Otyp Sailg (Ear Rwl
Town Help
Tenants Help
Themselves
Most UNO students don’t have
to worry too much about rent
if they live off campus.
Parents foot the bill, or maybe financial
aid covers your pad. Faculty members
make enough to afford an apartment at
worst, but a house is more likely.
But imagine
making mini
mum wage work
ing in Chapel
Hill. Paychecks
barely allow you
to buy groceries.
That’s a reality
facing many
Americans -and
it can be a harsh
reality in Chapel
Hill, where the
cost of living is
exorbitant.
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JONATHAN
CHANEY
CITY
COLUMNIST
In today’s dollars, the average
incomes of the poorest working
Americans have not changed much
since 1970. It hovers just below the
$12,000 per year mark. The value of
the minimum wage has been on a
steady decline during the last 30 years,
dipping to about $5.15 an hour based
on the Bureau of Labor statistics.
Those numbers make it nearly impos
sible to live in Chapel Hill earning much
less than a well-paid professional’s
salary. The average house sold in
Chapel Hill went for a little more than
$311,000 last year. The average rent for
a two-bedroom apartment was $763.
That’s where public housing comes
in. While public housing has a bad rap
for breeding crime and drug use, and
although it was vilified during the
Republican’s welfare reforms in 1996, it
is a lifesaver for millions of Americans.
It is useful as a policy tool - even here.
There are 336 households in public
housing in Chapel Hill and Carrboro,
residing in 13 complexes. And there are
still 148 people on the waiting fist.
Increasing affordable housing and
helping middle- and low-income peo
ple call Chapel Hill “home” has always
been a goal of the Chapel Hill Town
Council. Last week, it made a step in
the right direction - albeit a small one.
The Town Council unanimously
passed a resolution that establishes flat
rents for families living in public hous
ing units. In accordance with regula
tions set forth by the U.S. Department
of Housing and Urban Development,
public housing agencies must establish
flat rents based on the reasonable mar
ket value of similar private housing
units in the area instead of basing rent
on how much the tenant makes, and
Chapel Hill complied.
The idea is that flat rents allow peo
ple to save more of their income since
pay increases do not translate into
higher rent. The more people are able
to save, the faster they are able to
leave public housing and get their own
place. Under the HUD rules, howev
er, public housing families can still opt
to pay rental rates based on income.
While the new federal guidelines
look good on paper, they don’t trans
late well around here. Sure, basing
public housing rent on market value
would work wonders in Durham, or
even Raleigh. People would pay rea
sonable rates and be able to save up
more of their paychecks.
But market values are so overpriced
in Chapel Hill and Carrboro because of
the University that this program will
not go far in moving people out of pub
lic housing. In most cases, the market
value of the apartment would be higher
than the tenants’ income-based rent.
In fact, the change will only imme
diately affect five families in a positive
way! Don’t get me wrong, the change
by the Town Council was a necessity.
However, if the town wants to move
more people out of public housing, dif
ferent means are necessary.
Housing advocates say the best poli
cy is to promote programs already out
there. Also, there are a myriad of
local, state and federal programs, rang
ing from job education to childcare
subsidies, which could help move peo
ple off public assistance. Most times,
it’s not a matter of laziness among
those on the dole. They do not know
all of their options. Helping people
help themselves is the best form of
public assistance we can offer.
Columnist Jonathan Chaney can be
reached at jhchaney@email.unc.edu.
Michael. Mia. Marion.
Come see one of Carolina’s legends transform Kenan’s student section.
UNC Professor to Lead Mammography Study
By Rachel Clarke
Staff Writer
A UNC professor announced
Tuesday that she will lead a ground
breaking two-year study to compare
methods of detecting breast cancer.
Radiology Professor Etta Pisano will
oversee the study, which will be conduct
ed at 19 research facilities. The study will
compare the digital and film mammo
grams of almost 50,000 women in hopes
of helping doctors detect cancer earlier.
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Boxes filled with gifts to the Hill Hall Music Library fill Philip Vandermeer's office on his first day as head librarian. Vandermeer
must go through every item individually and decide if it is something that should be added to the library's collection.
