Styp Hatty ®ar HM
INSIDE
FRIDAY
OCTOBER 25,1996
Asian studies
course added
for spring ’96
■ The class will examine
how diverse Asian groups
arrived in America.
BY DAVE SNELL
STAFF WRITER
; Looking for a B.A. Social Sciences
perspective that will also satisfy your
cultural diversity requirement? Frustrated
at the lack of Asian-American studies?
How about taking the University’s
second-ever Asian-American studies
course, "Asian-American Immigration
and Experience”?
Sociology graduate student and teach-
ing assistant
Indermohan Virk
said the class would
examine how di
verse Asian groups
arrived in America
ASIA 89
Tuesday/Thursday,
11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Course #30611
and assimilated into American society.
“This class will study the history of
immigration of different Asian groups
and try to relate the immigration experi
ence,” she said.
Asian Students Association President
Albert Hwang said the region’s attitudes
have had an adverse effect on potential
Asian-American curriculums in the UNC
system.
“In the South especially, people tend
to forget Asian-Americans played an in
tegral part in the history of America, ” he
said. “They’ve been in America for 400
years but we constantly overlook their
contributions to society.”
For example, early Asian immigrants
worked on plantations in Hawaii and
built the western part of the transconti
nental railroad, Hwang said.
In addition to studying people of East
Asian descent, Virk said she wanted the
course to include groups not tradition
ally considered to be Asian-American,
like Indian and western Asian peoples.
“We will consider who the term has
been used to describe and which groups
have been excluded,” she said. “People
tend to think ‘Asian’ is synonymous with
‘East Asian.’”
This class will enable people to learn
She ASIAN, Page 6
T)ean
r\. . with .
Distinction
BY LAUREN AGRELLA
STAFF WRITER
Michelle Cofield doesn’t have an
easy job. But perhaps that’s why she
likes it so much.
Aside
from serv
ing as assis
tant dean
of students, Cofield is the harassment
and assault prevention coordinator on
campus.
She was instrumental in the plan
ning of Rape Awareness Week events
and is constantly thinking of new ways
to serve the student community.
"I see a need for diversification in
terms of the options available to stu
dents,” she said. “My work here is
dedicated to all students. Students are
the ones who decide what programs
happen.”
Her philosophy of diversity carried
over to the coordinating of the week’s
events.
“She has done a fantastic job of
making Rape Awareness Week very
inclusive in terms of getting lots of
groups involved,” said Margaret
Barrett, UNC’s judicial programs of
ficer and a close colleague of Cofield.
“In previous years, it was hard to make
rwm War games
/ Army ROTC hopes to blow A
{ away the competition in ”
this weekend's regional
Ranger Challenge. Page 4
Graduate representatives storm out of Student Congress
BY JOHN SWEENEY
ASSISTANT UNIVERSITY EDITOR
Several graduate Student Congress
members walked out of the body’s
Wednesday night meeting, citing frustra
tion about a lack of funding for graduate
student organizations as their main con
cern.
The issue arose when Town and
Gown, a group that plans to publish a
magazine of writings by homeless people
and convicts, appeared before Student
Congress to request funding.
But several Student Congress mem
bers asked that the bill be cut. Represen
tatives ofTown and Gown refused, claim
ing the $962.80 they requested was the
UNC students march
to take back the night
BY KAITLIN GURNEY
STAFF WRITER
Point-2-Point was still running and
the SAFE Escort golf carts whizzed by,
but something was different last night: it
was the one day of the year that women
could walk without fear.
UNC students and members of the
community gathered in the Pit on Thurs
day evening for the
annual Take Back
the Night march
and rally.
The event, de
signed to protest
violence against fe
males, included a
performance by the
Opeyo! Dancers
and speeches by
RAPE
AWARENESS
WEEK
1
Judith Scott, UNC sexual harassment
officer, and women’s activist Bertha Holt.
Scott gave an emotional speech to the
cheering crowd, detailing statistics about
domestic violence and rape.
“In the past five minutes while I have
been speaking, one women has been raped
and at least two have been battered,”
Scott said.
