DKE house honors memory of former president
Inside the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity house, Courtland Smith is still alive.
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Inside the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity house, Courtland Smith is still alive.
Updated: 3:15 p.m. with statement from survivor’s family.
UNC opened its new sports medicine center Friday after $8.3 million in renovations.
After spending more than a century on UNC’s campus, The Daily Tar Heel is going back to its roots.
Fraternity leaders in UNC’s Interfraternity Council hope the newly proposed IFC executive director position will serve as their advocate — but the position has yet to be defined. The position was proposed to the UNC Board of Trustees on May 27 as part of a review of the Greek system conducted by Jordan Whichard, a UNC alumnus and former president of Phi Gamma Delta who had been reviewing the system since hired by the University in January. According to Whichard’s report, the “job will be to work closely with chapters, the undergraduate IFC and IFC Judicial Board (IFCJB), as well as the University.” Though Whichard proposed the position, it’s unclear what the next step is. “I have passed these recommendations to the University and the IFC and the Fraternity Alumni Association, and they are kind of working on that,” Whichard said. “But my understanding is that they hope to fund and hire a full-time person who has a background and knowledge of fraternities and can be a motivator and mentor for young men who are engaged in this process.”The Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life deferred all comments about the position to Winston Crisp, vice chancellor for student affairs, who could not be reached for comment.According to Whichard, the position will be given a job description and salary by members of the IFC and alumni associate as early as this summer. John Hughes, a UNC alumnus elected to lead the search for the position, could also not be reached for comment. But IFC leaders already know what they want the position to look like. “This guy will be our adviser and not our boss,” said Wright Lewallen, IFC’s vice president of recruitment and a member of Phi Gamma Delta. “We’re employing him. He’s only here to help us and, when need be, he can be a father-like figure. “We want this guy to be our official advocate between us and the University and the (Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life),” Lewallen said. The office currently oversees the IFC, the Panhellenic Council, the National Pan Hellenic Council and the Greek Alliance Council. IFC leaders believe a separate director will work to their benefit. “I like the idea of … someone we can go to who has actually been in the fraternity system who can give us guidance,” said William Decosimo, president of the IFC fraternity Chi Psi. “Because all the councils are different, to have one person in charge of all those is a really difficult job.” Other council leaders have expressed concern.“If they’re more separate from Panhellenic in the future, then I’m worried that connections may be weakened,” said Rhea Keller, president of the Panhellenic Council, which works closest with the IFC. “I do think the position is a good idea and I’m interested in where it will go. Anything positive for them will have a positive effect on us, but I don’t know how it will affect Greek unity in the future.”Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
A proposal presented to the UNC Board of Trustees would establish an executive director, alumni association and an improved judicial process for members of the Interfraternity Council. Greeks were spotlighted in the fall of 2009 after Delta Kappa Epsilon President Courtland Smith was shot to death by police and three members of the Chi Omega sorority were arrested on cocaine charges. Jordan Whichard, a UNC alumnus and former president of Phi Gamma Delta, was asked by the University in January to conduct a review of its Greek system.Whichard’s proposal has three main goals: to restructure the self-governance process while enhancing alumni participation; to “promote and support responsible management of IFC activities”; and to promote academic success and community involvement. The Greek system includes four councils: the IFC, the National Panhellenic Council, the Panhellenic Council and the Greek Alliance Council. But in his report, Whichard focused only on the IFC. “If in fact this process is seen to be yielding positive results, you will see other areas where there are weaknesses across the other councils, and they’ll have incentive to improve,” Whichard said. Other council leaders agree. “It can only benefit us if the IFC system becomes stronger,” said Rhea Keller, president of the Panhellenic Council, which governs 10 sororities with houses.To improve the IFC, Whichard proposed the creation of a Fraternity Alumni Association that would increase alumni oversight in fraternity affairs. IFC fraternity presidents believe this would be beneficial — and all 24 support change within the system. “I think participation with alumni is definitely very useful,” said William Decosimo, president of the IFC fraternity Chi Psi. “My fraternity is lucky to have involved alumni, I don’t know how you’d have a good fraternity without that kind of involvement.”A full-time IFC executive director would work with IFC members, alumni, parents and the UNC Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life. The job description and funding for this position is to be determined by a committee of alumni and current IFC members, according to Whichard.This position, in addition to guiding alumni oversight, would help fraternities to be more responsibly managed through providing educational opportunities and resources about commonly faced hazards such as alcohol abuse and sexual misconduct, according to Whichard’s report. The position would work closely with the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life. “My understanding is that they hope to fund and hire a full-time person who has a background and knowledge of both fraternities and can be a motivator and mentor for young men who are engaged in this process,” Whichard said. Jenny Levering, assistant dean of fraternity and sorority life, deferred all comments to Winston Crisp, vice chancellor for student affairs, who could not be reached for comment. The current IFC self-governance process would also be restructured. With Whichard’s recommendations they would add alumni participation.“I strongly believe the changes being proposed will not only work, but will continue to bring success and a positive image for fraternities at UNC,” said Wright Lewallen, IFC vice president of recruitment. “What is happening is good change that has been needed for quite some time.” Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
