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CAMPUS BRIEFS
Special election to be held
to fill empty Congress seats
A special election will be held
today to fill the 13 open seats in the
85th Student Congress, which is in
session now.
Students may cast their votes
from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. at
http://studentcentral.unc.edu.
Students sought for DTH
editor selection committee
The Daily Tar Heel now is
accepting applications for its edi
tor selection committee. All stu
dents are eligible.
Applications are available in the
DTIJ office, located in the Student
Union. Participants are required
to attend meetings March 18 from
5 to 6 p.m. and March 20 from 9
a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Those selected will be notified
by March 4. Contact DTH Editor
Elyse Ashburn with questions at
eashburn@email.unc.edu or call
962-0750.
Vehicle reported stolen
from Old East parking lot
A1998 black Dodge Dakota val
ued at $12,000 was stolen from
the parking lot outside Old East
Residence Hall on Friday night,
police reports state.
The victim reported that he
parked his truck in the lot at 11
p.m., but when he returned at 8:15
a.m. Saturday the truck was miss
ing. The incident is still under
investigation.
CITY BRIEFS
Purses stolen from Beta
Theta Pi fraternity house
According to Chapel Hill police
reports, unattended purses were
taken early Monday morning from
Beta Theta Pi fraternity house on
114 S. Columbia St.
Three female UNC students
reported the items missing at 3:16
a.m., reports state.
According to reports, a purse
valued at SIOO, along with a S3OO
wallet and a cell phone worth S9O,
were stolen from one student.
Another student reported that
her $265 Prada purse and sllO
Kate Spade wallet were taken. A
Tiffany & Cos. key chain valued at
$95, a S6O Nine West purse and a
cell phone worth S9O were also
taken, reports state.
NATIONAL BRIEFS
Scientists discover new
strain of mad cow disease
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Italian
scientists have found a second
form of mad cow disease that
more closely resembles the human
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease than
the usual cow form of the illness.
The brain-wasting diseases
BSE, known as mad cow disease,
and human CJD are caused by dif
ferent forms of mutant proteins
called prions.
A number of people, mainly in
England, also have suffered from
what is called variant CJD, a brain
disease believed to be acquired by
eating meat from infected cows.
No Americans have been reported
with variant CJD.
Now, the team of Italian
researchers reports a study of eight
cows with mad cow disease found
that two of them had brain dam
age resembling the human victims
of CJD.
They said that the cows were
infected with prions that resem
bled those involved in the standard
form of the human disease, called
sporadic CJD, not the variant
caused by eating infected meat.
Salvatore Monaco, lead author
of the new study, said the findings
may indicate that cattle can also
develop a sporadic form of the dis
ease, but it also might be anew
foodbome form of the illness.
CALENDAR
Wednesday
5:30 p.m. The UNC
Vegetarian Club will host a free
vegetarian feast for body, mind and
spirit in the Frank Porter Graham
lounge of the Student Union.
Thursday
6:30 p.m. Student Action
with Workers is having a teach-in
in 301 Bingham Hall about
Smithfield Foods’ efforts to prevent
the formation of a union at one of
its plants in North Carolina, what
unions do and how they can be
improved. There will be free food.
7 p.m. Rap icon and social
critic Chuck D will deliver a lec
ture in honor of Black History
Month in the Great Hall of the
Student Union.
Tickets are free to students and
are available in advance at the
Union Box Office. General public
tickets are $lO and are available
Thursday at the box office.
From staff and voire reports.
Fund to aid in-state study abroad
Targets students from 3 rural areas
BY ALICE DOLSON
STAFF WRITER
In a continuing effort to make
studying abroad an affordable
option for all students, UNC’s
Office of Study Abroad is offering a
new scholarship to in-state stu
dents from Surry, Wilkes and
Yadkin counties.
The scholarships, which will be
awarded to as many as six students
4 mssm
DTH/JESSICA RUSSELL
George Kupit, 8, plays with pediatric nurse practitioner Lynne Farber on Monday night at UNC Hospitals. Kupit, of Milton, N.C., is a
special needs child who is one of the many who will benefit from the money raised by the UNC Dance Marathon's For the Kids Fund.
CHILD’S JOURNEY
EPITOMIZES GOAL,
V
8-year-old’s resilience through illnesses motivates mother ; volunteers
EMILY BATCHELDER
STAFF WRITER
At 8 months old, George Kupit was given
a life expectancy of four years. Today, at 8
years old, he tap dances and plays soccer.
