VOLUME 115, ISSUE 12
Last week was Sunshine Week, a national initiative examining how open our
governments are and how accessible public information really is. The Daily Tar Heel
sent out six staff members in February to request public records without revealing
their identities as reporters, testing officials' willingness to adhere to the law.
Local officials open
to citizens’ requests
Some agencies unable to
provide electronic records
BY LINDSAY MICHEL
INVESTIGATIVE TEAM CO-EDITOR
While many UNC students basked in the sunlight
along beaches all over the world last week, another
kind of sunshine was shed across the U.S. in hopes of
drawing public attention to the importance of open
records laws.
Sunshine Week is a national initiative that aims
to draw Dublic discourse and attention to the impor
tance of open govern
ment and freedom of
information. This year
it took place during the
week of March 12.
YOUR RIGHT
C* TO KNOW
To put North Carolina’s public officials to the test,
the N.C. Press Association teamed up with newsrooms
and organizations across the state to conduct a public
records audit.
Between Feb. 19 and Feb. 23, government agencies
in 41 counties were approached by citizens requesting
information from closed meeting minutes to public
officials’ e-mails all of which are available according
to the state’s open records laws.
The Daily Tar Heel sent a team of reporters to loca-
Audit finds cooperation,
confusion over N.C. laws
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
RALEIGH When it comes to records that
detail the government’s inner workings, N.C. offi
cials often make such documents public without
hesitation.
But those same officials are stumped equally as
often by what the law says must be released and how
to physically do it.
Many refused to release min
utes of closed meetings or e-mails
sent by elected officials, or made
the process of obtaining such
records difficult, according to
emissaries sent to local govern
ment offices across the state by
INSIDE
See a guide
for obtaining
records that are
public by law.
PAGE 8
the N.C. Press Association, the League of Women
Voters and the N.C. Open Government Coalition.
One auditor said she was repeatedly questioned
about her identity, her job, her place of residence
and why she wanted copies of town council mem
bers’ e-mails. Under state law, a citizen doesn’t have
Preacher able to return, but not to Pit
BY GREG MARGOLIS
STAFF WRITER
Gary Birdsong, known to UNC
students as the Pit Preacher, might
be in need of anew nickname.
Birdsong received a letter Friday
from Department of Public Safety
officials stating that he is no longer
allowed to preach in the Pit or on
the ramps or steps leading into it.
The punishment comes as
a result of a trespass warning
Birdsong received March 8 after he
refused to move from the Pit area.
Board moves to confront textbook prices
Policy validates student group’s efforts
BY ERIC JOHNSON
SENIOR WRITER
GREENVILLE - The UNC
system adopted a tougher stance
on textbook costs Thursday, with
much of the credit going to student
leaders.
The decision by the system
announcement
FOLLOW THE MADNESS
Ready to throw out your NCAA
Tournament brackets? Turn to
pages 6 and 7 and start anew
one with the winning teams to
date already filled out for you.
Serving the students and the University community since 1893
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tions around Orange County to request docu-
ments as average citizens. The auditors’ iden
tities as reporters were not revealed until
after the audit was complete.
While most government agen
cies supplied the requested
information, others said it
couldn’t be done.
Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill Town Council closed
session minutes are a challenge to
attain. They are unavailable for public
review until released by the town attor- vH
ney, said Sandy Kline, deputy town clerk. n
“I normally don’t have too many requests
for closed session minutes,” she said. “And if
I do, I go to the town attorney to see if they
can be released or not.” W
Council members usually discuss personnel
issues or possible property acquisitions behind B
closed doors, she said. If they vote to take any real l
action, they must do so in open session.
But Town Hall does make records of town council
members’ e-mails easily accessible.
Files of e-mails for about the past month and a half
are kept in binders on a table in the clerk’s office for
SEE SUNSHINE, PAGE 8
to provide any of that information to inspect and
copy such a public record.
