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Super Troupe
The "Super Troopers" cast
and crew stop in Chapel Hill.
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BOT Passes S4OO Tuition Increase
Bv Lizzie Brever
University Editor
The UNC-Chapel Hill Board of
Trustees voted Thursday to approve the
one-year, S4OO plan proposed by the
Task Force on Tuition, with the only dis
senting vote coming from Student Body
President Justin Young.
After presentations from Provost
Robert Shelton, Young and Graduate
and Professional Student Federation
President Mikisha Brown, trustees debat
ed the merits of a tuition increase for
about an hour before they voted to send
the task force’s proposal - unchanged -
to the UNC-system Board of Governors.
In 1999, the BOT heard a similar pro
posal from a task force, but it changed
the recommendation from $1,500 over
four years to $1,500 over five years
before sending it to the BOG.
Student Rally Marks
Last-Minute Effort
Bv Jeff Silver
Staff Writer
About 40 students staged a peaceful
protest on campus Thursday morning in
a last-minute display of student opposi
tion to a S4OO tuition increase proposal
that went before the UNC-Chapel Hill
Board of Trustees.
The protesters, from UNC-CH and
other UNC-system schools, including
N.C. State and Appalachian State uni
versities, gathered at 9:30 a.m. at the
Old Well.
Snacking on doughnuts, the protest
ers chatted while attempting to attract
students on their way to class to join
them. Many held up large posters to the
television cameras that gathered at the
scene, and a honk from a passing truck
inspired cheers from the crowd.
Student Body Vice President Rudy
Kleysteuber held up a megaphone, try
ing to rally the group as he called on the
N.C. General Assembly to provide
greater funding for UNC-system
schools. Kleysteuber said the state previ
ously paid about half of every student’s
costs and now only pays one-third.
“Why is it that the General Assembly
won’t raise funding?” Kleysteuber asked.
“Even our $2,000 ain’t gonna do squat.”
Frances Ferris, student government
external relations committee chair
woman, also spoke as the students gath
ered at the Old Well, naming things a
college student could afford with S4OO,
such as food or a car payment.
Ferris also said that administrators
were not disclosing to students and the
community the uses of the extra funds
from a tuition increase. “I have a ques
tion for the BOT,” Ferris said. “You
want S4OO - why do you want it?”
Senior Bharath Parthasarathy, an
organizer of Thursday’s protest, said he
thought it was important for the trustees
State Might Face S9OO Million Budget Deficit
By Michael McKnight
Staff Writer
State officials confirmed Thursday that
North Carolina’s budget shortfall could reach
as high as S9OO million, possibly making addi-
tional cuts in govern
ment spending -
including higher
education - neces
sary to close the gap.
State budget offi-
UNC-System
Officials Fear
More Budget Cuts
See Page 3
cer David McCoy met with General Assembly
budget writers Wednesday to consider options
to blot some of the red ink that has continually
marked up this year’s state budget.
■
Chancellor James Moeser set the
stage for the meeting in his opening
remarks, which focused heavily on
tuition, repeatedly stressing the impor
tance of using tuition as only one of
many sources of University revenue.
“I believe we have to adjust the margins
(through a tuition increase), but I don’t see
that as our primary agenda,” Moeser said.
“Private support, corporate support - that,
in my view, is our real agenda."
Discussion of the tuition increase
began just after 10 a.m., although the
faint sound of shouting protesters out
side the building could be heard for
about 15 minutes before the issue was
first raised by the trustees.
Shelton, co-chairman of the Task Force
on Tuition along with Young, began by
reviewing tuition information he present
ed to the BOT in November and then
recapped the findings of the task force.
to hear the student perspective. He said
the process of instituting a tuition
increase had been done without enough
student input. “Adequate student voice
was not asked for and not examined,”
Parthasarathy said.
Among the protesters were five of the
seven official candidates for student
body president: Jen Daum, Fred
Hashagen, Bennett Mason, Will
McKinney and Brad Overcash.
