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VOLUME 116, ISSUE 14 Violent crime not new to UNC BY ANDREW DUNN SENIOR WRITER The off-campus shooting death of Student Body President Eve Carson again throws into focus the impact of violent crime against college students. Nationally, college students are less likely to be involved in violent crime than the general popula tion. But crime still has frequent and indelible effects at universities across the country. From 2004 through 2006, 80 violent crimes homicide, forcible sexual assault robbers and aggra vated assault were reported to UNC’s on-campus institutions and to local law enforcement. ‘UNTIL THE WAR GOES AWAY’ BY REBECCA PUTTERMAN ASSISTANT STATE & NATIONAL EDITOR For those 200 students who came to the Pit on Wednesday to call for immediate troop withdrawal from Iraq, solidarity meant hope that their dream could become reality . After quoting John Lennon's “Imagine," Abby Crownshaw, a Young Democrat representative to the UNC Coalition Against the War, said she doesn’t want this generation of activists to be mere dreamers. “Every other generation that has had a major war has done something about it, and we re the generation that has been letting it slide by," she said. “But if you get enough people protesting in the media, and get ting people to realize how bad it is, it can change something." Participants commented that the size of the protest didn't reflect the number of students on campus who oppose the war. “When you have a war that has been going on half your life, it's background noise,’ said sopho more Andrew Waszkowski. “There are protests every year and each year comes and passes and it’s the same situation. You have to extend yourself outside of yourself and sympathize to be affected by this conflict." Haley Koch, president of Solidarity with Palestine through Education and Action at Carolina, spoke first at the pre-march rally in the Pit, expressing her anger at the continued need for protest. “Why are we here fire years later?" she asked a crowd standing amidst rallying drums and theatrical pup pets covering their papier-mache faces with blood-stained hands. “Our protests have been ignored again and again. But I’ll say what I said four years ago: We still care, and we will be here until the war goes away." After the speeches, many hesi tated to join the march, which went from McCorkle Place up Franklin Street accompanied by police cars Rashanda’s kicks: written on the sole BY MIKE EHRLICH ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR They say that to truly know a person, you have to walk in her shoes. Butin the case of Rashanda McCants. all you have to do is read them. And to understand the No. 1 seeded North Carolina women’s basketball team as it pre pares for Sunday's NCAA Tournament opener, you need to know Rashanda McCants. The junior guard from Asheville sits in the third row of the Carmichael Auditorium bleach ers before her post-practice shoot-around. Her shirt sleeves are rolled up, revealing cut biceps. And below her long basketball shorts lies a pair of Nike Elite basketball shoes. When the oversized kicks left the factory, they were likely clean and white. But that was before Rashanda and her Sharpie got a hold of them. Now, every surface area flat enough to write on is covered by quick reminders, motivational quips and the names of those dear to her. “These are my inspirations.’ Rashanda says, lifting the pair of Nikes off the floor. Online I dailytarheel.com UNIVERSITY UNC researchers make advancement in cystic fibrosis knowledge. Alumna discusses Rachel Carson's impact on pesticide use. ARTS UNC will host Campus Arts Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Pit today. Serving the students and the University community since 1898 ®h t Hatlu (Tar Rrri UNC’s Department of Public Safety does not separate crimes against students from crimes against faculty, staff or visitors. The one homicide was a 2004 shooting of a Pittsboro resident by her husband at the Friday Center. But the number of University related violent crimes pales in com parison to the number in Chapel Hill during the same time period, there were 697 violent crimes. S. Daniel Carter, vice president of the national nonprofit Security On Campus Inc., said the relatively low victimization rate of college students is because of programs put in place bv campus police departments. “There’s starting to be a lot more a- 5 " ' * MX DTH/JUIIE TURKEWITZ A group of about 200 students, including Andrew Waszkowski (center), protests the Iraq War, calling for the removal of U.S. troops as they gather in front of South Building on Wednesday. The protesters marched through campus, stopping traffic at the intersection of South Columbia and Franklin streets. and community members. One student said she was a neutral observer; another said she wanted to go to Hunger Lunch instead. However, one student joined in on the spur of the moment, declar ing, “Its been five years now, prob ably about long enough." When the marchers, stretch ing from Murphey Hall to Wilson Library, began chanting, “No jus tice. no peace, U.S. out of die Middle East!" passersby took out their cell phones to snap quick pictures. As the crowd neared Franklin Street, a small contingent of locals held signs of support while shop pers, initially caught off guard by the flood of color and noise, found themselves responding to the protes tors'passion. “On one shoe is my family's names, like my mom and my dad, my sister, my niece, a few of my cousins.’ The Tar Heels' second-team All-ACC and first-team All-ACC Tournament selection then switches the focus to the other shoe. “And then these are basketball reminders to rebound, to drive, attack and to stay focused. So I can play 40 minutes and play hard." A closer look into those sayings and slogans will reveal the depth of not only one of UNC’s most prominent athletes, but also a personality that is more complex than meets the eye. 