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CAMPUS BRIEFS
Construction companies
have missing waste tanks
The two containers of toxic
waste gathered at a UNC con
struction site have been in the
hands of a subcontracting compa
ny since they were reported miss
ing in January, said officials from
the N.C. Department of
Environment and Natural
Resources.
Mike Williford, the DENR
supervisor in charge of the ongo
ing investigation, said Charles
Johnson, a subcontractor of
Southern Site & Environmental
Corporation, is in possession of the
20 gallon tank.
The 5 gallon tank is at the SSE
headquarters in Windale.
Tim Gabriel, president of the
corporation, did not return calls
Monday.
Peter Reinhardt, UNC director
of environment, health and safety,
said he is pleased that the toxic
waste created from the renovation
of the Medical Science Research
Building was located.
He said the University is not
involved with the current dispute
between the Southern Site &
Environmental Corporation and
TjV. Loving Cos., the main contrac
tor for the project.
CITY BRIEFS
Granville laptop reported
stolen during Spring Break
A Granville Towers South resi
dent reported a breaking and
entering incident Sunday that
occurred during Spring Break.
The student reported to Chapel
Hill police that an unknown sus
pect entered the window of the
second-story room and stole a
Toshiba laptop worth $1,850,
reports state.
According to the report, the
room was last known to be secure
on March 9, and police are still
investigating the incident.
Merchandise taken from
Carrboro clothing store
Merchandise totalling $2,500
was reported stolen from a
Carrboro business early Friday
morning after police responded to
an alarm activation, reports state.
According to reports, an
unknown suspect entered
Evolution Fashions, located at
304-A East Main St. by breaking
the glass of the front door.
Ten vintage jerseys were stolen,
according to reports.
Officers responded to the scene
after the security alarm sounded,
but found no suspect leads, reports
state.
The incident is under further
investigation by the Carrboro
Police Department.
La Residence, Pita Pit report
vandalism to their property
Chapel Hill police are investi
gating stolen property from two
downtown businesses.
An employee at La Residence,
located at 202 W. Rosemary St.,
reported Sunday evening that an
unknown suspect stole the restau
rant’s hand-carved sign, according
to police reports.
The sign, valued at $2,200, was
last known to be secure at 2:30
p.m. that day, reports state.
A yellow table valued at S2OO
was reported stolen Sunday from
The Pita Pit, located at 115 E.
Franklin St., state.
According to reports, a surveil
lance video filmed a group of peo
ple carrying the table out of the
restaurant at 2 a.m.
No arrests have been made and
police are still investigating the
incident, reports state.
CALENDAR
Today
10 a.m. The Off-Campus
Housing Association, a branch of
Student Government, will host a
housing fair in the Great Hall of
the Student Union. The event will
last until 2 p.m. More than 20
apartment complexes, realty
groups and housing providers will
be in attendance. Refreshments
will be served.
Noon The UNC College
Republicans will host a rally for
the Republican Party in the
Student Union’s multipurpose
room.
U.S. Rep. Richard Burr, R-N.C.,
also a 2004 senatorial candidate,
will speak at the event, which will
also allow students to meet with
national and local representatives
from the organization Students for
Bush. If weather is sunny, the
event might be moved to Polk
Place.
7 p.m. Gay McDougall, exec
utive director of Global Rights, a
human advocacy group, will pres
ent the 10th annual Sonja H.
Stone Memorial Lecture. The
event is free.
From staff and wire reports.
Odor, traffic worries top center talks
Debate on facility to resume in April
BY SARA LEWKOWICZ
STAFF WRITER
The Chapel Hill Town Council
met Monday to discuss and hear
concerns about a Town Operations
Center on Millhouse Road, a capi
tal project that, if approved, will be
the largest in the town govern
ment’s history.
Citizens and Town Council
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University police officer Davoren Carr shows off the department's new German shepherd, Atos, in McCorkle Place on
Monday. University police plan to use the canine to sniff out explosives at events such as football and basketball games.
