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On Your Honor Forum addresses court. See Page 3 lath} Mttl www.dailytarheel.com Town Agrees to Lift Cap, Work Out Plan Details By Robert Cummings Staff Writer Chapel Hill officials informed University leaders at a meeting Wednesday that they are willing to help UNC meet its needs for the Master Plan by lifting its square footage cap. Originally, the University had asked that the town remove the cap of about 14 million square feet to make more room for UNC’s Master Plan, a blue print for long-term campus growth. The new cap will be set at 110 percent N.C. Sen. Rand Could Thwart Student BOG Vote Senate Rules Committee Chairman Rand has blocked discussion possibly leading to the ASG president's securing of a BOG vote. By Monica Chen Staff Writer After breezing through the House by an 83-26 vote Monday, a bill that calls for a student vote on the Board of Governors might be bottled up in the Senate Rules Committee. President of the UNC Association of Student Governments Andrew Payne wanted the bill to move into the Senate Education Committee. But that window of opportunity might have closed on Tuesday when the bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Rules and Operations. A similar bill, proposed in the Senate by Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, D-Orange, was referred to the Rules Committee on Feb. 20, and has been there ever since. In 1999, a similar bill died in the Rules Committee. Chairman of the Rules Committee Sen. Tony Rand, D- Cumberland, said he is opposed to allowing a student vote on the Board of Governors and, as of right now, has no plans to put the House bill on the Senate calendar. “It takes a significant amount of knowledge to serve on the BOG,” Rand said. “Students don’t have that.” As chairman of the committee, Rand determines when bills are called for discussion on the Senate floor, and he has the power to simply not schedule a bill for discussion. In such a case, a bill could be stuck in a committee indefinitely. Despite the fact that the House bill was approved over whelmingly and the Senate version of the bill has 18 co-sponsors, Rand said he feels no pressure in giving the bill a chance to be heard. “I intend to talk to other members and see what their feel ings are, but I have not put it on the calendar yet for discussion.” Payne said there might be something more to Rand’s staunch opposition to the bill. “Senator Rand fears students might bring a positive influence to the BOG, which obvious ly he does not want,” Payne said. “Also, a student member wouldn’t have to answer to the General Assembly. He does n’t want to give that power away." But pressing on with lobbying for the bill, Payne said then strategy will not be a mass lobbying of all members of the Senate but will target the leaders of the Senate, in particular Senate President Pro Tern Marc Basnight, D-Beaufort. Kinnaird said that is the correct action to take. But although See RAND, Page 2 V - 1 DTH/SEFTONIPOCK North Carolina senior women's tennis player Courtney Zalinski and the Tar Heels will play Virginia on Friday at 3 p.m. A court is a place where what was confused before becomes more unsettled than ever. Henry Waldorf Francis of what the University submitted as its capital needs for the next 10 years. Officials estimate the Master Plan will add 5 million more square feet to UNC’s existing 13.7 million. Jonathan Howes, director of the Master Plan, said the new cap comes with strings attached for the University. “I think it’s a genuine effort of the town to meet the University’s needs,” he said. “On the other hand, it’s imposing a new level of control.” The new regulations call for the University to devise a development plan Qime —— —► Unsolved Arrested A Orangfe -Tf County Jail \ /A\o /A Held Bail "mlm First 1 I | L -~ : Dismissed Grand Dismissed Jury Trial ► Not Guilty | t ...: m Convicted Community Court Sentences Aim to Treat, Not Pumsh By James Miller Staff Writer Kenneth Wade Sigmon, 30, of Carrboro approached the bench from his seat in the third row of the courtroom. He waited forjudge Patricia DeVine to dispose the single charge against him -a mis demeanor count of resisting a public officer. Like several other defendants in the Serving the students and the University community since 1893 that it will have to submit to the Town Council for approval. Once UNC submits its development plan and it is approved by the town, UNC will not have to seek special per mits for new construction. Chapel Hill Mayor Rosemary Waldorf presented the town’s policy for establish ing anew zoning district for areas of UNC at Wednesday’s meeting. “We believe it is a framework on how the town and University can work together,” she said. Chancellor James Moeser expressed concern that the policy will constitute Data based on individuals convicted in Orange County since October 1,1994, and released from any N.C. prison between March 1,2000, and Feb. 28,2001. They're Going to Disney World for ACCs By James Giza Assistant Sports Editor Sal Gigante might stand 6-foot-2 and weigh 235 pounds. He might have broken his own North Carolina record in the hammer throw Saturday with a heave of 202-11. He might have a name that can strike fear into the heart of a mor- Keys for Success For Tar Heels at ACC Spring Fest. See Page 11 tal man and that fits his stature and event so perfectly it’s uncanny. But Gigante knows there is one man he could never hope in his wildest dreams of outthrowing: Hercules. The renowned hero of Greek mythol ogy, whose legend was revived and put to music in a cartoon Disney movie in A State Divided North Carolina has come a long way in regards to race relations, but hurdles remain. See Page 3 more regulations for the University. But he said UNC understands Chapel Hill’s desire to impose restrictions. “We rec ognize the town’s concerns over those issues,” he said. Moeser then presented to the com mittee 12 points that he considered mat ters of mutual interest between the town and University. The points included the University’s plans to dispose of off-campus proper ties and place them back on the county’s list of taxable land. Moeser stressed the importance of University plans to Hi IP Proppw JL/UC f 1 Uvvss Delays Can Hinder Justice By Jennifer Bailey Staff Writer The speed of case disposition in Orange County - the time it takes to go to trial after arrest not only affects the lives of suspects and victims, but it often affects the quality of the trial as well. Orange County cases go to trial in a respectable amount of time, District