VOLUME 113, ISSUE 59
With Gulf Coast still reeling, N.C. motorists search for fuel in midst of shortage
BY AMY EAGLEBURGER STAFF WRITER
North Carolina residents suffered from sticker shock
Thursday morning when gas prices leapt to more
than $3 per gallon in most areas.
Widespread rumors of possible shortages also sparked lines
at gas stations reminiscent of the oil crises of the 19705.
“Basically, people just panicked after hearing that there
could be possible shortages,” said Ray Feeler, territory man
ager for Exxon Mobil in Charlotte.
That feeling of panic might actually have worsened the fuel
supply shortage, he said.
The supply disruption stemmed largely from a shutdown
of the two pipelines that supply
most of the state’s fuel needs.
The Colonial Pipeline, originat
ing in Houston, and the Plantation
Pipeline, which starts in Louisiana,
were both affected when Hurricane
Katrina made landfall, knocking out
electricity and disabling pumps.
As early as Wednesday night,
filling stations in Charlotte began
to run dry. By Thursday after
noon, Feeler said two-thirds of the
company’s stations in the area had
completely run out of fuel. The
company expected to resupply
their stations by Friday morning.
The Triangle area also saw some
gas stations closing early as fuel
supplies hit rock bottom.
Judy Barnes, a cashier at the
Exxon on Raleigh Road in Chapel
Hill where unleaded prices reached
$3.20, said they came close to
turning customers away.
“If we hadn’t got (a supply
tank) this morning, we would
have been out of gas at
7:30, 8 this morning,”
she said.
since tire
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turning customers away. ‘
“If we hadn’t got (a supply
tank) this morning, we would
have been out of gas
she said.
Since the -
UNC invites affected students
BY BRIAN HUDSON
UNIVERSITY EDITOR
In an apparent reversal of heart,
campus officials said Thursday that
they will allow some of the college
students displaced by Hurricane
Katrina to attend classes at UNC.
The University’s offer is being
extended to N.C. residents who attend
a school that has been closed because
of damage from the hurricane.
Additionally, UNC-system
President Molly Broad announced
Where the axe will fall: Provost, school deans discuss potential cuts
Robert
Shelton
met with deans
to review
budget cuts.
BY BRIAN HUDSON
UNIVERSITY EDITOR
Provost Robert Shelton met with
deans Thursday to discuss across
the-board cuts in University spend
ing.
The meeting allowed the deans,
who are familiar with how the cuts
would affect their school, to com
municate about the overall picture,
Shelton said.
“They mainly just absorbed the
material.”
Responding to a $6.3 million
online I dailyLurhivl.mm
GETTING FRIENDLY Student group
advocates for Ackland Museum, PAGE 9
CAN'T WE ALL GET ALONG? Religious
groups look to work together, PAGE 7
A THEATER NEAR YOU Locals aim to
bring movie theater to Carrboro, ONLINE
Serving the students and the University community since 1893
01jr lathi ®ar Heel
RUNNING ON EMPTY
original supply problems first
occurred, engineers on the two
pipelines have been working around
the clock to return services.
Stephen Benjamin, director of
the standards division at the N.C.
Department of Agriculture and
Consumer Services, said the real
problem was not the fuel shortage
but the difficulty of moving it.
“The fuel is in the pipeline,” he
said. “The problem is getting it
here.”
The Colonial Pipeline has since
begun to use temporary power gen
erators to revive the pumps needed
to propel fuel along the pipe.
As of Thursday afternoon, the
supply line was operating at 40
SEE GAS PRICES, PAGE 4
Thursday that all 16 UNC-system
schools will accommodate any dis
placed students, though preference
will be given to state residents.
“This is an urgent issue for a lot
of people who had started school
... in many cases with their belong
ings underwater,” Chancellor James
Moeser said in a phone interview.
UNC-Chapel Hill’s announcement
came after days of uncertainty for
many of the displaced students. More
than 75 students have contacted the
reduction in state funds, Shelton pro
posed the cuts to campus leaders last
week.
He proposed a 1.75 percent cut in
academic affairs, such as the College
of Arts and Sciences, and a 2.5 per
cent cut in health affairs, such as the
School of Pharmacy.
The University has weathered sev
eral consecutive years of budget cuts,
and many seemed weary of the news
that more would be coming.
