VOLUME 112, ISSUE 3
STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT ELECTION
BOARD DECISION
CALLS FOR NEW VOTE
WEST GUILTY OF VIOLATIONS, AVOIDS DISQUALIFICATION
BY BROOK R. CORWIN
UNIVERSITY EDITOR
The 2004 student body president race
will continue for at least another week, as
the Board of Elections ruled Tuesday night
to hold a second runoff election between
candidates Matt Calabria and Lily West.
But the two hopefuls for the position
won’t start on the same footing.
The Board ruled that a preponderance of
evidence indicated that West’s boyfriend,
UNC alumnus Alistair Cooper, served as an
“illegal campaign worker who maliciously
solicited votes from students” on the night
of the first runoff.
The board stated that it did not believe
Cooper’s behavior was known or caused by
West and, thus, ruled not to disqualify her.
As part of the board’s judgement, West’s
remaining legal campaign funds were
reduced to less than one cent, and her cam
paign was warned that any future violations
of election laws, no matter how small, will
mean automatic disqualification.
Charges against the Calabria campaign,
which included illegal political solicitation
outside Davis Library and the
Undergraduate Library, were ruled not sub
stantiated. The campaign received no warn
ings from the board and will be able to use
all its remaining funds in the runoff election.
“The board finds that the best remedy in
this case is to call for a re-election on the
grounds that violations occurred during the
runoff election that affected the outcome of
the runoff election,” BOE Chairwoman
Melissa Anderson announced shortly before
midnight in Union 3102.
Prior to the ruling, the candidates each
defended the charges against their cam
paigns in prepared statements and in two
rounds of questioning by board members.
Calabria said after the announcement
that he was pleased with the results gar
nered by his presentation to the board,
which included photos and weblogs.
“I think the evidence was clearly on our
side,” he said. “We presented hard facts.”
While Calabria said he had been hoping
for West’s disqualification and disputed the
board’s claims that she had no knowledge of
Cooper’s actions, he said he was glad the
BOE highlighted the differences between
allegations against her campaign and those
against his. r
“This was the second best option the board
had in front of it,” he said. “The fact that she
didn’t make it to another runoff without puni
tive damage shows that the board is con
cerned with balance and fairness.”
West left the Union immediately after the
announcement and chose to issue a state
ment instead of commenting on the ruling.
“Obviously, I’m disappointed about
tonight’s decision, but I am looking forward
to moving on to another week of sharing
with the student body my comprehensive
vision for making UNC a better school for all
students,” the statement reads.
During her presentation to the board,
West advocated for the three charges against
her to be dropped and for the original
SEE BOE RULING, PAGE 7
Kirkpatrick, 64,
poet, mentor
BY BRIAN HUDSON
AND PHILIP MCFEE
SENIOR WRITERS
UNC English professor Robert
Kirkpatrick died Tuesday after
noon at the age of 64 from com
plications stemming from surgery.
Kirkpatrick, an instructor of
romantic poetry and freshman
honors poetry writing, had a
knowledge of literature and love
for the University that earned him
adoration among students and
respect from peers.
Colleague and friend Bland
Simpson, director of the Creative
Writing Program, said he was
inspired by Kirkpatrick’s easily
accessible expertise.
“He really seemed to know
everything. That’s the prevailing
opinion,” Simpson said. “Students
INSIDE
BACK TO SCHOOL
Non-traditional students reassess the events of their
lives while studying history in UNC classes PACE 2
Serving the students and the University community since 1893
obr Hatty ®ar Hrrl
ai W 1J
'** Hnnw t, v-•:> r*w.t‘- ’gWik H | , 1 ||§g| |§§ \
. * •&&***
H SI
BBB*- . wm
wjjp . > %§v.'A v
"; % f ' ' _ '' / ' ' ’ ' V . \ '\ ' - '
•• * r~ e-... .. ■> t? v'hi..- BTfWHSbWStfftN
Candidate Lily West (right) and Christina Bell listen as the Board of Elections reads its decision Tuesday finding West's campaign guilty of violations.
RiLa, aHf > i ; jT "•'Site, fT''
jH
wEJ 'lyßl MjmL
Bhl Hnk jpEil
DTH/BRIAN CASSELLA
Candidate Matt Calabria asks Board of Elections Chairwoman Melissa Anderson when the second
runoff election will be held after Anderson announced the previous vote could not be certified.
