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8 THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2008 £ ERIC JOHNSON ITS CAUED THE UNC SYSTW Eric Johnson is a Political Science graduate from Chapel Hill. E-MAIL ERICJOHNSON@UNC.EDU Thorp shares in UNC’s lofty goals hen Chancellor James Moeser announced last September that he'd be retiring. University leaders were positively giddy about courting potential replacements. Visions of resumes danced in their heads as they pledged a nationwide search, a scouring of the best and brightest academic minds from even corner of the continent. “Can you imagine?" exclaimed Jeff Davies, chief ofstaff, to UNC system President Erskine Bowles. “We’re talking about the cream of the crop from across the coun try!" And after searching far and wide, with months of top secret discus- GUEST COLUMNIST sions and input from a high-dollar consulting firm. UNC had its man. Turns out. he was in South Building, one floor above the chancellor's office. Convenient! Aside from the fact that he only has to move his supplies down one flight of stairs, there’s a clear logic to the selection of 43-year-old Holden Thorp dean of the College of Arts and Sciences to be the 10th chancellor of UNC-Chapel Hill. Roger Perry, chairman of UNC's Board of Trustees, summed it up nicely in his intro duction of Thorp last week. “What he is," Perry said, “is one of us." The decision to pick “one of us" —a former UNC undergrad uate whose wife, mother, brother, sister-in-law and cousin all graduated from the school— says a lot about what Bowles and the trustees are looking for from the University of the people. They picked someone who, first and foremost, knows that this is a state university. For many years now, the University has pushed hard to play in the premier leagues of higher education. Moeser was fond of say ing that he wasn’t content to lead the best pub lic university in the world; he wanted UNC to be the best in the world, public or private. This is. perhaps, why Moeser concluded Sunday's abbreviated commencement ceremony by awkwardly assuring rain-soaked graduates. “You’re the best in the world!") It’s the reason we spent the last few y ears piling up one of the largest endowments in the country, the reason we toyed with the idea of opening a satellite campus in Qatar and the reason Chapel Hill maintains a list of "aspirational peers" that includes Stanford University. To some degree. Thorp is onboard with this kind of lofty agenda. His acceptance speech, after all, included pledges to end world hunger, stop wars, cure everyone's diseaseseand find cheap energy. God himself would blush at such a to-do list. But selecting a man from Fayetteville is a clear nod to UNC's role as a state institution and a recognition that the most pressing problems for the next chancellor will have less to do with rural Africa than with rural North Carolina. In our fair University town, about 74 percent of the popula tion holds a bachelor’s degree. In Fayetteville, that figure is 24 percent still higher than the North Carolina average of 22 percent. While state leaders are no doubt in favor of ending global hunger, they are much more concerned with upping college enrollment. They want a University that can reduce the high school drop out rate and search for clean energy. They want a University agenda that will play just as well in Gastonia as it would in Cambridge. And they’re counting on a man from North Carolina to deliver. EDITORIAL CARTOON By Terrence Nowicki, The Western Front Election law stymies fraud N.C. should heed Supreme Courts voter ID decision Don’t feel like leaving the house on Election Day? No problem! Just have your neighbor vote for you. For first-time voters, last week’s primary revealed one of the cracks in our local election process. At the polling places, voters must simply state their names and addresses to receive a ballot. Election officials are not required to ask for a driver's license; they don't have to ask for a Social Security number they don't even have to ask for a Vis Art card. North Carolina must rewrite its election laws to prevent voter fraud and. more importantly, to instill faith in the efficacy of the process; its integrity should not rest on the honor system. With this in mind, precincts should require that all voter identities be confirmed by documentation. In an April decision, the Green-light the blue lights SBP, town should continue efforts to add street lights If you are ever alone, stumbling to your apart ment after last call, you might find yourself in some dark places. And that’s not just the Heinekens getting to you. Certain spots in town are under blackout. Street lights do not shine there. 911 call boxes do not stand within reach. And students whose sched ules require evening trips through Umstead Road or the historic McCauley and Ransom districts shouldn't have to worry about lurkers in the shadows. Which is why Student Body- President J.J. Raynor’s admin istration and the Chapel Hill Town Council should be com mended for attempting to add more pedestrian-level street lighting and more call boxes to several streets in town. Still, they should be urged to better include affected resi dents in their discussions. The project, backed by- Raynor’s predecessors, James Allred and Eve Carson, and bankrolled by SBO,OOO in stu dent fees, was authorized at last , Fare thee well To the undergraduates, to make much of their time Goodbye to our friends. Good riddance to our enemies. They say that all life’s moments are but beginnings and ends. And who are we to disagree? Last Sunday, Chancellor James Moeser bid a quick adieu to our umbrella-covered