Many protesters wore red and green
arm bands and small signs that read,
“Locked out of College?”
At 9:45, the students marched to
Morehead Building, chanting, “What do
we want? Access. When do we want it?
Now!”
University police Capt Mark Mclntyre
met the students at the building’s entrance
and explained that only five students
would be admitted to the Morehead
Faculty Lounge at a time because they
were trying to not disturb the trustees
meeting, which was already under way.
While waiting, senior Kristi Booker
energized the crowd. She told a story of
a friend who had to drop out before this
semester because she could no longer
afford tuition. “We’re moving in the
wrong direction,” she said.
Eventually, the about 30 remaining
student protesters were allowed into the
meeting. The students sat quietly, some
holding signs, and most left before the
final vote was taken. Of the student body
president candidates, only Mason,
McKinney and Overcash were present
for the meeting’s entirety.
The BOT voted to recommend a
S4OO, one-year tuition increase to the
UNC-system Board of Governors,
which will act on tuition in March.
Mclntyre commended the students
for not disrupting the meeting. “They’ve
See STUDENT RALLY, Page 4
McCoy said state leaders were aware that
the shortfall had the potential to reach the
S9OO million mark. He added that the figure
is in the S4OO million to S9OO million range
budget planners estimated last fall.
But McCoy said the shortfall likely would
not stretch past that point. “It’s not any worse
than what we’d thought it’d be,” he said.“No
economist has suggested it would be beyond
the S9OO million figure."
McCoy said an exact figure on the shortfall
will be available in early February after state
economists meet with revenue department
officials to determine how much tax revenue
the state will collect this year.
He added that additional cuts to govern
Serving the students and the University community since 1893
Last Chance
Today is the last day to apply
to work at the DTH this semester.
Turn in applications by 5 p.m. in Unionlo4.
In three meetings, task force members
drafted a set of guiding principles and a
list of four uses of revenue from a tuition
increase - faculty salaries, a reduced fac
ulty-student ratio, an increased number
of small classes and support for graduate
teaching assistants. The task force voted
11-4 in favor of the one-year, S4OO pro
posal that the BOT passed Thursday.
Brown and Young then took the stage
for a presentation of student concerns
about the tuition-setting process.
“Decisions are being made about
tuition, affecting every student on this
campus - we want to have a chance to
share student opinion,” Young said.
Most of the student concerns
revolved around three points - whether
UNC will remain affordable, whether
the N.C. General Assembly will contin
ue to fund the University if tuition is
raised and whether a tuition increase
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DTH LAURA BERNARD
Sophomore Frances Ferris, student government's external relations committee chairwoman,
works on Thursday to get students excited about marching to the Morehead Building.
ment agencies might be necessary to cover
the overall lag in revenue that has resulted
largely from a decrease in sales tax revenue.
Gov. Mike Easley ordered most state agen
cies to cut their budgets by 4 percent last
October. Easley also ordered a non-recuning
2.7 percent budget reduction for the UNC sys
tem. But McCoy added that higher education
budgets might not be spared the axe if future
cuts in state agencies become necessary.
“At this point, everyone has expressed a
willingness to participate, and our discussions
would include universities and community
colleges,” he said.
In addition to cutting spending within gov
ernment departments, McCoy said officials are
Never give a sucker an even break.
W.C. Fields
No Good!
Poor shooting contributes to
women's hoops loss to Duke.
See Page 7
Volume 109, Issue 144
will solve UNC’s financial shortfall.
Although Brown and Young did not
present an alternative proposal, the battle
of facts, figures and power continued as
the two students spelled out eight student
generated principles that they said should
be used in the tuition-setting process.
Young and Brown argued during
their presentation that University offi
cials were not adequately considering
alternative sources of funding.
But Trustee Paul Fulton said officials are
looking at other ways to generate revenue,
such as the Carolina First Campaign. “To
categorize tuition as the only resource
we’re looking at... is either ignoring the
facts or not being aware of them,” he said.
