laxly ®ar Hktl f Volume 104, Issue 5 103 years of editorial freedom Serving the students and the University community since 1893 INSIDE THURSDAY Opening Arguments Heard in Date Rape Trial BYJAYMOYE ASSISTANT UNIVERSITY EDITOR AND ANDREW PARK STAFF WRITER HILLSBOROUGH Opening state ments were delivered Wednesday in the second-degree rape trial of a former UNC student, after Orange County Superior Court Judge J.B. Allen ruled that a taped confession would be admitted as evidence in the case. With potential jurors out of the court room, Allen ruled that Suel Ki “Dennis” Choi, 22, of Chapel Hill, was not coerced into answering questions from a Univer sity police officer on Dec. 4, 1994. Choi was told he was not under arrest and should have known he was free to refuse to answer questions or to leave at any time, Allen said. The interview occurred the night after Choi allegedly committed date rape against Landfill Decision At Standoff ■ Town and county officials are upset that the aldermen tabled the landfill vote. BYAMYCAPPIELLO STAFF WRITER Local government members responded with frustration Wednesday to the Carrboro Board of Aldermen’s decision to table dis cussion about the placement of anew county landfill in controversial site OC-17. Extension of the current landfill into site 17, which is bordered by Eubanks and Rogers roads, has drawn protest cries from local residents, who say they were prom ised another landfill would not be built in their community. Gertrude Nunn, a resident of Eubanks Road, said she was very pleased with the actions of the aldermen. “We’ve been dealing with them for a long time," Nunn said. “I’m glad to know they kept their promise. At least someone is listening.” Council member JOE CAPOWSKI said he disagreed with the Carrboro mayor's assessment of the siting process. Chapel Hill Town Council member Joe Capowski said the decision by the aider men to delay discussion did not surprise him. He said he strongly disagreed with Carrboro Mayor Mike Nelson’s remarks about the process of selecting site OC-17. “I take strong exception to Mike Nelson’s characterization of the process as a sham and a con game, ” he said. “A large number of people put many hours of hard work into a difficult problem by working as honestly and compassionately as possible. I think he owes them an apology. ” Although Capowski said he had been sure the aldermen would not vote to accept OC-17, he also said he had no idea what the next step in the process was. “I’m not quite sure where it goes,” Capowski said. “I don’t know right now what the town of Chapel Hill or Orange County’s options are.” Town council member Joyce Brown said she believed communication between the groups was crucial for success. “I hope all the governing bodies of Or ange County can resolve this, ” Brown said. Orange County Commissioner Don Willhoit said the county did have options if the aldermen decided to reject site 17 for the new landfill. “We could ship the waste out of the county, but their representatives or* the board are opposed to that, ” he said. “If they don’t want OC-17, they need to find an alternative. However, I believe we have exhausted our possibilities of an addi tional site.” Duke University also has entered the debate about the OC-17 site because part of Duke Forest is included in the area. David Roberson, the director of university rela tions for Duke, said the university was quite pleased by the aldermen’s decision. “We have said consistently that it is not a good site. I’m glad that others are raising their own voice in opposition.” Fat Free French Fries? Health concerns might keep the new fat substitute olestra out of your kitchen. Page 3 a female UNC student. The pair, who had known each other for several months, at tended a semi-formal party together Dec. 3, where they consumed large amounts of alcohol and some marijuana. During the questioning with University police Lt. Henry “Clay” Williams, Choi admitted to having sex with the alleged victim while she was intoxicated and passed out. She had not given verbal consent at any time, Choi said. Choi’s attorneys asked the court Tuesday to suppress a tape of the interview, because he had not been read his Miranda rights by University police. But the judge said Choi was in familiar surroundings when he was interviewed by Williams and his residence hall area direc tor, Robert Mercer. “The defendant freely and voluntarily agreed to meet with the officer,” Allen said. “Asa matter of law, the officer was not required to read the defendant his Miranda rights with regard to this investigatory matter.” Ed Morgan’s friendly face and low prices are the reasons many Franklin Street patrons have lunch with W — A pP pr Ww I ,*'■ .iV'i-..: ..vSHBbS’, - 1 B v v Yv. —> i DTH/SIMONE LUBECK Ed 'Squeaky' Morgan slathers fixin's on a hot dog at his Franklin Street stand. Morgan cooks the chili for his hot dogs at The Rathskeller. Students Flock to Tanning Beds as Spring Break Quickly Approaches ■ While the beds provide a quick tan, some question the safety of the procedure. BY JENNIFER ZAHREN STAFF WRITER With temperatures rising and many stu dents looking forward to spending Spring Break in sunny spots, area