North Carolina Newspapers

(The lathi ®ar Mwl Holding Back Students relate experiences and opinions of Lent. See Page 3 wvw.dailytarheel.com Parking Proposal Takes Heat on Eve of BOT Vote By Lizzie Breyer University Editor Two trustees vocally opposed a Department of Public Safety budget propos al when mem bers of the University com munity met Town, UNC Debate Access To Church Lot See Page 4 Wednesday to weigh in one final time Classroom Diversity Varies Widely Among Majors By Addie Sluder Staff Writer Sophomore Douglas Bynum has always been passionate about drama. Though he did not enter UNC with the intention of majoring in dramatic art, Bynum’s experience with the depart ment prompted him to switch majors. Bynum is one of nine minority undergraduate stu dents majoring in dramatic art. Though Bynum said he feels at home, he said he thinks more diversity would strengthen the department. “I do feel at times there is something I could be con necting with here that I’m not,” Bynum said. “Having minority students just brings another side to things.” Provost Robert Shelton said many variables, including social pressures and the need for role models, factor into a student’s choice of major The 22.6 percent of non white students at UNC are dis- Reviewing jir Racial Rift A three-part series examining various racial divides on campus. ■ Tuesday: Housing ■ Wednesday: Socioeconomics ■ Today: Academics persed somewhat unevenly among vari ous majors, according to data compiled by the Office of Institutional Research. Some majors, like African and Afro-American studies, which is 94 percent minority stu dents, attract a large number of minority students. Others, like the curriculum in peace, war and defense, which has a 5.6 percent minority enrollment, have a below average percentage of minorities. Many officials said that although it is difficult to explain disparities in the racial makeup of different majors, efforts to attract and support minorities are crit ical in an academic environment. Student Experience Junior Siobhan Johnson is an active member of predominately minority groups and interacts regularly with a diverse cross section of people. But whenjohnson heads to class in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, she said the absence of minority students is profound. “It’s definitely different from every thing else I do on campus,” Johnson said. “I’m in groups like the Carolina Association of Black Journalists and the UNC Gospel Choir, which are predom inantly African-American, so when I WITH THE GREATEST OF EASE HH — DTH/BRENT CLARK Miranda Turner, 4, of Chapel Hill swings at the Community Center Park on Estes Drive on Tuesday afternoon. Miranda visits the park with her grandmother several times a week. We're enjoying sluggish times —and not enjoying them very much. George Bush on the plan, which the UNC Board of Trustees will hear today. Trustee Richard Stevens and Student Body Presidentjustin Young, who sits on the BOT, offered vehement objections to the part of the proposal that would create a night parking permit system. “The flaw in this plan is night parking - it’s just not a good idea,” Stevens said. The meeting began with a presenta tion from campus transportation planner George Alexiou about the effects of come to class, there is an obvious minor ity absence.” Dean Richard Cole said the school has traditionally had a minority popula tion on par with the universitywide average. The school currendy has 223 undergraduate minority students, 15.4 percent of the school’s total enrollment. “We are very proud of our record of diversity and inclusivity,” Cole said. For Bynum, a low minori ty population in his major does not lower his opinion of the department. Though there are few minorities in the department, Bynum said he thinks there is a genuine concern for minori ties and minority issues, espe cially in the Play Makers Repertory Company. “Play Makers is actively pursuing the issues of minori ties in theater,” he said. Department of Dramatic Art Chairman Ray Dooley said Play Makers has adopted a colorblind casting protocol that has resulted in minority actors play ing traditionally white roles. Dooley also said that he thinks diver sity is an integral part of the educational experience and that he hopes more minorities will be attracted to the dra matic art major. “I think we have a number of attrib utes that would attract minority stu dents,” Dooley said. Unlike dramatic art, the public policy major has an above-average number of undergraduate minority students - 32.5 percent. Department of Public Policy Chairman Michael Stegman said that he is pleased with the relatively high num ber of minority students in his depart ment and that he attributes the high number to the growth of the department and of the relevancy of issues addressed in the curriculum. “There is a focus on problems and problem solving that touches people’s lives,” Stegman said. Erica Lee, a public policy major from Houston, also said she likes the practical nature of the discipline. “I like how public policy is based on real-life experiences and real-world issues,” Lee said. “I’m interested in Serving the students and the University community since 1893 Out With the Old ... Congress grants approval to new student body officers. See Page 3 campus construction on parking. Carolyn Elfland, associate vice chancel lor for campus services, then outlined the DPS budget proposal for 2002-03. The plan, which was developed by University vice chancellors after they received recommendations from the Transportation and Parking Advisory Committee, includes increases in the price of parking permits and the creation of a system of night parking permits. Night parking permits, which would 'k. DTH/SARA ABRONS Courtney Jones, right, Cicely Allen and Jimmy Mansfield participate in a Spanish class. Only 14.5 percent of romance languages majors are minority students, compared to 22.6 of the total student population. learning how to make the government work better for me as well as others.” Faculty In addition to actively seeking diver sity among students, officials said they are making concerted efforts to recruit minority faculty members, who make up 12 percent of the faculty. “Every recruitment that we make is a potential to add to the diversity of the faculty,” said Faculty Council Chairwoman Sue Estroff. Because areas of study and inquiry at the University are far-reaching, Estroff said she thinks