Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Jan. 14, 2000, edition 1 / Page 4
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4 Friday, January 14, 2000 Area Schools Consider New Japanese Curricula BY GINNY SCEABBARRASI Assistant City Editor An increasing Asian population in Chapel Hill and Carrboro has ignited a growing interest in Asian languages and cultures as part of school curricula. Three schools, Chapel Hill High School, East Chapel Hill High School and Guy B. Phillips Middle School, have expressed interest in integrating Japanese into foreign language pro grams. "We will have between 58 to 62 lan guage groups in the (Chapel Hill- Carrboro City Schools) system,” said Josephine Harris, director of special pro grams and the world languages pro gram. “Of those, the top five languages are Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Portuguese and then on. That’s probably one reason why there is a call to increase the world language pro gram." Alton Cheek, principal at Phillips Middle School, said his school became interested in includingjapanese in the foreign language program after the school received a grant to acquaint the faculty with Asian cultures. “About 11 percent of the student pop ulation that's coming to Phillips has an Asian background,” he said. Cheek said the middle school offered Japanese as a possible course when stu dents registered for the 1999-2000 school year, but they were forced to scrap the program after a faculty short age. “About 50 students were interested BOARD From Page 3 waiver itself still had to pass through UNC-system officials before it could take effect. “The waiver is being brought to this board so that it can be forward ed on to the University system,” he said. The UNC system has the final deci sion because it formulates all college admissions requirements throughout the See Better ipl# Without Glasses Or Contacts If you are nearsighted or farsighted, you might not Jj S need to wear glasses or contact lenses to see clearly anymore. Laser refractive surgery, which improves the SgJRJRJVHH eve's ability to focus by gentlv reshaping the cornea is highlv effective in correcting the most common vision problems. -Kuffißraijfi9||p UNC Health Care ophthalmologists perform two types SQSEgXQyH 1,1 ' aser surgery to safely improve vision without significant pain or side effects. To learn more or to schedule I |J^ I an eye exam , call the UNC I I Department of Ophthalmology ujrA ITUCm ~ at (919) 966-5296. MtAL I HLAKt Now Open New Health Affairs Bookstore Bea part of UNCs Health Affairs community at the medical bookstore’s new facility. Explore your interest in the health professional fields by working with UNC’s best and brightest students, faculty and staff. The new 4 story facility features health, medical and science based professional reference, classroom textbooks, clothing and gifts, medical equipment, health professional apparel and foot wear. Student and Temporary positions are now available in sales, customer service and operations. Because we’re open from 7am-6pm Monday through Friday and 10am-2pm on Saturdays, we are able to accommodate flexible schedules. Please call 962-5066 for application information or stop by our new location located at 101 N. Medical Drive. and signed up for Japanese,” he said. “Unfortunately, there were some short ages with teachers so we had to reorga nize them within the school.” Harris said Chapel Hill High School offered Japanese language courses via satellite for approximately three years until a cut in funding halted teaching. She said funding for teachers would come partially from a three-year grant and from local funds built into the school board’s budget. “We’ll know by March if (the pro gram is) funded by the grant,” she said. “The rest must go through the school board, who will be meet ing in February for their budget retreat.” Ryuko Kubota, “Because of Japan’s economic strength, resources such as online information are available more readily. ” Ryuko Kubota UNC School of Education an assistant professor in both UNC’s School of Education and the Department of Asian Studies who assist ed in the grant application, said three grants were given annually by the Japan Foundation. The foundation receives 40 to 50 applications a year for the grants, she said. “The grant itself is very competitive, so we don’t know if we’re going to get it,” Kubota said. Maryanne Rosenman, a member of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education, said the board would con sider the proposal by the schools at Thursday’s meeting. state. Although some have questioned the validity of dropping class rank, UNC system Information Services Director Robert Hill said he knew of several suc cessful private and public out-of-state high schools that did not use class rank. He said, “Those schools find other ways (to show their students abilities).” The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu. “Its definitely worthwhile to try it,” she said. “People will speak by registering or not registering for it.” Kubota said Japanese was the fifth most commonly taught language in the United States. It was behind Spanish, French, German and I>atin. “It’s the most commonly taught ‘least commonly taught’ language,” she said. “Because ofjapan’s economic strength, resources such as online information are available more readily.” Instructors would come