Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Feb. 14, 2001, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
More Results Senior class, RHA, etc. See Page 3 SkttUi (tar Hrrl www.dailytarheel.com Johnson, Young to Face Off for SBP f i W A m DTH/CHRISTINE NGUYEN Student body president candidate Eric Johnson celebrates his victory after hearing that he secured 1,806 votes in Tuesday's campus elections. Candidates Beat Out Field, Survive for Tuesday's Runoff *Eric Johnson 1,806 Annie Peirce 738 Julius Peppers 214 Caleb Ritter 157 Chaney, Songer Neck-and-Neck In CAA Contest By Stephanie Horvath Staff Writer After weeks of candidates dropping out, accusations of dis honesty and contention over the future of Carolina Fever, the race for Carolina Athletic Association president will contin ue for another week, as neither of the two candidates secured a majority of the votes. Of the 5,200 votes cast for CAA president, Reid Chaney received 2,585, while Michael Songer received 2,453. The race will be decided in next Tuesday’s runoff election. And though Chaney said he was surprised that a runoff would be necessary, Songer said he was not. “We expected it to be a very close election, and in a lot of ways we weren’t surprised it was a runoff,” Songer said. Chaney said the 162 write-in votes affected the race’s out- late Monday night that questioned Songer’s honesty and endorsed Chaney for CAA president. Songer was dismissed two weeks ago from the CAA Cabinet due to internal tensions within the organization’s leadership. “(The e-mail) was entirely negative toward me,” Songer said. “Since it l VPt-I L*_jEsH UNC two-sport star Julius Peppers nabbed 214 votes as a write-in candidate to place fifth in the SBP race. By Brook Corwin and Katy Nelson Staff Writers In the cramped basement of Peabody Hall, Eric Johnson and Justin Young emerged from a crowded pack of stu dent body president contenders as the candidates for next Tuesday’s runoff election. The unofficial results gave Johnson §ll DTH/EMILY SCHNURE CAA president candidates Reid Chaney and Michael Songer absorb the close election results, which have led to a runoff next Tuesday. was sent out the night before, we had no chance to reply.” Chaney said he became aware of the e-mail today and that his campaign was not responsible for it But Bryan Hart, the former CAA vice president who resigned last week to join Chaney’s campaign, said the e-mail suggested strong support for Chaney. “If (McGinnis) felt the need to send that e-mail out to a lot of peo ple, it strongly indicates that Reid’s the guy for the job,” Hart said. “He’s someone eke on the inside saying Reid’s the guy.” The race for CAA president has been characterized by oppos ing views on the role of Fever and plagued by what has become the race’s subtext - internal strain within the CAA Cabinet See CAA, Page 2 come, but Songer said he felt negative campaigning had impacted votes. Songer also said this negativity was reflected by an e mail former Carolina Fever President Davin McGinnis sent out Much madness is divinest sense, To a discerning eye. Emily Dickinson Wanted Police released photos of suspects in the vandalism that occurred on Franklin Street on Feb. 1. See Page 3 Serving the students and the University community since 1893 igk R DTH/MIKE MESSIER Student body president candidate Justin Young cheers from the front row of 8 Peabody Hall as the results of the election are announced. Young received 1,453 votes. about 32 percent of the total votes cast for the position, with Young following close behind with 26 percent. Coining in third place was Annie Peirce, who received 13 percent of the cast ballots. Board of Elections Chairman Jeremy Tuchmayer’s 10:50 p.m. announcement elicited enthusiastic cheers and sighs of relief from both the Johnson and Young campaign staffs. Many supporters, sta tioned behind their candidates, did not hesitate to rush forward with hugs and handshakes. Johnson pumped his fist confidently with a beaming smile on his face as the totals were announced. “I was tremen dously excited. We really put in the hard work, and it paid off,” Johnson said while embracing a campaign volunteer. After Tuchmayer’s announcement, Young said he experienced a tingly feel ing of excitement as he leaned back in his chair and then accepted the out stretched arms of supporters. “I knew that things would work out,” Young said. “I’m feeling great, and I’m excited about the next week of campaigning.” An exhausted Annie Peirce said she felt fine following the announcement. “I thought I had a pretty good turnout actually,” she said. Peirce said she was proud to have come in third place. “Eric and Justin are both great candidates, and I wish them the best of luck,” she said. The election was marked by the high Voters approved the ballot referendum that could make transit free throughout the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area. By Greg Steffensen Staff Writer Students enthusiastically supported a referendum to implement fare-free bus ing Tuesday, casting more total votes on it than any other ballot category and passing it by a percentage second only to David Cooper’s unopposed race for Residence Hall Association presi dent. The referendum asked if students would be willing to pay an extra $8.49 each semester to allow all