VOLUME 116, ISSUE 33
HOKIES HONOR VICTIMS
THROUGH UNITY
Va. Tech resilient
year after tragedy
BY MEGHAN COOKE
STAFF WRITER
BLACKSBURG, Va - A
Virginia flag fluttered at half
staff Wednesday as thousands
of people gathered in a sea of
maroon and orange on Virginia
Tech’s campus to remember the
lives lost one year ago in the worst
mass killing on a college campus
in U.S. history.
Looming nearby as a silent
reminder stood Norris Hall, where
Seung-Hui Cho, 23, shot and
killed 30 students and faculty and
himself after shooting two other
students in a dormitory.
The university's “Day of
Remembrance" began with a mid
night candle-lighting and concluded
with an evening vigil at the simple
yet solemn memorial.
Each engraved with a victim’s
name, the 32 stones form a semi
circle on the Drillfield, a large open
space in the center of campus.
Speaking to a crowd that
included victims’ families and
some of the 26 injured in the
shooting, Va. Tech President
Charles Steger said the campus
has searched for answers but
instead found unity.
“We have not found all that we
have sought, but at every turn, we
have found each other," he said.
“Although our sadness con
tinues to weigh upon us, the one
thing we can put to rest now is
any fear that we will forget those
who were taken from our midst.
We know now that will never be
the case."
The victims' names and brief
biographies were read. Virginia
Gov. Tim Kaine said he felt a pro
found sense of loss.
“The world was cheated April
16, one year ago," he said. “Cheated
out of all the accomplishments
that were sure to come from these
extraordinary lives. Their lives
were just too short for all the
promise and all the good that was
within them."
Students, family and commu
nity members walked slowly by
each of the stones. Many placed
flowers by the monuments; others
stopped, touching the stones and
wiping away tears.
Chancellor cabinet
lacks a precedent
Unable to predict
top-spot turnover
BY KEVIN KILEY
STAFF WRITER
When UNC’s next chancellor
takes office in South Building,
many other top positions at the
school might change hands.
Or, they might not
Nobody is really sure.
During the University’s his
tory, there has been no discern
ible pattern of whether people
will leave a top administrative
position.
H. Garland Hershey, who
was vice provost under chancel
lors Christopher Fordham, Paul
Hardin and Michael Hooker, said
he found no pattern in adminis
trative change when anew chan
cellor comes in.
“Sometimes they may change
one or two senior positions,
sometimes it is considerably
more, sometimes less,” Hershey
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UNIVERSITY Students discuss negative
stereotypes around tight dothing and rape.
CITY Residents petition for a bus route
between Orange and Chatham counties.
SPORTS The trade and field and women's
tennis teams prepare for ACC tournaments.
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Virginia Tech students mourn during the dedication of a memorial Wednesday on the first anniversary of the shootings. The semicircle
memorial on the Drillfield honors each of the 32 victims with an engraved Hokie Stone, a traditional material used throughout campus.
“You really can’t put it into
words," said Lauren Faidley, a
junior biology major. “You remem
ber it every day when you walk by
the memorial."
Classes were cancelled
Wednesday and several activities
were organized for the community
to reflect. In the student center,
hundreds wrote notes to be given to
the victims’ families, painted kites
and decorated stones.
Wiping paint from their hands,
students formed an oval of colorful
stones on the lawn. One read: “32 of
our brothers and sisters are in heaven
trying to explain what a Hokie is."
Barbara Keown, whose daugh
ter and husband both work at Va.
Tech, has lived in Blacksburg for 33
years. She helped organize the art
projects and watched as many stu
said. “There’s no real rule of
thumb.”
He said change was not signifi
cant in most cases, but there has
typically been some change when
anew chancellor arrives.
Moesers arrival at UNC proved
to be an exceptional case.
Six of the eight top administra
tive offices changed hands during
Moeser’s first two years in office.
The cabinet was restructured,
combining the vice chancellor for
health affairs and the provost into
the position of vice chancellor of
academic affairs.
Moeser also made the deci
sion to reshape the legal team,
removing General Counsel Sue
Ehringhaus amid controversy.
However, the other openings
were created by people choosing
to leave.
James Ramsey, who served as
rice chancellor for finance and
administration during Hooker’s
term, was one of the top admin-
SEE CABINET, PAGE 14
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JUST VISITING
Members of UNC's Board of
Visitors, a group of more than
150 alumni, will meet today
and Friday to discuss University
initiatives and progress.
Serving the students and the University community since 1893
www.dailytarheel.com
dents broke down. “I think every
body has been striving to get back
to normal," she said. “It’s not the
same normal as April 15 last year."
As the sky darkened, thousands
trickled back to the Drillfield.
Tom Quigley, a fifth-year archi
tecture student, helped pass out
candies. “They call this the ‘Day of
Remembrance,” he said. “None of
us have forgotten."
After all the victims' names were
read and the vigil was concluded,
participants stood silently with
candles raised. A faint voice in the
crowd yelled, ‘Let’s go!" Echoing
across the field, the glowing and
booming mass responded over and
over: “HOKIES!"