Attorney Carl Fox said. “We rank about seventh position out of 39 in the entire state in terms of case disposition,” Fox said. Robert Farb, professor of law and government at the UNC Institute of Government, where court personnel are trained, said the lack of a speedy trial would be the most detrimental in mur der cases, when the suspect could be in jail for two or three years awaiting trial. “Sometimes, if someone is in jail awaiting trial, they’re awaiting their lib erty,” he said. The set date for a disposition varies by case and is scheduled by the court, the district attorney and the defense based on a number of factors: availabil ity of witnesses, preparation of the courtroom the afternoon of March 14, Sigmon was not prosecuted. In exchange, DeVine and Assistant District Attorney Jackie Perez wanted him to show that he had been attending coun seling through the Orange-Person-Chatham Foundation for Mental Health and get assurance that he would continue to do so. “I understand that you have quite a tem per. I want you to learn to deal with your 1997, was strong enough to kill the Hydra, so he probably could have thrown the discus at least 240 miles (Hercules’ great-grandfather, Perseus, threw a discus so hard once that he killed his father; Hercules, therefore, most certainly had the thrower’s gene.). Gigante’s discus toss Saturday: 49.28 meters - or three-hundreths of a mile. “I definitely think he could beat me,” Gigante said. Indeed. Fortunately for Gigante and the rest of North Carolina’s athletes, they’ll be competing against other athletes from the conference in this weekend’s ACC championships in Orlando, Fla. No cartoons allowed. Dubbed Spring Fest 2001, eight sports featuring 1,200 athletes and coaches will be on display at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex today until Sunday. Men’s and women’s competition will be l nda- increase on-campus housing. “It’s in our interests to keep students on campus,” he said, explaining that on-cam pus residents tend to stay more involved in the academic life of the University. Moeser said he was concerned the town would reject UNC’s entire plan because of one minor difference. Waldorf assured UNC officials that the town would work out any minor problems as opposed to sending back the whole plan to be reviewed. The town and University agreed to allow Chapel Hill Town Manager Cal A three-part series examining issues regarding the local legal and judicial system. Wednesday: Repeat Offenders Racial Profiling Today: Trial Speed Community Courts Friday: Unsolved Crimes temper and not get so angry,” DeVine said to Sigmon from the bench. “We want to be sure you are continuing to work with your counselor. In the meantime, if you do everything you’re supposed to do, this case is going to get dismissed.” Sigmon’s case was one of the last on the docket for the March session of communi ty resource court in Chapel Hill. Community resource court is a special held in golf, lacrosse, tennis and track and field on the complex’s 200 acres of land. “I’ve seen it driving by,” said Gigante, a junior, who will be making his fourth trip to Disney World after vis iting during spring break. “Their facili ties are amazing. It really does look like an Olympic village.” Free time will probably come at a premium for the Tar Heels this week end, but most of them wouldn’t have it any other way. “I think on Sunday there’d be time for us to go around the park, but we really don’t want to be in that position,” UNC No. 1 singles player Marlene Mejia said. “We want to be playing in the finals. That’d be a lot more satisfying for us. Blither way it’ll be a memorable trip." Of course it will. Because even if none of UNC’s teams leave the Sunshine State with an ACC title, the Movin' On Up Today: Sunny, 73 Friday: Sunny, 83 Saturday: Sunny, 85 Thursday, April 19, 2001 Horton, UNC Vice Chancellor Nancy Suttenfield and their staffs to meet to work out the details of the development plan and present their conclusions back to the Town Council and UNC leaders. The Town Council will be asked to approve this measure at its next meeting. Moeser urged cooperation between the town and University, emphasizing the importance of working out the fine print. “The devil is in the details.” The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu. defense, whether the suspect pleads insanity, evidence and its analyses, and the types of charges, Fox said. Charges such as murder, rape and sexual offense take much more time because they involve evidence that requires more analysis, Fox said. A majority of Orange County cases go to trial in what Fox calls an “excellent” time frame: rape and sexual offense within 131 days, robbery within 70 days, larceny within 67 days, arson within 27 days and forgery within 77 days, according to an Orange County Superior Court Criminal Aging Analysis report from July through December. Only one murder case was analyzed in this report, and its length was 269 days, which Fox does not consider to be excellent But this case is by no means the most lengthy. Robert Warren Pratt, 24, of Mebane is cur rently in Orange County Jail awaiting trial. Pratt was arrested Feb. 1, 1999 for three counts of first-degree kidnapping, one count of first-degree rape and two counts of first degree sexual offense in a crime that occurred Sept. 13, 1995, in Duke Forest on Whitfield Road, officials said. Delays in the trial for this case started, Fox See TRIALS, Page 2 Orange County court devised to address the needs of repeat misdemeanant offend ers who suffer from mental illness or sub stance addiction problems. Its goal is reha bilitation, not retribution. “What we call it is community resource court. What it is, is mental health court,” said Marie Lamoureaux, project coordina- See COMMUNITY, Page 2 thrill of being a part of Disney’s magic and getting to see Mickey, Minnie, Tigger and the rest of the lovable cast of characters surely will more than make up for the pain and heartache of losing. Let’s look at a few favorites. Gigante said he likes Beauty and the Beast (“the music and the story”), but his favorite character is Donald Duck. “I think I like Donald because he’s kind of like me - he’s got a bad temper," Gigante said. Mejia, meanwhile, said Dumbo ranks as her top choice. “I have this thing for elephants," Mejia said. “I think they’re the cutest animals. And I like all the princesses, like Cinderella. I like to live out the fan tasy of meeting Prince Charming.” The Disney character that would make See ACC, Page 2
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