Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Nov. 19, 1992, edition 1 / Page 8
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8The Daily Tar HeelThursday, November 19, 1992 "to protect and to serve flatly SJar3feri Established in 1893 4& 100th year of editorial freedom PETER WaLLSTEN, Editor Office horns: Fridays 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. ANNA GRIFFIN, University Editor ASHLEY FoGLE, Editorial Page Editor Dana POPE, City Editor Rebecah Moore, State and National Editor Yl-HsiN Chang, Features Editor Warren Hynes, Sports Editor Erin RANDALL, Photography Editor David J. KuPSTAS, SportSaturday Editor AMY SEELEY, Copy Desk Editor DAVID COUNTS, Layout Editor ALEX De Grand, Cartoon Editor Amber NlMOCKS, Omnibus Editor JOHN CASERTA, Graphics. Editor Thanks, Carl The Daily Tar Heel "DA of the Week" award goes to Orange-Chatham District Attorney Carl Fox. In addition to initiating statewide dialogue with his sexual assault legislation proposals. Fox has decided to change Jus rape prosecution guidelines. Fox aroused controversy last spring when he in sisted that women must fight back against their assail ants before he would prosecute accused rapists. Women in Orange County can breathe easier now knowing they will not have to spar with their attack ers to press charges against them. Rape should be no diff erent from any other violent crime. Never is a stabbing victim or a hit-and-run victim asked whether he or she resisted attack. Also this Monday, Fox sent a series of changes to the N.C. legislature for review and approval. By proposing new legislation, Fox has awakened seri ous interest in the re-evaluation of the state's defini tion of rape. If Fox's proposals are approved by the General Assembly, convicted first-degree rape offenders would receive life sentences without parole. Making rape a crime punishable by life in jail legitimizes a woman's rights to a safe and peaceful existence. First-degree rape now is defined in state law as "vaginal intercourse with another person by force and against the will of the other person," but if Fox's proposals are approved, the wording would change to "by force and without the consent of the other person." Fox's proposals also would force the pros ecution to prove use of a dangerous or deadly weapon, serious personal injury or aiding and abetting by one or more persons. If a jury can prove beyond a doubt that any or all of these offenses were committed, the first-degree rape offender has absolutely no business ever walk ing the streets again. Someone sick enough to force sex on a woman with a weapon or an accomplice never should be given the chance to become a repeat offender. Heavier sentencing for rapists sends the message to women that their human rights are important and that their autonomy is worthy of protection. The state legislation Fox has proposed also cracks down on two sexual offenses that had not been addressed yet in N.C. law. Sexual acts other than intercourse that are performed without the consent of the victim would be punishable in N.C. courts. This rule makes criminal physical harassment of people who are threatened by weapons or who are helpless at the time of the offense. Persons who "assault, fondle or intentionally touch a person ... on his or her private parts" would be punishable by felony charges. In addition, Fox wants to eliminate the marital rape exemption, which holds that a man cannot be charged with raping his wife. Thank you, Mr. Fox. This exemption is ludicrous and should be obliterated. Any person with male sexual organs (in this case) is capable of raping any other person, regardless of whether a ring is present or wedding vows were spoken. If all goes well, the General Assembly soon will be helping to seal a woman's right to autonomy. By giving all first-degree rape offenders a life sentence, judges will say to women that their safety really does matter and when their fundamental rights are vio lated, law and justice will prevail. And right now in Orange County, women who have been raped or attacked and chosen not to fight back physically might feel comfortable going to their district attorney to ask for a prosecution. Extra low practices So that's how they keep their "extra low prices" extra low. It seems that everywhere you look these days there is news about good ol' Tom Smith and his Salisbury based Food Lion chain. Overkill? Maybe so, and the media circus might have made the story more sensa tional than scary. But if you