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INSIDE
THURSDAY
FEBRUARY 27,1997
‘Racially motivated’ act
by police raises concern
BYBALKEESJARRAH
ASSISTANT UNIVERSITY EDITOR
Carrboro police placed five black
males, including one UNC student,
under investigative attention Wednesday
morning in what some of the men
deemed a racially motivated incident.
“I’m sure if we were 40-year-old men
in three-piece suits, this never would’ve
happened,” said Anthony Burrows, a
UNC junior from Cary.
Carrboro Chief of Police Ben
Callahan said an officer responded to a
phone call from a resident of the
Highland Hills apartment complex who
reported a possible car robbery.
He said the female caller described
one of the individuals and a car she
believed was being broken into.
“One officer initially responded to the
call and was then joined by the other
officers on duty, including some officers
from Chapel Hill,” Callahan said.
Having a
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Before showtime, the referee
announces the rules of the game.
Congress re-elections
frustrated candidates
BY ERIN VERNON
STAFF WRITER
Graduate students who were elected
to Student Congress seats in Tuesday’s
re-elections said they were needlessly
frustrated and embarrassed because Feb.
11 election results had already revealed
the winners.
“Everybody that I talked to who was
involved was really frustrated,” said
District 3 winner Jennifer Stoloff, a
graduate student in the Department of
Sociology who resides in Chapel Hill.
In an executive order issued last
week, Student Body President Aaron
Nelson ordered the Elections Board to
administer a re-election for graduate stu
dent districts 2 through 9.
Poll site computer problems during
the Feb. 11 student body elections could
Whose history
is it anyway?
Speakers give Native
American history anew
spin. Page 2
He said the individuals were asked to
get out of the vehicle and, according to
procedure, were placed in separate cars
until the police assessed the situation.
“It was explained to them what was
going on,” he said.
After the officers determined that no
car had been broken into, they gave the
four individuals a choice of either speak
ing to the magistrate at the police station
or going home. “The person who had
called was mistaken,” Callahan said.
But Patrick Diazola, a former student
at N.C. Central University and one of
the men detained Wednesday morning,
said he believed race played a role.
“I am embarrassed about the whole
situation,” he said. “It really hurts me.
“We were all held at gunpoint; I’ve
never had a gun pointed at me before.”
Diazola said about six or seven police
cars surrounded the five men and that
they were not given an explanation as to
why they were being detained.
BY BRENNA PEARSON
STAFF WRITER
Every weekend, two “Sportz”
teams hurl pitches of a dif
ferent sort they pitch
jokes.
Comedy Sportz, a nationwide
improv club, began in Milwaukee in
1984 and made its way into Chapel
Hill about three years ago in the
Omni Europa Hotel. The club now
has a permanent home on Franklin
Street and offers three weekend
shows.
“The nice thing about our show
schedules is they provide earlier
entertainment than most places," said
Ross White, the club’s co-manager.
“If you take a date and it really sucks,
then you have the rest of the night to
make other plans. Or if the date is
really great, then you still have plenty
of time to spend together.”
The shows feature two teams of
players that battle in nine full rounds
of improv games with the help of a
referee and— due to the nature of
improv the audience.
“If the audience doesn’t take part,
the show is not a success,” said co
manager Anthony King, a senior
have allowed some graduates to vote in
the wrong district.
But Jim Seney, who won the gradu
ate eat in Student Congress District 2,
said it was obvious who the winners
were following the initial elections.
“(The re-elections) were an exercise
in futility,” said Seney, a graduate stu
dent in the School of Social Work from
Leeds, Mass.
Stoloff, who was declared a winner
following the first election, said she
expected to win the re-election, too.
“I would have felt confident with the
first results ... but (the Board) probably
did the right thing,” she said.
Seney said he did not appreciate the
required re-election.
“I was embarrassed because I had to
ask my constituents to vote for me three
times,” he said. Seney was referring to
Good girls go to heaven , and bad girls go everywhere.
Drinking and
driving tor pay
A special class trained
police in techniques to
detect DWIs. Page 4
Callahan said only one Carrboro
police officer drew his weapon, accord
ing to the police report.
“The officer drew his weapon until he
determined that the individuals in the
vehicle were unarmed,” he said.
Callahan added that it was not
uncommon for officers to draw their
weapons.
Burrows said the caller was careless
in her identification. “If she was watch
ing us that closely she would’ve realized
that we weren’t doing anything wrong.”
Burrows said the police failed to read
all the individuals involved their rights.
But Callahan said the police were not
obliged to read individuals their rights.
“You don’t have to read them their rights
unless you’re trying to get information
from them or asking them questions.’’
Burrow said no procedure could stop
this from happening again. “It makes
me sad that my identity marks me this
way.”
DTH/MATT MARK)
The Comedy Sportz players play the 'Shoulda Said" game Saturday night. Comedy Sportz is an improv
comedy club on Franklin Street.
from Durham.
Although the players often rely on
audience suggestions to create their
games, the players don’t just run on
stage and wing it.
Basie training
It is a rainy Sunday afternoon, and
while many peers are napping or
catching up on homework, potential
players have devoted two hours of
their day to learning basic improv
skills.
