Edit board wrong to list BOT’s financial well-being

TO THE EDITOR:
I found the Jan. 31 editorial “$1,250 is a lot…for us,” which listed the financial wellbeing of the members of the Board of Trustees to be in very poor taste.
While yes, some of the members are very wealthy, that wealth and the influence that money provides in our society are big reasons that they are on our BOT.
While we all disagree with their decision to increase tuition so drastically these past few years, our school benefits from having such prominent members of society representing the University.
While none of the information you provided in your editorial was embarrassing on its own merit, the tone of the piece was very negative and would leave any potential trustee hesitant to take the position.
These people volunteer their time to help the University. While you may not agree with what they decide, remember that they are volunteers who in theory mean only the best for us.
Simply saying they were out of touch because they are all well off would have been sufficient, you need not attempt to put their achievements in a negative light.

Nathan Barber
Senior
Business Administration

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Vigil will be held Friday to support Guilford students

TO THE EDITOR:
Travis Starkey’s Jan. 31 letter to the editor echoed the sentiments of many students, and in I would like to inform the students and community that there will be a vigil Friday in response.
Like Starkey I was stunned and saddened to learn about the attack on three Palestinian students at Guilford College.
Starkey said Arab (and I would add Muslim) Americans feel threatened and unwelcome in a post 9/11 United States. I would note that some students on our own campus feel the same prejudice on a regular basis.
Chancellor James Moeser said in a letter to the community on Wednesday, “Neither the problems of discrimination and harassment nor the negative consequences for failing to deal with them appropriately will be eliminated from our community unless our commitment to preventing discrimination and harassment is vigorous and unrelenting.”
It is in this vein that I invite everyone to a vigil this Friday, Feb. 2 at 12 p.m. in the Pit, organized by the new student group Solidarity with Palestine through Education and Action at Carolina (SPEAC).
We invite all students to come out and join us to support the students at Guilford College and speak out against racially motivated crimes, violence, and discrimination.

Haley Koch
Freshman
International Studies

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YD endorsement certainly not wasted on Spencer

TO THE EDITOR:
Josh Gresham is wrong in saying the Young Democrats’ SBP endorsement was wasted. In fact, it could not have gone to anyone better.
Not only is Caroline Spencer the only candidate with a lifelong history of working for the Democratic Party and the only candidate who has been a YD member since her first year; she is also proposing what Gresham falsely claims no one but his candidate is proposing: change.
Caroline’s campaign theme is “United for Change.” She proposes to change the ticket distribution system so that it works for students other than the CAA. She will change the way student groups get money by creating a Campus Unity Grant, giving back to the student body the stipend they pay her.
She will push to change the way UNC deals with waste by putting up more recycling bins and motion-sensor lighting, making sure the lawn sprinklers don’t run when it rains, and pushing for the capacity to recycle No. 6 plastics.
Caroline also wants to change the priorities of the Board of Trustees by instituting an out-of-state tuition predictability plan and scrapping the Board’s goal of raising tuition toward the tuition levels of our peer schools.
And, like a good progressive, Caroline wants to make student government more pro-active, rather than reactive.
With more experience than the other candidates, Caroline knows what’s wrong with student government and how to change it before it goes wrong again.

Dustin Ingalls
Campaign co-manager
Caroline Spencer

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It’s not the University’s fault if you bought a Mac

TO THE EDITOR:
I am so sick of hearing people whine about not being able to use their Macintosh computers on campus.
When you buy a Mac, you should not expect every application you may need at school to work on it.
That’s why CCI expects every student to have Windows installed on their computers. In fact, they require that you have Windows installed on your computer.
Some people just choose to ignore this because they want a pretty laptop.
Get over it, Mac users. Just install Boot Camp, and get a free Windows XP license from ITS.
It’s not the University’s fault that you ignored their regulations.

