North Carolina Newspapers

iailg (Ear Mrrl CORRECTIONS Due to a reporting error, Wednesdays page 2 story, “UNC seeks ideal funding choices,” incorrectly stated that last year’s conflict concerning the creation of a Western studies curricu lum involved the Pope Center for Higher Education Policy. The controversy actually involved the John William Pope Foundation. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error. ARTS BRIEFS Music department to offer variety of performances The music department’s concert season features an eclectic mix of performances this year, from clas sical music to musical theater. One highlight, the William S. Newman Artists Series, comes to Hill Hall today with a performance by pianist Nelita TVue. Tickets for the performance, which begins at 8 p.m., are sls for the general public, sl2 for seniors and $5 for students. The performance is one of many offered by the music department throughout the fall semester. More than 100 performances are sched uled, and many of them are free. This year, the department also will combine efforts with other departments to present Marc Blitzstein’s “The Cradle Will Rock,” an opera about working class unionists trying to survive in a “power-hungry” world. The show opens in November. SPORTS BRIEFS N.C. men's basketball team contributes to local groups The North Carolina men’s bas ketball program has contributed approximately $70,000 to four local organizations including the Ronald McDonald House, the team announced Wednesday. The money was raised through the sale of about 1,000 basketballs autographed by the Tar Heel play ers and coaches during the 2004- OS national championship season. STATE S NATION Miller released from prison Thursday; agrees to testify WASHINGTON, D.C. - After nearly three months behind bars, New York Times reporter Judith Miller was released from a federal prison Thursday after agreeing to testify in the investigation into the disclosure of a covert CIA officer’s identity, two people familiar with the case said. Miller left the federal detention center in Alexandria, Va., where she has been held since July 6, after reaching an agreement with Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald. Legal sources said she would appear before a grand jury investigation of the case Friday morning. The sources said Miller agreed to testify after securing an uncon ditional release from Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff, I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, to testify about any discussions they had involving CIA officer Valerie Plame. Easley vetoes bill that would change teacher certification Gov. Mike Easley announced Thursday his veto of House Bill 706, which sought to address the teacher shortage in North Carolina through the adjustment of state certification standards. The bill was criticized by Easley as lowering N.C. teaching standards to the lowest in the nation. N.C. Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight, D-Dare, said in a reaction statement that the bill addressed the reality of the ongoing teacher shortage in North Carolina. One provision in the bill would eliminate all mandatory standard ized examinations for teachers, except for those required by the fed eral No Child Left Behind Act. Valium inventor died Wed. in Chapel Hill after short illness TRENTON, N.J. - Leo Stembach, the inventor of a revo lutionary new class of tranquilizers that included Valium, has died at his Chapel Hill home. He was 97- Stembach, an award-winning chemist who helped a Swiss drug conglomerate build its U.S. head quarters in Nudey, N. J., after fleeing the Nazis during World War 11, died after a short illness Wednesday. He and his wife, Herta, settled in near the company’s U.S. operations, called Hoffman-La Roche until 2003, when they moved to North Carolina, where son Daniel works as a chemist for GlaxoSmithKline. Named one of the 25 most influ ential Americans of the 20th cen tury by U.S. News & World Report, Stembach’s credits include 241 pat ents and 122 publications. Stembach is survived by his wife, sons Michael and Daniel and five grandchildren. From staff and wire reports. Stipends called into question BY KATIE CLINE STAFF WRITER Students are footing the bill for stipends paid to seven positions of student government. But stipends for Student Congress leaders were eliminated last year, and the rest of the student government branches are now in question. A petition is circulating to put a referendum on a ballot that will allow students to vote on whether members of the executive and judicial branches should receive stipends. “Students paying other students is controversial,” said Luke Farley, speaker of Student Congress. “This issue needs to be resolved once and / ‘ jSf? MWKaife-'-i -i f~ ip V JjSiP jBKj/SnmT i?