VOLUME 114, ISSUE 77 Tuition task force looks to level field BY ERIN ZUREICK UNIVERSITY EDITOR Schools within the University that in the past were exempt from campus-based tuition increases might not be so lucky this year if discussions of the tuition and fee advisory task force pan out The exemption issue dominated discus sions Friday during the task force’s third meeting. Rinding models for potential increases also were considered. Academic units such as the UNC School of Law and the Kenan-Flagler Business School had been immune during the past several years from campus-based increases. Canceled contract draws ire Administrators request student fees to fund debt BY ERIN ZUREICK UNIVERSITY EDITOR A canceled contract between the University and a construction contracting company has left officials searching for funds to pay off its debt. The State Construction Office determined this spring that UNC owed $1.4 million to JM. Thompson Company prompting officials to request additional student fees to help finance a portion of the payment The company was hired in June 2000 to complete three phases of construction on the Student Union. If approved, an unspecified portion of the proposed increase to the Carolina Union fee would be used to fund a $500,000 loan officials were forced to take out after the claim’s settlement. The Union fee was slated fbr discussion before the student fee advisory subcommittee Friday, but was pushed back to this week’s meeting to allow time for more analysis. The dispute first came to light Thursday night at the student fee audit committee when Carolina Union Director Don Luse requested a $15.35 increase to the Union fee. What was the problem? The Thompson Company was one of four contrac tors hired to help construct the new portion of the Union and complete renovations to the building. The contract for the four companies totaled about $11.2 million. After complaints of poor workmanship and the company’s inability to work with other contractors, the University decided in August 2002 to terminate the remainder of the deal for all four companies. “In the years that I’ve been here it’s been one of the more troublesome situations,” said Bruce Runberg, assistant vice chancellor for facilities construction and planning. Runberg said UNC hadn’t previously experienced problems with Thompson. “All of a sudden things went sour on this particular contract,” he said. “I feel like we made the right deci sion to terminate the contract.” UNC hired Skanska USA Building Inc. to complete the final two stages of the project. UNC officials said they knew terminating the contract posed the risk of a claim but chose to proceed because they thought it would save students money in the end. The University was able to come to agreements with the three other companies —and actually ended up getting some money back. But UNC and the Thompson Company were unable to reach an agree ment and had to resort to adjudication. Thompson asked for $2 million and claimed its con tract shouldn’t have been terminated. lt was awarded $1.4 million by the State Construction Office. “We were not at all pleased with that decision,” said Margaret Jablonski, vice chancellor for student affairs. Why use student fees? During Thursday’s fee meeting, members of the student fee audit committee balked at the idea of using student fees to fund the debt voting against its recommendation by a three-to-one vote, with four abstentions. Officials said that originally they approached the University’s budget committee for aid. But the com- SEE CONTRACT, PAGE 7 announcement COMING TUESDAY The Daily Tar Heel will offer the year's first La Colina, our monthly Spanish section. Stories will feature Latino food, athletes and research. Serving the students and the University community since 1893 ®hr Satlw ®ar Hrri For example, if business school officials determined that tuition would increase by SSOO for nonresident students, the full amount would go to the business school. A change would mean that if the cam pus-based tuition increase for nonresident students was SSOO, business school students BY JESSICA SCHONBERG CITY EDITOR Nobody who drinks underage thinks he will be the one to get caught But 52 people in Chapel Hill did between Aug. 18 and Sept. 18 the first month students were back in town. Chapel Hill police issued 53 under age possession of alcohol charges during that month up 34 from the same time An interactive look at where drinking citations were issued visit dailylarheel .com efforts to curb underage drinking, bar owners are trying to ensure that it isn’t happening at their establishments. K. Rait, the manager of W.B. Yeats Irish Pub, said the risks associated with serving people who are under 21 are too great. “We want everybody to have fun, but it’s not worth the hassle for them and the hassle for us,” he said. Yeats is one of several bars that admits people who are under 21. Rait said the bar deals with this by giving wristbands to those who are legal to drink and mark ing the hands of those who aren’t online I dailytarheel.com RADIO STARS Pa'lante holds a festival promoting its radio show . TASTE TEST Student chefs exhibit their skills at A Southern Season MIX IT UP Masala hosts games to unify campus multicultural groups wnrw.dailytarheel.com first would pay that If school officials want ed more revenue, they would have to levy their own increases on top of the SSOO. If approved, the result