look beyond the hype and beyond the headlines of the last few weeks you'll see that something stinks at your friendly neighborhood gro cery store, and it's not just the repackaged old meat. Employees and customers both have axes to grind with Food Lion's often-shady business practices. You might find low prices at Food Lion and if recent reports are true, you might be getting what you pay for when you shop there. Many investigators have alleged that employees, under orders from the management, mix old meat in with fresh flesh and give it a new date, sell outdated meat outright and use Clorox on the fish. Can you say cheap? If any of these allegations prove to be true, it is doubtful that Tom Smith will brag about them in commercials like he does about the company's ba nana box recycling or restoring old grocery carts. Smith probably won't be bragging about the way his chain treats its employees, either. The company also is in hot water for allegedly violating child labor laws by allowing underage employees to operate dangerous equipment. These charges you might have heard of; other, less publicized allegations have moved beyond hyped-up television exposes and into the courtroom as part of an ongoing legal battle. The United Food and Com mercial Workers Union filed a class action lawsuit earlier this year to end another of Food Lion's schemes to keep your food bill lower ripping off the employees. Many workers have been drawn to the chain be cause of their generous profit-sharing plan: Employ ees are eligible to receive dividends after a certain number of years of service. Catch is, many are fired just before .they reach eligibility, often on trivial or trumped-up charges (like eating a grape or taking home stale, throw-away cookies). Employee losses, for some as much as $59,000, find their way back into the profit-sharing pool and into the pockets of high executives. Talk about benefits. Food Lion and the UCFW also have been in hearings with the U.S. Department of Labor for more than a year over the company's so-called "effective scheduling" program. The management allots a cer tain amount of time for employees to complete each of their tasks. As a result, managers often compel workers to work off the clock without overtime pay. Food Lion executives have acknowledged the problem but shrug it off as an unfortunate but inevi table problem in local stores over which the company has no control. This isn't just this month's big story. These are serious charges about ongoing shady practices that should have been news long ago. The Independent in Durham investigated the company a year and a half ago, exposing many of the findings that "Prime Time Live" splashed across your television screens in the past few weeks. Maybe concerned shoppers would have been warned sooner if Food Lion hadn' t had the newspaper's racks removed from their stores ... The home of extra low prices probably isn't the only guilty grocery on the block any store out there could have any number of the same problems. The point is, consumers have a right to know what they really are paying for, and state inspectors need to make sure that the products they take home are safe and clean. Hype or not, it's time for Food Lion to clean up its act. Editorial Policy The Daily Tar Heel's editorials are approved by the majority of the editorial board, which is composed of the editor, editorial page editor andjive editorial writers. Business and advertising: Kevin Schwartz, directorgeneral manager; Bales, advertising director; Leslie Humphrey, classified ad manajery Michelle Gray, business manager. Business staff: Gina Berardino, assistant manager; Holly Aldridge, Steve Politi and Rhonda Walker, receptionists. Classified advertising: Krislen Costello, Tina Habash, Leah Richards, Christi Thomas and Steve Vetter, representatives; Chid Campbell, production assistant. Display advertising: Ashleigh Heath, advertising manager, Mtion Artis, marketing director; Marcie Bailey, Laurie Baron, Michelle Buckner, Jennifer Danich, Will Davis, Shannon Edge. Pam Horkan. Jeff Kilman and Maria Miller, account executives; Sherri Cockrum, creative director. Advertising production: Bill Leslie, managersystem administrator; Stephanie Brodsky and Aimee Hobbs. assistants. Assistant editors: Jackie Hershkowrtz and Kelly Ryan, cvfy.Samantha Falke, copy: Renee Gentry, layout; Jayson Singe, photo; John C. Manuel, Amy McCaffrey, Steve Politi and Bryan Strickland, sports; Jason Richardson, state and national; Marty