Kacy Fortner
Freshman
Biology

Young Democrats failed to endorse the best candidate

TO THE EDITOR:
As a lifelong Democrat, I was saddened and ashamed by the events of last night’s student body president forum held by the Young Democrats. The actual debate proceeded with the expected questions and answers by the candidates, but it was the discussion afterwards that thoroughly disappointed me.
Jon Kite was the only candidate who expressed interest in making real changes in not only student government but lasting changes for everyone in the school. As a Democrat, Kite’s honest desire to make a difference for the underrepresented and often unheard sections of the student body truly resonated with what I believe to be a fundamental value of the Democratic Party.
However, in the discussion of whom the club would endorse, the only feelings I got from the members of the club were ones of fear and hesitation. Some called Kite “angry,” and much noise was made about finding a candidate who “won’t shake things up too much” and who would “work within the system.”
My views (which I would like to believe are common to progressives and Democrats everywhere) lead me too want the exact opposite. Should we not be angry about the current student government much less the current administration in Washington?
My Democratic Party stands for fighting for change and struggling for the underdog, and I want someone who is willing to stand up to make changes for those who may have been beaten down by bureaucrats of the times. Last night, my own party turned its back on these ideals.

Josh Gresham
Sophomore
Psychology

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Cabarrus resolution is an embarrassment to student

TO THE EDITOR:
Now I remember why when I’m asked where I’m from, I respond: “Concord-right-outside-of-Charlotte” as if I had but one breath to say it all in.
Concord is the seat of Cabarrus County Government, which as was pointed out by the editorial board on Jan. 29 has apparently decided that it needs to clarify: we officially speak English in Cabarrus County — or something sort of like that… most of the time.
As if the legally void resolution wasn’t insulting enough to Latinos and non-xenophobes everywhere, the explanation was especially condescending and patronizing, along with it screaming of true governmental paternalism.
County Commissioner Coy Privette defended the decision by saying, “The more we put crutches out there providing everything in their language, that will become an excuse and alibi never to have to learn English.”
Thanks, Coy. I’m personally relieved to know you’re there looking out for everyone at home while I’m away, and that this wasn’t simply an over-zealous, ignorant expression of four people who have managed to use their relatively insignificant powers to be an embarrassment to me from more than 100 miles away.
This shouldn’t be a real surprise however, as a couple of years ago the city of Concord felt it all-important to become self-absorbed in being designated an ‘All-American City.’ Now I can be reminded of what country I live in and what language I speak every time I go back to where I grew up.

Daniel Peterson
Senior
Political Science and English

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UNC makes life for Mac users unnecessarily hard

TO THE EDITOR:
Unfortunately, while attending my first anatomy & physiology lab last week, I found out that both the lab equipment software and the $80 interactive software I purchased were incompatible with Macintosh.
At first, I wasn’t surprised — of all the troubles I’ve had at UNC, most of them involved compatibility with my Mac. Apparently, if you do not own the CCI laptop, you are out of luck when it comes to computer assistance.
It wasn’t surprising that the software was incompatible. What was surprising, however, was the lack of alternatives for students like me. My TA told me that the software was absolutely crucial for successfully completing the course and studying for the tests.
Of course, I could share with other students while in class, but what about outside studying? I inquired about an older version, but found out that the latest version released for Mac was not as comprehensive and incompatible with Macintosh OSX.
I even asked if there was a departmental computer with the software that I could use, but was told that such computers are not readily available for students outside of class. My only option now, without effectively failing the class, is putting the software on my roommate’s computer, but at what inconvenience to her?
I know I cannot possibly be the only person on this campus, let alone my large anatomy and physiology class, who uses a Mac. In fact, there are millions of Macintosh users just like me.
It should not be such a hassle to complete my coursework when I have a perfectly functional computer at home. When will UNC’s technical administration realize how much frustration they are causing for Mac users?

Laura Ciompi
Sophomore
Psychology

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Honorary societies are now taking nominations

TO THE EDITOR:
UNC honorary societies are now accepting nominations. The Order of the Golden Fleece, the Order of the Grail-Valkyries, the Order of the Old Well and the Frank Porter Graham Graduate and Professional Student Honor Society have a long history of recognizing outstanding members of the UNC community.
Nomination forms and selection criteria for each society are available at www.unc.edu/honoraries. Students, faculty and staff are enthusiastically encouraged to nominate deserving individuals; please take a moment to help recognize their accomplishments. The deadline for nominations is 5 p.m. on Feb. 16.

