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Satlu uktr J? Volume 102, Issue 68 101 yam of editorialfreedom Serving the students and the University community since 1893 IN THE NEWS Top stories from the state, nation and world President Signs Crime Bill, Makes it Into Federal Law WASHINGTON, D.C. After six years of talk and bitter congressional de bate, the huge anti-crime bill became law Tuesday, banning many assault-style weap ons, allowing the death penalty for dozens more federal crimes, and providing bil lions of dollars to build prisons and hire police. President Clinton, signing the S3O bil lion, six-year measure at an elaborate out door ceremony at the White House, hailed its provisions but said all Americans would have to help as well. Clinton did not directly blame Republi can leaders for the bill’s close calls last month. However, he pointedly praised the relatively few GOP congressional mem bers who had bucked their party leadership to keep the bill alive. 180 U.N. Countries Adopt 20-Year Population Plan CAIRO, Egypt With the Vatican offering some support for the first time, some 180 nations adopted a 20-year blue print Tuesday for slowing the world’s popu lation explosion. Now, some suppose it is up to indi vidual nations to come up with die money to put it into action. Unlike past U.N. population confer ences, the 1994 fomm focused not only on birth control but on two concepts the Vatican supports for slowing population growth economic development and a commitment to giving women more power over their lives. The Vatican’s partial support for the U.N. plan surprised many delegates. The Holy See rejected the final documents at the 1974 and 1984 U.N. population con ferences. Officials Say Pilot in White House Crash Took Cocaine WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Mary land man who died after crashing his sto len airplane onto the White House lawn had trace amounts of cocaine in his system and a blood-alcohol content slightly above the legal limit, officials said. Frank Corder, 38, had a blood-alcohol content of .045, Secret Service spokesman Dave Adams said Tuesday. The legal limit for pilots is .04. He said Corder’s blood showed “trace amounts of cocaine.” Meanwhile, investigators believe Na tional Airport radar picked up the single engine plane moments before it crashed and are trying to determine if the Secret Service was warned. Corder, a self-employed trucker, died in the crash when the stolen plane tore into the White House lawn. Senators May Draft Health Care Reform Bill This Year WASHINGTON, D.C.— Democratic congressional leaders met with President Clinton on Tuesday and said they might ask Republicans to help draft a slimmed down health reformbill that could be passed this year. Some wondered how the leaders could hold out any hope for consensus in the 11 th hour when it had proved so elusive for months. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle said that was what voters had told them. Meanwhile, prospects for reaching a consensus on the proposal of a self-styled “mainstream” group of Republican and Democratic senators appeared slim to none as senators returned to work. Liberians Escape Fighting As 20,000 Flee to Guinea GENEVA More than 20,000 Liberians have fled to neighboring Guinea during the past week to escape fighting between rival guerrilla factions, the U.N. refugee agency said Tuesday. The refugees were fleeing battles be tween splinter groups belonging to the National PatrioticFrontin Gbamga, where the group has its headquarters, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said. The agency said it feared another 70,000 Liberians might cross the border as tribal conflict continued in the West African nation. It said a mass exodus had not occurred because the combatants had blocked the border between Liberia and the Ivory Coast. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Weather TODAY: Mostly sunny; high upper 80s. THURSDAY: Mostly sunny; high low 90s. Aldermen Approve Partners Ordinance Insurance Coverage Only Part Left Out of Board’s Landmark Decision BY KRISTEN LANEY STAFF WRITER Supporters of the domestic partners or dinance claimed a victory Tuesday night at the Carrboro Board of Aldermen meeting. After months of heated debate among Carrboro residents, the board unanimously passed two domestic partner components in front of a packed board room. The three components that make up the domestic partners ordinance are registra tion of domestic partners, addition of do mestic partners to the financial disclosure requirements for elected officials and ex mC Grad Victim in Plane Crash BY MELISSA MILIOS STAFF WRITER University alumna Marla Renee Dickerson was one of the 131 people who died Thursday when USAir’s flight 427 crashed near Pittsburgh. Dickerson graduated