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The University and Towns
In Brief
RHA, CAA to Sponsor
Pregame Pep Rally
Students have the chance to cele
brate before the UNC vs. Duke
University basketball game at a pep
rally at Hinton James Residence Hall
tonight.
Free food and live music will be pro
vided at the rally, which will begin at
6:30 p.m. and last until 8:30 p.m.
Refreshments are being provided by
several local establishments, including
BW-3 Restaurant, Gumby’s Pizza and
Subway.
' ESPN will be at the pep rally after 7
p.m. Planned activities include speakers
about the student seating situation at the
Smith Center, a hotly debated topic
since students crowded the Smith
Center at last week’s basketball game.
Sorority Set to Sponsor
Annual Shamrock Race
Kappa Delta sorority will sponsor a
5-K race at 10 p.m. Feb. 19 with 20 per
cent of the proceeds going to the
National Committee to Prevent Child
Abuse and 80 percent to local child
abuse programs.
Participants can register for the race
Feb. 14 to Feb. 18 in the Pit and also the
day of the race. The cost of the event is
$lO, which includes a t-shirt, post-race
entertainment and raffle.
For more information, call 960-8109
or search the Web page at
http://www.unc.edu/sludent/orgs/kd/fm
ain.html.
Binder Receives Award
For Top Greek Service
Ron Binder, director of the Office of
Greek Affairs, has received the
Fraternity Advisors’ Distinguished
Service Award for 2000.
Binder was one of five fraternity and
Sorority advisors selected for the annu
al award. Binder has been a Greek
adviser for 14 years. He was recognized
for his achievements in risk manage
ment and scholarship.
School of Law to Host
Race, Class Conference
The fourth annual Conference on
Race, Class, Gender and Ethnicity, co
sponsored by the UNC School of Law
and the UNC School of Social Work
will be held Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to
5:30 p.m. The conference will take
place at the School of Social Work.
Registration is free for students and
sls for non-students.
For more information, contact
Mary Lee Perry by e-mail at muper
ry@email.unc.edu or Dana RudikolT by
phone at 969-9733.
Youth Ballet to Hold
International Dance
, The Triangle Youth Ballet is sponsor
ing an International Day of Dance
Dance-A-Thon.
The event, which will last from noon
until 7 p.m. Feb. 5, is being held to ben
efit the Jacqueline C. Barnett
Scholarship fund.
The scholarship is designed to help
young aspiring dancers to attend the
pre-professional summer dance pro
gram of their choice.
Classes offered include Irish Step
Dancing, Flamenco, Scottish Highland,
Indian, American Swing, Chinese and
European Folk. Tickets are $lO per class
or SSO for the whole day. All dancers
are invited to attend.
Ballroom Dance Studio
Offers February Classes
The Fred Astaire Studio, located on
4702 Garrett Road in Durham, is offer
ing ballroom dancing, the Triangle
Star Dusters ballroom dance.
The cost for the dance, which is from
8 p.m. until 11 p.m. Feb. 12, is $5 for
members and students and $lO for oth
ers. Couples and singles are both wel
come.
For more information, call 942-7232.
Award Nominations
Get Later Due Date
Nominations for the Pauli Murray
Awards that were due in the
Department of Human Rights and
Relations offices onjan. 31 are now due
to the offices Feb. 14, because of
inclement weather.
Nomination materials are available at
the Orange County Department of
Human Rights and Relations in
Hillsborough, Orange County public
libraries, Chapel Hill and Carrboro and
Hillsborough town halls. For more
information, call 245-2250.
From Staff Reports
Employees Select New Leadership for Forum
Bv Geoff Wessel
Staff Writer
The University’s Employee Forum
elected a chairwoman at its February
meeting Wednesday, filling a leadership
position that had been vacant for a
month.
The forum, which is comprised of
representatives from nine employee
divisions, elected Assistant Registrar
Joanne Kucharski as chairwoman for the
year 2000.
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A triptych, which is a three-part painting, by Vickie Mitchell is one of three finalists in a contest sponsored by the Chapel Hill
Town Council. The winning artwork will be placed in Town Hall. The triptych features familiar architecture from around tne town.
Town Unveils Public Art Finalists
The artist of the chosen piece
will receive $4,000 and must
finish the commissioned project
by July 1 of this year.
By Waiter Her/
Staff Writer
Three local artists are vying for the oppor
tunity to add a little color to the walls of Chapel
Hill’s government offices.
Painters Vickie Mitchell and Katherine
Schlessinger and weaver Anita Wolfenden have
all submitted artwork in a competition to cover
a bare brick wall in the Chapel Hill Town Hall.
Karen Slotta, a staff member of Chapel Hill
Public Arts, said the artists turned in submis
sions after the Town Council advertised for a
piece of artwork to hang in Town Hall.
“These are the finalists,” she said. “They had
about eight weeks to finish their models, and
they turned them in on jan. 18.”
Slotta said a community panel would meet at
Town Hall at 5:30 p.m. today to review the
works and possibly make a decision on which
artist earned the wall space.
“The panel will interview the artists and ask
them questions about their work,” she said.
“Members of the public are invited to attend.”