Minchin. Jennifer Talhelm and Michael Workman, university. Newsclerk: Kevin Brennan Editorial writers: Gerri Raer, Jacqueline Charles, Alan Martin. Charles Overbeck and Dacia Toll. University: Daniel Aldrich, Ivan Arrington. Thanassis Cambanis, Sheri Chen. Joyce Clark. Tiffany Derby, Melissa Dewey, Casella Foster, Teesha Holladay, Kathleen Keener, Gautam Khandeiwal, James Lewis, Bill Lickert. Chris Lindsey, Steve Robblee, Chris Robertson, Gary Rosenzweig, Justin Scheef, Brad Short, Peter Sigal and Holly Stepp. City: Tiffany Ashhurst, John Ashley, Nathan Bishop, Andrea Bruce, Leah Campbell, Maiie Carpenter, Dale Castle, Karen Clark, Richard Dalton, April Hagwood, Matthew Henry, William Huffman, Rama Kayyali, Chad Merritt, Shakti Routray, Robert Strader, Suzanne Wuelfing and Kathleen Wurth. State and National: Eric Lusk. senior writer; Anna Burdeshaw, Tim Burrows, Tara Duncan, Paul Garber, Stephanie Greer, Steven Harris, Scott Holt. Rahsaan Johnson, Andrea Jones. Leila Maybodi, Jerry McElreath. Beth McNichol. Julie Nations, Adrienne Parker, Kurt Raatzs, Bruce Robinson, Alia Smith and Allison Taylor. Arts: Rahul Mehta. coordinator; Kathleen Flynn, Waynette Gladden. Mondy Lamb. Alex McMillan, Elizabeth Oliver, Jonathan Rich, Martin Scott, Jenni Spitz, Sally Stryker, Cara Thomisser. Mark Watson. Emma Williams and Duncan Young. Features: Beth Tatum. senior writer; Stephanie Beck. Elena Bourgoin, Monica Brown. John Davies, Maria DiGiano, Erika Helm, Fred Henderson, Ted Lotchin, Phuong Ly. Kim Nikles. Deepa Perumallu, Aulica Rutland, LeAnn Spradling, Scott Tillett. Lloyd Whittington and Andrea Young. Sports: Eric David and David J. Kupstas. senior writers; Zachary Albert. Rodney Cline, Adam Davis, Marc Franklin, Brian Gould. Stephen Higdon, Diana Koval, Mary Laflerty, Alison Lawrence, Jacson Lowe. Brian McJunkin, Jetf McKinley. Pete Simpkinson. Carter Toole. Philip Weickert, James Whitfield and Pete Zifchak. Photography: Missy Bello. Dale Castle, Jim Fugia, Jill Kaufman. Chris Kirkman, Ellen Ozier. Evie Sandlin. Jennie Shipen and Debbie S'engel. Copy Editors: Anqelique Bartlett. Stephanie Beck, Robin Cagle. Eliot Cannon. Caroline Chambre. Laura Chappell. Monica Cleary. Kim Costello, Jay Davis, Debbie Eidson, Jennifer Heinzen. Kelly Johnston, Amy Kincaid, David Lindsay, Nimesh Shah, Cassaundra Sledge, Jenifer Stinehelfer, Leslie Ann Teseniar, Jackie Torok and Kenyatta Upchurch. Graphics: Jill Angel. Kim Horstmann. Jay Roseborough and Justin Scheef. Cartoonists: Mandy Brame. Mary Brutzman, Sterling Chen. Kasumba Rayne De Carvalho. Katie Kasben, Michelle Kelley, Tanya Kennedy, Sergio Rustia Miranda and Jason Smith Editorial Production: Stacy Wynn. manager Lisa Reichle, assistant Distribution and Printing: Village Printing Company 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 962-1 163 between 8.30 a m. and 5 p.m. Classified ads can be reached at 962-0252. Editorial questions should be directed to 962-02450246. Campus mall address: CB S210 boi 49, Carolina Union Office: Suite 104 Carolina Union U.S. Mall address: P.O. Boi 3257, Chapel Hill, NC 27515-3257 Just do it: Use condoms every time ... or die How many of you use condoms to prevent pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases when you have sex? Now, how many of you use condoms to prevent pregnancy or sexually trans mitted diseases when you have sex? According to research by Dr. Michael Rosenberg, president of a private re search organization called Health Deci sions, a lot more of you probably could answer "yes" to the first question than to the second. In research on prevention of STDs, Rosenberg found that, although condoms might have more than a 90 percent effectiveness rating in the labo ratory, when it comes to life outside the lab, that rating drops to about 50 per cent. Why? One suggestion is that many of the women who are using condoms aren't actually using them a lot of the time. Few things infuriate me more than women and men who agree to have unprotected sex "just this once" or be cause they ate afraid of losing their partners if they don't. No one is worth unsafe"sex. We're not just talking about the dis comfort and inconvenience of an STD like chlamydia. We're not just talking about the social embarassment of an unwanted pregnancy. Now we're talking about death. We are righting for our lives, and we don't even realize it. We worry about sounding selfish or inconsiderate. But when you are pro tecting your health or your life, there is no such thing as selfish or