lathj Star Mppl F Volume 103, Issue 29 102 years of editorialfreedom Serving the students and the University community since 1893 IN THE NEWS Top stories from the state, nation and world Mexico Agrees to Talks With Guerilla Leaders SAN MIGUEL EJIDO, Mexico Rural villagers greeted with cheers the an nouncement Monday that government and guerrilla leaders would begin formal talks this month to end southern Mexico’s 16- month-long insurgency. The agreement to meet April 20 in Larrainzar, a town with strong rebel sym pathies in the highlands of Chiapas state, is the most positive progress in more than a year of stalled peace talks. Although there has been no fighting since mid-January 1994, the government’s failure to end the uprising has added to worries about instability in Mexico amid economic crisis. The choice of Chiapas for talks with the Zapatista rebels was considered a win for the government. Conservative Democrat Makes Switch Over to GOP GAINESVILLE, Ga. Rep. Nathan Deal, a conservative Democrat who often voted with the Republicans, switched to the GOP on Monday, just three months after pledging to resign if he changed par ties midterm. Deal becomes the third Democrat in Congress to switch since the Republicans seized control of both chambers in the Nov. 8 election. The others were Sens. Richard Shelby of Alabama and Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colorado. Deal, 52, represents a northern Georgia district that is 95 percent white and heavily Republican. It also abuts the district of House Speaker Newt Gingrich, architect of the Republican takeover. Deal’s move increases the Republicans’ House majority to 231 -203, with one inde pendent. Bob Dole Launches His Bid For White House in 1996 TOPEKA, Kan.—Embracing the con servative agenda of lower taxes, smaller government and a balanced budget, Bob Dole launched his third White House bid Monday by casting himself as uniquely qualified to “lead America back to her place in the sun.” Dole, 71, entered the race with a scorn ful critique ofPresident Clinton as a “clever apologist of the status quo,” elected on a platform of change in 1992 but now fight ing the change voters demanded in the Republican sweep in 1994. There was nary a mention of his Repub lican rivals. Befitting his status as the clear early GOP front-runner, Dole chose to ignore them. His announcement was elabo rately choreographed, complete with a charter plane marked “Dole for President. ” Arafat Begins Crackdown On Islamic Militant Forces GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip ln a move that could push Palestinians closer to civil war, Yasser Arafat cracked down on Is lamic militants Monday after suicide bomb ings killed seven Israelis and an American college student. Arafat’s security forces arrested 112 fol lowers of Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad group after Sunday’s deadly back-to back bombings near two Jewish settlements in the PLO-ruled Gaza Strip. Angry Islamic militant leaders raised the specter of civil war, apparently trying to force Arafat to back down. Despite the tensions and anger, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin told nego tiators to resume talks with the Palestine Liberation Organization. Nine Tajik Militants Killed In Russian Border Fighting MOSCOW Russian helicopter gun ships fired at Tajik opposition positions along the Tajik-Afghan border Monday, the fourth straight day of fighting. The missile strikes, reported by the ITAR-Tass news agency, were aimed at militants trying to seize a border post at Dashti-Yazgul. did not say whether there were casualties. Overnight, Russian border guards killed nine Tajik rebels who tried to storm the post, said Anatoly Prokopyev, a border guard spokesman in Moscow. At least 43 people have been killed since fighting began Friday. It has been the bloodiest few days in months along the mountainous border in Central Asia. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Weather TODAY: Mostly cloudy; high 65. WEDNESDAY: Mostly cloudy; high in the 60s. Cuts Could EUmmate Sections, Faculty BYKATHRYN TAYLOR STAFF WRITER The most severe budget proposal yet for N.C. higher education which would include a total of S4B million in cuts —is on the block in the General Assembly this week. The House of Representatives is likely to make a decision later this week on the preliminary proposal that passed in a House subcommittee Thursday, said Jim Newlin, senior fiscal analyst for the legislature. The House Subcommittee on Educa tion approved a proposal that would al most double the dollar amount of cuts that Gov. Jim Hunt proposed in February. More than S4B million would be cut under the committee proposal, compared with $26 million under Hunt’s plan. Donald Jicha, associate dean of the General College, said the University did not have funds to spare. “Every year, there’s no surplus, no ex tra cash to throw away as it is,” Jicha said. Wf r > . _ DTH/IOHN WHITE Its that time of year again time for the Easter Bunny to make its annual visit to University Mall for children and adults. The Easter Bunny spent Saturday afternoon handing out free coloring books and visiting shops. Registration Denied: Caroline Breaks Down BY KAMAL WALLACE STAFF WRITER UNC students usually have a difficult time registeringforthe following semester’s classes because of Caroline’s busy tele phone lines. But students had a particularly frustrat ing registration experience Monday as they could not get in for part of the day because of a computer malfunction. The Computer-Assisted Registration On-Line, better known to most students as Caroline, broke down early Monday after noon. The problem occurred at about 1:30 p.m, and the computer remained unavail able for more than two hours, said Donna Redmon, associate University registrar. “The computer that handles all of the incoming