volume L 11 , Number 1
Inside
This
Issue..
Money Matters
Credit cards: too easy for college
students to rack up debt? / 3
•vWe
Ce!Tre.»
Check out a CD review and
some cool music venues/14
INDEX
Campus News............
Features
OPiED..
Classifieds
11
A & E
The Scene
Sports ......................
Excellence Through Truth and Dedication ”
WWW.THESEAHAWK.DRG
May 3 1, 20DD
Wainwright
and Co.
1 ..
recruiting
and gearing
up for CAA
title de
fense /17
Russell elected SGA president for 2000-2001
By Thdmas m. Ruyle
Editor-In-Chief
Three weeks after all SGA presidential
candidates were disqualified from the origi
nal elections, a winner emerged from a spe
cial election and runoff held April 26 and 27.
Katie Russell, entering her junior year,
beat opponent Lee Keenen, now a senior, 248
to 195. Russell, Keenen and Laura
Southerland were disqualified from the origi
nal elections on April 5 and 6. Southerland
declined to run in the special election.
Because Russell, Keenen and a new can
didate for the special election, Jessica Maher,
did not receive a majority vote on April 5, a
special runoff election was held the next day
between Russell and Keenen. Maher did not
receive enough votes to qualify for the run
off.
Russell was inaugurated as president May
10 by Vice-president Erica Pittelkow and
sworn in as the only student voting member
of the UNCW Board of Trustees the next day.
Elections Board Chairman Yancey Gulley,
who graduated just after the controversial
election was resolved, said the second vote
was trouble-free. “With the obvious excep
tion of the regular (presidential) election, ev
erything ran smoothly,” he said.
Although the original election was marred
by candidates accusing each other of vari
ous campaign violations, Keenen said he and
Katie Russell ascended to ttie SGA presidency after a special election was held April 26 and
27. All prp-siflftntial nanriirlatP-s harl hflfin rilsqi lallfifirl fmm the nriginal ftlfirtinn in PJ^^^y April
Russell remain on good terms. "Katie
Russell gave me a call (and said) there are
numerous spots open in the SGA,” he said.
As president of the Legislature, Pittelkow
can nominate any student to fill vacancies.
“She'll nominate me if I want to serve,”
Keenen said. “1 want to be a Senator (legis
lator).”
Russell believes she and Keenen have
patched up their differences since the elec
tion. “Well, I think in the beginning there
were some awkward feelings, but it can be
repaired. I do not hold any animosity,” she
said.
i original (
Keenen said he would like to increase
graduate student participation in campus ac
tivities and representation in student govern
ment. “They contribute a significant amount
of student fees,” he said.
About 10 empty seats remain in the SGA
legislature, which recently became a unicam
eral body after several years of having two
houses. Interest in filling the vacancies has
been high since the elections. “We've had
some people ask to be appointed,” Russell
said. Elections will be held in early Septem
ber for all vacant seats and freshman legisla
tors.
Class of 2000 Clocktower erected in Commons
by about 300 students, community mem
bers, faculty and Chancellor James
Leutze.
Given Wilmington's recent hurricane
history - five major storms in four years
- weather was a major influence on the
tower's design. “Hurricanes were (con
sidered) very heavily in the
design...that's why we went with the
open design - less wind shear,”
Fernando said.
According to Fernando, the tower,
complete with chimes that sound every
hour, is designed to withstand the worst
weather Wilmington has to offer. “It’s
hurricane-proof to the furthest extent it
can be,” he said.
The tower and foundation are sup
posed to be able to handle the force of a
high Category Three or low Category
Four storm on the Saffir-Simpson hur
ricane scale. A Category Four storm can
pack winds from 131 to 155 miles per
hour.
Thomas M. Ruyle
Editor-In-Chief
UNCW's Central commons area is
sporting a new landmark after the Class
of 2000 gift to the university was
erected on Thursday, May 11.
The gift, a clocktower standing more
than 50 feet high, was delivered to the
university from the Verdin Company of
Cincinnati, Ohio and hoisted into place
atop its concrete foundation using two
large cranes.
“It took about eight hours for the
whole process (of placing the
clocktower),” said Shane Fernando,
chairman of the clocktower committee.
As senior class president, Fernando
spearheaded the effort to fund the nearly
$150,000 tower. Much of the funding
was provided by local businesses, indi
viduals, students and alumni as well as
a $15,000 gift from the Student Govern
ment Association.
A crane lifts the tower into place atop
its foundation tVlay 11.
A ceremony was held the next day to
officially unveil and dedicate the
clocktower. The ceremony was attended
SEE CLOCK. PAGE 5