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Volume 110, Issue 125
Moeser: Salary Decision Was a Mistake
By Damel Thigpen
University Editor
After weeks of defending a contro
versial pay agreement for outgoing Vice
Chancellor and General Counsel Susan
Ehringhaus, Chancellor James Moeser
on Monday called his decision a mistake
that cannot be renegotiated.
“The arrangement in my view was an
error in judgement on my part,” Moeser
said in a meeting with reporters. “I have
to accept that responsibility.”
In October, Moeser and Ehringhaus
agreed on a salary deal that will provide
her with almost $320,000 for eight months
of unrelated work in Washington, D.C.,
beginningjan. 1 and a year of teaching at
the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Law from
September 2003 to August 2004.
In the end, Moeser said that in formu
lating the agreement with Ehringhaus, he
UNC Early
Applicants
Decrease
No early decision
could be a factor
By Ruthie Warshenbrot
Staff Writer
Fewer students applied to UNC by
the Nov. 15 early action deadline than
had applied to the University by this
time last year, according to preliminary
numbers from undergraduate admis
sions officials.
UNC offered only two deadlines this
year: the early action deadline, Nov. 15,
and the regular deadline, Jan. 15.
The binding early decision deadline
of Oct. 15 was abolished with much fan
fare last year and took effect for this
fall’s applicant pool.
Stephen Farmer, senior associate
director of admissions, said 11,035 stu
dents applied early decision and early
action to UNC last year.
Of these students, 1,848 applied
early decision. The remaining 9,187
applied early action, a process that
allows students to apply early and get
an earlier response from the University.
So far, this year’s numbers indicate
that 9,036 students have applied for the
Nov. 15 early action deadline.
The difference between the numbers
seems to be the number of early deci
sion applicants, saidjerry Lucido, direc
tor of undergraduate admissions.
“It sounds like the current numbers
are roughly different (because of) the
early decision deadline,” he said.
Last spring, UNC was the first major
public university to abandon the early
decision program, saying it put too
much pressure on high school seniors.
Yale and Stanford universities also
recendy decided to drop their early
decision deadlines, but their changes
will not take effect until next fall.
Lucido said it was difficult to be the
first institution to drop the early deci
sion deadline. “Sometimes when you
See APPLICATIONS, Page 6
Paper Pileup
University officials say the move
the early decision
"‘KOgram has affected the number
ofappltc ations submitted by the
-I? early action deadline?,
They believe, however, that the
decision won'fhave any effect gn
Aheauaiity of
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SOURCE: UNC ADMISSIONS OFFICE DTH/STAFF
There cm be no true response without responsibility; there can be no responsibility without response.
Arthur Vogel
Survey Says...
A UNC survey will examine the University's
economic benefits to North Carolina.
See Page 5
failed to recognize the larger impact his
deal would have on both the UNC-CH
community and the state.
Moeser’s decision has resulted in
harsh criticism and backlash from UNC
CH workers and state legislators, many
of whom think the deal creates a poor
perception of the University’s fiscal pri
orities during troubled economic times.
And the chancellor said he acknowl
edges those concerns, although “to
retroactively renegotiate ... would not be
fruitful.” In a statement he distributed at
the meeting and intends to send to
UNC-CH’s faculty and staff, Moeser
wrote, “It is important to admit mistakes,
to learn from those mistakes, to resolve
not to repeat them and to move on.”
Moeser also admitted that his decision
to reorganize the University’s legal coun
sel office led to Ehringhaus’ resignation
from her post “It was my decision that
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Sophomore Justin Carter, a semifinalist in "American Idol II," rehearses with Tar Heel Voices on Monday night. Carter leaves Monday
for Hollywood, Calif., to compete against 199 other semifinalists from across the nation.
UNC Student Takes Next Step
To Become Country's New Idol
1 of 200 semifinalists
for 2nd "American Idol"
By Kirsten Fields
Staff Writer
When sophomore Justin Carter decided to
come to UNC, his concerns about college were
greater than the usual homesickness.
With a passion for singing, Carter worried he
never would get a chance to pursue his dream of
a music career.
And then the televised singing competition
“American Idol” came along.
Carter now is one of 200 semifinalists for the
show’s second season and will be traveling to
Hollywood, Calif., this month for the final
round of auditions.
In the show, 60 contestants compete for the
status of being the “American Idol.” Contestants
are judged by famous figures in the music world
in person and by the public via phone and e
mail. After the number of contestants is nar
rowed down to 30, the show airs live until a win
ner, who will receive a record deal, is chosen.
Serving the students and the University community since 1893
Tuesday, December 3, 2002
it was time for a change in the structure
of the legal office,” he said.
The decision had nothing to do with
Ehringhaus personally, but rather,
Moeser said, he sought to modify the
nature of the position. “I wanted to have
my own team,” he said. “I came to the
conclusion that change would be good
for the University.”
Officials say Ehringhaus’ pay will come
from unrestricted private funds from the
UNC-CH Foundation and not from state
money. “This period of leave is not unlike
the research leaves accorded to other
senior administrators before they transi
tion back to faculty status,” Moeser said.
