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Legislators: System Cuts May Exceed 4 Percent
By Elyse Ashburn
Assistant State & National Editor
State leaders said Wednesday that the
UNC system’s 2002-03 budget might
need to be trimmed by more than admin
istrators’ suggested 4 percent maximum.
Budget reversions to deal with a state
budget shortfall for the 2001-02 fiscal
year already have drained campus
resources, and system officials say
instruction at many of the system’s cam
puses - including UNC-Chapel Hill -
will significandy suffer if budgets are cut
2 Students Vie
For Control of
Revamped ASG
Next year's ASG president will have the
responsibility of managing a budget
that will increase by more than $160,000.
By Michael Davis
Staff Writer
The bigger part will already be there.
Now two students are hoping to make the UNC-system
Association of Student Governments better.
A $1 systemwide student fee that will go into effect next fall
will increase the organization’s budget from what has annu
ally been about $2,500 to about $165,000, which could allow
the organization to hire professional advisers and increase its
travel budget.
ASG President Andrew Payne said, “The (ASG) will be in a
position next year to do things we have never done before, and
it needs a strong leader to make sure those things happen.”
Greg Drumwright, a junior at N.C. Agricultural &
Technical University, and Jonathan Ducote, a sophomore at
N.C. State University, both are looking to become president
of the refurbished ASG.
James Haltom, a junior at UNC-Chapel Hill and ASG’s
vice president of public affairs, also expressed interest in run
ning for the position but decided to drop out of the race ear
lier this week. Haltom declined to comment Wednesday about
the reason he changed his mind about running.
Elections will be held May 4 at the ASG’s final meeting of
the 2001-02 academic year.
Greg Drumwright
Drumwright, who serves as student body president at N.C.
A&T, said he thinks he has developed a voice within the ASG
through his aggressive yet tactful style and that he wants to
build on his leadership skills. “(The ASG’s) credibility has def
initely taken a turn for the better,” he said. “I really just want
to make sure the momentum of the organization is sustained.”
He said that if elected, he will propose constitutional amend
ments on each of the 16 UNC-system campuses that would
require student body presidents to participate in the ASG.
Drumwright also said that while he plans to continue to focus
on tuition issues, he also wants to expand the ASG’s presence
nationally. This year the ASG was involved in actively lobbying
UNC-system officials against large tuition increases, including a
rally at the March 6 UNC-system Board of Governors meeting.
Drumwright, who is chairman of the N.C. Black Student
Government Association, also said he wants to increase diver
sity within the ASG and will create a diversity task force to
See ASG ELECTION, Page 12
Safe Ride Starts Here
The P2P's new route, which went into effect April 1, adds two new stops. The rest of the route remains unchanged.
The new route is part of Safe Ride, a joint program between the Department of Public Safety and student government.
The initiative also entails business cards with transportation information that will be available at local bars.
Old Route New Route New Stops
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SOURCE: UNC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY DTH/COBI F.DF.LSON
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by even as little as 3 percent.
But Sen. Howard Lee, D-Orange,
chairman of the Senate Appropriations
Committee, said the state legislature
might be forced to trim the UNC-system
budget by more than the recommended
4 percent maximum.
“It is possible,” Lee said. “I’m hoping
that it will be at the 4 percent or less.
The higher it goes, the greater is the risk
of doing damage to the universities.”
The state could be facing a budget
shortfall of well over $1 billion for the
2002-03 fiscal year, which starts on July 1.
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DTH/KARA ARNDT
Students walk past the fence surrounding the Undergraduate Library on Wednesday afternoon. The library renovations
are projected to be completed this summer in time for the library to reopen for the fall semester.
Renovations Remain on Schedule
By Will Arey
Staff Writer
In recent days, the fencing between the
Undergraduate Library and Greenlaw Hall has
swallowed up yet another sizable chunk of side
walk.
Officials say congestion around the
Undergrad - prompted by renovation of the
building - likely will continue at least until the
beginning of the fall semester, when the library
is scheduled to reopen.
