4
Thursday, March 6, 2003
CAPS
From Page 1
dents from receiving medical treatment
in their time of need. “1 believe that the
administration needs to recognize that
many students need more psychological
support than they can currendy receive
from the limited resources of the coun
seling center," she said.
John Edgerly, director of CAPS, is
aware of the criticisms aimed at CAPS,
including those leveled in The Daily Tar
Heel’s letters to the editor. He said he is
as shocked as the rest of the University
community by the recent suicides.
“It’s common to maybe go a year
without any suicides,” he said. “But I’ve
been here for nearly 21 years, and I’ve
never experienced anything like this."
Not only is it uncommon for multiple
suicides to occur in such a short time
span, but it’s even more unusual for three
deaths to occur within a year, he said.
Although officials are concerned
about the mental health of students,
Edgerly said, the recent student deaths
don’t imply anything particular about
University suicide statistics.
“Averages really don’t mean any
thing," he said. “There have been school
years when there have been no deaths at
all and years like this one where there
are three in one semester.”
CAPS saw nearly 2,700 students dur
ing the 2001-02 school year - up from
the previous year. By comparison, an esti
mated 1,800 students sought counseling
during the fall 2002 semester. “The num
ber of students visiting CAPS during the
2001-02 school year rose by somewhere
between 400 and 500,” Edgerly said.
INSURANCE
From Page 1
rather than 40 percent, a reduction she
said has had destructive consequences.
“I think I’ve had more people this
year who have said they can’t afford to
come see me than in the past,” Hattem
said. “I think it would be really nice if
they went back to the 50-50 split.”
Every year the Student Health
Advisory Board - comprising 10 students,
faculty and employee appointees - meets
to review the insurance policy offered to
students and suggest the best balance of
costs and benefits. Their suggestions are
reviewed by University officials.
On Monday, this year’s appointees
started to review next year’s policy,
which will go into effect sometime in
mid-August. Michael Poock, associate
dean of the Graduate School and chair
man of the board, said the group will re-
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“The common assumption is that the
number of students seeking help has
risen everywhere, not just at Carolina.”
Late February to early April is the
second busiest time for CAPS. The clin
ic also sees a large number of students
from late September to mid-November.
“These times tend to be high because
they follow long breaks,” Edgerly said.
“Students usually enjoyed their vacations,
but when they return to school, tensions
are high, they’re very busy, and then
everything becomes too much to handle.”
Because CAPS expects to see more
people than normal during this time of
year, officials make arrangements to
ensure that CAPS is well-staffed to meet
all students’ needs. “We have two full
time psychologists whose only responsi
bility is to speak to students whenever
there’s a need,” Edgerly said.
“Any student needing attention can
be seen,” he said. “The only condition
where there’s a waiting list is when stu
dents want short-term psychotherapy.”
Psychotherapy involves helping peo
ple solve their psychological problems
“through the uncovering of dynamic
conscious and unconscious processes
affecting a person’s adjustment.”
“The process also includes a variety
of different strategies designed to assist a
psychologically troubled person’s
adjustment, insight and behavior
change,” Edgerly said.
Despite February being a peak time
for CAPS, Edgerly said there has never
been a time when a student was turned
away. Instead, the abnormality of the
suicide incidents has caused Edgerly
and others to question whether students
are aware of CAPS and other resources
for students battling mental illness.
evaluate all aspects of the plan, includ
ing the mental health component.
“The current student medical plan is
as good as, if not better than, any plan
you’ll find in the country,” said Bob
Wirag, director of Student Health
Service. “When you consider what the
premium is and the benefits are, this is
truly an outstanding student plan.”
Hattem said it can take two to three
months for Blue Cross Blue Shield to pay
its end of the bill, a delay she thinks fur
ther jeopardizes mental health.
“By the time people get to therapy,
they’re feeling really bad and don’t have
the energy to make a phone call to fight
with Blue Cross,” Hattem said.
Students with other health insurance
plans also can have problems finding assis
tance for mental problems, said public
policy Professor Daniel Gitterman, who
specializes in mental health insurance.
Gitterman said many students aren’t
aware of their benefits. Dependent stu-
From Page One
Dean of Students Melissa Exum said
the University tries to inform students
about their options when they first
arrive. “Af C-TOPS a lot of information
is given out about CAPS to both parents
and students, but the thing with infor
mation is that you never need it until
you really need it,” Exum said.
“So we try to reinforce (the available
options) through CAPS."
Exum said it is the responsibility of
the entire community to make sure stu
dents battling mental illness get help.
“If students or professors -and even
parents - notice a change in the daily
pattern of a student, then he or she
should check in with them and ask if
they are doing OK,” she said. “If they
aren’t, then it is our responsibility to
make sure they get the help they need.”
