8
MONDAY, MARCH 26, 2007
JU
JAMES EDWARD DILLARD
LIKE BRINGING A KNIFE TO A GUNFIGHT
James Edward Dillard is a junior
economics major from Pittsburgh.
E-MAIL: JDILLARD@EMAILUNC.EDU
Put down
the beer,
and do
something
The: National Center on
Addiction and Substance
Abuse recently published
a report on substance abuse at
U.S. colleges and universities. The
report found that nearly half of all
full-time college students binge
drink and/or abuse drugs. Here at
UNC, nobody was surprised.
Or at least they shouldn’t have
been. Despite the majority of
undergraduate students being
underage and without fake ids,
alcohol abuse is common at UNC
—and it’s not just in Fraternity
Court. Greeks and independents
alike abuse substances, with alco
hol being the most popular. The
number of alcohol citations more
than doubled
from fall 2005
to fall 2006.
UNIVERSITY
COLUMNIST
And rare is the student who
doesn’t know people who drank
until they puked this weekend.
It’s that common.
When interviewed by The Daily
Tar Heel, UNC employees said all
the right things that substance
abuse was a problem that needs to
be addressed and that the admin
istration is “in the process of defin
ing how they will get involved.”
But while their words pay lip
service to the importance of the
issue, their actions tell a different
story. It’s a well-known fact that
the party culture that exists at
UNC encourages alcohol abuse. It’s
been this way since I was a fresh
man and will be after I graduate,
because the University hasn’t done
anything to solve the problem.
Though it might not be popu
lar, officials could crack down on
underage drinking. They could
hire resident advisers willing to
enforce the rules, pay them enough
to do it and fire the ones who don’t.
They could stiffen punishments
for underage drinking. They could
lobby the town to break up parties
not just for noise violations but for
serving alcohol. But they don’t.
If they are of the opinion that
the drinking age is too high and
that students who are old enough
to wield M-l6’s in the Middle East
are capable of handling a beer,
there are still things they could do.
They could make substance educa
tion mandatory, or allow students
to drink in public where they could
be supervised. But they don’t
Instead, they don’t do much at
all. While the University deter
mines how to get involved, stu
dents drink on campus unsuper
vised without fear of being caught
either because they know their
RA doesn’t care or because, even
if they are written up, there are no
immediate consequences the
first and second offenses result
only in probation. The unofficial
policy is “keep it out of sight.”
This lax attitude sends students
the message that the administra
tion doesn’t care about drinking,
and it enables an environment
where alcohol can be abused.
Counseling and Wellness Services
offers substance abuse programs
and information but is ineffective
because it relies on student initia
tive. This ignores the reason stu
dents get caught up in substance
abuse in the first place they ,
don’t see anything wrong with it.
The entrenched culture pro
motes substance abuse as an
acceptable reaction to stress.
A “work hard, play hard” men
tality pervades our campus. If offi
cials believe this is wrong, it’s up
to them to do something to stop
it. Instead they don’t do anything.
This could be attributed to a
second, but equally disturbing
statistic two-thirds of college
administrators believe that it is a
student’s responsibility to stop sub
stance abuse. Such a laissez-faire
attitude would make sense if sub
stance abuse was rare, but it’s not.
While its lips say the right words,
substance abuse occurs right
beneath the University’s nose.
But like a neglectful parent,
UNC refuses to face the facts. This
likely will continue to be the case
until a high-profile lawsuit hits a
major university and forces our
administration to take notice and
protect the almighty bottom line.
At least when it happens, they’ll
know the right things to say.
EDITORIAL CARTOON By Doug Marlette, Tribune Media Services
Running around Roe
Attempts to regulate abortion undermine federal law
When it comes to divisive
social issues, abortion
always takes the cake.
In more than three decades
since the U.S. Supreme Court
made abortion legal, the furious
debate on abortion continues to
tear the country apart.
But even though Roe v. Wade
remains the central issue, those
opposed to abortion also have
turned to other tactics they
believe would reduce the num
ber of abortions in the United
States. Some state lawmakers
even have gone so far as to
attempt to legislate around the
Supreme Court decision.
