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Southern Writers
series: John Ehle
8 p.m., GerrardHall
Serving the students and the University community since 1893
Volume 97, Issue 84
Monday, November 6, 1989
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
NewsSportsArts 962-0245
BusinessAdvertising 962-1 1 63
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By AMY WAJDA
Assistant University Editor
: UNC Public Safety Director Robert
Sherman'srequestforreassignmentwas
granted Friday, according to a state
ment released that day by Chancellor
Paul Hardin.
Sherman's request, which came at
the end of a weeklong outside study of
the department, also followed a written
warning to him from Hardin for violat
ing personnel procedures.
Hardin's statement read: "For the
best interests of the University, the
Office of Public Safety, and himself,
Robert Sherman, the director of public
safety, has requested a reassignment to
other duties, and his request has now
been granted. Interim leadership is being
11 Jvw-
Opposing views
Charla Campbell (left), taking the
listens as Graham Entwistle takes
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Administrative post
By JASON KELLY
Staff Writer
Administrators have created a new
position to deal with the lagging
personnel operations within the
University, according to Ben Tuchi,
vice chancellor for business and fi
nance. The new position was created af
ter a New England consulting firm
hired by the University concluded a
study in December 1988, Tuchi said.
The study recommended the new
position called associate vice
chancellor of human resources be
created.
Problems cited in the study were a
lack of single direction for the em
ployee benefits programs, neglected
training programs, malfunctioning
Thefts, suspect report may be linked
By STEPHANIE JOHNSTON
Staff Writer
' Police officials say 13 thefts from
lockers in Fetzer Gymnasium last week
are related, but they aren't sure if a
suspicious persons report, received from
the same area less than an hour before
Say what?
Town council candidates take
a stand on issues 4
I can't drive 55
Raising speed limit means life
in the faster lane 6
Slick!
Basketball team greases
Marathon Oil 12
City and campus .
State news
Arts and features ,
Opinion
Sports Monday ...
..3
..6
..7
..8
12
Bass!
Braside
sought immediately.
"Pending appointment of interim
leadership, Vice Chancellor Ben Tuchi
continues to be responsible for the
department, as he is for the rest of the
Division of Business and Finance."
Tuchi said in a telephone interview
Sunday that Sherman's new position,
which will be permanent, would not be
decided until Sherman's supervisor
Charles Antle, associate vice chancel
lor for business, returned to Chapel Hill
Saturday. "Mr. Antle and I have to talk
about that," Tuchi said. "It's in Chuck's
bailiwick."
Sherman could not be reached for
comment Sunday.
Tuchi said he had not seriously dis
cussed the reassignment with Sherman
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part of the CIA, the CIA during a mock debate Friday in the Pit.
a stand against See story, page 3.
grievance procedures and a general
failure to modernize, Tuchi said.
Chancellor Paul Hardin said Sunday
that it is not only the problems pointed
out by the study, but more a change in
philosophy within the University ad
ministration that is spurring the atten
tion toward the personnel department.
"We are emphasizing the development
of human services. We hope to enable
people to advance their careers and get
more training."
Hardin said he thought the new
position would be filled within the next
few weeks.
The study said personnel problems
were severe enough to "threaten UNC
CH's academic mission" by undermin
ing basic services that help make the
University a complete community.
the first theft was reported, has any
connection.
About $560 of personal property was
stolen from 12 lockers Tuesday after
noon, and an additional $80 was re
ported missing from a locker on
Wednesday morning.
Police are uncertain if the suspects
from the suspicious persons call com
mitted the thefts, said Sgt. Ned Comar
of University police.
"I won't say for sure, but they are
good suspects. We have no leads at this
time."
Police received a suspicious persons
report at 3:15 p.m. Tuesday from the
Fetzer basket room staff. The caller
reported seeing two suspicious men in
the locker rooms.
"Officers went at 3:15 and found no
one," Comar said. 'They took a report.
The caller did not say that the suspects
were asked to leave by the staff. Appar
ently they tried to report it so the police
could investigate."
Comar said the police would respect
the anonymity of people reporting in
formation about the crime.
"A person who hears people talk
(about committing the theft) or recog
nizes the men by their descriptions can
call Crime Stoppers or the police at
966-2120."
How low can you
before Friday. "Some weeks ago the
subject came up in conversation but as
an aside to other topics in the conversa
tion, and it wasn't pursued." -
Hardin's reprimand came in his rul
ing on the Step 3 hearing of a grievance
filed by University police Officers Keith
Edwards, Ollie Bowler and Lonnie
Sexton.