English
Professor
Robert
Kirkpatrick
leaves a
legacy of
passion for
poetry.
thought of him as one of the ideal
teachers. He was so passionate
and enthusiastic about literature
... so brilliant (and) witty in his
delivery.”
Bom to a South Carolina fami
ly in 1939, Kirkpatrick grew up in
Charlotte. He earned his under
graduate degree from Erskine
College in 1961 and an A.M.
Degree from Harvard University
SEE KIRKPATRICK, PAGE 7
www.dailytartieel.com
GROWING PAINS
Children ofHispanic immigrants face tough road
BY EMILY VASQUEZ
STAFF WRITER
In many ways, Jonathan Caspar
Dominguez is exactly what one
would expect an 8-year-old to be.
He likes video games and X-
Men. He likes to draw, and occa
sionally he struggles with math.
He loves soccer.
After a long day at school, he
curls up on his parents’ bed in
their Carrboro apartment and
flips through a comic book.
The book, though, is written in
Spanish.
Jonathan flips through its pages
and explains the misadventures of
El Capitan Calzoncillos in English,
translating without a hitch.
The scene is increasingly com
mon. As the U.S.-born child of
Mexican immigrants, Jonathan is
part of one of the most rapidly
growing demographic groups in
the United States today.
• a iJ
DTH/BRIAN CASSELLA
Jonathan Gaspar Dominguez (center), 8, plays with his father, Leonel,
in the backseat of a car while his mother, Silvia, applies her make-up.
According to The Pew
Hispanic Center, births in the
United States are now outpacing
immigration from Hispanic
countries. During the next 20
SPURTS
ON THE ROAD, AGAIN
The Tar Heel men’s basketball team takes another hit
on the road, losing 72-74 to the Cavaliers PAGE 5
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2004
THE NEXT 7 DAYS
Hopefuls return to
students, platforms
BY JENNIFER IMMEL
AND EMILY STEEL
SENIOR WRITERS
Six weeks after announcing their
candidacy for student body presi
dent, Matt Calabria and Lily West
remain just that candidates.
Now in a seventh week of cam
paigning, unprecedented in recent
history, Calabria and West have
until Tuesday to win the support of
the student body.
But both candidates face new
hurdles in the next seven days:
overcoming allegations, cam
paigning with limited funding and
inspiring a student body that has
now voted not once, but twice
within a one-month period.
years, U.S.-born children of
immigrants will emerge as the
largest subset among the coun-
SEE FAMILY, PAGE 4
WEATHER
TODAY Partly cloudy, H 47, L 29
THURSDAY Partly cloudy, H 44, L 30
FRIDAY Partly cloudy, H 51, L 26
ELECTION EVENTS
Feb. 17
Student body president
candidates Matt Calabria
and Lily West face off in a
runoff election. The Board
of Elections delays the
certification of the results
because of last minute
allegations of campaign
violations by both sides.
Feb. 18
The BOE announces the
uncertified results of the
election, which have West
winning by seven votes.
The board also notifies
both candidates that they
are being investigated for
alleged violations.
Thursday
Witnesses, campaign
workers and candidates
submit 42 statements to
aid in the board's
investigation.
Saturday
The board sorts through
the written statements and
determines that it will hold
a formal hearing the
following Tuesday to rule
on two allegations against
Calabria and three
allegations against West.
Tuesday
The BOE announces that a
second runoff election
will be held March 2, and
it sanctions and censures
the West campaign.
“We know students are fed up,
but this may be a more important
time than ever to vote,” Calabria
said.
West shared a similar sentiment
in a statement released about 30
minutes after the Board of
Elections called for a re-election.
“The student body’s confidence
in student government is inevitably
shaken right now,” West stated.
The only change candidates will
face in this week of campaigning is
the amount of funding allotted to
each candidate.
The board found West in viola
tion of two election laws and essen-
SEE RUNOFF, PAGE 7
Rape trial
jury mulls
evidence
BY EMMA BURGIN
CITY EDITOR
Jurors in the case of Robert
Allen Harris, accused of rape by
his ex-girlfriend, will continue to
weigh evidence today against the
former UNC football player.
After more than two hours of
jury deliberation Tuesday, Judge
John Jolly recessed until 9:30 a.m.
today because the case’s stenogra
pher had to leave.
“Usually, I’d keep going until 10
o’clock tonight, but unrelated
logistical things with court per
sonnel came up, and I promised
we’d quit at 5 p.m.,” Jolly said.
He then thanked the jury for
taking seriously the case, which
SEE TRIAL, PAGE 7
s2*