UNC's computer science department
is fast turning the science of virtual
reality into, well, a reality.
See page 5 for the full story
on the office of the future.
latlu Star Mppl
www.dailytarheel.com
Students Frustrated by CAA's
Ticket Distribution Mistake
By Kim Mincgh
University Editor
Carolina Athletic Association officials
proved a lot of naysayers wrong Saturday
morning when the new basketball ticket distri
bution process ran with few problems -and
even half an hour ahead of schedule.
Director of Ticket Distribution Kerry Slatkoff
said the new distribution process accomplished
its main goal - to curb cheating. She said the only
students who criticized the revamped process are
the cheaters. “We gave out a 10t... about 1,000
less bracelets,” she said. “I feel there’s still a lot
of cheating going on, but we cut out a lot”
But a group of students left the distribution
frustrated by the handling of a CAA official’s mis-
Signs Point
To Hiring
Of Bunting
John Bunting's wife said she
expects UNC to make him an
offer today and hold a press
conference within two days.
By Bret Strelow
Assistant Sports Editor
John Bunting is coming to Chapel
Hill today for the second time in a
week. He’s not expected to leave this
time without becoming North
Carolina’s next football coach.
John Bunting’s wife, Dawn, said
Sunday at the couple’s home in New
Orleans that she expects UNC to offer
her husband a contract today. She said
a press conference to announce his hir
ing should occur today or tomorrow.
“It’s his dream job, the dream he’s
always talked about,” she said. “A lot of
people don’t get to live out their dream.
“He doesn’t plan on going anywhere
else.”
Dawn said she and her husband are
departing from New Orleans for Chapel
Hill at 10 a.m. today. Bunting, the line
backers coach for the New Orleans
Saints, was in San Francisco on Sunday
for a game against the 49ers.
North Carolina Director of Athletics
Dick Baddour visited New Orleans last
Saturday to interview Bunting. Two
days later, Bunting, 50, visited Chapel
Hill for a second interview.
Reports stated that Bunting had been
offered a package worth $550,000 to
$600,000 a year. Bunting is in his first
season with the Saints. He played at
UNC from 1968 to 1971 and was the
team captain his final season.
Board of Trustees member Richard
Williams said Sunday night that he
expects to receive a telephone call early
this morning telling him to be alert. The
board must approve the salary package
offered to anew coach, which can be
done via a fax.
Steve Kirschner, UNC’s assistant ath
letics director for media relations, said
Sunday night that a press conference
had not been scheduled for today. He
would not confirm or deny reports that
Bunting would be hired.
“It’s not appropriate for us to com
ment on the search at this time,” he said.
“Hopefully, tomorrow, or early in the
week, we can put this matter to rest.”
UNC Chancellor James Moeser said
recendy that he also expects the search
to end this week. When asked Sunday if
it was going to end today with the hiring
of Bunting, he was brief with his answer.
“It might,” Moeser said. “I can’t con
firm anything. Talk to us tomorrow.”
The Sports Editor can be reached at
sports@unc.edu.
Time is
take in giving out bracelets Thursday morning.
Although Thursday distribution began
around 42,000, about 100 students received
bracelets with numbers outside of the given
range. When alerted of the problem Friday
afternoon, CAA officials decided to assign the
students new numbers at the end of the number
range, beginning at 44,767.
When Shane Parrish, an employee at the
Athletic Ticket Distribution Office, used Microsoft
Excel to randomly choose a starting number
Saturday morning, he entered a range of 39,726
to 44,866. But when 40,708 was announced as
the starting number, some students with reas
signed numbers approached Slatkoff and CAA
President Tee Pruitt, asking that they be placed
in line at about the 42,000 mark.
IPftAlil IlihSpiyii ? ff> ffl
DTH/JEFF POULAND
Eden Rellihan, a senior women's lacrosse player, wraps a gift in the women's locker room at Henry Stadium that will go
to a Durham family Sunday. Senior Rachel Daniels (below) of the women's rowing team finishes a bow on a present.
More than 20 UNC athletic teams are collaborating to help 20 local families this Christmas season.
Athletes Team Up, Help Families
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CP&L Lawyer: Ice Age More Likely Than Nuclear Accident
By Kellie Dixon
Assistant City Editor
After nearly 10 hours of deliberations,
Carolina Power & Light Cos., the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission and
Orange County officials must wait for
three judges to decide the fate of a pos
sible on-site storage expansion at a local
nuclear power plant.
At Thursday’s hearing at the Jane S.
McKimmon Center in Raleigh, CP&L
officials presented a rebuttal to safety con
cerns voiced by Orange County lawyers.
a strange fellow; more he gives than takes (and he takes all)
e.e. cummings
P5/4 .Virtual
H I S 1 Q fl S,
Serving the students and the University community since 1893
One student, junior Geneva Phillips, told them
she called the ticket distribution office Friday
when she realized the mistake. She said a CAA
official told her that she and the 100 other students
with incorrect bracelets would be “compensated.”
But Phillips argued that when people who
received bracelets later than her were about 2,800
closer to the chosen number, she was not being
fairly compensated. “I’m upset by the system that
is supposed to be so random and legit," she said.
