VOLUME 112, ISSUE 29
Attorney
general
targets
hazing
Chavez aims for
' 'proactive ’ stance
BY RAND ROBINS
STAFF WRITER
The judicial branch of student
government will initiate a proac
tive strategy to tackle hazing prob
lems within a variety of campus
organizations under the guidance
of newly inaugurated Student
Attorney General Carolina Chavez.
During fall semester the Honor
Court heard about five or six haz
ing-related cases, a number that
marks a significant increase com
pared with past semesters, said
Jonathan Slain, former student
attorney general. He said that typ
ically, the court hears about one or
two cases per semester.
“There were more cases coming
through, and that brought to light
a larger community issue,” Chavez
said. “I’d much rather be proactive
than reactive with hazing.”
Past efforts to curb hazing have
proven difficult, but both Chavez
and Slain said they sense a shift in
the University’s culture that could
lend itself to a change in the way
all campus organizations —and
not just the Greek community
recruit and initiate new members.
Hazing rituals are historically
entrenched in some campus organ
izations, but, Chavez said, making
first-year students understand that
hazing is unacceptable behavior
will begin to guide student organ
izations in a safer direction.
“It’s going to take a while, but
there’s no reason not to get started
now,” she said. “If we can be proac
tive, maybe we can prevent a
tragedy.”
Slain said a more proactive
approach to hazing was discussed
with administrators, but that his
staff did not focus on hazing specif
ically. “What Carolina’s doing is
innovative and ambitious,” he said.
While awareness has increased,
Slain said, hazing investigations are
difficult to conduct because a gen
eral lack of hard evidence pits one
person’s word against another’s.
Chavez said hazing charges are
not taken lightly. Organizations
and individuals can be convicted
for hazing violations with sanctions
ranging from a written warning to
expulsion from the UNC-system.
The Instrument of Student
Judicial Governance states that
the severity of sanctions depends
on the severity and frequency of
the offense. A continued increase
in hazing cases could result in
increasingly harsher sanctions.
“But that’s more of the reactive
end,” Chavez said of trials and
sanctions. “I’d rather be proactive.”
Although Chavez is still settling
into her office, she said she will
soon meet with Interffaternity
SEE HONOR COURT, PAGE 2
State signs S3OOM loan for college repairs
System schools
top beneficiaries
BY DORA P. GONZALEZ
STAFF WRITER
A S3OO million loan signed
Wednesday by state leaders will
make possible urgent repairs and
renovations to state offices and
UNC-system schools.
The approval of the loan by the
Council of State, a group of high
ranking N.C. officials, marks the
first such move since Gov. Mike
Easley took office.
For their part, state legislators
said that they pushed for the most
effective way of financing the loan
and that they are uncertain the
state will be able to appropriate
enough money for renovations
ONLINE
Town tries to make parking accessible, convenient
Play Makers premieres final show of the season
Look for more stories at www.dailytarheel.com
Serving the students and the University community since 1893
®hr Satin (Bar Heel
pp"
- 1 ■ :fL
DTH PHOTOS/JUSTIN SMITH
Republican gubernatorial candidates Patrick Ballantine (left) and Bill Cobey wait Wednesday in the Embassy Suites in Cary before entering
forum. Ballantine and Cobey are two of seven hopefuls bidding for the party's bid. Below: Freshman Jeff Harlan displays his support outside.
GOP HOPEFULS
TAKE AIM AT EASLEY
BY CLEVE R. WOOTSON JR. STATE & NATIONAL EDITOR
CARY The Republican candidates for governor touched on everything
from job losses and the economy to same-sex marriage and the political make
up of the UNC-system in a forum Wednesday night.
But all seven agreed on one thing: They need to help Democratic Gov. Mike
Easley find anew job.
At the event hosted by the Republican Party chapters of Wake, Durham and
Orange counties, the candidates agreed on most issues, such as the importance
of bringing jobs back to North Carolina, but varied in the approaches they
would take to the challenges facing the state if elected.
Former Charlotte Mayor Richard Vinroot, told the more than 200 people
in attendance that he would lower the state’s
income and corporate tax rates to make North
Carolina “a better place to do business,”
He also said that the state needed to re
invest in the community college system, which
ultimately would take away North Carolina’s
dependence on dying industries such as man
ufacturing and textiles.
“We can sit here and wish about the return
of textiles and the return of furniture, but we
all know those things aren’t coming back,”
said Vinroot, who lost to Easley in the 2000
general election.
“Seventy five percent of our work-force
needs are met through K-12 and community
colleges. I think, frankly, more needs to be put
into community colleges.”
But other candidates, specifically the fund
raising leader, N.C. Sen. Patrick Ballantine of
New Hanover, said Vinroot ultimately would
be weak in the eastern part of the state and
among minorities, women and other groups
that don’t typically vote for Republican can
didates.
“Forty percent of voters are going to vote
Republican, and 40 percent are going to vote
next year if the budget continues
to be tight.
Receiving the largest amounts
of money are UNC-Chapel Hill,
N.C. State University, East
Carolina University, the N.C.
Legislative Building, the N.C.
Supreme Court building and the
N.C. Department of Health and
Human Services.
N.C. Rep. Joe Hackney, D-
Orange, said the amount of money
that went to each school was
determined on a square-foot basis.
The projects the money will cover
are determined by each school.
