Letters 10/26
Don’t dismiss Da Coach in search for new head coach
TO THE EDITOR:
As far as the question of the next head coach of our football team goes, I believe there is but one obvious choice. What former head coach has won a Super Bowl ring, is a former NFL Coach of the Year and is more powerful than a hurricane? That’s right. Mike Ditka. Sure, he has no ties to the university, but Ditka has been out of a coaching job since 1999 and certainly is looking to get back in. After his three horrendous years in New Orleans, don’t expect the NFL to come calling. It may take a while for the move to take effect, but it is my humble belief that if Ditka were named head coach, UNC would win a minimum of five national championships in a row. In fact, I am confident that if Ditka was allowed only 5 players on the field, and Ditka was blindfolded, he could still beat Duke by at least 50 points. So, to Dick Baddour: Make the right choice and hire Da Coach.
Zach Brogadir
Sophomore
Economics
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Insighful column sheds a new light on world issue
TO THE EDITOR:
I wanted to write to commend Taylor Steelman on the best column published in the DTH this year. No, I’m not a serious Sudan activist looking for additional publicity. In fact, I’m not a member of SUDAN or any other activist group, I know little about the genocide in Darfur, and I don’t have a trendy green shirt.
I do, however, try to appreciate good journalism. Taylor’s column, unlike a number of this year’s columns, addressed a topic of importance both on campus and in the world at large. She took an unusual angle, foregoing the traditional calls for awareness to highlight the need for planning and concrete action in Sudan. Finally, she presented her substantive points clearly, while incorporating enough wit to hold the reader’s interest.
On an opinion page recently overtaken by the hullabaloo of Bunting’s dismissal, Taylor’s writing stood out as an insightful take on an issue that matters.
Ben Lundin
Senior
Religious Studies
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Corporatization of college athletics has gone too far
TO THE EDITOR:
The firing of Coach Bunting just re-affirms that playing football at the college level is a business, not a sport. Coach Bunting ran a clean program devoted to instilling life lessons while trying to win games. UNC showed what it really cares about, winning. Winning is so important because of money. Money trumps character. Money incites athletes to risk their health to achieve an edge by taking performance enhancing drugs. Money equates success in the “real” world. Why not just give up on the charade? College athletes should just be paid for their time here. Classes could be optional, they would be employees during their tenure here that could be hired and fired depending on their performance. Instead of pretending to educate and develop responsible individuals just let coaches hire whatever thugs they can find to win and quit pretending that anyone cares about teams that don’t.
Pat Day
Art Lab Manager
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Article on Poverty Center missed key political angle
TO THE EDITOR:
Lindsay Michel’s article, “Center fights political tilt” (10/24), about the potential partisanship of UNC’s Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity, was entirely uncritical of Jon Sanders’ critique of the Center. In the name of journalistic fairness and full disclosure, Michel should have explained that the John Locke Foundation, Sanders’ employer, is itself a partisan organization that actively promotes conservative and libertarian policy and does not regularly partake in “nonpartisan” activities. Most important, this article did not answer the question of whether Sanders takes issue with the Center because he believes it engages in partisanship, or merely because the Center promotes policies other than those that he advocates.
Joshua Davis
Graduate Student
History
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Thanks Coach for srong dedication, service to UNC
TO THE EDITOR:
Thank you John Bunting
I know that I’m not an average fan because I have only a passing interest sports for the most part. I’m not bloodthirsty after a loss, neither am I exceptionally thrilled about a win. My pride is not about how many teams I’ve seen us overcome or the number of points scored, but rather I am proud that we had such a kind and personable man as our head coach, one who held his players up to higher standards than other teams in our conference, both in academics and in personal responsibility. He did more than just coach the team; he gave back to his fans and supporters, just not always in wins. Some said he shouldn’t have been so strict on the guys and let them get away with worse grades or forgive their illegal activities and I disagree. We might be a public school, but we’ve got more class than a lot of private schools and I respect his decision to run his team with dignity and higher standards even at the cost he’s paying now. I’m proud of the team for holding themselves to those standards and living up to his expectations and I hope they continue to do so for the rest of the season and carry it on next season as well. This whole situation was handled very poorly and he deserved more respect than he was given this whole season. Thank you Coach Bunting for having a respectable program and I’m sorry that it ended this way.
Parker Wood
Junior
English Major