10 The Daily Tar Heel Thursday, April 12, David Stacks, Editor John Hoke, Alanaging Editor George Shadroui, Associate Editor Allen Jernigan, Associate Editor . Eddie Marks, University Editor Michael Wade, City Editor Kathy Curry, State and National Editor Cynthia Prairie, News Editor Reid Tuvim, Sports Editor Laura Alexander, Features Editor Ann Smallwood, Arts Editor Billy Newman,. Photography Editor Michele Mecke, Weekender Editor 1979 letters to the editor Satin alar .iim 87th year of editorial freedom. Clear thinking At a recent Chapel Hill Board of Aldermen meeting, topics on the agenda included proposals to build two new hotels sometime in the future. J. Verwoerdt,.a Dutch businessman, has asked the town for a special permit to build a hotel on the U.S. 15-501 bypass. But the more controversial proposal has come from Watts Hill Jr., who stimulates the imaginations of the Board of Aldermen with his idea of building a hotel and a conference center on top of two parking decks which would be constructed downtown on Municipal Parking Lots 1 and 2. The entire complex would adjoin the NCNB Plaza on both sides. Any official plans in this direction are a long way off, but the Board of Aldermen's positive reaction to Hill's idea make it a possibility that may have to be dealt with in the future. And Chapel Hill does need hotels, as visiting students and alumni can testify, No doubt the proposal put a gleam in the eyes of downtown businessmen, who probably are envisioning the increased revenue that such a complex will bring. If Hill's rough estimates on the number of parking spaces such a complex would bring are accurate, parking spaces will probably not be lost. But the proposal threatens the village atmosphere that attracts so many to Chapel Hill, despite the contention that the complex will be no taller than the NCNB Plaza. The heavy traffic that such a complex could bring to an already congested Rosemary Street, will undoubtedly cause even more severe problems. Therefore, it seems imperative before such an idea is seriously considered, the Board of Aldermen ensure parking spaces will not be lost and that the building will not prove an eyesore that Chapel Hill will regret in future years. The aldermen also should give serious consideration to the park-ride system, which would decrease the price of bus travel for students who park off campus and eliminate some of the downtown congestion. The joint private-public venture Hill is exploring can be supported only if the interests of the community are placed high on the list of priorities. Chapel Hill's future expansion is necessitated by the growth of the University and the town, but misthinking now could endanger tranquility in the future. The cart before the horse When election time nears 1980 is not far away incumbent politicians like to propose popular, vote-getting legislation. Gov. Jim Hunt and the General Assembly are no exceptions. Hunt's proposed $40 million tax cut smacks of political opportunism, if for no reason other than the fact that it makes very little sense. To make matters worse, the General Assembly is preparing to write legislation slashing the state's taxes by nearly $80 million. Both measures clearly show a reversed judgment of the state's needs and priorities. Strangely enough, some legislative subcommittees have approved cutting $11 million a year in the biennial budget, while other subcommittees have voted increases in appropriations totaling $85 million. To make a permanent $80 million tax rebate work, both Hunt and the legislature will have to justify not providing better schools, not improving hospital and health care, not expanding transportation systems, not enhancing the state's black universities, not upgrading the quality of law enforcement and not improving the state's prisons. Of course; nobody is going to refuse a tax cut, but North Carolina taxpayers should oppose any unsound use of their tax dollars. The governor and the legislature are misleading themselves if they think the public would rather have $50 in their pockets instead of a progressive, continual upgrading of important services. A closer look at the proposed tax rebate plan makes one wonder whose interests Hunt and the General Assembly were elected to serve. By their own recommended appropriations, the legislators have admitted the undeniable need for continued if not increased funding of the state's priority programs. To cut off or reduce spending for those critical programs would embody the worst of the post-Proposition 13 syndrome characterized by government officials trying to outdo each other in cutting back public services. Obviously, unnecessary or wasteful expenditures are deplorable and should be eliminated quickly. Cutting the fat in the state's budget is a praiseworthy and courageous activity to which the governor and the legislature should devote more serious efforts. But to enact a major tax cut package which gravely impairs the state's important services is neither wise nor brave. The tax rebate legislation currently under consideration is a classic example of placing the cart before the horse. The Bottom Line r.Tonkey business If you were a 3-foot-tall, 