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Heels edge Terps.
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www.dailytarheel.com
Debate Incites Smiles, Talk of Issues
By Blake Rosser
Staff Writer
Spurts of laughter filled Carroll Hall
Auditorium on Thursday night as stu-
dent body presi
dent candidates
poked fun at
each other in a
fsSSent 2001
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debate revealing the lighter side of their
campaigns.
All seven
official candi
dates and a
write-in candi
date participat
ed in the event,
Candidates Sound
Off on Issues at
Masala Forum
See Page 7
which was co-hosted by the Blue &
Cheating Charges Against Trinh Dismissed
Many of the members of James Coggins'
Computer Science 120 class are appealing
their hearings based on rights violations.
By Stephanie Horvath
Staff Writer
In the wee hours of Thursday morning, junior Mike Trinh
felt a weight lifted off his shoulders.
At about 12:30 a.m. the appellate tribunal of the Honor Court
dismissed his case, finding that his basic rights had been violat
ed in his October hearing and that this affected the outcome.
“I’m ready to get this behind me,” Trinh said. “I’m disap
pointed it took this long, but it’s over, and I guess I’m wiser
for the experience.”
Trinh was found guilty in October of academic cheating by
iinanfhnri7Pr] rpllahmafinn onahomework assignment in his
Computer Science 120 course. His punishment was academ
ic probation and an F in the course.
Trinh was one of 24 students Professor James Coggins
turned in for cheating at the end of the 2000 spring semester.
And Trinh’s case is one of several that have been under
appeal in recent weeks, all questioning the Honor Court’s pro
ceedings in October.
Although Trinh is still awaiting the appellate board’s writ
ten rationale of its decision, he speculated that the ruling was
based on two main violations of his rights: He was initially
told he would be tried alone and was later tried with another
student, and the charges against him were changed from
Internet posting to unauthorized collaboration 48 to 72 hours
See HONOR COURT, Page 2
Easley: Budget Warrants State of Emergency
By Alex Kaplun
State & National Editor
RALEIGH - After several days of specu
lation, Gov. Mike Easley announced addi
tional plans to deal with a budget shortfall that
continues to grow.
In the cramped confines of the State Capitol
Building, Easley declared a state of emergency
and more plans for balancing the budget. ,
The last time an N.C. governor used emer
gency powers to deal with a budget crisis was
FLAMES IN EFLAND
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DTH/ARIEL SHUMAKER
A bike lies in the charred remains of a small forest fire near the home of
an Efland resident. The fire, near Gaines Chapel, was one of four fires in
the Efland area that broke out Thursday afternoon.
White and The Daily Tar Heel.
The first segment of the debate
involved questions asked by two media
tors, one from each of the sponsoring
media outlets. The role the student body
needs to play in the government was a
common theme throughout the debate.
“It’s very important for students to let
us know what they want,” said candidate
Warren Watts.
Candidate Eric Johnson also stressed
student involvement. “As long as such a
small percentage of students vote in stu
dent elections, it will be easy for admin
istration to write you off,” he said.
Candidate Justin Young agreed. “The
biggest opportunity is to be the voice of
the student,” Young said. “But that’s also
I
DTH FILE PHOTO
Mike Trinh, shown at an Honor Court hearing last fall, had his case dismissed Thursday after the Honor Court
tribunal found that his basic rights were violated in the October hearing.
in 1991 when the state faced a budget short
fall of more than a billion dollars.
Most recent estimates indicate that the state’s
budget deficit will reach between S6OO million
and $790 million by the end of the fiscal year.
Easley ordered three specific actions -
reviewing budget allocations on a monthly
rather than quarterly basis, authorizing him
self to take further actions if necessary, and
creating an escrow account in the Office of
the State Controller into which funds will be
collected from several sources and could be
Swoosh
Nike meets with student activists
to discuss its controversial
Mexican plant. See Page 4
Serving the students and the University community since 1893
that biggest limitation: (The student body
president) is the sole voice of the students.”
During the first portion, some candi
dates also emphasized the need to address
transportation congestion that might
accompany the Master Plan, the
University’s long-term plan for campus
expansion. “Students are getting unfairly
ticketed because there are no parking
spaces,” said candidate Correy Campbell.
“We need to focus on public transporta
tion - maybe more buses and routes.”
Candidate Dustyn Baker said dialogue
should be key to Master Plan dealings. “I
want to foster more open communication
from South Campus to the Master Plan
committee and from the Master Plan
committee back to South Campus.”
used to deal with the budget shortfall.
The funding in the escrow account will
come from the suspension of contributions to
the state retirement fund, suspension of debt
payments to local governments, collecting on
money owed by the federal government and
pulling funds out of several other accounts.
All told, the additional cuts will bring in
$558 million in dealing with the budget
deficit.
Easley also mentioned the possibility of
pulling S4O million out of funding to the
Resignation Points to CAA's Internal Tension
By Kim Minugh
University Editor
Former Carolina Athletic Association
Vice President Bryan Hart’s decision to
resign from his post Wednesday is the
first indication that the organization’s
internal politics
have bled into
the race for
CAA president.
student 2001
Hart tendered his resignation to CAA
President Tee Pruitt on Wednesday after
noon to join the campaign for candidate
Reid Chaney. “I didn’t make a whole lot
of friends with this move today," Hart said
Wednesday. “But out of the candidates, I
sincerely think (Chaney) will do the best
j0b.... I worry that (candidate) Michael
Songer is going to ruin this organization.”
