Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Aug. 26, 1991, edition 1 / Page 10
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10The Daily Tar HeelMonday, Augustl 26, 1991 98th year of editorial freedom Iennifer Wing. Editor $TEPHAN1E JOHNSTON, University Editor MATTHEW ElSLEY, University Editor CuLLEN FERGUSON, Editorial Page Editor Mark Anderson, Sports Editor CHRISTINA NlFONG, Features Editor jfiLEK De GRAND, Cartoon Editor MlTCH KOKAI, Copy Desk Editor Peter Wallsten, City Editor Wendy BOUNDS, State and National Editor DEVON HYDE, Omnibus Editor Jeff Workman, Layout Editor AMY SEELEY, Copy Desk Editor KATHY Michel, Photography Editor GRANT HALVERSON, Photography Editor JoANN RODAK, Managing Editor Creating a center for the mind j In a time when budget cutbacks seem to affect every academic niche at UNC, it's fefreshing to learn about an academic cen ter that will keep the pursuit of knowledge on this campus alive and kicking. The Renter for Undergraduate Excellence, scheduled to move into Graham Memorial, jvill create this educational atmosphere in fvhich every student is welcome, regard less of academic standing. I- Approved in February by the chancellor, the center will be financed solely through private donations. The greatest obstacle, however, will be in choosing which pro grams will be allotted space in this campus academic mecca. The center is slated to house the honors program, seminar rooms and auditoriums for speakers and debates. But Graham Memorial is not a small building, and Rob ert Allen, General College associate dean, has asked students for their suggestions. . According to George Lensing, chairman of the committee that will decide thecenter's content, this center should attract any stu dent interested in knowledge. Other than the honors program, which requires a mini mum GPA for entry, the committee wants to appeal to a wide range of students. An elite, intellectual hangout is not the intent of the center. ' Several campus programs would fit per fectly into this mold. For example, tutor ing programs are scattered all over the U.S.S.R. needs All is quiet in the Soviet Union. . The tanks have rumbled out of Moscow, the mobs of Russian civilians have re turned to theirhomes and President Mikhail Gorbachev has regained his shaky control oyer the crumbling federation of republics. . Of course, no one is suggesting Gorbachev's problems are over. Far from if. There is the matter of feeding the hun dreds of millions of Soviets this winter. There is the issue of a whole new relation ship to be forged with the president of the Russian republic, Boris Yeltsin. Gorbachev certainly does have his hands full. But for now, the coup has failed, and people in the U.S.S.R. and around the world are breath ing a sigh of relief. Few people seem to be questioning the actions taken by Gorbachev since his re turn to power. He announced Saturday that he was resigning as secretary general of the communist party and that the central com mittee of that party should be dissolved. Many Soviets are even calling for the party to be banned from the country, and build ings around the U.S.S.R. that belong to the party are being taken over by local govern ments. Many are calling the communist party's demise "a triumph of democracy." But this triumph may be a wolf in sheep's clothing. After all, very few people would point to the McCarthy era of America's past as the pinnacle of democracy in this country. When Sen. Joe McCarthy decided a little over 40 years ago that he would rid the United States of communist plotters, he embarked on something akin to a witch hunt. With the sentiment of the nation behind him, McCarthy sought to imprison people who merely professed a belief in communist ideals. Admittedly, the situation in the Soviet U,nion is far different from that of the United States in the mid-twentieth century. The communist party never dominated the Butineis and advertising: Kevin Schwartz, director Bob Bates, nsnwonn. Business manager. Bunnell start: MichelleGray, assistantmanagenGma Berardmo, and Laurie Davis, office 3ssisrans;Cririssy Davis, promotions manager. Classified advertising: Becky Marquette. Jennifer Terry and Laura Richards, representatim.Chad Camobell. oroduclion assistant. Display advertising: Ashleigh Heath. advertisinnmanaoerXMiA Boswell. Carrie Grady. CathvOsmers. Maicie Bailev.AnaelaGrav. Robert tdiauu, uaviu nuiiiiMiui, DiuuKs ouiduiiuu, iviiuuii hius, iiidiiuuo Heather BannistercreefVe