Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Oct. 3, 2008, edition 1 / Page 13
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lottg (Ear 3HM HS theater teacher retires after 30 years Known for his devotion to students BY SARAH LAMORTE STAFF WRITER For a man who originally didn’t want to teach high school theater, John Thomas became irreplaceable to performing arts in the local com munity. After three decades as Robert C. Hanes Theatre’s manager at Chapel Hill High School, Thomas retired this year. “Unlike most people I spent a whole 30-year career in a single room,” Thomas said. Thomas, who is known as “JT,” was a major part of performing arts at the school and in local commu nity theater. “I like to feel I was instrumen tal,” he said. Jeff Howard, a past student of Thomas’ technical theater class, is going to speak at his retirement party today at Hanes Theatre. “He played a big part in my high school career, especially at the end. He gave me something I excel in.” Howard credited Thomas for the skills that helped him get a job at Wright Auditorium at East Carolina University as lead tech and assistant manager during col lege. “I was in charge of the house, doing lighting, sounds, setting up for the shows, all stuff I learned from JT,” Howard said. Duke trustees close meetings Cited inefficiency at its open sessions BY JOHANNA YUEH STAFF WRITER When Duke University’s Board of Trustees meets this weekend, there won’t be the usual press con ference for public questions. The change comes after a for merly open informational session was closed last May. “This is the first time they really haven’t provided open ness,” said Chelsea Allison, editor of Duke student newspaper The Chronicle. “At this point, they really can’t get more private.” Duke’s BOT decided to fully close its meetings after a review found the open sessions to be inef ficient. “The open session was not conducive to the kind of discus sion and interchange the Board of Trustees was interested in having,” said Michael Schoenfeld, Duke’s vice president of public affairs and government relations. UNC-Chapel Hill’s BOT is required by N.C. open government laws to hold open meetings because the board represents a public insti tution. “They are the representatives of the people,” said UNC journalism professor Ruth Walden. “In a sovereign democracy, the people have the right indeed, they have the responsibility to % Sailg Sfor ffiggl PTH CLASSIFIEDS iailg Star Hegf] Ephe cwh ptist I R Sunday Worship We! Celebrations...lo:ssam -y-r _.,_ . _____ . . __ __ „ s Mnoay . • Informal, Faithjill Atmosphere j> I T T T QIQ-Q6B-6211 I t -J&. f* Wj& ,I i Come, Help Us Grow. I iMS ■ ,' I ST" 1 (*\x) i^^^H' Spl ci^~,~ M H ■ Good ' s | Christian Science n I A biblically faithful community of people who are: h| College Flock Bible Study: 9:3oam Spirituality.com II- - U i * Setting the welt bring of ttv chapel H,itourham I www.cgsonline.org MyßibleLesson.com encounter - Dinner & Dialog on Sunday Nights '" , " 111 ■ canon community H RIOES FROM CAMPUS AVAILABLE CSMonitor.com Coffee Shop Sessions Wednesday Afternoons Saturday: s:lspm, MB nnasejonui ftr MVwonSundiyiat ioooam uiutntkani ■ H Mi * ■Vi'wiiTiiii nffll 201 , Culbrethßd -• chapei m 5321 EpheuTchuich Rd. Duftiam, NC 27707 I ^ v> Biii^lfl EHS ar u l | ~ 4?S’ ■ wt<ri y -“SB™ Ht-Tt H dtntltitows h,p WrJe I I gwn ° ,h, ’~ c, °' m H relevance I BH Sunday Worship Service*: * wwwunc.Ddj/Bcm Candlelight, incense. Jr ~~1 H Sunday School B:4sam • Morning Worship 10am ■ Worship with Wednesday 7 :30 PM H| y 7(Xn ■ Thursdays 6-8 pm HM A 'be Rev. Tommy Lee hIIJ ,lm *'®“ WOTO! ol a’ac* I m u sc"'“™ mWrao ' Spnial Hum SSmilrg meat* onvr Wednesday B,ble Study 7pm I lf| •"** HRnUI t! |H Ond peace ■ smaH groups in a BiG ay ■ -M arwlh.*iy* ■ SMurdey Mommg Glow Intemessow Pi.ym 7-8n HH| |D3 &/ W / ■ sfMW) setvws avattWe B ■ ? -w/vn-to. Bi.hop Or 11. o McMlll.n, Pro.id.ng Pr.l.t. MaMl|!H!T!Hg!frEaßll l < r~, ~ rrrvv ■■KM-t r~,_ , / \ -</- EhnnmausStSamS I H r Chapei Chapci oia B / ~;. ,Bii?spjsee >* ar,r*m rlx ll.* ewnfutmgeoiOGaneeftjau-thrtiam NC ?770? I /nfeinvCndam Punn. me CT-iw ~~ VA * / Bl^ - Hi w Woislup Times 8 45sm 10 tsam Sll 45am Thomas helped to build a phe nomenal performing arts program at Chapel Hill High, said Lisa Hirsh, former president and active member of Performing Arts Lovers, a booster club for the school. Thomas was an asset to the school with his many years of expe rience and strong education back ground, said Thomas Drago, arts director at Hanes Theatre. “He was very much a mentor for me and the students,” Drago said. Thomas came to the area in 1976 to start a community the ater program and help establish opportunities for local nonprofes sional actors at what became The Carrboro Arts Center. Thomas said that it was the area’s only community theater. “After about two or three years I had to get a real job,” he said. He was hired in 1978 to manage Hanes. Thomas is legendary for his impact on students, Hirsh said. “His devotion is incredible and it is one of the many reasons stu dents love him so much apart from the craftsmanship they learn from him,” Hirsh said. Thomas said that a lot of his students