Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Feb. 12, 2008, edition 1 / Page 9
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Shr Saily aar Hrd CHARLES DAHAN EYE CANDY Charles Dahan is a political science graduate student from California. E-MAIL: CDAHANOGMAIL COM I’d still rather have Roy on my sideline I sure hope The Daily Tar Heel’s sports editors figure out the concept of commu nity before graduation. Neither Duke’s creepy Gothic architecture nor UNC’s other worldly beauts- defines the community; the people do. By awarding the coaching edge to someone other than Roy Williams, by choosing Coach K. the DTH's sports editors demonstrated that they clearly don’t understand what to look for in a leader. I’m proud the DTH takes objec tivity seriously. Unrealistic expec tations undermine trust in the publication and could cause read ers to question the integrity of cov- erage outside the sports page. The DTH's sports COMMUNITY COLUMNIST editors knew something Vegas didn't. Predicting a final score should appeal to objective facts making qualitative judgments regarding the coach you desire on your sideline doesn’t UNC’s men's basketball coach is the face of the University, and valu ing a man like Coach K over Roy not only demonstrates a lack of basketball knowledge; it demon strates a lack of knowledge about the UNC community. I was the first in my family to not attend UNC for my under graduate years, and although the nearly free in-state education at UC-San Diego was nice, no sunny day or afternoon of surfing makes up for the pain of watching UNC win the title in 2005 while sitting in a dorm room 3300 miles away. I never believed in some unique Carolina “community." On Wednesday night, standing in the risers and watching Duke beat us, I realized I was wrong. Beat us. What an odd phrase. I'm not on the team; I don’t prac tice for all those hours each day. What is it about this place that makes me say that and not feel like some crazy fan, some obsessed nut job without a life? I’m supposed to write about the community, which I think means Chapel Hill, but this University is what ties as together. Without UNC, Chapel Hill would be little more than Sutton's and a stoplight. Both men are outstanding coaches, but only one coach came home. Only one coach under stands loyalty Only one coach, when his own fans stepped out of line and taunted N.C. State, got on the microphone and told us, “That’s not how we cheer here." If you want to understand community, look to your leaders. Leaders don’t just win although Roy does plenty of that, with 50 percent more wins come tourna ment time than Coach K since arriving at UNC. In a Duke game at the Dean Dome, down your star point guard and with your back against the wall, desiring a car petbagger who shows no remorse when his own players employ dirty tactics to pace your sideline is not just disloyal it's irrational. Coach K springs from the loins of Bobby Knight; Roy is the progeny of Dean. Communities are based upon trust If you make an agreement with your neighbor, it's based upon the trust that he'll uphold his end of the bargain and not get the heck out of Dodge before fulfilling his obligations. If you want a community leader, you don’t pick a vagabond, a leech sucking the last dime out of the highest bidders, be them American Express or New Jersey- dads put ting Junior's tuition on their AMEX Platinum cards. You don't want a man who flirts with NBA teams or plays out salary negotiations in public to wring the last dollar from your community’s educational institution. You don’t want your chancellor to beg at the altar of its basketball coach, and you don’t want a chancellor will ing to hand over the keys to the University in return for a few extra wins. You want a leader who won’t tarnish the reputation of your community by allowing your chan cellor to pull such a stunt Thanks for coming home, Roy. I’m sure glad I did. EDITORIAL CARTOON By Don Wright Palm Beach Post Make it Raynor Vote for Raynors vision and preparedness for SBP In an election year with multiple strong candidates, The Daily Tar Heel editorial board is endorsing J.J. Raynor for student body president. Our endorsement is based on a thorough examination of each platform and an hour-long interview with each candidate. We evaluate the feasibility of platform points and how capable the candidate is to accomplish them. Raynor is the most prepared candidate and the best suited to accomplish her goals in office. Her combination of vision and' practicality makes her the best candidate for this job. Why vote for Raynor Raynor’s platform is, to say the least, comprehensive. Her 50 pages, spanning 20 areas of focus and incorporating the input of more than 60 people, outline many good ideas that would help to improve the qual ity of life on campus. She covers all the important issues, such as sustainability and tuition, and her sections on arts advocacy and women’s affairs are particularly impressive. But, most importantly, Raynor’s platform is well researched. She knows what is in her power and what isn’t, what she can and can’t accomplish. She’s also talked to the right peo ple about her ideas, the people who will ultimately have to give the OK on her projects. But it is more than Raynor’s good ideas that make her the best candidate, although she does have plenty of those. Raynor has existing contacts in the administration and knows who to go to when she needs something done. She also has the resourcefulness to figure out how to handle things that might pop up during her presidency. Because of her superior pub lic speaking skills and ability to put together a passionate, rea soned argument Raynor will be Best of both worlds Your senior class officer vote depends on what you want For senior class officers. The Daily Tar Heel editorial board is split between the James Shelly/Pinar Gurel ticket and the Josh Criscoe/Megan Compton pair. Shelly and Gurel’s main strength is their sociability. As much as people hate to admit it, senior class officers are pri marily social chairs that have to organize service projects. The pair is also very commit ted to making sure that seniors know what is going on next year by saturating