director; Maribeth Layton, sales assistant. Advertising production: Bill Leslie, managersystem administrator; V. h...i UnMA.. D l.. P n:- li:u nu Assistant editors: Mondy Lamb, arts coordinator; Andre Hauser, editorial page; Ginger Meek, features; Layton Croft, Mondy Lamb, Omnibus; Jim Holm, pholo;Ht' Amato, Stewart Chisam and Warren Hynes, sports; Dacia Toll, state and national; Ashley Fogle and Steve Politi, university. Newiclerks: Kevin Brennan and Amy Dew. Editorial writers: Doug Hatch and Jen Pilla. University: Birch DeVault, Matthew Mielke, Jennifer Mueller, Gillian Murphy, Bonnie Roctiman, Karen Schwartz, Jon Whisenant and Natarsha Witherspoon. City: Chris Goodson, Cheryl A. Herndon, Amber Nimocks and Nicole Perez. rState and National: Lauren Chesnut, West Lockhart, Eric Lusk and Sabrlna Smith, j Arts: Layton Croft. Charles Marshall and Ian Williams. i Features: Beth Tatum. senior writer. Priti Chituis. Brian Coulthard. April Drauohn. Thomas Kino. Mara Lee. Robin Lowe. Winifred Sease. J J. Warlick and Dawn Wilson. ! SnAff lamia flnunham an,ruTar. ta.nnD.tu A I Drnum David j. Kupstas. John C. Manuel. Amy McCaffrey. Bobbv McCroskev. L Photography: Kevin Chignell, Steve fcxum, Garth Fort, Brian Jones, Sarah King, Keith Nelson, Debbie Stengel and Susan Tebbens. Cop Editors: Lisa Lindsay, senior copy editor; Jim Eanes, Hardy Floyd, Tera Hensley, Aimee Hobbs, Noah Hoffman, Jennifer Kurfees, ara Lee, Amy McCarter, Susan Pearsall, Rick Twomey, Kenyarta Upchurch, Emilie Van Poucke, Nancy West and Mike Workman. brapnira: imp suoaertn. i Editorlsl Production: Stacy Wynn, manager; Lisa Relchle, assistant. j Distribution: RDS Carriers. Printing: Village Printing. . hid ui.jp mi iigoi is uuuioiiou ujr uio uin ruuiisiniiy wvi., a iiuii-uium iiuim taiviina viuiuuiaiiuu, nriuiiuay rnuay, aiA,uiuiHU iv mo 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 it 9C2-0252. Editorial questions should be directed to 962-02450246. Tlta n-iik. Tar Uul I. ... .kf k.. tk. fTLJ 0..kllnl.in f. a n.nH.nflt Klnh Parnlinn ..-H IJ..J... CMm. I Ih. Office: Suite 104 Carolina Union Campus mall address: CBf 521D box 49, Carolina Union U.S. Mall address: P.O. Boi 3257. Chapel Hill, NC 27S1S-32S7 city the Union, campus buildings, people's homes. Combining these services into one area would make finding such services immensely easier for students oth erwise embarrassed to get academic help. Centralizing the various leadership pro grams into the center seems another logi cal possibility. Programs such as the North Carolina Fellows or the Emerging Lead ers, which cultivate students' leadership skills, may not seem academic in nature, but they are campus improvement services that the committee could consider. a.p.p.l.e.s., the program that combines voluntarism and education, could find a home in the academic center. Because a.p.p.l.e.s. uses academics in its pursuits, it also could fit the center's objectives. Although Study Abroad has office space, its facilities are small and its loca tion is hidden. 1 he academic center is a perfect place to centralize this heavily used office. Quiet study lounges and carrels are a rarity on this campus. The center shouldn't be another library, but study facilities could serve the academically serious student. Adding an academic center to UNC is an excellent idea. Making it useful to all stu dents is an even better idea, and there are plenty of programs that could fit nicely into the center that would appeal to many stu dents. Long live academics. true democracy workplace here. Nor did it ever receive the support of mainstream politicians or the military. But a comparison is still valid. Americans feared the "evil" commu nists in the 1940s and 1950s. The iron curtain was just descending in a country that had once been our ally, and very few people knew what to expect from this na tion that also possessed the weapon of mass destruction, the atomic bomb. Not many people stood in the way of McCarthy's crusade to cleanse the United States of those "conniving reds." And if Americans feared communists then, it's easy to imagine what the Soviets are feeling now. After all, they have suf fered years of a Big Brother system that has left them poor and hungry. They have en dured a coup attempt that could have plunged the nation into civil war. They have a right to be angry and scared. But if they truly want democracy, the Soviets must temper their anger and fear with respect for the right of people to express their belief in a