Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Sept. 17, 1975, edition 1 / Page 6
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Richard Whittle zzJ mZJ LI X Oil Wednesday, September 17, 1975 The ABC's of BCD's The phenomenon of "grade inflation," the escalation of quality point averages of college students across the land, has received much attention from both the popular and the academic media. Various theories of its causes have been set forth. Several proposals for stemming the inflation have been discussed. But an equitable, nonpunitive approach to the phenomenon has yet to win widespread recognition and favor. The Faculty Council's Committee for Instructional Personnel, chaired by Provost J .C. M orro w, has come up with its own solution to what it perceives to be a pressing problem. That solution is 100 unacceptable because of the way in which the solution has been promulgated and the competitive disadvantage which it imposes upon students of this University. The Faculty Council committee proposal, described in more detail on page one, would in effect require that what is currently considered an A level of work be graded as a B-level; B's would become Cs and C's would become D's. In the words of Provost Morrow, "It is thought that the grade A should be used very infrequently and that the grade C should be the grade most commonly given." This proposal goes to the entire council without any student input sought. The only notification of the proposal given to any student leaders came in a letter from Morrow to Student Body President Bill Bates responding to a letter sent by Bates in July. The exclusion of the student's voice in this decision is clear evidence of the need for the consultative student-faculty-administration-alumni forum proposed by Bates. The effect of this system will be to isolate Carolina students from a national trend and thereby subject them to unfavorable comparisons by future employers and graduate and professional schools when considered with applicants from schools which have not re-valued their grades. This kind of unfair competitive disadvantage cannot be tolerated. Until the total academic community approaches grade inflation together, isolated effort such as this will have unwanted punitive effects for students. Anybody But Cohen? With only a few weeks before the election and only one declared candidate for mayor of Chapel H ill, the state of town politics has atrophied. Active and argumentative campaigns between two or more candidates allow the voters to judge issues and individuals in situations of stress and high visibility. Without a hard-fought race, voters may elect an untested quantity for mayor. This is not to say that bitter and derisive mayorial campaigns such as some in past years should be resurrected. But clean political competition can help the electorate differentiate between candidates. So far, Chapel Hill voters have not had that opportunity. The closest thing to competition for lone mayorial candidate Gerry Cohen has been the activity and pronouncements of a group called Citizens for Chapel Hill. Self-described as representing all ages and ideologies, CCH has held meetings and talked to members of the media. The group has distinguished itself thus far, however, only because it embodies the political philosophy "Anybody But Cohen." "ABC" lives in various nooks and crannies of the Chapel Hill political scene. Citizens for Chapel Hill may have the potential to become a useful political orgainzation. But for now, the "Anybody But Cohen" chatter seems only to emphasize the negative and obscure the issues. Precise objections based on specific flaws have not been produced. If there are sound reasons for objecting to the candidacy of Gerry Cohen, let them be brought forth and placed into the public record where everyone, not just a few, can examine them. If objections are based solely upon ideological difference, then let those of different ideologies put forth their own candidates. Rumor, innuendo and gossip must be replaced with records, information and well-grounded objections if such reservations about Cohen exist and are worthy of the attention of the electorate. U ntil these facts and arguments are forthcoming, the current anti-Cohen campaign is just that and little more. This newspaper has not committed itself to any particular candidate for any particular office. That commitment, if it is ever made, can come only after all candidates are known and all campaign themes are developed. That is the time for choices to be made. For now it should not be "ABC" but "ABM": "Anything But Malice." 