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iatlu ®ar 9 News J? Serving the students and the University comm unit}' since 1893 Poor Poll Turnout Blamed on Apathy Voter turnout for this year's municipal elections was nearly 4 percent lower than county projections. By Kathleen Wirth Staff Writer Voter turnout for this year’s munici pal elections was one of the lowest of the decade, with only 16.5 percent of Orange County’s registered voters going to the polls to make their voices heard. In 1997, 22.3 percent of registered voters turned out, and in 1993, more than 30 percent cast ballots. Of the 64,407 residents who are registered to vote, ijl : , . v only 10,648 made the trip to the more than 40 polling sites in the county. Chapel Hill Mayor Rosemary Waldorf, who easily captured a third term by defeating challenger Susan Franklin by a margin of 1,634 votes, said voters had been going to the polls less frequently over the past decade. “(Voter) turnout has been dropping since 1991,” Waldorf said. “A lot of folks register buf don’t intend to actually vote.” Diane Brown, chairman of the Orange County Board of Elections, said the turnout was lower than the board had expected. “We estimated about 20 percent,” she said. “But, in every election, we always hope for more than we actually get.” Town Council member Flicka Bateman said low voter turnout could be attributed to less rivalry between the candidates. “I think (the turnout) was abysmal,” Bateman said. “The school board elections weren’t very controversial, which usually brings Construction Continues to Cover South Campus By Will Foushee Staff Writer As the messy excavation of Manning Drive begins to increasingly resemble the face of the moon, students on South Campus should get used to the site. With a hole more than 20 feet deep in the middle of the intersection of Manning Drive and Ridge Road, offi cials from Pipeline Utilities, who are per forming the excavations, said they would be finished with their current hole at Manning Drive by Friday. But they will then move to the next section of the pipeline, which rests on Ridge Road only 10 feet from where the current hole rests. The project consists of replacing the SOCCER GIANTS DTH/SEFTONIPOCK Guadolupe Galvan works to complete a mural of three former North Carolina stars that played on the U.S. World Cup team. The mural, which honors Mia Hamm, Carla Overbeck and Kristine Lilly, will adorn Fetzer Field throughout this weekend's ACC Tournament. See Page 13. He who would rule must hear and be deaf, see and be blind. German proverb out more voters, and the rain didn’t help either.” Brown attributed a lack of opposition in the Carrboro mayor and Board of Aldermen races to the depressed voter turnout. “I think a lot of people thought ‘What’s the point in voting for the mayor - he’s going to win anyway?’” Brown said. Town Council member Pat Evans said low student voter turnout was because of confusion over the many dif ferent campus voting precincts. “With four different precincts, you really have to be determined to vote,” she said. “It doesn’t make it easy for young people to vote.” Some UNC students said indiffer ence to the races and to politics in gen eral were to blame for the low student turnout in the elections. “A lot of students don’t consider (vot ing) important to their daily fives,” said Susannah Kirby, a junior psychology major. “On campus you tend to feel really isolated from the rest of the community.” Rebecca Evans, a junior internation al studies major, said she did not follow the elections or the candidates. “I didn’t pay attention to the races,” Rebecca said. “When you’re on a college campus, you’re not informed about what’s hap pening in the real world.” Evans said she would support con solidating the four voting precincts on campus - an idea explored by Student Government last year - to promote stu dent voter turnout in the next elections. “I think having all the students vote at Fetzer (Gym) would encourage greater student participation,” Evans said. “I would certainly support that.” The City Editor can be reached at dtydesk@unc.edu. steamline, a central campus loop that provides heat and hot water for campus buildings. Eddie Short, building systems engi neer and head engineer for the project, said the work would conclude in late spring. The project has been held up by delays and changes with the engineers plans, Pipeline Utilities officials said. With three different locations now excavated along Manning Drive, con struction projects cover campus. Maj. Jeff McCracken, deputy director of public safety, said there was no defi nite plan for traffic patterns during upcoming UNC basketball games because the timeline for the project