8 The Da;ly Tar Heel Wednesday, October ; i i979
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David Stacks, Editor
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John Hoke, Managing Editor
George Shadropi, Associate Editor
Allen JeRxNigan, Associate Editor
Cynthia Prairie, News Editor
Eddie Marks, University Editor
Michael Wade, City Editor
Kathy Curry, State and National Editor
Reid Tuvim, Sports Editor
Michele Mecke, Features Editor
Ann Small wood, Arts Editor - '
Andy James, Photography Editor
Dinita James, Weekender Editor
XL -4
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67i 'ecr o editorial freedom
1
On -town bonds
Chapel Hill voters will decide on three bond issues when they go to the
polls on Tuesday. Two of the bond issues, which would pay for parking
facilities and a new fire station in the rapidly growing area to the north of
town, deserve the support of the voters. But while we agree with the idea
behind the third bond issue the purchase of land by the town to be used
as an open space area we believe a far better alternative can be found
to accomplish that aim.
The open space bond referendum on the municipal ballot would
provide $300,000 which the town could use to buy 70 acres of land in the
Ridgefield area near Bolin and Booker Creeks. The land, most of which
is in a floodplain, would remain undeveloped, and would be used only as
open green space for "passive" recreational facilities such as bike paths
or walking trails. Since new construction would be severely restricted or
prohibited in the area anyway, the idea of using it for open space seems
appealing particularly in light of the rapid growth Chapel Hill will
experience over the next several decades.
Upon closer inspection, however, the Ridgefield land-acquisition
bond loses its attractiveness. The land purchase would be worth the
penny it would add to the tax rate only to the small minority of Chapel
Hill residents who would benefit from it. For the rest, there are open
space sitesthat would be not only more suitable, but less tied to political
maneuvering and self interest.
The land acquisition bond that will be on Tuesday's ballot originated
months ago with the desire of residents of the Ridgefield area to prevent
a planned subdivision on 10 acres of land in what would be part of the
open-space area. Six months and several conflicting votes later, the
Town Council had acted on a task force recommendation to purchase
not 10 but 70 acres of land in the area.
Ironically, the council's final vote to put the Ridgefield bond issue on
the ballot came only nine days after it had decided to begin a long-range
study of open space for the town. Even the preliminary findings of that
study show there are several excellent potential sites in the Chapel Hill
planning area that are much better suited for a wider range of
recreational uses such as tennis courts, in addition to "greenway" uses.
The study is scheduled to be completed by the end of January, in plenty
of time for a carefully considered open-space policy to be adopted. Open
space will be a valuable commodity for Chapel HIU in the future, but we
believe any decision on buying open-space land should wait until better
sites are found and those sites are available. The Ridgefield purchase
would be poor planning and a costly mistake.
The other two bonds on the ballot, in contrast, would pay for badly
needed services. Most of the $2.6 million parking bond would be used
for a four-level deck for short term parking by visitors to the downtown
business district. The deck's design is compatible with the downtown
atmosphere, and its badly needed additional parking spaces would not
even be visible from Franklin Street. The deck actually,would pay for
itself through parking fees.
The $450,000 bond for construction of a fire station at the intersection
of N.C. 86 and Weaver Dairy Road also is badly needed. The northern
area of Chapel Hill is growing rapidly, and another fire station there
eventually would be required by state law anyway.
We believe the bond referendum choices for Chapel Hill's future are
clear.
On county bonds
Orange County voters will vote next Tuesday on four bond issues in.
referendums totaling $20.4 million, the largest and one of the most
ambitious bond packages in the history of the county. If approved, the
bonds would provide needed capital improvement moneys for local
school systems, health care facilities, public building projects and
electronic voting equipment.
We hope voters will approve these four bond measures. All are
products of sound fiscal planning, and all are justified by the needs each
would address.
