Vol
AROUND
THE
WORLD
..Mnd hack
Compiled BY
Carrie Hamby
Persian Gulf situation escalates
A 24-day standoff between the
Iraqi government and the U.N.
ended on November 22 when
Saddam Hussein allowed a team of
75 arms inspectors to search Iraq for
biological, chemical and nuclear
weapons. Arms inspections for Iraq
were a stipulation of the resolutions
reached in 1991 after the Persian
Gulf Conflict.
In late October Hussein refused
to permit inspections, and the Pen
tagon believes that the Iraqis might
have expanded their arsenal dramati
cally during the three week stand
off. The inspectors have reported no
unusual findings thus far. The in
spectors were not allowed in the
Hussein’s palace. .
The Clinton Administration was
especially active in coercing the
Iraqi government into agreeing to in
spections. The president deployed
two aircraft carriers and threatened
to bomb Iraq while campaigning for
international support for such mili
tary action.
Barbie gets a new look
In 1998, the Barbie dolt will
have a thicker waist, a smaller bust,
smaller hips and a shorter nose.
Mattel Inc., the toy company which
has manufactured Barbie for nearly
40 years, is changing the doll in re
sponse to customer concerns about
Barbie’s impossible body image.
Barbie doll sales worldwide ac
counted for $2 billion, over half of
Mattel’s sales.
Pro-environment legislation
breathes easier
The Clean Air Act’s benefits
have far exceeded the costs, says a
new study by the Environmental
Protection Agency. From when the
Act was implemented in 1970, to
1990, $523 billion was spent on
equipment to reduce air pollution.
But due to of fewer cases of bron
chitis and various respiratory can
cers, between $6 and $49 trillion has
been saved on medical bills alone.
This study will be a vital tool in the
lobby for future environmental pro
tection laws.
entorian
The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
December 1997
Chartwell's walkout wreaks havoc
Eric Huang
Eating in the cafeteria is prac
tically a daily routine for most stu
dents. But when Chartwell’s sud
denly lost three employees just days
before Fall Break, food service be
came anything but normal. Left
with half its typical staff size and
without employees to cook and run
the dishroom, Chartwell’s became
the scene of long lines, slow service
and piles of dirty dishes.
“I was slipping on food because
all the trays were stacked up on the
conveyor belt and on the floor and
virtually anywhere [students] could
find to put a tray,” said Junior
Steven Green.
Shortages of cups, silverware
and food choices also made eating
in the cafeteria a hassle.
Problems began when two em
ployees quit a couple days before
Fall Break in search of better pay
ing jobs. Their departure possibly
was due to the recent change in caf
eteria management from Profes
sional Food Management (PFM) to
Chartwell’s, a larger corporation re
quiring different standards.
“[Chartwell’s] has much higher
standards than PFM did, so I am
challenged in finding a higher level
person to work down here,” said
Chartwell’s Director Leslie Snow. “I
still have the same budget to work
addition, a third employee was fired
who did not come to work on a regu
lar basis. As a result, she was sud
denly left without adequate staff.
Low on staff to cook and clean
dishes, students could not help but
freezer,” said Clements. Without a
regular cook, food shortages left the
cafeteria scrambling to find quick,
easy things took serve.
“I’d bring out cookies every 10
minutes and they’d be gone in 30
seconds. That’s how desper
ate they were for food.”
Clements added.
Though the shortages were
rarely as severe in the days
following. Snow neverthe
less often had difficulty pro
ducing adequate quantities
of food.
“We weren’t able to offer
the [pasta and potato] bars
at night for almost a week
ije simply because we didn’t
g' have anyone to cook it,”
Snow said. “I had to go to
c some convenience-type
items, more frozen and
iiCY canned foods than we
Trays piled outside the dish room in the cafeteria after workers quit. would normally prepare,
simply for the sake of hav
ing anything on the line. It’s not easy
cooking for 500 [students]; it doesn’t
hapjjen in an hour.”
with yet I’m expected to hire higher
quality people.”
Snow said it was difficult to hire
employees because they “just don’t
want to work for low wages.” In
notice the chaos that followed. Jun
ior Raoul Clements, a cafeteria run
ner, recounted the atmosphere.
