2
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2004
Students plan to lobby;
leaders wait out delay
BY WILL AREY
STAFF WRITER
University officials remain
adamantly in support of tuition
increases despite Gov. Mike
Easley’s opposition to the hike and
the ensuing one-month delay of
the final decision by the UNC-sys
tem Board of Governors.
The BOG originally was sched
uled to vote on the matter today,
but the board decided to wait until
March to make its final decision.
Student officials said they plan
to use the time to lobby the BOG
against the increases.
But Richard “Stick” Williams,
chairman of the UNC-Chapel Hill
Think Spring
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Board of TVustees, said he did not
sense a need to lobby the BOG on
behalf of the tuition increases.
“I wish they could have done it
this week,” he said.
“But I am not discouraged in that I
want them to take the time to study
all of the materials they have.”
Williams said there would be
less pressure for the increases if the
state approved enough funding for
faculty salary increases.
But Williams was adamant that
something needed to be done about
faculty salary increases, be it by
tuition increases or state funding.
“We wouldn’t be here if the state
didn’t have the financial problems
Naurs
it has,” he said.
The situation would be devas
tating if tuition increases were
denied and the state later backed
off the funding promises, Williams
said. “It would kill us.”
Provost Robert Shelton said the
extra time taken by the BOG is
consistent with the board’s stance
on the issue.
“I interpret that as another sign
that it’s a complex issue and the
BOG wants to study it,” he said.
“It’s a very difficult issue, and I’m
pleased they are gathering all the
information.”
Shelton said University officials
have done their best to accommo
date BOG requests and questions
and would continue to do so.
“We’re available to answer any and
all questions,” he said.
Student Body President Matt
Tepper, an ex officio trustee, said it
would be important for students to
take advantage of the delay and
make their feelings known to the
BOG. “It shows the governor’s let
ter and outcries heard by students
has played a large role,” Tepper
said. “It’s a good move. They’ve got
a difficult decision here.”
Tepper said the UNC
Association of Student
Governments would also play a
critical role during the delay.
“It’s going to be a lot of the ASG
kicking in and working for their $1
fee that students pay,” he said.
Tepper encouraged students to
continue to let the BOG know of
their concerns in the interim.
“I know a ton of students have e
mailed them so far from Carolina,”
he said. “They’ve gotten the mes
sage. We just want to make sure
they keep getting the message.”
Contact the University Editor
at udesk@unc.edu.
utfy? SoiUj (Bar lirrl
P.O. Box 3257, Chapel Hill, NC 27515
ElyseAshbum, Editor, 962-4086
Advertising & Business, 962-1163
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One copy per person; additional copies may be
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© 2004 DTH Publishing Corp.
All rights reserved
Officials get help from PDAs
BY JACQUELINE BRILL
STAFF WRITER
They’re pocket-size, light and
can keep track of busy schedules
with ease. Welcome to the day and
age of those oh-so-handy personal
digital assistants, commonly
known as PDAs.
As the devices gain popularity,
UNC administrators are catching
on to the trend. Provost Robert
Shelton is a user of Handspring’s
TVeo 300 model. He bought it him
self, but the University reimbursed
him for it.
Among Shelton’s PDA’s most
basic capabilities are a calendar,
address book, to-do list and memo
pad. But it is also a cellular phone
with wireless Internet access and e
mail provided by Sprint PCS. This
version with these particular capa
bilities and services from Sprint
carries a retail price of $399.
Shelton uses the PDA daily as
his main cell phone, and he found
it unusually helpful a few weeks
ago when the University closed
because of adverse weather.
“I usually get a print-out every
day of my schedule and meetings,
but since no one was in the office
that Monday, I was able to access
the information from (the Treo) at
Company gets away with ‘Murder’
BY LEAH KONEN
STAFF WRITER
Company Carolina, a student
run theater group, will present the
colorful “Musical Comedy Murders
of 1940,” written by John Bishop,
starting today.
