Scooters -- those little motorized two-wheeled vehicles that occupy a niche on the evolutionary scale somewhere between bicycles and motorcyles -- have heretofore been subject to no regulations on campus, other than a seldom-enforced prohibition on their use on sidewalks. We've heard no indication that their presence has been a nuisance or danger to anyone, and so up to now scooter riders have been free to come and go as they please. Some of them chain their scooters up to bicycle racks; others just prop them up outside the building while they go to class.

"They're not governed," said Carolyn Efland, associate vice chancellor for campus services. "They just go anywhere."

Why that's a big problem, we're not sure. But with gas prices up and the economy down, though, more people have ditched their cars in favor of scooters. They're a lot less expensive, more mobile and more environmentally friendly than the old sedan.

The administration has seen the rise in scooter use, and in response has initiated new regulations and fees. Scooters would be required to be parked in designated spaces, and users would have to pay for the privilege: a one-year scooter permit would run between $174 and $371 for university employees, and $175 for students ($44 for those who already have a campus parking permit).

Those are much higher than the fees charged by the other Triangle universities. N.C. State's scooter permit costs $60 ($5 if you have a parking permit), and Duke's are $25 (free if you have a parking permit).

Protest against the new rules has been swift and vocal, and the university, to its credit, has responded to the outcry with plans to revisit the plan.

UNC should scale those fees way back. Although officials say the proposed fee structure isn't just a way to cash in on a hot trend, that sure is what it looks like. The university should be encouraging, not discouraging, the use of scooters as an alternative to cars.

Roses to the UNC athletic program, which this year finished second to Stanford in the Directors Cup, which measures overall excellence in intercollegiate sports.

There's no shame in coming in behind the Cardinal (Stanford's teams are named for the color, not the bird; hence the singular nickname). Stanford always wins this thing. Carolina won the very first one, and Stanford has captured 15 in a row since then.

Carolina traditionally does well in the Directors Cup standings; this is the seventh time in the past eight years that UNC has finished in the top 10. The rest of the Atlantic Coast Conference put together has managed just five top-10 finishes in the history of the Cup.

Even by Carolina's usually high standards, though, the 2008-09 season was a special one. UNC reached the NCAA finals in four sports, including both men's and women's soccer. The baseball team reached the College World Series for the fourth straight year. The football team went to a bowl game for the first time in four years. And you might remember a little bit of hullabaloo over a certain basketball game back in early April.

Please send suggestions for Roses & Raspberries to Dave Hart, associate editor, at dhart@nando.com