VOLUME 112, ISSUE 92
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DTH/LIRYS CULLINAN
Student Body President Matt Calabria vetos a bill to define
negative campaigning in the Student Code on Wednesday.
Seniors
given 4
choices
for gift
Officers xmll detail
possibilities today
BY HEATHER ANDREWS
STAFF WRITER
The four possibilities for
this year’s senior class gift were
revealed in an e-mail Tuesday
night, and now class officials are
giving students the chance to learn
more about their options.
Students can choose among
scholarships that would go to stu
dents completing service projects
abroad; a campus beautification
project; a memorial garden for the
victims of the Sept. 11,2001, terror
attacks; and a TV station on which
campus groups could advertise.
Seniors will cast their ballots
Tuesday on Student Central to
determine which of the four choic
es will serve as their legacy.
Class officers are showcasing
the options from 10 a.m. until 2
p.m. today in Polk Place.
After class officers solicited sug
gestions from the class of 2005,
senior marshals narrowed the list
to 10 feasible gifts and voted on
SEE GIFT, PAGE 4
On thfi Road The DTH follows the highlights and low points of a presidential campaign
BATTLING FOR FIRST PLACE
BYCLEVE R. WOOTSON JR.
SENIOR WRITER
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio North
Carolina’s senior senator traveled the
back roads of the Buckeye State on
Ihesday, lambasting the Bush White
House and portraying John Kerry as
a better face for the nation.
John Edwards’ bus tour started
in Canton, just outside Akron, then
headed south to New Philadelphia,
where he was introduced by for
mer Ohio Sen. John Glenn, the
first American to go to space and a
political heavyweight in the state.
Glenn readied the crowd by rip
ping into Bush and the Iraq war. “We
really needed to go into Afghanistan
that was right,” Glenn said. “But
Iraq, that’s where the President’s
record starts to fall apart”
The New Philadelphia appear
ance was just part of Edwards’ effort
to throw jabs in the fight for the
state’s coveted 20 electoral votes.
Ohio is one of the closest battle
ground states, with the Democratic
ticket holding a tight 49-47 lead,
according to the latest poll by Survey
USA The poll 0f698 “likely voters”
was conducted from Oct. 16 to 18,
with a 3.8 percent margin of error.
Bus loads of national media peo
ple followed Edwards to every stop,
giving him the chance to parry argu
ments made by the Bush-Cheney
campaign, which is working just as
heavily in the state.
, Vice President Dick Cheney, in a
Thesday visit to Ohio, asserted that
Kerry and Edwards would not be
ONLINE
UNC professor talks on international voting issues
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for continuing elections coverage and more stories.
Serving the students and the University community since 1893
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Junior Meghan Gurlitz shops Wednesday night in
the Harris Teeter located on U.S. 15-501 across
from University Mall. Harris Teeter and many
other local stores are stocking up on candy, pumpkins
and other holiday accouterments for the Halloween fes
able to defend major U.S. cities from
a potential terrorist nuclear attack.
Edwards defended the Democratic
ticket, noting that the Sept 11,2001,
attacks happened under the current
administration’s watch.
He then addressed health care,
college tuition increases, the Iraq
war and job losses —a sore spot
in Ohio where there are at least
140,000 more unemployed than
there were when Bush took office
in January 2001.
Edwards’ Ohio bus tour conclud
ed in Steubenville with a conversa
tion between the vice presidential
contender and several steelworkers.
“We’re in bankruptcy, Sen.
Edwards,” Ronnie Blatt said.
Edwards responded by claim
ing that the president’s inaction
has led to hundreds of thousands
of jobs being lost in Ohio.
“All you have to do is look at a
candidate who comes to Ohio and
tells you all these jobs lost is a myth,”
Edwards said. “(Bush and Cheney)
need to know that it’s not a myth,
and the best way for them to know
that is for them to lose their jobs.”
His stump speech lighted on
issues from the Kerry-Edwards plat
form, which includes a plan to help
students pay for college if they do
two years of community service.
The College Board reported
'Riesday that tuition at public uni
versities nationwide rose an average
of 10.5 percent this year, the second
SEE EDWARDS, PAGE 4
INSIDE
MOCK THE VOTE
Orange County students hold an
imitation election event PAGE 10
www.dthonline.com
Calabria rejects legislation
BILL ON NEGATIVE CAMPAIGNING
DEEMED TOO ARDUOUS, VAGUE
BY BRIAN HUDSON
ASSISTANT UNIVERSITY EDITOR
Student Body President Matt
Calabria vetoed Wednesday a Student
Congress bill that defines negative
campaigning in the Student Code,
marking the first use of the privilege
in more than a year.
Calabria based his decision on the
legislation’s failure to give the Board
of Elections the power to penalize
negative campaigning, according to
a rationale released Tuesday night to
JACK-O-ALL-TRADES
E Jnr fzl
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/TONY DEJAK
Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards shakes hands with
supporters after giving a speech in New Philadelphia, Ohio, on Wednesday.
top student government officials.
