6
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2008
Daily (Ear Brri
Established wy&,
115 years
ofeditorialfreedom
JUSTIN CROWDER
A TALE TOLD BY AN IDIOT FULL OF SOUND
AND FURY.
Sophomore biology major from
Greensboro.
E-MAIL: JRCROWDE@EMAIL.UNC.EDU
Snapshot
of life as a
teaching
assistant
For most undergraduate stu
dents, getting high grades
is a top priority. Like most
of my friends, I know that I need
to perform well in the academic
arena in order to gain entry into a
favorable institution for my post
grad studies. Therefore it should
come as no sur
prise that many
students try
to gain points
UNIVERSITY
COLUMNIST
whenever possible, even blaming
the varying grading standards
among teaching assistants.
While it’s true that TAs grade
differently, many of us forget that
TAs are students, too, and working
with undergraduates is a relatively
peripheral activity for them.
Whitney Heavner, a TA for
genetics and molecular biology,
started out her college life want
ing to go medical school and was
accepted before turning to a dif
ferent path.
When asked about how she
likes her job teaching at UNC, the
Ph.D. candidate says “most gradu
ate students are pretty nerdy
and don’t really mind teaching
because we love our subject.”
If you think your life as an
undergraduate is tough, take a
look at what your TA endures.
Most of them work between 40
and 50 hours a week on their
own studies. For some that might
include working at a lab bench,
attending a seminar, doing
research, meeting with an adviser
or applying for grants. Specific
activities vary based upon area of
study but the time commitment
remains constant.
In addition to working on
their own projects, TAs also com
mit a large portion of their time
to helping undergraduates. This
can mean between 15 and 20
hours a week preparing, teaching
and grading. During recitation or
lab they have to make sure they
are on top of all of the material so
that they can answer questions.
Some must teach as part of
their graduation requirement,
while others choose to become
TAs for their own reasons. Most
agree it’s a great way to get intro
duced to teaching as a potential
career. They also agree that UNC
has some of the most impressive
students they’ve seen and for the
most part really enjoy their jobs,
except when they start to feel the
time crunch.
In a letter to the editor this
semester, an undergraduate stu
dent complained about the dif
ferent standards each TA applies
when grading leading to unfairly
dissimilar grades for the same
work. Obviously each TA has a
different area of expertise but
when it comes to grading, col
laborating on grading tests and
papers is standard practice to
ensure a fair evaluation.
There is just no way a profes
sor can be looking over the shoul
der of every TA. As we all know,
some TAs just seem to grade
tougher than others. While they
do their best to make the grades
consistent, there will always be
some judgment calls that go dif
ferently for different people.
For some classes the TA will
regrade students’ papers only if
they submit a written request
detailing why it’s merited. But
this is no guarantee that the final
grade will change.
“Sometimes your heart just
bleeds,” Neal Rasmussen, a BIOL
101 lab TA, said of making tough
decisions on grades.
So next time you think about
complaining about the job your
TA does, remember that they
might not be perfect but that
they are among the best in their
field. In the long run, your own
personality and initiative will
take you further than a few
points on a test.
ALLISON NICHOLS
EDITOR, 962-4086
NALUSON@EMAILUNC.EDU
OFFICE HOURS:
MON., WED. 2-3 P.M.
ERIC JOHNSON
PUBLIC EDITOR
ERiaOHNSON@UNC.EDU
EDITORIAL CARTOON By Nate Beeler, The Washington Examiner
LOOKEE HERE
WHAT WASHED UP?
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Decentralized cuts are best
The University is respond
ing prudently to the
state-mandated budget
cuts of 2 percent that were
announced earlier this year.
While other UNC-system
schools have frozen hiring of
faculty, UNC-CH has given
jurisdiction of spending cuts
to individual departments.
This distribution of respon
sibility is both more effective
and more efficient than deci
sions made from the top.
Individual departments
certainly know best which
programs can endure reduced
budgets and which programs
cannot.
“I do believe this is a wise
course of action,” said Steven
Matson, dean of the UNC-CH
Thinking about drinking
Student input essential for new alcohol policy
The University’s revised
alcohol policy needs
to have broad student
input and focus on comprehen
sive solutions, rather than on a
purely punitive crack down on
drinking.
From every indication so far,
University officials understand
the importance of incorporat
ing nuance into anew alcohol
policy, while making sure the
punitive aspects of the policy
are clear and consistent.
The goal of any alcohol policy
should be helping students make
smart choices, rather than aim
ing for complete prohibition.
University officials have
opened up an initial discussion
among students in the process
of formalizing an official alco
hol policy for UNC.
Hate speech troubling
Racial slurs on free expression tunnel not acceptable
1 J arial slurs written on N.C.
State University’s free
-X. Vexpression tunnel last
week provided an unfortunate
reminder of our dark past and
have no place in our society as
we look forward to the future.
