Daily ®ar MM
INSIDE
THURSDAY
OCTOBER 24,1996
Fraternity lire claims
1 life at Ohio school
BY JENNIFER WILSON
STAFF WRITER
Tragedy struck at Ohio Wesleyan
University when a student died in a fra
ternity house fire Saturday that started
under circumstances similar to those of
the May 12 Phi Gamma Delta fraternity
house fire at UNO that killed five people.
Phi Delta Theta fraternity member
Casey Polatsek, 20, died from smoke
inhalation when the Phi Delta Theta
fraternity house caught fire early Satur
day morning, the middle of OWU’s
Homecoming weekend.
The fire caused $20,000 in damages to
the university-owned fraternity house,
said Tom Macklin, Delaware, Ohio fire
chief.
Macklin said the cause of the fire was
under investigation, but he said the fire
was probably started by a burning ciga
rette on a couch in a second-floor bed
room. It probably smoldered for several
hours before the couch burst into flames,
Macklin said.
The house’s fire alarms went off, alert
ing the six or seven people who were in
the house. David Cozzens, dean of stu
dent life, said more people would have
been in the house, but the bars were still
open and many people had not yet re
turned from other fraternity houses.
Macklin said the fire was preventable.
“The furniture where the fire started
should have been removed from the room
earlier in the evening,” he said.
He also said a sprinkler system would
have prevented the fire from spreading.
And, since the fraternity house is owned
Group marks 25 years
of aiding civil liberties
BY SARA GRIFFITT
STAFF WRITER
About 15 years ago, a Star of
Bethlehem was placed on top of the
Morehead Planetarium. In response, the
Chapel Hill-Carrboro Civil Liberties
Union protested and said the religious
freedom of some individuals would be
violated by the Christian symbol.
The U.S. Supreme Court ultimately
decided the star would not infringe on
the religious rights of non-Christians, but
the case is indicative of the spirit of the
Civil Liberties Union.
This month, the CHCCLU celebrates
25 years of protesting and acting against
various civil rights violations that have
occurred in the area.
“The purpose of the local chapter is to
protect the Bill of Rights for everyone,
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The last warm days of autumn brought out the kid in everyone. This young-at-heart student spent
part of his afternoon blowing soap bubbles in the Pit earlier this week.
Clean and sober
Student Health Service
volunteers are asking
students to refuse alcohol
for 24 hours. Page 2
n
■5355 b
by the university, it
is the university’s
responsibility,
Macklin said.
Cozzens said the
campus hadnot dis
cussed installing
sprinklers yet be
cause it was still
dealing with the
emotional impact
m
CAMPUS
CONNECTIONS
of the tragedy. But he said sprinklers
were a very expensive option. “We have
to weigh safety versus the dollars,” he
said.
The university’s residence halls and
fraternity houses do not have sprinkler
systems because they were constructed
before sprinkler systems were installed in
buildings, Cozzens said.
OWU’s tragedy shares remarkable
similarities with UNC's May fire.
The tragedy occurred during the
university’s “Fall Fest” Homecoming
weekend. The fire began after a reception
for the fraternity’s alumni was held at the
house, Cozzens said.
The Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house
fire began the night before graduation,
after a party that included parents and
alumni. Investigators linked the fire to a
smoldering object, probably a cigarette,
that ignited flammable materials near a
basement-level bar.
Cozzens said the community had been
dealing with the grief process of the loss
of a student and reacting to the media.
The university administration did not
Sef. CAMPUS CONNECTIONS, Page 2
even extremist groups like the Ku Klux
Klan and the Black Panthers, ” said Daniel
Pollitt, Kenan professor emeritus of law
atUNC.
Pollitt, who has been active in the
Union since its formation in 1971, will be
honored by the group next month.
Pollitt said he thought the group had
done an extremely effective job in the
past. “The organization is very neces
sary,” Pollitt said.
Pollitt cited a case in which the pro
tests by the group have been effective in
bringing about change, including the pro
test of a raid that occurred on Graham
Street about three years ago.
“The police did not have a valid search
warrant under the Fourth Amendment,
the search and seizure amendment,” he
See CIVIL LIBERTIES, Page 2
SOAP BUBBLES, NOT BOXES
The heart has reasons which reason does not understand.
Blaise Pascal
Costly campaign
The town of Carrboro will
have to pay S9OO to repair
damage anti-Helms posters
have left behind. Page 3
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___
DTH/BRAD SMITH
Tar Heels Cindy Werley (far left) and Kate Barber (22) double-team a Wake Forest defender in UNC's 7-1 field hockey
win at Fetzer Field on Wednesday. With the win, UNC moved to 7-0 in conference play. See story, page 11.
County offers women support on health care issues
BY MARY-KATHRYN CRAFT
STAFF WRITER
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be
difficult for women because of obstacles
such as sexually transmitted diseases,
breast cancer and domestic violence.
However, various support groups in
Orange County offer ways for women to
deal with these health issues.
Local health care professionals say
many women face domestic violence,
both in this community and in others.
“Anywhere from 10 to 33 percent of
women who seek treatments in emer
gency rooms suffer from domestic vio
lence,” said Anna Waller, chairwoman
ofthe board for the Coalition for Battered
Women. “We have every reason to think
this is a major problem for women.”
UNC Hospitals implemented , a
method for screening victims of domes
tic violence in September 1995, she said.
“ It is a nursing protocol to try to screen
people for all indicators of domestic vio
lence,” Waller said. “Nurses are trained
EXORCISING THE DEMON DEACONS
nen ' s \ 0
Part four of a four-part series:
HEALTH CARE
to see indicators and ask the patients
specific questions (to determine if they
are domestic violence victims).”
