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®[jp Saily QJar Urrl BRIEFS Stories from the University and Chapel HiU UNC Scientists Develop Better AntnAIDS Drugs University chemists have developed what they believe is a significantly im proved method of synthesizing promising anti-viral drugs forpeople with AIDS, hepa titis B and other deadly illnesses. The method will be faster and possibly cheaper than those now used to create the compounds, scientists said. A report on the new technique will appear in the July issue of The Journal of Organic Chemistry. The authors are Michael T. Crimmins, professor of chem istry, and graduate student Bryan W. King The technique Crimmins and King de veloped will allow production of the spe cific form of molecule they desire. Molecules that comprise the compounds are asymmetrical, and asymmetrical com pounds each have two forms that are like mirror images, Crimmins said. “Existing methods of producing such molecules often make a mixture of both mirror images, while only one may be biologically active the way you want it to be,” Crimmins said. “That’s important because sometimes a particular form is not effective, and sometimes it is actually toxic.” Crimmins and King have applied for a patent on the new technique. Former UNC Economics Professor Dead at 91 Dr. Edward Bernstein, a former profes sor of economics at UNC, died June 8 in Washington, D.C. at the age of 91. Bernstein was a member of the UNC faculty from 1935 to 1940, when he left to work for the U.S. Treasury Department. Bernstein’s involvement with UNC con tinued, though, as he served on the Board of Directors of the Georges Lurcy Founda tion, which has funded several professor ships, fellowships and a library endow ment at the University. Bernstein’s family has asked that me morial contributions be made in Bernstein’s name to the UNC Academic Affairs Li brary, C.B. 3900, Davis Library, Chapel Hill, N.C. 27514. Former UNC Professor Receives Baxter Award ! Kerr Lachlan White, M.D., an educa- Sand uutfior whose work defined the (■“pefiharyc&re” as it is used in health care today, was the 1996 winner of the Baxter Health Services Research Prize, the highest research honor in the field. White received the $25,000 award, which is sponsored by the Baxter Founda tion and the Association for University Programs in Health Administration, this month. The award honors White’s contribu tion to health services research throughout a career that spans four decades. ; White taught in the School of Medicine from 1953 to 1962 Local Civic Organizations To Sponsor Blood Drive Orange Water and Sewer Authority employees, in conjunction with the Carrboro Civic Club, Anne Marie’s Pizze ria and Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, will sponsor a blood drive on June 25 from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the OWASA opera tions center. Healthy members of the pub lic between the ages of 17 and 76 are encouraged to participate in the drive. Walk-ins are accepted and appointments may be made by calling Stephanie Glasgow or Sandie Beckham at 968-4421. Carrboro Plaza Recycling Drop-Off Site to Close ■ The recycling drop-off site located in Carrboro Plaza Shopping Center on High way 54 will close as of June 30 because of 4evelopment plans and illegal garbage dumping behind Plaza stores. '• No other sites have been announced to replace the Plaza site, but recycling at the U other Orange County sites will remain Open. Chapel Hill Bus Drivers Going to Olympic Games ; A group of Chapel Hill Transit bus drivers will accompany 10 Chapel Hill Transit buses to Atlanta for this summer’s Olympic Games as part of a nationwide effort to provide adequate transportation for the spectators and athletes who are expected to pack the city. ' Chapel Hill and Charlotte are the only two communities in North Carolina pro viding transportation for the Games. Chapel Hill is able to loan the buses be cause of the reduced schedule for its transit system during the summer months. All of the buses used during the Olym pics will be fitted with a commemorative plaque to honor their service. Gold's Gym to Sponsor Cancer Benefit on June 22 • Gold’s Gym of Carrboro will sponsor a step aerobics benefit for cancer on Satur day, June 22 at 10 a.m. D.J. Dean Coleman from the Chapel Hill nightclub Gotham Will be on hand to play music during Pam Hunt’s Step Challenge, followed by yoga end a bench press contest. Free massage ivill also be offered. A $lO donation is tequired. V STAFF REPORTS Olympic Torch to Bum Brightly in Chapel Hill, Carrboro ■ Five local heroes will carry the torch through the streets of the towns on Sunday. BY SARAH CORBITT STAFF WRITER This may be the one Olympic event you’ll be able to get to. On Sunday, June 23, the Olympic flame will be passed through Chapel Hill from the hands of Olympic bicyclists to five local heroes. The flame will arrive in Chapel Hill at Learning to Fly DTH/EMILY ADCOCK Alison Tidwell, an eighth-grader from Gastonia, practices her butterfly stroke during the first session of the Tar Heel Swim Camp going on all summer. The camp is held by the University's Swimming and Diving program. GPSF President Forging Closer Ties With Student Government Leaders ■ The student leader wants to reactivate a powerful and important group on campus. BY STEPHANIE M. SHAW STAFF WRITER Katherine Kraft, president ofthe Gradu*' ate and Professional Student Federation, is working hard to create a relationship that will improve relations between gradu ate and undergraduate students. Kraft said