“The hill as it currently stands fails
to meet this goal,” Calabria stated in
his rationale. “It attempts to adjust free
speech rather than to arm the Board
of Elections with the ability to correct
clear wrongs in an expedient manner.”
The bill, which Congress approved
Oct. 12 in a contentious 13-5 vote,
defines negative campaigning as slan
derous and libelous expression.
It states that “no candidate or cam
paign worker shall be allowed to make
tivities. The Chapel Hill police force is readying for the
annual Halloween bash that brings thousands of people
to the town each year. Even with Halloween falling on
a Sunday, crowds this year are expected to reach about
70,000, just shy of last year's record-breaking turnout.
INSIDE
HOT WHEELS
Students trade traditional transit for more
unique methods of making class PAGE 11
an unsubstantiated, subjective and
defamatory remark about another can
didate or campaign worker. Personal
attacks do not include critical analysis
of another campaign or worker.”
In his rationale, Calabria explained
that this requirement was too subjec
tive. “The use of the word ‘and’ means
that an actor must violate all three.
This is nearly impossible to prove.”
He also took issue with the wording
of the legislation.
“If certain speech is subjective, it
may also be warranted in ways that do
not meet the rigor of objective truth,
meaning that a violator could justify a
statement with any reason,” he stated.
“Also, the term ‘defamatory’ is unde-
DTH/CARTER MURPHY
UNC aims to cement
downloading details
BY KATIE HOFFMANN
STAFF WRITER
The exact details of the
University’s pilot music down
loading program, slated to be
implemented in January, have yet
to be cemented despite growing
anticipation.
Officials said they still must
determine how students will
access the program, which com
panies will provide services for
UNC and specific details about
contract agreements.
“We’re still trying to figure out
the best and easiest way for stu
dents to access the program,” said
Tom Warner, director of coordi
nated technology management
for the UNC system.
Administrators said they plan
to use next semester as a test run
for the new program.
“Pilot programs are, by defi
nition, when you work out any
kinks,” said Jeanne Smythe,
UNC’s director of computing
policy. “We need to make sure we
can support it and meet all the
students’ needs.”
Officials said the University will
begin supplying pre-loaded music
and targeted educational content
to students as a means of qpinforc
ing positive legal behavior.
This program is designed to aug
ment education and to curb illegal
downloading, which is an Honor
Code violation and a problem at
the University, Smythe said.
“We get complaints every week,
WEATHER
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SATURDAY Partly cloudy, H 66, L 49
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2004
fined, allowing the Board of Elections
far too much leeway to determine
what is defamatory.”
Calabria expressed concern that
such vague terms would lead to prob
lems during the campaign season.
“With little legal clarity to rely on,
a board might unnecessarily buckle,
acting too quickly to fine an innocent
campaign,” he stated. “Unclear about
what is legal, candidates and cam
paigners will experience a chilling
effect on their speech.”
The bill now is sent back to Congress,
where representatives can either vote
on the bill again or make revisions.
SEE VETO, PAGE 4
Forum
takes on
benefits
Officials lend ear
to employee woes
BY JENNY RUBY
STAFF WRITER
Hope met with skepticism
Wednesday morning in Gerrard
Hall as University employees dis
cussed the contentious issue of
state employee health care.
The problem of inadequate ben
efits has become a point of concern
for state employees in the last sev
eral years as costs have risen while
incomes have remained stagnant.
“This is a national problem,”
said N.C. Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, D-
Orange. “We’re in a meltdown. If
we can do something on a smaller
scale, it would be a very important
contribution to (workers’) lives.”
At the community meeting,
hosted by the Employee Forum,
University officials presented plans
to improve benefits and listened
intently to employee feedback.
During the meeting, employees
overwhelmingly said the current
state plan demands too much
money from workers. Other issues
discussed included dependent
coverage, accessibility, alternative
choices and long-term care.
Employees also voiced concern
about understanding which of their
SEE BENEFITS, PAGE 4
almost every day,” she said. “I
would hope that as these kinds of
service offerings are provided, ille
gal downloading would go down.”
Some students also acknowl
edged the tendencies for students
to download illegally and the need
to present another option.
“I think it’s great that they’re
going to offer a legal alternative to
what everyone’s doing now,” said
sophomore Matthew Harrell.
The program will be financed
by a grant obtained from a major
music label. Officials have yet to
release the name of the company.
If the pilot run is successful,
minimal payment from students
who live on campus and want to
access the program will fund a
permanent setup.
Smythe said that if the program
is continued next fall, she expects
costs per student to be about $2
per month or $lO per semester.
Some students noted that this
program would be less expensive
than other legal options.
“I think it’s a great idea,” said
junior Varun Talukdar. “Not only
is it legal, but it’s a lot cheaper
than CDs.”
Despite lingering in the early
stages of planning, members of the
team developing the program said
they are optimistic about the out
come. “I think it’s an exciting thing
for us to try out,” Smythe said.
Contact the University Editor
at udesk@unc.edu.
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