Keeping It Real
Is virtual reality
ready? See Page 3
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DTH/JEFF POULAND
UNC students line up at the Smith Center on Tuesday night to receive their ticket
distribution bracelets. Anew policy requires students to line up before the number is drawn.
Gore Vows
To Keep Up
The Fight
The Bush camp anticipates a
quick victory and many
Democrats fear defeat but
A1 Gore remains optimistic.
The Associated Press
Risking the loss of support among
Democrats, A1 Gore looked beyond his
Florida election challenge Tuesday and
suggested that even a rejection of his
state Supreme Court appeal might not
drive him from the presidential race.
George W. Bush confidently declared
himself ready to
“seize the moment”
as the nation’s 43rd
president.
“I don’t feel any-
thing other than optimistic,” the vice
president told reporters, his tone a stark
contrast from the sense of foreboding
expressed by many other Democrats.
Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, a finalist in
Gore’s summertime search for a run
ning mate, was among those warning
that Gore had one last chance.
“The Florida Supreme Court is going
to rule in two or three days, and if he’s
unsuccessful on that, then I think that is
the end of it.”
Four weeks into America’s election
limbo, the courts still held the keys to
the White House: The Florida Supreme
Court agreed to hear an appeal of
Gore’s historic election challenge to
Bush’s certified Florida victory, briefs
were filed in reaction to the U.S.
Supreme Court decision, and oral argu
ments were heard at a federal appeals
court in Adanta.
The flurry of activity came one day
after Circuit Judge N. Sanders Sauls
rejected Gore’s request to order hand
recounts of disputed ballots and over
nun Florida’s official election results.
Gore appealed, and oral arguments
will be heard Thursday by the Florida
high court.
The could-be presidents responded
in different ways, Gore by rallying
Democratic troops for his last stand and
Bush by acting as if his presidency was
only a matter of time.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” the
Texas governor told reporters outside the
state Capitol in Austin, Texas, promising
an efficient transition to power. “I think
it’s going to be important to show ... the
American people that this administra
tion will be ready to seize the moment.”
An NBC News poll suggested that 60
percent of Americans think Gore
should concede, but the vice president
showed no sign of surrender.
To change and to change for the better are two different things.
German proverb
Playing It By Ear
Welch More About Music Than Major
By Jermaine Caldwell
Features Editor
Kent Welch is just judging things as they
come by.
He’s slowly gearing up for finals, starting
to further his musical endeavors, enjoying
his relationship with his sister and getting
accustomed to a University not new to his
family.
“I’m just adjusting to the college
lifestyle,” Welch said.
And he’s adjusting at his own pace -
starting with his 13-hour course load that
allows him to academically dabble in a bit
of everything.
Welch wanted to try his luck with a
Russian class, which he said after years of
high school Spanish is a good change for
him. “I guess I wanted to rebel against the
Spanish language,” he said.
Two days a week, Welch enjoys having
his head in the clouds when he studies the
stars in his astronomy class.
A look at the freshman’s last two classes
reveals his love for music - Welch is taking
“Introduction to Jazz” and a first-year semi
nar dealing with the “Folk Music Revival.”
“I definitely am interested in all kinds of
music,” Welch said.
Coming into the semester, Welch knew
his work ethic would have a heavy effect on
how his grades would end up this semester.
But so far, things have been fine with his
classes.
He’s just floating along.
“The workloads aren’t too bad,” Welch
said, noting that he’s looking to finish the
semester strong but that finals are a key
ingredient in doing well.
Staying in line with his laid-back tem
perament, the what-to-major-in dilemma
isn’t a concern at all.
Think American studies, religion or phi
losophy, but don’t pin him to that.
This freshman is just seeing how classes
go for now.
Part Three of Fresh Perspectives: A four-part series following the lives of four freshmen through their first year at UNC
From left to right: Deone Powell, S.J. Barrie-Chapman, Kent Welch and Katie Welch.
Torbush Talks
Coach tells reporters his thoughts
on being fired and the future.
See Page 7
Serving the students and the University community since 1893
CAA Reforms Distribution;
Number to Be Given Saturdays
After the starting number for
distribution is announced, the
line of waiting students will be
rotated around the Smith Center.
By Elizabeth Breyer
Assistant University Editor
Carolina Athletic Association officials
announced a change in the group’s policy for
distributing men’s basketball tickets in an effort
to curb cheating.
Effective at this Saturday’s distribution, the
number will be announced at 6 a.m. Saturdays
instead of being printed in Friday’s Daily Tar
Heel.
Senior Kerry Slatkoff, the ticket distribution
director for the CAA, said the change will dis-
DTH/LAURA GIOVANELLI
Kent Welch, a freshman from Winston-Salem, practices his banjo-playing skills
at a lesson Tuesday night. Welch took up banjo in the 10th grade.
Welch knows that along with a positive
academic life, a healthy relationship with
his twin sister, Katie, is vital for a good col
lege experience at UNC.
And things are working out better than
he first thought they would.
“It’s actually been good. I’ve liked it,” he
said. “There’s not that automatic associa
tion.”
