10
MONDAY, MARCH 17. 2008
Mentoring program seeks volunteers
BY JEFF WOODALL
STAFF WRITER
Through a local mentoring pro
gram. Andrew Teras has gained a
new perspective on the commu
nity.
Teras. a business school stu
dent. mentors an 11-year-old in
the Blue Kihhon Mentor-Advocate
Program.
There is a lot of culture to this
town that students will get to know
National and World News
FROM THE
CAMPAIGN TRAIL
McCain travels to
Iraq to seek facts
BAGHDAD (AP) - Sen. John
McCain, the likely Republican
presidential nominee, arrived in
Baghdad on Sunday for a visit
with Iraqi and U.S. diplomatic
and military officials.
Before leaving the United
States. McCain, one of the fore
most proponents of the March
2003 U.S.-led invasion, said the
trip to the Middle Hast and Europe
was for fact-finding purposes, not
a campaign photo opportunity.
But he expressed public worries
that militants in Iraq might try to
influence the November election.
Pelosi’s remarks
support Obama
WASHINGTON. D.C. (AP)
I louse Speaker Nancy Pelosi
says it would be damaging to
the Democratic Party for its
leaders to buck the will of
national convention delegates
picked in primaries and cau
cuses. a declaration that gives |
a boost to Sen. Barack Obama.
Her remarks seemed to sug- i
gest she was prepared to cast
her ballot at the convention
in favor of the candidate who ;
emerges from the primary
season with the most pledged i
delegates.
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through the program.' he said.
“It's a great reward and a
chance to learn about the local
flavor and what's going on in
Chapel Hill.’
The program working with
students in Chapel Hill-Carrboro
City Schools is looking for volun
teers.
Anew group of volunteers
received training earlier this
month and have begun their work
N.Y. lieutenant governor prepares for
office in wake of Spitzer resignation
ALBANY. N.Y. (AP) - As
Eliot Spitzer departs the gov
ernor's office in disgrace, his
replacement will face political
challenges in place long before
the prostitution scandal that
paralyzed the state Capitol.
Lt. Gov. David Paterson will
try to heal bruised relations
with lawmakers in both parties
w ho were offended by Spitzer's
confrontational leadership style.
He also faces a tight budget in a
slowing economy and memories
of divisive issues from Spitzer's
less than 15-month tenure.
Spitzer stepped down amid
Dalai Lama calls
for investigation
BEIJING (AP) - The Dalai
Lama called Sunday for an inter
national investigation into China's
crackdown against protesters in
Tibet, which he said is facing a
"cultural genocide" and where his
exiled government said 80 people
were killed in the violence.
Along with NO killed, some 72
people were injured in the pro
tests, said Thubten Samphel. a
spokesman for the exiles. China's
state media said 10 |>copledied.
Meanwhile, hundreds of armed
police and soldiers patrolled the
streets of Lhasa two days after
Tibetans torched buildings and
stoned Chinese residents.
with students.
It is a nationally recogniz.ed,
comprehensive support program
that was founded in 1.995. The pro
gram helps voung black and Latino
students reach their full academic
potential.
Blue Ribbon coordinator Graig
Meyer said volunteering is an
opportunity for students and
adults to give children guidance
and make long-term relation
a call-girl scandal that made a
mockery of his straight-arrow
image and left him facing the
prospect of criminal charges
and perhaps disbarment.
Patterson plans to meet with
lawmakers on Monday to lav out
his positions and any revisions
to Spitzer’s budget, which faces
an April 1 deadline.
Spitzer resigned Wednesday,
making an announcement with
out securing a pica bargain with
federal prosecutors, though a
law enforcement official said
the former governor was still
believed to be negotiating one.
Troops could soon
see 4,000 th death
BAGHDAD (AP) Sometime
soon, the U.S. military will suffer
the 4,000 th death of the war in
Iraq.
Analysts say the 4,000 dead,
while an arbitrary marker, could
inject the war debate back into
the campaign season, particular
ly with the war s fifth anniversary
Thursday. Or. with overall vio
lence lower in Iraq, the milestone
could pass with far less public
discussion than in past years.
