North Carolina Newspapers

WEATHER TODAY: Partly cloudy; high 47 TUESDAY: Rain; high upper 40s UNIONIZE: Applications available for Union president .....CAMPUS, page 3 CRUSHING THE, CAVS: Tar Heels down Virginia, 77-56 ........SPORTS, page 4 ON CAMPUS Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies to hold an SBP candidate forum, 7:30 p.m. in Dialectic Chambers of New West. Qiar 1992 DTH Publishing Corp. All rights reserved. Serving the students and the University community since 1893 Volume 99, Issue 141 Monday, January 27, 1992 Chapel Hill, North Carolina NrwV5poruArl 96202-H Bulmn Advertising 96J-II63 Trustees consider benefits for housekeepers By Deborah Ann Greenwood Staff Writer University housekeepers are not likely to receive a pay raise, but admin istrators hope to compensate in other ways, the UNC Board of Trustees re ported Friday. The trustees discussed at their monthly meeting Friday the housekeep ers' Step 3 grievance filed this week against the University. "We see grievances as a normal means for bringing problems to our attention," Chancellor Paul Hardin said at the meeting. "I see this as a call for help. I myself regard the situation with a great deal of personal sentiment." Trustee John Pope said it would be difficult to get the N.C. General Assem bly to agree to the wage increases re quested in the grievance because of the state budget crunch. "The problem is that the marginal wages of employees at Chapel Hill are higher than the marginal wages of the private sector, and I think we will have an extremely difficult time in getting them raised," Pope said. Trustee Angela Bryant agreed that the trustees were not optimistic about raising the pay scale, but suggested that the University may be able improve the situation in other ways. "Although it may not be possible to improve salary levels, there are other benefits that the University has the au thority to provide in the short term," Bryant said. Hardin said although no specific pro gram for improving benefits had been planned, such an option was being con sidered. "Right now, housekeepers must pay health insurance for their dependents, and I'm hoping that we can find a way for the state to pay some of that," he said. "We at the University may have to do it ourselves." A recent $70 per month increase in health insurance costs served to worsen the housekeepers' financial burdens, he said. Hardin said increasing productivity while keeping the work force constant was one possible budgeting solution. I .-,(,..-.,,,M U .., "v T'wV ft ) .V'- I - J'it! lf xO I ' I 1 Vf III w Uf01terx J-1 ! "i" i '' n-t-t "T" iumiiniiil t i . tm ra nirr i DTHDebbie Stengel Chilly chess Chris Sasser, left, a senior industrial relations major from Raleigh, and Bill Robinson, a Saturday night outside the Smith Center. The two were trying to find a suitable pastime senior speech communication major from Belmont, contemplate their chess strategies while camping out for Duke basketball tickets with about 2,000 other students. "What we need to do is to increase productivity fromexisting staff, because from my walks around campus 1 can see that the reduced number we have now is working reasonably well," Hardin said. Matt Heyd, an ex officio BOT mem ber and student body president, said he was grateful ftfr Hardin's concern for the plight of the housekeepers, and he said he hoped the situation could be resolved. "We appreciate the efforts of the chancellor to secure better wages for the housekeepers," he said. "It is in comprehensible that this poverty exists on our campus." BOT member William Woltz said low wages were paid to some UNC employees because the U.S. economy was competing with countries where working conditions and wages were abysmally low. "It is difficult to compete with the Caribbean where workers could be made to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week for twenty dollars," he said. See HOUSEKEEPER, page 7 Lab experiment blamed for fire at chemistry building By Steve Politl University Editor and Jennifer Brett Staff Writer Three local fire departments re sponded Sunday night toachemical fire in a Kenan laboratory after a chemistry experiment went awry. Chapel Hill fire officials received a call at 9:02 p.m. and responded two minutes later to room 607 of Kenan Laboratories. The fire was under con trol within four minutes and small spot fires throughout the room were extin guished by 9:46 p.m. Donald Willhoit, University health and safety director, said the fire was confined to the laboratory and damage was not extensive. The fire was extin guished with dry chemical canisters. Joe Robertson, Chapel Hill Fire De partment public information officer, said fire officials believed that 12 to 15 gal lons of methanol, a highly combustible chemical, started the fire. "An experiment involving methanol had gone awry in some way and there was fire involved in the room," Robertson said. The fire began when chemistry Pro fessor Cindy Schauer left an experi ment involving a circulating methanol bath unattended. When a graduate stu dent in a nearby lab heard a popping noise, she notified Schauer and both returned to find flames. They activated the fire alarm, closed the doors to adjoining rooms and evacu ated the building, Willhoit said. "The fire alarm was pulled and ev eryone left," said the graduate student who discovered the fire. "They're re sponding to it in ultra force because when chemicals are involved, you never know." Schauer and the student, who didn't want to be identified, were taken to an ambulance for routine examinations. Physical Plant investigators will ex amine and evaluate the extent of dam age today, Willhoit said. He did not know if lab classes would be held in the building today. Three engines were on the scene from Chapel Hill and several emergency units from New Hope were called in to help control the fire. The Carrboro fire de partment was asked to stand by at the Chapel Hill station. Robertson could not remember the fire department ever responding to a fire in Kenan Lab Building before, but he said about 18 months ago a similar fire broke out in a chemical storage room in the basement of Venable Hall. Candidates for school's top executive office announce platforms Students to cast their ballots in Feb. 11 campus elections All candidate profiles by Soyla Ellison Staff Writer Students have several decisions to make Feb. 1 1. All students registered to vote in cam pus elections have the opportunity to vote for student body president, The Daily Tar Heel editor, Carolina Athletic Association president and Residence Hall Association president. Juniors can vote to elect their class president and vice president and gradu ate and professional students can choose n-iit.i.wiJHifHM.i Student Body President their student leader. Voters also will pick Student Con gress members and on-campus residents can choose their dormitory