It is unclear, however, if Moeser ever
asked Ehringhaus to resign. “It’s not a
question of who asked whom,”
Ehringhaus said in an interview Monday.
See MOESER, Page 6
Carter said he is banned by the show from
discussing any details about the show or the final
audition, but several friends said Carter is excit
ed about the prospect of competing on the show.
Sophomore Jason Hamlin, Carter’s room
mate in Chapel Hill this summer, said Carter
has wanted to be on “American Idol” since the
show’s creation.
“He would stay up late at night looking up
pictures on the Web site and finding out differ
ent stuff about the people,” Hamlin said.
Upon finding out about the open audition in
Atlanta in October for the show, Carter con
vinced Hamlin and two other friends to join
him in auditioning.
“Justin was the one who said we needed to
get there early,” Hamlin said. “He would have
been really upset if he missed the chance to
audition.”
The boys spent close to 48 hours outside on
the street in the rain and cold, waiting for ticket
and bracelet distribution to guarantee an audi
tioning spot.
Because reporters came for interviews sponta
neously, Carter and his friends had to look their
best at all times. Photographers bombarded
them at all hours of the night. By the time
Next Step
UNC faces Illinois in
ACC/Big Ten challenge.
See Page 8
:'''
DTH FILE PHOTO
“The arrangement in my view
was an error in judgement on
my part. I have to accept that
responsibility. ”
James Moeser
Chancellor
Sunday morning came, Carter had lost his voice.
“Everyone in line was so nice to Justin, trying
to tell him quick remedies to get it back,”
Hamlin said.
Though Carter did not get his voice back
fully, he went on to perform Aretha Franklin’s
“Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” for the judges. When
he was not called to audition again, Carter did
not let this get him down. Instead, he headed to
another open audition in Nashville in
November. This time, he knew what to do.
After Carter auditioned in a group of several
people, the panel of judges announced who they
wanted back, and Carter was not on their list.
As Carter walked away, one of the “American
Idol” producers stopped him.
Shannon Byrne, a graduate student and a
member of Tar Heel Voices with Carter, said the
producer was impressed with Carter’s talents.
“The producer was hunting him down to let
him know that he wanted him back,” Byrne said.
Carter auditioned once more for famous
judges Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy
Jackson, and he made the cut. While being
filmed, Carter called Byrne immediately after he
See IDOL, Page 6
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Today: Partly Cloudy; H 48, L 23
Wednesday: P.M. Ice; H 32, L 31
Thursday: A.M. Ice; H 47, L 26
BOG, Broad Call Salary Deal
With Ehringhaus 'lndefensible'
By Elyse Ashburn
State & National Editor
Financial negotiations made between
UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor James
Moeser and a longtime University
employee are excessive and inexcus
able, key UNC-system officials said
Monday.
“I think it’s indefensible - the cost of
it, the terms,” UNC-system Board of
Governors member Craig Souza said of
the $320,\)00 salary agreement reached
between Moeser and Susan Ehringhaus,
the University’s outgoing general coun-
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sel.
Members of the BOG Personnel and
Tenure Committee were so incensed by
the deal Moeser struck with Ehringhaus
that they requested Monday that the
UNC-system Office of the President
draft guidelines for such negotiations.
Calling Moeser’s actions inappropri
ate, UNC-system President Molly Broad
stressed that although no hard-and-fast
policy exists for negotiations of the same
nature as those made with Ehringhaus,
there are implicit standards of fiscal
See BOG, Page 6
Supreme
Court to
Consider
Race Case
Standard admissions
practices challenged
By Laura Youngs
Staff Writer
The U.S. Supreme Court announced
Monday that it will hear a high-profile
case accusing the University of
Michigan-Ann Arbor Law School of
discrimination in its admissions - the
ruling of which could spur serious
changes at universities across America.
The lawsuit originally was filed in
1997, when Barbara Grutter, a white
applicant, was rejected from UM-Ann
Arbor’s law school.
She and others have laid claim that
they were discriminated against because
less-qualified minority students were
admitted based on race.
The case was struck down in May by
a sharply divided 6th U.S. Circuif Court
of Appeals, which ruled that UM-Ann
Arbor could employ affirmative action
in its admissions policies.
Because of the case’s national impor
tance, it is not surprising the Supreme
Court decided to take it up, said
Jonathan Alger, assistant general coun
sel for UM-Ann Arbor.
Alger added that university officials
think the school has a strong case in
support of its admissions practices. “The
university is defending this so strongly
because diversity is a matter of educa
tional quality.”
Jerry Lucido, UNC’s director of
undergraduate admissions, said the
Supreme Court’s ruling will set a stan
dard for schools across the nation for
years to come.
“I think there’s no question that
every admissions office in America will
have to look at their policy depending
on what the Supreme Court rules,” he
said.
“One thing’s for sure - we should
have a definitive law of the land.”
Some experts see the case - which
could impact both public and private
universities -as an important step in
solidifying race as a valid consideration
in admissions.
“For (students), this is a really great
step towards winning on affirmative
action,” said Tanya Troy Sanabria, out
reach coordinator of the Coalition to
Defend Affirmative Action &
See MICHIGAN, Page 6