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(04/25/07 4:00am)
Students wanted a coffee shop, a late-night hangout and a recognizable name to replace the End Zone sports cafe.
A Starbucks, which will fill the Rams Head Center space, will address all three wishes, which were culled from focus groups, said Laura CaJacob, chairwoman of the Student Dining Board.
The End Zone was closed last week after financial woes plagued its two years on campus.
The space should re-open as the coffee shop by late September. Though the schedule isn't set yet, officials said they expect Starbucks to hold hours similar to Alpine Bagel, which closes at 1 a.m.
The upstairs of the End Zone will transition from an arcade to a lounge and study space.
"We were told they needed a quiet place, they needed coffee," said Mike Freeman, director of auxiliary services. "Starbucks is the option."
Additionally, either a Subway or a Quiznos will be added to the Rams Head Market, to be opened at the start of the fall 2007 semester.
CaJacobs said that four focus groups were held, with 10 to 15 students participating in each one. She said interest was so high, students had to be turned away.
"A brand name was what the students really wanted," she said. "We wanted to do something that students could get late night."
Despite the new competition, The Daily Grind coffee shop student manager Stacey Costner said that she doesn't think her coffee shop will be hurt because it isn't close to Rams Head Center.
"I think the location is key to our success," she said.
Student response to the Starbucks announcement has been subdued but mostly positive.
"I think people will go," sophomore Patrick Noto said. "People love Starbucks for some damn reason."
Student body president candidates heavily discussed the End Zone's replacement as a campaign issue earlier this semester.
Student Body President Eve Carson promoted a more student friendly location, which she said the Starbucks will provide.
"As campus moves farther and farther south . there needs to be the same amenities as offered on North Campus," Carson said.
But Carson also said that she was not informed of the focus group results or of any decisions.
"There was definitely a break in communication," she said.
Bojangles' and Taco Bell also surfaced as possibilities in campaigns.
Freeman said CDS decided against that restaurant for End Zone because a Taco Bell will be a part of a renovated Beach Cafe facility at the medical school's Brinkhous Bullitt building in spring 2008.
Freeman said the Rams Head facility does not have the resources to host a Bojangles'.
"It would have cost me a small fortune to modify the building."
Nick Neptune, a student body president candidate who pushed for a Bojangles' said he spoke with Freeman about the problems with hosting that restaurant and now supports the Starbucks.
"I am personally delighted that students will have this coffee shop we had been advocating for."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(04/18/07 4:00am)
Christopher James Bishop, known as Jamie in his five years at UNC, was killed Monday in the tragedy that left 33 dead on the campus of Virginia Tech. He was 35.
Bishop worked as an academic technology liaison at UNC from 2000 until 2005 with the Office of Arts & Sciences Information Services. He also taught an intermediate German course in 2004.
He left UNC to become an adjunct instructor of German and a technology trainer with the Faculty Development Institute at Va. Tech.
He was leading a class in introductory German at about 9:50 a.m. Monday when the gunman aimed at his head and fired, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.
"Jamie's thoughtfulness, energy and laughter made him a wonderful peer and friend to many," his former co-workers said in a collective statement. "His legacy continues to shape the education of thousands of students to this day."
Bishop first was hired at UNC as a temporary employee in 2000, his former supervisor, Jason Li, said.
Bishop later was hired as a full-time employee, working with instructors in language departments and providing one-on-one training in computer applications.
"He was such a motivated, dedicated employee," Li said.
Charlie Green, associate vice chancellor for teaching and learning at Information Technology Services, looked back fondly on his time working with Bishop.
"He was a creative thinker," Green said. "He was someone who saw technology as a creative tool."
One innovation of Bishop's was a way to record students' language practice through laptops. Previously, students had to tape-record their practice and physically bring the tape to their instructor, Green said.
Bishop crafted a software package to record and send the practice digitally - which is of much higher quality and much more efficient.
But Bishop's value was more than just in his work.
"He cared about people," Green said. "He would spend a lot of time making sure people he worked with had everything they needed."
Green said this aspect of his personality is reflected in the fact that Bishop was nominated for an Information Technology award - designed to reward versatility and willingness to go beyond the call of duty - each year he was at UNC.
Bishop's wife, Stefanie Hofer, earned her Ph.D. in Germanic languages from UNC and later taught with Bishop in the German program at Va. Tech.
Bishop was a Fulbright scholar at Christian-Albrechts University in Kiel, Germany, and lived in Heidelberg from 1995 to 1996.
He earned his bachelor's and master's in German at the University of Georgia.
Bishop was also a prolific artist. He had posted an extensive gallery of photos, multimedia projects, graphic designs for book covers and computer-generated images on his Web site - www.memory39.com.
"He was a member of our family," Green said. "He will be deeply missed."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(04/17/07 4:00am)
Christopher James Bishop, known as Jamie in his five years at UNC, was killed Monday in the tragedy that left 33 dead on the campus of Virginia Tech University. He was 35.
Bishop worked as an academic technology liaison at UNC from 2000 until 2005 with the Office of Arts & Sciences Information Services. He also taught an intermediate German course in spring 2004.
He was leading a class in introductory German at about 9:50 a.m. Monday when the gunman aimed at his head and fired, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.
Bishop was hired at UNC as a temporary employee in 2000, his supervisor, Jason Li, said.
He was later hired as a full-time employee.
