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Young to Establish New Posts,
Recruit Diverse, Creative Staff
Bv Paige Ammons
Staff Writer
Now that the race for office is over, Student
Body President-elect Justin Young is shifting
his focus from snazzy campaign gimmicks to
creating a smooth transition into his new
office.
His transition period will involve thinking
about what he plans to accomplish as well as
creating a good team to work with in making
those goals a reality.
“My short-term goals are establishing a
diverse, creative Cabinet, and not only a good
Cabinet, but also a diverse and creative office
in general,” he said.
Young said he plans to recreate and restruc
ture the office in an attempt to fulfill the promis
es made in his platform.
The most important platform goal to
New GPSF Chief
Eager to Embrace
Challenges Ahead
First-year graduate student Mikisha Brown
says being the "new kid on the block" will
make her an asset to student government.
Bv Kara Eide
Staff Writer
After only six months as a Tar Heel, the Graduate and
Professional Student Federation president-elect said she is eager
to learn the ropes of student government’s executive branch.
Mikisha Brown, a personable first-year graduate student in
the Department of Health Education, was a write-in candidate
on the Feb. 13 election ballot. She won in Tuesday’s runoff
election by 140 votes.
Bom injamaica and raised in Connecticut, Brown went on
to college in Massachusetts and came to North Carolina in
August for graduate school.
Brown decided to run about four weeks ago when she
heard that no one was running for the position and other stu
dents made her aware of the opportunity.
But before campaigning, Brown said her biggest reservation
was being certain she was ready for the commitment “I wanted
to make sure it was something I would commit my time to, and
not just taking a position for the sake of the position,” she said.
She also noted that she would be a fresh face to the GPSF
program and to Suite C. “I’m anew kid on the block,” she said.
But the idea of entering unknown territory does not hinder
Brown’s eager spirit “With time I’ll get to see how (Suite C) works
to facilitate my responsibility to graduate and professional students
and my interaction with the larger student government”
In preparation for the position, Brown plans to meet with the
GPSF adviser, seek opinions of past presidents and put in extra
time now and during the summer. “I don’t think (the position)
will be as difficult as it might appear on paper,” she said.
Brown felt that her strongest contribution will be her enthu
siasm. “I’m really committed to making this work, and I like to
infect people with that same amount of enthusiasm,” she said.
Current GPSF President Thad Woody said he thought
Brown’s campaign platform outlined important issues. He said
the biggest issues she will have to face are childcare for grad
uate students’ families and bringing graduate students closer
to the undergraduate program and the University.
“It’s hard for graduate students to get a feel for Carolina
when they’re so isolated from other students,” he said.
See GPSF, Page 2
Drunken Drivers Could Face lst-Degree Murder Charges
By Rachel Nyden
Staff Writer ___
The N.C. House is considering a bill
that would allow district attorneys to
bring first-degree murder charges -
which could result in the death penalty
- against habitual drunken drivers who
kill while driving under the influence.
The bill, which has received mixed
reviews in Raleigh, defines habitual as
three prior drunken-driving convictions.
Rep. Michael Decker, R-Forsyth, who
introduced the bill Monday, said he
Young is establishing the Student
Empowerment Endowment, to which he will
donate his student body president stipend and
raise more funds to encourage student initia
tives.
When questioned about his Cabinet candi
dates, Young was reluctant to make any specif
ic decisions.
“I have thought about a few people, but the
positions are open to everyone,” he said.
“I encourage everyone to apply.”
Young said applications for Cabinet posi
tions as well as the positions of student body
vice president, secretary and treasurer are avail
able on the student government Web site at
http://www. unc.edu/student/orgs/studgov.
He plans to use his immediate time to spread
the word about these positions and encouraging
people to apply.
“The opportunity is available to apply and I
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PHOTO COURTESY OF CHAPEL HILL POLICE
James Haltom (center) celebrates UNC's Feb. 1 victory over Duke on top of the Honda Accord that was flipped later that night.
Haltom Denies Damaging Car
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PHOTO COURTESY OF COLLEGEUNITED.COM
James Haltom, in the white shirt to the left, stands in front of Mindy
Guadagnino's car. He claims he was trying to prevent further damage.
thinks the legislation is needed. “This is
a bill that’s time has come,” he said.
“Society is fed up with people who cre
ate a menace on the highway.”
Decker said he sees no difference
between killing someone while driving
drunk and shooting them with a gun.
But Rep. Verla Insko, D-Orange, said
she does not think there is the same
intent involved in killing someone while
intoxicated and committing a crime,
such as premeditated murder or rape,
that could result in the death penalty.
“I don’t think anybody who’s drink
We are the people our parents warned us about.
Jimmy Buffett
A New Concept
Club Nova provides a localized
support system for people
with mental illnesses. See Page 3
Serving the students and the University community since 1893
hope to pick the best bunch for student gov
ernment,” he said.
Young plans to make a few changes in the
Cabinet by adding anew minority affairs advi
sor and a committee on public service and
advocacy.
The new student minority affairs chairman
will aid Young in reflecting die diversity of the
campus within student government.
