Shorten campaign period: Congress should pass a bill that would shorten the campus election cycle and tighten the money limits

Student body elections last too long and use too much money. Student Congress members should pass a bill that would change this.Congress’s rules and judiciary committee reported favorably last Tuesday on a bill that Student Body President Jasmin Jones introduced to Congress. It will be considered by the full Congress on Tuesday.

Cartoon for April 5, 2010

Kvetching board for Apr. 1, 2010

kvetch: v.1 (Yiddish) to complainDear UNC housing: You know what you did.Dear professors: Don’t blame me for my terrible grades. Blame Chatroulette.Dear UNC birds: I know you’re excited that it’s finally spring, but isn’t chirping at 3 a.m. a little excessive?Student Stores: Where is my NIT gear? I find it weird that I have to ask.

I’ve gotta go, I’ll talk to you later

I was riding in the car with a friend the other day when he got a phone call. He glanced at the number and gave an exasperated look. He waited a couple rings and answered the phone with as much enthusiasm as an anticipated visit to the dentist.

Get off your phone: Cell phone use has become an epidemic, Student Congress must act quickly to ban on-campus digital banter

Enough is enough. We’ve all fallen victim to the inconsiderate few who insist on yapping on their cell phones while strolling through campus. Face it, your digital vomit is polluting our campus.Incessant cell phone use has contributed to a culture of insensitivity and unfriendliness that fails to reflect the Southern values of UNC.

Preventing network havoc: ITS right to protect campus against virtual threats

Information Technology Services is right to take further steps to protect the University’s Internet network.ITS launched a pilot program in Cobb Residence Hall last week that will eventually go mainstream. The program is called Network Access Control. It puts ITS in a position to find software vulnerabilities before they wreak havoc on the network and on students’ computers.

No pay raise: Increased pay for UNC-system president not necessary

Members of one of the committees helping to find outbound UNC-system President Erskine Bowles’ replacement want the next system president to make substantially more than any of the system’s chancellors.Proponents of the wage increase cite the fact that many public university systems pay their presidents more. Bowles took home $478,291, plus benefits and use of a house, in 2008-09.

Cartoon for April 1, 2010

Cartoon for March 31, 2010

Tough it out; the slog is nearly over

Yes, it’s that time of the year again: college tour season. You know it’s spring in Chapel Hill when it is impossible to walk from one side of the quad to the other without encountering a semi-circle of high school students and their parents, all listening with varying degrees of interest to a current Carolina student shouting enthusiastically about first-year seminars and the like.

Shaken con?dence: Administrator’s con?icting statements compromise her ability to effectively interact with Greek system

University administrators need to keep their facts straight when dealing with student issues — especially those of life and death.Assistant Dean of Students for Fraternity and Sorority Life Jenny Levering didn’t do that. And especially since the administration hasn’t presented all the evidence it has about to the situation, it shakes our confidence in her ability to do her job.

Punishment doesn’t ?t crime: North Carolina needs to relax its ‘sexting’ law

In North Carolina, if a 17-year-old girl sends a nude picture of herself to her 17-year-old boyfriend, she could be charged with a felony. That’s because in summer 2009, the N.C. General Assembly passed a bill that put “sexting,” or the distribution of sexual images via cell phones, under the umbrella of child pornography laws.

A better process: Center will help local farmers with equipment

A food processing center proposed for Orange County is a great idea that will prove beneficial to local farmers, local food consumers and the county at large.

The business of illegal drugs

Some people might have been shocked in September when several UNC students were arrested for selling cocaine. And, if the charges prove true, they probably weren’t making the best career choice in the world. I wouldn’t be too surprised. After all, illegal drugs are big business.

QuickHits for March 30, 2010

Due to an reporting error in this editorial, the board incorrectly states that RNC Chairman Michael Steele attended an erotic nightclub while traveling in California. Steele was not present at the nightclub. It was an employee of the committee. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error.Virgin GalacticThumbs up

The pride of Pittsboro: Loss of Chatham County courthouse immense

Students at UNC understand what it means to have respect for an iconic structure.And just like the Old Well epitomizes Chapel Hill, the aesthetic of Pittsboro is largely defined by the historic Chatham County courthouse.

Time to take our $1 back: Incoming administration should lobby Board of Governors to end relationship with ASG

The Association of Student Governments’ budget is funded by a $1 fee from every student in the UNC system. It’s about time we got it back. Students simply are not seeing the benefits of belonging to the systemwide student lobbying body.

Cartoon for March 30, 2010

Cartoon for March 28, 2010

Make them an offer: Major gift from Kenan Charitable Trust will help avoid a long-term brain drain of young UNC faculty

Recruiting young talent for professorships is the last thing we would expect academic departments to presently be doing. The recent economic downturn has fueled major cost cuts, furloughs and layoffs, not hiring efforts.