The winner will receive $4,000 to finish the
commissioned product, which would have to
be completed by July 1.
Oregon to Emulate
UNC-System Model
By Matthew B. Dees
State & National Editor
Tuition increases. Noncompetitive
faculty salaries. Outdated academic
facilities.
Sound familiar?
Well, it probably isn’t surprising that
the UNC system is not the only higher
education system struggling with these
same problems.
Perhaps more alarming is
the fact that at least one state
is looking to North Carolina
for ways to solve them.
The Oregonian, a major
newspaper based in Portland,
recently ran a series of arti
cles outlining the major prob
I Campus I
| Connection |
lems with the University of Oregon sys
tem.
One article keyed in on the UNC
system, specifically the economic boom
generated by Research Triangle Park, as
a model for how Oregon could revamp
its higher education system.
The reports found that Oregon’s his
torical underfunding of the university
system caused the decline.
It advocated investing in academic
“I’m very proud to be chosen to rep
resent all the employees,” said
Kucharski, who as chairwoman will
serve on committees such as the
Chancellor Search Committee. “I’m
eager to make sure that (employees’)
voices are heard (by the administration).
“I take this role very seriously.”
Health Services Outreach Librarian
Jill Mayer also accepted a nomination
before Wednesday’s forum meeting.
“I think (Kucharski) will be excel
lent,” Mayer said. “She’s very enthusias
Mitchell said she was inspired to enter her
work into the contest by a combination of fac
tors.
“I'm a croud citizen of Chapel Hill, and art
is my livelihood,” she said. a very exciting
process.”
Mitchell’s submission was a triptych, or
three-piece painting, showing famous Chapel
Hill landmarks such as the Bell Tower and
Silent Sam.
“I’m thrilled to live in this area,” she said.
“It’s a great place to live, and Town Hall should
have something that really represents some of
our architectural monuments.”
Mitchell, who has been painting for 15 years,
said her style could be described as abstract
expressionist.
“I’m a colorist and vibrant colors are a very
strong part of my work,” she said. “This piece,
however, is a little bit more figurative than my
other ones.”
Schlessinger said she entered the contest
because she found its premise challenging.
“I had never done a publicly commissioned
work before,” she said. “Also, it’s a rather
daunting space to work with. It would be inter
esting.”
Schlessinger, who submitted a two-piece
abstract oil painting, said her art was her No. 1
priority.
“I consider myself an artist first and other
things second,” she said.
“When I’m not painting, however, I’m a pro
fessional cook.”
programs that would attract partner
ships with private businesses.
Bill Graves, an Oregonian reporter
who worked on the series, said he
focused on the UNC system because it
meshed with the economic and social
fabric of the state so well, creating a
happy marriage between academia and
business. “We decided North Carolina
would be a good place to go because of
the striking relationship with
industry,” Graves said.
“Research Triangle Park
and Centennial Campus (at
N.C. State University) were
just such vivid examples of
that industrial partnership.”
The Oregon system, on the
other hand, has struggled to
turn itself into a viable economic force.
“Industries, if they have a choice, are
going to go to North Carolina because
your universities just have more to
offer,” said Graves, who conducted the
study to show that “there is a cost for not
having a major league university sys
tem.”
He said UNC bested Oregon in
See OREGON, Page 11
News
tic; I think (the forum is) in good hands.
“I have great confidence for the
forum this year.”
Kucharski, who serves as one of three
delegates representing professional
employees on the forum this year, said
she accepted the nomination only after
receiving encouragement from her staff
and from other forum delegates.
“I was caught completely by sur
prise,” she said. “My staff has given me
more than 100 percent. I couldn’t be
here if not for them.”
Wolfenden was the only artist who did not
turn in a painting.
Instead, she submitted the idea and sketch
es for a tapestry.
She said her tapestry would be a large hand
woven hanging basket.
Her sketches, which contain different greens
and blues, revealed her inspiration for her art
work.
“I found an old map in the document room
in the Wilson Library which shows a drawing
made by land surveyor John Daniel in 1792,”
she wrote in her proposal to the Town Council.
“I was intrigued by this map.”
Wolfenden, a native of Sweden, said this
would not be the first time her work would be
shown in the area.
“My work has been exhibited all over the
Triangle, and other various parts of the coun
try,” she said.
“I’ve done commissioned work before. This
is what I do.”
Wolfenden said she was uncertain about her
ability to win the commissioned project.
“I have a small chance against two painters,”
she said. “I’m honored to be part of these three
artists, but I’m not counting my chickens.”
Mitchell also said she was not too sure about
her prospects.
“It’s hard to say,” she said. “I hope I get it,
but if I don’t, my hat’s off to the winner.”
The City Editor can be reached
at citydesk@unc.edu.
Dipping Into a Family Tradition
By Robert Albright
Staff Writer
Julia “Bon” Smith’s cooking experi
ence almost goes as far back as her
unusual nickname.
Asa matter of fact, Smith's entire
family knows quite a bit about the art of
serving up homestyle cooking.
At 13, Smith began working at Bill’s
B-B-Qin Carrboro, which was owned
by her grandfather, Bill Minor.
