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2 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2004 Many vie for court positions BY AARON PRUITT STAFF WRITER When voters enter their polling place Tuesday, they will be met with the usual array of partisan races. Stuffed toward the end of the ballot, however, are a pair of non partisan elections for the N.C. Supreme Court. In these races, candidates are not listed by party preference, making it important that voters make deci sions ahead of time. The first seat is held by incumbent ELECTION 2004 Sarah Parker, who earned her juris doctorate from UNC-Chapel Hill and served as a judge for almost 20 years. She was elected to the state Supreme Court in 1992. Running against Parker is John Tyson, a judge on the N.C. Court of Appeals. According to his Web site, Parker supports the death penalty and is against abortion and same sex marriages. The second seat was held by Hopefuls promise to improve schools BY BROOKE M. GOTTLIEB STAFF WRITER The superintendent of public instruction is held accountable for the education of 1.3 million chil dren in North Carolina. On Nov. 2, Democrat June Atkinson and Republican Bill Flgtcher will vie for the opportu nity to hold that responsibility. Former Superintendent Mike Ward retired from the seat Aug. 31 after his wife was offered a bishop position in Mississippi. “We’ve got a lot of things we need to improve in schools,” Atkinson said. “I’m not a person who accepts the status quo.” She said that while test scores demonstrate achievements in ele mentary schools, the dropout rate in high schools indicates that those schools still need improvement. She said bettering education when students enter high school by creat ing smaller learning environments and providing extra help sessions would decrease dropouts. “We need to make the notion that colleges can be in (students’) future.” In her 33-year career in edu- CHUNKY GONE WILD. 4|p tie . _ m *• J^K b ' JH IT FILLS YOU UP RIGHT." Associate Justice Robert Orr, who stepped down last month. Eight can didates are vying for his spot: ■ Ronnie Ansley, an alumnus of N.C. State University and the Mississippi College School of Law, said in his mission statement that he is uniquely qualified to serve because of his varied work experience, which ranges from private law practice to serving as a sales representative for a feed and grain company. ■ Rachel Lea Hunter is an attor ney for a pre-paid legal service. According to Hunter’s Web site, her top three priorities are a strict inter pretation of the law, an opposition to public funding of judicial elections and increasing conservative repre sentation on college campuses. ■ Howard Manning now serves on the N.C. Superior Court Manning asked not to be endorsed by any party, saying that it undermines the judicial process. He recently ruled that the state is underfunding its poor school districts and demanded that the General Assembly provide Democrat June Atkinson and Republican Bill Fletcher are competing to lead education. cation, Atkinson was a teacher in Virginia and North Carplina, a president of national teaching organizations and the state direc tor of instructional services. She said her experiences have given her knowledge of different school districts and influence over the education of the children. Atkinson said Fletcher, who has worked with one county, has lim ited experience, whereas she has worked with all of the districts in the state. “We don’t have the time to have a superintendent who needs to learn on the job,” she said. But Fletcher said the state edu cational system would benefit from the necessary money. ■ Betsy McCrodden has served as a judge on the N.C. Court of Appeals and an assistant attorney general. “The only agenda a judge should bring to the bench is an undiminished dedication to the integrity of the judicial process,” she states on her Web site. ■ Fred Morrison is a senior administrative law judge for the N.C. Office of Administrative Hearings. According to his Web site, he told the League of Women Voters that the top challenge facing the state’s judicial system is a lack of adequate funding. ■ Paul Newby, a Duke alumnus, states on his Web site that activist judges “pose a threat to the rule of law and our civil liberties.” Newby is an assistant U.S. attorney for the eastern part of the state. ■ Marvin Schiller states on his Web site that he has won disabil ity benefits for 5,000 firefighters, police, public educators and gov ernment employees in his career. his leadership. For il years, Fletcher has served on the Wake County Board of Education, where he promoted Goal 2003, which helped 91 percent of Wake County third graders in 1998 to read at or above grade level by the time they entered eighth grade. He said such accomplishments attract teachers to the county. “It’s that kind of goal-setting that we need to do at the state level.” Although Fletcher acknowl edged recent gains in N.C. pub lic schools, he said the education system still needs improvement to prepare students for life in an increasingly technological world. “We’re still mired in the pack, compared to other states,” he said. “Our graduates have to be prepared to take on higher education and the knowledge workforce.” Fletcher also criticized the achievement gap in North Carolina. “My opponent is really happy to chug at a 1 or 2 percent gap increase,” he said. He also said studies show that education methods used in elementary schools, such as the News ■ Judge James Wynn has held a seat on the N.C. Court of Appeals for 14 years and served as a captain in the U.S. Navy. He, like many of the other justices, is against judi cial activism. If elected, he will be the first bhick member of the state Supreme Court in 20 years. Schorr Johnson, commu nications director for the N.C. Democratic Party, said that though the party does not endorse any can didate, it recognizes Parker, Wynn, Ansley, McCrodden and Morrison as registered Democrats. Kevin Howell, communications director for the N.C. Republican Party, said the party endorsed Tyson for the first seat and Newby for the second. “These are the two best candi dates for the job,” Howell said. Justices are elected without pri maries, so the two candidates with the most votes Tuesday will win. Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu. ABCs accountability model, do not decrease the dropout rate when students enter high school. “We need to focus on reading, and we should not take no for an answer,” Fletcher said, adding that his expe rience demonstrates that setting higher expectations drums up sup port from the public. “The reality is that our schools will be only as good as our citizens want them to be.” Contact the State £2 National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu. Committee mulls changes to Code BY KATHRYN BALES STAFF WRITER The Finance Committee of Student Congress held a public hearing Wednesday evening to discuss possible amendments to Title Vof the Student Code the section that deals with financial affairs. The hearing was aimed at solicit ing input on the amendments from students and organizations who would be affected by the them. But this venture did not go as planned, and only two representa tives from student organizations attended the meeting. Ashley Beard, treasurer for the Minority Student Caucus, was the only representative from an orga nization to speak to the Finance Committee. aa to*. THE SONJA HAYNES 1 STQNE CENTER FOR BLACK CULTURE AND HISTORY Sonja Haynes Stone Memorial Lecture , ■ 7 p.m. Nov. 9at j9flK The Stone Center ; , Free The 11th Annual Memorial Lecture will be delivered by , Precious Stone, daughter of Sonja Haynes Stone. POSTPONED: Kit Nnenna Freelon Benefit Concert jfijiP' Due to scheduling conflicts with the UNC JH f f Homecoming festivities, the October 30 !k Nnenna Freelon performances have been |9 postponed until a later date. For more into: (9 I 9) 992-900 I THE Nanette Lepore New Arrivals from: UHy Pulitzer |~> . . San Francisco, CA Betsey Jbhnson MnHflL IjOiJrLICJLIO Jacksonville, FL Tracy Reese mHB IfpmC Florence, SC Nicole MiHer \|U I tCI 110 Greenwich, CT BCBG VSllll P Fort Lauderda,e ’ fl - & New Shoe Arrivals 431 W. Franklin Street, across from the Carolina Brewery 919-967-4035 Out-of-state voters weigh registration BY KATIE HOFFMANN STAFF WRITER The youth vote could prove piv otal in Tuesday’s presidential elec tion, a fact that caused many out of-state students at UNC to wonder where their ballots would make the most impact. And now that the deadline to reg ister in North Carolina has passed, many are evaluating whether they made the right decision. The student vote could have a strong influence on determining which candidate wins the state’s still-up-for grabs electoral votes, said Amon Anderson, ELECTION 2004 chairman of Vote Carolina, student government’s voter initiative. “You have to keep in mind that the majority of polls reflect likely voters, which means those who voted in the last two elections,” he said. “That doesn’t include any of the students here. I think people will be surprised by the voice of student voting.” Before the Oct. 8 deadline, out of-state students were faced with the decision of whether to register in North Carolina or to vote by absentee ballot Members of the Young Democrats said several out-of-state students’ decisions on where to vote were based on whether their home states were “swing states,” or areas in which the race remains close. “If they were coming from states that were strongly for one candidate or another, then we urged them to change to North Carolina,” said sophomore Dustin Ingalls, a YD member. “But if they were coming Representatives from Student Congress introduced the eight proposed amendments. Student Body Treasurer Natalie Russell explained the section and the pro posed changes. These changes include revi sions to clauses that are outdated, difficult to understand or that do not meet the high standards for which Student Congress strives, she said. Russell said the most important and influential amendment pro posed concerns the criteria a group must meet in order to request funding. Daneen Furr, chairwoman of the committee, suggested that a requirement be added to this section stating that “to appear in front of the Finance Committee, a STOCK EXCHANGE atjr Saily (Ear Hrri from states like Ohio or Florida, we told them to do absentee.” Julia Shalen, a junior from California, said it was more impor tant for her to vote in North Carolina because her home state habitually falls into the Democrats’ column. “Every vote here counts,” she said. “Besides, I also like to be involved in the local politics where I live.” Anderson also emphasized the importance for out-of-state students to change their registra tions so they can vote in state and municipal elections. Not all out-of-state students have decided to switch their regis tration. Many said they don’t know enough about state politics to make an informed decision. “Politics are more important to me where I live,” said Michelle Ralston, a sophomore from Memphis, Tenn. “Besides, I’m not familiar with North Carolina politics.” But Anderson said VoteCEirolina has made efforts to provide students with information about candidates. “You can’t hold someone’s hand to the polls. If you recognize the need to vote in local elections, then you can find access to resources.” Out-of-state students were not the only voters confronted with the decision of whether or not to re-register. Many in-state students also changed their registration to Orange County. “I have a hard time keeping up with what’s going on 100 miles away,” said junior Seth Dearmin from Pinnacle. “And I think it’s important to be involved here.” Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu. student organization must be offi cially recognized by the Carolina Student Union, and must have a certified (treasurer) who had passed the Treasurer's Test admin istered by the (student body trea surer).” Furr said it is inefficient when an organization’s treasurer who has not passed the test comes before the committee. “What that actually results in is a waste of time for all of us,” she said. Russell said she knows there will be those who are not happy with the proposed requirement. “It sucks for them, but it isn’t fair for them to be competing against other groups who got the Treasurer’s Test in on time,” Russell said. Beard offered suggestions to improve the publicity of student government hearings. She said she believes e-mail notices are necessary, in addition to the fliers and Web site informa tion available about these events and services. Beard also addressed the Treasurers Test, saying that she is in the process of studying for it and that it seems to be difficult. “I’m asking for ways to help make it easier for me to make your lives easier.” Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu. ®lj? lailtj (Ear Hrrl P.O. Box 3257, Chapel Hill, NC 27515 Michelle Jarboe, Editor, 962-4086 Advertising & Business, 962-1163 News, Features, Sports, 962-0245 One copy per person; additional copies may be purchased at The Daily Tar Heel for $.25 each. © 2004 DTH Publishing Corp. All rights reserved
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