North Carolina Newspapers

Ground Fog Day Early morning fog, with rain today. High, mid 40s, low around 40. Forums today The Residence Hall Associa tion's forum is at 7 p.m. in Granville Towers, and the Inter-Fraternity Council's is at 8 p.m. in 124 Phillips Hall. Serving the students and the University community since 1893 Volume 8, (ssue Tuesday, February 2, 1982 Chapel Hill, North Carolina NewsSportsArts 862-0245 BusinessAdvertising 962-1163 Mfl 1)1? By MICHELLE CHRISTENBURY DTH Staff Writer Two apartment complexes have been converted to condominiums in Chapel Hill while Town Council members consider various solutions to the growing scarcity of available rental housing in the University community. The phenomenon of 'condomania has been a hotly debated issue among apartment dwellers, council members and area realtors since early September. Tenants of two apartment complexes were notified then that their apartments would be converted into condominiums soon. Because of the relatively low rent charges,. Brookside and University Gardens apartments were popular with students. Until recently, the council's policy has been to allow condominium conversion after a realtor secures proper modification of the special-use-permit. But John Cates of Chapel Hill Realty Co. ig nored the council's policy and proceeded to con vert Brookside and University Gardens apartments into condominiums. . Consequently, the town brought suit against Cates for not following prescribed procedures. In .December, the .courts agreed with Cates that the town did not have the authority to control owner ship of his property. All living units at University Gardens already have been sold as condominiums while about half of the units at Brookside have been sold as condos. Because most of the apartments were purchased by investors, few tenants were displaced by the change in ownership. But most rents were raised so that new owners could cover the costs of financ ing. , "Although I currently have no actual com plaints about the differences in ownership now and a year ago, I believe the uncertainty of not know ing who owns your apartment or what their inten tions are will prove to be non-beneficial to tenants in the future," said Dave Farrell, a two-year resi dent of University Gardens. . Victoria Deaton, a UNC student and tenant at University Gardens, said she was unable to contact the owner of her apartment to obtain permission to keep a cat. "They (Chapel Hill Realty) wouldn't tell us who was our real owner," Deaton said. "They said it was a matter of public record if we wanted to find out. Because I didn't have time to go through public records, I decided to give the cat away." Although Chapel Hill Realty no longer owns all of the units, the firm still manages the property for the new owners. One of the major drawbacks of the conversion is the lack of consistency between one apartment and the next, Farrell said. "My rent is $35 higher than the rent of one of my neighbors, and minor repairs have been made to some units and not to others," he said. Repairs are made according to the discretion of individual owners. But Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Lucas bought their apartment, and consider it a good investment. - "Rates have gone up out of sight everywhere so that we couldn't afford to buy a house," she said. "Now, we can make payments within our means, and this is a place for us to be safe." Cates said earlier that condominium conversion was just a better method by which to sell because of the declining economy. Cates said there were definite advantages to owning a condominium rather than renting. All expenses are tax deductable in a home (that is privately owned), but there are no deductions for rental housing, he said. But Farrell criticized Chapel Hill Realty for sell ing the apartments. . He said that Cates seemed to be getting more money in rents through 'financing than he did before, that Cates no longer had to pay the cost of maintenence of taxes and that he got a fee -for managing the property. Last week, town attorneys presented two pro posed ordinances for regulating condominium conversion that would be defensible before the General Assembly and the courts. , Deputy Town Attorney Grainger Barrett said the proposals were not a focused plan, and the council would consider the provisions jn both or dinances when making any final decisions. Registration to continue Reagan says By JAMEE OSBORN DTH Staff "Writer In an unexpected move, President Ronald Reagan recently announced he would continue draft registration, and in doing so, . renewed questions about . the strength of the all-volunteer force. ' The draft, registration law requires all men to register for the draft as soon as they reach their 18th birthday. Betty Alexander, a public affairs officer for the Selective Service, saidcompliance with the law had been good. "For men born in 1960, 1961 and 1962, we have had a com pliance rate of more than 90 percent," she said. "However, with men born in 1963, the rate is only 77 percent. I think the explanation for this is that these men were