NC, be warned: David Tepper seems to following a pattern

UNCSA

The UNC School of the Arts is finally being exposed for the abuse that defined its teaching practices for almost 60 years.

In two lawsuits filed last year, 58 of UNCSA’s high school and college alumni detailed decades of horrific sexual misconduct by instructors, with many saying that the abuse was enabled by administrators who failed to act.

Under the current chancellor, Brian Cole, UNCSA’s expertly maintained facade of excellence is slowly crumbling. But this crisis can also be viewed as an opportunity. The school now has a chance to lead by example in changing the landscape of fine arts education. That work will be painful, complex and contradictory to the existing conservatory model. But it must begin.

It should begin with Cole’s removal. Then, the school’s non-complicit leaders, student body, influential alumni and the state must chart a course for the future that will prioritize student safety over production calendars. We can’t wait any longer.

Joseph McNamara Hefner, Winston-Salem

Free school lunch

I’m writing in response to the June 6 editorial concerning school lunches. I understand the reasoning of those who want to determine eligibility based on family income instead of providing free breakfast and lunch for everyone. But not every high-income family has a concerned parent fixing breakfast or providing for lunch or combing hair or helping little ones get dressed. Better to feed everyone than let a child go hungry.

C. G. Kilburn, Monroe

Stolen guns

The number of guns seized this year by Charlotte police is 40% higher than the average of the past five years! With rights come responsibilities. Guns should be registered to the original owner and that owner held responsible until the gun is legally transferred to a new owner. That simple approach works for cars.

We need to focus on gun safety, not gun control. We need to focus on “a well-ordered militia.” If military-type guns are sold, the purchaser should participate in regular drills to be sure they understand how and when to use their military equipment.

Charles Ress, Cornelius

Weapon of choice?

In response to the debate over assault weapons, one Republican senator said the AR-15 had become the weapon of choice for shooting feral pigs. Nobody who gets joy from shooting pigs should lose his weapon of choice! Well, senator, the AR-15 has become the weapon of choice for shooting little children in schools and grandmothers in grocery stores.

Joel B. Miller, Hickory

Mid-term elections

There has been a constant drumbeat about how the Democratic Party’s chances in the fall mid-term elections are bleak. The GOP will add dozens of seats in the House, and President Biden will be powerless to resist the MAGA-fueled rage of a Republican Congress unbound. But American voters may deal such conventional wisdom a blow. The overreach of GOP governors on abortion, LGBTQ matters and assault weapons plus the activist conservative majority on the Supreme Court, coupled with a booming economy may lead many Americans to buck the politically correct line and vote to increase the Democratic majorities in the House and Senate.

Michael A. Clark, Charlotte