VOLUME 112, ISSUE 83
Negative campaigning defined
CONGRESS TO VOTE ON BILL
DURING TUESDAY MEETING
BY LIZZIE STEWART
STAFF WRITER
Members of Student Congress’
Rules and Judiciary committee
took steps Tuesday night to cod
ify the negative campaign laws
that created confusion during
last year’s race for student body
president.
Members considered several
UNC sees
increase in
diversity
Ethnic mix aids
campus climate
BY STEPHANIE NEWTON
STAFF WRITER
University admissions officers
simply cannot tabulate numbers
with a calculator anymore.
The digits that define each and
every member of the UNC com
munity have metamorphosed into
a whole new language.
“The idea of diversity has
evolved from ‘number of people’
to, like, climate,” said Cookie
Newsom, director of diversity edu
cation and research.
Of the 26,878 students enrolled
at UNC, 73.2
percent of
students are
white, 10 per
cent are black,
5.8 percent
are Asian,
2.5 percent
Tv 'DEFINING* .
Diversity
A five-part series “
examining the state
of race relations
at UNC.
Today: By the
numbers
are Hispanic and 0.8 percent are
Native American, according to a
report issued Sept. 7 by the Office
of Institutional Research.
The critical masses of students
and the academic value provided
by diversity has not been defined in
past years. Now, there are enough
intellectually and culturally vary
ing students, faculty and staff
members to allow for a dynamic
living and learning environment,
Newsom said.
For example, she said UNC has
the largest proportion of black stu
dents when compared to all of the
top-tier schools.
But Newsom also noted that
Native Americans who make up
1.2 percent of the state’s popula
tion, according to the 2000 census
are not well-represented at the
University in terms of numbers.
“The mission of a public univer
sity is to serve the entire public,
whoever that might be,” she said.
The racial diversity of the
undergraduate population has
increased significantly during the
last 10 years, said Archie Ervin,
director for minority affairs.
The most recent data for 2004
reflect an entering first-year class
in which about 23 percent identi-
SEE NUMBERS, PAGE 4
Aldermen approve MLK park plan
BY TED STRONG
STAFF WRITER
The Carrboro Board of
Aldermen unanimously voted
Tuesday night to approve the mas
ter plan for the new Martin Luther
King Jr. Park.
The park will encompass 10.16
acres, cost about $1.2 million and
be built between Hillsborough and
Tripp Farm roads.
The park was unnamed until
the aldermen voted unanimously
to name the park in honor of King
at its June 15 meeting. Mayor
Mike Nelson proposed the name,
and discussion took less than one
minute, said Alderman Jacquelyn
Gist.
What was easy in Carrboro is
proving to be difficult in Chapel
Hill. The question of renaming
Airport Road in honor of King
has been referred to a town coun
3 DAYS
LEFT TO REGISTER
TO VOTE
Serving the students and the University community since 1893
o{j? Srnlg Mttl
opinions regarding the definition
of negative campaigning during
student elections after Monday’s
first public hearing regarding
changes to the Student Code.
They decided Thesday to pass a
bill that defines negative campaign
ing as “slanderous and/or libelous
remarks or actions by a candidate
or campaign worker meant to
llaia
■ • . ■■ .■.***;*<■ .-*.
' - • DTH/JUSTIN SMITH
Bobby Caviness (reflected in screen) watches the vice-presidential debate Tuesday night at the old Robbins mill where John Edwards'
father worked. Caviness and Edwards, former classmates, played football, basketball and track together at North Moore High School
VEEP HOPEFULS
VIE FOR STANDING
BY KAVITA PILLAI
ASSISTANT STATE & NATIONAL EDITOR
Vice president Dick Cheney
and the man seeking to
take his job, N.C. Sen.
John Edwards, went on
the offensive during TXiesday night’s
debate in a move pundits say was
essential after last week’s relatively
tame presidential face-off.
The 90-minute sit-down debate, a
format favored by Cheney, was domi
nated by discussion of foreign policy,
especially the war in Iraq. The can
didates’ responses were marked by
frequent jabs and personal attacks
cil special advisory committee,
nearly 10 months after it first was
proposed.
Nelson said the problems in
Chapel Hill were caused by poor
leadership. “If I ever teach a lead
ership symposium, I will use their
process as an example of bad lead
ership decisions,” he said. “I think
they mishandled the process from
the beginning.
“They’ve created tensions where
they didn’t necessarily need to
exist,” he added.
But some aldermen attributed
the difficulties to other sources.
“Obviously, there’s a difference
between naming something and
renaming it, and that’s part of
the issue,” said Alderman Mark
Chilton.
Gist echoed the sentiment.
“Well, the park didn’t have a name
yet, and it didn’t cost anybody any-
ONZiINE
Religion gets hip to attract youth
Communion becomes a political issue
For more stories visit www.dthonline.com
www.dthoitline.com
defame, disparage, or cause injury
to another candidate.”
Congress will vote to approve
the bill during its full meeting
next Tuesday.
Several committee members
said the bill is aimed to prevent
negative acts and not to disrourage
candidates from speaking out on
platform issues at the same time.
The modification adds the
words “slanderous” and “libelous”
to the definition.
Trey Winslett, a representative
for South Campus, said the terms
Cheney attacking Edwards’ U.S.
Senate absences and disputing
the validity of his statements and
Edwards attacking Cheney’s claims
on the campaign trail.