UNC doesn’t want to be like Harvard. In mid-May, an application hoax by a Harvard student was exposed, showing that even the most selective college undergraduate admissions officials can be scammed — and UNC admissions says that it works to avoid that. In order to prevent this, UNC admissions officials say they rely heavily on the Honor Code, a signature from a school counselor and a national database to help them filter through about 23,000 applications a year. “Generally, there’s not a problem,” said Ashley Memory, senior assistant director at the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. “But we have revoked admission before.” The first step to preventing falsified applications, according to Memory, is UNC’s Honor Code. When applying to UNC as a first-year for the fall of 2010, before providing any academic information, all applicants were asked to agree to uphold the Honor Code by checking “yes” or “no.” The application blurbs that the Honor Code “specifically prohibits lying, cheating or stealing and any conduct that impairs significantly the welfare or the education opportunities of others in the University community.” To read the full Honor Code, applicants must visit a separate website — but some students say they didn’t do that. “I don’t think anybody really read into (the Honor Code) in detail,” said Mark Carroll, a junior history major. “It’s just such a long application, that’s one of the smaller things that you wouldn’t ever think about,” Carroll said about signing the Honor Code on the application. Shortly after checking the Honor Code, on the same page, students are asked for their signature to certify that the information on their application is “complete and accurate.” According to the application, without this signature, the University cannot accept the application. The second step UNC takes to prevent Harvard-like mishaps is a counselor statement. High school applicants’ guidance counselors or other school administration officials are asked to verify students’ application information. Transfer students’ applications are verified through their own college officials. “We require a school or college official to verify to the best of their knowledge that (the application) is correct,” Memory said. Finally, UNC admissions officials run all applicant names through a national database. The database ensures that applicants are not enrolled elsewhere, and it also shows records of attendance at other institutions. Memory says that admissions officials have found that students are enrolled in other places, but typically nothing worse. “We have occasionally learned of enrollment at other institutions, like cosmetology institutions,” Memory said. If needed, admissions officials use one final preventative measure. “If there is any doubt at all about an applicant, we reserve the right to run a background check,” Memory said. Many transgressions seem to be applicants’ oversight, Memory said, but even if admissions finds out about it later, students can face the consequences. “Out of 23,000 it’s no guarantee that we’ll catch a bad application,” Memory said. “But we try to prevent that the best we can.” Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
UNC’s current vice chancellor for research and economic development has been selected to be the next provost at the University of Central Florida. Following a nationwide search, Tony Waldrop, who has held his position at UNC since 2001, was selected to be the second-highest ranking officer at UCF. “I’m looking forward to that next challenge,” Waldrop said. His job, which is set to start Aug. 1, will provide academic leadership for the university’s 12 colleges, multiple campuses and research centers.“Tony is a great Tar Heel,” said Chancellor Holden Thorp. “He’s done a great job.” At UCF, the provost oversees academic support services and student services and is responsible for curriculum, academic planning, faculty appointments, development, promotion and tenure decisions.The school has 53,500 students, more than 10,000 employees and external research funding of $121.7 million.In his current position, Waldrop works to keep and improve UNC’s standing as a top research university. According to an e-mail from Thorp to UNC faculty and staff, since Waldrop began his job in 2001, UNC’s research enterprise has grown from $438.7 million to $716 million last year.“He has a great history with the University, and he’s brought the research administration a long way,” Thorp said. “(The University of Central Florida is) lucky to have him.” A former Morehead scholar, Waldrop holds three degrees from UNC: a bachelor’s degree in political science, a master’s in physical education and a Ph.D. in physiology. He also graduated as a top five NCAA student athlete as a member of the UNC track team, where he won two NCAA championships. Before working at UNC, Waldrop was a professor of physiology and vice chancellor for research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. UCF received 93 applications from across the country for the provost position before selecting Waldrop.“It’s something new and exciting for me to do at a place where my ideas of higher education will be in sync with what those are at UCF,” Waldrop said.Thorp said an interim vice chancellor will be announced within a few weeks.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
UNC’s current Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development has been selected to be the next Provost at the University of Central Florida.
