New paper brings
lomo.r with premier oue
By LAURA TAYLOR
Staff Writer
A new area publication called The
Triangle Comic Review introduced a
combination of editorial cartoons
and humorous articles to Chapel Hill
Carrboro residents last week.
"What we're mainly doing is
showing the work of America's best
cartoonists," Publisher Diana Hersh
said. "We want to bring humor in
a sophisticated manner to people in
the Triangle area."
Hersh said the newspaper was a
forum for local talent. There are four
contributors from the Triangle and
13 artists and writers from around
the country who submit material. .
"I want people to pick up the paper
and learn something," Hersh said.
The newspaper is presented on a
fun and uplifting level for all types
of readers, she said.
"We want people to think of it as
a gift that comes out every other
week," Hersh said.
Business support is essential to The
Triangle Comic Review, Hersh said.
There were 25 local businesses that
Cairirbpiro aldermen approve
safety program for bicyclists
By ELIZABETH SHERROD
Staff Writer
The Carrboro Board of Alderman
voted unanimously Tuesday to enact
a public relations program to prompt
cyclists to obey traffic regulations.
Alderman Randy Marshall said the
Carrboro Police Department is
condoning illegal acts by omission.
"We should not wait until a serious
accident happens before we consider
the problems," he said.
Carrboro Police Chief A.S. Herje
said the department does issue
citations to cyclists who break the
law, but the cases are usually thrown
out of court because enforcement of
bike regulations does not receive high
priority.
"Bicyclists who break the law give
a bad name to all bicyclists," said
Mayor Eleanor Kinnaird.
Alderman Frances Shetley said she
thought everything in the chiefs
report was correct. Motorists crowd
cyclists, brush by them and drive in
Wright's offbeat humor
thaws wintry evening
The weather outside was any
thing but hospitable, but Steven
Wright managed to heat up the
sellout crowd at Memorial Hall
Wednesday night.
Local talent James & Rodney
warmed up his act and tried hard
to please a crowd bent on seeing
Steven Wright. The duo struggled,
and it was obvious that they were
stalling for time to allow Wright
to, as they said, part his hair. But
the two showed promise with a skit
on foreign TAs and another skit
on 70s television shows that was
highlighted by excellent impres
sions. The crowd needed to keep
in mind that these two found out
they were opening for Wright just
a day before the show and, there
fore, should receive thumbs up for
their effort.
Wright took command of the
stage at about 9 p.m. and never
looked back. He strutted onstage,
droopily, to a large round of
applause from the crowd. They
were primed and ready for weird,
and weird is what they got. Wright
strolled around the stage flaunting
a new beard and when the crowd
finally silenced, he greeted them
with a humble and scratchy
"Thanks."
He had with him on stage a lone
stool, a chair, a couple of mikes
and a glass of water, all of which
played a part in the show. The
glass of water created some inter
esting moments when Wright
reminded the crowd that the
human body was 98 percent water
and that as he drank he was getting
C5S American Heart
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Laserset
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LASER PRINTERS
rushes possible
on Franklin Street above Sadlack's
967-6633
advertised in the premier issue, and
Hersh said she hopes further interest
will increase.
"We're supported strictly by busi
nesses who advertise with us," Hersh
said. "We are very grateful to all the
businesses that supported us with the
first issue."
It is a totally free publication for
the readers, she said.
Positive responses have come from
readers of different ages, Hersh said.
Originally, it was thought that key
interest would come from university
students.
"Our target audience has really
surprised us," Hersh said.
Hersh settled in Chapel Hill to
begin The Triangle Comic Review
after relocating from Santa Cruz,
Calif. She said she developed the idea
for the. newspaper after working
directly with The Santa Cruz Comic
News.
California readers and advertisers
responded favorably to the news
paper, she said. "It is a niche that
is needed here.
"1 love Chapel Hill. The people are
the bike lane.
Shetley said she believed the most
serious violations occur when the
roads are the most congested and
travel is dangerous. Officers cannot
get out of their cars to chase violators.
Herje said bike safety programs are
available, but they are targeted
toward younger children.
Kinnaird said she believes if there
were more bike lanes, there would be
fewer violations.