Sophomore Amanda Fox said CAPS
went beyond the call of duty to make
sure she was comfortable on her first visit
“It was a really calming atmosphere.
Everyone was really helpful,” she said.
Fox visited CAPS after her stress
level rose to a point she thought was
above average.
“The receptionist helped me com
plete the paperwork, and it was less than
30 minutes before I was seen,” she said.
Fox said she scheduled an appoint
ment, met with a counselor, was diag
nosed and left with a prescription in less
than two hours. “When I walked in, 1 did
n’t know what was wrong with me, but I
walked out feeling a lot better,” she said.
While Fox received treatment in a
timely manner, junior Lindsay Varner
said she could not receive any treatment.
Varner was diagnosed with clinical
depression while in high school. After
analyzing her situation, her family
dents who are aware often don’t want
their parents to know they are seeking
outside help, a problem that usually only
can be solved by paying out-of-pocket.
Hattem, who is disillusioned with the
health insurance system, allows patients to
pay on a sliding scale - they pay a certain
percentage of their income rather than a
fixed rate. Hattem also has allowed
dependent students who do not want their
parents to know about their conditions to
pay based on their own incomes.
Gitterman said the coverage of men
tal health insurance needs to be
addressed on a national and local level.
“The question is, Who bears the
cost?” he said. “That is a question for the
students. Are they willing to pay higher
premiums for mental health services?
That’s a discussion that should maybe
take place on this campus.”
The University Editor can be reached
at udesk@unc.edu.
physician put her on a prescription.
“My doctor immediately knew that
the only thing that would help me
would be medication,” Varner said.
When she visited CAPS to seek more
help for her illness, Vamer told the psy
chiatrist that her personal physician said
medication would be her best option.
Vamer said the psychiatrist discouraged
medication and failed to offer .alterna
tives. “They felt like they could handle
my problem another way, but they did
n’t,” she said.
Despite these complaints, Exum said
that in light of the recent tragedies, the
University is striving to ensure that all
students are aware of CAPS and other
resources for students battling mental
illness.
“The reality is that even if we put forth
our best effort and give 100 percent, it is
impossible to always prevent tragedy,”
she said. “All we can do is make sure stu
dents get the help they need.”
The University Editor can be reached
at udesk@unc.edu.
FLIERS
From Page 1
port this kind of conduct?”
Burston would not return messages
Wednesday.
Prear, who wrote the flier and said she
took the picture of Matheson as he issued
her a suspension last week, said she’s fed
up with Matheson’s management. “We
want people to see who he is so when you
see him you know who he is,” Prear said.
“Everything I said in there is true.... We
put this out there especially for workers.”
Matheson would not return multiple
phone calls Wednesday. In a past inter
view with The Daily Tar Heel, Matheson
denied mistreating workers. Prear said her
suspension came after a housekeepers
meeting nearly two weeks ago in which
she was accused of being disruptive.
Prear said she will circulate more
fliers today to the buildings she and oth
ers couldn’t reach on Wednesday.
In the meantime, Prear and other
supporters are soliciting student groups
for backing in their cause.
On Wednesday night outside Chase
Hall, Prear urged Black Student
Movement members to help housekeep
ers as they fight downsizing and what
they see as unfair policies and treatment.
BSM President Lindsay Reed said the
group is ready to take any action the
housekeepers ask for. “We feel like this
is something the BSM has taken on for a
while,” she said. “We are at their dispos
al.... I hope that all students would be.”
Bret Barden, co-director of campus
affairs for the Young Democrats, has
been working closely with the house
keepers lately. He said he and house
keepers will be sending petitions to var
ious student organizations during the
next few weeks asking for support.
The University Editor can be reached
at udesk@unc.edu.
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Sgt. John Bailly talks on the phone with his father Wednesday before
boarding a bus that will take him to the USS Carter Hall.
LEJEUNE
From Page 1
rounds than any other battalion - day
and night,” Weis said. But he added that
the battalion’s strategy likely will not put
it in situations fit for squaring off rifle-to
rifle with the opposition.
“If we think the enemy is in a build
ing, we’re not going to knock down the
door and go in,” he said. “We’re going
to blow the building down.”
At 9 a.m., BLT 1/8 loaded buses
bound for Morehead City to meet up
with the USS Carter Hall. After the
Carter Hall left its pier in Morehead City,
the USS Nashville pulled in behind it to
load Marines later Wednesday afternoon.
Capt.JafnesJarvis, public affairs offi
cer for the 26th MEU, said the Carter
Hall will pack artillery, tanks and the
majority of the unit’s young infantry
Marines - about 500.
“When we want to punch them in the
mouth, we use the Carter Hall,” he said.