Stephen Lassiter
Jason (President)
Order of the Golden Fleece

Where will the money from the new tuition hikes go

TO THE EDITOR:
Well, now that the $277 I’m saving on a commuter meal plan next year is going straight back to the University, I have one more thing to ask (after “Is this really necessary?”): Where is the $5.9 million extra actually going?
Perhaps it will fund stipends for teaching assistants and professors who speak coherent English, so my education might be bettered through the tuition money I pay. Maybe the money will go toward keeping computer labs open on the weekends so that the hundreds of students frantically attempting to finish projects for class or lay out pages for student publications can get their work done on time.
Or, quite possibly, it will just enable the University to start even more construction projects that make getting to class (and thus making good use of the money we’re shelling out) almost impossible. Good call, Board of Trustees.

Alli Cooke
Junior
Journalism

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America is still plagued by racial prejudice after 9/11

TO THE EDITOR:
I was stunned to learn from the Jan. 24 DTH that three Palestinian students were beaten and subject to racial slurs early Saturday Jan. 20 at Guilford College at the hands of members of the school’s football team. Three players have been charged on counts of assault and ethnic intimidation.
Rather than focus on the legal circumstance created by this incident, I’d like to focus on one enabling factor that helped bring this incident to life — racial prejudice.
Prejudice against Arabs is a tragic reality in post 9/11 America. If you doubt this, keep in mind that thousands of Arabs left the country after 9/11 because they no longer felt safe, much less welcome.
Apparently, the reality that an overwhelming majority of Arabs in America are not terrorists does not keep them safe from incidents like these, much less subtler prejudices.
Imagine if your race was stereotyped as dangerous and untrustworthy in America, and you had no choice but to be perceived as having partial responsibility for one of the most tragic events in American history. Do you think it might be more difficult to live out your citizenship to its full extent?
Until we honestly confront the deep-rooted racial prejudice against Arabs and many others that still plagues this country, incidents similar to this will continue to take place; but we will remain ill-prepared to adequately address them. We might be a nation “at war”, but all American citizens have the right to be treated as such.
I hope the DTH will do its best to keep the public informed of this developing situation.

Travis Starkey
Senior
International Studies

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Caroline Spencer already fights for student interests

TO THE EDITOR:
At the Board of Trustees meeting on Thursday Jan. 25, only one of the four SBP candidates spoke up to challenge the BOT on their tuition plan. With the campaign season heating up, I think it is important to let students know which of the candidates are speaking up for student’s interests outside of the forums.
Caroline Spencer challenged the trustees directly, realizing what students really want on this campus, a quality education for a decent price.
Caroline got it right when she said that money has become an end and students the means by which to reach it. She proved this point by stating how members of Student Government must account for every cent that will be used before funding an event, while the BOT has no such requirement.
I was disappointed that the Jan. 26 DTH article that mentioned students who questioned the board failed to mention Spencer. I feel that while there was a large turnout at the event, even more students care about how this issue develops in future years.
Therefore, I think we need to recognize Caroline, not as a student who is seeking public office, but rather as one who is already fighting for student interests.

Chris Gaiser
Junior
Political Science

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Students must learn how to live in a community

TO THE EDITOR:
Wow. The Jan. 29 article on “Residents Fight for Right to Silence” couldn’t have been more timely. This past week, after going upstairs to talk with my neighbor (he only opened the door twice) and the office sending him a notice; I finally called the police.
Initially he was practicing his “boxing” which sounded like he was herding cattle and playing his music very loud both at all hours of the day and night. I finally called the police about 4:50 a.m. and the officer showed up about ten minutes later. Haven’t heard much from his apartment since.
Your article seemed to side with the students. We all live in a community in one way or the other and should respect the laws enacted to make our living near each other peaceful and enjoyable. I work hard and when I get home I expect to have peace and quiet.
If he wants to behave badly, he could move to a remote location and turn his music and practice his “boxing” to his hearts content. It doesn’t appear he ever learned how to live in a community.

