Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Sept. 16, 1998, edition 1 / Page 1
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(Blip Ucttli! (Bar Urrl I News/ * Busirn p MSB 105 vears of editorial freedom Seiving die students and the University community since 1893 Assault Suspect Faces Rape Charge The suspect was also charged with assault with the intent to kill and first-degree kidnapping. By Shelley Levine Assistant City Editor Prosecutors added three charges in Chapel Hill District Court on Tuesday against a man suspected of raping and stabbing a woman in the ground level bathroom of the Hillsborough Superior Courthouse the day before. The victim was released from UNC UNC: Policy Helps With Treatment The changes following Wendell Williamson's 1995 shooting spree make it easier to commit students. By Beth Hatcher Staff Writer One of UNC’s biggest tragedies has changed the way the University deals with threats. The murder of two people by former UNC law student Wendell Williamson in 1995 taught the University that threats must be taken seriously, said Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Susan Kitchen. The Williamson incident provoked administrators to revise the policy of the Emergency Admissions and Disciplinary Evaluation Committee. Williamson, who is suing his former Student Health Services psychiatrist for negligence, has filed a suit against UNC for negligence as well. Kitchen runs the committee, which determines whether students who have made threats or demonstrated other dangerous behavior are stable enough to remain at the University. The revised policy gives the committee the flexibility to inter vene in a poten tially dangerous situation. Now the committee can involuntarily com njit a student for psychological test ing if it deems the student is a threat. In the past three years com munication has improved Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs Susan Kitchen said threats to UNC and its students must be taken seriously. between the committee and SHS, Kitchen said. The committee now sends out a cover letter to all tire departments every fall, informing them about its resources. “Much stronger communication exists now, people are more aware of the committee’s resources,” Kitchen said. Robert Lawson, an adjunct assistant psychology' professor, said if communi cation had been better in 1995, Williamson might have been stopped before he went on his rampage. “There was probably a break in com munication,” Lawson said. The committee now works closely with SHS, Kitchen said. “We have to decide what’s best for the University as well the individual student.” Kitchen said people who were dan gerous to themselves or to others did not belong at the University. While UNC has revised its policy, Lawson said the University still did not take mental illness seriously. Lawson said this neglect was evi denced by the meager budget for psy chological services in SHS, he said. “It’s a brutal job and an environment where it’s impossible to do perfect work,” Lawson said. See COUNSELING, Page 7 Hospitals at 1 p.rp. Tuesday. Rodney Edward Jenkins, 22, of Hillsborough, was charged with first degree rape, first cjegree kidnapping, robbery with a deadly weapon and assault with a deadly weapon with the intent to kill inflicting serious injury. He is being held in the Orange Countyjail without bond. As of Monday, Jenkins was only charged with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury. The assistant district attorney amend ed that charge to include the intent to kill. The suspect allegedly threatened to kill the victim when she lunged for the bathroom door, the attorney said. Experts Back Williamson's Doctor By Amy Cappiello Senior Writer HILLSBOROUGH - In the ongo ing batde of the experts, the defense team for Dr. Myron Liptzin presented three psychiatrists Tuesday who said the former Student Health Service psychia trist exceeded the requisite standard of care when treating Wendell Williamson in spring 1994. Williamson is suing his former psy chiatrist, alleging that Liptzin’s medical negligence led to Williamson’s 1995 near-campus shooting rampage that left UNC lacrosse player Kevin Reichardt and Chapel Hill resident Ralph Walker dead. “My opinion is that the care (Liptzin gave Williamson) was excellent and not only met but exceeded the stan dard of care,” said Dr. Hollister 7 have a lot of experience with students, and I can tell you that students socialize and drink alcohol and smoke marijuana. ” Dr. Holuster Rogers Psychiatrist at Duke University Rogers, a psychiatrist with Duke University’s Counseling and Psychological Services. Rogers was one of six experts who has testified before the 10-woman, two man jury regarding