seniors, officially sending them off into the much-talked-about real world, into new universi ties and, for some, into uncer tainty. And this was his last fare well, too. But tliis is not a mes sage for the chancellor, new or old. Some of our seniors will be back, unable to resist or unable to avoid —a victory lap or two. We don’t blame them. Opinion United States Supreme Court upheld a law in Indiana which requires voters to have a gov ernment-issued ID to receive a ballot at their polling stations. Critics of the law say that the requirements have been pushed by the Republicans as a method for discouraging minorities and the elderly from voting two groups who are less likely to have ID (and two groups that primarily vote for the Democrats). They said that Indiana's pri mary would be rife with disen franchised voters. It wasn’t. The law provides for those who do not drive or have acceptable documentation by allowing them to receive free picture IDs. But the fear remains that requiring ID is akin to voter intimidation and will keep people home on Election Day. If that’s the case, Americans must address a more press week’s Town Council meeting. Now it should be adopt ed by the Historic District Commission, which has veto power over the project. Some residents, especially those in the historic McCauley and Ransom districts, have voiced concerns about the project. One speaker suggested added lighting would be “aes thetically intrusive" and could ruin “evening ambience’ in the neighborhood. The town should not drowTi out the clear-skied view of the stars. Chapel Hill’s natural beauty on campus and off helps bring people to town and keep them here. But the government has a greater obligation to prevent rob bery and sexual assault against its students the majority of whom are young women. Further, students have a right to feel safe when they walk the streets at night. These residents argue that Chapel Hill is a low-crime area, and perhaps they simply pos sess a sense of perspective that But this is not a message for those who walked Sunday. Rather, it’s for those whose graduation looms off in the distance. For those of us who’ll be around next fall, graduation makes us feel a tinge of our undergraduate mortality. We feel out-of-sorts when we part ways with the graduated because we see ourselves on the other side of those hugs and handshakes. We’re not ready to be there. But we can’t spend our time in college worrying about its end. We’ve seen seniors upset about having to leave, rushing to see all their acquaintances before time is up —and what a shame that exams and move ing issue: How did we let our democracy fall so ill that a sim ple act such as having to show an ID would prevent citizens from fulfilling their most basic civic duty? We must entertain the very real possibility that the flaws of our current voting process are hurting this country far more than the proposed solutions. Americans stay home in incredible numbers because we do not have faith in the system or in our candidates. We have a system that weighs some votes more than others, that excludes third parties, that trusts elections to machines with no paper trails. And because of this, we are disillusioned. While an ID requirement will not solve all these prob lems, it can restore at least some of our faith in the sys tem. And that’s a start. has grown with age. But in the still-tender after math of Carson s murder, wore forced to wonder if they’ve lost touch with the University. It’s important to remember that this project is the result of three years of work. It is not borne of passion resulting from Carson’s death instead, it’s made urgent by it. Surely a compromise can be struck between safety and aesthetics, between town and gown. Lights do not have to be eyesores or harmful to the environment, and other mea sures such as improved P2P service can supplement town security in ways that lights and call boxes cannot. Nevertheless, the surprising level of concern at last week’s meeting indicates a lack of communication between the various parties. The Raynor administration must improve at seeking the input of affected residents. They will have to live with the results of this plan after most of us have gone. outs interrupt this process. Yet many of these seniors came to terms with gradua tion. They realized it was time to move on. On the other hand, we’ve also seen those who boasted for four years about how they couldn’t wait to leave softened by a sudden appreciation for Carolina and the role it has played in their lives. We shouldn't rush to get out of the door, nor should we be forced to it kicking and screaming. So let’s make the most of our days here, and, when it’s time for us to don the cap and gown, we can do so knowing we’ve enjoyed it fully. And then we can start again somewhere else. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Today's weather just doesn't matter. It's really just about the Carolina spirit." KATE CUNNINGHAM, UNC ALUMNA, ON COMMENCEMENT LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Feel strongly about something that has been printed? Post your own response to a letter, editorial or story online. VISIT www.dailytarheel.com/feedback Both Obama and Clinton should stay in primary TO THE EDITOR: This letter is in response to the articles calling for Senator Hillary Clinton to withdraw from the Democratic Party nomination for President of the United States. The total number of del egates required to nominate a Democratic candidate is 2,025. To date, neither candidate has reached this number. If the number is not reached by the date of the final primary (June 3, 2008) then the contest must continue to