The committee on public service and advo
cacy will focus on the University’s goals of com
munity involvement.
“I want it to help student government get
back involved in service,” he said.
“I want us to take part in public service.”
Aiding Young in his adjustment to office
will be Jessica Triche, a member of his cam
paign staff, who also will serve as Young’s tran-
See YOUNG, Page 2
ing and gets in the car intends to have an
accident,” she said. “It’s not even their
intention to have a fender bender.”
She said this question concerning
intent will be a hotly debated topic.
Forsyth County District Attorney
Tom Keith said he lobbied for this bill
after a 1996 case when a repeat drunken
driver killed two Wake Forest University
students. The driver was convicted of
first-degree murder, but the decision was
reversed by the N.C. Superior Court.
“We had become frustrated that all
the law would allow was second-degree
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DTH/MARGO KNIGHT
Student Body President-elect Justin Young embraces a supporter shortly after his victory
Tuesday night. Young says he is now working to make his transition into the office smooth.
By Ginny Sciabbarrasi
City Editor
One of the UNC students charged with a felony for dam
aging a car after the North Carolina-Duke basketball game
says he is in more trouble than he deserves.
James Auman Haltom, a 20-year-old sophomore, was
arrested and charged with felony rioting by Chapel Hill police
after he turned himself in last Friday. But Haltom, who fives in
the Chi Psi fraternity house, said he isn’t responsible for the
vandalism of a car that was flipped on Franklin Street and that
he even tried to protect the car from further damage.
Haltom, who spoke Tuesday with his lawyer present, said
he was on top of the car for a few minutes to watch and pho
tograph the crowd that swarmed Franklin Street, but he got off
when people started damaging it.
“I got on top of the car to take pictures,” he said. “Someone
started jumping on the trunk, so I got off and walked away. As
I was walking away, I wasn’t more than 10 or 15 feet away
when I heard, ‘they’re flipping the car.’ I stood on the car, I
readily admit it, but I didn’t participate in flipping it.”
He said he and his friends tried to collect some of the things
that fell out of the car when it was flipped and put them back
in the vehicle.
Haltom said that once the car had been flipped back over,
See HALTOM, Page 2
murder,” he said.
Keith said the negligence involved in
driving drunk is enough to establish the
intent required for first-degree murder
crimes. “This is a way to have the legisla
ture express the intent that (killings while
under the influence) are murder cases.”
Keith said the current punishments
for drunken driving assume that the
offender will stop after the first convic
tion and the punishment should be
toughened. “There has to be a realization
that a car is a deadly weapon,” Keith
said. “I can take my shoe off and beat
you with it and kill you, and a judge
would have no problem calling that a
deadly weapon.”
Keith also said he doesn’t feel the bill
will have any trouble passing. “I would
have liked to make the statute a lot
tougher, but we feel it’s as watered down
as it could be to get it started.”
But UNC law Professor Richard Rosen
said the bill is a bad idea. “It’s good poli
tics but lousy law.”
The State & National Editor can be
reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.
Winter's Back
Today: Wintry Mix, 35
Friday: Clouds, 57
Saturday: Showers, 57
Thursday, February 22, 2001
UNC Fields
Ecological
Concerns
The University cites limited
parking and mass transit
as potential obstacles to
fulfilling Sierra Club requests.
By Carolyn Pearce
Staff Writer
University officials Wednesday pre
sented several ways they plan to address
the Sierra Club’s “13 Environmental
Principles for UNC Campus Planning,”
which outlines the club’s concern with
the ecological impact of the Master Plan.
The proposition cited the club’s
desire for UNC to “embrace the princi
ples of sustainability to make wide use of
resources ... in order to promote strong
communities in viable ecosystems.”
Jonathan Howes, director of the
Master Plan, presided over the meeting
and demonstrated the efforts of the
University to address the needs of the
environment. Several of UNC’s hired
specialists were in attendance to show
how precautions will be integrated.
Sierra Club spokesman Dan
Coleman said the group’s suggestions
focus primarily on transportation con
cerns. He said air quality and traffic will
affect the area’s environment.
Sierra Club members are especially
worried that the UNC’s projected growth
will increase the number of students and
faculty who will want to drive to campus.
UNC transportation specialist
George Alexiou responded to
Coleman’s concerns by presenting the
alternatives that UNC is considering.
Alexiou cited the University’s commit
ment to limit parking, promote and sup
port alternative modes of transportation
and create a pedestrian environment
“The parking availability for students
and faculty will be significantly
reduced,” Alexiou said. “We are making
a statement that things will be different”
The Master Plan calls for a 50 percent
increase in University facilities and pop
ulation over the next 50 years, including
projected growth onto the Horace
Williams tract, located off Airport Road.
It is estimated that up to 25,000 park
ing spots could be built in the
University-owned Horace Williams
tract and as many as 3,000 spaces could
be added to North Campus. Howes said
the Horace Williams development is in
its initial planning stages, and they are
still investigating transportation alterna
tives for the area, such as rail or buses to
connect the tract to main campus.
The Master Plan Committee is
See SIERRA CLUB, Page 2