would vary. “We plan on playing it by Thursday, November 4, 1999 Volume 107, Issue 108 What UNC Needs Next New Chancellor Must Juggle Many Demands By Sophia Raff Staff Writer Members of the University community are under no illusions as they eagerly await a nominee to fill the shoes of the late Chancellor Michael Hooker. While they remember Hooker’s initiatives and leadership, they also see the tangible problems he left behind. They see a campus pressed for classroom and research space and plagued by worn buildings. They grapple with faculty salary woes and funding inadequacies that prevent them from fulfilling their scholarly pursuits. And while many campus leaders fondly remem ber Hooker’s inspirational qualities, they look to the future with more specific interests in mind. “We need a tremendous academic leader: a super man or superwoman ... (who is) a leader before a mind-boggling diverse array of constituents in the public arena and ... government agencies,” said School of Law Dean Gene Nichol. As the December deadline approaches for the Chancellor Search Committee to recommend; candidate for the post, UNC faculty are formulat ing a wish-list of require ments for the upcoming leader. Facilities and Research Many professors complain daily that their teaching and research environments are inadequate. They demand a new chancellor capable of generat ing money for facility renovations and more research space. “Imagine that a student walks into one of the most prestigious universities on the planet, and then they walk into Venable ear on the nights with the games or con certs,” he said. “All we can do is impro vise with what we have.” Short said the steam pipeline would run between the Manning intersection on South Campus to UNC Hospitals further up Manning Drive. He said the biggest aspects of the pro ject would be a manhole that would be placed at the crossing in front of Morrison Residence Hall and the inter section near Bennett Building. “We will be working with the parking department to backfill holes by die time the events start.” The pipeline will run from the inter section past Chase Hall and Morrison and cross the street to the Craige Parking Deck side of Manning. It will Elections Today for Mr., Ms. UNC Students' identifications will be checked against a photo database to make sure no one votes twice. By Derick Mattern Staff Writer Students have a chance today to sup port their choice for the next Mr. and Ms. UNC as part of the Carolina Athletic Association’s “Carolina Blitz.” Students can cast their votes for Homecoming candidates from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m in Union 211 and from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Chase Hall. The candi- Homecoming Multicultural Extravaganza See Page 3 dates include seniors Belinda Sue McSwain, Jessica Anderson, Niccole Cosby, Kathleen Bones and Erika Hamilton for Ms. UNC and David Cooke and Charles Mitchell for Mr. UNC. Students must have their UNC ONE Hall,” said Department of Chemistry Chairman Edward Samulski, referring to one of UNC’s most notably antiquated buildings. “Do you find yourself asking, ‘Have I made a mistake?’” Linda Dykstra, dean of the Graduate School and vice provost for research studies, said the new chan cellor needed to support such science initiatives. “We need someone to support the need for cap ital improvements for research facilities, such as the new science complex,” she said. “We need (the new chancellor) to realize our mission as a Research One Institution.” • new chancellor also must essential to build the Univei to the height it deserves, “We’re the best scl he said. “T 1 want the chancelloi “We will help I nent agencies,” said ( \ building, but he ha: sicho! Facilities The call for a ch: ine approaches for \ tively gamer funds fro arch \ / an age-< a dema dud f CCI &\ ” tf m / \ JK Hr “We plan on playing it by ear on the nights with the games or concerts. All we can do is improvise with what we have. ” Maj. Jeff McCracken Deputy Director of Public Safety proceed up Manning toward UNC Hospitals until it reaches the Gravely Street intersection, where it will cross the street and tie into UNC Hospitals. Students said the construction had been a disruption to their daily activities. Matt Atkinson, a freshman who fives in Morrison, said the construction on Cards or both their Social Security card and driver’s license, said Elections Board Chairwoman Catherine Yates. Identification will be checked against a photo database to ensure that no one votes more than once. Yates said that if someone did attempt to vote twice, he or she would be charged in the Honor Court. Because of complications with the Scantron automatic ballot counting