The beginner workshops last three
weeks to four weeks. To get to this
round, interested people must audi-
Re-elections
Student Congress
District 2
Jim Seiney 9
District 3
Jennifer Stoloff Jr 8
District 5 I
Crystal Holland 1
District 6 I
Benton McCune 7
Stejffien Hale 3
District TANARUS"
Chris Herold 5
DTH/PHILLIP MOLARO
the two elections plus a special election
earlier this year when he was first elect
ed to Student Congress.
Stoloff also saJ it was hard to get
students to come out and vote a second
See RE-ELECTIONS, Page 9
Helen Gurley Brown
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DTH/DARE BLACKBURN
Claude Andrew Clegg 111 discusses his new book, "An Original Man: The Life and Times of Elijah Muhammad," in
the Bull's Head Bookshop on Wednesday. Clegg is a UNC alumnus.
tion.
White said the club tried to hold
auditions about every six weeks.
“We are looking more for team
work and creativity than for funny,”
said White, a senior from Winston-
Salem.
Those who do well in starting
rounds move into advanced work
shops for another two or three weeks,
when they learn specific Comedy
Sportz games.
Lee Creighton, who has been a
Comedy Sportz player for about a
year/ assists in the training. He said
that even if people did not make it
Officials to ask Legislature
for sprinkle of fire safety
■ The Carrboro ordinance
would require sprinklers in
all new apartments.
BYSALLIELACY
STAFF WRITER
Carrboro and Chapel Hill share a lot.
And if a recent request goes through,
the towns could both have a sprinkler
ordinance.
The Carrboro Board of Aldermen
voted unanimously Tuesday night to
send special sprinkler legislation to the
N.C. General Assembly.
Alderman Hilliard Caldwell said the
board was seeking the state’s permission
to require that all future apartment com
plexes be outfitted with sprinkler sys
tems." We’ve been looking at this for the
Today's
Weather
* Mostly sunny;
mid 70s.
Friday: Showers: upper 60s.
The defiant ones
The men's hoops team,
No. 8 and rising, held
off Clemson 76-69
Wednesday. Page 11
ORIGINAL AUTHOR
into advanced training, the beginning
workshops were a good source for
self-help.
“Improv makes the mind sharper,”
he said. “It makes people more com
fortable when getting up in front of
others.”
Ray Walters, who is in his third
week of training, said he decided to
audition after talking with his suitem
ate, who is a Comedy Sportz player.
“I went to see a few shows, thought
it was cool and decided to give it a
try,” he said.
See COMEDY SPORTZ, Page 9
past six months,” he said.
Carrboro Town Attorney Mike
Brough presented the special legislation
at the request of Carrboro Fire Chief
Rodney Murray. “Right now we have
legislation that will allow us to require
sprinkler systems in commercial build
ings,” Murray said. “I’m requesting they
include multifamily units.”
A multifamily unit consists of three
or more units, he said. Murray said he
also wanted to require buildings that
sustain more than 50 percent damage be
rebuilt with sprinkler systems.
The General Assembly approves
towns’ requests on a case-by-case basis,
Murray said. Shortly after the May 12,
1996, Phi Gamma Delta fraternity
house fire that killed five people, Chapel
Hill was granted the authority to require
See SPRINKLERS, Page 9
104 yean of editorial freedom
Serving the students and the University
community once 1893
♦ News/Feamres/ASs/Spotts: 962-0245
Business/Advertising: 962-1163
Volume 105, Issue 4
Chapel HiH North Carolina
C 1997 BTH Publishing Corp.
AH rights reserved.
Bouncer
gets booted
from door
■ A patron said a bouncer
at Groundhog Tavern
discriminated against her.
BY MEREDITH MATHIS
STAFF WRITER
A bouncer at Groundhog Tavern
located at 149 E. Franklin St. will no
longer work at the door, after he dis
played discriminatory behavior when
letting people in the bar Saturday night.
In response to a patron’s complaint,
Groundhog Tavern Manager Britt Keele
said the bouncer would retain employ
ment, but would be placed in another
position.
Two female UNC students were
denied entry at the Groundhog Tavern
door because the bouncer said the bar
was full. Yet when people left the bar,
the bouncer still refused them entrance,
said one of the women, who spoke
under the condition of anonymity.
The woman said she and her friend
came to the bar to meet another friend
but were denied entry.
“The bouncer said the bar was full,
and I asked him if I could tell my friend
to meet us somewhere else,” she said.
“He again said ‘no’. But when another
guy asked to look for a friend, he said to
‘go ahead.’
“Eventually more guys came and
showed their IDs, and he let them in.
There was no reasoning behind it,” she
said. “He had no right to discriminate
against me. Even though it’s a small
business, it’s still public domain.”
But Chapel Hill attorney Kirk
Osborn said a small business had total
authority to decide who entered.
“You can be selective about who
enters a business until it infringes on
constitutional rights,” Osborn said.
“The bouncer could technically have his
friend come in and leave her outside. It
would still be legal.”
Chapel Hill police spokeswoman
Jane Cousins said the door manager
made a complaint to the police at 12:59
a.m., for persons refusing to leave.
Cousins said the police came and
asked if the bouncer wanted to press
charges for trespassing, but the com
plaint was dropped.
Keele said he was out of town when
the incident occurred. “The only thing
that I can say is that I apologize to the
two girls and action has been taken
against the employee,” he said. “He will
no longer work at the door.”
Other Chapel Hill bars usually allow
patrons entry if they simply present
proper identification.
Steve Woodham, manager of
See BOUNCERS, Page 9