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University alters airport operation policy
H Chapel Hill Mayor
Rosemary Waldorf praised
UNO’s response to a crash.
BY MICHAEL KANAREK
ASSISTANT CITY EDITOR
In response to the Feb. 25 crash at
Horace Williams Airport, University
officials have decided to staff the airport
later and to close the airport to most air
craft during late-night and early morning
hours.
Airport staffers will now work at the
airport office from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and
SHS might
get full-time
gynecologist
■ Students have asked for
a full-time gynecologist at
Student Health Service.
BY CHRIS HOSTETLER
STAFF WRITER
Representatives of the University
administration, students and Student
Health Service are reviewing recom
mendations for UNC to hire a full-time
gynecologist to provide services at SHS.
But some involved are debating the
need to have one at all.
Director of Student Health Service
Judith Cowan said SHS hoped to have a
gynecologist in place before the begin
ning of the fall 1998 school year.
“We are interested in providing ser
vices without cutting back services,”
Cowan said.
SHS is primarily looking at making a
deal with die School of Medicine which
would provide a paid intern gynecolo
gist, Cowan said.
But Student Services Committee
Chairwoman Emily Williamson said
there was still some disagreement in stu
dent government about the need for a
full-time gynecologist.
Several students, including members
of the Women’s Issues Network, have
asked for one. “Everybody thinks some
thing needs to be done, but there is
some disagreement on what needs to be
done,” Williamson said.
Student Body President Mo Nathan
decided earlier this year to start a dia
logue between the administration, SHS
and student representatives to deter
mine the best way to serve women’s
health needs on campus after a task
force issued a report in 1996 about
women’s status on campus.
Graduate and Professional Student
Federation President Katherine Kraft
said she disagreed with the report’s sug
gestion of adding a full-time gynecolo
gist because SHS would have to drop
other services in order to fund the pro
fessional.
Kraft also said all basic services need
ed by women before pregnancy were
already provided on campus.
“The issue has become one of poli
tics, not of women’s health care,” she
said. “It disturbs me enormously that a
matter as important as women’s health
would be degenerated into a political
matter.”
Kraft said she thought SHS was
going to provide a director of women’s
health studies who would answer ques
tions and provide a contact point for
women who needed more help than
SHS provided.
Cowan said that when SHS decided
what to do about adding a gynecologist,
they would allow student representa
tives to review its suggestions. “(SHS’s
proposal) will be presented to the
Student Health Advisory Board, and
WIN and members of student govern
ment will have the chance to approve
it,” she said.
Williamson said she believed most of
the women’s complaints with SHS had
to do with women not being able to see
their assigned doctor every day. She said
it was a problem because women were
not provided with the services they
needed in case of an emergency.
Cowan said she wanted to emphasize
that no decision has been made yet and
that SHS would have more information
available later in the semester.
will close the airport between 9 p.m. and
6 a.m. to transient aircraft, except those
flying on business related to the
University or UNC Hospitals.
According to a press release,
Executive Vice Chancellor Elson Floyd
announced the changes after his pledge
to review airport procedures following
the crash of a single-engine Cessna 195
at the airport.
“Safety at Horace Williams remains
the number one concern of the
University, as it always has been,” Floyd
stated in the release.
The changes will be implemented as
soon as possible, the release stated.
Jonathan Howes, special assistant to
HP
pp.v
DTH/CARA BRICKMAN
David Beyer (left) waits for his case on Monday. Several UNC football players,
including Ricco McCain (front right), are charged with assaulting him.
Land-mine victim says
governments must help
■ Abraham Gebreyesus
described his experience
with land-mine injuries.
BY LAURA STOEHR
STAFF WRrTER
An 11-year-old boy growing up in
Eritrea, a small African country near
Ethiopia, played in his village and
explored it as most kids do.
One day while he was playing, he
found a small battery-like object.
In one instant, Abraham Gebreyesus
lost his right arm and was left blind in
both eyes because of a land mine.
“I struck it with my hand, and it
exploded in my face," he said.
Wearing tinted glasses and a pros
thetic arm daily reminders of his
accident Gebreyesus, now 27,
recounted his experience to an audience
of about 70 during a speech at UNC on
Monday.
