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10 Wednesday, April 5, 2000 Concerns or comments about our coverage? Contact the ombudsman at budmarxpui k.oJu or call 60S-2790. Scott Hicks EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR Katie Abel UNIVERSITY EDITOR Jacob McConnico CITY EDITOR Editorial Series Workin’ 9 to 5 Before the DTH could lay out ways to improve conditions for UNC staff, it first had to see what it was like to work here, UNC employs thousands of non-faculty, on-campus workers to perform a variety of essential day-to-day operations. The impor tance of these secretaries, maintenance work ers, office managers, groundskeepers and housekeepers to the University is irrefutable. But with so many different workers doing such a wide range of jobs, it should come as no surprise that they differ in opinion on a host of work-related issues at UNC. Linwood Futrelle, director of distribution support for Academic Technologies & Networks, said he was very pleased overall with his situation at UNC and specifically with the effort and attitude of his co-workers. “Most people in most depart- ments are very friendly, and they’ll respond to you as you respond to them,” he said. “Most of us who are staff go out of our way. “I’m not the exception,” said Futrelle, a former chairman of the Employee Forum, an advocacy group for UNC staff. “We all do that time and time again.” Grounds Director Kirk Pelland agreed with Futrelle’s generalization. “For the most part, it’s a real nice environment to work in,” Pelland said. Jane Stein, Employee Forum chairwoman last year, seconded Futrelle and Pelland. “I still feel like this is a good place to work,” she said. “I love my co-workers.” But when it comes to the nuts and bolts of working here, workers have different ideas. Numbers Make Unification Difficult Futrelle believes that different employees within the University display a reasonable degree of unity. “We have a pretty tight-knit community on campus,” he said. Futrelle explained that a sense of togeth erness was crucial. “This is a city of 24,000 thousand students, seven to eight thousand staff, and three to four thousand faculty. You can’t think of yourself as distinct, as one group.” Aimee Gevedon, main office assistant in the Department of Psychology, said it was very tough for employees to unify, thanks to the huge number of workers on campus. “Flonestly, I don’t know any of the other staff around here, so I don’t feel unified,” she said. “It’s weird to work in such a large insti tution because you can’t really know what’s going on in every department at once.” There is too little interaction between departments to promote unification, she said. Heidi Dohnert, the undergraduate regis trar in the Department of Biology, agreed. “The category of staff includes so many dif ferent types of positions that we don’t have much in common as a whole,” Dohnert said. “The main thing we have in common is our The Daily Tar Heel welcomes submissions from its readers for its Viewpoints page every Monday. Guest columns should be about 800 words, written by no more than two people and discuss an issue relevant to DTH readers. Submissions should be e-mailed to editdesk@unc.edu and are due by 6 p.m. the Wednesday before the column will appear. Publication is not guaranteed. For more information, contact Editorial Page Editor Scott Hicks at 962-0245. Build a Stage, Mow a Yard for Good of Community, UNC The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a beacon whose light shines beyond Polk Place, Franklin Street and the Smith Center. The symbolic light of this University touches all 100 counties in this state and is reflected in the other 49 states of our nation. All of the research and forward aca demic thinking that occurs on our cam pus directly benefits our local and state community. That in and of itself is a great service that our University pro vides. Along with advancements in research and academia, our students, faculty and staff provide other forms of service, mainly through volunteerism. One upcoming opportunity to vol unteer is with Project UNC on April 15. It is not unusual that our campus is so committed to community service. Since 1793, it has been a part of the University’s mission: “The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is an institution devoted to teaching, research and service." As members of UNC, it is our per sonal responsibility to live up to that Rob Nelson EDITOR Office Hours Friday 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. separateness from the faculty and students.” R-E-S-P-E-C-T How faculty, students and fellow staff per ceive them means a lot to staff members. “There are times when the (students) are disrespectful,” Pelland said. “For the most part, it’s a pretty good relationship (between students and the grounds crew). We have to take the complaints with the compliments. “In that way, it’s a thankless task,” he said. But not all students are bad. “I feel like I am treated with a lot of respect by staff, faculty and students,” Dohnert said. “I particularly enjoy helping stu dents because they are always very appreciative.” Testate The first in I .1 J-Staff a 3-part series onUNC fPIOH workers. Staff treat each other the same way. “The staff here is the most understanding staff I’ve ever worked with,” Dohnert said. She said faculty treated her with a degree of respect that she had not seen in previous jobs. “The staff, students and faculty treat me as one of their own, not someone who does a lot of grunt work for the department.” Show Me the Money But salary, benefits and the potential to advance within their department prove to