“But to think you’re going to go (to the
General Assembly) and do something that
will dramatically change the support they
See BOT, Page 4
considering taking funds from other sources,
including the “rainy day” emergency fund and
the repair and renovation fund used for the
maintenance and repair of state property.
He also said there has been talk of bor
rowing some of the S3OO million that is left in
the Hurricane Floyd relief fund this year.
“What we’re doing is talking about spend
ing what is necessary to meet the citizens of
North Carolina’s needs," McCoy said.
Sen. Tony Rand, D-Cumberland, vice
chairman of the Senate Appropriations
Committee, did not attend Wednesday’s meet
ing but said he hopes additional cuts will not
See SHORTFALL, Page 4
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Weather
Today: A.M. Showers; H 53, L 33 TTy V#
Saturday: Sunny; H 57, L 37 4
Sunday: Sunny; H 62, L 41
- BH jS - fl&Sv Ip JH
DTH VICTORIA FRANGOUUS
Chancellor James Moeser and Trustees Tim Burnett and Stick Williams
discuss the proposed tuition increase minutes before it passes.
Questioned
Evidence to Be
Used in Trial
Though Edwards was denied a lawyer
during interviews after his arrest, the judge
will allow his statements as trial evidence.
Bv Kellie Dixon
City Editor
A judge denied motions made by Dwayne Russell
Edwards’ lawyer Thursday, ruling that evidence obtained dur
ing a January 2001 traffic stop and subsequent police inter
views are lawful and can be used in the upcoming trial.
The motions hearing concluded
Thursday afternoon, granting prosecutor
Jim Woodall clearance to use all materi
als gathered as evidence onjan. 9,2001,
during the upcoming trial. Judge William
Griffin set no trial date, but officials say
it should take place in April.
The purpose of the motions hearing,
which began Tuesday, was to determine
whether certain evidence would be
admitted in Edwards’ trial.
Edwards is charged with multiple
felony counts, including one rape and
two sexual assaults, stemming from two
December 2000 incidents in Carrboro
and one incident in Chapel Hill in
January 2001.
Griffin determined that police officials
made the appropriate decision to procure evidence after a traf
fic stop where police officials targeted Edwards for having an
expired registration sticker on his license plate.
“The officers, based on the totality of the circumstances,
were warranted in making an investigatory stop of the defen
dant’s vehicle,” Griffin said during his ruling.
The materials discovered during this investigation include
cream-colored gloves, a gun, a black toboggan and loose U.S.
currency - all items that officials have linked to one or more
of the local sexual assaults. The judge also said he would per
mit the use of personal evidence such as blood samples col
lected from a body search conducted at UNC Hospitals short
ly after Edwards’ arrest.
In addition to deeming the traffic stop lawful, Griffin said
statements made by Edwards to officials after his arrest will be
fair game for the upcoming trial.
But Edwards’ attorney, Steve Freedman, objected to the
judge’s ruling. He contested that Edwards was coerced by
Chapel Hill and Carrboro investigators into making incrimi
nating statements even after requesting a lawyer. Freedman
entered two 45-minute videotapes of the interrogations as evi
dence Wednesday.
“I’ve watched this tape a number of times, and 1 don't see
how you can say that statement is admissible after he request
ed a lawyer,” Freedman said during his closing remarks.
But Griffin debunked Freedman’s argument and used
Edwards' testimony to seal his decision.
“Of course here we aren't dealing with an ignorant, unedu
cated person," Griffin told Freedman prior to issuing his ruling.
“The defendant is college-educated, and authorities observed
from his testimony is that he understands the situation he’s in."
A final date should be set for Edwards' sexual assaults trial
by next week. On Feb. 28, Edwards also will appear in the
Orange County District Court in Hillsborough to be tried on
crimes not direcdy tied to the sexual crimes.
The City Editor can be reached
at citydesk@unc.edu.
M
Dwayne Russell
Edwards
will be in court
Feb. 28 to face
charges not related to
the sexual assaults.