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Dance Marathon Sets Record
By Jenny McLendon
Staff Writer
Several hundred students danced the night -
and day - away in Fetzer Gym this weekend, rais
ing a record-high $100,289.33 for the N.C.
Children’s Hospital.
Dance Marathon 2001, the largest student-run
fund-raiser at UNC, brought 350 volunteers
together for 24 hours of dancing and entertain
ment beginning at 7 p.m. Friday.
The annual event, which gamers funds from
various campus organizations and corporate
sponsors, is now in its third year.
Highlights included a visit from former UNC
women’s soccer players Mia Hamm and Cindy
Parlow, lip sync performances by several UNC
athletic teams and step shows by a number of
Greek organizations.
At 10 p.m. Friday, energy emanated from
Fetzer. Some volunteers said they welcomed the
challenge of staying on their feet for a day straight.
“I’ve stayed up 24 hours before, just not standing
up, but I know I’ve got the whole 24 hours,” said
SBP-Elect,
Congress
Square Off
Student Congress questioned
Justin Young's plan to redirect
his $2,400 stipend toward
underfunded student groups.
By Brook Corwin
and Greg Steffensen
Staff Writers
Student Body President-elect Justin
Young was subpoenaed by Student
Congress on Sunday to explain a key
campaign promise that some members
fear could usurp legislative power.
Members questioned whether Young’s
Student Empowerment Endowment
could give the student body president
budgetary powers reserved for Congress
and set a precedent discouraging less
wealthy students from running for student
body president
But after discussing the matter with
Young on Sunday, Congress decided to
allocate Young his
$2,400 stipend.
SEE would use
the student body
president’s stipend
and private dona
tions to fund indi
viduals or organi
zations selected by
a committee made
up of Young’s staff
members, students
and administrators.
Sunday’s meet
ing followed a
series of con
tentious exchanges
between Congress
Student Body
President-elect
Justin Young
doesn't think his plan
will force others to
give up their stipends.
and Young’s camp. Debate over the exec
utive branch’s budget, from which the
stipend is derived, led Speaker Alexandra
Student Congress
Allocates 2001-02
Finance Budget
See Page 3
Bell to subpoe
na Young
Saturday night
Matt Jones,
Young’s former
campaign man-
ager, sent Congress members an e-mail
later that night asking them to “show
students that student government can
be more than a territorial, back biting
field where little junior administrators
play.” The e-mail, which Young said he
did not approve, as well as a handout
distributed by Young supporters at the
meeting, annoyed several Congress
members Sunday night.
“I’ve never felt more patronized by
the executive branch than by Matt
Jones e-mail and this handout,” said
congressman Greg Wahl.
See STIPEND, Page 5
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
Eleanor Roosevelt
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Helena Bates, a freshman journalism and mass
communication major from Fayetteville.
Although sodas were served, many partici
pants went caffeine-free, relying instead on yel
low-shirted “morale boosters” to combat their
sagging energy levels.
Freshman anthropology major Rob Weldon
from Thomasville said he was exhausted but
trying to stay peppy. “You have to have a lot of
energy to keep everyone’s morale up, especial
ly toward the end,” he said. “But it’s worth it.
This is definitely one of the things I want to do
the rest of my years here.”
By 1:30 p.m. Saturday, many dancers still
claimed to have enough energy to make it to
the 24-hour mark.
Natalie Halbach, a sophomore international
studies major from Minnesota, said the crowd
kept her motivated. “Instead of dragging as
time goes on, I’m feeling stronger,” she said.
“You kind of draw strength from each other -
everyone is pulling together for the kids.”
Dance Marathon Coordinator Cristy Irvin
said she believes family hour, a period of time
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Access New Key to Race Relations
The Committee on Community
and Diversity, created last fall,
seeks to involve more students
in making suggestions to UNC.
By Stacey Geyer
Staff Writer
Fifty years after the University cautiously
opened its doors and ended segregation,
some administration, faculty members and
students have focused their efforts on contin
ued improvement of UNC’s racial climate.
For Director of Minority Affairs Archie
Ervin, this means two words - access and
diversity.
“(Our vision) will be one that focuses on
how we can better extend the educational
opportunities of our campus,” Ervin said.
He cited the Board of Governors’
January approval of a plan that aims to pro
mote better access to the entire UNC sys
tem as evidence of commitment to this
progress, which will evolve during the next
Fire Kills, Endangers Animals at Orange County Shelter
By Kellie Dixon
Assistant City Editor
A late-night blaze at the Orange
County Animal Shelter claimed the lives
of four wildlife animals and left one
injured.
Two Chapel Hill fire trucks and one
UNC truck were on hand to help extin
guish the fire, which was put out in 15 to
20 minutes, officials said.
Bart Willis, assistant general manager
Take Charge
Applications are now available
for 2001-2002 DTH editor.
Pick one up in Union Suite 104.
Serving the students and the University community since 1893
from 5 p.m to 6 p.m. Saturday when the families
of children who will benefit from the event are
specifically invited to attend, is the most memo
rable part for many participants.
George Leamon, a political science and histo
ry major from Charlotte, said seeing the kids gave
him his second wind. “It’s a moving experience,
and it means so much to so many people,” he
said. “I’m fatigued, but... I’m waiting it out”
Alter a countdown to the 7 p.m. 24-hour mark,
Irvin credited volunteers and participating orga
nizations for the huge success of the marathon.
“You are all the reason for this year’s total
$100,289.33,” she said. “The marathon is a com
bination of the money raised and the energy
invested, and I hope everyone had a great time.”
