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®lie laxly (Tar Meri years of editorial freedom Serving the students and the University community since 1893 Union Renovation Plans Backed Up Until Spring By Katie Abel Assistant University Editor Students will not hear the clamor of clanging steel or the rumble of bulldoz ers outside the Student Union this fall. Phase I of the sl3 million Union con struction and renovation project, origi nally slated to begin last week, has been put on hold because state construction officials were delayed in reviewing pro ject plans, said Don Luse, director of the Student Union. “It is not unusual for delays to come about with these types of building pro jects,” Luse said. He said state officials often fell behind when reviewing plans for building projects. Steve Schuster, a principal at Clearscapes Architects of Raleigh, the firm overseeing project designs, said a new timetable called for construction to start in December or earlyjanuary. The initial phase of the project will focus on anew addition to the Union that will extend into the horseshoe shaped metered parking area between Protective Services Start Early SAFE Escort President Brian Gallagher says the service will walk students to their destinations on campus. By Alexandra Molaire and Ashley Stephenson Senior Writers Increased campus awareness about assaults on two students last week prompted UNC’s SAFE Escort to offer its services earlier than its usual Sept. 1 start-up date. SAFE Escort officially began service Sunday but was hampered by broken carts and a lack of volunteers. The ser vice was forced to transport students by foot instead of on motorized golf carts. As of 9 p.m. Monday, SAFE Escort had only walked two students to their residence halls, down from the usual 30 to 50 students that take advantage of the service per night, said Brian Gallagher, president of SAFE Escort. But Gallagher said that because the golf carts used in the program were being repaired this week, the number of students seeking a ride home was lower. The carts will definitely be ready by Sunday, Gallagher said. The service can use as many as four carts, but demand usually dictates running two carts. Until then, SAFE Escort will be send ing a pair of students with each student who needs an escort home. Gallagher said the service’s phone number, 962-SAFE, had not been working, adding that he was checking out the problem and would notify stu dents when it was operating correctly. Shift coordinator Sarah Thacker said the recent attacks made studying stu dents think twice. Gallagher said the recent attacks were mentioned by several students tak ing advantage of SAFE Escort. “Actually, we had one girl last night use us because she said she was scared to walk by herself because of BOLO,” Gallagher said. BOLO is a University Police term for “Be on the Lookout” that authorities have used since the assaults to name the unidentified suspect. SAFE Escort operates Monday through Thursday from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. They are stationed at Davis Library until midnight. They then they move to the Undergraduate Library until 1 a.m. Gallagher said most people needing an escort during the latest hours were employees in Davis Library. “The peo ple studying at the Undergraduate Library are usually pulling all-nighters, See SAFE, Page 7 One revolution is like one cocktail, it just gets you organized for the next. Will Rogers the Union and South Road. Luse said delays arose after the N.C. Department of Insurance returned design comments to the University late because the department was short staffed. He said architects and University offi cials must now work with the state to iron out any problems with the plans before contractors can bid to start work on the project. Luse said officials were still looking at details such as how the windows should look and what materials will be used for the exterior of the addition. Once the initial phase is complete, construction will begin on the second floor and lower level of the main Union building. Contractors are expected to renovate the main floor and lobby areas in 2001. The Union will remain operational during the entire project, which is expected to take about two years to complete. Students voted in a February 1998 referendum to increase student fees for the expansion and renovations. ■ .... M. .1 1 0 m K p Hr* H K ♦ *'l4* Jf •'-'•Ilf * DTH 'SEFTON tPOCK G. R. Quinn stands on the corner of Columbia Street and Cameron Avenue holding up one of his many controversial signs. His organization, The Article 111 Foundation, supports anti-liberal policies. Armed with cardboard signs, Sanford resident G.R. Quinn spoke out on campus against "ultra leftists and red commie groups." By Stuart Crampton Staff Writer Hunt the whales. Cut the rain forest. Elect Hillary Rodham Lewinsky. Support urban sprawl. His hand-painted slogans solicit enough snickers and dirty looks to make the Pit Preacher jealous. Framed on cardboard and sheets of plastic, the anti-liberal barbs have earned him Tuesday, August 24, 1999 Volume 107, Issue 59 Schuster said three-month delays were common with projects that had to be approved by the state. “The plans were supposed to be examined by the state in about four to six weeks, but it ended up taking more than 12 weeks,” he said. But University officials said the delays might prove to have some posi tive effects. Sue Kitchen, vice chancellor for stu dent affairs, said starting a construction project in the first days of anew school year was inconvenient for students. “I actually think it is great that stu dents didn’t have to deal with this con struction when they got to school this fall,” she said. Carolyn Elfland, associate vice chan cellor for auxiliary services, said the delays actually corresponded