it is imperative that the faculty is diverse. She cited budget con straints and retention problems as cen tral causes of what officials have called a lack of minority faculty. “When another university can offer them a lot more money, it’s hard for us to compete,” she said. Dooley echoed Estroffs budget con- See ACADEMICS, Page 8 Young Reports on Last 6 Months Young says issues like tuition, parking and the satellite campus in Qatar took time from his platform. By Jamie Dougher Staff Writer Student Body Presidentjustin Young released his March Report on Wednesday, detailing the issues he tack led during the last six months of his term. Young said unexpected issues such as parking, tuition and the proposed estab lishment of a satellite campus in Qatar prevented him from fulfilling some of his platform goals. “Given all the issues we had to deal with, our time was bet ter spent on those,” he said. Turn It Around Tar Heels come from behind to score two wins. See Page 11 Volume 110, Issue 19 allow the user to park in any campus lot after 5 p.m., would cost students $122 for the academic year and cost faculty $166. Students also would have the option of parking for free at night in the Bell Tower Lot or the Bowles Lot on South Campus. Day permits would be valid at night. After the presentation, Stevens imme diately raised financial concerns relating to the night parking plan. He said he is con cerned students will not be able to afford night permits and said he would prefer the In the Classroom Minority undergraduate students do not make up a consistent per centage of students pursuing various majors offered at UNC. Many department heads and school deans say they want to increase minority presence in their classes to achieve a more accurate reflec tion of the general population's demographics. The Student Empowerment Endowment was a key issue on Young’s platform when he ran for student body pres ident in 2001. Young donated his stipend of $2,400 to create a grant program for students on cam pus. Young said his administration never followed through on fund raising for the program because other issues took precedence. “It’s a big disap pointment for me,” he said. Young said he has not yet decided w* JL alternative proposed by students on TPAC - levying an across-the-board $5 student fee increase to generate revenue. “We’ve hit students pretty hard already with the tuition increases coming from the (UNC system) Board of Governors, and this is one more thing added on,” Stevens said. But Faculty Council Chairwoman Sue Estroff said it is too late to impose a fee increase for this year and that the only other option is to have faculty and staff bear responsibility for the rest of the rev Undergraduate Academic Breakdown by Major Minority Students 19.7% Kenan-Flagler Business School 15.4% Journalism and Mass Communication 0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 Number of Students 94.4% African and Afro- American Studies 9.3% Dramatic Arts 32.5% Public Policy 0 20 40 60 80 100 Number of Students SOURCE: UNC DEPARTMENT OF INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH DTH/BRIAN WASSON what to do with the $2,400. Young cited tuition increases as the most pressing issue facing his adminis tration this year. He said he attempted to rally students to lobby trustees through letters and protests, but he said the poor attendance at thejan. 24 UNC Board of Trustees meeting where a tuition vote was taken was “very frustrating.” But Young said it was important that he helped establish the Carolina Lobby Corps last semester to teach students how to lobby members of the N.C. General Assembly about issues like tuition. Young and his officers also dealt with parking-related issues throughout the year. Faced with the proposal for night parking charges and the possible loss of on-campus parking for resident students, Young See MARCH REPORT, Page 8 .••sriSkt Student Body President Justin Young cites tuition as the biggest issue facing his administration. Weather Today: Sunny; H 63, L 36 Friday: Cloudy; H 70, L 44 Saturday: Showers; H 72, L 44 Tht rcrtav I rh 7009 a j/ t enue, which she said she did not support “I don’t think throwing out the whole plan makes sense, but we also can’t tol erate a 30 percent increase - we need to think about equity and fairness regard ing cost and access,” she said. Trustees then addressed safety con cerns, with several administrators and trustees saying they support the securi ty that would be put in the free lots. See PARKING, Page 8 Education May Suffer 5695 M Cut The state cut to education could be part of an overall $1.2 billion cut to state agencies due to fiscal woes. By Cleve R. Wootson Jr. Staff Writer The bad news is that state legislators are considering cutting $695 million from the state’s education budget next year. And for both state legislators and UNC-system officials, the good news is, well, nonexistent. State legislators returned to Raleigh this week and began searching for ways to cut about $1.2 billion from the 2002- 03 state budget in an effort to overcome one of the worst fiscal situations in state history. Education, which makes up about 60 percent of the state’s $14.7 bilhon bud get, could bear the brunt of the pro posed cuts with the $695 million reduc tion. Other state agencies will be expected to trim a total of $5lO million from their budgets. Next week, appropriation subcom mittees in the state legislature are slat ed to begin investigations into how much can be cut from state agencies in the next fiscal year, which starts July 1. See STATE BUDGET, Page 8 U.S. House Seat Hinges On Ruling The Supreme Court heard oral arguments involving a lawsuit that could remove North Carolina's 13th District. By Elyse Ashburn Assistant State & National Editor WASHINGTON - A U.S. congres sional seat hangs in the balance. The deciding factor: 900 residents. The batde began when Utah sued the U.S. Census Bureau over census data gathering techniques that cost Utah a congressional seat, handing it to North Carolina. The showdown - Utah v. Evans - made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday and had the justices ques tioning the constitutionality of “hot deck” imputation -a practice used to gather census data. Hot deck imputation is the process of assigning occupancy to a residence based on the data of the nearest neighbor. The U.S. Census Bureau has used hot deck imputation to determine pop- See CENSUS, Page 8 W