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(Hip Satlu ®ar Hrrl ■ News/Feai M Business// J® SM 105 years of editorial freedom Serving the students and the University community since 1593 Drunk Driver Not at Fault In Death, Officials Report District Attorney Carl Fox says the driver could not have avoided the accident that killed a UNC student. By Rudy Kievsitajber Staff Writer The driver of the car that struck and killed UNC junior Temple Charles Lee on Sunday will not face further charges, Orange-Chatham District Attorney Carl Fox said Wednesday. Marcus Damion Hattrick, 26, of 2100 Mary Anne Drive, Charlotte, was dri ving south on Hillsborough Street when Lee ran across two empty lanes and hit the left fender of Hattrick’s car. “There is nothing indicated by any testaments of witnesses or the driver that the driver did anything to bring the accident on,” Fox said. Hattrick was arrested at the scene and charged with driving while impaired. He had a blood alcohol con tent of .08 at the time of the accident. Fox said Hattrick had no chance to Close Races, Crucial Issues Prompt People to Vote County results statewide indicate a rise in voter participation from the last off-year elections in 1994. By Holey Neal Staff Writer The hotly contested nature of many of Tuesday’s elections and the parties’ efforts to get people to the polls con tributed to higher voter turnout than expected. Although the state Board of Elections would not release any numbers con cerning voter turnout, 42.4 percent of those registered in Orange County cast Homecoming King, Queen: Voting for Royalty or Race? Some students believe that race plays a large part in determining who the next Homecoming Court will be. By Amy Cappiello Senior Writer Homecoming is traditionally consid ered a time of unity as past Tar Heel generations return to campus to relive the memories of their college days with current students. But at UNC, Homecoming doesn’t just bring back alumni. With the race to elect a Mr. and Ms. UNC, Homecoming also renews a sense of racial politics that controls who ulti mately wears the crown. For the last nine years, UNC has chosen a black Homecoming queen, usually the candidate nominated by the Black Student Movement. Since the University began the Homecoming king tradition in 1996, both winners have also been BSM members. And on a college campus where only 10 percent of the school’s 24,000-mem ber student body is black, having a black Homecoming queen represent the University does not always sit well with students and alumni. “What I would offer is that at the center we are at a University where everyone gets in an uproar when a minority is crowned queen,” BSM President Tamara Bailey says. “I’m looking at the whole Kenan Stadium, and 95 percent is not standing up in honor of the people we just crowned. Hardly anyone else (besides the black avoid the accident because Lee ran into the side of the car, adding that Hattrick was not at fault in the accident. “People have to look out for their own safety within reason,” Fox said. “You have to be careful. Looking both ways before you cross the street is just as important now as it was 50 years ago.” Fox said Lee’s drinking that night probably contributed to the accident. “The officer conferred with a number of witnesses as well as the driver of the automobile, and all the evidence is that the victim had been drinking a lot.” Toxicology reports on Lee’s blood alcohol content will not be available for at least a week, said Gloria Dean, an evi dence technician at the Orange County Medical Examiner’s office. However, Fox said Lee’s alcohol con sumption had very little to do with the district attorney office’s decision not to press further charges. “The operator of a motor vehicle doesn’t have the respon sibility of trying to prevent you from running into the side of his car,” he said. “There has to be approximate causa tion between the impaired driver’s ELECTIONS their votes in the ballot box, said Carolyn Thomas, director of elec tions for Orange County. “I think the U.S. Senate race and the 4th congressional District race had a lot to do with (voter turnout),” she said. Teresa Davis, director of elections for Johnston County, also said voter turnout was high with 47.5 percent of registered voters in the county going to the polls. These numbers indicate a rise in voter turnout from the last non-presi dential elections in 1994. Barely 40 per cent of registered voters in North population) is applauding the queen.” In this age of political correctness, especially on UNC’s campus, it’s diffi cult to find students who will admit they are dissatisfied with the election of Homecoming queen. But behind closed doors they can hear comments like, “She’s not my Homecoming queen; she doesn’t rep resent me,” and “Why should I vote? The BSM candidate will win anyway,” reverberating off the walls. In the past, racial tension over the Homecoming queen election has led to vandalism, snubbing and shunning. Melanie Sellers, the 1997 Homecoming queen who was nominated by the BSM, found it dif ficult to find vol unteers for her service project - serving food in a homeless shelter - because stu “If less than 20percent of people ... vote for president ... how can you expect people to vote for Homecoming?” Lester Crafton Homecoming King Candidate dents were upset she had been elected. The 1990 Homecoming queen, Laura Anderson, had racial remarks written on her car. It is instances like these that both sadden and anger candidates who are competing for the Mr. and Ms. UNC titles. “It makes me sad because I don’t think that I should win because I’m white or that (BSM-nominated candi date) Janora (McDuffie) should win because she’s black,” Cori Ahrens, the Residence Hall Association-nominated Homecoming queen candidate, says. “I think it should be based on our charac After all there is but one race humanity. George Moore Thursday, November 5,1998 Volume 106, Issue 111 actions and the victim’s death.” Lee was the only one of the group of pedestrians who did not see the car coming, Fox said. “His running into the car is at least, if not more, responsible for his death than the fact that the driver was driving while impaired.” Although Hattrick was