machine, the Elections Board will count all the ballots by hand tonight, she said. The members will split into two groups, each counting all of the ballots. Yates will then combine the results with the candidates’ earlier interview score, weighted at 25 percent of the total, to determine the winner. In the case of a tie, there will be a runoff Friday. “We’re praying we won’t have that problem,” Yates said. Mr. and Ms. UNC will be announced during halftime of Saturday’s football game against Wake Forest University. This year marks a change in the elec tions organization. Following controver sy over ballots and Homecoming rules last November, Student Government In November 1998, Hooker proposed creating a biomedical research park on the Horace Williams Tract, an 800-acre land area off Airport Road owned by the University. The use of the land for scientific research is still under debate. Samulski said Hooker sup ported the science complex proposal, which would com bine classroom space with new research facilities. The new chancellor also must believe the facility is essential to build the University’s science reputation to the height it deserves, Samulski said. The call for a chancellor who can effec tively gamer funds from a variety of sources is South Campus disrupted fife for stu dents. “It wakes me up in the morning with the loud pounding noises when they are breaking up the concrete,” he said. Atkinson, who is a first-year member of the wrestling team, said it had even altered his practices. “It even affects run ning on South Campus,” he said. Richard Rollins, a junior political sci ence major who fives in Hinton James Residence Hall, said the construction was a nuisance. He said the biggest problem was that he felt uninformed about the entire project. “Students don’t know what they are doing.” The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu. passed legislation and changed the Student Code to take the responsibility away from the CAA and into the hands of the Elections Board. Yates said candidates were now required to conform to Elections Board publicity standards. “It’s a lot different because there’s no guidelines (for Homecoming elections) in the code.” The candidates can only spend SSO on publicity and cannot place posters in certain areas, such as the Pit. For every illegal flier, candidates are fined 50 cents and if there are more than 25 fliers, the candidate is disqualified. Candidates have used other methods to promote their platforms. Bones said she sent mass e-mail mes sages to listservs and passed out buttons for her campaign, focusing on South Campus, where most of the students are freshmen. “It seems that a lot of fresh men don’t know the candidates.” The CAA posted fliers and hosted candidates in the Pit to encourage stu dents to vote. The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu. News/Features/Arts/Sports 96241245 Business/Advertising 962-1163 Chapel Hill, North Carolina © 1999 DTH Publishing Corp. All rights reserved. The Search Is On on UNC's search for its next chancellor “We’re the best school in the state for sci ences,” he said. “The facts show it, and we want the chancellor to see it. “We will help the chancellor get the building, but he has to believe in it.” an age-old request. But that demand escalated this sum- mer after several financial blows rocked UNC. A budget shortfall announced in June creat ed an $11.9 million deficit, which University officials later sliced down to a $6.8 million deficit State legislators also failed to approve y a UNC-system bond package, which could ¥ have provided up to $499 million for campus capital improvements. See NEEDS, Page 4 Carolina, Speak Out! A weekly DTH online poll Should football coach Carl Torbush be fired? I Goto V F& } www.unc.edu/dth to cast your vote. 1 INSIDE Thursday Start of a New Season Minus four players,the UNC womens basketball team suffered an 82-77 loss to Russia in its exhibition opener at Carmichael Auditorium. See Page 13. Anime Entertainment ' *\ Japanese \ . 1 \ Evaded HP**-" * \ the \ r-Mdsyij u.s. Ac* Y \ ture ’ \ from movie screens comic books,finding unlimited popularity with kids. Now, the fad is beginning to catch on with the older generation. See Page 5. Take Part in History Who has been the most influential figure at UNC or in Chapel Hill during the past 10 years? The Daily Tar Heel wants to know in preparation for the finale of our Destination 2000 series. E-mail DTH Editor Rob Nelson at rnelson@email.unc.edu or go to www.unc.edu/dth to cast your vote. Today’s Weather Sunny; High SOs. Friday: Sunny. High 60s.
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Nov. 4, 1999, edition 1
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