Newspapers / The Daily Tar Heel. / Oct. 25, 2004, edition 1 / Page 1
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VOLUME 112, ISSUE 94 UNC’s lawsuit saga begins next chapter OFFICIALS SLATED TO REACT TODAY IN FRATERNITY BATTLE BY STEPHANIE NEWTON STAFF WRITER The University is set to respond today to a federal lawsuit that was filed Aug. 25 by a Christian civil rights group when students were just returning to classes. The Alliance Defense Fund stands poised for combat on behalf of Alpha lota Omega, a three-mem ber Christian fraternity that was denied official UNC recognition. After refiising last fall to sign the nondiscrimination and sexual ori entation policies that are required of all UNC organizations, the fra ternity members enlisted the sup port of national civil rights organi On the Road The DTH follows the highlights and low points of a presidential campaign Voters in Fla. aim to escape the past BY CLEVE R. WOOTSON JR. SENIOR WRITER BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. - The anger many Florida voters felt at the sites Democratic vice presiden tial nominee John Edwards visited Friday went beyond the “redefeat Bush” buttons people in the crowd wore. It went further than the dis- dain the crowd showed for two women with signs support ing indepen dent candidate Ralph Nader the man some say helped Democratic candidate Al Gore lose the state in 2000 by taking away liberal votes. It went so I % - " ;5 *" N.C. Senator John Edwards toured Florida on Friday and spoke to voters. far, in fact, that it might wind up going to a place it rarely visits: the voting booth. Edwards, North Carolina’s senior senator, played heavily on voters’ sense of disenfranchise ment in a tour of the state Friday, making it the central theme of his travels from Boynton Beach in the morning to a 6 p.m. rally in Jacksonville. In 2000, George W. Bush won Florida’s 25 electoral votes —and, in turn, the presidency by 537 votes in a race in which 5.9 million Floridians cast ballots. But the process was marred by questions about faulty ballots and voter lists, as well as a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to stop a recount of the state’s votes more than a month after Election Day. Tens of thousands of ballots were thrown out many from black voters. On Friday, rally attendees from a diverse swath of Florida’s elec torate, many of whom still remem ber that election, were stirred by Edwards’ words in the packed Tamarac Community Center gym nasium in Broward County. “I have to say, we know because we’ve seen it before, we know our opponents are going to be up to their same old tricks trying to keep people from voting, trying to make sure people don’t get to the polls,” Edwards said to an applaud- SEE EDWARDS, PAGE 7 ONLINE Groups rally at UNC to boost Democratic cause Local GOP candidates commiserate at picnic For these stories and more, visit<www.dthonline.com. Serving the students and the University community since 1893 ®hi' daily oar Heel zations to fight for what they con sider their First Amendment right to freedom of association. The University has held that it must compromise between students’ First Amendment rights and those freedoms from discrimination stipu lated by the Fourteenth Amendment and the N.C. Constitution. But history doesn’t always repeat itself, and today will deter mine how UNC will follow a path already laid. In 2002, the University struck two deals of religious sensitivity. As part of its Summer Reading Program, UNC originally required all incoming students to read WuHm ¥ i -MM A young boy scales a climbing wall Saturday night at the N.C. State Fair. The fair, which closed down Sunday after what organizers deemed a successful week, featured the typical array Legend’s show draws sold-out crowd BY JIM WALSH ASSISTANT ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR After much controversy and debate, the Homecoming concert opened Sunday to a sold-out crowd of 650 in the intimate confines of the George Watts Hill Alumni Center. John Legend, who was tapped for the performance after the Carolina Athletic Association failed to secure rock band Sister Hazel, played his sig nature R&B piano music, interjecting casual banter between songs. “Y’all really represented tonight,” INSIDE ELECTION 2004 Read the first stories in the DTH's series profiling candidates PAGE 3 www.dUionline.com and write a response paper on “Approaching the Qur’an: The Early Revelations,” translated and introduced by Michael Sells. But the University later changed its requirements and stated that students with religious objections did not need to read the book. Later that year, Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship an orga nization that excludes practicing homosexuals from leadership posi tions because they do not follow the example of the life of Christ received a letter from University officials to inform members that they were not in compliance with the nondiscrimination policy. The policy states that groups must allow membership and par ticipation without regard to age, race, color, national origin, religion, disability, sex or sexual orientation. A VIEW FROM THE TOP DTH/HUNTER MCRAE of down-home cooking, midway games, topsy-turvy rides and exhibitions on the state’s agriculture as well as a pair of shows by “American Idol” alumnus Clay Aiken. For the complete story, please see page 6. Legend said to an enthusiastic crowd, which at the beginning of the show had already given him several stand ing ovations. The concert, for which Legend charged $5,000 in artist’s fees, was a joint effort between the CAA and the Carolina Union Activities Board. “We’re glad that we were able to bring an