2>l|f Sail}} (Ear Mrpl HANGIN'OUT DTH/BRAD SMITH Tori Tinnin, a sophomore business major, and Lamarr Dixon, a sophomore mathematics major, enjoy a quiet moment behind Steele Building. Chapel Hill agency assists students with financial woes ■ A Franklin Street agency helps students and residents budget their finances. BY LAURA GODWIN CITY EDITOR The beginning ofthe school year brings more than just new professors and new classes. For many, it can mean charging hundreds of dollars for books, groceries and supplies. All too often, those charged dollars become lingering debts. There is help available to students and residents who find themselves dealing with mounting bills. The Consumer Credit Counseling Service, located at 1829 E. Franklin St., isanonprofit agency that specializes in helping consumers control mounting debts. Leslie de Monchaux, a counselor for the service, said her organization’s pri mary function is to be a resource to those who want to become better consumers. “Probably about nine out of 10 folks come in for counseling and probably about one out of 10 come in for debt management,” shesaid. “Wetry towork through how much to spend a month.” The service is part of a nationwide program. Locally, it receives funding primarily from the United Way, Orange | rz/z/////////////////////////////////////////////////////// 1 | on the Village Green | j Lampos Band \ J % FROIVI NEW YORK J I Iguana j Choose From: Mm-LaMti-KiA Nike, Adidas, Reebok, Saucony, Asics, Wilson, New Balance, K-Swiss, Converse, Nunn Bush, Brooks, Mizuno, Ellesse, Riddell, Timberland & More! EXAMPLES! Nike Air Windrunner Reg. 64.95 SALE 39.95 Running Shoes! Basketball Shoes! Tennis! Nike Canvas GTS Reg. 39.95 SALE 22.95 Walking! Casual! Cross-Training! Aerobics! Reebok Kamikaze Reg. 74.95 SALE 44.95 Boots! cmrnwm Saucony Shadow 6000 Reg. 77.95 SALE 44.95 lyj ®l| Ali i?/ ||| SRI Saucony Procyon Reg. 74.95 5ALE44.95 MH m UJJ¥M VWson Prostaff Tour Reg. 69.95 SALE 39.95 Adida sSL96 Reg. 79.95 SALE 49.95 Si?OSGSPOfnS County and the towns of Carrboro and Chapel Hill. De Monchaux said most students fall into trouble financially when they make credit card purchases. There are some people who fall into financial trouble for “legitimate reasons” such as a sudden illness, “then there are the people who just know they don’t have the money and put it on die Visa card anyway,” she said. John Deak, a junior from Winston- Salem, said the beginning of the school year brings worries which make it easy to lose track of personal finances. “You just get caught in the early rush,” he said. “I’m just too busy to worry about per sonal finances.” De Monchaux said that students are not bad consumers, rather, most are un educated about good money manage ment. “I don’t know where people are expected to learn money management,” she said. “You just don’t learn this stuff out of the air.” Freshmen who are away from home for the first time pile up-debts, because the typical parents do not share with their children how to manage their funds, de Monchaux said. Deak said being away from home made a difference in his personal finances. “It’s a lot of stuff to start out with,” he said. “Money was always there when Wage increase could mean higher prices for all BY MELISSA STEELE SENIOR WRITER Local employees and business man agers said they were beginning to wonder if there’s more to the recent minimum wage increase than meets the eye. President Bill Clinton signed a bill Tuesday that will increase minimum wage to $4.75 starting Oct. 1,1996, and then to $5.15 on Sept. 1,1997. The raise means that many hourly employees will be pulling in larger paychecks. But busi nessmen said they are afraid they’ll be swallowing the difference. “I don’t think (the wage increase) is going to help anyone,’’saidJamilQumeh, manager of Subway on Franklin Street. He said the initial 50 cents won’t make University to foot bill for graduate student health insurance BY DAVE SNELL STAFF WRITER Thanks to a change in state law adopted by the N.C. General Assembly, UNC- Chapel Hill’s graduate students will re ceive free medical insurance this year. The new law, which allows the Uni versity to draw from its own budget to provide such insurance, will affect about 5,300 UNC-CH graduate students. Graduate and Professional Student Federation PresidentKatherineKraft said the new insurance plan would give UNC CH a more competitive edge in attracting quality graduate students. In file past, the University had trouble “I don’t know where people are expected to learn money management. ” LESLIE DE MONCHAUX Certified Consumer Credit Counselor your parents were around.” For students who might have charged too much during the book rush, de Monchaux said the counseling service can help. Because the counseling service is part of a nationwide program, de Monchaux said she is able to deal with credit card companies directly and sometimes get them to accept a lower monthly pay ment. When clients come to the service, they receive a one-on-one counseling session in which a budget is worked through. “We try to work through how much to spend a month, ” she said. “A lot of times all people really need is a plan.” For those consumers who have good credit and would like it to remain that way, de Monchaux recommends buying a money management self-help book. “Make steps to educate yourself, because now is the time to keep these devastating debts from piling up,” she said. A Triangle Women's Health Clinic Low cost termination to 20 weeks of pregnancy. Call for an appointment Monday - Saturday. FREE Pregnancy Testing "Dedicated to the Health Care of Women. ” 942-0011 101 Connor Dr., Suite 402 Chapel Hill, NC across from University Matt ABORTION TO 2C WEEKS NEWS much of a difference to the part-time workers he employs for only a few hours per week. The consumers are the ones who will really pay, Qumeh added. “It’s going to hurt the consumers in the long run because we’re going to have to raise our prices,” he said. He antici pates many fast food restaurants elimi nating their “value meal” menus and going back to regular prices and possibly even raising other prices. Deciding how to make up for money lost to higher wages is left up to indi vidual business owners. Taking it out of the business’ existing funds, raising the price of their merchandise, hiring fewer workers or firing current employees are a few options they listed. Donna Devanney, manager of Caro retaining graduate students because of low stipends, policies against granting remissions or full waivers and lack of affordable insurance, Kraft said. “People need to recognize graduate students are recruited just like athletes are recruited,” Kraft said. But Chancellor Michael Hooker said an even more important issue than re cruiting advantages was providing for the security of students. “It’s an issue of fairness and justice more so than just being competitive with the University ofVirginia and other com parable institutions,” Hooker said. Until this year, the University had no funds for school-sponsored graduate De Monchaux also recommends that students do notkeep more than one credit card. “It is OK to have a credit card, but keep it to one credit card and only charge things that are emergencies,” she said. “It’s not that credit cards are evil, it’s just that they snowball out of control.” The Consumer Credit Counseling Ser vice is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., as well as evenings Tuesdays and Wednesdays. To begin the counseling process, call 933- 4226. uic w/cnwiCtnitE Want help with your writing? Call 962-7710 for an appointment. its mm Tar Heel Tradition “UNC’s delivery favorite is Gumby’s” -DTH6/12J95 jxiaijelß” ! I CHEESE PIZZA I ! SR - Wn Exph-M a/a/96 • Topping* $1.50 / K J mjM fcgq/ l\ /JT] a\V Lr S I 8 Li 1 m\ M m* Cheeks 1 % rm \ Student Advanteye Card