Chapel Hill Transit Authority buses to operate with no charge for anyone wanting to use the service. The University would pay 40 percent of the busing costs while die towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro must agree to cover the remaining 60 percent. Supporters claim that fare-free busing would save students money and reduce the number of cars on campus. Student Body President Brad Matthews, the proposal’s most vocal est voter turnout in the history of student elections at UNC, with 5,837 total stu dents voting in the election, an increase over last year’s turnout by nearly 58 per cent “It speaks volumes for the election board that they got people out to vote,” Johnson said. “The student body really showed that they care, and hopefully even more will vote next time.” There was a tense atmosphere in Peabody as supporters rallied around candidates who lined up for the final verdict. Dustyn Baker said she will continue to push her platform regardless of the outcome. See SBP, Page 2 supporter, was particularly pleased with its strong student support. “I’m glad students were receptive. This was the first step to a more involved and more effective transit sys tem,” he said. “Although there’s a number of negotiations to go through still, I think the chances are good of this sparking a movement for better campus tran sit.” Groups such as Think Transit have warned that fare-free busing might make buses more crowded and make it financially difficult for the transit author- ity to add new routes or extend service hours. Although the proposal must still be approved by the Chapel Hill Town Council and the Carrboro Board of Aldermen, its broad student support makes its passage more likely. Both student body president runoff candidates were pleased by the the ref erendum’s support but warned that it might receive more scrutiny before being implemented. “I think it’s another option, and it can only help,” said candidate Justin Young. “Students are behind it, student govem- See BUSING, Page 2 Madness Today: Cloudy, 66 Thursday: Cloudy, 73 Friday: Storms, 65 Wednesday, February 14, 2001 Web Polls Survive Ist Major Test Elections officials reported few problems with die online voting system, and students praised its efficiency. By Jenny Fowler Staff Writer Forget the complaints of long voting lines, missed classes and an inconve nient voting system. The Internet saved the day Tuesday, drawing about 2,200 more voters than last year. More than 5,800 students - including those overseas - cast their votes in Tuesday’s student elections by voting online. Students were able to vote at home, in the library or at work via cyberspace. “Online voting is immensely con venient,” said Meg Smothers, a public policy analysis major. “I was able to vote this morning in my pajamas.” 1 h 1 Board of Elections Chairman Jeremy Tuchmayer said online voting was free of major glitches. jcicmy xuimiiciyei, ciicumicui ui me Board of Elections, supervised the online voting process throughout the day. He said things went smoothly, as expected. “Our only concern was with continu ing seniors who voted online but did not realize they could not vote for senior class president,” Tuchmayer said. “But we anticipated this problem, and manual bal lots were made so these seniors could, in fact, vote for the senior class president” Most students found traditional bal lot voting in past years inconvenient because of long lines, forcing students to either attend class late or not at all. Many students said the online voting system was both convenient and well organized. Most students had no trou ble finding their voting district and then candidate choices. “I voted in 30 sec onds,” said sophomore Courtney Harrington. “The Web site was very well laid-out and easy to navigate.” Smothers, a senior, worked on the Board of Elections her freshman year and recalls the difficulty and confusion that came with traditional vote tabula tion. “Counting ballots is a tedious, painstaking process,” Smothers said. “This year’s election board will have a much easier time tallying the votes.” Tuchmayer said a fair number of stu dents had voted by the early afternoon. But voting peaked in the late afternoon and early evening. Another advantage to the online vot ing system is that students who are abroad can still participate in the elec tions. Because the students still receive campaign e-mails from the candidates, they have access to the election and who is running. “I still wanted to be a part of the election and what was going on at school,” said sophomore Nisha Chandak, who is studying abroad in Italy. “I thought the elections were important. I wanted to make a differ ence, and I hoped one vote would.” Chandak said the online system is convenient even for those who are overseas. “I think it’s a great idea. So many students go abroad every year, and this gives them the opportunity (to vote). It’s so simple and easy.” Tuchmayer said the success of the system Tuesday night bodes well for the future. “I think the system went really well,” he said. “No glitches were report ed, and hopefully, we will have a high er turnout over time.” The University Editor can be reached atudeskeunc.edu.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Feb. 14, 2001, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75