8
MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2008
wMPV
MEGAN ROLFE AND
ALLISON HARRISON
Rolfe and Harrison are active in
anti-violence work on campus.
E-MAIL: MROIFE@EMAII UNC.EDU
Examining
our role in
violence
prevention
Something seems counter
intuitive about the way we
rescind to violence. Tragedy
strikes, and very often our first
reaction is to make UNC the
university of the people —a virtual
fortress. Over the past four years,
we have witnessed the progres
sion of new emergency call boxes,
fresh bollards and tests of warning
sirens and mass text messages that
have followed each disaster.
These measures are important,
but they are reactionary, not pre
ventive. As such, they don't address
the root causes of violence at hand.
Take blue lights, for example:
We can see them and feel reas
sured knowing that they exist.
But a blue light
assumes vio
lence and other
GUEST
COLUMNISTS
crime are inevitable, and it is use
ful only when we are already run
ning from whomever threatens us.
Violence does happen in
fact, it happens in epidemic pro
portions. Taking action in
response to this violence is essen
tial. but In-cause blue lights un
directed toward crimes perpetrat
ed by strangers, installing emer
gency call boxes is like putting a
Band-Aid on a virus. Although
stranger-violence often makes the
news, the fact remains that the
vast majority of violence happens
between nonstrangers.
Violence that doesn't make
headlines happens every day on
our campus. Rape is the most com
mon and underreported violent
crime on college campuses across
the U.S., and the overwhelm
ing majority of these rapes are
between people who know each
other. No number of blue lights
will stop the violence happening
at our house parties or in our bars,
ears, dorm rooms or apartments.
There is a link between the
sensationalized violence in the
headlines that we have witnessed
during our four years at UNC
and tjie more intimate violence
committed against so many of our
friends and classmates. Violence
doesn't "just happen." It is not just
"people" or “youth" committing
violent crimes, but. overwhelm
ingly. men. This is not “campus
violence." but men’s violence.
Addressing the roots of vio
lence means facing the problems
in our social construction of what
it means to be a man and the
grievous repercussions this has for
all of us: Seventy-six percent of
the victims of men s violence are
men. and 91 percent of the victims
of sexual violence are women.
While that doesn't mean most
men are violent, all men arc part
of the system of masculinity. We
can't end violence if we don’t
acknowledge the role sexism,
power and dominance play in how
we perpetuate these norms.
This means breaking free from
restrictive gender norms and allow
ing men to have a greater range of
Ix-havior and emotion than aggres
sion and emotional numbness.
This means not tolerating sexist or
homophobic jokes or using sexist
language. This means ensuring
then* Is space for women's voices
in social situations, classes and
nmiantic niationships. This means
refecting pornography and ending
the exploitation of women s bodies
in our everyday lives.
This means establishing a cul
tun- based on communication,
mindfulness and intervention.
Even if we do not directly commit
violence, we are all bystanders, and
none of ns can afford to be silent.
We believe people an- capable of
change, and violence is not inevi
table. Although reactionary mea
sures like emergency call boxes,
sire-ns and e-mail warnings might
promote a campus conscious of
violence, a truly safer Carolina will
require a community interested in
examining root causes.
It will require a hard look at
the inequalities we enforce and
sustain in our everyday lives.
It will require comprehensive
education about consent, about
acceptance and about collabora
tion, communication and unity.
It will require us to stop pro
moting a culture of fear, and
instead, remember our humanity.
EDITORIAL CARTOON By Mason Phillips, mphil@email.unc.edu
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Timing is everything
SAW should’ve concentrated efforts on new chancellor
A representative democ
racy that embodies
the will of its constitu
ents cannot function properly
without people who voice their
criticism of government.
Members of Student Action
with Workers had every right to
stage a sit-in at South Building
outside Chancellor James
Moeser s office Thursday .
The demonstration pro
tested the chancellors refusal
to sign on to the Designated
Suppliers Program, an anti
sweatshop policy that only lets
universities license their logos
to companies which pay their
employees living wages.
However, it is regrettable that
the students chose to voice their
opinion that UNC shouldn't
license its logo to sweatshops
in such a misguided fashion by
nuiking unreasonable demands
to Moeser during his last days
in office.
Moeser declined signing
onto the DSP in 2007 because
of concerns of how it w ould
operate and whether it would
be effective.
He also met with students
Unhealthy system
Withheld funding apt response to mental health failures
Just as citizens have a
responsibility to faithfully
pay their taxes each spring,
governments have a responsi
bility to ensure that tax money
is spent wisely and usefully.
North Carolina’s state govern
ment has obliterated its end of
this unwritten pact by wasting
at least S4OO million on mental
health reform since 2001.
Knowing that, the federal gov
ernment s Centers for Medicare
and Medicaid Services did well
to punish the state by withhold
ing $175 million in federal fund
ing from community support
programs during the last three
months of 2007.
We wish the state had gotten
a warning before the money
disappeared because reforming
the system will likely require
money. But the punishment is
justified.