The largest chunk of the bond package $17.8 million would help
finance one of the most far-reaching services that locaL governments
provide: public schools. In the Orange County school system, money is
needed to pay for a new elementary school, a vocational education
building, energy-conservation modifications, additional space for the
handicapped and other vital needs. County bond moneys would be used
in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro schools for construction of new classrooms
or additions to school buildings to reduce overcrowding. Particularly in
the city system, state officials' order to decrease the student ratio has
created a need for more classrooms. Site improvements, library
additions and other important city schools projects would be funded by
the bonds.
Human services programs also would benefit from approval of the
bond package. For example, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Multipurpose
Building, which houses programs for handicapped and senior citizens, is
in need of money for extensive renovation. In addition, the bond
package would finance a sheltered workshop, providing jobs and
training for handicapped adults. And public building projects such as
refurbishing facilities for. library, criminal justice and recreation
agencies would be paid for with bond money. Approval of the bond
package would set aside funds to finance improvements in the county
jail, which has been cited as physically inadequate by state prison
examiners.
Of particular importance to voters and taxpayers is the matter of what
approval of the bonds would do to the county tax rate. Property owners
now, pay 90 cents per $100 property valuation, a figure which would
increase to 94 cents by fiscal year 1985-86 if the bond package is
approved. If voters reject the package, however, the tax rate ccruld jump
to even higher than 94 cents. State officials have ordered the county to
begin modernizing the jail, a project that can be financed by either a
relatively inexpensive bond issue or a more immediate tax-rate hike.
And school officials would have to find another way to pay for
construction to alleviate classroom overcrowding; a tax hike steeper
than 4 cents could be the only alternative.
In light of the sweeping benefits that would come from approval of the
county package, it seems doubtful that California tax revolt leader
Howard Jarvis will have much to say against the Orange County
referendums when he speaks in Hillsborough today on property taxes
and bond issues. That leaders of the Orange Farm and Landowners
Association invited him just before the referendums next week
hopefully is just coincidental.
By BUDDY DURNISKE
"Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something
good to eat."
Remember it? Well, maybe not. -But in my
youthful neighborhood that phrase was
commonplace at Halloween. Kids didn't mean it in
a particularly nasty way; they just used the lyrics to
assert their power on this day. Because Halloween,
or All Saint's Day as the ironic surname calls it, is
the day when kids get what they want, or at least
what parents tell them they should want, or else.
Somehow it's appropriate that Halloween
comes along at this time in the academic year. The
"kids" are still trying to get their way and the adults
are still pacifying them. Aside from it being a time
when people are haunted by homework, exams
and papers, it's also the "trick or treat" phase of fall
semester as students begin agonizing over course
pre-registration for spring.
There is, however, a difference between trick or
treaters of college age and hyperactive candy
mongers. We have more choice in this ritual. We're
still gathering choice treats and a few lesser
morsels of the curriculum despite the fact that
the days when filling a UNICEF box or making the
rounds before the neighborhood candy supply ran
low are gone.
Two problems arise from trick or treating at a
collegiate institution. First, it's difficult to play
tricks on the people who spoil treats, or refuse to
give. (What are you going to do? Soap the windows
of 64 people around campus who closed you out of
a course because their I. D. number was closer to
THE NUMBER than yours?)
Second, you never can tell if your treat's a good
one until it's nearly gone. There's no handbook
available which gives the inside dope on course
offerings. You skim the University record or the
Phi Eta Sigma Course Description to read
summaries and study details which instructors,
requirements and prerequisites are attached to
what particular sections. But do they say anything
about allowable' class cuts, time allotted for
napping , in lectures or the instructor's
susceptibility to bribery at the semester's end? No.
But it's time someone did. Someone with either a
sweet tooth or numb mind.
letters to the editor
I'll accept the nomination, on the latter count,
but by-pass the trick-playing problem (leaving that
for my roommate, the famed writer of practical
jokes), choosing instead to assist those now
judging the true content of prospective courses.
I now introduce the first edition of the
Halloween Course Selection Grab Bag a guide to
scholarly enlightenment. Take a look at the
following excerpt from this handbook which
doesn't cite trivial details but does describe the
telltale signs of specific course types and see if it
doesn't list a few of the treats people have fed you
during Halloweens past...
