Sty? iottg Sar lirel
Congress approves funding,
makes several appointments
In a vote Tuesday, Student
Congress members appointed
Rep. Kris Wampler and Rep. Tyler
Younts to the ethics committee.
Younts said he hopes the com
mittee will address the prob
lem of Congress members being
absent from meetings. “It bothers
me when people get elected to
Congress and they don’t show up
or they’re absent a lot,”he said.
Members also appointed Rep.
Caroline Spencer as chairwoman of
the textbook pricing committee.
Members approved junior Julia
Holliday and freshman Dominic
Ruiz-Esparza to serve as associate
justices to the Student Supreme
Court.
Congress members approved
$1,200 to OASIS to fund their
Africans Unite weekend retreat.
The newly formed Chess & Go
Club received $507.57 to buy gam
ing equipment.
The Bollywood Club of Carolina
received S9OO to purchase a license
for multiple screenings of three
films.
Members approved $866 to the
Student Global Health Committee
to host the director of two docu
mentary films relating to poverty
in India.
UNC to honor its birthday
with speech, awards event
On University Day, Oct. 12,
UNC will celebrate its 212th birth
day with a speech and awards in
Memorial Hall.
Christopher Mead Armitage,
an English professor at UNC
since 1967, will be the keynote
speaker. He was awarded the first
UNC Professor of Distinguished
Teaching in 1995, the Nicholas
Salgo Outstanding Teacher Award
and two Bowman and Gordon
Gray chairs for undergraduate
teaching.
First presented in 1971, the
Distinguished Alumna and
Alumnus Awards are presented
annually on University Day. This
year’s recipients are Dr. Ana Lucia
Almeida Gazzola, Thomas Forrest
Kelly, James Arthur Merchant and
Roy Hampton Park Jr.
University Day was created in
1793 to honor the laying of the cor
nerstone of Old East, the nation’s
first state university building. The
university was chartered by the
state legislature in 1789 and the
first students came in 1795.
CITY BRIEFS
Gay rights group endorses
Kleinschmidt for council
Equality NC PAC, a gay rights
advocacy group, announced its
endorsement of Mark Kleinschmidt
for Chapel Hill Town Council on
Tuesday.
The endorsement was made
because of Kleinschmidt’s leader
ship skills and his outspoken advo
cacy for equal rights, lan Palmquist,
the group’s executive director of
programs, said in a press release.
Though the group primarily
works in state races, it will make
endorsements for significant local
elections.
Kleinschmidt worked to make
Chapel Hill the first N.C. town to
add gender identity or expression
to the town’s anti-discrimination
policy. He also helped the effort
leading to the town’s opposition to
the Defense of Marriage Act.
Town makes changes to bus
schedule to take effect Mon.
The town has taken steps to
improve one of its bus routes.
Beginning Oct. 10, the Chapel
Hill Transit’s V Route will operate
on anew schedule.
The route serves Southern
Village, UNC Hospitals, South
Road, the Friday Center and the
Meadowmont neighborhood.
Members of the Meadowmont
community requested an improved
schedule, and the new route will
meet those requests.
Information including new
routes and schedules can be
found online at www.townof
chapelhill.org/transit/routes.
County leaders buy building
that will house senior center
Orange County’s leaders voted
Monday to buy the structure in
which they hope to construct a
Central Orange Senior Center in
Hillsborough.
The Orange County Board of
Commissioners voted to buy the
Wangle Sportsplex just before the
contract’s due-dilligence period
the county’s opportunity to turn the
deal down would have ended.
When the commissioners agreed
to buy the facility for $5.6 million in
July, it was with a “free look period”
during which, if they found anything
that alarmed them, they could walk
away from the deal. That period was
set to expire today.
From staff and wire reports.
Hopefuls post funding totals
BY TED STRONG
CITY EDITOR
Like Nelly says, it must be the
money.
With 35 days left before election
day, the man with the biggest war
chest is Paul Newton, candidate
for Hillsborough Town Board of
Commissioners.
He’s got $3,222.66 on hand,
and has raised a total of more than
$7,450.
Candidates must file 35-day cam
paign finance reports if they plan on
spending more than $3,000 or are
running in Chapel Hill, where all
candidates must file the reports.
Some candidates’ reports are not
yet available to the public because
Tuesday’s deadline can be met with
a postmark, meaning that some fil
"| ' '
. . iB R J r -\ > : r.
, Br £pfl9 Bk
,■£/?* HPf Bteygk //
'M |y g j
- ----
DTH/LARRY BAUM
Interracial couple Labat Yancey (left) and Cristina Velez, both seniors, play pool together Wednesday. The pair has dated for two years.
HEARTS SHARE
SAME COLOR
BY NATALIE HAMMEL
STAFF WRITER
Sophomore Lamar Jamison and fresh
man Claire Stromberg say that they were
attracted to each other because of their
goofy personalities.
“I’ve just never been able to talk to some
body like I can him,” she says with a smile.
Their laughter,
among other things, has
supported the couple
through more than a
year-and-a-half of dat
ing.
But there have been
frustrations, too.
