Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / May 24, 2007, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
VOLUME 115, ISSUE 43 Critics united against immigration bill Bill would grant temporary legal status to illegals BY SARA GREGORY SENIOR WRITER Senate deliberations which began Monday on an immigration reform bill have brought together an unexpected group of allies in opposition to the legislation’s provisions. Criticism of the proposal, which would grant nearly 12 million illegal immigrants temporary security as legal residents, has come from all sides, bringing together groups that share noth ing in common but opposition to this attempt at immigration reform. In North Carolina, an estimated 390,000 illegal immigrants could be impacted by the legislation. Monday, the Senate voted 69 to 23 to continue Huge cuts to hit local education BY TRACEY THERET CITY EDITOR Orange County’s two school districts are already pre paring parents and staff for major program and posi tion cuts in response to the budget County Manager Laura Blackmon will present to the public tonight. Chapel Hill-Carrboro City and Orange County schools’ officials are projecting shortfalls in funding due to state-mandated pay raises for teachers and the Board of County Commissioners’ effort to not increase property taxes to support the operating budget. “Back in January, the commissioners indicated that they wanted to keep the tax rate increase at the rate that was no more than what it would cost to pay the new debt service that we incurred this year, (the rate) is about 3.7 cents,” said Budget Director Donna Dean Coffey. Barry Jacobs, vice-chairman of the Board of County Commissioners, said they wanted minimal tax increases, after the past two years resulted in 12.5-cent increases. “We have to balance our desire to have the best school systems in the states and our resources and the ability of people to shoulder the burden,” Jacobs said. But officials from the school districts say many resi dents are prepared to pay to prevent cuts in funding. “I think the county commissioners need to hear that people really value education and that they’ll have taxes raised in favor of it,” said Pam Hemminger, vice-chairwoman of the CHCCS school board. SEE BUDGET, PAGE 5 Proposed budget statistics Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools ► Budget request $7.3 million ► Expected increase in local revenues: $1.4 million • Predicted shortfall from request: $5.9 million ► Cuts considered: $200,000 in substitute teacher budget, decreasing human resources advertising bud get by half Orange County Schools ► Budget request: $3.7 million >- Expected increase in local revenues: $464,000 ► Predicted shortfall from request: $3.2 million ► Some cuts considered: All middle-school and junior varsity sports, all grade-four and grade-five teaching assistant positions Maymester midway BY ALLISON MILLER UNIVERSITY EDITOR For many students, the idea of hav ing a midterm on the fourth day of class would be terrifying. Yet in Patricia Parker’s communication class, the midterm on Friday was a part of the compacted Maymester schedule. This is the first time UNC has offered Maymester, a shortened semester in May with courses lasting three weeks. “I’m really enjoying it,” said Gabrielle Reynolds, a senior journalism major enrolled in Parker’s class. “It’s really intense, but it’s also easier CORRECTION Due to a reporting error, the Thursday front-page photo for “TAR HEELS DEPART” incorrectly identifies a gradu ating student. In the photo is alumnus Dan Burke, stand ing beside alumna Kim Hales. The Daily Thr Heel apologizes for the error. WEEKLY SUMMER ISSUE Serving the students and the University community since 1893 3br Saiht ®ar Mrrl debate on the legislation. Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., who had set a Memorial Day deadline for the Senate to vote on the bill itself, also announced that deadline had been pushed back to early June. When Senators Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., and Jon Kyi, R-Ariz., announced the bipartisan immigra tion reform agreement last week, they lauded it as the country’s best chance to fix the problem. But as the full text of the bill was made avail able Saturday, opposition mounted on both sides of the aisle. The offices of elected officials have been flooded with phone calls voicing frustration with the bill’s provisions. “We have people all across the country who are fervently calling the Senate explaining that any -—.— mm I aHO - it. * ■ DTH/ALLIE MULLIN Eighth-grader Atiyasha Kaurfrom Salem Middle School participates in "Genes in a Bottle," a gene extrac tion experiment on the DESTINY bus on Saturday morning outside the Morehead Planetarium. because it’s the only thing I have to focus on.” The program is a three-year pilot and was implemented as part of the Quality Enhancement Plan, a requirement of UNC’s reaccreditation to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, said Jim Murphy, dean of summer school. After three years, the program will be evaluated. There are 276 students enrolled in 19 Maymester classes. Spaces were available for about 450 students, Murphy said. SEE MAYMESTER, PAGE 5 announcement WORK FORTHEDTH Contact Summer Editor Clint Johnson at clint@unc.edu if you are interested in writing for the summer edition of The Daily Tar Heel. www.dailytarheel.com YOUNG WOMEN, DESTINY IS CALLING . Kim I DTH/TIMOTHY REESE Suzanne Gulledge displays a map of Scotland to her class, which is studying historical immigration before a trip abroad. Online I dailytarheel.com ACC TOURNAMENT COVERAGE The Daily Tar Heel will be traveling to Jacksonville, Fla. to cover UNC baseball as they attempt to bring home the ACC Tournament crown. Visit our Web site for updates on the tournament via our blog. elected official who supports this bill in any way will soon be out of office,” said William Gheen, President of Americans for Legal Immigration, a Raleigh-based advocacy group. As is, the bill contains provisions regarding those already in the country as well as plans for increas ing the security along the U.S.