whether Liptzin acted negligently while treating Williamson. She said Liptzin’s treatment started imn'r'iiAih’iiiiViT " Wm ■ ! f 1 % DTH/DAVID SANDLER Matthew Fiebig holds his newly acquired albino Burmese python, "Burmie," on Tuesday afternoon. The snake, currently seven feet long, will eventually grow to more than 20 feet. Happiness is the interval between periods of unhappiness.' Don Marquis Judge Alonzo Brown Coleman Jr. appointed private attorney Barry Winston to defend Jenkins due to a con flict within the public defender’s office. “It was brought to my attention this morning that someone in the public defender’s office had given assistance to the victim and could potentially be called as a witness,” Coleman said. Jenkins followed a woman into the bathroom, where she was raped and cut on the head and neck with a knife, according to police reports. Doris Wilson, Orange County Superior Court clerk, who was in her office in the courthouse basement on Monday, said she heard the woman off excellently when he managed to engage Williamson early in the rela tionship and convince him to begin tak ing anti-psychotic medication and keep attending counseling appointments. Dr. Jeffrey Janofsky, a psychiatrist from Baltimore, Md., said after Liptzin developed a relationship with Williamson, the doctor “seduced” Williamson into continuing treatment. “The doctor is carefully explaining to the patient how specific symptoms are affecting his life and how, if he continues to see the doctor and take his medica tion, the symptoms could improve and his life could improve,” Janofsky said. summary instead of also looking at the results of the psychological tests he took after attacking himself in the Pit. But Rogers said examining only the discharge summary was normal because the point of the summary was to list the major points of the treatment so future physicians would not need to read a patient’s entire medical file. SNAKE EYES Wednesday, September 16, 1998 Volume 106, Issue 77 • screaming during the attack. “I came back in here and was talking with somebody and we heard these blood-curdling screams,” she said. “We all ran out into the hall and saw him run ning out of the building.” Several men chased Jenkins across the street, where police pulled him from his hiding place beneath a house, said custodian Harvey Clark on Monday. Clark assisted in the chase. Jenkins was in the courthouse on Monday awaiting trial for two felony charges of larceny by employee and two probation violations, Wilson said. It was not the first court appearance for Jenkins, who has a criminal record jSBj3Mr /j£j§ 9HH H are “That is, in fact, what happened.” Witnesses for the plaintiff said that while trying to diagnose Williamson, Liptzin was negli gent because he referred only to Williamson’s 1992 hospital discharge DTH/AMANDA INSCORE Dr. Jeffery Janofsky, a psychiatrist from Baltimore, testified today that Dr. Myron Liptzin diagnosed Wendell Williamson properly. Williamson’s lawyer contends that, had Liptzin looked at Williamson’s entire chart, he would have probably diagnosed Williamson as a paranoid schizophrenic. But Janofsky said if Liptzin had looked at the psychological tests he might have thought Williamson’s case was less serious than it was because the results were normal and did not indicate Officials Still Seek Initiative Advisers By Mark Slagle Staff Writer The hunt is still on for 10 full-time advisers as officials continue to construct the Carolina Advising Initiative. Plans were announced two weeks ago to integrate the advising programs of the General College and the College of Arts and Sciences. Current advisers will be phased out and the 10 new advisers will work full time in an effort to increase advising time for each student by 50 percent according to a Research, Information, Development and Dissemination report from the executive branch of student govern ment. But while the time table for the initiative has been set, advising ini tiative coordina tors are not yet sure from where the 10 full-time advisers will come. The advising staff is now composed of professors and graduate students, but under the new plan, most graduate stu dents would be dismissed and professors would return to teaching full time. “Some of the faculty we have now will, I hope, continue to work with our departments,” said Risa Palm, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. The University is now searching for a with charges dating back to 1993. In October 1994 he was charged for the first time with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting seri ous injury. When he plead guilty to that charge in 1995, the judge ordered Jenkins not to possess a knife for five years. According to Orange