North Carolina Newspapers

QUtr Saily ®ar Mppl The University and Towns In Brief Domestic Violence Talk To Focus on Education The Domestic Violence Advocacy Project and the Women’s Issues Network are sponsoring the Domestic Violence Workshop todav in Union 205. The workshop is designed to inform faculty and students about domestic vio lence issues and educate them on the legal means available to stop problem relationships. For information, contact Mary Lee Perry at 832-5829 or maper ry@email.unc.edu. N.C. Jazz Orchestra To Perform Ellington The N.C. Jazz Repertory Orchestra will perform “Duke Ellington: A Concert of Sacred Music” this weekend at Duke University Chapel in Durham. The two-hour performances, at 8 p.m. April 10 and 3 p.m. April 11, will feature Ellington’s most important works. Tickets are sls for the public and $8 for students and can be bought at Page Box Office at Duke or by calling 684-4444. Wilson Library to Host Novelist and Poet Fiction writer Nancy Peacock and poet Ron Bayes will read from their work at the last Second Sunday Reading at UNC at 2:30 p.m. Sunday in the Pleasants Family Assembly Room in Wilson Library. Refreshments will be served. The event is free to all. UNC Researchers Link AIDS Risk to Bacteria Public health and medical school researchers have identified a link between HIV’ infections and changes in bacteria found in the vagina among pregnant women. A study of 724 N.C. women found that four times as many subjects with an imbalance in naturally occurring vagi tial bacteria were HIV-infected as those with normal bacterial balance, A report on the study appears in the April issue of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes and Hi man Retrovirology. Workshops to Prepare Community Artists Three workshops will be held April 20-22 to prepare artists who perform and conduct arts programs for commu nities. Organizers hope to help artists be effective and vital partners with their community presenters. Meetings will be in Asheville, Chapel Hill and Wilmington. Sessions will run from noon until 6 p.m. The $lO regis tration fee includes lunch. Artists interested in attending must sign up by Friday. For information, call Vicki Vitiello at (919) 733-7897, ext. 26. Jewish Family Service To Offer Seder, History An Egalitarian vegetarian seder will be provided by the Jewish Family Service of Durham-Chapel Hill at 6 p.m. today. Along with the meal, par ticipants will get a look at Jewish women’s history and a celebration of Jewish heroines’ accomplishments. Admission costs $4 at the door and $3 by preregistering. Participants are asked to bring one Passover food item. Child care is provided as needed. For information and tickets, call 489-5335. Poetry to Come Alive At Chapel Hill Store Internationalist Books store will pre sent “Spread the Word Poetry Project" for people interested in writing and dis cussing poetry. The project includes workshops, readings, independent pub lishings and poetry slams. An inaugural meeting will be at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the store, which is at 405 W. Franklin St. Please bring work when you attend. Call 942-1740 for information. Center Group to Focus On Divorce Issues On every Thursday until April 29, a group of separated and divorced women will meet at the Women’s Center from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. to talk about legal, financial and other issues pertaining to divorce. Shared experiences and coping skills are emphasized to help women become more confident. The group will be facil itated by Meg Kemper. The cost is S3O for members and S4B for nonmembers. For more information, call Ruth Newman at 968-4610. From Staff Reports Most Faculty Miss Book Deadline Students will receive less money for buybacks if professors did not reorder their books by the deadline. By Jim Harris Staff Writer A Student Stores official said students might have to dig deeper in their pock ets for books next semester because only 40 percent of UNC’s professors responded to Student Stores’ book order deadline. Student Stores Course Materials Manager Regina Mahalek said the April 2 deadline set by Student Stores was important to students because if profes sors waited much longer to decide to require their course books, students Staging a World-Class Event To make the event successful, this summer's Special Olympics Summer World Games will require massive labor and financial contributions. Bv Erin Wynia Senior Writer Preparing the Triangle for the 1999 Special Olympics World Summer Games, the world’s largest sporting event of this year, involves the mobi lization of a multi tude of people. In presenting such a large event, volun teerism lies at the heart of the effort. V ff?.. mciu OkTMMCt More than 350 volunteers stride through the clear glass