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.

Not making the grade: Dean’s List should be a true distinction at UNC

The Dean’s List should be reserved for students who have an exceptional academic record. A new policy from the Dean’s Council comes much closer than the current rules to accomplishing just that. But there’s still work to be done.

Waterworld, UNC style: After negligence by UNC, Orange County must step in to oversee Bingham Research Resource Facility

Given UNC’s recurrent inability to avoid unsafe wastewater leaks at the Bingham Research Resource Facility, the county should step in and take some of the responsibility for overseeing its operations.

Nice to meet you; now kiss me, please

There are a lot of things the French do that bother me. The administrative red tape, the distant public personas, the frustratingly aloof academic system — if someone chucked them all in the Seine tomorrow morning, I wouldn’t mind a bit. At times, being here in Paris makes me appreciate many parts of life in America that I always took for granted before.

Cartoon for March 26, 2010

Is our children learning?: Suspended students need an alternative education

N.C. children have a right to an education. That right shouldn’t be infringed, even if a student is being disciplined.On Monday, the N.C. Supreme Court heard arguments in the case King v. Beaufort County Board of Education.

Take the ?ne and smoke it: Orange County should allow legal process to unfold, rather than continue to ?ne Hookah Bliss

Until there is a resolution, Orange County should stop fining Adam Bliss. Bliss, owner of the popular Chapel Hill smoking establishment Hookah Bliss, was fined $200 Monday for not complying with the new indoor smoking ban mandated by the state. He will continue to be fined $200 by the health department for every day that he is open.

Due to lots of magic, cost of bill is ‘low’

Proponents of health care reform everywhere have reason to celebrate like Kool and the Gang for finally triumphing in a struggle that predates that pop culture reference.

Cartoon for March 25, 2010

Feeling better can be dangerous

You’ve probably heard about the power of positive thinking. In a nutshell, the theory states that when we affirm something and believe in ourselves, it’s more likely that we will achieve our goals.So it comes as no surprise that the reverse process works just as well. Thinking about the negative parts of something in your life can change your beliefs and actions toward it.