'Mom and Dad' Scrawled prominently on the side of her left shoe, her parents' nicknames mark the most obvious symbol of her relationship with her fam ily. And the bond is a dose one, her father, James McCants, says. “We’re very family-oriented people. We always have been close, and we’ve always been SPORTS The baseball team beat Princeton 8-2 Wednesday in Cary. j Four women swimmers will compete in the NCAA championships this weekend. CITY Carrboro Fire-Rescue will accept new applications until Friday. www.daUytarheßl.com education of students," Carter said. “Prior to 20 years ago, the myth was that it didn’t happen." Still, crime at UNC and within Chapel Hill are inextricably linked. Although University police do not patrol the near-campus loca tions in which many students live, including the neighborhood where Carson was shot, law enforcement agendes do work together. The Chapel Hill Police Department sends DPS a daily crime report and threats to Franklin Street are relayed to the student body, DPS spokesman Randy Young said. DPS also gives presentations on ways to stay safe around campus. “What keeps you safe on campus Dirk Spruyt, who witnessed the Chapel Hill protests of the late 19605, looked on with nostalgic pride. One woman got into a politi cal debate with her friends as they watched the protestors stop traf fic at the intersection of South Columbia and Franklin streets. “Oh, let’s go kill more people than he killed!" she said sarcastical ly, referring to Saddam Hussein. After disrupting a class change on Cameron Street and appealing to others to join their ranks, the group ended with a rally at South Building to ask for a change closer to home: the University cutting academic ties with the Pentagon. But the final speeches got even more personal as students spoke of the trends of violence and hatred DTH/AUIE MULLIN Rashanda McCants will play a vital role toward any success North Carolina has during the NCAA Tournament as UNC’s leading scorer. with each other," he says. The array of names doesn’t stop after those of her parents. A long list of extended family SEE MCCANTS. PAGE 10 'J&kjk should keep you safe off campus," Young said. College students also are safer from violent crime than people the same age who are not in school. In a 2005 analysis, the U.S. Department of Justice determined that annual crime rates for robbery and aggravated assault were lower for students than for nonstudents. The rates of sexual assaults for students and nonstudents did not differ statistically. Because the data was gathered through interviews of victims, kill ings were not tracked. About 1.2 million interviews were conducted. The study also found that: ■ About 93 percent of violent DTK ONLINE: OView a photo slideshow of protesters marking the fifth anniversary of the Iraq War. that plague their generation, a trend that speakers said cannot be isolated to a single war or a single protest Anthony Maglione of Feminist Students United called on students to recognize the small, everyday changes they can make to alter the culture of violence. “Tomorrow, let us continue our resistance by holding ourselves accountable. Let us point our fin gers towards ourselves. Let us not demand peace, but create peace." Contact the State National Editor at stntde.sk@unc.edu. university | page 13! BSM ELECTIONS The Black Student Movement had a forum Wednesday for executive officer hopefuls. Three positions are uncontested and one has no candidates. Violent crime 2004-06 UNC Chapel Hill Murder 1 5 Sexual assault 33 49 Robbery 14 210 Aggravated assault 33 433 Total 81 697 crimes occur off campus, and 72 percent are committed at night. ■ Male students are nearly twice as likely to be violent crime victims. SEE CRIME, PAGE 10 DTH/JUIIE TURKEWIT2 Senior Linda Gomaa riles up students protesting the Iraq war as they marched through campus. Hold ’Em for Hunger canceled for legal issue BY BRIAN AUSTIN STAFF WRITER Nourish International has can celed its annual Hold ’Em For Hunger 2008 Tournament in the face of concerns about the legality of the contest. A person who administra tors describe as “an expert in the industry" sent a letter to the chancellor's office informing them of the University’s potential for criminal liability. “The University’s policy is cer tainly clear,* said Winston Crisp, assistant vice chancellor for stu dent affairs. “If they’re sponsored or recognized by the University, then they have to follow all federal and state statutes." this day in history weather MARCH 20.1958... Due to a lack of places to go in town, the student body president says UNC should allow male students to bring dates in dorm social rooms for certain hours THURSDAY. MARCH 20, 2008 Crimes raise Dukes unease BY KRISTEN CRESANTE STAFF WRITER Students at Duke University might feel a further strain on their relationship with the city of Durham because of recent crimes against students. “Historically, Duke has always been a university that has had somewhat of a tension between itself and the Durham communi ty." said Crystal Brown, president of the graduate and professional student council at Duke. “It’s almost presented as a world within itself." The January murder of gradu ate student Abhijit Mahato, along with a series of robberies near cam pus, has led to feelings of unease. The March 5 death of UNC Student Body President Eve Carson whose alleged killer also was charged last week with Mahato’s murder has only added to that fear. “Since the first of the year it’s just been a string of violent crime." Brown said. “It has definitely taken a toll on the students. “1 think we re all a lot more con scious about what we do now." With evidence from Carson's murder, police also were able to link one of the men charged in her death, Lawrence Alvin Lovette Jr.. 17, to Mahato's death. Stephen Oates, 19. was arrested for Mahato's murder in January. A Durham County grand jury indicted Lov ette on Monday for the graduate student's murder. The high-profile crimes have made many students wary. But Duke freshman Connor Bevans. said he feels safe as long as he is on campus. “There's so much going on in the Durham area that there's only so much the police can patrol. Safety is not guaranteed whatsoever." Brown said the recent wave of crime has brought the Duke and Durham police departments closer together, which is benefi cial, she said. The two departments exchange information on a daily basis, Durham Police Department spokeswoman Kammie Michael said in an e-mail. “One thing that is being done is making sure the students are folly informed about what the risks are," said Philip Cook, a professor of public policy at Duke who special izes in crime and criminal justice. Following a string of more SEE DUKE, PAGE 10 Gambling of any kind is listed as a Class 2 misdemeanor by the N.C. General Assembly . With only six weeks until the April 20 event, organizers are scrambling for other ways to raise funds for Nourish, which relies on the event for about 70 percent of its annual budget. “Because of the time period with which this happened, there is no way we can... do a big event,’ said Graham Boone, the tourna ment director. He said the group is deter mined to raise money for Nourish projects through a variety of other smaller events, including auction- SEE NOURISH, PAGE 10 index" 61,135 police log 2 calendar 2 sports 4 games. 13 opinion 14
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