doors of the Raleigh Special Olympics World Summer Games office building each Special Olympian Gives Back to Other Athletes By Erin Wynia Senior Writer Carl Hibbert throws back the door to his closet, giving a broad champi on’s smile at the sight of his medals hanging neady over a nail. “I collect them all - gold, silver and bronze,” he says, his eyes radial ing pride. There’s only one drawback to the pile of medals. Hibbert points to a bronze one dangling apart from the rest. “Every time I wear this, it feels itchy,” he says, laughing. Since he began participating in Special Olympics 11 years ago, the Raleigh athlete has won more than 50 medals in sports ranging from swimming to golf to skiing. This summer, however, he will step aside as more than 7,000 athletes descend upon the Triangle for the 1999 Special Olympics World Summer Games. He will join the ranks of other athletes past and pre sent who will give back to the Games as he volunteers to aid in planning and running the event. And for his past as a Special Olympian, Hibbert has more than earned his rest. STD Month Aims to Spread Awareness By Cheri Melfi Staff Writer As National STD Awareness Month kicks off this month, rising rates of her pes have caused health officials through out the nation and at UNC to promote awareness of the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases. Recent data from the New England Journal of Medicine reveals a 30 percent increase in herpes rates nationwide over the last two decades. The data also showed that one in five U.S. citizens ages 12 and over were infected. Allison Kalloo, director of public relations at the American Social Health Association, said she was not surprised by this increase in numbers of infected people, but was unsure of its cause. “It is hard to say if infection has gone up or if detection has gotten better,” she said. Kalloo said the health association was spreading its message about herpes and other STDs throughout the month of April by means of radio, television and print media starting in New York City, Washington, D.C., and the Triangle. The campaign targets all age groups. “It is not only the college kids that we would not be paid the amount they should for their used books. Mahalek said this year’s response was a decrease from the 46 percent of professors who had responded by this time last year. She said when Student Stores bought back books that professors had request ed for the following semester, the stan dard price Student Stores paid students for these books was 50 percent of the retail price. She said the need to receive book orders before the buyback period during exam week was crucial because the competition for books between univer sities was fierce. If professors requested books early, students would not have to worry about the availability of books in the wholesale market, Mahalek said. “Essentially, the earlier we receive the day. Purple, yellow and red pansies shoot up around the building, match ing the Games’ logos and the signs which greet visitors to the office. Workers and volunteers greet each other with a smile as they walk quickly from one area to another, one meeting to another, embodying the 1999 Games’ motto: “It’s all about attitude." An upbeat attitude, at that. There is much to be done before the nine-day event, which will run from June 26 to July 4. Preparation requires 80 full time employees and hundreds of Volunteers. Family, volunteer and special programs coordinator Katie Faulkner said the volunteers assisted paid staff members, entered volunteer His athletic achievements have spurred one Honor after another - N.C. Special Olympics Athlete of the Year, 1997 Charlotte Tower Club Special Olympics Athlete of the Year, and now, Special Olympic Global Messenger. With his latest job, as a spokesman for Special Olympics, Hibbert travels and gives speeches to groups ranging from schoolchildren to police offi cers, telling them of his experiences as a Special Olympian. Li-Chun Hsu, Special Olympics World Games media relations man ager, said that presenting athletes to the public helped build the commu nity’s understanding of Special Olympics athletes. “It’s important for our volunteers to meet the athletes (because) we learn more from them,” she said. “Without them, there are no games.” In his speeches, Hibbert tells how the organization helped him. “Special Olympics is a way for dreams to come true, for someone to feel valued and loved," he says. “I feel more confident and strong just See ATHLETE, Page 7 are targeting,” Kalloo said. “While many college students do contract the virus, they are by no means the only ones.” Kalloo added that while the health association would like to speak out on college campuses, the organization did not have the appropriate funds at this time. She said