Qlljr Daily (Ear Brel
CAMPUS BRIEFS
UNC professor wins 2007
lifetime Achievement Award
Stephen Walsh, a UNC geogra
phy professor, received the 2007
Lifetime Achievement Award
from the Southeastern Division
of the Association of American
Geographers.
The Lifetime Achievement
Award is the most prestigious
award the association can confer. It
is given annually to one geography
scholar in November.
'Lifetime achievement is about
the nominee’s extensive body of
work, said Derek Alderman, presi
dent of the association, adding that
this includes research, teaching and
contributions to the community.
Walsh has done research on
Thailand, the Ecuadorian Amazon,
the U.S. western mountains and
the Galapagos Islands.
“Awards are always nice,” Walsh
said. “But they are not as impor
tant as research and the questions
it addresses*
Of the 15 lifetime winners, UNC
claims three. Risa Palm, former
dean of the College of Arts and
Sciences, won in 2001, and geog
raphy professor Stephen Birdsall
won in 1995.
Venable Hall knocked down;
science project continues
Venable Hall was torn down
Wednesday so anew physical sci
ence building can take its place.
Construction of the science
building replacing Venable Hall is
scheduled to begin in mid-March
and should be completed by August
2010, said Peter Krawchyk, assis
tant director of Facilities Planning
and Construction.
The initial stages of the Venable
demolition began Saturday, he said.
The new building will provide
a home for the Marine Sciences
Program, in addition to offering
a 400-seat lecture hall and anew
science library.
Krawchyk said the projected
cost of the project is $123 million,
$lO million dollars over budget.
Venable Hall’s demolition rep
resents the last part of the new
Science Complex’s construction,
which began in 2001.
Visit www.dailytarheel.com for
the full story.
UNC sports nation's second
highest endowment growth
UNC ranked second in endow
ment growth, topping Duke
University, which came in third
place.
The National Association of
College and University Business
Officers ranked 76 different bil
lion-dollar endowment schools.
According to findings, UNC
grew its endowment by 32.1 per
cent, bringing it to $2.16 billion.
Duke has a larger endowment
at $5.91 billion, but it only grew by
31.4 percent
The University of Notre Dame
grew their endowment by 34.7 per
cent and captured the top spot.
CITY BRIEFS
OWASA hears residents on
proposed water regulations
The Orange Water and Sewer
Authority's Board of Directors
heard opinions from local residents
and business owners Thursday
about changing water regulation
and ordinances.
OWASA postponed voting on
any changes after owners flooded
the forum with concerns about the
effect of the amendments on their
businesses.
The reconsideration of the ordi
nances came after an increase of
water use in January. The changes
included prohibiting all non-com
mercial portable irrigation at stage
two water shortage restrictions and
forbidding any irrigation at stage 3.
Visit www.dailytarheel.com for
the full story.
Carrboro High School hosts
college fair for students
At a college fair Thursday night,
juniors were able to get information
on 10 different colleges and ask ques
tions to college representatives.
"We want our students to experi
ence a wide variety of colleges and
opportunities,” said Jeff Thomas,
Carrboro High School principal.
The fair was the second held this
year for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro
City Schools. The first was a district -
wide event in the fall, said Sandy
Tudor, Carrboro High School’s
career development coordinator.
Visit www.dailytarheel.com for
the full story.
Chapel Hill hires new head
for community celebrations
Chapel HiD's parks and recreation
department hired Wes Tilghman as
its new supervisor for festivals and
community celebrations. Tilghman
has worked for the town as an aits and
event specialist since April 2001.
From staff and win reports
Weekend holds stress for ASG
BY ERIC JOHNSON
SENIOR WHITER
The UNC-system Association of
Student Governments is facing a
make-or-break meeting this week
end in Greensboro.
The association spent all of
last semester locked in a frustrat
ing struggle for credibility, and
members fear that a disorganized
gathering this weekend could be a
debilitating blow.
There is a pervasive fear that
UNC system administrators, who
have been exercising increased
scrutiny of the ASG, could step in
and drastically restructure the stu
dent-led group if there is no clear
progress in Greensboro.
“This meeting is kind of like a
test ground,’ said Greg Doucette,
president of N.C. State University’s
student senate and one of the ASG’s
most active delegates.
“They want to see some tangible
improvement at this meeting."
The ASG, which is composed of
student body presidents and del
The real goal is creating a culture where residents and motorists respect
those who hike regularly” matt czajkowski, TOWN COUNCIL MEMBER
CTBP!
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# .. . DTH/JUUE TUIUCEWITZ
For a 510 donation, participants in the Blue Urban Bikes Program can borrow bikes from any of five locations in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro
area. UNC graduate Holly Calkins shows off the Carolina blue bike kept in the back of Skylight Exchange, one of the program’s locations.
