VOLUME 115, ISSUE 50
State budget lag affects UNC system
UNC schools awaiting new budget proposals
BY ERIC JOHNSON
SENIOR WRITER
RALEIGH ln what has become com
mon practice, state lawmakers headed into
the July Fourth holiday without anew bud
get in place.
The official start of the fiscal year was July
1, but legislators failed to agree on a spend
ing plan before the deadline. The state is
operating on a provisional budget until Aug.
1, which means universities and other state
agencies will have to wait before finalizing
their own plans.
“We just haven’t got much done,” said
LOVE IS HERE FOR OLIVER!
BY CHRISTINA STRAUCH
STAFF WRITER
Audiences will be wanting more once they’ve had a taste
of “Oliver!” as performed by a group of 43 professionally
rehearsed local youngsters.
The Arts Center of Carrboro and Play Makers Repertory
Company have teamed up to create a unique opportunity for
these kids to participate in a professional production of this
show based on Charles Dickens’ classic novel, “Oliver Twist.”
This special performance about an orphan who is adopted
into a gang of pickpockets graces the stage of UNC’s Paul
Green Theatre July 13 to 15.
“The bar is set veiy, very high,” said Lauren Hodge, director
of the Youth Performing Arts Conservatory at The Arts Center.
“It’s a rare and unusual experience for these young people.”
The program affords the youngsters a chance to be trained
and rehearsed as if they are professional actors.
“People will be surprised at the level of professionalism
shown throughout,” said Los Angeles-based director Tom
Quaintance. “The kid who is playing a workhouse boy is get
ting as much attention as the kid who is playing Oliver.”
UNC senior Matthew Baldiga, who plays Fagin, is the
only cast member more than 18 years old.
“I think one of the best ways to build theater communi
ties is by teaching children, by taking them to the theater,”
Baldiga said.
And he’s not the only one who has felt the difference in
working with these youngsters.
“There’s excitement and energy from having these kids
in these rooms which are usually dark over the summer,”
Quaintance said of UNC’s Center for Dramatic Art “This pro
duction gets to what the heart of what musical theater is about
the excitement of being out on the stage for the first time.”
And the story of Oliver only bolsters the magic which the
cast brings to the stage.
“The music’s great, and the script’s great,” Quaintance
said. “All we have to do is tap into the boundless energy of
the kids,” he said.
Having the support of two community organizations has
breathed a breath of fresh air into the production, too.
“It’s a unique opportunity to get some of the professionals
of Play Makers combined with people from the Arts Center that
probably hasn’t been seen around campus,” Baldiga said.
Quaintance agreed.
“One of the things that is great for me coming in as a guest
director is the incredible support that PRC has given in
terms of company members and scenic design,” Quaintance
said. “It’s electrifying having this much of the community
SEE OLIVER, PAGE 5
Local, organic food on the rise
BY BETSY BROWNE
STAFF WRITER
As consumers become more conscious of what
they eat, grocery stores have expanded their
selection of organic and locally grown foods.
Customers such as Martha Jenkins, a Harris
Teeter shopper from Chapel Hill, have clear
reasons for buying organic products.
“I just think that’s what’s wrong with health
in the United States, all the pesticides and pre
servatives,” Jenkins said.
Jean Marr, a customer at Whole Foods, said
she also tries to purchase organic products.
“I like to try to eliminate pesticides from our
diet. I like to support organic farmers and sup
port locally grown as much as possible,” said
Jean Marr, a customer said.
The price of organic foods does differ from
non-organic ones, as seen in the organic and
“regular” types of Harris Teeter peanut butter,
which sell for $3.79 and $1.79, respectively.
The increased price is not a problem for
some shoppers.
“I never mind paying,” Jenkins said.
“With some things, like bananas are a big
one, you shouldn't: buy organic it doesn’t
online f dailytarhed.com
Emergency Alert UNC is signed on
to receive emergency text messages
Mishandling money State rep. Mary
McAllister fined for fundraising abuses
Summer fun CUAB activities during
the summer are still attracting students
WEEKLY SUMMER ISSUE
Serving the students and the University community since 1893
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Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand, D-
Cumberland.
“It has just been slow happening.”
Without a full budget in place, university
administrators continue operating at cur
rent spending levels. That means that any
new initiatives or staff positions remain on
hold until lawmakers decide whether to pro
vide funding.
“It holds people up in the sense that they’d
like to know what their allocations are going
to be,” said Steve Allred, executive assistant
provost at UNC-Chapel Hill. “We essentially
just wait to see once the budget is done, and
make any difference,” she said.