The officers claimed Sherman re
taliated against them for using the per
sonnel grievance system by making
Edwards and Bowler wash their patrol
cars when they were already scheduled
as witnesses at Sexton's grievance
hearing. Sexton had charged he was
unfairly passed over for a promotion.
Hardin said in his letter that Sher
man violated the Staff Personnel
DTHCatherine Pinckert
created
Tuchi said the problems have
become even more apparent with
the establishment of Research Tri
angle. Companies in the triangle
offer better pay and benefits than
the University does.
The problems cited in the study
apply more to the University's 5,300
staff members such as clerks,
secretaries, housekeepers and ac
countants than to the professors.
The University's turnover rate is
high, with one in five employees
leaving each year, and, in recent
years, the number of vacancies has
stayed at about 300.
Tuchi described neglect as the
main problem in the personnel de
See POST, page 6
One suspect was described as a black
male, dark complexion, 160 pounds,
about 18 years old, of medium build
with an earring in his left ear and wear
ing a royal blue shirt with a hand ges
ture on the back. The other suspect was
described as a black male, 235 pounds,
6'3" tall, 18 years old, with a light
complexion and short hair and wearing
a light blue button-down shirt and white
washed jeans.
Although police are unsure about
the suspects, the string of 13 thefts is
believed to be related, Comar said.
"I would say there is a tie-in. The
time lapse (the first report was received
at 4:04 p.m. and the last at 7:10 p.m.)
would indicate the students didn't get
back to the lockers at the same time.
The report did not say exactly what was
stolen, but personal property is mostly
wallets and cash."
Comar said students should be aware
that some locks issued from the gym
can be pulled open, and they should
give the lock an extra pull after locking
it.
"We've done extensive investiga
tions about such rashes of thefts. We've
had young officers who look like stu
dents stake out the locker rooms."
But he said the police had been unable
to learn anything from the stakeouts.
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Administrative Guide (SPAG) by not
encouraging employees in the griev
ance process and by intentionally trying
to make it difficult for the witnesses to
attend the hearing.
Hardin also said that while evidence
did not definitely show retaliation by
Sherman, it did show "that there was an
act on Mr. Sherman's part that at least
hinted of 'interference ... against an
employee for using this (grievance
procedure) This, even without more,
is a violation of SPAG 10, Section 5b."
Hardin added that there was evi
dence of "serious employee concern"
in the department.
He said in a phone interview Sun
day, "Sometimes people who work hard
and have very good intentions find their
leadership is not effective and in some
ways compromised."
Tuchi said the consultants, as well as
the letter, probably had contributed to
Sherman's request. "We didn't discuss
it specifically, but all of it had to be
weighing on him."
Tuchi confirmed that Sherman met
with the consultants Friday afternoon.
Tuchi said he had met with consult
ants Asa Boynton and Ron Zuniga
Saturday and Sunday but would not
comment on their specific recommen
dations. "They made a significant
number of recommendations after dis
cussing their findings."
The consultants will return for two
days in two weeks and will submit a
written report two weeks after that,
Tuchi said.
Hardin said the reassignment should
make the department better. "It's an
unpleasant situation, but I'm hoping
the reassignment will enable us to find
a new leader and move on to a positive
attitude in the department."
Officers agreed. "Mr. Sherman had
been under a whole lot of strain and the
whole department had the feeling we
were in limbo," Sgt. Ned Comar said
Sunday. "I think this is a first step in
ameliorating that problem."
Bowler and Edwards said the reas
signment had already improved depart
ment morale. "The morale in the de
partment went from zero to 100,"
Edwards said.
But Bowler said he was dissatisfied
that Sherman did not show any remorse,
to the officers who had filed griev
ances. "I find it extremely odd that a
man like Mr. Sherman would give up
his job before he would treat people
fairly."
Streaking incident probed
By JENNIFER PILL A
Staff Writer
The Phi Delta Theta national organi
zation and UNC's Inter-Fraternity
Council (IFC) and Student Attorney
General's office will make inquiries
into an Oct. 30 streaking incident in
volving several Phi Delta Theta frater
nity pledges near Morehead Planetar
ium. Fraternity members have said that
the episode was in no way related to the
fraternity, but witnesses said they be
lieved it may have involved hazing.
Robert Biggs, director of Chapter
Services for the national Phi Delta Theta
fraternity, said in a telephone interview
Friday that he had not known about the
incident but that he would look into it.
