itr
Serving the students and the University community since 1893
Thursday, June 29, 1989
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
NewsSportsArts 962-0245
BusinessClassifieds 962-1163
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By DAVE GLENN
Editor
North Carolina state legislators said
Wednesday that they question UNC
system President CD. Spangler's use
of a $1.6 million reserve fund.
One item in particular $48,000
to finance a caterer who served at
special events sponsored by the presi
dent caught the eye of senators
and representatives throughout the
state.
"I question whether or not they
should use taxpayers' money for
something like that (a caterer)," said
Senator Richard Chalk (R-Guilford).
"That is a very liberal interpretation
of the use of that fund."
Because the money was non-restrictive,
meaning it did not have strict
guidelines governing its use, Span
gler violated no federal guidelines
with his allocations, which were ap
proved by the governor's budget of
fice. 'That fund is a non-designated
fund," Spangler said. 'The money
comes from the federal government
primarily, as is the case with most
grants, and part of it goes to over
head costs."
Responding to printed reports that
the fund was targeted for "indirect
costs for academic research," Span
gler said: "That is simply not true."
Spangler said events at his home
"have been used for having people
gather to talk about education and to
determine ways that things can be
done better at the University." He
said he has had more than 6,000 guests
in the past three and a half years.
Rep. David Diamont (D-.Surry),
chairman of the the House appro
priations committee, said he ques
tioned the riming of the expenses.
See FUNDS, page 10
Staff benefits las at UNC
By SARAH CAGLE
Assistant Editor
An interim report released at the
UNC Board of Trustees meeting Fri
day showed that University employee
benefits are not competitive with
benefits offered by other research
universities and area businesses.
Similar reports by the UNC Fac
ulty Welfare Committee and the UNC
Board of Visitors have already con
cluded that the University needs to
strengthen its benefits to attract bet
ter faculty and staff.
According to this latest report, the
biggest weakness is in the relatively
large employee contribution required
for retirement and insurance benefit
packages.
'The benefits, per se, are not bad,"
said Dr. Timothy Sanford, director
of the Office of Institutional Research
and chairman of the fringe benefits
advisory committee.
But University employees pay
nearly one-half of all contributions
to retirement programs, while other
universities and Triangle businesses
make almost 100 percent of the con
tributions to employee retirement
programs.
When the University first began
its retirement and insurance programs,
it was among the forerunners in fringe
benefits, but now other institutions
have caught up.
"Many years ago the state picked
up the costs for employees," Sanford
said. "Now everyone does that. Now
most employees not only provide
health care for employees, but also
provide subsidies for their depend
ents." Hewitt Associates of Atlanta, who
preprared the report, also surveyed
1,000 University employees about
what changes need to be made in the
benefits packages.
"We're coming up with recom
mendations to the chancellor," San
ford said. "We will try to come up
with a package by the end of the
summer."
Although the report targets retire
ment and insurance as areas to im-
See BENEFITS, page 10
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Sorting things out
Tar HeelSarah Cagle
Jane McMannis sifts stones and animal bones out of the soil at
UNC-sponsored archaeological dig in Hillsborough. Story, p.11.
inside
San Francisco's Chinatown
reads to turmoil .2
Vacant business space on ,
Franklin St. to be filled 6
One possible reason for
UNC budget problems 8
UNC trustee favors House
plan for tuition hike 9
Graduate students unite for
better pay, benefits 1 0
UNC provides a change for
some summer students ... 1 1
Batfans take note: bat
review, bat-page: 12
Joe Bob is worried about too
many things .16
UNC will be better without
J.R., Dave says 18
UNC police officer denies favoritism
By SARAH CAGLE
Assistant editor
Lt. Willie Bell of the University
police denied allegations by attorney
Alan McSurely that Bell received
special consideration in a March 18
promotion and that he had threatened
to "sue" the University.
McSurely represents four police
officers who filed a grievance alleg
ing that Bell was promoted so he
would drop another grievance with
the department.
"There was never a deal, as they
claim, discussed between me or any
University official or director Robert
Sherman," Bell said Tuesday.
Bell said he never filed any griev
ances with the department 'The only
thing I ever did was write a letter
asking what I needed to work on," he
said. "I never said I would file a law
suit. That's very unprofessional."
Bell, a 10-year veteran with the
department, said he has been apply
ing for promotions since 1985 and
was well-qualified to receive this
promotion.
Bell said other officers put his
name on a grievance, filed by 14 of
ficers in T987r without his consent.
"I never turned up at the meetings,"
Bell said. "I guess they felt like I was
going along with that. I just didn't
see that."
Bell said that he holds nothing
against the officers who filed the
grievance, but that using his race
against him is a "copouL"
"I never used my race for a pro
motion," Bell said. "If you do that,
everyone will start doing it That was
just a low blow."
Sherman said Bell never filed a
grievance with the department, but
asked what he could do to improve
his chances for a promotion. "I sug
gested that he further his college
education and take classes in public
speaking and community relations,"
Sherman said.
Bell said he is working toward a
degree in criminal justice. "I don't
complain," he said. "I just try to get
better."
Officer Keith Edwards said it is
untrue that Bell never filed a griev
ance. "He filed three grievances,"
Edwards said. "I was there and I know
for a fact because I wrote them for
him."
Edwards has a two-year-old griev
ance with the department alleging that
she has been the victim of gender
and race discrimination. Edwards said
Bell filed a grievance when Lt Danny
Caldwell was promoted over him.
Bell made a distinction between
writing a letter to Sherman and filing
a grievance with the department.
"When the panel chose Danny, I wrote
Sherman a letter asking him to cor
rect me," Bell said. "That wasn't the
first time. That was the third time I
applied for a position, and I thought I
needed to get on track."
Bell said if there was favoritism
in the department, he would have been
promoted a long time ago. "That
special consideration is a bunch of
false statements on somebody's part,"
he said. "Somebody just put that in
(the grievance) to scare somebody."
The grievance filed over Bell's
promotion was denied in a step 2
hearing, McSurely said. The four
officers involved will appeal the decision.