35-pound blue-jean clad tequila-drinking monkey, where would you go in Nashville, Tenn. at three in the morning? That's what exotic stripper Sylvia LaSerena, Nashville police and a 75-pound boa constrictor were asking themselves, when Pete the fire-eating monkey slipped his leash and skipped out of the Classic Cat II, where he was heading an act with Sylvia and the snake. Police, who put out an all-points-bulletin on the foot-loose simian, speculated Pete had feuded with the boa constrictor. Sylvia defended the snake, affirming he was not responsible for the incident, even though he never got along with Pete. It seems Pete is the nervous type and likes to cut out to the local watering holes to relax after a hard night's work. Sylvia, the snake and Nashville's finest were in luck; however, as Pete got rowdy as the morning wore qn and jumped through the open window of a passing automobile. After a brief struggle, the driver subdued the monkey, crammed him into a bag and locked him in the trunk. Pete's captor, one George Harris, received a $ 1 ,000 reward for returning the escapee to his compatriots. Two nights later, Pete was back on stage eating flaming torches with Sylvia and the snake, but informed sources report he's getting itchy feet again. After all, it takes more than a little tequila to quench a burning thirst; let's just hope the snake doesn't develop a taste for pina coladas. Bricks for kicks Ray Chase of Peekskill N.Y. collects bricks. Ray started his hobby 10 years ago. While spading in his backyard he found a brick with"PeeksvilleNo. 1" engraved on it. Ray found the brick interesting, so he took it to a local historian, who told him it was almost 75-years-old. Ray was overwhelmed. And now .he's added 826 bricks to his collection; stacked precariously against his wall, all ol them with names and places and words engraved on them "People think I'm nuts, but I can't help it. I think bricks are fascinating. Some people read the classics. Some read bathroom graffitti. Some read Harlequin Romances. Ray Chase reads bricks It takes all kinds. And that'v the bottom line. lair laeatiii, for Urn d To the editor. We applaud your editorial, "A Golden Opportunity," (DTH, April 10) and hope J.B. Kelly's proposal will be given the attention it deserves from the board of trustees. It should be imperative, not suggested, that some type of solar heating be employed in the student union extension. To do otherwise would be folly in the face of the obvious and immediate economic and environmental advantages. Passive solar design alone would save heating costs without significant construction expenditures. The sun's heat is retained in massive substances which emit warmth through the night. For passive cooling, heating surfaces need only be blocked off and certain vents utilized. Estimates of solar process heating costs for rooftop panels ranged from $ 10 to $65 per squared meter in 1974, the upper figure equivalent to $14.50 per barrel of oil burned at 70 percent efficiency. (OPEC oil is currently wholesaled at about $15 per barrel, and U.S. decontrol will encourage national companies to follow suit.) The costs among solar heating options are contingent upon a system's simplicity and often the degree to which it is decentralized. These figures indicate that a thorough comparison with traditional heating technologies should be conducted, with considerations not just for initial costs, but for long-term savings. Solar energy and intensive conservation measures may be implemented through an almost infinite choice of technology and design options. An optimal mix appropriate for the size and purpose- of the union extension is certainly available. Only the shortsighted or uninformed could argue otherwise. The trustees have already scratched one architect's plan, and they should do it again to ensure the right kind of extension a solar one is built. Rob Stevenson David Dodd and four members of ECOS A Theta replies To the editor In response to Mr. Holsclaw's letter, the letter from theThetas (yes, I am also a Theta) was not opposed to interesting and valuable information on gays, needy or any other minority. It was written with two purposes in mind. The first was to express their dissatisfaction of the sensationalism noticeably included in the newspaper since David Stacks took office. An example of this is the front page article accusing Charlie Miller, Olde Campus RD, of interfering in the Morehead referendum, using only people's opinions and no hard-core facts. Then, another article (front page again) with a misleading headline trying to link Charlie Miller's resignation with the Morehead referendum and his alleged interference and subsequent attack. The second reason for the letter was to suggest an event which would show a more accurate view of fraternity life. (Many people seem to believe Greeks are purely socially-oriented.) An article on the Thetas' district day would have shown that Greeks are people with similar values and beliefs joined in a group called a fraternity. Our district day was gathering to discuss and share common ideas which unite us as an international organization. If David Stacks is planning on