The higher prices do concern others,
such as Weaver Street Market shopper Julie
Lawhom.
“(I buy organic) if I can afford it,” Lawhom
said, explaining how it is difficult for people
with tight budgets to buy organic products.
“I feel like it’s unfair that fruits and vegeta
bles are difficult to access for people with low
incomes and organic is out of reach altogether,”
said Lawhom.
Others like Dana Camberra, who recently
moved to Chapel Hill, do not always purchase
organic foods.
“(I buy) sustainable, local, not necessarily
organic, but high quality,” Camberra said.
He also mentioned the higher prices, but his
main concern seemed to be whether organic
food was an improvement
“No one’s explained the dear benefit (of organ
ic foods),” he said. “The quality of food doesn’t
always seem to be as visually appealing.”
Marr said organic food has come & long way.
“I can recall when organic stuff looked really
SEE ORGANIC, PAGE 5
City | page 4
Parking trouble
Local council plans to reduce
parking fees and implement
free parking on Sunday have
been meet with worries about
negative impacts on business.
www.dailytarheel.com
make whatever changes they authorize in
the final version retroactively.”
Allred was careful to mention that all pay
raises would be retroactive to July 1, so fac
ulty and staff won’t miss out no matter how
long the budget process takes.
While the delay is an inconvenience to
university officials, it no longer causes major
disruptions. With the legislative debate so
often carrying over into July, deans and fac
ulty members have grown accustomed to the
uncertainty.
“We have not had a budget come in before
July Ist except once in the last ten years,”
Allred said. “We’re certainly familiar with
the circumstance we find ourselves in now.”
Rob Nelson, UNC-system vice president
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Tom Quamtance, director of' Oliver!" provides stage direction for Christopher Stevens-Brown, 14, who plays the part of Bill. "Oliver! * opens on July 13
at the Paul Green Theatre at the Center for Dramatic Art. Quaintance, based out of Los Angeles, Ca., has worked on several Broadway productions
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Sheila Neil, manager of the Carrboro. Farmers'
Market gives Scarlett Simmons a tomato seed
ling as her mother, Lisa Simmons; watches.
arts | page 9
I smell a ratatouille
"Ratatouille," the latest film
from the Academy-award
winning team of Brad Bird and
Pixar, is a feast of French food
and fun for the whole family.
for finance, said the most important concern
for campuses would be to get enrollment
growth and financial aid funding in place by
Aug. 1. Without that money, schools would
have difficulty accommodating the annual
growth in student populations.
“We generally get enrollment growth and
financial aid in the August continuation,”
Nelson said, meaning that lawmakers would
likely provide those funds even if they have not
settled on a final budget by the end of July.
For the time being, legislators seem to be
a long way from even discussing the higher
education budget. With disagreements
about Medicaid funding, tax levels and debt
SEE STATE BUDGET, PAGE 5
Festival for Eno
hails environment
Celebrates with
music and crafts
BY ALEXANDRIA SHEALY
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Don’t be surprised if Durham
looks a little bit greener this week
end.
For the 28th year, more than 100
performers, some of the regions
finest crafts artists and many other
groups will gather on the banks of
Durham’s Eno River for the annual
Festival for the Eno.
The festival opened Wednesday
and will continue this weekend on
Saturday and Sunday.
“Although this is the 28th year,
we’ve added new things every year,”
said Robin Jacobs, executive direc
tor of the Eno River Association.
campus | page 4
Starbucks not fair
Though Starbucks is slated to
open within the coming year,
many on campus are against the
arrival of a Starbucks in Rams
Head due to fair-trade issues.
THURSDAY, JULY 5, 2007
Initiatives
awaiting funding
► Indigent Care at UNC
Hospitals: $7,500,000
► Nurse Scholars Program:
$2,750,000
► Prospective Teacher
Scholarship Loan Program:
$1,571,465
► Teacher Mentoring programs:
$2,156,000
► Research Competitiveness
Fund: $15,000,000
IF YOU GO
Time: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., July 7-8
Location: West Point on the Eno,
Durham City Park
Info: www.enoriver.org/festival/
“Every year it’s a little bit different”
Jacobs’ organization puts on the
festival to promote awareness and
raise money for the protection of
the Eno River basin.
And with big names in North
Carolina performing arts such
as the African American Dance
Ensemble, Mid Town Dickens and
John McCutcheon among others, the
Festival for the Eno doesn’t have any
problems drawing a large crowd.
This year, its organizers expect
around 40,000 people to attend.
SEE ENO, PAGE 5
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