We just hope the loss of fed
eral funding will incite state
officials to revamp a mental
Don’t listen to Kermit
With federal funding, its easy for Carrboro to be green
Oh, Carrboro —a magi
cal land of organic food,
butterflies, Subarus
and greenways.
And one of these greenways.
thanks to some federal moolah,
is in the process of becoming a
lot better.
Carrboro's Board of Aldermen
voted to accept federal funding
earlier last week to begin concep
tual planning for the expansion
of the Bolin Creek greenway.
For those unfamiliar with the
property, Bolin Creek is a multi
use public park trail. The plan is
to extend the existing trail by 2.9
miles along Bolin Creek, from
Estes Drive to the northern bor
der of the Horace Williams tract
and along Jones Creek.
Ultimately, we'd like to see
these trails connected to the
Opinion
Wednesday to discuss the issue
and said that UNC is working
with other universities to devel
op enhanced monitoring for
smaller merchandise suppliers.
Moeser acted wisely by not
adopting the policy before giv
ing careful consideration to its
efficacy. Obviously , what seems
like a great idea could have
unforeseen implications and
end up hurting people more
than it helps. That seems to be
the case with the DSP.
One of the provisions of the
program is that member schools
only license their logos to fac
tories at which employees have
collective bargaining rights.
This means the DSP could
have devastating consequences
in countries such as Bangladesh,
where workers aren't allowed to
unionize and the textile industry
is a mainstay of the economy.
Plus, by keeping production
in these factories, the University
has more pull in improving
working conditions without
pulling money out of poor,
developing areas that need it.
While Moeser's actions sug
gest that he has been deliber
health program suffering from
innumerable ailments.
In 2001 evidence indicated
the N.C. state government
leaned too heavily on state psy
chiatric hospitals, and legislators
responded by enacting reforms
to treat more mental health
patients in their own communi
ties rather than the state's four
overcrowded hospitals.
Under the new system, private
health care providers replaced
local governments in the deliv
ery of mental health services.
The community support pro
gram. intended to cost the state
less than $5 million per month,
soon cost more than SSO mil
lion because of bloated private
health care bills, money-hungry
providers and a government that
seemed to ignore it all.
Shockingly, many of the
health care workers employed
by private companies to provide
services to the community had
little or no experience in the
downtowns of Chapel Hill and
Carrboro so people can patron
ize downtown businesses with
out driving and dealing with
parking.
The conceptual planning
stage requires a 514.000 com
mitment in local funds, but
the remaining 80 percent
will come from the Surface
Transportation Program.
That 80/20 ratio also applies
to the building of the trail itself,
so the town has to put forth
relatively little funding.
The expanded greenways,
along with showcasing Mother
Earth's natural beauty, will also
encourage people to take part
in more physical activity.
Greenways encourage resi
dents to put their feet to the
concrete instead of their ped
ating on the issue and is open
to student input, it does not
seem rational that SAW would
choose to reiterate its demands
to the chancellor during his last
weeks in office.
W r e think that if SAW wishes
to see their goals actualized,
it is best for them to develop
a relationship with the new
chancellor in which they could
begin some dialogue about the
best way to go about incorpo
rating fair labor practices into
UNC s licensing policies.
After all. the new chancel
lor is going to be around long
enough to develop and sustain
a positive interaction with,
whereas Moeser is on his way
out and has a limited amount
of time and energy to devote to
their demands.
Until a chancellor behaves
otherwise, SAW should assume
that he or she will not be antag
onistic toward student voices
on campus.
Taking a cooperative, rather
than confrontational, approach
will yield the best results when
SAW continues to articulate its
demands next year.
field and no college diploma.
Regardless, the state paid
these workers as much as S6l
per hour for services deemed
"unnecessary" 89 percent of the
time by a Department of Health
and Human Services review.
Rather than delivering useful
services to patients in need, pro
viders often took clients shop
ping or to the movies, all at the
expense of N.C. taxpayers.
While private health care pro
viders cashed in on this faulty
system, the state's 210,000 resi
dents who seek state help each
year received worse service.
From March 2006 to January
-2008, the government spent $1.4
billion on the wasteful commu
nity support programs and only
S7B million on services statisti
cally more effective at decreasing
the chances of hospitalization.
Luckily, the federal funding
is being taken from the com
munity programs. In this case,
less is probably more.
als to the metal w’hich in the
long run will help the environ
ment and your wallet, given the
endless rise in gas prices.
Expanding the Bolin Creek
area could help lead the way to
set up more green areas around
Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Plus,
it sets a good precedent to pre
serve already established green
areas like Bolin Creek.
The greenwav can be home
to multiple uses compatible
with maintaining preservation
goals. The point is that you can
eniov nature without destroy
ing it.
We love greenways, and
with warm weather approach
ing, appreciating them is far
easier. It’s great to know we
soon should have more places
to stretch our legs.