tanning salons are thriving on what might be a harmful business. “Business has been popping in the last weeks,” said Robbie Miller, owner of Daytona Rays Tanning Salon in Carrboro. “Right now is the most booming time of the year for tanning salons because people are preparing for Spring Break or vaca tions. Our business comes mostly from University students.” According to a recent study conducted by the American Academy of Dermatol ogy, cases of malignant melanoma —a sometimes deadly form of skin cancer continue to increase dramatically. The ADD estimates that more than 80,000 new cases are seen annually, but fatalities are decreasing because of an increase in early Shake and shake the catsup bottle, none will come, and then a lot’ll. Richard Armour Chapel NHL North CaroHaa THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 29,1996 * On the Road Again Republican presidential hopefuls look to South Carolina after Tuesday's primaries. Page 9 After a jury of eight women and four men was selected about 4:30 p.m., brief arguments were given by Assistant District Attorney Nancy Vecchia and defense at torney Barry Winston. Vecchia paced in front of the jury box while explaining the events of the night of Dec. 3, 1994. After partaking of alcohol and marijuana at the party, Choi and the alleged victim were driven by a friend to Carmichael Residence Hall between 2 and 3 a.m., the alleged victim said. Sometime during the ride, she vomited and blacked out, Vecchia said. After undressing in Choi’s room the two students had non-consensual sex, Vecchia said. “Throwing up in the car is the last thing she remembers until waking up the next morning in a dorm room next to Dennis Choi,” she said. “She will also testify that her pants were on backwards and that she See COURT, Page 9 detection and treatment. But tanning bed operators say artificial tanning is safer than taking a chance in the sun. “Tanning beds are safe because they are controlled by someone, ” said Tan Your Hide manager Lydia Warren. Although the number of men using tan ning beds is rising, women continue to be the greatest part of tanning salons’ clien tele. Women are willing to risk the dangers of ultraviolet radiation in order to have a tan for a number of reasons, said Women’s Studies and History professor Tara Hunter. “Having a tan is associated with leisure and social status,” she said. “It is really unfortunate that women want to have a certain look so badly that they take mani fold risks. “Society puts pressure on women to achieve certain standards of beauty, and we are willing to buy into it." Women’s Studies and History profes sor Sylvia Hoffert said education was the key to stopping women from endangering their lives to conform to society’s ideals of beauty. “This is a dangerous mentality, and women must realize that their self-worth does not depend on whether or not they Is it Second-Degree Rape if Both People Are Intoxicated? BYJOSHAHN STAFF WRITER North Carolina law is clear that hav ing sex with a person who is too drunk to say “no” is illegal. But what if both parties are drunk? Legal observers say that in general it’s still second-degree rape. “Asa general proposition, American jurisdictions don’t recognize a defendant’s intoxication as a defense to rape, and North Carolina shares that view, ” said Louis Bilionis, associate pro fessor at the UNC School of Law. “In practice it’s much more compli the Hot Dog Man BY KEVIN DEGON STAFF WRITER Ed “Squeaky” Morgan is on his way to establishing himself along side Sutton’s Dmg Store, Ye Olde Waffle Shop and the Rathskeller on the list of permanent Franklin Street fixtures. Morgan owns and operates a popular hot dog stand inside Nationsßank Plaza at 137 E. Franklin St. He has been in the hot dog business since June 1993, when he began selling links on the side walk. Morgan, a Chapel Hill native, was a waiter at the Rathskeller for at least 12 years before striking out on his own, Rathskeller manager Reed Raynor said. “Squeaky’s a great guy, ” Raynor said. “He comes by every day to check on us.” Raynor said that Morgan used the Rathskeller kitchen to cook the chili for his hot dogs. Moigan said his clientele con sisted mostly of regular customers, many of whom bought his hot dogs five days a week. From 11a.m. until 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, Moigan can be found preparing hot dogs and chatting with customers, accompanied by soft jazz from his have a tanned body.” Not burning is only one of the many reasons tanning salons are more popular than ever, Warren said. “Whenyou have a tan you don’t have to wear as much makeup, and you feel better because you look better.” Like the sun, tanning bed bulbs emit ultraviolet radiation in the forms of UVA, UVB and UVC rays. These rays penetrate the skin’s surface and excite melanocytes to produce the black pigment melanin, the substance responsible for color variations in human skin. “Since the ozone layer is depleting and stronger, more harmful ultraviolet rays are being emitted, tanning beds are a safer alternative to exposure to the sun,” said Kristen Fanarakis, a UNC sophomore and certified tanning bed operator. Tanning beds don’t expose users to the