Librarian Brings Experience to Post
Philip Vandermeer, the new
librarian at the Hill Hall music
library, will use the bond money
to expand the library's outreach.
By Daniel Thigpen
Assistant University Editor
Hill Hall’s library has had a vacancy in its
head librarian seat for almost a year, but Philip
Vandermeer is eager to restart the music.
Tuesday was Vandermeer’s first day in Hill
Hall as the head librarian of the music library,
Commissioners Agree
To Bond Referendum
By Amanda Wilson
Staff Writer
The Orange County Board of
Commissioners officially decided with
little discussion Tuesday night to place a
$75 million bond proposal on the ballot.
Most of the meeting’s debate cen
tered on an amendment that would
require more specific wording of a $2
million resolution designed to assist
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools with
financing the planning of anew high
school.
The amendment, which was eventu
al shot down, would have required that
commissioners explicitly promise to
fund anew high school.
The resolution’s wording now allo
cates the $2 million to ease high school
overcrowding but does not specifically
state that anew high school will be built
for Chapel Hill-Carrboro schools.
“I’d just like it to be more specific,”
said Commissioner Alice Gordon, who
proposed the amendment.
Gordon said when she voted to
approve the resolution last week, the
wording suggested construction of a
new high school.
“But then I read it later and it didn’t
really say that,” Gordon said.
Gordon’s proposal was not seconded,
Digital mammography has not yet
been used widely to detect breast cancer.
“Mammography is one of the most impor
tant tools we have,” Pisano said. “Without
mammography, many more women
would die of breast cancer than do.”
Beginning Oct. 15, researchers will use
four digital mammography systems to
take both a digital and a film mammo
gram under nearly identical conditions.
Patients then will be monitored for a
year, so there will be no results from the
study for at least three years, Pisano said.
and familiarizing himself with one of the
nation’s largest music collections has proved to
be a daunting task.
“This is really one of the best collections in
the U. 5.,” Vandermeer said. “I was looking for
some new challenges. It just seemed to be the
right job at the right time.”
Vandermeer brings 17 years of experience as
a music librarian to the post but said he is letting
the feedback of his cow'orkers dictate his agenda.
“I suppose in terms of my personal priorities, it’s
getting to know the faculty ... what their needs
are,” he said. “Now that we’re fully staffed, we can
move full steam. What I need to do now is hear
the opinions of people who use the facilities.”
and other commis
sioners said the
present wording
was clear enough.
“Adoption of
another resolution
in my opinion
would be redun
dant,” said
Commissioner
Moses Carey.
“I understand
the resolution to
be supportive of
high school
growth.”
The fact that
Commissioner
Moses Carey
said he felt Alice
Gordon's addition
to the referendum
was redundant.
funding for anew high school in the
Chapel Hill-Carrboro system was
excluded from the bond proposal was a
major point of contention at a workshop
Thursday and led to the $2 million res
olution promising to aid overcrowding
in the district.
“One precipitated the other, but
they’re not under the same umbrella,”
said Commissioner Barryjacobs.
Jacobs, coauthor of the original reso
lution, said he assumed that the wording
conveyed intent to plan for anew high
school.
See COMMISSIONERS, Page 5
News
Only two of the four digital systems
will be used at UNC -one made by
Fischer Imaging and the other by Fuji,
said Gene Johnston, a physicist in the
Department of Radiology.
The two machines will be used only
on women without any symptoms.
Pisano said this research was funded
by the National Cancer Institute, which
awarded $26.5 million to research insti
tutions in the United States and Canada,
including the universities of California,
Massachusetts and Washington.
In a library where priceless musical docu
ments are housed in a basement that frequent
ly floods, Vandermeer recognizes the impor
tance of making sure the valuables are in good
hands. Since he took office a year ago,
Chancellor James Moeser has strongly sup
ported upgrading the music department’s
resources and facilities. “I know the chancellor
is very concerned about keeping this collection
safe,” Vandermeer said.