Bishop's wife, Stefanie Hofer, had lived with him in Carrboro and later taught in the German program at Va. Tech.
Bishop was a Fulbright scholar at Christian-Albrechts University in Kiel, Germany, and lived in Heidelberg from 1995 and 1996.
While there, he taught English at a local University, worked as a freelance translator and collected survey data for his master's thesis on German youth language.
Bishop also enjoyed hiking and movies. He earned his bachelor's and masters in German at the University of Georgia, and remained a fan of the Atlanta Braves baseball team.
In addition to English and German, Bishop also had a reading knowledge of Spanish and Italian.
Read Wednesday's The Daily Tar Heel for the full story.
(04/11/07 4:00am)
Women's soccer coach Anson Dorrance would be forced to take the witness stand, and the University could be responsible for more than $1 million in damages after Monday's decision recommending a sexual harassment lawsuit against him go to trial.
The federal Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court's October 2004 ruling, which threw out a lawsuit filed by former UNC goalkeeper Melissa Jennings. The suit alleges instances of harassment and invasion of privacy from 1996 to 1998.
The suit names Dorrance, three assistant coaches, a trainer, several University officials, including Director of Athletics Dick Baddour, the late Chancellor Michael Hooker and the University itself.
Dan Konicek, an Illinois attorney representing Jennings, said that he expects the case to go to trial in the fall and that an out-of-court settlement is unlikely because negotiations have failed to reach a satisfactory agreement.
"He was less than revealing in his deposition," Konicek said of Dorrance, adding that Jennings will seek seven-figure damages and is intent on seeing Dorrance take the stand.
A defendant in a civil case is required to testify unless criminal charges are possible.
UNC settled a similar case with Debbie Keller, a teammate of Jennings, in 2004. The University paid her $70,000, and Dorrance was required to sign a written apology and attend annual sensitivity training for eight academic years.
In Jennings' case, the lower court granted UNC's motion for summary judgment, a ruling that no factual issues remain to be tried. That judge ruled that the player's claims were not sufficient for him to award damages. Later, a three-member court of appeals found again in the University's favor.
But a further appeal to the full court - which legal experts said is rarely successful - found that Jennings had provided sufficient facts to earn the right to have her case heard by a jury.
Konicek said that the smaller appeals court, which split 2-1, simply saw the names involved and passed on the case but that the full court was strongly in favor of a trial, voting 8-2. "It was clear that they wanted the case to have its day in court," Konicek said. "We're planning on it going to trial."
Steve Kirschner, associate athletics director for communications at UNC, emphasized that three judicial panels already had ruled that the case did not merit a trial, compared to only one that did. "There's obviously a tremendous dispute even among judges," he said.
University officials are prepared to go to trial. "We've been anticipating a trial for nine years," Kirschner said. "Dorrance will finally have the opportunity in a legal setting to refute the charges."
The case will continue to be handled by the office of N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper because a state institution is named as a defendant.
The controversy began in 1998, when Jennings and Keller each brought a lawsuit with allegations of sexual harassment.
Keller had further alleged that Dorrance made unwanted phone calls and physical contact that could be considered assault.
According to evidence presented by Jennings, Dorrance "bombarded players with crude questions and comments about their sexual activities and made comments about players' bodies that portrayed them as sexual objects."
UNC's statement says that lower courts ruled that no reasonable jury would find that Dorrance's conduct had "created a sexually hostile educational environment."
"So many of the comments that were attributed to me were simply not true," Dorrance said in an October 2004 statement. "I apologized before for making some inappropriate comments, but none of them reached the levels that were claimed in this case."
Dorrance, who did not return phone calls Tuesday, has been at UNC since the inception of the women's soccer team in 1979 and has led the team to a record 18 NCAA national championships.
Baddour said Jennings and Keller did not mention any incidences of sexual harassment prior to the lawsuit. No sexual harassment complaints have been brought against Dorrance before or since.
Baddour said athletics department officials had met with the players and Jennings' father while looking into a different case - one in which Jennings claimed Dorrance forced her to purchase Gatorade for teammates.
But Baddour said the department did investigate the players' claims fully and issued a written apology for some of Dorrance's actions.
The state attorney general's office has been footing the legal bills, Kirschner said, but the $70,000 settlement came from the UNC athletics department.
Associate Director of Sports Information Dave Lohse said that in his 30 years at the University, no similar action has been brought against any other UNC coaches.
But such troubles are not uncommon in collegiate athletics.
Penn State University women's basketball coach Rene Portland resigned in March after settling out of court a lawsuit alleging discrimination against homosexual players.
The terms of that settlement were not released, but Penn State already had fined Portland $10,000 and mandated sensitivity training.
UNC has no written policy for dismissing coaches after legal troubles, Lohse said. "It would depend on the dispensation of the court case, which could take years," he said.
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(04/10/07 4:00am)
The University and women's soccer coach Anson Dorrance will again be open to a civil trial in a 1998 sexual harassment case.
The federal Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned Monday a lower court's 2004 ruling, which threw out the lawsuit filed by former goalkeeper Melissa Jennings.
She alleged that Dorrance had reimbursed team members for alcohol bought during her recruiting trip and had forced her to withdraw $400 to buy supplies for her teammates before a game.
She also accused Dorrance of invasion of privacy, saying he intimidated players into sharing details of their personal lives.
