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(09/21/09 3:52am)
It’s not difficult to meet someone at UNC who went to high school in Charlotte, Raleigh or Greensboro.But finding someone who went to Gates County High School requires a little more searching.Dale Saunders is one of many students at UNC who went to a small high school in a small town and faced difficult adjustments upon his arrival at UNC. The senior graduated from Gates County High, which is located in eastern North Carolina and had a graduating class of 120.“It was just different coming to a place where I could walk to get something to eat,” Saunders said.While students from small high schools face numerous challenges at UNC and other universities, the most difficult adjustment is getting used to the difficulty of college courses, Saunders said.“We only had four AP classes in my high school, and I had never even heard of IB,” he said, referring to the college-level courses offered at many high schools. “The people from the larger high schools already knew how things worked in college classes.”Without college-prep courses offered to her in high school, Tracy Kirkland, a senior who graduated from Hobgood Academy in eastern North Carolina, said she was not prepared for a college course load. “We didn’t even offer AP courses, so while everybody else in my classes knew what was going on, I was totally lost,” she said.Kirkland, who graduated with a class of 25, said bigger class sizes can be overwhelming to students from smaller schools.“Our classes were 10 people max, and then I got to UNC and took 100-level courses with 300 people,” she said. “I couldn’t learn anything, and by sophomore year I pretty much learned to schedule only small classes.”The workload also presented a significant change, Kirkland said.“I maybe spent an hour per week doing work outside of school. I never took my books home,” she said. “Here, obviously, things are a little different.”While the University does keep records of where students went to high school, graduating class size is not part of their records, said officials at the UNC Office of Undergraduate Admissions.Although Kirkland was forced to adapt to the UNC way of life, she said she doesn’t believe the University caters specifically to students from larger high schools.“Getting used to things here has been difficult, maybe harder than it needs to be,” she said. “But I blame my high school.”The transition to a large environment isn’t limited to just academic matters, Kirkland said.“I knew two people at UNC when I got here,” she said. “It seemed like everyone else knew hundreds.”Although the adjustments may be difficult in some regards, being from a small town isn’t necessarily a bad thing, Saunders said.“Whenever you meet someone new, it’s always a good conversation starter for someone who has never heard of where you’re from,” he said.And amid thousands of students who grew up in the same large cities and same large high schools, being one of a few students from a smaller town and high school gives a sense of identity, Kirkland said.“I mean — coming from a small town — I deer hunt,” she said. “Seriously, how many girls do you know that deer hunt?”Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.
(09/04/09 4:31am)
For Andrew DiMeo, ink is about telling a story.An alumnus and die-hard supporter of UNC, DiMeo said Chapel Hill will always have an important place in his heart.But it is freedom that has always been his driving force.In 1993, at 20 years old, that force propelled DiMeo to climb on the back of his Harley-Davidson and take a journey around the country that would span 4,000 miles in a month.“Before I left, I said I was coming back with a tattoo,” said DiMeo, who is now an assistant professor at N.C. State University and does biomedical engineering work with UNC.During the course of the trip, DiMeo asked people he met where would they go if they were to get a tattoo.“I was talking to this prototypical Harley guy in Iowa, and he didn’t have any tattoos,” DiMeo said. “So I asked him if his son were going to get a tattoo, where would he send him. And he said, ‘Definitely Ted’s.’”Multiple recommendations made the choice easy — Diamond Ted, a renowned tattoo artist in Janesville, Wis.DiMeo said he always knew he wanted a bird for his first tattoo since it represented freedom. After four hours of work, DiMeo had an eagle on his left arm that overlaid the U.S. flag.In 1996, DiMeo’s sister in Iowa adopted two children from Russia. On a bike ride to visit, DiMeo realized how close he was to Diamond Ted and made the trip to Janesville again. “This time, the tattoo was going to be a lot more personal,” he said. “My sister had these two kids coming to America, and I wanted something that would commemorate that.”DiMeo left Diamond Ted’s with an eagle on his right arm — this one done in an Aztec style.The following year DiMeo met his future wife, Jenn.“I was really intrigued by (the tattoos) and interested in the story,” Jenn DiMeo said. “I would never do it personally, but it’s cool.”The couple had a son in 2003 who was born with clubfoot, a condition where a child is born with a foot turned to the side. The condition proved too severe for treatment at UNC, so Andrew DiMeo sought treatment from a doctor in Iowa.While the family was regularly making road trips to Iowa together, DiMeo decided to get his third tattoo.This time, DiMeo drew the design himself. When it was finished, he called Diamond Ted.“Ted still owned the shop but didn’t work anymore,” he said. “But he said if I was coming through, he would do the work for me.”DiMeo made his third trip to Janesville, but this time, it was in a car with his wife and two children instead of on the back of a Harley.The final product was the Tar Heel foot logo with a University of Iowa Hawkeye logo where the tar would normally be.“Everything sort of came together for the third one,” he said. “We’ve always loved UNC, the foot design for my son, the Hawkeye for all the trips to Iowa — it all just made sense.”Today, DiMeo spends his time parenting and teaching. He doesn’t ride like he used to, but his philosophy remains the same.“Anytime I look at (the tattoos) or someone asks me about them, I immediately go back,” he said. “I remember every mile.”Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.