“I felt like a citizen with no rights being *
badgered to get any public records,” she
wrote. *
In a one-week period in February, JL *■
auditors visited government Vv
offices with orders to ask for f .
several public records, includ- /
ing minutes of closed meetings, v T
legal bills from outside counsel, I \
and e-mail correspondence of \ \
members of town councils and \ 1
school boards. All are considered \
public record under N.C. law. \ I
The results suggest better training \
is needed for the front-office staff of Vj®
local government agencies, who often Ww .
aren’t familiar with the details of the Ol|L §
SEE N.C. AUDIT, PAGE 8 M
Pit Preacher
Gary
Birdsong
appealed his
UNC ban and
plans to preach
Tuesday.
At the time, the space was reserved
by Carolina Adventures.
After receiving the warning,
which stated that he would be
banned from campus for two years,
Board of Governors to approve a
comprehensive textbook policy
marks a significant victory for
the UNC-system Association of
Student Governments.
Forcing the university to con
front rising book costs has been
one of the ASG’s signature issues,
Oilline I dailytarheel.com
CALLING FOR SAFETY Durham starts
a system to provide emergency alerts
GOING GREEN UNC residence halls'
conservation competition to end this week
END OF THE RAINBOW Children look
for pot of gold in St. Patrick's Day event
www.dailytarheel.com |
Birdsong said he filed an appeal
that garnered the lighter sanction.
“I don’t think it’s right,” said
Birdsong, who has been preach
ing at UNC since the ’Bos and
plans to preach outside of the Pit
on Tuesday, weather permitting.
“I try to stand my ground, but this
right here is ridiculous.”
Don Luse, director of the
Carolina Union, said groups can
reserve space in the Pit through
the Office of Events Planning. The
reservation entitles a group to use
and system officials went out of
their way to praise the associa
tion’s recent efforts.
“This really came out of the
work that Derek and his group
did,” said Ginger Burks, UNC-sys
tem associate vice president for
finance.
She was singling out ASG
President Derek Pantiel, who has
used his seat on the board to high
campus I page 5
BUILDING A BILLION
The University has started its
efforts to raise $1 billion in
external research funding by
2015, an initiative announced
in September.
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DTHIJOHATHAN SHRADER AND SEANN VICENTE
the space as it sees fit and to con
trol what goes on in the reserved
area, he said.
Usually when there is a conflict,
events planning officials try to
mediate the dispute, Luse said.
“We explain the policy and say
these people have reserved the Pit,
... you have to respect that right,”
he said. “We try to provide an
alternative where they might be
able to do what they want.”
SEE PREACHER, PAGE 4
light student complaints about the
rising cost of books.
Though textbook costs have
been a part of the student agenda
for years, Pantiel and his staff have
pressed strongly during the past
few months for a systemwide pol
icy to require on-time adoption of
new textbooks and a rental system
SEE BOG TEXTBOOKS, PAGE 4
city | page 11
MEETING OF THE MINDS
The Carrboro Board of
Aldermen meet co discus: the
Martin Luther King Jr. park, and
the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City
School Board talks graduation.
UNC uses perfect break
to garner Sweet 16 berth
BY BRANDON STATON
SENIOR WRITER
WINSTON-SALEM - The
turning point of No. 1 seed
North Carolina’s second round
matchup against No. 9 Michigan
State came before the second offi
cial timeout. After a MSU foul
on the floor,
UNC sopho
more Tyler
Hansbrough
checked back
in without
MEN'S
BASKETBALL
UNC 81
MSU 67
the protective mask that he has
worn since breaking his nose on
March 4.
As the entry pass came toward
him seconds later, Hansbrough
looked so excited that he seemed
to meet the ball halfway. Once he
had the ball in hand, he turned
and sank a 15-foot jumper from
the baseline without hesitation
and continued toward one of the
finest performances of his career,
leading UNC to an 81-67 win and
SEE TAR HEELS, PAGE 4
this day in history
MARCH 19,1995...
UNC basketball standout Michael
Jordan plays his first game as
No. 45 for the Chicago Bulls after
a two-year break. He scores 19
points against the Indiana Pacers.
TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2007
w v M
! l
DTH/LARRY BAUM
An unmasked Tyler Hansbrough
takes it to the hole for two during
UNC's second round 81 -67 win
Saturday against Michigan State.
weather
* Mostly
*/ v sunny
H 63, L 45
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opinion '""lO
games .13
I sports 14