Cheat sheets, hands with for- mulas written on them and base- ball hats with answers on the brim have no place at UNC. Especially this week.
UNC-system President Erskine Bowles leads the board of directors of the company that was chosen to develop University Square through a closed process.But University representatives said his relationship with Cousins Properties did not have any effect on the decision to hire the company to develop the 12-acre space acquired last year by the UNC-Chapel Hill Foundation.A company’s board of directors is responsible for representing shareholders and ensuring the company’s executives are leading the firm to success.“He has recused himself from any involvement in any doings related to the University,” said Joni Worthington, vice president for communications for the UNC system. “He will have no impact and no involvement.”Real Estate Holdings, an arm of the UNC-Chapel Hill Foundation, purchased the space — which includes Granville Towers — in June 2008 for $45.75 million.The foundation is a private group associated with UNC-Chapel Hill. It manages properties and other assets for the University.Cousins Properties, a urban, retail, office and residential development company based in Atlanta, has not done much work in North Carolina outside of Charlotte — where Bowles worked as an investment banker before becoming system president.The company plans to tear down much of the existing development and add office space, triple the retail space and build multi-level parking decks. Cousins Properties recently hired an architect and is holding public forums to gather input on what should go in the area.Since the UNC-Chapel Hill Foundation is not technically part of the University, the decision to bring in Cousins Properties was not a public one. The company’s contract has not been released, so it is unknown how much the foundation is paying.
UNC-system President Erskine Bowles leads the board of directors of the company that was chosen to develop University Square through a closed process.But University representatives said his relationship with Cousins Properties did not have any effect on the decision to hire the company to develop the 12-acre space acquired last year by the UNC-Chapel Hill Foundation.A company’s board of directors is responsible for representing shareholders and ensuring the company’s executives are leading the firm to success.“He has recused himself from any involvement in any doings related to the University,” said Joni Worthington, vice president for communications for the UNC system. “He will have no impact and no involvement.”Real Estate Holdings, an arm of the UNC-Chapel Hill Foundation, purchased the space — which includes Granville Towers — in June 2008 for $45.75 million.The foundation is a private group associated with UNC-Chapel Hill. It manages properties and other assets for the University.Cousins Properties, a urban, retail, office and residential development company based in Atlanta, has not done much work in North Carolina outside of Charlotte — where Bowles worked as an investment banker before becoming system president.The company plans to tear down much of the existing development and add office space, triple the retail space and build multi-level parking decks. Cousins Properties recently hired an architect and is holding public forums to gather input on what should go in the area.Since the UNC-Chapel Hill Foundation is not technically part of the University, the decision to bring in Cousins Properties was not a public one. The company’s contract has not been released, so it is unknown how much the foundation is paying.
