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iatlti ®ar llccl M News/ J? ■t—'■ 106 years of editorial freedom Serving the students and the University community since 1893 Ford Arrested on Drunk-Driving Charges Men's basketball assistant coach Phil Ford will undergo a medical exam and take a leave of absence from UNC. By Evan Markfield Assistant Sports Editor Durham police arrested North Carolina assistant men’s basketball coach Phil Ford on Monday night for driving while intoxicated. Ford, who had a blood alcohol con tent of .24 at the time of his arrest, was pulled over at 9:37 p.m. after failing to stop at a red light on U.S. 15-501, Hard Rain Hits Town, University Tuesday's rain caused trees to fall on power lines, leaving several residents in the dark early this morning. By Ginny Sciabbarrasi Assistant City Editor Pounding rain on already saturated grounds caused flooding, power outages and several accidents throughout Chapel Hill on Tuesday night. The National Weather Service placed Orange County and the surrounding area under a flash flood warning as rains associated with a cold front slowly pushed through the area, dumping sev eral inches in the county before moving east. Residents along Weaver Street in Chapel Hill were plunged into darkness when a tree downed power lines. “What we’ve got here is a broken pole,” said Greg Clarke, Duke Power spokesman. Clarke said 10 businesses and house holds remained without power, but he expected it to be restored by 3 a.m. One other tree fell in town, but there were no serious damages reported. Chapel Hill police Capt. Tony Oakley said the police had responded to accidents all day. “Usually they were just rear-end fender-benders,” he said. “Somebody slid on the wet pavement. Basically it was people not slowing down when they should.” Oakley said Brookline Condominiums across from University Mall had close to a foot of water in the parking lot but the water receded quick ly as the rain ceased. “(That’s in) the See WEATHER, Page 8 Bills Seek to Increase Grants Two bills, which passed both chambers of Congress, will be voted on this week in committee meetings. By Kimberly Grabiner Staff Writer On the eve of possible floor votes, committees in both chambers of the U.S. Congress passed similar bills affect ing the future of financial aid in higher education. Provisions in this legislation would significantly increase Pell Grants and funding for work-study programs, even though the House Appropriations sub committee bill calls for a $99 million cut in total financial aid funding. The full House Appropriations Committee will vote Thursday on the bill, which gained subcommittee approval last Thursday. The full Senate will vote on a similar bill either today or Thursday. according to police reports. In the wake of Ford’s arrest, UNC Sports Information issued a press release stating that Ford would take an indefi nite medical leave from his duties with the team. “Coach Ford certainly regrets the incident and the embarrassment it has caused himself and the University,” UNC men’s basketball head coach Bill Guthridge stated in the release. “Obviously, I am concerned about Coach Ford’s health and well-being and will do what I can to support him at this time.” In the release, Ford stated he would do all he could to continue to earn the respect and support given to him by the dSBH ' 97 • Y ” 1 Sr . m DTH/GEOFFREY WESSEL Water begins to seep into the Writing Center on Tuesday night. The center, located in the basement of Phillips Annex, often floods during heavy rainfalls. Managing the Money Both brancherof Congress are scheduled to vote on bills this week that would increase funding lor Pell Grants but would slash $99 million in other student financial aid programs. 2000 Fiscal Year 1999 Fiscal Year House of Pell Grant Representatives (maximum grant) $3,275 $3,125 TRIO Program $660 million S6OO million Senate Pell Grant $3,325 $3,125 Work Study increase of $64 million fK ■ Total student financial assistance down $99 million \ [ \ SOURCE: LABOR. HEALTH HUMAN SERVICES AND EDUCATION APPROPRIATIONS DTH/HANNAH HOLLAR U.S. Rep. David Price, D-N.C., opposed any cuts, including Clinton’s requested $165 million cut, said spokesman Thomas Bates. “Congressman Price is committed to fighting for adequate funding for high er education means,” he said. “Things are tough, and it is too bad Wednesday, September 29, 1999 Volume 107, Issue 84 yj^WpWM University and the men’s basketball program. “That’s all I can really say right now,” Ford said Tuesday in a tele phone interview. “I was told not to talk about it.” The 43-year old assistant coach was released from Durham County Jail on Monday night after posting $2,400 bail, an UNC assistant coach Phil Ford is expected to return for the start of the Tar Heels' season. official at the jail said. they are taking it out of the hides of edu cation.” The cut would affect overall financial aid funding and student assistance pack ages, such as the LEAP program for low-income students. See FUNDING, Page 8 Laws go where dollars please. Portuguese Proverb According to the release, Ford has hired an attorney, who, along with Ford, would deal with any legal issues involved. Ford is scheduled to appear in Durham County District Court on Oct. 21. In the meantime, he will undergo a full medical evaluation to determine when he will return to his job with the basketball team. “It’s an indefinite leave of absence,” said Steve Kirschner, UNC’s director of media relations for football and men’s basketball. “It could be a couple of days or a couple of months.” UNC Director of Athletics Dick Baddour said Tuesday night that Ford would be back from his leave of absence in time for the start of basketball season, UNC Leaders Split on Effects Of Possible Tuition Increase By Lauren Shouse Staff Writer While administrators say that boosts in financial aid will soften the blow of possible tuition increases, student lead ers believe the measure would prove harmful to the financial makeup of the student body. Since the release of national rankings that showed UNC fell below its peer institutions in faculty salaries, adminis trators have been batting around the idea of a tuition increase to bridge the pay gap. Officials say a tuition increase will not be detrimental to students as long as they are informed about finan cial aid options, but student leaders said an increase would be detrimental to attracting