Appropriately opening Friday the
13th, the show runs through
Tuesday and comes complete with
clues, a run-down mansion and
chill-inducing murders sure to keep
the audience guessing until the end
The play, which is not a musical
despite its misleading tide, centers
on three Broadway beauties killed
during a backer’s audition in New
York.
When the creative team behind
the musical is reunited two years
later, the mysterious plot unfolds,
complete with enthralling twists.
“It’s a very ‘Clue’-style murder
mystery, and everyone’s a suspect,”
said producer Rachql Opitz.
“Yoil have to get involved
home,” he said.
He also finds the e-mail and
wireless Internet capabilities very
helpful when traveling through air
ports.
Shelton was not the first to hop
onto the TVeo bandwagon, though.
Dean Bresciani, interim vice chan
cellor for student affairs, was actu
ally the one who introduced
Shelton to the device and uses the
same model himself.
“I’ve been through several dozen
(PDAs), and this is definitely the
best one for these combined fea
tures,” Bresciani said.
Bresciani said he finds his most
helpful as a cell phone because he
can read the screen clearly to see
who is calling. “When I receive calls
during meetings, I can easily see if
it’s an emergency or not,” he said.
But Executive Associate Provost
Bernadette Gray-Little uses her
palmOne organizer, better known
as a Palm Pilot, only for the more
basic tasks —most importantly, the
calendar which she can hook up
to her office computer. Unlike
Shelton’s and Bresciani’s, her PDA
initially was provided by UNC.
“Different people put things on
my computer calendar, and I’m not
always aware of it,” Gray-Little
because you are guessing the entire
time as to who the killer is, going,
‘OK, what is going on?’” Opitz said.
Company Carolina chose this
play for its energy and also because
it allowed the group to involve a lot
of people, particularly freshmen,
due to the relatively large cast size.
Though they have been rehears
ing officially for six weeks, there was
an extensive preliminary process
before rehearsals started. The com
pany called for proposals and dif
ferent directors proposed the show
before the project was even chosen.
As the only campus theatre
group based on a professional busi
ness model, Company Carolina
involves students in every aspect of
production. The group is not offi
cially linked to any department in
the University, which allows them to
work closely with the community.
“While the Department of
Dramatic Art is student theater at
its finest, the department makes a
©ljp Solly (Bar
said. “Since I can synchronize (the
Palm Pilot) with that, I can keep
track regardless. It makes it much
simpler since I carry that with me.”
PDAs do pose some problems in
the administrative offices, though.
Bresciani said they are sometimes
overused during meetings.
“Some people get a little obses
sive about them,” he said. “Every
time they get an e-mail, they have
to check it, and very few of us get
emergency e-mails every day.
“It gives that feeling of having to
answer the phone every time it
vibrates. It encourages an instant
information society and furthers
the expectation of getting instant
answers.”
Shelton also said he finds his
Treo a bit unwieldy in a time in
which cell phones are getting more
and more compact.
“It’s a little bigger than the nor
mal cell phone,” he said.
But these drawbacks are not
preventing the quick spread of
PDAs throughout the administra
tion, Bresciani said.
“It’s becoming the standard for
most people in South Building.”
Contact the Features Editor
atfeatures@unc.edu.
IF YOU GO
Date: Friday, Feb. 13 thru Tuesday,
Feb 17
Time: 8 p.m., plus 3 p.m. Feb. 15
Location: Historic Playmakers
Theatre.
Info: www.unc.edu/company
lot of decisions and takes care of
them,” Opitz said. “We fund our
productions with ticket sales from
this production and run exactly
like a professional company.”
“The Musical Comedy Murders
of 1940” is part of Company
Carolina’s 10th season, continuing
a tradition of student dramatic
production and involvement, as
Opitz emphasized.
“We want to bring the theater
experience to as many people as
possible.”
Contact theA&E Editor
at artsdesk@unc.edu.