4
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2004
Congress to review energy fee
BY KRISTLE SPELLMAN
STAFF WRITER
The Rules and Judiciary
Committee of Student Congress
passed a resolution onto the
full body Thursday that says the
group should hold a referendum
to renew the student fee for renew
able energy.
The fee, which costs full-time
students $4 each semester, is set to
expire without student approval.
“A lot of students want to see it
continued, and if not, they should
be given the chance to say so,” said
Speaker Pro Tern Jennifer Orr.
If Congress passes the resolution,
students will have a chance to vote
in February on whether to continue
the $4 fee, which funds projects
initiated in student government’s
renewable energy committee.
T\vo years ago, 75 percent of the
student body approved the fee.
Congress Speaker Charlie
Anderson, who formerly served as
chairman of the committee, intro
duced the resolution and gave an
account of the success he said the
committee already has seen.
Meeting set to discuss noisy issue
BY BRIANNA BISHOP
STAFF WRITER
Orange County’ residents will
have a chance this month to dis
cuss their complaints about the
area’s noise ordinance.
The Nov. 22 meeting of
the Orange County Board of
Commissioners will feature a pul>
lie hearing during which commis
sioners will hear concerns about
noise and consider amending the
county’s ordinance.
The board will consider changes
to the maximum frequency and
intensity standards, as well as
means of enforcement and mea
suring violations.
Under current legislation, the
county limits noise at 60 decibels
during daylight hours and 50 at
night, according to Craig Benedict,
county planning director, who said
he sees problems with how to. mea
sure a noise violation.
“An intermittent loud noise may
not meet the standards of being in
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The committee has begun sev
eral programs and formed plans
for installing solar panels on the
roof of the soon-to-be-renovated
Morrison Residence Hall.
Anderson said the University
has been leading the way in the
Southeast for utilizing alternatives
to nonrenewable energy sources.
“We were the first of its kind
in the Southeast, and as a result,
three other schools in the South
have initiated programs,” he said.
While members of the commit
tee debated the legislation, the
biggest issue that arose was the
■ amount of money the $4 fee has
given the committee.
Although the fee was passed
two years ago, Anderson said that
this was the first semester that the
fee was collected, and that it pro
duced about $185,000. It is pro
jected to bring in that amount in
subsequent years.
In addition to the seven stu
dents who serve on the commit
tee, four administrators also work
to further its goals. Anderson said
their input helps to provide over
violation of our noise ordinance
because of our duration criteria,”
Benedict said. He explained that
the current ordinance doesn’t have
strict standards regulating short
bursts of noise.
The decision to hold a public
hearing stems from noise com
plaints among county residents,
said Commissioner Margaret
Brown. She added that the ordi
nance has not been reviewed in a
long time.
At the hearing, specific amend
ments will not be suggested,
Benedict said.
Rather, the hearing will provide
a forum for discussing various
options. Afterward, potential revi
sions to the ordinance will be writ
ten up in preparation for another
hearing.
“(The ordinance) needs to be
revisited to see if we need to change
anything,” said Orange County
Sheriff Lindy Pendergrass.
He added that the ordinance must
sight of the funds.
Luke Farley, chairman of the
Rules and Judiciary Committee,
expressed concern about the ref
erendum. He said that the fee pro
vides a lot of money and that he
would like to see how those funds
have been spent.
Anderson told Congress mem
bers that this year’s fee is in a bank
account and will not be used until
the solar panels are purchased and
placed on the roof of Morrison, a
project expected to be complete by
2007.
“A lot of things came up tonight,
like where the money is, what kind
of account is it in if it’s earning
interest, then the fee could go
down and the interest could be
used,” Farley said.
Despite Farley’s concerns, the
committee voted in favor of the
referendum.
Congress will take on the issue
during its full meeting Tuesday
night.
Con tact the University Editor
at udesk@ unc.edu.
be studied to see if its standards are
sufficient or if commissioners should
change it.
Benedict said that only residents
of Orange County living outside
municipal areas will be affected
by changes to the ordinance. The
towns set their own standards.
“I think Orange County is in
transition between urban noises
and rural noises,” he said.
Carrboro’s noise ordinance
does not state specific limits, but
it addresses noise related to loud
music, parties, construction, motor
vehicles and firearms. Violators can
be charged a fine.
The noise ordinance for Chapel
Hill sets limits of 60 decibels during
the day and 50 decibels at night
“We certainly have a lot of
problems with noise,” said Gregg
Jarvies, Chapel Hill police chief.
Many issues arise from late
night parties and neighborhood
noise problems, he said.
Orange County responded to
about 186 complaints dealing
with loud music, and roughly 120
other noise problems including
fireworks, loud mufflers and bark
ing dogs from November 2003
to October 2004, Pendergrass
said.
Jarvies said police responded to
about 1,200 noise complaints last
year in Chapel Hill, particularly in
University communities.
Contact the City Editor
at citydesk@unc.edu.