But Vandermeer said he has more long-term
goals for the facility. Brainstorming ideas for the
planned sl9 million music library project - fund-
See LIBRARIAN, Page 5
Student Congress Faces
Financial Limitations
Mark Townsend expected
Congress to dole out about
$40,000 but learned it only
had $11,500 to give.
By Karey Wltkouski
Assistant University Editor
Student Congress is finding itself in
even more dire financial straits than last
year, likely leaving many student
groups empty-handed.
At this semester’s first full Congress
meeting Tuesday evening, Speaker
Mark Townsend announced that
Congress has about $11,500 to distribute
to student groups this semester - about
half the amount of last semester and
about a quarter of the usual amount.
“We are in a serious financial crunch,”
Townsend said. “We had $22,000 last
year, and we thought that was bad."
Congress entered last year’s session
with a $5,100 debt because of over
spending in previous sessions and
because of a small amount of reversions
- unused money student groups must
return to Congress at the year’s end.
Townsend said last year’s Congress
Joseph Lee, chairman of UNC’s
Department of Radiology, said this grant
is important because digital mammog
raphy is a developing field. “In the last
10 years, significant advances have been
made in digital photography,” he said.
Pisano cautioned that while the study
is investigating new technology, it should
not undermine the value of traditional
mammograms. She warned that there is
a tendency to get caught up in the hype
surrounding new technology, even
though the new digital images could
Commissioners
Renew Deal With
Dental Students
The agreement allows students to gain
real-world experience working with health
departments throughout the county.
By Amanda Wilson
Staff Writer
For the 12th straight year, Orange County officials unani
mously renewed funding Tuesday night for a program that
provides dental services for residents.
At its regular business meeting, the Orange County Board
of Commissioners opted to renew an agreement that places
UNC School of Dentistry students in Carrboro, Hillsborough
and Chapel Hill health departments.
The county annually contracts with the dental school to
help staff the clinics at a cost of $42,585, which comes out of
the Orange County Health Department’s annual budget
Instead of directly benefiting the dental school, part of the
county’s annual funding goes straight to the pockets of the
UNC students stationed at the various health departments for
their services.
The partnership began 23 years ago with a grant from the
Robert Woodjohnson Foundation. The first students involved
in this endeavor did not see patients until Feb. 28,1980, two
years after the grant was enacted.
The grant funded the project until the health department
took the helm as the primary sponsor almost 10 years later.
Dental students involved in the program conduct annual
state-mandated screenings in all county elementary schools to
check for tooth decay.
The screenings target children enrolled in kindergarten,
second, fourth and fifth grades - students who otherwise
might not routinely see a dentist.
Eugene Sandler, a professor at the UNC School of Dental
Ecology, said the program benefits TJNC students in addition
to county residents because it gives students hands-on career
experience.
“It’s a win-win situation,” Sandler said. “We have a very
symbiotic relationship.”
Sandler moved to the Chapel Hill area in 1979 to help
design and implement the program.
He said the partnership helps promote community inter
action between residents and students while also providing
these students with meaningful career experience.
“It puts the students into the real world, out of the ivory
See AGREEMENT, Page 5
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Student Body Treasurer Kativa Parker explains the budget
woes Student Congress faces this semester.
absorbed that debt by being frugal with
appropriations and that he expected
Congress would have about $40,000 to
distribute this semester. But when Student
Body Treasurer Kativa Parker went to the
Student Activity Fund Office to check
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Be there
September 15
Wednesday, September 5, 2001
prove to be inferior to film technology.
“We don’t want to throw the baby out
with the bath water - just because it’s
new doesn’t make it better,” she said.
For example, Pisano said smaller
images are easier to see on film mam
mograms than on digital ones.
But there is potential for improve
ment. Pisano said early data indicates
that the digital images will have better
contrast and fewer false positives, and
See BREAST CANCER, Page 5
Congress’ balance Tuesday, she was told
that Congress never paid $40,000 in oper
ating costs to SAFO last year.
“I’m not sure how communication
See CONGRESS, Page 5
3