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8 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2008 E® SAM PERKINS THAT'S WHAT HE SAID Sam Perkins is an environmental studies and journalism double major. E-MAIL SSPERKINOEMAIL.UNC.EDU You say you want a (digital) revolution In one of his stand-up acts, Chris Rock advocates not gun control but rather bullet control. “’Cause if a bullet costs $5,000, the red be no more inno cent bystanders." Today we are in a situation where printers are shooting off ream after ream of their cheap ammunition paper. As technologs- developed during the past few decades in the ‘digital res olution," the need for paper was supposed to diminish. A single hard drive can be used to store ream after reams worth of paper. E-mails can take the place of snail mail and permit quicker communication with better record keeping. The “find" function can pick out spe- UNIVERSITY COLUMNIST cific w ords and phrases instantly. The transition to at least a near ly paperless world never fully hap pened. It got about halfway there, then stalled. Yes, technology can go awry, and it’s a lot more likely to happen than a fire destroying an archive of paper documents. Plus, the consequences of tearing up paper are a lot less expensive than those of putting your fist through a computer screen. Still, the Carolina Computing Initiative was supposed to make us a frontrunner, riding the digi tal revolution wave. But like the revolution, the CCI has stalled in its mission, leaving too many good opportunities not utilized. UNC has been successful in many aspects. It has used comput ers and the Internet to reach more people, bring them together and add a world of convenience in the process. But gaps still exist Blackboard software provides a great interface for submitting and retrieving documents from readings and homework to syl labi and schedules. Yet despite online availability, professors often print a copy of the course syllabus and schedule for even- student Information like syllabi need only made available online, and stu dents can choose to print Nor do many professors use other features, such as digital paper submissions in the online dropbox. It’s nice not to have to go to the printing lab, worry about lines and worry about some girl who just starting print ing off “War and Peace.” Most semesters. I’ve had one professor opt for digital submis sions, and it’s a great system. Some mark up the papers with “track changes” while others make comments at various points in all caps. The best professors are those who teach off materials posted on Blackboard no paying for text books! Plus, the variety of articles is a nice change a pace. Its all espe cially interesting in concert with Blackboard s discussion threads. While software has been used too little, printing has been used too much. The printing quota implemented in fall 2006 was desperately needed for budget ary reasons, among all the others. Printing had been out of control in the labs, and those recycle bins were filling up quickly. The origi nal printing quota was 500 pages an accurate reflection of cost at 5 cents a page (the total per-page cost of paper, ink, printer and maintenance) given the $25 print ing fee students pay. However, even that has taken a step back. About 20 percent of students had less than $5 on their print ing account by the end of the first semester the printing quota was in place. So the quota jumped to 800 pages, and today people are still taking it to the brink. A 500-page coverage was more than reasonable (not to mention, an accurate reflection of student contribution). People will go to the edge of a limit with any quota. It’s like a plate full of food bigger portions mean you’ll eat more than you would have otherwise needed to be satisfied. No one said that letting go of paper would be easy. Paper is like crack. It’s white, cheap, harmful and on the street, and people often use it without giving it a smidgen of thought But it wouldn't hurt to start weening at some point EDITORIAL CARTOON By Alex Lee, lobinOemail .unc.edu Vote for what will help you Necessity is the mother of student fees; vote accordingly Students logging on to Student Central on Tuesday to cast their vote for student body presi dent will also get the chance to vote on two referendums, both of which will increase student fees if passed. If the referendums pass, the safety' and security fee would increase by 50 cents per year whereas the APPLES service learning fee would increase by 30 cents a year. No matter how large or small the increase, the principle of the matter remains: Students should not have to shell out extra money for programs that they do not benefit from. That is why we support the proposed increase of the safety' and security fee and oppose the proposed increase of the APPLES fee. The increase in the safety and security' fee will provide addi tional funding for the Victim's Change is good Congress deserves praise for proactively tackling Code If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The logical implication of that adage is if something is broken, it should be fixed. The Student Code isn’t what we’d call completely broken, but some revisions would cer tainly make it more efficient and easier to follow. The rules and judiciary com mittee of Student Congress hosted a forum Tuesday to gather student input about potential revisions to the Code, particularly Title VI, which governs elections. We’re glad to see Congress being proactive about making changes to the Code, and we hope the changes discussed at the forum are implemented as soon as possible. Candidate violations of elec tions rules, particularly last year, and disagreements between dif ferent branches of student gov ernment over interpretations of the Code lead us to believe that certain areas are not as clear as they could be. Earlier this year, a fee increase resolution never made it to the Homecoming ballot as a refer Too much of a good thing? N.C. shouldn’t use good debt rating for deficit spending The good