governors. Student Body President The student body president does a little bit of everything, this year's Stu dent Body President Matt Heyd said. The student body president is the head of the executive branch of student government with veto power over Stu dent Congress legislation. He or she is an ex -officio member of the UNC Board of Trustees and makes appointments to student boards and committees. DTH Editor The Daily Tar Heel editor is respon sible for UNC's campus newspaper. The editor decides how the paper should look and what goes in it. The See OFFICES, page 4 Bibbs will put campus, state political experience to work Mark Bibbs says next year's student body president will face tough issues and the worst budget situation ever, and he or she must ha ve experience in deal ing with administrators and legislators before taking office. Bibbs, a senior political science ma jor from Kings Mountain, said his expe rience in campus and state pol itics made him most qualified for the job. He serves as president of the Asso ciation of Student Governments, as the Board of Governors' student represen tative and as Student Supreme Court chief justice. His three top priorities are working to create a free standing black cultural cen ter, putting an em phasis on teaching at UNC and im proving lighting in and around the residence halls. fix---. 'i Mark Bibbs "For far too long, student govern ment has been quiet on the issue (of the BCC) and not forceful enough," he said. "If need be, we'll seek state funding, provided that the African-American curriculum moves into that building." Teaching needs to become more im portant than research, because if you lose students as undergraduates, they'll never go on to graduate school, he said. Teaching workshops and seminars need to be scheduled. "We need to focus on getting profes sors back in the classroom," he said. See BIBBS, page 4 Peeler to stress fiscal responsibility as 'watchdog of fees' Scott Peeler says he has designated himself "the watchdog of student fees." Student funding should only be used to fund very important programs and projects that can't be funded through othermeans, the junior political science major from Toledo, Ohio, said. "I think there's got to be a serious, serious effort to make sure student fees don't go up." However, he would like to see the moratorium lifted on funding of the a.p.p.I.e.s. community service learning program and wants to look for other ways to fund it. Peeler said ad- m i n i st rators should consider raising the ticket prices of revenue producing sports and designating that money for the libraries. He also said he with graduate stu- Scott Peeler dents. Providing graduate students with health insurance is a priority in his plat- 'A -J J7 form. He plans to continue present Student Body President Matt Heyd's plan to earmark SO percent of graduate student funds specifically for graduate student use. "I think the grad students deserve a little more attention when it comes to student fees." Peeler says his campaign slogan is "Impact Beyond Words," because talk is cheap. See PEELER, page 4 Airan to strengthen diversification of student government Rashmi Airan says her leadership experience with the Campus Y, resi dence hall government and the student government executive branch will al low her to represent a more diverse segment of the student population. Airan, a junior speech communica tion major from Miami, would be only the second female student body presi dent in University history. But she said she was not runni ng to make a statement for women. "I'm running because I think I'm the most qualified for the position." Airan said her greatest accom plishment at the University was serving on the stu dent government executive branch academic affairs committee and ne gotiating with the faculty to keep the passfail program. She also is working on a peer advis ing program that would train upper- Rashmi Airan classmen to counsel younger students about classes and schedules. Three of Airan's top priorities are funding the a.p.p.I.e.s. community ser vice learning program, finding new sources of funding for the University and being willing to listen and under stand students' problems. "First of all, we need to find tangible solutions toward raising money and find ing money," she said. Part of her solution includes having See AIRAN, page 4 Moody will aim for nuts-and-bolts changes for University John Moody says he is concerned with accomplishing the little things rather than tackling the overwhelming issues. "We're attempting to focus on the smaller things," he said. His goals include better lighting on campus, more bike racks, shortening cashier's lines, keeping Union Station open until the library closes, not having reading day on Saturday and creating a better-planned exam schedule. He also wants extended hours for Caroline, the target-grade option with PassDF, the end of required meal plans for on-campus students and funding for the a.p.p.I.e.s. com munity service learning program. "It seems like a great program, and ctii-ffntc xr 'into1 it," he said. "I John Moody don't see much room for debate about it." i I Iw. Moody, a junior chemistry major from Greensboro, serves on the student attorney general staff and at the Cam pus Y. He envisions no sweeping changes for student government's structure. "I think it's the people in student govern ment and getting a broader base of people involved." How people perceive student politi cians relates to the level of student apa thy, he said. "I think the main thing you See MOODY, page 4 Shelburne will strive for greater student academic input Mark Shelburne says students should unite and have a greater voice in aca demic matters. He wants to form majors' unions, in which students in every department could join, elect officers and express academic concerns to their departments in one voice. Shelburne, a junior public policy analysis major from Durham, said as student body president he could serve as the catalyst to start the unions. The unions would also alleviate stu dent apathy and increase involvement on campus. "I think creat ing these majors' unions would help, because stu dents are not apa thetic about their majors," he said. He also wants to increase student involvement in the designation of stu- Mark Shelburne dent fees and in the University budget process. Student-faculty committees should be formed to determine and pass along budget priorities, he said. This would give students a chance to voice their opinions on issues like the South Loop expansion, which Shelburne said he thought was ridiculous, especially when the University must cut class sections every semester. Shelburne wants to form a student administrator committee to decide on new student fees and fee increases. See SHELBURNE, page 4 believe in long, prolonged derangement of the senses to attain the unknown. Val Kilmer, 'The Doors"