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6 MONDAY. FEBRUARY 25, 2008 Fla. reopens evolution debate Theory to be included in curriculum BY MEGHAN COOKE STAFf WRITER A recent state school board decision in Florida has reopened the evolution versus creationism debate, a controversy that has resurfaced in curriculum discus sions nationwide. Despite opposition from more than a dozen school boards, the Florida State Board of Education decided last week to officially include evolution in the science curriculum. Asa compromise, the curriculum now refers to evolution as a "scien tific theory," a phrase that leaves the validity of the concept debatable. Joe Wolf, president of Florida Citizens for Science, said the curricu lum did not specifically mention evo lution, leasing teachers to approach the subject at their own discretion —some skipping it altogether. "(The old standards have l>een) universally judged as highly inferi or. in the sense that it didn't teach much of anything," Wolf said. T. Willard Fair, chairman of the NOW OPEN | CUKWJismsmrf | ♦ Wing Sauces fXi **ij ♦ Old Time j Gourmet 31 ♦ Favorites Flavors || If 'SISOOFF~"If 40$ WINGS| Any order of • • Monday-Wednesday •< 3 $lO or more j j Mia ©wings -Bleu Cheese Extra |3 3 SSL SE-'ST 127 E. Franklin St i I LATE! Thurs Sat Ham -3am (919)929-0393 <> /Carolina’s our 12 H Ahhu&l Aurkrds Issue " ■- * cUsh ky YOU, tU reJers //X of tu DTH. \jo\eo^e^ al m 4j j^ad\eeUom CAROLINA SPORTS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Bst excuse to slu> workihy out Best up & coMhy krtist Bst feh>kle ktkUte FkVorite cktnpUS MlSic yroup Bst talc ktklete Fkvorite rkdio stktioh Most uhderrkted ktklete Fkvorite lock! yroup Fkvorite sports Wet site Fkvorite pike* to see k Uhd ihtrkhwrkl Sport Fkvorite Wet, sit* Ihot Sports relktedl Fkvorite cokck Fkvorite hovie ih 2007 Best off tktnpus work out Best plkce to find tkkt hew CD Most despised rivkl Best plkce to see k n*ovie Best plkce to wktek k ykM oh TV Fkvorite reklity skow Most populkr pkys ed clkss Fkvorite kIU ih 2007 THE SCENE Best plkce to skop oh tke wet O' ' N ABOUT Fkvorite plkce to people-wktck Fkvorite plkce to yet your ckffeihe fix Best plkce to yet k Mxed drihk Fkvorite plkce to yet k frozeh dessert Clekhest kkr Lktlrootrv Best restkurkht for k kekltky Mkl Best wkl kfter hsidhiykt Best restkurkht to irepress k first dkte Best plkce for k Hvicrokrew ih tke Trikhyle Best delivered Mkl Best hew kkhyout ILkr or restkurkht) frohv 2007 kuryer Best etUic restkurkht COLLEGIA E LIFE Best Uck krykih Best drihkihy ykM Best plkce to stock up oh Ckrolihk Best pkrkihy ticket kppekl excuse pkrkpkerhklik Best rokd trip <p<riehce Quirkiest rooMwkte kkkit H* 6 * or students to live Fkvorite sprihy krekk destihktioh Best Skloh or dky spk Choose your campus favorites and win a SSO CHft Certificate to ■3!’>rwu> it 3:oopm. One onuy por person ctutx-l hi restaurant group One uiiw bo choeon in & random SWtKY"S dnmng and announced in our apeciai " ! “* CatoSna s finest Award issue Wednesday, March 19.2006 AnyOTHrssdiriseigMelowin. Board of Education, said there was not enough evidence to fully convince the board that evolution should be taught as fact. "Most people said they didn't want evolution taught as a fact," Fair said. "They wanted their children to be exposed to creationism, as well as evolution, so that the kids could be able to draw their own conclusions." Texas education officials are also expected to re-examine their science curriculum this year. While currently allowing evolution to be taught, the state permits students to critique the concept. In January, the South Carolina Board of Education approved a biology textbook after a debate regarding its assertion that evolu tion is the foundation of life. In 1997. a bill proposed in the N.C. House of Representatives would have ensured that public schools teach evolution merely as a theory, but the bill didn't leave committee. Terry Stoops, education pol icy analyst for the John Locke Foundation, a conservative Raleigh - based think tank, said that evolution is well established in N.C. schools' curriculums and that topics like abstinence education are a larger source of controversy in the state. Stoops said students should be exposed to a variety of opinions about the origins of life, including creation ism and intelligent design, the idea that life is too complex to have begun without a guiding hand. Charles Lytle, president of the N.C. Academy of Science and a zoology professor at N.C. State, said creationism and intelligent design should not be taught in schools as they are unscientific. Efforts to try to teach these theo ries in public schools have failed. In 1987, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that teaching creationism violates the Establishment Clause, which prohibits states advancing religion. "Evolution explains so much about what we know about liv ing organisms," Lytle said, adding that many people have tried