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Volume 103, Issue 106
102 yean of editorial freedom
Serving the students and the University community since 1593
Nationals to Investigate Rush Memo
BY BRONWEN CLARK
UNIVERSITY EDfTOR
Officials at the national headquarters of
Phi Gamma Delta fraternity said they were
looking into a memo circulated at the
fraternity’s UNC chapter but could not
comment on possible disciplinary action.
“At this point we’re working with the
chapter and the Greek Affairs office to get
to the facts of the matter, to get to the
bottom of this,” said Nick Altwies, assis
tant executive director of the fraternity,
which is based in Lexington, Ky. “At this
point it is not professional to speculate (on
disciplinary action),” Altwies said. “We
need to uncover what the true facts are.”
Ben Woodruff, one of three rush chair
men who signed the memo, said he had no
comment at this time, but said the frater
Kristallnacht Service Honors Holocaust Victims
BYMATTLECLERCQ
STAFF WRITER
A solemn crowd of about 75 people
stood on the steps ofWilson Library Thurs
day afternoon, listened to words from a
prayer and remembered.
They remembered Kristallnacht, the
night of Nov. 9,1938, the Night of Broken
Glass.
As part of a United Jewish Appeal me
morial service, they remembered the night
57 years ago when Nazi officials destroyed
Jewish homes, businesses and synagogues
in Germany. Thousands of Jews were ar
rested and taken to concentration camps.
It was the beginning of what would be
come the Holocaust, and millions ofpeople
would be slaughtered in the followingyears.
Those at the service sang hymns and
listened to poems, each holding a single
yellow daisy or carnation.
Freshman Elliott Baer, who read a poem
to the crowd, said Holocaust survivors
should realize how fortunate they were.
“I have no relatives who were slaugh
tered in the Holocaust because my family
got out before it was too late,” Baer said.
“It hits me hard because there are so many
potential relatives that could have been
See KRISTALLNACHT, Page 2
Legislators Ponder
New Insanity Plea
BY ROBYN TOMLIN HACKLEY
STATES NATIONAL EDITOR
When the jury handed down Tuesday’s verdict in the Wendell
Williamson case not guilty by reason of insanity cries of
outrage echoed inside the courtroom and out.
One question still being asked is how could someone who
admitted to murdering two people and injuring another be called
“not guilty.” Several N.C. senators have asked this question and
are now saying the verdict might work as the impetus to push
through a bill allowing defendants to be found guilty but mentally
ill.
Williamson was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the
double murders of Chapel Hill resident Ralph Walker Jr. and
UNC sophomore lacrosse player Kevin Reichardt.
N.C. Sen. Mark McDaniel, R —Forsyth, and Sen. Patrick
Ballantine, R—New Hanover, co-sponsored a bill during the last
legislative session which would allow criminal defendant to be
found guilty but mentally ill in this state.
“It’s something we’ve got to have,” McDaniel said.
“(Williamson is) basically getting a free stay in a Holiday Inn type
setting. Now Williamson is joining Michael Hayes in that facility,
it’s not even secure.”
Currently, North Carolina only allows three possible pleas in
criminal cases: guilty, not guilty and not guilty by reason of
insanity. Michigan was the first state to institute the guilty but
insane plea; 12 other states have followed suit.
Public calls for the fourth plea option in North Carolina first
arose after the 1989 trial of Hayes, who was also found not guilty
by reason of insanity for the shooting deaths of four people in
See VERDICT, Page 2
Professor Sandra Quinn Explores AIDS Genocide Theory
■ Quinn hopes to utilize her
findings to improve AIDS
awareness across racial lines.
BY JAIME KOWEY
STAFF WRITER
One UNC professor has turned what
many in mainstream society have dis
missed as a paranoid response to the AIDS
virus into a means of facilitating AIDS
education and care.
