6 The Daily Tar Heel Friday. September 2
Greg Porter
Editor
Ben Cornelius. Managing Editor
Ed Rankin, Associate Editor
Lou Bilionis, Associate Editor
Laura Scism, University Editor
Elliott Potter. City Editor
Chuck Alston, Slate and National Editor
Sara Bullard, Features Editor
Jeanne Newsom. Arts Editor
Gene Upchurch, Sports Editor
L.C. Barbour, Photography Editor
Servomation style
Meal plan runaround rotten
Something, besides the food, is rotten at Servomation. The campus food
monopoly is giving students the run-around in changing their meal plans.
A Servomation spokesperson told the Tar Heel no changes in meal plans
would be made until Sept. 1 . 1 he spokesperson said only those who had yet
to pay for their meal plan or who had not presented a waiver from the
Student Aid Office could change plans. But Amy Whitley, a freshman from
Wendell, said a Servomation official told her she could change to a more
expensive plan, but not to a less expensive one. Whitley and another student
complained to the Student Consumer Action Union about the apparently
irregular policy.
Amy Whitley's case underscores the student's need for the option of
changing meal plans. As an entering freshman, she was unfamiliar with the
campus and college life. She was also unfamiliar with Servomation's food
and service. And she and her peers were exhorted by mail to sign up for the
meal plan. She and many other freshmen made the meal plan decision on
insufficient evidence.
Even for upperclassmen, it is hard to decide in advance just how many
meals to sign up for. Before the semester, the student does not know how his
schedule will end up or even where his classes will be. The fluidity of
college life demands a less rigid system of meal plan operation. Students
should be allowed and encouraged to hold off on a meal plan commitment
until one or two weeks into the semester. They should also be allowed to
change plans during the semester until such a policy is in effect.
But Servomation is a monopoly. Because it has no competition, it feels no
pressure to allow its consumers flexibility in changing meal plans. However,
if the company persists in its money-grubbing policies, then students have
the power to complain and make sure Servomation loses its contract.
A SCAU survey last fall showed students were less than pleased with the
monopoly's food and service. Now they should be even less pleased with its
administration of the meal plan.
'Daily News' to Doonesbury:
Drop Dead
The New York Daily News can't take a joke. When the paper decided this
week not to run a "Doonesbury" comic strip satirizing the paper's coverage
of the Son of Sam murder case, the Daily News showed that it lacks not only
good taste but a sense of humor as well.
The Daily News, which has the world's largest circulation, was adept at
sensationalizing the "Sam" case to sell even more newspapers. It gave
almost non-stop, front- and feature-page attention to every grisly detail as
the manhunt dragged on.
When Daily News columnist Jimmy Breslin received letters from the
GOOD MORNING I
NEW y(XK 'OMY
NEWS" PROMOTDN
DEPARTMENT.
yes, HELLO. WSfcUXXlP
M ABOUT TO THIS BE AN ISO-
KILL SOMEONE, IMPOUMEOF
AND tD LIK51D PfiSSmORIULL
Tlik-m SOME- m BE MAKING
BODY ABOUI A HMoil lt i:
covw&e- ?N
Though the New York Daily News gave thousands of inches of news
coverage to Son of Sam, it will not give Garry Trudeau ridiculously small
space in comparison. The Daily News might not be able to laugh at itself,
but after this, most people will do it for them.
The Daily
publishes Monday through Friday during the academic year. Offices are at the Student
Union Building. University of North Carolina. Chapel Hill. N.C. 27514. Telephone
numbers: 933-0245, 0246. 0252.
News: Tony Gunn, assistant editor; Mark Andrewi. JefT Collin. Meredith Crews, Shelley
Droescher, Bruce Ellis, Mary Gardner, Grant Hamill. Stephen Harris. Kathy Hart. Nancy
Hart is, Keith Hollar, Steve Huettel.Jaci Hughes. Jay Jennings, Will Jones. Julie Knight. Eddie
Marks, Amy McRary, Karen Millers. Beverly Mills. Beth Parsons. Chip Pearsall. Bernie
- Ransbottom, Leslie Scism, Barry Smith. David Stacks. Robert Thomason, Howard Troxler.
Mike Wade and David Walters.