Some of Weis’ men toted rifles, grenade
launchers and anti-tank rockets, but they
also had guitars, briefcases and a banjo.
Cpl. Dylan Rokos, 23, will switch off
between anti-tank rockets and electric
guitar for the next eight months.
Dylan Rokos’ wife, Jennifer, said the
two met three years ago when he was
playing guitar for a band in upstate New
York. This is the first time Dylan Rokos
has gone overseas since training in
Norway last year and the first time since
his marriage.
The couple commissioned the skill of
resident artist Lance Cpl. George
Morfin, who is going to sketch a picture
of Dylan Rokos in the field. Morfin then
will scan the print into electronic form
and e-mail it to his father’s printing and
framing business in Phoenix, where it
will be produced and shipped tojennifer
Rokos back in upstate New York.
In exchange, Jennifer pledged to rec
iprocate the favor.
“I’m going to send the very best
cookies, brownies and great care pack
ages,” Jennifer said, adding that she kept
herself from crying only because of the
(Tiir Daily (Far HM
large crowd of people.
But Michelle Irizarri was not as suc
cessful at holding back tears.
She said that her husband had been
sent off before and that she is struggling
to “stay strong for (her family),” which
now has two more children than it did
the last time he left.
Out by the pier at Onslow Beach,
Marines boarded hovercraft with their
gear, already having said their final
goodbyes.
They piled onto these air-cushioned
landing crafts, or LCACs, in four-bus
groups. The LCACs then inflated, turned
seaward and shoved off toward the Iwo
Jima, sand blasting the pier and forcing
onlookers to wince and cover their eyes.
The USS Iwo Jima, commissioned in
1999, is one of the newest ships in the
U.S. fleet. It will serve as the command
and control platform for the three other
ships for the next eight months.
When the nearly 1,500 Marines
arrived on the Iwo Jima on Wednesday,
there were already about 2,000 sailors
waiting for them.
The Nashville is equipped to serve as
the secondary source of command and
control for the envoy, with boat raid
capabilities and the bulk of the group’s
sustainment, Jarvis added.
Spectators who braved the sandstorms
included clusters of Marine officers who
came to watch friends depart, as well as
some lingering family members.
Two Marines who said they will stay
behind to perform administrative duties
on base marveled at one of the LCACs.
Grinning, they agreed that they both
wished they were packing onto the craft
with their friends.
Rebecca Lemire, who has been a
Marine wife since her husband joined in
1987, said she purposely came to the
pier to see her husband off in order to
resist a long, drawn out send-off.
“You have this feeling that you just
want to grab onto them and not let them
go,” she said. “That’s just part of the mil
itary, but that doesn’t make it any easier."
The State & National Editor can be
reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.
BUDGET
From Page 1
the kind of problem you want,” he said.
“We’ll come out in the work force more
competitive because of it.”
Easley also left the system’s overhead
receipts, millions of dollars generated
by university research, untouched and
provided about $lO million in need
based financial aid funding.
Budgeting is ultimately the responsi
bility of the N.C. General Assembly,
and legislators said Wednesday that
they will have to delve deep in Easley’s
budget proposal before acting on it.
Legislators reserve the right to alter
any of the governor’s proposed appro
priations or scrap his budget altogether.
But Easley has threatened to veto any
budget bill that doesn’t meet his
approval and has requested the authori
ty to veto individual items in the budget.
Though it is unlikely legislators will
grant him line-item veto authority, Easley
will eye appropriations closely and has
even proposed a 5.9 percent expansion
cap for the 2003-04 fiscal year.
Even at sls billion, Easley’s budget
falls $165 million below that cap,
according to his estimates.
“If we experience growth, I’d be tick
led to death,” Easley said. “But (the cap
ensures) we don’t go on a spending
spree so next year we have a hole.”
Lawmakers agree they must avoid
the spending sprees of the early ’9os,
but many, like Rep. Martin Nesbitt, D-
Buncombe, say they don’t want to be
trapped into a low level of appropria
tions growth coming out of a recession.
Nesbitt said, “You can’t sit here and
look at funds and not address the needs.”
The State & National Editor can be
reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.
[Budgeting the University
2003-04
Permanent cut to the system's $20,649,835
infrastructure budget
One-time cut $13,889,896
Permanent cute to be taken from any $44,768,948
area of campuses' operating budgets
Cute to special campus medical $3,094,989
programs such as UNC Hospitals
Full funding for enrollment growth $46,590,409
Funding for need4>ased financial aid $10,250,000
growth
Total Recommended Reductions $82,403,668
SOURCE: GOVERNOR'S BUDGET DOCUMENTS
DTH/AMY BLANTON&JEE