from UNC in August 1991 with a bachelor of arts degree in psychology. She was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. Alicia Seard, a graduate student at UNC, said Dickerson’s death made her appreci ate the need for friends to share their emo tions. “It just took me by surprise, ” Seard said Tuesday. “Something to remember for people our age is to show today what you could put off until tomorrow, because tomorrow’s never promised. Just showyour love today.” Seard said she had been a member of Dickerson’s pledge class at Alpha Kappa Alpha, one of her line sisters. Crystal Heilig, a senior English major, is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha. “Marla was a very quiet person, ” Heilig said. “She had a close circle of friends who knew her well. “For those of us who knew her, her presence will really be missed.” Heilig said Dickerson had come back to UNC on several occasions to attend alumni functions. Her last visit to Chapel Hill was in the spring 0f1993 to attend a wedding of one of her line sisters from Alpha Kappa Alpha, Heilig said. Seard said these visits reflected Dickerson’s loyalty to the sorority. “She believed inkeepingthings sacred,” she said. “If she made a commitment, she kept it. She showed that in all her relation • ships —family, friends.” Dickerson was attending Northern Dli- Please See DICKERSON, Page 2 Full Congress to Debate Group Funding SBP to Fight Unfavorable Recommendation for Minority Recruitment BYSHARRONSCOTT STAFF WRITER Student Congress will grant or deny funding requests to 12Universityandcam pus-related organizations and vote on $73,000 in appropriations Wednesday at its full meeting. Speaker Pro Tempore Jonathan Jordan said that he expected Congress to debate past midnight over the groups’ funding requests. The Student Congress Finance Com mittee reviewed the requests from each group and gave rec ommendations on their funding re quests Wednes day. The executive board’s request for Student Congress Meeting 7:30 p.m. Today Law School Classroom 1 $7,280 for minority recruitment received an unfavorable recommendation from the committee. Committee chairman Thomas Lyons and congress Speaker Monica Cloud were unavailable for comment Tuesday. Jordan, who is also a member of the finance committee, said some people be lieved funding minority recruitment was the job of the administration, not congress. Student Body President George Battle said this statement was “ludicrous.” “It is our job to make the University better,” Battle said. No matter how thin you slice it, it’s still baloney. Alfred E. Smith Clmml HilL North Carolina WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14,1994 tension of health insurance benefits to do mestic partners of town employees. The first two of the three issues passed unanimously. The board will not vote on the insurance issue until Blue Cross & Blue Shield of North Carolina decides whether it will extend benefits to domestic partners of town employees. Mike Nelson, an alderman and the only openly gay elected official in North Caro lina, said the domestic partners ordinance was fundamentally a civil rights issue. “These couples are not treated with eq uityandfaimess,’’Nelson said. “Forwhat ever reason, these couples can’t marry, their families should be treated with equity and fairness.” The board agreed that the registration fee for domestic partners would be S4O, which is the same fee as for a marriage license. The board also decided that the Don't Look Down! DTH/KATIE CANNON Robert Wood climbs up the scaffolding on the new building at the corner of Columbia and Franklin streets to help move pallets. Workers on the site say Top of the Hill will be ready in a couple of weeks so First Union can move in. Battle said he thought the only reason the bill wouldnotbepassed wasifpeopledidnot want diversity in the University. “There are no logical rea sons why someone would oppose this bill,” he said. The largest re quest came from the Yackety Yack, UNC’s yearbook, for appropriations totalling $21,376. The group received an unfavorable rec ommendation from Student Body President GEORGE BATTLE said he hoped the full congress would overturn the Finance Committee's unfavorable recommendation. the finance committee. Yackety Yack’s original request for $32,076 was decreased last Wednesday because of budget disagreements. The N.C. Student Legislature also re ceived an unfavorable recommendation on its request for $2,505. The finance committee gave favorable recommendations to the Student Environ mental Action Coalition and the executive branch. SEAC is seeking $605 to promote an expanded recycling program for Lenoir Dining Hall. The executive branch is requesting SI,OOO for the Elections Board to cover technical expenses for the spring election. The Victory Village Day