Student Congress has got its hands full.Members will convene tonight at the biweekly meeting to consider 18 pieces of legislation, an unusually large number of bills and resolutions to consider in one week.Student groups’ requests for funding and an effort to streamline the Student Code prompted this full agenda.“This is just the big whammy,” said Maggie Zhou, member of the rules and judiciary committee, who said it will be difficult to address all the bills in one night.“It’s possible that someone will move to talk about half of them at the next session,” she said.Deanna Santoro, chairwoman of the rules and judiciary committee, said the large number of bills is a reflection of the committee’s ongoing project to clarify the Student Code.“The reason why this is happening is because the rules and judiciary committees in the past have not done their job,” Santoro said. “If you would sit down and read the Code right now, it’s a mess.”The committee is trying to improve the Code, which some members said is outdated and confusing.“We’re trying to make sure our code is streamlined with basic parliamentary procedure,” Santoro said. “We want the Code to be consistent within itself.”Santoro said she does not anticipate a reduction in bills up for consideration in the coming weeks.“Next full Congress, there’s going to be just as many,” she said.Eliminating the pocket vetoCongress will vote tonight to eliminate the pocket veto from the Student Code, a move that Student Body President Jasmin Jones said took her by surprise.Under current law, if Jones does not sign a piece of legislation into effect within 10 class days, the bill automatically becomes law.Santoro said the pocket veto is useless and should be removed from the Student Code.“The pocket veto really serves no purpose in student government,” she said.Jones said she is unsure why Congress wants to eliminate the pocket veto, and would like to discuss the issue further with representatives.“I want to see if there’s any other compromise we can come to. At the end of the day, I am not in agreement with taking it away,” Jones said.Elections appointmentsCongress will consider two regular resolutions regarding the appointment of members to the Board of Elections. The resolutions were passed by the rules and judiciary committee Oct. 6 and must be approved by the majority of Congress tonight to take effect.Rules and judiciary appointed seven students to the Board of Elections, including junior Ryan Morgan, the 2008-09 chairman of the board. Congress will vote to confirm or reject the committee’s appointments.Funding for student groupsOne-third of the bills going before Congress today propose monetary appropriations to student groups.The Tar Heel Rifle & Pistol Club is asking for $30 to cover the cost of ammunition already purchased by the group.The Student Code states that student government funds may be used to rent or lease firearms and says that ammunition may be funded. Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
The B.It might be the most misunderstood letter at UNC. Neither students nor professors can agree on exactly what it represents.For some, it is the mark of adequacy, signifying a performance that doesn’t go above the average and rewards just showing up.“I feel like to get a B here, if you read the textbook and at least study before the exam, depending on the class, and do the work that’s asked of you, and maybe a little outside of that — you can get a B,” said Sarah Peck, a sophomore journalism and English double major.But for others, it represents an above-average performance.“On my syllabus it says adequate completion gets you a B minus,” said sociology professor Andrew Perrin. “Going above and beyond in some way will get you higher than that.”According to University policy, the B is a mark of achievement. It signifies students who have an above average understanding of a subject.Despite a standard definition, there is a fundamental disagreement about how grades are defined and what they mean to students and faculty members. And that disconnect could hinder any potential grading discussion at UNC.“How do you move forward with a policy without understanding what you’re making a policy for?” said Student Body Vice President David Bevevino. Spurred on by an April report that detailed these trends — including a systematic increase in the average grade given out — the Faculty Council will engage in a discussion Friday about the fundamental nature of grading at UNC.Bevevino, an undergraduate student, and Perrin, an associate professor, will lead Friday’s talk.Professors’ perceptionsFaculty members have diverse opinions when it comes to grades, and these differences will be apparent in Friday’s discussion.Some said students are high achievers who earn higher grades, so giving out a larger percentage of A’s and B’s is acceptable.“I believe we have strong students at UNC and they deserve the grades they receive,” said Jackie MacDonald, an assistant professor in the Gillings School of Global Public Health.But other faculty members say students are demanding — from themselves and instructors — that they get high marks, even if they have not earned them.“There is strong resentment on my part that everybody insists that they have to get A’s,” said Moo Cho, a professor in the pharmacy school. “If we give a low average, say 65 or 75, then there is something wrong with this professor or something wrong with this course.”Grading practices also diverge, falling into two basic patterns. Grades can be an assessment of an individual student or a comparison against others.UNC’s definition of grades follow the first philosophy and are meant to signify an individual student’s understanding of subject material regardless of how other students perform. That would mean professors who grade on curves would be going against the official policy.But grades are often used as a comparison when it comes to class rank and graduate school admissions, which muddies the water.This variety of opinions and practices among UNC’s professors could be part of the reason the trend of grade inflation has persisted, faculty members said.The average gradeThe other half of the grading relationship — the students — have a more unified take on grades.They expect a B when they take a class. While they view an A as a mark of high achievement, a C marks an inadequate performance in their eyes.These views go against UNC’s standard policy, which says a C is “a totally acceptable performance.”But the actual numbers seem to belie this definition. Among the report’s findings was that 85 percent of grades given out at UNC are either A’s or B’s, above average performances.A’s were given out 45 percent of the time.That number surprised students, who said attaining an A is difficult and time consuming.