Marshall said those who would
attend safety programs are not the
ones who violate the laws.
"I think the people who are the
problems would laugh us right out
of the place if we suggested they
attend a bike safety program," he
said.
The key is strict enforcement and
issuing warnings, Marshall said.
If a violator receives three warn
ings, the case must be taken to court,
he said.
"The bottom line is that if the
Randy Basinger
Comedy
closer to drowning himself. "I love
living on the edge," he told the
crowd as he gulped heavily from
the glass.
Throughout the entire perfor
mance he kept his anti-emotion
face and voice, cracking a smile
at the weirder stuff as if he knew
people were laughing at jokes they
only partially understood.
"I have a friend who practices
voodoo acupuncture," said
Wright. "You don't even have to
go, you're just walking along and
bam (slight pause) you feel much
better."
Wright also mentioned watch
ing television and having Smokey
the Bear tell him that only he could
prevent forest fires. He then
pointed his finger at himself as if
in recognition and slapped his
forehead at the recognition of that
responsibility on his shoulders. "I
sat up late each night with a bucket
of watenext to the window," he
said, coercing laughter from the
crowd.
After the song he finished out
the hour of comedy with his
characteristic deadpan humor and
more great jokes filled with the
abstract, like "The prescription on
my eyeglasses just ran out," or "I
wonder how much deeper the
ocean would be without sponges."
Come on, think about it.
University Square Chapel Hill 967-8935
cooracs,
kind and well-educated. This is an
area I responded to."
The newspaper is starting small but
hopes to expand in the future, Hersh
said.
"We're going to be exploring
different possibilities," she said. "We
want to hear what the community
wants.
"For the first issue, it was (about)
letting people know we were here."
Many stores carrying The Triangle
Comic Review have had to be res
tocked, she said.
Chapel Hill Newspaper Publisher
Lea Campbell described the comic
newspaper as a "specialty magazine,"
and referred to the first issue as "lively
and interesting."
"It is going to be a difficult pace
to maintain," because the comic focus
could be somewhat limited in scope
for consistent and continual publica
tion, Campbell said.
Doug Rogers, general manager for
The Village Advocate, said The
Triangle Comic Review would not
have a real impact on other, estab
lished newspapers in the area.
public doesn't think there is a penalty,
then they are not going to bother
them," said Alderman Jay Bryan.
Shetley proposed erecting "Share
the Road" signs to remind cyclists to
obey traffic regulations and remind
motorists not to drive in the bike
lanes.
In other business, the board voted
4-2 against a proposal for a joint
town-school venture to expand a new
gymnasium to be built at Carrboro
Elementary School.
"I'm very disappointed," said
Kinnaird. "Sometimes you have to
use a little imagination when you
don't have a lot of money."
Alderman Tom Gurganus said
there is not strong community sup
port for the project and the town
cannot afford the gymnasium and the
community center.
The gymnasium would not be in
the best interest of Carrboro residents
because the town would not have sole
control of the facility, Gurganus said.
. :v::r:..;:-':"-ArtS. ' - -;
Writers' symposium
By JESSICA YATES
Staff Writer
The literary work of UNC English
professor Doris Betts will be the focus
of the eighth annual Southern Writ
ers' Symposium at Methodist College
in Fayetteville March 17 and 18.
The symposium, titled "The Home
Truths of Doris Betts," will feature
a variety of programs to analyze and
interpret Betts' short stories and
novels. Lectures, plays, art work,
music and a film will be used to
examine and appreciate her writing.
The symposium is open to the general
public.
Sue Laslie Kimball, professor of
English at Methodist- College, is
directing the symposium. Kimball
said she chose to have Betts' work
as the focus of the symposium
because "I happen to like her writing.
She's a wonderful citizen of North
Carolina, as well as a wonderful
writer and professor, and I believe
it's time to honor her."
Joseph Flora, chairman of the
UNC English department, agreed
that Betts is worthy of the honor. "We
are all very delighted that Doris' work
is getting this kind of credit," he said.
Flora also expressed approval of the
symposium as an annual event. "This
state has lots of tradition in honoring
its writers," he said. "The symposium
indicates the place Southern writers
have in contemporary literature."