The lower court had granted UNC's motion for summary judgment, a ruling that no factual issues remain to be tried. That judge ruled that the player's claims were not sufficient for him to award damages.
"So many of the comments that were attributed to me were simply not true," Dorrance said in an October 2004 statement. "I apologized before for making some inappropriate comments, but none of them reached the levels that were claimed in this case."
But the appeals court decided that Jennings' evidence showed that "harassment was sufficiently severe or pervasive to interfere with her educational activities," which makes the case triable, according to the court's written decision.
The suit names Dorrance, three assistant coaches, a trainer, several University officials including Director of Athletics Dick Baddour, the late Chancellor Michael Hooker and the University itself.
Associate Director of Sports Information Dave Lohse said University officials were unprepared to comment late Monday.
UNC also settled in 2004 allegations of sexual harassment brought by former soccer standout Debbie Keller. Dorrance was required to attend annual sensitivity training as a result.
Dorrance is widely considered the most successful college soccer coach. He coached the team to its 18th NCAA national title this year.
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(03/28/07 4:00am)
Three plans of development for Carolina North were unveiled Tuesday during the first of a series of public forums sponsored by the University.
More than 90 students, faculty and community members heard the three different conceptual approaches to developing UNC's proposed satellite research facility.
"Carolina North is about the University mission of education, research, public outreach and, of course, service," said Jack Evans, executive director of the project. "What you will see is very much a work in progress."
All three plans focus on developing the area formerly occupied by the Horace Williams airport.
They also each focus on preserving the environment, leaving open space and promoting convenient mass transportation.
All will have on-campus housing, a thoroughfare through the middle of development and parking spaces.
But the three differ in how to develop the allotted 240 acres of land assigned on the 963-acre Horace Williams tract.
"It's really too early to have converged on one scenario," Evans said. "We made them deliberately diverse to elicit response."
One scenario, named "Centers," focuses on keeping development within a 1,000-foot distance from proposed "transit nodes" - which will most likely be bus stops.
One thousand feet is about the distance from South Road to Franklin Street, Evans said.
"This probably has the most dramatic view of transit, instead of vehicular transportation," said Anna Wu, director of facilities planning.
Another plan - "Grid" - is a densely packed development scenario that would use the least amount of previously undisturbed area.
That plan would have the largest amount of development outside of the 1,000-foot distance.
The third plan - "Interwoven" - features a corridor of development that extends north from the main Horace Williams plot to the upper boundary of Carolina North's tract of land.
That plan is focused on preserving the area's two watersheds.
It would leave the Bolin Creek watershed - on the western part of the tract - intact. Development on the corridor would focus on improving the Crow Branch Creek watershed, which has blockages.
The presentations also stressed specific programs to be located in Carolina North.
Though it will feature educational, retail and residential space, the focus of the campus is research.
The University currently conducts $600 million in sponsored research per year. Chancellor James Moeser introduced a goal of raising the total to $1 billion, and Carolina North is a big part of accomplishing it, Evans said.
The newly formed Institute for the Environment, the Renaissance Computing Initiative and the School of Pharmacy expressed plans to relocate at the forums.
"The question was, 'As we have literally run out of space on campus, how do we expand our programs?'" School of Pharmacy Dean Robert Blouin said.
Each attendee was given a comment card to fill out after the presentations. Evans said his staff will compile the responses, group them by subject matter and post them on the Carolina North Web site.
The University will hold forums on the last Tuesday of each month through May. The presentations will evolve to reflect input from the community.
Evans said he is scheduled to present a final development plan to the Board of Trustees in July. The plans will then be presented to the towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro by October. The next forum will be held April 24.
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(03/19/07 4:00am)
The University will hold public forums on the development of Carolina North starting next week to gain input from local residents, UNC employees and students.
(02/26/07 5:00am)
The director of the University's Department of Public Safety has been appointed a bureau chief at the Federal Communications Commission, officials announced Friday.
Derek Poarch, who has worked at DPS since 1998, will head the newly created Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau for the FCC. The bureau is dedicated to improving communication among emergency personnel during a crisis.
"It's a position of such scale that I can hopefully do something good for the citizens of the U.S.," Poarch said.
Poarch makes an annual salary of $134,062 at DPS. He will leave his post at the University on March 31 and will begin his new job April 9. The FCC declined to say what his new salary will be.
The creation of the new bureau was announced in September as a response to communication breakdowns during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the response to Hurricane Katrina, said David Friske, director of the FCC's department of media relations.
Friske declined to elaborate on the FCC's decision to name Poarch bureau chief or the selection process.
"Public safety is one of the commission's and my top priorities," FCC chairman Kevin Martin said in a September statement when the announcement of the new bureau was made. "We have a history of taking action to ensure the operability of the nation's communications networks."
Poarch, who has 30 years experience in law enforcement in Lenoir and Chapel Hill, will become one of five bureau chiefs who report directly to the FCC commissioners.
Under Poarch's guidance, DPS's community policing ideology was recognized as the best among international law enforcement agencies serving populations of 20,000 to 50,000 in a 2003 competition sponsored by the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
Poarch said he has three main goals for his new position.
First, he said he wants to improve the emergency warning system nationwide, making sure warnings are timely.
He also wants 911 systems to become more reliable and improve communication among first responders, police, firefighters and rescue workers.
DPS now will form a committee to begin a national search for a new director, said Carolyn Elfland, associate vice chancellor for campus services.