News Desk: Reid Tuvim, assistant managing editor. Copy chief: Keith Hollar. Copy editors:
Richard Barron, Jeff Brady, Amy Colgan. Dinita James. Carol Lee, Michele Mecke, Lisa
Nieman, Dan Nobles, Dawn Pearson, Melinda Stovall, Melanie Topp 'and Larry Tupler
Sports: Lee Pace, assistant editor; Evan Appcl, Dede Biles. Skip Foreman, Tod Hughes, Dave
Kirk, Pete Mitchell. Ken Roberts, Rick Scoppe. Will Wilson and Isabel Worthy.
Features: Jeff Brady, Z,ap Brueckncr, David Craft, Debbie Moose. Dan Nobles, and Lynn
Williford.
Arts and Entertainment: Hank Baker. Becky Burcham. Pat Green. Marianne Hansen. l.ihby
Lewis and Valerie Van Arsdale.
Graphic Arts: Artists: Dan Brady, Allen Edwards, Cliff Marley, Jocelyn Peitihonc, Lee Poole
and John Tomlinson. Photographers: Fred Barbour. Allen Jern.gan. Mary Renvh and Joseph
Thomas.
Business: Verna Taylor, business manager. Claire Bagley, assistant business manager. Mike
Neville, David Squires and Howard Troxler. Circulation manager: Bill Baglcy.
Advertising: Blair K kitsch, manager; Dan Collins, sales manager; Carol Bcdsole, assistant sales
manager; Steve Crowell, classifieds manager; Julie Coston. Neal Kimball, Cynthia Lesley. Anne
Shernl and Melanie Stokes.
Composition Editors: Frank Moore and Nancy Oliver.
Composition and Makeup: INC Printing Dept. Robert Jasinkicwici. supervisor; Robert
Streeter, Geanie McMillan, Judy Dunn, Carolyn Kuhn, Joni Peters, Steve Quakenbush, Duke
Sullivan.
1977
Bailg
85th year of editorial freedom
suspect after some murders, the
paper could not resist indulging
itself. So in a splashy, centerfold
spread in the tabloid, the paper dis
played every juicy tidbit of "Sam"
memorabilia in Breslin's file along
with the reams of bathos he had
written on "Sam."
The Daily News' reckless handl
ing of the "Sam" affair contributed
in part to the American Bar
Association's recent warning that
prejudicial pre-trial publicity could
seriously threaten suspect David
Berkowitz's right to a fair trial.
The strips the Daily News would
not print showed a telephone caller
to the Promotion Department try
ing to arrange coverage for a
murder. A spokesman for the paper
only said that "it would not be in the
best interest of the News" to run the
strips for the week. And to add to the
absurdity of all this, the New York
Post, which exceeded the Daily
News in exploitation of the murders,
decided to run the strips Daily News
readers missed.
Tar Heel
Paying homage
A nation
By L YNN WILLIFORD
The cover of the latest National
Enquirer features a close-up shot of
Elvis Presley in his casket labeled "the
last picture." Whether or not the picture
is in good taste, there is no doubt that
the photograph will be cut out and saved
by thousands in the Elvis cult, many of
whom looked to him as an idol for as
long as 20 years.
Paying homage to heroes is a central
part of our American education. In
grammar school, pictures and Lincoln
and Washington hang to each side of the
blackboard; we are taught Thomas
Carlyle's philosophy that the history of
the world is the history of its great men.
There is little wonder that Americans
are the world's greatest hero
worshippers. Sidney Hook, in his book Tfw Hero in
History, gives three reasons for hero
worship: "the need for psychological
security, the tendency to seek
compensation for personal and material
limitations and as a flight from personal
responsibility."
He cites the Freudian view that most
of us are constantly searching for
COPlMG wrrw the CAMPUS CANINES
letters to the editor
UNC should support
To the editor:
Your lead editorial Thursday ("Hide-and-seek
parking hits the streets of Chapel Hill")
complains that the town's recent ban on
street parking near the campus
"discriminates against an entire class," i.e.
students. The writer needs to be reminded
that it "discriminates" (jf that is an
appropriate word) against University
employees as well, many of whom prefer to
drive to work and park their cars on a nearby
street rather than buy a parking permit or a
bus pass from the University. Doubtless
these persons are feeling discriminated
against too.
As for the ban "denying students vita!
parking spots," I remind you that Chapel
Hill has a bus system which, despite recent
cutbacks, still provides reasonably good
service throughout the town until after 5:00
p.m. And for students living outside Chapel
H ill-Carrboro. plenty of spaces are available
in the park-and-ride lots.
