Hall. Be there to hail to the brightest star of all Carolina. who often feel frustrated by the system. Advising at UNC needs an overhaul; simply throwing money at the problem is akin to treating the symptom, not the disease. The third and final option —a mural some where on campus strikes us as unoriginal and vague. The campus already has plenty of murals, statues and gardens; while the right project in the right artist’s hands could be a great boon, it’s just as likely that such a project could fall flat on its face. This isn’t, by the way, just a matter of criticizing for criticism’s sake. It’s indicative of a larger problem: Most students just don’t seem to care. So they didn’t give Peddycord and Whisnant good ideas. So we’re stuck with a few lame ones. In the future, let’s go for something bold. A middle finger by Morehead Planetarium pointed toward Duke, for example. Or a relocation of the Arc de TViomphe to the Carolina Inn. Well, maybe not. But some of you out there have good ideas. E-mail them to Whisnant at whisnabl@email.unc.edu, and hopefully, we can pass them down to future leaders. leading national institution, its list of peers needs to have a similar focus. The old list, dominated as it is by private Southern universities, is too vulnerable to any educational quirks that the region boasts. Finally, Provost Robert Shelton has an intriguing idea: The formation of a list of “aspirational peers,” which would include elite schools such as Princeton, Yale and Stanford universities. It’s not a bad idea. Obviously, UNC never will be Stanford nor should it. But giving the University such a high benchmark means we’ll never shoot low when we ought to be shooting high; it gives the little Southern school that could the motivation not to rest on its laurels. Of course, none of these changes will come to anything if they don’t gel with what’s best for UNC: Keeping tuition low and faculty salaries high. It’d be easy for the UNC-system Board of Governors or individual campus trustees to justify cost hikes by saying “our peers do this”; in fact, that’s something trustees here in Chapel Hill have made into an art. But it seems that if we’re to revise our list of peer schools, we ought to have our priorities straight. And that, at least, we’re doing well. Campus community should embrace dialogue, not pies TO THE EDITOR: On Monday evening, I attend ed a speech by the president of Log Cabin Republicans, Patrick Guerriero. I had high expectations going into the event. While Guerriero’s sincere words fulfilled these expecta tions, the actions of my peers did not. I was dismayed to see fellow supporters of gay/lesbian/bisexu al/transgender rights attempt to thwart his speech. An attendee threw a pie at Guerriero and ran for the door; moments later, a fire alarm was pulled forcing us to take the speech onto the front steps of Carroll Hall. These actions were immature but more importantly show how far some GLBT individuals are from accepting political diversity within their own community. Incidents like these leave me questioning how the GLBT com munity will ever get policy chang es made in America. Guerriero is using a bipartisan approach to politics and reaching across party lines. Maybe the GLBT community should do the same. Fabienne Santacroce Junior Political Science Opinion UNC should try not to hold major events over breaks TO THE EDITOR: I have a bone to pick with the University’s administration. Both this year and last year, big campus events have been scheduled during Fall Break. Last year they sched uled Fall Break during Late Night with Roy, and this year Fall Break falls on tiie weekend of the Virginia football game. The NCAA rarely surprises schools with when the first day of basketball practice will be. I’d also like to remind the administration that they raised the athletic fee by SIOO last year and thank them for the way they show their appreciation. Honestly, you’d think that with all the money we pay them, the administration could at least con sider the students wants when planning a schedule. What’s next? Will we have the Duke game dur ing Spring Break next year? Nathan Barber Junior Business Students will be happy with an uncommon performance TO THE EDITOR: Asa result of some hardworking students and staff, Common is per FROM THE DAY’S NEWS “Twenty years ago, she was a Roman Catholic and she was a Democrat She’s now an evangelical Christian and a Republica TIM RUSSERT, NEWSMAIt CONCERNING PRESIDENT BUSH'S CIAIM THAT HARRIET MIERS' VIEWS ARE UNLIKELY TO CHANGE EDITORIAL CARTOON By Evann Strathern, evann@email.urj COMMENTARY In this kooky college towr student votes are necessai Call me a sucker for silly sentimentalism, but I really wish UNC had kept playing those commercials during football games the ones that profess Charles Kuralt’s admiration for the University. I’m sure you know it: “What is it that binds us to this place as to no other? It is not the well or the bell or the stone walls. Or the crisp October nights or the memory of dogwoods blooming. ... Our love for this place is based on the fact that it is, as it was meant to be, the University of the people.” When I move away from here, I will certainly leave a piece of my heart with the University of North Carolina and its mission. I’d like to see UNC continue to offer students from across the state the opportunity to get a quality education, regardless of their background. I’d like for the University to sustain an educational environ ment that’s on the cutting edge of scientific and technological innovation. And the last thing I want is for some holier-than-thou mal contents to stifle the University’s success. Although I trust that University administrators will probably find a way to get along with anyone who’s elected to the Town Council, I would rather see a council that is receptive to the University’s needs in serving North Carolina. Carolina North, the University’s proposed research satellite campus, is getting