Dr. Sandra Quinn, assistant professor
of health behavior and health education at
UNC’s School ofPublic Health, conducted
a survey and found that between 25 and 35
percent of black churchgoers surveyed in
five U.S. cities believed the virus that causes
AIDS was created by whites as a form of
My advice is don’t spend your money on therapy. Spend it in a record store.
®hc Sailg ®ar Hrel
nity would issue a statement at a later date.
Woodruff also said the fraternity had
written apology letters to the two sororities
named in the memo.
The memo, which described a variety of
rush week activities, invited pledges to “be
sure not to miss the steamiest night of rush
where Twice as Nice, two of North
Carolina’s hottest and most talented danc
ers entice you. Whip cream and rubber
gloves are optional.”
Ron Binder, director of Greek Affairs at
UNC, said he thought the memo was an
anomaly which should not reflect on the
University’s Greek system as a whole.
“This is isolated. That was one of the
first things I checked,” Binder said. “I am
adamant not to let the actions of one of 43
chapters ruin the reputation of the others. ”
But Judith Scott, the University’s sexual
A group of students sings songs in Hebrew on the steps of Wilson Library Thursday afternoon as part oTamemorSaT 1
service commemorating the anniversity of Kristallnacht, the beginning of the German persecution of Jews.
genocide.
Quinn conducted the survey as one piece
of a broader program to learn how best to
provide AIDS education and care to blacks
at risk.
Before Quinn conducted the survey,
she went into black communities and asked
blacks what they believed they needed to
know about the AIDS virus.
Three of the most common concerns
were the origin of the virus, whether it was
manmade and whether it was a form of
genocide. Quinn incorporated these ques
tions into her survey to see the number of
blacks who had these same questions.
She took part in the study as a research
associate for the Minority Health Research
Laboratory at the University of Maryland
at College Park.
“Most whites would be uncomfortable
with this perception of AIDS as a form of
harassment officer, said such a memo could
do nothing but reflect poorly on UNC.
“I would be embarrassed for some of
my former colleagues to see it. It reflects
badly on the University,” she said. “They
can say all they want to that it does not
reflect, but it does reflect on the Univer
sity.”
Scott said she could not comment on
whether any charges had been filed against
the fraternity. But she did say she thought
the memo was offensive. Scott also said
she thought three fraternity memos were
being investigated.
“I do recall in looking at the memos that
they were all inappropriate, all disrespect
ful and disparaging toward women and
toward men, too,” Scott said. “I would
really be offended if I were a man if I saw
that. Any mature person would be, would
The large numbers of UNC students leasing off-campus residences say
relations with landlords strongly impact life in...
A Borrowed Home
BY JULIE CORBIN
STAFF WRITER
The promise of their own rooms, kitch
ens and bathtubs lures students away from
campus housing and into a search for the
perfect home away from home.
Ofthe 24,500 students at UNC, 18,500
live in off-campus apartments and houses.
Rent constitutes a significant expendi
ture for students with tight budgets and
often-empty pockets, although rates are
Tempering Tensions: Getting Along With Your Landlord
Student Legal Services Advice
■ Fill out an inspection sheet listing all damages and pre-existing conditions when
you move in and ask your landlord to initial it.
■ Obtain any landlord promises for replacement or renovation of rented property in
writing.
■ Make sure agreed-upon amenities are functioning properly.
Landlord Jim 11110/8 Advice
■ Understand the laws about rental properties and breaking leases.
■ Make landlords put pre-existing damages and problems in writing.
■ Be familiar with the lease - know what upkeep is included under the terms of
the lease and know if you will be charged cleaning costs if the property is unclean
when you vacate it.
genocide,” Quinn said. “It may seem a
little bizarre.”
This fear and distrust is understandable,
however, if it is recognized in the historical
context of African Americans, she said.
Quinn said the fear of genocide could be
traced as far back as World War 11. And
she said many blacks viewed the family
planning movement ofthe 1960 sand 1970s
as a way to reduce the number of blacks in
America.
