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Page 10 / Friday, August 29, 2008
NEW STTIDENT EDITION
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Democrats battle for
political power in
historically Republican
North Carolina
Alyse Knorr
Design Editor
Could traditionally red North
Carolina be a swing state this election
year? Democrats hope so.
Democratic campaign strategy
is turning North Carolina into a
battleground for the first time in more
than 30 years. Instead of writing it
off as a shoo-in Republican victory,
Democrat Barack Obama's campaign is
making a concerted effort to win the
state — pouring more than S2 million
into television ads there, according to
Marc Farinella, state campaign director.
"It's not such a big stretch to see
Barack Obama win North Carolina,"
Farinella said in a press conference call
Wednesday. "It is clearly a competitive
state this year, and we can win here."
The last Democratic candidate to
win North Carolina was Jimmy Carter
in 1976. But recent polls have revealed
consistent single-digit margins between
Obama and Republican John McCain.
McCain leads by four points, according
to a SurveyUSA poll released Tuesday,
but that's barely outside the poll's 3.9
percentage point margin of error.
"If Obama wins, it's a huge upset,"
said Mike Cobb, associate professor of
political science at N.C. State University.
"I don't think they're counting on it. I
don't think they're expecting it. I think
what in part is happening is that they
are forcing McCain to spend time and
resources in states where he otherwise
wasn't expecting to do so."
Obama operates 16 campaign
offices in North Carolina, Farinella
said, compared with three for McCain,
according to his campaign Web site.
North Carolina Republican Party
spokesman Brent Woodcox said nine
more will open around the state this
week and that the party is not taking
the state for granted.
Black voter turnout will be an
important factor.
The 2006 Census reported a state
black population of 21.7 percent, and
Obama should pull 90 to 93 percent of
that group's votes, said Hunter Bacot,
Elon associate professor of political
science.
Another possible upset looms at
the Senate level, where Democratic
challenger Kay Hagan is fighting
Republican incumbent Elizabeth Dole
for her Senate seat. While Andrew
Taylor, associate professor of political
science at N.C. State, said that Dole is
still the clear favorite, Hagan is making
a better-than-expected run.
A SurveyUSA poll released Tuesday
showed Dole slightly ahead of Hagan,
46 to 41, seven points fewer than her
lead in the July poll. The poll's margin
of error is 3.9 percentage points.
Hagan may be picking up on an
anti-Republican sentiment sweeping the
country.
"There's a growing partisan self-
identification balance that's helping
Democrats," Cobb said, noting that the
trend is most clearly visible among
people 28 and under. "Fewer people are
calling themselves Republicans, even in
the South."
A "post-Bush effect" has created
a negative association with the word
"Republican," Cobb said.
"There's no doubting that this is a
tough environment for Republicans,"
Woodcox said. "Just by virtue of having
an ‘R' next to your name, you're going
to have to run a very serious campaign
to win."
Dole's campaign spokesman, Hogan
Gidley, said Dole has supported the
Republican agenda only when it directly
benefited North Carolinians and has
criticized the administration's mistakes
ANGIE LOVELACE | PhotograO, |
When presidental hopeful Barack Obama visited UNC-Chapel Hill last spring he was
greeted by a crowded room of supporters, many of which were students.
at the congressional level and then
in Iraq and its attempted Medicaid cuts.
At the House level, all 13 North
Carolina representatives are up for
re-election, and Cobb said that, for the
most part, the state's seven incumbent
Democrats and six incumbent
Republicans will keep their seats.
One exception could lie in the 8th
District, where Democratic challenger
Larry Kissell could swipe a seat from
Republican incumbent Robin Hayes.
Bacot pointed out that Kissell lost by
just 329 votes in 2006.
A Public Policy poll released July
8 showed Hayes leading Kissell 43
to 36 percent, which means Hayes is
slightly ahead, based on the poll's 4.2
percentage point margin of error.
But Hayes' approval stood at only 38
percent a possible plus for Kissell.
Cobb said Democratic candidates
like Kissell and Hagan could benefit
from Obama's campaign.
"You typically have coattails where,
as a new president takes over, members
of his party tend to be advantaged
!•
trickling down to state races as well,'
Cobb said.
This effect is not about conversion,
Cobb said, but turnout. If voters head
to the polls to vote for one party's
presidential candidate, they may vote
down the ticket for that party's state
candidates as well.
Changing state demographics couli
also help Democrats.
In the past 10 to 15 years North
Carolina has seen an influx of out-of-
state immigrants with more moderate
political views than the traditionally
conservative native population, Bacot
said. Cobb noted growing urban
populations in areas such as Raleigh
and Charlotte.
