2 Tuesday, January 9, 2001 Club Looks to Turn Competition Green Chapel Hill's newest nightclub, NV, will be the largest in town, with four levels of membership. By Geoff Wessel Staff Writer Chapel Hill will soon gain an addi tion to its nightlife -a club named for one of the seven deadly sins. The new nightclub, NV, is scheduled to open in late February or early March in the space formerly occupied by the Ram Triple movie theater on Rosemary Street. The theater’s owner, Camlike Cinemas, closed it last fall. NV owner and UNC alumnus Brent Lee said the club will be unlike anything else in Chapel Hill. “Our equipment manufacturers have said we wjll have the top-notch club between D.C. and Atlanta,” he said. ASG to Hold Legislative Lobbying Day in Raleigh UNC Association of Student Governments members will push for a student vote on the Board of Governors. By Faith Ray Assistant State & National Editor Members of the UNC Association of Student Governments are making plans for a statewide university student gath ering Feb. 20 at the N.C. Legislative Building in downtown Raleigh. “Students Day at the Legislature” will include ASG members and students from across the state who will meet with state senators and representatives to dis cuss three issues that affect the UNC "Promote a positive and equitable environment through affirmation, support and celebration The Carolina o,a “ Women’s Center Contest Deadline: Contest Rules: Fphrnarv 1 Be Creative Carolina Women’a Center ooruary X, Provide Original Design — — 2001 & Electronic Copy Either mail your entry to The Carolina Women’s Center ni ipcTinwco 920-D Airport Rd.,C8#3302 r yUtSIIUNb. Chapel Hill, NC27599 -3302 Ca ' LlSa Garmon at or send it electron ically to 919-962-8305 diane_kjervik@unc.edu. I —® —I Come meet UNC Head Football Coach John Bunting iHr Wednesday, Jan. 10th UNC Student Stores Ipm-2pm tlofrlpp’r SPORTS SHORTS Students & Faculty Admitted FREE wilt)!. “We’ll have a different style of program ming every night.” Lee said the club will also be the largest in Chapel Hill. The sunken dance floor will be more than 10,000 square feet in area, together with a bar area nearly as big. NV will be members-only with four levels of membership, Lee said. A sec ond part of the club, accessible only to higher-level members, will feature live music. “Approximately a week before we open, we’ll begin selling (annual) memberships,” he said. “There will a special rate for the first month.” He said the club will normally be for members 21 and older, but that on cer tain nights and from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m. each night, it will admit members over 18. “We’re marketing more toward the northern relocation people - people that work at IBM and such, the 25- to 30- year-old crowd,” Lee said. But he said students would be wel come as well. system -a student vote on the UNC system Board of Governors, faculty salary increases and more funding for need-based financial aid. ASG President Andrew Payne said the purpose of the rally is also to support BOG recommendations that will be pre sented to the General Assembly during the upcoming legislative session. But Charles Lawley 111, N.C. State University ASG delegate and the event’s organizer, said the issue of the BOG student vote will be pushed the hardest. “It gives one student the chance to represent all students at a higher level,” Lawley said. Under current state law, the president of the ASG has a seat on the BOG but is not allowed to vote. ASG Vice President Liz Gardner said “We realize that by creating a top notch club with a higher-class atmos phere, students will realize this is where they want to be,” he said. “While I was a student here, I was incredibly frustrated with the entertain ment venue.” He said fraterni ties at Duke University have already expressed interest in renting out the club for special events. “The word has already gotten out,” he said. “We want to encourage “While I was a student here, I was incredibly frustrated with the entertainment venue. ” Brent Lee NV Owner and UNC Alumnus fraternities or sororities if they’re inter ested in booking the place. The sooner you get your name in the hat the soon er we can plan for it.” Employees of other Chapel Hill nightclubs said they are not concerned about losing business to NV. ■ that a student vote on the BOG would help add legitimacy to stu dent governments. Lawley said the N.C. State Board of Trustees already has passed a reso lution that will support the stu dent vote. He added that mem bers of boards of trustees on other campuses are dis cussing similar ASG President Andrew Payne says he hopes legislators will fund student requests, such as financial aid. resolutions. In April 1999, an effort to gain a student vote on the BOG died in a Senate committee. And finding support for the two other initiatives might prove difficult because of the state’s almost SSOO million deficit Payne said that now is a good time for these initiatives to be proposed because of the strong support of the $3.1 billion higher education bond that passed with 74 percent of the vote in last year’s election. “In order to recruit and retain the best faculty, universities need more This game is too big for Carmichael... now they’re heading to the Dean Dome on January 14th. Be there to cheer them to victory and help break the ACC attendance record of 14,5Q0. Carolina Women’s Basketball jf Tar Heels vs. Wolfpack on Sunday, January 14 at 1:OOpm News “We don’t really have a position (on NV),” said Richard Stilwell, a bartender at Hell, a popular Rosemary Street club. “I don’t think it will affect our business, maybe it would even help us draw more people toward this side of town.” Lee said he thought NV would be an important addition to down town Chapel Hill. “We wanted the name of the club to be something peo ple could relate to. We started think ing of the seven deadly sins,” Lee said. “We really do believe that this place will be the envy of a lot of people around here.” The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu. money,” Gardner said. She also said the deficit