Better borrowing; New student loan rules will save billions for the federal government and help students get more aid

As the U.S. House of Representatives passed what is being touted as a historic landmark for health insurance reform Sunday, another reform was included that will have a far larger benefit for college students.

Cartoon for March 22, 2010

Expert on Russian relations to speak

Relations between the United States and Russia have been rocky since the dissolution of the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War and the opening of Eastern Europe to democracy and regime change.

Freedom to choose: UNC should follow Duke in exploring gender-neutral housing; state law is draconian, unconstitutional

It is a rare occasion when Duke should be supported. But their students’ efforts to provide gender-neutral rooming are a laudable attempt against antiquated policies.

Pass the bills, please: Student Congress’ reform of the budgeting process will be bene?cial; fee bill should also be supported

Student Congress produced some well-written bills this legislative cycle.While we’re not on board with all of them, there are two bills Congress members should definitely pass Tuesday.

Rogers Road still suffers: Wells in low-income area do not meet EPA standard

Correction ( March 22 11:41 p.m.): Due to an editing error in this editorial, the editorial board incorrectly states that more than a quarter of the wells were malfunctioning. A quarter of the septic tanks were malfunctioning. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error.

Get some face time; eliminate Facebook

My senior year of college, the student newspaper announced that a new Web site called “thefacebook.com” was open to our campus community.With a few clicks of a mouse, I became part of the first 50,000 users — now only a small drop in the 400 million-person networking tsunami that exists today.

This makes census: Filling out census forms will bene?t everyone; student should ignore the baseless attacks

Get counted. Census Day is April 1, and students who live off campus need to fill out their census questionnaires.Students who live on campus don’t need to worry about filling out census questionnaires. Rick Bradley, an assistant director at the Department of Housing and Residential Education, said the housing department takes care of the census data for on-campus students.

Bidding to better N.C.: Allowing North Carolina companies to match bids from out-of-state ?rms on contracts will provide a boost

Gov. Bev Perdue’s initiative to support North Carolina-based businesses by giving them an advantage when bidding on state government contracts is a great way to sustain a positive rate of growth, particularly during trying economic times.

Gender neutral: Let’s ?nd the best way to address gender inequities

We got a visit Thursday night from a few dozen people who delivered letters and a petition asking The Daily Tar Heel to change its style guide.They would like to see us use the word “chair” instead of “chairman” or “chairwoman,” and “upper-level student” instead of “upperclassman,” in order to be more inclusive.

Cartoon for March 19, 2010

The art of Jewish, Muslim relations

Peace is not to be without noise, trouble or hard work. It is to be among all of those and to remain calm in your heart. That concept acknowledges the difficulty and the beauty in building relationships between groups with a tumultuous history.

Not in our schools: Legislature must put an end to corporal punishment

The archaic image of a public school administrator using a paddle to discipline a student might seem like a relic of the past that has thankfully been done away with.But in North Carolina, the practice of corporal punishment still exists in many school districts.

Register more effectively: Right move to change criteria for registration times

Assigning registration dates based on semesters as opposed to credit hours is a more equitable method that will likely help seniors struggling to fulfill requirements.Adequate accommodations have also been made for transfer students. The number of transferred semesters will be determined based on the number of credit hours transferred.

The future of the DTH: Apply to help select next year’s editor-in-chief

Were you one of the students who complained about our Greek coverage this semester? Or how about those who were angry with the editorial board for its treatment of Youth for Western Civilization?Well, here is your chance to make your voice heard and your opportunity to make a lasting impression in your community.

Cartoon for March 18, 2010

Visit library for exhibition of Ferris’s photographs

TO THE EDITOR:We enjoyed the coverage of Prof. William Ferris’ talk in Davis Library (“UNC folklorist shares his love for blues music,” March 17). The program marked the opening of an exhibition of 45 photographs from Ferris’ book, “Give My Poor Heart Ease: Voices of the Mississippi Blues.”

‘Swagger’ was invented by the University of Miami

TO THE EDITOR:In yesterday’s column, “Enough! Please turn your swag off,” David Bierer stated “I’m not sure when the fad began, but it has clearly saturated the verbal marketplace.” The term “swagger” was invented by the University of Miami football team.

‘Sustainable’ has become a liberal catchall phrase

TO THE EDITOR:Though I’m thrilled to learn that our University is attempting to provide sustainable dining, Tuesday’s article, “Local Food, Big Business,” failed to explain what that actually means.I’m inclined to think that “sustainable food” is food produced, transported, prepared and consumed without consuming finite natural resources or damaging the environment.

Organic and locally grown food simply too expensive

TO THE EDITOR:I am all for the purchasing of organic and locally grown food, but frankly, hardly anyone can afford it. For example, in the organic section at Food Lion, a jar (normal size) of organic apple sauce was $5.97. That is totally outrageous!