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CAMPUS BRIEFS
Play Makers official named
director of Outdoor Drama
Rob Franklin Fox was named
the new director of the Institute
of Outdoor Drama. Fox formerly
served as general manager for
Play Makers Repertory Company.
Fox has managed Play Makers
since 1999 and has been with the
University for more than 10 years.
The institute is a public service
agency that advises theater com
panies about various techniques,
including management, promo
tion and technical elements. It
works with 100 companies in 37
states.
Fox succeeds Scott Parker who
held the position for 17 years.
Parker will serve as the dean of the
College of Fellows of the American
Theatre, an honorary society at the
John F. Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts in Washington,
D.C., beginning next April.
CITY BRIEFS
Public works will remove,
replace 11 tree grates
The town of Chapel Hill’s pub
lic works department will remove
11 tree grates from streets on the
north side of the 100 block of East
Franklin Street and on the west
side of the 100 block of North
Columbia Street next week.
Crews will make the grates larg
er to accommodate growing trees
that were planted seven to nine
'years ago as a part of Streetscape
in 2000, an initiative to improve
the experience of town pedestrians.
The improvements are funded by
voter-approved bonds.
The town uses raised brick plant
ers for trees to prevent compaction
‘of the root space. When there is not
enough space for the planters, trees
are planted at sidewalk level and
' are protected by tree grates.
Chapel Hill has been recognized
eight years running as being a Tree
City USA by the National Arbor
Day Foundation for its dedica
tion to planting and maintaining
’healthy trees.
Stewart to create report on
food vending at free market
. During the summer, Carrboro
town officials voiced concern about
•the food vending practices of Really
Really Free Market patrons.
The idea behind the market is
that community members come
‘to a common space to exchange
jgoods and services without
exchanging money, including the
!ppen exchange of food. It takes
place in the Carrboro Commons
jthe first Saturday of every
month.
i But Carrboro Police Department
Capt. Joel Booker said the group
tacks insurance necessary for food
rending, a violation of the event’s
contract with the town.
■ “It puts the town in the position
of potential liability without these
folks having insurance should
someone become ill or sick from
eating the food there,” Booker
said.
■ Town Manager Steve Stewart is
In the process of compiling infor
mation on the market and forming
1 report, which he will present to
the Board of Aldermen.
■ “There’s not a problem with the
crowd, a traffic problem or any
kind of crime wave,” Booker said.
; “I believe the town looks at it
[ike, No food, no problem.’”
Construction mishap closes
Franklin Street on Monday
• East Franklin Street was closed
Idonday between Estes Drive and
Boundary Street due to a severed
£as line.
; The gas line apparently was cut
py workers in the area and repairs
ok a few hours.
- Chapel Hill fire and police
lepartment officials responded to
he scene. Traffic was rerouted to
keep cars from the area. The street
about 2:20 p.m.
County group is awarded
for health initiatives
!
; The Orange County Board of
pommissioners plans to recognize
i group that is working to improve
he health of the county’s residents
it a meeting tonight.
; The Orange County Healthy
"arolinians Council received
in award in June from the N.C.
Prevention Partners, a nonprofit
Organization dedicated to improv
hg the state’s health through pre
vention.
• The commissioners will congrat
ulate the Orange County Healthy
Carolinians Council on its award.
The group worked to produce a
recreation map for the county. Its
york to help minority churches
mprove the nutrition and physi
cal activity of their members also
yill be commended,
j; The group also worked with the
bounty's government to start an
{mployee health program.
—From staff and wire reports
Forum and Gazette clash
Employees claim official censorship
BY WHITNEY KISLING
UNIVERSITY EDITOR
A dispute between the UNC
Employee Forum and the
University is brewing.
After more than a month of
debate, the forum is calling a
University Relations’ decision not
to publish an article an act of cen
sorship. But UNC officials say the
decision was within their editorial
realm.