But Leah McGinnis, spokeswoman for the
Undergrad project, said the renovations are
running on schedule. The Undergrad was
closed for complete renovation Dec. 19, 2000.
McGinnis said that if all goes well, the library
will reopen in August in time for the fall semes
ter, although a specific reopening date has not
been determined.
The fencing near Greenlaw is now in place
because construction crews are in the process of
applying finishing touches inside the building
The best way out is always through.
Robert Frost
Serving the students and the University community since 1893
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Check out today's editorial page
in a special location.
See Page 13
The declining economic outlook is forc
ing Gov. Mike Easley and state legislators
to consider cuts in all comers of state gov
ernment, including the UNC system.
Lee said that some jobs likely will be
lost within the 16-campus system but
that legislators would try to make cuts to
vacant positions based on each post’s
overall worth. He added that the legis
lature also will examine how individual
programs contribute to meeting the
overall mission of the UNC system.
“We will look at eliminating total pro
grams rather than making piecemeal
New Safe Ride Program Now in Effect
By Kara Eide
Staff Writer
Anew program to maximize the safe
ty of students returning home from
Franklin Street during late-night hours is
now in effect.
Student government instituted the
Safe Ride program, which began its pilot
phase Monday, to curb drunk driving
and to keep students safe, said Anup
Dashputre, chairman of student services
for student government.
The program includes a revised
Point-2-Point bus route and the distribu
tion of business cards containing taxi
and P2P information to Chapel Hill bars
and clubs.
The new P2P route will include two
new stops on Franklin Street -one on
the corner of Franklin and Henderson
His Own Words
Durant speaks out for the first
time about staying at UNC.
See Page 12
Volume 1 Id, Issue 23
cuts,” Lee said. “It will depend on (each
campus’s) administration to judge which
programs are less effective than others.”
He said that generally speaking, the
legislature plans to target its cuts, while
the governor is emphasizing less specif
ic projected budget trims.
Gov. Mike Easley has requested that
the UNC system submit budget cut sce
narios for 2002-03 this week.
Jeff Davies, UNC-system vice president
for finance, said the administration con
centrated on formulating scenarios that
would leave instruction largely unscathed.
Undergrad Update
The most o ec
current _ %^2oo o .
timetable for r ° e 9an
Undergraduate frL -fo,*
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renovations JecTed com
shows that P eti ° n d ate
the library June 2oo} ;
will reopen
intime
for the _
fall semester Ji >
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SOURCE: UNDERGRADUATE ÜBRARV
and are beginning the process of landscaping
the library’s exterior, she said.
McGinnis said exterior landscaping, includ
ing the placement of trees, brickwork, exterior
streets and one in front of Varsity
Theatre.
Dashputre said the old route was
flawed because the P2P was neglecting
the main part of Franklin Street.
The business cards will be displayed
in prominent locations at the bars and
clubs on East Franklin and Rosemary
streets.
“We just gave it to the bars along the
new P2P route, but the long-term goal is
to get it to every bar and club in Chapel
Hill,” Dashputre said.
Bennett LaPrade, owner of Pantana
Bob’s on West Rosemary Street, said his
business received the cards and placed
them next to the telephone.
LaPrade said that while some stu
dents might opt not to utilize the pro
gram, he hopes it will help them make
better choices. “Some people are going
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Weather
Today: Partly Cloudy; H 57, L 33
Friday: Sunny; H 61, L 31
Saturday: Partly Cloudy; H 63, L 33
Scenarios were designed in 1 percent
increments, capping the cuts at the 4
percent mark. “We are looking at the
point at which instruction becomes
affected,” Davies said. “By the 4 percent
range everybody is being affected.”
But he said cuts as small as 3 percent
could force some campuses, including
UNC-CH, to cut faculty.
A 3 percent budget cut would force
UNC-CH to cut 26 filled faculty posi
tions in academic affairs, trimming
See BUDGET CUTS, Page 12
seating and walls, necessitated widening the
fenced-off area between the Undergrad and
Greenlaw.