better with a time schedule for moving the auto mated teller machines to a spot behind Davis Library, a grassy area adjoining the parking lot, library, Mangum Quadrangle and Hamilton Hall. All of the ATMs are now located on monikers like “that freak with the signs” and “the hunt-the-whales guy.” During the past year and a half, G.R. Quinn has displayed his controversial signs during the lunch-time frenzy around the Pit and at bustling comers like Franklin Street and Cameron Avenue. A resident of Sanford, Quinn has raised eye brows from downtown Raleigh to the Duke University Chapel. The 48-year-old human signpost campaigns independently against the issues and agendas of “ultra-leftists and red commie groups.” During one of the two visits to Chapel Hill during the past week, Quinn passed out fliers in the Pit to compliment his signs. One flier portrayed the American Civil Liberties Union as a swastika-donning, Orwellian big-brother State of the Union The sl3 million renovation project, which will extend the Student Union into the horseshoe shaped metered parking area between the Union and South Road, will not begin this fall. | | SOURCE- FRANK PORTER GRAHAM STUDtXT UNION the Student Stores wall in the Union cir cle. Elfland said the new ATM location should be complete by the time Union construction begins late this semester or in early spring. “Actually, we would have been in trouble if the Union construction had started on time,” she said. But some campus leaders are con cerned that putting off the project might figure who spies on Christian teachers for fear of too much religion in schools. The back of the same flier lampooned the National Organization for Women (NOW) by labeling it as the National Organization of Witches. The flier credited NOW with helping to buy the 1998 election victories of the Democratic Party. Between dialogues with passing students, Quinn said he enjoyed campaigning on cam pus. “I had always figured you all were ultra-left ists,” Quinn said matter-of-factly. “Despite groups like the Young Democrats, you all are pretty nice people, interesting to talk to. The hard-core commies are in the area, See WHALES, Page 7 DIH ARCHIVES have negative long-term effects. Student Body President Nic Heinke said it was frustrating that project costs would probably elevate because of the delays. “The longer it gets delayed, the more expensive it is probably going to be.” The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu. News/Features/Arts/Sports 962-0245 Business/Advertising 962-1163 Chapel Hill, North Carolina © 1999 DTH Publishing Corp. All rights reserved. Problems Pile Up At PR Lot Several students say they are concerned about leaving their cars at the PR lot without security presence. By Laura Stoehr University Editor For the second year in a row, stu dents who park at the PR lot are up in arms about its security problems. Since last week, some students have not been able to open the gates, which are activated by UNC ONE Cards, to get inside the lot to park their cars. Other students have not been able to exit the lot through the pedestrian gate, which is also operated through the card. And the temporary solution enacted by the University last week - leaving the gates wide open - made some stu dents question if the pass provided the safety championed by the parking department when the PR lot permit price increased in March 1998. “I feel like I’m not getting $l2B worth of security at the PR lot,” said Mandy Hartig, a junior from High Point. “I don’t feel safe when I’m out there, and I don’t feel that my car is safe when I’m not there.” Last fall, gate construction at the remote lot, located off Estes Drive, was delayed several weeks. And during one October weekend, the gates were left open, and about 40 cars were damaged. But this year’s gate access problems are more than just security issues. On Monday, ONE Card officials said they were not notified by the park ing department of any gate problems. “We have received no indication from parking that there were Mxy prob lems,” said Craig Hyatt, manager of information technology for auxiliary services. “... If we can’t get any feed back from parking, we can’t look (at the problem).” Early Monday evening, Director of Public Safety Derek Poarch ordered the gate to be re-closed. He said students who had problems entering the lot should report them to the guard. Poarch said a guard would be posted at all times until access problems were ironed out, then hours would change to 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Some students, however, said guards were not always at the lot. Hartig said she had been to the lot several times when an attendant was not present But Cathy Medeot, a junior from White Plains, N.Y., said the lot had always been attended when she parked her car. Medeot said she was concerned for her safety when the gates were open because the lot was far from campus. “If you’re by yourself, you just don’t feel comfortable sitting there.” The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu. Tuesday Ice Capades The Carolina Hurricanes rolled through Chapel Hill on Monday with the inaugural Canes Caravan ’99, a promotional tour designed to draw more hockey fens. See Page 9. Desperately Seeking... The Daily Tar Heel will hold interest meetings 6 p.m. Tuesday in Union 226 and 5 p.m. Wednesday in Union 209. Anyone interested in learning more about working at the newspaper or serving on the student or staff feedback boards are invited to attend. The DTH staff applications and board information sheets are also available in Suite 104 of the Student Union. Today’s Weather Partly Cloudy; Low 80s. Wednesday: Cloudy, Low 80s.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Aug. 24, 1999, edition 1
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