Market fallen timber for athletic scholarships

How ironic that a month after the UNC Board of Trustees authorized the Rams Club’s $70 million destruction/expansion of Kenan Stadium, “recent legislation cut in-state funding for out-of-state scholarship student-athletes at all 16 UNC-system universities, with UNC bearing the brunt of these cuts” landed at the door of the Rams Club (“Rams Club faces state budget cuts,” June 30).

Motorists and cyclists need to share the road

The Rules of the Road editorial published on July 1 served as a gentle reminder to the student and casual bike rider, however, it does not delve deeply enough into the reality of cycling in the area

Don't stop believin': Don't allow the DREAM Act to be ignored

Out-of-state UNC athletes and K-12 teachers could unfairly pay the price of the state budget announced last week. The state cut funding for out-of-state scholarship athletes.

The call of the wild: Nonpro?t organization advocates wildlife education

North Carolina hunters will sport bright orange as they venture into the woods to hunt deer. To save life and limb, it pays to be educated on how to both reduce the chances of hazardous encounters and preserve the wildlife in our area.

Quick hits for July 8, 2010

Lindsay Lohan Thumbs Down This “mean girl” is getting what was coming to her. Lohan was sentenced to 90 days in jail for violating terms of her probation. Summer Heat Thumbs Down The East Coast roasted as temperatures soared past 100 from Virginia to Massachusettes.

Quick Hits for July 1, 2010

Shark Attack Thumbs Down A North Carolina teenager needed to get 60 stitches after she was bitten on the leg by what her mother says was a shark. Eclipse Thumbs Up Twilight fans unite!

Natural selection

Carrboro’s Greenway Commission should reconsider constructing a sizable sea of cement next to Bolin Creek. Some Carrboro citizens petitioned against the construction of a 10-foot-wide paved path along Bolin Creek at the commission’s meeting Monday, June 21. But citizens who favor the pathway were there too, arguing that it will open the creek to persons with disabilities. The commission thus needs to strike a balance between affording equal access to disabled persons and the degradation of the natural landscape. Extending mobile access to all citizens of the town is extremely important. Disabled persons have every right to equal access to all community parks and greenways. But people with disabilities have multiple options in the area: 10-foot-wide paved woodland trails exist in Southern Village, Lower Booker Creek Trail and Linear Park. Bolin Creek itself features a 1.5-mile paved stretch in Chapel Hill, connecting Martin Luther King Jr.

American graffiti

College campuses are a breeding ground for controversy, especially when graffiti is involved. While graffiti should be allowed in designated areas on UNC-system campuses, threatening language should not be tolerated. Indivdiual campuses, both private and public, should reform their codes of conduct to include consequences when students paint certain hateful words or imagery on campus property that are deemed threatening. Graffiti targeting former Duke College Republicans Chairman Justin Robinette was recently discovered on the East Campus Bridge at Duke University. Robinette asserted that his impeachment from the Duke College Republicans in April was a result of his homosexuality. The graffiti read, “Lying F-g Robinette, DCR = Righteous, get AIDS in hell.” Duke police are still investigating, but the administration made little comment on the matter. This episode echoes the 2008 incident at N.C.

The rules of the road

Summertime and warm weather bring the spandex out of the closet and beckon bicyclists to their seats. But in a community that welcomes bikers and does its best to share the road, cyclists need to remember that this compromise works both ways. Traffic-heavy areas in Carrboro and Chapel Hill see a large number of cyclists every day, especially when students return to campus in the fall. North Carolina law states that bicycles are considered vehicles on the road and therefore must abide by laws pertaining to their use on the roads. Laws include using hand gestures to signal to other vehicles and following road signs and traffic signals as if driving an automobile. However, these and other laws are often ignored by bikers. Bicyclists should remember that it is not just up to the vehicles surrounding them to be conscientious of their driving.

North Carolina Democrats must unite to defeat Burr

TO THE EDITOR: Last week, Elaine Marshall was declared the victor in the Democratic primary to compete against (Sen.) Richard Burr (R-N.C.) in the fall election. Cal Cunningham should be applauded for running a strong campaign, and now that he has endorsed Marshall, it is time for Democrats to come together to defeat Richard Burr in the fall. Elaine Marshall has served as the secretary of state in North Carolina for more than a decade and was the first woman to be elected statewide. As secretary of state, she has a strong record of protecting consumers and supporting strong regulations on corporate lobbying.

Chapel Hill Town Council should do its dirty work

TO THE EDITOR: I have been reading the accounts of the proposal to build a new development, Obey Creek, along (U.S.) 15-501 south of town.

N.C. State and UNC unite in IT savings

Summer on campus is generally a quiet time — fewer students and faculty, and many staff away on vacation.

Celebrate nature and preserve UNC's beauty

Sports Editor Jonathan Jones’ leading phrases to his recent article touting the expansion of Kenan Stadium, at the expense of the pine trees surrounding it, only deepens my sadness at the loss of the green bowl that once embraced the Stadium, enforcing it’s appropriate place in the landscape of campus.

DTH lives inside its pages, not its office

I’ll never forget the first day I walked into The Daily Tar Heel newsroom. Dressed in a white summer suit and carrying a reporter’s notebook, I walked determinedly and confidently into the Student Union, determined to make a name for myself at the best college paper in the country. Then I got lost. Some kind soul at the information desk finally directed me to the office.

Plight at the museum: Chapel Hill community should help preserve history

The Chapel Hill community and UNC should step in to ensure the preservation of the educational resources of the Chapel Hill Museum. The museum announced last week that it would be shutting down by the end of the year due to a lack of funding from the Town Council. Proposed in 1993 and built in 1996, the museum was meant to reflect the importance of the town’s culture and a revitalization of downtown. It also offers educational programs that help K-12 schools meet state-mandated curriculum requirements. However, the museum is a less popular attraction than other Chapel Hill locales. Approximately 1,250 people typically visit the museum each month, according to an e-mail from museum Director Traci Davenport. The Carolina Basketball Museum, on the other hand, averages 2,400 visitors a month, reaching a 4,000-person peak during basketball season. While Davenport and specialists at the Wilson Library’s North Carolina Collection expressed an interest in an exchange of artifacts — like a Chapel Hill fire truck from 1914 and 280 pieces of Southern pottery — nothing has yet been confirmed. The museum’s sponsors should get the support to continue the educational initiatives, including the fire safety puppet musical and the historical narratives of the Lost Colony, Franklin Street and pottery in North Carolina. The University has an opportunity to obtain regional historical artifacts to boost its collection and ensure the longevity of local memorabilia. Educators, students and historians have been utilizing the artifacts and information at the Chapel Hill Museum. The Town Council was against closing the museum, but ultimately could not ensure it a steady flow of funds. The community should step in where the Town Council could not and advocate for the continuance of its own history.

Don't postpone rezone: Town Council should consider rezoning development

The Chapel Hill Town Council needs to advocate rezoning for the development of Aydan Court. The 5.8-acre lot is currently zoned for single-family homes, and is located along N.C.

Keep campaign clean: Senate candidates need to focus on the issues

Congratulations are owed to Secretary of State Elaine Marshall for winning the Democratic U.S.

Defend your education and take a stand on cuts

Here at UNC we are lucky to go to one of the best universities in the nation, but a current budget proposal being debated in the General Assembly threatens the quality of this institution and its 16 peers in the UNC system.

Editorial cartoon for June 17, 2010

Let's talk face-to-face. Lose Facebook.

A plague of narcissism is breeding among the college youth. No longer are we considered Generation Y. We have been labeled Generation Me.