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flatly ®ar f 9HB 107 years of editorial freedom Serving the students ami the University community since 1893 Report Shows Skyrocket in Drug Arrests By Amy Dobson Staff Writer Local police are trying to stomp out the area’s drug problem by intensifying efforts to nab drug users and dealers, resulting in a dramatic increase in arrests. Chapel Hill’s quarterly report revealed 143 drug-related arrests during the second quarter of the budget year, ending Dec. 31, 1999. Last year at the same time there had been 44. Chapel Hill police spokeswoman CASHING IN ON &SCQMM E RCIA LISM Alderman Battles Tree-Cutters By Jacob McConnico City Editor Residents of Carrboro’sjames Street neighborhood were awakened by the jarring growl of wood chippers and chainsaws claiming familiar foliage Wednesday morning. Employees of Asplundh, a tree cut ting company contracted by Duke Power, began removing neighborhood trees that had been deemed a danger to existing transmission lines. The action comes after more than a month of public debate, which included forums, street tours and varying degrees of heated conversation between resi dents and power company officials. Residents were upset over Duke Power’s selection of trees to be cut and the company’s practice of not disposing of the w ood. Scott Gardner, Duke Power district manager, attributed much of the delay to the objections of Carrboro Board of Aldermen member Allen Spall, who lives in the neighborhood. “We have an obligation to operate and maintain this critical transmission line, and we have had the right all along to clear obstructions that endanger those lines and we cannot allow any more delays nor Alderman Spalt’s Jane Cousins said the reason for the surge in arrests was an increase in fund ing allocated to the narcotics division. “We have focused a lot of our polic ing on long-term undercover opera tions,” she said. “Each operation can yield 10 to 20 arrests.” She said most suspects in the arrests involving harder drugs, like crack, cocaine or LSD, were residents, not stu dents. “Student arrests were usually for possession of marijuana,” she said. Khalid Mahmoud, an employee at Key Food Mart on 325 W. Rosemary St., nTH JACOB MCCONNICO Workers cut down trees in the James Street neighborhood of Carrboro. Any tree over 15 feet tall and near power lines is slated to come down. desires to endanger UNG, UNC Hospitals, nor tens of thousands of cus tomers that are serviced bv these lines,” he said. “We are moving forward in a manner that is legal and time-tested." Spall said his objections stemmed from three major factors: inconsistencies in the selection of trees to be cut, the actual cutting of trees on residents’ prop erly and the electrical giant's original Reality is an illusion created by alcoholic deficiency. Anonymous Thursday, March 2, 2000 Volume 107, Issue 165 said he noticed the increased police efforts to curb the drug problem. “A year and a half ago there was a drug bust in the parking lot, but most of them happen on the side streets,” he said. “They usually involve crack and pot.” Even though drug arrests have sky rocketed, a 45-year-old ex-cocaine addict, who asked to remain anony mous, said drugs were easier to get in this area than in other larger cities. “All through here there’s a lot of drugs - mostly coke,” he said motioning 'Dotcoms' and Name Brands Drive Generation Y Economy By Brian Mirphy Senior Writer The blue and white sign contains just three J letters, but it conjures images. Its precision is fin its simplicity. GAP We immediately recognize those three letters because the Gap’s khaki-clad dancers (lash across our television screens nightly. But for the college generation, the Gap is more than just an ad. It’s part of our lifetime economic experience -and a chunk of our wardrobes. Generation Y holds the financial key to modern commercialism. We follow more trends, we buy from more mass merchants and we have more dis posable income at our fingertips than any other previous age group. Last year, 18- to 24-year-olds spent more than $3 billion, with a significant portion of that being put out at the mall. Seventy-dollar Abercrombie & Fitch jeans, once considered a luxury, are now the col lege student’s norm. And while students storm South Building in protest of sweatshop practices, their peers are snapping up Nike sneakers to the refusal to dispose of cut lumber. “What Duke has told us is that they have contracted a local wood hauler and they would haul it off,” he said. “That’s a major change because in the begin ning they said they wouldn’t do it at all. For some residents (Duke Power’s dis posal promise) is enough.” See TREES, Page 2 up and down West Rosemary Street. “People don’t realize how much there really is.” He said much of the crime that occurred in the area was drug-related. “On payday, addicts spend all their money on drugs. Once they run out, then they break into bars and liquor stores to get more money to support their habit,” he said. “I know what it’s like because I used to be there.” Carrboro Police Detective Joel Booker said there were already three search warrants for house raids this year. $ COMMERCIALISM Part two of a 10-part series examining the issues that will face our generation in the coming millennium. pricey tune of S2OO a pop. Combined with a booming economy and a supercrit ical eye for Professors, Students Criticize GPA Report Economics Professor Boone Turchi says the Faculty Council must maintain the grading system's integrity. By Katy Nelson Staff Writer The authors of a controversial report on grade inflation at UNC received mixed feedback from students and fac ulty members during a heated discus sion Wednesday. The Educational Policy Committee needs recommendations from the University community for revisions of its report, said economics Professor Boone Turchi, committee chairman and primary author of the report. The report states that the current UNC aggregate grade point average of 3.0 is too high and should