That’s the idea in South
Carolina, where the state House
of Representatives passed a bill
Thursday requiring women to
have an ultrasound, which shows
an image of the fetus while it is
still in the womb, before they
can have an abortion.
South Carolina’s lawmakers
contend this is a way to curb
Don’t stop the presses
Capping publications won’t make up for poor budgeting
In the presentation he
showed to Student Congress
Tuesday regarding the stu
dent publication portion of the
Cap Act, Speaker Luke Farley
placed the word “WASTE” in
185-point font the largest he
could fit across one slide.
We find that ironic. We agree
that fiscal constraint is important
and that many student-funded
campus publications print too
many copies of issues, but the
publication cap only will fix half
of the problem. Congress’s plan
will cut some costs, but it won’t
eliminate waste.
Under the cap, Congress
would fund only two issues per
semester of each student publi
cation, and it would match up to
half the cost of a third issue if the
publication can find other fund
ing. Two is the median-minus
one number of issues printed by
all student publications.
The Daily Tar Heel does not
take student fees and funds its
printing via ads.
Farley argued that if those
publications that print four times
a semester (roughly monthly),
published less frequently people
Pennies for pounds
Employee weight-loss incentives will save money, lives
Those of you entering the
workforce soon might
be surprised to find that
some businesses are offering
cash, gift cards and even cruis
es to employees who take steps
to get in shape.
But their motivation isn’t
purely to keep you healthy.
Businesses are adopting new
incentive programs to help
combat skyrocketing health
care costs. But no matter the
intent behind the measure, it
still is an applaudable action.
Today, an estimated 65 per
cent of American adults are
overweight or obese. Yet research
shows that about 70 percent of
chronic health conditions, like
obesity, are preventable.
Promoting healthy lifestyles
and eating habits is not only in
Opinion
abortions. But the Supreme
Court already has ruled that
abortion is legal, and it isn’t
the place of the South Carolina
legislature to try to circumvent
that ruling.
The concept behind the S.C.
law is to convince pregnant
women that the baby is a liv
ing person by creating an emo
tional bond and thereby making
the decision to abort that much
more difficult.
But we’re not convinced that
this tactic will change the minds
of many women, but instead
will serve only to cause more
emotional damage. The truth
is that the ultrasound law only
will deepen the abortion rift in
our society and make life harder
for women seeking abortions.
As the ideological war rages,
stuck in the middle are the
women trying to make an ago
nizing choice that a required
ultrasound will make harder.
Studies have shown that hav
will pick up more of the older
issues because anew issue makes
the old one obsolete. Blue and
White and the Carolina Review
fall into this category. But if a
magazine has sat in the floor of
a highly trafficked area such as
Davis Library or Hamilton Hall
for a month, it probably won’t
ever be picked up.
If that’s the case, then the
publication cap won’t cut down
on waste and will force just three
publications (Bounce Magazine
prints seven times ayear) to print
less often, assuming all can find
outside funding, so we probably
won’t be saving that much.
However, cutting down on the
number of copies each publica
tion can print would decrease
both waste and costs. Congress’s
argument against this proposal
is that it drives up the cost of
each copy, so it is inefficient.
While individual issues might
be more expensive, money is
saved overall. You don’t buy an
item you don’t need just because
it’s on sale. And you’re not going
to buy the 200 meal plan even if
it’s cheaper per meal if you don’t
even plan to make it to 105.
the interest of employees, but
it can help companies save big
dollars.
Rising health care costs
are a heavy burden to many
businesses, costing American
companies $56 billion in 2000
alone. In 2006,16 percent of
the overall gross domestic
product in the United States
was spent on health care, com
pared with 10 percent in other
industrialized countries.
Instead of requiring people by
law to alter their dietary habits,
businesses have found a way to
change the way people think
about health using good old
fashion competition and incen
tives. This is a great way to help
change the way Americans think
about eating and exercise.