she hoped that those who learned about National STD Awareness Month through the media campaign would bring the message back to their campuses. Campus organizations such as the Carolina AIDS Resource Education Service and Student Health Service also help direct students’ attention toward the issue of STDs. Former CARES president, Deborah Roseman, said CARES focused on the prevention of HIV and AIDS. “The prevention of herpes and many other STDs can be incorporated with HIV prevention," Roseman said. “We try to raise campus awareness by work ing with Student Health and making presentations throughout campus, like in dorms, fraternities and sororities." Student Health’s Center for Healthy Student Behaviors is also taking part in National STD Awareness Month. Emily Obarr, coordinator of the Human News “Essentially, the earlier we receive the books that professors are requesting, the more money students get for their books. ” Regina Mahalek Student Stores Course Materials Manager books that professors are requesting, the more money students get for then books,” she said. “The later we receive the book orders, the more competition we get from other colleges because we are working in a demand and supply mar ket.” Assistant Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication Deb Aikat said turning in book orders as soon as possi- data into a computer, made phone calls and recruited other volunteers. The office also employs two full time workers with mental retardation. Faulkner said they answered phones, assembled media kits and assisted in the Games’ other departments. “It’s really important to us that we find a way to include them because it’s a chance for them to invite other ath letes from all over the world to their state, their home,” Faulkner said. Organizers anticipate more than 24,000 athletes, coaches and family members to come to the area from places as far-flung as Bolivia, Belgium and Bahrain. To accommodate the influx of people, Special Olympics tapped the Triangle’s institutions for higher education. The athletes, coach es and families will stay in residence halls on the campuses of UNC, N.C. State University and Meredith College and will compete on these campuses as well as that of Duke University. mK at? & mr '£ mm S ( pi? ' 1 HE DTH/ERIN WYNIA Carl Hibbert, a Raleigh gold medalist in the 1995 Special Olympics World Games, gives motivational speeches to encourage support of the event. Sexuality Program at the Center for Healthy Student Behaviors, said many events were being planned for the month, including a free and confidential walk-in HIV testing clinic April 14 and a sexual health Jeopardy! game April 27, in which prizes would be awarded. “We want to make it an event that promotes people learning, knowing and using STD information,” Obarr said. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Web site, most people infected with herpes did not rec ognize the symptoms, so many who contracted the vims acquired it from people who did not know they were infected or who had no symptoms at the time of sexual contact Symptoms to watch for are sores or blisters around the genital area and a burning sensation during urination. While there are medications such as Acyclovir that help control the virus, there is no actual cure. Because there is no cure, the virus can recur periodically. Individuals infected with an STD are at least two to five times more likely than uninfected individuals to acquire HIV if exposed to the virus. Obarr said the focus of this year’s STD awareness month was an impor- ble was the least professors could do to help students save money on Student Store buybacks. Aikat said he did not understand why professors took a long time to submit their book orders. “Nothing can be more sensible and civilized than to meet the deadline. Many professors use deadlines and penalize students if they do not meet them,” he said. “Professors should be more responsible.” Aikat said teaching assistants and graduate students needed to meet the deadline in making their book orders as well. But Collin Messer, a Teaching Fellow in the Department of English, said many teaching assistants did not receive their contracts that informed them if they would be teaching a course next semes ter until early this month. William Scroggs, the athletic depart ment’s associate director of operations, coordinates the University’s involve ment with the World Summer Games. He said that although an expected 4,500 people would use campus resi dence halls and venues like the Smith Center and Koury Natatorium, the Games would not disturb campus life. “I don’t anticipate the University is doing anything out of the ordinary for the Special Olympics,” he said. “It won’t be as big of a disruption as everybody anticipates.” Scroggs cited the timing of the