.12Trie Daily Tar HeelFriday, April 26, 1991
Slj? Hatty ar !M
98th year of editorial freedom
Jennifer Wing, Editor
Stephanie Johnston, University Editor
MATTHEW ElSLEY, University Editor
CULLEN D. FERGUSON, Editorial Page Editor
Mark Anderson, Sports Editor
jChriSTINA NlFONG, Features Editor
Peter F. Wallsten, City Editor
WENDY BOUNDS, State and National Editor
DEVON HYDE, Omnibus Editor
Amy SEELEY, News Editor
KATHY MlCHEL, Photography Editor
CHRISTY ConrOY, Layout Editor
Johanna Henderson, Managing Editor
Natalie sekicky, News Editor
GRANT HalverSON, Photography Editor
Jeff Workman, Layout Editor
AlEX De Grand, Cartoon Editor
comb on Bfic SSm yoU fM
ummer days bring sneaky tricks
As the semester winds down and stu- one of its most valued administrators and
kients settle in for a long, hot summer of an important force in helping individual
departments deal with their skeleton bud
gets. If O'Connor does decide to resign,
administrators will likely appoint an acting
deserved (and sometimes not so deserved)
rest and relaxation, legislators, campus
administrators and student congress mem
ifcrs are gearing up for a summer during
which they'll make some important deci
J bns about the future of this University.
&iough students will be here in neither
5 body nor mind, it's vital they make their
f voices heard by the people in Raleigh and
J.Chapel Hill during the coming summer
i months.
.Students in 1989 came back to find that
Jhe N.C. General Assembly had raised tu
ition by 20 percent for in-state students and
by 15 percent for out-of-state students.
.-That amounted to a $100 increase for in
state students that was approved with little
; or no student input. It's imperative that
'students voice their concerns to legislators
now, as well as after exams are finished.
' . The University is facing one of its most
f4ifficult challenges in its nearly 200-year
rhistory how we will fare depends in
''la'rge part upon student input. Legislators
l'afe considering raising tuition, increasing
.foe studentfaculty ratio and allowing UNC
ytmore budget flexibility. A $59.2 million
! budget cut will change the face of UNC for
v'decades. If students care about what their
' 'school will look like when they come back
t jntthe fall, the time to start paying attention
j'isinthe summer.
k-i.-But budget cuts aren't the only demon
-'that will be battled this summer. University
'-administrators will be charged with find-
jjrig a replacement for at least one of their
high-ranking colleagues. Gillian Cell has
tfiikeady announced she is resigning her
-'position as dean of the College of Arts and
- Sciences to take a job at Lafayette College
j, m, Pennsylvania. Though some students
-,iiid accuse her of being insensitive to the
needs of minority students, as a woman she
is a minority among the administration. It's
important for the administrators to remem
ber that it' s not only crucial that they locate
;$meone who can help alleviate some of
tl2e problems of racial discrimination on
, ;ihis campus, but that they make an effort to
,neplace Cell with a minority.
-The University of Pittsburgh has been
eying Provost Dennis O'Connor for the
position of university president. If they do
nd&anage to lure him away, UNC will lose
provost before the summer is over. Stu
dents need to ensure that they appoint some
one with their best interests, as well as the
best interests of the University, in mind.
Students may also come back in the fall
to find unfamiliar food in Lenoir or in
Union Station. Marriott' s food-service con
tract is coming up for renewal, and six
different food services possibly are putting
in bids this year. The deadline for bids is
April 29, and a decision about who will be
providing meals for cafeteria-frequenting
UNC students could be made this summer.
Student Congress also will be in session
this summer. Because only six members
will be able to serve during the summer
months, Speaker Tim Moore will be able to
appoint as many as 24 members to serve in
place of the members who won't be in
Chapel Hill. Though any legislation they
pass will have to be ratified by the full
congress in the fall, the summer congress
can pass anything it wants to in the mean
time. If 24 of 30 members have been hand
picked by the speaker, it's possible that
students will come back in the fall to find a
flood of legislation passed by people they
didn't elect.
