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ASHLEY STEPHENSON
Old-School TV
More Important
Than CAA Bill
I’m losing faith in our student
body president.
Brad Matthews is all set to
sign legislation that will give Student
Congress oversight of the Carolina
Athletic Association. I was hoping
Matthews would spend his time more
usefully, perhaps by cracking a beer
and hunkering down for a night of
“DifPrent Strokes” reruns.
Last Tuesday night, in a really sur
prising landslide vote of 17-1, Congress
decided to place the CAA under its
control. It also voted to censure the
CAA and urge future Congress
chumps to investigate the past two
administrations. The bill was put to
Matthews, ready for a signature to set
the measures in stone.
A scary thought, indeed.
But Matthews had a few problems
with the bill, and he has met with mem
bers of the Rules and Judiciary
Committee to make minor changes.
Congress is set to vote on the revised
bill tonight Judging by the first vote, it
should pass with flying colors. And
judging by Matthews’ meeting with the
committee, the cap is already off his Bic.
Too bad it’s all a bunch of baloney.
I find it pathetic that students and
Congress are fighting for an injustice
that doesn’t deserve such devotion.
Basketball tickets. CAA firings and
trash-talking. It’s a pretty weak cause.
Because I couldn’t care less if CAA
President Tee Pruitt and his cohorts
passed out a few free tickets on the sly.
The real crime is that I wasn’t one
of the lucky friends.
If Matthews signs the bill, and I’m
pretty sure he will, students will know
where every CAA-allotted ticket goes,
and Congress will have to approve all
CAA Cabinet appointments.
Since we’re being nitpicky about
ticket allocations, I’d like to know who
the chancellor gives his extra tickets to,
or if friends of Director of Athletics
Dick Baddour are getting a sweet deal.
If CAA has to reveal their ticket-takers,
I’d like all the honchos to do the same.
And if CAA appointments must be
approved, why not appointments within
the Asian Student Association or
Sangam, or who gets to sing the lead in
the Clef Hangers’ version of “Carolina
in My Mind.” It’s a slippery slope.
If Student Congress is going to take
charge of student-run organizations,
they might as well go all they way and
not half-ass it Take control of the
CAA -then you won’t have to be
friends with Tee to score those choice
seats. Take control of the student body
president -then you won’t have to
wait for those pesky signatures. Hell,
take control of the Honor Court -
even y’all couldn’t screw that one up.
Everyone, even the jokers in
Congress, agrees that the nonsense in
CAA stemmed from an abuse of
power.
My contention is that Congress is
not immune to said abuse either.
The kids in the CAA, Honor Court
and Student Congress are the same as
you and me, with more ambition.
They’re college kids, and they screw
up.
And the scenario introduced by
Congress amounts to nothing more
that students supervising students.
Congress is not older and wiser, nor
are they more responsible or honor
. able than any organization on this
’ campus. There are certainly no guar
-1 antees that its added presence in the
’ CAA voice will make things all better.
*- Renegade Rep. Chris McClure was
; the only dissenting voice amid the non
; sense. He told The Daily Tar Heel, “It’s
■ like every other organization on campus
- -it has some problems, but if Student
• Congress decides to start taking over
• groups that had problems, it would be
• taking over every group on campus.”
1 Now, word on die street is that
1 McClure.is pals with Pruitt, and this
‘ probably plays a part in his sentiments.
' But McClure makes a good point just
' the same. Congress should stick to what
• it knows, which ain’t much.
To Matthews, I advise you to listen
■ to me and ignore the voices of con
gressional demons in your ear.
It’s not too late to do the right thing.
1 Because if “DifFrent Strokes” isn’t
l on, “The Facts of Life” is just as enter
-1 tabling.
1 Columnist Ashley Stephenson can be
reached at ashley2l@email.unc.edu.
Congress Ends Year of Debt-Paying
By Stephanie Horvath
Staff Writer
When the 82nd Student Congress
closes up shop tonight, its members will
end a session that has been all about the
money.
Beginning the year with a $5,100 debt
and a determination to pay it off meant a
lot of penny-pinching and careful scruti
ny of student groups’ requests for funds.
“Next year, hopefully, we won’t have
these problems," said Speaker Alexandra
Bell. “We basically bit the bullet and said,
‘We’re going to clean this up now.’”
The debt was a result of overspend
ing by previous Congresses and last
year’s small amount of reversions -
Bosnian Speaker
Discusses War,
Economic Woes
The Bosnian ambassador gave a talk this
weekend to an audience that included
European Union officials and UNC students.
By Ben Davidson
Staff Writer
Bosnian Ambassador to the U.S. Igor Davidovic outlined
current problems and the future of Bosnia on Friday as the
honorary speaker during the weekend conference titled “The
Future of the Balkans.”
Developed by the Center for Slavic, Eurasian and East
European Studies, organizers said the purpose of the confer
ence and the presentation by Davidovic was to foster debate
and understanding of the current discontent in the Balkans.
Conference co-organizer Rye Barcott said the lecture
brought new international awareness to the University. “The
Director of the University Center for International Studies Dr.
