VOLUME 114, ISSUE 140
UNC Hospitals workers flagged
BY ERIN ZUREICK
UNIVERSITY EDITOR
According to a report released
Monday by the state auditors
office, 17 UNC Hospitals employ
ees used faulty documentation to
obtain their jobs.
Eight workers have been termi
nated and nine others resigned.
Three employees were using
Social Security numbers of
deceased individuals, four were
using invalid numbers and 10 oth
ers had names that did not match
the records of the Social Security
AUDIENCE SOLD ON SHOW
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As Angel Schunard, Melvin Bell 111 portrays a transvestite street drummer infected with HIV in the song "Today 4 U" in Monday's performance of "Rent"
in Memorial Hall. Tickets were sold out for the event. Schunard's role is crucial to the play, his life serving as a message of hope in the AIDS epidemic.
‘Rent’ leaves Memorial Hall
crowd in awe with praise
BY HARRY KAPLOWITZ
ARTS EDITOR
Emil Kang, UNC’s executive director of the arts,
had never seen the Broadway musical “Rent” before
Monday’s night premiere at Memorial Hall.
But despite that, Kang said he was very impressed
by the performances given by the traveling troupe.
The company, which has been
on tour since February 2006, will
play another show today at 7:30
p.m.
“I think the show is wonder
ful,” Kang said during the musi
cal’s intermission. “I think it’s
this generation’s version of‘Hair’
ONLINE
'Rent," though
it pleased the
audience, was
just OK to a
DTH reviewer.
in the way everyone just knows the words and is
singing right along.”
The sell-out crowd was brought into the show
by key performers, including Tracy McDowell
ANALYSIS
BOG cap mirrored elsewhere
BY ALLISON NICHOLS
ASSISTANT STATE & NATIONAL EDITOR
The UNC-system Board of Governors is not alone
in introducing a measure of predictability in a time
of spiraling higher education costs.
Public universities across the nation are examining
how increasing predictability, affordability and access
augments their mission as schools of the people.
Changing demographics have created a need for
higher education in order to achieve financial success in
the middle class, said Demaree Michelau, project coor
dinator in policy analysis and research at the Western
Interstate Commission for Higher Education.
“The notion of making college accessible so that stu
dents can succeed is critical,” said Michelau, helps states
Online J dailytarheel.com
JUST AVERAGE UNC scores a "C" on
sustainable energy efforts, according to a
Sustainable Endowments Institute report
PRINCIPALS' PALS UNC-system funds
a program to train high school principals
from schools that are underperforming
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Administration.
The majority of employees iden
tified worked in housekeeping or
dining, said Lynn Wooten, spokes
man for UNC Hospitals.
The report also noted that the
hospitals had not performed a
quarterly verification of employee
Social Security numbers.
These checks are not required
by law but are recommended, said
Chris Mears, director of public
affairs for the Office of the State
Auditor.
State agencies, however, are
(Maureen) and Melvin Bell 111 (Angel). Mooing
along with McDowell in her rendition of “Over the
Moon,” the crowd showed that “Rent,” though not
the first-choice musical for the Carolina Performing
Arts Series, was, indeed, the right one.
“I could’ve told you the audience loved the perfor
mance before the show even started,” Kang said.
“It’s an amazing, personal experience.”
Asa diverse crowd of UNC students and Chapel
Hill residents filed out of Memorial Half minutes
after the performance received a standing ovation,
chatter could be heard with words such as “fabulous”
and “incredible” echoing throughout the Memorial
Hall lobby.
“I thought the performance was amazing,” said
Mark Hamblet, 51. “I can’t understand why they
only keep these shows for two days.
“It just seems so quick they build it all up, put
on the shows and then just tear it all down,” the
Chapel Hill resident said.
Hamblet also said he was impressed that the
play’s message of struggling through love and dis-
SEE RENT, PAGE 6
align appropriation, tuition and financial aid policy.
Setting tuition policy
How tuition for public institutions is determined
varies greatly among the states. The new UNC-system
plan capping the increase for in-state tuition and most
fees at 6.5 percent per year for the next four years intro
duces predictability for residents. By not limiting non
resident tuition, the plan leaves out-of-state students
especially vulnerable to hefty hikes.
The UNC-CH Board ofThistees voted Thursday to
ask for an additional $1,250 from nonresident under-
SEE PREDICTABILITY, PAGE 6
Serving the students and the University community since 1893
www.dailytartieel.com
required to verify that all hires
are eligible to work in the United
States.
Employers have been able
to access the Social Security
Administration’s database for
about a year to check the status of
their employees. Wooten said UNC
Hospitals had problems making
the transition to this new system.
“Everything is now in place, and
we will immediately begin quarter
ly verifications,” Wooten said.
Mears said the problems
stemmed from older hires.
city | page 5
GOOD VS. EVIL
Local sportswriters discuss the
recruiting wars and coaching
battles that make the UNC-Duke
rivalry so intense at an event at
the Carrboro Century Center.
