®l?r Baily sar Hwl
Mothers'
Love, Fight
Is MAJIC
During his three-decade-long
Senate career, which has seen
Americans struggle over every
thing from civil rights to stem cell
research, Jesse Helms has met his fair
share of support
ers and oppo
nents.
And in the
aftermath of
Helms’ decision
to not seek a
sixth term in
office, friends
and foes of
North Carolina’s
senior senator
have come out in
full force. Some
praise Helms’
APRIL BETHEA
STATE &
NATIONAL
COLUMNIST
ability to maintain his conservative
views, while others chastise him as a
bigot and racist
Yet in the midst of all the hoopla, it
is a group of mothers whose unrequit
ed love for their sons might be a last
ing reminder of one of Helms’ most
controversial stances.
And all it took was a little MAJIC.
When Mothers Against Jesse In
Congress first popped on die scene in
the spring of 1996, few realized the
future impact of the budding political
action committee. Co-founded by
Raleigh residents Patsy Clarke and
Eloise Vaughn, MAJIC targeted
Helms’ controversial views on AIDS
patients -a subject that hit bodi
women close to home.
Both Clarke and Vaughn lost sons to
the disease. Mark Vaughn died in 1990
at the age of 34. Clarke’s son, also
named Mark, died in 1994. He was 31.
A mutual friend introduced the mothers
in 1994, and the pair quickly bonded.
It was during this time when the
U.S. Senate was set to vote on the
Ryan White Care Act to provide fund
ing for AIDS research. Helms vehe
mendy opposed the act and in ajune
5,1995 editorial in the Raleigh News
& Observer, he was quoted as saying
that “because HIV is spread through
risky behavior, AIDS sufferers deserve
their fate.”
In disbelief, Clarke wrote to Helms,
describing her son’s final days and ask
ing the senator to rethink his views.
“In my naivete, I thought he just didn’t
understand,” said Clarke, 72.
Two weeks later, Helms responded,
maintaining his stance against AIDS
funding. But it was the letter’s end that
caught Clarke completely off-guard.
“As for Mark, I wish he had not
played Russian roulette with his sexual
activity,” Helms wrote.
Helms’ arrogant response led
Clarke and Vaughn to take action and
bring others with them. But the pair
did not want to create a “grief group.”
Instead they wanted to form a network
of mothers who would work tirelessly
to encourage tolerance for AIDS
patients in society - even if it meant
driving one of our nation’s long-stand
ing icons out of office.
And thus MAJIC was bom.
From its first publicity in The Daily
Tar Heel to appearances in People
Magazine and international newspa
pers, MAJIC’s prominence quickly
spread. In 1996, Clarke and Vaughn
were even invited as speakers during
the Democratic National Convention.
However, following Helms’ re-elec
tion that same year, MAJIC began to
lose steam. The group did not re-apply
for its political action committee status
and has since disbanded. But Vaughn
said she doesn’t view MAJIC’s end as
a failure.
“We don’t feel like we lost because we
did make a statement: We didn’t agree
with what he was saying about a margin
alized part of society,” said Vaughn, 69,
who now lives in Blowing Rock.
Clarke and Vaughn soon set their
sights on anew venture and in May
released their first book, “Keep Singing:
Two Mothers, Two Sons and Their Fight
Against Jesse Helms.” The book, pub
lished by Alyson Publications, is now in
its second printing.
As for Helms’ decision to opt out of
the 2002 Senate race, the pair said they
were neither completely surprised nor
upset. “Some said it was the end of an
era, and I guess it was,” Clarke said.
Clarke added that she has not had
any contact with Helms in the past few
years and does not know what impact, if
any, MAJIC had on his views towards
AIDS patients. “We did what we could
do and we wrote our book,” she said.
“There’s nothing else to do except speak
out where people want us to.”
But the book’s success and the con
tinued interest surrounding MAJIC
remains a pleasant and gratifying sur
prise for Vaughn.
“We just thought that (MAJIC)
would just be around Raleigh,” she
said. “We never thought it would be a
national story.”
Columnist April Bethea can be
reached at adbetheaQemail. unc.edu.
UNC Tuition Less Than Peer Schools'
By Alex Kaplun
State & National Editor
Out-of-state tuition at UNC-Chapel
Hill is still far below the University’s
peer schools, despite the N.C. General
Assembly’s approval Wednesday of a 9
percent tuition increase.
When the 9 percent across-the-board
tuition increase goes into effect, out-of-state
undergraduate tuition will be $13,226.
But that figure is still $2,000 less than
tuition levels at the other four schools
that typically rank in the nation’s top
five public universities.
UNC-CH’s peer schools in California
- University of Califomia-Los Angeles
and University of Califomia-Berkeley -
both have out-of-state tuitions of slightly
Jr
DTH/CHRISTINE NGUYEN
Robert Anthony is the North Carolina Collections Curator at Wilson Library. The collection gallery is now featuring
John Lawson's travel journal and natural history book among other articles of North Carolina nature writing.