“(George) is a very cheerful, interactive,
happy little guy even when he’s sick,” said
Leslie Melnick, a clinical social worker who
works with George and his family.
The ability to overcome all odds is what
highlights George among many children who
will be helped this year by the UNC Dance
Marathon. His journey has been long and
hard, but it hasn’t slowed George down a bit.
At birth George was diagnosed with a
digestive disorder called short bowel syn
drome, which causes a malabsorption of
nutrients and requires him to be hooked up
to an I.V. and a “g-tube,” a device that allows
him to get his nutrients intravenously.
“His care is pretty complex,” said Sharon
Kupit, George’s mother. “We just kind of
look at it as the same kind of run of the mill
thing. It’s just the care he needs, and I don’t
begrudge him for it.”
George’s troubles did not end with his
diagnosis. He spent his first six months of
Subway relocates, expands
Will offer more
seats , menu items
BY ASHLEY DUNCAN
STAFF WRITER
One of the empty store fronts
plaguing Franklin Street in recent
months will fill up again when
Subway relocates to a larger space
and anew business replaces its old
location next to Johnny T-Shirt.
Subway is moving to 122 E.
Franklin St., which has been
vacant since Whims Cards and
Gifts closed last September, to pro
vide seating and other improve
ments for customers.
Javad Neakta bought the
Subway franchise store at its cur
rent location at 132 E. Franklin St.
three years ago. The franchise has
been located there since the late
1970 sand has been through sever
al owners before Neakta.
Neakta has tried to move the
restaurant since he bought the
store.
“I have been working on it for
the past three years, but this is the
first opportunity I have had to sign
a lease with someone,” he said.
He said customers weren’t sat
isfied with the close confines in the
old location.
Top News
each year, are financed by the
Charles Garland Johnson Sr.
Scholars Fund, an endowment of
more than $700,000 given by
Mary Anne Johnson Dickson and
Martha O’Neal Johnson in memo
ry of their father, Charles Gardner
Johnson.
“Our family realized the benefits
of seeing other cultures,” Martha
O’Neal Johnson said. “I think he
life in the hospital, where he had multiple
surgeries for digestive problems. At 11
months, he was hospitalized five times for
infections.
It was during this time that Kupit, a sin
gle mom with four adult children, was con-
Jg,
2004 DANCE
MARATHON
Today: A Family Affair
to adopt him. “(George is) just a joy,” said
Kupit, who is 58 years old and lives in
Milton, N.C.
Yet as George continued to grow and
develop, so did his disorders. He has been
diagnosed with severe attention deficit
hyperactive disorder and is mentally retard
ed. Recently, it has become apparent that he
might also have autism, Kupit said.
“And that’s okay, because George is
1 y*? si
DTH/ASHLEY Pin
Chris Whiddon (right), Blake Tye and Katy Tye walk on Franklin Street
past Subway's future location after visiting the current location.
“A lot of people complained
about not having seating,” he said.
Neakta said the new location
will seat about 75 to 85 people.
Neakta added that he hopes to
expand operating hours. The cur
rent location is open from 10 a.m.
to 10 p.m., but he said he wants the
new store to operate from 6 a.m. to
3 a.m.
would be very pleased to see more
and more students involved in
international travels.”
“A lot of students from these
counties cannot afford to go
abroad,” she said.
At $5,000 each, the scholar
ships will offer more money than
any current study abroad scholar
ship.
They will be awarded annually
to six students who partake in
semester or year-long study abroad
programs at any location.
George,” Kupit said. “He is very charismat
ic. He is extraordinarily articulate.”
George understands many words, but not
how to express them, which is a hallmark of
autism.
As if his health-related problems weren’t
enough, George learned a sobering lesson
two years and five months ago when a spe
cial needs bed collapsed, suffocating his
brother. The two boys were three-and-a-half
months apart, and Josefs absence left its
mark on George.
“(George) learned the meaning of forev
er,” Kupit said.
Though this chain of events might make
other individuals give up, it hasn’t stopped
George, as anyone who knows him will
attest.
Recently, he has taken up tap dancing,
completed two recitals and even received a
trophy for the most improved student. He
also has begun to play soccer on the week
ends with other special needs children in
neighboring Danville, Va.
“He had more fun,” Kupit said. “He just
SEE FAMILY, PAGE 7
tacted about possibly
becoming George’s fos
ter mother. At the time,
she was already in the
midst of adopting
another special needs
child, Josef.