“The victims are children,” he said.
"They just play and they find out (about
land mines).”
Gebreyesus, a fifth-year law student
at the University of Asmara in Eritrea
and one of four recipients of the Reebok
Human Rights Award, said govern
ments need to provide for the social and
economic rehabilitation of land-mine
victims.
“Most of the survivors are disabled -
have lost their legs, arms or eyes,”
There are only two forces that unite men —fear and interest,
Napoleon Bonaparte
Tuesday, March 17,1998
Volume 106, Ime 11
the chancellor, said the staffing change
came about because the airport had
always been open until 9 p.m., but it had
been unstaffed from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
According to airport records, there
are an average of about 15 takeoffs per
week during those hours.
“I think it would have expedited the
response from the emergency forces had
there been somebody there,” Howes
said.
The Feb. 25 crash happened about 8
p.m. when nobody was working at the
airport.
Neighbors alerted authorities about
the crash after reportedly hearing cries of
help from the airport.
“Unless these survivors
can be improved with
educational rehabilitation,
they will just remain as
beggars ...”
ABRAHAM etM fYISUS
Reebok Human Rights Award winner
Gebreyesus said.
“I may work (after graduation) in
order to change the policies of the gov
ernments to make legislation on people
with disabilities."
He said victims often fought alone to
re-enter society but that there were sev
eral ways to assist them.
Victims’ medical treatment was one
of the prime areas needing improve
ment, he said.
Medical treatment includes the initial
help after a victim is struck by the mine,
but it also includes providing victims
with quality artificial arms and legs,
Gebreyesus said.
“If they can get better treatment, they
can have a better life,” he said.
Gebreyesus said treatment could be
improved by the governments of coun
tries with land-mine victims or by forg
ing links to other governments to
improve treatment.
Once victims are treated, he said,
See SPEAKER, Page 5
But now that the dust surrounding
the crash has apparently settled, some
officials are praising the University’s
response.
Chapel Hill Mayor Rosemary
Waldorf said she thought the University
administration was listening to the com
munity’s concerns.
“I’m just very pleased that they’ve
made these two policy changes,” she
said.
“It’s a high level of responsiveness
from the University, and I appreciate it”
Howes, who focuses on town-gown
relations, said he had called Waldorf to
tell her what was going on and was
pleased with her reaction.
Assault charges stand
against UNC athletes
■ A judge will rule
Thursday on a second
motion to dismiss charges.
BY STEVE MRAZ
SENIOR WRITER
A group of University football play
ers might have to stand trial on charges
of assaulting a UNC freshman after a
judge Monday quashed a motion to dis
miss their charges.
Chapel Hill District Judge Lonnie
Coleman ruled that assault charges
against six University football players
would not be dismissed.
“I am satisfied that heresay can be
used before a magistrate in issuing a
warrant,” he said.
On Dec. 5, a fight erupted outside of
Gotham, a Rosemary Street night club,
shortly after the establishment closed at
2 a.m. Reserve defensive tackle Ricco
McCain, 22, allegedly punched 18-year
old freshman David Beyer. Beyer said he
was then knocked to the ground and hit
several times by people whom he could
not identify. He suffered a broken cheek
bone and bruised ribs.
McCain was charged with assault
inflicting serious injury. Days later, after
Beyer appeared before three different
magistrates, football players Varian
Ballard, Greg Harris, Kivuusama Mays,
Stephon McQueen, Greg Williams and
Robert Williams were each charged
with simple assault.
Six attorneys, representing all the
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DTH/LOWUE BRADLEY
Tina Yuen, of the Women's Issues Network, slices birthday cake in the Pit
on Monday as part of this year's Women's Week.
“We’re pleased that we were able to
do this,” he said.
Last fall, the University decided to
create an airport advisory board, which
will be composed of members of local
governmental bodies, area residents and
UNC officials.
Howes said the committee was
almost ready to begin work since the
final nominees had been submitted. The
process now hinges on Chancellor
Michael Hooker’s signing the letters of
appointment.