Contact the State & National
Editor at stntdesk(a unc.edu.
Construction bond money almost all spent
Future funding may be more limited
BY BRIAN AUSTIN
STAFF WRITER
The UNC Higher Education
Bond Program— a major source
of funding for construction on
campus is running out
The bond, which was approved by
state referendum in 2000, allocated
$515 million of $2.5 billion available
to the UNC system to UNC-Chapel
Hill. Of that the University has dis
persed 94 percent
“Were really in an extraordinarily
good position in terms of how the
state legislature and the people of
North Carolina have treated us,”
said Steve Allred, executive associ
ate provost adding that the project
has allowed UNC vast advancement
during the past seven years.
Since 2000, 49 projects have
been funded at Chapel Hill with
the bond. Forty have been com
pleted, and all but one of the
remaining nine have begun con
struction.
But as the bond comes to an end,
University administrators are left
to try to find alternative sources of
revenue for campus construction.
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Virginia Tech's “Day of Remembrance" concluded with a
candlelight vigil at the memorial on the Drillfield. The names
and biographies of each of the victims were read aloud.
Growing the campus
UNC’s Master Plan reports avail
able building space on campus, and
with the injection of money from the
bond, UNC was able to accomplish
projects that had been neglected.
The Campus Y was down to
one usable floor out of three, and
Gerrard Hall stood unused and in
disrepair before the bond.
Before 2000, the University gave
a biannual report to the N.C. General
Assembly requesting building fund
ing, which hindered its ability to take
on long-term projects.
“We were never able to cobble
together the money to do what we
were able to do in the last seven or
eight years," said Bruce Runberg,
associate vice chancellor of facili
ties planning and construction.
A study done in 1998 by higher
education consultant Eva Klein
identified capital needs of $6.9
billion for the UNC system, which
prompted the bond's allocation.
Before the bond, the state typi
cally approved about two UNC
projects a year, Runberg said.
diversions | pa & 7
POSTER CHILDREN
Designs by local poster artists
that advertise upcoming events
and performances can vary
based on style and techniques
for creating the works.
Funding facility upkeep
UNC has received more than SI6O million from the N.C. General Assembly since
1993 for facility repair and renovation, well below the amount needed.
S3O million
| Amount necessary
525 million F- | to prevent further
S2O million r -mb- -SHS- j backlog
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SlO million yj=jj Average annual
SS million funding level from
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2000-01 2002-03 2004-05 2006-07
SOURCE STEVE BOONE, FACIIITIES PIANNIN6 AND CONSTRUCTION OTH/AILIE WASSUM
The funding has allowed the
University to make huge invest
ments in new science complexes and
the Student and Academic Services
Buildings, as well as to do compre
hensive renovations to classrooms
and lecture halls around campus.
Having the bond also gave UNC
leverage with private giving. In some
cases, private donations supplement
ed the bond as sources of revenue.
Securing the future
If there is not another bond
this day in history
APRIL 17,1982 ...
The Campus Governing Council
meets to discuss the campus
group budget process and allots
$246,020 to 32 campus
organizations.
THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2008
Student
officials
get free
tickets
Given reserved
Boyz II Men seats
BY ANDREW RYAN COSGROVE
STAFf WRITER
Tickets are still available for
next week's Boyz II Men concert.
But some seats were never avail
able to begin with.
About 250 of the 12,000 tickets
available for the Spring Fest concert
were reserved for student organiza
tions, such as Student Congress and
the Carolina Union Activities Board,
which helped plan Spring Fest
"We felt that the organizations
that contributed either financially
or with their time deserved block
seating," said Hilary Marshall,
chairwoman of the Spring Fest
planning committee. "We thought
it would make a very small impact
in terms of ticket distribution.
There has never been a student
run concert of this size before so we
felt they deserved it," she said.
It is common for organizers
of events to get priority seating,
though it isn't guaranteed.
“From my experience this is the
first time Congress has received
tickets for something." said Tim
Nichols, speaker of Congress.
Most of the groups getting tick
et were given seats in the first few
rows of the Smith Center, though
not on the floor. “We weren't trying
to give them amazing seats. It was
done so the organizations could sit
together," Marshall said.
Those groups were unaware they
would be given tickets when Jfcey
decided to organize the event.
“When Congress funded this
we did not expect to get any sort
of special treatment," said TYler
Younts, former Congress speaker.
‘1 opposed funding it, but even
though I opposed it I do not believe
there is any wrongdoing going on
with the ticket distribution."
Student Congress approved
$20,000 to fund the event. That
money comes from student fees,
and the concert cost $42,000 total.
Some students said they think
organizers deserve priority seating.
SEE TICKETS. PAGE 14
issued, Runberg said the University
will have to return to basing its
projects on yearly state funding.
Going back to this system would
hinder long-term projects, as they
would be funded in a piecemeal
manner.
‘I think the real question is if and
when there will be a second bond
issued,” said Paul Fulton, a member
of the UNC Board ofTTustees.
Officials said another bond would
be necessary to create more usable
SEE CONSTRUCTION, PAGE 14
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sports 13
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opinion ..18