Even though their circles of friends over
lap a little, Welch said, he likes the flexibili
ty their contact has gained at the University.
“We can go a week without seeing and
talking to each other to talk-
ing every day,” he said.
He’s just enjoying it as it
evolves.
Not only did Welch
c>
come to UNC with his twin sister, he has
gained 50 brothers since his arrival.
Welch joined Alpha Tau Omega fraterni
ty. And now he’s just getting to know life in
a fraternity.
“I really like all the guys,” he said.
“(Alpha Tau Omega) definitely offers a lot
of avenues that wouldn’t be available other
wise."
But his fraternity brothers aren’t the only
brothers he’s keeping up with nowadays.
Welch is the youngest of five children -
bom two minutes after Katie in Winston-
Salem.
Eighteen years later, their parents
have divorced and both remarried,
See WELCH, Page 2
. | ■ t-I:
c
courage students from picking up multiple
bracelets.
“We heard a lot of talk, and we realized peo
ple were cheating way more than ever before,”
she said. “It’s gone beyond people getting one
or two bracelets to people getting four or five.”
When the line is checked at 6 a.m. Saturday,
students must be wearing only one bracelet and
must be standing in numerical order. With the
new policy, students will line up before the
number is announced, and CAA officials will
rotate the line around the Smith Center once
the number is chosen.
Slatkoff said the CAA Cabinet made this
change after noticing a significant increase in
the amount of bracelets being picked up during
the week before the distribution.
“We had our first two distributions and
noticed that we gave out about 6,000 tickets for
each,” she said. “In comparison with the past
Cold Again
Today: Sunny, 42
Thursday: Sunny, 45
Friday: Sunny, 50
Wednesday, December 6, 2000
three years, that is about 2,000 more than we
ever give out, even for the Duke distribution.”
CAA President Tee Pruitt said the Cabinet
believed this increase indicated students were
picking up multiple bracelets. “That was kind of
shocking,” he said. “We know people are excit
ed about our basketball team ... but that was
kind of alarming.”
Freshman Christine Nyland also said stu
dents picking up multiple bracelets is a preva
lent problem. “People get two or five or way
more,” she said. “They wear long sleeves and
push the bracelets up their sleeves or they wear
a big watch and put it under their watch.”
Despite these concerns, Nyland said she was
more worried about how the new policy would
alter her Saturday morning routine. “It sounds
much more like a hassle,” she said. “I like to
See CAA, Page 2
New Buildings
Allocated Bulk
Of Bond Funds
Students and faculty are thrilled with the
prospects of new science, music, ATN and
nursing facilities provided by bond funds.
By Daniel Thigpen
Staff Writer
For years, UNC-Chapel Hill faculty dreamed of updating
their resources and improving their students’ educational
experiences. But as competing institutions kept pace with the
nation’s constant technological advancements, UNC-CH
couldn’t help but feel left behind.
Everything is about to change.
In November, the people of North Carolina united to sup
port higher learning. More than 70 percent of voters chose to
pass the $3.1 billion higher education bond package that will
fund capital improvement projects at UNC-system schools and
community colleges statewide.
University officials began planning
for new state-of-the-art facilities as early
as May 25, when the bond was
approved as a voter referendum.
Now, following the intense and
successful campaign for the bond
package, UNC-CH’s struggling
departments and schools aim to
catch up with the rest of the nation.
Chancellor James Moeser passion
ately supported the bond package,
believing capital improvements would
help accomplish his goal of making
UNC-CH the best public university in
the nation. Officials hope the proposed
buildings will help maintain die University’s first-rate reputation.
Anew science building to solve laboratory space deficien
cies. Anew biomolecular research building to facilitate med
ical innovations. Anew music library so students won’t smash
their heads on exposed pipes in the basement of Hill Hall.
With some buildings already in design, students and faculty feel
the projects will finally launch UNC-CH into the 21st century.
Science Complex
Most people at UNC-CH don’t particularly like Venable
Hall. In fact, one rarely hears positive comments about the
outdated science building.
“I think it just wasn’t designed as a modem laboratory - it’s
almost 75 years old,” said Peter Krawchyk, project manager
for phases I and II of the new science complex.
Krawchyk said Phase I of the project is the actual construc
tion of the new physical sciences building, which is projected to
begin injanuary 2003. The complex is currendy slated for the
area occupied by the ROTC building. Phase II involves the
destruction of Venable upon completion of the complex.
In addition to solving space deficiencies, the new complex
will feature new undergraduate classrooms and technologically
advanced research labs and will provide for activities such as
nano-technology, polymer science and applied mathematics.
Chemistry Kenan Professor Royce Murray said that all the
science departments are extremely crowded and that expan
sion is long overdue. He said the departments are having trou
ble recruiting senior faculty due to poor building conditions.
Ken Varner, a sophomore physics and astronomy major, does
See BOND, Page 5
A four-part series
examining the
applications of
UNO’s share of the
bond funds.
■ Today: New
Construction
■ Thursday:
Retrofitting
■ Friday: Renovations