Floyd, Vice Chancellor for Auxiliary
Services Carolyn Elfland and Airport
Manager Paul Burke could not be
reached for comment.
players except McCain, said Orange
County Magistrate John Stokes did not
have the proper grounds to issue crimi
nal summons against their clients.
McCain was not included in
Monday’s proceedings because his
charge was more severe. Beyer said
under oath to Stokes that he saw
McCain punch him.
In a December interview, McCain
told The Daily Tar Heel he punched
Beyer twice, but only in self-defense.
Steven Bernholz, lead counsel for the
players, cited N.C. statutes that stated a
magistrate must be supplied with an affi
davit, oral testimony under oath from a
witness or oral testimony from a witness
received by a law enforcement official
before he can issue a criminal summons.
Beyer only gave three notarized let
ters of accounts from eyewitnesses to
Stokes before Stokes issued the sum
mons.
Although Coleman ruled that the let
ters were not affidavits, he did not dis
miss the charges.
Arthur Yancey, Orange County assis
tant district attorney, said Beyer was not
aware that he needed affidavits or the
witnesses to appear before the magis
trate to have the summons issued.
Yancey said the magistrate told Beyer
only to bring the written statements of
the eyewitnesses to him.
The trial against the seven players
will begin April 27 if Coleman rules
Thursday against another motion to dis
miss the charges.
Both Beyer and Mays declined com
ment.
Newi/Fettmo/Ani/Spom:
Bamm/Adwdiita*:
Chape) Hill, Nonb Carolina
O 1998 DTH Publishing Crop.
AH reserved.
Compromise
to evaluate
student loans
■ The Committee on
Education and the Work
Force will vote Wednesday.
BY HEATHER MITCHELL
STAFF WRITER
A congressional compromise could
make students who receive loans and
the banks who supply the money happy.
A reauthorization bill, which will
extend the Higher Education Act for
another five years, is expected to change
the formula used in determining the
interest rates that become effective July
1. While the original formula dropped
interests rates from 8.23 percent to 7.3
percent, anew proposal addressed the
need for financial support from banks.
The new interest-rate formula for stu
dent loans, which will be voted on in
committee Wednesday, maintains the
interest-rate level at 7.43 percent. The
proposed compromise reduces rates for
students while still trying to appease pri
vate banks. The debate stemmed from
the fact that some legislators feared
banks would not receive enough profits
and would puQ their support for student
loans entirely.
David Foy, press secretary for U.S.
Rep. Howard R McKeon, R-Calif., said
the interest-rates compromise was nec
essary.
“Under the law that was passed in
1993 die interest rate had to change,” he
said. “It wouldn’t be profitable for the
banks and they’d get out of loans; the
rate was so low the banks wouldn’t
accept it”
Jay Diskey, director of communica
tion for the Committee on Education
and the Work Force, said the bill
attempted to save the loan program.
McKeon and Rep. Dale Kildee, D-
Mich., were the representatives who
proposed the compromise. Diskey
agreed that the proposal would save the
loan program while helping students.
“We will subsidize the banks in order
to keep them in the program," he said.
“(Students) will get the lowest interest
rate in 17 years.”
Stuart Bethune, associate director of
the UNC scholarship and student aid
office, said any size interest-rate reduc
tion would be welcomed. “Any reduc
tion in interest rates on Stafford Loans
would be of benefit to our students,” he
said.
Student Body President Mo Nathan
said although the change in interest
rates appeared small, it made a signifi
cant difference with large amounts of
student aid. “It’s a big help for stu
dents,” he said, “Our student govern
ment is being more supportive of stu
dent aid.”
Foy said the Committee on
Education and the Work Force would
meet Wednesday to discuss and vote on
the proposal. If it passes, the committee
will send it to the U.S. House of
Representatives for a full vote
INSIDE
It's raining, it's pouring
Students are eagerly
awaiting a break
from the rainy
weather this season,
and many say it has
been affecting their
mood. Page 4
A helping hand
Personal assistants to the chancellor
and head football coach have a
variety of responsibities and jobs
both in and out of the office.
Pageß
9#
Today's weather
Rain likely;
High4Qe
Wednesday Rain likely:
mid 60s
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