VOLUME 112, ISSUE 42
DTH/GILLIAN BOLSOVER
Mayor Kevin Foy (left) and Town Council member Dorothy Verkerk discuss
Monday night's agenda, including proposed UNC Master Plan changes.
Research
facilities
near OK
UNC may see cancer center;
Black wants changes made
BY CHRIS COLETTA
STATE & NATIONAL EDITOR
RALEIGH Supporters of a proposed cancer
center at UNC-Chapel Hill scored a victory Tuesday
when the N.C. Senate tentatively approved a bill that
would fund the project.
But on the other side of the Legislative Building,
questions loomed as to whether the bill would hit the
House floor.
The 46-1 Senate vote approved SIBO million in
funds for anew research and treatment center at
UNC-CH, as well as S6O million for a cardiovascu
lar diseases center at East Carolina University.
Senators applauded the bill, saying it will help
more N.C. citizens to get treatment for illnesses and
attract top-notch professionals to the state for
research opportunities.
“Today, I am proud to be a member of the N.C.
Senate and a sponsor of this bill,” said Sen. David
Weinstein, D-Robeson, during debate before the bill’s
passage. “We are going to create the Mayo Clinic of
cancer research.”
Omitted from the bill, however, were funds for a
bioinformatics center at UNC-Charlotte and an aging
center at UNC-Asheville.
That doesn’t sit well with House co-Speaker Jim
Black, D-Mecklenburg, who has thrown his support
behind those proposals particularly the center at
UNC-C, located right in his back yard. When asked
what the chances are of a bill without them being
considered by the House, Black responded, “Probably
not very good.”
He added that he plans to introduce a bill next
week that will feature funding for system projects.
Despite speculation that such a bill would include
funds for a NASCAR test track in the western part of
the state and other projects, Black said he will focus
solely on making sure the research centers receive
funding.
He also said he’s not worried that the UNC-system
Board of Governors has yet to approve the projects at
UNC-C and UNC-A. The board’s cooperation has
“improved since we left session,” he said, referring to
the BOG’s approval of the ECU heart center.
The situation mirrors one that occurred last year,
when the Senate passed a bill appropriating funds to
the cancer center but couldn’t reach an agreement
with House leaders before session’s end.
In order to avoid a repeat of that scenario, the two
chambers must resolve their differences relatively
quickly. Lawmakers want to end session early, in no
small part so they can spend time campaigning for re
election before the July 20 primaries.
Details about a final Senate vote on the bill were
unavailable at press time Wednesday.
SEE RESEARCH CENTERS, PAGE 5
Money woes impede parking project
Underground deck too costly to fund
BY JOSEPH R. SCHWARTZ
CITY EDITOR
Despite recent cost estimates
that foretell a grave road ahead,
town officials and consultants
remain firm in their resolve to
explore not only revitalizing the
town economy but changing the
face of downtown Chapel Hill.
The initial stages of a project to
convert downtown parking lots 2
and 5 located behind Kerr Drug
and opposite University Square
respectively into a multi-use area
complete with underground park
ing, retail and affordable housing,
took a step backward after a pre
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Serving the students and the University community since 1893
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DTH PHOTOS/GILLIAN BOLSOVER
UNC has once again come under allegations of animal mistreatment from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an animal rights organization which carried
out an investigation in the Thurston Bowles science building. An unnamed undercover investigator documented the alleged abuses over the span of nearly a year.
BY BRIAN HUDSON
UNIVERSITY EDITOR
UNC has once again come under fire
from People for the Ethical "Ibeatment of
Animals, which is requesting medical
organizations to revoke federal funding
to the University after evidence of labo
ratory animal abuse.
An undercover investigator for the
animal rights group employed by the
University documented the abuse in the
Thurston Bowles science building, the
same building where PETA had made
similar allegations of abuse in 2002.
The investigator, who documented
the abuse from January to November,
was not identified because she is now
participating in another investigation.
Her investigation revealed instances
of animal abuse including mice with
oversized tumors that had ulcerated and
burst, seriously sick and injured animals
liminary fiscal assessment.
