14
THURSDAY. APRIL 24, 2008
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SARAH HODGES
FROM MY WORD PROCESSOR TO YOUR EARS
Sarah Hodges is a senior psychology
major from Durham.
E-MAIL: SEHODGESOEMAILUNC.EDU
Best parts
of college
aren’t on
a syllabus
As a graduating senior. I
feel compelled to write the
obligatory column about
the profound impact that college
has had on my life.
I've had the insightful classes
I think everyone should be
required to take. I've had that
inspirational teacher whose
advice will follow me wherever
my life takes me. I could tell you
all about the best campus study
spots, what to eat in Lenoir and
the secret computer lab that’s
nearly always empty. But I won’t.
Because what I’ve recently
come to realize is that it’s not the
classroom experiences that have
taught me the most during my
. . ___ time here, but
AT-LARGE f • .
COLUMNIST "VZ.som,
of you are thinking that this is
obvious, but it wasn't easy for
me to find the right network of
friends.
I entered college timid, intro
verted and, with few friends
around, hyper-focused on my
schoolwork. I went to all of the
interest meetings 1 could, but I
usually sat silently in the back
corner and slipped out of the
door five minutes before they
ended.
I’ve learned to be more open
and how to relate to people bet
ter during the past four years.
And I owe my development and
integration into positive social
networks to a lot of encourage
ment from the people I now con
sider friends.
Not to mention the fact that I
also owe them for my knowledge
of everything from the rules of
pool to countless Mariah Carey
lyrics.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m
taking away lessons from the
classroom, too. But most of it is
nothing I couldn't have learned
straight from a textbook if only I
had the motivation.
Learning to mingle at parties
and bars will teach you more
about people than a course in
psychology or sociology. We’ve all
read literature about love and loss,
but that doesn't mean anything
until you’ve been through it your
self. And reading about the effects
of alcohol on your brain chemistry
just makes you crave a rum and
Coke so you can conduct your
own undergraduate research.
I’m not encouraging everyone
to skip class, but maybe you
could forgo editing that paper
one last time to go out to the
movies with your friends.
On second thought, maybe
you can skip class just this once.
You do have three free absences
to work with...
We re all inundated with the
idea that grades are the most
important factor in our educa
tion. For most of us. grades are
what we’ve been working toward
for the past 13 or more years.
We’re all smart; we go to
UNC. And if we stay focused
we’ll leave this experience with a
degree. But it doesn't stop there.
We'll get a job and start to clam
or for promotions. And that’s
fine,%s long as we stay focused
on what's truly important.
Now I’ll admit that it’s been
hard for me this semester.
Graduation has been looming
in the background and. when
overwhelmed with things to
do, my immediate reaction is to
try to focus on what it was that
I supposedly came to college
for: my schoolwork. Despite a
decent case of senioritis. I’ve
spent multiple Thursday nights
at home studying.
OK, so the senioritis usually
wins out, but it’ll take me half an
episode of‘Futurama" to realize
that the Word document on my
laptop is still blank.
There’s no doubt that I wish
I’d gone out more often this
semester, that I'd spent more
time with my friends before we
go off to different grad schools,
careers or whatever else lies
ahead.
But there’s no time for regret,
not now. I have too much lost
time to make up for before leav
ing Chapel Hill.
EDITORIAL CARTOON By Alex Lee, lobinOemail.unc.edu
Pay for their state
Scholarships shouldn’t get out-of-state tuition exception
UT m just a bill. Yes, I'm only
Ia bill. And I'm sitting here
.l.on Capitol Hill.” While
the bill in the Schoolhouse Rock
song is sitting on a different hill,
there is a bill sitting around in
the N.C. Senate that would affect
our own UNC-Chapel Hill.
The bill, which would grant
fewer out-of-state scholarship
students in-state tuition status,
is not expected to pass in the
Senate this summer.
We admit it is always nice
to see deserving out-of-state
students attend our University
these students are part of the
reason our University is at the
caliber it is today.
However, by rejecting the
bill, the Senate is promoting the
use of state taxpayer dollars for
nonresident non-taxpaying stu
dents, and that is unacceptable.
The current bill would only
decrease athletic, not academic,
scholarship exceptions, but it
should do both.
Solve the Riddle
Real estate bigwig needs to step up, improve Franklin
A big part of the University’s
charm is Franklin Street,
a bustling hub of quirky
businesses, but it’s increasingly
just a bunch of empty store
fronts without parking.
Lousy parking and unused
commercial space can be traced
back to a wide range of causes,
some of which are larger soci
etal trends:
People drive too much.
They’re too lazy to walk very
far. Gas is mildly affordable.
The economy’s slow. Wal-
Mart competes against local
stores with a vengeance. Chapel
Hill’s tax rate is high.
And, of course, there are lots
of local factors:
The University is loath to
provide enough parking. No
one wants to widen streets.
But there’s one factor that
easily could be addressed. His
name is Joe Riddle.
“He’s got the ability to (keep
our downtown healthy), proba
bly to a greater degree than just
about anybody else in North
Carolina," Chapel Hill Mayor
Kevin Foy said.
