Greg Porter
Editor
Ben Cornelius, Managing Editor
Ed Rankin, Associate Editor
Lou BlLlONlS, Associate Editor
Laura Scism, University Editor
Elliott Potter, City Editor
Chuck Alston, State and National Editor
Sara Bullard, Features Editor
Chip Ensslin, Arts Editor
Gene Upchurch, Sports Editor
Allen Jwnigan, Plwhywpliy Editor
More at issue than numbers
Drop problem misconstrued
New figures are out on the experimental four-week drop period, and the
system is already getting rave reviews from Donald J icha, associate dean of
the College of Arts and Sciences. J icha seems elated that the short period
"works magnificently," but his assessment seems to take neither the newly
released figures nor the problems of the average student into serious
account.
J icha is scheduled to make a recommendation to the faculty's
Educational Policy Committee, which is studying the drop period, so his
opinion may be crucial.
Last week, J icha expressed what he considered three major advantages of
the new system. First, "It works magnificently. Students are making their
decisions early in the semester." Second "The shortened drop period has
consolidated the drops and adds in the first four weeks of classes. This opens
up a lot of opportunities for students who want in a particular class to find
space." And finally, "One of the most important things behind creating a
policy like this is that students are much more serious about what they sign
up for instead of waiting until the last gasp to drop a course."
The facts of Jicha's first statement are hard to dispute. It is not surprising
that students make more hasty decisions in a four-week period, but it is
certainly qestionable whether this is good or not. While the professor is
given the entire semester to evaluate the student, the student is given four
weeks to judge professor and course, as well as his overall course load, time
Weekly Drop Figures
Week Fall 1975 Fall 1976
Official Drop-Add Period 8,296 8,582
Remainder of First
Full Week of Classes 513
Fifth Week 309 91
Tenth Week 336 75
Eleventh Week 350 83
Twelfth Week 603 69
Thirteenth Week 165 71
Remaining Weeks 141 4
Totals 12,655 11,490
'This figure includes drops during both the
week of classes.
pressures, job and financial situation and the desirability of spending his
time on a the given course. Academic problems assumed by many
administrators to be the reason for all drops are only some of the factors
students have to weigh. If a student wants to drop Poli Sci 4 1 in the middle
of the semester and study Chem 41 more, then he should have that right.
This is an option the student, as an adult, should be allowed to exercise
without appealing to a committee of any sort.
Jicha's second point is that the new system opens up more courses
students can add in the early weeks. According to the figures cited, 800 more
spots opened within the first week of classes, but a substantial number and
probably the majority opened after drop-add when the vast majority have
settled their schedules.
These extra openings seem a modest reward for giving up eight weeks of
freedom of choice. More people will certainly benefit from the freedom of a
long drop period than the few hundred who might benefit from the short.
Finally, J icha says the new system makes people more serious in choosing
their classes. This concept is similar to the theory advanced in past years that
students do a lot of what bureaucrats term "frivolous dropping." Yet the
fluctuations in the total number of drops during the old and new, long and
short periods is only about 10 per cent. This means that students drop about
the same number of courses under both systems they just make less
informed choices during the shorter drop period.
J icha's three suppositions, which are certainly not peculiar to him, reflect
the basic feeling among some observers that a long drop period is somehow
permissive and conducive to grade inflation. Behind these perceptions are
the assumptions that 1) grade inflation must be attacked and that 2) drop
restrictions are the way to attack grade inflation. The first premise is
debatable, but the second seems untenable. We feel it is obvious that drop
restrictions are at best an indirect and ineffective control on grade inflation
and at worst direct repression of academic freedom and the decision-making
rights of students to shape their own education.
Because the quality of the academic environment and the respect with
which students are treated within that environment are more important to
an "institution of higher learning" than grades; because there are more
effective ways to attack grade inflation which do not insult the student and
limit his control over his own pursuits; and because the freedom of the
student should not be sacrificed for arbitrary numerical considerations, we
believe there should be at least a 12-week drop period.
