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INSIDE
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MARCH 14,1996
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Media Enhance Negative
Stereotypes of Hispanics
■ Anew poll says North
Carolinians have negative
feelings about Hispanics.
BY ERIC FLACK
STAFF WRITER
Media stereotypes of Hispanic-Ameri
cans could contribute to North Carolin
ians’ fears about the increasing number of
Hispanic-Americans in their community,
said one faculty member in the School of
Journalism and Mass Communication.
Anew poll conducted by the journalism
school reported that 41 percent of North
Carolinians surveyed thought the Hispanic
influx was bad for the state, while 24 per
cent thought it was good. Fifteen percent
of those polled thought it was equally good
and bad, while 21 percent had no opinion.
Assistant professor ofjoumalism Lucila
Vargas, a native of Mexico, said North
Carolina’s negative attitude toward His
panic-Americans was the result of the ste
reotypes portrayed by the mass media.
“In my opinion, people think about
Hispanics in stereotypical ways, an image
which has been disseminated by the mass
media,” Vargas said.
Officials: New Parking Plan Will Benefit Students
BY REINO MAKKONEN
STAFF WRITER
Several University parking officials said
Wednesday that a campus parking plan pro
posed for next year would increase safety for
students without limiting parking options.
The proposal would require permits to access
several campus lots from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Katherine Kraft, former chairwoman of the ex
ecutive branch’s parking committee and presi
dent-elect of the Graduate and Professional Stu
dent Federation, said the 1996-97 plan would
benefit students, not harm them.
Kraft noted the availability of free evening
parking in the Bell Tower lot and the opening of
a pay-for-use lot on the Mitchie property (lo
cated across from Fraternity Court) as viable
UNC Freshman Mauled Over Break
At Western Carolina Fraternity Party
■ Trisha Roberson, who was injured
March 8, is in fair condition and will
undergo surgery on Friday.
BY JOHN PATTERSON
STAFF WRITER
A UNC student remains in fair condition and will
undergo surgery Friday at Asheville’s Memorial Mis
sion Hospital after being hit by a pickup truck and
dragged nearly 700 feet while visiting friends over
Spring Break.
Trisha Roberson, a freshman from Weaverville,
was leaving a Pi Kappa Phi fraternity party at Western
Carolina University March 8, when she and three
other people were struck, reports state.
According to N.C. Highway Patrol Sergeant C.L.
McMahan, Roberson was walking down a driveway
from the fraternity house when a 1990 Ford pickup,
driven by Herbert Marshall Conley Jr., 20, of Sylva,
struck and dragged her about 680 feet.
Terry Roberson, Trisha’s father, said she was visit
ing high school friends at Western Carolina Univer
sity, when they decided to attend the party,
“She was with some high school friends, and they
decided to leave the party after the driver of the truck
got in a fight with some other person, ” Terry Roberson
said.
“Everybody started screaming and hollering when
the truck came down the driveway, and when Trisha
fell, her jacket got caught on the truck somehow and
dragged her down the driveway.”
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Doing Unto Others
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The poll results also suggest that North
Carolinians do not want Hispanics living
next door to them. When asked how their
neighbors would feel if Hispanics moved
into their neighborhood, 66 percent said
that their neighbors would not like it and 8
percent said their neighbors would. Thir
teen percent would be indifferent and an
other 13 percent had no opinion.
Vargas said it was up to the Hispanic-
American community to make sure they
were no longer portrayed by the mass me
dia in this fashion.
“I think we have to change our image in
the media. This is one thing Hispanics
themselves need to take very seriously and
do something about. North Carolinians
don't have complete knowledge about us.
It seems to me if they knew us they would
like us.”
For their part, North Carolina’s schools
and businesses are doing what they can to
make Hispanic-Americans’ assimilation
into society easier. The English as a Sec
ond Language program is a major compo
nent for a smoother transition.
The ESL program allows Hispanic-
American students who speak little or no
English to learn the language with the help
of volunteer tutors who come to their school
and give one-on-one instruction.
student parking options under the proposal.
“If the Bell Tower lot does not provide suffi
cient free parking usage, we can expand to the
West lot or the Water Tower lot,” Kraft said.