be lowered to between 2.6 and 2.7. The authors of the report cite a drastic rise in overall GPA since 1987 as evidence that grade infla tion is rampant. “Carrboro’s officers work hard and diligently,” he said.VThey are constant ly dealing with drug busts.” He said the problem, however, was best controlled by local residents. “We are dictated by community con cerns,” he said. “They are our eyes and ears.” Officials from both police depart ments said residents should report any drug problems immediately. Any reports would be confidential. See ARRESTS, Page 2 the edgiest trend, Generation Y’s expensive habits set the stage for the big name game. And it’s all about the name, said Robert Humphreys, executive director of the Chapel Hill Downtown Commission. “The Gap is spending millions of dollars every' year, so that you and 1 have name recognition,” Humphreys said. Other smaller companies -with fewer advertising dollars and thus, less recognition - are trying to find a way to compete in the name-driven modern market. The trend has encompassed more than just the apparel industry. On Franklin Street, the Caribou and Starbucks coffeehouses often overflow with those looking for a place to study or just to take a break. But UNC business Professor Rollie Tillman said advertising and name recognition was second to product quality -and in the long-term, quality matters. “Your generation is a lot more care ful, less likely to be hoodwinked,” Tillman said. “You’ve seen that the toys in the cereal boxes don’t look like they do on TV. “It’s not worth building a brand name until you have a consistent quality. Having a well-known brand name enhances that when the company expands or unveils a new product.” And the reverse is true. Companies without a recog nizable brand name- without that Wal-Mart connection - must work harder to attract customers. See COMMERCIALISM, Page 2 Turchi said it was the Faculty Council’s responsibility to maintain the integrity of the grading system. The report cites grading standards set by the Faculty Council in 1976, which Faculty Chairman Pete Andrews said might need revision. “We may need to redefine what the grade policy is and confront the issue,” said Andrews, who said all departments should think about what grades should mean. Several students, including Student Body President Nic Heinke, asked why UNC should be the first university to correct the national trend of grade inflation. Sophomore Annie Pierce said she w as concerned that grade deflation cou pled with UNC’s declining rankings would malign UNC students applving to graduate schools and entering the job market. “Maybe if w'e were Harvard, we’d be successful in this crusade. But we’re not Harvard,” Pierce said. Jeff Nieman, president of the UNC- See DISCUSSION, Page 2 962-0245 962*1163 News/Features/Art s/Sports Business/Advertising Chapel Hill, North Carolina © 2000 DTH Publishing Corp. All rights reserved. Apology Could End Kraft Case Former Student Attorney General Drew Haywood says D'Amore approached him with the deal this week. By Katie Abel University Editor A UNC junior is expected to release a letter of apology today that could clear her of Honor Court charges in connec tion with an Oct. 28 protest of campus recruiting by Kraft Inc., a subsidiary of Philip Morris. Chiara D’Amore faces three separate charges for providing UNC officials with false information as well as misus ing the University’s property and obstructing the operation of University activities. Former Student Attorney General Drew Haywood said Wednesday that D’Amore had reached a compromise with Marcia Harris, director of University Career Services. Harris would not comment on specifics of the case but said she was hopeful that both parties could reach a deal before a scheduled Honor Court hearing tonight. “We’re just trying to work out an agreement,” Harris said. D’Amore could not be reached for comment Haywood said that in addition to writing a public letter of apology, D’Amore was planning to write a letter of apology to Kraft recruiters and UCS employees. The negotiations also call for D’Amore to perform community service hours through UCS this semes ter, Haywood said. He said D’Amore had approached him this week aftei_she had initiated contact with Harris' to reach a compro mise in the case. D'Amore originally came before the Honor Court on Jan. 20 after she allegedly lied about being registered with UGS to obtain an interview with Kraft Foods, which was recruiting on campus. She testified that she had not intentionally mislead anyone. She allegedly arrived at the interview with several other students, who pro ceeded to protest against Kraft’s affilia tion with Philip Morris. The court tacked on the additional charges after D'Amore testified that she planned to be accompanied to her inter view by a representative from INFACT, a national organization responsible for the Kraft protest. But after other pro testers arrived, she said she left without becoming involved. The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu. Thursday Computer Craze UNC’s Technology Expo 2000 brought high-tech information, groundbreaking technology and educational tools to the Student Union on Tuesday and Wednesday. See Page 4. Assuring Access Duke University and the Department of Justice reached an accord that will require facilities to be more accessible to disabled students, marking the first pact between the department and a university. See Page I I. Make the Choice Have the inside track on who will be the next editor of The Daily Tar Heel by having a hand in picking him or her. Applications to sit on the Editor Selection Board and for the editor posi tion itself are available in the DTH front office. For information, contact Editor Rob Nelson at rnelson@email.unc.edu. Today’s Weather Windy; Low 60s. Friday: Possible rain; Low 60s
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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March 2, 2000, edition 1
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