she is attending Student Con gress meetings with Aaron Nelson, stu dent body president, in an effort to im prove this relationship that has often been plagued with lack of communication. Historically, GPSF presidents have not regularly attended Student Congress meet ings, she said. Kraft said by attending Student Con gress meetings she was able to network with members of Student Congress who could help when the time came for Con gress to allocate money to the GPSF. Kraft said one common complaint among her constituency was that most student fees that were distributed by Stu dent Congress wind up supporting under graduate services, rather than graduate ser vices. “If GPSF were to control graduate stu dent fees, joint funding would be estab lished,” Kraft said. She said Student Congress and the GPSF would then be forced to work together. “The funding issue causes me to have Conflict Between Carrboro, Cellular Provider Looms at Aldermen Meeting BY ANDREW HOLTON STAFF WRITER At what appeared to be a normal Conditional Use Permit hearing Tuesday night, the Carrboro Board of Aldermen meeting erupted into an unresolved big corporation versus small town battle royale. Representatives from 360° Communications asked for permission to replace antennas on the company’s monopoly tower at 515 South Greensboro St. The replacement would be a standard technology upgrade. The Board asked questions concerning structural safety, the nature ofthe upgrade and the increase of power out put. Albert Benshoff, a legal representative 0f360° Commu nications, said safety issues had been thoroughly tested. Benshoff said emissions re leased by the tower had low ionizing radiation that fell within federal regulations set at the American National Stan dards Institute. Alderman Jacqueline Gist said even if the Board found 360° Communications to be in violation of citizens’s health, under federal regulation the Board could do nothing. Carrboro Alderman HANK ANDERSON said the siting of the cellular towers in a minority neighborhood appeared to be a racist action. “The federal government prohibits taking environmental and health concerns into account for Conditional Use Permits,” Gist said. Alderman Hilliard Caldwell said he nonetheless condemned the company’s policy even though the Board could not force them to change it. “I find it appalling that you have not taken time out to notify the neighbors as to what you were going to UNIVERSITY & CITY about 1:15 p.m. Sunday after travelling from Raleigh via Durham. It will then proceed through Carrboro on its way to Greensboro. When approached by the Atlanta Com mittee for the Olympic Games about be coming part of the torch’s route, Chapel Hill and Carrboro town officials were thrilled. The flame will pass from torches carried by bicyclists to special torches carried by Chapel Hill’s Community Heroes, indi viduals specially chosen by the Atlanta committee. A dinner at the Omni Hotel on Saturday night will honor the torch bearers mixed emotions,” Kraft said. She said account ability was the single issue that needs to be raised in reference to fund ing. “Unfortunately, ■ there hadn’t beeri' enough work done To develop the aiu-’ tonomous relation ship with the GPSF,” she said. One way Kraft said she could work to help out graduate interests is through Graduate and Professional Student Federation President KATHERINE KRAFT is the third officer in the line of succession behind the student body president. impacting where student fees to which more than 6,500 graduate and professional students con tribute money end up. If the GPSF intends to control any pro portion of fees it must have adequate trea sury laws, Kraft said. “I would like to see this happen,” she said. Kraft said she hoped to create better communication on this and other issues by working closely with Nelson. “I wish to serve as a primary adviser on graduate issues which call for communication,” she said. Kraft said the GPSF and the student body president had not worked together as much in the past became their relationship was strained. However, she said the GPSF deals with do,” Caldwell said. Caldwell said it seemed unfair that the Board re quired developers to discuss their plans with residents, while this business was outside their jurisdiction. “We require developers to sit down with neighbor hood residents and explain what is going to happen,” he said. “You did not do this.” In response to Caldwell’s criticism, Benshoff said, “Under requirements of special use permits, the town must let the neighbors within 200 feet of the regulation know.” He said he would speak with residents if similar issues arose. Carrboro resident Ruben Hayes expressed con cerns of residents living around the telecommunica tions pole. “We got this thing rammed down our throats,” he said. “We don’t know the effect that the foreign emissions have on residents and we have no say about what goes on.” Hayes said the technology was only 14-years old, making long-term implications impossible to test. Alderman Hank Anderson said the placement of a cellular phone tower in a minority neighborhood ap peared racist, especially in light of the landfill place ment in another minority neighborhood. Anderson also said it was unfair that the tower would be an eyesore in a neighborhood where rela tively few people would take advantage of its services. Others said the tower placement could bring down property values and might cause health problems, even if the towers met certain regulations. “Our property value has gone down because of the tower,” Hayes said. “We