"As the state becomes less southeni,
it makes it much more likely that if »
there is a crack in the unified South,
it will come from a state like North
Carolina," Cobb said.
Administration striking down on tailgating with
stricter enforcement on current rules
Andie Diemer
News Editor
The tennis courts. Linder Hall. Light
house. Brown & Co.
Elon welcomed many new physical
changes to campus this summer, but the
latest change being implemented isn’t a
building or a restaurant or a road. The
university has decided to more strictly
enforce and slightly alter current tailgat
ing procedures for the 2008 football
season.
Assistant Dean of Students Jodean
Schmiederer said the changes are being
reinforced in an effort to provide a more
family-friendly and respectful environ
ment, primarily in the Harper Center
parking lot.
After a campus-wide committee met
and discussed some issues regarding
tailgating in past seasons. Assistant Vice
President for Student Life, Jana Lynn
Patterson, said they decided that a few
individuals behaviors have become too
extreme. Alcohol was mostly to blame.
“It had become a problem with many
people in the community," she said.
The committee made a recommenda
tion to the vice president, who accepted
their recommendations. According
to Schmiederer and Patterson, these
include;
—Moving the hub of student tailgat
ing to the center of Harper parking lot.
While the lot location won’t change, it
will open up for easier access to people
walking back and forth between Rhodes
Stadium and the central part of campus.
—Holding students to more account
able standards. There will be at least two
team captains for every tailgate, more
depending on the size of the group. They
will have to ensure every student drink
ing is over 21 and that only beer and
wine are being consumed.
—Student’s behavior will be moni
tored to ensure it is consistent with the
Student Code of Conduct.
—Leam smd receive feedback.
Before a team captain will be allotted a
spot they must submit a request eight
days before the game and attend a ses
sion taught by Student Activity Staff.
The captains establish a relationship for
communication between the students
and the administration. '
the administration is considering wheth
er firing off a carmon inside Rhodes Sta
dium 30 minutes prior to the start of the
game as a signal for everyone to wrap-up
their tailgating. They want groups inside,
watching the game. If they don’t adhere
they will no longer be able to participate
in tailgating activities.
—Increasing total-tailgate time.
Students will now be allowed to come to
the lot and start tailgating when it opens
at 2:30 p.m.
Schmiederer said she hopes the stu
dent body understands the university’s
goal to continue to keep it a very vibrant
and energetic yet respectful tailgating
“I think that there were some changes that were
necessary, but I think the school will find a lot of
tension or problems.”
During tailgating the university staff
will document behavior so they will be
able to conduct a follow-up meeting
on Monday or Tuesday after the game.
Here, the team captains will meet with
the Student Activity Staff and talk about
anything from what could be improved
in their section to how to handle any
problems that arose.
—Increased staffing. More profes
sional staff, students and police will
be monitoring the games. While Elon
doesn’t hire ALE to make an appearance
they have the right to be on the premise’
checking students’ identifications.
—Stricter closing times. Currently
—Junior Patrick McCabe
environment.
“There were probably unofficial
tailgate captains anyways" Schmiederer
said. “But this more formalizes that
relationship so we have better commu
nication."
Junior Patrick McCabe will be an act
ing team captain for his fraternity for
the upcoming season. He said around
eight members of his chapter will be at-
tendmg trainmg so someone will always
be available to be a team captain.
“I think that there were some changes
that were necessary, but I think the
school will find a lot of tension or
problems because it’s been a tradition
for so long at Elon and it’s something
that people recdly look forward to," Me
Cabe said. “I’m not the biggest fanoftl*
changes, but I want to see if it can matf
things better."
McCabe said in years past a lot of
students don’t want to go to the games
and instead go to the tailgate and then
leave to continue partying.
“1 think [getting kids to the gamesffl
the schools intention, but I don't thro
they’re going about it the right way,
he said. “We need stronger athleticsJ [
needs to be more about athletics and ,
less about the social scene."
He understcinds the administration
efforts and hopes the new regulations
will keep tailgating safer and keep
students from endangering themselv
But, he finds it a little confusing tha
the administration will now be clos )
monitoring what he considers to be
individual organization function.
“The bigger change will be that
groups will have to be more
and be willing to be more accounta
Just reinforcing [the rules] up fron i
where a lot of that ‘change’ is con®" ^
from," Patterson said. “It's not the ■
radical change in the policy, it s
just helping to clarify the policies ^
were pretty much already in
She said several students
the recommendation committee s
in-tune with the pre-existing ^ ^
extreme behaviors that were neg
reflecting on Elon’s behavior as a
“If you’re old enough to
alcohol and do so, we Just want
sure it’s in a manner that is no
tent with good behavior," Patter*