from UNC, where the language depart ment and the School of Education offers licensing in Japanese teaching, Harris said. Kubota said that when the School of Education started the master of arts pro gram in teaching, there were some par ticipants who enrolled in kindergarten through 12th-grade Japanese teaching lessons. “We desperately need schools to place our teachers to teach here,” she said. “There are schools far away where they can teach, but they are in Raleigh or in Greensboro, and it would be much easier for our teachers to teach here.” The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu. FLU From Page 3 Durrett said the company’s facilities did not experience overcrowding or a shortage of physicians, but visitors were cautioned when entering treatment cen ters due to an unusually high risk of infection. “If you don’t absolutely have to come, don’t,” she said. But Durrett remained fairly opti mistic. “We’re probably two-thirds of the way through the worst part, and within 10 days to two weeks we should return to a more ‘normal’ flu season,” Durrett said. Officials continue to recommend tra ditional remedies such as flu shots, rest and plenty of water to keep the immune system healthy and even to avoid large crowds if necessary. The CDC also reminded the public c Tired of juggling M a budget? OtjOl Participate in our life-saving & financially rewarding plasma donation program. IMMEDIATE COMPENSATION! Donors Earn up to $165 per Month! AH ★ New and( >n< rs earn S2O for first visit, $35 for the second visit Mr u within 7 days. / f New donors call for appointment. Oa// or stop by: parking validated Sera-Tec www.citysearch.com/RDU/SeraTec 1091/2 E. Franklin St, Chapel Hill • 942-0251 • M-THIO-6; FlO-4 BON* FIDE PRODUCTIONS . ; muuc TtuvraioN* TM, <3 i Copyright (p 1999 by Paramount Picture* All Rtflin* Reserved. The locally-owned ■■■■■■■■ video alternative. I VKAr# V FRANKLIN ST: 967-9248 I M CHAPEL HILL: on Elliott Road, 929-4584 L lue o S TIMBERLYNE: 929-7634 CARRBORO: next to Cat’s Cradle. 932-1945 City Wicked Restaurant Packs Up Corporate officials say they will not release any details about the Jan. 4 closing of the Wicked Burrito. By Sarah Brier Staff Writer Even with a prime location, the Wicked Burrito Mexican restaurant could not stay open once the Lone Star Corporation decided to close 25 of its restaurants effective Jan. 4. One of a score of local Mexican eateries. The Wicked Burrito, located at 214 W. Franklin St., originally opened about five years ago in Chapel Hill as a concept restaurant, said Robert Humphreys, executive director of the Downtown Commission. “It is the only Wicked Burrito any where,” he said. “If it worked, it would become anew chain.” Shortly after the restaurant opened, a new group of investors purchased the Lone Star Steakhouse chain and they did not build any additional Wicked Burrito restaurants, Humphreys said. HEALTH From Page 3 Covington said there were other ways that students could protect themselves from the virus, such as washing their hands after coughing or sneezing, even when using a tissue. “If you’re really sick, do everyone a favor, and don’t go to class,” she said. She said the primary method for flu control was the vaccination, offered at SHS for sls. It takes about two weeks that influenza was not a harmless ail ment, like the common cold, but a seri ous respiratory disease that leads to “approximately 20,000 deaths and (more than) 110,000 hospitalizations each year” nationwide. Those most at risk include the very young, the elderly and especially those who already suffer from respiratory problems. But Turney stressed that the outcome depended heavily on precautions taken by the public. “ There is still time for people to get flu shots,” he said. CDC officials at the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services issued statements claiming that flu shots covered all the predominant strains. Turney said, “What will happen in North Carolina remains to be seen.” The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu. “The investors were only interested in the steak house part of it,” he said. “So after the beginning of the concept, new owners came in who didn’t have any interest in it.” In a press release earlier this month the Lone Star corporation announced the closing of 24 domestic Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon restaurants and one Mexican restaurant, the Wicked Burrito, supposedly for financial rea sons. The report stated, “Restaurants to be closed had sales of approximately $2.1 million and combined restaurant level loss of approximately $2.8 million.” The press release also stated the clos ing of these restaurants would provide resources for other programs within the corporation. “Closing the underperforming restau rants will allow the company to contin ue focusing on its existing program of additional staffing and operation improvements in the remaining restau rants,” the release stated. Joel Harper, president of Chapel Hill’s Chamber of Commerce, said he had heard no official word on why the restaurant had closed but was not sur- for students to develop full immunity. Covington also said the vaccine was only good for one year because Influenza A has proteins on its coat that change as the virus travels around the world. The vaccine gives students a partial immunity to Influenza B, however, because the proteins do not