don’t know what health concerns there might be. We are getting our ducks in a row. If they can find experts saying the tower doesn’t cause health problems we can find experts who say it does.” Due to the controversy the debate was postponed until next Tuesday's meeting. as well. Chapel Hill’s Community Heroes, Frances Hargraves, William Myrle Smith, Art Cleary, Carl Henley and Chuck Stone, will each carry one of the torches, which were donated by corporate sponsors. Stone, aUniversity professor ofjoumal ism and mass communications, will be the first torch runner. He will leave Nationsßank Plaza at 1:45 p.m. and run to Columbia Street where he will hand off the torch. Journalism professor said they were very happy for Stone. “We’re proud of him and want to give him all the support we can,” said Jo Bass, some of the same campus issues that the student body president does. “Campus safety, transportation, Uni versity funding and the Women’s Center are a few issues I think can best be worked on with Nelson,” Kraft said. Kraft said she is holding meetings di rectly with Nelson on all issues, none of which are exclusively graduate issues. Kraft said graduate and professional students were affected by most of the issues that affect undergraduates, although they were affected in different ways. Nelson said he agreed with Kraft on the nature of the past relationships between the president of the GPSF and the student body president. “However, we are forging new grounds,” Nelson said. Under the Student Constitution Kraft is actually the second vice president, behind the student body president and vice presi dent. Kraft said historically her position in the line of succession had not been recog nized. The history of the office’s relationship with student government is the problem, Kraft said. “A lot is overcoming the history of both offices,” she said. History could be changed by separating from student government. “I feel it’s in the interest of the University (administration) for the GPSF to stand alone,” Kraft said. However, she said her organization would be weakened in that kind of separa tion. “Let’s strengthen our organization, gain accountability and gain closer ties.” A Bright Idea: lighting UNC Walkways BY AMY VANDERCLUTE STAFF WRITER Pedestrians on their way through campus to Franklin Street at night might have noticed the University’s use of a bright idea. A fighting corridor has been installed in a test area extending north from Hanes Hall to Franklin Street as part of the University’s effort to increase safety on campus. Katherine Kraft, president of the Graduate and Professional Student Federation, was involved in the design of the corridors, which are located on high traffic routes throughout campus. New fixtures will be installed or existing fights will be modified on these paths to ensure adequate fighting for pedestrians after dark. “The major impetus was to provide a safe foot path,” Kraft said. Herb Paul, director of the Physical Plant, said the test path, completed in May, took less than a month to install. UNC to Sue Firms for Loss of Invention Patent STAFF REPORT The UNC Board of Governors voted Friday to allow the University to pursue a lawsuit against a limited liability partnership and a pharmaceutical firm over a patent for a University invention. The lawsuit claims the University will lose money from the loss of patenting the invention. The UNC system signed a license agreement with Baxter Travenol Laboratories requiring Baxter to take care of any patent applications for University inven tions. After Baxter Travenol terminated this license, the University told Baxter Travenol to transfer all files to their new representatives, Cushman, Datby and Cushman, LLP, according to a BOG draft resolution an administrative assistant in the Journal ism School. In a previous interview about his selec tion as a torch bearer, Stone said he was extremely excited about the run and its historical implications. “Over the years, youbecome very much aware of the historical precedent and want to be a part of it, enjoy it,” Stone said. “I have always wanted to be on the cutting edge of history, and I think that I have achieved that.” Following the torches’ journey through town, Chapel Hill officials have planned a series of special events for the main block Mix and Match Music in Franklin Street Merger BY TANYA K. MERRITTE STAFF WRITER When students return to Chapel Hill in August, they will have one less music store to browse through. Monster Records on Franklin Street will close down in July due to a merger between it and School Kids Records. Mike Phillips of Mike Phillips Enter prises has bought 51 percent of School Kids Records and plans to move all of Monster’s stock to that location at 144 E. Franklin St. The Monster Records store will close down because of the merger, but School Kids Records will retain its name. Phillips said the decision to close Monster Records was due to its poor location. “We were two blocks in the wrong di rection,” hesaid. “Kidsdon’twanttowalk all the way down there.” Phillips said School Kids’ more central location was a better draw for business. “No doubt business will increase,” he said. Phillips said he hoped to have the two block move completed by July 1, or no later than July 15. “We will have every style of music, imports and accessories,” he said. Project Vote Gears Up To Register Voters for ’96 BY IVAN VAZQUEZ STAFF WRITER Every four years in America a time honored'ritual takes place: people vote to electtheirpresident. This year Project Vote, an