Riddle personally owns the
A place to remember
Eve memorials can remind us what we can accomplish
The blooming flowers of
anew spring are begin
ning to dot our beauti
ful campus, bringing the land
scape of UNC back to life.
The student body, like the cam
pus, is still on its way back to life
after our community was shaken
by the death of former Student
Body President Eve Carson.
A group of students are
pushing for a pair of memori
als to commemorate her life
and the legacy she has left.
We support the efforts of
these students, and we hope
that the administration is
receptive to the projects that
are being proposed.
One idea is to rename the
student government suite after
Eve. This makes a lot of sense,
since Eve redefined the way that
Opinion
The state will spend $7 mil
lion this year and next to subsi
dize the difference between resi
dent and nonresident tuition for
these students.
While the amount is not alto
gether significant in the grand
scheme of the state budget, it’s
still money that could be put
toward something that more
directly benefits N.C. taxpayers.
And while it might mean that
these scholarship organizations
have to give out fewer scholar
ships, which is unfortunate, there
are N.C. residents who need help
paying for college, too.
Given UNC’s history as the
first public university in the U.S.,
it only seems right to stay true
to our heritage. A university for
the people bv the people the
people of North Carolina who
pay for this institution we all
call home.
While the state tax money
going to out-of-staters is the
main issue, there are also ques
University Chrysler lot at 419
W. Franklin St., according to
county land records.
That’s the former car dealer
ship with the big empty park
ing lot that the public isn’t
allowed to use.
And his company, Riddle
Commercial Properties, has the
title to the building at the cor
ner of Franklin and Columbia
streets that houses Top of the
Hill restaurant.
As everyone knows, that’s
the building with the gapingly
obvious empty storefront on
the most important corner in
Chapel Hill.
And while many of the blank
shop windows that have popped
up lately are the result of chang
ing markets and a downshifting
economy, only folks who have
been here at least four years
can remember the last tenant
at Riddle’s property.
The Gap’s store there closed
in May 2004. That’s when last
years seniors were finishing up
their freshman year.
All told, Riddle and his busi
ness own seven lots in town
valued at $9,945,882.
student government functions.
She was also emblematic of
what a student body president
should be: warm and personal,
friendly with everyone she met
and unequivocally excited about
bettering this University.
The other idea is to add
a garden to the impromptu
memorial bench that was anon
ymously donated in memory of
Eve and occupies an area next
to the Campus Y building.
This is also a fitting tribute
to a young woman who was so
full of life and exuberance.
We hope that in this garden,
or possibly in another physical
memorial to be placed elsewhere
on campus, that other students
who have tragically been taken
from us are recognized.
People like Keith Shawn
tions as to whom really benefits
from the subsidy.
The bill doesn’t just affect
students; it promotes the bigger
public universities' names when
there are 16 of them in the state
that all deserve attention.
UNC and N.C. State
University, the two most rec
ognizable and well-funded uni
versities, have enrolled the most
out-of-state students because of
the law. Most of those students
received academic scholarships.
While UNC is the flagship,
that doesn’t mean the smaller
public universities should be left
out in the cold.
Administrators at some of the
system's historically black colleg
es and universities say they have
not seen much of the scholarship
money or benefits.
Perhaps when the Senate
looks over the bill, it will give it
a second thought and not just
think about allegiances to the
big men on campus.
And yet he fails to make use
of his properties.
Which is odd, because Foy
said he’s a really nice guy and
a Tar Heel fan. “He’s
a great guy to talk to and ... a
pleasure to be around."
The town council gets plen
ty of complaints about him,
but the answer’s always the
same: They’re trying to talk
to him.
And that’s about all the
council can do, legally.
So we would like to try some
thing different:
Joe Riddle, as the editorial
board of the student paper of
the University ofNorth Carolina
at Chapel Hill we’re asking you
to help keep Franklin Street a
vibrant, beautiful place that
students, alumni and townies
can enjoy.
And we would like to ask all
of our University’s august boost
ers (the Board of Trustees, the
Rams Club and big donors to
Citizens for Higher Education,
et al.) to take the time to men
tion to Riddle just how much
they want to see Franklin Street
allowed to thrive.
Smith and Jasor. Rav had a
profound impact on the lives
of countless people on campus,
and we would (ike 'io see their
lives commemorated as well.
We are thrilled to know that
the Junior Year Scholarship
that Eve worked so hard to
start will be named after her.
Eve was an incredible agent
of change on campus, and she
continues to be to this day.
Physical memorials will be a
constant reminder of the charge
that we all have to change the
world we live in for the better.
Eve said students made UNC
what it is, and as a student
she proved this to the utmost.
Leaving a physical mark to
remind future students of the
impact that one can have is the
least we can do.
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
“We got lucky became we read the tea
leaves correctly with what was likely
to happen with public funding!'
SHIRLEY ORT, ASSOCIATE PROVOST, ON CAROLINA COVENANT
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Fed strongly about something that has been printed? Post your own
response to a letter, editorial or story online.
