Going rogue

Joe Levin-Manning’s resignation as speaker of Student Congress comes at a questionable time. Broadly, it is a loss for the student body and Congress. In his short tenure, he brought continuity to an important body despite being the cause of many of its problems.

Unpaid internships do more harm than good

I’ve had a bone to pick with businesses that offer unpaid and not-for-credit internships for some time now. So you can imagine my dismay upon reading a recent New York Times article preaching the value of such positions and how companies pressed for cash are increasingly relying on interns to do work for free.

Don't give in to exam-time guilt trips

Amy Dunn, a former newspaper journalist turned stay-at-home parent, blogs regularly about living well on less at www.ourfrugaljourney.com. College exam time is around the corner. That can only mean that it's time for the "guilt letters" to start arriving in the mailbox.

Tuition increases will hurt us too

In the past few weeks of debate concerning the tuition increase, people have been over-careful. Scared of offending the North Carolina residents, out-of-state opponents of the bill have tip-toed around the issue. The proposed increase has settled on 5.2 percent for both in- and out-of-staters, which ostensibly is fair to both groups of students.

Cartoon for Nov. 24

Ticket to complain

UNC is tied for the most tournament wins in NCAA basketball history. And the Tar Heels have won five national championships. Yet, somehow, there is a problem with student attendance at our games. The over-arching goal of a student ticket policy should be to maximize student attendance, but it seems like all the current policy does is maximize complication and confusion.

Fixing a grave situation

Kudos to the Preservation Society of Chapel Hill for restoring the dignity of the black section of the Old Chapel Hill Cemetery.The section has been neglected long enough. Last week, the society conducted a survey for the purpose of locating lost graves in the historically black section of the cemetery.

Not so taxing status

Filing the necessary paperwork for current student groups to gain tax-exempt or nonprofit status can mean jumping hurdles that take time away from philanthropic efforts.So it’s great that the University is looking to create a group that would help nonprofit, charitable student groups obtain a 501(c)(3).

Grisham is an inspirational Commencement choice

In response to Courtney Webster’s comments on the choice of John Grisham as the commencement speaker (“Speaker choice is very uninspired, disappointing,” Nov. 19): Insulting and embarrassing, are you kidding me?

TOMS Shoes could do more to help worlds’ shoeless

As more and more students on campus don spiffy TOMS, I feel that I should raise a question: Do they know what they are supporting? TOMS Shoes is not truly serious about alleviating shoelessness around the world. If they were serious about what they preach, they would donate the entirety of their profits and create a social business.

Cartoon for Nov. 23

Who will stuff your bird this holiday?

When I go home for the Thanksgiving holiday, I’ll be on poultry duty. My family has charged me with turning a big frozen bird carcass into a deliciously delectable entree by Thursday. Am I prepared? Overly.

Hark the sound: Carolina Virtual Voice will help generate needed input

Kudos to student government and the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment for developing an outlet for consistent student input, the Carolina Virtual Voice. The CVV will consist of 200 undergraduate students and 100 graduate students who will be responsible for participating in surveys and focus groups whenever the need for one arises.

Equal hikes needed: Bowles should follow Thorp’s, BOT’s recommendations

UNC’s student body, the chancellor and the Board of Trustees support a low, equal percentage tuition hike for all students for the 2009-10 school year. Erskine Bowles, president of the UNC-system, would be wise to do the same.On Nov. 13, Bowles announced that he did not believe out-of-state students are entitled to low tuition.

Tar Heels in the middle: UNC takes the right step in starting a merit scholarship for students in middle-income range

The University is right to offer a scholarship intended for middle-class students.With the addition of its Advantage Scholarship, UNC is taking an excellent step in the right direction. The scholarship will be rewarded based solely on the merit of applicants whose family income is between $50,000 and $80,000 per year.

Exercise creativity in ?nding activity

I hate the StairMaster. It hurts, and it’s not fun. And seeing as I usually don’t intentionally inflict pain upon myself while doing things I don’t enjoy, I don’t use it.That seems pretty logical to me.But every day, many of us deliberately engage in activities that are awkward, painful and unenjoyable, all for the sake of exercise.

Just walk it out: SafeWalk program will cover holes in student safety

No student should have to walk home alone in the dark if he or she doesn’t feel safe.Next semester, the executive branch of student government will introduce a new student safety initiative called SafeWalk to help improve campus safety.It will help fill in the gaps that exist in our late-night transportation services.

Paying for commencement speakers: Pay them

Commencement is the culmination of four years of hard work. And yet, the University refuses to consider paying even a modest sum for a speaker above and beyond travel expenses.Let’s remember how UNC treated the artist Fabolous, to whom the Carolina Union Activities Board paid almost $50,000 to play a half-sold Memorial Hall and receive special furniture and food.

Paying for commencement speakers: Keep it pro bono

UNC’s policy of not paying Commencement speakers ensures that the University draws people with a real desire to speak here. We send a message that UNC is looking for speakers who are committed to delivering an address tailored to the student body.

Cartoon for Nov. 19