VOLUME 116, ISSUE 53
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university | page 5
STUDENT PROTESTORS
Five UNC students were found
guilty of failure to disperse
Monday for their action in a
16-day sit-in at South Building
in May.
State | page 6
MONEY, MONEY, MONEY
See a roundup of how
wrangling between legislators
and Gov. Mike Easley
concluded for several key
projects in the state budget.
I A?. i
arts | page 25
THE ART OF IMPROV
Dirty South Improv isn't just
about comedy. The Carrboro
organization also focuses on
teaching would-be improv
stars about performance.
sports | page 21
READY TO GO
Men's soccer team focused
after disappointing 2007
season. Captain Mike
Callahan says the team has
never looked better.
online | duilytarheeheom
FIRST-YEAR GUIDE
Browse our map and learn
your way around campus.
EDITOR'S NOTES
A behind-the-scenes look at
coverage on the editor's blog.
NEW SITE FOR KIDZU
Parking deck could become
home to children's museum.
this day in history
AUG. 19,1991
The U.S. Department of
Education's civil rights division
clears UNC of six discrimination
charges but finds the school
liable in one case.
Tuesday weather
jiJL Sunny
H 91. L 68
Wednesday weather
Mostly sunny
H 89, L 67
index
police log 2
calendar 2
crossword 7
sports 21-22
opinion 24
mt lath} ®ar Mrcl
Honor code amended
DWI charges likely
to land suspension
BY KEVIN KILEY
ASSISTANT UNIVERSITY EDITOR
Starting Monday, a drunken driving
arrest near campus almost certainly will
mean a one-semester suspension.
The Honor Court has updated the
student code to say that a one-semester
suspension will be the usual punishment
for driving while impaired, a conduct
violation that falls under the code.
Driving while impaired is one of the
‘MIGHTY ARMS OF ATLAS’ HOLD THEIR OWN
•_ i ■
Chi Wiu, an East Carolina University student,
break-dances with the UNC group Mighty
Arms of Atlas.
“It’s like an ecstasy for me because I feel like
when I dance I can just let go of all my problems,”
he said.
Minority applications up,
BY KEVIN KILEY
ASSISTANT UNIVERSITY EDITOR
The percentage of black stu
dents in the incoming class
dropped for the second straight
year, despite larger numbers of
minorities being accepted.
UNC administrators attributed
the drop to increasing competi
tion between high-profile univer
sities but said they are committed
to active recruitment.
Last year black students made
up 11.14 percent of the incoming
first-year class. This year they
constitute only 10.7 percent. The
class entering in 2006 was 12.3
percent black.
Terri Houston, director of
recruitment and multicultural pro
grams, said the school’s minority
recruitment is facing tremendous
competition from schools like Yale
Lawson scheduled in court
BY DAVE PEARSON
ASSISTANT CITY EDITOR
iy Lawson is expected in court
today to face misdemeanor charges
of driving with a revoked license, a
noise ordinance violation and driv
ing after consuming alcohol under
age.
Lawson, a point guard for the
UNC men’s basketball team, was
arrested at 2:33 a.m. June 6 on
North Columbia Street in Chapel
Hill after police stopped him
because of loud music coming
from his vehicle.
The arresting officer suspected
Lawsop of having consumed alco
hol, which led to a roadside blood
alcohol test.
Lt. Kevin Gunter, spokes
man for Chapel Hill police, said
Lawson, 20, had a blood alco
hol concentration below 0.08,
the legal limit for drivers 21 and
older. .
Serving the students and the University community since 1893
www.daiXytarheel.com
most common conduct violations the
honor system faces, said Lisa Williford,
the undergraduate student attorney
general.
The Honor Court pursues cases
that occur within a two-mile radius of
campus since members believe those
incidents put the UNC community in
danger.
Suspension is the “usual” punish
ment, according to the new student
code, not mandatory. However; it will be
the punishment sought in most cases,
Williford said.
Jonathan Sauls, assistant dean of
students for judicial programs, said the
and Harvard.
The two schools expanded their
aid packages last year to encom
pass a wider financial bracket.
“When Yale says, ‘When you
make less than $150,000 we’ll
help you,’ and we’re saying,
‘You’ve got to make less than
$50,000,’ that’s a notable differ
ence,” Houston said.
UNC’s Carolina Covenant,
established in 2004, combines fed
eral, state and University funds to
help students whose family income
is less than twice the poverty line to
graduate from UNC debt-free.
Since then, numerous other
public universities have, fol
lowed suit, including N.C. State
University and the University of
Virginia.
“We were the first to offer
debt-free tuition assistance,”
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However, it is illegal under
North Carolina law for anyone
less than the age of 21 to drive
a car after the consumption of
alcohol.
Gunter said the arresting offi
cer’s written account indicates that
Lawson said he left his driver’s
license at home that night and that
he had not drunk any alcohol.
Steve Kirschner, associate ath
letic director for communications,
said that the department reviews
athletes charged with, misde
meanor offenses on a case by case
basis and that he was unable to
Honor Court has been working to make
this change for almost three years.
It had to be approved by the commit
tee on student conduct, then Student
Congress and finally the chancellor. The
change finally was approved last year.
Sauls said the change wasn’t made to
increase the punishment but rather to
inform students.
