Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Jan. 23, 1987, edition 1 / Page 10
Part of Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
10The Daily Tar Heel Friday, January 23, 1987 latin (Har fi .year of editorial freedom Jim Zcx)K, Editor Randy Farmer, aiwu n KATHY NANNEY, ,tif7uc :r Tracy Hill. Nt . i?ir Grant Parsons, university Editor Linda Montanari, tv Editor . DONNA LEINWAND. State and National Editor Scott Fowler, sports Editor JULIE BRASWELI., Features Editor ROBERT KEEFE, Business Editor Elizabeth Ellen, a m Editor DAN CHARLSON. Photography Editor TcaiF.'IrO! aom Editorials Election injection The last petitions to file for announced candidacies in student elections were submitted by 5 p.m. Thursday. Of four campuswide races, two Daily Tar Heel editor and Residence Hall Association president have only one aspirant on the ballot. Why? Perhaps that will be answered during the campaign. Anyway, this is just one of several characteristics present in this year's campus elections that already make them unusual. Consider the following observations: n Neither of those two offices have been won by uncontested candidates in more than a decade. a With just a week and half left in the campaigns, the tremendous flurry of posters flashing hopeful grins at students in their classes has yet to materialize in full. a No Chi Psi fraternity member is running for student body president. Of the last 21 student body presidents, 13 have been Chi Psis. To this point, the campaign can only be described as sluggish. That may not be disappointing for the typical student, unwittingly a sitting duck that will be descended upon by the can didates in door-to-door canvassing. Seriously, though, now is the time for students to consider what they expect from their student representa tives. Thoughtful questions make candidates substantiate platforms and think through ideas thoroughly. It is probably most important for the apparent winners, RHA nominee Kelly Clark and DTH candidate Jill Gerber, to be tested by concerned students during next week's forums. Barring a last-minute write-in cam paign, Clark and Gerber will not experience the push from the oppo sition. As a step toward better prep aration for office, they need to be approached with insightful questions and solid ideas about dorm govern ment and ways to make the DTH a better newspaper. Election season is the student body's best opportunity to make its opinions known. Take advantage of it. Gauging knowledge If organizations like the National Governors' Association continue to gain support from university admin istrators, a test similar to high school's SAT may await students in their senior year of college. The association is pressuring state (and private) universities to produce proof they actually teach students something. So, public institutions in at least half a dozen states have begun testing their students as freshmen, and four years later as seniors, to see how much they have learned. At some universities, professional organiza tions are giving students exams to see what they know in their majors. The National Governors' Associa tion issued a report last summer stating colleges have no "systematic way to demonstrate whether student learning is taking place." U.S. Education Secretary William Bennett has sup ported this report. The bottom line is economics. Tuition at many colleges is rising twice as fast as the inflation rate, and legislators and families are worried that Junior isn't getting the education Mom and Dad are paying for. For more than six years, the Ten nessee Higher Education Commission has monitored test performance, : graduate employment statistics and ' plans for educational improvement in 'all state-supported institutions. Col leges earning big points in the com mission's system receive up to 5 percent more in state appropriations. The approach some schools are using is called "value-added" testing, and it's designed to measure how much students have learned, not their natural ability. This testing is questionable, since employers consider natural ability and knowledge in recruiting employees. Besides, there is an on-going debate about the validity of standardized tests even the SAT in measuring student abilities. But a means of gauging what students learn in four years (or more) of college could be useful, especially as a guide for appropriating more money to schools with high scores. The problem is what happens to those seniors who fail these compre hensive exams: Do they not graduate? That seems a little extreme. Just as students perform badly on the SAT, a student could have a bad day and flub the "comp." Talk about econom ics go home and tell Dad, after he has paid for