“Also, at the Mitchie property lot, if people
don’t want to pay for more than an hour of use,
they don’t have to.”
In addition, P2P Xpress would serve the Bell
Tower lot, which would have a night guard
under the plan, Kraft said. “We really wanted to
have a gated, guarded, free lot available to stu
dents, because nobody should ever have to walk
alone to their car at night,” she said.
Kraft said student needs and the effective use
of the University’s limited parking resources
were the principal aims of the parking plan. “It’s
unfortunate that when you increase safety and
transportation options, it costs a little bit. But we
Conley has been charged with four counts of felony
hit and run and four counts of assault with a deadly
weapon and is being held under a $30,000 secured
bond, police reports state.
According to Terry Roberson, among the four
people hit, his daughter’s injuries were the most seri
ous.
Trisha Roberson suffered second-degree bums on
her chest and arms, and the bone was completely
exposed around her elbow, he said.
“She is in a lot of pain right now, and has been since
the accident,” Terry Roberson said.
“They are going to operate on her Friday they
will work on a nerve in her arm and the plastic
surgeons will take a look at her also. Luckily, she
didn’t have any broken bones.”
Joe Kledis, a sophomore from Asheville and a close
friend of the Roberson family, said he was not sure if
Roberson would return to UNC this semester or not.
“Our families have been close friends since we were
bom, and it’s terrible to see something like this hap
pen,” Kledis said. “Most of the information I have
heard has come from my parents, but I am not sure
whether or not she will be able to come back this
semester.”
Terry Roberson said the outcome of the surgery
would determine if and when his daughter could come
back this semester.
“The doctors have said that it would be best to wait
and see how her condition is after Friday,” Terry
Roberson said.
“I talked with the University on Tuesday about
Trisha’s options for the rest of the semester, but we
haven’t made any decisions yet.”
UNC Students Can Make Voices Heard in Straw PoD
■ Democrats and Republicans
alike can participate in the poll
today and Friday.
BYJOSH AHN
STAFF WRITER
Students have the chance today and Friday to
break the stereotype that they do not care about
Motivation is when your dreams put on work clothes.
Unknown
Homosexuals and
Entertainment
Diversions highlights the
careers of gay performers and
their supporters. Page 5
Jo Harris, director of staff development
and secondary instruction for Orange
County Social Services, is also the ESL
supervisor for the Chapel Hill schools.
Harris said the ESL program allowed stu
dents to learn English while not being
taken out of the English speaking school
environment. “We have volunteers and
tutors who come and work within the class
room setting, one-on-one with the ESL
students,” Harris said.
But the ESL program is'not limited
solely to schools. Duringthepastsixmonths
The Siena Hotel, which has about 20 His
panic-American employees in the mainte
nance, housekeeping and food and bever
age divisions, has been providing ESL
classes for any of their employees who
choose to attend.
Anita Vaughn, assistant general man
ager of The Siena, said the program had
been so successful that in the next three to
six months, the hotel would bring in tutors
to teach all the English-speaking staff Span
ish. Vaughn said the program’s benefits
have been apparent.
The journalism school’s poll, which
surveyed 665 North Carolina residents over
the age of 18 and had a margin of error of
plus or minus 4 percentage points, was
conducted February 18-22.
don’t have other options,” she said. “There are
too many people with nighttime obligations
who need access, and we must provide for those
people in some way.”
To park in the night lots, drivers must pur
chase a $64 permit or have a valid daytime
permit. The policy would go into effect in the
1996-97 academic year if the BOT approves it at
its Friday meeting. It would include lots near the
Undergraduate, Davis and Wilson Libraries;
Bynum, Caldwell, Steele and Peabody Halls;
Grimes, Ruffin and Old East Residence Halls;
and the Hanes Visitor Lot.
Kraft said the proposal would only negatively
affect students who live on campus, have resi
dential permits and need access to the employee
lots anyway. “The problem is that we have very
limited resources, period,” she said.
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DTK/RYAN MATTHEW
UNC s Merrill Turnbull charges past a Lehigh defender in Wednesday night's
17-9 victory. The Tar Heels are now 5-0 on the season. See story, page 7.
voting and to make their voices heard in the May
7 primary.
