Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Jan. 20, 1982, edition 1 / Page 1
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latin Let 'er drip Mostly cloudy today with a 40 percent chance of light rain. Highs in the mid-50s. Teams win UNC athletes won in fencing and women's basketball Tuesday. Storiespage 5. Serving the students and the University community since 1893 Volume t$, Issue 117 Wednesday, January 20, 1982 Chapel Hill, North Carolina . NewsSportsArts 962-0245 BusinessAdvertising 962-1163 -f ir JKecemt fire draw aMemUom im apaHmemts By DEAN FOUST DTI I Slaff Writer Investigations into the causes of a recent area apartment fire and several reported wiring hazards have raised questions concerning the safety of the wiring used in the apartments. On-campus housing accommodates about 8,000 UNC students, leaving the other 12,000 to search for alternate housing, with the majority competing for an apartment space in a less-than-1 percent vacancy market. But recent problems with the apartments, specifically in wiring systems, have led officials to believe that the wiring used in the sys tems may be unsafe. A fire at the University Lake apartment complex in Carrboro on Dec. 28 caused an estimated $145,000 in structural and personal property damages as the fire and consequential water damage from melted pipes destroyed all 20 units in the building. The residents of all the units were immediately relocated within the complex, University Lake man&ger Brent Bobbitt said. Since then, recon struction efforts have proceeded rapidly, he said. "At the rate the workers are going, the apartments should be repaired soon." Dorothy Bernholz, director of UNC's Student Legal Services, said she was conferring' with stu dents who were pursuing claims against University Lake apartments for damages lost in the fire. The fire, which began in the wall space between the kitchens of apartments E-8 and E-16, was be lieved to have been started by a shortage in the wir ing system, Carrboro Fire Chief Robert Swiger said. A UNC student living in the Kingswood apart ment complex in Chapel Hill recently encountered several wiring problems in her apartment. The stu dent, who requested to remain anonymous, said the trouble began last Thursday morning when an outlet began smoking. Maintenance personnel promptly answered her call, took the outlet apart and repaired the wiring, she said. On Thursday evening, a different outlet in a separate circuit became extremely hot, and several lights began flickering on and off, she said. She called for repairs, but was informed that weather conditions were too severe to permit a service call that night. The student then called the fire department, which sent over a representative soon after the call. Examining the socket, the fireman discovered that part of the wiring had melted. He felt the danger warranted cutting off the circuits, and left the tenants without electricity for the night. The same maintenance worker came the next morning to repair the outlet, she said, and berated the student for calling the fire department, she said. He said the call was silly and that the whole situation was still safe. Chapel Hill Fire Marshal J.H. Robertson paid a follow-up call that same day to examine the two troublesome outlets. He found that wires from one of the outlets were burned and had evidently been reattached rather than replaced by the mainte nance worker. Robertson said then that the wiring should have been replaced, the student said. During Robertson's visit, the tenants mentioned yet another outlet that had not worked for some period of time. Robertson found melted wires in that outlet. These have not been the only fire-related inci dents at Kingswood, as documented by Chapel Hill official fire reports. Chapel Hill Fire Marshal J.H. Robertson sent Bernholz (at her request) a list of suspected electrical fires from that apartment complex during the fiscal 1979-1980 year. During that period, there were five reported fires occuring in four separate units. Other tenants have reported problems in their wiring also. In the letter, Robertson stated his hands were "legally tied" and that state law gave his department no jurisdiction over the interior of buildings. Town officials voiced their concern with an Oct. 2, 1980, letter to Triangle Communities written by Carolyn White, Chapel Hill Housing Inspector: "Upon investigation, inspectors found that vir tually all recepticles and switches in apartments checked- had loose connections. Some recepticles and switches were burned. When aluminum wiring is used, loose connections represent a very definite fire hazard which creates a threat to the safety and well-being of occupants of these dwellings." White also stated in the letter that the housing department considered these violations of the minimum housing code. In a letter of reply dated Oct. 30, 1980, Robert Belo, legal representative for Triangle Communi ties, stated the organizations' opposition to wiring inspection by the Building Inspectors Office. The letter read: "Kingswood Apartments contains 288 units. 