Jamison is black and
Stromberg is white, and
for her parents, this is
RACE RELATIONS
WEEK AT UNC
00 0 j
TOMORROW: Comparing
race relations at UNC
with other universities
a major issue. She says through tears she
doesn’t think they’ll ever be accepting of
their relationship.
“They’re just opposed to me dating some
one outside my race,” she says. “I don’t see
why it should matter.”
Susan Eckert, race relations expert for
About.com, says one of the biggest issues
interracial couples face is their families’
attitudes toward their relationships.
“They can be really hurtful in the things
that they say and the expectations that they
set for you,” she says.
“A lot of people who haven’t ever been in
an interracial relationship don’t understand
how people of different races can come
together, get along and transcend the dif
ferences that are often attributed to race.”
Stromberg says she lost some of her
Baker advocates for
more transportation
BY JAKE POTTER
ASSISTANT CITY EDITOR
He might be young, but his col
lege education is good for some
thing Chapel Hill Town Council
hopeful Jason Baker is the only
municipal candidate thus far to
take advantage of the free adver
tising of a Facebook group.
“I’ve already got a committed
Facebook ad donor,” he said with
a chuckle.
But those who have followed
Baker’s campaign are quick to point
out that his efforts to become the
third college student in town his
tory to take a seat on the council
are nothing but serious.
Baker, a 21-year-old Weaverville
native and a sophomore majoring
in political science, is seeking a seat
on the town council, something
that only one student Mark
Chilton, now a Carrboro alderman
has accomplished successfully in
Baker’s lifetime.
Baker advocates for responsible
Top News
ings might not have arrived at the
Board of Elections.
The mayoral races overall have
been low-key, or at least low-dollar,
affairs. All of the candidates in the
campaigns for mayors of Carrboro
and Hillsborough have declared
themselves below the $3,000 thresh
old that determines whether a candi
date must file finance reports.
Candidates Jason Baker, Walker
Rutherfurd and Bill Thorpe, all
running for Chapel Hill Town
Council as well as Alex Zaffron
and Mark Chilton , both running
for Carrboro Mayor, didn’t have
reports available.
Additionally, Will Raymond,
Randee Haven-O'Donnell and
SEE FINANCE, PAGE 5
respect for her parents when they were not
supportive of her decision to date Jamison.
“I felt like they were not really looking out
for my best interests,” she says.
One thing Jamison says he admires about
Stromberg is her stubborn side, which he
says has helped her
stand up to her par
ents.
“If you think of the
grand scale of things
in life to waste
energy separating
people based on their
color it’s pointless,”
he says.
“It really just shows
someone’s ignorance
rather than their
insight.”
The couple says it’s
easier being together
in Chapel Hill, than
when they go home to
Gastonia.
“You get stared at
everywhere you go,”
Jamison says.
Chuck Stone, a retired journalism profes
sor and an advocate of race relations, says
the University is overall a more accepting
place for interracial relationships than other
parts of North Carolina.
“If they see somebody that they like, I
think the atmosphere, or the environment
I should say, is conducive to them pursuing
it,” he says.
“Our campus is kind of an oasis. It’s not
Candidate
Jason Baker
wants to
become the
first student to
gain election to
council since '9l
town growth and an invigorated
public transit system. “I really feel
responsible growth is one of the
toughest areas we as a community
need to grapple with,” he said.
Carolina North, the University’s
proposed satellite campus, is a focal
point for town growth that must be
planned for carefully, Baker said.
Town officials should push for
more homes and a better public
transit infrastructure, Baker said,
noting that doing so would bode
well for University staff who need
affordable housing.
“It just seems like a fundamen-
SEE BAKER, PAGE 5
Campaign spending
The first filing period for this fall's elections ended Tuesday. Candidates must
document their campaign costs if they plan on spending more than $3,000.
Several of those candidates' reports had not been received as of 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Paul Newton $4,233.34 $7,456
Laurin Easthom $1,300.28 $3,409.40
Mark Kleinschmidt $889.09 $3,035
Will Raymond $342.04 SB3O
Robin Cutson $285.60 $385.60
John Herrera $24 sl2
Randee Haven-O'Donnell $lO $1,675
Kevin Foy $5 $l5O
Kevin Wolff $5 S3O
SOURCE: ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS
the reality.”
Labat Yancey, a black senior business
administration major, says he was attract
ed to Cristina Velez, an Italian and Puerto
Rican senior international studies and
Spanish major, because she looked diff’er-
Race Relations Week
Wednesday
■ 1 p.m. UNC Black History Tour,
McCorkle Place at Silent Sam
■ 7 p.m. Keynote Address featuring
Kevin Powell: “Living in a Multicul
tural America," Great Hall
Thursday
■ 12:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. Stand for
SUDAN, the Pit
■ 6 p.m. Movie: Journey to a Hate-
Free Millennium, Hanes Art Center
121
■ 7:30 p.m. Diversity: Dinner, Hanes
Art Center Foyer
■ 8 p.m. Representatives of Race in
the Media, Hanes Art Center 121
■ 10 p.m. Expressions After Dark,
Hanes Art Center 121
because of Velez.