Kathleen Kendrick
Library Technical Assistant
Health Sciences Library

Article failed to properly characterize ASG walkout

TO THE EDITOR:
I wanted to comment about the article titled “Tensions come to a head at ASG meeting.” The article implies that the only delegates to walk out from the meeting were those from Historically Black Colleges and Universities. This is not the whole truth.
In addition to these delegates, the delegations from UNC-Pembroke, a Native American affiliated institution, and UNC-Chapel Hill also walked out. While there have been some underlying racial tensions in ASG, the premise of the walkout was out of respect to the issues the Student Body President of Fayeteville State University wanted to discuss. If HBCUs were not being taken seriously, they would have walked out of the Council of Student Body Presidents meeting Friday night, and not returned on Saturday.
However the most important point to be made here is that ASG was able to repair the situation. All of the delegations came back to the meeting. We were able to end the meeting appropriately, and respectfully. We had a very constructive weekend, aside from this single event. And while tensions may be high at the next meeting, I have never had more hope for ASG. We will be doing big things in the coming months and will be collaborating to help further all campuses’ interests in the N.C. General Assembly. We will work on these issues together, 16 campuses, one goal.

Andy Woods
UNC-Ch Delegate
ASG

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Column right to call for impeachment hearings

TO THE EDITOR:
In her Jan. 26 column, Linda Quiquivix finds it difficult to tell the difference between the politics of Democrats and Republicans. And I agree that impeachment hearings are needed.
If we are going to have a two party system, though, the Democrats will have to change their position on Israel/Palestine and on health care. If they can’t find the backbone for that, Americans who want real change will have to look to some other party to make it happen. The media, too, need to question and challenge the status quo.
Today’s students who look at the world and like what they see may want to leave things as they are. The rest of us had better hold the feet of politicians and the media to the fire, or we will get more of the same. My generation of UNC graduates has left a mess for our children. I hope the current generation of students will do better for the sake of their children to come, and for the rest of us.

Claiborne M. Clark
Class of 1973
Durham

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Columnist was careless to dilute meaning of ‘elitism’

TO THE EDITOR:
As much as I prefer Brianna Bishop’s column to Jordan Stone’s weekly parody (I hope) of an English major’s style, she seemed to be confusing elitism with partisanship in her Jan. 25 column.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines elitism as “advocacy of or reliance on the leadership and dominance of an élite (in a society, or in any body or class of persons).” Nothing about “seeking to undersand” one another here.
Let’s not dilute the word elitism into another meaningless shibboleth of contemporary rhetoric.

Henry Spelman
Freshman
Classics

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Statistics are meaningless when measuring diversity

TO THE EDITOR:
In response to Archie Ervins Jan. 26 column about diversity, I would love to point out the size of the gap between talking and doing, (also an issue with our government, but that is beside the point). I came to UNC under the assumption that I was going to be surrounded by a tossed salad of cultures and my eyes would be opened to many diverse backgrounds and ideas I had never heard of. Well, we all know what happens when we assume.
Although UNC has quite the collection of cultures, almost all of them are isolated. Walking to the Pit, you can spot mini-islands of every country, and I find this to be pathetic. The majority of the time, whites are with whites, blacks are with blacks, and you can find secluded congregations of Indians, Asians, Southerners, Yankees, and so on. Coming from a predominantly conservative white county, nothing has changed besides the diversity of the self-segregation.
I do not know whether this lack of interacting is due to fear of the unknown, laziness, or a comfort factor, but it has become apparent to me that UNC students need to step out there and hang out, eat lunch, or even date with someone of a culture different than theirs. It’s not a tossed salad if all of the ingredients are separated.
Martin Luther King Jr. fought to destroy the concept of segregation, but we are doing it willingly every day. We, as students in one of the country’s most diverse and intelligent universities, need to stop talking about this problem to our same color/gender/religion friends and branch out a little bit.

