WEEKLY SUMMER ISSUE
(The lathi (Ear Hrrl
* Ntwi/Fa
©
105 yean of editorial freedom
Serving the students and the University
community since 1893
Study shows preferences
for blacks in admissions
BY HUNTER LEWIS
STAFF WRITER
According to a conservative think
tank’s recent study, black applicants
receive preferential treatment over
whites in admissions to six of the UNC
system’s 16 schools.
The Center for Equal Opportunity, a
Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit
group opposed to affirmative action,
announced the findings Monday.
“The evidence is very strong that
North Carolina schools discriminate in
favor of black applicants,” stated Linda
Chavez, president of the CEO, in a press
release.
The study analyzed 1995 admissions
data of applicants, admittees, rejectees
and enroUees regarding race or ethnici
ty, SAT scores and grade point averages.
It shows a qualifications gap between
black and white applicants at N.C. State
University, UNC-Asheville, UNC-
Chapel Hill, UNC-Charlotte, UNC-
•' M—i
1 | ti | | | I | |1
v
DTH/DANA GARDNER
Richard Riley expresses his concern for education in the South as he
addresses the Southern Regional Educational Board at the Carolina Inn.
Festivities to add sparkle to holiday
■ Music and a fireworks
show at Kenan Stadium will
fight up Chapel Hill.
BY JUSTIN HONSCH
STAFF WRITER
Barbecue celebrations, coolers of
drinks, fireworks and the gathering of
friends and family is usually a sure sign
of one thing: summer. This weekend the
nation will experience that type of
atmosphere in the spirit of America’s
222nd birthday on July Fourth.
Chapel Hill will take its place among
the nationwide jubilee as it, along with
neighboring Carrboro, will sponsor a
number of events in celebration of
Independence Day.
Kenan Stadium will be the site of a
free fireworks show on Saturday night at
7:30 p.m. The Nomads will kick off fes
tivities by performing an American
blend of blues, rock and soul.
Following the band, local dignitaries,
including UNC Chancellor Michael
Hooker, Carrboro Mayor Mike Nelson
and Chapel Hill Mayor Rosemary
Waldorf, will welcome the crowd.
Fireworks will follow at approximately
9:30 p.m.
Also on Saturday, the town of
Carrboro will welcome area residents to
the Carrboro Town Commons from 11
a.m. to 5 p.m. for its 25th Annual
Family Fourth Celebration. Contests for
the best decorated vehicle and costume
will be held for those who register by
10:20 a.m. at the Weaver Street Market
True patriotism hates injustice in its own land more than anywhere else.
Clarence Darrow
mg
Greensboro and
UNC-Wilmington.
“Whether you
look at verbal SAT
scores, math SAT
scores or high
school GPAs, at
none of the six
schools was the
median black
admittee as quali
fied as the median
white admittee,”
Chavez stated.
“The odds of that
happening with
out racial prefer
ences are the same
as flipping a coin
UNC-system President
MOLLY BROAD
said the Center for
Equal Opportunity's
study failed to take
into account all
admissions factors.
and getting 18 heads in a row.”
The verbal SAT scores of white stu
dents admitted to UNC-CH averaged 90
points higher than black students’
scores, while math SAT scores were an
average of 100 points higher.
lawn.
The Patriotic Dessert Contest will
also be held, giving attendees a chance
to enter their sweet creations. Entries
will be judged on the merit of their
USA-related decoration.
In Hillsborough, Abundant Life
Christian Church will hold a family pic
nic at Lake Michael from 12 p.m. to 4
p.m, followed by a large fireworks show
held in the parking lot of the
Hillsborough church. Both members
and nonmembers are welcome to
attend.
These events, of course, cannot
appeal to everyone. Because the Fourth
of July is a tribute to the spirit of inde
pendence, many people have chosen to
exercise their own.
Instead of making the trip to see a
fireworks show put on by someone else,
many students make a run for the South
Carolina border to purchase a personal
batch of explosives.
“I left on Sunday morning to get a
bunch of fireworks, but I had a lot of
trouble because the majority of outlets
are closed on Sundays,” said Walter
Kruger, a senior biology major from
Stamford, Conn.