Care Center did not receive any recommendation by the Finance Committee, but Jordan said he did not expect the center to receive “There is not a lesbian or gay family that wouldn’t trade all the money in the world for the respect that straight married couples get.” MIKE NELSON Carrboro alderman first day of registration would be Oct. 11, 1994, which, ironically, is National Com ing Out Day, the day that homosexuals are encouraged to disclose their sexual orien tation. Carrboro Mayor Eleanor Kinnaird noted before discussion of the domestic partners issue that the board recently had received five letters in support of the ordi- funds. The center is seeking $10,970 for the continuation of 38 student-family scholar ships, which provide full tuition for day care services of students’ children. Jordan said that although student con gress had funded the scholarships in the past, many members believed the funding was in conflict with the Finance Commit tee Code. Five other groups also received no rec ommendations from the finance commit tee. The Korean-American Students Asso ciation is requesting $4,800 for program ming, hoping to increase its influence on campus through a proposed “Korean Night” and cultural festival. The Alliance of Black Graduate and Professional Students is asking for $6,656 to pay for speakers and conference travel throughout the year. UNITAS, a learning and living pro gram housed in Carmichael dorm, is re questing $360 for office supplies, printing and publicity. The Cellar Door, UNC’s undergradu ate literary magazine, is asking for $5,200 to cover publication costs. Company Carolina, the campus’ new est theatre organization, is requesting $9,900 for production costs. Although congress cannot grant each group its request, Jordan said organiza tions that involved many people and were in no way political or controversial had the best chance of receiving their requests. He said all 12 organizations, regardless of congress’ decisions, would be treated fairly. “Overall, every one should be satisfied.” nance and 21 letters against the ordinance, 15 of which were from the ladies’ Sunday school class of the Carrboro United Meth odist Church. This ordinance would be one step in the right direction, Nelson said. “In the eyes of the law, domestic partners are strangers, and that simply ain’t right.” Although domestic partners could ben efit financially, this issue is not about money, Nelson added. It is about commu nity building. “There is not a lesbian or gay family that wouldn’t trade all the money in the world for the respect that straight married couples get,” he said. This ordinance will create an environ ment where families can be nurtured and strengthened, Nelson said. Alderman Jacquelyn Gist said she thought the ordi nance was simply right and fair. Feds Can Intervene In Student Aid Office BYPETER ROYBAL STAFF WRITER The U.S. Department of Education has outlined a policy that would allow the federal government to intervene in the internal workings of universities that have high student loan default rates or don’t keep up with the requirements for admin istering federal money. UNC officials think they are safe from intervention but said they worried about granting a federal agency the authority to challenge the University’s coursework, faculty research activities or student achievement. Eleanor Morris, director of the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid, said she believed UNC had complied with the fed eral regulations for administering federal money. “I’d like to feel if the letter had come (claiming UNC had a violation), the chan cellor would have told me,” she said. Chancellor Paul Hardin was out of town Tuesday, and the Department of Education would not release names of universities that have been warned they are in violation of federal standards. Hardin stated his concern that a federal agency might be able to interfere with an institution’s academic programs in a July 11 memo to University administrators. But officials in the financial aid office said the plan could be beneficial if it was administered responsibly. Morris said she supported the educa tion department’s program, “as long as there are not any frivolous reasons ac cepted by the (agency) to bring a school under review.” “If the agency serves in any way to identify abuses of the federal student aid program, then I think it’s useful, provided it doesn’t set up many more rules that are hard to follow and complex and intru sive,” she said. The program grew out of changes Con Human Relations Summit to Address Campus Differences Early November Summit ‘Unprecedented,’ Says Student Body Vice President BYANDREWRUSSELL STAFF WRITER Student government’s Committee on Human Relations will attempt to bridge the communication gap between student groups and the