Writers, editors, literary scholars
and former students of Betts are
among the speakers slated to lecture
at the symposium. Nine professors
will present papers. Betts herself will
highlight the event by speaking at the
luncheon on March 17.
Three one-act plays will be per
formed under the direction of Lee
Yopp. The plays, "The Ugliest Pil-
i ii
Student committee to lobby
for irtcreasedl, faculty salary
By DANA CLINTON LUMSDEN
Staff Writer
The Student Government Spe
cial Interests Committee will send
a proposal supporting increased
faculty salary to members of the
N.C. General Assembly in mid
April. The proposal includes informa
tion that will attempt to persuade
members of the Appropriations
Committee of the General Assem
bly to allocate more funds toward
teachers' salaries.
Part of the proposal will include
a petition consisting of 2,200
names about 10 percent of the
student body as well as a form
letter and statistics, said Bill
Hildebolt, chairman of the com
mittee. It is now circulating the
petitions around campus.
The committee now has about
1,000 names, Hildebolt said. "It
has been a long and hard process,
but we hope to have the petitions
done by mid-April," he said.
Hildebolt said the proposal is
only meant to persuade General
Assembly members to consider the
benefits of a pay raise. "This is the
first project of its kind where we
(Student Government) are actu
ally going to bring something
before the General Assembly," he
said. "It's not actually a bill or
proposal to do this or do that. It's
basically a lobbying effort."
The committee plans to write
form letters to each senator and
representative explaining the
benefits of a faculty pay raise. "It
will include proposals from Stu
dent Congress, letters from CD.
Spangler (president of the UNC
The DTH Campus Calendar is a daily
listing of University-related activities
sponsored by academic departments,
student services and student organizations
officially recognized by the Division of
Student Affairs. To appear in Campus
Calendar, announcements must be submit
ted on the Campus Calendar form by
NOON one business day before the
announcement is to run. Saturday and
Sunday events are printed in Friday's
calendar and must be submitted on the
Wednesday before the announcement is
to run. Forms and a drop box are located
outside the DTH office, 104 Union. Items
of Interest lists ongoing events from the
same campus organizations and follows the
same deadline schedule as Campus
Calendar.
Doris Betts
grim," "The Mandarin" and "Spies
in the Herb House," are based on
short stories by Betts. Kimball
stressed that Yopp worked with Betts
to write the plays. "They will be
wonderful," she said,
A new addition to the regular
symposium programs is the juried art
exhibit. "We invited professional
artists to portray scenes from her
work," Kimball said. Although most
of the art pieces are paintings using
either watercolors or oils, there will
be at least one sculpture and one work
of computer-designed art presented.
Kimball said the art show is gener
ating a lot of excitement because it
7
11 u
The Daily
"This is the first project of its kind
where we (Student Government) are
actually going to bring something
before the General Assembly"
Bill Hildebolt
system) and Paul Hardin (the
chancellor)," Hildebolt said.
Gov. James Martin will be
another source of support, said
Hildebolt. "We will lobby the
governor as well. He has a certain
budget that he will send to the
General Assembly," he said. "The
governor has come out in the past
for faculty pay rates, so we def
initely feel that we have at least
his passive support."
Members of Student Congress
were in favor of the proposal and
said that they felt that it was
necessary to keep UNC compet
itive. "Certainly our professors
deserve more pay because we are
the flagship of the UNC system,"
said Gene Davis (Dist. 16). "We
have (fallen) in our ranking from
nine to 14 and one of the reasons
for that is the loss of professors."
"The reason we are losing our
professors is the competition for
higher salaries," Davis said. " The
only way we are going to keep up
with a Harvard or Yale is .to raise
teachers salaries."
Another important issue in the
increase of teachers' salaries is the
effect it would have on the pay
Campus Calendar
Please use the same form.
available in the Campus Y office.
Student Government
Executive Branch is accepting
applications, which are available in
Suite C, the Union Desk and during
the day in the Pit until March 23.
Fine Arts Festival 1989
Flashback: the '60s will present
."Then and Now: 1960s-1980s," an
exhibit of works by regional artists.