Freedom One Financial
ing an abortion has potentially
harmful effects on the mental
health of the woman after the
abortion takes place. Although
the reality of these effects still
is debated in the medical com
munity, forcing a woman to
view an unwanted ultrasound
exaggerates any negative
impacts of abortion.
Clearly the well-being of
women isn’t the legislature’s
concern, however, as it also
voted against the addition of
a proposed amendment to the
bill that would exempt victims
of rape and incest from having
to view the ultrasound.
That this amendment was
shot down is evidence that the
house was more interested in
pushing an ideological line than
caring for its constituents.
The bill indirectly under
mines court precedent and
hurts women in the process.
The S.C. Senate should stop this
bill before it gets too far.
Congress also should weigh
relative costs for each publica
tion. A publication that prints
fewer issues but in full color and
glossy pages might still cost more
than one that prints more issues
but only in black and white.
Not every publication need
be funded equally, either. Those
with higher readerships should
receive more money to print
more copies. Using data on left
over issues would be a good way
to determine readership, but
Congress’s data is incomplete.
Congress only counted issues
in Hamilton Hall, Davis Library
and the Undergraduate Library.
While this provides a useful
snapshot, it is definitely not the
full picture. Also, the number of
leftover issues should be consid
ered as a proportion to the total
number printed. Having 200
leftover copies out of 2,000 is
better than 100 left out of2oo.
We agree that overspend
ing has been a problem, and
cutting down on wasted cop
ies would free up more of the
budget. But the publication
cap in its current form will fail
to achieve that goal.
Group, a Michigan provider of
401(k) plans, began its program
in 2005 by offering its employ
ees a free cruise if they could
meet certain weight-loss goals
in a three-month period.
The program was found to be
extremely successful, and 36 of
the company’s 70 employees lost
a total of 310 pounds. In addi
tion, the company health care
costs have decreased so much
that the CEO is considering
dropping the company’s cover
age in favor of a private fund.
We hope the healthy prac
tices that people learn through
programs such as the one
implemented by Freedom One
Financial Group will prove to
be lasting lifestyle changes that
help the U.S. develop a more
healthy society.
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
‘Were praying for a miracle. He has
so much life within him. If anyone
can make it , I know Jason Ray can.”
JAMES JOLLEY, SENIOR, FRIEND OF STUDENT RAMESES
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Due to space constraints, letters are sometimes cut. Read the full-length
versions or post Vour own response to a letter, editorial or story online.
VISIT www.dailytarheel.com/feedback
Second Life is a waste of
money for the University
TO THE EDITOR:
Regarding the March 23 edi
torial “Don’t forget your first
life,” we think the editorial board
needs some clarification on what
Second Life really is.
This game is much more sinis
ter and unsettling than having an
18-year-old female avatar being,
in real life, an ex-con.
In the few hours spent wan
dering around the Second Life
universe, we’ve seen furry sex
dungeons, giant phallic tow
ers, Soviet concentration camps
complete with Sand M prison
guards, and Tatooine. These are
some of the tamer encounters
you may experience.
This is not a learning environ
ment. For all intents and pur
poses, Second Life is the local
watering hole for everything that
is wrong with the Internet.
The University should be
spending the money they are
using for their server lease on
more practical investments
like a remapped, user-friendly
Web site that doesn’t look like it
was made in 1994.
Kevin Wohlgenant
Junior
Economics
Raphael Ruiz
Junior
Anthropology
Letter criticizing protest
as ineffective was wrong
TO THE EDITOR:
I am writing in response to
Wednesday’s letter, “Protest was
an ineffective way to make a dif
ference.” Some protests do lack
forethought and organization,
and all protests should only com
plement other forms of effecting
change (i.e. researching, lobby
ing, etc.) which students at UNC
are pursuing. Protest, though, is
an integral part of democracy,
and I’m confused that some of my
peers may not recognize this.
I am not lauding Tiesday’s par
ticular protest, but only bringing
attention to the necessary act of
people expressing their opinions.
I wonder what India would be like
without Ghandi’s civil disobedi
ence or Chapel Hill’s classrooms
without the March on Washington.