“After five years more of the same,”
said Linda Cronenwett, dean of the
City | page f>
TESTING CHANGE
Officials analyze national SAT
results, released earlier this
week. Systems are still unsure
of how the new testing for
mat will impact scores.
www.dailytarheel.com
HURRICANE KATRINA | THE AFTERMATH
DTH/STEVE ANDRAWES
David Newton, manager of the Citgo Gas Station on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., helps frustrated customers with pumping
gas late Thursday afternoon. Lines extended almost out into the road as residents rushed to beat the rumored fuel shortage.
WAITING FOR
HELP TO COME
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW ORLEANS Corpses
lay abandoned in street medians.
Medical helicopters and law officers
came under fire. Storm survivors
battled for seats on the buses that
would carry them away from the
chaos. The tired and hungry seethed,
saying they had been forsaken.
New Orleans descended into
anarchy Thursday, a city seemingly
ready to explode at any moment.
“I’m not sure I’m going to get
out of here alive,” said tourist Larry
Mitzel of Saskatoon, Canada, who
handed a reporter his business card
in case he goes missing. “I’m scared
admissions office since the hurricane
hit, inquiring about enrollment.
Administrators initially said
Wednesday that they would not admit
any of the students at least not until
New Orleans schools had announced
their plans for the semester.
“Our (first reaction was) to hope that
these colleges and universities could
reopen or that they would announce
plans to reopen,” Moeser said. “We
SEE TULANE, PAGE 4
nursing school.
She, like other deans in health
affairs, will have to decide how to cut
2.5 percent out of their budget.
She said her school could deal with
the cuts but not without compromis
ing quality.
Increased tuition revenue would
negate some of the budget cuts, but
without new funds class sizes in the
school will grow, she said.
“It would just be nice to be able to
actually, you know, have the increase
that are associated with our enroll
sports I page <5
THROWN ON TOP
The young men's basket
ball team will rely upon the
leadership of David Noel, who
has mostly been used for his
defense in the past.
of riots. I’m scared of the locals. We
might get caught in the crossfire.”
Four days after Hurricane Katrina
roared in with a devastating blow
that inflicted potentially thousands of
deaths, the frustration, fear and anger
mounted, despite the promise of 1,400
National Guardsmen a day to stop the
looting, plans for a $lO billion recov
ery bill in Congress and a government
relief effort President Bush called the
biggest in U.S. history.
New Orleans’ top emergency
management official called that
effort a “national disgrace” and
SEE KATRINA, PAGE 4
MORE COVERAGE
INSIDE & ONLINE
Gearing up | RDU pre
pares Guard facility to
host victims page 3
Crisis confined | Experts
say Katrina to have few
national effects page 4
Bloggin’ | Read about
how people can donate to
Katrina relief Online
ment increase and have them be per
manent.”
The cuts also could ultimately harm
faculty retention and recruitment
Linda Dykstra, dean of the
Graduate School, said the cuts could
results in fewer research and teaching
assistance.
Cuts would reduce assistanships,
she said, which offer graduate stu
dents a tuition discount in exchange
for their help in classrooms and
labs.
“I hate to do that because that
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2005
Locals
find ways
to help
Groups mobilize
to provide charity
BY JENNY RUBY
AND TED STRONG
SENIOR WRITERS
Chapel Hill didn’t get much more
out of Hurricane Katrina than a few
mean-looking clouds.
Other folks weren’t so lucky'. In
an effort to help those unfortunates
in the severely pounded gulf region,
a plethora of charity efforts have
sprung up virtually overnight.
At 8 a.m. Thursday morning, only
a few programs were up and running,
but by 8 p.m., there were oodles and
scads.
Additionally, Orange County
Emergency Management Services
had submitted names of available
personnel to the state for possible
deployment to the region affected by
the monster storm.
But, Jack Ball, Orange County
EMS director, said they won’t go
unless called.
“It’s not really prudent just to pack
up and rush down there, so we will
wait to be deployed by the state.”
SEE MOBILIZATION, PAGE 4
allows us to recruit graduate students
to Carolina,” she said.
“And each time we have a budget
cut, we may have one less fellowship
to offer next year.”
A reduction in the amount of
quality of graduate assistants could
harm the University’s ability to
attract faculty.
“They certainly are drawn here
by the fact that this University has
an excellent grad program,” Dykstra
SEE BUDGET, PAGE 4
national | page ?
IN OR OUT?
System school officials are still
unsure of impact from budget
provision allowing for out-of
state full scholarship students
to be counted in-state.
weather
Sunny
W H 93, L 63
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