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Tuesday, April 30, 2002
Health Care Plan Gains Mixed Reactions
By Jamie Dougher
Staff Writer
Graduate students have mixed feel
ings about the efforts of the Student
Health Advisory Board to create a plan
that combats health insurance increases.
The advisory board approved a plan
April 22 to change the University’s
health insurance plan that will increase
health-care costs by about 8.3 percent,
while nationwide costs of health care will
increase by an average of 17 percent
Michael Poock, advisory board mem
ber and assistant dean of the graduate
school, said members tried to minimize
cost increases with the changes. “We’re
trying to maintain the integrity of the
plan while keeping costs from rising and
less than the national average," he said.
The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
raised the rates for UNC’s health insur
ance when it became a for-profit organi
zation this past year - increasing the rate
to about 32 percent for the UNC’s plan.
The advisory board was able to lower
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DTH's Graduation 2002 issue will feature your graduating
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the increase to 8.3 percent by doubling the
co-payment at the Student Health Service
Pharmacy to S2O. The board also agreed
to decrease the reimbursement rate from
90 percent to 80 percent for in-network
services and from 70 percent to 60 percent
for out-of-network service. A network is a
list of doctors approved by the insurance
company for its clients to use.
Poock said that he is not sure what step
of approval the plan has reached but that
he hopes the plan is on the desk of Sue
Kitchen, vice chancellor for student affairs,
who has to approve it next
Man Charged With Stalking at UNC Pleads Not Guilty
By John Frank
Assistant University Editor
HILLSBOROUGH - A man
charged with assaulting and stalking a
woman at UNC pled not guilty to the
charges in an Orange County District
Court on Monday.
Samuel Ferebee, 62, of 130 E-8 S.
Estes Drive, was arrested by University
police March 27 and charged with two
counts of misdemeanor assault and one
count of stalking.
The charges stem from an incident in
which Ferebee allegedly put his hands
University
Graduate student Marc David said the
advisory board did what it could, but the
University should contribute more money
to fund health insurance.
Bethany Burgon, a law student and a
board member, said some students have
expressed concern about the rising costs
because they are uninformed. “Students
don’t realize that the most they’ll pay is
$20,” she said. “You still save a lot more
than you would at Eckerd or Kerr Dmg.”
Burgon also said that when students
realize that the increase is less than the
nationwide hike, they will understand that
on a Duke University student's shoul
ders and back while the student was on
UNC’s campus. University Police Chief
Derek Poarch said the acts constituted
simple assault. Poarch said Ferebee then
allegedly invited the student to walk
down a hallway with him, which result
ed in the charge of stalking.
At the hearing today, a Hillsborough
judge continued Ferebee’s trial for the
UNC incident to June 3 because the
alleged victim did not appear in court.
Afterward, Ferebee and his attorney
Glenn Veit told reporters that Ferebee
still should a right to visit campus.
the board acted justly. “Everyone that I’ve
spoken to seems to think positively, and
they understand that insurance rates, like
postage, are ever-increasing,” she said.
Graduate and Professional Student
Federation President Branson Page said
graduate students have not responded
negatively because the increase is not
drastic. “Honestly, I think that most stu
dents don’t know what they have or
what they’ve been given.”
The University Editor can be reached
at udesk@unc.edu.
“We are going to vigorously defend
these charges that have been filed
against him, and he hopes to continue to
exercise his constitutional rights to take
advantage of the intellectual and cultur
al experiences that are offered at the
University of North Carolina and on
other public properties that are also
available to anyone who pays taxes and
is a citizen and resident of North
Carolina, like Mr. Ferebee,” Veit said.
Ferebee said the charges against him
were just a misunderstanding.
"If anyone has a problem with my
immediate presence, my conversation
Developments in the War on Terrorism
Turkey loins Peacekeeping Mission
■ With strong U.S. backing, overwhelmingly Muslim
Turkey officially agreed Monday to take command of ttlPVl C&
the peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan. The change 11
supports Washington's position that the war against ttdCK.S
terror is not between Islam and the West
Flights in Four Cities Detained
■ A jet that took off from Philadelphia headed for Florida was forced to return to the airport
because several passengers of Middle Eastern appearance had purchased one-way tickets
with cash, passengers said Monday.
Ridge: Alert System Might Be Adjusted
■ Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge said Monday that the color-coded alert system used
to keep the nation apprised of the danger of terrorist threats might have to be "tweaked*
in the days to come. "There has been some criticism," Ridge said.
with them or any action - however unin
tended it may be- that may cause any
one apprehension or discomfort, all they
simply have to do is inform me of the
problem they have, and I will be more
than glad to apologize to them and leave
their immediate proximity," Ferebee said.
Veit also contested a notice that the
Orange County Sheriff’s Department
served to Ferebee that banned him from
all property owned and leased by Orange
County. A sheriff’s deputy said that the
notice would be posted on all county
buildings and that Ferebee will be arrest
ed for trespassing if he violates the order.
sljr latly (Ear Mrrl
Ferebee already had a trespassing order
against him at UNC, which prohibited
hfrn from attending anything other than
public events. The order was amended
after the March 27 incident to prevent him
from attending all events on campus.
A similar provision allowed Duke
police to arrest him when he came on
campus April 19. Police charged Ferebee
with one count of resist, delay and obstruct
of an officer, for which he will appear May
27 in a Durham County court
The University Editor can be reached
at udesk@unc.edu.