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3hr latlg ®ar Wnl p 9MB 104 yean of editorial freedom Serving the students and the University community since 1893 Grievance procedure escalates to next step ■ UNC police officer Lt. C.E. Swain first filed a grievance three weeks ago. BY JESSICA GALAZKA STAFF WRITER A complaint by a University Police officer that his supervisors obstructed justice was deemed unsubstantiated by the University official in charge of the investigation. Lt. C.E. Swain has taken his com plaint a step further in the University grievance process. He originally filed a grievance three weeks ago after finding that an underage consumption of alco hol citation he issued to a daughter of a Board of Trustees member was removed from police records. He received a written response Monday from Carolyn Elfland, associ ate vice chancellor for auxiliary services, that states, “It was completely proper to withhold the citation in question until various issues raised could be reviewed in more detail.” Swain said he was very dissatisfied with Elfland’s findings, which happened at the Step II level of the University grievance process. He said he filed the grievance in Step 111 intervention on Monday. In Step 111 he will go before a panel of three University faculty and staff members. “She said I would not like the results,” Swain said. “I went ahead and Rides to sites free to area voters today ■ Some officials questioned whether the free bus rides would increase turnout. BY SEJALVORA STAFF WRITER Get on the bus. This is the message Chapel Hill Transit is sending to local residents who wish to vote today but are in need of transportation. Bus routes will run as regularly scheduled and take voters to voting precincts in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area, such as Chapel Hill Community Center, Chapel Hill Town Hall and the Lincoln Center. “This was an idea that was germi nated by our transportation board,” said Scott McClellan, administrative analyst for Chapel Hill Transit. McClellan said the service would be free, despite the thousands of dollars generated daily by the system’s riders. “The intent of the transportation board when they conceived this idea was to promote election day and for transportation not to be an excuse for why (voters) can’t get out to vote,” he said. “We are making a service fare-free and hopefully people will take advan tage of it and get out to vote. It will also give them a chance to try the trans portation system.” Diane Brown and Melvin Beasley, two members of the Orange County Board of Elections, said they approved the transit system’s efforts. "I think it is wonderful,” Brown said. “What a great idea. I hope it gets people’s attention and gets them out to vote.” Beasley had an opinion similar to Brown’s on the strength of the idea but said he did not think voter turnout would be highly affected. “I think it is great on the part of transportation,” he said. “I think it may make some difference but not a tremendous amount. We will just have to wait and see what the turn See RIDE, Page 4 filed (Step HI) because I want them to answer everything I asked for, and I want them to tell the truth.” Elfland said Monday, “We just can’t comment on personnel issues.” The alleged violations stem from Swain’s and Capt. Danny Caldwell’s complaints about the department’s han dling of an alcohol citation written for Caroline Hancock, 18, daughter of Billy Armfield, a Board of Trustees member. Swain, who wrote the citation, said his supervising officer, Capt. Jeff McCracken, had the citation removed from the computer system, obstructing justice. The citation was later reinstated. University Police Chief Don Gold took a personal leave last week. Executive Vice Chancellor Elson Floyd said Monday he did not know when Gold would return. But Swain said the problem never should have begun. He said that along with the response, Elfland sent him a massive packet of information used in the investigation. “I think what is going on with the packet Ms. Elfland gave me (is that) she’s trying to make me look like a bad guy.” Elfland’s response letter states that she wanted McCracken to “develop per formance standards for patrol officers which provide guidance on the various aspects of the job of patrol officers.” The new approach would not work, Swain said. “She doesn’tlcnow anything about law enforcement,” he said. “They are trying to fix a work plan to benefit what South Building wants.” Court decision could exclude minorities from medical schools ■ Minorities are being admitted to medical schools in declining numbers. BY MATT DEES STAFF WRITER The Supreme Court’s decision Monday to uphold California’s Proposition 209 struck another blow to affirmative action practices in medical school admis sions, officials said. Many fear that the lack of support for Supreme Court decides to uphold Proposition 209 See Page 7 affirmative action provided another obstacle for minority students who want 1 Precinct Greenwood Precinct © |g| Morehead / $ § Cameron Ave. I Pk|||tanurn East Franklin Precinct Q I Grannie Vote for the man who promises least; he’ll be the least disappointing. Bernard Baruch VOTE TODAY Crashingcfime ELECTIONS VV&VC n cpnntic kytlr I iUnfd YV7 'mikik: The Daily Tar Heel asked students which five elections issues were most important to them. The DTH now presents a five-part series detailing the issues students chose. Issue 5: Taxes Issue 4: The environment Issue 3: Education Issue 2: Town-gown relations Issue 1: Crime Chapel Hill crime decline Chapel Hill has experienced a reduction in major crimes over the past year. With the exception of homicide, major crime fell by an average of 16 percent. MB Major crimes reported in 1997 1911 Major crimes reported in 1996 1817 482 87 159 354 ft 10 133 m 0 - m 1 ■ assault SOURCE CHAPEL HUL POLICE DEPARTMENT to pursue