Quinn said one notorious study in par
ticular lent itself to distrust of the medical
establishment and government. In
Tuskegee, Ala ~ during a 40-year time span,
more than 400 black men with syphilis
were denied penicillin so researchers could
Chapal HilL North Carolina
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 10,1995
find it immature and offensive."
Binder said Phi Gamma Delta repre
sented only 1 percent of the Greek popula
tion at UNC. “They are a very small chap
ter,” Binder said. “We’re just determined
not to let one group reflect badly on every
thing.”
Dean of Students Fred Schroeder said
the matter had been referred to the student
attorney general’s office. Schroeder also
said there was more than one questionable
memo, but could not say how many were
under scrutiny. “It has been referred to the
student attorney general’s Office," he said.
“Ibelieve there were a number (of memos).
That one was the most offensive.”
Burch Perry, president of the fraternity,
could not be reached for comment. Altwies
said the national headquarters would be
investigating the matter in coming weeks.
comparable or slightly lower than those in
other college towns. The average two
bedroom, unfurnished apartment in
Chapel Hill costs between SSOO and $550
a month, said Joel Harper, president of
the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of
Commerce.
Students find their landlords take sev
eral approaches to working with tenants,
from leaving them alone as long as the
rent checks are on time to making an effort
to get to know them personally.
learn the natural course of the illness.
Even when penicillin had been accepted
as a treatment for the illness, researchers
went to extreme lengths to make sure they
were not treated, Quinn said.
The fear of genocide is being recon
firmed even today. In 1992, the television
show “60 Minutes” reported that the CIA
had imported $1 million of cocaine to the
United States. Many blacks believe drugs
have been introduced into their neighbor
hoods deliberately, Quinn said.
If these particular instances are com
bined with the broader historical contexts
of desegregation and racism, it is evident
there is fertile ground for fears of genocide,
Quinn said.
“If I had one goal, it would be that white
America see this and hear this and respect
See QUINN, Page 2
Wim Wenders
Gays Applaud Nelson’s
Landmark Election
BYALEXPODLOGAR
STAFF WRITER
The local and national gay community
are pleased with the recent election ofMike
Nelson as mayor of Carrboro.
“Mike Nelson’s victory should send a
message of hope to lesbian and gay people
in North Carolina and across the country, ”
stated Doug Ferguson, a member of the
Orange County Lesbian and Gay Associa
tion, in a press release.
Nelson is the highest-ranking openly
gay elected official in the state and is cur
rently one of five openly gay mayors in the
United States. The others were elected in
Missouri, lowa,
Cambridge, Mass,
and West Holly
wood, Calif.
“I am very happy
for Mike and for the
people of
Carrboro,” former
Chapel Hill Town
Council member
Joe Herzenberg
said. Herzenberg
was the first openly
gay elected official
in Chapel Hill in
1987.
“There are only
about 110-120 openly gay elected officials
in the world. This is quite a distinction for
Mike,” Herzenberg said.
Herzenberg said he believed this elec
tion would have a positive impact on the
gay community. “The election is a big
piece of evidence that this part of the coun
try is good place for gays to live,” he said.
“Mike is role model for younger people
that it is fine to be confident with their
sexual personality.”
Kathleen Deßold, a member of The
Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, said mem
bers ofthe group felt the election of openly
gay people to office helped the gay com
munity by providing role models. The Vic
tory Fund is a Washington, D.C.-based
organization that supports gay candidates
around the country.
“This a great victory for the gay com
munity,” Deßold said. “The idea is that
Dorothy Bemholz, director of Student
Legal Services, said students’ problems
with landlords made up a large portion of
the legal services’ business. SLS advises
students before they sign their leases and
represents students in disputes with their
landlords.
“It’s a big housing market for land
lords,” Bemholz said. “There is a very
low vacancy rate right now, so the market
is less responsive to tenants. More people
have moved into Chapel Hill.”