resi dents up in arms and ready to fight against the growth and traffic that will come along with it. They don’t want University expansion, and they’re making their stand. That’s why I beseech students to get off their asses, register and vote. Friday is the last day for forming at UNC. I think it is great I find this an excellent opportunity for the brother to share his art and kick some knowledge. But, if last week’s editorial on Common is any indica tion,’it is clear that lam going to have to share some before Oct. 30. First, I would like to remind people that Common, formerly Common Sense, is not an “up and coming rapper.” Rather, he has been working on and perfect ing his craft for years. In fact, his first album dropped back in 1992. Anyone familiar with his body of work knows that Common is a seasoned hip-hop artist. Therefore, if we are to use the editor’s flawed framework of the “rising” artist, I can only respond that Common rose years ago, and a Carolina performance and large mainstream audiences had little to do with it. Referring to him as anything less than a veteran is to diminish him and his art. If you invite some one to your home, you treat them with respect. Lastly, when the editorial writer says “we’re getting him for a fine price,” he or she begs an impor tant question. So, I ask. When did Carolina start buying brothas again? Donelle Boose Senior African American Studies HR JEFF KIM NO LONGER A VILLAGE students to register to vote or to change the location of their regis tration to Orange County. Students should make their presence felt in local politics because they have a stake in the continued growth and prestige of their university. If they fulfill their civic duty, they could determine how the town and the University will get along for the next several years. It’s really easy hell, I’ll even tell you who to vote for if you want. I’ll say right off the bat that Mark Kleinschmidt, Ed Harrison and Laurin Easthom look like the most responsible candidates thus far. All three of them have said that they would work cooperatively with the University and have dem onstrated the poise to do it (More on that in a future column). If you would rather take a look for yourself, I’d compel you to search for candidates’ profiles on The Daily Tar Heel’s Web site. A list of all of the candidates for local races also can be found on the Orange County Board of Elections’ Web site. Getting a grip on what local leaders are thinking is also pretty simple. Many of the players in local politics post on OrangePolitics.org, a local Web site dedicated to local affairs. Regulars include many of the candidates for local races; Gerry Cohen, a former council member and the director of bill drafting for the N.C. General Assembly; and Chris Coletta, the DTH opinion editor. Spaak Out We welcome letters to the editor and aim to publish as many as possit writing, please follow these simple guidelines: Keep letters under 300 wor them. Date them. Sign them; make sure they're signed by no more thar people. If you're a student include your year, major and phone number. I and staff: Give us your department and phone number. The DTH edits for clarity, accuracy and vulgarity. Bring letters to our office at Suite 2409 i Student Union, e-mail them to editdesk@unc.edu, or send them to P.O. Be Chapel Hill, N.C., 27515. All letters also will appear in our blogs secti Hatty ®ar Meri Established 1893 112 years of editorialfreedom RYAN C. TUCK EDITOR, 962-4086 RCTUCKeEMAII.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.SCHWART2OUNC.EDU REBECCA WILHELM DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR, 962-0750 BECCAO7OEMAIL.UNC.EDU CHRIS COLETTA OPINION EDITOR, 962-0750 EDITDESKOUNC.EDU BRIAN HUDSON UNIVERSITY EDITOR, 962-0372 UDESKOUNC.EDU TED STRONG CITY EDITOR, 962-4209 CITYDESKOUNC.EDU KAVITA PILLAI STATE 8 NATIONAL EDITOR, 962-4103 STNTDESKOUNC.EDU DANIEL MALLOY SPORTS EDITOR, 962-4710 sportsounc.edu Sty Satty ear: Once you’ve armed yours with that knowledge, the ne step is to register —and the vote. As I said earlier, Friday the deadline to send in yoi voter registration form, wl is available at http://www. state.nc.us/pdf/formo6.pd If that’s too much effort, can also Google “North Car Voter Registration Forms” t directly to the form. Forms are also available i Davis Library lobby. They si be mailed to: Orange Count Board of Elections, RO. Box Hillsborough, N.C., 27278. And don’t think that you shouldn’t register or vote be you’ll move away soon. If I get my way, I’ll be as 1 from this kooky town as Ice year from now. But one yeai now, the University will still here, and there will be studi here who share student inte and student values. At the very least, we alwa will have the value of our U degrees in common. And if we want the pres of the University to be refl through our diplomas, we should do what we can to ] serve its future. That means protecting tl future of Carolina North, ai means ensuring that UNC 1 flexibility to fulfill its goals. So register by Friday. Vc early at Morehead Planeta this month; if you don’t, vi Nov. 8. Send the people in charge of Chapel Hill the < sort of message they sent 1 during the last election, w a group of candidates host the University got droppei Town Hall. It’s really not too much t Contact Jt a senior economics atjongdae@email.u wwwJaitfiafkesLc TORRYE JONES FEATURES EDITOR, 962-4214 FEATURESOUNC.EDU JIM WALSH ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR, 962 ARTSDESKOUNC.EDU SCOTT SPILLMAN CO-COPY EDITOR, 962-4103 CATHERINE WILLIAM! 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 FEUDING CAGE GRAPHICS AND MULTIMEDIA EDITOR. S CHRIS JOHNSON ONLINE EDITOR, 962-0750 ONLINEOUNC.EDU KELLY OCHS WRITERS’ COACH, 962-0372 EMILY STEEL WRITERS' COACH, 962-0372 ELLIOTT DUBE PUBLIC EDITOR, 260 9084 DUBEEOEMAIL.UNC.EDU
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Oct. 12, 2005, edition 1
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