have gone on to work on Broadway or theater elsewhere. One of his technical theater students became the first woman see how the officials they’ve cho sen do their business. There is no other way.” UNC BOT Chairman Roger Perry said that trustees always put aside a few minutes at the end of meetings for a closed session, “but 90 percent of our meetings are always open.” State law exceptions allow UNC to conduct legal and personnel business in closed meetings. Duke’s BOT has an obligation only to Duke’s own stakeholders unlike UNC, which serves the state. “Private universities don’t take any public funds,” Perry said. “They’re not constituted or oper ated by the public.” Allison said she’s concerned about the limits on access to the board. “The trustees are entrusted with the university’s future. By doing away with the press conferences and open sessions, they’re pre venting anyone from questioning them.” Schoenfeld said that about 95 percent of Duke’s BOT meetings already were closed before the new policy and that few private institu tions hold any open sessions. “Boards of trustees of universi ties are charged with reviewing and analyzing and ultimately act ing on a wide range of issues that John Thomas came to the area in 1976 to establish opportunities for amateur actors. to join the Broadway stagehands union, Thomas said. Thomas is incredibly talented as a theater artist, designing light ing and scenery for productions at Hanes Theatre, Hirsh said. Thomas plans to continue work ing in freelance lighting design, particularly with lighting for dance performances in the area. He is also joining his wife in a landscaping business, which he compared to working with a drama director or choreographer. “Asa designer, you are trying to help another artist create their vision,” he said. Thomas said he feels fortunate to have worked in a community with a strong commitment to art education in the public school sys tem. “I think that really the most important thing we do, as edu cators, is offer everybody some grounding in the arts because of the enormous value it’s going to have in every aspect in their life, for the rest of their life.” Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu. “It’s extremely productivefor ...the University that we conduct our meetings in the open.” ROGER PERRY, UNC BOT CHARIMAN are usually very complicated and that require a lot of deliberation among trustees,” Schoenfeld said. “That’s why it’s very rare to have open meetings.” But Perry said he likes that pub lic schools operate openly. “I think it’s extremely productive for the people of North Carolina and the University that we conduct our meetings in the open,” Perry said. Schoenfeld said Duke will con tinue providing public statements on board activities and decisions. Students and faculty also have rep resentation on board committees. “This does not change the uni versity’s commitment to transpar ency,” Schoenfeld said. But Allison said she doesn’t think the reports are enough. “The discourse and conten tion doesn’t make it into them,” she said. “It’s a huge disappoint ment for The Chronicle, but it’s an equally important loss for the community.” Contact the State ef National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu. News Officials say gang activity increasing at Halloween Town moving to downsize festivities BY MARK ABADI STAFF WRITER There are plenty of reasons town officials want to tone down the Halloween celebration on Franklin Street: overcrowding, security risks and high costs, to name a few. But the Chapel Hill Police Department recently indicated another threat: gang activity. The annual celebration, which attracted about 80,000 partygo ers last year and is not sponsored by the town, is being downsized after police noticed an increasing number of who they say are gang members making appearances in the crowd. “Typically what you see is these guys standing in a big circle and intimidating others, daring them to walk through their circle,” said Brian Curran, chief of the Chapel Hill Police Department. Asa result of the skyrocketing Halloween crowd, Chapel Hill police began enlisting the help of nearby departments. People were identified as gang members by police from neighbor ing Durham, Wake and Chatham counties. “They are just pointing out dif ferent groups as they see them,” Curran said. N.C. volunteers welcome refugees BY STEPHANIE METZEN STAFF WRITER Political and religious oppres sion is sending scores of refugees to the Triangle area from Africa, Iraq and Burma. They are attracted to ample research and job opportunities. About 8,500 are accepting assis tance from local organizations as they acclimate to their new home. For many refugees, the biggest concern is learning the language. Morgan Price, project coordi nator for the N.C. chapter of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, said that refugees come to the U.S. for a variety of rea sons and most of the local refugees are coming from Burma “There is an oppressive govern ment. Some people say things like they’re having land taken away from them, or are being used as a porter, or there’s no political freedom.” Price’s organization offers