Smith’s mother, Mildred Council,
opened the Carrboro institution Mama
Dip’s Kitchen 24 years ago.
And in October, at the age of 46,
Smith finally fulfilled her childhood
dream when she opened Bon’s Bar-B-Q
in Carrboro Plaza off N.C. 54.
“I always wanted my own restaurant
growing up," Smith said. “It took me a
little while to get it, but I’ve finally made
it.”
With the clanging of pots and pans,
the savory aroma of barbecue sauce and
a wall full of family pictures behind her,
Smith sat in her own restaurant and
recounted her family’s experience serv
ing food to Chapel Hill and Carrboro
residents for four decades.
“(My mother) has worked long and
hard and taken her restaurant quite far,”
Smith said. “She’s taught me the major
ity of the things I know now.”
Smith is a food service veteran, with
Design technician John Heuer, chair
man of a forum committee, said he sup
ported Kucharski as forum chairwoman.
“I work extensively with (Kucharski),
and I think she’ll make a terrific chair,”
Heuer said. “She’s very dedicated.”
Kucharski said she planned to focus
on staff education programs during her
term. “This may be a year of education
for employees on campus,” she said.
“We have a commitment to reach
more of the staff.”
She said she was interested in nailing
Gotham to Host
Friday Party for
Gay Community
Gotham's owner says the festivities are
designed to attract a different crowd than
generally frequents the nightclub.
By Kathryn McLamb
Staff Writer
Chapel Hill’s social scene will diversify Friday night when
the nightclub Gotham invites an alternative crowd to its party
dubbed Insomnia.
The premier party will be characterized by house music
popular in larger cities like New York and Miami and aims to
draw an alternative crowd, including the gay and lesbian com
munity.
“The music is not geared towards hip hop - it’s geared
towards house music,” said Daniel Markscheid, co-owner of
Gotham. “The fact is that for gay and lesbian groups, that’s
what a lot of them like.”
Insomnia will become a regular feature at Gotham, with
parties from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. Fridays.
One of the goals of Insomnia is to offer something differ
ent in the nightclub scene, both in its music and its atmos
phere, Markscheid said.
“(Thursday night) is more of a mainstream night - this
isn’t,” he said.
Large numbers of gays and lesbians are expected to attend
the Friday night parties, but Markscheid said he did not want
to limit Insomnia to a stereotype.
“I don’t like labels,” he said. “Gotham has been more about
social tolerance. I don’t want to limit this to someone who is
living an alternative lifestyle.”
Glenn Grossman, president of Carolina Alternative
Meetings of Professional and Graduate Students, said
Insomnia would offer a social environment Tor the gav and les
bian community.
“We have to create a safe place for (gays, lesbians, bisexu
als and transgenders) to hang out,” Grossman said.
Markscheid said he expected the club to be at its 500-per
son capacity, partly because of limited options in the area for
parties like Insomnia.
“There don’t seem to be many opportunities for a night like
this, especially on this side of Raleigh,” he said.
The party will draw from communities beyond Chapel Hill,
where news of the first gay and lesbian night has sparked atten
tion. “People are coming from really far away for this.”
Grossman said. “From Greensboro, Raleigh, the Triangle and
elsewhere.”
Melissa Siebert, member of the Rainbow Youth Coalition,
said Insomnia would offer a unique environment for the area.
“Most of the (gay and lesbian clubs) around the Triangle are
segregated either for men or women,” she said. “But
(Insomnia) is really catering to both.”
UNC students are also expected to comprise a large portion
of the crowd Friday, as Markscheid said there was a large inter
est on campus.
“We’ve had some tremendous help from on-campus orga
nizations,” he said. “Students have responded strongly through
phone calls since we have started the advertising.”
Markscheid said he did not expect a lot of community resis
tance to the party. “If anyone has a problem with it, then they
have a problem with it,” he said. “That’s not my concern.”
See GOTHAM, Page 11
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Julia "Bon" Smith, who has spent most of her life cooking, realized
her lifelong dream in October with the opening of Son's Bar-B-Q.
past employers ranging from sandwich
shops to UNC’s Pi Kappa Alpha frater
nity.
“I loved working at the (Pi Kappa
Alpha) house,” Smith said. “You’re with
these guys for four years, and then they
move on, so at times it was kind of sad
to see them go.”
But in fall semester, after 18 years at
Pi Kappa Alpha, Smith herself moved
Thursday, February 3, 2000
down a specific policy with the adminis
tration for employee education programs.
But Kucharski said she would have
no specific plans for the forum until she
had met with its executive committee
and spoken with several of the delegates.
“I’m just going to enjoy the day right
now and let it fall out as it will later,” she
said.
“I’ve learned to be very flexible.”
The University Editor can be reached
at udesk@unc.edu.
on to open Bon’s Bar-B-Q.
The food at Bon’s Bar-B-Q located at
104 N.C. 54, resembles much of Mama
Dip’s country-style menu with such
choices as freshly cooked vegetables.
But Smith said her restaurant was dif
ferent from Mama Dip’s Kitchen
because of its barbecue and unique
See BARBECUE, Page 11
3