■ l ■ j||jpf' •f’ 'kf ißiifiiiNP"** -"Jb M/JfmM wtit'.'f Ofy ’l® -■ J * 'y*' \ BBBRr DTH/KATE HANLEY Bob Solberg, founder of Green Hill Farm in Chapel Hill, works in his greenhouse, where he grows and hybridizes hosta plants, Thursday. SEEDS OF WISDOM Local man gets green thumbs up for nursery BY SAPNA MAHESHWARI STAFF WRITER There’s a nursery hidden away in Chapel Hill for one of the most popular plants in America. Most people probably have seen the plant before —and many grow it themselves. Some will pay anything from $4 to S4OO for it, and it is the No. 1-selling perennial in America. And it’s not what some might think. Green Hill Farm, a nursery devoted sole ly to hosta plants, was founded in 1981 by hosta expert Bob Solberg, who has operated the business since then with the help of his wife Nancy Solberg. Hostas originated in Japan and China and can be used in Oriental cooking, although they are usually just decorative. Because they’re low-maintenance and have more than 2,500 varieties available with new creations popping up all the time, the plants are popular with gardeners. Stuckey: Important work remains BY RACHEL ULLRICH STAFF WRITER Lisa Stuckey’s been to this dance before. The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education’s chairwoman, Stuckey is up for re-election in November. Stuckey, a member of the school board since 2001, said she aims to use her experience to guide her on decisions the board might make in the future. “I have almost 15 years’ experi ence as a volunteer in the schools,” Stuckey said. “I have knowledge about how this school system works.” And she hopes to parlay that experience, combined with input from others, into workable poli cies. “I am a very open person, will ing to hear all sides of an issue and apply common sense and good judgement,” she said. Stuckey, who graduated from the UNC School of Law, hopes in the next school year to place more emphasis on bridging the minority achievement gap the discrepancy between the aca demic performance of minority and non-minority students that has been a perennial priority for •the board. “We’ve already directed the Top News Speaker Luke Farley says the question of student leader stipends should be settled once and for all. for all.” Students voted down a referen dum last October that would have provided the speaker and speaker pro tem with stipends. Almost 70 percent of voters turned down the referendum. “Since students took such a strong stand ... we wanted to give them a stand on the other two branches,” said Tom Jensen, who ran for stu “I was looking to go into the nursery busi ness, and hostas seemed to be the right thing for me to do at the time,” says Solberg, 54. “Hostas take up little room, and (it was an) area that was just starting to expand.” New types of hostas are introduced fre quently, and the farm tries to keep 200 to 300 varieties in stock. The average lifespan is about three years, and Solberg annually replaces 20 percent with his own creations. In the past 20 years, he has invented about 40 new types of hostas. “We’re in the business of new,” he says. “It’s like cars. There are new cars every year and there are new hostas every year.” With every new hosta comes anew name. Solberg says he tries to pick names that “sort of look like the plant” and that people can identify with in some way. Stomachs might growl upon listening to his past creations, such as Guacamole (the 2002 Hosta of the Year and the fifth most popular 9 Incumbent chairwoman Lisa Stuckey said CHCCS leaders can't be complacent despite prestige. superintendent to focus his ener gies on that particular issue in the coming year,” she said. Stuckey, along with members of the current school board, already have put into use strategies designed to help monitor the gap on a periodic basis. The tools, Stuckey said, will allow officials to obtain data from every classroom to check on prog ress throughout the year. The sys tem is designed to allow teachers to discover a student’s failures before end-of-the-year testing. Stuckey has more invested into this election than a resume line. Her third daughter is beginning her junior year at East Chapel Hill High School. She said that she is looking not only to improve the school system for all children, but also to continue ongoing projects. “I feel like I have unfinished business,” said Stuckey. “I am personally involved in this system.” dent body president last year under a platform that called for an end to student stipends. Seven positions in the executive and judiciary branches of student government receive stipends. They range from S3OO per month for the student body presi dent to S2OO for the treasurer to $125 for the honor outreach coor dinator, according to Title V of the Student Code These amount to more than $16,000 per year. The efforts are more about allow ing students to choose, as opposed to taking a stand on whether stu dent government members should be compensated, Jensen said. The petition will be sent to Student Congress where members could pass hosta worldwide), Fried Green Tomatoes, Orange Marmalade and Cookie Crumbs. And to wash it all down, one can pick up a Frozen Margarita or a Whiskey Sour and even a Corkscrew for good measure. “Some people buy hostas just for the name,” he says with a chuckle. That’s not to say factors like color don’t play a big role. Solberg created a light blue hosta ear lier this year, named Carolina Blue, that sold out after the men’s basketball NCAA Championship in April. “A lot of people wanted it this year,” says Solberg, adding that the nursery no longer carries the hosta. Charity Boyd, who has worked at the farm for the past three years, knew nothing about hostas before working at the nursery. “They’re just interesting plants,” she says. “It’s fun out here.” Botany has been part of Solberg’s life from a young age. “When I was a kid in Miami, I had a