not sure about the requirements." Alexander said Reagan decided to con tinue draft registration at the recommen dation of a task force headed by Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger. "The task force found manpower pro blems in the all-volunteer force, and decided the draft .registration program was worthwhile," she said. Alexander said the quality of the all volunteer force had improved. "The volunteer force is retaining people better, and the recruits have higher education levels," she said. "The force is looking much better." Capt. Alfred koster, chairman of the UNC naval science department, said Reagan realized there would be great time delays in mobilizing the all-volunteer force. "Although we are not anticipating having to use our forces, it would take months," he said. "It is a question of whether we would be able to recover from another Pearl Harbor." Koster said he had personal misgivings about the force. "The all-volunteer force is not in the best interest of the country or its young people," he said. "Registering for the draft is no more punitive than paying taxes." "I have spent a great deal of time overseas, and there is no place I'd rather be than right here," he said. "Our coun try is worth every effort and obligation to maintain. Our way of life far surpasses that of other countries." Koster also said the draft would be more feasible economically than the all volunteer force. "Drafting is a relatively inexpensive function," he said. "The all volunteer force is costing the country a great deal of money." Economic penalties should be imposed on those who fail to register, Koster said. "Some people only respond to economic sanctions," he said. "You can't threaten court action against those who feel they don't have to live by the law." Koster said registration files should be matched up with income tax returns, and those who were not registered should not receive refunds and should be charged an additional tax. James Leutze, chairman of the UNC curriculum in peace, war and defense, said the country would have to turn to a draft system eventually. "The quality of the all-volunteer force is not what it should be to handle the new machinery and modern technology," he said. "The all-volunteer system has proven to be badly flawed." Leutze said he could understand the reluctance of young men to register. "I have a son who will soon be 18, and I would expect him to register," he said. "I assume he will because that is his obliga tion. But I can understand the reluctance, because there have been no attempts to punish those who have not registered. "The politicians have been very wishy washy about the issue of enforcement," he said. "It has been badly handled." Alexander said those who have not registered would be given a grace period until the end of February, when they can register with no questions asked. "After the grace period is over, we will begin our compliance program," she said. "Those who do not register will be facing a $10,000 fine andor five years in jail. Ac tion will be taken through the court system to identify those who failed to register." 5' n t is; ? i if ?l V if , 5 V? 1 -4- ; X v. The architect's drawing of the original building in 1850 .lt now houses Playmaker's Repertory Theater Theater Playmakers9 history retold By RANDY WALKER DTH Staff Writer Theater patrons going to see the Playmakers Repertory Company's Angel Street here at UNC might not know it but the play is being produced in a stable. ' At least that's one of the functions the building known as Playmakers Theater once had. The theater has been a bath house and a library too. But the place was originally built for yet another purpose.. There was no Purdy's in 1849. Students had been complaining for years that they had nowhere to dance. Agitation for a ballroom, plus a need for more library space, led to the con struction in 1850 of the University BallroomLibrary. The first Commencement Ball was held in 1852. It is not known whether the orchestra played beach music. Stu dents had to bring outside dates be cause there were no women students here at the time. Two years later the building was re named Smith Hall after Gen. Benja min Smith, one-time governor of North Carolina. Some years before, Smith had donated money to the Uni versity and made the Trustees promise to name a building after him. Never theless, students continued to call Smith Hall the "Ballroom" for years. Nobody danced during the Civil War. Authorities frowned upon dan cing as frivolous and disrespectful to the seriousness of the war effort. Ac cording to legend, the 9th Michigan Calvary stabled its horses in Smith Hall during the occupation. Since then, former Chancellor Robert House has said Michigan horses have been known for their wits and Caro lina students for their horse sense. By 1885, Smith became the Univer sity bath house; the Law School took over the building in 1908. On Nov. 23, 1925, the debt to Gen. Smith re paid, the building was renovated and rechristened the Playmakers Theater. The occasion was the opening night of "Out of the Past," a Civil War