As the forum drafts a resolution
officially asking for action from
Chancellor James Moeser, a greater
debate about employee rights and
University policy is coming to the
forefront.
The issue is muddled with tech
nicalities and interpretation of the
Audience members reach out to pat a giant bull puppet at the end of 'A Shoe For Your Foot," the production performed by
Paperhand Puppet Intervention in the Forest Theatreon Friday evening. The bull required two operators and meandered up the aisle.
HANDS-ON THEATER
BY BENNETT CAMPBELL
ASSISTANT ARTS EDITOR
Many students might have fond memories
of puppet shows from their early youth. But
there are puppet shows, and then there are
Paperhand Puppet Intervention productions.
And they are a whole different creature.
The organization is presenting “A Shoe
for Your Foot,” which combines elements of
dance, theater, music and visual art, in Forest
Theatre at 7 p.m. Friday through Sept. 3.
“It’s not really like the Muppets or
hand puppets that people think of. It’s a
much broader use of the word ‘puppet,’”
said Donovan Zimmerman, a seven-year
Paperhand veteran.
One of the puppets, a giant head with arms
and hands, takes seven people to operate.
By implementing stilts, masks and other
puppets, Paperhand’s production, which
Zimmerman said is greatly influenced by
Peter Schumann’s renowned Bread and
Puppet Theater in Vermont, also deals with
an overarching theme.
“The theme dealt with two words: sim
plicity and humanity, and the different
meanings therein,” Zimmerman said.
New dean brushes up on arts
History at UNC
eases transition
BY KATE SULLIVAN
ASSISTANT UNIVERSITY EDITOR
Holden Thorp is finally settled
into South Building in an office he’s
been eyeing for more than three
years.
Thorp first applied for the posi
tion in 2004 when now-Provost
Bernadette Gray-Little was named
to the post.
After being named dean of the
College of Arts and Sciences this
spring, Thorp officially took his
post July 1 and has spent the sum
mer acclimating himself.
As dean, Thorp is responsible
for overseeing all 54 of the arts
and sciences departments, but as a
scientist, he said he’s been learning
a lot this summer.
Madeline Levine, former interim
dean, called the months leading up
to Thorp assuming office “a good
transition period.
“He began sitting in on all the
meetings of all the senior associate
deans,” she said. “We really had a
meeting of the minds on every
thing.”
Levine noted that the inherent
Top News
First Amendment and the UNC
system’s protocol on recommend
ing legislative agendas.
It all started in June with a rou
tine submission of articles for the
forum’s monthly Inlbuch newslet
ter, which is published each July in
the University Gazette —a weekly
print publication mailed to all per
manent UNC faculty and staff.
The forum planned to publish
an article that they consider objec
tive about collective bargaining
—a hot topic that has caused some
tension between the forum and the
chancellor in the past.
Last year Moeser warned employ
ees that their resolution supporting
the repeal of North Carolina’s pro
hibition on collective bargaining
“It’s all about finding the extraordinary in
the ordinary,” he said.
The title of the work came from a conver
sation about that philosophy. Zimmerman
said that the question “What is simple?”
inspired him to think of a shoe.
“A shoe has utility and form and meets
a basic need,” he said. “And that’s what this
show is really all about.”
Hence, “A Shoe for Your Foot.”
Zimmerman encouraged those who have
not witnessed a production of this kind to give
it a try. He said that the feedback people have
given him about the theme and the production
as a whole has been remarkably positive.
“I hear a lot from people afterwards, and
there’s a lot of laughter, but also a lot of
tears,” he said. “We try to have some hard
hitting, topical stuff.”
Chapel Hill resident Melissa Krueger, who
saw the show Saturday, noticed its themes.
“It always seems that they kind of point
out the important things in life ’ she said.
Zimmerman said that evoking such a
reaction is the goal of the production.
“Without being didactic or preachy, we try
to reflect what’s going on in the world and
Arts and
Sciences dean
Holden Thorp
comes from
a science
background at
the University.
challenges of being dean are varied
but said Thorp has the advantage of
coming from inside the University.
