VOLUME 112, ISSUE 25
Conflict policy unchanged
CONGRESS AXES CHANGE TO VOTING
RULES, LIMIT TO RELIGIOUS GROUPS
BYWILLAREY
STAFF WRITER
Student Congress voted down a bill
Thursday night that would have altered its
conflict of interest policy by allowing rep
resentatives to vote on allocations for
organizations of which they also are mem
bers.
After considerable debate, the bill was
rejected by a large majority of the Congress
members present at the special session.
Congress member Kris Wampler, who
introduced the bill, said the impetus for it
was what he called the inherent contradic
tions of Congress’ conflict of interest policy.
“I don’t see a difference between a
member having a positive bias for a group
Deaths
propel
changes
to CAPS
BY NORA WARREN
STAFF WRITER
On Feb. 2,2003, junior chem
istry major Jeff MacLaren ended
his life after months of unsuccess
ful medical treatment. More than
one year later, MacLaren’s mother,
Meg MacLaren, said she thinks
her son would still be alive if he
had gotten proper medical care.
“I really think he would be here
if just a few things had happened
differently.”
Jeff MacLaren initially sought
help from Counseling and
Psychological Service, a division of
Student Health Services.
However, his mother said he
was given a prescription for an
anti-depressant rather than a
chance to talk adequately about his
depression with a medical doctor.
“My main gripe with them is that
they’re giving out these powerful
drugs without a medical doctor
being there,” Meg MacLaren said.
Jeff MacLaren’s death occurred
just two weeks after junior sociol
og}' major Erin Cody committed
suicide.
Erin Cody also tried to get help
from CAPS, said her mother,
Debbie Cody. A nurse practition
er gave her a prescription, saying it
would be three weeks before she
could talk to a doctor.
Debbie Cody said her daughter
never returned to CAPS. Instead,
mother and daughter both called
several local private psychologists,
all of whom said they were booked
solid for at least two months.
While Erin Cody eventually
found a private psychologist, her
mother said she wishes it had been
easier for her daughter to get the
initial help she needed from CAPS.
“I just wanted the school to be
aware of helping people get in
quickly and making it more user
friendly” Debbie Cody said.
Several new campus projects
aim to do just that.
SEE CAPS, PAGE 4
Development Plan gets more scrutiny
No residents show up to offer input
BY SARAH RABIL
STAFF WRITER
UNC officials and the Chapel Hill
Town Council met Thursday night
to clarify six proposed changes to
the University’s Development Plan,
in what both sides hope will initiate
further early discussions of devel
opment proposals.
During the meeting requested
by the University, six major modi
fications to the UNC Development
Plan were presented to the council,
along with an opportunity for
questions regarding the changes.
Council members sought clarifi
ONLINE
Wilson Library looks back at the Beat generation
Lab! Theatre premieres "A Doll House" tonight
Visit mvw.dailytarheel.com for more stories
Serving the students and the University community since 1893
lailij (Tar MM
and a negative bias against others,”
Wampler said. “I see it adding a degree of
fairness to the process.
“If you can trust members of Congress
not to vote against things because of bias,
then I feel you can trust members not to
vote for the same issues because of bias,”
he said. “It works both ways.”
For example, Wampler cited the fact
that Congress members who also might be
Democrats could vote against measures
proposed by the UNC College
Republicans, even though he could not
vote in such a situation because of his
membership in the organization.
But many of Wampler’s fellow repre
sentatives did not share his sentiments.
sKuij Up
DTH PHOTOS/ASHLEY PITT
Professor Nannette Martin demonstrates how to check for vital stats on junior nursing student Kimberly Campbell as other students in her
class on health assessment watch Thursday night. A lack of resources is forcing the UNC School of Nursing to turn away many applicants.
Shortages plague nursing
BY CAROLINE KORNEGAY
STAFF WRITER
A lack of resources is forcing the UNC School
of Nursing to turn away hundreds of qualified
applicants at the same time the nation is facing
a critical shortage in nursing staff.