drama. In 1938 a faulty switchboard spark ed a fire; that destroyed the stage, scenery, dressing rooms and all the electrical equipment. The University remodeled the building for $50,000 and re-opened it in January 1939. See THEATER on page 2 Additional $2.50 a semester "NoFberg-oppo increase By CHERYL ANDERSON DTH Staff Writer Student Body President Scott Norberg said Monday he was opposed to a recent proposal to increase student fees next year by $2.50 per semester. "We simply don't need the money," Norberg said. By the beginning of next year a $167,000 minimum will be in the General Surplus, he said. "And that's student money." Norberg said students must realize that the General Surplus is too large and must be spent. "If we have another fee in crease, I guarantee it (the surplus) will grow .to $200,000 within a year or two," he said. General Surplus money can be used to increase Student Government funded organizational budgets by more than 10 percent and leave $120,000 in the surplus without increasing student- fees, Norberg said. "By taking $42,000 out of the surplus and giving it to organizations, that would represent over a 10 percent increase in , what was allocated lst year," he said. The remaining $120,000 "which is about as much as was spent this year on Chapel Thrill," would allow students in the future to plan for a Chapel Thrill, he . said. Norberg said several student organiza: tions had surpluses of $15,000 and the Carolina Union has a surplus of more than $100,000. "Why should students pay more money when there is already, more than enough money in the Student Government accounts at this point?" Norberg said he had studied all the figures involved in a possible increase in deciding his position. "We have pockets of excess money all over the place that we can use up before asking students for more," he said; He added that the in crease would cost the entire student body $100,000. , Also, an increase in fees would cost the financial aid department more money for each of the students who received aid. "And close to 50 percent of the student body does (receive aid)," he said. Finally, Norberg posed a question: "How does it look for student represen . tatives to urge the administration to spend different student fees as effectively as possible when the same isn't true for ourselves?" Norberg said last year that he and ' students on the Student Health Advisory Board recommended Student Health Ser vices limit the increase in Student Health Fees to $8 per year rather than raise them to $16 per year. The proposal was effec tive this year. "We did that by agreeing to spend a lot of the money that was in the Student Health Sevice general surplus," Norberg ' said. He said the two situations were "almost exactly the same." Or a I contraceptive use indicates jewer risns oj cancer o erus By VIRGINIA TRULL DTH Staff Writer Oral contracepti"es containing both progestin and estrogen hormones ef fectively can reduce the risk of cancer of the uterus lining, said UNC scientists in a recent report to the American Medical Association. "Women who are using the oral contraceptives most com monly used today have some reduction in the risk of endometrial cancer," said Dr. Barbara S. Hulka, professor of epidemiology at the UNC School of Public Health. Hulka, one of five UNC scientists making the report, said the contraceptives used in the studies were combination products, containing both progestin and estrogen. These contraceptives do have varying amounts of progestin and estrogen," she said, "but we are concerned with those that are predominantly progestin." The study, done over a period of seven years, compared 79 patients who had had endometrial cancer with 203 women who had not. Of this group, 15.3 percent had used oral contracep tives containing progestin for at least six months; only 6.3 per cent of- the cancer patients had used similar products for the same time period. The findings indicate there is some correlation between the level of progestin and the rate of endometrial cancer, Hulka said. Brands used several years ago were predominantly. estrogen, and they were removed from the market because of an increase in endometrial cancer, she said. "Estrogen causes a more rapid cell reproduction rate," Hulka said. Cancer development usually follows an abnormal tissue growth. "Progestin, however, causes the cells to stop dividing," she said. "The two hormones have opposing effects on the cells lin ing the uterus." "By adding progestin to the end of the estrogen cycle, a woman may be protecting the uterus from endometrial cancer," Hulka said. "It will lessen the risk." However, Hulka said the findings do not imply that all women should begin using oral contraceptives. "These findings only apply to women using oral contraceptives in older age groups," she said. "Endometrial cancer is primarily a disease of older women," Hulka said. "Its peak frequency of occurrence is in the 60s." "It has an occurrence rate of only one per 1,000 per year," she said, "with a 99 percent five-year survival rate." "Estrogen is used to relieve the menopausal