Opinion -

Here to stay: A mosque in Chapel Hill is more than just a prayer space

By Editorial Board | December 6

Efforts to establish a mosque are good for our community — and not just the Muslim members. If the name is anything to go by, there have been Christian churches in Chapel Hill for as long as the town has existed.

Private problems: More than money at stake in shifting funding model

By Editorial Board | December 6

Gov. Bev Perdue said recently that public universities should seek more private funding to offset the impending huge cuts to state appropriations. On its face, her plan makes sense. The state is going to have to make substantial cuts in order to balance this year’s budget. One way UNC could deal with those cuts is to seek funding from other sources like private donors.

Solve health system disputes: UNC should address WakeMed accusations soon

By Editorial Board | December 6

Two health systems located one county apart could not possibly have more divergent views than UNC Health Care and WakeMed. And if the providers do not work out their differences soon, it’s the well-being of the local health system that stands to suffer.

Quote File For December 6, 2010

By Quote File | December 5

”You have such a hipster fetish.

Save a life this holiday season: give some blood

By Letter to the Editor | December 5

TO THE EDITOR: This year celebrate the holidays by giving the gift of life to someone in need in our area. University and community residents are all invited to the 12th annual Holiday Carolina Blood Drive, from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 14 in Woollen Gym off South Road. The drive goal is 400 units.

De La Rosa violated the campaign rules in letter

By Letter to the Editor | December 5

TO THE EDITOR: In submitting his letter “Ingram’s Board of Elections complaint is legitimate,” De La Rosa committed the very violation of which he has accused Mr. Lee. The very Title VI bill which De La Rosa cites defines campaign staff as “any person who assists the activities of campaigning.” Campaigning is then defined as “any act … that has the effect of promoting the interests of a campaign.” In decrying Lee, one of Ingram’s potential opponents, De La Rosa is advancing the interests of Ingram’s campaign.

Ingram's Board of Elections complaint is legitimate

By Letter to the Editor | December 5

TO THE EDITOR: As the leading proponent of the Title VI bill, I would like to point out Title VI, Section 404 states “potential candidates and campaigns shall be subject to the laws governing elections and all restrictions herein.”

Try a fantasy league of politics

By Sam Perkins | December 5

On Friday, the president’s 18-member, bipartisan deficit commission failed to get the 14 votes it required to send its plan to Congress, though it still had majority support with 11 votes. The panel has been an interesting case study of compromise.

Life after secrets: The age of WikiLeaks offers lessons for universities, too

By Editorial Board | December 5

Government isn’t the only institution that is having a hard time in the age of WikiLeaks. Universities are feeling it too, albeit in different ways. Perhaps no entity understands this better right now than Duke University. This year, at least three extremely embarrassing episodes have gone viral on the Internet.

Census data points to better, denser town down the road

By Editorial Board | December 5

Recently distributed census data up to 2008 validates what anyone could have seen in recent years: Our community is growing. And yet, as natural as the growth feels, it always raises questions about whether or not it is good for the community. Chapel Hill is on a trajectory to be a much denser, more populated place.

Consult yourself: Administration's action to bring in third party looks more like shirking responsibility to employees

By Editorial Board | December 5

Though there are some merits to having an objective third party, Chancellor Holden Thorp’s decision to hire external consultants in order to resolve a dispute between the administration and UNC housekeepers looks like a perfect example of executive shirking and wasteful spending.

Kvetching board for December 3, 2010

By Kvetching Board | December 2

Rick Ingram already has a rick4sbp listserv? Sounds like UNC student government should be WikiLeaks’ next target. To the couple who helped me after I flicked them off and tried to steal their parking space: I wish I was half as good a person as you two are.

'Senior' label perpetuates a geriatric stereotype

By Letter to the Editor | December 2

TO THE EDITOR: In response to Lauren Refinetti’s response (“Words create meaning: Replace ‘freshman’ label,” Dec. 1) to Saffa Khan’s column (“Why I’m not a ‘first-year’ student,” Nov. 30): You never say or even imply this, but you, like most, probably think that the call for the use of the term “fourth-year” instead of “senior” is “irrational,” but you are thinking too narrowly. The impact of geriatric terms comes not from the sheer offensiveness of one word but in the combined effect.

We can't afford to raise taxes in this economy

By Letter to the Editor | December 2

TO THE EDITOR: It seems as though the Obama administration and Democrats still don’t get it when it comes to taxes. All of a sudden they are fiscal hawks, saying we can’t afford to continue the Bush tax rates for those top income earners who simply don’t need them.

To dream the possible DREAM

By Ron Bilbao | December 2

This week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., re-introduced the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, which would afford children of undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States before the age of 16 and have no criminal record the chance to attend college or serve in the military.

Biofuel backup: A force for good can also be used for acute evil

By Editorial Board | December 2

It is vital that UNC meet its goal of becoming coal-free by 2020. This is a tall order. No doubt, concerned community members, students and faculty will be hankering for concrete benchmarks by which to measure progress at each step along the way.

Time to liberate liquor: Move to regulate 190-proof liquors signals alcohol regulation moving in the wrong direction

By Editorial Board | December 2

If you were hoping to make “PJ” for your next party, you are going to have to adjust your recipe.

Bullying in the Internet age: A force for good can also be used for acute evil

By Editorial Board | December 2

At least when we were younger, bullies at school would be mean to your face. These days, that iota of integrity is gone from bullying, thanks to Twitter and social media at large.

Quick Hits for December 2, 2010

By Editorial Board | December 1

BYOB events UNC-A and Appalachian State host BYOB events for students. At App State, students can bring in a six-pack while hanging out at a school-owned late-night venue. Maybe they have golf carts to drag home drunkards.

A funding nightmare: Impending insolvency of escheats fund was avoidable

By Editorial Board | December 1

Because of the General Assembly’s mismanagement of the escheats fund, UNC may not be able to award state-funded grants to every student who needs them. The escheats fund is composed of revenue from unclaimed property. It consists of capital, which gains interest over time. If the state wants to keep the fund from dwindling, they should only spend what they make in interest off of the fund. The escheats fund’s first priority is financial aid for public institutions. Irresponsibly, the General Assembly has ignored the purpose of the escheats fund in the last couple years.