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2 Tuesday, February 18, 2003 Carrboro, Chapel Hill Developing Differently By Kathryn Grim Staff Writer Carrboro and Chapel Hill share sim ilar development goals, but the towns’ distinct cultures, based on differing pasts, ensure that neidier town plans to become the other. Despite the similarity of the New Vision for Downtown Carrboro and the Comprehensive Plan for Chapel Hill, staff and longtime residents of both towns do not predict that either will be willing to give up individuality for progress. The Carrboro Board of Aldermen last week discussed for the second meeting in a row whether to increase the town’s height limitations to allow four- and five story mixed-use buildings downtown. Chapel Hill at the end of January approved similar changes to its devel opmental regulations as part of its Land- Use Management Ordinance. Both towns have expressed interest in concentrating growth into a dense downtown area to prevent sprawl and to protect the rural buffer created by the 1986 Orange County-Chapel Hill- Carrborojoint Planning Land-Use Plan. After listening to reports from town staff and advisory boards and comments from Carrboro residents, the Board of Aldermen has requested further informa tion about height limitations. It particu larly was interested in the development of language that would protect historic buildings downtown. The board is sched uled to reach a decision in mid-March. Originally a small-town neighbor of Chapel Hill, Carrboro is trying to deal with growth while retaining its village atmosphere. Carrboro began as a mill town that sprung up around the railroad built to serve Chapel Hill at the end of the 19th century. Carrboro was home to the poorer white population of the area, whereas Chapel Hill was the more afflu ent and progressive part of town, said HI ? ’ Qooafollom Price Killer Tuesday: $ 1 °° Domestic Pints $2 '’" L.l.T.’s, Ball Shooters, Import Pints Thursday: $ IDomestic Pints $2 °" Ball Shooters no cover 1497a E. Franklin St.. one North ( - aroiina Naturally A talk by Bill Ross Secretary, North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources 7pm f Wednesday, February 19 Tate-Turner-Kuralt Auditorium UNC-Chapel Hill Free and open to the public. 2002/2003 Environmental Seminar Series Carolina Environmental Program/ Carolina Environmental Student Alliance The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Q.V.:‘ NCDfENR Alderman Jacquelyn Gist. As UNC expanded, the areas around it grew. The mill lost its standing as the center of Carrboro’s economy, and by the 19705, the old mills were converted into new houses. New residents found more affordable housing in Carrboro than in Chapel Hill, and an area that once had been a haven for racial tension became a home for poorer minorities. Over the years, Carrboro evolved from “that town across the tracks from Chapel Hill” into a vibrant, artistic community. Alderman Joal Broun said a defining characteristic of Carrboro is that it is less suburban than Chapel Hill. “Carrboro is about neighborhoods,” Broun said. “I certainly want to keep that flavor.” The cost of housing in the former mill town has been rising with Carrboro’s growing popularity and recognition. Chapel Hill also has evolved beyond its university town status, said Town Council member Mark Kleinschmidt. “Downtown Chapel Hill used to just be taverns and boarding houses,” he said. “Now we’re part of the Triangle.” Gist said that although Carrboro has a completely different atmosphere from Chapel HilL the two have grown together. “It had been that Carrboro was very blue-collar and Chapel Hill was very Ivy Walls, and the two didn’t meet much,” she said. “I think that distinction is completely gone. We’re two distinct entities that form one community.” The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu. alir Sally (Tar Hflrrl PO. Box 3257, Chapel Hill, NC 27515 Kim Minugh. Editor. 962-4086 Advertising & Business. 962-1163 News. Features, Sports. 962-0245 One copy per person; additional copies may be purchased at The Daily Tar Heel for $.25 each. © 2003 DTH Publishing Corp. All rights reserved New Job Doesn't Come With New Sex By Lauren Rippey Senior Writer An estimated 1,000 people in the United States choose to undergo sex change surgeries each year. Despite these large numbers, few teachers and school administrators who choose to change their sex actually return to their positions following their transition. Leandra Vicci, a UNC computer science professor and the director of the Microelectronic Systems Laboratory, was hired by the University as Vem Chi in 1981. In 2000, Chi underwent gender transition surgery, and since then, Vicci successfiilly has patented a life saving invention and continues to be an asset to the computer science field. But Vicci’s career fate is largely atypical to cases around the country, where transsexual school faculty and administrators have faced immense challenges and