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VOLUME 112, ISSUE 95 Leaders’ stipends could be nullified Compensation one of many issues on ballot BY LIZZIE STEWART STAFF WRITER Students will vot<* on Student Central today to put to rest a contentious and divi sive issue in Student Congress over the issu ance of stipends to its leaders. This year’s Homecoming election will not only determine who will be crowned Homecoming King and Queen and fill empty seats in Congress, but it also includes a refer endum addressing whether Congress leaders will be compensated for leadership positions. If at least 2.5 percent of the student body approves the referendum today by a simple majority, it will place a provision in the Student Code stating that “no Student Congress member, except the speaker and speaker pro tempore, shall be entitled to monetary compensation.” Kris Wampler, vice chairman of Congress’ Finance Committee, introduced a bill to strike the allocation of stipends from the Code after noticing that it didn’t comply with Title I of the Code, the Student Constitution, which states that officials are not allowed to receive salaries. Members have since corrected the Code to bring it into compliance with the Constitution. Should the referendum pass, it would amend this part of the Constitution and allow the speaker and speaker pro tern to be paid simi lar to top officials in the executive and judicial branches of student government. Speaker Charlie Anderson said the stipends would give the speaker S2OO a month and the speaker pro tern $125 a month, but those amounts might be debated in full Congress. “A lot of people in Congress feel that the two positions not only merit but need a sti pend,” he said. Offering stipends entices qualified can didates who might not otherwise seek the position because they would be unable to get a part-time job and work as a leader of Congress, he said. Neither Anderson nor Speaker Pro Tem Jen Orr accepted their stipends this year. Some Congress officials said leaders should anticipate time constraints that come with taking on the leadership role. “There’s a lot of paranoia, like they need the stipend because they can’t work other wise, and that’s just not true,” Wampler said. Luke Farley, chairman of Congress’ Rules and Judiciary Committee, emphasized the weight this decision has on the student body. “This is their money we’re talking about,” he said. “It’s students who pay these stipends.” Farley said that Congress is based on vol unteering and that allowing stipends might create a divide between members. Walker Rutherfurd, chairman of the Board of Elections, said turnout in referen dum votes should be strong because of the University’s unique orientation to student self-governance. “When something is going to affect all the students on campus ... they need to make their voices heard.” Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu. Ballot includes vote for 9 Congress seats BY STEPHANIE NOVAK STAFF WRITER Voting will take place today to fill nine vacant seats in Student Congress. There is one seat open in District 4 for undergraduates liv ing in Granville Towers; one in District 6 for undergrads living off campus; two in District 7, the arts and sciences and humanities district for graduate students; and five in District 9, which is open to all graduate and professional stu dents in medical schools. Three students are running to fill the seat in the Granville Towers district: freshman Caroline Spencer, sophomore J. Robert Austin and junior Chase ONLINE Students begin examination of campus diversity Greeks see slight increase in fire code violations For these stories and more, visit www.dthonline.com. Serving the students and the University community since 1893 tTbr lailtt ®ar Mrtl Two new motions filed in suit BY EMILY STEEL UNIVERSITY EDITOR Members of the Christian fraternity that filed suit against the University have faded from the spotlight of publicity cast upon them, but lawyers representing both sides continued the saga in federal court Monday. The state Department of Justice filed a motion on behalf of the University to dis miss the Alpha lota Omega Christian fra ternity’s lawsuit in its entirety in the U.S. District Court in Greensboro on Monday. The suit, submitted Aug. 25 by the Alliance Defense Fund, an Arizona-based religious liberties group, fights to reinstate Alpha lota Omega’s official University recognition, which I |j| ||| | . r „ h mmmbmbb Seniors Jim Baker (left) and Alan Woodruff sumo wrestle in the Pit on Monday afternoon. The event was the first of a slate of activities planned for Homecoming week by the Carolina Athletic Association. Events for the week kicked off Friday with a poker tour- Tweel. The other districts currently do not have candidates, but lead ers are encouraging students to submit qualified write-in candi dates. “We are looking for someone active who will do a good job of representing their constituencies,” said Congress Speaker Charlie Anderson. “We are hoping that they are someone who wants to run and aren’t being written in by their buddies.” The representatives originally elected in February either did not accept their seats after being elect- SEE OPEN SEATS, PAGE 5 INSIDE TAKING SIDES Look inside for extended coverage of the lawsuit against UNC PAGE 4 www.dttionliiie.coiii was revoked last fall when members refused to sign nondiscrimination and sexual orienta tion