“The fences were moved outward in order to
ensure the safety of pedestrians walking
through the area,” she said.
McGinnis said the fences would likely
remain in place until June.
Once all exterior work and interior con
struction is complete, which is projected for
June, McGinnis said, workers will begin mov
ing in the library’s furniture, books and sup
plies.
But in the meantime, students say the con
struction is creating several inconveniences for
them.
Freshman Eric Harris said the effects of the
construction, especially the fencing, have been
frustrating.
“The fences make it harder to move around
and get to class, especially in the mornings and
See UNDERGRAD, Page 12
to be hardheaded, but you can offer it,”
he said.
The program is not just for people
who have been drinking, LaPrade
added. “I’m concerned about anyone I
see walking around late at night."
Dashputre also mentioned the pro
gram’s intent to provide a safer alterna
tive to walking alone downtown and
through campus. “A lot of people don’t
realize that the majority of holdups
occur on North Campus, especially
along Raleigh Street and near (Coker)
Arboretum,” he said.
In the future, Dashputre said he plans
to extend the program to include edu
cational programs about drunk driving.
“Everybody’s aware that you should
n’t drink and drive,” he said. “But this
would make them more aware of the
services available on campus to help
Congress
Elects New
Leadership
New Student Congress
Speaker Tony Larson says he
will hold special elections
until empty seats are filled.
By Brook Corwin
Staff Writer
Members of the 84th Student Congress
who sought leadership positions in the
body Wednesday night were forced to
address a number of questions and con
cerns at the group’s first meeting.
The primary purpose of the meeting
was to elect new leadership for Congress.
Junior Tony Larson, the chairman of
the Finance Committee for the 83rd ses
sion, was elected speaker of Congress,
edging out junior
Matt O’Brien by
an 11-10 vote in a
runoff election.
The runoff elec
tion occurred after
neither Larson,
O’Brien nor
sophomore Blair
Sweeney received
a majority vote.
In a speech
delivered to mem
bers of Congress
before the vote,
Larson pledged to
make sure special
elections are held
JL
Speaker
Tony Larson
won by one vote
in a runoff over
Speaker Pro Tem
Matt O'Brien.
every month to eliminate empty congres
sional seats. “I don’t believe there is a
good reason all of these seats should not
be filled,” he said. “Students should have
as much representation as possible.”
Larson said he will work with the
speaker pro tern, who usually handles
administrative duties, to generate student
interest in running for the vacant seats.
Larson also said he will dedicate
extra effort to groom the speaker pro
tern for a leadership role because he
might graduate in December.
O’Brien retained his position as speak
er pro tern, which he held during the 83rd
session, by a vote of 14-6 over Sweeney.
O’Brien said that he is enthusiastic
about filling the expanded role that
Larson envisions for the speaker pro
tern and that he will work with the exec
utive branch of student government and
student organizations to raise interest in
Congress within the student body.
“Asa member of Congress, it’s really
hard to get in touch with your con
stituency, but that’s one of our biggest
responsibilities,” O’Brien said.
Members of Congress also elected
committee chairmen for the 84th ses
sion. Graduate student Daniel Herman
was elected Ethics Committee chairman,
freshman Natalie Russell was elected
Finance Committee chairwoman,
See CONGRESS, Page 12
you avoid that situation.”
Though currendy in its pilot phase,
the Safe Ride program will be officially
implemented in full force on the first
day of the fall 2002 semester. Dashputre
said that during this pilot time frame, he
will actively seek student feedback and
make any necessary changes.
He said he is already considering
adding a reverse P2P route or extending
the territory that the P2P currendy cov
ers.
After working 15 to 20 hours a week
with his committee since Feb. 1 to create
this program, Dashputre said he is anx
ious for student response.
“Now really is the time where we
want to fine-tune everything.”
The University Editor can be reached
at udesk@unc.edu.