English tutoring as well as a men toring program that matches vol unteers with a family for at least six months to introduce the refugees Regal cinemas BARGAIN SHOWS IN ( , • ■ nA . , TIMBERLYNE 6 933-8600 Weaver Dairy at Airport Rd. SOO-EANDANGO 1741s Adv. Tlx on Stlt HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3: SENIOR YEAR (G) * Adv. Tix on Sale MAX PAYNE (PG-13) * BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA (PG) (125415) 710 940 NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST (PG-13) (145420)730 950 EAGLE EYE (PG-13) * (130425) 725 1005 BURN AFTER READING (R) -ID REO'D (150 440) 735 1000 LAKEVIEW TERRACE (PG-13) (140435)720 955 TYLER PERRY'S: THE FAMILY THAT PREYS (PG-13) (135 430) 715 945 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2008 He stated that as the crowd dissipates, the potential for gang related incidents increases. “As the night wears on and the students leave, these guys stay,” he said. Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation Director Butch Kisiah said the tone of the celebration changes as the night progresses. “At around 10:30 in the evening you can see a definite change in the atmosphere of the event,” he said. “The vast majority of folks are no longer in costume. “It’s an issue of public safety at that point.” The issue of gang activity on Halloween night was raised in a memorandum to the town man ager Sept. 22 explaining the need to shrink the festivities. The report, coauthored by Curran and Kisiah, includes the observation of “criminal street gang members mingling through out the crowd.” Police are hoping the changes this year will discourage gang members from attending, but they cannot exclude alleged gang mem bers from the event. “It’s not illegal to be in a gang,” Curran said. Among the recommendations for managing the Halloween crowd to the area. The mentors help families use the bus system and find communi ty activities. Most importantly, the mentors provide stable and friendly faces in an unknown land. “All of our volunteers are awe some,” Price said. “With so many people, it is difficult to form those one-on-one relationships.” Raley White, a UNC sophomore who volunteers with the chapter, said that he became involved when he met Price last year. “I enjoy being an ambassador for learning about American culture, and I help them to feel more wel come in the country,” White said. White said many families have trouble fitting into new commu nities because of language con straints and discrimination but that tutors can help families meet friendly people and hopefully make the transition easier. “Their reaction to me has been nothing but happiness in me being there,” he said. “They are so grate ful that when I insist that they don’t give me some food, they give I'll.. | • 620 Market St. ‘liUmina c ,y/.v.r Take 15/501 South towards Pittsboro Exit Market St. / Southern Village BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA E 12:45-2:504:55-705-9:15 NICK 4 NORA'S INFINITE PLAYLIST @3 ihmmmhm NIGHTS IN RODANTHE M 1Wf154:1W:1H35 EAGLE EYE® VICKY CHRISTINA BARCELONA 0 .jmmmmM ■EE*.] DD^||Tad,l" ♦O.OO | p I O I T A l| SEATING “Typically what you see is these guys standing in a big circle and intimidating other's” BRIAN CURRAN, POLICE CHIEF were discontinuing Chapel Hill Transit shuttle service to Franklin Street and limiting the sale of alco holic beverages at local bars. While these actions would not directly target street gangs, Kisiah said they would help regulate crowd size, which would lead to fewer potential conflicts. Halloween is on a Friday this year and officials had expressed concerns that the festivities would be bigger than usual, with last year’s turnout at or exceed ing 20,000 more people than the population of Chapel Hill. Kisiah said he understood mak ing the event smaller will take years. “There’s no magic bullet that will fix it overnight,” Kisiah said. “Hopefully we’ll get it to where it is a community-friendly event.” “The thing is, if you don’t try anything it will stay the way it is.” Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu. me some food. Even though they have so little, it is heartwarming they would give some.” Mayra Hayes, the Guilford County School English as a Second Language director, said that in the last five and a half years she has seen approximately 45 percent more ref ugees. The county has to accommo date more than 135 languages. Lacey Hendrix, volunteer church coordinator for World Relief North Carolina, said her organization is working with 71 refugees. “For the next years we help where we can,” Hendrix said. “There is a process of them learn ing American culture and speaking up for themselves.” Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu. vai>itVirJrS: L REIIGULOUS 7:15,9:20,5AT-SUN 2:15,4:30 BURN AFTER READING 7:00,9:30, SAT-SUN 2:00,4:20 1 Weaver Dairy ( hp CPC) Timberlyne Vyil 968-3005 BLINDNESS 7:00,9:20, SAT-SUN 2:00,4:20 CHOKE 9:15, SAT-SUN 3:15 MOVING MIDWAY 7:20, SAT-SUN 1:30,5:00 TRANSSIBERIAN 7:10,9:30, SAT-SUN 2:00,4:20 13
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Oct. 3, 2008, edition 1
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