(09/01/09 4:29am)
The many new exchange students who will call Chapel Hill home are finally settling into their lives as Tar Heels.The reasons for studying abroad in Chapel Hill are plenty, whether it is a specific area of study, geographic location or just a general interest. Most will stay for a semester. Others will remain for more than a year.“I just thought it would nice to be near the beach,” said Kelly Knight, a student studying abroad from the University of Bristol in England.The exchange process began months ago with registration into UNC’s system, which proved to be a confusing process for some.“We were given little description of classes and knew nothing about the professors,” said Kaan Apaydin, an exchange student from Bogazici University in Turkey.The registration troubles stemmed from communication errors between UNC and their home universities, said Alex Gardiner, from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.“I was told not to take any classes above level 200,” she said. “I was told anything higher than that was for graduate students.”Besides scheduling difficulties, exchange students also experienced problems moving in and finding transportation on campus.“The most difficult thing so far has been getting around,” Knight said.Despite difficulties, most exchange students said help has been plentiful.“When I arrived, I was without a lot of things, but my roommate provided me with extra sheets and other things when I moved in,” Apaydin said. “The people here are overly accommodating.”After move-in, exchange students took part in orientation. In the meantime, some were able to take part in some less stressful activities available to students.“I went to a foam party,” said Deniz Erturk, an exchange student also from Bogazici University. “That was — very interesting,”With the start of classes, exchange students are now experiencing the UNC workload, which some said is a major adjustment.“In Germany, our classes usually don’t involve very much work, but after only a few classes here, there is so much,” said Anke Dopychai, from the University of Konstanz in Germany.Gardiner said that she doesn’t feel as though her experience is different from other UNC students’.“Just like the other first-year American students, we’re occasionally unsure of where to go or what to do,” she said. “You don’t feel different because we’re all going through the same sorts of things.”With Fall Break approaching, many exchange students have already begun making travel plans to make the most of their time in the United States.Meanwhile, Gardiner said she has other plans to fulfill.“I want to go to those crazy parties I’ve seen in movies,” she said. “I want to drink out of those red cups.”Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.
(08/23/09 8:30pm)
Buddy Bartles knows how to party. On the weekends you can find him and his buddies at all the biggest fraternity parties and Greek events around Chapel Hill.