After their initial
meeting, George won
Kupit’s heart, and she
began the proceedings
The new store also will offer
expanded menu choices that will
include breakfast items.
“The new location is bigger and
will be able to serve more people
at one time. Our objective is to
give people more comfort,”
Neakta said.
SEE SUBWAY, PAGE 7
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2004
There is also an option to give
one of the six students a full schol
arship to study abroad, if com
pelling financial need is demon
strated, said Raymond Farrow,
development director for the
University Center for International
Studies.
Gardner Johnson lived in Elkin,
located in Surry County,, for 70
years and served as mayor for four
years. His daughters said they
wanted to recognize the important
role that the town played in his life.
Panel aims to align
education schools
BY KAVITA PILLAI
STAFF WRITER
Students interested in teaching
careers face many obstacles in gain
ing admission to teacher education
programs at North Carolina’s pub
lic universities, according to a
report released Wednesday.
The report, issued by the UNC
system Board of Governors’ Task
Force on Meeting Teacher Supply
and Demand at the board’s meeting
last week, outlines problems that
limit teacher supply in N.C. schools.
Of the 30 to 40 barriers identi
fied by the task force, improving
the relationship between commu
nity colleges and the UNC system
is a priority, said Hannah Gage, co
chairwoman of the task force.
“I think a huge effort is going to
be placed on improving the rela
tionship with the community col
leges and eliminating any obstacles
to students going into education,”
she said.
The task force advocates stream
lining admissions standards at dif
ferent schools of education across
the state, which would facilitate the
process by which students transfer
from two- to four-year schools.
“He felt that he gained a lot from
that community and wanted to
give back to the community,”
Farrow said “If there are qualified
candidates from those counties,
they’ll get the scholarship before
equally or better qualified candi
dates from elsewhere.”
The donation is part of the
University’s Carolina First cam
paign, which also stresses the
importance of international pro-
SEE STUDY ABROAD, PAGE 7
Group
fosters
healthy
habits
Hopes to increase
student wellness
BYTORRYE JONES
STAFF WRITER
Senior Ann Hau recently real
ized the average college student
did not have time to consider a
healthy lifestyle.
So Hau, a nutrition major, said
she founded Healthy Campus
2010, anew student organization,
in order to increase the health con
sciousness of the UNC community.
“I thought it would be great to
create an initiative for the campus
and have people become involved
in taking a step to improve their
well-being,” she said.
The organization, inspired by
the nationwide initiative Healthy
People 2010, was approved by the
Carolina Union Activities Board in
January. The UNC group held its
first general interest and body
meetings Thursday at which chairs
were selected for three commit
tees: nutrition, physical activity
and mind and body.
Each committee will meet this
week to set goals for the year.
Hau said about 80 people have
asked to join the listserv.
“The response has been great,
not just from students but faculty
and staff as well,” she said.
Hau said the group will be
working with organizations such
as the Center for Healthy Student
Behavior, the Student Recreation
Center and the Department of
Exercise and Sport Science.
Mia Yang, co-chairwoman of the
Mind and Body Committee, said
some of the members’ ideas
include creating a place on campus
where students can relieve stress
between classes.
“We’re thinking it can be a room
in the SRC where students can
wind down and get a massage in
between classes,” she said.
Nutrition Committee
Chairwoman Ashley Motsinger
said the committee’s biggest goal is
to promote healthy eating habits
for everyone. “We want to work
with Carolina Dining Services to
post information on healthy eating
SEE HEALTH, PAGE 7
Community college transfers
also might be met with unfulfilled
prerequisites due to course equiv
alency issues. “We’re trying to craft
an agreement that will greatly
facilitate the transfer of communi
ty colleges,” said Thomas James,
dean of the UNC-Chapel Hill
School of Education.
The task force also will ask edu
cation schools to look at their
grade point average requirements
and determine if there is a correla
tion between a student’s GPA and
actual success, said Gretchen
Bataille, UNC-system senior vice
president for academic affairs.
National accreditation and state
approval guidelines require a 2.5
GPA for admission into teacher
education programs, said Mary
Lynne Calhoun, dean of the College
of Education at UNC-Charlotte.
But some schools choose to raise
these requirements, which
Calhoun said can act as barriers.
The task force also has focused
on the problem of teacher reten
tion.“We can get more students
going into education,” Bataille said.
SEE SCHOOLS, PAGE 7
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