What about the 13 colonies with
out the Boston Tea Party or the
size of Arlington Cemetery with
out Vietnam protests?
In contrary to the letter, I
argue that young, impassioned,
and informed students peacefully
protesting are exactly what our
founding fathers envisioned when
writing the Bill of Rights. “What
have we become?” We are trying
to become engaged citizens taking
responsibility for ourselves.
If productivity is the problem,
please explain how finishing the
last 15 minutes of a forgettable
lecture is more critical to one’s
intellectual and personal growth
than forming one’s opinion, find
ing one’s voice, and gathering
with likeminded people to create
a stronger impact than alone.
I don’t understand how it
could make one “sad” to see
“so many people, all united for
a cause.” Yes, educate, inform,
write letters, develop policy, vote,
and bang your drums.
Ella Wise
Freshman
Environmental Studies
SPEAK OUT
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EDITOR'S NOTE: Columns, cartoons and letters do not necessarily reflect the opinions
of The Daily Tar Heel or its staff. Editorials are the opinions solely of The Daily Tar Heel
editorial board. The board consists of six board members, the associate opinion editor, the
opinion editor and the editor. The 2006-07 editor decided not to vote on the board.
®ljp Satli| ear Hrrl
DTH conflict-of-interest
policy was not applicable
TO THE EDITOR:
On Mar. 23, Joseph Schwartz,
editor-in-chief of The Daily Tar
Heel, explained his rationale for
firing me from my position as
senior writer.
I disagree with Schwartz’s claim
that I violated four points of the
newspaper’s Conflict of Interest
policy and acted unethically.
Point one forbids staff mem
bers from ongoing participa
tion in student government, not
potential future participation.
Point two forbids staff mem
bers from making the news,
but my resignation should be
considered implicit because of
point one.
Point three forbids staff
members from fraternizing with
their sources outside a source/
reporter relationship, but my
application doesn’t constitute
fraternizing with student gov
ernment members.
Point twelve requires staff
members to notify editors of
affiliations and involvements
outside the paper and to raise
questions about their propriety,
but my application didn’t consti
tute an “affiliation” or “involve
ment,” and Schwartz’s objections
to my handling of the matter
came as a surprise to me.
Schwartz implies that my
coverage of Student Congress
days before my first confirma
tion hearing was unethical, but
my relationship with Congress
should be viewed in its full scope
spanning two years —and not
in light of a single meeting.
Most importantly, the Conflict
of Interest Policy does not forbid
making a move from the DTH to
student government.
I kept the fact that I applied
to serve in student government
private for a simple reason I
did not want to unnecessarily
compromise my role within the
DTH as a government watchdog
journalist in case the student
government position was not
offered to me.
Schwartz did have a duty to
explain the move to readers,
but not in a way that unfairly
scapegoats a former writer for
a situation that few, outside the
newsroom, felt was embarrass
ing.
MacMollison
Student Body Secretary-select
Columnist is right to stress
complexity of immigration
TO THE EDITOR:
Thanks for the piece on
Celaya, the city in Mexico where
many of the immigrants in
Chapel Hill and Carrboro come
from. Linda Quiquivix is right
to stress the complexity of the
migration issue on both sides of
the border.
I look forward to seeing her
documentary in light of the
book “Going to Carolina del
Norte” that our center recently
published on the connection
between Celaya and us.
Niklaus Steiner
Director
Center for Global Initiatives
Sathj ®ar t\n\
Established 1893,
114 years
of editorialfreedom
JOSEPH R. SCHWARTZ
EDITOR, 962-4086
JOSEPH_SCHWARTZ@UNC.EDU
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JESSICA SCISM
OPINION EDITOR, 962-0750
SCISM@UNC.EDU
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ASSOCIATE OPINION EDITOR, 962-0750
APSTORCK@EMAIL.UNC.EDU
REUBEN BAKER
PUBLIC EDITOR
RCBAKER@EMAIL.UNC.EDU
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
JESSICA JOHNSON
MEGHAN MORRIS
MELL PERLING
MAGGIE RECHEL
JEFF SOPLOP
JONATHAN TUGMAN