Administrators could be making impor
tant decisions about student fees, the busi
ness school site, construction on campus
and the land-use plan.
Students also would be well-advised to
call Caroline periodically to make sure
they have not been dropped from a class
due to cancellations.
Students learned the hard way in 1989
that "while the cat's away, the mice will
play." Unfortunately, many of those stu
dents have graduated, and -those who
haven't sometimes seem to have short
memories. All students need to learn from
the past and keep an eye on the newspaper
for stories of tuition hikes or course cancel
lations. If they see something they don't
like, they should write to their legislator,
student government or The Daily Tar Heel.
If they don't make their voice heard in the
summer, they could come back to a Uni
versity that's quite different from the one
they left in the spring.
Big Bird should find new roost on cable television
f feggg3& 1
fr ney ten us mb stands tor ruonc Broad
casting System. More often, it seems to
represent "Paternalistic Bureaucratic
Slothfulness." American taxpayers' interests
and American television viewers' interests
would be best served by phasing out taxpayer
support for public television.
I can feel Big Bird's reproachful eye on me
now. Many of the arguments I will be making
have been made before, so my ideas are not
original. But public television has clearly out
lived the problem it sought to remedy. More
over, in its present incarnation, PBS is hid
eously inefficient and takes a paternalistic atti
tude toward the people it claims to serve.
Few people seem to be bothered by what
bothers me most about PBS it is conde
scending in principle and in practice. Com
plaining about PBS, which gets less than $200
million from taxpayers, solely on financial
grounds would be goofy, at least given the
present amount of waste in both civil and mili
tary spending.
Lyndon Johnson's administration created
the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in
1968 to provide the American viewing public
with an alternative to standard television fare.
As might be expected from a Great Society
program, the Corporation for Public Broad
casting, which became PBS in 1969, let intel
lectuals who were not typical American televi
sion viewers set its rather lofty goals. Well-
intentioned idealists conceived of public tele
vision as a majestic journey that would intellec
tually and spiritually uplift the nation.
Very few people went along for the journey.
At its peak in the late 1970s, PBS drew about
4.5 percent of the prime-time viewing audi
ence. Over the course of the 1 980s, its audience
shrank to about 4 percent. The decline is not
unique to public television and is not uniquely
its fault. It represents the single most radical
development in home entertainment since the
invention of the television itself: widespread
access to cable television.
If any entertainment option shows signs of
achieving the heights once predicted for public
television, it is cable television. You can find an
entire cable channel devoted to each of public
television's supposed missions. For example, I
grew up watching "Masterpiece Theater" and
Ganesh Gunasekaran
Playing with Fire
"American Playhouse." Now the Arts & Enter
tainment channel shows high quality theatrical
performances several nights a week, and airs
some type of fine arts performance 24 hours a
day.
The PBS bureaucracy offers producers amaz
ing levels of protection from the market. In the
system's younger days, this meant the creative
freedom to develop "Sesame Street," and "Elec
tric Company." In the stultifying, bureaucratic
modern PBS, this means a cozy arrangement
for insiders and old-timers.
Also, public television has no incentive to air
viewpoints it finds disagreeable, even when the
public wants to see them. Recently, "NOVA"
producers chose not to purchase American rights
to a controversial documentary titled "The
Greenhouse Conspiracy," which suggests that
many predictions about global warming are
based in scientifically unsound models. Al
though "The Greenhouse Conspiracy" had al
ready generated substantial debate in scientific
and environmental circles, PBS passed on it. It
will air on the Discovery cable channel in June.
Cable does have one major flaw it costs
money. Defunding PBS may not be worth it if
it would condemn poor people to watching the
networks. This is a tempting position to take,
and is, on its face, quite compelling. Upon
closer scrutiny, though, it just does not hold up.
First, while many people cannot afford cable
television, there is little evidence to support the
notion that they are avid public television watch
ers. All available evidence suggests that public
television is disproportionately utilized by
people who could afford to purchase PBS as a
cable channel. Corporations underwrite limited-appeal
shows on PBS because they know
that the viewers are wealthy, politically aware
and influential.
