UNC-Chapel Hill officials might have thought a book about the economic struggles of America's low-skilled workers would be a safe pick for their freshman summer reading assignment.

But the summer book choice is stirring up trouble again, a year after the emotional debate over an assigned book about the Quran.

A coalition of conservative students calling itself the Committee for a Better Carolina is protesting UNC-CH's assigned book, "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America," by Barbara Ehrenreich. The book chronicles the experiences of its author, who traveled to three U.S. cities and worked low-paid jobs as a waitress, cleaning woman, nursing home assistant and Wal-Mart employee.

The Committee for a Better Carolina says the book has a liberal bias and presents a radical perspective of the U.S. economy.

"It's intellectually dishonest to present only one side," said Michael McKnight, a senior from Roanoke Rapids and a leader of the student group. "That's not what education is all about."

The students said that they would buy a full-page advertisement in The News & Observer for Wednesday and that they plan a news conference at the General Assembly the same day.

Incoming freshmen are expected to read the book and attend discussion sessions during the first week of the semester in August. UNC-CH Provost Robert Shelton said a group of faculty, staff and students chose "Nickel and Dimed" as a way to get students talking about the issue of the income gap in this country.

"That's a topic very worthy of discussion," he said.

He said he's glad students are already debating the book publicly.

"I'm pleased that a group of students is looking at it and formulating their views," he said. "That's exactly what the program is designed to do."

The students say they're not looking for a repeat of last summer's Quran battle, when several students filed a federal lawsuit against the university and the legislature moved to strip funding from the reading program. They say they just want the university to present freshmen with a balance of viewpoints in future reading assignments.

McKnight met with Republican representatives and senators on Monday. He said he expected about a dozen legislators to join students at the news conference.

The group also bought a full-page ad in the June 27 campus newspaper, The Daily Tar Heel, which was mailed to all incoming freshmen and transfer students. McKnight said the ads are financed by donations from the John William Pope Foundation in Raleigh.

McKnight and his fellow protesters point out that Ehrenreich is listed as an honorary chairman of the Democratic Socialists of America on its Web site.

"She describes Wal-Mart in horrible terms," he said. "She really bashes Wal-Mart, and Wal-Mart does so many good things for communities."

Zach Clayton, a freshman from Raleigh, said the university would have been smart to require both "Nickel and Dimed" and "Sam Walton: Made in America: My Story," the autobiography of the Wal-Mart founder.

"I think it's silly to ask students to engage in meaningful discourse without examining both sides," he said. "There's a difference between doing something to indoctrinate students and giving students the opportunity to examine two different approaches to the economy or social issues."

© Copyright 2003, The News & Observer Publishing Company

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