The spirited group, carrying signs and
banners and shouting cheers such as
the week a priority, but what she’s
done has been phenomenal.”
Cofield is not just an expert on sexual
harassment laws, and she’s not just a
University administrator whohelps stu
dents with general needs. She’s both of
these rolled into one.
Cofield doesn’t fit the mold of a
typical administrator. Carrying a back
pack and joking about her overloaded
schedule, she has the air of a UNC
student.
“My students say I’m the only dean
who will sit in silk pants on the
floor with them," Cofield said.
Judith McKeon, the Parents Pro
gram director for UNC, works in the
same office as Cofield.
“She’s delightful to work with and
so enthusiastic and interested in her
work,” McKeon said.
Cofield, who was appointed last De
cember, said her goal was to create a
comfortable environment for students.
Her office deals not only with rape and
harassment issues, but with racial,
sexual orientation, gender and other
areas of assaults involving UNC stu
dents.
Barrett said Cofield’s position pro
vided students with an added outlet for
support.
“It gives students someone to come
Most things I worry about never happen anyway.
Tom Petty
M Words of wisdom
Author and NYU Professor a
Paule Marshall advised
young writers to observe
the familiar. Page 5
bare minimum they would need for the
publication.
Rep. Josh Cohen-Peyrot,Dist. 16,said
he had hoped Town and Gown would
consent to the cuts because he was con
cerned about Student Congress’ spend
ing this semester.
“We’ve been pretty free with our
money so far and I think (Wednesday)
night a lot of us realized we couldn’t
continue to spend at that rate,” Cohen-
Peyrot said.
Student Body Treasurer Julie
Gasperini said she had been regulating
the amount of money Student Congress
could allocate at each meeting because
she was afraid the group would spend too
much of its emergency reserves. If more
“People unite; take back the night,” be
gan a triumphant walk around campus
following the rally. The crowd marched
up to Franklin Street and finished at
Gerard Hall, but many said the highlight
was the trip through Coker Arboretum.
“It is empowering to be able to go
places I have never been before because I
have the strength and solidarity of a group
of women. It is the one time I get to see
the Arboretum at night,” said Mary
Catherine Bauer, a senior from Charlotte
and co-chairwoman of the Greek
Women's Issues Group.
March participants drew from many
facets of the University and came up with
different personal causes.
Katie Smith, a senior from Asheville
and the other co-chairwoman ofthe Greek
Women’s Issues Group, said this was the
first year that many Greek women had
been able to participate in the march,
which was usually held on a Wednesday
and conflicted with chapter meetings.
“Greek women are often seen as rape
victims silent victims,” she said.
Nancy Kiplinger, mother of a UNC
student and a Chapel Hill resident, said
she was participating in the march be
cause it was important that her daughter
be safe at school and everywhere else.
“I want to feel safe at night when I
, , , DTH/IESSICA BANOV
Michelle Cofield, assistant dean of students, created assault prevention
programs and tried to make Rape Awareness Week more inclusive.
to who they can trust and who knows
what all the resources are,” Barrett
said. “She’s very open and approach
able to students”
Eager to dispel the misconception
that her duties stop at dealing with
Poster parents
Gov. Jim Hunt cracks down A
on deadbeat parents by ”
releasing his ‘lO Most
.f nßLjirv Wanted" poster. Page 6
Congress member
JAMES HOFFMAN,
Dist. 15, said graduate
representatives had
overreacted.
than $15,000 is al
located this semes
ter, the reserves will
have to be replen
ished using money
from next
semester’s student
fees.
Student Con
gress members
then asked Town
and Gown to wait
until the spring for
the funds, when
more money
would be available,
but a motion to table the bill until next
semester failed.
WBBP' I .Ok
.. , . . . DTH/JOHNIKEDA
Men and women participate in the Take Back the Night march that wound through campus Thursday night.
The march was held to counter violent and abusive behavior towards women.
walk the dog, on the freeway when I have
a flat tire and when I do research here at
the library,” she said.
sexual harassment, Cofield explained
that she dealt with all magnitudes of
student emergencies and programming
not just those relating to her title
See COFIELD, Page 2
Today's
Weather .
