Letters for Jan 9-11

So the public editor blog is finally back. Here are the letters from the first week of the paper. My computer was being worked on by ITS, so I didn’t have it to post letters; that’s why they’re all at once. One change that’s not really a change this semester: I will not be posting unpublished letters. I never actually did itlast semester, and the reason is you never know when you might need a letter. So sorry, if you write in and it doesn’t get in the paper, it’s not going online either. Happy ‘08.

 -  Andrew

 

TO THE EDITOR:

 In an online poll taken on the Daily Tar Heel website recently, an overwhelming majority expressed their frustration with the $291,000 raise offered to Butch Davis a few weeks ago. The most common response chosen was that fans didn’t feel that the team’s 4-8 record justified the raise. But that’s neglecting the real reason Butch was given the salary increase, which was simply to persuade a head coach who is a proven winner to stay at this university. Alabama fans aren’t happy that their new coach came with a 6-6 record in his first year at the school (despite his $32 million price tag), but they know that it takes time to build a powerhouse football program. Have doubts? Get on your computer and look at the caliber of recruits that are thinking about Carolina for next year. You’ll like it, I promise. So give the coach a little time. As they say – Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Chris Dias
Music
Junior

TO THE EDITOR:

I am writing in response to the blatant display of racism and ignorance expressed in Kevin Wise’s letter to the editor “Keep illegal immigrants out of community colleges,” (Dec.4).

            To compare undocumented immigrants to rapists and then to claim that the children of these people don’t deserve to go to school is just sickening.  The all too common claim that “illegal immigrants do not pay taxes and are a drain on our economy” is an easy excuse for conservatives but it is wrong. 

Allow me to lay down some “liberal sense” for you, Mr. Wise.  UCLA’s North American Integration and Development Center has found that “undocumented immigrants” contribute at least $300 billion per year to the U.S. gross domestic product.  As for jobs, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported that by 2008, there will be five million more jobs in the U.S. than people to do them. 

Wise claims that illegal immigrants have “infiltrated our population.”  Overlooking the obvious discriminatory phrasing, may I remind you that the United States was founded as a place of refuge and opportunity? The U.S. Census Bureau has also projected that the population of Latinos in the U.S. is expected to triple by 2050.  It is my sincere hope that Mr. Wise will get past his racist views and come to terms with the fact that the United States is a country made up of many different people and every single one of them has a right to be here.    

 

Mary Lide Parker

Sophomore

Journalism and Spanish

 

TO THE EDITOR:

The Faculty Council will vote soon on the priority registration proposal giving student-athletes the chance to register for classes before the normal student.  This proposal is one that is long overdue and is certainly essential.

Student-athletes typically practice twenty-hours each week, the equivalent of a part time job, yet being a part of a varsity athletics team requires everyone involved to meet a stringent practice schedule.  UNC athletics are known to compete at the highest level at every sport, yet certainly this reputation hasn’t stemmed from mediocre attendance at practices.  The several hours set aside each day for afternoon practices is crucial to the success of the team.  

Many athletes encounter difficulties while registering because oftentimes the one or few sections of a class that are available during the hours outside of practice times are full by the time registration begins. Athletes are being put at a disadvantage when they cannot register for the only section of a class available within their confined schedule.  This is one reason why so many athletes are required to take summer school to graduate on time. 

Students working part-time or involved in other extracurricular activities are naturally more flexible because they don’t have to commit to a fixed schedule every single day of the week.  That one class outside of their desired time frame can be taken though their work schedule may need to be altered.

There is a good reason why every other school in the ACC has priority registration for student-athletes—they realize that athletes are being put at a disadvantage during registration due to the restrictions inherent in being a part of a varsity team.  It is imperative that this proposal pass for the welfare of all student-athletes representing and earning this institution the fine reputation it has within the NCAA today.

David Solarz
Sophomore
Chemistry

 

TO THE EDITOR:

I am deeply disappointed that most of the local media has been complicit in reinforcing a common misperception of the county’s dog tethering issue, namely that it is a debate between “animal rights activists” and “hunting groups.” Such polarization only serves to obscure the real complexities of this issue and hinders substantive discussion.