(04/20/09 4:00am)
Mike Walker and Jim Crisp have been enjoying the same cup of coffee for more than 40 years.Sitting at the lunch counter of Sutton's Drug Store Walker Crisp and other regulars spend their weekday mornings sharing old stories debating politics" cracking jokes and only stopping to feed parking meters to keep the conversation going a little longer.""We've become sort of an extended family over the years"" Walker said. The ritual began in the 1960s when Walker, now a chemist, was a student and vice president of the Student Peace Union at UNC. As a political activist, he frequented the Carolina Coffee Shop, where many famous guest speakers visited during their stay in Chapel Hill.Through these speakers, Walker began his political conversations with Crisp, then an insurance salesman. Others joined in, and eventually the two moved their conversations across the street to Sutton's Drug Store.They do have the cheapest cup of coffee in town"" Crisp said, laughing.Over the years, people from all walks of life joined Walker and Crisp at the counter. The group, now comprised of professors, businessmen and retirees, maintains a tradition which is synonymous with the Chapel Hill sunrise.There is no application. There is no member initiation. All they ask is that you come to the counter with something to talk about.And while the conversation is generally lighthearted with a few personal jabs here and there, occasionally the conversation can get heated, Crisp said.Sometimes we can push it a little too far" get people a little angry" Crisp said.Crisp and Walker said once a man left an uneaten sandwich when trying to catch a bus. When the bus driver told the man to retrieve his sandwich, he reentered Sutton's to find Crisp with half the sandwich hanging out of his mouth. Crisp made a dash out the back door to avoid the enraged customer.The great thing is" you can walk out the door and come back the next morning and everything is forgotten about" he said.For the men and women who have become regulars at the Sutton's counter, the early morning camaraderie is a necessary part of their day, said Bob Epting, a Chapel Hill attorney and a Sutton's morning regular.While Epting joined the morning tradition out of convenience, with a law office at one end of Franklin Street and the courthouse at the other, Sutton's became the center of his day in more ways than one.It's a good place to take the pulse of Chapel Hill"" Epting said. It serves as the interface between campus and the town. You get something here that is far more important than a national championship.""Sutton's Franklin Street location allows for a mixture of people and views"" Epting said.""The courage people show to come here every morning and speak their minds shows real human progress"" he said. What goes on at that counter is a little bit of what Chapel Hill is about.""Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.
(04/06/09 4:00am)
With boxes of tax information and little English knowledge refugees from Myanmar gathered Saturday afternoon to seek help in applying for Habitat for Humanity homes.The small lobby at Carolina Apartments became filled corner to corner with volunteers and refugees" who sat on the floor and scurried to complete the application within two hours.Only two translators were available during the process and they spent their afternoon running back and forth across the room as volunteers shouted for their attention.""This is so very important to these people"" said translator Christine Wai, who came from Myanmar in 2000 and now attends Greensboro College. It's going to make their lives easier.""Saturday marks the first time Habitat for Humanity of Orange County has reached out to the Myanmar refugee population" said Flicka Bateman a member of the HHOC board of directors who organized the application workshop.More than 30 families applied for 14 homes that will be available through HHOC's Phoenix Place project" a subdivision of affordable housing under construction in Chapel Hill.""These people want to be able to own a home for the same reason your parents own a home"" Bateman said. They want a home to call their own.""Bateman was responsible for bringing the plight of the refugees to the attention of the county's Habitat for Humanity. She held the workshop Saturday to ensure that the refugees were able to fill out the application.Volunteers and refugees were left confused and overwhelmed at times as everyone faced tight spaces"" communication gaps and complicated paperwork.""Things got a little crazy"" Bateman said.Habitat will narrow submitted applications down to a select number of applicants, who will then be called in for interviews. After that, 14 will be chosen to receive homes.The selected refugee families will then be responsible for what Habitat calls sweat equity"" which calls for 325 hours in building their home before they can start renting it.Volunteers and refugees worked frantically to make sure their applications included necessary and correct information.Although 50 applications were handed out, not all who applied will necessarily qualify. The applications ask refugees a number of questions regarding their financial situation.Habitat offers homes to people within a specific income bracket, and some refugees didn't make enough money to qualify, Bateman said.With an April 17 deadline, Bateman expects more applications to be submitted.The application also asked the refugees to state why they believed they qualified for a home. Many refugees left questioning whether they had a chance of being selected. I hope I proved myself today" said Burmese refugee Lawla Moo. But if I make too much money or not enough" I get nothing.""Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.
