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Safe Haven
A rare musical instrument
finds a home in Person Hall.
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Edwards Chosen as Spring Commencement Speaker
Though they like the choice,
some committee members
say they wish the process
was more collaborative.
Bv Lizzie Brever
University Editor
Officials announced Thursday that
U.S. Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., will
speak at this year’s May
Commencement, marking the end of a
prolonged selection process.
Members of the UNC community
said they are thrilled with Edwards’
selection because of his name recogni
tion and ties to the University.
Edwards received a law degree with
honors from UNC in 1977. He was elect
ed senator in November 1998 and has
fought for issues such as education, cam
paign finance reform and patients’ rights.
Developers Explore Mixed-Use Plans
There are now at least three communities that
could be considered mixed-use either planned
or open for business in the Chapel Hill area.
Bv Colin Sutker
Staff Writer
Mixed-use developments that combine residential and commer
cial properties are growing in popularity with local developers and
increasingly calling Carrboro and Chapel Hill home.
The towns are using mixed-use communities as a more viable
option for development, and the idea is quickly becoming a way for
towns to maintain their landscapes.
David Godschalk, a UNC professor in the Department of City
and Regional Planning, said mixed-use communities are designed
to open up the area for community development.
“You’re trying to do the opposite of isolation," Godschalk said.
“It’s possible to have facilities like churches or day-care centers.”
This idea is particularly appealing to towns like Carrboro and
Chapel Hill that are known for their policies on regulating growth
and the environment. Mixed-use developments are one way towns
can maintain the amount of growth and still cater to an increase in
the population, Godschalk said.
Meadowmont was one of the first local developments to incor
porate the idea of letting people live and work in the same area with
out having to drive from place to place. Although the Chapel Hill
development, a 435-acre mixed-use community located on the north
side of N.C. 54, was started more than five years ago, it is still under
construction.
Roger Perry, a representative of East-West Partners, the firm that
developed Meadowmont, said the firm decided to develop the tract
of land in this new urban style because it is a popular trend in the
industry. He also said creating the perfect balance between both
commercial and residential interests involves lengthy discussion and
planning.
“(Developing the land at Meadowmont) was a combination of
what the market could stand, what the town wanted (for civic use)
and what the land could handle," Perry said, “We met with staff, the
planning and council departments and with the public.”
“The whole process took seven to eight years,” he added.
But Meadowmont isn’t the area’s first mixed-use development.
Jim Earnhardt, developer of Southern Village, a 312-acre mixed
use development in Chapel Hill that was completed recently, said
the decision about what goes into any mixed-use office space is cho
sen by residential demand in a particular community.
“(The residents) vote with their pocketbook and their feet,”
Earnhardt explained.
The development houses a movie theater, Mary Scroggs
Elementary School, a church and 1,175 housing units. Earnhardt said
this type of community catered to a family setting.
Carrboro is toying with its own potential mixed-use development,
which would sit adjacent to the Horace Williams tract in north
Carrboro and help the town maintain its policy on infill.
Winmore, like Meadowmont and Southern Village, plans to
incorporate residential, civic and commercial-use buildings to cre
ate a communal atmosphere rather than a scattered residential area.
Winmore developer Phil Szostak said the main focus of the com
mercial area will be 28 live/work units, which will feature office
space on the first floor and residential space on the second.
Szostak said Winmore’s facilities are intended to provide a walk
able, more self-sufficient development. In addition to the live/work
units, there are plans for a gardening store, a general store, recre
ation areas and a church with a preschool.
Szostak said the most important aspect of a mixed-use commu
nity is its ability to change. “It needs to be flexible,” he said.
“It may start out non commercial and then develop later. We’re
designing a plan that can change over the years.”
The City Editor can be reached
at citydesk@unc.edu.
I^B
“John Edwards will make an incredi
ble Commencement speaker because of
his political prominence and the things
he’s done for North Carolina as well as
the nation,” said Student Body President
Justin Young.
Many students and faculty echoed
Young’s sentiments, citing Edwards’
rumored intentions to run for president
in 2004 as evidence of his strong quali
fications as a speaker.
“I’m very excited - I think he will
offer a very unique perspective to the
class of 2002,” said Senior Class
President Ben Singer. “We all know he’s
probably the leading presidential candi
date for the next election.”
Although senior class officials said
they are satisfied that Edwards was cho
sen, some students said they are not
pleased with the selection process.
The committee suffered its first setback
when entertainer Bill Cosby declined
because of a scheduling conflict. Recently,
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Chancellor James Moeser suggested that
the committee consider choosing a facul
ty member such as journalism Professor
Chuck Stone or English Professor Doris
Betts because of time constraints.
Young said he is glad the committee
was able to snag Edwards but that he
wishes the final selection had been a
more collective decision.