“I’ve gotten A’s, and I’ve had to work hard for those, but it wasn’t a common thing,” said Patrick Nichols, a sophomore communication studies and history double major. “It wasn’t like I went in thinking ‘Oh, I’m going to get an A in this class.’ I had to work.” While students might not see an A as an easily accessible mark, they differ from the school on the definition of a C.“I feel like they always say, ‘C is average,’ but I feel like it’s kind of below average,” Nichols said. “I feel like B is sort of where everyone wants to be at. B or above. And since C is below that, no one wants to get C’s because it’s below average.”Students view C’s as failures.“I’m extremely disappointed in myself if I get a C,” Peck said.While students have a stake in the Faculty Council’s talks, professors are the ones who distribute grades. It will be up to them to define UNC’s policy and determine what course the University takes, provided they can come to a consensus.Staff writer Neena Vasavan contributed reporting. Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
A former UNC student has been arrested for felony conspiracy to traffic cocaine as part of an ongoing investigation by the Chapel Hill police narcotics division, Chapel Hill police reports state. Benjamin Thomas Nash, 24, of Elizabeth City, turned himself in to police Wednesday after a call from police informed him that a warrant had been issued for his arrest, police said. Nash graduated from UNC in 2006.Nash was present at the 211 Church St. apartment where he and four other current or former UNC students were originally arrested Sept. 15 for cocaine possession, according to police reports. Two of the people arrested face additional charges, including cocaine trafficking, reports state.Two other students were arrested Monday on cocaine possession charges related to the Sept. 15 bust, reports state.On the night of the original arrests, Nash was charged with felony possession of less than one gram of cocaine and misdemeanor possession of four grams of marijuana, according to police reports. He was not informed of the possibility of future charges being filed against him, said Sgt. Jabe Hunter of the Chapel Hill Police Department. The conspiracy to traffic cocaine charge was issued Monday, according to Chapel Hill police reports. Hunter said conspiracy to traffic charges come when police believe the suspect knows drug crimes were committed and is involved.“There has to be some proof that you acted in concert with the others,” Hunter said. “You were knowledgeable and you helped in the fact to commit that crime.” The Chapel Hill narcotics division began its investigation Sept. 9. A judge issued a search warrant for the 211 Church St. apartment Sept. 15.The warrant states that during the week of Sept. 6, a confidential informant told Chapel Hill narcotics investigators that two people were selling cocaine out of the Church Street apartment. The ongoing investigation led them to Nash’s additional charge. In the original warrant, the informant identified the sellers as a white man in his early 20s going by the nickname “J-Ply” and a white woman in her early 20s named Eliza Vaughan, according to the warrant. Police purchased cocaine from former student Jonathan Ray Plymale, 22, at the apartment of junior Eliza McQuail Vaughan, 21, one week before the two were found with almost 200 grams of cocaine, the warrant states.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
Two more students were charged with cocaine possession Monday despite the fact that police did not find any drugs on them.The arrests were tied to the Sept. 15 bust involving five current or former UNC students.Elizabeth Roberts Cogdell, 19, of Fayetteville, and Sarah Thomas Coxe, 19, of Gatesville, were arrested at 828 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Chapel Hill police reports state. That is the address of the Chapel Hill Police Department headquarters.Both were present at a 211 Church St. apartment on Sept. 15 when police arrested five others for involvement with cocaine, said Investigations Capt. Leo Vereen of the Chapel Hill police. At the time of the Sept. 15 arrests, police found that neither Cogdell nor Coxe had cocaine in her possession, Vereen said.Police then conferred with the district attorney’s office to see whether the women could face charges.“He advised us to go ahead, and that’s what they did,” Vereen said.On Monday, Cogdell and Coxe were charged with constructive possession.“That means that where they were positioned, there was cocaine right in their vicinity,” Vereen said. “It was not in their possession, but it was right where they were sitting.”At the time of the Sept. 15 bust, both women were told of the potential charges, Vereen said.Police contacted Cogdell and Coxe to inform them that warrants had been issued for their arrests. According to police reports, warrants for both women were issued Monday. Both Cogdell and Coxe turned themselves in that day.Cogdell and Coxe’s arrests bring the total number of current or former students arrested on cocaine charges to seven.On Sept. 15, Jonathan Ray Plymale, 22, of Greensboro, and Eliza McQuail Vaughan, 21, of Nags Head, were charged with trafficking and cocaine possession with intent to distribute after police found them with about 77 grams of cocaine, according to Chapel Hill police reports.Police found an additional 121 grams at Plymale’s apartment at 107 Fraternity Court following the arrest, reports state. The building, not an official fraternity, houses Sigma Alpha Epsilon members.Benjamin Thomas Nash, 24, of Elizabeth City, was also charged with felony possession of cocaine and misdemeanor possession of marijuana.Two others, Julianne Kornegay Howard, 19, of Greensboro, and Hugh Graham Jones, 22, of Chapel Hill, were charged with felony possession of less than two grams of cocaine, reports state. Howard listed her address on the reports as 313 E. Franklin St., the Chi Omega sorority house.Coxe’s address is also listed as the Chi Omega house. Cogdell’s Facebook profile lists her involvement with the same sorority.Representatives from Chi Omega could not be reached for comment. Cogdell could not be reached for comment, and Coxe declined to comment.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
Two more students were arrested Monday and charged with cocaine possession, Chapel Hill police reports state.