UNC Hospitals’ Beacon program was
designed to identify and counsel domes
tic violence victims, said Diana Solkoff,
program coordinator.
Other issues affect local women as
well. “In this community, young women
are concerned about pregnancy and
STDs,” said Ruth Efird, a nurse practi
tioner at the Orange County Health De-
2 suicides not related, UNC counselors say;
assistance still available for troubled students
BYSHENGLEE
STAFF WRITER
Exactly one week passed between the
suicides oftwo UNC students, but Direc
tor of the University Counseling Center
Dr. JohnEdgerly said he thought the two
suicides were not reflective of any trends
developing on campus.
Edgerly said he could not conceive of
a correlation between the Oct. 14 suicide
of graduate student Ellen Carrigan and
freshman Matthew Paul Bumore’s sui
cidal jump from the second floor of
Ehringhaus Residence Hall on Monday.
The wide age gap between the two
students further supported that then
deaths were unrelated, he said.
Edgerly said he could not remember
many instances in which two suicides
occuned in such a short time period at
UNC.
“This is one of the few times suicides
have occurred in close continuity,” he
said.
Edgerly said there were some warning
signals for those who were concerned
about loved ones . Removed contact from
www.obsessed
This week's Diversions
tries to untangle the
current interest in the
World Wide Web. Page 5
partment. “Older women are usually
more concerned about chronic diseases
such as breast cancer or heart disease.”
Efird said the county had a family
planning clinic which offered programs
about pregnancy and birth control. The
health department also offers a program
which educates women about contract
ing, treating and preventing STDs. For
older women, the county has a clinic for
breast and cervical exams, Efird said.
A breast cancer support group spon
sored by the American Cancer Society
also meets once a month, said Aletha
Rease, office manager at the Orange
County American Cancer Society. She
said the group met the second Tuesday of
each month, and the next meeting would
be Nov. 14.
At the upcoming meeting, Johanna
Webb will speak about how to re-estab
lish one’s body image after surgery. Rease
said the group consisted of 20 to 30 mem
bers that held group discussions and in-
Sef HEALTH CARE, Page 4
Suicide
prevention
counseling
people in an exag
gerated sense and
an open confession
of not wanting to
live were some of
the signs, he said.
Edgerly said de
spite warning
signs, he thought
suicide was a diffi
cult problem to
spot. “ Suicide is a privately contemplated
activity,” he said. “The signs are usually
hidden away."
Dr. Erica Wise, director of Student
Psychological Services, said students who
thought that a friend might be suicidal
should confront that friend. “Approach
the person, say what you have noticed
and ask how they’re doing,” Wise said.
Wise also said concerned students
should contact a professional.
"You can’t keep a secret if someone
might hurt themselves or someone else, ’’
Wisesaid. “Often students don’t want to
or can’t ask for help and need a nudge in
the right direction.”
Edgerly said different departments
Today's
Weather
Mostly sunny; low
70s.
Friday: sunny: low 70s.
DA postpones
rape trial date
indefinitely
■ The student charged with
second-degree rape knew
his accuser, an officer said.
STAFF REPORT
The first court appearance of a UNC
freshman charged with second-degree
forcible rape has been continued forprob
able cause purposes, a representative of
the District Attorney’s office said
Wednesday.
Jason Ryan Newsom, 18, of 129
Ehringhaus Residence Hall appeared in
Orange County Superior Court in
Hillsborough on Wednesday. The date
of the continuance was not known, the
representative said.
UNC Police Officer Lt. Mark
Mclntyre said Wednesday that Newsom
knew the rape victim, a female student at
the University. The two were not dating,
he said.
The incident occurred in a residence
hall about a month ago but no arrest was
made because the case was under inves
tigation, Mclntyre said.
Newsom was arrested Monday after
noon and was placed under $20,000 se
cured bond.
He posted bail from the Orange County
Jail later that same day.
Newsom could be summarily sus
pended from the University for his arrest.
Under the University’s Disciplinary
Emergency Policy, a committee com
posed of UNC officials can take such
disciplinary action.
Day of Action
calls on women
to effect change
BY ANNE HARDEN
STAFF WRITER
The 1977 Hyde Amendment put an
end to federal fanding for abortion and
changed the face of health care for low
income women across the United States.
Rosie Jimenez was the first person to
die as a result of this amendment, say
organizers of the National Young
Women’s Day of Action. Today they
will recognize her death and ask Ameri
can women to effect change in policy that
affects their lives.
See YOUNG WOMEN, Page 4
including the Office of Student Affairs,
the police department, Student Health
Service and University Counseling Cen
ter were working together as a whole to
provide support for the community.
“We have provided on-call services
for the people who are in Ehringhaus
(Residence Hall) and will also provide
services for anyone else who walks in and
asks for it,” he said.
People initially respond to suicides
differently than other tragedies. The gen
eral reaction is much quieter and less
widespread than expected, Edgerly said.
“Sometimes individuals might not
even respond until weeks after the inci
dent,” he said.
Edgerly said the University Counsel
ing Centerprovided information sessions,
consulted with different departments and
alerted people in groups about what to do
whenever these types of tragedies occur.
Even though these services were pro
vided to combat suicide, it was impos
sible for them to be foolproof, he said.
“The problem is that suicide is a real
ity of life and living. It’s a horrible one,
but it is going to periodically happen.”
University
Counseling Center
962-2175
Student Health
Service
966-2281
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