Tar Heel Bom, Tar Heel Read
By Faith Ray
Features Editor
Robert Anthony’s office in Wilson Library
is cluttered with thick, hard-bound volumes
and scattered papers.
But the room’s disarray belies his
meticulous planning that went into
creating an upcoming conference that
will exhibit one of North Carolina’s *
earliest nature writers and naturalists. ,
Anthony, Wilson Library’s North
Carolina Collection curator, along with his
colleagues, created “Lawson’s Legacy: Nature
Writing and North Carolina 1701-2001.”
The conference, which will take place Sept.
Sellers Say High Prices
Necessary on Textbooks
By Stephanie Horvath
Assistant University Editor
Students experience it each semester when they
fork over a wad of cash for a load of textbooks.
Sticker shock.
“I think (textbooks) are too expensive,” said
sophomore Amy Way, who spent about $350 on
books this semester. “They’ve always been that
way, and it’s something you deal with.”
But John Jones, director of UNC-Chapel Hill
Student Stores, said the Course Materials
Department of Student Stores’ pricing is in line with
college bookstores across the country. Textbooks
are simply an expensive item to produce. “They sell
in low numbers,” Jones said. “Typically there’s a lot
of time, expensive graphics, royalty payments and
Sudden Downpour Leads to Leaks, Accidents
The 0.26 inches of rain that
covered the Raleigh-Durham
area flooded one room full
of periodicals in Hill Hall.
By Rachel Clarke
Staff Writer
Rainy weather, although predicted by
local weather services, surprised some
with puddles on campus and caused
minor accidents around town.
The sudden rain that drenched the area
Thursday afternoon caused minor prob
lems but nothing too unusual, officials
more than $15,000.
University of Virginia’s tuition will be
more than SIB,OOO this year, while
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor has an
out-of-state tuition of just more than
$20,000, making it one of the most expen
sive public universities in the nation.
While UNC-CH’s tuition might still
be below that of its peer institutions,
UNC-CH’s tuition level for out-of-state
students will be among the top 20 at a
state flagship university and second
highest in the South - behind only UVa.
But some University officials said while
UNC-CH’s tuition might be relatively
low, the school might be losing some of its
luster as a “best buy” education.
“It is true that the idea of a combina
tion of quality and value is what many
7-9, will celebrate the 300th anniversary of
Englishman and naturalist John Lawson’s 550-
mile trek through the state’s back country.
It will feature Lawson’s travel journal and
natural history book, and North Carolina
nature and outdoor writers will display their
r \ work samples.
rvYY\
■
A casual comment by a colleague
made Anthony start thinking about cre-
ating a conference that would bring
writers from across the state together.
“I found out that this is the
anniversary of the trip,” he said. “I
started writing speakers, asking them to
talk.”
Anthony said the event is expected to draw
the need for publishers to make a profit.”
All books are priced one of two ways at Student
Stores - either the publisher sets the retail price or
sells the book to the store at a wholesale price. In
either case the store makes the same profit.
Steve Thurston, manager of Ram Book and
Supply on Franklin Street, said the store’s mark-up
varies. “We discount the book based on if it was in cir
culation or if we had to order them," he said, adding
that the store buys a list of books from Student Stores
and carries books for most undergraduate classes.
Arvind Satyam, a foreign exchange student from
Sydney, Australia, said the $360 cost of his books sur
prised him. “It was more than at home,” he said. “I
bought a textbook last year at home and I’ve seen the
See BOOKS, Page 4
said. According to the National Weather
Service, 0.26 inches of rain fell at Raleigh-
Durham International Airport on
Thursday.
A small stream of rainwater pooled on
the floor of the Union Auditorium lobby,
making several square feet of the floor wet
Scott Hudson, director of operations
for the Union, said the same thing hap
pened twice over the summer during
heavy, wind-driven rain storms.
Hudson said he told the physical
plant shop, which put the problem on a
list of things to be fixed. But the problem
isn’t urgent because it rarely happens,
and so far, hasn’t caused any damage.
“The problem only rears its ugly head
News
students find appealing about UNC(-
CH),” said Jerome Lucido, UNC-CH
director of undergraduate admissions.
Lucido added that while he doesn’t
think a 9 percent tuition increase will
hinder UNC-CH’s ability to recruit out
of-state students, he worries that if out
of-state tuition continues to increase, the
University could lose some of its appeal.
“I don’t know if we are on the verge of
pricing ourselves out of the market,”
Lucido said. “But I don’t suggest we
should try to find out where that point is.”
Lucido did say the 9 percent increase
could hurt the level of diversity in the
student body. “We try to craft a class of
interesting people of diverse back
grounds,” he said. “If (UNC-CH)
becomes unaffordable to needy students
people from 27 counties and will also lend
conference-goers a better appreciation of
early naturalists.
As North Carolina Collection curator since
1994, Anthony is responsible for collecting
manuscript, encouraging public and private
donations and organizing events and exhibits
like the Lawson conference.
The collection ranges from a photographic
archive to old maps to manuscripts written by
a North Carolinian or about a state topic.
But Anthony has not always had such
access to books.
