12
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2008
NATHAN NYANJOM
A DIFFERENT ANGLE
Nathan Nyanjom is a senior biology
major from Columbia, Md.
E-MAIL: NYANJOMOEMAIL UNC.EDU
Exclude
exclusive’
from your
vocabulary
I get a lot of unwanted e-mails,
but one stuck out to me a
couple of weeks ago.
In between an advertisement
for summer school (I'm a senior)
and notification that tickets for t
Nickelback were going on sale
soon (I'm human), I got an e
mail from the Black Student
Movement, inviting me to their
upcoming Parents Day.
I should have followed the
golden rule, but I went where few
dare to go I sent an e-mail back
asking why I received an e-mail
from a group I had no interest
in communicating with since I
view ed them as being an exclusive
group that here in 2008 was only
promoting an
environment of
separation.
AT-LARGE
COLUMNIST
To put it mildly. I got an e-mail
back.
In six well-written paragraphs,
I received a scholastic definition
of the word “exclusive," was told
of how the word should not be
associated with the BSM and was
eloquently informed that there are
members of this student group
the second-largest here at UNC
that check off an ethnicity other
than black on their census form.
While I appreciate the time
and class with which the BSM
responded to my inquiry, they
failed to change my viewpoint
that the Black Student
Movement ranks at the top of the
Exclusivity List, along with the
likes of fraternities, sororities and
varsity sports teams.
While joining student groups,
clubs and sports teams are valu
able experiences that help people
meet and befriend new collections
of people, it’s important that we
keep our affiliations in perspective
that we use them to enrich our
lives but not to define them.
The Black Student Movement
is exclusive and is counterproduc
tive in a holistic environment.
While I was told in my e-mail that
nonblack students were welcome
to join the BSM, none of my white
senior triends received the same
e-mail advertisement only my
African-American self.
I certainly didn’t see any white
people at the cookout held out
side of Morrison Residence Hall
last week.
The BSM isn't the only group
at fault, however. Greek life for
both sexes excludes the majority
of the University 's student body, as
semester membership fees allow
only affluent students of privileged
backgrounds to participate.
Something tells me that "I wyit
to join a frat” wouldn’t sell to a *
Bank of America loan officer.
The varsity sports culture is
similarly excluding, as teammates
are more likely to associate only
with other athletes breakfasts,
lunches and dinners are shared
among teammates in separate din
ing halls, and the last row of each
lecture hall seems to be reserved
for UNC's scholarship athletes.
As with anything in life, good
can be found from these exclu
sive groups: The BSM surely has
improved race relations, Greek life
offers 5K marathon shirts to hun
dreds. and our football team brings
in millions each year in pursuit of
an above .500 record.
While the removal of these
selective groups from our campus's
environment will never occur, it’s
important that their participants
realize that there is more to college
and to life outside of them, if they
are willing to take that step.
We all can join in.
Sit somewhere different each
day for class. Not only will it allow
you to meet someone new, but it
will give you anew angle at your
professor’s pit stains.
Worse comes to worst, you can
sit next to anew Facebook pros
pect the next day.
We can’t choose some groups
that we belong to l’m half
black, half white and full-blown
Baltimore Oriole.
When we are given a choice of
what groups to belong to, however,
it is important that we chose care
fully, as we run the risk of limiting
our college and life experiences if
we subscribe to exclusivity.
EDITORIAL CARTOON By Wayne Stayskal, The Tampa Tribune
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Never forget
Response to Va. Tech has led to safety improvements
One year ago, we were all
Hokies.
Looking back, we are
reminded of the Hokie spirit
that tore down rivalry barriers.
Nobody cared on April 16,
2007, w'hat shade of blue you
wore. We all supported the
orange and maroon of Virginia
Tech, united in shock and grief as
we struggled to understand why
the deadliest school shooting in
U.S. history had happened.
Thirty-three families to this
day still deal with their heart
breaking losses. It is up to all
of us honorary Hokies to let
them know that we will never
overlook and forget the lives of
their loved ones.
That’s why we celebrate
today as a day of remembrance
—a celebration of lives lived.
Our sense of community and
compassion for one another
sustained us then and will con
tinue to sustain us through the
saddest of times.
Changing of the guard
Probation system needs new faces to make changes
Heads are starting
to roll over at the
N.C. Department of
Correction, and that’s good.
It’s the fallout from the
scandal that has enveloped the
states probation system since
the killings of Eve Carson and
Duke University graduate stu
dent Abhijit Mahato earlier
this year.
The news came Friday dur
ing a meeting of the Durham
Crime Cabinet.
Details about the resig
nations no one was fired,
officials made a point of say
ing are still sparse. We do
know that several erstwhile
state employees are now either
looking for new career oppor
tunities or spending more time
with their families.
The problems within the
probation system that have
been brought to light need to
be rectified immediately, and
that means putting the system
under new management.