Elfland said the committee will involve student opinion by including a student in the group.
She said a successful candidate must have a master's degree, be sensitive to a campus community, have experience managing a large budget and personnel and have knowledge of organizing large events.
Jeff McCracken, the deputy chief of DPS, will take over as interim director until the search is complete.
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(01/23/07 5:00am)
The first experience Jeremy Gwinn had with a Time Magazine reporter came while stationed in Iraq, when he questioned two heavily armed citizens who were bodyguards to the foreign journalist.
Gwinn, now a graduate student at the Kenan-Flagler Business School, had his second - less intense - experience with the magazine Monday.
Joe Klein, a Time senior writer who covers U.S. politics, came to UNC to speak on the government's handling of the Iraq war.
He spoke at the business school to a standing-room-only crowd that included such notables as Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue and UNC-system President Erskine Bowles.
"I believe (President Bush) betrayed the nation's military by the way he managed this war," Klein said, one of many scathing criticisms of Bush. "He made decisions based on politics, not war-fighting."
The majority of Klein's speech bemoaned a lack of intelligent conversation during national campaigns and officials governing based on short-term opinion polls, not long-term judgment.
Klein - who has worked as a political commentator since 1987 - blamed short-sighted consultants for the losses of Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004 in presidential elections. He also criticized Bush and his adviser Karl Rove for being more concerned with manipulating the media than with using the facts to dictate international policy.
"The war was fought in a delusional state by the White House," Klein said. "The biggest question was how to spin it rather than how to win it."
The speech was part of the Dean's Speaker Series, founded by business school benefactors Van and Kay Weatherspoon.
The business school previously has hosted Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward and will feature Corning Inc. CEO Wendell Weeks and Black Entertainment Television founder Robert Johnson in February.
Klein's visit was of particular interest to Gwinn and the about 20 other military veterans in the MBA program at the business school.
Almost all of the six who gathered to eat lunch with Klein - who could not attend - had served multiple tours in Iraq or Afghanistan and said they also had become disenchanted with the wars.
The veterans had planned to speak with Klein about problems in the military and what drove them to abandon that career for one in business.
"It was sort of a mass exodus of junior military officers into business," said Luke Redman, a first-year MBA student who completed two deployments in Iraq as an officer. "I felt no incentive to stay in the Army."
Redman also said he would like to see an expanded military veterans club, encompassing all departments of the University.
"It's not very easy to readjust to civilian life," he said. "Once they touch base, they see the value in talking with guys who have been through it."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(01/22/07 5:00am)
Sigma Chi fraternity, which was found guilty in November on seven hazing charges, will not be suspended after a reduction of previous sanctions on appeal.
The fraternity now will be under University probation until Dec. 31 after the decision of Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Margaret Jablonski altered that of the Greek Judicial Board.
Under probation, the fraternity will be unable to hold social events with other organizations but will be able to hold rush and initiate new members.
Sigma Chi had been suspended until 2009 after a decision by the judicial board.
Terms of suspension included not being allowed to hold rush or host social events such as cocktails or mixers.
"I wanted the sanctions to be proportional to the allegations," Jablonski said. "And to be in concert with what the authority of the Greek Judicial Board is."
Jablonski said she heard the appeal because the board could not suspend a chapter, only make that recommendation to the Dean of Students office.
Other features of the new sanctions stipulate that Sigma Chi cannot field intramural sports teams, that each member must complete 20 hours of community service, that the new member program must be revised and that fraternity officials must meet regularly with members of the Dean of Students office.
The national Sigma Chi organization also will review the UNC chapter's procedures.
The fraternity must present documentation that it is following through on its sanctions.
Sigma Chi officials released a written statement in lieu of comment.
"As a chapter, we are glad that the appeals process has concluded, and we are now able to initiate our new members," it reads in part. "We wish to thank the Office of Student Affairs for their professionalism throughout the appeals process."
All new members from fall 2006 have maintained an interest in being initiated, fraternity officials said. Sigma Chi's next rush period will be fall 2007.
Charges against Sigma Chi included forced consumption of alcohol and other substances, verbal harassment, sleep deprivation and calisthenics.
The fraternity appealed the severity of the sanctions. An appellate hearing by the judicial board returned the same decision.
Ashley Frazier, chairwoman of the board at the time, said that she has decided not to comment on Jablonski's decision, but that the judicial board and the University have worked together well.
The ruling was the first appeal from a Greek board for Jablonski, who came to the University in 2004. She also hears appeals from the Honor Court and other student groups, but she said appeals reach her office very infrequently.
"I think that's a reflection that the system is working."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(01/17/07 5:00am)
Like it or not, dining on campus is big business.
(01/16/07 5:00am)
The National Panhellenic Council almost has completed creating an internal judicial system designed to investigate hazing charges and weed out frivolous allegations, fraternity officials said Monday.
Paul Elliot, vice chairman of NPHC and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity Inc, is in charge of developing the program. He said a problem has developed due to anonymous reports.
"Right now someone can call the hazing hotline and say anything," he said. "I know for a fact that it has affected my organization."
Alpha Phi Alpha recently was involved in a case that was sent to Honor Court, according to Jenny Levering, assistant director of fraternity and sorority life.
Elliot said the judicial committee - which would include eight members, Elliot as chairman, and possibly a member of Greek Affairs - would provide a structured means of investigating complaints and to rule on internal issues.
