Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Oct. 6, 2004, edition 1 / Page 2
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2 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2004 /f\ REVOLUTIONARY A (g) NEW P2P Ml f FILK SHARING & SEARCH I luaufotoof Mb Ifffl ass W/bL § S PS* SOFTWARE. PICS & DOCUMENTS 'the public domain available |3 Itfjls/i I through Morpheus . j |fc f I L I ■I PLEASE SHARE RESPONSIBLY: it is illegal to download or upload copyrighted works I without the permission ot the copyright holders and doing so can subject the offender 'VC, ‘ I to civil and criminal penalties. News UNC offers training to Special Olympians Athletes learn public speaking BY STEPHANIE NOVAK STAFF WRITER Members of the Delta Delta Delta sorority hosted a group of Special Olympics athletes while they trained at the University dur ing the last week. The Global Messengers, a group of Special Olympics athletes who travel the world to train and spread the message of the program, came to UNC to learn more about public speaking. “The Global Messengers are here training in terms of speaking (and) writing speeches,” said journalism professor Rich Beckman. This semester, he is instruct ing a special journalism course called Documentary Multimedia Storytelling. Students in the course will travel in teams of two to the homes of the Global Messengers. The athletes were selected from several countries, includ ing Norway, Tanzania, the Czech Republic, Singapore and the United States. During their stay, sorority mem bers brought the Global Messengers to a variety of places, including The Streets at Southpoint Mall, a soccer game at Duke University and Cold Stone Creamery for an ice cream social. Xu Chuang, an athlete from China, said he most enjoyed his trip to the mall during his time in North Carolina. “People in the United States are very warm and friendly,” he said. He added that he has enjoyed making new friends during his journeys. The sorority also sponsored a buddy program that partnered sorority members with each mes senger. “After you meet these people, it Free database to make finding local jobs easier Web site might be running by March BY CHARLOTTE MURPHY STAFF WRITER Students who are looking to make some extra money will soon have anew outlet to search and apply for jobs in the Chapel Hill area. The Student Services Committee of student government is work ing to create the Carolina Works Database, a free resource for sub mitting online applications and finding contact information for local businesses. Student Body President Matt Calabria stressed the need for the program. “Students don’t have a place they can go and see all the available jobs and internships in the Chapel Hill area,” he said While campaigning for student body president last spring, Calabria identified the creation of a database as a key initiative. Stephanie D’Atri, chairwoman of the Student Services Committee, said that because more students are participating in work-study programs, the number of campus jobs available to students who do not qualify has decreased. “The demand for work-study Police fight domestic abuse Stress need for more awareness BY SPENCER GIPPLE STAFF WRITER Though October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month across the nation, Orange County law enforcement officials say aware ness should not be confined to-the next few weeks. The Chapel Hill and Carrboro police departments, as well as the county sheriff’s office, have workers assigned to deal specifically with domestic violence in the commu nity throughout the year. Sabrina Garcia, the domestic vio lence specialist for the Chapel Hill Police Department, said her depart ment handles more than 500 cases in Chapel Hill alone each year. “And that’s only the ones who report it,” she added. Garcia said the most difficult aspect of her job is educating peo ple about the definition of domestic violence. She said it goes far beyond physical harm and can include anything from property damage to 1^ —□MHVT] * - V-... < ■Hnhl r. v^^N. DTH/BRANDON SMITH Senior Rachel Shockley (center) talks with Special Olympics Global Messenger Brian Ruff at a farewell dinner for the athletes Tuesday night. makes you think about who’s really disabled,” said sophomore Holly Wheeler, chairwoman of the event. “They are genuine, welcoming and friendly people.” Marcela Klicperova, a Global Messenger from the Czech Republic, said she enjoyed walk ing through the town and was impressed by the cleanliness of the campus. The week culminated in a farewell dinner Tuesday night. Sorority members and mes sengers gathered to eat dinner together for the last time before the messengers left to continue their journey. The event began with friendly conversation and a performance by the Clef Hangers, a UNC acap pella group. The event also was an opportu nity for the athletes to speak pub licly for the first time as Global Messengers about the Special Olympics and how it has improved