The Daily
News: Tony Gunn, assistant editor; Mark Andrews, Jeff Collins, Meredith Crews, Shelley
Droescher, Bruce Ellis, Mary Gardner, Grant Hamill, Stephen Harris. Kathy Hart. Nancy
Hartis, Keith Hollar.Steve Huetteljaei Hughes, Jay Jennings, Will Jones.Julie Knight, Eddie
Marks, Amy McRary, Karen Millers. Beverly Mills, Beth Parson, Chip Pearsall, Bernie
Ransbottom, Leslie Scism, Barry Smith, David Stacks. Robert Thomason, Howard Troxler,
Mike Wade and David Watlers.
News Desk: Reid Tuvim, assistant managing editor. Copy chief; Keith Hollar. Copy editors.
Richard Barron. Jeff Brady. Amy Colgan, Dinita James, Carol l.ee, Michcle Mecke, Lisa
Nieman, Dan Nobles, Dawn Pearson, Mclinda Stovall, Melanic Topp and l.arry Tupler.
Sports: Lee Pace, assistant editor; Evan Appel, Dede Biles, Skip Foreman. Tod Hughes. Dave
Kirk, Pete Mitchell, Ken Roberts, Rick Scoppe, Will Wilson and Isabel Worthy.
textures: Jeff Brady, Zap Brucckner, David Craft, Debbie Moose. Dan Nobles, and l.ynn
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, Jocclyn Pettibone. l.ee Poole
and John Tomlinson. Photographers: Fred Barbour. Alien Jcrnigan, Mary Rench and Joseph
Thomas.
Business: Vcrna Taylor, business manager. Claire Bagley. assistant business manager. Mike
Neville, David Squires and Howard iroxlcr. Circulation manager: Bill Baglcv
Advertising: Blair K kitsch, manager; Dan Collins, sales manager; Carol Bedsolc. assistant sales
manager; Steve Crowell, classifieds manager; Julie Cost on. Ncal Kimball. Cynthia Lesley. Anne
Sherril and Melanie Stokes.
Composition Editors: Frank Mooic and Nancy Oinei
Composition and Makeup: I NC Priming Dept. Robcit Jasir.kicwuy. supemsor. Kutv.it
Stieetcr. Geanie McMillan. Judy Dunn. Belts I erebec. Carols n kuhn. Join Pcteiv Slcsc
Quakenbush. Duke Sullivan
Sathr
5Iar HM
85frt year of editorial freedom
official drop-add period and the first full
Tar Heel
letters to the
'If you'll
To the editor:
The last paragraph of a recent editorial
("Campus t-shirt craze grows," Sept. 6) said.
"Morrison and H inton James are leading the
way with their own shirts that feature dorm
selling slogans." It is true that Morrison and
James led the way, but that was in 1975. It
seems you are a little behind the times on just
how widespread the "craze" really is. Dorms
all over campus quickly followed suit with
"messages that catch the imagination."
Ehringhaus, Winston, Everett, Aycock,
Ruffin. SKWAM (Spencer, Kenan,
Whitehead, Alderman and Mclver) and
Cobb are only a few of the other dorms that
have their own t-shirts.
Cobb t-shirts have been in existence for a
year now, Two halls even sport their own.
Fourth floor west began it all with "It's
What's Upstairs that Counts." Fourth floor
east followed with "If You'll Make the
Climb, We'll Make the Time." Then the
dorm followed with"Cobbsmopolitan Girl,"
"Cobb - It's the Real Thing," "Cobb -Cream
of the Crop" and "Cobb There's a
Lot of Good Things Under Our Roof." We
even offer Cobb gym shorts.
Yes, it's true that Morrison and James led
the way, but we in Cobb feel you neglected
too many other dorms. Maybe you should
reacquaint yourself with dorm life. Come on
over to Cobb. There's a lot of good things
under our roof lots of Cobbsmopolitan
girls who are the cream of the crop. And
we're the Real Thing. Check out the whole
dorm all the way to the fourth floor. If
you'll make the climb, we'll make the time,
because it's what's upstairs that counts.