vv-l v -"tv o OqtLW li) Sr "" becoming an editor for The Star, he is heading in the right direction. Otherwise, maybe he should re-evaluate the viewpoint taken on some of the articles in the DTH, so a truer depiction of campus organizations is given. Robin Boineau 216 Aycock Support for the aged To the editor I am writing in support of Mr. Streets' letter (DTH, April 10). The study of aging and the aged has been ignored on this campus. Having come to Carolina for graduate study from the University of Kentucky at Lexington, I have been shocked by the dearth of attention that is given this area at UNC-CH. We at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ha ve.gjene rally neglected the concerns of our older population. This is largely true of all disciplines. It should not take any UNC student too long to list hisher courses or extramural activities that have been related to aging and the aged. Have we intentionally shielded . ourseleves from thinking about aging or have we just been remiss? Irrespective of the reason for our neglect, the consequences are the same for ourselves and those around us. You and I must become sensitive to the needs and desires of our older relatives, friends and neighbors. We must realize our role in our multigenerational society and, individually and collectively, help further intergenerational relations. The volunteer efforts' of the Campus Community Link and the Friends of Nursing Home Patients and the funds donated to activities for the aged by the Campus Chest are exemplary of what can be done. These kinds of actions are critical in our aging society where there will be an increasingly larger number of older persons. Unless we now strive to understand what it means or doesn't mean to be old and discarded by labor and family, what it means to eat or not eat the same meager foods everyday, what it means to have or not have adequate personal health care, or simply what it means to feel lonely, we may have to confront in our old age personal and societal problems that would make today's seem minuscule. We all have an investment in the way our society treats its older citizens. It is critical that each of us becomes more aggressive in the pursuit of learning about aging and the aged. Let's demand the educational opportunities at UNC to do so. Grace Rid dell 2516-A Foxwood Drive Participation urged To the editor. Last Wednesday, seven members of the class of black students who entered Carolina in 1975 held a meeting in the Union. The meeting was to be for all those who entered in 1975 and those graduating in May or whenever. Few students showed up. We hope this was not a sign of lack of interest but just lack of knowledge of the meeting. We tossed around several ideas for activities to be held 'during' graduation week. We feel this would be the last time many of us would see each other, and we should all get together for one last time to talk, laugh, dance, have a good time and maybe shed a few tears. Of the ideas discussed, tentative plans were made for a Graduation Party, a Senior Picnic and an Open "Jam" in James Parking lot. There will be several "Jams" held to raise money for these functions, with the excess going to the BSM for the Black Alumni Association. . There will also be another meeting Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Room 213 in the Union. We need all of you, not only the entering class of 1975, but those of 1976, 1977 and 1978; for without you, all of the ideas we have discussed will remain as ideas. Signed, Club '79 Thcnk you, J.B. Kelly To the editor I would like to express my thanks to J.B. Kelly for the admirable position taken by him in the April 4 BSM demonstration. But the questions asked by Provost Morrow and his conversations with BSM representatives, Mr. Kelly seems deeply concerned with not only the rights of black students but with the rights of all students at this University. Mr. Kelly's participation in last week's demonstration should be a signal to South Building that black students aren't alone in seeking explanations of the administration's puzzling actions. Moreover, Mr. Kelly's open concern should induce other campus leaders to show their support for students rights. John Slade 523 Morrison Btke-a-thon praise To the editor. As participants in the Muscular Dystrophy Bike-a-thon Sunday, we would like to congratulate Gary Baker and the UNC Recreation Society for a job well done. We urge all the people who sponsored us to give generously when contacted about their pledges and help make the event a true success. Kyle Brown Sylvester Taylor Jane Rambo Residents of 2nd Floor Hinton James i Servomution fences numerous problems By HOWARD TROXLER Editor's note: This is the second of a two-part series dealing with the food service on the UNC campus. Thousands of students eat daily at the Pine Room, Chase Cafeteria or the Carolina Union Hunger Hut. Of those students, some 6,000 have purchased semester- or year-long meal tickets that are non-refundable and non transferable. The University does not operate the three outlets. Instead, they are operated by Servomation Mathias Inc., a Connecticut-based food company under contract to several