The arrest of five current or former students has heightened awareness of cocaine use at UNC, but statistics show that illegal drug abuse is not widespread among students.Still, members of the campus community say survey results might not tell the whole story, and many have conflicting opinions about the pervasiveness of cocaine and other illegal drugs. A survey released in June by the American College Health Association found that 5.3 percent of UNC students admitted using cocaine. That number is almost a quarter of those who admitted to using marijuana.The survey asked 572 UNC students how frequently they used a variety of both legal and illegal substances.While the statistics paint a picture of limited drug use on campus, community members say the amount of drug use is always changing.Dorothy Bernholz, director of UNC Student Legal Services and a staff attorney, described cocaine usage at UNC as “cyclical,” with times when cocaine is more prevalent at the University than others. “I graduated in 1963. I’m not aware of drugs ever leaving,” Bernholz said. “There’s always been drug use associated with the student population.”Since the survey simply asked students to be honest about their drug experience, it might not be an accurate assessment of use.Students and administrators have different perceptions of how pervasive drugs are among students, as well as which corners of the University deal with them the most.The Greek community has faced particular scrutiny because three of the five people arrested Sept. 15 had ties to Greek organizations.Jonathan Ray Plymale, 22, of Greensboro and Eliza McQuail Vaughan, 21, of Nags Head were charged with trafficking and cocaine possession with intent to distribute after police found them with about 77 grams of cocaine, according to Chapel Hill police reports.Police found an additional 121 grams at Plymale’s apartment at 107 Fraternity Court following the arrest, reports state. The building, not an official fraternity, houses Sigma Alpha Epsilon members and is located next to fraternity houses.Two other people, Julianne Kornegay Howard, 19, of Greensboro and Hugh Graham Jones, 22, of Chapel Hill, were charged with felony possession of less than two grams of cocaine, reports state. Howard listed her address on the reports as the Chi Omega sorority house.Paige Wilcox, a senior from Charlotte and former member of the Chi Omega sorority, said she never witnessed cocaine use among the members of her sorority.“Honestly, I never saw anyone do coke the whole time I was in Chi O,” Wilcox said. “I never came across it.”Some students have different perceptions. “I wouldn’t straight-up associate it with the Greeks,” said Camile Jones, a sophomore from Marietta, Ga. But she added that she had heard students had used cocaine at Greek parties.Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Winston Crisp said the issue is not confined to the Greek community and is fairly widespread.“I think it is an issue across the student body,” Crisp said. “I think certain areas get more attention from the media.”While numbers show that use might not be widespread, authorities said students do use drugs.“I would say that drug possession cases in general, without getting into the specifics about the kind of drug, are not uncommon to see in the Honor System,” said Scott Gallisdorfer, the undergraduate student attorney general.According to the UNC Honor System’s Web site, possession of schedule I or II narcotics, including cocaine, results in a minimum punishment of a semester-long suspension. The sale of these drugs results in immediate expulsion.