on campus makes it really tough for normal students to find a part time job,” she said. D’Atri said the Web site, which she hopes to have online by March 1, would function by having local businesses register and submit online applications. Students then could see who is hiring and what the necessary qualifications are without having to go door to door searching for jobs. She added that the database would “get rid of that initial awk ward stage” and make the entire process more efficient. Calabria said the committee is still examining the logistics and potential effects of the database. “(There are) still a lot of questions left open that we hope to answer in the coming months,” he said. D’Atri said the committee is trying to meet with Marcia Harris, director of University Career Services, to start working on the Web site. Committee members have registered on the Career Services Web site and searched it in order to identify its weaknesses. Many of the jobs now listed either are internships or are not stalking or verbal abuse. Garcia and other domestic vio lence specialists in the county have to work in conjunction with police officers to handle cases. Officers assess situations when they arrive on the scene and make any arrests if necessary. Police then refer victims to specialists like Garcia, who can help with counsel ing or pursuing legal action. “The goal is just to keep every one safe,” Garcia said. Pam Fone, victims service coor dinator at the county sheriff’s office, said officers must consider several factors when they arrive on the scene. She said officers have to look for weapons and alcohol and find out if the accused has a history of mental health issues or abuse. “We always have to assume the worst-case scenario,” she said. Garcia said one of the area’s biggest difficulties in dealing with domestic violence is the existence of language barriers. Officers often have trouble communicating with Spanish-speaking victims. More than 13 percent of Carrboro's total population is of Latino or Hispanic origin, com Stye Doth} (Tor Heel their lives. “My personal life improved because of the Special Olympics. I have confidence,” said California native Emily Matlack. Jennifer Wardlow, an athlete from North Carolina, said the program gives her an opportunity to make her voice, as well as the voices of others, be heard. “You don’t need to take a back seat when you can take the front seat,” she said. Freshman Whitney Shankland, a member of the sorority, was a buddy to Richard Conley, an ath lete from Kansas. She said her experience with the program was enjoyable. “It opened my eyes,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve interacted much with people with intellectual dis abilities. You think they’ll be dif ferent from you, but they’re not.” Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu. within a short distance of campus. D’Atri said she especially wants to gear the Web site toward incom ing freshmen and sophomores who are not familiar with the area and don’t know where to apply for jobs. Shrujal Shah, a freshman from Lumberton, said the site would be a good resource because she doesn’t know the area very well and doesn’t have a car. “It’s hard to get on and off cam pus, and having (the Web site) would be convenient and useful.” In addition, D’Atri said, many students don’t know about the Career Services Web site or how to navigate it. She said her goal is to focus on creating a site that is “easy to access and less frustrating to find.” She said she hopes to make the process easier by either creating a separate site or adding it as a link on the Career Services Web site. “Technology is huge right now; students use the Internet every day,” D’Atri said. “A place to search for part-time jobs in an efficient and quick way is something I would like to see happen.” Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu. pared with 4 percent for the entire county, according to the N.C. Latino Health Task Force. Charlie Pardo, a former police officer, is one of the area's only bilingual victim specialists. He serves both the Chapel Hill and Carrboro police departments and specializes in domestic violence and sexual assaults involving Latinos. “I am Latino myself,” he said. “So being able to speak the language is a big plus.” A total of 44,895 people called in reports of domestic violence in North Carolina last year, according to the N.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence. There were 71 domestic violence murders last year in North Carolina and 74 in 2002. Even with access to those kinds of statistics, Garcia said, she doesn’t believe it will be easier to predict when and where domestic violence will occur. “When you deal with domestic violence, you have to deal with individual situations,” she said. “People aren’t numbers, and each case has to stand on its own.” Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
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