the Democratic con vention. During the convention, del egates and superdelegates can vote on as many ballots as nec essary to determine the winner. The controversy concerning the popular votes and delegates from Michigan and Florida must also be resolved prior to the convention. Just as w-ith the presiden tial election of 2000, President Bush could not become presi dent until he received the 270 electoral votes. No Democrat considered him the presump tive victor. To ask either democratic can didate to withdraw before either one reaches the required tally does a disservice to the entire process. Both candidates and their supporters have waged a very good campaign but if neither one can “close the deal" before the convention it is up to the delegates and superdelegates to decide. Let us continue. Joe Bialek Cleveland Clinton shows concern for women's health in N.C. TO THE EDITOR: Breast cancer is a devastating disease that has struck nearly two million American women in the past decade. The sta tistics are sobering: A woman is diagnosed with breast can cer every three minutes, and another dies of breast cancer every 13 minutes in the United States. Asa breast cancer survivor who has lost friends to this dis ease, I am so grateful to hear about Senator Hillary Clinton’s plans to eradicate breast cancer in our lifetime. Breast cancer is a disease that crosses all categories of identity: race, religion, eth nicity and age, but it is not an equal opportunity player. A disturbing American Cancer Society study published this year finds that African- American women’s death rates are either flat or rising in many states, including North Carolina. As someone who has fought for African-Americans’ rights for years, it is no surprise that Hillary Clinton plans to address the needs of affected popula tions and establish anew racial disparities research project. I am encouraged by Hillary Clinton's concern for the health and well-being of the women of North Carolina and else where. We do need change in this country when our moth ers, daughters, sisters, wives, partners, friends and co-work ers are faltering. Ending breast cancer would be a magnificent 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-maii: to editdeskOunc.edu ► Send: to P.O. Box 3257. Chapel H, N.C., 27515. terrors NOTE: Columns, cartoons and letters do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Daily Ter Heel or Its staff Editorials are the opinions solely of The Daily Tar Heel editorial board. It consists of erfltorial board members, the opinion editor and the summer edtor. The 2006 summer edtor decided not to vote on the board. (Thr Daily ear Hrrl change. Thank you. Hillary, for fight ing for me. You are the candi date for me and for the men and women of North Carolina. Joan Lipkin St. Louis , Mo. Media feeding audience U.S. military propaganda TO THE EDITOR: As we now know, thanks to the New York Times, the mili tary-industrial complex is well represented in the daily televi sion news coverage of the Iraq and Afghan occupations. Those former generals who seemed generously to have xome out of retirement to provide disinterested analysis of the Bush administration's military adventures are neither generous nor disinterested. Instead, they are self-con scious, self-seeking conduits for the Pentagon's talking points, and well connected to military contractors trying to make money off war. The Times says that “several dozen ... (television) military analysts represent more than 150 military contractors either as lobbyists, senior executives, board members or consul tants." Where did they get their inside information? From briefings with some of the most senior officials of the Bush administration. And why did those officials provide the briefings? Because they wanted the retired generals to pass along the official admin istration spin to the television audience. Disguised as objective ana lysts, the Defense Department’s mouthpieces faithfully deliv ered the administration's pro paganda. This is not the first time the administration’s corruption of the news has been revealed. In fact, this very story was hinted at in the Times five years ago. No one paid much attention. Even the Times ran op-eds by some of the retired generals. The latest story has gotten little notice outside the blogosphere. The television networks cer tainly have no interest in cov ering it. One might think that the major news organizations would be ashamed of them selves, but they, along with the major newspapers, were little more than cheerleaders during the administration’s run-up to the Iraq invasion. Who needs state-controlled media when you have a lapdog press? And what about this admin istration? Its official spokesmen could have openly presented the pro paganda any time. The networks would have been delighted to accommo date them. Instead, it chose undercover agents, taking advantage of the good will most people have for former military officers. The analyst scandal shouldn’t surprise anyone. The American people were deceived into supporting the Iraq invasion, from claims about WMD to hints that Saddam Hussein had some thing to do with 9/11. So why wouldn't the admin istration continue the deception by disguising its propagandists as objective analysts? Sheldon Richman Editor The Freeman Magazine ahr Dailij oar lirrl Established 1893, 115 years of editorialfreedom RACHEL ULLRICH SUMMER EDITOR. 962-4086 RUURICH@EMAILUNC.EDU CUNT JOHNSON OWfION EDITOR. 962-0750 CUNT@UNC.EDU
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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May 15, 2008, edition 1
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