Drew Mossman
Freshman
Exercise and Sports Science

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New gym policy is unfair to faculty with children

TO THE EDITOR:
The new policy banning people below the age of 18 from using Woollen Gym and Fetzer Gym meant that my 10-year-old son couldn’t watch his dad play basketball the night of Jan. 25.
I wish Director of Campus Recreation Marty Pomerantz and Campus Recreation Facility Operations Manager Paul Dunlop had been there to see the look in his eyes and to have to explain to him why he couldn’t go into the gym he’d been in dozens of times before to watch his dad play. It was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to tell the kid. There were tears in his eyes in the car on the way home.
Making matters worse, I had just been allowed into the gym earlier in the week to play basketball with my 14-year-old son.
When I contacted Pomerantz about the problem, he apologized, but said the policy was to protect my child from injury. Funny, but he’s been going to Woollen for the past five years and has never been hurt.
Pomerantz says that they’re working on a policy to allow faculty to bring in guests such as children to the gyms during breaks like the summer. But this is a hollow gesture. Many faculty use breaks to travel with their kids since that’s the only time they’re out of school.
At a time when UNC has trouble retaining faculty members, particularly those with families, because of various policies, the policy is just another restriction to add to the list that will make faculty members like myself look for more hospitable situations.
There’s a simple solution to this problem. Create a pass for spectators to watch gyms that clearly states that the holder accepts all legal liability for any injuries while on the premises.
Without that, the time my kids have enjoyed in the past is gone, and UNC becomes a less family friendly place to work.

Chris Roush
Assistant Professor
Journalism

PHOENIX. - Finally scored some wireless in the Phoenix airport, so I’ll give you some more thoughts while killing time before the second leg of my journey home (for the record: Tucson to Phoenix to Philly to RDU).

Count me 0-for-2 on predictions for the day. First I said Danny Green would start (it was Deon Thompson instead), then I said Arizona would make a run (they didn’t). The lesson of the day: Don’t take me to Vegas. But seriously, was everyone else as surprised as I was at the Wildcats’ total collapse? They finished the game shooting 1-for-23 from the 3-point line, which I could do underhand. Props to Sports Editor Jesse Baumgartner for pointing out that in ‘Zona’s game at Washington - which they won 96-87 - they shot 11-for-20 from 3. “They live and die by it,” Jesse said, and I couldn’t agree more. The ‘Cats refused to change their game enough to get the ball inside to Chase Budinger, who got hot in the second half a little bit and finished with 16 points. Even Budinger jacked up a few ill-advised long ones. On defense, Arizona spent much of the second half - on the possessions when Ty Lawson wasn’t blowing by them for fast break buckets - sitting back in a 2-3 zone. I see the logic in trying to neutralize the inside presence, but it doesn’t work when you’re down by 20 and allowing UNC to just run as much clock as it wants.

For UNC, outstanding performances from Thompson and Alex Stepheson - playing in front of their parents, no less. Their hometowns in California are just a short flight away, so the freshmen had their own mini cheering section behind the UNC bench and both put up career highs in points (Thompson had 14 while Stepheson had 10).

Question of the day: Imagine what the score would have been if Brandan Wright had played?

Quote of the day: “I basically told the guys that this was a nightmare and that we are not even going to look at the tapes.”  - Lute Olson.

For UNC basketball history buffs, this was the biggest road victory over a ranked team since Dec. 4 1991 when the No. 5 Tar Heels took out No. 6 Seton Hall in the Meadowlands by 29.

For Arizona history buffs, this was by far the worst loss in the McKale Center under Lute Olson (the previous high was 12) and it was the second-worst loss in Olson’s 24-season career at Arizona, falling just behind a 30-point loss at Oregon in 2001.

Well, I’m out of here. Check out Monday’s DTH for more on the game and the play of Thompson and Stepheson.

-Daniel Malloy

TUCSON, Ariz. - I think I’m going deaf. My seat is on the court right in front of the band. Kind of bitter Andy Katz isn’t in front of the tuba, but hey, I guess ESPN gets that kind of treatment.

What a half. Even the most optimistic Tar Heel fans didn’t imagine an 18-point halftime lead, especially without Wright and Ginyard. The story so far has been Deon Thompson and Alex Stepheson stepping up big time. They seem to get better every game, and they have looked real good so far. Between them they have 14 points and 10 rebounds. UNC’s leading scorer at the half is Ty Lawson, who has really taken to hear Roy Williams’ urgings for him to look for his shot more and go to the hole. He’s got 14 points, many of them on spectacular layups.

