Government

You may have seen the news reports on the so-called "academic bill of rights" proposed in the legislature a couple of weeks ago. This legislation, similar to bills now in vogue in conservative circles across the country, aims to end so-called liberal bias in academia.

The bill's sponsor, Republican Senator Andrew Brock said that as written, the bill would protect the "conservative train of thought."

The chairman of UNC Chapel Hill's College Republicans acknowledged that "Not everyone's out to get conservatives. That's just part of the partisan rhetoric But there are some out there, and that's what the Academic Bill of Rights is for -- to create guidelines."

In particular, the right is concerned about studies that show professors are more likely to be registered as Democrats than as Republicans. They suggest that this reflects a bias in academia.

I've noticed a lot of people grumbling lately about the Town of Chapel Hill's "Percent for Art" Program, which designates 1% of the budget for new facilities toward public art. Some penny pinchers feel this expenditure is extravagant during our current budget squeeze. I disagree.

Creativity is a fundamental part of humanity. I picture a world without art as something between George Orwell's "1984" and Cary - in short, not a place I want to be. We live in a community that is uniquely expressive. For example look at Franklin Street on Halloween, you will see thousands of adults publicly expressing their creativity and humor. This is not something that happens in other towns.

On her blog, Council Member Sally Greene wrote a thoughtful response to the Chamber of Commerce Director Aaron Nelson's questions of why the new Town Operations Center should waste money on public art. According to the Chapel Hill Public Arts Commission:

OWASA cordially invites citizens to participate in a community outreach meeting on Thursday night, March 31st at 7:00 pm to discuss our plans for the future and to receive comments and questions from customers.

The meeting in the Century Hall at the Carrboro Century Center, 100 North Greensboro Street, will begin with a presentation on questions such as:

• Will our community have enough water when the next major drought occurs?
• How much water per day can our existing lakes provide in a drought?
• How much will water use rise in coming decades?
• What is OWASA doing to prepare for future growth in water demand?
• How important is the future reuse of highly treated wastewater for non-drinking purposes?
• How important is water conservation for our community's future?
• Can we have an adequate water supply for the long term with our locally-protected water sources?

The floor will then be open for questions and comments about any of OWASA's plans, services and policies.