the class of 2009 with communication. We are especially interested in their idea of a Facebook appli cation that would link to the schedule of senior class events. Shelly and Gurel also have some excellent, if ambitious, ideas for social events. Their plans to organize on-campus alcohol-free events are certainly good. We are especially excited about the prospect of some kind of murder mystery night, though we still have lingering questions about its feasibility. That is where Shelly and Gurel really fall short. The pair doesn’t Opinion the strongest candidate when it comes to pushing the Board of TYustees to consider reasonable tuition increases. We also like Raynor’s collab orative approach to leadership. She knows the importance of delegation because she can’t do everything herself, but we don’t think that will lead her to neglect certain aspects of her job. With Raynors diligence and administrative experience, we are confident that she will be able to get things done. Raynor's not perfect Raynor’s platform has good ideas, but it takes too long to find them in the large body of text. Even if you made it through the whole thing (and congratu lations if you did),you might not have come away with much. Her language is flowery, her formatting is weak and you wouldn’t know in print that she knows as much about the issues as she does. Her platform barely even approaches the “how" of any of her ideas, but in person. Raynor more than makes up for her brick of a platform. She understands the issues, and has made significant head way regarding how she will com plete her planks. We were also disappointed that she failed to include the UNC-system Association of Student Governments in her platform, an organization in which the studfent body presi dent, as the representative of the system’s flagship campus, will have a central role. Why not Hill Kristin Hill is a very person able candidate, and her alliance building skills already can be seen full-force in her campaign. Her weakest point is her plat form, which is segmented, likely because she solicited ideas from separate groups. There is no uni fying theme, and some planks are not developed enough to be seem like they will be as adept at putting their ideas into practice. A senior year under them will certainly be fun —as long as they get events organized. And it is in this realm that Criscoe and Compton shine. We were impressed by the steps they have already taken toward organizing the events they promise on their platform, such as having reserved the Bell Tower quad for tailgating during home football games next year. The pair also have far more experience in leadership posi tions, with Criscoe having served as co-president of the Campus Y and Compton gaining her expe rience as the co-chairwoman of the student membership advisory board of the General Alumni Association. However, their weakness is exactly what Shelly and Gurel shine in the social aspects. The decision between the two is really’ a question of methodol ogy. Would you rather have the people at the top as the face of the organization with the mar shals getting the work done or have die administrators at the accomplished quickly. She does have some very unique platform points, but her planning and research in some of these areas has been weak to nonexistent. One such plank includes her plan for the revamping of the UNC student radio station WXYC through greater publicity and more stu dent-geared programming. The plank is very in-depth, one of the most specific in her platform, but she hadn’t spoken with the station managers before putting it on her platform. While Hill has a strong per sonality. she hasn't done the leg-work necessary to get all her planks accomplished. Hill would be a great ally to have in student government, and she could certainly get many varying groups to partner with executive branch initiatives. Why not Liles Ixigan liles certainly under stands the issues that he put on his platform. However, the planks just aren't its strong or a comprehensively researched as Raynor. Some planks are already being tackled by other groups, and others don’t seem feasible. liles has too much of a focus on advocacy. For example, he calls for more advocacy at the federal level, which is unlikely to be effective and certainly wouldn’t be worth the cost. Liles was the only candidate that mentioned the ASG in his platform, anti he knows more than most about the very com plex relatioaship the universities have with one another. Overall. liles is a strong can didate; he just isn’t the best can didate in the race. If Raynor’s smart, she'll make sure liles has a position in her government. So long as Ray nor can cut through tbe polities to get things done, it could be a banner year for student government. Vote J.J. Raynor for student body president. top with the ideas and enthusi asm coming from below? Rachel Moss and Stephen Barber are perhaps the most likable candidates and repre sented a nice balance between the professionalism of Criscoe and Compton and the charisma of Shelly and Gurel. We really want to endorse them, for Moss and Barber are by far the best in terms of their leadership styles and the balance of the ticket. Unfortunately, they lack the know ledge of the inner process es of how the University works, in regard to things like how the Commencement speaker is chosen and what goes into the senior gift selection. It’s not that we don’t think they could pick it up, but the learning curve will be much steeper for them, which surely would hurt their ability to hit the ground running. No matter what happens, every other candidate would be a valuable addition to the senior marshals, and it would behoove the winners to take on the other four candidates. TUESDAY, FEBRVJARY 12, 2008 QUOTE OF THE DAY: 7 think every student body president comes to think of their year as a gift” MATT CALABRIA. 