On the flip side, Arizona came out flat and has just looked awful - especially during the Heels’ 20-4 half-ending run. Ivan Radenovic has been touted to have an NBA-ready Euro-style game, but he has been awful. Right now he’s got just two points on 1-of-5 shooting and he’s 0-for-2 from the free throw line, both on the front end of one-and-ones.

You have to expect ‘Zona to make a run at some point, but they have looked disjointed. The Tar Heels - at least so far - have shrugged off the crazy crowd and sick players, and put in an impressive half.

Stay tuned for more.

-Daniel Malloy

TUSCON, Ariz. — We’re set to tip off soon here in the land of the cactus, and the McKale center already is rocking.

Students have been camping out since last night, and reportedly there were four arrests made before the doors opened this morning. The section behind the basket has been full since students were let in at 9:30 a.m. our time (this is a rare 11 a.m. start) and every UNC player to emerge from the tunnel to shoot around has been booed lustily.

The stadium has a nice setup, but the media accomodations are less than stellar. I’m writing this post from a cramped classroom in the bowels of the McKale center that doubles as the media workroom. Also, there is no pregame media meal here, so I was forced to (gasp!) seek out stadium food. It worked out well, though, as local favorite El Charro Cafe has set up shop in the stadium. When in Arizona, you can’t go wrong with Mexican food, and I can vauch for their burritos. At the very least, on the same plane as Cosmic Cantina.

If you’re here you probably have seen the breaking news on the DTH site that Brandan Wright and Marcus Ginyard caught a stomach bug and will not be playing this morning. Keep an eye on that. My guess is that Danny Green will get the start to match up better with the Wildcats - who will want to run early and often and lack size in the post. We’ll see how those matchups work out, but those two are a big loss for the Tar Heels in a difficult road environment.

I’ll check back in after the game with more thoughts before I take the Red-eye home (the DTH travel budget motto: Spare No Expense).

-Daniel Malloy

Thanks to those who spoke against tuition hikes

TO THE EDITOR:
I would like to take the time to personally thank each of the hundreds of students who took the time to personally e-mail the Board of Trustees over the last several days. I would also like to offer my humble thank you to the hundreds of students who crowded the Carolina Inn Thursday.
Sadly, out-of-state tuition still went up by $1,250, in addition to a $250 increase for in-state and $500 for graduates. I know this will make life hard for many of you in the coming years. If you are worried about your ability to continue to pay tuition at Carolina, please contact Shirley Ort at sao@email.unc.edu.
After seeing such increases, it is easy to feel like we lost. I am writing to say don’t give up. I haven’t stopped fighting for this year, and we can never stop fighting unreasonable increases for the future.
We lost the battle, but we won the war. While the tuition increase for next year remains unreasonably high, the trustees have expressed a new commitment to change their philosophy of driving tuition to the 75th percentile of our peers.
Further, inspired by your comments, the trustees have committed to working on a new, fair plan for predictable out-of-state tuition, and I pledge to have that plan in place before I graduate in May. If all of you are willing to get up at 8 a.m. to change their minds, the least I can do is get a new policy in place as quickly as possible.
Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t take control of your education. Thursday, you did. Your comments have convinced the board to change an unfair and longstanding policy. Keep fighting: future Tar Heels, whether born or bred, will thank you.

James Allred
Student Body President

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SBP candidate apologizes for campaign violations

TO THE EDITOR:
I would like to assure students that in no way was I trying to gain an unfair advantage in this race by distributing campaign materials. The “campaign material” our staff passed out was actually a FAQ sheet for campaign workers informing them of the rules directly stated in Title VI, to keep things fair, followed by a brief explanation of what I philosophically stand for and believe in.
That philosophy stresses the importance of reaching out and including students not currently involved in student government. It was designed to encourage students helping me to be passionate about why they were out getting signatures to begin with, so that they didn’t feel unconnected with what was happening.
I wanted them to know that UNC’s SBP race is about more than how many people you know, and how many signatures you can collect; it is about standing up for an idea you truly believe in. It was an attempt to open the campaign to students alienated by student government. It was an attempt to reach out to those who normally would not care, because their unheard opinions matter.
Mistakes happen, and an uninformed campaign worker accidentally passed this sheet out in a class, not knowing it was intended only for him. As a result, his enthusiasm and passion for what we were doing has been squashed, and again he feels alienated, feeling obligated to resign from my staff.
I apologize to those whom I have negatively affected in this process, and to those who feel I have gained an unfair advantage by the four signatures gained on a petition handed out with this campaign material.
I encourage students to care passionately about those who represent them, and to ask questions of those who lead them, because only then will student government truly represent the voice of the students.