more harm ful rays the sun emits, she said. Tanning beds are also safer because the amount of time a tanner can spend in them is strictly controlled, Warren said. “Whereas you can fry yourself for 10 to 12 hours outside in the sun, your exposure is limited in the tanning beds,” Warren said. “Someone is there to say, ‘Hey, it’s time to get out,’ after your time is up.” Under 17 Not Admitted Students respond to the ongoing debate about pornography and censorship. Page 2 A cated,” he said. “Jurors will hear evi dence of a defendant’s intoxication and it may move them to have doubts as to whether he should be labeled a rapist.” Jurors might consider the heavy penalty for rape in making their decision, he said. Furthermore, Bilionis said it might be possible to present an argument that would make intoxication a legally sig nificant factor. Under North Carolina law, second degree rape is “vaginal intercourse with another person who is mentally defec- See LAW, Page 9 radio. Patrons of Squeaky’s Hot Dogs get more than a hot dog for their $1.50. The tall, personable, mustachioed Morgan offers his cus tomers some midday conversation with their lunch. Most passers-by speak to Mor gan even if they don’t buy anything from him. “It seems like I make their day, especially everybody in this building,” he said. Hungry pedestrians stopping at Squeaky’s Hot Dogs will not find any of the Beefmaster hot dogs Woody Durham mentions so often. “I’ve never tried them,” Morgan said. “I like to stick with chicken.” He said he preferred chicken based hot dogs because they were less expensive than their beef coun terparts. “I want to leave prices just the way they are,” he said. “Youcan get a hot dog and a soda (here) for $2. Some folks only have $2 in their pocket.” Moigan also recognizes the strong contingent of health-conscious eat ers in Chapel Hill. To appeal to customers who want to keep their cholesterol counts down, he serves all-vegetable hot dogs in addition to See SQUEAKY, Page 2 DTH/KELLY BROWN Sam Guo of The Tannery prepares a tanning bed for customer Gina Camisa. Many students have begun tanning in anticipation of Spring Break. But although tanning beds might ap pear to be safe alternatives to the sun, both can be equally dangerous, said Dr. Hojin Kim, a UNC Hospitals resident derma tologist. “We don’t recommend tanning beds, News/Features/Aits/Sports 962-0245 Business/Advertising 962-1163 01996 DTH Publishing Corp AD rights reserved. Today 1 * Weather Mostly sunny; high 40s. Friday: Cloudy, chance of sleet rain; high 40s. University Criticizes BOG Plan ■ The plan would create monetary rewards for faculty to teach undergraduates. BY SHARIF DURHAMS STAFF WRITER University officials criticized a system wide proposal for improving undergradu ate education, saying provisions such as requiring weekend classes were inappro priate at UNC. Under the direction of a bill passed last year by the N.C. General Assembly, the General Administration identified six goals for improving the accountability of the 16 schools in the UNC system. The General Administration spent the past year devis ing ways to implement the goals. Several of the methods for reaching the goals, such as requiring professors to teach more fresh man and sophomore classes, have mon etary incentives tied to them. Administrators at the 16 universities have until the April 12 Board of Governors meetingto give theBOG feedback before it votes on the proposal. The bill required the BOG to make its recommendations to the General Assembly by April 15. Officials from the 16universitiesdidnot receive copies of the draft proposal until Feb. 22, UNC-CH Interim Provost Rich ard Richardson said. The Faculty Council sent a letter to the General Assembly on Feb. 21 requesting the board delay voting on the proposal until the University faculty had time to study the plan. “I hope we have enough time to take a thorough look at it,” said Faculty Chair woman Jane Brown. The draft proposal provides incentives for meeting a broad range of goals from increasing the number of students who graduate in five years to increasing faculty See ACCOUNTABILITY, Page 9 Goals Proposed for UNC-System Schools ■ Improve North Carolina's economic competitiveness and quality of life for its citizens ■ Expand access to UNC institutions by eligible, North Carolina high school graduates, community college transfers, non-traditional students and underrepresented minority students ■ Improve efficiency in the use of instructional resources ■ Improve student learning and development ■ Expand the base of knowledge through scholarship, research and creative expression ■ Expand public and community services to North Carolina citizens, schools and agencies because like any form of sunlight they are bad,” Kim said. “The UVA rays that are given off are the most harmful, and UVB rays are only a little less harmful. Through exposure you are risking premature aging, as well as different kinds of skin cancer.”

Page Text

This is the computer-generated OCR text representation of this newspaper page. It may be empty, if no text could be automatically recognized. This data is also available in Plain Text and XML formats.

Return to page view