Jan Y. Bolick
President, Cobb Dorm
108 Cobb
Inform yourself
To the editor:
The local politicians are starting their
annual season either urging students to
register and vote or urging that students have
no right to register and vote. If you are
unsure about whether you should vote here,
consider a few points often mentioned on the
subject:
1) Students are short-term residents here.
True, but over 30 per cent of the people in
this country are short-term residents
wherever they are. Should we disqualify over
one-third of the electorate because it has
moved recently?
2) Students don't pay property taxes here.
This statement, which is repeated often by
conservatives, is curious on two counts.
First, does anyone seriously think that
landlords pay taxes out of their profits'? If the
apartment in which you live is valued at
$10,000, you're paying over $100 in
a WiHW
New N.C. open
A bill to revise North Carolina's open
meetings law will be studied soon by a
legislative commission and returned to
the floor of the General Assembly in
May 1978, Rep. Patricia Hunt.'l)
Orange, told a group of journalists last
week.
"North Carolina badly needs open
meetings." Hunt said, adding that the
present law is not strong enough.
"Things need to be straightened out for
the press, the public and the
government."
"IN QUOTES"
By TOSY GUX
"In quotes" is a Daily Tar Heefeaturecolumn devoted to the opinions of interesting,
important or newsworthy figures.
Speaking to students and a newly
organized professional chapter of the
Society of Professional Journalists.
Sigma Delta Chi. Hunt said she took the
proposed bill out of a House committee
after being debated.
" The committee picked and picked at
it," she said. "We were losing things we
already had in the (present) law."
The bill was introduced in the
legislature in March by II tint and House
Speaker Carl Stewart. It would requite
otlui.tl meetines ol legislative.
editor
make the climb, we'll make the time'
municipal property taxes as part of your
rent. Secondly, the ownership of property
has not been a requirement for voting in this
state since the 1860s.
3) If you vote here you have to pay taxes
here.
In my opinion, you should pay taxes here
if you vote here, but most students have very
little taxable property. You would pay a little
more than $5 in municipal tax on every $500
worth of property. The voter rolls are not
checked against the tax rolls, although
automobile registrations are.
4) You don't know anything about local
issues.
Maybe you don't, but you certainly have
an opportunity to inform yourself. You
already have more education than more than
half the adults in this country.
5) You have no interest in local issues.
Really? Here we come to the purpose of
this letter. If you are a Carrboro resident,
and you want to keep the buses rolling, you'd
better learn a little about the local political
situation. The present Carrboro Board of
Aldermen voted 4 to 2 to contract with
Chapel Hill for bus service after three
referenda on supporting buses failed. After a
resignation and an appointment, there are
now five aldermen who support continued
bus service. Three of those aldermen are
standing for election this November. They
s u 1 1 1 'VI urv
meetings bill
regulatory, executive and
administrative or quasi-judicial
governmental agencies, with only a few
exceptions, to be open to the public.
The bill would also establish both
civil and criminal penalties for
violations of the law. No such
provisions are included in the current
open meetings law passed in 1971.
Hunt said, though, that the bill could
not pass with the penalties included.
'They have to come out, no question
about it."
A lack of penalties, however, might be
one loophole in the present law. Hunt
pointed out that the Orange County
Hoard of Education has appointed three
of its five members, all in secret sessions.
"Ihis is clearly a violation of the
present law." Hunt said. "That may or
may not have been done in the people's
interest. But that's not the question.
People need access to the meeting."
I nder the present law. the only action
aailable to the public trying to open a
nieetmu is to seek a court injunction to
will stand or fall on their support of a bus
system that is of direct benefit to students.
Inform yourself, register and vote.