post-graduate medical educa tion. "Our biggest fear is that minority stu dents who see what’s going on are going to take that as a signal that they would have an even more difficult time getting into graduate programs,” said Hector Garza, vice president of Access and Equality Programs for the National Council on Education. According to a study conducted by the American Association of Medical Colleges, the level of minorities applying to medical schools declined 17 percent in 1997 in California, Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, which are all affected by anti-affirmative action legislation. The acceptance rate of minority stu dents in these states subsequently declined by 27 percent. The number of minority applications Voting precincts for campus residents Tuesday, November 4,1997 Volume 105, Issue 103 BY SUNNY SMITH STAFF WRITER Candidates in Chapel Hill and Carrboro have witnessed a downward trend in their communities, and they’re pleased with it. They’re so pleased, in fact, that they’re searching for ways to ensure the decline continues. The trend is a decrease in reported crime. According to recent reports, crime has been falling in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, and Chapel Hill Police Spokeswoman Jane Cousins and Carrboro Police Chief Ben Callahan said this trend would likely continue. also declined by 7 percent in other states. “The message that this clearly sends is that institutions of higher education are not interested in racial diversity on their campuses,” said Keith Sutton, executive director of the N.C. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Sutton said affirmative action was crucial to ensure a proportional number of minorities in the medical profession. “There needs to be more concentrat ed efforts to get people to understand (affirmative action’s) purpose and its intent, which is not to bring in unquali fied minorities, but to make the extra effort to recruit and retain minority applicants,” he said. “This is especially key in the medical profession.” Garza said he feared that the Prop 209 decision could set a nationwide HUH! Officials and can didates seeking elec tion have many opinions on how crime should be fought. Elizabeth Boisson, Carrboro Board of Aldermen candidate, said the key to reducing crime lay in engag ing youth in com munity activities. “We need activi ties that gets them involved in some thing they want to do,” she said. “(With) the NiteFlite basketball league ... People that these kids DTH / MICHAEL KANAREK A Carrboro police officer is on the move, helping to maintain the lower crime rate in the area. respect tell them they’ve got to stay off the street. These kids are in a safe envi ronment, and they can do something that they love to do.” The NiteFlite basketball league is also a program Chapel Hill Town Council candidate Madeline Jefferson would like to see in her community. “We need to get our youth busy,” she said. “If we could get the local mid night basketball in town... that would help get our youth occupied with some thing other than idleness." Carrboro mayoral candidate Judy Anderson said one of the ways to “lt is extremely important to have diversity and to produce doctors of all racial and cultural backgrounds.” HECTOR GARZA Vice President, National Council on Education precedent. “This has given license to other states who are less devoted to the need for diversity,” Garza said. Dr. James Peden, director of admis sions at East Carolina University Medical School, said anti-affirmative action laws were not solely responsible for the decline in minority applicants. Poll sites Country Club Fetzer Gym, UNC campus East Franklin Holy Trinity Lutheran Church © Greenwood UNC General Administration Building © Lincoln Lincoln Center Administration Building © Mason Farm Community Church Building, Purefoy Road © Westwood Frank Porter Graham Elementary School ■ Polls open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 8:30 p.m. ■ Buses will run fare free all day. News/Fearures/Ara/Sports: 962-0245 Business/ Advertising: 962-1163 Chapel Hill, North Carolina C 1997 DTH Publishing Corp. All rights reserved. reduce crime was through reaching out to the youth of the community. “I’d like us to come up with pro grams where our young people are not on the streets,” she said. “We need to show them that they can be productive citizens in the community through (a) young entrepreneurship (program).” UNC Senior Jason Jolley, Aldermen candidate, said improving the relation ship between students and the police department was important. “I have a concern about the See CRIME, Page 4 “It is unlikely that it is entirely due to the challenge to affirmative action, but it isn’t helping matters any,” Peden said. Both Garza and Sutton cited the importance of maintaining diversity in the medical profession. “It is extremely important to have diversity and to pro duce doctors of all racial and cultural backgrounds,” Garza said. “You are less apt to want to go to urban or other problem areas if you don’t have the background to work in these types of areas.” Sutton also said anti-affirmative pro grams harmed the medical profession. “It is obvious that health issues effect everyone differently,” he said. “We need to have a diverse pool of medical professionals who are able to address the health needs in their partic ular communities.” INSIDE Easy reading The Avid Reader on West Franklin Street offers a 7 —■— j cozy place to find good books or hear local authors read from their works. Page 8 Policing the ’net Sen. Lauch Faircloth, R- N.C., introduces a bill that would prevent access to the Internet for sex offenders. Page 5 Today's weather Mostly sunny; upper 50s Wednesday: Partly cloudy: upper 50s
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Nov. 4, 1997, edition 1
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