Viewpoint
page 4 • friday, february 12, 2010
Technician
{Our view}
The Facts:
Water impurity is unacceptable A
After a test at the bequest of Page Hall occupants, the University revealed that the water-turbidity levels of the building were more than six times higher than suggested levels. Elevated turbidity is known to cause many gastrointestinal illnesses among other ailments.
Our Opinion:
The University has ignored this problem for far too long and is, perhaps, jeopardizing the wellness of the campus community. It must immediately take steps to remedy the situation.
nyone who has ever owned an old car or lived in a dated house can assuredly say that older properties require extra tender, loving care to stay in top condition. While N.C. State certainly isn’t the oldest college in North Carolina, it isn’t necessarily spry either. With almost 123 years under its belt, the University has her old spots, and students, faculty and staff expect a few inconveniences and fragility due to the age of many of the buildings. There is a big difference, though, between problems of age and those of safety. Problems of heating and cooling in Tompkins Hall are almost endearing (except during the dead of winter), but potentially unsanitary drinking water is a
The unsigned editorial is the opinion of the members of Technician’s editorial board excluding the news department and is the responsibility of the Executive Editors.
completely different matter. Students and faculty, alike, can attest to the high amounts of particulate matter University buildings’ water typically sees. The sight of cloudy water (turbidity) or murky water isn’t a pleasant sight, but the campus community can come to terms with it to a point as a result of the campus’ age. What’s not acceptable is to have water that is more than six times the nationally accepted level of turbidity as defined by the Environmental Protection Agency. At the request of Page Hall occupants, the University did a spot test on the cleanliness of its water and discovered that
the water had a nephelolometric turbidity unit rating of 6.1 in addition to elevated iron levels. The state of North Carolina and federal government recommend that drinking water should ideally have turbidity lower than 0.3 NTU. The water sample from Page Hall was more than 20 times higher than that recommendation. Not only is it a cosmetic issue, elevated turbidity correlates to higher levels of disease-causing organisms. These viruses, parasites and bacteria can lead to elevated levels of nausea, cramps, diarrhea and headaches. To potentially subject the
University community to any of those symptoms is completely unacceptable and the University must take some immediate steps to remedy this situation. Other buildings have similarly murky water. To assure the campus community that this is an isolated problem and not an epidemic, the University must immediately obtain water samples for every building and make that information public. The water in Page Hall must be immediately brought in line with state and federal standards and postings of the levels must be posted throughout that building. This is a disgrace to the University; it has some explaining to do.
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Don’t Ask Don’t Tell or tell and get hell?
}
in your words
Is the University’s water clean? Why or why not? by david mabe
P
resident Obama’s State of the Union address contained several points that make even the most conservative ideologist happy. Lower taxes for some, a new generation of nuclear power and a commitment to search for new offshore areas for oil and gas develChad opment. His Rhoades plea for biparStaff Columnist tisan cooperation was also a key point that should not be neglected. Nothing is being accomplished in Congress because the members are simply not willing to work together in fear of losing constituents. However, one element of his speech that I found completely absurd was his promise to end DADT — more commonly known as “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.” DADT was put into effect during the Clinton administration; the policy allows gay men, lesbians and bi-sexuals to serve in the military as long as they do not openly suggest they are gay or commit homosexual acts. T hose who are LGBT will not be invest igated or asked about their sexual orientation by fellow officers or superiors. I a m not suggesting that this act should never be repealed (I’m a little smarter than to suggest that). Let’s put our ideas of morality and feelings about homosexual rights aside for a few moments. We are in the middle of a war and a half right now. How in the world is this the appropriate time to repeal a policy of this nature? The military and our Commander and Chief should be more focused on getting the jobs done in Iraq and Afghanistan before trying to repeal a policy that has been in place for 16 years. The social implications of repealing DADT are completely unknown. The soldiers currently serving could take it in stride, or it could completely blow up and result in hateful
acts of violence. It is impossible to tell. It is apparent that the stresses during wartime would make the repeal much more difficult to accept, whether soldiers are in combat or waiting to be deployed. The military is built with strong units and bonds between men and women. We would hope that those bonds would not be broken if information of this kind is disclosed, but why risk it at this particular time? People in the military look at one another not as males or females, gay or straight but American soldiers. These men and women deserve our respect no matter what their gender, race or sexual orientation because they are voluntarily making sacrifices for our freedom. I just do not understand how openly admitting that a person is homosexual will improve the circumstances that our country and military are facing today. The most dangerous thing about this whole proclamation is that it appears to be only an attempt to maintain constituents. The majority of the LGBT community supported Barack Obama and, like the rest of his supporters, are asking the same question: where is the change? He has done little to prove to this community why they should vote for him in 2012. Our president has had it rough; both Democrats and Republicans can see that, but people want to see action. I think that he should take some of his own advice. Instead of having solid “shortterm politics” there needs to be a deep consideration for the timing and effectiveness for such an appeal. Wartime is not the right time. Unfortunately, for those of you who are just chomping at the bit to see DADT repealed there is an obstacle must first be faced: CONGRESS. We know how difficult it can be. Checks and Balances ftw (for the win).
“... one element of his speech that I found completely absurd was his promise to end DADT.”
Send Chad your thoughts on Don’t Ask Don’t Tell to letters@technicianonline.com.
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{ AskAvani } My suitemate is really clingy. For example, I usually invite her along to hang out, but sometimes I will go out with friends and not tell her where I’m going because she isn’t in the suite. But then, she goes crazy and keeps texting me until I tell her where I am, and then gets pouty for a few days. Now, she wants to live with me next year, but I don’t know what to do because I don’t want to live with her ... Can you help me? Smothered Suitemate
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ow, that’s a sticky situation. Talk to your suitemate. Tell her that it’s nice to spend time with her, but t h at y ou need your space. Let her k now t hat t he constant texting ne e d s t o stop ; you Avani Patel aren’t Staff Columnist available at the moment and if it’s not an emergency you’d rather not be disturbed. Basically, be very frank with her, but be tactful about it. Remember that you will be spending the rest of the semester with her and that you need to maintain a healthy relationship for that sake, if nothing else. HARP is just around the corner, and it’s not fair to her if you spring something like “You need to find new suitemates” on her at short notice. Be straightforward and honest about it. Let her know that you don’t think
living together would be a good idea, and specifically discuss the reasons you feel that way. Who knows? If she gives you your space and takes the crazy down a notch, things could work out! One very important thing: although you and your suitemate may not be best friends, she is a friend to some extent. I’ve learned that no matter what kind of a relationship you sha re w it h another person, it is very important to be the bigger person and strive to keep that relationship as healthy as possible. To put it bluntly, don’t burn your bridges. If you aren’t happy with the way things are with her, or anyone else for that matter, make it a point to be an adult about it and just talk it out. I know it sounds cliché but any relationship, especially one where there are tensions, requires communication. An interesting perspective I ran into this week really changed a lot of things for me:
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any human relationship is not tangible. Rather, it is merely a state of mind that exists between two people. If any force, positive or negative, alters this state of mind it is very crucial to discuss what it is and how it has affected the relationship. Unfortunately enough, we c a n’t hope and pray the other person will just understand our feelings and emotions; it has to be explicitly stated, but in a way that is sensitive to her feelings. Understand, also, that this won’t necessarily be easy. Honesty takes a lot of courage, but this is an issue that needs to be tackled — fast.
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