2004-05 STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT LETTERS TO THE EDITOR To read the futMength versions VISIT http://dailytarheefpubiicwordpress.com Post your own response to a letter, editorial or stoiy online. VISIT www.daifytiuheel.com/feedback DTH betting with Chronide undermines professionalism TO THE EDITOR; In the response to the backlash against last week’s sports piece on the Carolina vs. Duke game, (“Predicting Duke win was right decision," Feb. 11) you cite the DTH's much-lauded profession alism and integrity as a defense to those who'd have your job. I agree with you. It is the duty of the student paper to fairly and honestly examine all aspects of an issue and. in the case of sports writing, predict an outcome. I find it difficult, however, to believe the DTH’s dedication to professionalism is what spurs on the commitment to childish bets between the staff of our paper and the staff of Duke's Chronide. In order to be professional, you must make a continuous com mitment to professionalism. In reality , regardless of tradition, it is unethical for the newspaper to “bet" with anyone. A bet is a demonstration of bias, something the paper claims to be free from. So be professional, be ethical or keep doing what you're doing and be neither. Just don't use journalistic ethics as a defense in one instance while smashing them to bits in another. Megan Powell Junior Public Policy Fans should be ashamed of their lack of enthusiasm TO THE EDITOR: Shame, boatloads of shame. Game after game, more of the same. Where is the support when we need it? We re playing Clemson right now and losing. Is it because the fans in orange are cheering louder than the ones in blue? We re sick of the apathy in the Dean Dome, of the floods of people leaving early, of the lack of excitement that our team needs. We’ve all heard about how the alumni built the Dean Dome so they get the best seats. But seri ously, shame on you alumni. Shame on you. students. Your lack of energy transfers to the team, and after that tragic Duke game, we need a serious change of pace. The new ticket system requires no devotion or desire, which reflects in game attendance where empty seats rival foil ones. The fans shouldn’t go crazy because the camera turns toward them, the camera should turn toward students because they’re going crazy! We have the ability to be a No. 1 team. But we need to realize that our team needs our support even when they aren’t playing like one. We re now within two, and fans are on their feet How many will be gone by the minute mark? Elisa Harris Junior International Studies CORRECTION Due to an editing error, Monday's letter to the editor “Smoking ban is for the pro tection of nonsmokers* mis takenly attributed the letter to Karen Lauzau. It was actually authored by Vicki Quintana, a junior nursing major. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error. SPEAK OUT WRITING GUIDELINES: ► Please type: Handwritten letters will not be accepted. ► Sign and date: No more than two people should sign letters. ► Students: Include 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 letters to 250 words. SUBMISSION: ► Drop-off; at our office at Suite 2409 in the Student Union. ► E-mail: to edhdeskOgnc.edu ► Send: to P.O. Box 3257. Chapel Hill, N.C, 27515. EDITOR’S MOTE: Columns, cartoons and letters do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Daily Tar Heel or its stafl. Editorials are the opinions solely rrf The Oaity lar Heel edito rial board, the board consists of eight board members, the associate opinion erttor the opinion editor and the editor. The 2007-08 editor decided not to vote on the board Artide on Mormons at UNC was refreshingly objective TO THE EDITOR: I would like to commend senior writer Allison Miller on her Feb. 8 article, “Young Mormons Spread Faith at UNC." I was visiting my daughter, a freshman at UNC, this week end, and 1 was amazed to see the article on the front page. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (nicknamed Mormons) tend to get a lot of negative media articles that are not accurate in content. However, this article was objective and relayed truthful information of our missionary program. The article exempli fies great journalism that gives accurate facts and is positive in nature. It is refreshing to read posi tive, uplifting journalism that promotes positive events in our communities. Many journalists feel that exaggerating a com ment, or “editing" a quote or improperly paraphrasing a state ment is required to make head turning headlines. I hope Allison will continue her career as a writer after grad uating from UNC, with the same insight, objectivity and positive writing as in this article. These are the articles that properly educate the community , and pre vents animosity and segregation in our society. Dr. Sarit G. Catchatoorian Charlotte Racist bar promotion is offensive, unnecessary TO THE EDITOR. - I recently learned of a flier advertising a Chinese New Year celebration at The Goat in Raleigh with a tagline that reads “Come Get Slant Eyed <£The Goat" (to see the flier, go to www. angryasianman.com/2008/02/ come-get-slant-eyed-at-goat. html). I am a faculty member at UNC who teaches and researches in the field of Asian-American studies. I recently told a candidate we were interviewing for a job, a young Asian-American profes sor from California, that I was comfortable here that the kind of racism I had expected in “The South" had not hap pened. I suppose I will have to tell him I’m wrong. What is especially disap pointing is the lack of media coverage or outrage around this flier. I hope that if a similarly racist flier targeting African- Americans were distributed that there would be such an outcry that people would be boycotting The Goat and that The Daily Tar Heel would be providing key coverage. Dr. Jennifer Ho Professor Department of English & Comparative Literature £hf Sailg (Ear Hrrl Established 1893. 114 years of editorialfreedom ERIN ZUREICK EDITOR, 962-4086 ZUREKKOEMAIL.UNC.EDU OFFICE HOURS MON., WED, FRI. 1-2 P.M. ADAM STORCK OPINION EDITOR. 96Z-0750 APSTORCKOUNC.EDU JONATHAN TUGMAN ASSOCIATE OPINION EDITOR. 96J0750 TUGMANOUNC.EDU ANDREW JONES PUBLIC EDITOR JONESAWOEMAILUNC.EDU EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS JESSICA SCISM SARAH WHITWORTH KATHRYN ARDIZZONE SARAH LETRENT DUNCAN CARLTON ELYSE MCCOY GRAHAM ROWE DAVID GIANCASPRO 9
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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