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
“It was a lot of fun. But I felt pretty
sick during the last 800 meters
KEVIN CROSBY, THIRD-YEAR GRADUATE STUDENT, ON
NOURISH INTERNATIONAL'S MAPLE VIEW CHALLENGE
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
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VISIT www.dailytarbeel.com/feedback
Honor Court's inefficiency
proves need for overhaul
TO THE EDITOR:
Carolina is very proud of its
Honor Code and accompanying
Honor Court system. There are
only two other student-run honor
courts in the country that are simi
lar in size. 1 think the Honor Court
is starting to feel the strains of its
size just like our criminal courts.
I am writing to inform the
University community on the
ineffectiveness of an Honor Court
hearing that occurred this week.
My friends and I brought a case
against another student in Honor
Court because he had stolen four
phones and two wallets from us,
a fact that this student admitted
by signing a guilty plea in crimi
nal court. This theft occurred in
August 2006; thus it took the
Honor Court over a year to hear
this case.
When the hearing was begun
it was determined that one of the
five judges could not participate
because he had already been a
judge in another Honor Court case
for the defendant. In our Honor
Court this conflict leads to a hear
ing with only four judges but with
the fifth vote automatically going
in favor of the defendant!
Finally, after the four-hour pro
ceedings the judges found that the
defendant was guilty of theft and
he would be sanctioned by a big,
whomping... written warning!
A student can get expelled for
cheating, but theft only deserves
a warning? I think that the Honor
Court system might be in need
of an overhaul, so don’t get your
hopes up for justice.
Adam Jones
Junior
Arab Cultures. Anthropology
If Democrats stay divided,
opportunity will be missed
TO THE EDITOR:
Recently I have become frus
trated with my fellow Democrats.
This year we have the opportu
nity to make a difference in our
government and take back what
is rightfully ours. The past seven
years have been nothing short of
disastrous, and it is our turn to
make a change for the better.
1 am very excited about the
historic Democratic primary that
is upon us, and I’m thrilled that
North Carolina finally has a chance
to voice our opinion in a primary
that will have a significant impact
But what bothers me more than
anything is the divide that is form
ing within our own party.
Our two candidates arc great
leaders, and the differences
between them are minimal
forming basically around leader
ship styles. They both support the
fundamental democratic ideals
that need to make their way back
to Washington.
I have spoken with several stu
dents on either side of the Hillary/
Barack divide and have found
that many of them will either vote
Republican or not at all if their
respective candidate does not
receive the coveted Democratic
nomination.
What does that prove? We are
a party that should be united to
reach a common goal of regaining
the White House and making the
fundamental changes in our gov
ernment that have been necessary
for so long.
Sarah Smith
Sophomore
Anthropology
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Conflict of interest in ASG
election should be noted
TO THE EDITOR:
Asa former UNC Association
of Student Governments presi
dent and A proud alumnus of three
of UNCs constituent campuses, I
feel compelled to highlight an
issue in the ASG presidential elec
tion. One of the candidates, Greg
Doucette, (ran) having just been
elected president of N.C. State's
Student Senate. *
I, too, have served as a member
of that body, and I must express
my significant concerns over this
potential dual-leadership role.
NCSU Student Senate President
Is a position roughly equivalent to
a combination of student body via*
president and speaker of Student
Congress at UNC-CH.
In addition, that position is
elected in a campuswide at-large
election. The time commitment
is significant, so much so that
student fees fund a stipend to
the student that holds that posi
tion, as do they for the position
of ASG president. The amount of
time required to adequately serve
in each position far exceeds that
which can be expected from one
individual.
A perceived conflict of inter
est is also of concern. The ASG
president, though obviously a
student of a particular campus,
is expected to be an advocate on
behalf of the greater 17-campus
University and avoid any per
ceived preference or loyalty to
an individual school.
The NCSU Student Senate
president is clearly expected to
advocate for and serve the needs
of students at N.C. State. Properly
fulfilling both of these missions
is impossible for Doua’tte or any
one student to do.
I have known Doucette since
I served in student government
with him in the mid- to late 19905.
This letter is not intended to be a
personal slight on him. However,
the enormous conflicts presented
by his plan cannot be reconciled.
JeffNieman
Class of2ooo
ASG President 7.9.98-2000
Polygamist sect is not the
same as Texas Mormons
TO THE EDITOR:
I was disappointed to read the
headline “Texas Mormons and
lawyers descend on courtroom,
create epic spectacle" (April 18).
The original article, written by
Michelle Roberts of the Associate
Press was at least entitled
“Polygamist sect hearing in Texas
descends into farce."
The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints, whose
members are widely know-n as
Mormons, gave up the practia* of
polygamy over 100 years ago and
the polygamous sect in question
is a completely separate group. -
By failing to include the distinc
tion as was written in the original
article, and by printing an edited
title for the article that is incred
ibly misleading, the DTH is push
ing misinformation bv equating
the “West Texas polygamist sect"
with “Texas Mormons."
Jared Blacker
Orthodontic Resident
School of Dentistry
£hr Daily oar llrrl
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