policies with which all campus organiza tions are required to comply. Official recognition provides student groups with access to funding, facilities and institutional support. The fraternity holds that signing the nondiscrimination policy which states that membership and participation should not be based on personal characteristics including race, religion and sexual ori entation would force the evangelical Christian organization to admit students who disagree with its tenets. ADF argues that the freedoms of associa- BELLY FLOP Party volunteers kick into high gear Many make push for one-stop voting BY JAKE POTTER STAFF WRITER If the 2004 elections were a basketball game, campaign vol unteers would be feeling the heat as the second half closes. With candidate debates finished, state and national campaigns are relying on local volunteers to carry the weight until Nov. 2. “It’s a full-court press from now to Election Day,” said senior Andrew Hogan, a member of UNC College Republicans. “It’s getting down to the wire. It’ll be a sprint to the end.” And local political machines are well aware. With one-stop voting already underway, volun teer stumping efforts have grown tion, speech and exercise of religion granted by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantee the fraternity the right to discrimi nate membership based on religious beliefs and to still retain official UNC recognition. On Monday, the Alliance Defense Fund also filed a brief to grant a preliminary injunction that would, in effect, reinstate AIO as an official organization until the lawsuit is resolved. UNC’s motion to dismiss marks the first attempt by any university this year to fight the Alliance Defense Fund in court, said Jordan Lorence, ADF senior counsel. SEE LAWSUIT, PAGE 4 nament and continued throughout the weekend, includ ing a Sunday night concert by R&B balladeer John Legend. The remained of the week boasts a Carolina Idol competition in the Pit, a video game tournament and the election of the Homecoming King and Queen. accordingly. The Orange County Democratic Party office was bustling with activity Friday. One woman hop ing to help with a phone bank was told to come back the following day there was no more room to accommodate volunteers. “Literally, I’m out of chairs. This is the biggest crowd (of vol unteers) I’ve seen in here,” said Paul Guthrie, a volunteer with the Democrats. Volunteer Martha Miller also acknowledged the increased interest. “It’s gotten bigger and bigger and bigger,” she said. “The walk-in SEE PARTIES, PAGE 5 INSIDE GLOBAL FARE Putumayo Latinas to kick off the Carolina Union Performing Arts Series today PAGE 5 DTH/LIRYS CULIINAN DTH/ANDREW SYNOWIEZ Jeannette Tolley and Isla Sanders work Monday at the one-stop voting site at Morehead Planetarium, one of three such sites in Orange County. WEATHER TODAY Partly cloudy, H 68, L 45 WEDNESDAY Partly cloudy, H 70, L 49 THURSDAY Showers, H 64, L 51 TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2004 Group targets rights BY MATT HANSON PROJECTS TEAM LEADER With deep pockets, strong convictions and a matrix of more than 700 lawyers nationwide, the Alliance Defense Fund is well equipped to take on UNC and the nondiscrimination policy the University requires student orga nizations to sign. Since the ADF was found ed in 1993 in Scottsdale, Ariz., by Campus Crusade for Christ founder Bill Bright and four other prominent evangelical Christians, its most high-profile mission has been financing litigation to sup port Christian beliefs. “ADF was founded for a unique purpose: to aggressively defend religious liberty by empowering our allies,” according to the group’s mission statement. A network of like-minded sup porters donates the millions of dollars that make possible the group’s weeklong Christian rights seminars, as well as its ability to take up both high-profile and less prominent cases. During its first year, the group reported about $400,000 in rev enue. Since then, it has strength ened its base of donors, and tax records show that last year it spent about $14.7 million. The lion’s share of that money went to educating lawyers about Christians’ religious rights, giving educational grants and providing direct legal services. Even this hefty sum left more than $1 million in 2003 revenue unspent, available for use in 2004. The group’s ultimate fund-raising goal is to raise $25 million per year. Of the nine universities the Christian-rights advocacy group has helped plaintiffs challenge this year, UNC is the first poised to defend itself in trial if need be. The other universities involved in related lawsuits have included the University of Minnesota, Oklahoma University, Southwest Missouri State University, Texas Tech University, Pennsylvania State University, Ohio State University and— as of last week the University of California- Hastings. Most of these schools agreed to adjust nondiscrimination and free-speech policies, expanding Christian organizations’ rights to express religious views and restrict membership. The suit involving UNC proceed ed Monday when the University filed an initial response in the case. The ADF promptly demanded that Christian fraternity Alpha lota Omega again be recognized as a full student organization, at least for the time being. SEE ADF, PAGE 4
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Oct. 26, 2004, edition 1
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