VISIT www.daifytarheel.com/feedback
Board's advising editorial
was ignorant, unhelpful
TO THE EDITOR:
As members of the Student
Academic Advising Board, we
would like to respond to Tuesday's
editorial “Help! I need somebody
...” (April 22). The accusation that
UNC s academic advising system
is "cryptic and incompetent" is an
insult to the men and women who
work every day to help students
achieve academic success.
The editorial board will be
pleased to know that there are
several measures under way that
aim to restructure advising at
UNC. The Daily Tar Heel, ironi
cally, dedicated multiple articles
to this process.
These impending changes
address many of the alleged short
comings mentioned in the article.
Advisers are constantly working to
stay updated on modifications to
the curriculum and the require
ments for graduation. Advising
dedicates many hours to improv
ing its ability to direct this curric
ular information and additional
academic advice to students.
After many productive and pro
fessional meetings with advisers
and administrators, the Student
Academic Advising Board stands
in support of academic advising
in its efforts to improve its service
to students.
Editorials such as Tuesday's
provide no constructive criti
cism to an improvement process
that is already under way. In fact,
such uninformed and unpro
ductive discourse threatens to
undermine the current process
of change. If the DTH is interest
ed in seeing the University retain
its best advisers and attract new
advising talent, then the editorial
board should engage in a respect
ful and beneficial dialogue.
David Bevevino
Matt Burton
Student Academic Advising
Board
It is too early to call for
ASG president to resign
TO THE EDITOR:
Deciding whether to respond
in writing to the recent article
and letter to the editor on the
"conflict of interest’ following
my election as Association of
Student Governments president
is something of a predicament:
I risk jeopardizing this adminis
tration in its infancy by remain
ing silent, but at the same time
by responding I equally risk
dragging out what is essentially
a manufactured controversy.
The concern raised by (for
mer) ASG President Jeff Nieman
is certainly worth considering,
and it's a point that will be scru
tinized heavily in the months
ahead. But since my term as
ASG president does not even
begin until July 1 more than
two months away it is wholly
premature for me to resign my
position as Student Senate presi
dent at N.C. State.
If anyone student, admin
istrator, legislator or otherwise
would like to express their ideas
and opinions on how to revitalize
this association we all help fond, I
would greatly appreciate hearing
from them. I can be reached on my
mobile phone at (919) 606-7158
or via e-mail to ssp@ncsu.edu. as
well as on AIM and Facebook.
T. Greg Doucette
President-elect
UNCASG
SPEAK OUT
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EDITOR'S NOTE: Columns, cartoons and letters do not necessarily reflect the opinions of
The Daily Tar Heel or Its staff. Editorials are the opinions solely of The Daily Tar Heel edit©
rial board. The board consists of nine board members, the associate opinion editor, the
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Shr Daily ear Brrl
Students: stop whining,
use standby line and enjoy
TO THE EDITOR:
After reading about the ticket
forum ("Forum weighs 1-ticket
option.' April 23), I thought back
on this past season. Despite win
ning only two lotteries, I was still
present at every home game while
school was in session. I got in by
being willing to take a chance in
trying the stand-by line.
I don't understand why so many
students complain about the ticket
policy. What they fail to realize is
that we are all being afforded an
opportunity that is not granted to
students at other universities. We
have the opportunity to witness in
person one of the greatest basket
ball programs in the country. Let's
be grateful for that.
Several hundred students
received tickets through the lot
tery. and those who paid atten
tion knew to use the standby line.
I will admit that the line needs to
be better advertised. On the other
hand. I know many read the word
“unfortunately" in lottery e-mails
and immediately hit “delete"
instead of reading the rest. How
exactly is the Carolina Athletic-
Association at fault for that ?
The problem isn't that the
standby line is insufficiently adver
tised; the real problem Ls that peo
ple aren't willing to take a chance
and use it. I've heard the excuse “I
didn't think I'd get in" more often
than I care to count. Well. I'm sure
by now that most are aware of the
success of the standby line. Here's
a tip for next year: Use it. And
enjoy the game.
Krysta Workman
Freshman
Undecided
DSP is good, but people
seem to misunderstand it
TO THE EDITOR:
In response to the letter “DSP
wxmld do more harm than good for
workers" (April 23) and as a sup
porter of the Designated Suppliers
Program and Student Action with
Workers' efforts. I would like to
point out that the ongoing sit-in
of South Building is the result of a
three-year campaign.
During this time, Chancellor
(James) Moeser has refused
to meet with students, faculty
and his own licensing advisory
committee to discuss the ben
efits of the DSP. The program is
designed to prevent companies
from cutting contracts with fac
tories that raise wages, improve
working conditions and grant
the right to collectively bargain.
The present situation is one
in which the major corpora
tions and licensees of UNC
apparel close garment factories
that uphold these same codes
of conduct, simply because they
are able to find cheaper factories
with lower wages.
The suggestion that SAW
members simply give charity to
exploited garment workers ignores
the structural flaws of university
apparel supply chains that perpet
uate poverty and abuse. For more
information on the DSP, please
visit SAWs Web site.
Daniel Cothran
Co-Chairman
Advocates for Human Rights
ahr Daily aar Hrrl
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