-Mexico border. An April 22 Zogby International poll found that 32 percent believe security of the Southern border presents the greatest threat to U.S. security. Opposition has come from one side that believes the costs associated with achieving the resident sta tus could deter many from pursuing that option. “The question remains, how many of these indi viduals are even going to be able to apply for this visa?” Ben Balderas, executive director of El Centro SEE IMMIGRATION, PAGE 5 I I Stipulations of the bill Illegal immigrants who entered the country before Jan. 1, 2007 would receive probationary legal status. Illegal immigrants could pay a $5,000 fine and a $1,500 application fee to receive permanent legal residency. Head of household must return to the home country and wait from eight to 13 years before re-entry. > The bill would add 370 miles of fencing along the U.S.- Mexico border and hire 18,000 new border patrol agents to strengthen border protection. Up to 400,000 guest workers would be allowed to enter the country each year. They would receive two-year visas that would be renewable up to three times. BY ELYSE MCCOY STAFF WRITER To those passing by the Morehead Planetarium last Saturday, the Destiny bus may have appeared to be an ordinary vehicle idling in anticipation of its passengers. But inside, Destiny was bustling with activity. Clad in safety goggles, aprons and Carolina-blue rubber gloves, a group of eighth-grade female stu dents and their mentors spent the afternoon per forming a science experiment using the latest sci ence and technology equipment installed on the Destiny. The experiment, titled “Genes in a Bottle,” gave stu dents the chance to learn about genetics by extracting DNA from their own cheek cells. The students were silent as they listened intently to the instructions given by Lenis Chen, Destiny’s community education specialist. The Destiny program, Morehead Planetarium’s traveling science learning initiative, features two custom-built, 40-foot, 33,000-pound buses called Destiny and Discovery. The high-tech labs on these two buses give students who would not otherwise be exposed to modern scientific technology the chance to see what a career in science can offer them, according to Chen. This is why mentor Alecia Bell from the Women and Mathematics Mentoring Program elected to take her students on a field trip aboard Destiny. The Women and Math program, which has been in existence since 1993 in Durham County and 1995 in Wake County, aims to retain the interest of girls who already excel in science and math by pairing them with female mentors with science- or math-related careers. “It’s important for girls to do whatever they like, and this is the age when they decide what they like. Science can be intimidating, and it is good for them to see women in science and math,” says Bell, a ser vice processor test lead at IBM who has been involved with the program for two years. “(TV) shows like CSI help to dispel the ste reotype that science is a nerdy field. The girls see science in these shows and want to do what the scientists are doing.” Both the Women and Math and the Destiny pro grams strive to keep girls interested in science and math by showing them that these subjects can be fim. Mentors in the Women and Math program take their students on several field trips per year. Bell has also taken her students to Marjorie Lee Browne Day, where students spent the day doing science and math activities and participate in a virtual-reality SEE DESTINY, PAGE 5 Tar Heels looking to launch into NCAAs BY DAVID ELY SPORTS EDITOR The North Carolina baseball team will be playing for more than the ACC title when it takes the field against N.C. State today in the second game of the ACC Tournament in Jacksonville, Fla. Granted, the No. 2 seed Tar Heels will be trying to avenge their disappointing performance in the 2006 tournament when they lost national | page 4 WATER REGULATION Depending on where you live; water restrictions might apply. Restrictions could affect everyday activities such as watering lawns and washing cars. THURSDAY, MAY 24, 2007 their only two games. But a team full of College World Series vet erans understands that the ACC Tournament is just another step on the road to a national champi onship. “We obviously have bigger things in mind,” North Carolina coach Mike Fox said. But don’t interpret Fox’s bra- SEE BASEBALL, PAGE 5 dive blog For more arts reviews, visit dive.dailytarheel.com index calendar 2 sports 9,11 games 11 opinion 12
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
May 24, 2007, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75