Graduate student Michael Sasscer said that by
refusing to place him in line according to the num
ber he should’ve received Thursday morning,
Pruitt stripped him of a right every student has -
to pair up when getting bracelets. “My friend and
See CAA, Page 6
Orange County has asked for safety
assessments by the Atomic Safety and
Licensing Board because county officials
are worried that opening two more spent
nuclear waste pools at the Shearon Harris
Nuclear Power Plant will increase danger
to the area. The board is expected to rule
in the next two to five months.
CP&L spokesman Mike Hughes said
ERIN Engineering, CP&L’s specialists,
provided a report presented by CP&L’s
attorney, John O’Neill. Hughes said
ERIN is a top company in the U.S. for
conducting nuclear risk assessments.
By Joanna Housiadas
Staff Writer
Scissors snipped away at wrapping paper and ribbon
flew through the air as UNC athletes came together in the
spirit of the holidays to gift wrap presents for needy families.
More than 20 UNC athletic teams - including the
women’s and men’s lacrosse teams - are teaming up to
sponsor 20 local families in hopes of making their
Christmas holidays a little brighter.
Each team sponsored at least one family, donating
the money to buy them gifts off their wish lists. The gifts
were wrapped on Wednesday night and Sunday after
noon. Some teams personally delivered gifts to their
families on Sunday afternoon, but other families wished
to remain anonymous.
Sophomore Warren Perry, a member of the men’s
swim team, said he was proud to participate in the pro-
See FAMILIES, Page 6
DTH/JEFF POULAND
“What we asked (Thursday) is that
the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board
dismiss this from the bench because
there is no merit to Orange County’s
case,” he said. “The bottom line is what
Mr. O’Neill argued is that the likelihood
of an accident is so remote and so spec
ulative that it does not require further
investigation by the Atomic Safety and
Licensing Board. It does not necessitate
a full environmental impact statement.”
Hughes said CP&L’s presentation
also exposed shortcomings in the find
ings of Dr. Gordon Thompson, a
--■ • .mut _ J
DTH/BREOT CLARK
Students wait in the Smith Center parking lot early Saturday morning for basketball ticket
distribution to begin. The revamped process ran smoothly but did draw some complaints.
nuclear accident risk expert hired by the
county. “Dr. Thompson indicated calcu
lations that showed exposure levels for
employees would be at ludicrously high
levels,” he said.
Hughes said O’Neill refuted the coun
ty’s concerns regarding a primary sce
nario Orange County officials developed
and presented. “Mr. O’Neill pointed out
in the results of our analyses which took
more than 2,000 hours to produce, we
have a higher probability of returning to
the ice age than the Orange County acci
dent has of occurring,” he said.
Peace Out
Today: Cloudy, 54
Tuesday: Cloudy, 59
Wednesday: Cloudy, 45
*2^
Supreme Court
Takes Historic
Election Case
Recounts were halted as the court planned
to hear arguments to determine the legality
of the Florida Supreme Court decision.
The Associated Press
On the eve of historic U.S. Supreme Court arguments, A1
Gore’s attorney said Sunday the vice president urgendy needs
a legal victory to recount Florida’s votes or “that’s the end of
the road” for his dogged drive to the presidency. A chorus of
anxious Democrats agreed.
George W. Bush’s lawyers asked the
high court to overturn a Florida Supreme
Court recount plan, saying it was “virtu
ally guaranteed to incite controversy, sus-
picion and lack of confidence.” In briefs filed late Sunday,
Democratic attorneys previewed their case for the court ses
sion that could bring a close to the 33-day election drama.
“Voters have important rights to have their ballots counted,
and the magnitude of those rights dwarfs” any legal arguments
raised by Bush, the vice president’s brief read.
As deeply divided as the country, the high court justices
voted 5-4 Saturday to temporary halt manual recounts in
Florida and consider the landmark Bush v. Gore case.
Gore, who trails Bush by less than 200 votes out of 6 mil
lion cast, wants to recount about 45,000 disputed ballots
throughout the state. Bush argues there is no fair way to count
the ballots that didn’t register votes in a machine count, and
the legislative branch of government - not the courts - should
determine the nation’s 43rd president
Neither side committed to giving up if the Supreme Court
issues an adverse decision, but even Gore’s advisers conced
ed he has fewer options than Bush beyond the high court
“If no votes are counted, then I think that’s the end of the
road,” said David Boies, who will argue the case for Gore. But
the lawyer stopped short of saying his client would bow out
if the Supreme Court ruled against him, suggesting Gore might
await appeals of failed Democratic lawsuits seeking to throw
out up to 25,000 Florida absentee ballots.
House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, a steadfast Gore
supporter since Election Day, told ABC, “I believe he will”
concede if the court rules against him -and Bush should do
the same if the tables are turned.
The GOP-led Florida Legislature, under guidance from die
Bush camp, is preparing to appoint its own slate of Bush dec
tors - raising the possibility of two separate slates for a divid
ed Congress to sort out
Following CP&L’s presentation, the
NRC made its own arguments, where
Hughes said the NRC lawyers reiterated
a number of points made by CP&L
Roger Hannah, public affairs officer
for the NRC, said there was an environ
mental impact statement done when the
nuclear power plant was licensed. “The
two additional spent fuel pools do not
increase the environmental consequences
of the plant’s operation," he said.
But Hughes said the on-site expansion
See HEARING, Page 6
Monday, December 11, 2000