student body at the first annual Human Relations Summit. The two-day summit, open to all mem bers of the campus community, will fea ture about 25 student organizations and will cover issues such as sexism, racism and religion. Eddie Hanes, co-secretary of human relations, said the main goal of the summit was for students to gain a better under standing of the differences that existed not only at UNC but worldwide. “We need a conference because there is a gap, a lack of understanding and knowl edge about differences that exist at UNC,” Hanes said. “Bridging the gap is essential Carolina has prided itself on diversity, and this is an avenue to pursue that theme. ” Student Body Vice President Donyell Phillips has been working with the human relations committee to plan the summit, which will be held in early November. Phillips said the summit would address many issues within the University. “The summit is unprecedented because it’s not just limited to race,” she said Tues News/Features/Aits/Sports 9624)245 Business/Advertising 962-1163 C 1994 DTH Publishing Corp. All rights reserved. Both Nelson and Doug Ferguson, the Orange Lesbian and Gay Association chair man and a second-year law student at UNC, applauded Canboro for passing pro gressive ordinances in the past. In 1993, Carrboro was the first local government in the state to allow domestic partners to take both sick leave and be reavement leave for their loved ones. Ferguson also said he was not surprised with the outcome of the meeting. He said the unanimous approval of the ordinance paved the way for other municipalities. “I feel confident that Carrboro is the most progressive (town) in the state,” he said. The Chapel Hill Town Council will consider a similar ordinance this fall, Ferguson said. “OLGA will be working with Chapel Hill this fall, and maybe Or ange County later.” “I’d like to feel if the letter had come (claiming UNC had a violation), the chancellor would have told me.” ELEANOR MORRIS Director of the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid gress made in 1992 to the Higher Educa tion Act in response to “reports of fraud and abuse,” according to a Department of Education press release. The purpose of the program is “to en sure greater accountability for federal dol lars,” said Jane Glickman, an education department spokesperson. If a school violates one of 11 rules, the Department of Education can bring it be fore a State Postsecondary Review Entity. In North Carolina, this organization is called the State Postsecondary Education Review Commission The education department notified ap proximately 2,000 schools in early August that they might be in violation of one of six rules. Although there are normally 11 rules, the Department of Education will only enforce six of them this year, said Rachel Schultz, a department program specialist. The reasons for which a school can be referred to the commission include student loan default rates higher than 25 percent, recent suspensions of the school from re ceiving federal financial aid and failing to file audits in a timely maimer. UNC’s student loan default rate is 2.2 percent, and the University has conducted an audit of the financial aid office every year, Morris said. Edwin Capel, UNC’s internal auditor, was recently faulted by a state investiga tion for not filing audits his office had Please See STUDENT AID, Page 5 day. “We’re trying to include a number of differences within the student body.” Ethnicity, sexual orientation, students with disabilities, gender issues and politi cal issues are among the topics the summit will cover, Phillips said. Also to be discussed are the Sonja H. Stone Black Cultural Center movement, curriculum diversity, minority faculty re cruitment, student recruitment and reten tion, the different student government branches, and student representation in the administrative process, she said. “We think we have a broad enough group of individuals to get a large number of views,” Phillips said. Hanes said organizations and individu als attending the summit would break up into small group sessions targeting differ ent subjects. They will then reconvene to discuss the issues and to draw up a pro posal summarizing the wants and needs of the campus community, he said. The proposal will analyze the present conflicts and attempt to offer solutions that will aid in overcoming some of the igno rance and closed-mindedness that exist at UNC, Hanes said. “The summit is more or less a time for students to come to student government and ask, ’What can you do for us?,”’ he said. The Committee on Human Relations will meet Saturday, Sept. 24, to highlight the details of the summit and to discuss how it can best meet the needs of the UNC Please See SUMMIT, Page 4
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