Police found an additional 121 grams of cocaine Tuesday night in the apartment of one of five Chapel Hill residents arrested earlier that day on drug charges.Police searched Jonathan Ray Plymale’s apartment at 107 Fraternity Court after he was arrested off campus at about 10 p.m. Tuesday, said Chapel Hill police spokesman Lt. Kevin Gunter. It was there that police located the additional drugs, Gunter said.The building at 107 Fraternity Court is not an official fraternity house. It is a set of apartments that houses members of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.Plymale, 22, of Greensboro, and UNC junior Eliza McQuail Vaughan, 21, of Nags Head, were originally charged with trafficking and cocaine possession with the intent to distribute after police found them with 197.6 grams of cocaine, Chapel Hill police reports state.Both also were charged with conspiracy to commit a felony, maintaining a dwelling to keep drugs and misdemeanor counts of drug paraphernalia.Two other people, Julianne Kornegay Howard, 19, a sophomore from Greensboro, and Hugh Graham Jones, 22, of Chapel Hill, were arrested and charged with felony possession of less than two grams of cocaine, reports state.Benjamin Thomas Nash, 24, of Elizabeth City, was arrested and charged with felony possession of less than one gram of cocaine, the reports state. He was also charged with misdemeanor possession of four grams of marijuana.The street value of the drug is about $60 per gram, said two students who said they have purchased cocaine in Chapel Hill. At that price, the amount recovered this week would be worth about $19,116 to the people selling it. Plymale, Howard and Jones have ties to UNC’s fraternity and sorority system. On Plymale’s Facebook page, he lists himself as a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Howard’s residence is listed as the address of the Chi Omega sorority house. Jones has been affiliated with the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. The other two people arrested have not been tied to the Greek system.Melissa Biediger, Panhellenic Council president, declined to comment on the arrests.UNC Department of Public Safety spokesman Randy Young said Tuesday’s drug arrests are an isolated incident and not a common University trend.“We do get a small number of charges and incidents involving marijuana, but this is fairly rare,” Young said. He said UNC police typically deal with underage alcohol use.Gunter declined to comment on Tuesday’s arrests, saying an investigation is ongoing. As of Thursday afternoon, police officials had not returned the search warrant executed in the arrests to court.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
Chapel Hill police arrested five people, all of whom are or have been UNC students, after finding them with 197.6 grams of cocaine Tuesday night. The bust at 211 Church St. came as part of an investigation by the police narcotics division into drug use in the town of Chapel Hill.Jonathan Ray Plymale, 22, of Greensboro, and Eliza McQuail Vaughan, 21, of Nags Head, were arrested and charged with trafficking and cocaine possession with the intent to distribute.Plymale was scheduled to graduate in May 2009. Vaughan is a junior.Both were also charged with conspiracy to commit a felony, maintaining a dwelling to keep drugs, and misdemeanor counts of drug paraphernalia. Julianne Kornegay Howard, 19, a sophomore from Greensboro, and Hugh Graham Jones, 22, of Chapel Hill, were arrested and charged with felony possession of less than two grams of cocaine.Howard’s address is listed as 313 E. Franklin St. — the location of the Chi Omega sorority house.Benjamin Thomas Nash, 24, of Elizabeth City, was charged with felony possession of less than one gram of cocaine and a misdemeanor for possession of four grams of marijuana. He told police that he is a UNC student.Texts provided to The Daily Tar Heel indicate that at about 9 p.m. Tuesday, Vaughan sent a text message to a large number of people saying “im straight on fire,” a slang way to indicate that drugs are available for purchase. At 10 p.m., the five were arrested.Plymale and Vaughan were both arrested and brought to the Orange County Jail on Wednesday morning. Their bonds of $15,000 each were both secured, and they were released the same day.Because they had smaller amounts of drugs, Howard, Jones, and Nash were not taken to jail. Sgt. Tommy Crawford of the Orange County Jail, said individuals charged with possession of smaller amounts of drugs are usually given a ticket or taken to the magistrate’s office to sign themselves out. Flora Parrish, records supervisor for Chapel Hill police, said the amount of cocaine the police discovered was unusually large.“Usually we get point-something. This is 100-point-something. That’s a lot.”Plymale and Vaughan are listed on Facebook as in a relationship with each other. Plymale’s Facebook page also lists his involvement with the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. He worked for the Chapel Hill law firm Massengale & Ozer for three months in the summer of 2008, but is no longer employed there. Members of Chi Omega and Sigma Alpha Epsilon have been instructed not to talk.Lt. Kevin Gunter, spokesman for the Chapel Hill Police Department, said the investigation is ongoing.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.