“There is no connection between
the attacks of Sept. 11 and Saddam
Hussein,” Edwards said. “You’ve gone
around the country saying there is a
connection, and there isn’t.”
Cheney denied having made that
connection and countered by attack
ing Democratic presidential contend
er John Kerry’s voting record with
respect to actions in Iraq, labeling
him inconsistent at best. He added
“The park didn’t have a name yet , and it
didn’t cost anybody anything to name the
park after Dr. King.” jacquelyn gist. ALDERMAN
thing to name the park after Dr.
King,” she said. “I don’t know if I
would like it if they changed the
name of my road.”
Designs for the park first were
initiated in 1999. Community
input was received at several
stages during the design process,
which ended in June.
The park plan features open
grassy areas designed for use as
informal sports fields, but not
league play.
There are also plans for a play
ground; a “sprayground,” which is
play equipment that incorporates
spraying water; a network of paved
imply that a negative campaigner
would be aware that the state
ments he or she made were false.
“Both indicate that they know
what they’re saying is incorrect,”
he said.
The proposed bill goes on to
say that “personal attacks do not
include critical analysis of another
campaign or its platforms.”
This addendum should ensure
that the bill will not hinder candi
dates’ rights to free speech, com
mittee members said.
Speaker Pro Tern Jen Orr said
that Edwards’ claims that the Iraq
war diverted attention from the real
enemy were unfounded.
“We never let up on Osama bin Laden
from day one,” Cheney said. “We’fl con
tinue to aggressively pursue him.”
But Edwards said the Bush admin
istration has been blatantly lying to
the American people, painting a “rosy
picture” of the situation in Iraq.
Neither candidate minced words
about foreign policy. While Edwards
reiterated that more needs to be done
to keep Americans safe, Cheney said
SEE DEBATE, PAGE 4
and unpaved paths; a picnic area;
a sculpture garden; a bird sanctu
ary and other items.
The plan was well received by
the board. “I love the plan. I think
it’s great,” Gist said.
Derek Williams —a principal
for Site Solutions, the firm that
prepared the plan said the loca
tion was great. “It’s going to be a
wonderful neighborhood park,”
he said.
The aldermen had considered
naming a major facility in honor of
King for more than a year, which
SEE MLK, PAGE 4
SPORTS
DIGGIN' IT
After a slow start, the Tar Heels make a comeback
and beat N.C. State in three straight games PAGE 7
the purpose of the legislation
should be to provide an accessible
definition to campaign workers.
She also said it should be
accessible to the election officials
because they make the final deci
sions regarding workers’ practices
of negative campaigning.
“If it’s not leading to fairer
elections, then we’re wasting our
time,” she said.
Members also discussed
the possibility of referring to
SEE COMMITTEE, PAGE 4
RHAPSODY
I|j I *Yp- js
DTH/MIHANDA HARPIE
The UNC Achordants, an all-male a capella group
sing in the Pit on Tuesday afternoon. The perfor
mance was part of “Harmony in the Pit,” an event
scheduled for Race Relations week. Several campus music
groups participated, celebrating diversity through song
WEATHER
TODAY Partly cloudy, H 69, L 43
THURSDAY Sunny, H 76, L 45
FRIDAY Partly cloudy, H 77, L 50
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2004
Nearly a
million
misused
at NCSA
Audit showcases
abuse of funds
BY ERIN GIBSON
ASSISTANT STATE & NATIONAL EDITOR
Nearly $1 million in assets was
misused over several years at the
N.C. School of the Arts, according to
a report released Monday by State
Auditor Ralph Campbell.
Campbell’s financial team dis
covered unusual overtime payments
during its annual audit of the school.
On further investigation, a team of
auditors found many more unusual
finance practices. *
The report was delivered to the state
district attorney, the Forsyth County
district attorney and the State Bureau
of Investigation for further review.
Auditors found that a personnel
analyst received more than $69,000
in overtime payments over about two
years for her $49,000 salary.
“The overtime pay is excessive,”
said Dennis Patterson, audit publica
tions coordinator for the Office of the
Auditor. “That got their attention. It
looked like a bigger issue.”
According to the report, NCSA’s
vice chancellor for finance, Joseph
Dickson, received more than $90,000
during 13 years from the NCSA
Foundation Inc., transferred the title
of real property without permission
and received compensation against
UNC regulations.
Dickson resigned from his position
in July, and the university now is tak
ing steps to ensure that there are no
future problems.
Chancellor Wade Hobgood has said
he was unaware of the misuse.
But Susan Booth, special assistant
to the chancellor at NCSA, said the
chancellor heard rumors of funds
abuse and worked internally to solve
the problem prior to the audit.
“Starting November 1, he had the
(human resources) department and
the internal auditor start reporting
to him,” she said.
The state audit began in the
spring.
The report recommends that the
university system and the Board of
Governors require each institution to
identify all foundations and related
organizations and provide a report of
their financial activities.
The system’s general administra
tion agreed with the recommenda
tions.
NCSA is on a 90-day watch. If at
the end of the 90 days the UNC-sys
tem is not satisfied with the school’s
efforts to fix the problem, it will take
action, said Jeff Davies, UNC-system
vice president for finance.
Every system school is audited
annually. Patterson said that although
officials shuffle the accounts they audit,
those with problems are revisited.
“We’ll be back at the university next
year,” he said. “And this will be back
on top of the list.”
Contact the State & National
Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
&