Hart’s decision is the first public
acknowledgement of internal tension that
has plagued the CAA Cabinet this year.
I wish that I had Jesse's girl
Rick Springfield
During the second segment of the
forum, candidates asked questions of one
another. Write-in candidate Charlie Trakas
took the opportunity to ask candidate
Annie Peirce to address allegations that
had been made against her concerning
illegal campaigning last semester.
Peirce admitted to contacting about
400 student organizations but maintains
that she never advertised her desire to
run for student body president. “I did
not break any rules,” she said. “I was
researching for my campaign.”
The Board of Elections dismissed the
charges, which were brought by mem
bers ofjohnson’s campaign.
See DEBATE, Page 2
Hurricane Floyd relief effort, though he said
such a move would be a last resort.
Easley already has allocated close to S4OO
million in dealing with the budget deficit - all
of which could bring in enough funding to
deal with a budget shortfall of up to $ 1 billion.
“(These actions) will balance the budget even
given the worst-case scenarios,” Easley said.
During the announcement Thursday after
noon, Easley demonstrated the outward con-
See EASLEY, Page 2
Conflict reared its head in September,
when the CAA nearly cut the number of
Carolina Fever basketball seats in half. In
The Daily Tar Heel, Songer criticized
Fever’s point system, which awards tick
ets for basketball games, for encouraging
insincerity among fans.
Hart, Pruitt and Songer admit that ten
sion has negatively impacted the organi
zation since then. And Hart charges that
Songer’s dishonesty and willingness to
openly criticize the CAA was the source.
“He was doing things to undermine (the
CAA). It was ripping the Cabinet apart”
But Songer, who was dismissed as
special projects coordinator two weeks
ago, said it was not he who splintered
the Cabinet but a pervasive dishonesty
in the CAA’s leadership. “(Pruitt and
Hart) wanted to manipulate the public
image of CAA. In my mind this caused
the most tension - they didn’t want hon
esty all the time.”
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Student body president candidates address the audience at Thursday
night's Daily Tar Heel/Blue & White debate.
Honor Court
Reform Divides
SBP Candidates
Student Body President Brad Matthews says
his successor will have a large role to play
in any changes to the student-run court.
By Brook Corwin
Staff Writer
With a single, albeit highly controversial and publicized
case, students, faculty and Chancellor James Moeser called
UNC’s student-run judicial sys
tem into question.
With appeals for the Computer
Science 120 case still under way,
the candidates for student body
president must now address that
question on their platforms.
Last October, Professor James
Coggins accused 24 students of
cheating because of groupwork
he said they did in his Computer
Science 120 class. Two of these
students were convicted of the
charges in an open hearing that
raised concerns about student
run court procedures.
Current Student Body
President Brad Matthews said with his office responsible for
appointing the attorney general and all members of the
Committee on Student Conduct, which legislates reform of the
court, the new student body president can have a large impact
“It won’t just be a student government issue, but I’m very
certain the student body president will have a large role to
play in the future of the Honor Court,” he said.
But the candidates are divided on the issue of how much
reform the Honor Court needs, with several candidates saying
the court should not be drastically altered at this time.
“Right now the Honor Court is in a defensive stance
because it has taken so much fire,” said candidate Dustyn
Baker. “You can’t attack an institution on a defensive stance
and help the good of the University, so I want to be proactive
instead of reactive.”
Baker said she will focus on increasing student awareness
See STUDENT COURT, Page 2
Songer said discussion within the
Cabinet is important but that honest com
munication with the media also is critical
and that he regularly cleared his com
ments with CAA Press Secretary Tiffany
Black. “Being honest with the public wifi
have the organization much more respect
ed in the long run,” Songer said.
Hart said he could no longer stay
quiet and “toe the company line.”
“A lot of people won’t understand....
They might see it as a political move at
what could be seen as an inopportune
time. I just want what’s best for the orga
nization."
Pruitt said he respected Hart’s deci
sion to leave the CAA Cabinet. “I
understand that if you are very passion
ate about a cause, you’ve got to do what
you feel is in your best interest or the
best interest of your cause.”
Pruitt said a lack of trust afflicted the
Cabinet this year because deceitful mem
Sun's Back
Today: Sunny, 68
Saturday: Showers, 58
Sunday: Sunny, 53
Friday, February 9, 2001
“Voters' Voices
This week, The Daily Tar
Heel examines five issues
picked by the student body
that need student
government attention.
Today Honor Court
w
bers hampered the internal process of
CAA. “I think there were a lot of trust
issues that ran very rampant and deep
within the internal framework of the
group, and when you eliminate the foun
dation of trust within a group, the whole
thing is going to crumble,” he said. “I
never once, to this day, felt like I could
cut the lights out (in a Cabinet meeting)
and feel totally comfortable."
Songer said there was a lack of trust
because problems were handled inap
propriately. Cabinet meetings were
“bitch sessions,” he said, during which
people were encouraged to yell at each
other. “It got contentious at times, and I
think that, more than anything, con
tributed to the tension in CAA.”
He says he would deal with problems
on an individual level to alleviate ten
sions within the group. “As president, Pd
See CAA, Page 2