Games as the main reason why the University community would not notice a change. The Games partially fall on the break between summer school sessions as well as the Fourth of July holiday, so many campus regulars will leave for vacation while the com petition heats up in the already-swel- See SPECIAL OLYMPICS, Page 7 Do You Have It? Herpes is one of the most rapitfly spreading SIDs in the United States infecting one in every five American citizens age 12 or over SYMPTOMS > Sores or bisters around genitals ■ Burning sensation while urinating BtPUCATIOHS IF LEFT UNTREATED a Can lead to severe infections and spreading. ■ Greafiy increase the risk of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases; two to five times more ikety if exposed to herpes. ■ Treated with antiviral drug but no cure, only control of virus SOURCE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION tant one.“( The Center for Healthy Student Behaviors) tries to have a more general focus, but herpes is one of the STDs that you need more communica tion for because it does not go away,” Obarr said. “Herpes is also one of the more prevalent STDs at UNC." The State & National Editors can be reached at stntdeskOunc.edu. Monday, April 5, 1999 He said it was difficult for most teach ing assistants to meet the Student Stores deadline since they had not been noti fied by the University whether they would be teaching next semester. “However, I have never had trouble when I turned in my books late,” he said. “Student Stores have been nothing but helpful.” Mahalek said she was optimistic about the results so far because she said Student Stores had started their cam paign early enough to make a great impact. “I believe the ads and posters we have created has made the community more aware,” she said. “It is not too late to make this the biggest buyback ever.” The University Editors can be reached at udeskOemail.unc.edu. Property Tax Hike Proposed Local affordable housing groups have submitted a proposal that would raise the tax rate by 1.9 percent. By Rudy Kleysteuber Staff Writer Chapel Hill Town Council members expressed cautious enthusiasm for a proposal to raise property taxes 1 cent to help fund more affordable housing. Members of the Martin Luther King Coalition, along with members of EmPOWEßment Inc. and several other groups concerned with affordable housing, presented a unified proposal at the Chapel Hill Town Council’s public hearing on budget spending last week. “It’s the first time that the various affordable-housing groups have made a unified proposal, and that’s very note worthy,” council member Julie McClintock said. If added to current property, taxes, a 1 cent allotment for affordable Rousing would increase the tax rate by 1.9 per- cent, officials said. Council mem ber Pat Evans said the council was investigating sev eral options with respect to afford able housing. “(The allotment) is certainly worth looking at,” she said. But, the issue might be better handled by the county, McClintock said. “The town is Town Council member Julie McClintock said social services were usually paid for by the county. tasked with providing primary services to its residents,” she said. “Social ser vices are by law mandated to be paid for by the county, but Chapel Hill still does some things because we’re a caring community. But there are limits on how much money can be spent on the extras.” Evans echoed McClintock’s senti ments. “It seems to me that affordable housing is a countywide issue, and in order for Chapel Hill and Carrboro cit izens not to be taxed twice, this should be handled by the county,” she said. Myles Presler, a member of the King Coalition, said the issue was more com plicated than that. “If we could do it that simply, we would,” he said. Presler said the idea would also be presented to Orange County, Carrboro and Hillsborough officials, but measures would be taken to ensure that citizens would not be taxed twice. Federal government cuts in afford able housing funding over the past decade have brought its availability down dramatically, Presler said. “We’re faced with a crisis,” he said. “Our sense is that if all local govern ments in Orange County agree that affordable housing is a crisis, then we need to put our money where our mouth is and begin funding it" Yonni Chapman, a member of the King Coalition, said Chapel Hill was not doing its share to support the issue. “At this point there’s not much local money coming out of the taxes for affordable housing,” he said. “We need to make a commitment to provide hous ing for all people in our communitv.” Presler warned that whatever course was taken, action was needed immedi ately. “If we don’t act soon, we’re going to wake up and realize we’ve become Cary.” The City Editor can be reached at citydeskOunc.edu. 3