Second, public television simply does not
operate with any regard for the desires of view
ers of any class. It makes no effort to give its
alleged public what it wants. PBS seeks to
instruct the public, force-feeding it with pro
grams upper-class liberals (mostly) think are
appropriate. It paternalistically reminds us that
we are not as "cultured" as we should be.
Even if I thought the government should
instruct the public via PBS, I would still oppose
subsidies. As long as "Wheel of Fortune" re
runs are available on free commercial televi
sion, the government's didactic strategy is
doomed. Short of entering homes, chaining
people to their couches and forcing them to
watch "Masterpiece Theater," there is no way
to ensure that people will "benefit" from public
television.
All this notwithstanding, defunding PBS,
which might force it to become a paid subscrip
tion service, may deprive many people of ac
cess to "Sesame Street." Figures for daytime
PBS viewership tell the opposite story from
those for prime-time viewership. Many house
holds that tune into daytime PBS children's
programs may well be unable to afford cable
services.
Two steps should be taken to deal with this
problem. Cable prices are now artificially high.
Government restrictions on who can and can
not offer service have granted many companies
regional monopolies. Other companies should
be permitted to enter the market.
A few households would, theoretically, be
unable to afford evert1 substantially cheaper
cable services. Taking the money that goes to
PBS and using it to buy low-income families
- the cable package of their choice would be an
improvement over the present system. A more
economical way to achieve the same result
would be to grant licenses only to those cable
carriers who agree to offer reduced rates to the
needy.
My plan may not save any money; its advan
tages lie elsewhere. First, low-income indi
viduals could choose their own entertainment.
Second, PBS, in its non-subsidized form, would
be made responsive to market forces. Ideally, it
would become a cable channel. Finally, people
who like PBS would be the only ones paying for
it.
I just hope Cookie Monster will forgive me.
Ganesh Gunasekaran is a political science
major from Los Angeles.
mam
- ,;
X
1,
r
'. Business and advertising: Kevin Schwartz, director, Bob Bates, advertising director, Leslie Humphrey, classified ad manager.
' Business staff: Allison Ashworth, manager: Kimberly Moretz. assistant manager, Gina Berardino. office assistant; Michelle Gray. Annice
Hood ana Becky Marquette, receptionists; Ken Murphy, subscriptions; Chnssy Davis, promotions manager.
uassmea advertising: Angela bpivey. assistant manager, bcott tiianxensnip, Laura Kicnaros and l m vu. assistants.
Display advertising: Lavonne Leinster, advertising manager. Heather Bannister, Chris Berry, Kelly Bohart, Chad Boswell, Carrie Grady,
Ashleigh Heath, Carole Hedgepeth. Vicki Isley, Trish Parrott and Dawn Rogers, account representatives: Kim Blass, creative director Milton
Artis, Laurie Davis, Manbetn Layton, Brooks Spradling and Stacy Turkel, sales assistants; Deborah Bumgarner, proofreader.
Advertising production: mil Leslie, manager; Anita bentiey, Chad uampoeii, breg Miner and Lome Pate, production assistants.
Assistant editors: Mondy Lamb, arts coordinator; Jennifer Dickens, city; Ginger Meek, features; Kenny Monteith. graphics; Emilie Van
foucke and Kenyatta Upchurch. iews;Layton Croft, Mondy Lamb, Omnibus; Jim Holm and Sarah King, photo;Ke Amato, Stewart Chisam
ana warren Hynes, sports; Dacia l on, state and national; Jennrter Duniap ana bteve folia, university.
: Newscierxs: Kevin Brennan and Amy Dew
, Editorial writers: Liz Byrd, Staci Cox, Andre Hauser, Jen Pilla and Nancy Wykle.
- University: Marcie Bailev. Birch DeVault. Sovia Ellison. Ashlev Foale. Adam Ford. Brian Golson. Aimee Hobbs. Burke Koonce. Mara Lee.