will have some effect over the initiatives but added that the best way to jump-start the economy is through education. “Universities are one of, if not the most, important economic tools this state has,” she said. Lawley said it will be hard to predict the outcome but was optimistic that the event will set the stage for years to come because of student support. Lawley said students will converge at N.C. State and then proceed downtown where they will listen to several speak ers and then meet with members of the state legislature. He added that at a meeting Saturday ASG members will discuss some of the logistics of the event and ways to pro mote the day. Gardner said she is excited about the event, which will give students a unique experience to meet with legislators. “This is the first year this has been done,” Gardner said. “It’s a great oppor tunity for the legislature to see student commitment.” The State 8 National Editor can be reached atstntdesk@unc.edu. Officials: Bidding Changes Needed UNC-system officials want a construction manager who would have ultimate responsibility for a project. By April Bethea Staff Writer UNC-system leaders are asking N.C. officials to change a decades-old method for handling contractor bids to expedite the onslaught of new campus construc tion projects thanks to the passage of the $3.l billion higher education bond. But they face opposition from mem bers of the N.C. State Buildings Commission, who argue the current plan is the fairest for contractors and is cost effective for taxpayers. The SBC would have to approve any change in the bidding process. Jeff Davies, UNC-system vice presi dent of finance, said university leaders are proposing that construction projects oper ate under the Cost-Management At Risk Program, which requires a manager to monitor all construction projects. Davies said UNC-system leaders will meet with the Board of Governors on Friday to further discuss the issue. The system will formally present its proposal to the SBC onjan. 23. Davies said the proposed change is necessary “We have a magnitude of construction ahead of us that is unprecedented. ” Jeff Davies UNC-System Vice President for Finance because of the increased amount of pro jects funded by the higher education bond that was passed in November. “We have a magnitude of construction ahead of us that is unprecedented,” he said. Under the current multi-prime sys tem, state-fttfided projects require four separate bids for general, electrical and mechanical maintenance and for plumbing, with each winner acting as a general contractor. Davies said the new proposal would continue to allow for multiple bids but also would require a construction man ager to monitor the progress of con Ulbr oatly Sar HM struction projects. “We believe con struction managers will help us to mofi itor and manage construction projects more effectively,” Davies said. BOG Member Jim Phillips also said he believes a construction manager will help ensure projects are completed as efficiently as possible. Phillips said he believes many state construction projects have run at a slow pace under the current system because of the multiple contractors involved. “There is no central authority in the current system,” Phillips said. Bruce Runberg, UNC associate vice chancellor for facility services, said some campus construction projects have been delayed due to problems with contractors. Runberg said campus officials were forced to cancel a contract for work on the School of Law building after a contractor failed to show up. He said the presence of a construction manager will result in fewer problems because the one person would be held accountable for the entire project “It is better because we’re dealing with one contractor instead of four,” he said. But SBC member Ronald Hinson said he opposes the proposed change in the bidding process. “Multi-prime was proven, and still is proving, to be the best bidding program for North Carolina,” he said. Hinson, a licensed electrical contractor, said the current system provides a better opportunity for many contractors to compete for bids and is more cost-effective for taxpayers, according to a survey by the SBC. “Generally, there is a 5 to 6 percent sav ings under the multi-prime system,” he said. Davies said UNC-system leaders are hopeful that the SBC will approve the proposal so projects can be completed at a faster pace. “We believe it’s an effective means of expediting the amount of con struction we have as a result of the bond.” The State 8 National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu. * KSSSM j X J J The University and Towns In Brief UNC Professor Elected To National Position Dr. George F. Sheldon, Zack D. Owens distinguished professor of surgery at UNC’s School of Medicine, has been elected chairman of the Association of American Medical Colleges. Sheldon accepted the position recently at the association’s annual meeting in Chicago. He said his leadership will focus on and emphasize strengthening clinical research fields. Federal Grant to Aid Minority Health Care Following studies revealing that minority practitioners are more likely to care for disadvantaged patients, the Health Careers Opportunity Program of the U.S. Bureau of Health Pr ofessions awarded UNC a five-year, $2.36 mil lion grant to increase the number of minority students entering health pro fessions. UNC’s Health Careers Opportunities Program will help recruit and adequately prepare minority or dis advantaged students interested in health professions. Basketball Drop-In Scheduled for Sundays The Carrboro Recreation and Parks Department is sponsoring a basketball drop-in. It will be held on Sunday afternoons from l p.m. to 4 p.m. at Grey Culbreth Middle School. The drop-in cost is $l per partici pant. Pre-registration is not necessary. Contact the Carrboro Recreation and Parks Department at 918-7364 for more information. tElif laiiii (Har Urrl Tuesday, January 9,2001 Volume 108. Issue 134 1 RO. Box 3257. Chapel Hill, NC 27515 Matt Dees, Editor, 962-4086 Advertising & Business, 962-1163 News, Features, Sports. 962-0245