James Peacock’s new vision for the University is to ‘take
Carolina to the world and bring the world to Carolina,’” he said.
State department officials, European Union bureaucrats,
UNC professors and students attended the speech, in which
Davidovic stressed the progress made in the Balkans during
the past year along with future problems. “I’m concerned that
there is talk that no progress has been made in Bosnia,”
Davidovic said. “However, the government is currently filled
with people who are resolved to fighting for multi-ethnicity.”
He said Bosnia’s main problem is a faltering economy,
which fell to 40 percent of its prewar capacity. It recently has
been worsened by the return rate of refugees, which has
increased 400 percent from last year’s numbers, driving
unemployment higher.
But he said the return of refugees is spontaneous and is an
indication that there are no psychological or political barriers
to returning to Bosnia. Such concerns might be eased further
by the arrest this weekend of former Yugoslav President
Slobodan Milosevic for corruption and abuse of power.
Davidovic blamed many Balkan problems on corrupt
politicians who only fight for their personal fortunes and
future. “In Bosnia, there is a lack of foreign investors due to
the uncertain political situation,” he said. “We are in need of
foreign investors who are not interested in immediate profits.”
Davidovic concluded by saying that the cruelty and death
that he witnessed during the war in Bosnia cannot be forgot
ten but that peace and stability can help Bosnia recover.
Many students were intrigued by the political information
presented about the Balkan region. “I was very excited about
hearing Ambassador Davidovic speak,” said Bosnian-bom
biology major Melina Selimbegovic. “I think that I’m nor
mally out of the political loop and was glad to be educated on
the progress being made in Bosnia.”
The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.
Storm Doesn't Stop CROP Walkers
By Matt Viser
Staff Writer
Inclement weather forced officials to
cancel Sunday’s 15th annual Carrboro-
Chapel Hill CROP Walk, an event
aimed at raising both money and aware
ness for hunger throughout the world.
Although the storm dampened some
of the excitement of this year’s
Community Reaching Out to People
Walk, about 200 people still met at the
Carrboro Town Commons for the Inter-
Faith Council-sponsored event
After the IFC announced the walk
was officially canceled, people found
other ways to participate in the event.
The event will not be rescheduled.
One group from the United Church of
Chapel Hill decided to drive the 10-kilo
meter route, which stretched from the
Carrboro Town Commons to Tenney
Circle in Chapel Hill. “We’re doing this
for ourselves and our sponsors,” said
Elisa Enriquez, CROP Walk recruiter
for the United Church of Chapel Hill.
The Raging Grannies, a group of
eight women who sing for social causes,
were also at the event and sang a few
songs they wrote for the walk, such as
“Song for Hunger,” set to the tune of
“On Top of Old Smoky.”
After the rain subsided, some people
decided to go ahead and do the walk.
Dede Richardson, accompanied by her
3-year-old daughter Katie, said they
wanted to walk at least part of it
“It’s a good cause,” Richardson said.
“Hopefully the funds will still be raised.”
This is the first time the CROP Walk
unused money
student groups are
required to return
to Congress.
Asa result, the
82nd Congress
only had $22,000
in student fees to
hand out to stu
dent groups, com
pared to $39,000
the previous year.
Student Body
Treasurer Patrick
Frye said rever
sions will come in
May 16 and that
Speaker
Alexandra Bell
said Student
Congress rewrote the
financial section of
the Student Code.
Congress will know for sure this summer
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Jeremy Anderegg, 7, and his brother Nathan, 9, play on scooters in Polk Place last week
while on spring vacation from school. Their father is a systems administrator in
UNC's Department of Computer Science.
has been rained out in its 15-year history.
“This is a rain or shine event,” IFC vol
unteer Leila Dillon said.
But this year, the rain was accompa
nied by lightning and severe thunder
storms. When IFC officials received
word from the National Weather
Forecast that severe weather was headed
toward the area, Dillon said it was nec
essary to cancel the walk. “Having peo
ple walk down the street with umbrellas
in lightning is not a good idea,” she said.
Dillon said she is not sure how much
money will be raised this year. About
$60,000 was raised last year, she said.
“Hopefully, the people who pledged
will follow through,” Dillon said.
CROP Walks have been sponsored
nationwide by the Church World Service
since 1969. There are presently more than
2,000 communities across the United
States who sponsor CROP Walks, accord
ing to the Church World Service Web site.
The Carrboro-Chapel Hill CROP
Walk began in 1987 and has always
been sponsored by the IFC.
IFC Director Chris Moran said 25 per
cent of the money raised will go to sup
port IFC huger relief programs. The IFC
received between $14,000 and $15,000
from last year’s CROP Walk, Moran said.
The other 75 percent of the proceeds
go to the Church World Service, for
refugees, disaster relief and self-help pro
jects in more than 80 countries, Moran
said. ‘But the whole idea, more than
money, is bringing people together.”
The City Editor can be reached
atcitydesk@unc.edu.
News
if it has successfully paid off the debt But
Frye said he was pleased with how
Congress handled the budget crunch.
