Fueled by the recent assault on a UNC student in Chapel Hill, a bill has been introduced in the NC Senate to include sexual orientation in hate crime law. Jon Sanders, writing in The Daily Tar Heel’s Viewpoints online debate, noted that the Feb. 25 attack was already illegal and since current law didn’t prevent it, neither would an expanded law. Sanders detailed current law to support his point and added that it’s important not to focus on a symbolic action when the real issue is the awful attack. “As the law stands now, the assailants would already face heightened sentencing because of aggravating factors,” he wrote.