Reeses' Cups Actually two courses, selected
unwittingly for the same semester. As people
taking Psych. 10 and Soc. 51' find, Reeses' cup
courses spill into each other causing confused
students to wonder how they got Course A on
Course B and how Course B fell into Course A:
Three Musketeers bars MMMMhhhmm. A
good find. They say they're fluffy, not stuffy,'
because they fit perfectly into that imaginary
'perfect schedule.' Chosen because of time slot
offerings, not educational merit.
M&M's More and More. A fact-feeding
course that crams trivia into the memory pcres
from day one. You'll know it whsn you see it, just
remember: what's gained here will mdt in your
notebook, not in your head."
Candy Com all too common. Everywhere
you turn you'll be finding it. These are required
courses. If you like 'em, you're a business major, if
you detest them, you're not here for a training.
Hash Brownies a treat from one of the
houses your mother told you not to stop at.
Probably an independent study.
Cracker Jacks a rare gem, each with a prize
inside. These get better and better, and you find
that "the more you eat, the more you want" of
them.
Nestle's Crunch bars kink your grades, hair
and sex life. It's the old 8 a.m. class taken to meet
major requirements there's nothing you can do
except bite down hard and hope it doesn't leave an
aftertaste.
Marshmallows a favorite for those majoring
in horizontal recreation or seeking a buffer in a
tough schedule. They"re the softies.
Smartees Sweetarts one big roll of
uncertainty. These can start off well, but meander,
through hills and valleys of intellectual taste. A key
sign that you've matriculated one. of this type is
when the prof declares "Ambiguity is perfectly
precise." Smartiees always make you ill before
you're halfway through the wrapper.
Apples your mother wouldn't let you take
them, but you like to anyway. A course in
existentialism, decrying God's death, sex
education or similar blasphemy fits this category.
They're risky. Remember to cut into apples before
you bite watch out for razor blades and take
the passfail option....
The Halloween Course Selection Grab Bag isn't
a cure-all for every pre-registration need. It is
merely a supplement. For those displeased with
their Halloween gains, there's always the
Confectioners Spring Barter which officially opens
Jan 8, 1980. Most candy won't keep for that long,
though, so it's best to do well on the first go round.
But when the time comes, just let me know if you
want to grade any Cracker Jacks for Candy Corn.
Buddy Burniske, a sophomore RTVMP and English
major from Hatfield, Mass., is a staff writer for The
. Daily Tar Heel.
ii
ape incident prompts appeal tor security
To the editor:
May I voice a fear which is coming
closer and closer to home? Sunday night a
girl in my dorm was attacked and almost
shot, under my window. Similar
attempted rapes have occurred too often.
Our families and lifestyles have protected
us so much that most of us did not even
recognize the gunshots or realize that the
scream was for help and not just for kicks.
Luckily, the girl was physically unharmed
and 'die police apprehended the man.
My point is that these instances are not
publicized so that women are aware. I
don't think it is necessary to alarm
anyone, but I do think it's imperative that
not only the girls in my dorm but all the
women on campus realize that these
nightmares are happening to their friends
and classmates. Apparently it never
occurred to us that we could be victims
and should be on guard at all times, since
alarm systems are supposedly in order.
Several of the door alarms are broken or
the locks are taped and IDs are never
checked after hours. We are deceived by
these security devices many of them are
. defective or useless.
After the man who attacked the girl in
my dorm on Sunday night was identified
and described I had no doubt that he was
the same man that had followed me home
that same evening. I had bad vibes then,
and I will continue to have them until the
University provides security and allows
the paper to make these incidents known.
Rape is getting too close to home.
Michele Musgrove
Cobb Dorm
'Big-money' sports
!