organization that works to promote voter registration, is doing its part to sup port the American people in this ritual. Started in 1982, the organization fo cuses primarily on minority and low-in come voter registration, said Todd Sand ers, state director of Project Vote. “These groups are usually the least in volved in political processes since the have little free time apart from work,” Sanders said. “Their involvement is crucial to the success of the democratic system.” Armed with clipboards, volunteers so licit eligible voters at local bus stops, gro cerystoresand community gatherings. The organization will also have booths at Foxy 104’s Bimbe’ Festival in Durham and K97.5’s Fam Fest in Raleigh this weekend. After registration, the organization calls the new voters duringNovemberto inform them about relevant issues in the election. “(Education) usually acts as a catalyst to get people to vote, if not for one candi date, then against another,” Sanders said. Since its founding, Project Vote has registered more than 2 million low-income and minority citizens in the United States. Their objective for 1996 is to register an “There were some additional lights added,” Paul said. Paul said the test path would eventually be ex tended to Morrison Hall on South Campus and more routes would then be added. “It should take about a year to complete," Paul said. Paul estimated that the entire project would require at least 50 new fights. Funding for the fighting corridors will come out of the Electric Distribution Trust Fund, Paul said. The higher electric bills will be paid out of appropriated funds. The lighting corridor concept was introduced by Kraft’s colleague on the Transportation and Parking Advisory Committee, Lee Conner, while the pro posal for implementing the project was developed by Michael Klein, director of the Department of Trans portation and Parking. Before its implementation, the plan was also ap proved by the University Police and the Campus Security Committee. Thursday, June 20,1996 of Franklin Street, including shows by the Apple Chill doggers and the Chapel Hill High School Band on a stage in front of Nationsßank Plaza. Local church choirs and dance troops will also perform for outside revellers and a general picnic is planned for McCorkle Place. Along with the flame, officials from the Atlanta Olympic Committee and past Olympic participants will be on hand. Chapel Hill May or Rosemary Waldorf, Carrboro Mayor Mike Nelson and Univer sity Chancellor Michael Hookerwill speak at the ceremony. Phillips said he also intends to rear range School Kids’ current floor plan to make room for the additional merchan dise. “We will have the most completely stocked store in the state,” he said. Because of the merger, Phillips said all ofthe current employees could not be kept. “Unfortunately, some staff will have to be let go,” he said. Phillips said there would probably be a reopening promotion for the new School Kids store in September when more stu dents are back in town. He also said he wants to have the store running smoothly by that time. “Our hope is to have all the kinks worked out in August by the time school starts again,”he said. Phillips currently owns Chapel Hill’s Monster Records and four other School Kids Records stores located throughout Wake County. School Kids was formerly owned by Pepper Harvey, who runs Pepper’s Pizza and the Lizard and Snake Cafe. Phillips said the change was made because Harvey had become more inter ested in the restaurant business. Members ofthe staffatMonsterßecords and at School Kids Records said they could not comment at this time. additional 500,000 voters nationally including 50,000 in North Carolina alone, Sanders said. The National Voter Registration Act, J also known as the Votet” bill, hias been an important aid to Project Vote’s mission. It makes registration more conve nient by allowing eligible voters to register through the mail with a form available at their local Department of Motor Vehicles, library or Social Services office. “The ‘Motor Voter’ bill has aided us tremendously in fighting voter apathy, which has gotten to the point that it is severely impacting our government,” said Jovita Simon, coordinator for the state’s 176 volunteers. Most of the volunteers come from regis tering people at the booth, Sanders said. Once a volunteer has registered, the orga nization meets with volunteers to familiar ize them with the group’s history and ob jectives. Barbara Ndyalvan, a volunteer since 1990, said she became interested in the group through its stance on health care and focus on the underprivileged voting groups. “It takes a lot of work to volunteer,” Ndyalvan said. “It’s a challenge, but I enjoy seeing the results. If you don’t vote, you’ve got no voice.” Anyone interested in registering or vol unteering can call Todd Sanders at (919) 832-3000, ext. 228. released Friday. The University then licensed the invention to Ligand Pharmaceuticals. The resolution stated that in 1993 the University discovered that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office had declared the patent application to be abandoned three years earlier for failure to respond to an office action. Abandonment will result in loss to the University of U.S. sales of products based on the invention. The University will sue for reimbursement. Associate University Counsel David Parker said he could not comment on pending litigation. Baxter Travenol representatives were unable to be reached for comment. 3
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