lower income students to the University in the future. “What the research says today is that increased tuition in not a deterrent for middle-low income students as long as there is aid to compensate them,” said and no replacement would be necessary. UNC opens its regular season Nov. 22. Baddour said he would not comment on whether granting a medical leave fol lowing Ford’s arrest indicated that Ford had an ongoing alcohol problem. “We’re looking at this situation and evaluating this situation as it applies to the circumstances,” Baddour said. Ford has admittedly had problems with drugs and alcohol in the past. The combination of these troubles and an eye injury that caused him to suf fer from double vision cut short his promising professional basketball career, which began with his winning the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 1979 with the Kansas City Kings. Financial Concerns Divide N.C. Officials Focusing on flood victims remains a top priority for some officials, while others push for educational needs. f By Jennifer Chan Staff Writer Educators and legislators say they expect to duel dining the next legislative session over the financial needs of both flood victims and state educational insti tutions. Some education advocates have voiced concerns that aid for flood vic tims would deplete already strapped state coffers, limiting the possibility that legislators will honor several ambitious UNC funding requests. UNC-sys tem President Legislators Argue Effects of Floyd On N.C. Budget See Page 6 Molly Broad announced Monday her plan to present the system’s three main budget requests - capital improve ments, need-based financial aid pro grams and faculty salary increases -as a package when she goes before the leg islature in May. Sen. Roy Cooper 111, D-Edgecombe, said he had a strong commitment to public education. “Education is the No. 1 priority of the state budget,” Cooper said. “Public edu cation should be the last item cut.” But other officials expressed a greater immediate need to aid flood victims. Rep. James Ellis, R-Wake, said he questioned whether the N.C. General Assembly would discuss a revised bond package. “It’ll be hard to consider anew bond package when one-third of the state can’t survive,” Ellis said. Broad also said aiding the flood vic tims should be addressed first Shirley Ort, associate provost and direc tor of the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid. Other officials said the tuition increase would not keep top-notch stu dents from attending UNC. “If they’re qualified, we can make it work out financially,” said Faculty Chairman Pete Andrews. But despite such assurance from administrators, students leaders say they do not believe the situation will work so evenly in reality. Graduate and Professional Student Federation President Lee Conner said that although UNC would have a full student body next year, the effects might ripple to a future pool of applicants. After the Chancellor’s Committee on Faculty Salaries and Benefits suggested the short-term solution of a tuition increase at a Monday meeting, Heinke and Conner said they anticipated tuition See AID, Page 8 News/Features/Arts/Sports 962-0245 Business/Advertising 962-1163 Chapel Hill, North Carolina © 1999 DTH Publishing Corp. All rights reserved. On May 8, 1987, he admitted to The Charlotte Observer that he used cocaine while playing in the NBA. But cocaine was not the only sub stance Ford had problems with. “Mosdy my drug of choice was alco hol,” Ford said in the article. Ford left the NBA in 1985 and has been a UNC men’s basketball assistant since 1987. Asa point guard for the Tar Heels, Ford earned National Player of the Year honors in 1978. Assistant Sports Editor Rachel Carter and Sports Editor Brian Murphy contributed to this article. The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu. “Flood relief is (our) highest priority, period,” Broad said. “It’s important for North Carolinians to rally together.” With the help of Federal Emergency Management Agency, Broad said North Carolina hoped to recoup its losses. She said UNC-system schools were mobilizing faculty and students to help flood victims in every way. “In all areas where the universities have expertise, they are helping,” she said. Because of the aid, UNC-Chapel Hill Student Body President Nick Heinke said it was crucial for University funding to remain consistent. “It’s important to realize how much the universities are doing to help out,” Heinke said. “They should not be ignored.” Graduate and Professional Student Federation President Lee Conner echoed Heinke’s sentiments. “If the state can’t help us immediately, they need to make a plan for the long-term,” he said. But officials said they could not fully determine the needs of people in eastern N.C. until flood waters subsided. “We haven’t gotten a grasp yet about what (the state) can do,” said Sen. Brad Miller, D-Wake. Miller said there was a “rainy day fund,” a state savings account for an emergency that currendy amounts to about half a billion dollars. He said the fund would ideally be appropriated for emergency aid, preventing the need to tap into other sources of revenue. “I would hate for the real needs of the UNC schools to be played off of the needs of the flood victims," Miller said. Board of Governors member Hiram Grainger said he hoped UNC’s funding would not suffer as a result of the hurri cane. “We’re not going to lessen our efforts to increase UNC funding, but nobody expected this,” Grainger said. “We all just have to be human about it* The State & National Editor can be reached atstntdesk@unc.edu. Wednesday Transportation Savvy Chapel Hill Town Council candidate Ruby Sinreich stopped people exiting the bus on Franklin Street to explain her goals for revamping the Chapel Hill transit system. See Page 5. Have Your Say Applications for the Joanna Howell Fund, which honors the memory of a DTH editorial writer who died in the 1996 Phi Gamma Delta fraternity fire, will be available at the DTH front desk in Suite 104 of the Student Union and are due by Oct. 4. The fund provides $250 for a student to write an in-depth article about an issue affecting the University community. The article will be published in the DTH. Today’s Weather Rain; High 70s. Thursday: Sunny, Low 70s.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Sept. 29, 1999, edition 1
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