TOWN HALL BLUES
Blue Bikes rental program extends access
BY JEFF WOODALL
STAFF WRITER
Chapel Hill is looking to become more
cyclist-friendly by renting bikes out of Town
Hall.
This addition is in collaboration with the
Blue Urban Bikes program, operated by
the advocacy group Students United for a
Responsible Global Environment.
The program is designed to encourage a
cleaner and healthier community by provid
ing easy access to renting bikes rebuilt by
the ReCYCLEry, a nonprofit organization
located in Carrboro.
‘(Blue Urban Bikes) is ultimately
designed in the spirit of programs in
Europe,’ said Chris Richmond, director of
the ReCYCLEry. “We want to get people out
of the habit of jumping in their cars once
UNC tries out grass-fed beef
BY SARA PEACH
STAFF WRITER
Carolina Dining Services is
finding that mixing local fanners
and open pastures is a recipe for a
successful burger.
Starting this month, students
have been able to purchase locally
produced, environmentally friendly
hamburgers at Carolina Kitchen in
Lenoir Dining Hall.
The meat in the burgers comes
from cows raised at Harris Acres
Farm in Pinetops about 100
miles east of Chapel Hill. Patrick
Robinette of Harris Acres said the
cows are grass-fed and free of anti
biotics and pesticides.
Now about 400 of the 600
burgers sold daily are made from
Robinette’s beef.
At $3.99 for a quarter-pounder
and $4.99 for a half-pound burger,
they cost $1 more than the conven
tional burgers sold in Lenoir.
"It’s a dollar more, but I think it's
worth it," said Aspen Price, a junior
environmental studies major. She
said she supports purchasing food
from local farmers because it reduces
the amount of fuel burned to trans
port food to consumers.
Top Nows
egates from the system's 17 campus
es, has been consumed with rumors
about a possible shake-up. Members
are concerned about losing the
$190,000 in student fee money that
the group receives each vear.
System administrators have
repeatedly said the ASG’s future
will be up to its student members,
but they have also refused to quell
rumors about a possible funding
reduction.
Kemal Atkins, the system's
Director for Academic and Student
Affairs, said the fee issue will be
under discussion in the coming
months.
ASG President Cody Grasty
said he expects a solid turnout
for the weekend meeting, which
will be held on the campus of N.C.
Agricultural & Technical State
University. That alone would be
an improvement over recent meet
ings, when the ASG has struggled
to reach a quorum of delegates.
“Success is relative,’ Grasty said.
“I can’t tell you whether people will
they get into the city."
The program expanded its operations
after it received a $15,000 grant from the
Chapel Hill town council in March.
Chapel Hill’s Town Hall will be the sixth
hub in the program's growing network, and
further expansion is expected.
“There are a lot of employees at Town
Hall," Richmond said. “It’s a great image for
the town."
The group asked the Carrboro Board
of Aldermen for similar help in providing
“hubs’ in Carrboro.
Members who pay a $lO annual fee are able
to check out a bike for up to 24 hours. After
that, they must return the bikes but can sign
out bikes an unlimited number of times.
In addition to Ibwn Hall, there are Blue
Urban Bikes hubs at several places up and
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DTH/ELYSSA SHARP
Faye Fang, a freshman journalism and art history major, tries a burger
made with grass-fed beef on Wednesday at Lenoir Mainstreet.
The introduction of the ham
burgers results from a partnership
between Carolina Dining Services
and Fair, Local, Organic Food, a
student organization that has asked
dining services to serve more locally
grown, organic food from compa
nies with fitir labor practices.
Scott Myers, director of food
ASG President
Cody Grasty
said he’s unsure
if delegates will
leave feeling the
meeting was a
success.
walk away with a sense of accom
plishment, or whether they’ll walk
away telling The Daily far Heel
and other campus newspapers that
it was a complete sham or a waste
of time.’
There is already concern among
ASG members that the weekend
will prove discouraging.
There is widespread discon
tent with Grasty, who took over
in October after former president
Cole Jones was forced from office.
Jones was mired in a months
long public relations battle because
of a misdemeanor assault conviction,
and Grasty- promised stability after
Jones’ messy departure.
So far, however, that has proven
down Franklin Street, as well as in Carrboro.
Hubs have anywhere from three to five
bikes. Richmond said the overall design
of the program is to have more hubs than
individual bikes, making it more convenient
for every resident to have a location within
walking distance.
“1 would love to see at least one hub on
the UNC campus,' Richmond said. “We are
in talks with the Student Union about a pos
sible hub outside the building."
Supporting Blue Urban Bikes is town
council member Matt Czajkowski, who said
the program has many benefits.