“One reason it was done was to pro
vide clarity to the student body,” Sauls
said. “In many circumstances, students
don’t even know what the possible sanc
tions for violations are.”
SEE STUDENT CODE, PAGE 4
DTH/ANTHONY HARRIS
The group, which draws members from around
the Triangle, performed Wednesday for Carolina
Kickoff.
This year the group aims to gain recognition and
solidify its place on campus.
For the full story, see page 33.
“Basically, across
every ethnicity there
has been growth in
the applicant pool”
ARCHIE ERVIN, ASSOCIATE PROVOST
AND DIRECTOR OF MULTICULTURAL*AFFAIRS
Houston said. “But we’re not alone
anymore, and that means we have
to work that much harder.”
But the number of applications
by minority students received
increased, as well as the number
accepted. This year UNC received
about 22,000 applicants, of whom
7,307 were accepted.
“In the applicant pool, African-
American numbers are up. Asian-
American numbers are up. Hispanic
comment specifically on Lawson’s
case at this time.
The athletic department’s alco
hol policy only contains a few
provisions beyond the University’s
policy.
“By and large we defer to the
University’s alcohol policy,” he
said.
Lawson is being represented
by Ann Petersen from the law firm
of Glover and Petersen of Chapel
Hill.
Petersen said that she expects
Lawson to be present at the hear
ing and that she has no reason to
believe it will be rescheduled. His
court date has been pushed back
twice so far.
Lawson’s license previously was
revoked for failure to appear at a
Wake County court hearing.
Contact the City Editor
at dtydesk@unc.edu.
UNC point
guard Ty
Lawson
was arrested
after failing a
roadside BAC
test in June.
Athlete
released
on bail
Female victims in good
condition but in hospital
BY EMILY STEPHENSON
ASSISTANT CITY EDITOR
A UNC tennis star charged with hitting two
female students with his car was released from jail
Monday and has withdrawn from school.
A judge ruled Monday that junior Chris Kearney
could return home to Irvine, Calif., until his pre
liminary hearing Aug. 28.
“I think that Chris will be coming home for this
semester,” his father, Kevin Kearney, said from his
California home. “Our major concern is about the
girls and their families.”
The injured students, seniors Carolyn Kubitschek of
Asheville and Casey LeSawyer of Weaverville, remain
in good condition at N.C. Memorial Hospital.
Kearney’s mother posted bail Monday and took
him out of the Orange County Jail in Hillsborough.
Kearney, 20, drove off Martin Luther King Jr.
Boulevard shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday. He collided
with a stone wall before hitting the two students on
the sidewalk, police said.
He walked away from his totaled car but was arrest
ed nearby shortly afterward. Police said Kearney reg
istered a 0.18 blood alcohol concentration.
The legal driving limit in North Carolina for
SEE KEARNEY, PAGE 4
/| Si [ M flfj
DTH/ANIKA ANAND
Junior Chris Kearney is released from jail a day after
being charged with two counts of felony hit-and-run.
enrollment down
numbers are up,” said Archie Ervin,
associate provost and director of
multicultural affairs. “Basically,
across every ethnicity there has
been growth in the applicant pool,
and it has been proportional.”
But a smaller number of black
students enrolled, meaning appli
cants turned down UNC.
The growth in number of
Latino students, after two years of
more than 20 percent growth, also
slowed, showing no real change
between last year and this year.
“We’re in a competitive busi
ness,” Ervin said. “Students look
ing at UNC are looking at a lot of
very good schools.”
Ronald Batres, president of
Carolina Hispanic Association,
said students also look at commu
nity aspects.
“For Hispanic students, one of
Chapel Hill struggles
to define art identity
Artists seek local
support for craft
BY BENNETT CAMPBELL
ARTS EDITOR
In recent months, a contingent
of local artists have lamented
what they see as the bleeding out
of the area’s artistic talent
Some envisioned Chapel Hill’s
destiny as “the new Seattle” in the
early- and mid-90s. Around that
time, bands like Nirvana, Alice
in Chains and Soundgarden saw
skyrocketing popularity, defining
the “Seattle sound.”
Whether Chapel Hill failed to
reach that goal —and whether the
goal ever really existed or had rel
’ evance are both debatable.
But in large part, members of
TUESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2008
Freshman Diversity
Here is a quick look at the ethnicity
percentages of first-year students.
Hispanic 5.6
Other 2.8
Not Reported 2.3
African American 10.7
Asian American 8.7
Hawiian, Pacific
Islander 0.1
Caucasian 68.9
SOURCE: UNC NEWS SERVICES
DTH/BLISS PIERCE
the things they really look for is how
visible the Hispanic community is on
campus,” Batres said. “People want to
feel comfortable at their university.
That’s a big factor in the decision.”
Contact the University Editor
at udesk@unc.edu.
“The arts ... make a
place a better place
to live in, so that
attracts people to
move here”
JON WILNER, ARTSCENTER DIRECTOR^
the town’s artistic community share
a number of similar ideas for pre
venting their community’s decay.
Glenn Boothe, owner of Franklin
Street’s Local 506, said the biggest
problem facing the arts here is a
lack of support for infrastructure.
“If there was more support for
the local music venues and prob
ably art galleries and other stuff too,
SEE ARTS, PAGE 4