Free Speech
Panel addresses
racism. See Page 3
Sally Star Hrrl
www.dailytarheel.com
Group Objects to KKK Leader's Name on Hall
By Jenny Fowler
Staff Writer
As student prqtesters continue efforts
to rectily institutional racism at UNC, the
Freedom Legacy Project has begun a peti-
tion to combat
what members
call one form of
blatant racism
on campus.
Members of
Panel Considers
Institutional
Racism at UNC
See Page 3
the On the Wake of Emancipation
Campaign flooded the quad in front of
Saunders Hall on Monday to protest
instances of racism in UNC’s history, using
the building’s namesake as an example.
New Student Body Officers Take Oaths
L * lJ 4 1
By Stephanie Horvath
Staff Writer
There were chuckles, heartfelt thanks and even a few tears as
power changed hands Tuesday afternoon at the annual inaugura
tion of the new student body officers.
Seasoned veterans introduced new players while saying then
goodbyes in the Great Hall.
“What a great way to end your four years at Carolina - to say
without a doubt that you have made this place better,” said former
Student Body President Brad Matthews.
Matthews said he has heard stories of past presidents who were
reluctant to leave the stage and hand over the office to their suc
cessor. But for him, this was not the case. “It’s very easy for me
to take my hands off this podium because I’m very proud of this
incoming administration,” he said.
As his family looked on, Student Body President Justin Young
emphasized his enthusiasm for the coming year. He then asked the
audience to give his family a round of applause for supporting
him.
“Being up here at Carolina and having my family in Georgia,
I don’t get to see them very often,” Young said after the inaugu
ration. “Having them here to share an incredible experience is
great.”
Young’s father, James Young, said he is proud of his son, though
surprised he was elected at a university where he is a minority. “I
think the odds were against (Justin),” he said. “But he’s never been
one to shirk from a challenge.”
Young expressed his gratitude to the voters who elected him
and said he wants to focus on making student government acces
sible.
“I want to kick the doors of student government wide open and
help everyone and get everyone involved,” he said.
Dustyn Baker, student body secretary and former student body
president, said the administration will work on outreach to stu
dents who feel separated from student government. “One of the
most important things for us is to find those students who feel their
ideas are being repressed,” she said after the ceremony. “We def-
Durham Tech Solicits
Orange County Satellite
By Aldesha Gore
Staff Writer
Orange County officials say a $4 mil
lion bond proposal to build a local com
munity college might take the back
burner because of more pressing needs
in the community.
Durham Technical Community
College President Phail Wynn asked the
Orange County Capital Needs Advisory
Task Force last Wednesday to consider
putting the proposal on the November
ballot. If approved, the bond money
would be used to build a satellite cam
pus of Durham Tech in Orange County.
Durham Tech spokeswoman Wanda
m
The Freedom Legacy Project also has
drawn up a petition to place anew
plaque on Saunders Hall. The plaque
would inform passers-by that the budd
ing is named after Col. William
Lawrence Saunders, the founder of the
North Carolina branch of the Ku Klux
Klan after the Civil War and a former
member of the UNC Board of Trustees.
The plaque currently on Saunders Hall
states that the namesake was the secretary
of state, the editor of the Colonial Records
of North Carolina and a member UNC’s
class of 1854 but does not mention
Saunders’ connection to the KKK.
The Freedom Legacy Project’s goal is
to enlighten students around campus
mm (
\ /fk ft, *
■ /1 ijk t ,
initely feel we can represent all student voices.”
Former Student Body Vice President Lerissa Rentas fought
back tears as she speculated on how her life will be without Suite
C. “I’m having redly mixed feelings about my leaving,” she said.
“It’s going to be interesting to return to life as a normal student.”
Student Body Vice President Rudy Kleysteuber’s speech was
perhaps the most revealing. After swearing his oath, Kieysteuber
announced to the student body in his address that he is gay and
said that, to his knowledge, he is the first openly gay officer in the
executive branch.
Kieysteuber said Young was aware of his sexual orientation
before selecting him for vice president but that it had no bearing
on Young’s decision. “He picked me because I was qualified and
Winslow said having anew community
college facility in Orange County would
allow the school to expand its offerings
and reduce the number of students com
muting from Chapel Hill to Durham.
“Twenty-two percent of our enroll
ment lives in Orange County,” Winslow
said. “With $4 million, we could build a
facility that can serve 1,500 to 2,000 in
one day.”
Orange County Board of Education
member Keith Cook said he under
stands the need for a community college
and why students might not want to
commute back and forth between coun-
See SATELLITE, Page 6
■
Voters quickly forget what a man says.
Richard Nixon
Serving the students and the University community since 1893
about various forms of institutional racism
and to urge students to take action.
“The purpose of the project is for UNC
to be as historically accurate as possible,”
said seniorjermain Reeves, a leader of the
Freedom Legacy Project “The building
makes Saunders out to be a good human
itarian, but he was a white supremacist”
Sophomore Monique Hall works with
OWEC and helped lead Monday’s
protest. OWEC presented a list of
demands, including a request for a truth
ful and inclusive depiction of history at
the University, to Provost Robert Shelton.
Hall said something should be done
See PLAQUE, Page 6
DTH/BRENT CLARK
Justin Young (above) is sworn in as student body president. Kativa Parker, Rudy Kieysteuber, Mikisha Brown (top left,
left to right), also inaugurated, and former SBP Brad Matthews laugh while singing “Hark the Sound."