Contemporary art will be on display
at the Horace Williams House,
Franklin Street and the 1960s
exhibition will be in the Carolina
Union Gallery. The exhibits will be
on display until April 2.
Items of Interest
Senior Class of 1989 is now
accepting original entries from
seniors for the Senior Class Poem.
The deadline is March 20; applica
tions are available at the Senior
Class Office, Suite B, Student
Union.
Campus Y is accepting applica
tions for chairperson positions
through March 23. Applications are
to study Betts' work
is a "first for both the symposium and
for Doris Betts."
Betts has published four novels,
including "The Scarlet Thread" and
"Heading West," as well as three
collections of short stories. She has
won numerous awards for her liter
ature, including the UNC-Putnarh
Book Prize for the story collection
"The Gentle Insurrection." She also
has received three Sir Walter Raleigh
Awards for best fiction book by a
North Carolinian.
As a member of the UNC English
faculty since 1966, Betts has repeat
edly been honored for her teaching.
She has received the Tanner award
and the Katherine Carmichael Teach
ing Award, and she was named
Alumni Distinguished Professor of
English in 1980.
Kimball feels that Betts, whom she
describes as "much loved," has a lot
to offer as a writer. "She has a
marvelous sense of humor and great
sensitivity," she said. Kimball noted
that Jonathan Yardley, a literary
critic of The Washington Post, named
Betts among the writers of the best
contemporary literature done by
women.
Flora holds a similar view regard
ing the unique qualities of Betts'
writing. "She offers humor and
compassion," he said, "and those
wear very well." Flora also stressed,
"Doris is a marvelous colleague, as
well as a very good teacher. UNC is
fortunate to have her."
Hyw. 54 at 1-40.
Atlantic Ave.
Tar HeelFriday, March 10, 19893
of teaching assistants (TAs) said
Jurgen Buchenau (Dist. 3). "Pres
ently when a professor is on leave,
that loss of salary goes towards
the fund for teaching assistants,"
Buchenau said. "You can't really
separate the issue of a pay raise
for professors from a pay raise for
TAs. Retaining good TAs should
be as important as retaining good
professors."
Student Body President-elect
Brien Lewis said that a pay raise
is not the only problem in keeping
good professors. "Along with
focusing on getting a pay raise for
the teachers, I'm going to focus
on establishing some sort of
sabbatical program," Lewis said.
"A sabbatical, program will help
professors devote their time to
research therefore letting the
University keep their outstanding
professors."
"The fact is, we have made the
proposal general enough to
include faculty," Hildebolt said,
"Anybody who has a stake in
teaching or being taught will
benefit from a pay raise. People
say students are apathetic, and this
says that we care."
The Judicial System will
begin accepting applications for the
Undergraduate Student Court and
the Attorney General's staff on
March 3. Applications can be picked
up starting then in Suite C and D
in the Union or at the Union Desk.
Applications are due no later than
noon, March 10, in Suite D.
Carolina Students Credit
Union will offer traveler's checks
for Spring Break to members and
non-members through March 10.
CSCU is open from 10 a.m. until
2 p.m. and is located next to the
Union Theater. "
The Southern Writers' Symposium
has been successful in featuring . the
works of such writers as James Agee,
Paul Green, Carson McCullers and
Reynolds Price. "In my view, the best
writing of the century has been done
in the South," said Kimball. She
noted that the South's history,
religious ties, and family bonding
were great influences in Southern
writing. "We're a region of story
tellers," she said, "with a lot of
tradition and closeness."
According to Kimball, Betts' works
typify Southern writing in certain
ways, particularly through character
izations. She said there were a lot of
"grotesques" in regional writing, or
simply very "weird characters" such
as some of those in the works of
Flannery O'Connor. "Betts definitely
has some outlandish characters," said
Kimball.
Betts' path of achievement is
impressive as well. Betts attended
UNC-Greensboro (then Women's
College) for. three years and then got
married, stated Flora, but she kept
writing. "She did not pursue normal
academic channels at all," he said,
"but it shows that if you have the
ambition and dedication, you can do
it."
A registration fee of $15 is required
of all persons wishing to attend the
symposium. The fee includes admis
sion to the plays. For more informa
tion, call Sue Laslie Kimball at 1-800-232-7110.
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