VOLUME 114, ISSUE 72
Pit attack leaves wake
Taheri-Azar slated for court Tuesday
BY SHANNAN BOWEN
INVESTIGATIVE TEAM EDITOR
As violence and hostility per
sist across the Islamic world, local
Muslims have been facing a battle
of identity and portrayal stemming
from an attack on UNC soil that
was said to
have been
made in
the name
of their
God.
MONDAY
SPOTLIGHT
Mohammad Taheri-Azar, the
UNC alumnus who admitted driv
ing a Jeep Cherokee through the
Pit in an attempt to run over people
to avenge the deaths of Muslims
worldwide, will appear Tuesday in
Orange County Superior Court
District Attorney Jim Woodall
said that he isn’t sure what will
happen at the hearing, but that he
expects the judge to ask if Taheri-
Azar has been psychologically
Council to weigh
apartment future
Developers aim
to ax Town House
BY JESSICA SCHONBERG
CITY EDITOR
Students have their chance
to give their input about a pro
posal to tear down Town House
Apartments on Hillsborough
Street at a public hearing tonight.
Ram Development Company
submitted a concept plan to the
town to build 332 new units in place
of the current 111-unit complex.
The hearing will give developers
a chance to hear concerns of stu
dents, residents and the Chapel
Hill Town Council before they
submit a formal application for
The Residences at Grove Park.
The application then will go
through a long review process before
the council votes on approval.
The apartments long have been
a hot spot for students seeking
affordable housing near campus.
According to the complex’s Web
site, rent prices range from $625
to SIOSO for the two and three
bedroom apartments.
John Florian, Ram Development’s
vice president of development in
Raleigh, said that he is not oblivious
to Town House’s popularity but that
School to chronicle
its 75-year history
Program still at the forefront the field
BY KATHRYN BALES
STAFF WRITER
The School of Information and
Library Science has been ahead of
the game from day one.
The program was the first
library school at a institution of
higher education in the South and
has been accredited continuously
since 1934. It has been ranked
No. 1 by the U.S. News and World
Report since 1999-
Starting today the school will
kick off celebrations for its 75th
anniversary.
“Leadership implies responsibil
ity,” said Jose-Marie Griffiths, dean
of the school. “The hardest place to
be is at the top. Everyone looks up
to you for an example.”
The school began in 1931 with
just 37 students enrolled.
Today the school offers multiple
degree programs including a
doctoral program, an undergradu
inside
PROTEST SONG Students sing alma
mater to protest ticket policy, PAGE 5
ON THE ROAD AGAIN Sensors allow
motorists to gauge travel times, PAGE 7
YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND Speaker honors
National Women's Friendship Day, PAGE 9
Serving the students and the University community since 1893
She iailu ®ar Hrrl
evaluated.
At his last hearing June 21,
Taheri-Azar initially voiced a
request to represent himself and
dismiss James Williams, his court
appointed public defender. Judge
Carl Fox told Taheri-Azar he would
have to uitdergo psychological
evaluations in order to represent
himself, and Taheri-Azar agreed
to keep his legal counsel.
Since the March 3 attack, 'lhheri-
Azar has been held in Raleigh’s
Central Prison in lieu of $5.5 mil
lion bail.
He is charged with nine counts
of attempted first-degree murder,
five counts of assault with a deadly
weapon with intent to kill, inflict
ing serious injury, and four counts
of assault with a deadly weapon
with intent to kill all felonies
that could cost him 150 years in
prison if found guilty.
Taheri-Azar has used the Quran
The future of
Town House Apartments
What’s happening? Florida
based Ram Development Company
has submitted a concept plan to tear
down the complex and build 332 units
for sale in its place.
What can I do about it? The
Chapel Hill Town Council will hold
a public hearing about the concept
plan at 7 p.m. tonight at Town Hall.
Everyone is welcome to sneak at
public hearings. The developers can
take feedback from the hearing and
incorporate it into their official
application to the Town Coundl.
he thinks the change would affect
only a small portion of students.
“I think that the important part
is that we’re really looking for the
right housing options and the right
locations for both students and
residents who want to move closer
to downtown and support down
town,” Florian said.
The one, two and three bedroom
condos and town houses would suit
a wide range of people, but none of
the units would be rentals, he said.
The proposal has drawn criti-
SEE TOWN HOUSE, PAGE 4
ate major and minor and master’s
programs to its almost 350 stu
dents.
After attending the school stu
dents go on to careers with cor
porations, government, hospitals,
publishing companies and consult
ing firms.
Gary Marchionini, a library sci
ence professor, said a strong faculty
that fosters international communi
cation and students who get notable
jobs keep the school at the top.
“One of the reasons we keep
showing up is that our students are
out there in leadership positions,”
he said. “They go to the best places,
and those are the places that U.S.
News and World Report call.”
Griffiths attributes these accom
plishments to an emphasis on
attracting the best faculty possible.
She said the field has a shortage
SEE SILS, PAGE 4
arts I page 6
AROUND THE CLOCK
Dirty South Improv puts on its
annual 24Live event featuring a
variety of performers and
onlookers who battled fatigue
through the wee hours.
www.dailytarheel.com
to defend himself, leaving mem
bers of the UNC Muslim Students
Association and other local Islamic
groups attempting to dispel religious
myths using the same holy book.
While in prison, Taheri-Azar
has written more than 30 letters to
The Daily Tar Heel describing his
unguided quest into Islam and the
religious book he says grants him
permission to kill.