universities around the nation. Students will criticize anything, and Servomation's food service has been no exception. Critics claim the food is less than good, the service is lacking and some of them are working to find an alternative way of feeding Carolina's students. A tough Job Besides normal business woes, there are concessions Servomation must make to be on the UNC campus. Servomation has a strict contract with the University, which has final control over prices, and the two parties meet annually to haggle over proposed hikes. In the University's business office, there is a thick black notebook with listings of all prices ("bacon, egg and cheese, 79 cents," and so forth). Servomation pays rent and utilities to the University, which totaled about $100,000 in fiscal 1978. If net profits exceed a certain percentage of total revenue, Servomation must pay half the excess to the University. In fiscal 1978. Servomation took in $1.5 million here, $627,000 in meal plan sales and $900,000 from walk-in sales. After operating expenses, payments to the University and other overhead, Servomation's net profit for the entire year was $52,000. "It's not an easy job to stay in the black," Charles C. Antle Jr.. assistant vice-chancellor for business, says. "There are constantly rising prices, such as hamburger, and there are always other problems, like what's going to happen if this trucking strike occurs." The opposition Some students are less sympathetic. Bill Parmelee, former chairman of the Student Consumer Action Union and currently a member of the University- and student-manned Food Services Advisory Committee, is convinced that Servomation has a favored position on campus that of a monopoly. "With Servomation, the general philosophy is that you hao to work hard to get an improvement and push hard to keep it," Parmelee said. "They're way to comfortable, and that's not a healthy situation." Parmelee advocates alternatives to the Servomation type of food service. "I'm not so convinced that the University can't do it itself," he said. "Look how good a job they do at the Carolina Inn, which is always in the black." Many students involved in SCAU or Student Government suggest that Chase Cafeteria, the Pine Room and Hunger Hut be run by different companies to increase competition a suggestion the University vetoes as impractical. Another form of competition to Servomation is already on campus the Student Stores. The stores have already caused the Chase Snack Bar some grief by selling hot pizzas in their South Campus outlets, a practice that was hastily brought to an end by the University after complaints from Servomation. Now, Antle is trying to balance Servomation's needs against Student Stores manager Thomas Shetley, who wouldn't be opposed to selling fast food in his dormitory stores. "He'd make a mint," one dormitory official says. But Antle probably won't give the go-ahead to Shetley at the expense of Servomation. "The University supports the Student Stores, and it supports Servomation,"1 he says. "We have to be careful not to undermine Servomation. It's a gray area." As part of that support, the University cooperates with Servomation in mailing an advertisement to incoming freshmen, encouraging them to sign up for a meal plan. This draws the ire of Servomation critics, who claim freshmen don't know what they're getting into when they sign up. "Sixty-seven percent of people on meal plans are freshmen," Parmelee says. "If more people are satisfied with Servomation, then why don't they return for a second year?" Opposition to the advertisement is more than verbal. SCAU is planning to mail a letter of its own to freshmen this year, advising them of its survey results and of alternatives to Servomation. The University isn't happy about the mailing. SCAU attempted such a mailing after its first survey, but was refused access to the list of freshmen. The University says the refusal was a matter of policy, but SCAU will try again this year. The future Servomation is in its eighth year of service and the University plans to keep it around indefinitely witness the plans for the new restaurant two years hence. It is this attitude that rankles critics the most. "I'm on a committee that's supposed to offer student input, to show how that students feel." Parmelee says. "Yet. if you suggest the contract might be terminated, the University acts like it's an impossibility." r i .... V ... Otudsnts welt for food In Union ...fast food is big business Perhaps it is. SCAU and the University's student affairs division are currently taking a new survey of student opinion about the food service and both the University and Dick Patton, Servomation's manager on the UNC campus, await its results with interest. Even if there is considerable opposition to Servomation, it would be difficult to persuade a University that considers the food service problem solved. And if the survey shows students are largely satisfied with the food service, then SeYvomation will almost surely be here to stay as long as it wants. Howard Troxler. a junior journalism and political science major from Burlington, is an editorial assistant for the Daily Tar Heel.