Right to focus on underage drinking?

Correction (April 13 11:14 p.m.): Due to an reporting error in this column, the instances of underage binge drinking are incorrectly stated. There are roughly 1.5 billion instances of binge drinking a year in the U.S. involving those 18 and older. Most of those involve people age 26 and older. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error.

Live from UNC

At long last, it looks as if UNC Webmail might soon be history.Not long after Information Technology Services committed to upgrade faculty and staff to the Microsoft Exchange platform, it has committed to upgrading students to a similar system — Live@edu.

Give Greeks responsibility

It’s time for fraternities to take on more responsibility and independence in their judicial process. And the University should approve draft proposals to make that change happen.A draft of recommendations was written by Interfraternity Council members, Greek alumni and other University community members.

Charity is only part of solution for Haiti

On Jan. 13, the day after the 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti, all I felt was relief to learn that my grandparents were alive.Soon after, worry replaced relief. As a Haitian-American, I feared that people would donate to Haiti without taking the time to learn about Haiti’s less well-known designation as the first black republic in the world.

Don’t smoke the trees: Duke Energy shouldn’t be able to count healthy trees as ‘waste wood’ in its renewable energy efforts

Duke Energy intends to burn trees to help run two of its energy plants. And by doing so, the company can qualify as a renewable-energy facility.This is wrong.

State of the art: New arts wing at Carrboro High School is a welcome move; arts are an important part of a child’s education

Music students at Carrboro High School will finally be able to properly work on their craft without needing to go off campus.A new arts wing at the high school will soon begin construction after the state’s local government commission approved financial terms. The total cost for the new facilities is estimated to be about $4.6 million.

Support system needed: University should provide ample pregnancy support to undergraduates and devise a ?exible policy

The University should strive to support all of its students — especially through pregnancy.Currently, there aren’t enough resources available for students who plan on having a child or who are pregnant during their undergraduate years.This isn’t unusual. Many of our peer universities, public and private alike, don’t have any such policies for undergraduates.

Cartoon for April 8, 2010

Cartoon for April 8, 2010

Cuba is evolving with new generation

This is not your father’s Cuba. Walk down the malecón, where the Caribbean meets the streets, and you’ll feel a strange air in the city of Havana. Cuba is changing.I find myself here while Cuba finds itself at a generational crossroads. The younger generation is becoming self-aware, and the older generation, which started the now half-century-old revolution, is fading away.

Broadband for all: Access to high-speed Internet in best interest to state

As a center for knowledge and technological development, UNC should lead the way in increasing broadband connectivity in North Carolina.

No more fearmongering: Town residents should take opportunity to learn about IFC’s proposed homeless shelter move more seriously

Chapel Hill residents need to show some trust in the Inter-Faith Council for Social Service.The IFC wants to move the homeless shelter from its current location at 100 W. Rosemary St. to a location at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Homestead Road.

Fight for our dollar: Skepticism and scrutiny should be hallmark of Medlin’s involvement in ASG

If Student Body President Hogan Medlin is intent on working with the Association of Student Governments, he must enter the organization with a skeptical eye aimed toward reform.Students at UNC send a dollar of their fees to this systemwide organization, which purports to lobby on their behalf.

Being a resource: Frier pledges to optimize staff potential if she becomes next DTH editor

The Daily Tar Heel is at its best when it engages the University community in informed conversation. If I am selected editor, I will dedicate myself to reaching and connecting with our community more effectively. We can use the year to grow as a resource, both for our readers and for the student journalists we train.GOALS

Cartoon April 7, 2010

Imagine what could have been

Three seconds left, down by two, he rebounds the missed free throw. He eludes a defender and dribbles to half-court. Two seconds left. He loops around a screen, racing toward the basket. One second. He jumps and releases a prayer from 40 feet. The buzzer sounds. The shot banks off the backboard, rattles inside the rim and drops through the net with a satisfying “fffp.” He won it!

Be a ?erce advocate: Medlin should focus energy on communicating impacts of tuition increases and budget cuts to students

Student Body President Hogan Medlin had an impressive campaign. Now it’s time for him to prioritize his proposals as he transitions into his new role.He was inaugurated Tuesday evening. He now has one year to make his mark on the University.There are two issues that deserve his immediate and utmost attention: tuition increases and budget cuts.

A new approach to prevent violence

Never Again.” We have heard it before. We have heard it after the Holocaust, after Cambodia, after Rwanda. Does it really mean anything anymore?

Donate your time and blood to a great cause

TO THE EDITOR:None of us have super powers or run around in costumes. We can’t all be firemen or police officers. Not everyone is going to join the National Guard or protect civilians in the streets of Iraq.You can, however, save a life by giving blood.

QuickHits for April 6, 2010

iPad releaseThumbs upThe iPad debuted April 3. Scores lined up during the middle of the day to get one. (Yay for unemployment.) We wrote this QuickHit on our new iPad, and we only had to trample six people in order to get it.Census dayThumbs up