Nine people were injured when
Taheri-Azar drove the rented jeep
through the central gathering place
on campus just before noon. He
turned himself in to police shortly
after the attack, declaring that he
had done justice in the name of
Allah.
Taheri-Azar has yet to enter a
plea.
In a letter dated May 23, Taheri-
Azar writes he will plead not guilty,
and he will never carry out addi
tional attacks and hopes to con
tinue working in the country.
“Whether I intend to uphold the
promise is something known to
m ,
BHHKL Jl wm m'-
£ DTH/RAYMOND MCCREA JONES
Natalia Smith, a senior cultural anthropology major, has seven tattoos from various artists around the country. Smith says it's OK to like
a tattoo because it's beautiful; there doesn't always need to be a deeper meaning. She says her tattoos are a sort of art collection.
PERMANENT MARKERS
BY MONIQUE NEWTON
STAFF WRITER
When senior Natalia Smith wears pants and a long-sleeved
shirt, all of them are hidden.
But if a warm afternoon calls for lighter attire say a tank
top and a skirt they're everywhere.
She has seven tattoos. Ink decorates portions of her arms,
calves and one shoulder.
And she doesn’t sail the seas or call prison home.
“I feel like it’s like a personal art collec
tion,” Smith said. “It changes with you and
kind of becomes a part of who you are.”
According to a study conducted in 2004
and published this year in the Journal of
the American Academy of Dermatology,
an increasing number of people are acquir
ing such personal art collections. Thirty-six
percent of 18- to 29-year-olds have at least
one tattoo.
“It’s not as taboo as it used to be,” said
(r, multi
V* medial
Students and
locals show off
their tattoos in a
slideshow
visit
daily^arheel
senior Mike Roberts, who has 10 tattoos. “But it’s still kind of
going against the norm, kind of making a statement.”
Young adults aren’t the only ones with tattoos. Twenty-four
percent of Americans ages 18 to 50 have been inked at least once
an increase from about 15 percent in 2003.
“I’ve tattooed on everybody from college kids to elected
officials,” said Paulie Andrews, a tattoo artist at Glenn’s Tattoo
Service in Carrboro.
“Middle class, working class, white-collar, blue-collar, edu
cated through secondary and noneducated there is no demo
graphic for tattooing,” he said.
Inking has been on the rise for the last decade. The tattoo
industry was the sixth-fastest growing retail business in 1996,
according to U.S. News & World Report.
There’s a variety of reasons people are getting inked.
“I think I did it because I wanted to do something that people
would never expect of me,” said Parker Wood, a junior with a half-
myself and Allah, which I can nei
ther confirm nor deny, for the court,”
he writes in a letter dated May 30.
But Taheri-Azar announced at
his last court appearance June 21
that he would enter a guilty plea.
Woodall said he will ask the
judge Tuesday to set a date for the
arraignment.
Dispelling myths
In the wake of Sept. 11 and the
start of the war in Iraq, Muslims
worldwide have defied stereotypes,
faced allegations and defended
their religion.
When Taheri-Azar claimed to
have planned an attack on UNC
because Islam granted him per
mission to do so, Muslim groups
in North Carolina were quick to
denounce his actions.
Vigils were held on campus to
support Muslims, and groups,
including the Muslim Students
SEE TAHERI-AZAR, PAGE 4
campus | page 7
OFF AND RUNNING
Under new leadership, the
Faculty Council kicks off the year
by honoring outstanding
contributions and setting a plan
for the months to come.
Taheri-Azar letters
Mohammad Taheri-Azar has written more than 30 letters to The Daily Tar Heel
since May. In the letters, he explains his motivations for the March 3 attack.
May 2
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Go to www.dailytarheel.com to read the full text letters from Taheri-Azar.
A tattoo in the making
1. Preparation - | pip
Once the paperwork is completed, the desired tattoo area is cleaned
with rubbing alcohol and shaved if necessary.
2. Stencil transfer
A thermal fax machine is used by most tattoo studios to create their
stencils. Eliminating tracing of the design, the machine prints on thermal
paper which is then stuck to the skin to transfer the design.
3. Line work
After cleaning the equipment and preparing the (\
ink, the artist begins the line work. At\ointment is )
rubbed over the area to keep the needle sliding ' J
smoothly, making the subject, more comfortable. '
The line work consists of tracing the lines of the ——
entire design. shading &
coloring S \
4. Shading and coloring (rTIQm \
The artist completes the tattoo using magnums, a set of (\ Ay* j
needles designed specifically for shading and coloring. \ J
5. Cleaning, bandaging and aftercare instructions /
The tattoo needs cleaning and dressing before the process
is complete. Protective ointment and bandaging is applied,
and aftercare instructions are given to prevent infection.
SOURCE: WWW.ABOUT.COM Hi DTH/KUKT GENTRY
sun and half-moon on her lower back
Several of Roberts’ tattoos have special meaning, he said. He’s been doing
martial arts since 1995, and the dragons on his body are powerful symbols
in the martial arts world.
But not all designs have significance for the person sporting it.
“A lot of people have these deep, meaningful reasons for getting tat-
SEE TATTOOS, PAGE 4
this day in history
SEPT. 18,1968...
For the first time, students
wishing to drop and add classes
can complete all of their schedule
changes at one time in one
location —Woollen Gym.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2006
weather
Sunny
H 88, L 67
index
police log 2
calendar 2
games 5
opinion g
sports 12