likely would be lower tuition increases across the board, Student Body President James Allred said. “The feeling of the task force is that everyone should be paying the same rate,” Allred said. “It doesn’t make sense to charge people more for different majors.” Allred noted that money brought in for task force priorities such as increasing fac ulty salaries and creating faculty positions is distributed across campus. “It’s unfair to put the brunt on under graduate students,” he said. Student Body President James Allred said tuition increases should be handed out evenly among all students. V. A RISKY PASTIME Between Aug. 18 and Sept. 18, ~ \ Chapel Hill police issued 53 —-—' citations for underage possession Players of alcohol and 15 for fraudulent O O citations: use of ID. sv 0 f\\" ' 3 Underage poss. Cy ? & CITATIONS: v:^^ s 8 Underage poss. H Underage possession of alcohol 4 Use of fake ID \\ • Fraudulent use of ID r 1 a % v \ _ v \ * Sale to minor \ % I 0 FEET 400 \ f l-I . I I SOURCE: CHAPEL HILL POLICE DEPARTMENT DTH/COLIN HICKS BAR MANAGEMENT AIMS TO CURB UNDERAGE DRINKING VIOLATIONS in 2005 when 19 charges were filed. Drinking under age has conse quences for those who do ft, but it also has ramifications for the people who provide the booze. As police clearly are amping up State | page 10 LEAVE THEM KIDS A counter-recruitment festival in Raleigh on Saturday spreads an anti-war message and fights against military recruiting tactics. IHEnF DTH/KEVIN TSUI Mike James, a Top of the Hill bouncer, checks IDs Friday. Police issued 53 charges of underage alcohol posses sion between Aug. 18 and Sept. 18. “We’ve got a pretty tight grip on it” he said. That grip is important for places that depend on alcohol to stay in business. According to the N.C. Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission’s Web site, 75 Chapel Hill establishments hold mixed-beverage permits. If abar is found to be serving alcohol to minors, it could lose its permit to sell alcohol at all. SEE BARS, PAGE 7 “When they raised their tuition rates it was just staying within that school.” Lauren Anderson, Graduate and Professional Student Federation presi dent, said it’s important to ensure that a change doesn’t encourage the schools to increase tuition even more. “What we’re trying to avoid is them just tacking on campus-based tuition increases to their tuition,” she said. Additional information about the use of tuition within the schools will be sought before the task force’s next meeting. Of the money brought in by tuition increases, 35 percent goes to fond stu dent aid. Traditionally 5 percent also Students getting creative with fakes BY JULIE TURKEWITZ ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR A finger tapped his shoulder, and above the clatter of bar conver sation at Pantana Bob’s, Jonathan Thompson heard a familiar voice. “The cop stood behind me, and was like, “You didn’t listen the first time, did you?” Thompson said. The cop was an agent from the state Alcohol Law Enforcement. Dressed in plain clothes, he was on the porch at Bob’s in March and rec ognized the 19-year-old. He’d busted Thompson in February for having an open alcohol container on the street. He’d also confiscated a fake ID but hadn’t charged him for ft. “What was going through my mind?” Thompson said. “Not again.” The February incident hadn’t stopped him from restocking his wallet. Three weeks after his first ALE run-in, he shelled out another SSO for a driver’s license that looked identical to the confiscated one. In recent years, a number of states, including North Carolina, have revamped driver’s licenses to prevent fraud. States have changed SEE FAKES, PAGE 7 this day in history SEPT. 25,2002... A UNC Board of Trustees subcommittee rejects requests from the Faculty Council and Employee Forum for representation on the University's governing board. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2006 went to tuition remission for the gradu ate school. But the Office of the Provost set aside a permanent fond for the 5 percent freeing up more money to finance priorities such as faculty and teaching assistant salaries. The task force will aim to increase fac ulty salaries by 3 percent this year and raise teaching assistant salaries by SSOO. Thition options examined Friday ranged from increasing undergraduate resident tuition by $175 on the low end to $276. Nonresident undergraduate proposals ranged from a $175 increase to $1,950. SEE TUITION, PAGE 7 Whst is Om ALE 7 ► The Division of Alcohol Law Enforcement part of the state's Department of Crime Control and Public Safety. ► Agents enforce laws that deal with the sale, purchase, transpor tation, manufacture, consump tion and possession of alcoholic beverages in North Carolina. They sometimes act undercover. ► They also run alcohol and sub stance-use awareness programs throughout the state. ► ALE has 117 agents in North Carolina, 16 of whom work in District 4, which includes Durham, Orange and Wake counties. At certain times of year, more offi cers will come to District 4. ► ALE is the only agency with statewide jurisdiction that has enforcement of drinking laws as its main goal. ► The ALE has the power to search any establishment with an ABC license. Officers do not need a warrant. SOURCE: Bill Berryhill, assistant supervisor for District 4 of the ALE and nccrimecontrol.org weather jMjUfc. 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