(03/16/09 4:00am)
In 1929 a pound of butter at Shield's Grocery on Franklin Street cost $0.56. Chapel Hill was a town on the rise. The roads had just been paved and population was growing.By 1930 that same pound of butter cost $0.22.Faced with the severe financial crisis" residents and students banded together to overcome obstacles during the Great Depression.""The thing that kept people here and kept people going was Chapel Hillitis" said '30s author Josephina Niggli in 1953. Something about the town just grabbed people immediately and kept them there no matter what" she said.In the townChapel Hill stormed through the 1920s with rapid growth. Construction in 1927 totaled more than $750,000. Franklin Street had just been paved and was booming.At the University, a $500,000 deal had just been approved for the construction of Graham Memorial, and $100,000 for the Bell Tower.But after the crash, the town slowed down.The Pickwick Theatre — located where Cosmic Cantina and Johnny T-shirt reside today — was a staple of student life, showing the latest silent films.It was always full on weekends" said Pickwick pianist Mabel Thompson to the Chapel Hill Herald in 1953. Never a seat in the place. There were constant yells" flying peanuts and ribald comments on the picture from the students.""The theater was the first victim of the Depression" closing in 1931 after ticket sales dwindled.The crisis continued to engulf Chapel Hill. John Foushee elected mayor in 1933 was presented with a budget of $27918 — 12 percent of what it was in 1929.Franklin Street once home to numerous pharmacies and grocers saw most stores close by the end of the 1930s. Franklin became a home to beggars and handout lines. Stores" students and organizations provided food and clothing for more than one fourth of the town's population.""My husband said it was always common to see people begging at the doors of businesses"" said Georgia Kyser, a resident of The Cedars of Chapel Hill. It was everywhere"" she said. You couldn't avoid it.""Jobs became increasingly scarce" forcing many residents to use underhanded tactics to generate income. A town ordinance was passed in 1933 to prohibit the sale of unauthorized Tar Heel merchandise on game days.Hitting the UniversityThe Depression came down on the University just as heavily as it did on the town. Having initiated almost $1 million in new construction before the market crash" the University was forced to cut back. A proposal to cut faculty salaries drew a combative response — from students.The Class of 1930 demanded that the salaries of faculty members remain the same and offered to give up commencement ceremonies to alleviate ""unnecessary spending.""""We offer to you any and all commencement celebrations in an effort to protect the salaries and well-being of those who have provided such an outstanding education"" an anonymous senior wrote to University President Frank Porter Graham.The Daily Tar Heel was operating at a loss of $5,000 in 1931, nearly $70,000 adjusted for inflation.Somehow, students found ways to make and save money. Some methods were more honest than others. Many out-of-state student falsified addresses to avoid paying the steep out-of state-tuition of $175 — about $2,362 in today's money.One more desirable job was bussing tables in the dining halls. In 1931, more than 350 students applied for 73 spots to work for $0.25 an hour — about $3.50 in today's money — and a free meal at the end of the day.The University let students live in Swain Dining Hall for $25 a semester.Out of the rutThe climb out of the depression finally began with New Deal reforms after 1937. The Works Progress Administration restarted construction on many abandoned projects and helped build 10 new structures on campus and expand the Carolina Inn.Today, Franklin Street holds few reminders of the Depression era. Sutton's Drug Store and The Carolina Coffee Shop are the only remaining establishments from the '30s.Sutton's was a popular hangout and survived largely because of owner James Sutton's lack of stock investment before the crash.Carolina Coffee Shop's iconic status among Chapel Hill residents allowed it to survive, former owner George Livas said in an interview with the Chapel Hill museum.Our landlords told us that we could pay the rent whenever we had the money as long as we stayed open"" Livas said. The restaurant offered free meals to students and the needy for a period of time.That's how we survived.""Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.