Tethering is a common practice amongst ordinary people who, for a variety of reasons, find it necessary to tie their animals up outside. It is not an inherently abusive or neglectful practice. Naturally there are going to be exceptions, but Animal Control ought to report, investigate, and prosecute such situations on a case by case basis, rather than a broad sweeping ordinance.

The two public hearings on the subject were minimally publicized and poorly attended. Without further effort the Tethering Committee will have failed to dutifully execute its charge of “obtaining general public comment or input about tethering from a cross-section of the community.” As such their recommendation to amend the current ordinance is premature. Such an action by the BOCC would set a dangerous precedent of limiting the liberties of the whole to curb the transgressions of a few.

And yes, I do have a dog in this one. My 11 year old husky, who has broken out of every fence created, and now spends his days napping on the porch or in the shade of a mulberry tree. In fact, Animal Control came by recently on an anonymous call. Finding his bed and chew toy nearby, his food and water full, they called him “not only sweet, but a little spoiled.”

Sincerely,
Dan Stern
Senior- Biology Dept. 

 

TO THE EDITOR:

Over the last week, I’ve been quite caught up in the political frenzy of primary season beginning.  I’ve spent countless hours looking at cnn.com, nytimes.com, newspapers, and CSPAN, reading about this week’s Iowa Caucuses.  And  more than once, I’ve thought, “Man, those folks are really right in the middle of the political process.”

As a resident of North Carolina, it’s pretty easy for me to say, “well, you know, my primary vote doesn’t really count, we’re state number 42 (or something like that) in the primaries.”   But, having seen all of the excitement in Iowa, what strikes me is that Iowa isn’t special.  Or, more specifically, Iowa is no more special than any other state, including North Carolina.   So what if our state’s primary comes late in the game?  So what if Iowa and New Hampshire come first?  We’ve got well-educated, well-informed, politically passionate and aware people here, too!   So, darn it all, when we get the chance every four years to actually take part in picking the person who holds the highest office in the land, by golly, let’s take it.   I’m going to proudly send in my absentee ballot this April, or May, or whenever our primary finally rolls around.   We all should.   Not only is it, technically, a civic duty, but this year’s race may be a close one, and every candidate is going to need every supporter they can get.  Even those in states with late primaries.

Tim Matson (Class of ‘05)

TO THE  EDITOR:

 I have hardly ever been more embarrassed to be a Carolina fan than on Jan. 2 at the Kent State game. In the first half, Kent State’s point guard Al Fisher committed a (moderately) hard foul on Tyler Hansbrough. For the rest of the game, the Carolina student section would not leave him alone, booing every time he touched the ball. Fisher handled the heckling with absolute class, and played a fine game. Such fan behavior is commonplace at more classless schools like one eight miles down 15-501, but has not and should not take place in Chapel Hill. Despite the ways that the media might glorify them, the Cameron Crazies are not the model for crowd dynamics. No one is asking for “wine-and-cheese,” just the opposite: we should show our love for Carolina basketball by being as loud as possible. I’m just asking that you represent this great university proudly by cheering for the Tar Heels, and not against the other team.   Walker Brooks
First-year Medical Student
UNC ‘07

TO THE EDITOR:

I went to Student Stores yesterday, for the most menial of tasks: I needed a water bottle. Being committed to environmental friendliness, I’ve tried to stop buying water by the bottle, and use a re-usable one as much as possible. I was completely appalled to find that all but one style of the water bottles available for sale were made with plastic #7, which has been scientifically proven to cause fertility problems, and will leak chemicals over time. Now, perhaps I’m more aware of the plastics situation because I am the mother of an 18 month old and have to be careful about what sippy cups I buy for my son; and the fiasco with buying unsafe toys “made in China” has caused quite the ruckus in the parenting world. However, at an institute of higher learning, I expected better. I don’t mind shelling out the ridiculously high prices for things at student stores because it bears the UNC logo; but I find it completely irresponsible that the store would sell something that has been proven to cause physical harm. I paid the $2.00 for my simple little water bottle, made from plastic #2, and left Student Stores, shaking my head. There needs to be some light shed on this situation. In ten to twenty years, the students here won’t care how many fancy features their water bottles had, but they will care if they end up not being able to have children because of it.