—H—
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News
Day to offer appreciation
for University employees
Taskforce asks
for event’s revival
BY AL KILLEFFER
STAFF WRITER
Campus employees work for
the University every day, but today
UNC will work for them.
Employee leaders said they are
eagerly anticipating what they hope
will be one of the biggest and most
successful Employee Appreciation
Days in recent years.
“We’re hoping for a great turn
out,” said Katherine Graves, vice
chairwoman of the Employee
Forum. “(We hope) to create a lot
of interest among employees.”
The initiative grew out of recom
mendations from the Chancellor’s
Task Force for a Better Workplace.
The appreciation day is part of
the task force’s overarching goals to
improve the overall working envi
ronment for employees.
Asa result of budget cuts, the
event has shrunk in size in recent
years, said Tommy Griffin, co-chair
man of the task force and chairman
of the Employee Forum.
County to eye homelessness
BY ADAM W. RHEW
STAFF WRITER
On Nov. 18, members of the
Orange County community
including area politicians will
meet to discuss the problem of
homelessness.
But a controversy over the date
of the meeting will leave some of
those local leaders unable to par
ticipate.
The Orange County Roundtable
Discussion on Homelessness
scheduled for a Thursday —a
day that concerns many Carrboro
aldermen.
They said the meeting should
be held on a Saturday, when
more community members could
attend.
Alderman Jackie Gist was
the first member of the Board of
Aldermen to raise concern about
the date of the roundtable.
“I don’t believe you caff have
a community roundtable when
members of the community can’t
attend,” she said.
Carrboro Mayor Pro Tem Diana
McDuffee also was concerned. She
said Thursday that the town did
not have a say in setting the date.
“We really knew nothing about
An employee survey conducted
by the task force revealed that
workers wanted to revitalize the
day.
Shelly Green, a member of
the appreciation day commit
tee, said even the day’s theme,
“Always Forward: Educational
and Advancement Opportunities
at UNC-Chapel Hill,” came out of
the task force’s questionnaire, as
did many of the day’s programs.
Event organizers also have set up
an entire morning of educational
classes and lectures led by senior
campus administrators.
Three different types of classes
are being held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
throughout the morning. There
will be financial education sessions
in Dey Hall, professional develop
ment sessions in the Sonja Haynes
Stone Center for Black Culture and
History and leadership sessions in
Fetzer Gym.
Event planners noted that the
day won’t just be about education
fun and relaxation, will figure
prominently as well.
At the main event, which will be
held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the
courtyard between the old and new
this until we were asked to vote to
spend money on one-third of the
cost,” she said.
But Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin
Foy said Carrboro town staff mem
bers were consulted before a com
mittee charged with organizing the
project set the meeting date.
“It is up to each town’s staff to
communicate information to their
elected officials,” he said.
In a letter sent to Carrboro Mayor
Mike Nelson on Wednesday, Foy
states that he hopes Carrboro will
be represented at the discussion.
“We believe that this work could
lead to development of a plan
to end homelessness in Orange
County,” the letter states.
Nelson said he had not received
that letter as of early Thursday
afternoon.
On Oct. 11, the event’s plan
ning committee sent a letter to
the Orange Cotinty Board of
Commissioners requesting that the
county pay one-third of a SI,OOO
facilitator fee.
The Board of Aldermen and the
Chapel Hill Town Council both
received similar requests.
On Wednesday, commissioners
approved a recommendation from
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Student Unions, employees will be
able to enjoy the bluegrass band
Sunny Side and win door prizes.
They also will have the oppor
tunity to listen to a host of guest
speakers, including Chancellor
James Moeser, Board of Trustees
Chairman Richard “Stick” Williams
and 2004 Miss North Carolina
USA Ashley Puleo, who is also a
student in the dental school.
All faculty and staff also will
receive a 20 percent discount on
the full price of the breakfast and
lunch hot bar at Lenoir Dining Hall
and a 35 percent discount at the
Bull’s Head Bookshop until 8 p.m.
In addition, campus depart
ments and benefits vendors will
have information booths from
9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Fetzer Gym.
Representatives from a number of
organizations, including Employee
Health, Information Technology
Services and Dell Computers, will
be present
Griffin said the day will be full
of “food, fun, education and door
prizes.”
Contact the University Editor
at udesk@unc.edu.
“There is a
commitment to
addressing this
problem as a whole
community
JACKIE GIST, ALDERMAN
County Manager John Link to allot
the funds.
Foy said the town of Chapel Hill
would most likely pay for Carrboro’s
portion of the fee. All parties
agreed that the issue of homeless
ness needs to be addressed.
“This issue is of utmost impor
tance to us,” Nelson said.
Gist shared similar sentiments.
“There is a commitment to
addressing this problem as a whole
community,” she said.
The roundtable discussion
remains scheduled for Nov. 18 from
8:30 a.m. to noon.
It will be held at the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,
located at 1050 Airport Road.
Contact the City Editor
at citydesk@unc.edu.