Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Sept. 2, 2008, edition 1 / Page 10
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10 TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2008 (Oft Batlg Star Reel Established 1893, 115 years of editorial freedom ALEXANDER TROWBRIDGE WHAT'S HOME Senior journalism major from Guilford, Conn. E-MAIL: A.H.TROWBRID@GMAIL.COM Barbershop kicks off tour of Chapel Hill At Midway Barber Shop on Rosemary Street last week, occasional snippets of conversation escaped the buzz of the electric shavers. “I told her she can’t do that,” a man said to one of the barbers. “What are people going to think, a pastor’s daughter rolling around to Lil’Kim?” On the radio, COMMUNITY COLUMNIST the commentator yelled his excite ment about Barack Obama’s upcoming acceptance speech and threw on Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered.” It is my fourth and final year living in Chapel Hill. And I am seeing it with fresh eyes. I waited behind a magazine for the place to clear out. The owner, Stepney, nodded me over. He opened up. There’s been some trouble over the last year, he told me, a corrupt lawyer hit a lot of members in the community pretty hard, money was lost. On a busy day, the shop’s patrons swap stories. “Come back anytime,” Stepney said. “These guys are nice, they’ll talk to you.” I’d come to the shop a couple of years ago but Stepney didn’t seem to remember me. Still slightly embarrassed, I didn’t make an effort to remind him. Asa sophomore in a reporting class, I was working on a story about gangs in Chapel Hill. My professor told me that to get to know a community, you head to its barbershop. Think: Northern white kid in pink button-down enters black barbershop and in so many euphemisms asks, “So what do you guys know about gangs?” “I don’t know,” one of the bar bers said. “Why are you asking us?” “Umm.” I tried to explain the thing about barbershops. “Why don’t you go ask the skinheads?” “Umm... Where’s the skinhead barbershop?” Fast forward a couple of years and this place is the first stop in my exploration into the nooks and crannies of our community outside of Franklin Street Unlike my sophomoric approach two years ago, this time it’s not about looking from the outside. It’s about walking into a place where I would n’t usually go where I stand out even shak ing somebody’s hand and telling ’ them, “Hey, if you need anything, if you’ve got a story or you just want to talk, give me a call.” The cowbell on the door clanked as I left. Next door, at Glenn’s Tattoo Service, Aaron went through a couple of paper towels trying to get some blue off his hands. A woman, a regular maybe, lounged in one of his chairs. Asa tattoo artist, Aaron’s one rule is no neck, face or hands, and he tries to avoid gang signs. Every year, he pens University students with love notes he knows they’ll later regret But it’s not his job to tell them that “You told me not to get my husband’s name,” the woman reminded him. “That’s because I like you.” The day’s rain had dried up. A man with dreadlocks rode by on a bike, calling as he passed, “There’s a good band down at Weaver Street” I followed the tip. And there was Holden Thorp, on jazz key board in high socks. And so on. I can’t see every crack and crevice, but I can hit a few. I can’t define this community with adjec tives, but I can hear some of its sto ries. And I can’t apologize enough for the stupid questions I’ve asked. I can only hope they are forgiven or at least, in time, forgotten. ALLISON NICHOLS EDITOR, 962-4086 NAUISONaEMAILUNC.EDU OFFICE HOURS: MON., WED. 2-3 P.M. ERIC JOHNSON PUBLIC EDITOR ERIOOHNSONaUNC.EDU EDITORIAL CARTOON By Dylan Gilroy, dgilroy@email.unc.edu .. 1.. I. ... J ... .1 —... ' Cracking the Code Board of Elections must make campaign guidelines clear, enforce them consistently Student body president candidates are barred from open campaigning until mid-January. But 28 days of open cam paigning is insufficient time to fully prepare for a successful run, so candidates tradition ally muster staff and research their platforms months or even years in advance. This advanced planning is subject to rules and restric tions monitored by the Board of Elections. Recently, two students spoke on the record to The Daily Tar Heel regarding their campaigns after the DTH learned they had held large meetings to discuss their campaigns and sent e-mails soliciting supporters. The candidates’ brazen campaigning, coupled with . their on-the-record discus Selling out on ticket prices Rising price of football tickets puts them out of reach to a wider Chapel Hill community Heightened excitement and expectations for the UNC football program have brought about alarming increases for fans. The minimum general admission ticket price has jumped from S4O to a steep SSO for the 2008 season. The ticket pricing system provides incentive for returning season-ticket holders to renew by offering a discounted face value rate of either S4O or $45. For more casual fans seek ing to attend just one game, the tab is SSO per seat. The price increase for individual game tickets makes a trip to watch Beyond the majority Diversity discussions should include needs of student religious groups The University should take a more proactive approach to ensure that all students