UNC-CH leads the school list
and will receive S2B million to
repair roofs and buildings to avoid
structural problems.
N.C. State follows with $24 mil-
SEE RENOVATIONS, PAGE 2
www.dailytaiheel.com
ELECTION 2004
Democrat. We know that,” Ballantine said,
adding that he has a good reputation among
conservative voters as well as environmen
talists and blacks, who tend to vote
Democratic.
“We’ve got to have somebody who can ...
reach across party lines and get the votes.”
Forty-year N.C. businessman George Little
said it would take someone with strong fiscal
sense to regenerate the state’s economy.
“The number one and main issue in this
campaign is jobs, jobs, jobs,” Little said.
He also said at the forum that he would
“appoint people (to the UNC-system Board
of Governors) who philosophically align with
me, and it would change the face of the uni
versity.”
Bill Cobey, the former U.S. Congressman
who retired as chair of the state GOP to run
for governor, said his conservative values align
with all the people of the state.
That and the political experience he has,
make him the best choice for the seat, he said.
“Many of the folks in this room sent me to
Congress a few years ago,” he said. “Now, I’m
going to ask you to send me to the governor’s
irtffji jl Bp||'*
■ ■ -Kir ' m
iSr ft n! II - Vv> ~Y:V £
B & i 9^J|
DTH/SAMKIT SHAH
Workers continue renovations Wednesday afternoon in Kenan Residence
Hall, one of several North Campus buildings closed this semester.
SPOUTS
OUT OF THE PARK
Chris lannetta and Sammy Hewitt
homer in a UNC win PAGE 11
B A 0 M jfliJP fi r I
mansion.”
N.C. Sen. Fern Shubert of Union County
said voters should put her into the governor’s
mansion because her “goal isn’t to (just) beat
Mike Easley, it’s to beat the Democratic
machine. And I have a habit of beating the
Democratic machine.”
Dan Barrett, a Winston-Salem attorney
from Advance, said that his position as an out
sider puts him in the best position to fix the
problems he blamed current officeholders for
creating.
“The reality is the last ten years in Raleigh
have been some of the worst years in the state
since the Great Depression,” he said. “I come
from outside of Raleigh.”
Barrett said he is running his grassroots
campaign because he felt that “the reality is
the last three years prove how much North
Carolina needs a good governor.”
Textile research chemist Timothy Cook said
a good governor is defined by his ability to
relate to the common man.
He added that his background, which
SEE FORUM, PAGE 2
Funds help UNC
upgrade buildings
BY LAUREN HARRIS
STAFF WRITER
About a dozen aging buildings
on campus will receive much
needed repairs during the next two
years, thanks to an allocation of
almost S2B million from the state.
The projects will include roof
repairs and restorations, fire safe
ty improvements and window
replacements.
Bruce Runberg, associate vice
chancellor for planning and con
struction, said the biggest priority
is the replacement or repair of
INSIDE
TAKING STRIDES
Holloway to focus on student groups,
lobbying as student body secretary PAGE 3
THURSDAY, APRIL 8, 2004
Curry
denied
spot on
roster
BY BRIAN MACPHERSON
SPORTS EDITOR
North Carolina men’s basketball
coach Roy Williams announced
Wednesday that he has withdrawn
a scholarship
offer to a highly
touted recruit.
JamesOn
Curry, the
state’s all-time
leading high
school scorer,
originally was
part of a four
player recruit
ing class for
next season, but
he pleaded
guilty Monday
to six drug charges including pos
session with intent to sell and
deliver marijuana.
Curry was sentenced to three
years’ probation, 200 hours of
community service and various
fines in Alamance County court.
“This has been a very difficult
time for JamesOn and his family
and also for our basketball pro
gram,” said UNC coach Roy
Williams in a statement. “He is a
nice young man, but one who
made some very serious mistakes.
SEE CURRY, PAGE 2
Herrera
pushes
voting
BY SHANNAN BOWEN
ASSISTANT CITY EDITOR
Though John Herrera, a mem
ber of the Carrboro Board of
Aldermen, married a U.S. citizen
in 1988, he had to wait 10 more
years to become a citizen himself.
During the waiting period, pro
longed because of lost immigration
papers, Herrera couldn’t partici
pate in local government or vote
for representatives in his town.
But Herrera told the board
Tliesday that he wants to ask state
legislators to grant Carrboro immi
grants who are permanent resi
dents and have applied for U.S. cit
izenship the right to vote in local
municipal elections. The board will
meet with members of the Orange
County delegation to the N.C.
General Assembly on April 19.
“If you are already living here
and paying taxes and doing things
citizens do, the only thing you
don’t have is right to vote,” he said.
Herrera said the state can grant
SEE IMMIGRANTS, PAGE 2
roofs and heating, ventilation and
air-conditioning systems.
“We’ve got a lot of buildings that
do not cool properly,” he said.
“Technology has changed where
systems are more efficient. We
simply need to replace these sys
tems.”
Roof repairs and replacements
will help ensure the safety of
University employees and students
by protecting the interiors of seven
buildings: Davie, Howell, Caldwell,
SEE CONSTRUCTION, PAGE 2
WEATHER
TODAY Showers, H 72, L 50
FRIDAY Sunny, H 72, L 42
SATURDAY Showers, H 62, L 52
Tar Heel recruit
JamesOn Curry
will not play
basketball for
North Carolina.