County court records, Jenkins has also been arrested in the past for breaking and entering, larceny, larceny by an employee and probation violations. Joe Margolis contributed to this story. The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu. any psychotic thought processes. Williamson’s unwillingness to totally eliminate alcohol and marijuana from his life was also a point of contention between the two sides. Rogers said the fact that Williamson only cut back on drinking alcohol and smoking marijua na instead of stopping entirely did not See WILLIAMSON, Page 7 new senior associate dean for under graduate studies. Once the position has been filled, new advisers will be hired and a sched ule for implementing the rest of the pro gram will be set, according to a report from Arts and Sciences. The applicant pool for the new dean and advisers is expected to be strong, Palm said. The hiring committee will look for applicants with experience in higher education and a willingness to remain with the program, she said. Some of the current advising staff will continue to advise students, although their number and role has not yet been determined, Palm said. These faculty will also aid the professional advisors during peak periods, such as the first two weeks of classes and pre-registration in fall and spring semesters, she said. An external advising committee report commissioned by the Provost’s Office recommended 29.5 professional advisers be hired. But Palm said she felt confident that 10 advisers would be suf ficient because of the increased number of hours advisers would be available. “We want to see how the system works,” she said. “Ten is just a starting place.” Senior adviser Lacey Hawthorne said one student concern was the lack of per sonal attention. “Students were just going in there and checking off a list,” Hawthorne said. “With more time, students will now be able to get to their advisers.” The University Editors can be reached at udesk@unc.edu ... .;*?t — Senior Adviser Lacey Hawthorne said students would get more attention with the new advising system. News/Features/Arts/Sports 962-0245 Business/Advertising 962-1163 Chapel Hill, North Carolina © 1998 DTH Publishing Corp. All rights reserved. Gunman Receives Court Date George Nickerson was charged with shooting his brother, who remained in critical condition Tuesday. By Shelley Levine Assistant City Editor George Nickerson walked lisdessly with his head down into the Chapel Hill District Court on Tuesday, where he was formally charged with assault with, a deadly weapon with intent to kill for the Sunday shooting of his brother. Nickerson, 58, of 1201 Parrish Road, was transported to the Orange County Jail after his arraignment to await a Sept 30 court date. Judge Alonzo Brown Coleman Jr. appointed a public defender to repre- sent George Nickerson. His brother, Rayeford Nickerson, 56, also of 1201 Parrish Road, was still in critical con dition at UNC Hospitals on Tuesday. The judge first asked George Nickerson if he knew if his broth er was still alive. The defendant responded quiet- Assault suspect George Nickerson said he was not sure if his brother was alive while he faced charges Tuesday. ly, still looking at the floor. “I think so,” he said. Sunday evening the brothers got into a fistfight outside Lloyd’s BP station on N.C. 54. BP employee Franklin Wilkinson, who has known the brothers for about 12 years, said Rayeford Nickerson entered the store around 7:45 p.m. and asked him to call 911. Rayeford Nickerson had just stepped behind the counter to use the phone when George Nickerson walked into the station with a gun, Wilkinson said. Wilkinson said he counted nine shots fired by George Nickerson at his broth er, first from across the counter, then from within a five-foot range and from the door. Rayeford Nickerson was wounded in the abdomen, chest and shoulder. The incident lasted no longer than a minute, Wilkinson said. He said he did not know what prompted the fight. The brothers and their mother, Susie Nickerson, live together in a house 100 feet behind the gas station. The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu. M-i MSs*. > v „ \ r & ’fe Wednesday UNC Spikes ASU 3-0 North Carolina's bench over powered Appalachian State's starters Tuesday as the Tar Heels cruised to a 15-3, 15-7, 15-9 victory over the Mountaineers See Page 9. Payment Due Officials released Tuesday the total cost of Kenneth Starr's investigation into the Monica Lewinsky matter. The independent counsel spent $4.4 million on the case and some senators want Clinton to pay it back. See Page 8. Today’s Weather Mostly sunny; Low 90s Thursday: Mostly sunny; upper 80s
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