artist to campus for Homecoming,” said CAA President Lindsay Strunk. The two student groups chose Legend because his music appeals to But in December of that year, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, a Philadelphia based individual liberties orga nization, threatened to press charges against UNC for violat ing the First Amendment if it did not allow Inter Varsity to exclude non-Christians from leadership positions. UNC avoided legal action when Chancellor James Moeser issued a statement and allowed Inter Varsity to be exclusive in its requirements for leaders as long as qualifications for general membership remained nondiscriminatory. Both sides were satisfied with the Inter Varsity bargain, and UNC spared itself from severing strong ties with the group, which has three SEE LAWSUITS, PAGE 7 the diversity on campus, Strunk said. T. J. Abrams, chairman of CUAB’s Performing Arts Committee, proposed bringing Legend to campus after the first Homecoming act fell through. He said everything about the show worked like clockwork. “It’s something different,” he said. “We look forward to bringing a lot of different types of events.” Legend, an up-and-coming star who has toured with Kanye West and SEE LEGEND, PAGE 7 SPORTS BEATER OF THE PACK The men's soccer team wins its fourth straight, downing N.C. State 2-0 PAGE 12 Ohio’s swings hold sway in national race BY MARK PUENTE STAFF WRITER The outcome of the presidential election might boil down to one state Republicans and Democrats consider a symbolic prize in every race for the White House —and it’s not Florida. No Republican has ever cap tured the White ELECBn House without cap turing Ohio’s 20 electoral votes. And only two Democrats in the 20th century, Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy, won the presidency with out winning the Buckeye State. Now, President Bush and his Democratic challenger, John Kerry, are racking up thousands of frequent flier miles in an attempt to seize pivotal swing votes in the must-win state. “Ohio swings back and forth,” said David Paul, professor of political science at Ohio State University-Newark. “It tends to go with the winner.” Pundits have identified 11 swing states in the 2004 election, with Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida gamering the most attention. In the battle over Ohio, Bush and Kerry are fighting hard to win Toledo, which has never witnessed so much attention. “It’s bigger than anything that has ever happened in Toledo,” said Lynn Bachelor, professor of political science at the University of Toledo. But Bush and Kerry might consider the city the epicenter of their campaigns. Nestled along the shores of Lake Erie in the north west comer of the state, its airwaves have been deluged with campaign ads at levels never seen before. More than 14,300 ads have hit SEE OHIO, PAGE 7 Seniors to vote on gift Tuesday Officials proffer 4 possible legacies BY HEATHER ANDREWS STAFF WRITER Senior class officials were cau tious in narrowing the senior gift ideas down to four choices including physical and intangible options. Now, after releasing the choices last week, they said they hope that at least one gift idea will spark each senior’s interest, making the gift a testament to the spirit of the class. Several students responded well to the class officials’ efforts, and they will get a chance to vote for their favorite on Student Central on Tuesday. On Thursday, senior marshals set up a table in Polk Place to show case the possible gifts: a campus beautification project through the N.C. Arts Program, a 9/11 memorial garden located on North Campus, a student television station that would run 24-hour commercials for student organizations and two travel/service scholarships. DTH/GARRETT HALL Pianist John Legend performs at the George Watts Hill Alumni Center on Sunday night as part of UNC's Homecoming week. WVlkftl II Ml TODAY Partly cloudy, H 70, L 48 TUESDAY Sunny, H 71, L 46 WEDNESDAY Partly cloudy, H 70, L 47 MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2004 SWING STATES These 11 states, feted here with current polling data and electoral vote tallies, are still in play. ■ Went for Bush in 2000 B Went for Gore in 2000 Colorado _____ Bush 52, Kerry 45 Survey USA pod. Oct, 20 Florida Bush 46, Kerry 46 SUL St. Petersburg rimes/Miami Herald ° Ct2l j| lowa IMA Bush 50, Kerry 46 Survey USA. Oct. 20 8888 Michigan Kerry 49, Bush 43 EPIC/MRA Oct. 21 Hj^B Bush 48, Kerry 46 Rasmussen, Oct. 22 JUsUr Nevada Hfll Bush 49, Keny 47 Research 2000, Oct. 21 New Hampshire A Kerry 49, Bush 47 Rasmusssen, Oct. 18 MB m New Mexico Kerry 48, Bush 46 American Research Group, Oct. 18 Ohio Kerry 49, Bush 43 Ohio University, Oct. 21 ■HjflV Pennsylvania Kerry 48, Bush 46 Muhlenberg College, Oct. 22 AHA Wisconsin Bush 49. Kerry 46 Strategic Vision, Oct. 19 SOURCE: ELECTORAt-VOTE.COM DTH/MICHELLE FURLER “(The event) was a huge success,” said David Ruskey, chief marshal of the senior class. “Everybody seemed so excited about each of the options.” Though senior mathematics major Vemia Hall said she doesn’t know which she will vote for, she said class officials have succeeded in creating a broad range of choices. But some students said they wished there had been more pub licity about the senior gifts before last week. “It would be more ideal to have dialogue (about the gift) earlier,” said Sean Marimpietri, a senior linguistics and anthropology dou ble major. “The whole point of it is to talk about it.” Becca Frucht, senior class vice president, said extensive research and the timing of Fall Break con tributed to the late release. She SEE CUSS GIFT, PAGE 7 <£*
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