to dis credit the theory but that evidence against it has not been confirmed by scientific tests. "The best thing as a scientist is to give you the best answer we have based on the evidence we have available." Contact the State U National Editor at stntdeskfS unc.edu. FAST /W&IM L DELIVERY 919-968-3278 1 OPEN LATE HOURS Jl t G - More-Wed: 4pm-3am 306A W. Franklin St. —fgjt H Sun. 11am-2am HOME ALONE SMALL 1 -ITEM PIZZA OR POKEY STIX + 1 CAN SODA *6.99 IHE BOMBSHELL 5 EXTNA-LAIGE 1 -ITEM PIZZAS M POKEY STW >39,99 asas. News Priority registration up for grabs Meeting will determine group status BY ZACK TYMAN STAFf WRITER For students seeking prior ity registration, their fate will be determined this week. Friday was the deadline for campus groups to submit applica tions for priority registration, and a committee will meet Wednesday to decide who qualifies. Priority registration allows stu dents who meet certain standards such as hours devoted to athlet ics or degree programs, as well as certain disabilities to register for courses before the rest of their graduating class. University Registrar Alice Poehls said 12 to 15 groups, encompassing about 1,000 students, applied for priority registration, which was lower than her expected turnout. But she said she believes the application process went well. “I'm pleased with the methods people used to choose whether to apply and evaluate the needs of students," Poehls said. Before the system was in place, some students received priority registration on an informal basis. Under the new system, the appli cation process is carried out at the group level only, and the priority reg istration advisory committee will not see the names of the individual stu- I CLUCK OFF!! I 1-ITEM PIZZA + 1 • FREE MNFFALO WINGS IsadEas: 16” ALL-MIXED-UP CHOOSE 2 FOR 19.99 CHOOSE 3 FOR 29.99 CHOOSE ALL 6 = 49.99 IS' 1 -ITEM PIZZA 20 BUFFALO WINGS 16” POKEY STIX a PEPPERONI ROLLS 20 BONELESS WINGS 16' CINNAMON SWIRL •' ■ ii 1 Rashanda McCants j&BjBBBXgBm Junior Forward j| n vs. #2 North Carolina in the ACC! *■ dents. A decision about each group should be reached by the end of the meeting, and registration times will be announced by March 1. No late applications will be accepted, and no appeals to the com mittee’s decisions will be permitted. Poehls said. Biology professor William Kier is part of the committee that will evaluate the applications. He said that this is anew experi ence for everyone involved. "This is the first time this is hap pening, ... so I really don’t know what to expect." Kier said. “The aspect of the process that really appeals to me is the openness." The meeting Wednesday is open to the public, as prescribed by the PRAC’s proposal, hut no public input will be allowed. Sophomore David Bevevino, one of two student members of the com mittee. will provide a student per spective to the meeting. “We aren't sure if w e are doing this by vote or not," Bevevino said, “but I will be able to contribute." Psychology professor Steve Reznick served as chairman of the task force that put together the origi nal proposal for priority registration, which was approved by the Faculty Council in December. In the proposal, the task force said that the program could ben efit nursing and education majors, who spend a significant amount of ♦ CCLirSE TAKING §ALO^ Spring Break Is Only 13 Days Away... Get Your Base Tan Before You Hit the Beaches in March! 105 A Rams Plaza • 968-3377 February Special I Buy 10 tans, | get 3 FREE upgrades! J to Am c9woAtr\ ' ehr Daily aar Herl ATTEND THE MEETING Time: Noon Wednesday Location: Student Union, Room 3413 Info: regweb.unc.edu time working as part of their cur riculum. as well as varsity athletes and students with disabilities. “We were trying to define groups eligible for priority registration,’ Reznick said. “It’s not automatic that these groups would get it" Reznick also said he predicts that 5 percent to 10 percent of the student population will be affected by the new system. UNC is one of the last ACC schools to implement a priority registration program. And for John Blanchard, senior associate athletic director, it is a welcome addition. “We've been advocating for this for a long time over the last 15 years.” Blanchard said. “It has been a long process." But not every varsity athlete will necessarily receive priority regis tration as athletes are evaluated by individual sport. Because this is the first time the priority registration process is tak ing place. Poehls stressed, it is in the experimental stages. "There is programming written to allow us to evaluate the progress." she said. “Right now it's a matter of observing and reporting." Contact the University Editor at ude.sk (a unc.edu. New Clients Only I 3 TANS I I for l I SIO.OO I j c 9 rfmj Sunless Ton I I | $5.00 OFF j | Airbrush | | Tanning j
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Feb. 25, 2008, edition 1
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