All UNC decisions of late --academics, budget, even coaching choices--make more sense if viewed from the perspective of bubbas who are the majority in the General Assembly. Drifting from The Carolina Way to the Alabama way.
It is a sad day when freedom to satirize is curtailed. What lessons are these young people learning? As one who took part in the college newspaper experience -- a long, long time ago -- I can tell you times have changed.
I thought the Daily Tar Heel was supposed to be independent of the university. I'm sure the university has some sort of leverage over the DTH, but I don't know what that is. Can anyone clarify? Thanks!
My daughter was editor of the DTH almost ten years ago and back then, at least, the paper received zero funding from the university and did not hesitate to call out UNC when it needed to be done. I’ll always be proud of the editorial cartoon that ran when Trump was elected in 2016: a sketch of his ugly face with FUCK in huge letters across it. Doesn’t seem like that would get printed these days.
I was once the chef academic officer of a college (not in NC) and routinely defended the free speech rights of people with whom I disagreed. This is not a hard call. Chancellor Lee has failed the test grotesquely.
I agree. As an alumnus in a family of 3 generations of alumni of that once more progressive flagship state university, I have been losing confidence in its ability to turn out critical thinkers in critical fields, such as journalism, education, legal studies and, yes, liberal arts. Carolina got to the high level that it is by challenging traditional, constrained conservative thinking.
Yes, the chancellor needs to be properly educated, but the entire board of governors has been compromised with conservative “stacking” that began years ago…
Thomas, Something I've learned over the decades (I first matriculated at Chapel Hill in 1958) is how much knowledge of history, depth of empathy and sense of humor is required to understand (and appreciate) satire. Our current Board seems missing a bit here. :-(
Carolina like all of our universities has felt compelled to capitulate to pressure from the Trump administration. I spent my career at Duke which has been equally compliant and conciliatory. It is true that the Republican yahoos on the UNC Board of Governors and the UNC-CH Board of Trustees have their own retrograde notions of what a university should be, but perhaps Chancellor Roberts, the son of Cokie Roberts, would have been more inclined to defend true free speech on campus but for the risk of losing grant funding or having DOJ suits brought against the admissions process at UNC.
We are living in a time where an unhinged felon has the nuclear codes. He's already incited an insurrection, yet been put back in power. He's fired most of the career qualified public servants and is desperately trying to stay in power and out of prison. His physical and mental faculties are failing.
Because of his words, minorities and women and whistleblowers have all been targeted. Judges have been assassinated in their homes. Children have been ripped away from parents, even used as bait. Aid programs have been canceled, resulting in starvation, sickness and death. The world is realigning against the USA. He started a war with no specific objectives and expected NATO to rescue him from his own actions. He again demonstrates he has no intention of ever leaving office voluntarily.
A satirical April Fool's edition of the DTH is one thing. But whether through ignorance, insensitivity or malice, there HAS been harm done. Students do not feel safe.
Calling these real reactions to harms "snowflakes" is white privilege.
I am glad the editors apologized.
I believe more still needs to be done.
If we are to coexist in "peace," it will take active work and intention.
Well said, Thomas. I had a blow up as editor of my Community College paper. It was during the 1980's political correctness nonsense. The college actually instituted a policy of banning words on campus. Chief among them was the so-call "N word".
I hate that word even when my Black friends usr it as a term of endearment.
I was so offended by the absurd censorship that I penned an Op Ed using the word three times - in context of my opinion.
The college Board of Trustees - 7 educated White people - unanimously voted to remove me as editor in an attempt to get me to resign under the threat of suspending further publication of our paper.
I did resign, as I had made my point and exposed the ridiculous hypocracy of banning language on campus.
So far as I can reccolect, I have never used that word in the 40+ years since my editorial, but I jealously gaurd my right to say or write it.
The thought police are having a day in the sun again.
I am glad you wrote about this. Sharing as much as I can.
As an alumni UNC Chapel Hill, this pisses me off even more at the board of of governors and Lee Roberts. They all need to resign.
All UNC decisions of late --academics, budget, even coaching choices--make more sense if viewed from the perspective of bubbas who are the majority in the General Assembly. Drifting from The Carolina Way to the Alabama way.