Jon Kite
SBP Candidate

Board of Trustees is out of touch with students

TO THE EDITOR:
Dear Board of Trustees:
Today you are about to take up the issue of the coming year’s tuition for the best public university in the world. Last year, as the Opinion Editor at the DTH, you were kind enough to hear me plead the case of students and their families (though I was specifically refused by Trustee Mason to address the appropriate committee before the entirety of the board met for a discussion-free vote). This year you will doubtless hear from Student Body President James Allred on the issue.
I just wonder when UNC became about money. The board continues to push increases that are not entirely (what is the term?) needed. Last year an athletic fee increase was approved — despite no ideas as to what the money would actually be used for beyond the one-time cost of a renovation. And this year it looks for all the world like tuition for both in-state and out-of-state students is going to soar even though we’ve seen the planets align to allow for a less painful plan endorsed by both the administration and student government.
And no, don’t pat yourself on the back for planning to keep the in-state increase to $250 — that’s the maximum amount UNC-system policy will allow you to raise it. And then we’re all familiar with your logic of arbitrarily raising nonresident tuition until you just plain can’t anymore.
But I sometimes wonder why each of you even bothers to volunteer your time on the BOT. I’d be willing to wager it originally had something to do with loving the University. But somewhere you have each and every single one of you lost sight of making UNC better so that you can keep your eyes on your new prize: rankings, rankings, rankings. And so we end up with you raising a pot of money just because you can — no matter how much it hurts others.
If you need to raise money, fine. But when you have no idea what to use it for, maybe that means the hikes should slow down.
Sadly, that would assume trustees actually care. To make another wager, I would also bet not a single one of you knows how much a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread costs at the grocery store. When was the last time you had to live for two weeks on Ramen Noodles and rice? How many of you have had to be late with your rent when the tuition check is due? When was the last time you stopped and thought about what students or their families would have to give up for your arbitrary increases? I can give you a hint about that last one: you didn’t. You’re out of touch and someone needs to hit you over the head with that fact.
Just because students won’t drop out due to prices doesn’t mean your policies don’t hurt quality of life. When times are tough, yes, we can all suck it up and deal with it. But these hardships are on your heads, not “the economy” or “the cost of education.”
Go spend a day following around a poorer student. Maybe then you will all stop being so selfish.

Chris Cameron
Former DTH Opinion Editor
2005-2006

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Fighting tuition increases is simply a waste of time

TO THE EDITOR:
At the risk of sounding like a jaded out-of-state senior, I must say that while I applaud your efforts to effect change in the BOT’s plan for tuition next year, I must say we all are wasting our time.
In something we’ve seen over the past several years, the BOT will completely ignore what the tuition task force has said, and will instead choose to rape and pillage the poor underclassmen from out-of-state who aren’t lucky enough to escape next year’s tuition bill by graduating.
If it is not yet entirely clear, let me state it concisely, the BOT has two uses for out-of-state students. The first is to create “diversity” by attempting to claim that a student body consisting of 18 percent nonresidents is somehow exotic and novel and benefits residents. The second and less friendly is to use them as ATMs to reduce the tuition burden on residents.
So stop wasting your time trying to change what the BOT does. They’re going to take as much as they think they can without chasing off too many students and they’ll claim it’s to improve the school. Tuition hikes are like death, taxes and Ivory Latta three pointers (unstoppable). Instead focus your efforts on something you might be able to change. I suggest you start with the Duke ticket distribution in which I predict more underclassmen will displace seniors than ever before because senior one cards will not be needed to get a second ticket as they were in years past. That’s something that might actually help part of the student population.