political ideal. Granted, communism, as it was practiced in the U.S.S.R., failed miserably. And it's hard to believe that anyone would still feel allegiance to a party that has caused so much pain and hardship. But as evidenced by the recent coup attempt and the many upper-level bureaucrats who may now be out of a job, some people still have a great deal of respect for the system that Karl Marx predicted would someday rule the world. To tell them they can no longer operate as communists would be overkill. Freedom of expression is essential in a democratic society. And although the com munist party should not be allowed to have a monopoly, it would be equally sinful to banish it completely. All may be quiet in the Soviet Union now, but if that silence is to be filled with voices of freedom, those voices of freedom must ring true. advertising director. Leslie Humohrev. classified ad manaaer. Allison t.l n J i x.i.i. n u ' . vvcdvci, Didu Diiuyoib si iii i usi! rariun, account representatives; Anita Bentley and Lorrie Pate, assistants. DnhdrfDrniun Crlf. nauiff lanCwnm nt,,ft Unuinuu.1 llM Inhnrtn Douo McCurry. David Monroe and Bryan Strickland. Students still needed to take stand for education Editor' s note; Ruffin Hall is budget crisisco coordinator for student government, executive branch. The summertime has always presented the "powers that be" an excellent opportunity to make significant changes regarding students, and the summer of 1991 was no ex ception. In this case, the "powers that be" proved to be the elected officials of this state in the form of the N.C. General Assembly. By the adjournment in early August, our state legisla ture had completed a budget package that re sulted in spending cuts of $576.5 million and tax increases (such as tuition) of $657.5 million to cover a $ 1 .2 billion shortfall. (The total state budget is about $7.8 billion!) This state budget will dramatically affect the outlook for the coming year on this campus. An examination of the spending cuts, the tax increases and the results of the 1991 N.C. General Assembly is necessary to determine the future for students. The spending cuts During the month of April 1991, legislators were charged by the leadership in the General Assembly tocome up with about $60 million in higher education cuts. The committees re sponded with a proposal of about $59.9 million (with about $17 million coming from UNC CH). These cuts drastically reduced the num ber of class sections, increasedclasssize.elimi-.,. nated vacant positions and hurt graduate assis tants. Student government asked this student body to fight back, and we did. A rally on the steps of the legislature on April 10 and an extremely successful letter-writing campaign pushed many legislators to favorably adjust where the cuts would hit. However, this proved to be only the first round in what would be several rounds of cuts. An additional cut of about $20 million from higher education across the state was necessary to balance the budget. Yet the political pressure that had previously been applied with letters and phone calls proved effective, preventing the most vital areas for students from being touched. The main issue for most of the summer was not spending cuts, but the other side of the budget question taxes. Junior transfer The other day, not the one you're thinking of, but the other one, I was trying to impress this chick at the information desk in the Union by sneezing the tune of "Radar Love," when, after one particularly forceful sneeze riff, I slammed my head into the counter, sending my teeth spraying about me like a sudden hailstorm. I stumbled backwards, blinded by pain and blood and crashed into one of those empty glass display cases that seem to litter the floor. Just before I blacked out, I made a mental note to try to get this girl's phone number. I did not waste my time in my coma-like sleep. I committed my mind to reflect on my plight, one shared by many others: the plight of a junior transfer student. I now submit the results of my feverish reflections, and I hope I am at least successful in informing the rest of the University population of what it is like to transfer into Chapel Hill, or, perhaps more likely, to reduce the amount of white space in this newspaper. I am not certain who it was that first said "without change there is only death," but I would venture that whoever did say it was referring to water in a fish tank and not to academic institutions. I should know, as