four years of college, that you're not going to graduate because you failed your senior comp. He'd love that. A "systematic way" of determining how much students learn is a good barometer, and making the comp exams mandatory is enough incentive for seniors to take them seriously. But the exams should be a gauge and not a stressful graduation prerequisite. The Daily Tar Heel Editorial Writers: Brian Long and Kathy Peters Staff Columnist: Pierre Tristam Omnibus Editor: Amy Hamilton Assistant Managing Editors: Amy Hamilton and Regan Murray. News: Jeanna Baxter, Tom Camp, Chris Chapman, Paul Cory, Sabrina Darley, Kimberly Edens, Michelle Kfird. Scott Grcig, Maria Harcn, Nancy Harrington, Suzanne Jeffries, Susan Jensen, Sharon Kebschull, Michael Kolb, Teresa Kriegsman, Laura Lance, Alicia Lassiter, Mitra Lotfi, Justin McGuire, Laurie Martin, Toby Moore, Dan Morrison, Lee Ann Necessary, Mary Paradeses, Liz Saylor, Rachel Stiffler, Clay Thorp, Elisa Turner, Nicki Weisensee, Beth Williams and Bruce Wood. Jo Fleischer and Jean Lutes, assistant university editors. Jeannie Faris, assistant state and national editor. Felisa Neuringer, assistant business editor. Cindy Clark, Ruth Davis and Michael Jordan, wire editors. , Sports: Mike Berardino, James Surowiecki and Bob Young, assistant sports editors. Greg Cook, Phyllis Fair, Paris Goodnight, Laura Grimmer, Dave Hall, Greg Humphreys, Lorna Khalil, Eddy Landreth, Patton McDowell, Andy Podolsky, Jill Shaw and Chris Spencer. Features: Jessica Brooks, Robbie Dellinger, Carole Ferguson, Jennifer Frost, Veronica Gontram, Jennifer Harlcy, Jeanie Mamo, Corin Ortlam, and Lynn Phillips. Arts: James Burrus, David Hester, Beth Rhea, Kelly Rhodes and Rob Sherman. Photography: Charlotte Cannon, Charles Carrierc, Larry Childress, Tony Deifell and Julie Stovall. Copy Editors: Sally Pcarsall, assistant news editor. Karen Bell. Lisa Lorent, Belinda Morris, Sherri Murray and Marielle Stachura. Editorial Cartoonists: Adam Cohen, Bill Cokas and Trip Park. ( ampus Calendar: Mindelle Rosenberg and David Starnes. Business and Advertising: Anne Fulcher, general manager; Patricia Benson, advertising director: Mary Pcarse, advertising coordinator. Angela Ostwalt, business manager: Cammie Henry, accounts receivable clerk: Ruth Anderson, Michael Benfield, Jennifer Garden, Ashley Hinton, Kelli McElhaney, Chrissy Mcnnitt, Anne Raymer, Julie Settle, Peggy Smith, Kent Sutton, Amanda Tilley and Ashley Waters advertising representatives: Tammy Norris, Angie Peele, Stephanie Chesson, classified advertising representatives: and Mary Brown, secretary. Distributioncirculation: William Austin, manager. Production: Stacy Wynn.. Rita Galloway and Lisa Poole, production assistants. Printing: The Chapel Hill Newspaper Women cam be victims off abortion Abortion on demand, legalized Jan. 22, 1973 by the Supreme Court, remains a controversial issue in the 1980s. Several groups purporting theories of pro-life or pro-choice attempt to persuade the public to take a particular stand on abortion. Often debate centers upon the viability of the fetus and whether or not it deserves a right to life. However, less frequently does one hear about the effects; abortion may have on others involved. . Abortion, contrary to what most ardent feminists believe, is neither a way for a woman to gain control of her reproductive health, nor a step toward equality with men. Rather, it is a symptom of the self-hatred that accompanies rejection of sex identity. To reject the function of the womb, regardless of whether one desires to bear children, is to reject a vital part of a woman's personhood. Abortion sells women out to male values. and "accepting the necessity of abortion" is accepting that pregnant women and mothers are unable to function as persons in society" (Daphane Dejong, Feminism and Abor tion). Succumbing to the belief that a pregnant woman has no chance to compete in a male-dominated world, many women sacrifice their children in pursuit of a career. Several major physiological problems often accompany abortion. Many people do not realize that occasionally women who have an abortion are damaged to the extent that they can never have children. Those HughesLell Guest Writers who get pregnant have a much higher risk of miscarriages and low birth weights. Infection is also a problem. Abortion is the sixth most common cause of maternal death. Is it a safe process? Few women are warned about the psychological and emotional problems which often follow an abortion. Some women agree to have an abortion as a result of threats from their husbands and boy friends or because of a fear of rejection by the male. Ironically, in many cases, the relationship that the woman is trying