K -9 TO ASSIST DPS
WITH BIG EVENTS
BY MEGAN SEROW
STAFF WRITER
University police has anew officer.
He has two big black eyes, a wet
nose, a friendly wagging tail and
understands commands in Czech.
Atos, a German shepherd trained in
explosives detection and tracking, will
work during all large-scale events such
as football and basketball games and
presentations by big-name guest
speakers.
Safety during large events has
become a greater concern since the
Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and officials
from the UNC Department of Public
Safety said Atos will help maintain
security.
“Since (Sept. 11), people are con
cerned about going to large events and
being in large crowds,” University
police Chief Derek Poarch said. “This
is another tool to ensure that facilities
are as safe as possible.”
Atos, who will be 2 years old in
June, will sweep event locales before
Survey sparks Mini Mart reform
Suggestions could affect Rams Head
BYTORRYE JONES
STAFF WRITER
Students now have the opportu
nity to voice their concerns about
the South Campus Mini Mart.
In a survey created by the
Student Services Committee of
student government, students are
asked what aspects of the Mini
Mart need to be examined. The
survey is a collaboration between
committee members and Carolina
Dining Services staff.
“The initial project started with
a bunch of people saying they had
bad experiences or would like to
Top News
members alike voiced numerous
concerns about the facility esti
mated to cost $41.6 million
including odor, traffic and light
and sound pollution.
Council member Jim Ward
voiced concerns about the limited
amount of space and how this
would be affected by the buildup of
unclaimed vehicles, a problem that
hand, and he will remain in a DPS
vehicle during events in case the K-9
unit is needed.
A one-time stipend from the
University’s Budget Committee pro
vided funding for Atos’ purchase and
training.
After this year, funding will come
from the Department of Public Safety.
Atos’ handler, officer Davoren Carr,
has worked for DPS for 3 years, but
this is the first time she has worked
with a K-9 unit.
She said she and Atos have been
learning together. Along with the
adjustments any new pair of partners
go through, Carr faces the additional
hurdle of learning commailds in anew
language: Atos originally was trained
in the Czech Republic.
“Tone of voice has a lot to do with
it,” Carr said. “He generally only
responds to commands I give him.”
When learning the commands, Can
said, she wrote them out phonetically
and memorized them.
see something new at the Mini
Mart,” said Mary Hauser, co-chair
woman of the committee. “So the
committee was trying to give stu
dents an opportunity to get their
voices heard.”
The survey includes nine ques
tions that focus on usage, customer
service, organization and food
quality and availability.
“A lot of the questions are geared
towards the use of the Mini Mart
and when people buy products,”
Hauser said. “We also wanted to
know what different types of prod
ucts students use and what they
planners said could be solved by
selling off vehicles annually.
The issue of how the lighting in
the facility would affect surrounding
neighborhoods also was discussed.
Ken Redfoot, an architect on the
project, said the facility would try
as best it could to “find a balance
between security needs and being
a good neighbor” by limiting the
amount of light spilling onto oth
ers’ properties.
Blair Pollock, county solid waste
Carr and Atos trained with the Mid-
Atlantic Canine Cos. and will work
toward certification through the U.S.
Police Canine Association.
The pair finished training last week
but have not had the chance to put
their skills to use yet.
“Training is continuous,” Poarch
said. “Right now Atos is just getting
accustomed to campus.”
Along with the serious nature of
the work the pair must undertake,
they also will attend campus pro
grams and residence hall events to
allow students to see the dog and for
students and Atos to become familiar
with one another.
Carr said that the relationship has
developed like any other relationship
and that they have had to get used to
each other.
“It’s been a lot of work, but it’s been
fun.”
Contact the University Editor
at udesk@unc.edu.
would like to see that’s missing.”
Hauser said the committee will
send CDS officials the information
it received once it finalizes the sur
vey results.