nursery,” he says. “I grew palm trees SEE HOSTAS, PAGE 5 , | MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS i\=—=2oos = GETTING TO KNOW THE CANDIDATES Lisa Stuckey ■ Hopes to encourage greater involvement by parents and to continue collaboration efforts with other local government entities. ■ Looks to boost student achievement while attracting and retaining good teachers. Find out more stuckey4schools@hotmail.com Phone: 942-8373 SOURCE: LISA STUCKEY DTH/STAFF Another of Stuckey’s main concerns is attracting and keep ing top-notch teachers in the dis trict. She mentioned an initiative to provide current teachers with more time to prepare for class as one way to achieve that goal. Last Thursday marked the first of several scheduled delayed open ings for students throughout the school year —a major initiative of the board last year. The delays allow teachers to come in at their normal time to SEE STUCKEY, PAGE 5 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2005 a referendum to go on a ballot. It then would be up to students to vote for or against stipends. Although those leading the effort are members of Congress, Farley said the issue is a growing concern among other students. “The issue of stipends in general has been such a controversial issue,” he said. “It’s bigger than Congress.” The referendum would not elim inate the stipends of those in paid positions this year. It would take effect when the next administra tion comes into office in April. Students from all across the spectrum are joining forces behind the petition. SEE PETITION, PAGE 5 Dearmin to unveil new Web calendar BY MARIE CROWDER ' STAFF WRITER Student organizations soon will have a chance to revamp their Web sites and connect with other groups on campus to form one comprehensive calendar of events. One of Student Body President Seth Dearmin’s campaign prom ises was to increase efficiency and communication in the campus community. * And now, through a software program called Mambo, Dearmin’s goal is one step closer to comple tion. “We’ve revamped the entire Web site,” Dearmin said. The student government Web site has been using the Mambo software for approximately three weeks, he said. But, the software will not be available to other campus orga nizations for one or two more months. The biggest change for students, Dearmin said, will be the introduc tion of an Internet site that links the online calendars from each student organization that set up its Web site with Mambo. Chabay looks to spread passion Morehead forums start with chemist BY RACHEL AIKEN STAFF WRITER Ilan Chabay’s dream of devel oping a hands-on science learning experience to create a desire for learning came to fruition in 1983. Twenty years later, Chabay is looking toward anew opportunity at UNC for sharing his passion for science. He presented his vision for the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center to nearly 50 cam pus community members Thursday afternoon at the first of the candi- date forums for anew director. Chabay, one of four indi viduals vying for the direc tor position, discussed the role of science within an infor mal educational setting. “Small cen ters can be a big lever in serving the community V X jf- llan Chabay is applying to be the director of Morehead Planetarium. and the larger society as a whole,” Chabay explained. The Morehead’s previous direc tor, Holden Thorp, stepped down in June. During his forum, Chabay stressed the impact of scientific advancements not only on the classroom, but on society. Basic scientific knowledge is crucial for an individual when making public and personal policy decisions, he said. Chabay said this is how science becomes a key resource to the responsible public. “Intrigue, insight and inspiration draw the individual into the explor atory element of the planetarium’s programs,” he said. Some visitors enter the Morehead facilities with a science degree, while others have completed only the third grade, Chabay noted. He said it is the responsibility of the center to engage all audiences equally. Asa direct result, interest gen erates questions that lead to the building blocks of learning, he said. “Communication is not to occur from the top down,” Chabay said. “One must feed others from the fountain of knowledge through active involvement of all partici pants.” The new director will oversee a staff of 14 full-time and more than 60 student employees while promoting the public image of the University. The job calls for an individual with expertise in museum man agement and an understanding of University policies and procedures, among other qualities. SEE MOREHEAD, PAGE 5 “For (the Web site) to be successful, you need some key organizations to get involved MARK LAABS, CHIEF OF STAFF Student government will help members of these organizations incorporate their Web sites with the software, said Colin Hicks, co chairman of the technology and web services committee. Then anew site will be created to pick up feed from the campus groups’ Web sites and post news and events. Through the feeds, posts will be automatically e-mailed to other Mambo members. The main site will contain updates from all organizations as well as a calendar with all upcom ing campus events providing students with one centralized location to find any information they need. SEE CONNECTION, PAGE 5 3