to save is perman ently severed. A possible reason for this is that psychologists have found that feelings of guilt play a major role in both the man and woman's life after an abortion expe rience. Instead of promoting intimacy, sex often becomes a painful reminder of the guilt and trauma caused by the abortion. It has also been found that women experience types of distress which include repression, anxiety, numbness, grief, anger, psychosex ual disorders and a decline in self-esteem. Abortion also affects society as a whole. Many justify abortion by arguing that aborted children are unwanted. Every child is a wanted child! There is an extreme shortage of children for adoptive parents. Some prospective parents wait anywhere from three years to a lifetime for a child. Children of parents who have had an abortion may also suffer from the realization that their parents discarded a child they did not want. This can affect the child's self esteem and his relationship with his parents. The Supreme Court, due to their legal ization of abortion in 1973, gained the respect of many as an institution truly concerned with the rights of women. But in 1983, this same institution struck down an ordinance built mainly on the principle that doctors must inform their patients of the facts of pregnancy, fetal development and the procedures and risks of an abortion. This means that abortion clinics are not legally obligated to inform the patient of the physical state of the fetus or of the physiological and emotional problems which often accompany abortion. Anyone considering abortion as an alternative to pregnancy should be well informed before making a final decision. Abortion is not a simple operation. Although the procedure may be completed in less than seven minutes, the effects of an abortion can last a lifetime. Kelley Hughes is a sophomore criminal justice major from High Point. Mary Leete is a sophomore education major from Wilmington. Unfair policy To the editor: . This year's ticket distribution policy has become totally chao tic. The Carolina Athletic Association stated at the begin ning of the year that the student ticket policy would be com pletely random. On Jan. 19, distribution for the UVa game went haywire. 1 arrived at the Smith Center at 10 a.m., hoping to at least have a chance at good upper level or lower-level tickets. I had everything ready when I noticed that all remaining tickets were nosebleed tickets in the upper area. I asked if the system were random and the CAA worker said it was. How could it be? If the system is totally random, every student has the same chance to receive a good seat until the last ticket is given out. I called the ticket office that same day. They confirmed that the first and best 5,000 tickets were distributed by 7:30 a.m. This gave me no chance to receive a seat where players actually look life-sized. We need consistency in the ticket policy and integrity behind it. If 1 wanted great tickets, I guess I could work for the CAA. But I hope that the people who work for this organization will fully repres ent the student body. Maybe a different ticket distribution policy would work better. How about the old weekend distrubution policy? I think the first 2,000 tickets given should be good seats. If people are willing to come early for tickets, I think those people are the fans we want behind our team. WESLEY WILSON Senior Industrial Relations Lee chose wrong cause To the editor: In response to the letter by Jule Banzet and Todd Capi tano regarding Robert E. Lee ("Celebrate another great," Jan. 19), why should we con sider Lee "as much, if not more, an American hero than (Martin Luther) Kino' The Daily Tar Heel welcomes reader com ment. For style and clarity, we ask that you observe the following guidelines for letters to the editor and columns: B All letters columns must he signed by the author(s). Limit of two signatures per letter or column. D Students who submit letters! columns should also include their name, year in school, major and phone number. Professors and other University employees should include their title and department. n All letters J columns must be typed (For easier editing, we ask that they be double-spaced on a 60-space line.) B The Daily Tar Heel reserves the right to edit letters and columns for style, grammar and accuracy. Lee may have distinguished himself through his sense of honor and duty, his courage, integrity and nobility of manner, but remember what he ultimately served a social system whose prosperity rested on degrading human beings, trampling them, denying them their most basic rights. In contrast. King tried to eradicate the injustices that continued in the aftermath of this