Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Aug. 22, 2008, edition 1 / Page 10
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10 FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2008 She Sailij Sar Heel Established, 1893, 115 years of editorialfreedom ANDREA LUDTKE, THE BLUNT BLONDE, is a sophomore journalism major from Weston, Fla. E-MAIL: ANDREALB@EMAIL.UNC.EDU What a Croc! A big shoe faux pas For a while I saw the infesta tion of Crocs as a sure sign of the apocalypse. But the waning of this hideous trend now proves that the obsession was purely a seizurelike moment of judgment in fashion history. But why Crocs? These rub- bery, porous clogs come in 20 colors so bright AT-LARGE COLUMNIST even Walt Disney wouldn’t touch them. Millions of Americans over looked this fashion faux pas and punished their feet with this sad excuse for 21st-century footwear. TYue, America has seen other oddities in footwear history. Jellies were the glitter-infused color ful sandals made of PVC plastic. Velcro shoes made putting on and taking off shoes easier on both parents and kids. But adults have been mature enough to leave these trends to kids. Oddities turn to tragedies when adults raid the children’s footwear section. Lo and behold in 2002 Crocs for adults were bom. Now that’s one baby the doctor really should’ve put back. What’s surprising is how, for a brief moment in fashion history, comfort won the battle over looks. From corsets to high heels, new developments in attire have always come at the sacrifice of comfort. Yes, people still wear the time less bathrobe and slippers for com fort —but in public? I think not. Crocs, though, have managed to venture past the end of the drive way into our malls, workplaces, and (gasp!) even our children’s schools, to which I ask, what are we teaching our children? I had a professor this spring who insisted on wearing his bright blue Crocs at least once a week. The rest of his attire dwelled per fectly in the land of Normal an appropriate pastel collared shirt and khaki pants. All semester I was too busy pondering this per fectly normal, educated middle aged man’s motivation for donning shch obscene footwear. Now, there are certain situations in life where fashion must be cast into the wind, and the workplace is often one of them. More than a few people are required to wear unbe coming uniforms every day. But Crocs are not suitable for the hardest of hardcore jobs like pouring cement or hauling in lob ster, what with their porous nature and all. (What is with that anyway? Aeration? Yeah, let’s put holes in the armpits of our shirts as well. Bathe, people) Crocs are perfect for jobs that have you on your feet all day. Teachers, there’s a catch if the kids in your class aren’t wearing them, you don’t get to either. This pretty much whittles down the range to elementary and below. This is the same range of teachers who wear seasonal sweaters and pins that make music, so fashion let them off the hook a long time ago for the sake of the kids. In health care, Crocs blend in with the standard attire of scrubs, if not in white then in some other color or pattern equally as ridicu lous as the Crocs themselves. They kind of cancel each other out In the aftermath of Hurricane Crocs, the adults of the country suffered severe damage to their fashion dignity and children must now hide their shoes from their parents. But what about the youth? We managed to remain in the calm eye of the storm swirling around us, shaking our heads in disbelief and shame. Now that the storm has passed we resume our rightful place as the gatekeepers of fashion. Good job, guys, let’s show ’em that hoodies and jeans never go out of style P.S. No, UNC Crocs are not the exception. ALLISON NICHOLS EDITOR. 962-4086 NALUSON@EMAILUNC.EDU OFFICE HOURS: MON., WED., FRI. 1-2 P.M. ERIC JOHNSON , PUBLIC EDITOR ERIOOHNSONOUNC.EDU EDITORIAL CARTOON By Dylan Gilroy, dgilroy@email.unc.edu Lying Through His Teeth. Grinch steals Halloween Mayor Foy shouldn’t take any steps to downsize Halloween celebrations on Franklin Street Mayor Kevin Foy announced this week that he wants to down size Halloween in Chapel Hill, making the event a party for stu dents and locals but restricted to regional or statewide guests. This proposal would serve to eliminate the iconic Halloween experience in Chapel Hill. Halloween is a beloved town tradition we want it to stay. Most participants enjoy the festivities without incident. Sure, some people get out of control, and Foy claims that the large number of people on Franklin Street causes a safety threat to the Chapel Hill com munity. Last Halloween there were 18 arrests downtown. While Grant them amnesty Formal policy should ensure underage students aren’t afraid to seek medical attention UNC should take bolder steps to ensure that stu dents who seek medical attention after drinking are not worried about getting in trouble for drinking under age. The University maintains its own alcohol policy in col laboration with, but effectively separate from, Chapel Hill police and the N.C. Alcohol Law Enforcement Division. The UNC policies are com plex, scattered through differ ent departments and somewhat ambiguous. UNC launched an Alcohol Task Force in 2007 to explore a