The school is under a great deal of pressure to
turn out graduates but can’t because its tight
budget doesn’t provide enough funding to hire
new faculty.
“Nursing is an expensive education,” said Linda
Beeber, a musing school professor and coordina
tor of the graduate program in psychiatric men
tal health, noting class enrollment restrictions
and expenses incurred in the medical field. The
school has a total enrollment of 514 students with
37 faculty members on the tenure track.
Linda Cronenwett, dean of the nursing
school, said the school needs more faculty and
must find more clinical sites to train additional
students.
UNC Board of Trustees Chairman Richard
“Stick” Williams said the school could take in
more students if it had the funding. “They’ve, in
cation from UNC officials regard
ing the impact on traffic, storm
water and pedestrians.
But no town residents spoke
during their designated time.
Council member Cam Hill said
he was not surprised at the lack of
resident input at the meeting.
“Other than campus filling up,
these specific projects aren’t that
big of a deal (to residents),” he said.
Thursday’s meeting came after
the University submitted changes
to the plan March 16 despite a let
ter from Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin
Foy and the council requesting a
INSIDE
GOING GLOBAL
Three UNC rugby players join the
South Regional All-Stars PAGE 3
www.dailylarheel.com
Congress Speaker Pro Tem Charlie
Anderson said he thought the proposed
bill would not accomplish its goal of cre
ating a greater sense of fairness.
“All this is going to do is facilitate an
even greater conflict,” Anderson said. “I
don’t see why adding a potential for bias is
going to solve anything at all.”
Member Jennifer Orr also echoed many
of the opinions voiced by Anderson.
“The point is that you should be able to
debate the issues as much as possible,” On
said. “If you need a vote from a biased posi
tion, it probably shouldn’t pass anyway.”
Orr also said that she had spoken to a
number of students and that the majority
of them were not in favor of the proposed
bill. She said many of them feared that a
bill like Wampler’s could turn Congress
into a partisan body.
Congress member Nicholas Minter also
expressed strong reluctance toward the
essence, got the capacity to do more,” Williams
said.
Administrators at the nursing school are
waiting to calculate how much money the school
will need until the members of the N.C. General
Assembly approve final budget reductions.
In past years, the school’s budget has been cut
between 3 percent and 7 percent.
Graduation rates are up for the school, with
160 students receiving degrees last year as com
pared with 130 students in the past, Cronenwett
said. With funding, Cronenwett said, the pro
gram could graduate at least an additional 30
new students each year.
Faculty increases are needed to comply with
a state law that requires one clinical instructor
to supervise about eight to 10 students during
clinical rotations.
“You have to have faculty if you’re going to
take in additional students,” Cronenwett said.
She presented disheartening figures regarding
the nursing school to members of the BOT at
SEE NURSING, PAGE 4
halt to such applications.
The University’s modifications to
the original plan, which largely were
motivated by cost effectiveness and
the impact on future projects, must
first receive council approval before
they can be implemented.
While he emphasized the town’s
willing responsibility to work with
UNC, Town Manager Cal Horton
said the town staff provides more
information to the University than
any other entity. “I think in reality
it’s fair to say that the University is
the biggest customer we have.”
Horton also said he will request
the addition of one position in the
planning department, largely due to
the town staffs limited resources for
bill. “It runs on the assumption that bias is
here and we should accept it,” he said.
“When we are elected, we are charged to
act objectively and make decisions with
the Student Code as the basis.”
Minter said that although he recog
nized that bias could not always be avoid
ed, he also did not feel it is related to direct
involvement in student organizations.
“There is always going to be some
slant,” he said. “But I don’t agree that the
line is going to be drawn by student organ
izations. It has more to do with experi
ences and ideologies.”
Minter said his concerns about the con
flict of interest bill mirrored his concerns
about a bill that would remove language
prohibiting appropriations to religious
groups for specific services.