“As far as new hires, they are
checking them in accordance with
the law.”
Of UNC Hospitals’ 6,000
employees, 24 originally were
flagged as potential violators, but
seven employees were cleared after
further investigation. Of those,
some had Social Security numbers
that were keyed into the payroll
system incorrectly.
Bill Roper, CEO of UNC Health
Care, declined comment Monday.
Mears said the report is part
of a strategic-review initiative by
Harley Jay performs to the song “Tango: Maureen"
as Mark Cohen during the first act of the Broadway
musical "Rent" in Memorial Hall on Monday night.
More professors turn
in late book orders
BY LAUREN BERRY
STAFF WRITER
If students noticed a lack of
used books available this semes
ter, professors might be the ones
to blame.
The number of courses for
which professors were late turning
in their textbook orders increased
from the fall semester, as did the
number of courses for which book
orders never were received.
Student Stores’ managers said
whether professors comply with
campus I page 9
I SAW THE LIGHT
Student leaders and public
safety officials go on a tour of
South Campus to determine
the lighting needed to ensure
students' safety.
the auditor’s office. He said UNC
Hospitals isn’t the only agency or
university to be investigated.
“This is the fourth of its kind
recently,” Mears said, noting that
N.C. Central University, N.C.
State University and the N.C.
Department of Justice all have
been under the microscope in
recent months.
The N.C. State audit found eight
employees using social security
numbers that matched deceased
SEE HOSPITALS, PAGE 6
East teen
pleads
not guilty
Foster’s defense points to
insanity in hostage case
BY RACHEL ULLRICH
CITY CO-EDITOR
A 17-year-old student who took a teacher and stu
dent hostage in East Chapel Hill High School in April
pleaded not guilty to all charges against him Monday
in court, District Attorney Jim Woodall said.
William Barrett Foster pleaded not guilty by rea
son of insanity to multiple charges, including two
felony counts of second-degree kidnapping and
William Foster
is facing three
felony counts
and two
misdemeanors.
According to police reports, Foster was in posses
sion of a shotgun, an air rifle and a hunting knife.
Kukla and Slegal eventually were able to talk the
student out of shooting at either of them.
“I want to thank... Mrs. Kukla, for staying behind
me and keeping my courage up,” Slegal said in a
release in April. “I did my best to talk to him and
understand what his problems were.”
Kukla recently was named Citizen of the Year by the
North Carolinians Against Gun Violence Education
Fund for her behavior with Foster during the incident.
After being comforted by the two women, Foster
instead fired two shots out the classroom window,
police reports state.
He then left the building and led the police on a
chase through nearby woods, eventually returning to
his house, where his mother drove him to the hospital.
Foster could not be arrested until he was released
from the hospital. He had been mentally unstable for
some time, according to his father.
Foster was charged in June on the charges listed
in the warrants issued in April.
Woodall said Monday a judge had deemed Foster
fit to appear in court.
SEE FOSTER, PAGE 6
book order deadlines affects the
managers’ ability to find used
books and also the amount stu
dents are paid during end-of
semester buy-backs.
“What it really comes down
to is if we don’t get the informa
tion early, the books won’t be
there,” said John Jones, director
of Student Stores.
“When we know a book is going
to be used, we can usually pay a
SEE TEXTBOOKS, PAGE 6
this day in history
JAN. 30,1936...
Students are offered half-price
($0.50) tickets to the President's
Ball for President Franklin
Roosevelt's birthday. The event
offered a show, bridge and dancing.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2007
UNC Hospitals
Social Security
number problems
► A report released Monday by
the N.C. Office of the State Auditor
revealed that 17 employees of
UNC Hospitals had problems with
faulty documentation.
► Four employees were signaled
as having invalid Social Security
numbers.
► Three employees were using
Social Security numbers belonging
to a decreased person.
► Ten others had names that did
not match those of the Social
Security Administration.
one of discharging a firearm on
educational property. Foster also
faces two misdemeanor counts of
assault by pointing a gun.
The charges come in response
to an April 24 incident in which
Foster took East Chapel Hill High
civics teacher Lisa Kukla and
a student, sophomore Chelsea
Slegal, hostage after school.
Foster, then a junior at East
Chapel Hill, held the two at gun
point after locking them in Kukla’s
classroom, shutting off the lights.
Foster held the women in the
classroom for about an hour while a
soccer game went on just outside.
Textbook orders
Orders submitted on time:
Fall 2005:365
Spring 2006:473
Fall 2006:320
Spring 2007:320
Orders submitted late:
Fall 2005:1,463
Spring 2006:1,166
Fall 2006:1,125
Spring 2007:1,210
Courses with no orders:
Fall 2005:66
Spring 2006:267
Fall 2006:577
Spring 2007:694
weather
Mostly sunny
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index
police log 2
calendar 2
games 9
sports 11
opinion ’l2