Matthew Mielke, Gillian Murphy, Jennifer Mueller, Cathy Oberle, Shannon 0'Grady, Heather Phibbs, Shea Riggsbee, Bonnie Rochman,
dOAnn KoaaK, Karen bcnwartz. bury btocKaro. baran suiter, uarrie wens ana Natarsna witnersooon.
r Liry: Jennifer brett, Kris Donahue, Laura-Leigh Gardner. Chris uoodson, l-neryi A. Herndon. Nancy Johnson. Julie Maiveaux, Amber
Mmocks. Nicole Peradotto. Nicole Perez and Dawn Spiggle.
iiaie ana National: Jennifer Davis, Karen Dietrich, bteve Doyle, David btcnison, Anna erirhn, Doug Hatch, west Locknart. tnc Lusk, pete
impkinson, baonna bmitn and Kyle York bpencer.
Arts: Isabel Barbuk. Kitt Bocklev. Tere CliDDard. Grant Halverson. Jason James. Anna Michaud. Gren Miller. Susie Rickard and Jeff
rfrussell.
.- Features: Sarah Barrett, Eric Bolash, Priti Chituis, Tiffany Cook, Karen Crutchfield, M.C. Dagenhart, Pia Doersam, April Draughn, Matthew
Hoyt, l nomas King, Scott Maxwell. Mary Moore Parham. An Rapport. Colleen Rodite. Kay Stallworth. Beth latum and Dawn Wilson.
Sports: Kenny Abner, Jason Bates, A.J. Brown. Robert Brown, Eric David, Jay Exum, Doug Hoogervorst, Matt Johnson, David Kupstas,
John Manuel, Amy McCaffrey. Bobby McCroskey, Doug McCurry. David Monroe and Bryan btncKiana.
. Photography: David Minton, editor emeritus;van Eile, seniorphotographer;Ken Chignell, Jonathan Grubbs, Brian Jones. Keith Nelson,
i - i-i i !-. r i i. i
.iiius ranter, veuuie oiengei ana ousan leDoens.
Layout Melanie Black, Shawn Fuller. Christy Hall. Rama Kawali and Robin Lentz.
Copy Editors: Lisa Lindsay, JoAnn Rodak and Steve Wilson, senior copy editors; Mitch Bixby, Stephanie Brodsky, Laura Clark, Hardy
Floyd, Lorrin Freeman, Angela Hill, Aime Hobbs, Sarah Kirkman, Mitch Kokai, Jennifer Kurfees, Amy McCarter, Susan Pearsall, Natalie Pool,
l em Potter, Chns Shuping, Angela Spivey, Kenyatta upchurch, Clare Weickert and Mike workman.
Cartoonists: Deena Deese, Chris DePree. David Estoye, Chris Kelly, Jeff Maxim. Jake McNally and Mike Sutton.
Editorial Production: Stacy wynn, manager, Greg Miller and Lisa Reichle, assistants.
. Distribution: RDS Carriers.
Printing: Village Printing.
The Daily Tar Heel is published by the DTH Publishing Corp., a non-profit North Carolina corporation, Monday-Friday, according to the
University calendar.
Callers with questions about billing or display advertising should dial 962-1 1 63 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Classified ads can be reached
at ubz-uzu. toitonai questions should be directed to 36Z-0245u24t.
Office: Suite 104 Carolina Union
Campus mail address: CB 5210 box 49, Carolina Union U.S. Mail address: P.O. Box 3257, Chapel Hill, NC 27515-3257
Editorial shows courage
in stance on marijuana
To the editor:
First, I'd like to commend the
DTH for its pro-legalization stance
regarding the hempmarijuana is
sue ('Time to legalize hemp," April
23). It's not often in today's cli
mate of drug hysteria and "reefer
madness" that very many publica
tions have enough backbone to take
a stand on the only moral side of
this controversy.
I would, however, like to take
issue with a statement made in
your front-page story, "Voters in
favor of legalizing marijuana"
(April 23), in which it was insinu
ated that the high drop-out rate in
Holland's schools could be attrib
uted to marijuana use. The story
did not mention that Holland is a
welfare state in which its citizens
are cared for from the cradle to the
grave. This means that there is little
incentive to do well in school, as
the government is always there
acting as a safety net. This I have
learned in conversations with by
great aunt, who is Dutch. As the
initiative of those who work for
Students for Individual Liberties
and Friends of Hemp proves, mari
juana use does not cause apathy.
