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Local Music Scene Offers
Variety of Genres, Venues
By Brian Millikin
Assistant Arts & Entertainment Editor
In terms of music, Chapel Hill is as
much adjective as noun. The city’s
music scene is nationally known, the
name a veritable promise of quality.
For diehard fans or music novices in
Chapel Hill, options abound on any
given night in any given genre.
Cat's Cradle
This local legend is known across the
country, having helped launch the
careers of acts like Ben Folds. The Cradle
sustains Chapel Hill and regularly brings
in great mid-major names of all genres.
“We get everything from reggae to
hip-hop to scat rock,” says Cradle
employee Ben Rogerson. “There’s no
limit to what we will book.”
Described lovingly as dark and dirty,
the Cradle can pack 650 people into its
bar, bench and spacious floor.
Go! Room Four
Sort of the little brother of the Cradle,
Go! also brings in big local and nation
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al acts, mostly of the independent per
suasion. With a smaller stage and a
capacity of about 150, Go! offers even
more intimacy than Cat’s Cradle.
Carrboro Arts Center
Carrboro’s champion of just about
everything art, the Arts Center features a
great variety of theater, improv and
musical performances.
A visit to the Arts Center is comfort
able physically - the larger of the two
theaters features cosy movie-theater
seats -and financially, with $5 student
rush rates 15 minutes before showtime.
The Cave
Local music takes the spotlight at The
Cave, from Chapel Hill’s signature indie
rock squall to roots-oriented, jazz and
bluegrass. Pool tables and an accom
plished jukebox round out The Cave,
which can pack in 85 devotees.
Local 506
Much like The Cave, Local 506 fea
tures mosdy local acts of varying genres,
not specifically rock and roll. Tlie bar is
PHOTOS BY KIMBERLY CRAVEN AND PHOTO COLLAGE BY MALA DESAI
in front, and stage is in back.
Skylight Exchange
For a more intimate, coffeehouse vibe,
the Exchange’s small stage offers a good
blend. Open-mic nights are Monday and
Wednesday, and a spoken-word poetry
event called Vague Metaphors can be
enjoyed every Tuesday evening.
Caffe Driade
With its outdoor stage and candles on
the tables, Caffe Driade is as unique as
its superbly diverse music selection.
“We have had DJs, jazz, Latin and
African music - mostly local acts,” said
employee Austin Miller.
Street Scene Teen Center
Housed underneath the Franklin
Street Post Office, Street Scene has been
holding shows for the 12-18 crowd for
years. Though it will have any type of
music, it’s been mostly punk and hard
core bands lately, with packed crowds.
The Arts & Entertainment Editor can
be reached at artsdesk@unc.edu.
News
Cuts, Economy Make Life Hard
For N.C. Community Colleges
By Elyse Ashburn
State & National Editor
As interest in two-year colleges swells,
community college administrators say
they are concerned that tuition hikes and
a thud round of budget cuts in less than
a year might threaten accessibility.
The N.C. community college system
will have its budget cut by about $22
million under the proposed House bud
get, while the Senate’s proposed cuts go
as deep as $27 million.
“It’s sort of the death of a thousand
cuts -a little bit here and a little bit
there,” said N.C. Community College
system President Martin Lancaster.
The House and the Senate will have
to reach a consensus on the budget -
including community college funding -
in upcoming Appropriations
Conference Committee meetings.
But impending cuts are not the pri
mary factor straining North Carolina’s
community colleges.
Lancaster said two-year colleges’
main struggle is to absorb incoming stu
dents as the institutions are already
operating at full capacity.
Displaced workers have caused a surge
Arts Center Survives Budget Woes
By Nick Parker
Arts & Entertainment Editor
With budget cuts plaguing the state,
many institutions that receive state fund
ing are facing difficult times - including
the Carrboro Arts Center.
But that doesn’t mean it will be shut
ting down any time soon.
Judi Cooper, developing and market
ing director at the Arts Center, said that
despite economic troubles she doesn’t
expect major changes in the schedule,
programming and focus of the
Arts Center.
Because the majority of its funding -
more than 75 percent - comes from
tickets sales and class tuition, the
Arts Center will be able to absorb any
blows resulting from a cut in state fund
ing. On average, only about 2 percent of
the center’s funding comes from state
support.
in community college enrollment at the
same time that many students are trans
fering from four-year universities to two
year campuses, Lancaster said. “We
always see an increase in transfer students
when parents have lost jobs.”
Lancaster said legislators have made
a concerted effort to fund enrollment
growth at community colleges.
“We are encouraged and pleased with
their efforts,” he said.
Both legislative chambers have slated
more than SSO million to fund commu
nity college system enrollment growth.
“That (funding) is critical if we are
going to fulfill the role of educating the
work force,” Lancaster said.
But administrators at Durham
Technical Community College are wor
ried they won’t receive the promised
money because the slumping economy
might prevent the state from gathering the
necessary revenue. “Our biggest fear is
that we will be funded for enrollment
growth but not get the money,” said
Wanda Winslow, DTCC vice president of
institutional support services.
DTCC is feeling the crunch caused by
high enrollment numbers, Winslow said.
Usually 2,000 to 2,500 students register
Cooper said, however, that the center
might face as much as a 25 percent cut.
She noted that when the economy is in
tumultuous times, it is harder to find
donations for unexpected expenses.
“We recently lost two air-condition
ing units, and because of the difficult
times the money just isn’t there to
replace them,” Cooper said. “But it is
also in these hard times that the com
munity really pulls together - projects
become a great collaboration, a great
effort.”
In the spirit of the community, the
Arts Center organized a “Beat the Heat”
event, which took place Friday, to raise
money to replace its air conditioners.
Among many other donators, Top of
the Hill and Carolina Brewery con
tributed kegs of beer while Amante’s
Gourmet Pizza fed the musicians - all of
whom performed for free.
This communal effort is a trait that
Tuesday, August 20, 2002
during DTCC’s early registration period.
This year, the college enrolled more than
4,000 students in pre-registration. Normal
enrollment at DTCC for the past five years
has averaged 5,100 students. “We have
been concerned that our numbers were
going to be really high,” Winslow said.
But more than 600 students were
removed after pre-registration because
they failed to pay tuition. Winslow said
students were given several chances to
pay but that many were unable to
because of their economic situations.
Tuition increases might also have
contributed to students’ inability to pay
for their education, Winslow said.
Both the House and the Senate have
proposed a tuition increase of $3.25 per
semester hour for in state community
college students and $17.50 for out-of
state students, bringing tuition to $34.25
per semester hour for in-state students
and $190.75 for out-of-state.
“Many of those we serve are putting
themselves through school,” Winslow
said. “Any tuition increase is going to
hurt.”
The State & National Editor can be
reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.
will characterize many of the
Arts Center’s programs this year, Cooper
said.
“Because times are so hard, we will
not be adding a lot of new programs
because we don’t have the resources to
support them,” Cooper said. “Instead
we will be focusing on what we do well,
working with many different people to
please as many people as possible.”
Despite an uncertain future, modest
gifts and moderate cutbacks, the
Arts Center still hopes to grow and never
lose sight of its vision.
“We will still keep looking for enter
prising ventures and still remain a cen
tral presence in the community,”
Cooper said. “That is really what the
Arts Center is all about - the spirit of the
community.”
The Arts & Entertainment Editor can
be reached at artsdesk@unc.edu.
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