I have not only lost enough goldfish to feed an army but have also recently changed academic insti tutions. I shall not bore you with the details of my personal situation and interpersonal relation ship qualms that arise whenever a move such as mine is undertaken that would prove too long and tedious and require the use of certain three-dimensional models that this newspaper is simply not equipped to reproduce; rather I will try to remove some of the mystery that surrounds the process of transferring. There are some questions that arise that we can never hope to know the answer to, such as "Is there a supreme being?", "Has life any purpose '."What flavor tsaFrosty?"or"Where does wood come from?" And, until now, "What is thejunior transfer orientation assembly like?" was on that list, at least for the purposes of this column. Well, to remove some mystery, here are the few things I recall about the assembly. The assembly began with some Carolina Ruffin Hall Legislative Roundup Tax increases North Carolina has a long history regarding the sales tax issue. Often viewed as a regressive revenue measure, our progressive state has relied on the sales tax to solve many budget problems. However, the $1.2 billion shortfall was simply too large for spending cuts and even a sales tax to handle alone. Tuition at the publicly funded universities and colleges be came one of many other alternatives. Several legislators suggested increases up to 40 percent, both in and out of state. One legislator, Sen. T.L. "Fountain" Odom, D-Char-lotte, pushed a bill to require state students to pay at least the same rate as charged within their home states. Rep. Joe Hege, a Davidson County Republican, authored a bill to increase in-state tuition to the regional average by 1993 and raise it each year after that. Gov. Jim Martin even included recommendations for tuition in creases of 20 percent to 30 percent in a report outlining his solution to the budget crisis. When the debate was over, student leaders and administrators managed to keep tuition to a reasonable increase 20 percent in-state and 25 percent out-of-state. When compared with other tuition possibilities, this decision meant that students did well to receive only the in crease that we did. The major delay in billing for tuition came from the debate over other revenue increases the sales tax increase by I percent, the increase on the excise tax on cigarettes from 2 cents to 5 cents, an increase in the corporate income tax from 7 percent to 7.5 percent and adjustments in the income tax rate. Overall, no revenue possibility was overlooked in solving the state budget crisis, and the increase in tuition was only one component of a set of tax increases. The results for students In a recent survey of 45 states and the District seeks meaningless Jason Torchinsky Guest Columnist choir singing a few songs I can't recall. I do remember that they possessed that same re markable ability of all choirs to make any song, regardlessof tune, ormelody or whatever sound completely indistinguishable from any other song they sang. It's a remarkable feat to wit ness, and I still get misty-eyed when I look back upon it. Then a small group of balding, elderly men took turns speaking. I believe that they were either deans of some sort or some manner of enchanted elves the program was not clear. Anyway, their main topic of speech seemed to be heat. Granted, Memorial Hall was a bit warm, but from the way these men opened each of their speeches, one would think that entire rows of people were collapsing from heat stroke every few minutes. Every speech began with some apology that we had to remain sweltering or some bad pun about a "warm welcome" or just a blatant whine about the temperature. I wonder how these men would have begun their speeches if Memorial Hall was air-conditioned. I suppose that instead of beginning a speech with something along the lines of "We hope you enjoy Carolina, if, God willing, you can persevere through this heat, as we all must do . . ." they would be forced to begin a speech with "This morning I was so terribly itchy, as no doubt many of us are . . ." or perhaps "Welcome to Carolina. I hope everyone with searing ab dominal pains like mine soon finds relief ... ." I just don't know. Madness. The orientation assembly did at least get me somewhat excited about attending Carolina and made me want to rush out and see all of those famous Chapel Hill sites, such as the Old Well, the stately