VOLUME 112, ISSUE 62 Judge rules in Qur’an lawsuit Ruling states that rights were secure BY EMILY STEEL UNIVERSITY EDITOR A federal lawsuit that drew a whirl of attention to the University’s summer reading pro gram two years ago has been dis missed in its entirety. The decision, by U.S. District Court Judge N. Carlton Tilley Jr., marks an end to a fiery fight that propelled UNC into a nationwide debate about academic freedom and the separation between church and state. The 2002 Carolina Summer Reading Program selection, “Approaching the Qur’an: The Early Revelations,” translated and introduced by Michael Sells, spurred a lawsuit in July 2002. The five plaintiffs, including three UNC students, claimed that the reading, a collection and anal ysis of 35 suras short passages from the chief holy book of Islam violated the separation between church and state and was a form of religious indoctrination. UNC originally required all incoming students to read the book and write a response paper, but later stated that students with religious objections did not need to read the book. The suit bounced from a Greensboro federal court to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond and settled back into the Greensboro court by fall 2002. The court declined to issue a preliminary injunction of the pro gram and dismissed any related claims that the program violated the establishment clause of the U.S. Constitution. The final claim, which stated that the University had violated the free exercise clause of the Constitution by “authorizing and requiring the reading and discussing” of the book, was dismissed July 7- Tilley wrote that the University did not affirm any religious beliefs, lend its support to either side of the controversy, discriminate based on religious views or status, or punish the expression of religious beliefs. “Students who were not mem bers of the Islamic faith, probably the great majority of students, were neither asked nor forced to give up their own beliefs or to com promise their own beliefs in order to discuss the patterns, language, history and cultural significance of SEE LAWSUIT, PAGE 4 Tarpley, O’Reilly embody Hamm’s legacy BY BRIAN MACPHERSON SENIOR WRITER The commercial’s first scene opens on a dark field as a young girl in a blue shirt, black shorts and white socks strides into a sin gle circle of light in the middle of the grass. Her brown hair is slightly out of place, as if she has spent an hour running around, kicking a soccer ball under the lights. But there’s no mistaking the sincerity in her eyes as she approaches the camera in tribute to Mia Hamm, the great est player in the history of women’s soccer. “Thank you for opening the door.” Both Lindsay Tarpley and Heather O’Reilly once were that girl, once proudly displayed Mia Hamm posters on their walls, once dreamed of a similar career on the world stage. But as Hamm takes her final bows and fades into retirement, it’s important to understand that Tarpley and O’Reilly aren’t just fol INSIDE TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS New college initiative might bring entrepreneurship minor to UNC PAGE 9 Serving the students and the University community since 1893 tThr lailu Star Mrri HOME STRETCH BUSH PRESIDENT SEEKS TO MAINTAIN HIS SLIM LEAD . ' Hr BY KAVITA PILLAI ASSISTANT STATE & NATIONAL EDITOR Whoever wins the presidential election in November will be the one who best mobi lizes his base, experts say, and this race likely won’t be won in the middle. t With the electorate nearly split evenly between the two candidates, poll results could swing back and forth in the next 57 days. And the few undecided voters might not matter. “The voters have made up their minds,” said Dorothy James, a professor of government at Connecticut College. “There’s only a 2 to 3 to 5 percent likelihood of much change.” Anew poll by CNN-USA Today-Gallup released Monday, the first after the Republican National Convention, shows President Bush receiving a post-convention boost of 2 percent. The president leads the Democratic nomi nee, Sen. John Kerry, 52 percent to 45 per cent among likely voters. Kerry’s poll numbers were virtually stagnant after the Democratic National Convention. Experts say the candidates will spend most of the remaining campaign days in swing states. “They’ll keep slugging away and get into every kitchen in Ohio that they can,” James said. But with such close numbers, whoever gets the most supporters to the polls could win. And many experts expect a rise in voter turnout. “It would appear that the intensity that drives people to the polls is high enough that lowing Hamm’s legacy. Tarpley and O’Reilly are Hamm’s legacy. When Hamm made her debut at the international level, women’s soccer wasn’t popular, wasn’t taken seriously, wasn’t even an Olympic sport. But as Hamm car ried the sport to national prominence, she inspired countless young women to fol- AFTER ATHENS CQ