The bill, which reinforces the notion
SEE CONGRESS, PAGE 4
“In order to have
morefaculty,
they need more
money. Therein lies
the crunch
JOHN ELLISON, JR UNC TRUSTEE
HHpT*
handling the “enormous” amounts
of time devoted to University
inquiries and applications.
I\vo of the proposed changes in
close proximity to town residents
are an addition to the Morehead
Planetarium and remodeling of the
James Lee Love House at 410 E.
Franklin St.
The modifications to the north
side of the planetarium include a
new 10,000-square-foot lobby and
visitor space.
The Love House will undergo a
900-square-foot addition of office
space for the Center for the Study
of the American South.
SEE DEVELOPMENT, PAGE 4
INSIDE
TUMBLING TO THE TOP
Tar Heel gymnastics aims to qualify
for nationals Saturday PAGE 2
* 1 JHpp 'JrFv' '**
' ’ ' '
I--- <- -
DTH/ELSPETH CALLAHAN
Chapel Hill Town Council members Sally Greene (left) and Mark
Kleinschmidt go over proposed changes to UNC's Development Plan.
WEATHER
TODAY P.M. showers, H 56, L 40
SATURDAY Partly cloudy, H 64, L 40
SUNDAY Partly cloudy, H 64, L 40
FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 2004
Leaders
hopeful
despite
closings
Say downtown panel
will help businesses
BY DAN SCHWIND
ASSISTANT CITY EDITOR
Despite continued turnover of shops
and businesses downtown, Franklin Street
developers and business leaders say that
merchants have reasons to be optimistic.
The announcement of the May 31 clos
ing of the Gap clothing store on East
Franklin Street marks the latest in a con
tinuing trend of store closings and poten
tially could have a huge impact on
Franklin Street business.
Fayetteville developer Joe Riddle owns
several Franklin Street properties, includ
ing the one soon to be vacated by Gap. The
closure hurts, he said, considering the dif
ficulty encountered in getting Gap to come
to Franklin Street in the first place.
“It’s like when you’re 15, and you fell in
love with that blond girl,” Riddle said.
“You do everything and work so hard and
then lose them to the football player.”
Riddle said the clothing chain decided
not to renew its Franklin Street shop lease,
though the store made about $2 million
last year, because of the March 2002
opening of a larger Gap at the Streets at
South Point mall in Durham. “I’m some
what devastated,” he said. “It’s a lot harder
to get a tenant than to keep one.”
Despite the loss, Riddle said, he is con
fident in the future of downtown business.
“The news right now is not real good,”
he said. “But we just need some positive
news to turn everything around.”
Riddle bought the property housing
Top of the Hill Restaurant & Brewery,
Carolina Theatre, Sunglass Hut
International and Gap in hopes of reju
venating downtown. He also purchased
the Chrysler-Plymouth building on West
Franklin Street in January.
“I wouldn’t make these (real estate)
deals if I didn’t feel good about the future,”
Riddle said. “We’ve had some bad hits, but
... I’m certainly not depressed right now.”
Aaron Nelson, executive director of the
Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of
Commerce, said the loss of Gap will be sig
nificant and could cost the town “a
teacher’s salary worth of sales tax revenue”
this year. But he shared Riddle’s optimism.
“I have a very positive outlook and a
renewed sense of optimism,” Nelson said.
“It will require our focused attention, but
if we give it the attention it deserves, we’ll
be happy with the results.”
Nelson said that renewed cooperation
between the Chapel Hill Town Council,
business leaders and University officials
on the newly formed Downtown Steering
Committee holds great potential for help
ing downtown businesses rebound.
“Those forces coming together is very
positive,” Nelson said. “That investment
will bear great fruit.”
But Riddle and Nelson both said that,
for downtown to prosper, developers
must diversify the types of businesses on
Franklin Street, particularly including
big-name companies.
Nelson said that developers need to
make sure that a fair number of larger
companies such as Gap stay on Franklin.
“(The chamber) loves locally owned stores,
but we know there’s a proper balance.”
Larger-name stores would help diver-
SEE DOWNTOWN, PAGE 4