Nathan Barber
Senior
Business Administration

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Raising tuition will really hurt middle class students

TO THE EDITOR:
We, the middle class of the great state of North Carolina (and those from elsewhere as well), upon recognizing your impending decision to raise tuition yet again, have adopted the following grievance against the Trustees: that, by negligently raising the cost of post-secondary education without adequate exhaustion of all possible monetary resources, the Board of Trustees is in violation of a constitutional right of the middle class, namely that of Article IX Section 9. Entitled “Benefits of Public Institutions of Higher Education”, it reads, “The General Assembly shall provide that the benefits of The University of North Carolina and other public institutions of higher education, as far as practicable, be extended to the people of the State free of expense.”
In support of said grievance, the middle class has observed that the BOT has repeatedly violated the above clause by placing an inappropriate proportion of the fiscal burden of the University on the middle class while failing to investigate the constitutional provision that the General Assembly of the state be the primary source of funds.
Though the middle class recognizes its inability to seek any redress of said grievance, it is resolved to have no respect for the decisions of the BOT in violation of this grievance (though regard them we must).
Sarcasm aside, it is time to get out of the back pocket of the N.C. General Assembly and into their wallet. Make them responsible for upholding the state Constitution. Mismanagement of money at the highest level of state government should not constitute an emergency on behalf of the University system nor on behalf of those citizens who make too much money to get federal aid but not enough to pay for the best undergraduate education money can buy. Let’s remember what the authors of our Constitution envisioned and return this great University to actually being “The University of the People”. Go Heels!

William C. Thompson
Junior
Mathematics

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Administration is full of incompetence and apathy

TO THE EDITOR:
In the past seven semesters I have seen many idiotic events transpire at UNC, many perpetrated by students, but an overwhelming amount by the University administration. How is it that upon trying to get in the last class I need for my degree, I am told I’m “probably out of luck?”
How is it that it takes the payroll office nearly two months to figure out how to pay me because I worked for two different departments? How is it that they then overpay me and don’t notice until the next semester, when they thus demand I cut them a check or I will be placed in a debt collection service?
How is it that my girlfriend, who has worked for UNC for two years, gains a second job as a TA and is then threatened to have her employment terminated because she preemptively failed a homeland security check due to her dual citizenship with Canada? How is it that basketball ticket distribution is handed over to a third party company which obviously cobbled together an inappropriate system based upon an online shopping cart?
These are only a few events which have occurred in the past semester. I would need an entire page to list everything that I have encountered. I have lost count of how many times I have had to jump through hoops, threaten, or report incompetence/indifference to a superior authority in order to advance my life as a student or employee of UNC.
I suppose many similar administrations are plagued with similar problems, but the bureaucracy that holds the University together simultaneously chokes it with an atmosphere of apathy. From minor inconveniences to major life disruptions, it is “never anybody’s fault.” If the system is the problem, what is the solution?

Jameson Lopp
Senior
Computer Science

I’ve followed Sekou Sundiata’s career for a good number of years, since I first heard him perform “Bring on the Reparations” on HBO’s “Def Poetry Jam” in 2002. Since then, I’ve read his work and listened to his CDs. Long Story Short is one of the best spoken word albums I’ve ever heard and I strongly recommend it to anyone interested in hearing more from this acclaimed, multidimensional performer.

One of the things I love most about Sundiata and his work is his ability to infuse grit and honesty into a lushly articulate poem. Believe me, in Wednesday’s preview article, I could’ve gone on and on about how much Sundiata has taught me about poetry and how his views have transcended into my belief structure.

I strongly recommend that you check out Sundiata’s “the 51st (dream) state,” which I’m sure will be just as powerful as Sundiata’s catalogue has been thus far. While Memorial Hall wouldn’t be my first choice of venue — Sundiata’s prescence demands an intimate setting — I believe his words will retain their value, power and relevance.

Here’s a video, courtesy of YouTube, of Sundiata’s “Def Poetry Jam” performance of “Bring on the Reparations.” Let it serve as a mere taste of what Sundiata is made of.

— Harry Kaplowitz, Arts Editor