I applaud the town's policy of encouraging
public transportation, a policy of which the
parking ban is an important part. 1 only wish
the University administration had the vision,
courage, intelligence or whatever it takes to
pursue a similar policy instead of building
ever more parking lots and encouraging
parking decks.
Philip Rees
1 14 Ackland Art Center
No more word games
To the editor:
As a 1975 graduate of the College of
William and Mary. I am displeased to see
that misinformation about the nation's
second oldest college is taken for truth by
your editors.
Ms. Powell is totally justified in pointing
out your inaccurate referral to Old East as
"the oldest building in use on any university
campus in the United State" ("Old East
claim disputed," Letters. Aug. 30). This is
incorrect as it stands because the College of
William and Mary is a university (despite
what your editors say). Hence, the Wren
Building is the oldest building on a university
campus in the United States.
What you should have said was the simple
truth: Old East is the oldest state university
building in the United States. The Wren
Building cannot claim that status because
William and Mary didn't become a state
university until the 2()ih century.
Now can we stop plaving word games?
s. i
aine Justice
350 Craiue
of cults, idolaters and hero-worshipers
symbolic mothers and fathers who in
our childhood supplied security and
emotional stability. The more turbulent
and troubled the era in history, the more
likely people are to build a public figure
into someone they can look up to and
personally admire.
The hero's personality, talent and
accomplishments are vicarious joys for
us. Lack of self-esteem causes some
people to adopt the hero's attributes as
their own. covering deficits they see in
"The hero's personality, talent and
W m St
Xf It -4 av - is ms 4 r,
uLLurrifjiizrirritnis urt
themselves or others close to them. For
example, young boys are currently
imitating television's Fonzie, who
unlike them, seems to stay "cool" in
every threatening situation.
H ook's idea also seems to apply to the
case of the teenage girl, who unable to
find happiness with the boys of her own
age. makes an idol out of a handsome
movie star. In her imagination, the hero
lives up to all the high expectations she
No compromise on ethics
To the editor:
On behalf of most of us in Carolina's
Greek system. 1 apologize to students and
the campus police for the Henry Jay
Steinburg incident of Aug. 31 ("Frat ploy
gets brother arrested for larceny." Sept. I ).
Rather than any kind of typical "frat ploy,"
Steinburg singularly made his decision to
pilfer the air conditioner from South
Building. Trying to pass the blame to
Whatever happened
To the editor:
Whatever happened to "Highrise
Lowlife?" I hat strip has the potential to
be another Doonesbury and I was
looking forward to seeing it this year.
A mutual responsibility
To the editor:
It is with a sense of outrage that I write this
letter. 1 often find myself walking past the
fraternity houses on Columbia St. between
Cameron Ave. and Franklin St. and become
incensed at what I see.
A II too often I find a sight that sickens me.
The lawns nd sidewalks are heavily littered
with bottles, both broken and intact, paper
and plastic cups, an unbelievable number of
beer cans and an assortment of trash.
There is a mutual responsibility that
exists. I he town of Chapel Hill offers its
goods and services and amenities; itscitiens
are there to enjoy and partake of these in an
atmosphere of respect for the rights of
others.
I SHIT.
J I 10 fks t 1 1 if ;i jl" T
has for the opposite sex that boys her
own. age fail to achieve.
In many ways, hero-worship frees us
from the responsibility of having to
learn to act on our own in a way that will
make life satisfactory for us. In the
1960s, we made idols of the Beatles and
others who advocated liberated
attitudes toward sex, drugs and politics.
In uncertain times, people do not think
and act on their own they adore and
imitate. As Hook suggests, hero-
jl a ,n M ... . - .
viLuriuus joys
worship often has the consequences ot
making pacifists out of people.
Most of our heroes in history have
shared some basic characteristics,
according to Hook. They are, or try to
appear to be. persons of good will.
Politicians try to attain hero status with
baby-kissing and handshaking. They
like to appear as close to the common
man as possible.
Tragedy and failure are essential to
mass transit
members of his fraternity only illustrates a
certain pitiful immaturity.
In three years of living in a fraternity, I've
seen our system suffer from the
misunderstanding and blind assumptions of
others. People, our system does not
compromise a young man's code of
behavior. Get to know us before you tell us
what we're like.