“As far as the process goes, we were
kind of caught off guard,” he said. “The
speaker committee was under the impres
sion that we would be meeting one more
time before the decision was made. I
think Senator Edwards is a good choice -
1 just wish we had been consulted more.”
Singer also said he would have liked
the process to go more smoothly, but he
said the experience will allow important
changes to be made for next year.
“It’s been a constant thing that once
the speaker is selected, we all feel like
we dodged the bullet and can keep on
moving,” Singer said. “I think that’s
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IMAGE COURTESY OF EAST WEST PARTNERS
Meadowmont is an example of a mixed-use development. The communities combine
residential and commercial units to concentrate development and minimize travel.
UNC, Developers Discuss Sale
Of Plot of University Property
By Chris Blow
Staff Writer
The potential sale of a 62-acre piece of UNC
land north of Carrboro for use as UNC and town
employee housing has spurred discussion between
UNC officials and developers.
Interest in the sale of the land has been promot
ed by developers who are creating a mixed-use
housing property known as Winmore on a site
neighboring the Horace Williams tract.
Such a purchase would double the acreage of the
Winmore development and make use of an other
wise inaccessible piece of UNC property, said
All growth depends upon activity.
Calvin Coolidge
Stung!
Yellow Jackets out-rebound
Tar Heels to win 81-62.
See Page 7
Volume 109, Issue 140
where we can really improve - we can
get started earlier.”
Stone said he is glad to see the
process come to an end and that he is
not disappointed that the committee did
not choose him. “The main thing is we
got someone of national stature, and
that’s what I wanted all along,” he said.
Edwards has spoken on campus twee
in the last year - Sept. 10, at the dedica
tion of anew facility at UNC Hospitals,
and Feb. 21, as part of the “Tuesdays
with Friday” lecture series.
But Singer said he expects the
Commencement address to surpass all
of Edwards’ other appearances.
“The aura, the feel, everyone’s out
there - it’s an amazing event, and he will
prepare an amazing speech,” he said.
“He’s one of Chapel Hill’s jewels -
for him to come back is our privilege."
The University Editor can be reached
at udesk@unc.edu.
developer Phil Szostak.
Should UNC sell the land, it is anticipated that a
percentage of the Winmore homes would be
reserved for UNC employees, Szostak said.
But he cautioned that planning for use of the
UNC land has so far been striedy noncommittal.
“It’s just something that has been talked about as
a win-win situation, especially as far as faculty/staff
housing,” he said.
Bob Knight, assistant vice chancellor for finance
and administration, said the decision-making is
mostly in the hands of the UNC Board of Trustees,
See WINMORE, Page 4
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Weather
Today: Cloudy; H 49, L 38
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DTH FILE PHOTO
Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., who will be UNC's Commencement speaker,
is considered a possible candidate for the 2004 presidential election.
Student Leaders
Finalize Response
To Tuition Plan
Student government representatives plan
to sponsor an online survey to gauge
student opinion about possible tuition hikes.
By Nikki Werking
Staff Writer
Student leaders held a closed meeting Wednesday to prepare
most of the details for a list of concerns they plan to present at
the Jan. 24 UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees meeting.
The list contains about 15 points addressing student
involvement in the University’s tuition decisions.
“The list includes things we feel like students want from the
BOT regarding the (proposed $400) tuition increase and
future increases,” said sophomore Douglas Bynum, speaking
on behalf of student government. No other member of student
government was available for comment Thursday night.
In addition to the list of student concerns, the group also
finalized plans for a student protest at the BOT meeting and
distributed a student survey about the proposed tuition
increase recommended by the Task Force on Tuition.
The survey will be released on Student Central and will pro
vide background on the S4OO, one-year proposal recommend
ed by the task force. Members of student government could not
be reached Thursday night to say when the survey would be
See STUDENT PROPOSAL, Page 4
School Board Officials
Further Debate Issue
Of Internet Filtering
The Child Internet Protection Act requires
that local schools filter their Internet access
to receive federal technology grants.
By Erika Heyder
Staff Writer
Local school board officials spent Thursday night dis
cussing whether to add further measures to a proposal that
would filter students’ Internet activity in Chapel Hill-Carrboro
City Schools.
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education held a pub
lic hearing Thursday that was followed by a work session
where members debated the merits of a proposed Internet fil
tering system. The floor for the public hearing was closed 10
minutes after the meeting started because no one showed up.
Ray Reitz, chief technology officer for the school system,
addressed the board following the public hearing. He told
board members that the schools have a federal grant allotting
them between $75,000 to SIOO,OOO to be used for technolog
ical services. The grant, which the system received in 2001 as
part of the Child Internet Protection Act, is given to schools
that control students’ access to material on the Internet.
But to receive the grant, the system must enforce content
filters and provide a protected and secure Internet environ
ment for students.
See SCHOOL BOARD, Page 4
Friday, January 18,2002