inconsiderate. Alisa H De Mao N Life Under p Siege It Don't tell me that if I loved you, I'd do it. If you loved me, you wouldn't ask. Don't tell me that it'slike tak ing a shower with your socks on. Would you rather not take a shower at all? Because those are your two choices. I'm sorry if it just doesn't seem to feel the same to you. But I'm not sorry for dictating those two choices. They are the only choices I have. Therefore, they become the only choices you have. At least with me. And if you're going to find someone else just because I won't have unpro tected sex with you, you obviously don't love me as much as you claim to. I offer no apology for this hard-line attitude. And anyone else who would like to adopt it is free to do so. It's not copyrighted. We have to learn to stop feeling guilty about insisting on health and safety precautions. You can only be so accom modating before you become just plain stupid. I've heard of too many women and men who didn't use a condom their first time because they wanted it to be "ro mantic." There are too many women and men who are caught unprepared because they don't want to send the message that they were expecting sex. The media teaches us that sex is supposed to be spontaneous an un spoken, mutual upwelling of emotion. No one discusses birth control in ro mance novels. No one thinks about dy ing of AIDS in movies. We are all supposed to be swept away in an excess of passion. Yeah, and we all achieve mutual, multiple orgasms. There is nothing romantic about gon orrhea. There is nothing romantic about genital warts. There is nothing romantic about dy ing of AIDS. We get embarrassed when we talk about using protection. But if you aren't close enough to discuss condoms, you aren't close enough to go to bed to gether. We are still caught in the trap that says "nice girls" don't plan to have sex. We feel there is something cold-blooded about preparing ourselves ahead of time. Only men are supposed to carry condoms around in their wallets. But in the age of AIDS, a box of condoms should be as much a standard feature of your medicine cabinet as a tube of toothpaste. All over the world, women are con tracting AIDS at a shocking rate from their heterosexual partners. The World Health Organization has esti mated that the majority of new AIDS cases will be women by the tum of the century. That sounds like a long time away. It's less than eight years. Alisa DeMao is a senior journalism and political science major from Garner. IDs should have been checked at Camp speech To the editor: I was not surprised that so many people went to hear Bob Camp speak on Monday night. I was surprised, how ever, to 1 scover that the Carolina Union Activities Board had decided not to check student IDs for the show. Be cause the show was "free," the funds used to pay for it must have come from student fees. Thus it follows that only UNC students should have been per mitted to attend. I arrived at Memorial Hall about 10 minutes before the show and was not allowed into the building. I know that many who did attend the show were not UNC students. I feel cheated, not so much because I could not attend the show, but because I had to pay so that people other than UNC students could attend. Perhaps IDs could have been checked to let UNC students in first, and then, if space permitted, other people. It is not my intent to be little the hard work done by the Carolina Union Activities Board. I merely want to express my view that student fees should be used to serve students. TODD H. ASBY Senior Mathematics Labs should offer animal dissection alternatives To the editor: I enrolled at UNC this fall as a con tinuing studies student. When I enrolled in an anatomy class, I was very con cerned to find that the lab sessions had no alternatives to the dissection of ani mals. It is important that the University, along with other institutions of higher learning that are already doing so, pro vide alternatives for students who ob ject on ethical grounds to the dissection of animals. Animals and animal life are little respected in our society. Dissection of animals in laboratories contributes to this situation. As opposed to teaching respect for life, it teaches that animal life has little value. If the goal of the anatomy class is to teach human anatomy, couldn't more effective ways to teach it be found? (i.e. using 3-D models, laboratory texts which are avail able, possibly computer programs? ADAM is an excellent computer pro gram providing