David Mac Eason
1 14 S. Columbia
Beta Theta Pi
to "Highrise Lowlife?"
Robert Hamer
Graduate student
Editor's Note: Ue Poole and Jeff Tudor
have moved on to greener pastures. Word
has it that Dyp and Tripp are faring well.
1 strongly object to these fraternities
making pig styes and garbage dumps out of
the town. It is senseless, needless, and an
affront to others.
What also puzles me, with all the talk of
the younger generation on energy and
depletion of our resources, is that they do not
collect the aluminum cans and empty bottles
instead of "glorifying" in the bash they had
the night before.
We people of Chapel Hill have added to
our taxes with a bond issue that includes a
good deal for bikeways basically for student
use. Perhaps we are entitled to an exchange
of respect.
Irving P. Nach
4 Gooseneck Road
J
the hero's appeal to the common man.
Americans love the underdog who
succeeds after many valiant attempts;
they are suspicious of the ones personal
sorrow does not strike.
The last request we make of our
heroes is that they die young. James
Dean was only moderately popular
before his sudden death at age 21. When
two more of his films were released,
millions came to identify with him as the
symbol of the misunderstood and
frustrated youth.
Twenty years later, Dean is still
worshipped for his romantic legend.
The legend will remain appealing
because we never had the
disillusionment of seeing him grow up to
be an average middle-aged man who
married, had children and moved to
suburbia.
All in all, what we expect from our
heros (and what we would secretly like
to do ourselves) is contained in the old
saying, "Live fast, die young and make a
beautiful corpse."
Lynn Williford, a senior journalism
major from Roxboro, N.C, is a staff
writer for the Daily Tar Heel.
N.C. deserves
right to reelect
its governors
By NANCY HARTIS
North Carolina voters will decide this
November whether or not their
governor should have the right to
succeed himself.
And as the time draws near for North
Carolina voters to decide the issue of
gubernatorial succession, some of Gov.
Jim Hunt's key political allies are
rallying to the cause, as it were, and
roundin' up some of that good of
grassroots support so needed for the
amendment's passage.
In the meantime, Gov. Hunt will
travel through the state promoting the
Clean Water and Highway bonds that
will also be on the ballot, saying nary a
word about succession, though it's no
big secret that the governor would like
nothing more than a chance to run for
reelection when his present term
expires.
The reason for this conspicuous show
of unconcern is that Gov. Hunt doesn't
want to appear "self-serving" or
"politically motivated" by supporting a
cause that would so obviously benefit
himself.
A report in the Charlotte Observer a
couple of weeks ago burst this illusory
bubble; Secretary of Administration
Joe Grimsley was reported to have
circulated a memorandum instructing
several officials in his department to
search out support in their home
counties for the succession amendment.
Amid all the political pooh-poohing
that has resulted, everyone seems to
have forgotten the original issue.
Whether politically inspired or not,
gubernatorial succession would be a
good thing for North Carolinians. In
reality, the amendment would not give
the governor the right to succeed
himself. Rather, by passing the
amendment, N.C. voters give
themselves the option of reelecting a
governor who has served that state well
during his first term.
North Carolina has been historically
paranoid about its executive officials.
W hen the state constitution was written,
no provision was made for
gubernatorial succession because the
governor had been a royal appointee
and tyrant. The people chose to give
more power to the legislature and to
restrict the governor by denying him
veto and succession rights.
Apparently, lie thinking at that time
was that a representative legislative
body would serve the people in spite of
the governor.
Our governors are no longer royal
appointees, and while they might not
always turn out to be as wonderful as we
had hoped, we owe ourselves the
opportunity to hang on to ones who do a
good job.
Some observers say that the three
components of this November's
referendum will stick together in voters'
minds and that either all will pass or all
will fail.
Certainly it would be a mistake for
anyone to consider such disparate issues
as clean water funds, highway funds and
gubernatorial succession as "one big
package" just because they happen to
share the same ballot.
Each item on the referendum is an
important issue in its own right and
should be considered on a basis of
individual merit. Political innuendos, in
particular, shouldn't be allowed to
cloud these issues; they are important
and the voters have the responsibility to
treat them as such.
Nancy Hartis, a senior journalism major
from Kiaston, N.C, is a staff writer for the
Vailv Tar Heel.