be the most pressing issues concerning UNC employees. Feelings of camaraderie and unity don’t necessarily cut it for workers on the bottom of the ladder, many of whom take home wages near the poverty level. UE Local 150 President Barbara Prear told The News & Observer in November that she was very dissatisfied with the plight of her union members. Despite repeated attempts, she could not be reached for comment. “We are not appreciated,” said Prear, who has been a key advocate for housekeepers. “Who is supposed to work for the state when they are paying them nothing? We are the least respected but the most important on the campus.” Snow Job For many workers, how the state treated them during the January snow storm crystal lized recurrent complaints of unfairness and underappreciation. But at the same time, it also reinforced the dedication that many staff members feel for their jobs. Stein is annoyed that many workers had to take a personal day if they couldn’t get to campus to work. “Twenty inches of snow,” she said. “We considered it a disaster, and we can’t understand why state personnel didn’t consider that a catastrophe. “People are very, very upset.” But workers came through, Futrelle said. “They do whatever it takes to get here,” he said. “Those people are truly amazing.” ■ MONIKA MOORE GUEST COLUMNIST mission statement. Many campus organizations all make service a core part of their mis sion. Groups such as the Carolina Center for Public Service, the Campus Y, APPLES, fraternities and sororities, student government, the Black Student Movement and countless other groups spend numerous hours contributing to the campus community. But there is still so much more that we can do. We know that our University is a top research facility and is a well-respected public University, but how do we stand as a campus in the realm of community service? Do we place more emphasis on the record of our athletic teams versus the num ber of hours we have dedicated to those less fortunate? It is understandable if service is not our first priority - our culture views assistance for others as a luxury, some thing that occurs with spare time, not ahr Sathj cutr Mnl Established 1893 ■ 107 Years of Editorial Freedom www.unc.edu/dth Matthew B. Dees STATE & NATIONAL EDITOR T. Nolan Hayes SPORTS EDITOR Leigh Davis ELATURES EDITOR as a necessity. However, this type of thinking undermines the great value of public service. Here at UNC, serving with others fosters a stronger on-campus identity and community. It lends to self reflection, person al growth and a greater respect for what we have. With all of this in mind, UNC will be having its inaugural cam puswide commu nity service day April 15. By emphasizing the importance of com munity service in all aspects of our lives, Project UNC (Uniting and Nurturing our Community) strives to enhance the Carolina experience for all students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends. This day is being sponsored by stu dent government, the Office of the Chancellor, the Carolina Center for Public Service, the N.C. Governor’s Opinions Robin Clemow ARTS Et ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Carolyn Haynes COPY DESK EDITOR Miller Pearsall PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR No Victory, but Lots of Memories The price of an upper-level Final Four ticket: SIOO The cost of gas and hotel rooms for the weekend: $325 Telling an elderly Tar Heel fan that “Duke such, ” only to have her respond, “And Krzy&wski swallows!”: Priceless All right, so the basketball team wasn’t able to pull off a victory against those pesky Florida Gators on Saturday night, but it was fun while it lasted. Tar Heel fans of all ages lived it up as our team marched to the Final Four. Some of us who were lucky enough to have heard about the secret drawing for student tickets were even able to make the pilgrimage to Indianapolis. Here is the tale of that 60-hour span that I won’t soon forget. 4:30 p.m. Thursday -- A member of the Carolina Athletic Association, who sounds more like an interrogator for the KGB, calls me, claiming that I have registered on two lists for Final Four tickets. I, having only signed up on one list, tell the dude exactly what I think about his bullying tactics. He then fumbles around with some official papers, finally taking down my receipt number for no particular reason. 8 p.m. - On my way to study for a test, I come up with a conspiracy theory that links the call from the KGB - I mean CAA - to an intricate plot involving the U.S. Census, Regis Philbin and Wachovia, all of which have joined forces to raise gas prices. I would fill you in on the details, but then I’d have to kill you. Friday, noon - After just acing said test (hopefully), I make a bolt to the Union Circle. My ride is a little late, but I don’t notice because I’ve picked up the latest issue of The Carolina Review. In it, I see that former student body presi dential candidate Erica Smiley is really Fidel Castro, and that apparently I write for a paper that is saying “no to democracy.” Office, and America’s Promise (Gen. Colin Powell’s community service ini tiative). On April 15, starting at 8:30 a.m., all volunteers will gather on Polk Place for a small opening ceremony, breakfast and registration. We know that our University is a top research facility and is a well-respected public University, but how do we stand as a campus in the realm of community service ? occur. Slated to perform are CHiPs, the Loreleis and the Clef Hangers, fol lowed by a DJ. Project UNC has solicited opportu nities to volunteer from all over our community. The YMCA, American Red Cross, the Women’s Center, the Inter-Faith Council, the parks and recreation department and more have asked us to provide more than 500 vol- Vicky Eckenrode & Cate Doty MANAGING EDITORS Thomas Ausman DESIGN EDITOR Megan Sharkey GRAPHICS EDITOR William Hill ONLINE EDITOR mßm ■ AMOL NAIK FROM THE DANK CAVE Just as I am wondering if the editor of this fine literary journal is a reincarnation of Joseph McCarthy, my ride mercifully arrives. 