exquisite detail of hu man anatomy, which is currently avail able.) I realize that the cost of these alternatives might be high, but in addi tion to being concerned about the poor way many of these animals are treated before they come to the labs, we need to think about educational quabty . What is the educational goal of these courses? To learn human anatomy. Most of us who are taking these courses are not planning to be veterinarians. There are millions more dogs and cats bom each year in the United States than can be cared for. The University is providing a market for the sale of these animals, and as long as money can be made this way, it perpetuates the prob lem. We should be supporting laws that will require people to have their ani mals neutered. Dissection could still be an option, although I think many students would opt for another activity to learn anatomy if one were available. But those of us who feel strongly about thi s issue should have another choice in labs. We should not be expected to do something to which we are morally and ethically op posed in order to pass a course. DONNA ALLISON Continuing studies Editorial misrepresents Educational Foundation Editor's note: The author is student oody vice president. To the editor: I was much dismayed to read the lead editorial on Nov. 1 2. Unfortunately, the editorial board tried to distort the mis sion of the Educational Foundation, and more importantly, the new alliance be tween the Educational Foundation and the student body. Five huge details were omitted. First, four students will become ex-officio members of the' Board of Directors of the Foundation much like the student representatives on the Board of Trust ees, the Board of the General Alumni Association, the Athletic Council and the numerous standing Chancellor's Committees. This is yet another ex ample of student leaders and student organizations becoming involved with policy decisions made by existing Uni versity structures. Second, the Educational Foundation plays a crucial role in the development of the mission of the University. The editorial writer seemed to forget the large contribution that the Educational Foundation made to the Academic Af fairs library last year to offset a huge budget cut. The Educational Founda tion enables many, many students to attend college here (as Peter kindly in serted parenthetically in the editorial). The Educational Foundation aids the school in facilities construction (i.e. the Smith Center, the Natatorium and the new tennis center). Would anyone ar gue that their experience here at UNC has been hurt by watching our top notch athletes in action many of whom are able to attend school here because of the generous contributions of faithful friends of the University? Third, please compare our booster organization with those of other NCAA schools. Clemson and UNLV come to mind. The Educational Foundation is squeaky clean in an era when many athletic departments are corrupt. When' s the last time an alumnus had to bribe a student-athlete to come here? Like ev erything else in Chapel Hill, the Educa tional Foundation is as classy as they come. Fourth, supporters of the Educational Foundation also overwhelmingly sup port the many other financial needs of the University. We are a state institu tion scantily supported by state dollars. Consequently, we are reliant on private donations. I challenge anyone to find a large donor to the Educational Founda tion who has not also pledged a signifi cant amount to the Bicentennial Cam paign. : Fifth, I was not summoned by any one from the Educational Foundation, I called Moyer Smith, executive vice president, last spring to ask him if we could help. The misconceptions relayed in the poorly researched editorial are precisely the reason we are attempting to ally student government with the Educa tional Foundation. I personally look forward to support ing the worthy mission of the Educa tional Foundation in years to come. ' CHARLIE HIGGEMS Senior Political science Letters policy The Daily Tar Heel welcomes reader comments and criticisms. We attempt to print as many letters to the editor as space permits. When writ ing letters, please follow these guide lines: Letters should be limited to 400 words. Shorter letters have a better chance of running. Ifyouwantyourletterpublished, sign and date it. No more than two signatures. i
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Nov. 19, 1992, edition 1
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