Despite Utesday night’s cel
ebratory atmosphere and the
message of unity by the nation’s
first black president-elect, stu
dents awoke to the painful
reminder that hate that still
exists in our country.
That morning, racial slurs
and death threats directed
toward President-elect Obama
were discovered on the walls of
NCSU’s free expression tunnel.
This incident comes after
advertisements for a Ku Klux
JOIN US: The Daily Tar Heel is hiring for the spring semester. *
We're looking for about eight columnists who will produce hard-hitting, insightful, well written and well researched
columns with local relevance centered around a theme of their own choosing on a biweekly basis.
We're looking for about eight to 10 board members who will write unsigned editorials on behalf of the DTH. Members
must attend a one-hour meeting on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday each week to brainstorm and pitch ideas. Each board
member can expect to write at least three editorials a week.
We're looking for at least two cartoonists who will produce creative, original editorial cartoons weekly.
Please visit Union 2409 or www.DaiiyTarHeel.com under “About us* for an application.
Applications are due at 5 p.m. Nov. 24. Contact Editor Allison Nichols at allisoncnichols@gmail.com with questions.
Opinion
HARRISON JOBE
OPINION CO-EDITOR
HJOBE@EMAILUNC.EDU
GREG MARGOLIS
OPINION CO-EDITOR
MARGOLISGREG@GMAILCOM
Graduate School, in an e-mail.
“UNC-CH has a long history of
decentralized administration,
which has served us well in
the past. This includes allow
ing departments to manage
their budgets with some direc
tion from the Provost and the
Chancellor.”
But a system that distributes
fiscal power is not sufficient, in
itself, to make sure budget cuts
are carried out sensibly.
The risk of such a system
is that it demands multiple
departments to coordinate
effectively. Asa result, all
departments must act wisely
under this distributive system.
“Each dean and vice chan
cellor needs to weigh their pri
orities, and make the budget
The focus so far is in the
right place.
The “public health model”
that administrators have been
discussing would focus on inter
vention and prevention, as well
as providing resources for edu
cation and alternative alcohol
free activities on campus.
But it is also essential that
students take part in this dis
cussion in the coming months
and make sure that campus
officials have a wide range of
opinions not just from the
people that usually participate
in changes in campus policy.
Officials have indicated
that they’re in no rush to put
in place anew policy and they
want to gather as much input
as possible, as well as vet the
new policy thoroughly.
Klan rally were found in the tun
nel earlier in the semester.
These messages contradict
ed the efforts of all who came
together black and white,
Republican and Democrat to
make history last Tuesday.
America took a giant leap
forward as we left behind old
stereotypes and prejudices
and elected the nation’s first
African-American president.
Obama’s election represented
great progress for the civil rights
movement and for many marked
the start of healing, not only
from the past eight years of the
Bush administration, but from
the racial divisions that have
long tainted our history.
N.C. State’s free expression
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
LISAANDRUKONIS
BEN BUCK
JAMES DING
MICHAEL LEWIS
ANDREW STILES
SARAH WHITWORTH
reduction decisions in a way
that minimizes the impact on
programs and services,” said
Roger Patterson, associate vice
chancellor for finance at UNC
CH, in an e-mail.
Though state funding is
decreasing, UNC-CH is fortu
nate to receive the strong sup
port of private donations. But
continued private support of
this extent depends on a sus
tained rationale to invest in our
University.
During this economic down
turn, the University is the tak
ing the right approach in deal
ing with the budget cuts. Now
the responsibility lies with
the individual departments to
ensure academic quality is not
compromised.
Two major areas that need
more input are medical amnes
ty and parental notification.
On these issues, there’s no
agreement among colleges
across the country. Asa result,
a persuasive voice from UNC
students can help shape these
aspects of the policy.
Officials rightly recognize that
there is no silver bullet to reduc
ing alcohol-related problems
and cutting down on dangerous
binge drinking on campus and
that it’s also important to have
consistency and clarity in any
new policy so that students are
aware of consequences for vio
lating the drinking policy.
But students still need to
get involved to help adminis
trators come up with sensible
policies.
tunnel offers a place for people
to express their opinions and
feelings and promote dialogue
on a wide variety of topics.
But freedom of speech
comes with great responsibil
ity, a responsibility that was
breached last week.
Students and administrators
at NCSU responded to calmly
and productively, with a pro
test that included speakers
who voiced opposition to these
inflammatory remarks and a
discussion among students.
This incident reminds us that
racist expressions and threats
do nothing to promote dialogue,
but simply reopen wounds of the
past and do not belong in today’s
America.
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
“We just ran out of time tonight”
KAREN SHELTON, FIELD HOCKEY COACH
FEATURED ONLINE READER COMMENT:
“Why is it that one language is
not good enough hut two
languages are? If two, then
why not three, four or a
hundred?”