Last year was the deadliest for
American troops in Iraq, with
901 troops killed. As of Sunday,
at least 3.988 Americans have
died in Iraq.
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News
ships.
Alecia Slade, a graduate student
in social work, does a variety of
activities with the fifth-grade stu
dent she mentors.
“We have made cookies together,
gone window shopping at the mall
and played games at her house."
Slade said.
“Basically, we do whatever she
would like to do.'
These simple activities, Slade
explained, are the ways through
which she has built a strong rela
tionship with her student.
Rather than solely focusing on
academics. Blue Ribbon tries to
build relationships that will result
in personal growth for both the
mentor and the child. Personal
connections are emphasized.
The children start the program
in fourth grade, and 10() percent
have gone to education past high
school, he said.
“Over 90 percent of our mentor
relationships go past the first two
years, and 60 percent of the stu
dents keep the same mentor all
the way through college." Meyer
said.
Applicants must be at least 21
years old. Many UNC graduate
students have volunteered and
found it a very rewarding experi
ence. Meyer said.
To be a volunteer mentor, an
applicant must be willing to give
a two-year commitment to Blue
Ribbon.
Other commitments include
two hours a week one-on-one with
the mentec and performing other
advocacy activities run by Blue
Ribbon.
But Slade said she did face
some struggles early in the pro
cess that she warned might be
experienced by other new volun
teers.
“Sometimes they can be a little
shy, so getting to know them and
finding out things about them at
first is better that trying to be a
super-mentor," she said.
“We started out small, making
cookies, and now she is assertive
and confident in our relation
ship."
Contact the City Editor
at citydeskfa unc.edu.
DTH/SARAH RI AZAT I
Chancellor James Moeser receives a plaque from Peace Corps Deputy
Director Judy Olsen for UNC alumni participation in the Peace Corps.
UNC ranks fourth in
Peace Corps volunteers
BY ANDREW RYAN COSGROVE
STAFF WRITER
This year UNC moved up to No.
4 on the list of current Peace Corps
volunteers at large universities.
Since the beginning of the Peace
Corps in 1961,1,012 UNC alumni
have volunteered for the organiza
tion, making it the 25th university
on the list of all-time volunteer
producers.
“This is such an honor for the
University because large univer
sities fight for these positions,"
Peace Corps Deputy Director
Judy Olsen said.
UNC has 81 alumni currently vol
unteering for Peace Corps abroad.
Olsen praised UNC for its efforts
to send alumni abroad to volunteer
in countries that need assistance.
"I think one of the biggest rea
sons why UNC students want to
join the Peace Corps is because the
University emphasizes services,"
said Liz Kane, Peace Corps campus
recruiter. "Students really want to
give back."
Peace Corps is now at a 37-year
high with more than 8,000 volun
teers abroad.
Since 1.961. more than 190.000
volunteers have helped promote
a better understanding between
Americans and the people of the
139 countries where volunteers
have served.
“1 think the reason is people are
more aware of what is going on in
the world, and they w ant to share
who they are as an American,"
Olsen said.
And though many say the pro
gram is rewarding, the work can be
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difficult at times, and some volun
teers come to see that their help is
not always wanted.
So. before sitting down to fill out
the application, there are several
factors to consider, as not everyone
is cut out for the job, said Patrick
Smith, who worked in Ecuador.
“You really have to weigh your
ability to step outside your com
fort zone because it is not an easy
experience, but it is worthwhile.’
he said.
It is important to be able to
communicate with people from
all different cultures, said Elena
Lebetkin, because you have to
relate to them while you are
there.
“When I was in Ghana during
my first week a woman stopped me
and asked who I was. I explained
why I was there, and then she took
me to her home and we had lunch,"
she said.
“This really emphasized how
welcoming the community was
while I was there."
Kane said the best way to realize
the level of work is to learn from
those who have done it. Prospective
applicants should step into the
shoes of those who have volun
teered for the Peace Corps.
“If you are thinking about apply
ing, you really should read the tes
timonials or talk with students that
have gone to work for the Peace
Corps because you need to know
if you would be the type of person
that would enjoy this work."
Contact the University Editor
at udeskfa unc.edu.