523SSI 83rd Year of Editorial Freedom Cole C. Campbell Editor Jim Grimsley Managing Editor Greg Porter Associate Editor Ralph J. Irace Executive Editor Jim Roberts News Editor Robin Clark, Features Editor Susan Shackelford Sports Editor Barnie Day Projects Editor Joyce Fitzpatrick Graphic Arts Business: Reynolds Bailey, business manager; Elizabeth Bailey, advertising manager. Staff: Martha Buie, Ellen Horowitz. Larry Kulbeck, Linda Livengood. Composition editor: Mike Leccese Student Graphics, Inc: Dean Gerdes. shop foreman; Stan Beaty. Henry Lee, Chiquetta Shackelford, typesetters; Donna Carroll. Carolyn Kuhn, ad composition; Brenda Marlow. Joni Peters, news composition. Printed by Hinton Enterprises in Mebane. N.C., the Daily Tar Heel publishes weekdays during the regular academic year. n News: Lynn Medford, assistant news editor. Writers: Art Eisenstadt, Chris Fuller, Bruce Henderson, Bob King, Vernon Loeb, Linda Lowe, Nancy Mattox, Vernon Mays, Greg Nye, Johnny Oliver, Tim Pittman, Williams Roberts, Merton Vance, Richard Whittle. News Desk: George Bacso, assistant managing editor. Copy editors: Chuck Alston, Janet Creswell, Ben Dobson, Jan Hodges, Clay Howard, Todd Hughes, Deborah Lott, Rebecca Shirley, Malia Stinson, Betsy Stuart, Bill Walker. Features: Critics: John Russell, critic at large; Rick Sebak, drama; Michael McFee, flim. Witers: Daivd Broadwell. Alison Canoles, Susan Datz, Dan Fesperman, Marty Logod, Fred Michael, Sue Ann Presley, Elizabeth Respess. Gloria Sajgo, Liz Skillen, Bill Sutherland. Sports: Jim Thomas, assistant editor. Writers: Jane Albright, Kevin Barris, Brad Bauler, Mike Egan, John Hopkins, Bill Moss, Grant Bosburgh, Tom Ward. Graphic Arts: Martha Stevens, head photographer. Staff photographers: Alice Boyle, Charles Hardy. Margaret Kirk, Howard Shepherd, John Branch, Stan Coss, Nan Parati, cartoonists. What do college students not all, but many think about more than truth, justice, the nature of man, football, booze, drugs, music and money from home. I'm not sure. But, if the grumblings I've heard in my travels and travails around campus thus far this year are any indication whatsoever, one possible answer might be sex. I may be biased by the limitations of my circle of peers, or I may be limited by the bias of my circle of peers, or maybe I'm just peering through a limited circle of bias. Who knows? But one thing that I ssem to have noticed this year is an unusual number of complaints about sex and sexual relationships. People seem to be having vmmmmm ifl ' J " " -t I "Look onTH BfclCUT SlpE, SoM To the editor At the risk of seeming to condone the political or economic state of our nation, 1 wish to point out to Mr. Kraus(Z)77, letters to the editor, Monday, Sept. 15) that murder in any form or for any reason will not solve the problems that face us. It seems rather contradictory to employ one immoral action to dissent against another. It is not the assassination of those who hold political office (whom Mr. Kraus obviously holds responsible) that will turn back the tide of corruption which is engulfing us. It is only the education and elevation of consciousness of all the American people that will bring about the much needed changes. There are too many intellectually-oriented people playing verbal games in their minds. You cannot solve real problems with abstract solutions. I understand Mr. Kraus' consternation at the state of things; factors which are probably the underlying causes of most political assassinations. However, I believe he is avoiding the basic tenet of humanity: the respect for human life that comes from the heart. Patricia Thompson UNC staff employee 'Huperoffspring'? To the eidtor: Mitchell Bassman deserves great praise for detecting the sexist nature of the word person and bringing it to our attention. However, his suggestion that child be substituted for son is unsatisfactory. Son denotes a definite relationship between individuals; child does not. A more precise neuter term would be offspring. Instead of huperchild and Alder per child, the words should be huper off spring and Alderperoffspring. Moreover, offspring has the feature of being able to serve as both singular and plural, thus avoiding the awkwardness of the huperchildren construction. Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this important discussion. Edward Sharp 628-C Hibbard Dr. Consumer surplus To the editor. Russell Roberts' statement which claims that the users of the Chapel Hill bus system must be responsible for the entire cost of the system is a serious economic oversimplification. Under certain circumstances, it is actually socially desirable for the government to subsidize public transportation systems in order to insure their existence. As an economics major, Mr. Roberts is probably aware that public transportation systems are classic examples of "decreasing cost industries." In such cases, like Chapel Hill's bus system, the initial expenditures for equipment are so high that no given price level will generate enough demand, and thus enough revenue, to make the system a hard time getting it together if you'll excuse the expression. So, as a public service designed to bring together those with like tetishes, fantasies and or fears, with the aim of breaking down the barriers of dissatisfaction before they become unbendingly erect, I now offer this unscientifically constructed "Know Thyself Sex Test," based on the work of Ann Landers. Take the test and total your score for all "Yes" answers. Rating scale: 0-22 Deprived 2342 Average 43-64 Depraved 64 and above Beyond help you've nothing to look forward to. - You'lL BE To SEE. FooTBALL GAMES FoM. YuR DoRR J jj ja J economically viable, without either governmental subsidies or control, most public transportation systems could not exist. Fortunately, there are certain circumstances which justify support of decreasing cost industries. Riders of Chapel Hill's buses generate "consumer surplus" if the value they derive from a bus ride exceeds the cost of the ride. If the. sum of the consumer surplus for all riders exceeds the system's deficit, then the bus system is economically justifiable. In other words, if the total utility of having the buses, for Chapel Hill residents, exceeds the cost of the system, then governmental intervention is needed to insure that the system is available. Additionally, Chapel Hill's bus system creates certain positive externalities which add to the benefits of the users. For example, non-users might benefit from the lack of traffic congestion, from fewer amounts of pollution, and from simply knowing that the poor people in their community have a good, inexpensive way of commuting. If these benefits outweigh the negative externalities (like noise), this gives us more reasons with which to justify a subsidized bus system. The town of Chapel Hill has tacitly decided that it believes in its bus system, by approving tax increases to support its maintenance. By viewing the system from the narrowest of economic perspectives, Mr. Roberts has failed to show that the town has allocated its money unwisely. Tom Rice 306 W. Main St. Democracy and buses To the editor: Russell Robert's comments on the bus system are a little more sensible than the previous two criticisms 1 have responded to before, but I must answer two points. Roberts seems to forget that we are in a democracy. The people voted by a 68 percent margin that the bus system should be run by the town, and by a 66 percent margin that it should be subsidized. The decision was not made by bureaucrats in Washington, or by the Board of Aldermen. Whether or not conservative economists like that decision, it was made by the public at large after extended debate. 1 guess it's impossible to positively prove less traffic congestion this year. But I'm pretty sure that the 4,000 or more off campus persons who make roundtrips each day did not walk in from Eastgate or Kingswood two years ago. Gerry Cohen Chapel Hill Board of Aldermen No dictatorship To the editor. Russell Robert's column attacked the bus system as if we oppressed citizens were being forced by an evil dictator to support it against our will. He failed to mention the fact that the bus referendum passed by a 23 vote. The vast. 1. Have you ever been out with a member of the opposite sex?(2) 2. Have you ever been out with a member of another species?(I2) 3. Ever engaged in light making out?(2) 4. Ever made out without lights?(2) . 5. Ever made-out with a light?(5) 6. Ever gotten or given a hickey?(2) 7. Ever gotten or given a hickey to or from an eggplant?(9) 8. Ever gotten or given a hickey which resulted in a series of rabies shots for you or your partner?(5) 9. Ever said "I love your (2) 10. Ever said "J love you" without meaning it?(4) 1 1. Ever said "I love you more than plum puddinT(12) U I majority of citizens voted to set up the bus system and to tax themselves to pay for it. Chapel Hill voters spoke firmly and decisively in that referendum. We will speak just as firmly this fall when we elect Gerry Cohen, a supporter of the bus system, mayor. Bruce Tindall Y-7 Kingswood Apts. Escaping the garrote To the editor: Yesterday's editorial by Mr. Russell Roberts displayed more blind insensitivity to the issue of public transportation in Chapel Hill. I must admit, the "cheap rhetoric" used by supporters of public transportation has made much more sense than the ludicrous arguments used by Mr. Roberts. First he states that ridership is artificially inflated by lower rates and frequent runs. He is clearly ignorant of the need