(03/16/09 4:00am)
Every morning at 6 a.m. Matt Coury and Kerry Waldrep begin the same hectic routine. There are diapers to change bottles to make and bags to pack — and their toddler William is waving his hands in the air. He needs to go potty. Plus" their classes at the law school start at 8 a.m.""A friend called me the other day at 9:30 and said" ‘Oh I hope I didn't wake you up"'"" Waldrep said. ""Oh" trust me" I'm awake.""Coury and Waldrep are two of a growing population of student parents on campus. The couple met as undergraduates at Georgetown University and married in 2002. After working with the Peace Corps in China"" the pair arrived in Chapel Hill — ready to start law school and a family. ""Part of the reason we decided to have children in school was that we would have the ability to be home more"" Coury said. Coury is in a dual law school and business school program, and Waldrep is a law student. They've had to balance their academic life with that of their growing family.Going to school visibly pregnant was so weird"" Waldrep said. I carried a pillow to class during finals to ease the stress on my back."" Their first child" William was born in December of 2006. Following the birth Waldrep took the spring semester off.Waldrep returned to classes for the next year and a half balancing motherhood academia and the pursuit of internships. By December 2008 their second son John" was born.Just another daily routineCoury and Waldrep sit down and pull out schedules every Sunday to make sure that someone will be available for the kids every hour.""Right now" since I'm not in school it's not incredibly difficult Waldrep said. But just recently" I had a meeting at the law school and Matt had to rush back here after class and walk the kids around outside for an hour then turn around and go right back to class.""The hectic mornings are made easier by the cooperative boys.""William knows if he's awake before 6" he can't get out of his bed because the birdies aren't awake yet Waldrep said.William spends his day at a Spanish language immersion day care in Carrboro while Waldrep stays at home with John.During the day it's not bad" Waldrep said. We have plenty of friends around to help us out.""After classes" William is picked up from day care at 5 p.m. The textbooks are temporarily replaced with Hot Wheels as playtime begins. For three hours focus is on the children and enjoying time together as a family. But after the kids are asleep" it's all work and no play.""We have to be really careful about separating playtime and study time" Coury said. We know that we can play until bedtime at 8" but after that we absolutely have to study.""""It's hard when you don't get to choose when you study" Waldrep said. Sometimes you just don't feel like studying" but we know we won't get another chance.""But things don't always balance.""Today for example" I happen to have the day off and should be doing work but instead I'm sitting here playing trucks" Waldrep said.Coury and Waldrep try to schedule classes with each other, allowing one to be present to take notes if the other needs to be home with the children.Their social life requires just as much structure as their daily lives.It's gotten very hard for both of us to go out together"" said Coury. They usually take turns — one of them goes out while the other stays home with the kids. Recently, they've discovered other student families on campus. Being able to be around other students who have children is great because they understand what we go through"" Waldrep said.Last semester, when William got a virus from someone at day care, Waldrep missed a week of school to take care of him.If I didn't have kids" sure I could make all A's" she said.But the most important thing for me right now is to have a family.""Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.
(02/02/09 5:00am)
Robots pirate ships space stations and a small city passed through the Morehead Planetarium this weekend.Lego-Palooza brought along extravagant models and projects all composed of millions of Legos.The displays including 5-foot-tall cityscapes" a series of structures based on ""Harry Potter"" and a stop-motion ""Star Wars"" film created with Legos drew hundreds of eager young children — and equally enthusiastic adults.""Anything Lego-related is always a big draw"" said event director Carin Proctor. It's a chance for us to show off what we do and for people to see what else the planetarium has to offer.""Proctor is the director of the N.C. Lego Users Group" an all-adult group of Lego enthusiasts whose members designed and built all of the models in the display.The models were built at different times. Some have been in the works for months while others were built upon arrival.This is the fifth time that the group has held the event at Morehead Planetarium. Proctor said attendance has grown during that time and their group has added more members with each event.Wall-to-wall crowds filled Morehead Planetarium both days of the exhibit" making the exhibits standing-room only. The group also hosts other events in the state and attends nationwide ""brick fairs.""One of the exhibits showcased Lego Mindstorms NXT" a kit released by Lego that allows users to build robots with motorized movement light and touch sensors and to operate them with commands.Projects created with the hardware and software included remote-controlled battle robots and a fully functional recreation of WALL-E from the animated film.Another Mindstorms project was the brainchild of Lego group member Dan Pikora. Using an acoustic guitar a few hundred Lego bricks and a Mindstorms kit" Pikora has created a guitar that essentially plays itself.""I play guitar a little but I'm not that great"" said Pikora. I built this instead.""Pikora's project utilizes two mechanisms — one is designed to pick the strings and the other has a steel guitar slide attached to a motor that slides up and down a rail along the neck.The displays in the planetarium were surrounded by curious children"" asking questions about the construction behind each model.""Children don't get to use their imaginations enough today"" Proctor said. We want to change that.""Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.
