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6 MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2004 Group fights illegal drinking BY LINDSEY LISTROM STAFF WHITER In North Carolina, Alcohol Law Enforcement agents work with police officers to combat underage drinking, but some citizens think an even stronger stand is needed. A coalition called the Committee for Alcohol- and Drug- Free Tfeenagers composed of parents, law enforcement agents and school officials is trying to ensure that all possible efforts are made to curb illegal drinking and drug use. The committee formed in May when Dale Pratt-Wilson, a Chapel Hill mother of two, heard about an apartment party with four kegs hosted by an 11th grader. She said her son and daughters had been telling her for years that “everyone” drinks. She went to the party to see what they meant. She arrived about one minute after the police, who had been called in to break up a fight, and saw about 200 minors fleeing the scene, leaving empty cups and the scent of marijuana. “It was really disturbing,” Pratt- Summer School Abroad 2005 • Earn UNC credit up to 6 hours • UNC courses taught by our own faculty • 3-5 week programs Priority Registration October 19-November 4 Visit Summer School for a complete listing of programs and an application. (On Franklin Street beside the Carolina Coffee Shop) Slimmer S< hool. B 4 E Franklin St, 2nd Floor o io 066.1364 www urn .edii/stimmei BEN AFFLECK JAMES GANDOLFINI CHRISTINA APPLEGATE CATHERINE O’HARA ,|| fIjMBHMI —^ Share the warmth. Surviving Christinas DREAMWORKS PICTURES prints a TALL TREES promotion A LIVEPLANET prodi ction BEN AFFLECK “SURVIVING CHRISTMAS" JiMES GANDOLFINI CHRISTINA APPLEGATE CATHERINE O’HARA MSSK RANDY EDELMAN MARY JANE FORT ,nrT rVCRAIG McKAY, ale. "Si CAROLINE HANANIA BIS PETER COLLISTER, asc TOM PRIESTLY JR,arc MM PATRICIA WHITCHER 1 W’JENNO TOPPING and BETTY THOMAS ' T "S! DEBORAH KAPLUN k HARRY ELFONT M MFS " jj DEBORAH KAPIiAN & HARRY ELFONT and JEFFREY VENTMLIA&JOSHUA STERNIN MITCHELL l^u I TTi t T I- ** sexual and] www.survlvlngchrlstmas.com Starts Friday, October 22 At Theatres Everywhere Wilson said. She decided to bring her con cerns to the public. Sjie sent out letters to everyone she could think of— police departments, town gov ernments and mayors, principals, parents and the press. Soon after, Pratt-Wilson and others established the committee. The committee has held two meetings, one in Chapel Hill and one in Carrboro, each attended by town officials, parents, police and ALE agents, among others. “My vision is to form a perma nent organization, a watchdog group,” she said. “Someone to hold police and high schools accountable ... and get stronger law enforce ment for both kids and those who are aiding and abetting.” An ongoing issue Pratt-Wilson said the committee formed during a time when under age use of substances is rising. In a survey of 134 high school students by Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, 44 percent of those surveyed said they had bought, sold or been offered drugs on campus. Stephanie Willis, health coordi nator for city schools, said school officials aren’t certain the figure is accurate. “But it gives us an indica tion there is a problem,” she said. Gregg Jarvies, Chapel Hill police chief, said he had not noticed an increase in alcohol use by minors. “It’s not a greater problem now than five or 10 years ago, but the awareness has increased,” he said. He added that underage drink ing is more of a family issue. But Jarvies, who attended the forums, said the police have taken steps to curtail underage drinking. Efforts include retraining offi cers to be consistent in arrests, more strictly enforcing underage drinking policies and checking records on repeat offenders. College town culture In Chapel Hill, the return of col lege students every year is associat ed with a rise in illegal behavior. “Being a college town, you are going to have more underage drink ing,” said Kyle Barbee, ALE agent for Chatham and Orange counties. To combat underage drinking among college students in Chapel Hill, two ALE officers are assigned to the county. On occasions in which they expect an increase in underage drinking, they run spe cial operations. For their annual back-to-school operation this year from Aug. 26 to Aug. 27, agents made 30 arrests T-SHIRTS SWEATS T-SHIRTS (Mjp srintwg Licensed tor UNC Trademark. Fine Quality Screenprinting 1201 Raleigh Road • Suite 102 • Chapel Hill, NC 27517 (919) 942-4764 ' (9'9) 942-7553 qualiteessmindspring.com • T-SHIRTS • NUMBERS • - r— . TOTES • T-SHIRTS • SWEATS r- m “ News with a total of 43 charges. In Raleigh, home of N.C. State University, ALE agents ran a similar operation from Aug. 19 to Aug. 20. That weekend, 135 people were arrested for underage alcohol related offenses, said Jeff