1 do not think that it is within your authority to order the opening of every switch and recepticle within every apartment when you have no indica tion of any trouble within those apartments. I con sider it discriminatory that you should make such a requirement of Kingswood." The type of wiring used in the University Lake apartments, aluminum wiring ranging between 12 to 20 amperes a very lightweight gauge for electrical use - has been considered a fire hazard unless properly maintained, according to the Con sumer Product Safety Commission, a federal agency which has conducted tests and filed a law suit attempting to have the wiring declared illegal. Original building permits do not require con tractors to specify the type of electrical wiring in the building; they only signified that the wiring complied with the codes of the time. But officials within the housing department verified that light weight aluminum wiring was installed in several area apartment complexes. ' See WIRING on page 3 On revised Audit Board a m m m " "T" " By JONATHAN SMYLIE DTH Slaff Writer After much confusion and discussion, the Campus Governing Council passed a bill Tuesday to allow the student body to vote Feb. 9 on whether to revise the function of the Student Audit Board. In a 13-2 vote trie council passed a bill proposed by Student Body President Scott Norberg, that would re quire the by-laws of the Audit Board to be established by the CGC. The Audit Board is responsible for overseeing the Stu dent Activities Fund Office, which handles the accounts of student organizations. Comprised of students and a faculty adviser, the board checks all complaints organi zations have about SAFO and conducts an annual audit . ofSAFO. Norberg said he proposed the bill because the board had been dormant for most of this school year and had been a "long source of unfortunate events." 'This ameadment strikes at thejieaitpf the respon- sibility of students how we spend student money," Norberg said. The bill adds one more member to the board and allows the student body president to have the final say-so over applicants for the board. One of Norberg's complaints was that the board had taken the selection of new members into its own hands and had wanted no Student Government involvement He cited Ted Coplen as an example of a board mem ber who had been appointed without the approval of the student body president. Confusion over the bill was evident throughout the council's two-hour discussion of it. Two of three ad mendments made to alter the wording of the proposed bill were passed. Much misunderstanding arose over exactly what powers the board would have if the referendum passed. "I don't know how to discuss it when I am still not clear on some parts," said Chip Medlin, District 13, one of the two dissenting voters. "I think we were very ill-informed."':' Cheryl Bell, District 15, the other dissenting voter, ex pressed similar feelings. I "1 don't know enough to vote on it," Bell said. "I think we needed time to take it to our constituents and see what they Wanted." "There are too many contradictory statements," said Robert Bianchi, Residence Hall Association President. Bianchi argued that the bill would allow the board to open the books of any organization that kept records . with SAFO. He suggested that the board should be required to show just .pause before entering an organization's book. "1 just think you are opening an avenue for abuse of the policy," he said. Bianchi's comments sparked one of the two amendments. Even council members who voted for the bill com plained of being ill-informed and that the legislation was rushed through. "I think the, "council agreed that there were definite problems of the Audit Board that needed repairs," said ; v. ... ".Vv... p V a fi v y ! V II yys- v - , vW 1, V . , - jSSftS? OTHJay Hyman Student Body President Scott Norberg argues for bill tAiU voted tor it 13-2 aftergcmg discussion . V KJ Reagan says sanctions ecting Polish crisis off The Associated Press WASHINGTON President Ronald Reagan said Tuesday that his economic sanctions against the Soviet Union and the military government of Poland have had an effect, but that the Polish situa tion was still deteriorating and "we're not going to wait forever" before taking fur ther steps. He didn't say what they would be, nor did he say what good the prior measures had done. But he was not asked to ex plain his comments on Poland at a White House news conference. A State Department official, who ask-. ed not to be named, said that matters could be much worse in Poland if the United States and other Western nations had not protested and imposed sanctions. Reagan also defended anew his economic program, saying it would bring Canady is candidate for president By KEN MINGIS DTH Staff Writer Mark H. Canady, a junior business ad ministration major from Lansing, Mich., announced his candidacy for student body president Tuesday. Canady said he felt his involvement with campus organizations would be use ful if he is elected president. "For the last two years I've met with Chancellor (Christopher C. Fordham III) on a monthly basis," Canady said. "If elected, I would be able to step into the position already familiar with the ad ministration and able to articulate the needs