Seahawk
swimmers
take fifth CAA
championship,
page 11
the
Documentary on the
Invisible Children of
Uganda to premiere
atUNCW,
pages
Thursday | March 23, 2006
Serving UNC Wilmington since 1948
Volume LVIII Number 20
SGA Elections: Textbook costs a big issue VOX to host ‘Till My
I.
%
Dan Hacker I THE SEAHAWK
Candidates for SGA Student Body President and Vice President debate Monday. Plans to lower the cost
of textbooks, including book rental and exchange programs, were a big issue.
Kate Turner
Staff Writer
Today is the last day for stu
dents to get their votes in for
SGA elections. The competing
candidates are as follows; Aaron
Voyles, Brenton Hammond and
Katie Gurgainus for Student Body
President; Jermisha Dodson and
Kaitiyn Helms for Vice President;
Sheridan Long and Carli Heath
for Sophomore Class President;
Samantha Moore, Sara (Bethany)
Sullivan and Brian DesRoches for
At-Large Representatives.
There are a few common themes
in this year’s presidential cam
paign platforms, such as linking
the university with its surround
ing community, alternative methods
of obtaining textbooks without the
hefty expense and advocating stu
dent involvement. “I will attempt to
involve students more in the deci
sion making processes of the school;
it is our university,” Voyles said.
Many solutions are on the table
in response to the high price of text
books, such as a book exchange pro
gram, a book rental system, or the
buy back alternative. “Text books
have become a burden for many
students. The average student pays
almost $900 dollars for required
texts," Gurgainus said. “It is our
commitment to offer students an
alternative to buy-back, ultimately
reducing unnecessary expenses. We
feel that collaborating with our cam
pus bookstore in initiating a text
book exchange would benefit both
students and the university.”
Paying for textbooks has become
a serious concern for students in
recent years and many students are
reheved to know that it is a priority
of those running for student gov
ernment positions. “Other than the
main expenses like tuition, buying
books is one of the most expen
sive aspects of college. There is
no guarantee that you will be able
to sell them back at the end of the
year either,” junior Jessica Puzzo
said. “I think advocating for a more
efficient system should be at the top
of a student body president list, and
I would certainly be motivated to
participate in that.”
Indoor smoking ban: Good
for health, bad for business
Kelli Mercuric
Correspondent
Bans on cigarette smoking in
indoor public areas such as restau
rants, bars and hotels are gaining
popularity in hundreds of cities
and many states around the coun
try. New Jersey is one of the most
recent states to pass a smoking
ban, and South Carolina has a bill
in its legislature right
now. However, a lot
of the bans are taking
effect on a local level.
A smoking ban
would have a huge
effect on Wilmington
because of our town’s
abundance of restau
rants and bars.
Pills” party
Katy Luquire
Staff Writer
Earlier this year, a 14-year-old
rape victim in Hendersonville,
N.C. had to wait 79 hours to get
her emergency contraceptive
prescription filled. It took more
than the 72-hour window because
the prescription conflicted with her
pharmacist’s personal beliefs.
Pharmacists across the nation
are refiising to fill birth control
and emergency contraceptive
prescriptions on the grounds of
their individual morality. There are
no federal or state laws that require
pharmacists to fill them.
The Voices of Planned
Parenthood (VOX) will have a
“Fill My Pills” party in early April
to contact the 54 pharmacies in
the Wilmington area about their
policies regarding birth control and
emergency contraceptives. They
hope to gather enough information
to publish a list of pharmacies that
will fill the prescriptions “on-site,
without discrimination or delay,”
according to a Planned Parenthood
handout.
Senior Kara Davies, the VOX
adviser and community education
leader at the local Planned
Parenthood, will be organizing the
event.
“Our goal is not to attack the
pharmacists. Instead, what we
want to happen is, if the pharmacist
refuses to fill the prescription, it will
be referred to another pharmacist in
the store,” she said.
The people most affected by
pharmacy refiisai are low-income
families and those who live in rural
areas.
“We have 54 pharmacies to
choose Irom,” said Davies. “What if
we only had one?”
vox’s, next meeting will be
Tuesday, March 28 in the Randall
Library Cafe. For more information,
visit: http://student.uncw.edu/org/
vox.
Page Gambill I THE SEAHAWK
A smoking ban would benefit workers, but restau-
see SMOKING page 2 rant owners fear it would drive away business.
New Caribbean
restaurant to
open on campus
Adam Price
Correspondent
A new restaurant is opening at
Wagoner Hall that will offer a fiill-
variety Caribbean menu and full
service in a casual dining atmo
sphere.
Sammy’s is slated to open its
doors the week of March 27 and will
be a fast-casual-style restaurant.
“You will go to an order/counter
area and place your order There
you will get your drink and sit
down. The server will bring the food
to the table,” said Richard Fauson,
Director of Auxiliary Services.
“Seating wise, it will be about 120-
coribbeon cafe
r
f
Courtesy of uncw.edu '
140 seats.”
Sammy’s has everything on the
menu from appetizers to salads
to burgers and a variety of sand
wiches, entrees and desserts. Along
with the expected Caribbean cui
sine, they will be offering a dish
called tropical chicken pasta that is
served with penne pasta, tomatoes,
red onions and seasoned chicken,
and topped with parmesan cheese
and a carrot sauce.
“We are trying to incorporate as
many students as we possibly can,
and most of these will be part-time
see CARIBBEAN page 2