calls was not receiving those calls,” Redmon said. “People involved with University com munications as well as data processing are working on it now,” she said. At about 4 p.m., half of Caroline’s 64 telephone lines were once again receiving calls from students desperate to register. Joe Ward, computer operations man ager, said he did not know why the system had broken down. “We are not sure what the exact techni Clothes aren’t dirty unless someone sees you in them. Logica Paini Chapel Hill, North Carolina TUESDAY, APRIL 11,1995 “I do not think the adjustment is going to be very pleasant because even now we never come back in the fall with any extra funds.” The proposal includes a faculty produc tivity plan to reduce funding for teaching positions at 11 campuses, including UNC, by more than sl2 million. Half of the savings from the plan would be used for special salary bonuses for faculty who teach more than an average load. Faculty Council Chairwoman Jane Brown said the faculty productivity clause of the proposal could lead to burnout among teaching staff. “Already, we are working very hard, giving 150 percent, and this so-called pro ductivity plan is like a slap in the face,” Brown said. “The legislature looks like it is saying, ‘We don’t want to support excellent public higher education.’” Higher quality education would not be guaranteed if faculty taught more classes, Brown said. Graduate student teaching Pat the Bunny cal problem was, but we reloaded the soft ware and Caroline is now back online.” This is the first time Caroline has bro ken down, Redmon said. Reza Rahbar, a freshman from Wheel ing, W. Va., voiced the thought that was on the minds of many freshmen Monday. “It really annoyed me,” he said. Erika Bono, a freshman from Charlotte, said she had struggled all day to get through to Caroline. “It was really frustrating trying to get through.” she said. “I’m glad it wasn’t a sunny day, or I would have been more upset than I already am.” Eric Bohlen, a freshman from Char lotte, said he knew of people who had had plenty of trouble getting in. “My suitemate tried 835 times to regis ter from his computer, while it only took me 28 tries,” he said. Bohlen believed that it was a burden on other students as well. “I’m sure it was such a hassle. No one was in class today because they were trying to register, so if Caroline was broken, then people really got screwed over,” he said. David Y. Lee, a freshman from Cary, agreed. See CAROLINE, Page 7 “Most likely, (the cuts) will result in larger classes and fewer sections of classes. ” JANE BROWN Faculty Council chairwoman assistant positions, which account for most recitation sections for larger classes, could be eliminated, she said. “They are threatening quality for the sake of quantity,” she said. “The discus sion classes can sometimes provide a more quality education than the large lecture classes alone.” An additional 2.5 percent of nonteach ing staff positions and 1.5 percent of other staff positions would be cut to reduce the budget by about $lO million. Students also would be affected by the subcommittee’s budget proposal. Nonresidents at UNC, N.C. State Uni- Sexual Encounter Not Covered in Policy New Amorous Relationship Policy, Started April 3, Considered ’Progressive’ BY JILL DUNCAN STAFF WRITER A UNC professor’s sexual relationship with a student has caused controversy over the University’s newly instituted amorous relations policy, which does not provide sanctions against professors unless they are instructing or evaluating the student. Ako Shimada, a junior, was taken to court in January for having sexual rela tions with James Williams, directorofcom position in the English department. Shimada had to pay SIO,OOO to Williams’ ex-wife, Ashley, and write her a letter of apology for breaking up her family and having sex with her husband. UNC sexual harassment officer Judith Scott said the policy, which took 18 months to finalize, was instituted “not because of anything that had happened here or be cause of any outside pressure.” According to the policy, which went into effect April 3 with Chancellor Paul Hardin’s approval, “faculty members or other instructional staff shall not initiate, pursue, or be involved in any amorous or sexual relationships with any student whom they are in a position to evaluate or super vise ...” Scott said that she had not even known versity and the N.C. School of the Arts would pay an extra $6 million for instruc tional and general costs through tuition hikes. Also, about $650,000 in student scholarships would be cut for the next school year. The tuition remission program, which provides in-state rates to nonresident gradu ate students who act as TAs or research assistants, would be reduced by $4 million under the proposal. “Most likely, [the cuts] will result in larger classes and fewer sections ofclasses, ” Brown said. “Also, undergraduates may have trouble finding the classes they need to graduate. “The triple hits that graduate students will suffer may be the worst result. The so called productivity plan would eliminate TA jobs while tuition remission is being removed and tuition rates are going up.” Other reductions would affect UNC Hospitals and the Smith Center, and in creases in overtime, worker’s compensa tion and disability would be deleted. Council Pleased With Town Advice for UNC BYJENNIFER FREER ASSISTANT CITY EDITOR The first round of suggestions for the future development and preservation of the Horace Williams and Mason Farm properties was brought to the attention of the Chapel Hill Town Council and resi dents to stimulate thought. The UNC-Chapel Hill Planning Panel introduced its first interim report, which proposes goals and principles for the prop erties, at a public forum, and the council had no questions regarding the prelimi nary report. Rosemary Waldorf, chair woman