“We ran out of food to serve.
We had to dig up things out of the
(Continued on page 12)
Safety becomes priority after mugging
BECCA BOOI
On Tuesday, Nov. 11, Junior
Mashama McFarlane walked back
to school from the mall by his usual
route...through the neighborhood
of Walltown. It was about 4:20 in
the afternoon. As he entered
Walltown, McFarlane was greeted
by four teenagers.
“I kept on walking and I heard
one of them say, ‘What are you
looking at?”’ McFarlane said. “1
told him ‘I haven’t figured out yet.’
That probably wasn’t the smartest
thing to say at the time.”
According to McFarlane, the
teenagers called him back to where
they had been sitting on the edge of
the road. One demanded his coat,
but McFarlane refused.
“The kid sitting by a bush
jumped up and put a gun on my
neck. He said, ‘Mother f , I could
kill you,”’ McFarlane recalled.
McFarlane and the teenager be
gan to wrestle. McFarlane broke
away, and ran back to school. Two
days later SLI Marlene Blakney
asked McFarlane how he received
the scratches on his face and knees.
Although he had not told any adults
until then, he explained to her what
had happened, and they immedi
ately reported the incident to police.
The timing of this incident par
alleled a murder on Guess Road,
prompting the administration to re
mind students of the dangers of
walking through Walltown. In years
past, students from NCSSM have
been robbed, shot with BB guns,
beaten and harassed when walking
off campus. All of these incidents
except for one occurred in Walltown.
“The probability of incidents
occurring in Walltown and the
nearby park area is higher than in
more open areas,” said Joan Barber,
Director of Student Life.
Last year was the first year that
NCSSM students have had no ma
jor problems with students’ safety.
Barber feels this has made the stu
dents less cautious of their own per
sonal safety.
However, after the incidents in
November, the administration made
numerous efforts to remind students
of safety guidelines they are required
to follow. A flyer covering student
expectations regarding personal
safety was passed out to all students,
parents, faculty and staff. Parents
and teachers were encouraged to dis
cuss the flyer with students.
“We want [the students] to feel
safe and still have freedoms, but you
,can’t be free if you’re dead or hurt.”
Teacher Elizabeth Moose said. “The
rules are coming from what police
officers have said and what residents
of Walltown have said.”
These guidelines are not new.
Every year during Orientation Week,
a police officer is invited to speak to
the new juniors concerning personal
safety and hazardous areas of the
local neighborhood. Still students
frequently walk through Walltown to
get to the mall.
“It’s the shortest distance be
tween two points,” McFarlane said.
Head of Security Ken Horne
stresses that the guidelines exist for
a reason.
“It’s like laying down in the
middle of the road. Sooner or later
you’re going to get run over,” Home
said: “You might walk through
Walltown seven days in one week
and not get bothered. Or you might
walk through once and get mugged.
Why invite the trouble?”
Also, police officers have been
asked to increase their patrol in the
area. In addition, NCSSM employs
drivers to make van loops to the
mall. Ninth Street and movie the
aters. These loops run for one to two
hours, four nights a week (includ
ing weekends). Although students
would like the loops to mn more.
Barber believes that they should
make the most out of the existing van
loops and make plans accordingly.
For those students who still
have conflicts with the times of the
van loops, the’school proposes that
they walk to the mall by going down
Broad Street and crossing to the op
posite side of Guess Road.
“[On Guess Road] there is
more pedestrian traffic and less
chances for someone to attack you
in open view where there are lots of
people,” Home said.
McFarlane believes this route is
not any safer. “Any place is danger
ous. Where they want us to walk is
where a guy got shot a couple weeks
ago. I wasn’t shot,” he said.
However, McFarlane has not
walked through Walltown since the
day he was confronted.
“The administration was right
and I was wrong,” he said, “They say
things in the best interest of us- it’s
not a bunch of B.S.”
Although McFarlane’s experi
ence temporarily prevented students
from walking through Walltown, he
believes the safety issues are far
from over.
“People will still do it.”
McFarlane said.