ON "LETTER TO THE EDITOR WAS RACIST AND
INCONSIDERATE"
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Raynor's nonattendance
policy counterproductive
TO THE EDITOR:
Student Body President J.J.
Raynor has made a decision
not to attend meetings of the
UNC Association of Student
Governments. Her reasons, while
not entirely lacking merit, are not
a substantive argument for failing
to represent the students of UNC
at the highest level of student
government in the state.
Representing your university
in-person is important. Instead,
Logan Liles, Ms. Raynor’s hand
selected proxy, represents our
great university.
Were Ia member of ASG, I
would consider it rude that Ms.
Raynor feels unable to attend
when others make time to do so
regardless of their busy sched
ules. For the simple sake of
maintaining UNC’s high reputa
tion and the respect we deserve
among our peer institutions,
it seems only prudent that Ms.
Raynor re-evaluate her nonat
tendance policy at ASG monthly
meetings.
It may be true to a certain
degree that the student body
president at UNC has greater
demands on her time than other
student presidents, but this is no
excuse.
UNC should choose the high
road, the path of parity and
humility. While I believe that
UNC is first among equals, it
is counterproductive and dis
respectful for other universities
to suffer Ms. Raynor’s perpetual
absence.
William McLeon Harris
Sophomore
History, Political Science
Ending affirmative action
would enhance academics
TO THE EDITOR:
In response to last week’s edi
torial (“Future ranking uncer
tain,” Nov. 7), here is a sure way
to enhance our academic pres
tige: Let’s stop practicing affir
mative action.
Not only is this solution free
to the students, taxpayers, and
donors, but it’s also sure to
work.
Perhaps, as a first step, the
University could stop inquiring
applicants about their sex, race
and religion. And if any of these
things should be disclosed inad
vertently, there could be a rule
explicitly forbidding admissions
officers from using such criteria
in making their decisions.
Now, I realize that this is a bit
controversial, but if applicants are
admitted solely on a basis of their
academic, intellectual, scholarly
and extracurricular merits, then
we will be sure to have the best
possible student body.
Riley Matheson
Senior
Classics
DTH should be critical of
Obama administration
TO THE EDITOR:
I hope that even though the
election is over, the DTH will
continue to be critical of the poli
cies and actions that President
elect Barack Obama takes in
office. The election has brought
attention to many important
issues that I hope do not fall out
of the spotlight simply because
SPEAK OUT
WRITING GUIDELINES:
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two people should sign letters,
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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.
®1 1* lath) (Tar Mrri
the votes have been counted.
It is imperative that we hold
the President accountable for
the promises made during his
campaign.
As one of the news sources
read most by the students 6f
Chapel Hill, it is your respon
sibility to be critical of the
President’s actions, specifically
in a nonpartisan way, so that
we can all continue to voice our
opinions just as we have dur
ing the election.
Partisanship, of course, is
inevitable when evaluating and
reporting on the different aspects
of politics. However, I hope you
can continue nonbiased reports
on the successes and failures asso
ciated with Obama’s policies.
Claire Jordan
First-year
Undecided
Gay disenfranchisement
parallels segregated past
TO THE EDITOR:
Calling California’s passage
of Proposition 8 a success for
conservative ideals is insulting.
We live in a country that is sup
posedly ruled by the idea that all
people are created equal, and
that each person has the right
to life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness.
It is appalling that the name
given to the denial of equal rights
to all people is “preserving the
sanctity of marriage,” or “conser
vatism,” and not “prejudice.”
In the ’sos and ’6os, there
were opponents of desegrega
tion and of extending full rights
to African Americans. These
opponents said that they were
preserving America and pro
tecting their children. Many
conservative Southerners even
looked to the Bible to back up
their viewpoints.
The systematic disenfranchise
ment of African Americans that
took place in the United States
in the past is eerily reminiscent
of what is happening today to the
GLBTQ community.
By not extending full rights to
gay couples, we are proliferating
“separate but equal” ideals.
Anna Tarleton Potter
Senior
Anthropology
Washington must monitor
corporate bailout money
TO THE EDITOR:
Why are taxpayers paying
thousands of dollars for execu
tive retreats?
Less then a week after getting
SBS billion from the government,
the insurance corporation AIG
spent $440,000 on an executive
retreat. A few weeks later, as the
government gave them another
$38.7 billion, a handful of the top
AIG executives spent thousands
on an English hunting trip. Now
we find out that only 22 days
after being taken over by the
government, Fannie Mae spent
close to $7,000 on an executive
golf trip for 20 people.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but
aren’t taxpayer dollars supposed
to go toward helping the liquid
ity problem, not lavish getaways
for rich executives?
Swathi Putcha
Junior
Business
department and phone number.
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Limit letters to 250 words.
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