“There are a lot of people that
I’ve known for 15 years or even ...
25 years, who will really tell me if
I have a good idea or if my idea’s
crazy,” he said. “If you’re an outsid
er you don’t really have that.”
He also noted that his six years in
UNC administration —four as direc
tor of the Morehead Planetarium
and Science Center and two as chair
man of the Department of Chemistry
also have helped him understand
how things work on campus.
“I’ve met with all the chairs, so I
think I’m starting to get a good han
dle on what the issues are,” he said.
Because his background is sci
entific, Thorp said he needed to
expand his understanding of the
humanities and the University’s
international scope.
This summer he visited UNC stu
dents participating in study-abroad
for state employees might be over
stepping their role by attempting to
directly influence legislation.
Forum members said they con
sider the act censorship mainly
because the InTouch insert is pub
lished under its own masthead.
“It’s always been treated as an
independent publication even
by the Gazette,” said Brenda
Denzler, the forum’s communica
tions chairwoman, who served as
the liaison between employees and
the Gazette during conversations
about the article.
In addition to its annual printed
version in the Gazette, the newslet
ter is published on the forum’s Web
site every month.
David Brannigan, vice chairman
of the forum, said that he hasn’t
seen the Gazette exercise this kind
of editorial control in the past
allow people to be stirred and have questions
raised within themselves,” he said.
Jan Burger, who worked full-time on the
production with Zimmerman, explained
what the experience is like for first-timers.
“It was very magical,” he said about simi
lar puppet shows he witnessed in his youth.
“You often wonder, ‘How are they doing that?
How is it possible to move that way?’”
Part of the profit from the show —a $lO
donation is suggested for admission will
go toward building a “puppet bam” to house
flie creations, which are currently stored at a
defunct cotton mill in Saxapahaw.
Sixteen people spent more than two
months creating the puppets used in the
show and stored in that mill.
Zimmerman said that their dedication
was an inspiration.
“For me, that’s moving,” he said. “Having
people getting out of their everyday lives on
105-degree days in black dress, business attire
and costumes. It’s really an intense experi
ence, both to be in the show and to see it.”
Contact the Arts Editor
at artsdesk@unc.edu.
programs in China.
“I think he’s trying to get a feel
for the global internationalization
activities that Carolina is involved
with,” said Joe Templeton, chair
man of the faculty.
Thorp said he hopes to include all
students and faculty as he focuses on
research at the college.
“The challenges that we face are
to excel in research and do a great
job with undergraduate and gradu
ate education and develop a strat
egy that allows us to do all of those
things well.”
One way to meet that challenge
is to increase faculty at the largest
college in the University as it deals
with an influx of students and
greater pressure to succeed.
Levine said Thorp’s science back
ground hasn’t disadvantaged him
because of the strong support struc
ture available within the college.
“I think a good dean knows
where his or her strengths are and
where they have to rely on senior
associate deans,” she said. “That’s
the beauty of the design of college
administration.”
University Editor Whitney
Kisling contributed to this article.
Contact the University Editor
at udesk@unc.edu.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2007
but that he thinks it’s because the
forum has recently shifted to more
serious content in its newsletter.
“As the forum becomes more
responsive to employees’ concerns,
the topics we’ve covered reflect
that,” he said.
Patty Courtright, Gazette editor
and director of internal commu
nications for University Relations,
said the article was not published
because the department considers it
an opinion piece about legislation.
According to the UNC-system
Board of Governors’ policy, legis
lative priorities should come from
the system as a whole, not individ
ual schools or groups.
“The Gazette is a University pub
lication,” Courtright said. “Anything
that is published under the Gazette
SEE FORUM, PAGE 16
New businesses add to
town thoroughfares
BY DANIEL PRICE
STAFF WRITER
Downtown Chapel Hill and
Carrboro continue to grow and
evolve.