Sincerely,

Melanie Smith

Student Services

Department of Chemistry

TO THE EDITOR:

As chair of the executive team of the Orange County Partnership to End Homelesness, I appreciate the DTH’s most recent story on our 10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness and related efforts. One point in the story, however, needs clarification. Although it is true, as was pointed out, that our 10-Year Plan focuses on the needs of the chronically homeless through planning to get them into permanent supportive housing, it is not true that such efforts will be made “instead of” attending to the needs of those who are transitionally homeless or who are at risk of becoming homeless.

The mission of the 10-Year Plan is “to end chronic homelessness, without excluding the needs of all homeless individuals and families.” Indeed, the 2007 Project Homeless Connect, which, as the article points out, was such a success that it is being planned again, resulted in the delivery of needed services to dozens of people who were transitionally homeless or at risk of homelessness. Further, the Partnership to End Homelessness applauds the success of the Inter-Faith Council in recently landing a challenge grant enabling it to keep Community House, the men’s transitional homeless shelter, open 24/7 again.

Homelessness in Orange County is a challenging problem with complex causes and many manifestations. The goal of the 10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness is to identify the chronically homeless among us and move them into permanent supportive housing with 10 years. But the work does not stop there. It includes stepped-up efforts to improve the plight of all of those who are experiencing homelessness or are one paycheck, or one health care crisis, or one episode of domestic violence away from losing their homes. We welcome the university community’s help.

Sally Greene
Chapel Hill Town Council

TO THE EDITOR:

I am replying to the article in the Tarheel on 1/10/08 in re to students being upset about having to pay 10 cents for their testing supplies.  I am amazed at how crazy it is to complain about such a small amount to pay.  Guess what students, when I was in school here at Carolina in 1977-81, Blue books were $.25 cents each and buses were $.50 per ride on campus bus and $.75 for other buses.  To register for class you stood in huge lines, to buy books you stood in huge lines, to drop a class and add a class you stood in even bigger lines, no dorms were air conditioned except one, you have it made dear students.  Yes tuition is more expensive, but in relation to the amount of money people made then it was still expensive..  You should fill very fortunate you get free bus rides throughout the city and have all the tech luxuries that you have now that we did not have then.  Get over it.

K. Morgan

TO THE EDITOR:

TO THE EDITOR:  I was disappointed by the suggestion in “UNC’s Kenya NGO Closed” that seniors would or should reconsider their contribution to Carolina for Kibera (CFK).  CFK underscores senior class president Ashley Shores’ appeal, urging seniors not to abandon the cause at this critical moment in Kibera.  Indeed, I can think of no other moment in which gifts from the Class of 2008 would have a greater impact in the lives of the people CFK serves than now.

 

CFK is not closed, but rather, has temporarily suspended its regular activities in order to provide emergency relief. Hundreds of families are without food, water, and shelter.  Aid agencies are having trouble navigating the slum to reach the most vulnerable victims.  Because CFK has local leadership, we are in a unique position to participate in relief efforts with the generous support of our donors.  We began food distribution, are providing emergency medical treatment at the clinic, and have plans to begin clothing distribution and temporary shelter activities.  The Summer Volunteer selection process will continue as planned, and the application deadline has been extended to January 18.

 

Every structure around CFK’s offices and clinic was burned to the ground.  Kibera residents banded together and fought a gang of machete-bearing thugs to save CFK from the same fate.  CFK’s programs, which reach more than 5,000 youth, promote ethnic reconciliation through sport.  The willingness of the community to risk their lives for this mission is a sign of the value of CFK’s work. 

 

From SUDAN to Nourish International, UNC students have a remarkable history of supporting international victims of crisis.  If the seniors were to choose another fund based solely on the current violence in Kibera, it would be the first time – that I can recall – UNC students turned their backs on the tradition of bringing hope to those who need it most.

 

Emily R Pierce, BA ’03

Vice President

Carolina for Kibera