"If organizations do act in an irresponsible manner, they have to know it won't be tolerated," Elliot said.
But being tried by a Greek judicial board does not prevent an investigation through the Honor System.
Candace Debnam, student attorney general, said that her office will investigate any infractions to the University's Honor Code, but that she does not prosecute breaches of Greek bylaws - such as rush violations.
Hazing violations do fall under the attorney general office's purview. In these cases, Debnam said investigations by Greek committees and the Honor System often run concurrently.
The idea for an NPHC judicial system developed about a year and a half ago but was not pursued until earlier last semester.
The committee should be functional within the first three or four weeks of the semester, Elliot said. Committee members still need to participate in formal training and coordinate further with Levering.
Internal fraternity judicial systems are not new to campus.
The first such group - the Greek Judicial Board - governs the Interfraternity Council and the Panhellenic Council and was created in 1995, Levering said.
The Greek Judicial Board administers the Greek Alcohol Policy, investigates recruitment violations and maintains a hazing policy more stringent than that of the University.
The Greek Alliance Council, which formed on campus in 2001, also has created a judicial system. Its committee began development in fall 2005 and became operational in spring 2006.
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(11/30/06 5:00am)
Though the hazing violations at Sigma Chi are a negative for the fraternity image, Greek officials are trying to turn the circumstance into a positive for their organizations.
The Greek Judicial Board's swift and severe punishment demonstrates that the Greek community is committed to stopping hazing, Interfraternity Council President Rob van der Vaart said.
"My hope is that it shows how serious we are about trying to fix things from within," he said.
"I never like to see fraternities get that sort of negative publicity. Hopefully that'll turn it from something bad to something good."
Charges against Sigma Chi included forced consumption of alcohol and other substances, verbal harassment and assigning illegal activities as tasks. The fraternity has been suspended until 2009 and has appealed the sanctions.
This means the fraternity cannot hold rush or social events.
The IFC has increased hazing education to new fraternity members during the past few years, van der Vaart said.
A code of conduct was developed two years ago that outlines hazing violations. Each chapter must hold a meeting so new members can sign that they understand the rules.
"Having the young ones educated is crucial," said Ashley Frazier, judicial board co-chairwoman.
She said new members are told to turn in their chapters if they are in violation.
The case against Sigma Chi was the first in which pledges made allegations personally. Claims also can be made anonymously online.
Van der Vaart said that totally eliminating infractions is unrealistic but that the IFC makes the best of them. "I think every organization has problems," he said. "The mark of something good is if you're able to take care of them yourselves."
As another means of deterrence, the judicial board posts its decisions on the Internet for the community to see, Frazier said. "They can all look at it to show the Greek community is on top of it and holding people accountable," she said.
Lisa Foltz, president of the Panhellenic Council, said many sororities will pull out of social events with guilty fraternities.
But for fraternities convicted of more serious violations, the hardships are harder to overcome.
Sigma Nu was sanctioned similarly in 2002, and the fraternity is now in the recolonization process, which it began last spring.
All members active when the fraternity was sanctioned have left the University, Sigma Nu President John Mills said. "We have nothing to do with the old guys," he said.
He said the process of recolonization is comparable to beginning an entirely new fraternity.
Twenty-three new members have been recruited, and they are trying to organize social events and service projects as part of their petition to the national organization.
The fraternity also must meet grade point average standards, create new bylaws, participate in intramural sports and organize meetings - all without a house. Sigma Nu was not able to maintain its lease after the sanctions and won't be eligible to move back in until fall 2007.
"It's a lot of time and dedication to create something from scratch," Mills said. "It's tough to keep everybody on the same page with no house."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(11/29/06 5:00am)
Sigma Chi fraternity has been found guilty of seven hazing violations, Greek officials confirmed Tuesday. The fraternity pleaded guilty to six charges and was found at fault in one more.
Charges include forced consumption of alcohol and other substances, verbal harassment and assigning illegal activities as tasks.
The sanctions would immediately suspend UNC's branch of Sigma Chi until fall 2009. This means the fraternity will not be allowed to hold rush or host social events such as cocktails or mixers.
The fraternity, established at UNC in 1889, has appealed the severity of the sanctions handed down by a panel of five students from the Greek Judicial Board. A new hearing will be held Thursday, with a decision released Friday morning.
The investigation began Nov. 5 with an anonymous report and an e-mail to Interfraternity Council officials from a pledge's parent. The e-mail stated that the pledge's "hazing has been unbearable and has caused emotional and physical distress."
Greek Judicial Board Co-chairman Hunter Diefes said that Sigma Chi's pledges reported the allegations personally to IFC officials, something that has never happened before.
A new member described the upcoming hazing as "hell week" to Jenny Levering, assistant director for the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, according to the board's decision.
The national Sigma Chi organization is launching an investigation into the allegations - and will expel any key perpetrators.
Members also must perform 20 hours of community service.
The Honor Court also will be able to prosecute the fraternity. That court has the ability to strip Sigma Chi of its University recognition.
Doug Dyer, president of UNC's branch of Sigma Chi, said the incidents have not deterred pledging.
"All of our new members are still very much a part of this chapter," he said. "They all still want to be initiated, and they all will."
Diefes said the level of hazing in this case exceeds that of last year's case against Beta Theta Pi - in which the fraternity lost its ability to host social events for three semesters
In that case, Beta Theta Pi was found guilty of verbal harassment and placing new members in subservient roles.