criticisms and have even lost their jobs for undergoing such surgeries. In the fall of 2001, a middle school principal in Wilmette, 111., faced harsh critique when she announced her gen der transition. Community members and parents of pupils at the school Deanna Reed served at for more than 12 years said they were concerned about the effect the principal’s transition would have on their pubescent children. However, at a public school board meeting with more than 250 in atten dance, the Wilmette school board con firmed its commitment to keep Reed in her position. In 1999, an award-winning teacher in Sacramento, Calif., was placed on administrative leave when he told his principal that he would be returning to 6-Year Graduation Rates Drop, Especially in Football By Jessica Bonnem Staff Writer Six-year graduation rates for student athletes at UNC have dropped slightly, according to a recent study, with foot ball players accounting for the most sig nificant decline. According to the UNC-system 2001- 02 Intercollegiate Athletic Report, the six-year graduation rate for student ath letes fell from 70.8 percent for the class of 1995 to 70 percent for students who started their college careers in 1996. The rate for football players dropped from 54.1 percent to 47.6 percent, a decline of almost 7 percentage points. The NCAA also released a study that reported that UNC’s graduation rates for football players are 5 percentage points below the ACC conference average. Butjohn Blanchard, senior associate athletics director, said that if only one more football player had graduated, the rate would not have changed. “The percentages are not statistically CAROLINA BREWERY Accepting Spring Cr Graduation Weekend v Reservations on Wednesday, February 19th. Call between 9am-spm \ with your requests. 1 All six of our award-winning handcrafted \ a l es on ly $2.50 on Tuesday. Buy a pint I 50 I \ an d keep the logo glass for only $4.00. \ 11 Free TYolley Service to all Home Men’s \ 11 Basketball Games. SB.OO Pitchers all % A I Home and Away Men’s Basketball Gamedays. j Fresh Made To Order • Fresh Made To Order j Tar Heel Specials j | Chicken Pita | y Gyro Pita 6 " Original Philly j (eat in or take out only) | Valid at Franklin St. location only. Limit one coupon per offer per person per visit. This coupon not valid with any other offer or special. Expires 3/31/03. We Deliver • 929-6551 L Newo£entil_S3oam on Thursday Friday and Saturday J News school in the fall as Dana Rivers, a woman. After months of controversy and media attention, Rivers resigned from the school in exchange for a $150,000 settlement and agreement that all record of the matter be removed from her file. In Rivers’ case, pupils and a majori ty of the community were supportive and accepting of the educator, who had once won the school’s top teaching award. A handful of district parents, though, brought pressure to the school board to dismiss Rivers. Sethjaffe, a staff attorney for the N.C. American Civil Liberties Union, said there is a term used to describe sit uations such as these. A heckler’s veto is when unpopular speech and actions can be vetoed by a minority of individuals who don’t like them. Jaffe said the ACLU’s position is contrary to giving power to this veto and rather is to focus on the equality issue at hand. But Laurie Charest, UNC’s associate vice chancellor for human resources, said the University rarely has to address this issue. “We do not have to deal with the parents of our students because our students are adults,” Charest said. But despite lack of parental disso nance, the University takes measures to deal with issues of sexuality within faculty and staff members. Charest said that in her experience at the University, human resources works closely with the individual facul ty members to offer support. “There is not really a certain policy in place on how to deal with these issues,” she said. “Our policy is that we don’t discriminate on the basis of sex.” Charest said discussions typically are set up within the department to allow things to go smoothly. significant if you look at the numbers involved,” he said. But Blanchard said the continuing low graduation rates for football players still is alarming. “We want football (rates) to be much higher,” he said. “Next year it will be at least 70 percent.” To combat declining graduation rates nationwide, the NCAA is implementing new academic requirements in the fall. The new guidelines will place less emphasis on SAT scores in the college admissions process, allowing good high school grade point averages to compen sate for poor SAT scores. Once admitted, student athletes will have to maintain a 1.8 CPA in their freshman and sophomore years and a 2.0 GPA after that point. Blanchard said he had serious doubts about the new policy’s effectiveness in raising graduation rates. “If it’s easier to get into school and harder to stay in school, I just don’t think it will increase the graduation “We