2
THURSDAY, AUGUST 26, 2004
Basement opens quietly
Underground has
drawnfew visitors
BY JOSEPH R. SCHWARTZ
ASSISTANT UNIVERSITY EDITOR
Tucked away in a cozy alcove
and buried underneath the grind
of classes and commitments, two
students clang an air hockey puck
back and forth.
Amid rows of florescent bowl
ing balls, the two are among the
few who have noticed that the
Underground, a recreational area
in the basement of the Student
Union, reopened in June.
After using the area as a staging
site for the building’s renovation,
workers uncovered the 10 pool
tables, 12 bowling lanes and a host
of arcade games that remained
after a two-and-a-half-year hiatus.
“It was frankly a disaster,” said
Don Luse, director of the Carolina
Union. “There was dirt everywhere.
It took a lot of extra work to get
things going.”
Planners hoped to revamp the
Underground but ran out of fund
ing, Luse said. Now, the facility’s
future hangs in the balance.
The Carolina Union Board of
Directors will decide in the next
few years if they will update the
area, maintain it or potentially
phase it out
Luse said the next two years will
be used as a litmus test. “The big
question is, now that we have it
cleaned up and operational... will
students use it?” he said. “It’s not
a pressing issue, but it’s something
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Emery Chen bowls Wednesday night in the Student Union's Underground
during a rush event for Pi Alpha Phi. The Underground reopened in July.
we want to monitor.”
On Monday and Tuesday, about
70 students wandered into the
Underground. During the summer,
students attending orientation
stopped by for a game of bowling.
With a student ID, a games costs
$1.75, and shoe rental is $0.75.
Most students that made then
way to the Underground have left
positive responses, Luse said.
But he said too few have taken
advantage of the area.
More business is on the horizon,
though, as residence hall communi
ties and student organizations are
seeking to use die area. Hie Physical
Education Department is consider
ing the return of bowling classes.
To lure more people to the
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space, customers now can enjoy
free popcorn and soda. Plans are
in the works for nighttime DJs and
weekly specials.
“We really want to get the word
out for everyone to come,” said
Union employee Tiffani Marshall
as she awaited customers.
If students don’t start using the
space soon, officials said they will
have to reconsider its future.
“That space has a goal to break
even financially,” Luse said. “We
have supplemented that area out
of the operational budget because
we felt it was an important recre
ational space.”
Contact the University Editor
at udesk@unc.edu.
Congress to push book swap
Members: Could
help lower prices
BY KELLI BORBET
STAFF WRITER
The founders of Carolina Swap.
com, a student-run Web site that fos
ters textbook exchange, are looking
to further expand their network with
the help of Student Congress.
During CarolinaSwap’s first
semester, students who purchased
used books on the site saved more
than SIO,OOO, according to fig
ures comparing costs to new list
ing prices.
“Already, there definitely seems
to be an increase in savings from
last year,” said Kevin Webb, a UNC
alumnus who co-founded the site
with senior Andrew Synowiez, a
staff member of The Daily Tar Heel.
“By the end of this year, we hope to
double the students’ savings.”
The Web site compiles informa
tion from local textbook retailers
and Web sites, allowing students
to browse for books and compare
prices. It also provides a classified
Quirky play provokes introspection
BY BECCA MOORE
ASSISTANT ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Even in the relaxed confines of
the City of Brotherly Love, the lives
of young people can be rocky.
The play “I Wonder,” billed as an
“urban tragedy about a postmod
ern dilemma’ by writer and direc
tor Todd Harman, will be running
Friday and Saturday night at Temple
Ball in Carrboro.
Harman said the piece is a
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like forum to exchange textbooks.
Students also can shop for books
on Amazon.com via Carolina Swap.
The Web site is a nonprofit busi
ness and covers its operating costs
through revenues generated from
Amazon.
But Webb said the site’s success
is directly related to the number of
students who take part.