Sigma Chi is known on campus for officiating Derby Days, an October competition among nine sororities to raise funds for children's organizations.
Dyer said that more than $10,000 was raised this year for the Children's Miracle Network and Duke and UNC Hospitals.
Pending appeal, the fraternity will not be allowed to participate until its suspension is lifted.
A N.C. law, which went into effect in December 2003, prohibits hazing by any student group that results in physical injury. Sigma Chi is not being prosecuted by the state.
UNC's hazing policy is more stringent. It restricts any activities "that subject that individual or others to risks of physical injury, mental distress or personal indignities of a highly offensive nature."
Greek chapter presidents must sign an anti-hazing contract that says they understand policies and will abide by all regulations.
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(11/28/06 5:00am)
Under Democratic control the U.S. Congress might bring more money for part-time student workers along with financial worries for University departments.
When the 110th Congress convenes in January 2007, the legislative body will push proposals to increase the federal minimum wage to $7.25 an hour, part of the party's priority agenda, with only one Republican vote - a signature from President George Bush.
Such action did not pass the Senate last term despite being linked to a Republican-supported repeal of the estate tax.
Though all full-time University employees make at least $10.20 per hour, part-time student workers and those working for auxiliary services would be affected.
Campus Recreation, Housing and Residential Education, Carolina Dining Services and Carolina Union all employ workers who could benefit.
Don Luse, director of the Carolina Union, said he believes the Union's lowest-level workers earn less than $7.25.
He said a federal increase might cause all pay levels at the Union to shift upward.
"Our object has been to be above minimum wage," Luse said.
The Union employs about 200 students part time.
Though the Union is supported by student fees, a fee increase to cover the additional expenditures would have to wait for the 2008-09 school year, Luse said.
Rick Bradley, assistant director of housing, said his department would react to a new increase as it has to those in the past.
He said they would readjust the budget and possibly reduce staff, consolidate positions or cut discretionary projects.
"Depending on the percentage impact on the budget, it may be one, two or three of those things," Bradley said.
To pay for those new expenditures, departments first would attempt to shift resources internally, said Jeff Davies, chief of staff under UNC-system President Erskine Bowles.
The next step would be to increase charges for the department's services, Davies said. This would include room charges for housing or meal prices for dining.
The last step would be to increase student fees.
"I don't see any impact on tuition," Davies said.
The last federal minimum wage increase was in 1997 when it was raised to $5.15 an hour from $4.25. The N.C. General Assembly passed its own increase last July to $6.15.
Six states passed minimum wage initiatives in November's elections, and three other state legislatures have promised to raise their wages.
Including those six, 29 states and Washington, D.C., have minimum wages above the federal mandate.
Andrew Taylor, professor of political science at N.C. State University, said the nature of the proposal and the political climate makes a minimum wage increase likely.
"The president has shown signs of wanting to work with the Democrats," he said. "He doesn't want to be seen as vetoing the bill or being out of step with public opinion."
Under new Congressional leadership, the legislation most likely would stand alone and come near the beginning of the session, Taylor said. Democrats might push the bill as an incremental change to pass the largest increase possible.
Based on evidence from other states that have passed large minimum wage initiatives in recent years, the possible federal minimum wage increase should not have large detrimental effects on North Carolina, said Patrick Conway, UNC professor of economics. "This would be a small-scale thing."
Conway said that in essence, a minimum wage increase takes from employers and gives to workers.
While this increase could cause businesses to hire fewer workers or could cause marginally profitable firms to shut down, he said the small percentage of minimum wage workers would keep the impacts from becoming a widespread problem.
The nonprofit Center on Budget and Policy Priorities stated that 2.6 percent of North Carolinians would be affected by the proposal.
About 5.6 million workers would be affected across the country.
Conway said unskilled workers, seasonal college student workers and legal immigrants would be most affected by an increase.
Other workers also might be impacted as employers raise their wages to be in line with the minimum wage increase, he said.
"The current minimum wage is not enough to support a family with dignity."
Contact the State & National Editor at stndesk@unc.edu.
(11/27/06 5:00am)
Distinguished journalism professor Robert L. Stevenson died Saturday after his third heart attack since the summer. He was 65.
Stevenson taught at UNC for 31 years, becoming renowned in the field of international communications. He spoke fluent German and Russian and lectured in 25 countries. He was especially interested in how communications affect national development.
Stevenson was exiting the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh on Saturday with Bill Chamberlain, a personal friend and former UNC professor, and his wife when he fell ill. He was taken to Rex Hospital, but died at 4 p.m.
He suffered his first heart attack while in London this summer helping a former student with a project. His second occurred in the U.S. during rehab. Other professors are teaching his classes this semester.
Despite Stevenson's health problems, journalism professor Donald Shaw said his death came as a shock.
"He had such a good recovery," said Shaw, who taught with Stevenson for three decades and co-authored a book with him in 1984. "He had planned to come in to say 'hi' to his class."
Shaw said Stevenson was working on two encyclopedia articles up to this week and already finished one.
During his tenure at UNC, Stevenson also wrote several books and served as an editor for the Foreign News and the New World Information Order and Journalism Quarterly.
Before teaching, Stevenson served as an Army captain in Vietnam, earning a bronze star for meritorious service.