5:30 p.m. -John, Chris, Jason and I stop at a Super K-Mart in West Virginia, a state that makes South Carolina seem like Utopia. It takes us 45 minutes to find some disposable cameras and batteries because the Super K has everything from tires to milk. We are all comforted in knowing that in case of an emergency, we can pick up our deer stands, notebooks and groceries under the same roof. 10 a.m. Saturday - After a painfully small amount of sleep, we get to Indianapolis to claim our tickets, where we are subjected to seemingly every security measure besides a retinal scan to prove our identities. 12:45 p.m. - All the trouble in getting here is worth it, as downtown Indianapolis has transformed into a carnival of college hoops fans. There are so many Wisconsin fans around that you wonder if they knew that they had absolutely no chance of beating Michigan State. 12:46 p.m. - We look for somewhere to get a beer. 2:15 p.m. -1 take a picture with a dancing Spartan who has obviously been dipping into grandpappy’s cough syrup for just a little too long. I also discover that for some reason, Florida fans don’t think its funny when you do the tomahawk chop in their faces while unteers to perform such tasks as paint ing, building a puppet stage, canned food drive, yard work and many other things. There are also volunteer projects that the University has asked us to do on campus, such as cleaning up the Forest Theatre, a book drive and working at a play -.day. Project UNC also includes the Campus Y Hunger Clean Up and the Cystic Fibrosis Great Strides Walk. The Rev. Martin Luther King once said, “Everybody can be great because everybody can serve.” With all From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. participants will volunteer in a wide variety of community ser vice projects, on and off campus. Starting at 3:30 p.m., a barbecue with live music and closing remarks will of our projects lined up, Project UNC asks for the help of students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends. We need volunteers! Please sign up at (Tb? Until! (Ear Brel Terry Wimmer OMBUDSMAN screaming, “Go back to the Swamp.” 2:35 p.m. - We hit a huge Bud Light pro motional party where they are passing out Dick Vitale masks. The sight of thousands of grinning Dicky V. heads causes Chris to have a flashback to the Duke-Carolina game. He proceeds to faint next to John, who had earlier lost consciousness due to the excite ment drawn from the sheer amount of beer in one area. Jason tries to resuscitate them as I ask a Wisconsin fan who is wearing a cheesehead and throwing up if he is lactose-intolerant. 7 p.m. - After stumbling up to the student seats in the nosebleed segment of the RCA Dome, we pass out from boredom during the first game as the half-time score is 19-17, once again proving that Big 10 schools should stick to football. 8:45 p.m. - Our game starts, as the Carolina student section proudly represents our school by defiantly standing and cheering the entire game ... wine and cheese my ass. 9:50 p.m. - After falling behind by 15 points early, the Heels valiantly march back into the game, only to be robbed by horren dous officiating. I decide that these referees are also a part of that conspiracy we talked about earlier. 11:45 p.m. - In the spirit of April Fool’s Day, some of us decide to pretend like the loss never even happened and instead to party like we won. Even though it didn’t really ease the pain of losing, it’s still comforting to know that in a bind, you can find I.s’s late-night in Indianapolis. Sunday, noon - We embark on the 12- hour journey back to the Thrilla disappointed but better off for having experienced the Final Four. Now comes that tiny little complication of paying for the trip ... Amol Naik is a junior history history major from Lumberton. Reach him at unc2ool @hot mail.com. www.unc.edu/cps to join us on this great day. You can sign up by yourself or with your friends. Public Service 101 The work students do during Project UNC helps both the University and Chapel Hill. 8:30 a.m. April 15 Opening ceremony, registration and breakfast in Polk Place. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. A variety of volunteer activities including: painting, building a puppet stage, food drive, yard work, cleaning Forrest Theatre and a book drive. 3:30 p.m. Barbecue with live entertain ment by the loreleis, Clef Hangers and CHiPs. Closing remarks. ■ Individual and group registration at www.unc.edu/cps ■ Sponsored by student government, the Office of the Chancellor, Carolina Center for Public Service, N.C. Governor's Office and America's Promise. SOURCE: MONIKA MOORE DTH/TIAY RICHARDS as student body vice president under former President Nic Heinke.You can reach her with questions and com ments at monikal@email.unc.edu. The last day for group registration is April 11. There will be free food, T-shirts and entertainment. Project UNC presents an oppor tunity for learning and the betterment of ourselves and our community through the cele bration of our vol unteer experience. See you on April 15! Monika Moore, a senior English major from Statesville, served
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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