An avid cyclist, Czajkowski made a com
mitment during his 2007 campaign to ride
his bike to every council meeting. So far, he
said, he has succeeded.
Although he hopes for success with bike
rentals, Czajkowski said he doesn't see Blue
SEE BLUE BIKES, PAGE 6
and vending for Carolina Dining
Services said he met Robinette at
a FLO Food event in December.
The burgers went on sale at the
beginning of the spring semester.
Senior David Hamilton, one of
the leaders of FLO Food, said burg-
SEE GRASS-FED BEEF. PAGE 6
elusive.
'Every expectation of Cody has
not been met,’ Doucette said. ‘I
don’t even know what’s on ASG’s
agenda anymore.’
Grasty cancelled a December
meeting of student body presidents
and twice postponed the meeting
now scheduled for this weekend.
ASG officers complained privately
that Grasty dropped out of contact
during much of December, leading
to speculation that he might resign.
Former ASG President Derek
Pantiel said he has never seen the
organization in such a deep state of
confusion. The group lacks a clear
mission, he said.
“When GA has to intervene,
there’s a serious problem,’ Pantiel
said, referring to UNC-system
General Administration.
“The organization just needs
leadership. Once they have leader
ship, they’ll have a direction.’
Contact the State & National
Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
Panelists set to judge
guitarists on ‘airness’
BY KELLY YANG
STAFF WRITER
Those who’ve dominated ‘Guitar
Hero" will get a chance to rock
out, emulating the same moves
minus the guitar.
The Carolina Union Activities
Board is hosting its first Air Guitar
Championship at 8 p.m. today in
Gerrard Hall.
Drawn up by CUAB’s Fun
Committee Chairwoman Amanda
Kao, the championship is the cul
mination of a three-part event,
which also featured a screening of
"Air Guitar Nation’ and a lecture by
air guitarist Dan Crane, aka Bjorn
TUroque.
Kao accepted entries until yester
day without requiring an audition.
"I don’t want to reject people
because everyone has an air guitar,"
she said.
Hosted by Bjorn Turoque, 10
contestants will perform in front of
a panel of judges, which includes
Student Body President Eve Canon,
SEE AIR GUITAR, PAGE 6
FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2008
Airport
looking
for new
home
Southern site is
one possibility
BY MAX ROSE
ASSISTANT CITY EDITOR
As UNC pushes to close Horace
Williams Airport, plans for its
replacement are under way.
WCHL owner Jim Heavner said
he is involved with a small group
working to replace the airport with
anew area landing strip. He said the
planning is in early stages, and pos
sible sites have not been identified.
“At this stage ... all of us have a
lot more questions than answers,"
Heavner said. “Those of us who are
involved are committed to helping
the University in all the ways that
we can.’
UNC plans to build Carolina
North, a mixed-use research cam
pus, where the airport is located.
Horace Williams Airport is
expected to stay open until con
struction of the Innovation Center is
complete, Carolina North Executive
Director Jack Evans said at a public
hearing Wednesday. Eventually the
University wants to find a site in
southern Orange County for anew
airport, Evans said.
Mayor Pro Tern Jim Ward said
that Wednesday was the first he
had heard of a possible location.
‘I would like the community to
have a voice of determining the
pros and cons of a southern Orange
County location for general avia
tion,’ Ward said.
Horace Williams currently is
used for transportation by Area
Health Education Centers of North
Carolina, which offers educational
programs to help meet the health
needs of the state.
Many have argued against the
closing because of concerns about
the impact on AH EC. Two members
of N.C. Friends of Horace Williams
spoke Wednesday at the hearing.
Evans said AH EC will move
to a hangar at Raleigh-Durham
International Airport, but Heavner
said that option is “extremely tem
porary and very inadequate.'
The need for anew, permanent
home for AHEC has given the search
a “sense of urgency,' Heavner said.
Chancellor James Moeser
pledged in his September State of
the University address that UNC will
work to find a site for anew airport
'I think the University’s been
pretty clear about strong support
for AHEC but needing the location
of the Horace Williams Airport for
Carolina North," Evans said.
Heavner said anew airport
also would help UNC compete
with other research universities to
attract corporate interest
"The University’s corporate
relationships are going to be sig
nificantly more important with the
development of Carolina North,’
Heavner said.
Aaron Nelson, president and
CEO of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro
Chamber of Commerce, said that an
airstrip could help attract corpora
tions and that he has heard general
support for anew site.
“We believe that a general avia
tion airport is an important eco
nomic development asset.’
Contact the City Editor
at citydesk@unc.edu.
DTH/JUUET SPERUNG
Bjorn Turoque demonstrates his
skills as an air guitarist during a
CUAB-sponsored lecture in the
Union Auditorium Thursday night.
3