(11/03/08 5:00am)
Senior Michael Hutson has turned a passion for politics into a labor of love.Since June" Hutson has been in charge of a campus campaign effort to elect Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory a Republican" to the office of N.C. governor.""I sleep five hours a night and the free time definitely isn't there" Hutson said. But for me" campaigning is an art and a love.""Hutson" who grew up in Charlotte became familiar with Mayor Pat McCrory during his 14-year tenure as mayor.Once he found out McCrory was running for governor he wanted to take part in getting him elected.Jim Ceresnak a senior political science major at North Carolina State University" joined with Hutson in an effort to inform others about their candidate.""I've known Michael since 6th grade" and I've never met anyone more motivated or dedicated to a cause than he is Ceresnak said.Ceresnak said the McCrory campaign did not recognize the duo's efforts during the summer.We invested our own time energy and a lot of our own money" Ceresnak said.But by August, the McCrory campaign had started to take note. The two students then became part of a statewide grassroots effort to campaign for McCrory on college campuses.Since Aug. 15, Hutson has been strictly in charge of campaigning for Pat McCrory at UNC.Campaigning for a Republican candidate in a liberal area has been an uphill battle, Hutson said.But McCrory has worked with Democrats, Hutson said.I've really been trying to show people that he can work with people on both sides of the spectrum"" he said.Hutson said that while other campaigns have been very aggressive with their campaign tactics, he has directed his 15 campaign workers to work differently.We're very careful about approaching people who have been approached already"" Hutson said. You don't pester people until they say yes or no. That's not how you inspire people.""Hutson said he believes his team's tactics have been key in how effective their campaign has been.While Hutson said he has no aspirations to run for office"" he said he'd like to campaign again in the future.""It's almost a little cheesy to be so passionate about this" going around shaking hands and telling people why they should vote for someone" Hutson said. With Election Day tomorrow, Hutson sees the end of his campaign as bittersweet.There will definitely be a void to fill. I have about 100 Pat McCrory cozies that I'm not sure what I will do with" he said.But I'm so proud of my team" and I'll probably sleep a lot more too.""Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.
(09/30/08 4:00am)
Some of the greatest leaps in alternative energy research are being made in a small garage in Raleigh.Since opening in June the Advanced Vehicle Research Center has converted 24 hybrids into plug-ins with two more on the floor this week. The center is one of eight nationwide certified to install the battery packs.The conversion process allows a modified car to run off only electrical power for up to 35 miles. When the battery charge drains the vehicle switches back to a standard hybrid mode boosted to 100 miles per gallon said Dick Dell" executive director of the research center.""Energy and dependency on oil are the most serious threats our country is facing"" Dell said.The conversion is performed on the Toyota Prius, which has sold more than 1 million models worldwide, making it the most popular hybrid on the market. The process utilizes a large lithium-ion battery, retrofitted into the trunk of the Prius. The primary customers of conversions have been energy firms and utility companies such as Progress Energy, based in Raleigh.Progress Energy converted its Prius line to do consumer research before battery-powered cars are mass-produced. But battery charging is not yet cost-effective.We realized we had to be committed to these new types of technology" Progress Energy spokesman Scott Sutton said. If the utilities don't get on board there will be a lot of obstacles for consumers" even if the new technology is available.""At $10"400 the conversion isn't cheap and has been mostly used by corporate customers" but Dell is optimistic that the technology will reach the average consumer soon.""This same process would have cost $25"000 two years ago and it will continue to come down from what it is now" he said.The plug-in hybrid technology is still new. The first mass-produced plug-in hybrid, the Chevrolet Volt, will not be released until 2010. There are more than 250 million vehicles in operation in the United States today, and about a million are hybrids. Of those, about 100 are plug-in hybrids, Dell said.Hybrids on the road today in many cases just have the word hybrid attached to them" he said. In many cases you might see an increase in some cars from 24 miles per gallon to 26 miles per gallon. Yes that is an improvement" but it's not enough.""Dell said the United States trails behind Europe in the development of fuel-efficient cars. Europe has 38 vehicles on the market that reach 50 miles per gallon"" while the United States has only one. ""Basically" what it comes down to is that consumers don't want to pay for research Dell said. At this point" the economy is going to become the driving force behind changing the industry.""Dell also said focusing on a single energy alternative will not solve the problem"" but that technology soon will be available to convert nonhybrid vehicles to hybrids.""There is no single visible energy solution right now"" Dell said. Time will show what technology will grow and what technology will survive.""Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.