UNC shooting: We don’t have to live like this | Opinion
UNC shooting
On Monday, one man with a gun denied 62,000 Chapel Hill residents, 29,469 university students, 13,108 faculty and staff, and more than 11,929 public school students and staff their right to a safe environment. It’s time for the North Carolina General Assembly to uphold its constitutional duty when considering gun legislation. We don’t have to live like this.
Linda C. Belans, Durham
Rising crime
The writer was a Durham City Council member 2003-2015.
Regarding “Durham has unsolved crimes; police response times lag,” (Aug. 25):
Buried in this front-page article was an alarming truth: the Durham police force is short 122 sworn officers and our 911 unit is struggling with a 40% vacancy rate.
I understand the need to address the root causes of crime and I support the HEART mental health assistance program and the Shotspotter detection system. But, it seems like these crucial staff shortages, which have existed for years, are not a top priority for our council. Such neglect wreaks havoc on the overall effectiveness of our police department, including response times and clearance rates.
To be a great city, one must first and foremost be a safe city. Until council changes its priorities and puts more public resources where our safety needs are, crime will escalate and Durham citizens will continue to be placed in harm’s way.
Eugene A. Brown, Durham
Gen Z and beyond
As I read Paige Masten’s Aug. 28 Opinion piece, it occurred to me that the same political class that expresses disdain for Gen Z is busy weaponizing the law to ensure that their children are never exposed to information in the classroom that makes them feel “sad” or “guilty.” I wonder what future editorial writers will have to say about their children.
Randolph Rodgers, Raleigh
Bidenomics
Recently, Vice President Kamala Harris said, “Most Americans are a $400 unexpected expense away from bankruptcy.” Unfortunately, she is right. Bidenomics simply isn’t working. Since Biden took office inflation has surged along with prices of groceries, gas and many other things. When you are at the polls, remember votes for progressives have dire consequences.
Lee T. Hortman, Raleigh
2024 ballot
In recent years, the Democratic Party has made a lot of noise over voter disenfranchisement. They wanted access to mail-in ballots and wanted mail-in ballot deadlines expanded — all in the name of preventing this or that group from being denied their right to vote.
Now, some Democrats are attempting to disenfranchise people through efforts to remove Donald Trump from the 2024 ballot. A substantial segment of the population may be denied the ability to vote for the candidate of their choosing, by the opposing party. Apparently there is a group some Democrats don’t mind disenfranchising.
Mike Pflum, Oak Island
UNC, mental health
The writers direct the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania.
The University of North Carolina has contracted with the University of Pennsylvania to increase student well-being by training UNC instructors to teach the Penn Resilience Program, which includes positive psychology interventions (PPI) and cognitive behavioral interventions.
An Aug. 4 Opinion piece, “UNC has boldly confronted mental health. A new program looks like an exception,” claimed there is little independent evidence that programs based on positive psychology achieve this aim. Yet, there is extensive scientific evidence that demonstrates the effectiveness of PPI and cognitive behavioral interventions in increasing well-being and other positive outcomes.
A 2020 meta-analysis that included 347 studies with over 72,000 participants found that positive psychology interventions significantly increased well-being and quality of life and significantly reduced depression, anxiety and stress. All the studies were published in peer-reviewed science journals. The meta-analysis was carried out by independent researchers, who stated: “This meta-analysis shows that PPIs have an extensive evidence base supporting their effectiveness.”
Peter Schulman
Martin Seligman
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This story was originally published September 3, 2023 at 5:30 AM with the headline "UNC shooting: We don’t have to live like this | Opinion."