Nancy White
Carrboro
No salaries, no junkets
To the editor:
Despite the stated intention, Bruce
TindaU's latest letter ("Salary shenanigans,"
Sept. 9) does not clear up anything. In fact,
no CGC member has any serious desire for a
salary. Bruce's inside information came from
me, in a social situation, and I still find his
serious reaction to the remark bordering on
the incredible. I'm glad I didn't say anything
about hiring Liz Ray or scheduling junkets
to Acapulco.
Even if we wanted to give ourselves
salaries, Bruce should know (as a former
CGC representative) that we don't need a
fee increase to do so; we could vote one in
anytime we pleased. However, to insure that
will not happen, I will introduce a by-laws
amendment that will not allow the CGC that
is presently sitting, or any future CGC, to
either create a salary for its members or
collect on an increase that might be voted. In
other words, no CGC could vote itself any
more money than it might already be getting.
Hopefully, all future comment on a fee
tot M&gTrMt
G4Rft
Mr
soon up for consideration
prevent the agency involved from
holding closed meetings in the future.
In the bill,' agencies would be
permitted to hold executive sessions to
discuss property transactions,
litigations or judicial action, matters
concerning privileged relationships such
as those between a doctor and patient or
lawyer and client, employee
considerations, student discipline, riots
or other public disorders. '
The bill exempts the courts, all law
enforcement agencies, state agencies,
commissions or boards making judicial
rulings and licensing boards.
All of these provisions, however, are
subject to change by the study
commission. ,
The revised bill also might have
serious implications for the UNC
system.
When the 1971 bill was passed. Hunt
said, "the General Assembly did not
intend for it to affect the University
except for the (UNC) Board of
Governors."
The UNC School of Law is appealing
a decision by the N.C. Court of Appeals
that the current open meetings law
applies to the school's faculty meetings.
The N.C. Supreme Court is due to rule
on the matter later this month.
"I have a very good feeling that the
Supreme Court w ill uphold the Court of
Appeals." Hunt said.
For the bill to be passed. Hunt
JWIv-tVHw
increase will be held to just the facts
regarding the subject.
Chip Cox
Chairman, CGC Rules and Juciciary
Committee
Admission charge a shame
To the editor:
In the mail recently, 1 received a soccer
schedule along with the announcement of an
admission charge of $2 for non-students,
which means the faculty must pay to see a
match. What a shame. Many faculty would
go to a match for a few minutes when an
afternoon class was finished, especially if the
faculty member knew he or she had a player
in class. Two dollars is too much. M any of us
shall miss the pleasant experience of
spending a bit of time at Fetzer.
C. Brookhouse
English Department
False impression on recycling
To the editor:
Your article on Student Government's
recycling program ("Glass, aluminum to be
recycled," Sept. 7) gave the impression that
various delays prevented the project from
starting earlier.
This is a false impression. A project of this
magnitude takes time to implement. The
necessary materials (barrels, storage site,
trucks, etc.), the necessary permission (from
the town and the University) and the
necessary organization (the residence hall
governments) cannot be obtained overnight.
The town consistently has followed through
on its promises without delay. Dean Maurice
Lee, chairman of the Building and Grounds
Committee, has also been very helpful.
Neither he nor the committee can be blamed
for slowing down the project. The "delay"
can be attributed to procedure.
Abo, we are unsure as to how much
money the recycling effort will generate. Our
$60 per semester per hundred people
estimate was based on the assumption that
each individual could save six aluminum
cans and three pounds of glass each week. It
will also depend on how much money we will
receive for the glass. We hope to get this
project implemented by next semester. If at
that time the glass crusher is under
construction, we will proceed with the
aluminum recycling.
If anyone has any suggestions or would
like to help, please come to Suite C in the
Union.
Barbara High
Chairperson, Environmental Awareness
Program
Bill Moss
Student Body President
Rep. Patricia Hunt
predicted that it could call for open
meetings only at the trustees' level and
above.
"The General Assembly never
intended faculty meetings to be open,
but it never thought they'e be closed,
too," she said.
Tony Gunn, a senior journalism
major from Reidsville, N.C, is assistant
news editor for the Daily Tar Heel.
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