Chief real estate consultant John
Stainback, who was given the reins
of the development project by the
Town Council, reported to the body
in a Thursday e-mail that the cost of
building the two envisioned under
ground parking decks far exceeds
the bond money in place some
thing which he described as a “fun
damental problem.”
The document outlined the per
tinent figures that Stainback esti
mated based on industry standards
and noted that it would cost the
SEE PARKING, PAGE 5
INSIDE
MIND THE GAP
Polk Place construction raises obstructions
for first summer session students. PAGE 6
WEEKLY SUMMER ISSUE
www.dailytarhe6l.com
Council faces UNC needs
CHANGES TO SOFTBALL FIELD,
UNC MASTER PLAN PUT FORTH
BY JOSEPH R. SCHWARTZ
CITY EDITOR
Sandwiched in-between the ACC
Tournament and the NCAA
Tournament was an event that UNC
softball coach Donna Papa felt was
just as important, if not more so, for
her program: Monday night’s
Chapel Hill Town Council meeting.
The night before the team was
scheduled to travel to Waco, Texas,
PETA PROBE SPAWNS
ABUSE ALLEGATIONS
SOURCE: HKS ARCHITECTS
sHL 1
Papa pleaded with the Council to
accept plans for a special use per
mit for the softball field, several
times noting that her players don’t
have the facilities necessary to
compete at the Division I level.
To remedy such difficulties,
UNC requested for the town to
consider the creation of a 4,500
square foot building which would
include a dressing room, restroom
left to die without any veterinary care
and severe overcrowding, leading to
“cannibalism and suffocation.”
The investigator also found instances
of clipping animals’ toes for the purpose
of identification and improper eutha
nization techniques. In one instance, a
guillotine blade was so dull that two
fully conscious rats’ necks were hacked
twice in order to sever their heads from
their bodies, said Mary Beth Sweetland,
a PETA senior vice president.
“They are much the same as we found
during our first investigation” she said.
“You would think after that first inves
tigation, the University would have
learned they can’t just put things on
paper, make it look nice and walk away.
It has to commit itself to animal care.”
Some of the more graphic accusa-
SEE PETA, PAGE 5
INSIDE
SKIRTING THE ISSUES
Brad Pitt learns the value of truth, fidelity,
love and armored kilts in 'Troy.' PAGE 9
facilities for players and fans, con
cession stands, a ticket office and a
press room.
Papa noted that the absence of
these facilities is in many ways a
detriment to the program, as every
other ACC team has their own
dressing room.
“Right now we have Port-A-
Johns,” she said. “I’ve been here for
19 years and we’ve never had any
thing permanent.”
Also lacking permanence is the
UNC development plan.
UNC administrators and plan
ners were on hand at the public
I■ I ’ 11111 1 1 1 11 IH' ■
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PETA's report against UNC cites numerous instances of animal abuse, including
improper veterinary care and mice with oversized tumors that had ulcerated.
UNC bus tour shows
commitment to state
BY BRIAN HUDSON
UNIVERSITY EDITOR
UNC officials and administra
tors hit the road last week, travel
ling to locations throughout North
Carolina to highlight the
University’s relationship to the
state as well as several outreach
programs.
The privately funded Tar Heel
Bus Tour began in 1997 and is
aimed to help faculty and admin
istrators better understand North
Carolina issues.
The tour commenced May 10
with a visit to sites in Franklin and
Craven counties, including New
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THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2004
hearing to present and clarify sev
eral changes to the document.
The meeting began as an
overview of the six changes to the
plan:
■ building a 130,000 square
foot physicians structure;
■ a 10,000 square foot addition
to Morehead Planetarium;
■ a 28,000 square foot addi
tion to Fetzer Gym;
■ a 1,600 square foot addition
to 410 East Franklin St.;
■ relocating the proposed
SEE TOWN COUNCIL, PAGE 5
Bern’s Tryon Palace, the home of
North Carolina’s 18th century
colonial governors, and farms in
Bunn.
The trip concluded May 14 after
a visit to a Greensboro elementary
school which highlighted the
Carolina Covenant, anew initia
tive at the University to allow low
income students to graduate debt
free.
The trip also included a visit to
Grandfather Mountain and a
NASCAR shop in Huntersville,
and participants met with
SEE TOUR BUS, PAGE 5
&