He said he can remember, as a sixth-grad-
See ANTHONY, Page 4
Bargain Buys?
Students often shop around for the best textbook buy. Below is a breakdown of the books' costs for a common 15-hour
underclassman schedule used at Student Stores, varsitybooks.com and Ram Book and Supply. Coursepacks are not included.
Chem 11 (sections 1-4)
■ Chemistry and Chemical Reactivity
■ Solution Manual
Poli 41 (section 6)
■ The Bill
■ We are the People: A Concise
Intro to American Politics
■ Brave New World
Econ 10 (section 6)
■ Economics: Principles and Policy
■ MaaoMcro Centred Stucfy Guide
Psyc 10 (section 5)
■ Psychology Themes and Variations
Engl 11 (sections 1-92)
■ The Longman Handbook for
Writers and Readers
SOURCE: DTH RESEARCH
in huge storms,” he said.
Heavy winds can drive the rainwater
into the building through a broken seal
between the glass door and the building,
Hudson said.
A room full of current periodicals in
Hill Hall also flooded -but for the
music library, it was business as usual,
said librarian Diane Steinhaus.
“It’s just what we expect whenever we
get rain,” she said. Steinhaus said the
library staff keeps a wet/dry vacuum and
several fans on hand for every storm.
Steinhaus said the water extended
about halfway across the floor, which is
standard. “It never gets above the bot
tom shelves,” she said.
then we will lose some of our diversity.”
Lucido said as University tuition con
tinues to increase, it is important for
University officials to make prospective
students aware of financial aid programs.
UNC-system spokeswoman Joni
Worthington said system officials have
argued that tuition at many UNC-sys
tem campuses is already more than die
national average. But Wednesday night,
just minutes after the legislature
approved the tuition increase, Sen.
Howard Lee, D-Orange, said UNC-CH
will always be able to attract out-of-state
students. “UNC is so popular that all the
seats will always be filed.”
The State & National Editor can be
reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.
Bond Committee
To Explain Issues
To County Voters
Commissioners will try to organize a diverse
group of residents to help them develop
videos and brochures about the referendum.
By Stephanie Furr
Staff Writer
County residents will have the opportunity this election
year to participate in local government by working with a
bond education committee to promote public awareness.
The Orange County Board of Commissioners will put a $75
million bond package, most of which will fund schools, on the
Nov. 6 ballot.
The Bond Education Committee will
hold its first meeting Sept. 5 at the
Southern Human Services Center in
Chapel Hill. So far, Orange County offi
cials have received 33 applicants for the
committee, which has an unlimited num
ber of spots.
“The goal of the Bond Education
Committee is to develop materials,
brochures and videos to educate the
public about the bond referendum
orders,” said Greg Wilder, the assistant
to the Orange County manager.
Wilder said the committee was for
mally created by commissioners at their
June 25 meeting. Committee members
were then appointed by the commis
sioners.
Commissioner Moses Carey said a similar committee is
convened every time a bond referendum is considered.
At the Sept. 5 meeting the committee will be organized into
five subgroups, including a subcommittee for schools, senior
centers, information and outreach, affordable housing, and
parks and recreation and open space.
Wilder said the main requirements to be a member of
the group are an intense interest in the bond and adequate
time.
“The goal of the Bond Education Committee is to devel
op materials,” Wilder said. “They do not state a position on
the bond. They are not advocates for the bond items in ques
tion.”
See BOND COMMITTEE, Page 4
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At least one UNC student was taken
by surprise when the rain started.
“I usually look at weather.com but
(today) I didn’t,” said junior Anna
McLean, walking into Greenlaw Hall
with her hair dripping wet
“I got out of class about 3:15 p.m. and
ran to the (Student Recreation Center)
really fast,” she added. “I was slipping
and sliding. I found a towel in there.”
Meanwhile, Chapel Hill officials also
dealt with the sudden downpour that
caused at least four accidents by late
Thursday afternoon.
“If it’s raining when (people) go to
their cars, they’re in the mind-set of
‘Hey, I need to be careful,’” said Maj.
Friday, August 31, 2001
Price of Education
UNC's out of state tuition remains
relatively low despite the increase.
Tuition and Fees for 2001 2002
■ UMich 520.323
■ UVa. 517,409
■ UCLA 515.303
■ Berkeley 515,196
■ UNC 513.226
Tuition and Fees for 2000 2001
■ UMich 520,323
■ UVA 517,409
■ Berkeley 514,220
■ UCLA 513,502
■ UNC 511,934
Orange County
Commissioner
Moses Carey
said diversity of
committee members
is an important goal.
DTH/COBI EDELSON
Tony Oakley of the Chapel Hill Police
Department. “We seem to have more
wrecks when it starts raining."
Only one injury and no fatalities had
been reported by early Thursday after
noon.
Oakley said die department reacts differ
ently to inclement weather depending on its
severity. “Sometimes we have to count on the
common sense of the motoring public There
are a lot of intersections in Chapel Hill,”
Oakley said
“People need to be patient, take a
deep breath and count to 10.”
The City Editor can be reached
at citydesk@unc.edu.
3