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Obstacles and opportunities

On a sun-splashed morning at N.C. A&T last week, UNC President Tom Ross might have been forgiven if he’d opted for a pair of rose-colored glasses to go with his cap and gown.

But Ross, a Greensboro native and Grimsley High School alumnus, delivered an inaugural speech that squarely acknowledged the stiff challenges facing the state’s university system.

And still set out a bold vision.

Among the hard truths: $414 million in budget cuts that have cost jobs, classes and whole academic programs.

But Ross, the 17th UNC president and second in a row from Greensboro, following Erskine Bowles, also rightly saw opportunities for UNC’s 17 campuses to get better, even in the midst of adversity. Among Ross’ charge to his colleagues:

-- Aggressively work to find additional funding to supplement their state allocation.

-- Raise minimum admissions standards, as is happening already at UNCG and A&T.

-- Work with the public schools and community colleges to ensure that more applicants are able to meet those standards.

-- Pool resources and merge operations where possible, as UNCG and A&T also already have done in some cases,  most notably the site of Ross’s inaugural reception, the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering.

-- And play a greater role in the health and growth of state and local economies.

Ross is right. Whatever problems lie ahead, the UNC system remains the envy of many states and a key to North Carolina’s future prosperity. With the right focus and leadership, it can and should be a big part of the solution.

It already has the right leadership.

Why occupy Greensboro?

The Occupy Wall Street movement has spread to cities across the country, including Greensboro.

We get targeting Wall Street, the nerve center of corporate greed, crony capitalism and all those other bad things. We don’t see what’s to gain by occupying Greensboro, which is suffering from the lousy economy as much as anywhere.

But here’s a suggestion. The folks who want to be heard in Greensboro have the perfect opportunity Tuesday.

They should spend a few moments occupying voting booths.

Time to face facts

Despite the latest convincing evidence that a chemical once present in drinking water at Camp Lejeune is a carcinogen, the Marine Corps still hasn’t decided whether to alert those whose health may have been affected.

Instead, it clings to an outdated study that there’s no clear connection between the toxic water and chronic illnesses suffered by veterans and civilians who lived in the base before the wells were closed 20 years ago.

Legislation backed by U.S. Rep. Brad Miller and Sens. Richard Burr and Kay Hagan that would to provide health care to the hundreds of people who may have suffered ill effects from drinking the water remains bogged down in committee.

It’s long past time to face the facts, accept responsibility and provide medical care.

The stonewalling must stop.

And then there’ll be two

By Tuesday night, a big and diverse field of City Council candidates, 31 in all, will be a lot smaller. And a field of five mayoral candidates will be winnowed to only two.

Whoever that pair will be, they’ll square off in a debate Oct. 17 at 6 p.m. at the Bryan Auditorium of the Frank Family Science Center at Guilford College.

Sponsored by the Greensboro Neighborhood Congress, Guilford College, News 14 Carolina and the News & Record, the debate will feature questions from the audience as well as from a moderator and a panel of journalists. The public is invited and a reception with city candidates will precede the debate.

As for who the two mayoral finalists are likely to be, who knows? That’s  strictly up to you.

Vote.