have the same abil ity to exercise their religion on campus. Monday marked the first day of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting. During Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn until dusk, yet University routines continue as usual for all students. Muslims with weekly value meal plans will find themselves in a bind. It is unlikely that any fasting person will have the opportunity to use all dining hall meals during Ramadan. , Refunding unused meals during this holy month would be a fair and inclusive way to accommodate students who Opinion AISHASAAD OPINION EDITOR, 962-0750 SAADaUNC.EDU DAVID GIANCASPRO ASSOCIATE OPINION EDITOR, 962-0750 GIANCASPaUNC.EDU sion of their candidacies, gives them an unfair advantage five months prior to the start of official campaigning. In the Student Code, which regulates campus elections, Section 402 A. (1) states that no candidate can publicly seek to further the interests of his or her candidacy until 28 days before the election. The BOE’s interpretation and enforcement of this and other campaigning rules is at best ambiguous. Inconsistencies in interpretation lead to an unfair campaign climate. And, election regulations in the Code aren’t even conve nient to student access. The most recent revision, which was passed by Student Congress in April, can only be found through navigation of a maze of .zip files buried deep Butch Davis’ Tar Heels less accessible to the average fan. The SSO price is comparably steeper than that of other foot ball programs around the ACC. According to the UNC Ticket Office, N.C. State University offers single game seats that range from $35 to $49. Wake Forest, the 2006 ACC champion, charges between $35 and SSO. With the single exception of the University of Miami, all ACC schools currently offer seats cheaper than the UNC minimum price of SSO. Our Duke counterparts offer seats at half the cost of any one UNC ticket probably due to the practice Islam. As the calendar now oper ates, value meal plans are priced to accommodate all offi cial school holidays. While UNC does not offi cially recognize any religious holiday, Christmas and Good Friday almost always coincide with University holidays. Conflicts between religious and academic calendars are typical for many non-Christian religions. This year, Jews will have to choose between attending Thursday classes and partak ing in Yom Kippur, the holi est day of the year in Jewish tradition. UNC has an excellent and progressive policy on nondis crimination, yet the lag between EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS LISAANDRUKONIS YANIV BARZILAI BEN BUCK HARRISON JOBE GREG MARGOLIS ANDREW STILES SARAH WHITWORTH within Congress’ Web site. Chairman Ryan Morgan said Monday the BOE is investigat ing possible campaign violations in the wake of last Wednesday’s article, “SBP races launch early.” Typical election violations are confronted with minor mon etary fines of only $1 to SSO. But, a monetary fine does not compensate for reduced public name recognition, essential to SBP campaign victories. To avoid inconsistent appli cation of the Student Code, the BOE must revise the code to ensure clarity and consistent interpretation. Rules must be defined more explicitly to clarify the nature of legitimate interaction between SBP candidates and the media. And, regulations must be backed with effective enforce ment and penalties. strength of the program. Even the perennial pow erhouse programs of Florida State and Virginia Tech offer tickets that are cheaper at face value than those sold for admission to Kenan Stadium. While a ticket policy that encourages strong supporters of the University might be profit able, those who cannot afford the commitment of season tick ets should not be pushed out. Those in the stands cheering on the “University of the peo ple” should have easier access to Kenan Stadium. This increase in ticket price may put that access just out of reach for too many. explicit policy and implementa tion remains substantial. De facto recognition of Christian holidays while not accommodating for other reli gious holidays might alienate and disadvantage non-Chris tian students. While the University already has many separate offices addressing issues of religion under the broader issue of diversity, these efforts are scat tered and no substantive body has the authority to tackle spe cifically religious diversity. A task force that includes both religious leaders and stu dents would be significant in advancing the interests of reli gious students on campus. Appeasing the majority is simply not enough. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I wear Victoria's Secret , but I understand why the chancellor doesn’t want the University associated with half-naked women.” JENNIFER PRICE, FIRST YEAR FEATURED ONLINE READER COMMENT: “ You’re either 100 percent loyal to U.S. citizens or you are an illegal alien loyalist.... Make your decision and live with it.” ON "STUDENTS GEAR UP TO FIGHT ANTI-IMMIGRANT POLICY" LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Chairman of BOE tries to clear up election code TO THE EDITOR: Mr. (George) Drometer’s assertion in his letter to the editor on Thursday (“DTH writers need to read up on election protocol”) that there was a violation of Title VI, Article IV, Section 402 A (5) is appreciated, but the Board of Elections is the sole body dealing with election violations. I’ve heard many people make accusations of election law viola tions, yet no reports of violations have been submitted. As the chairman of the BOE, all reports of violations are sent directly to me, so if there are any reports, I should know about them. If you want to complain, do it on the kvetching board, if you want an elections issue addressed, report it at studen torgs.unc.edu/boe/. It’s simple; if you notice or sus pect a violation, report it The BOE investigates violations and deals out punishments accordingly, but we cannot punish violations if we don’t know about them. As for the article on Wednesday (“SBP races launch early”), neither candidate chose to talk to the BOE before the article ran, while a third candi date contacted me. I instructed him not to have his name print ed. A fourth candidate, a sopho more, was apparently left out of the entire process by the DTH. Also, If you’re planning on running for any office, especially SBP (you know who you are, and so do I, even though you think I don’t), contact me so I can inform you on the nuances of the Student Code. I know of three candidates who are aware I want to speak with them, but have not contacted me. And to the commentator online, this is not the $5.00 fine and slap on the wrist BOE of the past Ryan Morgan Sophomore Chairman of the Board of Elections Obama offers up stale solutions to age old issues TO THE EDITOR: “This election must be about bold solutions,” says Vivek Chilukuri. (“Stop talking about Paris, start talking about issues,” Aug. 28 letter to the editor ) I agree. But the solutions Barack Obama offers to the economy, education, environment and the other issues that confront us are not bold. Is it bold to merely repeat solutions that the Democratic Party has been saying for the past 50 years? On his Web site, Obama prom ises more government interven tion in the free-market, just like every other modem Democratic nominee. He also promises to substantially increase the taxes on higher wages. All of these merely repeat Democratic policy initiatives of the past half-century. There is nothing new here. The vast majority of these policies have been attempted and failed. Protectionism sig nificantly worsened the Great Depression (Smoot-Hawley Act). Billions of dollars have been poured down the education hole to satisfy the NEA, and students’ achievement has declined. Taxing 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. (Mjp laxly ®ar HIM the most productive members of society causes capital to flee. France exemplifies this well, as evidenced by its high tax rate and diminishing tax receipts. Obama speaks of “change we can believe in.” What change? Anthony Dent First-year Physics, Economics Shortsightedness costs the future generations TO THE EDITOR: I feel I must voice my objec tions to Andrea Ludtke’s column on Aug. 29 (“Stop the green, go out with a bang”) which made some fallacious arguments regarding “evolution” and projected a gen erally short-sigjited message. The argument concerning “survival of the fittest” doesn’t work out really. Evolutionary fit ness is measured in the number of viable offspring one produces, not necessarily any other char acteristic so rabbits might be considered “more fit.” But the true idiocy is in the concept of pitting humans against all other species in a battle for survival. Humans have an “unfair advantage” in this competition: cultural development, which has taken us from stone tools to the iPod and atomic bomb inside of 40,000 years—during which our only biological change was small er canine teeth. Biological evolution, taking millions of years, cannot protect a species from our deadly force. But as Ludtke’s thinking indicates, the cleverness that gives us our dan gerous tools doesn’t necessarily equal intelligence. True intelligence would be to use our sentience to look around and see that all life is connected and, though we could fairly easily destroy all other life on earth, we couldn’t survive long without it. In the 21st century, thinking only about short-term conve nience and pleasure would be a disgrace to our primeval ances tors who were marked by their forward planning skills. Some people do go overboard with conservationism, but it may be worse to go overboard on “liv ing for today” at the expense of future generations. Benjamin F. Ossojf Junior History Governor Palin far more extremist than Kucinich TO THE EDITOR: The DTH Cartoon on Aug. 29 cast Rep. Dennis Kucinich as beyond the mainstream. Kucinich is infinitely more mainstream than John McCain’s running mate, Sarah Palin. Gov. Palin is a right-wing extrem ist who denies evolution and a human role in global warming. Currently under investigation for abuse of power, she was also a supporter of the far-right anti- Israel Pat Buchanan. Earlier this year, she admitted that she didn’t know what vice presidents were supposed to do. McCain’s running mate selection speaks to his active disdain for his country and its citizens. Noah Savage Junior Linguistics 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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Sept. 2, 2008, edition 1
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