Students for Vinroot will sponsor a straw poll
from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. today and tomorrow in
the Pit. Former Charlotte Mayor Richard Vinroot
is running for the Republican gubernatorial nomi
nation.
“It’s important to get the message out to all the
candidates,” said Speaker of Student Congress
and Co-Chairman of Students for Vinroot Roy
Granato.
Silly Old Bear!
Students who are kids at
heart bring their Winnie
the-Pooh paraphernalia to
school. Page 3
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DTH/KATHERINE BROWN
Intramural Club soccer players take advantage of the spring-like weather to practice
shirts against skins on South Campus on Monday night.
Randy Young, marketing specialist for trans
portation and parking services, added that his
department and its parking plans were almost
always cast in a negative light. “Criticism of (the
Department of Transportation and Parking) isn’t
really unexpected, it’s more like tradition around
here,” Young said. “People feel better when
feeling worse about parking.”
Young said the new plan was influenced by
faculty, staff and students. “These proposals are
just the next step to increased flexibility, via
parking permits, for students and staff in central
ized parking areas,” he said. “If people paid as
much attention to the rules printed on the parking
signs at the entrances and exits of lots as they do
to the NCAA Final Four brackets, we would
probably issue one tenth the parking tickets,” he
said.
Still Undefeated
The straw poll will measure where students
stand on the presidential and gubernatorial races
and will be unbiased, said Lacey Hawthorne, a
member of Students for Vinroot.
“I think it’s a great opportunity to get college
students involved in politics more,” Hawthorne
said. “Sometimes the older generation thinks that
college students don’t care, but the straw poll is an
excellent way to get students involved and let them
See STRAW, Page 2
Today's
* Weather
" Partly sunny;
high near-70s.
Friday: Mostly cloudy; high 70s.
Warming Up
Aid Application
Backlog Should
Not Affect UNC
■ The federal shutdowns have created a
backlog that could keep some freshmen from
making a final college acceptance decision.
BY ANDREW PARK
STAFF WRITER
When the federal government closed down in January, many
high school and college students didn’t think it would make a
differenceintheirlives. But some who applied to universities and
for financial aid may still be waiting for their aid awards, and the
Washington impasse is partly to blame.
The shutdown is one reason the U.S. Department ofEducation
is now burning the midnight oil to process financial aid forms for
students across the country. Crippling winter storms and serious
computer difficulties have also delayed the processing of 1996-97
Free Applications for Federal Student Aid, said Stephanie Babyak,
a public affairs officer. The department now has a backlog of
applications to complete by March 31. Independent contractors
are working 24 hours a day, seven days a week to finish the forms,
Babyak said.
Applicants to UNC should not be affected, thanks to anew
form being used by the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid. In
November, UNC sent supplemental applications to prospective
students who expressed interest in financial assistance, said Eleanor
Morris, the office’s director. The new form, called the profile
application, gives UNC a more complete picture of a student’s
need and is processed by the College Board.
By April 1, prospective freshmen will receive an estimate of
their financial award based on the profile, Morris said. When the
College Board chose not to be involved in the federal process, it
allowed the company to send completed forms back to universi
ties earlier, Morris said. “It was serendipitous forus,” Monis said.
“(The backlog) is not going to impact entering freshmen."
No longer at the mercy of the federal government, UNC can
compete with private universities that have used supplemental
forms for years. With the profile, prospective students get finan
cial information as they are deciding where they want to go to
college. Applicants can then compare the cost of attending UNC
with other schools to which they apply.
At N.C. State University, applicants may not have that luxury
this year. The financial aid office does not require the profile, and
some prospective students will be notified late, said Julie Rice
Mallette, director of financial aid. Those applicants may not be
able to choose their school by May 1, the date when universities
traditionally require a decision, said Jim Belvin, director of
financial aid at Duke .“That’soneofthe things that happens when
you put your eggs in the federal basket,” he said.
After processing applications for entering freshmen, the office
moves on to applicants to graduate programs. Since they do not fill
out profile applications, their awards may be a couple of weeks
late, Morris said.
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