Grand Finale: All Questions Are Answered

In fact, I think proving people wrong or making them look bad is what motivates many of us.

Sure, we have our own goals that we make for ourselves to maximize our potential, but often people try to provide a roadblock to what we think is an otherwise smooth road and we subsequently try to overcome that barrier. The key is finding the correct detour to keep us focused on our progress.

We all know the story about how Michael Jordan got cut from his high school basketball team. That coach who cut him was his roadblock. However, Michael took the correct detour and eventually found himself at the "Southern Part of Heaven" and later on top of the world.

I threw a lot of things out there this semester, and people were often quick to dismiss what I had to say and provide me with my own roadblock. But hey, I'm still here, and I'm going to try one last time to expose a few truths.

Truth No. 1: The roadblock to UNC becoming the number one public university is the 18 percent rule -- the maximum percentage of out-of-state students that the University is allowed to enroll.

The University of California-Berkeley, the University of Michigan and the University of Virginia -- the University of Vociferous Arrogance, as I called it before -- will continue to outrank us in the U.S. News & World Report college rankings unless we alter the 18 percent rule.

As the flagship public university of the state, we have a commitment to provide for North Carolina's students. But if we continue to so severely limit the number of out-of-state students who can attend UNC, we will commit ourselves to a perpetual decline in our reputation.

Michigan's out-of-state enrollment is 39 percent, and UVa.'s is 30 percent. (Although Berkeley's is only 11 percent, it draws from a larger population of well-qualified in-state students.)

I'm not suggesting that we raise out-of-state enrollment to 40 percent, but an increase to 23 percent or 25 percent could enhance our national reputation.

Out-of-state students pay more than in-state students, so the extra money could help fund projects that the University claims it so desperately needs.

Having said all this, I think it does speak to the quality of the student body that we are able to remain a top-five public with such a comparatively small out-of-state enrollment.

Truth No. 2: The roadblock to decreasing binge drinking is the 21-to-drink rule. If we lowered the legal drinking age to 18, it might inhibit the binge-drinking culture found at many colleges.

Because many students turn 21 during their junior year in college, younger freshman and sophomores are going to inevitably have access to it.

Some argue that 18-year-olds aren't capable of making informed decisions about drinking. But if it wasn't for this barrier, then they would not feel as the need to overindulge when they do get access to alcohol.

We often try to do what people tell us we can't accomplish. Thus, if you tell an 18-year-old he can't have beer, he will find the right outlet to get it and shove the rule back in your face.

I'm running out of room here, so here are a few more things for you to ponder: Assumptions are the roadblock to understanding -- all black people don't represent one cause despite how much you "assume" they self-segregate at the White Cultural Center that is UNC.

Lack of discussion is the roadblock to compromise -- thus I threw out an idea like the ratio at UNC to promote discussion because I was tired of the one-sided view of the issue.

And reading this column during class is the roadblock to you doing well, so stop now.

Ken would like to thank all of the people who provided negative views to his column because they motivated him to keep going because "anything less than the best is felony" (one last Ice quote for my boy CC). You can reach Ken with any final comments at kchandle@email.unc.edu.