Leamon said he believes the event speaks for
the conviction of UNC students to helping the
N.C. Children’s Hospital. “Everyone says that col
lege students are apathetic, but the success of this
event should tell them that that’s just not true.”
The University Editor can be reached at
udesk@unc.edu.
five to 10 years.
“We will make a special effort to the sec
tor of the community and state where we’re
not doing as well - that does coincide with
racial and ethnic (students) but primarily on
those of (lesser) economic-social status,”
Ervin said.
Advocating for and working toward
increased diversity in incoming students will
■ Today: Paving the way for
an improved racial climate.
ment and education at UNC, Ervin said.
While not responsible for overseeing this
broad spectrum, Ervin is involved with the
Committee on Community and Diversity.
This 13- to 14-member advisory commit
tee to the chancellor, which was created in
the fall of last year, will provide recommen
dations to University officials on diversity.
As an example, Ervin said the committee
of the shelter, said he was working in the
building when he heard “the night
deposit door close.” After that, Willis
said he heard “an explosion.”
Pat Sanford, who has been director of
the shelter for 15 years, said 911 officials
told her there was an explosion in the
night deposit box.
She said the night deposit box is used
for people who want to leave injured or
abandoned animals. Sanford said those
animals dropped off are picked up in the
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Students dance to raise money for the N.C. Children's Hospital. The efforts of the
350 volunteers resulted in a record-high $100,289.33 raised by this year's Dance Marathon.
DTH/LAUREN DAUGHTRY AND MARY STOWEa
could analyze the cultural diversity curricu
lum requirement or examine the impor
tance of having a diverse faculty.
The committee must have a minimum of
two student members, but Ervin said he and
other committee members aim to involve
more students.
Tyra Moore, president of the Black
Student Movement, said she agreed to join
the committee in November, shortly after its
conception, because she felt the group was
moving in a necessary direction.
“I guess one of the reasons was because it
was not (one of the BSM’s) direct 22
demands but in the overall theme of the
(UNC) administration taking steps to find
out what’s going on in campus.
“I think the administration needs to
make a public investment in improving the
overall diversity in this community.”
The BSM issued 22 demands to the late
Chancellor Michael Hooker on Nov. 14,
1997 in reference to race relations on cam
pus.
See FUTURE, Page 5
be coupled
with pro
mot in g
campus
policies, a
diversity
minded
en viron-
moming by animal shelter officials, who
would then assess and treat the animals’
injuries.
Battalion Chief David Lewis said the
fire was suspicious and that officials
were not ruling out anything as of yet.
“(The fire) wasn’t bad," he said. “I
think most of the damage was superfi
cial. It is suspicious and we are treating
it as such at this time.”
Fire Marshal Caprice Mellon, who
will be investigating the cause of the fire
Board Cites Lack
Of Evidence in
CAA Controversy
The Board of Elections found that there was
not enough evidence implicating specific
individuals to warrant action at this time.
By Kim Minugh
University Editor
After further investigations, the Board of Elections has
declined to take action at this time against either candidate in the
highly contested race for Carolina Athletic Association president
Board members began to investigate the validity of testi
mony and evidence presented in a Feb. 15 hearing Friday in
hopes of resolving suspicions about both Reid Chaney and
Michael Songer’s campaigns.
“Due to the current lack of evidence that specifically impli-
cates individuals, within the Songer
student 2001 and Chaney campaign, who have
committed obvious election law viola
tions the board chooses to take no
action at this time against either campaign,” the board
declared Sunday night.
Board members say students previously implicated by elec
tronic evidence in the investigation - CAA President Tee Ptuitt,
Carolina Fever Co-chairs Eric Ellis and Anna Kroncke, sopho
more Richard Amundson and possibly others - were framed.
Fred Hill, vice chairman of the Board of Elections, said the
board had not yet identified the party or parties responsible
but was continuing to investigate the issue.
Controversy began to cloud the race shortly after the Feb.
13 student elections, when the invalidation of numerous write
in votes gave Chaney the majority necessary to win.
But Songer’s campaign quickly called for Chaney’s dis
qualification from the race after Davin McGinnis, UNC alum
nus and former Carolina Fever president, sent a mass e-mail
to students urging them to vote for Chaney.
Chris Brook, Songer’s representative in the hearing, argued
that the e-mail was libelous and affected the outcome of the
election - possibly giving Chaney his five-vote majority.
Songer’s campaign attempted to link McGinnis’ mass e
mail to Chaney’s campaign with another e-mail - later
dubbed the “smoking gun” e-mail - allegedly sent by
McGinnis to Ellis, Pruitt and Bryan Hart, who resigned as vice
president of CAA to work on Chaney’s campaign.
The board determined last weekend that the “smoking
gun” e-mail was a forgery and launched an investigation into
who might have constructed the e-mail.
But after in-depth investigations, the Board of Elections
See CAA, Page 5
with assistance from the Chapel Hill
police, said exact details, such as how
much damage was done and the cause
of the fire, have yet to be determined.
Sanford said a boa constrictor was
injured. The four animals killed during
the fire were two baby squirrels, a rabbit
and a ferret, she said.
But Sanford praised the Chapel Hill
Fire Department for its efforts in con
taining the spread of the fire and smoke.
“It was very smoky inside, but the
Two Weeks
Today: Partly Cloudy, 62
Tuesday: Cloudy, 54
Wednesday: Rain, 59
Monday, February 26, 2001
firemen did a wonderful job," she said.
“There was no severe damage to the
animals except those in the wildlife
room.”
Sanford said the damage could have
been worse if Willis had not been work
ing.
“If he hadn’t have been here, we
would have lost more fives.”
The City Editor can be reached
at citydesk@unc.edu.