“I just hope that CDS will take it
in as consideration, especially at
the Rams Head,” she said.
The Rams Head Center, a recre
ation and dining complex that is
being built near Mid Campus, is
set for completion in 2005.
Located on the top of the Rams
Head Parking Deck, it will replace
Chase Hall.
The lower level of Rams Head
will include a 6,500 square foot
SEE MINI MART, PAGE 7
TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 2004
planner, addressed a number of
concerns about the methane gas
venting from the landfills on
Eubanks Road and how the smell
would affect the center.
Nearby residents recently have
voiced complaints about odors.
Linda Carver, who lives near the
proposed site, vented her frustra
tion at the smell emanating from
the landfill.
“What do you do about the bur
dens you put on a few for the good
Education
act’s rules
lightened
Easing of teacher hiring
criteria to help rural areas
BY KATHRYN ROEBUCK
STAFF WRITER
The U.S. Department of Education is set to ease
highly criticized teacher qualifications under the fed
eral No Child Left Behind Act, a move public school
officials say will benefit rural North Carolina schools.
After two years of complaints about the act’s strict
rules on teacher certification and a lack of federal
funding, Education Secretary Rod Paige said at a press
conference Thursday that he will announce new reg
ulations later this week. “The provisions will offer even
greater flexibility for assessing qualification, which I
am sure will please you and your constituents.”
Under the legislation, some teachers were not cer
tified to teach even though they held four-year college
degrees in the subjects in which they taught. Critics
said that part of the act kept good teachers out of
needy schools.
Before the act was approved, schools usually pro
vided continuing education programs for educators
without proper certification during the teachers’ first
two years to help them achieve full certification.
However, under the act’s provisions, teachers must
be fully certified before they are hired.
The change hit rural areas hard, said Bob Occena,
Bertie County director of student services. “We have
been really struggling to attract fully qualified teach
ers because we don’t have the resources, and we can
not compete with other areas.
Occena said the act favors larger, more tourism
oriented areas such as Dare County that can attract
fully qualified teachers.
“In Bertie County, we only have hunting and fish-
SEE ACT, PAGE 7
Health board
OKs Roper
New health system leader
sets goals for school , budget
BY BRIAN HUDSON
ASSISTANT UNIVERSITY EDITOR
Dr. William Roper officially became the leader of
the UNC Health Care System during Monday’s meet
ing of the UNC Health Care board of directors.
Roper now fills the three-tiered position of chief
executive officer of the UNC Health Care System, vice
chancellor for medical affairs and dean of the School
of Medicine. He will be paid $450,000, the highest
base salary at UNC.
“I take seriously the job you’ve given me to do,”
Roper said to the board members. He said his first
priority while leading the health system will be to
ensure that UNC is in the list of the top ten medical
schools in the country.
“By most measures we’re nearly there,” Roper said.
“It will not be easy... so we will be pushing ourselves
aggressively in order to accomplish this.”
One of the first tasks Roper will face will be to
ensure that UNC Hospitals’ budget shows positive
earnings in the next fiscal year.
During 2003, UNC Hospitals was $3.7 million in
the red.
“I believe these are solvable problems,” he said. “I
believe these are solvable problems or I would not
have taken this job.”
Although Roper did not outline any specific plans
to improve the hospitals, he discussed the creation of
the chief financial officer position, which will oversee
all the financial matters of UNC Hospitals.
SEE ROPER, PAGE 7
WM
DTH/PAT LAPADULA
Freshman Nate Maccosbe makes a purchase from employee Lonnetta
Riley at the South Campus Mini-Mart in Chase Hall on Monday.
of many,” she said.
The installation of a fence
between the proposed develop
ment and the 10.3-acre residential
parcel was another issue raised at
the meeting.
Council members debated the
size of the fence, whether it would
impinge on Chapel Hill’s Resource
Conservation District and affect
significant stands of trees in the
SEE HEARING, PAGE 7
3