“We imposed on ourself a small
amount we could spend and then of all
things ended up with some money left
over,” Frye said. Frye estimated that
Congress ended the session with $2,500
to $3,000 in its coffers.
While carefully considering all
requests for money, Bell said Congress
made it easier for student groups to get
those funds by rewriting the entire finan
cial section of the Student Code.
But Bell said some of Congress’ most
important endeavors reached much fur
ther than finances. She said Congress
also worked with the Board of Elections
WHEEL APPEAL
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Dede Richardson and her daughter Katie bring up the
rear of the Carrboro-Chapel Hill CROP Walk.
to revise the elections laws and make
way for online voting.
“I think we worked really well with die
executive branch this year while main
taining our independence,” Bell said.
Congress members also were generally
pleased with their recent censure of the
Carolina Athletic Association and pending
approval of a bill that will make the orga
nization partly accountable to Congress.
A bill was passed by Congress last
Tuesday with a 17-1 vote, but Student
Body President Brad Matthews has
introduced a revised bill that will be
voted on tonight in a special session.
“I think it will make a student orga-
See CONGRESS, Page 5
Duke Audience
Unmoved by
De La Soul Show
The trio attempted to entertain the crowd
at Duke University's Page Auditorium on
Friday night but gave up after only an hour.
By David Poviu
Staff Writer
Behind twin turntables on an otherwise empty stage stood a
portly man, quiedy spinning records as the crowd slowly shuf
fled into Duke University’s Page Auditorium on Friday night
The DJ was almost invisible to the audience members, who
were anxiously awaiting the arrival of De La Soul.
But the crowd members failed to realize that this stocky gen-
deman was in feet Maseo, one-third of die
legendary hip-hop trio that attempted, ulti
mately in vain, to entertain them. As the
lights dimmed, he asked, “I want to know
how many of y’all have been down with
De La since Time Feet High and Rising! 1 '
A few hands stretched skyward, and a
muffled cheer stuttered up from the crowd
to acknowledge the group’s first album,
released way back in 1989, but die average response was one of
feigned recognition over inner puzzlement The process contin
ued as Maseo moved onward through the list of De La albums,
until he got to Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump, the group’s lat
est release, after which a great roar leapt from the audience.
The crowd might have thought its response appropriate, since
few identified Maseo. But for die performers, it must have been
sad to limit the show to the 16 songs the crowd would recognize.
See DE LA SOUL, Page 5
Monday, April 2, 2001
Area Seeks
Edwards'
NRC Clout
Triangle leaders are seeking
Sen. John Edwards' help in
battling the expansion of
Shearon Harris power plant.
By Coke Whitworth
Staff Writer
Local officials said they are hoping
for the support of Sen. John Edwards,
D-N.C., in one more push for a hearing
regarding the expansion of a local
nuclear waste storage facility.
Eight Triangle officials, including
four representing the Chapel Hill-
Carrboro area, faxed a letter to Edwards
on Thursday requesting a meeting to
discuss a plan of action.
Officials also asked that Edwards use
his political connections in Washington
to convince the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission that an evidentiary hearing
about the recendy approved expansion
at Carolina Power & Light Co.’s Shearon
Harris Nuclear Power Rant is necessary.
On March 1, the NRC upheld the rul
ing of the Atomic Safety and Licensing
Board that allowed the opening of two
more existing nuclear waste repository
pools at the Wake County plant Orange
County officials are appealing this deci
sion and said they hope Edwards’ sup
port will lend credence to their efforts.
Kevin Foy, Joyce Brown and Bill
Strom, all members of the Chapel Hill
Town Council, signed the letter as did
Carrboro Alderman Allen Spalt and
state Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, D-Orange.
Officials said the battle to persuade die
NRC to require an evidentiary hearing
on the matter would require powerful
backing, but given Edwards’ history of
fighting large corporations as a successful
trial lawyer, he would be a strong ally.
“A common sense test really needs to
be applied here, especially with an issue
as controversial and impacting as this,
and with Edwards we can apply that
test,” Spalt said.
Mike Briggs, press secretary for
Edwards, said the senator received the
letter, and although he is very busy with
other issues, he is planning to meet with
the group. “The senator wants to meet
with the officials from the (Triangle)
area, but (Congress) is in session right
now, so it looks like a conference call
will be the way to go,” Briggs said.
Briggs would not speculate about
what action Edwards would decide to
take on the matter. “The senator has
already petitioned the NRC for a full
hearing; we’ll just have to wait and see
what comes out of the meeting with the
Triangle officials and go from there.”
Some officials said Edwards could be
the area’s last chance for a hearing. They
also said they are fighting an uphill battle
because of the financial strength of CP&L
“Senator Edwards is our only hope to
counterbalance this stonewalling by a
Fortune 500 company,” Foy said. “This
is an enormous company that can spend
millions to thwart the efforts of residents
with legitimate concerns without even
blinking an eye.”
CP&L spokesman Keith Poston said
See EDWARDS, Page 5
,
rey/ewr'
De la Soul
Page Auditorium,
Duke University
Friday, March 30
★★
3