comprehensive solution to the challenges that alcohol creates on campus. The primary goal of school policy is to ensure the health and well-being of all stu dents, but the standing policy does not go far enough. Students who dial 911 or take Let neighbors stay put Sustainable development shouldn’t come at the price of social justice Sustainability in Chapel Hill should be considered for more than just envi ronmental merit. Greenbridge Developments is under way with construction on its mixed-use development along Rosemary Street. The developers define sustainability for meeting targets on environ mental sensitivity, social equity, and economical vitality. But Greenbridge has been criticized for displacing a his toric Northside community that might not be able to afford prop erty taxes which have increased since development plans were approved in February 2007. Students took a step forward Opinion AISHA SAAD OPINION EDITOR. 962-0750 SAADOUNC.EDU DAVID GIANCASf RO ASSOCIATE OPINION EDITOR, 962-0750 GIANCASPOUNC.EDU this number seems large, it’s not when considering that 50,000 people were on Franklin Street. People travel across the state to spend Halloween on Franklin Street. Foy’s reservation against “uninvited” residents coming from other towns to Chapel Hill is ludicrous. Our government should not have the ability to restrict public access to a public street. Yes, Halloween may draw large albeit eccentric crowds to Franklin Street. That’s the spirit of the holiday. Town officials have said they might consider charging admission to limit crowds on Halloween. Admission to what, exactly? The county is not spon- a trip in an ambulance due to possible alcohol poisoning can still face consequences under the UNC alcohol statutes. The mere possibility of administrative action against a student may deter an appeal for medical treatment. At a time when medical attention is urgent, students should not feel discouraged to seek help. UNC has an unofficial, yet vague medical amnesty policy. First offenders of alcohol con sumption violations will never face administrative action because the UNC Honor Court does not . prosecute underage drinking citations. But there remains a substan tial gap between the public per ception of alcohol policies and the policies themselves. The only mandatory conse quence for an alcohol citation is educational intervention and with dialogue and started United with the Northside Community NOW in the spring, working toward a comfortable relation ship with Northside residents. This is a first step in address ing the community’s concern with, displacement. Raleigh’s brownfield developer, Cherokee Investment Partners, addressed a similar situation in South Carolina by creating the Stay Put Initiative in response to neigh borhood concerns about surg ing property tax. The initiative compensates homeowners for increases in property taxes due to new development. But this can only work as a short-term solution while state EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS USAANDRUKONIS YANIV BARZILAI BEN BUCK HARRISON JOBE GREG MARGOUS ANDREW STILES SARAH WHITWORTH soring bands, food or amuse ment rides. Franklin Street is a public space. Visitors don’t request any thing from the town except the simple right to walk along a pub lic street They shouldn’t have to pay a dime. Crowd control is a substantial cost for the town of Chapel Hill, but it might have to spend just as much money to prevent crowds from coming altogether. It’s an all-or-nothing thing. Yes, students need ensure that they’re acting responsibly and safely on Halloween. But if the town tries to restrict Halloween, people will go else where to celebrate the holiday, and the University and town will lose it to another venue. probation. Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Winston Crisp clarified, “We will never punish a student for getting medical attention.” But the absence of an amnes ty policy alone may be enough to deter students from seeking proper help. Hundreds of schools across the country, including Cornell, Clemson and Furman, have adopted amnesty policies. Four years after enacting its policy, Cornell reported a 44 percent increase in alcohol related calls to EMS and a 45 percent increase in alcohol related emergency room visits without any relevant increase in alcohol consumption. UNC should commit to its de facto stance and adopt an unequivocal medical amnesty policy. wide property tax reforms can address a long-term solution. With developments increas ing in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, the town should aspire to a defi nition of sustainability that is not one-dimensional. Greenbridge Development partner Frank Phoenix acknowledged in April that “there is no cookbook that says how to deal with the social equity aspects of development” As proactive community advo cates, UNC students environ mental champions and social justice advocates alike should continue to support sustainable development while being critical of its sensitivity to the needs of all community members. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “The bottom line is we do better business on that night” PETE DORRANCE OF SPANKY'S RESTAURANT, ON HALLOWEEN FEATURED ONLINE READER COMMENT: “If Foy succeeds in becoming l the grinch who stole Halloween’ I’ll donate to the campaign of whoever runs against him” ON "HOSTING HALLOWEEN BECOMING TOO COSTLY?" LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Don't fine smokers, let's go after the slow walkers TO THE EDITOR: I’d gladly lean up against the chancellor’s car and smoke an entire pack of Luckies if I knew that the fines would cre ate a parking space somewhere on campus. Sadly, I know it wouldn’t, and I don’t smoke any more anyway. So, I have a better, healthier idea to fund such things: Let’s fine people that walk slowly and in the middle of the way. If we’re going to be all about healthy living, we need to milk the lazy for all they’re worth and get them moving and burn ing calories. Exercise, efficien cy, economy! Scott Kimball Sophomore Religious Studies What no one ever told you about success in college TO THE EDITOR: Almost 11 years ago this week I entered the halls of a university for the first time. I was smart, and I knew it. I remember sitting in a lec ture hall with the entire fresh men class of that university and being told by a dean that one in four people sitting in that room would not graduate in four years. I distinctly remember look ing around at four people sitting around me thinking, “Who’s going to be the idiot who flunks out of college?” As it turned out, that idiot was me. This week I am entering into my senior year at Carolina, age 30, and watching thousands of young people in their first college experiences. I want to tell them what their parents, their orientation lead ers, and their advisers probably aren’t telling them: Smart people flunk out of college all the time. And for reasons that h|ave noth ing to do with drinking or drugs or falling in with the wrong crowd. And few things follow you through the rest of your life with such tenacity as failing out of college at 19. College is not about proving your intelligence. It is about proving your commitment. It is, on many levels, about succeeding in courses that bore you and seem to have nothing to do with your major. It is about what you do after the horrifying realization that you have signed up for a class way over your head that you cannot drop. It is about knowing that the most important classes are often the ones no one will be taking attendance in and no one would know if you skipped. There are second chances in education, but those roads are painful, and much more difficult than making the right choices from the start. And it is also worth under standing that there is more than one definition of success, and that “succeeding” in a field might not make you happy, no matter how much you want it to. Katherine Keims • Senior History 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 EDITOR'S NOTE: Columns, cartoons and letters do not necessarily represent the opinions of The Daily Tar Heel or its staff. Editorials reflect the opinions of The Daily Tar Heel edito rial board. The board consists of seven board members, the associate opinion editor, the opinion editor and the editor. lailg (Ear Hrrl Kvetching board kvetch: v.l (Yiddish) to complain Though I do appreciate the renovation of Carmichael, could we get some drain covers for the showers? I'm afraid I'll loose a foot in there. Dear Drunk Freshmen: Should i ever be that drunk, I hope i never ferociously attack buildings unlike you. User "Iwjin,” this is your first lesson in college: LOG OUT. No crossword or sudoku in the 'Welcome Back’ issue? That certainly was a nice "welcome back' ... don't you guys want people to read the paper instead of throw it away? Did you honestly think that no one would notice if you didn't print the horoscopes for one day? To the fine-dining establish ment of Lenoir Hall: I bought a meal plan for the scrump tious baked catfish ... Get cooking! Oh, it's so nice to see Student Central effing up on the first day of class, one of the few days you actually NEED Student Central to work ... When will you learn to consistently put the crossword above or below the fold? I NEED AN EASY WAY TO AMUSE MYSELF IN LECTURE. > Hey (idiots), why don't you look at prereqs before you register for class. Freshmen, you're not pleasing the upperclassmen. More sun dresses please! Hey, DTH: Stop soliciting for kvetches in Student Union the night before you go to press. Why aren't more people kvetching? You think your life is so damn perfect. Can we please have another restaurant in the Union? If I have one more Alpine bagel, I'm going to explode. Can you hear me now? No. I'm in the Union Underground. Dear New Professor, you said 'urn' 160 times in class on Wednesday, and I started counting 20 minutes in. Send your one-to-two sentence entries to edit desk@unc.edu, subject line 'kvetch.' CORRECTION: Due to a reporting error; Thursday’s editorial “Join the dialogue, Thorp” incorrectly identified the year the legal drinking age was raised from 18 to 21. The change occurred in North Carolina in 1986. The Daily Thr Heel apolo gizes for the error. 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-mail: to editdesk@unc.edu ► Send: to P.O. Box 3257, Chapel Hill, N.C., 27515.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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