Opinion -

Help us serve you the best we can

By Andrew Dunn | August 23

Today’s paper describes the uncertainty that’s pervasive on campus and in our community.For freshmen, there’s the thrill and anxiety of moving to campus for the first time. For UNC employees, there’s the fear of losing their jobs as administrators slash budgets.Even within The Daily Tar Heel, there’s change. We debuted a revamped Web site and work flow in our newsroom. Check out page 8 to see the new features. And we’ve got a new crop of editors to boot.But don’t be uncertain about the quality of your DTH. We are back and better than ever.

Voicing the views of our campus

By Harrison Jobe | August 23

The opinion page of the Daily Tar Heel plays a distinct role in the life of the University.It’s not our job to be objective (we’ll leave that up to the newsroom). It’s our job to opine on issues and events affecting the campus community.The editorial board researches and writes several unsigned editorials each day that represent its collective opinion.We’ve added a few more slots to the board this year to bring in even more perspectives to the page.

Work needed to fulfill mission

By CHRIS COLETTA | October 11

Like any good Catholic, I'll begin this column with a confession: I once thought about going to Duke. It's not that I never wanted to go to UNC - quite the contrary. For reasons that I still can't figure out, I grew up a Tar Heel fan in Yankee country. I prayed for the boys in baby blue before the '93 national championship game against Michigan, and when Chris Webber called that timeout, I was sure I had a friend in the Man upstairs.

With a degree come duties

October 11

I am honored today to be admitted to the fellowship of this ancient and distinguished University, and I am pleased to receive in the short space of one or two minutes the honor for which you spend over four years of your lives. But whether the degree be honorary or earned, it is a proud symbol of this University and this state.

As it was meant to be

By Staff Editor | October 11

William Davie "It is the indispensable duty of every Legislature to consult the happiness of a rising generation - by paying the strictest attention to their education." Paul Green "The University is like a lighthouse which throws a beam out to the far horizons of the South, yet is dark at its own base." John Hill

Opinion Editor justifies firing of Tuesday columnist

By CHRIS COLETTA | September 15

Might as well get to the point: I fired Jillian Bandes yesterday. And not because I thought she was a racist or an idiot. She is, in fact, neither - and even if she were, I wouldn't have fired her for those reasons. I fired her because she strung together quotes out of context. She took sources' words out of context. She misled those sources when she conducted interviews. In other words, she conducted journalistic malpractice, and that's simply not something I, or The Daily Tar Heel, will tolerate.

Learn more about your representatives from Student Congress today in the Pit

By Staff Editor | November 30

TO THE EDITOR: What is Student Congress? What does Student Congress do? Who are my representatives? How can I get involved? Today from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Pit, you can get your questions answered about Congress. The Outreach Committee of Student Congress will host Meet Your Representative Day so that you can become better acquainted with your representatives and Congress.

Gell set to speak about serving time on death row for murder he didn't commit

By Staff Editor | November 30

TO THE EDITOR: Since 1977, at least six people have been wrongfully convicted of first-degree murder in North Carolina. That means that for every seven people executed in our state, one innocent person has been released from death row. Unless current flaws can be addressed, the next innocent inmate might not be so lucky.

Future fashion is an especially tricky trend for me to predict

By Ed Bowman | November 30

I think fashion is fascinating. New fashions are always a complete surprise to me. I never even have a vague idea of what they are going to be. I could probably make educated forecasts on the future of the economy, social norms and television programs - but I couldn't predict one color other than black. This is probably because I don't have the remotest fashion sense. It consists of one question: "Would women like to see me wearing this?"

Creating conflicts

By Staff Editor | November 30

Student Body President Matt Calabria has decided to allow students serving in the executive branch of student government to engage in campaign activity without resigning their posts. But it's not a good idea to let prominent executive branch officials, such as officers and Cabinet members, participate in campus campaigns during the spring. It could create major conflicts of interest.

Time to take pause

By Staff Editor | November 30

On Monday, a Guilford County judge stayed the execution of Charles Walker for the 1992 murder of Tito Davidson. Superior Court Judge John Craig made the right decision. Walker's execution should have been stayed - and all other state executions should be delayed to allow for a two-year death penalty moratorium so officials can examine the system.

Impeding progress

By Staff Editor | November 30

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is staying true to its mission by putting pressure on the University to ensure that it isn't causing animals to suffer as test subjects for insufficient reasons. But the group would do serious and unjustified damage to UNC if its letter to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism succeeds in stemming the flow of certain federal research funds to the University.

No more frivolity

By Staff Editor | November 29

Americans live in a litigious society. In one sense, this is a good thing - if people believe they have been wronged or mistreated, they can bring their grievances before the courts. But as has been proven, the impulse to file charges or suits against others can easily get out of hand.

The final stretch

By Staff Editor | November 29

Thanksgiving Break's come and gone, and we've come upon the last week of classes. This last stretch might seem hopeless for some and tantalizingly close to a finish for others, but regardless of situations or expectations, we should all keep in mind the timeless and perhaps clich

New school rules

By Staff Editor | November 29

When lawmakers look at education, they usually focus on funding priorities, teacher certification and test standardization. Slightly lower on the scale are the needs of autistic children and other students who require special treatment in public schools. It's time for N.C. legislators to pay closer attention to these students and to implement new guidelines or rules about how teachers treat them - because recent evidence suggests that some kids could use the help of policy-makers.

Dismissal of justice

By Staff Editor | November 24

State legislators would do well to repair a situation in which more than 10,000 drunk driving cases are dismissed each year, according to an analysis by The Charlotte Observer. That's one in every five suspects who gets off free - and that's simply too many cases that are slipping through the cracks. The Observer found that the charges primarily are dismissed not because of weak evidence but because either police officers or the suspects don't show up for their court dates.

Time to fight back

By Staff Editor | November 24

Roy Cooper, the state's attorney general, took a necessary step last week when he made clear his intention to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency unless it addresses potential violations of the Clean Air Act by groups in other states. The Tennessee Valley Authority, which Cooper also plans to sue, and other government agencies in nearby states should be held accountable for evidence that coal-fired power plants in those states are contributing to air pollution in North Carolina.

Sit down and talk

By Staff Editor | November 24

Recently, there's been some bad blood between the UNC-system Association of Student Governments and UNC-Chapel Hill's student leaders. UNC-CH Student Body President Matt Calabria shouldn't allow that blood to thicken. Despite his assertion that this campus would be better off doing "its own thing," the University and the ASG need each other. Calabria wrote ASG President Amanda Devore a five-page letter detailing his complaints about the association. Devore responded with 10 pages that included rebuttals of some of Calabria's claims.

A no-win situation

By Staff Editor | November 23

In making a decision to withdraw its financial support from WUNC-FM, Ipas has made a move that harms both the Chapel Hill-based international women's heath group and the radio station. WUNC has lost the backing of one of its sponsors, and Ipas has abandoned a valuable medium through which it could advertise its services to a needy public. Ipas canceled its sponsorship of WUNC after the station eliminated the term "reproductive rights" from an underwriting announcement.

You're staying here

By Staff Editor | November 23

Football coach John Bunting experienced two personal victories Saturday. One was beating Duke in convincing fashion to reclaim the Victory Bell, which the Blue Devils snatched away from the Tar Heels last season. The second was a Saturday announcement by UNC Chancellor James Moeser that he would recommend a two-year contract extension for Bunting to the University's Board of Trustees. Any rumors about Bunting's job going to someone else next year effectively have been quashed.