Matterhorn and those fascinat ing Aztec pyramids. Another interesting perk about being a transfer is the inability to get classes you want. This type of frustration is rather new to me, as I used to have no problem getting the academic courses I wished. In fact. of Columbia at the annual meeting of the State Legislators Conference, 33 states reflected leg islative sessions marred by worker layoffs, slashed services and higher taxes. Federal de regulation, increased demand for services, a political refusal to raise taxes and the general economic recession have all contributed to the budget problems of many states. North Carolina is not alone, yet the recent legislative session can be looked upon with some favor. As required by state law, the N.C. General Assembly had to balance the budget with a $ 1.2 billion shortfall. The legislators did not adopt policies that would have ignored the issue or covered up the budget problems, as many states have been apt to do. Instead, the legislature chose to take considerable political risk by mixing taxes and cuts to relieve the state budget. As Speaker of the House Dan Blue stated: "What we have done is preserve the basic core institutions of this state. I think that this is a tremendous budget given the problems we have faced." Unfortunately, education was forced to bear more than its fair share of the state's monetary difficulties. The economic, social and political future of this state will continue to decline if our state leadership does not prioritize education. "Preserving core institutions" does not insure the continued growth and creativity of the edu cation resources this state currently contains. To continue the expansion of this state and its citizens, we must all participate in the process. Anyone who participated in phone calling or letter writing last spring has taken the first big, step toward this goal. The student campaign with the state legisla ture made a difference and can do so again. Anyone interested in insuring this educational excellence can get involved with the Budget Crisis Management Team up in student gov- . eminent, executive branch. The academic integrity of UNC-Chapel Hill' is being threatened by this state budget crisis. As members of this institution, we can all do something to continue our tradition of excel lence. Ruffin Hall is a senior political science ma jor from Fayetteville. UNC existence even as a little kid, I always was able to get the best education. I was in one accelerated course that was so advanced that, thanks to it, I was only 7 when I turned 9. But now, nothing is open to me and, after much haggling with Caroline (with whom I'm now seriously in volved) my schedule now consists of four shop classes. At first, the problems of transferring to Caro lina seemed insurmountable; but now, when I step back, gain some distance, some objectiv ity, some perspective, I realize that these prob lems are not insurmountable at all they are merely impossible to solve, and I shall be condemned to play slave to them for the dura tion of my stay at this institute. So, as my mom told me before I left, with a little luck, a little confidence and a lot of determination, I should be able to carve myself out a miserable, mean- : ingless existence in a hostile environment. All , it takes is a little faith. You're right. Mom. I can ' do it! Solidarity! Jason Torchinsky is a junior art history ; major from Greensboro. Letters policy The Daily Tar Heel welcomes reader com ments and criticisms. We attempt to print as many letters to the editor as space permits. Readers may respond to other letters in the Readers' Forum, to editorials or to articles. When responding to a piece that has been printed in the DTH, please include the date and headline of the article or letter in question. When writing letters, please follow these additional guidelines: Letters should be limited to 400 words, although longer letters are accepted. However, the shorter the letter, the better chance it has of running. If you want your letter published, sign and date it. No more than two signatures. All letters must be typed and double spaced. Include your year in school, major, phone number and hometown. If you have a title that is relevant to your letter's subject, please include it. The DTH reserves the right to edit letters for space, clarity and vulgarity.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Aug. 26, 1991, edition 1
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