Senate Passes Educational Tax-Break Bill
By Koen de Vries
Staff Writer
The U.S. Senate Finance Committee
unanimously passed a bill recently that
would provide more than S2O billion of
educational tax benefits in the next decade
for students, parents and employers.
The Affordable Education Act of
2001 would ease taxes on student loans,
employer-provided education, state col
lege savings plans and federal education
savings accounts.
The bill, which must be approved by
Congress, likely will be included as part
of President Bush’s tax cut plan.
Robert Samors, federal relations official
for the UNC system, said the bill could
make college more affordable for students.
“It’s a given fact that students come
Bully, Bully
Colorado lawmakers soon will
consider a bill forcing schools to
address bullying. See Page 2
The Word on the Street
In light of the Freedom Legacy Project's efforts to have a plaque added to Saunders Hall,
The Daily Tar Heel surveyed 126 students to find out how many know about the issue.
Do yeti know who Saunders Hall is named after
YES nity?
NO 82
Respondents who answered no to the above question were told of
Saunders Hall's namesake before they were asked the second question, J|
because I will represent the entire student body - gay, straight,
queer or anywhere in between,” Kieysteuber said.
Kieysteuber said he revealed his sexuality partly to reach out to
the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. “I think stu
dents need a dedicated, responsible voice for IGBT issues, and I
want them to know they can come to me,” he said. “I just want
ed to get this out in the open. That’s the great thing about sexual
ity - you can reveal it or you can hide it And nothing good ever
came from hiding it”
Other officers inaugurated included Senior Class President Ben
Singer and Vice President Ursula Dimmling; Residence Hall
See INAUGURATION, Page 6
out of college with
considerable loans
to pay back,”
Samors said.
Under the pro
posed bill, the cur
rent 60-month
deadline for pay
ing back student
loans would be
eliminated.
“This is a posi
tive development,”
Samors said. “It
reduces the bur
den that’s placed
on students and
their families.”
Shirley Ort, UNC director of schol
arships and student aid, said the bill
would raise the cutoff income level for
loan-interest deductions.
Under the proposal, the adjusted
gross income ceiling would increase
from $55,000 to $65,000 for single tax
payers and from $75,000 to $ 130,000 for
taxpayers filing jointly.
“Students who have more loans
would benefit, such as the out-of-state,
graduate and professional students.”
She added that about 5,000 UNC stu
dents have loans, totaling nearly $66.8
million.
Steve Brooks, executive director at
the N.C. State Education Assistance
Authority, said one of the best features
of the bill is that deposits into the state
managed college-savings funds will not
be taxed anymore. “It’s a great plan for
future students,” he said.
financial Aid Director
Shirley Ort
said she believes the
new bill will help
middle-class families
pay for college.
It's Sprang
Today: Sunny, 63
Thursday: Sunny, 66
Friday: Stormy, 75
Towns Try
To Combat
Racism
Local officials expressed
concern about potential
institutional racism, despite
a lack of proven claims.
By Lauren Ritter
Staff Writer
Local officials can only point to one
documented incident of alleged institu
tional racism over the past six years
despite the salience of the issue on cam
pus and around the nation.
Institutional racism occurs when
minorities are systematically discriminat
ed against by any group or organization.
But local leaders said the complaints
and protests sparked by David Horowitz’s
article that denounced reparations for
slavery in
Monday’s edition
of The Daily Tar
Heel have not had
any effect on the
way they govern.
Chapel Hill
received a formal
complaint of insti
tutional racism
about five years
ago.
Employees in
the Department of
Public Works filed
a complaint with
the federal Equal
Employment
Opportunity Commission because they
thought the town systematically kept
minorities in lower-paid positions and
did not give them ample opportunities
to advance, Chapel Hill Mayor
Rosemary Waldorf said.
Waldorf said the EEOC found no
grounds for these claims, but the Town
Council did take steps to ensure such
complaints would not come up again.
She said that their lowest paid
employees have a higher salary than the
average in this region.
Waldorf also said the Town Council
formed a committee of top- and middle
level public works management and
employees to talk about grievances and
ways to improve upon those.
She added that the Town Council
tried to stop these types of complaints
by providing minorities with training
opportunities that would help them be
promoted.
Some local officials maintain that this
type of racism is hard to pinpoint and
eradicate. “Institutional racism is very
prevalent in our society,” said Carrboro
Board of Aldermen member Jacquelyn
Gist. “What’s insidious about it is that
good, well-intentioned people perpetu
ate it without meaning to.”
Gist said institutional racism stems
See TOWN REACTION, Page 6
He also said the proposed education
al tax cut is a positive development for
college students. “If there’s going to be a
tax cut, there are several ways to do it,”
Brooks said. “Educational issues are on
the agenda, and that’s encouraging.”
But Brooks cautioned that reforms
will not happen immediately. “There’s a
long way to go,” he said.
Both Samors and Ort echoed Brooks’
sentiments.
“We need to pay close attention to see
if the educational legislation will not get
dropped off the table,” Samors said.
And Ort added, “I hope it doesn’t
come to the point where Congress takes
an either-or approach.”
The State Si National Editor can be
reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.
Wednesday, April 4, 2001
\ nH
Chapel Hill Mayor
Rosemary Waldorf
said the Town
Council has worked
to eliminate any
institutional racism.