A primary example of the
failure of the current system was
the fact that Chalita Thomas,
the officer assigned to super-
Fast track to success
Program to help start-ups good for UNC, business
Kenan-Flagler Business
School has created a
good program for area
entrepreneurs.
The UNC Business
Accelerator for Sustainable
Entrepreneurship is designed
to help entrepreneurs get their
businesses off the ground fast
er by giving them access to the
students, professors and facili
ties at the business school.
As part of Kenan-Flagler's
Center for Sustainable
Enterprise, the program is
geared toward businesses that
aspire not only to be financially
profitable, but also to help fos
ter social equality and ensure
environmental sustainability.
Several startups have already
begun to work with the program,
including WaterPLUS, a com-
Opinion
It is not too obvious to note
that we hope nothing like this
tragedy happens ever again.
That being said, colleges and
universities around the nation
have re-examined their own
emergency procedures and dis
covered that changes needed to
be made to be able to respond
better and quicker to threats to
campus security.
The tragedy caused higher
education institutions to look at
themselves in the mirror about
their security, and though the
circumstances were terrible, the
changes needed to happen.
With events like that at Va.
Tech one year ago, we must
look toward the positive to
overcome the negative.
In the aftermath, the entire
UNC system has re-evaluated
its safety technologies and emer
gency communication systems.
The Board of Governors has
made security a priority, conclud
ing a comprehensive review of
vise Lawrence Lovette, who
police say was involved in the
killings of Carson and Mahato.
had never even seen him.
After he emerged as a sus
pect, she finally got around to
reporting her inability to catch
up with him.
She also had never complet
ed basic training and failed to
inform anyone that she had
twice been caught driving
while intoxicated.
The supervision of Demario
Atwater, the other man police
say had a hand in Carson’s
death, was little better: he did
apparently meet with officials
at some points, though he man
aged to go four months without
checking in at one point.
He also had 10 different
supervisors in three years.
Corrections officials put the
blame for the Wreck of the
Hesperus that is their depart
ment on a lack of resources and
quality' applicants.
Thomas w-as one of about
1,800 supervisors who were in
charge of about 114,000 people
as of early March, when Carson
was killed.
pany working on a water puri
fication device for developing
countries, and PVee, a company
in the solar energy' business.
Businesses that focus on
environmental sustainability
should be rewarded for having
motives beyond that of simply
just turning a profit. There’s a
reason most companies aren’t
environmentally friendly it’s
a lot cheaper not to be.
By mitigating some of the
costs of starting a business, this
program could be an effective
way to help those companies
that focus on environmental
sustainability achieve success.
Also, creating networks
between the startups and the
students and faculty at the
business school will help keep
these businesses local.
campus safety in November and
asking the General Assembly for
$29 million in new funding for
safety initiatives.
UNC has taken its own steps
toward improving safety and
communication by installing
a siren system and promoting
the text message alerts, and
student government has been
working with the town to add
more off-campus lighting.
Thankfully, the system hasn’t
had to be tested yet, though
Appalachian State University
responded well to a false alarm
on its campus earlier this year.
And though improvements
certainly can still be made, it’s
clear UNC and the system are
heading in the right direction.
The Va. Tech shooting
heightened our awareness. We
will never be able to fully pre
vent an event like this, but we
can at least reflect on the past
to be more prepared.
We will always remember.
That comes out to roughly
63 probationers per officer, a
workload that no single person
should be expected to handle.
We have no doubt that those
deficiencies had plenty to do
with the problems, and that’s
definitely an issue in its own
right. We don’t want probation
officers who are functionally
interchangeable with fast-food
fry cooks.
But that does not by any
means excuse the lapses; the
department needs more work
ers, and more qualified ones at
that.
The effectiveness of the
entire probation system has
been called into question. Now
what is left is to fix it.
A staff shake-up is only one
reform that needs to be under
taken; recruiting, hiring, train
ing and supervision are clearly
all major issues as w-ell.
The probation system needs
a strong leader willing to step
in and make the necessary
changes. We’re betting, how
ever, that person is probably
not currently working for the
department.
The Research Triangle already
has a reputation for being home
to a number of technology com
panies. and businesses focusing
on sustainable enterprises would
be nice additions.
The program should also
help business school students
connect with companies, giv
ing them internships that will
give them valuable experience
down the line. The more career
building options students have
at Kenan-Flagler, the better it
will become.
If the program is successful
with its first startups, of which
there will be up to 10, we’d like
to see it expand to include even
more. Supporting sustainable
business is beneficial both for
the entrepreneurs and for the
community' at large.
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
“In a way we're trying to take what
happened ... and turn it to the most
positive effort that we can imagine”
SUE On ROWLANDS, VA.TECH DEAN
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
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Memorial concert was a
success, will be continued
TO THE EDITOR:
The Eve Carson Memorial
Benefit Concert this past Sunday
was a huge success! Not only did
we succeed in raising a total of
$1,400 in donations and T-shirt
sales, but we also succeeded in
fulfilling one of Eve’s greatest
hopes for this year. This concert
had all of Eve’s favorites: dancing,
live music and tons of free food!