Stevenson began a three-year phased retirement this summer. He had planned to teach two courses in the fall semester and then spend the spring semester as a visiting professor in Germany.
Other international visit highlights included a monthlong trip to China sponsored by the State Department in 2004 and teaching stints in Romania and Australia. He was previously a Fulbright Scholar teaching in Mainz, Germany.
Academically, his colleagues remember him as a gifted scholar and a strong writer.
"He could just sit down and write an academic article and it would read beautifully," said Richard Cole, former dean of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
"He had a world-class intellect and world-class curiosity," Chamberlain said.
Others said they remember Stevenson for his generosity and his cooking.
"He was one of the first to take me to lunch and show me how things work around here," said Philip Meyer, a journalism professor who came to UNC in 1981.
Professor Jane Brown said she also remembers Stevenson's kindness. When she began teaching at UNC, there were not many women on the faculty, and Stevenson made her feel welcome, Brown said.
Stevenson also would go out of his way to help international students.
"If there was an international student in town and they needed a place to stay or a meal, they knew they could go to Bob," Chamberlain said. "His home was a haven to international students."
His culinary expertise was well-known in the journalism school.
His specialty was a German chocolate torte cake, Brown said. On his birthday, he would bake one and share it with his colleagues.
Brown also remembered the lasagna Stevenson would bring to journalism school singles dinners.
Stevenson never married and did not have any children.
The journalism school is scheduling a memorial service to be held in Stevenson's honor. He will be buried in Wisconsin, his home state.
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(11/10/06 5:00am)
The Orange County Health Department is investigating McAlister's Deli on Franklin Street as the source of a recent E. coli outbreak, according to a statement released Thursday.
Six of seven confirmed E. coli cases have been linked to the restaurant, according to the health department's press release. But health officials stress that it is still safe to eat there.
"There is no reason to avoid dining at McAlister's," Orange County Health Director Rosemary Summers said in the release.
Donna King, public information officer at the department, said six of the seven people reporting the illness ate in the restaurant between Oct. 23 and Oct. 25.
The Daily Tar Heel contacted three students with confirmed cases of E. coli infection, and all reported eating at McAlister's Deli on Oct. 24 - three days before they began to show symptoms, which include diarrhea that turns bloody.
The disease causes inflammation of the stomach and intestines, and can lead to kidney failure
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site states that the average time for symptoms to develop after eating the contaminated food is three to four days, and no new cases have developed since Oct. 29.
Nick Stacey, a manager at McAlister's, said the restaurant is cooperating with the health department.
"There is no proof that it is us," he said. "There is no source known to the health department."
Inspection records obtained from the Orange County Health Department show that the restaurant was last inspected Oct. 24 - the same day that at least three infected students reported eating there.
According to the inspection, McAlister's has a raw score of 89 out of 100. Two points were added to the score because the restaurant has a manager on staff who has taken the Serve Safe training program, giving the restaurant a final score of 91.
McAlister's lost points for improperly storing meat, improper handwashing and hygiene, and improper handling of utensils, among several other minor infractions. The deli previously received raw scores of 94.5 on Aug. 1 and 94 on May 2.
Tom Konsler, interim environmental health director at the health department, said no action is required until a restaurant has a score below 70.
"Obviously we'd like them to do better," he said. "Sometimes we'll meet with management on what they can do to improve their score."
The infected people - six students and one community member - developed the illness between Oct. 26 and Oct. 29, King said. UNC Hospitals admitted three students with symptoms.
Health department officials said no more infections have been reported, making it likely that the outbreak resulted from a single source, said David Weber, UNC medical director of hospital epidemiology.
The health department now will attempt to pinpoint a specific source of the infection, King said.
The bacteria could have been transmitted through food, improper food storage and handling, an ill staff member or through an infected patron, she said. "We may get a pinpoint, we may not."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(10/27/06 4:00am)
Student Body President James Allred is in a unique position - he is a student and an administrator.
He goes to classes and takes tests but also serves on close to 30 administrative committees, including the Board of Trustees.
"It certainly does change your perspective," Allred said. "You're able to see so much of the underlying effort to provide education."
As an administrator he gives student opinion to committees governing UNC policy.
"I think he walks a very fine line," said Margaret Jablonski, vice chancellor for student affairs, who meets with Allred every two weeks.
"If he seems too administrative or corporate, students might question his loyalty," she said. "If he doesn't adequately represent the students, the administration might not trust him. It's very delicate."
Nelson Schwab, chairman of the Board of Trustees, said Allred is successful balancing his role as a student representative and administrator.
"James has been a good advocate, a good informer and an excellent trustee," he said.
But Allred's case is unusual because his father is a high-ranking University administrator.
Steve Allred, executive associate provost, works with his son through several administrative committees - leading some and reporting to his son on others, like the University affairs committee.
"James is his own man," his father said. "It's a mistake to think that he'd hesitate to disagree with me because he's my son. . He's not too cozy with anyone."
James Allred said the best part of having his father as an administrator is being able to find out quickly who to call to get projects started. "It's a direct line to the administration."
James Allred counts his work on enrollment growth to be among his successes as an official this year.
He said the enrollment policy and advisory committee decided to increase campus population by 2,000 students for 2015.
Jablonski said Allred's best administrative accomplishment is guiding the fee increase process.
"He held departments accountable, and in the end a very reasonable fee package was passed."