Partly sunny; "
low 70s.
Weekend: Cloudy: low 70s.
When the bill was finally voted on, it
failed, prompting most of the graduate
student representatives to leave the meet
ing. Several of those representatives
claimed undergraduate representatives
opposed the bill only because Town and
Gown was composed of graduate stu
dents from the School of Social Work.
“Congress decided to tighten its purse
strings when a graduate group came be
fore them,” said Rep. Bryan Kennedy,
Dist. 4. “It seemed to some of my col
leagues that it was a slap in the face of
graduate students."
Of the graduate representatives, only
Rep. Evelyn Poole-Kober, Dist. 5, re
mained. Poole-Kober could not be
reached for comment.
The participants were by no means all
female. Jason Stajich, a sophomore from
Hillsborough, said, “Sure, it’s a bit in
Educators seek to integrate
technology into curriculum
■ The human element in
teacher-pupil relations
must stay, professors say.
BY CHARLES HELLWIG
STAFF WRITER
Anew way of learning is sprouting up
atcampuses across the country, andUNC
officials are looking into methods to best
use emerging computer technology.
“It is absolutely essential that we pre
pare our universities to be able to provide
each of its students with the technology
that will get the most out of the advances
that are being made,” Board of Gover
nors member Helen Marvin said. “We’ve
got to move forward.”
Last week representatives from UNC-
Chapel Hill met with IBM to discuss the
company’s “Global Campus” program,
a worldwide, high-technology program
aimed at helping colleges expand their
offerings for students.
Judith Wegner, dean of the UNC-CH
School of Law, one of the meeting par
ticipants, was looking for ways to take
advantage of cyberspace.
“We had a good meeting with IBM
last week, and that was just the most
Eat, drink and tell us what you think
The Daily Tar Heel wants to hear from you
- what you like and what you don't like -
about the job we're doing. Not only that, but
we're willing to give you free food.
On Wednesday the paper will be sponsor
ing a focus group discussion at 6 p.m. We want
103 years of editorial freedom
Serving the students and the University
community since 1893
News/Feamres/Aits/Sports: 962-0245
Business/Adveitimig: 962-1163
Volume 164, Issue 96
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
O \9% DTH Publishing Gxp.
All rights reserved.
While Kennedy and Rep. Dara
Whalen, Dist. 8, eventually returned to
the meeting, the absence of other gradu
ate representatives meant Student Con
gress did not have the two-thirds major
ity necessary to allocate funds. Thus, the
two groups that followed Town and
Gown on the agenda could not be funded.
Rep. Michael Holland, Dist. 4, said he
felt undergraduate members of Student
Congress were being too stingy with funds
when it came to graduate student groups.
“A lot of undergraduate members of
congress begrudge returning fee money
to graduate student groups,” he said.
Holland, a two-term veteran of Stu-
See CONGRESS, Page 5
timidating to be here, but it’s nothing
compared to the intimidation women
suffer when they are raped.”
recent step in a year-long process,”
Wegner said. “We’ve been exploring a
whole variety of ways to best use the
computers and new technology.”
Peter Petschauer, chairman of the
UNC-system Faculty Senate, said his
group has stressed the importance of com
puters and cyberspace for teaching.
“Students are actually ahead of most
teachers on this curve,” Petschauer said.
“The resources available on the Internet
are fantastic and students are already
making use of them. Teachers have to
learn how to do the same.”
Petschauer said he believed computer
assisted classes were another way of fac
ulty using new technology. “Classrooms
are the traditional setting and obviously
the most accepted and talked about, but
they are not the only setting.”
Petschauer said he thought that mak
ing sure teachers maintain control over
theircurriculumwasimportant. “Itcomes
down to giving teachers the option to do
what they think is best for the students,”
Petschauer said. “Differentfaculty mem
bers will obviously think very different
things.”
Jane Brown, chairwoman of UNC
CH’s Faculty Council, agreed with
See COMPUTERS, Page 2
about a dozen average readers to talk about
ways in which we can better serve the com
munity.
Any interested readers should come by the
DTH office. Suite 104 in the Student Union,
and sign up for this opportunity.