All the food provided was
donated by Uveal restaurants in
support of our cause. Special
thanks to Panera. Mediterranean
Deli, Jimmy John's, McAlister’s
and Gumby’s. Avery special
thanks to everyone at the Union
for offering their help every step
of the way, especially in produc
tion and design services. And an
even bigger thanks goes out to our
bands The Friday Afternoon
Jam, The Nothing Noise. The
Huguenots, Nine PM Traffic and
The Backßeat who played for
free in the memory of Eve.
While it was our hope to have
the concert outside in Polk Place,
we could not control the weather.
We have begun the plans to make
the concert an annual event and
will do our best to secure mul
tiple dates to ensure an outdoor
concert, the likes of which will
keep the memory of our beloved
friend alive for years to come.
Ronald Bilbao
Former executive assistant to
Eve Carson
Building names are based
on contributions, not time
TO THE EDITOR:
One thing I’ve realized during
my tenure here at UNC expect
recurring themes each year on
The Daily Tar Heel’s opinion
page. Case and point: the debate
of University buildings named
after slaveholders.
Contrary to what Carlyn Cowen
suggests, it is not “easy enough to
change the names of the buildings
on UNC campus” ("University
should rename buildings honor
ing racists,” April 14).
Ehringhaus South, along
with three other South Campus
dorms, opened in 2002, and
essentially received temporary
names that matched their big
ger “siblings." These temporary
names were simply a placeholder
until the University finalized its
plans. The naming process is a
thorough and lengthy one that
takes time.
If you consult the Charter
of the Chancellor’s Advisory
Committee on Naming University
Facilities and Units (easily avail
able online), you will find a spe
cific section that discusses how
history changes the context in
which we view buildings, people
and events of the past.
The charter dearly states this is
not a reason to rename buildings.
Slavery and racism are wrong, but
both Saunders and Spencer were
a product of their time, much like
Thomas Jefferson was. The build
ings that bear their names are in
honor of their work and contribu
tion to this institution.
At times history is difficult
and painful to understand, but
we should not remove these
names, much like how we should
not erase Jefferson’s contribu
tions to our nation.
Raphael Ruiz
Senior
Anthropology
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for Saiiti for Brrl
Timing of lie-in is poor and
message is misdirected
TO THE EDITOR:
In response to the April 15
article, “Lie-in comes year after
Va. Tech,” I am concerned to
see this protest described as a
memorial to both the Va. Tech
shootings and now Eve Carson.
Personally, although I do agree
that there are some issues with the
current regulations, particularly
the NICS system, I am disappoint
ed that (the protesters) would
choose the anniversary of the trag
edy of the Va Tech shootings to try
and bolster their political message.
Obviously this anniversary, com
bined with the still-recent events
of Carson's murder, draws a lot of
emotion into this issue.
In my opinion, any organiza
tion that relies on emotion rather
than reasonable arguments to get
its points across should be consid
ered with heavy scrutiny.
The fact that (the protesters)
chose this particular date for their
protest astounds me, considering
that the majority of their pro
posed legislation would not have
even been relevant to the Va Tech
shooting. The guns used in the Va
Tech shooting were bought with a
background cheek at a gun store,
not at a gun show. This illustrates
a problem with the system itself.
While 1 agree that there is a
problem with the current gun reg
ulations and that these shortcom
ings may be partially to blame,
(the protesters) would have new
and restrictive legislation passed,
which not only would not have
prevented incidences such as
the Va. Tech and University of
Northern Illinois shootings, but
would also have the unintended
consequences (or, more likely,
intended consequences) of dis
arming law-abiding citizens.
As for this applying to Carson, 1
don’t see how any new regulations
on handguns could have prevent
ed her death when the killer was
already “banned” from having a
firearm by at least three separate
local, state and federal laws.
It is illegal in Chapel Hill to pos
ses a firearm in public, it is illegal
in North Carolina for a minor to
possess a handgun, and it is illegal
for an individual on parole for a
crime that could carry a sentence
of up to one year in prison to pos
ses a firearm. Let’s please keep
Carson’s name out of any sort of
political disputes.
Stephan Hudson
Sophomore
Political Science. Economics
Headline misrepresented
Obama's underlying theme
TO THE EDITOR:
The headline in Monday's
paper, “Obama criticizes voters’
priorities,” was rather misleading
(National and World News, April
14). The headline made it seem
like Obama was blaming vot
ers for choosing awkward voting
priorities, which wasn’t the case.
Rather, his criticism was rightfully
directed at the Washington sleazes
who continue to let down their
constituents and erode their faith
in their elected representatives.
Noah Savage
Sophomore
Linguistics
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