rely completely on the employ ee and their doctor to determine when they want to officially change their records within the University,” she said. “We take their word on these matters.” Charest said her experience has been that in the cases where employ ees have undergone these surgeries - Vicci’s case is not the first - co-workers were extremely supportive. “What matters is that you treat people appropriately in the work environment, no matter how you feel,” Charest said. Vicci said she felt this sort of appropri ateness when she confided in fellow co workers and University administration. “I carefully selected the colleagues that were most important to me, and I provided them a written document to look over,” Vicci said. “I followed that by meeting with them to discuss and answer questions, and I was pleasandy surprised with how accepting everyone was.” Although she was concerned partic ularly about reactions from her more devoudy religious co-workers, Vicci was told by one of her closest col leagues that he wasn’t in the judging business, he was in the loving business. To alert higher administration, Vicci also engaged in a joint meeting with the department chairman and associate chairman for administration. They then carried the news to the dean, provost and the late Chancellor Michael Hooker. Vicci said she was particularly moved in the summer of 1999, when Hooker, despite being near the end of his batde with terminal cancer, sent an encourag ing note saying that he admired her courage and wished her well. Regardless of the support she received, Vicci said she knew her job security would not be guaranteed. “I had no idea whether I’d have a rate,” he said. But former UNC-system President Bill Friday - who headed the Knight Commission on Higher Education, which examined academic integrity in college athletics - said he does not think these objections are well-founded. “(This policy) is the product of an awful lot of work by some highly quali fied people in the NCAA,” he said. “They think the best way to advantage the student athlete is through a program like the one they’re implementing. We should give it a try.” Although he is unable to assess the new policy’s effects on graduation rates, Friday said the guidelines will ensure that student athletes receive more acad emic support. “Athletes will get considerable help,” he said. “Most institutions feel a moral duty to do (their) best to qualify young individuals for gainful employment after graduation.” The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu. The Bull's Head Bookshop presents UNC Economics Professor who will read from his ne\A^ool^^ Ppcifp m*mm THE EON afeeirau what every informed cimEtt NEEDS TO KNOW ABO!; : . ARTHUR BiNAVIi 5V Daily (Ear Hrrl job after I transitioned,” Vicci said. “But the reactions of my colleagues could have changed my career path but never my decision." Jaffe said federal and state laws state that an individual cannot be fired on the basis of gender. “The fine line is whether or not an administrator is being fired for then actual sex change,” he said. “That becomes a question for the courts.” Since her transition, Vicci has had a patent issued on a design that com bines the global positioning system with a microprocessor and cell phone chips to make a wireless connection. This instrument will allow someone in danger to pull a necklace’s pendant and, in doing so, send geographical location information to an emergency response service such as 911. The tool also will allow for a direct connection so the operator can hear what’s going on at the crime scene. In her situation, Vicci said, she has been pleased that her working relation ship has not been compromised. “My transition hasn’t affected my work,” she said. “I am still a part of the team and still work with the team.” But Vicci said she does see a differ ence working in a particularly male dominated field. “It is most certainly different being a female in the science field than being a male,” she said. “In situations where I meet new people, it is interesting that I have a lot more proving of myself to do as a woman. “There is a distinctive difference in how men and women are treated, and I can be more objective about it since I’ve now observed it from both sides of the fence.” The Features Editor can be reached at features@unc.edu. Athletes Graduating New guidelines for academic requirements for student athletes (being implemented by NCAA next fall) state that athletes must keep a 1.8 GPA freshman and sophomore years and have a 2.0 GPA after that. Six-year graduation rates for student athletes at UNC: Class of 1995 —■■■■ j> 70.8% Students entering in 1996 ■ 70% Rates for footballplayers atJJNC: Class of 1995 Students enterin^jmJ996' -J> 47.6% SOURCE: UNC SYSTEM 2001-02 DTH/PRISCILLA TSAI INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC REPORT
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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