sljr Sailg dar Hppl Rebel Flag Placement Under Hot S.C. Debate By Alicia Gaddy Staff Writer The Confederate flag could soon descend from South Carolina’s State House dome. But officials can’t seem to agree on where it will go from there. If Democratic Gov. Jim Hodges has his way, the flag will be moved to adorn the Wade Hampton Statue in the rear of the S.C. House of Representatives. At a Monday press conference in the shadow of the statue of the Confederate soldier, Hodge said his plan would remove the flag from a position of sov ereignty. He claimed the proposal had bipar tisan support and therefore had the potential to pass through the legislature. “South Carolinians can come togeth er to do the right thing,” Hodges said. Hodges’ plan also included the removal of Confederate flags from the House and Senate chambers and the revival of historical monuments. But many S.C. legislators, both Republican and Democrat, said they would not condone this proposal, And as a telling example of just how divisive the issue has become, most couldn’t even agree on why they opposed the plan. S.C. Sen. Robert Ford, D-Charleston, who introduced the Senate’s first bill in 1993 to remove the flag, said he opted for a more racially equal plan. “I’ve been fighting to remove the flag since 1967,” he said. Ford said S.C. legislators had numerous ideas of what should be done about the Confederate flag. Asa member of thejudiciary Committee, he said there were 10 concrete proposals currently on the drawing boards. But he said the Governor’s proposal Mon-Fri 932-9010 11am-10pm 16r/r E. Franklin St. eHr f 3B- y, J|l * \ ■; '■ ! ‘ si* ■ r x*¥?J' y fy * / / *y% ? r , .- - v ;}tr/^. \ij A.lßp ."V ydWM .. ,- .‘’\ t . ' Say '*'" jSfajfe.,V* . , '•■ * J"’ ' B; - ’. //" J ■ ' \ ■ ' ' ■ ■ ""■ *■'•' ■ wouldn’t be the one that finally passed. “The Governor’s proposed bill ain’t got a snowball’s chance in hell,” he said. On the other hand, S.C. Sen. Arthur Ravenel, R Horry, said he could not support Hodge’s plan because it took too much attention away from the flag. “The only place I’ll vote to move the flag is to the Soldier’s Monument,” Ravenel said. “I don’t see anything else getting enough votes to do it.” Among Hodge’s main opponents was the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, which enacted economic sanctions against South Carolina on Jan. 1 as a protest against the flag. Morris Shearin, NAACP’s Washington branch spokesman, said his organization believed the flag would be more appropriately placed in a museum rather than continuing to fly on S.C. House grounds. “We applaud the decision that it come down,” Shearin said. “But we understand that the statue he’s going to place it by is just as questionable.” But Shearin said the NAACP would not be satisfied until definite action was taken, placing the flag in a historical rather than sovereign position. “(Economic sanctions) will continue until the situation is resolved,” he said. S.C. senators said they hoped that resolution would come quickly. Sen. Maggie Glover, D-Florence, said she did not fully support Hodge’s pro posal, but she could be willing to com promise if the plan was supported by the Senate’s Black Caucus. “I am not interested in continuing year after year to argue this issue.” The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu. State & National N.C. College Systems Team Up for Funding By Kristina Casto Staff Writer For the first time, the UNC and N.C. community college systems will team up to take their funding requests to the N.C. General Assembly in May. Urged by the N.C. Citizens for Business and Industry to combine forces, both systems are working togeth er to reach an agreement on a total finance or bond/finance package. Officials are hopeful that the unified financial plan and the increased support of the business community will con vince legislators to back the multibillion dollar effort. NCCBI operates as the state’s cham ber of commerce and lobbies the legis lature on behalf of N.C. business inter ests. Officials say they recognize the important role a strong educational sys tem plays in bolstering the business community. They plan to step up their efforts on behalf of the educational community in the upcoming legislative session. Phil Kirk, president of NCCBI, said the group strongly supported last year’s $6.9 billion bond request. He said NCCBI was very disappointed when the legislature adjourned without taking action on the proposal. “The university (system) and community colleges did a good job educating the legislature about Carolina women’s Basketball This weekend at Carolina... Sunday, Feb. 27 The Daily Tar Heel is proud to sponsor UNC vs. Duke 12:30 pm at Carmichael Auditorium Come early and get a free Tar Heel Rally Rag from Wachovia! j/i iff* j|l Mf-t j!