and desires of students." Canady said he wanted to look into the possibility of renting out the Fast Break in the Carolina Union to a fast-food chain. "I think we should consider renting it (the Fast Break) out to either a McDonald's or a Hardee's," Canady said. "If s been done at the University of Tennessee and at others." Canady said he thought race relations was a problem at UNC: "The great prob lem we have here is that no one wants to economic , recovery and ease unemploy ment. He acknowledged confusion; in handling of the administration decision to permit tax exemptions to schools that practice racial discrimination, saying it was handled as a procedural matter, not a civil rights question. Reagan said he ac cepted the blame because "the buck stops at my desk." The president, who has asked Congress to forbid the exemptions by law, said he unalterably was opposed to discrimina tion. Much of what he told the nationally broadcast and televised news conference, his seventh in a year in office, was simply a repetition of what he and other ad ministration officials have already said. The prime exceptions were two ques tions put in personal terms, i iReagan was asked whether his opposi tion to abortion would be altered should ::vXv::::::x:::x::a First year Reagan receives mixed reviews Ah - -x&&-a..-. . ,?y&asy-.. I lrilfii.il. f i - n inrn-rnif P.tsrk Canady talk about it." Expanding the number of students tak ing the new race relations course set up this semester is one way to deal with the problem, he said. Canady also said he wanted to take a marketing approach with Student Government to increase student partici pation, and planned to increase the num ber of high-level Student Government positions filled by applications, if elected. "There are a lot of friendship appoint ments," Canady said. "I want to get rid of the buddy-buddy method of appointing mainly people that you know." Canady has been chairperson of the Black Student Movement for two terms and is a member of the Chancellor's Committee for Award Scholarships and Financial Aid. He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. Ronald Reagan one of his daughters, become pregnant as a result of rape. He said he would not answer the question in personal terms, but that when he was governor of California, such an exception in an anti abortion law became "a gigantic loophole." "I have been one who believes that abortion is the taking of a human life," Reagan said. He said he would be "hesi tant to approve abortion" in cases of -rape. Later, Reagan was asked whether, in view of his emphasis on voluntarism, he intended to increase his own contribu tions to charity. The president said not all his contributions have shown up on the income tax "returns he releases publicly. He said he believed in contributing a tenth of his income to charity. Reagan said much of the money he has given away goes to individuals, and is not tax-deductible. He gave no specifics, and said that he might 'henceforth alter that so that his gifts would be known publicly. "But my conscience is clear with regard to what I have been giving," Reagan said. His warning of possible future action on Poland came near the start of the 35-minute news conference, but was not pursued. Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig Jr. had said much the same thing, and the NATO allies last week agreed to take further steps unless the Polish government eases martial law and its crackdown on the Solidarity free trade union movement. Those steps were not" specified, but they also would be economic and diplomatic reprisals, r Reagan imposed sanctions against Poland on Dec. 23,' curtailing trade, fishing and commercial aviation rights. He also extended a ban on food shipments to the government. On Dec. 29, he postponed grain sales negotiations with the Soviet Union, suspended airline landing rights and blocked export of high technology materials there, all because of the Polish situation. ' "I think they have had an effect, although there's no question the situation in Poland is still deteriorating," Reagan said Tuesday. "They have tried to present it as moderating; it isn't." By KEN SIMAN DTH Staff Writer In evaluating President Ronald Reagan's first year in office, political observers interviewed recently by The Daily Tar Heel give Reagan high marks for his style and leadership and mixed reviews for his handling of domestic and foreign policies. Both Reagan's critics and supporters have agreed that from the outset of his term, Reagan has enjoyed personal polularity as his charming demeanor has served him well with the press, Congress and public at large! . "Reagan gets away with the most . egregious things," said James Prothro, chairman of the UNC political science department. "The same kind of techni ques that he used in love scenes with (ac tress) Jane Wyman is what he's using now with the voters, and they love it," he said. More thsln 80 percent of American voters say they like the president per sonally, according to a recent Yankelovich survey. "He's probably thfe best at the televi . sion approach and one-on-one approach that we've had since Franklin Roosevelt," said UNC lecturer and