“I had planned on just going over the
state line, but I ended up at least 40
miles into the state in a place I have
never heard of, but it was well worth the
trouble.”
No matter how one chooses to cele
brate the occasion, whether it be with
the family barbecue, a small gathering or
just a day off to sleep in and watch tele
vision, Americans find a way to observe
the occasion in their own way.
Thursday, July 2,1998
Volume 106, Issue 51
White students admitted to UNC-CH
also had a higher average GPA by a dif
ference of 0.39. While the degree of dis
parity varied at each school, UNC-CH
had the highest difference in median
scores for the SAT verbal section and the
second highest difference in scores for
the SAT math section and GPA.
This disparity is typical for a selective
college, said CEO spokesman Roger
Clegg. “The more selective a college is,
the more likely that the college will use
preferences within its admissions depart
ment. It turns out that in the selective
process, race is given enormous weight.”
But UNC-system officials said the
results did not tell the entire story. “Any
gross analysis of admissions data cannot
provide a full or valid picture since col
lege admissions decisions are never
made solely on the basis of standardized
test scores and high school grade point
averages,” UNC-system President Molly
Broad stated in a press release.
UNC-CH Director of Admissions
Riley says education more than job training
■ The education secretary
spoke to governors and
educators during a seminar.
BY SUSAN QUEEN
STAFF WRITER
Southern political and educational
leaders are working together to close the
gap between schools in the South and
the rest of the country, said Richard W.
Riley, U.S. secretary of education, at a
conference Monday.
“We have come a long way in large
part because we in the South have held
to a vision that education was and
remains the way up for everybody,"
Riley said.
Riley was the featured speaker at the
50th anniversary dinner for the
Southern Regional Educational Board
at the Carolina Inn.
Riley focused on the importance of
Dense traffic,
low gas prices
to mark July 4
BY MELODY JEWELL
STAFF WRITER
During the July Fourth holiday this
weekend, the N.C. Highway Patrol esti
mates that about 878,678 North
Carolinians will travel more than 100
miles from home, and troopers plan to
be well-prepared.
The highway patrol is participating
in the statewide “Booze It and Lose It”
anti-drunk driving campaign, which
began Monday. “It is a statewide pro
gram for detecting and removing
impaired drivers," said Sgt. Mark
Johnson of the Wake County division
of the highway patrol.
Bill Figulski, spokesman for the N.C.
Department of Crime Control and
Public Safety, said, “It basically means
there are going to be a whole lot of
checkpoints.”
The highway patrol will target 25
roads in North Carolina that have had
the most crashes and fatalities during
July Fourth holiday period for the past
five years. In that time, there were 687
crashes, 531 injuries and six fatalities on
the targeted roads, according to a high-
See JULY 4, Page 4
Study meals differences in admissions standards for minorities
The Center for Equal Opportunity recently released a study on racial and ethnic preferences in the UNC system. They found
that the admissions process at six of the 16 UNC-system schools contained preferences for minorities.
White -black admitted differences
Verbal SAT scores
School Whites Blacks Different* in median scores
UNC-Chapel Hill S7O 480 90
N.C. State University 510 430 80
UNC-Asheville 580 500 80
UNC-Wilmington 460 390 70
UNC-Charlotte 460 400 60
UNC-Greensboro 450 400 50
Math SAT scores
School Whites Blacks Difference in median scores
N.C. State University 590 480 110
UNC-Chapel Hill 630 530 100
UNC-Chariotte 520 420 100
UNC-Wilmington 520 420 100
UNC-Greensboro 490 410 80
UNC-Asheville 560 490 70
Grade point averages
School Whites Blacks Difference in median scores
UNC-Wilmington 3.40 2.95 0.45
UNC-Chapel Hill 3.99 3.60 0.39
N.C. State 3.66 3.27 0.38
UNC-Charlotte 3.38 3.10 0.28
UNC Asheville 3.54 3.36 0.18
UNC-Greensboro 3.14 3.10 0.04
Jerry Lucido agreed. He said the study
requested limited information, only test
scores and GPA. “We look at a variety
of factors in the application process
including class difficulty, class perfor
elementary and secondary public edu
cation, and he praised the SREB for its
hard work and progress in the past 50
years.