Jablonski also said Allred has done well with improving Campus Health Services' operational hours and the new printing policy.
But though most consider Allred to be a good administrative delegate, the support is not unanimous.
Luke Farley, speaker of Student Congress, said Allred has been active on some of the wrong issues.
"I'd want him to be much more aggressive when it comes to saving students' money," he said.
Farley said he thinks Allred should bring Congress' concerns about tuition and fees to trustees.
"That's the place to talk about wasteful spending," he said.
Allred said one of his top priorities in the second half of his term is to discuss professional school tuition increases. He said he will work to make those schools subject to campus-based tuition hikes.
He also said he will continue to find a medium between his life as a student and an administrator.
"I could spend every waking moment at this job, and it still wouldn't be enough," Allred said.
"At the end of the day, students are best served by someone who strikes a balance."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(10/18/06 4:00am)
The blue signs hang in almost every classroom - a looming reminder to test-taking students of their responsibility to "act in a manner that upholds the University's Honor Code."
The University takes pride in its student-run honor system and widely publicizes the Honor Code. But many students said that around midterms, the Honor Code has little effect on them.
"If you're planning on cheating, I don't think (the Honor Code) would change people's mind," senior Joe Gonwa said.
"Everybody signs their name on the blue book before you even begin. It's automatic," he said.
Candace Debnam, the student attorney general, said honor infractions increase around test time.
Last school year - from August 2005 until July 2006 - 72 academic violations were reported to Debnam's office.
During final exam months, reports increased sharply. In December, 14 violations were reported, and April and May saw 17 more.
At those times, the honor system outreach committee increases publicity, handing out supplies with the honor system's insignia.
"It's hard to cheat when you're using an honor-system pencil," Debnam said.
That committee's efforts are part of a larger University push in the last few years to increase student and faculty awareness of the Honor Code and system, Debnam said.
She also said officials from the student attorney general's office developed a C-TOPS segment titled "The Carolina Way" in which students discuss honor and integrity.
The blue signs went up in 2003 amid Honor Carolina, a program to revamp the school's honor system, Debnam said.
"We want you to look at (the signs) and say 'Maybe I shouldn't cheat,'" Debnam said.
The initiative, designed to create "a culture of honor," reworked the Honor Code to make it easier to understand, expanded it to include technological infractions and attempted to increase faculty trust in the system, said Judith Wegner, co-chairwoman of Honor Carolina.
Debnam said she noticed an increase in reports to the honor system since the program, adding that the increase is a sign it is working.
If professors handle cheating themselves, the Honor Court cannot know if infractions are a recurring problem, Debnam said.
She also said that the Honor Court benefits students. "It's a lot easier to talk to the court and say the professor isn't being fair."
But Michael Salemi, an economics professor at UNC for 31 years, said he has not been consistently happy with the honor system.
Although he is bound by the Honor Code to refer cases to the student attorney general, he said guilty students are not always penalized.
He cited a situation in which a student was acquitted only because Salemi did not produce a statistical analysis showing the exact likelihood of the student's cheating.
"Instead of finding the truth, they play at lawyer," he said.
Despite Salemi's concerns, Debnam said the honor system can help reduce total infractions.
One way is to educate students on the consequences - the first offense usually garners suspension. She also said students should be made more aware that cheating affects the entire University.
"There's no such thing as a little breach of ethics," Debnam said.
"Anything you do is equally a reflection on your character."
Students can appeal their violations and must go through a process that ends with the Board of Trustees.
Nelson Schwab, chairman of the board, said trustees constantly work to make the Honor Code a part of student life.
"The fact that we have one cheating case indicates that we can improve it," he said. "You hope to have an atmosphere on campus that cheating is not accepted by students."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(09/29/06 4:00am)
Incoming students of the Kenan-Flagler Business School might be faced with higher charges next year.
The student fee audit committee recommended $20 in fee increases for those pursuing an MBA and $10 in increases for students working toward a master of accounting degree.
The proposed fee increases will be heard today by the student fee advisory subcommittee. The body also will consider a revised Carolina Union fee, eliminating the $2.45 that would have helped pay a $500,000 loan for a renovation claim.
The most substantial request was a $15 increase to the orientation fee for MBA students. The increase would bring total orientation fees for these students up to $315.
Meghan Kelley-Gosk, associate director of the MBA program, said the fee increase would pay for additional orientation speakers and help to cater social events during the orientation process.
Kelley-Gosk said that the MBA orientation is important because students have been out of college for an average of five years and often have families.
Lauren Anderson, Graduate and Professional Student Federation president, said most orientation activities come from student requests.
Three increases of $5 - mostly inflationary - also were approved for the MBA application fee, the master of accounting application fee and the master of accounting student expense fund, which covers the accounting program orientation.
The committee also passed an 8-cent increase to the child care services fee. The money helps subsidize child care for students who are taking a full course load and demonstrate financial need.
Lorri Allison, director of human resources, said the average cost of infant care in Chapel Hill is about $1,100 per month.
"Child care is unbelievably expensive in this neck of the woods," she said.
The money from the fee goes to the Child Care Service Association, a local nonprofit organization, Allison said. The group evaluates financial need to determine how much of child care can be subsidized. It also provides free referral to other funding sources.
Despite the fee, which would total $2.38 with the increase, the wait list for help is twice as long as the list of students being helped, Allison said.
"We just never have enough money."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.