Opinion

Developed nations must wean off of coal by 2020

TO THE EDITOR:In response to your article “NASA climatologist makes pitch against coal” (Feb. 3) regarding preeminent climatologist James Hansen’s speech at UNC, I would like to clarify several points.

Paving Bolin Creek would ruin an outdoor haven

TO THE EDITOR:Although a need exists for alternative commuter infrastructure, paving the Bolin Creek trail would take away much more than it would add to the outdoor community of Carrboro. As a UNC student who lived in Carrboro for two years without a car, I understand the push for adding paved bike paths or lanes to make commuting around town safer.

Though parents broke law, kids shouldn’t suffer

TO THE EDITOR:In response to Mr. Williams’ letter “Colleges must be reserved for legal citizens, residents,” (Feb. 4) I must say I’m sorry to see an alumnus from this fine institution so willing to punish children for the transgressions of their parents.

Fitness requirement is an essential part of education

TO THE EDITOR:I must respectfully disagree with Olivia Blanchard’s Feb. 4 column “Just focus on mind exercise, UNC.”First, though any requirement may be onerous, lifetime fitness’s demand on our schedules — a one-credit-hour class — is minimal.

Just focus on mind exercise, UNC

In my last column, I expressed my general frustration with UNC’s course requirement system, that cruel plague threatening to overthrow our education in favor of mindless, rote box-checking.Building off this theme, I would like to address specifically the lifetime fitness requirement, a particularly onerous component of our curriculum.

Armed and dangerous: UNC must remain committed to all 28 varsity sports and resist the ?nancial arms race in college football

Efforts to keep up with perennial football power conferences — the SEC and Big 12 — risk perverting UNC’s commitment to non-revenue sports.UNC should remain committed to sustaining a broad range of Division I varsity sports, even at the expense of expanding the football program.

Hear ye, hear ye: With little time left in office, Jones right to pursue town hall meetings for student feedback

The town hall meetings being conducted by Student Body President Jasmin Jones are a good final effort by the administration to collect student input to pass on to the next president.Jones has little time left in office. But this effort is not about what she will be able to accomplish before she leaves.

Cartoon for Feb. 5, 2010

No ordinance needed: Chapel Hill needs ?exibility in working with developers

A proposed Chapel Hill town ordinance requiring home builders to mark off 15 percent of their new units as affordable housing strikes the right tone.But the ordinance is unnecessary; it’s important for the town to maintain some flexibility in working to attract developers.

Cartoon for Feb. 4, 2010

Social contracts abound in academia

On the first day of any new semester, most professors don’t expect you to stay in class the whole period. It’s become fairly common to let the class out early.That little custom is one small brick in the foundation of the social contract between student and teacher.

Greenway, this way

Carrboro is right to propose paving parts of the Bolin Creek trail to construct a greenway.Greenways can be used as environmentally friendly transportation alternatives and can connect parts of town that are hard to reach by bike.

No homeschool hurdles

For many homeschooled students, applying to college can be an arduous and complicated experience.But UNC has the right outlook on the admissions process for homeschoolers by not adding the additional burden of extra submissions like many other universities require.

Don’t trek down to Haiti

Any student groups or individuals still trying to go to Haiti in the near future should seriously reconsider. Relief efforts have been mired by the collapsed infrastructure. And right now, visiting students will only consume precious supplies.

Cartoon for Feb. 3, 2010

DTH Student Body President forum

Join us today for The Daily Tar Heel’s student body president forum. If you can’t make it, you can also watch the forum live at dailytarheel.com and submit your questions instantly. Every year, the DTH invites the candidates to participate in a discussion of campus issues, open to all. DTH SBP FORUM

Content over color: Appointing individuals based on race concerns sets a precedent that enforces rather than erases racial divisions

I cannot think of better words to describe how irrelevant race should be in our lives than those of Martin Luther King Jr.“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” At the time they were spoken, these were contentious words.

Now hiring: Despite some improvements, state’s probation system still faces problems and must hire more officers

The efforts of Gov. Bev Perdue’s administration to fix the state’s broken probation system have yielded some positive results thus far. However, the system’s primary problem — the lack of probation officers — has seen minimal improvement at best.

Belief is at heart of human condition

Parents feel it when looking at their children, millions felt it as they were captivated by Barack Obama’s rise to the presidency, religious-minded people feel it as they find their faith, and Tar Heels experience it as they become “true blue.”

QuickHits for Feb. 3, 2010

Salinger legacyThumbs upIf you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where Salinger was born and what his lousy childhood was like. But we’ll just tell you that this reclusive author will be missed.GDP growthThumbs up