“Die sum of education has to be
much more than just the certainty that
another well-trained worker is ready to
help the economic progress of our
region," Riley said.
“We must help our children develop
good character even as we encourage
them to think creatively and learn skills
for the future.”
The SREB, the first interstate com
pact for education in the country, is
composed of 15 member states, includ
ing North Carolina and South Carolina.
The SREB is governed by a board of
each member state’s governor and four
others from each state.
Several state governors, former gov
ernors and former university presidents
attended the dinner, and 25 of them
See RILEY, Page 4
Sr
, * ! zF m
i I
I : - ! Ii
DTH/DANA GARDNER
Jim Kennedy, professor in the UNC School of Law, sweats it out while
playing a match at the tennis courts near Cobb Residence Hall.
mance, extracurricular contributions
and leadership ability,” he said.
Lucido said the Office of
Undergraduate Admissions also consid
ered supplemental additions including
Hunt pushes Smart Start
to improve state’s schools
BY MICHAEL STEEL
STAFF WRITER
Gov. Jim Hunt told the Southern
Regional Education Board on Tuesday
morning that early childhood education
was crucial to improving education in
the South.
The SREB, the country’s oldest
regional educational organization, held
its 50th anniversary meeting at the
Carolina Inn earlier this week.
“We have had success in North
Carolina because we have had an edu
cation strategy,” Hunt said.
He pointed to his Smart Start pro
gram, which focuses on children from
SERVE IT UP
News/Features/Arts/Sportt: 9624)245
Business/Advertising 962-1163
Chapel Hill, North Caioima
0 1998 DTH Publishing Corp.
All rights resented.
r—r—7--
Black Hispanic Asian
School to white to white to white
N.C. State University 177.10 0.85 0.79
UNC-Wilmington 57.20 0.47 0.68
UNC-Ashevilie 10.00 14.40 0.97
UNC-Charlotte 8.37 0.72 0.61
UNC-Chapel Hill 3.40 0.31 0.62
UNC-Greensboro 0.97 Iff 0,43
"This chart refers to the odds of admission of applicants with equai
scores. A number greater than one means an applicant has a greater
chance than a white to be admitted. A number leas than one means
an applicant has a lesser chance.
Conclusions from the report
■ The odds of admission at five of the six schools studied
indicate a strong degree of preference in admission given to
blacks over whites.
■ Schools routinely reject many white applicants with higher
test scores and grades than black applicants who are admitted.
■ North Carolina schools would not become segregated in
the absence of preferences. There would be no universities
without black admittees. Only UNC-CH, UNC A and NCSU
might lose a significant portion of those who would currentiy
be admitted.
SOUKE: CENTER FO* EQUAL OPPORTUNITY DTH/WEZARNEGA*
overcoming obstacles, financial obliga
tions and the family’s college experience.
But he said differences in population
See RACE ADMISSIONS, Page 4
birth through 5 years old.
“We have children coming into
kindergarten without knowing the
alphabet, without even knowing the col
ors,” Hunt said.
“We need to give them the stimula
tion they need to develop their brains at
that age.”
Smart Start is a partnership of state
and private groups, organized at the
county level.
It is a nonprofit corporation that has
received more than S3O million in pri
vate funding, including the largest con
tributions ever from First Union,
See HUNT, Page 4
jEstd un m&tico en la casa?
A nearly $500,000 grant will go to
teaching health-care workers Spanish
so they can better serve the state's
growing Hispanic population. Page 2
From Batman to bank man
George Clooney
cashes in as a bank
robber with the best
cinema performance
of his career in ‘Out
of Sight.' Page 5
Lockout with no place to go
Summer boredom isn't just for school
kids anymore. The NBA lockout has
left dozens of grown men scrambling
to find something to do. Page 6
♦
Apply within
So, you’re back into the swing of things with
the second summer session and you would like
to make a difference. Why not join The Daily
Tar Heel staff. We are accepting people to work
on ali desks. Just stop by the office. Student
Union Suite 104. Also, we are still looking for
design and graphics editors for the fall. If you
think either of these positions might be right
for you, stop by the office and ask for Jon Cox.
9