former Congressman Richardson Preyer. "Whether ox not you agree with his ,policies, you have to recognize the ma jor changes that he accomplished through Congress." While acknowledging Reagan's political savvy, Preyer was critical of the intent of the president's programs. "Reagan's greatest failure during his first year has been his inability to convince the American people that his economic pro gram is fair," Preyer said. "There's a strong sense , of unfairness , in this country." Preyer gave Reaganan A for style his first year and a D for substance. With rising unemployment, polls have shown that many are becoming increas ingly skeptical of Reagan's handling of the economy. In the latest Harris poll, 59 'percent of the respondents give Reagan negative ratings on his overall handling of the economy. But proponents of Reagan's econormc. policies say the im pact of the program has yet to be felt. "I suspect Reagan's greatest ac complishment has been his tax program," said Jerry Shinn, editorial page editor for the Charlotte Observer. Shirm said the tax cuts were necessary to offset increasingly high tax rates of recent years, and gave Reagan a grade of B( for style and B for substance. Some conservatives who played major roles in Reagan's election said the presi dent could have gone further in his spen ding and tax reductions. "I think he's done better than past presidents," said Terry Dolan, chairman of the National Conservative Political Action Commit tee, "but he has not remained as true as he could have (to the conservative cause)." In addition to cutting government spending and taxes further, Dolan said Reagan should have implemented a more conservative foreign policy. Reagan's "general foreign policy is a continuation of (former President Jimmy) Carter's," Dolan said. Despite the doubts, Dolan .gave Reagan a B for both style and 'substance. Reagan's policies have been anathema to many leading black leaders. "We have been quite concerned about the ad ministration's commitment to civil rights," said Julius Chamber's a Charlotte attorney and civil rights activist. Chambers said Reagan's budget cuts in social programs and opposition to af firmative action 'and busing were ex amples of the president's effort to eliminate gains made by -blacks over the Templeton s years. Chambers gave Reagan an F for his handling of civil rights issues. Reagan's emphasis on domestic policy in his first year has resulted in his foreign policy not being as closely scrutinized, many observers said. James Leutze, chairman of the Univer sity's peace, war and defense curriculum, said Reagan deserved a grade of B-, C. for his handling of foreign affairs. Leutze said Reagan has "probably done better than some of his critics thought." Compared to Carter, Reagan's foreign policy is "a bit more consistent. Both our allies and those who don't wish us well have clearer ideas of where Reagan stands and may be a little more hesitant to try to push Reagan around or to take advantage of his position," he said. While Reagan has yet to make a major breakthrough in foreign affairs, he has done nothing as rash as some of his critics had expected, Leutze added. 111 bid By KATHERINE LONG DTH Staff Writer Scott Templeton, a junior business ma jor from Boone, announced his can didacy for president of the Residence Hall Association Tuesday. "My main objective is to continue the positive growth RHA has seen in the past two years and see that campus is a good place to live," he said. Templeton said he would try to educate students about RHA as well as pledge to improve the association during his cam paign. ' RHA includes the president, two ex ecutives and all officers elected in the 10 residence hall areas. He said he would try to increase enthusiasm for residence hall activities and make the RHA's officer training program stronger. "We can't provide services unless there is strong leadership all the way down the line," Templeton said. The RHA staff and the residence hall officers meet each week to discuss anything of concern to students who live "on campus, such as housing policies, Templeton said. He said he would ap point an executive assistant to help run ' - . W--"""TTTntirti iinmn irtniraumi 1 V Scott Templeton the association. "The problem is there is no staff member who gets an entire over view of RHA," he said. He said he would attempt to improve and strengthen all programs that the RHA is involved in, such as academic and cultural affairs programs. "There's a lot of potential there," he said. Templeton said relations with other groups on campus should be improved. "There's an awful lot of groups that pro vide service, and in a lot of cases there's duplication they're working on a com mon goal," he said. He said he would like to see campus leaders get together for monthly meetings to foster stronger rela tionships between campus organizations. Templeton is governor of Henderson Residence. College and was a member of the Campus Governing Council last year. "I've worked closely with the last two RHA presidents," he said.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Jan. 20, 1982, edition 1
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