Whether a pleasure or a pain, tenant
landlord relationships play a significant
role in determining the quality of off
campus living.
Serving Student Needs
Many students living in off-campus
apartments and houses said they encoun
tered problems in their homes but land
lords responded effectively.
Students at Town House Apartments
on Hillsborough Street in Chapel Hill,
built in 1961, said they were pleased with
the complex despite its age.
Junior Byron Lutz said he had had few
problems with his apartment. “It’s a little
older, but they renovated it about two
weeks before we moved in.”
Juliaßrooks, manager ofTown House,
said the apartments were being renovated
on a rotating basis as tenants vacated.
“We’ve been renovating them when (ten
ants) move out, when they give them back
to us. It depends on who graduates and
who moves. There’s no set total (for each
See HOUSING, Page 2
Curing AIDS; Australian scientists / V /
believe they are a step closer to an it* ■ //vr ' hfh' t V /
AIDS vaccine after six people /i* /
infected by a blood donor have lived / O /
with a weakened strain of HIV. A L /
Meanwhile, anew Glaxo drug that /jff j /
can treat the early stages of AIDS /
awaits FDA approval. AfelfCtlS
State 8 National News, Page 4 j£p” /
*
Weather sITOrDAY
TODAY: Cloudy; high 60 Chape| Hj|r , Superhero:
Defensive
Saturday: Showers; high 70. tackle Marcus Jones tries to break the
SUNDAY: Sunny; high 60. UNC sack record against Florida State.
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Business/Advertising
O 1995 DTH Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.
Mike is positive role model and promotes
gay and lesbian visibility in a respectable
way.”
Nelson downplayed his homosexuality
during the campaign, instead he concen
trated on issues confronting the town of
Carrboro such as environmental protec
tion, town growth and taxes.
Because Nelson has served on the Board
of Aldermen for two years, voters were
able to evaluate him on his past perfor
mance, not his sexual preference, Deßold
said.
“I don’t think that this was as much of
a concern in this election as it was two
years ago in his race for Alderman,’’Deßold
said. “People got to know him as Mike
Nelson, Alderman, and he got a chance to
prove himself. Now he’s Mike Nelson,
mayor, not just ‘that gay guy.’ ”
The people of Carrboro are proud to
have Nelson as their mayor, Herzenbeig
said. “Mike has been and will continue to
be a quality public servent,” he said. “The
people of Carrboro are happy with him
and his election is a good sign. This is all
really fine.”
Nelson’s election is making waves na
tionally as well.
“Mike’s visibility as a qualified and re
spected elected official totally overturns
the radical right’s attempts to demonize
gay people,” Deßold said. “This is a good
thing for North Carolina which has a real
bad reputation inextricably linked with
Senator (Jesse) Helms and his critical com
ments of gays. It is obvious that North
Carolina voters are more concerned with
issues affecting their communities show
ing that Helms is more of an abberation
than a typical North Carolinian.”
Herzenbeig said he thought Nelson’s
election in Carrboro would serve to open
people’s eyes to problems and concerns
within the gay community.
“With Mike’s election, this community
shows that it can be very sensitive to gay
issues and concerns,” Herzenbeig said.
Nelson won the Carrboro mayoral race
by a hefty margin Tuesday night. He net
ted 1,272 votes, defeating opponents Al
derman Randy Marshall and newcomer
Charles Riggsbee by nearly a two-to-one
margin.
Mayor-elect MIKE
NELSON became only
the fifth openly gay
mayor in the country
Tuesday night.
DTH/STEFAN NIKLES
DTH/IOHN WHITE
962-0245
962-1163
[ Ben Storey has
had this
dishwasher
(top) sitting in
front of his
duplex in
Carrboro for
the past two
months.
Julia Brooks
(bottom), a
manager at
Town House
Apartments in
Chapel Hill, has
been called
one of the
nicest and
most efficient
landlords by
many of her
residents.