Just thought I'd set the record
straight for once in regard to mari
juana, a much-maligned and little
understood substance.
JOHN B. STATON
Junior
Journalism
Speaker's record shows
his awareness of campus
To the editor:
In the article "Speaker: no per
sonal agenda for Congress" (April
24), Representative Kristina Sung
from the Granville Towers district
was quoted as saying, "I think it's
going to be a rough year for him
(Mr. Moore) because he really
doesn't know what's going on on
campus."
Obviously, Moore knew enough
about what was going on to get
himself elected to the congress and
to secure his votes for speaker over
an incumbent. Evidently, a major
ity of the body believed Moore
knew enough about campus hap
penings to support him as their
speaker.
As far as the speaker's race went,
maybe Mr. Moore was the one
who really knew what was going
on. Based on his early successes,
Mr. Moore's present record doesn't
look so "rough" to me.
KELLEY LANGLEY
Junior
Biology
Increased taxes won't
provide answer to cuts
To the editor
I agree with Steve Martel and
Lydia Worly when they tell stu
dents to write their state legislators
to stop cutting the University's
budget ("Students, take action;
write state legislators," April 19).
In fact, I will send a copy of this
letter to my legislator.
If this school can not pay the
going rate for graduate students,
the best students will simply go to
school in another state. Leaving
UNC with either no graduate stu
dents or second-rate graduate stu
dents to teach labs and recitations
and grade tests and papers. Either
way the students will lose, and the
better students w ill also go to school
in some other state. The state is
making UNC a second-rate school
with second-rate students getting a
second-rate education. We don't
want that to happen, do we?
I would also say Martel is turn
ing into a typical politician. He
offers more and more taxes as the
only solution to budget woes. If the
government tries to tax "big busi
ness"toomuch,they will also move
to another state, leaving North
Carolina with even less revenue.
The government must choose
which programs are the most im
portant and fund those. The less
important ones should be cut. I
have never seen a copy of the state's
budget to give an example of what
I would cut, but then that's what
we pay the politicians to do.
To sum up what I'm saying:
Don't tax us any more! Just please
cut the University, the students and
the future a larger piece of the pie,
or we are going to leave.
JIM GARDNER
Graduate
Chemistry
Local place of worship
welcomes all people
To the editor:
The article entitled "Raleigh
church opens doors to all people,"
(April 15) caused me to analyze
my own attitudes toward people
who classify themselves as gay or
lesbian. I recently became a Chris
tian and chose to live by what I
read in the Bible. More often than
not, what I read there is different
from what I learned from 32 years
of living by my own wits! So, after,
reading the article by the MCC
members, I checked my attitudes
with the Bible.
That UNC graduate student who
visited MCC in Raleigh is right to
expect any group of people who
call themselves a church that wor
ships God to welcome him with
love. From all I read in my study
inspired by the article, the bottom
line was that we are all sinners and
that one of the functions of the
church is to help us overcome sin.
I don't think any help can be of
fered without love and acceptance
of people as they come.
I have found a group of Chris
tians who meet together in Chapel
Hill to encourage and love each
other, and to worship God in spirit
and in truth. This group has shown
me the meaning of God's love, and
I'm convinced that they can help
anyone find the peace that God's
love offers.
We meet in Suite 214 of Can
Mill Mall on Wednesdays at 7:30
p.m. and on Sundays at 1 :00 p.m.;
as well as in each others' homes at
various other times. The phone
number is 933-3070. We welcome
"women, people of color, lesbi
ans, gay men, seniors, and anyone
else" who wants to worship God.
To the young UNC graduate, and
to anyone who wishes "to be in
cluded in the family of God," I say,
call us and please come worship
with us.
MARI CARLEY
Graduate
Physical Therapy
Letters policy
Sign and date letters. No more
than two signatures, please.
O Letters should be no longer
than 400 words.
a Include year in school, ma
jor, phone number and hometown.
The DTH reserves the right to
edit letters for space, clarity and
vulgarity.