change. Laura Cockrell, a freshman from West Jefferson, was infected by the virus even though she had been vaccinated. “I threw up more times in one night than I have in my entire life,” Cockrell Architects Look Up, Not Out in Carrboro By Walter Her/ Staff Writer Local architects have released a plan to revamp downtown Carrboro in hopes of convincing residents, business es and town officials to control urban sprawl over the next 20 years. The independent plan calls for build ings as tall as six stories in the down town district, more green space and less reliance on automobile transportation, among other things. Chatham County architect James Carnahan led the planning effort. “When talk of sprawl began here about three years ago, I thought it was important for designers to get involved and discover what kind of solutions are needed,” he said. Carnahan said the plan involved growing upward instead of out, in the form of taller buildings that would pro vide spaces for housing and businesses. The plan also suggests reducing the dependence on cars by encouraging public transportation, bicycle paths and walking. There is even a proposed elec tric train. Carnahan and fellow architect Giles Blunden came up with a rough plan last June and invited other area architects to join them. Their team now numbers five. “In a way, it’s a fantasy, not a pro jected product,” he said. “It’s a projec tion of what could possibly happen.” Alderman Allen Spalt said Carnahan’s plan was not the kind that could be easily implemented. “The idea has not been formally discussed by the board,” Spalt said. “This is not a devel opment proposal with specific legal requests. This is a very broad thing.” Spalt said parts of the plan would be discussed by growth committees such as the Vision 2020 task force, which is “Studying Abroad Can Change Your Life” Come and find out about UNC Year at Montpellier, FRANCE Informational Meeting Where? Dey Hall, Room 113 UNC-Chapel Hill Campus When? Wednesday, January 19, 2000 3:30-s:oopm Video followed by discussion with last year’s UNC Year at Montpellier participants. For directions, call (919) 962-0154 or look us up at web: http://www.unc.edu/depts/mont email: mont@unc.edu “Living in Montpellier was the best experience of my life and the best year of my life!” -1998-1999 Participant (Lbs Satlij aar Hppl prised by a lack of notification. “Nine times out of 10, when busi nesses close, there is no official word,” Harper said. “It was a good location and business was strong. Speculation is that it was a corporate decision." The Lone Star corporation contact John White was not available for com ment. But Paula Hules, White’s secre tary, said no further comment would be available until after the corporation’s earning release on Feb. 3. “We are sort of at a quiet period,” she said. The property is a valuable piece of real estate as far as Humphreys is con cerned. “I speculate that people are interest ed in the space but there are no plans at this moment,” he said. Harper said he anticipated anew business at the site, but was not sure how long it would take. “There is no word yet of anything taking its place but there is no lack of interest at that site,” Harper said. “It will take a while but sooner or later the property will be filled.” The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu. said. She said she probably caught the bug from another student because her symptoms arose immediately after the fall semester ended. Students continue to rely upon the vaccine to help them escape the bug. “Students are still wanting to be vac cinated, but better late than never,” Covington said. “Living on campus is like living in a fish bowl. (The virus) really spreads.” The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu. independent of Carnahan’s growth pro ject. Carnahan said the town of Carrboro could use his team’s proposals as a “menu," and pick and choose the ideas that best benefited the town. Blunden said most residents have responded well to the proposals, which were unveiled to the public last week. “It’s a positive plan, with something in it for everybody,” he said. “It’s a vision of a different Carrboro with the same pos itive features, but more of them.” Blunden said no one should feel threatened because the plan would only work with the cooperation of business es. “We have no intention of removing people or forcing them out,” he said. “It’s their choice.” Alderman Diana McDuffee said she was pleased with the efforts of Carnahan’s team. “1 think it’s a terrific, original idea,” she said. “It shows what a creative, talented team can achieve when envisioning what Carrboro could do without any restraints.” Though the plan was designed with a 20-year time frame, Carnahan said his proposals could take action earlier than that. “It’s just a question of having the will of the community and the interest of the property owners,” he said. Both McDuffee and Spalt said the concepts and suggestions made by Carnahan’s team would help Carrboro plan for the future. “It will be part of the raw material for the Vision 2020 process,” Spalt said. “It will be dis cussed, and some elements of the plan will almost definitely be adopted. “We are going to grow,” he said. “The question is whether we will grow smart or grow stupid." The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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