To the editor:
Carolina Football Weekend! Could
there be anything finer? Could there be
anything finer than to have two football
machines financed with a million dollars
plus, going at it in front of thousands of
fans? Could there be anything finer, in
these times of gasoline shortages, than
lines of motor homes and gas guzzlers,
clogging Chapel Hill's roads for a whole
day? Could there be anything finer than
the trash that tailgaters leave in the
parking lots? Could there be anything
finer than being nearly run over by an
intoxicated driver behind the wheel of a
monolithic car? Could there be anything
finer than having to pay $12 each fall
semester for these grand contests? Could
there be anything finer than, as a student
at the University, being shut out of a
parking lot because it is reserved for the
financial heavies of the Rams Club?
I confess that people tell me nothing
could be finer than the money that the
alumni donate to the University because
of our fine football and basketball teams.
But couldn't there be something finer
than the gymnasiums, sports equipment
and athletic "scholarships" that all this
money seems to go to? (Is not athletic
"scholarship" really a contradiction?)
All in all, I think that nothing could be
finer than no big-money sports here at
Carolina.
Norman H. Barth
120 Purefoy Road
Apathy
To the editor
This letter is in response to the
'Domain of the Dirt' article (DTH, Oct.
26) written by George Shadroui and
Michael Wade. The article itself
fascinated and reassured me; now I know
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that 1 am not the only student' who
opposes the construction of the new
library.
However, I do object to one part of this
generally enlightening piece of writing.
Although many students do not care,
as the authors blandly state, I do care
about such things as disillusionment with
academic institutions. I, too, am
disillusioned, perhaps for vastly different
reasons, but the solution to this problem
is not a return to childhood as
symbolized by the 'Dirt' as a large
number of UNC students seem to believe. .
Instead of trying to obliterate school's
reality by drinking into a virtual coma, or
by feigning total uninvolvement in their
own academic performance, students
have the option of working toward
changes that they think would improve
the University.
The authors have taken action,
through the medium of print, by
protesting the University's heartless
planning. They are setting an active
example for us and not merely exercising
their wit. There are many other ways to
participate in working for improvement
of the campus environment, both
physical and social, but the first step is
always the hardest. One has to admit that
there are problems that can be solved, or
at least reduced, by one's actions, no
matter how small. In addition, people
have to care enough to want to make life
better for others as well as themselves.
Maybe we won't stop the onslaught of
new buildings and bricks, but we can let
the University know how we feel. So get
involved in making life better, instead of
being part of the problem rampaging
apathy.
Judy Goldberg
1206 Hill view Road
Card section suggestions
To the editor:
After seeing the University of Southern
California card section on TV and having
sat in section 17 for all of our home
games, I feel comment is due concerning
the UNC card section.
I have had friends sitting on the
opposite side of the stadium for each
game and they can usually only
distinguish one or two of the five stunts
displayed. This past week, many people
told me that the "EZU" stunt was the only
one readable. If only a few more minute.
were used for organization before half
time, the card section could be improved.
First, everyone should have cards.
Almost half of our row did not have cards
at the ECU game. Next, everyone should
be told at what height they should hold
their cards. Some people have them fully
extended above their heads, other at eye
level, etc. Most of this problem is due to
the fact that the people in the card section
are trying to read the master card down
front which tells them what they're
spelling. Therefore, they have to stand up
to see over the people holding cards up in
front of them. This problem can be
alleviated by showing the card section
what they're going to display before they
hold up the cards. Finally, take a few
moments between each stunt 10 people
can get the right card. The stunts went so
rapidly at the Cincinnati game, people
were still looking for the card for Stunt 3
while others were on Stunt 5. Of course,
part of the problem is due to bootlrg
liquor affecting our coordination.
If these steps were taken, the card
section would be greatly improved, and
we would have a chance for redeeming
ourselves at the homecoming game with
Ckmson.
Mike Pandkh
525 Ehrinrhaus
Vie Daily Tar Heel welcome
contribution! and letters to the editor.
Letters must be signed, typed on a 60
ipacc line, double-spaced and
accompanied by a return addrm.
Letters chosen for
subject to editing.
publication are
R
er laments lenstn
9
To the editor:
Why is my Servomation, Inc.
foot long dog only nine inches
long? Perhaps I ate it too fast,
and rclativistic effects must be
taken into account.
Roy D. Rocklin
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