and post menopausal symptoms women experience such as hot flashes and depression," she said. "If has been shown to cause real increases in endometrial cancer," Hulka said. "The common fear (of women) is that any kind of hormone may cause cancer. This study shows that not all hormones are harmful," she said. Authors of the report, published in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, were Drs. Hulka, Lloyd S. Chambless and Bernard G. Greenberg of the UNC School of Public Health and Drs. David G. Kaufman and Wesley C. Fowler of the School of Medicine. A emclre candidates after fforamm The governing board of the Residence Hall Association endorsed Summey Orr for student body president, John Drescher fox Daily Tar Heel editor and Scott Templeton for RHA pre sident after hearing candidates for office speak at an RHA forum Monday. . Later Monday, the chairperson of the Black Student Movement said before its forum that at least one candidate was accused of using racial slurs during door-to-dodr campaigns. "They think they do not need the BSM en dorsement to win," said chairperson Wende J. Watson. "But we plan to do as much as we can to get as many Black Student Movement and black students to vote." Watson declined to identify a candidate or political race involved, until after the BSM's Central Committee meets today to decide en dorsements for president, editor, Carolina Athletic Association president and RHA presi dent. . - The RHA board endorsed Templeton for RHA president because the board thought he would be able to carry on the activities and pro gress of this year, and because of his experience, RHA President Robert Bianchi said. Templeton said he wanted to see the RHA president and the housing director meet on a weekly basis. "WitTi us cooperating with them, and them with us, we all work better," he said. - "Our decision for Summey (Orr) was based on his proposal to direct the Housing Commit tee of Student Government more toward off campus students," Bianchi said. His experience as the head of the Rape, As sault and Prevention Escort service and execu tive assistant to Student Body President Scott Norberg and his ideas on policy and service were important in the decision, Bianchi said. "For Drescher, we felt his experience was a key factor" Bianchi said. "His concern with RHA news and his ideas on investigative re . porting were also important." The board did not vote on whether to endorse the CAA candidate. At a forum before the vote, student body presidential candidates Orr, Mark Canady, Tim Smith and Mike Vandenbergh discussed what they would do if elected. "This year in Student Government, I have seen a lot of duplication go on between the Housing Committee, and the RHA," Orr said. "If elected, the Housing Committee will con centrate on off-campus students. There's no need to have another RHA in my cabinet." Vandenbergh said that if elected, he would encourage students in his administration to work on independent projects studying housing issues that concerned students, such as higher housing costs. - Canady discussed his plan to expand the Olde Campus security program to other areas of the campus, saying it would cost about $5,000 to $7,000 from the General Reserve. Smith said he favored spreading the tutorial service campuswide, the creation of a Student Fees Commission, and said that Student Government was not meeting the needs of students. DTH editor candidates Drescher and Compiled by Katherine Long, Ken Mingis and BillPeschel. Jonathan Rich also spoke at the forum. 1 Both Rich and Drescher said they would con tinue to assign a reporter to cover RHA. "I think having writers on the beat is good," Rich said. "Also, I would start a contributions editor. If you wanted to write a column about some area of housing, you could." "Given the proximity of the RHA and Daily Tar Heel offices, there's no reason you can't have someone there every day," Drescher said. At the BSM forum candidates for the office of student body president spoke about the du plication of student service programs on cam pus, and revision of the executive liaison pro gram, which all the candidates agreed did not work well this year. Canady said he would like to have campus or ganizations coordinate cultural festivals and see "interaction and information sharing" among groups such as the BSM. Canady said he would like to make a marketing survey to "identify the needs of students, and see how they communi cate with Student Government." Orr said the executive liaison program needed a better sense of direction and leadership. He said it should also serve as a labor pool to ac complish other services for students such as re cording books for the blind. Smith said he would establish a committee to listen to complaints about academic and social problems, and represent students if they have complaints to make about a professor in a de partment. Vandenbergh said the executive liaison pro gram was not immediately responsive to student See FORUM on page 2 X V 1 x: DTHScott Stwp John Drescher speaks at RHA forum Monday ...he is a candidate for 'DTH' editor