for buses and methods of promoting ridership. Rates should be lower, runs should be frequent; otherwise you would attract no riders at all. What would be the advantage of a bus system? The automobile's main attraction is its ease and speed; the only way to overcome that and attract riders is to provide a system with as much ease and speed at a lower cost. ' Furthermore, people without cars should not have to wait two hours for a bus. Frequent .runs are required to facilitate errands, school, and entertainment. To argue otherwise is to betray a "federal government insensitivity" to the needs of individual human beings. Essentially, what Mr. Roberts is arguing is that bus riders should bear all the costs of each ride without subsidy. However, if automobile drivers were made to bear all their costs as well (only fair), including all externalities like parking facilities, road construction, pollution clean-up and control, and energy depletion, they wouldn't be able to afford to drive their cars. (If I subsidize your highway and dirt, then you should subsidize my bus, Mr. Roberts. His logic is misleading and empty. rear a?as2mks s ITS IEJI l THERE IS NO fc&S fly 9 IWlV I (Score 6 for innocence, 4 for alliteration.) 12. Ever made a member of the opposite sex cry?(3) 13. Ever made a member of the opposite sex cry because of your skill with a bull-whip?(10) 14. Has a member of the opposite sex ever made you cry because heshe would rather humiliate a zucchini than spend time with you?(8) 15. Ever had heavy sexual relations?(5) 16. Ever had heavy sexual relations after a big meal?(7) 17. Ever had a heavy meal after big sexual relations?(9) (Score 2 for experience, 5 for understanding question.) 18. Ever masturbate?(4) 19. Ever masticate?(2) 20. Ever articulate?(2) 21. Have you tried cigarettes?(6) 22. Ever tried candy kisses?(4) 23. Ever tried real kisses?(2) 24. Ever kissed with your mouth full?(5) 26. Ever tried pot?(2) 27. Ever tried heroin?(4) 28. Ever shot-up hash?( 10) 29. Ever wake up and not remember where you've been and what you've done?(4) 30. Ever been glad?(4) 31. Ever wake up in a port-o-let?(9) 32. Ever live in a port-o-let( 10) (Take 10 if you've ever lived in the apartment of a local landlord we all know and love.) 33. Ever bought a gallon jug of mazola?(2) 34. Have you visited a house of ill repute since you moved to Chapel Hill?(6) 35. Would you mind telling me where it is ?(8, plus bonus which we will negotiate.) Richard Whittle is a graduate student in journalism from Greensboro. Next he states that there is nothing inherent in being black or elderly that requires public transportation. Quite true, yet the bus system does service and help these specific communitites. Many authors have argued that bus systems would help end the isolation and poverty these groups suffer. Thus the bus system does exist for the betterment of these areas. To argue that mainly white students benefit is not to deny that blacks, poor, and elderly do as well. Furthermore, are students undeserving of public transportation? Mr. Roberts next displays a vulgarly empiricist position. He implies that since there are no empirical studies, computer validated, to prove a decrease in auto traffic, the argument is irrelevant. Such arrogance! He ignores the obvious logic of the position. If a person is on a bus they can't drive a car; de facto there is a decrease in auto traffic. Moreover, if we really want to significantly decrease auto traffic what is needed is more ridership attracted by lower rates and more runs not fewer buses and runs! This same argument applies to the idea of less pollution and less gas consumption. Furthermore, the efficiencies of public transportation are such that even when they run all day, they pollute less and consume less fuel, than if all students, faculty, and citizens had to drive. Mr. Roberts' logic is misleading and empty. Finally, the issue of tax burden must be addressed. 1 don't believe the current rate of something like 7 to 10c per hundred dollars significantly hurts any individual taxpayer. Moreover, these taxes are paid with profits made off student business in this town. It is to the town's benefit to provide students with a means of commuting to their stores, inexpensive enough so that students can purchase something once they get there. 1 am not opposed to affluence. What I am for is ordered affluence and growth, not the blind progress of the past which threatens to strangle us to death. Public transportation is one important way of escaping the garrote. J. Walker Smith M-ll Colony Apts. HONOR AMONG THIEVE 1
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Sept. 17, 1975, edition 1
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