Lasater, supervisor of ALE District 4, which includes Orange County. Charges in Raleigh for those two nights totaled 158 - 110 of which were for underage possession. Lasater said ALE agents received tips about parties in apartments and fraternities, which led to more arrests there than in Chapel Hill. The same number of agents worked in both locations. Although the ALE specializes in enforcing alcohol laws, area police also take the laws seriously. Both police departments and the ALE run compliance checks in stores that sell alcohol. On the weekend of Oct. 2, Chapel Hill police cited five of 14 stores for selling alcohol to a minor. In a similar operation in Raleigh, conducted by the ALE in August, only two of 27 stores sold. Pratt-Wilson said she thinks combating underage drinking is especially important in Chapel Hill because minors make up a consider able proportion of the population. And while her group focuses on stopping illegality among the high school population, Pratt-Wilson said she has bigger plans. “We’re going to take on college next.” Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu. 1 BEEHIVE TEACH US ABOUT A BENEFITS PROGRAM CALLED WACHOVIA AT WORK? Working together can create amazing results. ■ Partnering has its benefits. That’s why UNC at Chapel Hill Faculty and Staff have joined with Wachovia to offer I you special financial benefits, such as preferred pricing and convenient access to your accounts, that are available ■ to members only. Talk to us. Contact Angel Stutts at I 919-938-8974 for more information. B gg^Kagowg ■ SSlsifcs^i WACHOVIA H Event takes on domestic ills Officials focus on raising awareness BY TED STRONG STAFF WRITER In the warm breeze and strained light of a weekend din ner hour, as a child dangled joy ously from the fork of a tree and four young men at a picnic table sipped wine, a bluegrass band picked a tune. Such was the atmosphere at Carrboro’s Weaver Street Market on Saturday, the setting for a fund-raiser aimed at increasing awareness of rape and domestic abuse. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and Saturday’s effort was part of a monthlong cal endar of events geared toward the cause. Margaret Barrett, director of the Orange County Rape Crisis Center, said that while she hoped to raise some funds Saturday, the real focus of the event was increased awareness. “It’s important to have events like this 0ne.... Rape and domes tic violence are taboo topics,” said Shauna Hay, secretary of the board of directors for the rape cri sis center. “The issues tend to be hidden for some people,” Barrett said. To combat that, the rape crisis center and the prevention center manned a table from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. as a bluegrass band played tunes and a hula-hoop artist per formed with a flaming hoop. The table, which .was located in the outdoor eating area in front of the market, was draped with a purple cloth and featured fliers, purple ribbons, stickers, nail files and a collection basket for contri butions. Purple was prevalent at the event because it is the color of domestic violence awareness. Melissa Radcliff, community • NUMBERS T-SHIRTS > PITAS - SALADS Smiuaiunu VEGG options FrL Tkihkihj, Hjaltky Eati*j OPEN LAT£ 919.933.4486 115EFrankllirSfc 1--" iattij (Tar HM service coordinator of the Family Violence Prevention Center of Orange County, said people shouldn’t limit their awareness of domestic abuse to October. “Domestic violence awareness takes place yearround,” she said. “Folks want to think it doesn’t exist.” Radcliff said the purpose of the event was threefold: The event raised community awareness of the violence problem, let victims know they can get help and reminded them they are not alone. The Chapel Hill-Carrboro com munity typically is positive toward steps taken to prevent rape and domestic violence, but Hay said both groups hoped to further raise awareness in the area. “At something like this, you may not have a crowd of people stop ping by to pick up stuff,” Radcliff said. “It's low-key.” She said the hope was that simply by having a table in a busy place, such as in front of the mar ket, the groups would be seen by many people. Even if people don’t stop to pick up literature, give money or sign up for mailings, they will become more aware of the centers, she added. Both groups said they were happy they were able to hold the event at the market. “I think it’s great. It’s a very laid back atmosphere,” Hay said. Both the band, the Tim Stambaugh Band, and the hula hoop artist, Julia Hartsell, volun teered their performances. “I’m part of the community. I want to do good things for the community when I can,” said Stambaugh, the band’s leader. Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Oct. 18, 2004, edition 1
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