slavery. He worked toward improving the lives and fighting for the legal and social rights, of a people whose ancestors were enslaved by a society. It was a society which Lee, despite his personal opposition to slavery, fought to defend. Granted that Lee's decision to fight for the Confederacy was not made lightly, and he had deep misgivings about his decision. Granted as well that the Civil War was not primarily a conflict over the continuance or abolishment of slavery and that slavery had been legal in the North shortly before the war. R,,t !.ee fought for a society which had among its goals the perpetuation of slavery, human degradation. King worked for the opposite, human dignity and spiritual betterment of humanity. Both men were men of con science. Both men had a choice. King chose to work on the side of a cause whose goals were good and just. Lee chose to work on the side of a cause whose goals regarding slavery were evil and unjust. Why then should Lee be accorded . the same status as King, either as a moral being or as an Amer ican hero? He should not. JACQUES NEPTUNE Senior Business Administration Is it over? To the editor: And so the celebration of the accomplishments of Martin Luther King Jr. is over. The activities sponsored by the Campus Y, Carolina Union, the Anti-Apartheid Support Group, Rainbow Coalition of Conscience and the Black Stu dent Movement have been over and done. Students came, students went. The nation mourned and wept the loss of a great man. They also rejoiced over his actions and words of inspiration. And so where do we go from here? Is it aimlessly back to class or work with our eyes and minds blocked with images of money and success? Is it too much to ask that the feelings of peace and brotherhood be with us every day so that no human will ever have to suffer humiliation and feelings of worthlessness? Can you honestly rook another human being in the eyes and without regard to the color of skin say, "I love you for what you are and for what you bring out in me?" If not, then this past week's activities were a total waste and we're right where we started. LINDA SHEALEY Junior Psychology It A collection of notable quotes for the week ending Jan. 23, 1987 in which the West German government refused to answer whether accused Lebanese terrorist Mohammad Ali Hamadei would be extradited to the United States for trial. INTEHHATIOHAL " think I underestimated the strength of the seniority issue. " Sen. Richard Lugar (R-lnd.), after losing to Jesse A. Helms (R-N.C.), as Republican senators voted Wednesday to make Helms the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. , "The world is witnessing something very vital in the Jtght against international terrorism: an exercise of will political will - by two nations, the United States and the Federal Republic of Germany." U.S. Attorney General Edwin Messe, speaking about this week's hostage situation State Local " know that if Dr. King were alive today, he would be the leader of the anti-apartheid movement. But we cannot honor Dr. King unless we follow his dream. " Cassandra Butts, member of the UNC Anti-Apartheid Support Group, speaking to about 130 people gathered in front of the Franklin Street Post Office during Mon day's rally to honor the birthday of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. "My blood runneth black and gold. " Former UNC football coach Bill Dooley, as he returns to the ACC as Wake Forest new head football coach. Dooley left the Tar Heels in 1977. "Thirty-eight million dollars and look at the sound system they have, jeez. Hey, when does Dean's movie come on? Have I missed it?" N.C. State head basketball coach Jim Valvano, referring to microphone problems following UN C's drubbing Sunday of the Moo U. roundballers. "The University is almost certainly to be attacked on grounds such as the following: the University's reponse (to the Center) trivializes and belittles the planning com mittee's proposal, again assigning blacks a second class status." William Jones, a Florida State Uni versity black culture expert, in his report on the plans for a UNC Black Cultural Center. AMD SO FOUTH Whi duz Toronto and all ov Canada need another nuzepaper ?" . The Times ov Toronto, the city's newest newspaper, in its characteristic "reformed English" style. The four-page publication is produced by the Simplified Speling Sosiety ov Canada. Like the Chicago Tribune in the 1860s and in 1934, the paper is trying to simplify the English language. Compiled by Editorial Writer Kathv Peters, a junior education major from Columbia, S.C.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Jan. 23, 1987, edition 1
10
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75