of the plan ning panel and council member, said she viewed the report as a begin ning. She reminded the council that the report was prelimi nary in form and content and said she looked forward to constructive criti cism from council members and the public. “We (the panel) Town Council member ROSEMARY WALDORF says she hopes UNC will heed the town’s advice. thought it would be beneficial to the coun cil, the public and the University to let it be known early in the process the council’s interest and forward the recommendations to the University,” Waldorf said. “Hope fully, our advice will be built on in the future.” The panel was divided into five sub committees: land use, neighborhood is sues, transportation, environmental issues and fiscal issues. Alan Rimer, spokesman for the land use subcommittee, said the reality was that Mason Farm tract had little land that could See COUNCIL, Page 2 of the Williams case until she read about it recently in a newspaper and that she then started receiving phone calls from people asking questions regarding Williams. “To look at this isolated incident and assume it means this kind ofbehavior goes on at the University or any university is not reasonable,” she said. “It may happen from time to time, but I think it is very much an exception.” Scott said she thought the policy was very strong. “It is very progressive. It is one of the strongest policies that I have read,” she said. Scott said it had been a trend among many universities in the past three years to take a more cautious stance on professor student relationships because of the power differential that existed between the two. “Support for implementing such a policy was very strong,” she said. “We received extensive feedback from students and fac ulty.” Scott said she thought the only objec tions to the policy came from people who did not understand what it said. Chapel Hill attorney Teny Ham, who represents Ashley Williams, said he was astounded that no policy regarding amo rous relations had existed at UNC until April 3. The policy should include any students with whom a professor comes in contact, not just students professors instruct orevalu ate, Ham said. “The professor is in an advantage posi News/Features/Aits/Sports 962-0245 Business/Advertising 962-1163 C 1995 DTH Publishing Cotp. All rights reserved. Jicha said that University officials had to prepare for the worst but that he did not expect the final cuts to be as severe as the proposals were. “The worst-case scenario would be that some courses would have to be cut,” he said. “The little freshmen are the kids that are going to be hurt because they are the last to register and there are so many courses that freshmen would like and could use, but upperclassmen have already filled them.” The General Assembly must compro mise between the House proposal and a less severe plan recommended by a Senate committee before a final decision can be made. Brown said she was optimistic about some of the possible changes in the budget. “I’m hearing that there may be opportuni ties buried in here somewhere,” she said. “For example, if out-of-state tuition has to go up, at least we may be able to use the extra money within die University. We have never been able to do that before.” Consultants Familiar With Local Growth BY LAURA GODWIN STAFF WRITER The town of Chapel Hill and the University are in the midst of a com plicated and controversial land devel opment phase, and once again, the development is being led by the firm of Johnson, Johnson and Roy. JJR was first hired by the Univer sity in 1991 when UNC looked at constructing South Loop Road, which would have realigned Manning Drive so traffic would be routed away from hospitals and would have run a road through Odum Village. That project, like the development of the Mason Farm and Horace Williams tracts now, was met with controversy. JJR will be on campus Tuesday through Thursday conducting numer ous meetings and hearings concerning development of the 970-acre Horace Williams Tract and the 1,300-acre Mason Farm Tract, both of which are owned by the University. The University is looking at using the two areas for a satellite campus, while the town would like to change the zoning of the land and prevent UNC from building structures taller than seven stories. Asa result of the conflicting opinions between town and University officials, Chancellor Paul Hardin postponed development of the land until next year. See CONSULTANTS, Page 4 tion because of his authority position,” he said. “I’m not sure it (amorous relations be tween faculty and students) has any busi ness in the University setting.” Scott said it was her understanding that the policy was limited to professors and the students they instructed or evaluated be cause it was more feasible than trying to prohibit relationships completely. The policy does address amorous rela tionships outside the instructional context, but it does not provide for sanctions against violators who are not in an instructive or evaluative position. Scott said that throughout the process of drafting the policy, many faculty and staff members had told her they believed the policy should be stronger. “I think our faculty are outstanding in all respects, including ethical behavior,” she said. “This policy is not intended to prohibit relationships where two parties happen to meet, fall in love and things work out splendidly.” She said the policy was necessary to protect students and faculty. “Unhappily, sometimes relationships where tremendous power differentials ex ist can start out consensual and turn out badly for all concerned,” Scott said. “Unfortunately, more times than not, this is what happens.” She said, “UNC-CH, albeit one of the most outstanding universities, is not an exception to what goes on in society.”

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