It is a sad day when freedom to satirize is curtailed. What lessons are these young people learning? As one who took part in the college newspaper experience -- a long, long time ago -- I can tell you times have changed.
Once again, Thomas, you are bell-clear on an important issue at UNC. Thanks for seeing through the fog.
Sad to hear! UNC needs people who will “be rather than to seem”!!!
I’m p
I thought the Daily Tar Heel was supposed to be independent of the university. I'm sure the university has some sort of leverage over the DTH, but I don't know what that is. Can anyone clarify? Thanks!
My daughter was editor of the DTH almost ten years ago and back then, at least, the paper received zero funding from the university and did not hesitate to call out UNC when it needed to be done. I’ll always be proud of the editorial cartoon that ran when Trump was elected in 2016: a sketch of his ugly face with FUCK in huge letters across it. Doesn’t seem like that would get printed these days.
I was once the chef academic officer of a college (not in NC) and routinely defended the free speech rights of people with whom I disagreed. This is not a hard call. Chancellor Lee has failed the test grotesquely.
Thomas don’t forget who Lee Roberts parents are: the late Cokie Roberts and former NY Times Washington Bureau Chief Steven Rbberts
I agree. As an alumnus in a family of 3 generations of alumni of that once more progressive flagship state university, I have been losing confidence in its ability to turn out critical thinkers in critical fields, such as journalism, education, legal studies and, yes, liberal arts. Carolina got to the high level that it is by challenging traditional, constrained conservative thinking.
Yes, the chancellor needs to be properly educated, but the entire board of governors has been compromised with conservative “stacking” that began years ago…
There is not enough oxygen in the air to save the minds of the lost liberal educational institutions in America.
They left reality decades ago.
Thomas, Something I've learned over the decades (I first matriculated at Chapel Hill in 1958) is how much knowledge of history, depth of empathy and sense of humor is required to understand (and appreciate) satire. Our current Board seems missing a bit here. :-(
Carolina like all of our universities has felt compelled to capitulate to pressure from the Trump administration. I spent my career at Duke which has been equally compliant and conciliatory. It is true that the Republican yahoos on the UNC Board of Governors and the UNC-CH Board of Trustees have their own retrograde notions of what a university should be, but perhaps Chancellor Roberts, the son of Cokie Roberts, would have been more inclined to defend true free speech on campus but for the risk of losing grant funding or having DOJ suits brought against the admissions process at UNC.
I think you need to take an L on this one.
We are living in a time where an unhinged felon has the nuclear codes. He's already incited an insurrection, yet been put back in power. He's fired most of the career qualified public servants and is desperately trying to stay in power and out of prison. His physical and mental faculties are failing.
Because of his words, minorities and women and whistleblowers have all been targeted. Judges have been assassinated in their homes. Children have been ripped away from parents, even used as bait. Aid programs have been canceled, resulting in starvation, sickness and death. The world is realigning against the USA. He started a war with no specific objectives and expected NATO to rescue him from his own actions. He again demonstrates he has no intention of ever leaving office voluntarily.
A satirical April Fool's edition of the DTH is one thing. But whether through ignorance, insensitivity or malice, there HAS been harm done. Students do not feel safe.
Calling these real reactions to harms "snowflakes" is white privilege.
I am glad the editors apologized.
I believe more still needs to be done.
If we are to coexist in "peace," it will take active work and intention.
Turn the temperature DOWN, not UP.
That's MY opinion.
I’m wondering whether giving the Governor an ex officio voting seat on the board would cut through some of this nonsense.
Well said, Thomas. I had a blow up as editor of my Community College paper. It was during the 1980's political correctness nonsense. The college actually instituted a policy of banning words on campus. Chief among them was the so-call "N word".
I hate that word even when my Black friends usr it as a term of endearment.
I was so offended by the absurd censorship that I penned an Op Ed using the word three times - in context of my opinion.
The college Board of Trustees - 7 educated White people - unanimously voted to remove me as editor in an attempt to get me to resign under the threat of suspending further publication of our paper.
I did resign, as I had made my point and exposed the ridiculous hypocracy of banning language on campus.
So far as I can reccolect, I have never used that word in the 40+ years since my editorial, but I jealously gaurd my right to say or write it.
The thought police are having a day in the sun again.