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New home for Willie
Carol and Scott Breidenbach of Chapel Hill inter
view prospective new owners for their dog Willie
what a brother
Edlwardls says
white officers
treated better
By MIKE SUTTON
Staff Writer
White male University police
officers were shown favoritism in .
promotions and punished less se
verely than black officers for the
same infractions, Officer Keith
Edwards said at her administrative
grievance hearing Friday.
Edwards, the only black female
police officer in the history of the
department, also testified that she
became the target of reprisals by her
superiors for protesting discrimina
tory practices.
As her hearing, held before Judge
Delores Nesnow in the Chapel Hill
district courtroom, moved into its
second day, Edwards said that Pub
lic Safety Director Robert Sherman
had promoted Charles Mauer to
police chief in June 1987. Sherman
and Mauer subsequently promoted
Sherman Edmonds and Robert Por
reca to the post of major without
advertising the openings or giving
other officers the option to apply for
the positions.
Edmonds and Porreca then chose
which line officers would be reas
signed to positions with more re
sponsibilities and made recommen
dations back to Sherman and Mauer,
Edwards said. "We (officers) felt like
a lot of people got passed over. We
felt like favoritism was involved,
discrimination was involved.
"If the director (Sherman) or Maj.
Edmonds or Maj. Porreca, if you got
along with them, you would be con
sidered for a title change," Edwards
said, adding that she believed there
were others in the department more
qualified for the top posts than the
three white men chosen.
She characterized Mauer as "a
good ol' boy. He was brought up in
the old ways, and there's no way to
get that out of him."
In the past, Edwards said, senior
ity was the key criterium for deter
mining promotions. Her attorney,
Alan McSurely, introduced a police
"Phi Delta Theta is adamantly op
posed to any physical or psychological
abuse of pledges or members." Biggs
said sanctions on any chapter found to
be hazing could range from probation
to loss of a chapter charter.
Sterling Gilreath, president of the
IFC, said that the IFC was also looking
into the matter, but that any formal
investigation would be conducted pre
dominantly by the Student Attorney
General's Office.
Philip Floyd, a member of the Stu
dent Attorney General's staff, said last
week that the office was investigating
the incident because a police report had"
been filed.
Student Attorney General Virginia
Mewborne declined Friday to comment
at Festifall.
afternoon on
know. Public
department document that allegedly
showed that Edmonds and Porreca
each had fewer total training hours
than Phyllis Cooper, a white female,
who was not considered for the
majors' positions.
N.C. Associate Attorney General
Lars Nance, representing the Uni
versity, sharply disputed the
document's reliability, arguing that
it was used to evaluate applicants for
an unrelated detective's position and
only contained training hours rele
vant to that post.
Nesnow said she would allow the
document to be entered as evidence
if a witness testified it was used in
the 1987 reorganization. "If some
one gets up there and says, 'Sure,
this was used for all those promo
tions,'" she said, then the figures
could be examined in detail at the
hearing.
McSurely questioned Nance's
timing in announcing the document's
purpose. "He's now saying these
figures aren't accurate. Why didn't
he do it yesterday?"
Edwards also said that black offi
cers received reprimands for infrac
tions such as leaving their posts and
damaging patrol cars when white
officers received none.
She said former Officer Charles
Jackson, who is black, filled out a
time sheet indicating he had worked
eight hours but had had to leave
work to attend to an emergency at
home. Edwards said Jackson had no
intention of falsifying the time sheet
but became angry when Lt. Marcus
Perry, his superior, who is white,
confronted him and demanded he
change the time sheet to reflect the
three hours he had missed.
Jackson, who was issued a writ
ten warning for "unacceptable lan
guage" and deserting his post, sub
sequently filed a grievance. Edwards
said that a short time later, Perry had
three hours of dental work performed
See HEARING, page 6
on any aspect of the case.
University police officers picked up
three naked pledges after one of them
fell in the Morehead parking lot. The
South Orange Rescue Squad took him
to the emergency room of North Caro
lina Memorial Hospital; he was re
leased later that day. University police
took the two other students to get their
clothes.
Gibson Smith, president of Phi Delta
Theta, declined to comment Sunday.
He said last week that the fraternity had
no responsibility in the incident, which
he called a "whim" of the three stu
dents. The officers did not arrest any of the
See HAZING, page 6
DTHSheila Johnston
The street fair was held Sunday
Franklin Street.
Enemy
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