And with the arrival of several
new businesses, this summer was
no exception.
Stocking the pantry
The Harris Teeter on Raleigh
Road closed Aug. 1, but three
Harris Teeter locations still operate
within three miles of the spot.
All 36 employees from the
closed location were offered and
have accepted positions at other
stores, said Paul Marsocci, former
manager of the Raleigh Road loca
tion. Marsocci now holds the same
position at the store on Chatham
Downs Drive.
The vacant building soon will be
selling groceries again. The Fresh
Market, a high-end food chain
based in Greensboro,, will open in
spring 2008.
The market sells high-quality
foods and offers cooking demon
strations, samplings and several
other in-store events.
Online
classes
site to
launch
BY ELIZABETH DEORNELLAS
ASSISTANT STATE & NATIONAL EDITOR
As one of the highlights of the
new state budget, UNC Online will
kick off this year amidst high expec
tations for its potential to expand
the reach of the UNC system.
The Web site is designed as a
central portal that provides links to
courses at all 16 UNC-system uni
versity campuses. The N.C. General
Assembly set aside $4.2 million for
the program’s inaugural year.
Although the program is meant
to be a multi-campus collaboration,
each university is responsible for
providing faculty and ensuring qual
ity content for their online courses.
“The General Administration
does not provide degrees for anyone
we do,” said Joseph Templeton,
UNC-Chapel Hill faculty chairman.
The marketing of UNC Online
is a balancing act, Templeton said,
since the UNC name is linked to
the flagship university in Chapel
Hill, as opposed to the 15 other
participating universities.
“There is a branding issue that is
important,” he said, adding that the
distinction between UNC-CH and
the UNC system is not necessarily
made in the other 49 states. “The
Tar Heel logo is an important one,
academically and financially.”
The UNC-system General
Administration is focused on
efforts to promote on sites that
target working adults, especially
those in their 20s and 30s, through
banner ads placed on Monster.com
and Yahoo.com.
“We’re only paying for marketing
to reach a target audience that we
feel would be most likely to enroll
in an online program,” said Jim
Sadler, UNC-system associate vice
president for academic planning.
Funds also will flow through
to the 16 university campuses to
create new online degree pro
grams and facilitate collaboration
between UNC-system schools and
the community college system.
One priority is to develop under
graduate degree programs that com
bine two years of online community
college courses and two years of
online UNC-system courses.
The focus is on integrating the
two systems so that credits from
online community college programs
will count toward UNC degrees.
Also in the works are pre-major
agreements that would create
online community college courses
to satisfy requirements for special
ized UNC majors.
Undergraduate students at
UNC-CH are allowed one online
course per semester.
About 400 to 500 on-campus
UNC-CH students enroll in an
online course each semester, along
with 600 to 800 off-campus stu
dents, said Tim Sanford, associate
director for credit programs at the
Friday Center.
The Web site will enable stu
dents already enrolled in a UNC
system university to take advan
tage of course offerings at other
campuses.
Undergraduate degrees earned
solely from online courses aren’t
SEE UNC ONLINE, PAGE 16
Fresh Market spokeswoman
Karina Timmel said she believes
the town will be receptive.
“Chapel Hill has such a great sense
of community and eclectic gathering
of what it offers,” she said.
With several competing grocers,
including Harris Teeter and Whole
Foods, Timmel said customers will
find The Fresh Market unique.
“The Fresh Market is a specialty
grocer and offers the highest-quality
produce that it can find,” she said.
Hie market has a full-service meat
counter with a butcher on duty, fresh
seafood accompanied by a seafood
specialist and more than 400 items
of produce from which to choose.
“Every store has its own unique
offerings,” Timmel said. “The Fresh
Market is similar to the old-world
European food markets, which had
a very charming, warm and bou
tique feel.”
Mexican fare
Another business new to the com
munity is Chipotle Mexican Grill,
which opened its doors June 29 after
SEE BUSINESSES, PAGE 16
3