And about cultural differences between
them, Velez says, “We can point it out with
out feeling it’s a tension.”
Sitting cozily, Van Dang and David
Galloway joke about their differences in
appearance. She has long, straight black
hair while his is short, slightly curly and
SEE DATING, PAGE 5
. 4 MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS
II 2005 ——
vSWk GETTING TO KNOW
C** THE CANDIDATES
Jason Baker
■ Wants to address smart growth,
starting with increased scrutiny
about Carolina North planning.
■ Wants to analyze the town's transit
system and examine alternative
transportation options.
Find out more
jason@jasonbaker.us
www.jasonbaker.us
SOURCE: JASON BAKER
DTH/STAFF
Catherine DeVine
■ Wants to promote quality of life in
Carrboro through art programs
and entrepreneurship downtown.
■ Thinks the town should presen/e
Bolin Creek in perpetuity by
acquiring the land around it.
Find out more
catdevine@mindspring.com
http://catdevine.com
SOURCE: CATHERINE DEVINE
DTH/STAFF
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2005
DTH/BOBBY SWEATT
ent.
“I had no idea what she
was,” he says. “I guess I
liked that.”
Their two-year relation
ship has been very smooth,
but they acknowledge that
other interracial couples
encounter more difficul
ties.
“We don’t really look
different from each other,”
she says. “So, in a public
atmosphere, people don’t
stare.”
The couple says they
enjoy how their relation
ship gives them the oppor
tunity to learn about each
other’s cultures. For exam
ple, Yancey has started
taking Spanish courses
DeVine wants offices
to fill vacant spaces
BY MEGHAN DAVIS
ASSISTANT CITY EDITOR
Carrboro Board of Aldermen
hopeful Catherine DeVine moved
to the town for the arts-friendly
atmosphere. Now, she hopes to
be instrumental in keeping that
vibe.
She already is accustomed to
town government, serving on vari
ous town boards, including the
appearance commission.
DeVine was on the arts com
mittee when Mayor Mike Nelson
proposed starting the Carrboro
Music Festival, and she helped see
the celebration through its eighth
year in 2005.
“(Arts) put us on the map on
a national map, in fact for qual
ity of life and cultural richness,” she
said.
Carrboro resident Jackie Helvey
first met DeVine when they worked
together to plan the first festival
and said DeVine’s skill at orga
nizing events speaks to one of her
Bowles
similar
to past
leaders
Officials expect
firm guidance
BY KRISTIN PRATT
STAFF WRITER
While there might not have
been any dancing in the streets,
the Board of Governors’ approval
of Erskine Bowles to be the next
UNC-system president certainly
has pleased education leaders.
“We see the best characteris
tics of our past three presidents in
Erskine Bowles,” said Brad Wilson,
chairman of the Board of Governors
and of the selection committee for
the system president.
Wilson said Bowles reflects the
hard-working attitude and under
standing of the state and its uni
versities held by current President
Molly Broad.
He said he also sees the busi-
ness knowl
edge of former
President C.D.
Spangler, as well
as the persuasive
capabilities of
former President
William Friday
in Bowles.
But how
Bowles will
compare to past
presidents of the
16-campus sys
tem is hard to
0
Erskine
Bowles will
become the
UNC-system
leader Jan. 1.
judge, Spangler and Friday said.
“Each of us is a different person,
of course,” Friday said, adding that
people’s backgrounds and how
they synthesize their experiences
all make them different.
John Sanders, former director
of the School of Government at
UNC-Chapel Hill, said that while
some of the recent presidents were
highly versed in higher education,
like Broad and Friday, it is not a
requirement for the position.
Bowles, like Spangler, does not
have much more experience in
higher education than just attend
ing a university, he said.
Wilson said he finds more simi
larities than differences with Bowles
in comparison to past leaders.
He said Bowles will approach
decisions with the same driven
manner as Broad. While Broad
favors a deliberate process, he said
he thinks Bowles will make deci
sions more quickly.
The transition from the Broad
administration to the Bowles
administration will be easy, educa
tion leaders said, but Bowles still
will find challenges.
Spangler said running a univer
sity system is a lot different than
working as a government official.
He said the official can dictate a
course of action, but a system pres
ident must convince others about
which course to follow.
But the goals Bowles has for
the system probably won’t differ
greatly from past presidents’, for
mer leaders said.
“I doubt if his goals will be too
much different,” Spangler said.
“But he will go at them in differ
ent ways.” ,
The goals, he added, are to give
students the best education at the
lowest possible price. “That’s a
good president’s primary' goal.”
Friday said some of the major
SEE PRESIDENTS, PAGE 5
rH
G
Candidate
Catherine
DeVine wants
to maintain
Carrboro's feel
while building
for the future.
strongest talents.
“Catherine’s main talent is (that)
she’s got very good organizational
skills,” Helvey said.
“When we renovated the
Century Center, she single-hand
edly produced weeklong events
to celebrate it," she said. “It was
her production and it really was
great.”
DeVine said she thinks
Carrboro’s history is evident in its
feel today.
“We were the West end at first
it was a place precisely one mile
from UNC to keep the riffraff out of
SEE DEVINE, PAGE 5
3