traveling at 10 miles over the speed limit at the time of the accident, Fox said speed did not con stitute hazardous driving by Hattrick. “In fact, if the car had been going slow er, the victim might have been struck by the front of the car,” Fox said. Jane Cousins, Chapel Hill police spokeswoman, said Hattrick had very little time to avoid the accident. “My understanding is that the whole incident took place within seconds,” she said. From his home in Charlotte, Hattrick said he deeply regretted the incident. “My heart goes out to the family. I am truly sorry that this happened. I encour age people to think before they drink - on both sides of the story.” The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu. Carolina participated in that election. “We had a couple of races that were very hot,” Davis said. “The candidates really got out this year, and they got vot ers to participate.” Michelle Wyatt, director of voter reg istration for the state Board of Elections, gave similar reasons for the high voter turnout. “Generally voter turnout is higher when the party and the candidates work hard to mobilize the voters,” she said. “There were a lot of hot races, close races, and that usually draws voters out” North Carolinians were not the only ones motivated to vote this election sea son. The number of black and Hispanic voters nationwide increased by 5 per cent from 1994, and women outvoted ter, our service project and what we’ve done for the University.” In the past, the BSM has been accused of playing the numbers game, trying to manipulate the candidate pool to include only one black Homecoming queen candidate - the BSM nominee to give black students one clear-cut choice come voting time. It’s a charge BSM President Tamara Bailey strongly denies. “It’s never been the BSM voice to tell anyone else not to run another can didate,” Bailey says. But while the BSM denies any attempts at rigging the ballot, black, non-BSM-nomi nat e and Homecoming can didates have got ten the cold shoul der when they decided to run for the University’s highest crown. In 1996, the inaugur- al year for Homecoming king, Jerry Bright competed for the honor of Mr. BSM. After losing to Eugene Purvis, Bright decided to compete for Homecoming king anyway, this time on the Alpha Phi Alpha ticket. He lost again. “(His actions showed) he didn’t care about the Mr. BSM tide; he just wanted to be Mr. UNC," Student Body President Reyna Walters says. “(The BSM tide) is not just something you can use for a stepping stone to something bigger and better. It’s about respecting See HOMECOMING, Page 2 JUST HANGING AROUND I * * DTH/JENNIFER GUTHRIE Mike Lyons, 33, creates handholds for new climbing roots at the indoor wall ropes course in Fetzer Gym on Wednesday. Lyons is the Director of Carolina Adventures Outdoor Education Center and was responsible for establishing the indoor wall ropes course four years ago. men by 12 percent, said Carolyn Jefferson Jenkins, president of the League of Women Voters. Minorities received a signal that this was an election they should pay atten tion to, said Perry Hall, a professor in the Curriculum in African & Afro- American Studies. “There were sugges tions that minorities might not show up,” he said. “That helped alert them as well as the ‘get-out-the-vote’ campaign.” The issues discussed in campaigns this year were also a significant factor that led to a high voter turnout, some analysts said. “There were a number of issues connected to people’s day-to-day lives,” Jenkins said. “Education issues were No. 1 with most people.” Hall said minorities paid particular V, PTH Fill PHOTO For the past nine years, students have elected a black Homecoming queen. Most have been nominated by the Black Student Movement. Festivities to Feature Raffle, Tunes By Chris Hostetler Staff Writer For students who ignored their alarm clocks early Saturday morning when the Carolina Athletic Association distrib uted UNC basketball tickets, the CAA will provide a second chance today. attention to education issues, which they felt were overshadowed by President Clinton’s impeachment proceedings. “They wanted to send a message that they were concerned with providing education for their children rather than with the personal aspects of peoples’ lives,” he said. Though voters in different areas of North Carolina said they had different motivations for voting, Wyatt said the high turnout on Election Day was evi dence of the voters' commitment. “It just showed that people knew who they wanted to vote for, and they were determined to do that.” The State 8 National Editors can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu. Asa part of today’s Homecoming fes tivities, the CAA is sponsoring a raffle for students voting for Homecoming candidates. Prizes include UNC basket ball tickets, movie passes, certificates to local restaurants and tickets to the See PIT, Page 2 962-0245 962-1163 News/Features/Arts/Sports Business/Advertising Chapel Hill, North Carolina C 1998 DTH Publishing Corp. All rights reserved. Legislators Pledge UNC Allegiance Despite a changing of the guard in the state House, officials say the UNC system will remain a top priority. By Umur Tuncer Staff Writer Though changes are expected when the Democrats take control of the N.C. House in January, state legislators say the UNC system will remain high on the agenda. ELECTIONS '9B After Tuesday’s off-year elections, N.C. Democrats will now hold the majority in both houses of the N.C. General Assembly. B u t Republicans say they plan to maintain a strong voice, said Rep. Carolyn Russell R-Wayne. “What I think you will see will hap pen is the minority party ... will place a continued emphasis on what is impor tant: infrastructure and continued com- See ASSEMBLY, Page 2 Pop Quiz This week. Diversions presents its annual Big Quiz, which will test all sorts of useless, trivial knowledge. Hell, it’s better than listening to your professor, isn’t it? So whip out your pen and see if you can the handle the pressure. See Page 5. ——. pressure. See Page 5. ——. rp\v^rsicft s EL 1 B I Q* Us " '’l I / \ Today’s Weather Partly cloudy, Low 50s;. Friday Mostly sunny. Low 50s. $
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