To ensure the Web site’s suc
cess, Congress is discussing ways to
increase student awareness about
the program. Congress’ textbook
committee is working on ways to
make the student body more aware
of the Web site, said Daneen Furr, a
member of the committee.
She said the committee is deter
mined to ensure that students have
continuous access to lower text
book prices through the Web site.
“The main problem with the
system is promotion,” said Jordan
Mendenhall, chairman of the com
mittee. “With more promotion, stu
dents will definitely see its benefits.”
Furr said the textbook commit
tee plans to continue efforts to sup
port Carolina Swap once Congress
begins its fall session Thesday.
“tragic comedy” that looks at the
complex relationships friends
have and the unbelievable circum
stances that can develop in urban
Philadelphia.
“The play is set in inner Philly and
focuses on a group of friends sitting
around and discussing life,” Harman
said.
“And then people start disappear
ing. One character is attacked by an
old lady with a sword. It’s all just
SaiUf (Tar BM
Members of the textbook com
mittee also are talking with offi
cials from UNC Student Stores so
that the campus-based textbook
store could combine efforts with
Carolina Swap.
Webb said Student Stores officials
have been helpful in explaining how
the textbook industry works. He
said he hopes to establish an affili
ation between Student Stores and
Carolina Swap.
The founders of Carolina Swap
also have incorporated their own
ideas to encourage student par
ticipation.
Operators increased the size of
the database this semester, adding
the most current book and course
lists. The Web site also allows stu
dents to create a personal map with
their class schedule.
“We are trying to keep the sav
ings in the students’ hands,” Webb
said. “It’s just a way for students to
save extra money, and it gives stu
dents just one more option to find
books.”
Contact the University Editor
at udesk@unc.edu.
realistically absurd.”
Using only six actors, the play
focuses on a small ensemble, includ
ing the two main characters, Justin
Gilden and Brandon Rosen.
Matt Edwards, who plays Justin
in “I Wonder,” said the play is based
on exaggerated versions of situ
ations that actually happened in
Philadelphia.
A close friend of Harman’s,
Edwards worked on the production
staff when “I Wonder” ran at the
annual Philadelphia-based Fringe
Festival. He said he’s proud of the
show because he thinks there’s not
enough thought-provoking theater
on the market today.
“This play introduces a number
of intricate themes that will linger
in the viewer’s head,” Edwards said.
“There are a lot of undertones in the
writing that you won’t notice until
after the play is over.
“There are a lot of double mean
ings, and it all ties back together in
the end in a surprising way.”
Temple Ball owner Rick Ramirez
said he applauds the play’s unique
premise and the fact that it’s an
original work. “There’s just some
thing dynamic about raw creativity,”
Ramirez said.
“Our mission is to serve what
we feel is underserved art, and an
upstart theater production fits very
well into that category;”
Doors are at 8 p.m. on Friday and
Saturday. Tickets are $lO.
The play debuted at the infamous
Coyote Ugly bar last September and
sold out a number of shows, and it
also was well-received at last fall’s
Philadelphia’s Fringe Festival, an
annual celebration of performing
arts.
Edwards reflected on the fact that
many of the concepts discussed in the
play’s dialogue are highly relevant to
the concerns of his generation.
“I hope that it will at least trigger
thoughts in the audience of remorse,
regret and about where they’re at in
their lives and where they need to
make change.”
Contact theA&E Editor
at artsdesk@unc.edu.
CORRECTION
Due to a reporting error, the date
of “Late Night with Roy Williams”
was incorrectly reported in the
Aug. 25 article “Late Night held
over break.” The event will be held
Oct. 15, as opposed to the Oct. 16
date first reported in the article.
To report corrections, contact Managing Editor
Chris Coletta at ccoletta@email.unc.edu.
iaihj (Ear Brri
P.O. Box 3257, Chapel Hill, NC 27515
Michelle Jarboe, Editor, 962-4086
Advertising & Business, 962-1163
News, Features, Sports, 962-0245
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