news: North Carolina’s state govern ment has found out it can support a larger sustainable debt than it thought The bad news: The N.C. state government has discovered it can support a larg er debt than it thought And no, that wasn’t a misprint So we beg for Gov. Mike Easley to take a little advice from the old adage: Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. For all those non-econ majors out there, having a sustainable debt means that you can spend above your revenue level with out risking bankruptcy or late payment of loans. For example, when you and your roommate don’t pay your power bill because you spent it all on beer and Gumby’s, your Opinion Assistance Program, which provides increased awareness and resources available to stu dent victims of sexual assault, including rape kits. Although not every student has been or will become a vic tim of sexual assault, no one is immune to the possibility, and the availability of rape kits should not be compromised as a result of insufficient funding. It would be helpful to sexual assault victims if they didn’t have to buy their own rape kits after experiencing such a nightmarish situation, which the victim did not enter into by choice. The decision to participate in the APPLES program, on the other hand, is completely voluntary. While we are all for serving the needs of N.C. communities and cultivating civically mind ed individuals, students are already paying enough money in escalating tuition and fees endum because it contained a preamble and the Code said only constitutional amendments can contain a preamble. There was also confusion when Student Body President Eve Carson missed the dead line to call a special election. Fortunately Congress real ized there was a problem and has already fixed both of these issues by revising the Code. We’d still like to see a few other changes to election laws, however. The section on petitions is ambiguous as to whom is per mitted extra time to acquire the requisite number of signatures if a candidate fails to do it by the deadline. It simply says, “Candidates whose petitions are not in order" can have extra time to get more signatures. This privilege should only be allowed if a candidate is origi nally over the required number of signatures before duplicates are eliminated. Candidates who don’t meet the number to begin with should not get extra time. Also, we’d like to see the apartment gets cold. The state, on the other hand, can over spend without having the heat go out. The idea behind this is in event of a severe income drought, the government doesn't cease to function While it can spend more than it takes in, it works only to a point. That point marks what is called sustainable debt This is the maximum that the government can borrow from itself and afford to repay. This spare cash is taken from programs that have been allo cated funds but have yet to use them, with legislators promis ing to replace the money before its needed. The annual Debt Affordability Study found that the Tar Heel state can run $479.4 million in without having to supplement a program that they likely won’t ever use. A better alternative would be to require students who choose to take an APPLES course or to go on one of the program’s alter native Spring Break trips to bear more of the cost for the resources required by the program. And if APPLES still wants student-fee money to help pay for its programs, it can apply to Student Congress for funds, just like other student groups. Many students’ first instincts are to run in the other direction when they hear the words “fee increases." But in this case students must discern between a necessary' fee that will benefit the campus as a whole and a superfluous fee that will benefit only a segment of the student population. Vote for the safety and secu rity fee increase and against the APPLES fee increase. campaigning rules simplified. Petitions are due 21 days before the election date, and after that candidates should be able to campaign to whomever they want, whenever they want. As it stands, public campaign ing using campaign materials meaning signs, platforms and the like cannot begin until 14 days before the election. Private campaigning one on-one interactions begins 28 days before the election, and public campaigning with out campaign materials begins 21 days before. In past years this convoluted process has led to violations and fines on the candidates. The process is just unnecessar ily complicated. After candidates turn their petitions in, there should be no gradual implemen tation of campaigning The nice thing about having a flexible, changeable docu ment like the Code is that when problems arise, adjustments can be made. Luckily that means the Code’s reference to Chase Hall can be removed, too. the red every year for the next 10 years. That’s almost SIOO million more than the debt ceil ing predicted last year. While this number is impres sive, it isn’t justification for the state to seek ambitious spend ing policies. Fiscal responsibility, while it might be passe on the federal level, is still something N.C. residents must expect of their state government. Easley needs to look at this number as something of an umbrella It’s good to know you have it and great to use when it’s storming, but you look like an idiot using it when the sun is out So, Easley and company, please don’t use the umbrella while it’s still sunny outside. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “We grew up with Ninja Turtles. ... They can imitate it , but we're the ones who lived it .” DEVIN ROUTH, JUNIOR, ON WXYC 1990s DANCE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR To read the full-length versions VISIT http://daflytarheelpublk.wordpress.com Post your own response to a letter, edtorial or story online. VISIT www.dailytarheel.com/feedback Jesse Baumgartner and David Ely work for Satan TO THE EDITOR: We were quite surprised to read that The Daily Tar Heel sports writers predicted a Duke victory Wednesday night, but we were shell shocked that they' would be so sophomoric and ill-informed as to give the coaching edge to Coach K over Roy Williams. We know that Roy Williams will not spend one blessed min ute worrying about two naive Daily Tar Heel sports WTiters; however, we feel obliged to set the record straight. Coach Williams has a higher winning percentage than Coach K and has won the most recent national championship of the two schools. Not only that but Coach Williams has beaten Coach K four out of the last five meetings. Furthermore, Coach Williams has proven his recruiting supe riority Tyler Hansbrough worked out a little better than Josh Mcßoberts. Finally, the lack of University allegiance and respect for our basketball team is as dishearten ing as it is embarrassing. If the DTH sports writers are not going to show any loyalty to their University, maybe they can show a little loyalty- to the facts. Brian Moran Sophomore Communication Tyson Lusk Junior Political Science The DTH shouldn't predict a win by the Blue Devils TO THE EDITOR: Frankly, I find it very disheart ening when I pickup Wednesday’s issue of the DTH, excited to read the lowdown on the Carolina- Dook game that night. Much to my dismay, what do I find? I find a full-color insert with Coach Ks ugly mug and a half page article praising his offen sive ability this year (“Spreading the floor," Feb. 6). Then, in the sport’s bottom line (“The low down on tonight s game," Feb. 6), 1 And that not only do they place Coach K as a better coach than Roy, but they pick Dook as the final victor in the matchup. Honestly, I don’t care if Dook is supposed to beat us by a hun dred-point spread, the school newspaper is never supposed to print that our biggest rival will win, ever. It’s a slap in the face and just makes our school look pathetic because even our own paper doesn’t support us. We all know in the Carolina- Dook game that anything is pos sible and that nothing ever goes the way it is supposed to. Unless we want to change the school newspaper s name to ‘The Daily Blue Devil,’ I suggest that in the future you show some support for your institution and your team. This isn’t Sports Illustrated or ESPN (the announcers of which picked UNC to win), so I don’t think it’s too much to ask to believe that we will win and empower the rest of the Tkr Heel faithful instead of tearing us all down with a dismal prediction for an epic game. Lance Blevins Class 0f2007 SPEAK OUT WRITING GUIDELINES: ► Pleas* type: Handwritten totters will not be accepted. ► Sign and date: No more than two people should sign totters. ► Students: Indude your year, major and phone number. ► Faculty/staff: Include your department and phone number. ► Edit: The DTH edits for space, clarity, accuracy and vulgarity. Limit totters to 250 words. SUBMISSION: ► Drop-off: at our office at Suite 2409 in the Student Union. ► E-mail: to edhdesk6unc.edu ► Send: to P.O. Box 3257, Chapel KIM, N.C.. 27515. EDITOR'S NOTE: Cofamns, cartoons and letters do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Daily Tar Heel or its stafl Editorials are the opinions solely of The Daily Tar Heel edrto rial board. The board consists of eight board members, the associate opinion editot the opinion editor and the editor The 2007-08 editor decided not to vote on the board. Stir Daily (Tor Hrrl Kvetching board kvetch: v.l (Yiddish) to complain Does your Ph.D. really mean anything if you can't figure out how to use a fax machine and a copier? Too bad your faculty salary can't buy you any com mon sense. Coach Davis gets a contract extension to 52.1 million per year after a 3-8 season, fine. The following year, N.C. State out recniits UNC... Seriously? You know what would be great? If we had a “no-smok ing* policy that was actually ENFORCED! OK writers guild, we understand you have your needs. But please, you have Colbert, Stewart and Conan in a war over who cre ated Mike Huckabee. This is a serious matter stop the vio lence. start the writing! Why is it that in the Union, the so-called center of campus, it is IMPOSSIBLE to ever find a wireless connection? I have an Internet addiction that needs to be fed! Dook Vitale coming back to announce basketball games deserves hardly a paragraph, let alone a spot on the front page. Not awesome, baby! Congratulations, DTH sports writers. In your quest to look unbiased and forget that your primary audience is the stu dents. your prediction for the basketball game came true. You still look like a bunch of tools. I know it is hard to estimate 100 feet but if you are leaning against a building and smoking, my bet is that you are too dose. Billy Packer said Duke players “were long in some places but lacked girth inside.* I say we just take his word for it. No, the gallery is not a gym. There is no reason for you to be doing sit-ups, pelvic lifts and bicycle pedaling in the air on the bench across from me. Rain = umbrellas acceptable. Barely perceptible drizzle = you’re just hitting people in the head for no reason. Congrats, David Ely, you're l-for-2 with your predktions. Too bad you sunk to anew level of jour nalism and turned your bade on this University. Logan Liles missed a perfect opportunity with his SBP logo of the stick figure to depict the male reproductive system. All he would have to do is make the T in 'president’ a little bigger, and BAM, it's got a penis. Hey, It worked for Eve Carson! Send your one-to-two sentence entries to edit deskOunc.edu, subject line 'kvetch.' £hr laily (Tar Bppl Established 1893, 114 years of editorialfreedom ERIN ZUREICK EDITOR, 962-4086 2UREICKOEMAILUNC.EDU OFFICE HOURS: MON, WED., FRI. 1-2 P.M. ADAM STORCK OPINION EDITOR 962-07 SO APSTORCKOWiC.EDU JONATHAN TUGMAN ASSOCIATE OPINION EDITOR 962-0750 TUOMANOLPiC.EDU ANDREW JONES PUBLIC EDITOR JONESAWOEMAR.UNC.EDU EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS JESSICA SCISM SARAH WHITWORTH KATHRYN ARDIZZONE SARAH LETRENT DUNCAN CARLTON ELYSE MCCOY GRAHAM ROWE DAVID GIANCASPRO
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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