ON CAMPUS
A can crush will be sponsored by TARP
at 1 2:1 5 this afternoon in the Pit as part
of TARP Recycling Week.
CAREER FAIR '91: The internship, job hunt gets underway ...SPECIAL INSERT
NORPLANT: Student Health offers newest birth control ....FEATURES, page 2
WEATHER
TODAY: Rain; high low 70s
WEDNESDAY: Rain; high 60-65
I9'J1 DTH Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.
Volume 99, Issue 93
' '"-'' '"'MllMrV "
Prisoner's son appeals for
Amnesty International aid
By Beth Tatum
Assistant Features Editor
Masankho Banda was 22 years old when his father, Aleke
Banda, was imprisoned in Zomba, Africa. That was 10 years
ago. His father has yet to be released.
"There has been no charge, no trial, no investigation,"
Masankho Banda said.
Aleke Banda's imprisonment came after years of service
within the Malawian government. He wrote the Malawian
constitution when the country first became independent and
served as the first secretary general in the initial government.
He was the next in line for the presidency.
Resentment against Aleke Banda grew, especially from
the official hostess (similar to first lady) and her uncle, the
governor of the Central Bank in Malawi, who wanted to take
over, Banda's son said.
The government soon began to have money problems, due
to the couple's pocketing money, and in 1980 the country
came to a monetary crisis, he said. Aleke Banda was sent to
tell the president.
As a result, he was fired from all positions and was told to
start packing. Soon after he was put behind bars.
Masankho Banda came to the United States in 1 987 to flee
from the Malawian government that was holding his father.
Now the director of the Southeastern outreach branch of
Student Coalition for Action in Literacy Education on cam
pus, Banda is doing all he can to get his father released. That
means publicity. Lots of publicity.
Enter Amnesty International. Amnesty is a group that
works to fight human rights violations. Its purposes are
threefold: to work for the release of all prisoners of con
science, to work for fair and prompt trials for all political
prisoners and to work to end torture and executions.
Working for the release of a prisoner is done by one
primary tool letter writing. The group floods the govern
ment holding the prisoner with letters demanding a release or
at least a fair trial. n
' "Some people ask if letter writing makes a difference,
said Geoffrey Mock, a five-year member of the group. "It
does. There have been too many cases where people were
released after the letters. We've received too many letters
thanking us to think they are not worthwhile."
This year is Amnesty International's 30th anniversary.
The organization was begun in 1961 by a London lawyer,
Peter Benenson, said Rodney Jones, editor of the Amnesty
International newsletter. Benenson read about a case in
Portugal where students were arrested for toasting freedom in
a bar, wrote an article, and began a letter-writing campaign.
Amnesty International was born.
Chapel Hill formed its local chapter, group 84, in the late
1 970s, aroundthe time Amnesty International won the Nobel
Peace Prize, Jones said. The group comprises both students
and non-students.
In the years since, the group has fought for the release of
several prisoners of conscience "adopted" by the group. All
See AMNESTY, page 3
Bicentennial
By Birch DeVault
Staff Writer
The Bicentennial Campaign could
provide organizations such as the Black
Cultural Center with the funds they
need to carry out plans, said Donald
Boulton, vice chancellor of student af
fairs. "There will hopefully be gifts spe
cifically pledged for programs like the
Union, the Black Cultural Center and
the Campus Y," Boulton said Monday.
Council approves bike
but exempts people 16
By Chris Trahan
Staff Writer
An ordinance requiring the use of
bicycle helmets gained unanimous ap
proval from the Chapel HillTownCoun
cil Monday night, but the law will not
affect University students and others
over 1 5 years old.
"This is a good compromise," Chapel
Hill Mayor Jonathan Howes said. "Uni
versity students just wouldn't be able to
handle it. It's a very sensible step."
Under the law, all people under the
age of 16 operating bicycles on public
rights of way are required to wear pro
tective helmets with chin straps. In ad
dition, no people operating bikes can
legally allow anyone to ride as a passen
ger unless the passenger is wearing a
helmet.
Before the council amended the pro
posal Monday, the ordinance would
have required all people, including
University students, to wear helmets
while operating bicycles.
PeoDle caueht in violation of the law
will be required to purchase helmets if
Wk$ iaiiij
Cherry holds
Scott Cherry, a UNC
The campaign will focus on pro
grams with specific needs, he said. "At
this point, as we go out and campaign,
we will try to make the donating public
aware of organizations such as the
BCC," he said.
Chancellor Paul Hardin announced
Friday that the Bicentennial Campaign
goal was $320 million. Administrators
hope to raise this money over the next
four years and already have received
$ 155 million in donations and pledges.
Boulton said the Black Student Move
they do not already own them. On sub
sequent offenses, the offenders will De
charged $ 10 penalties.
Council member Art Wemer, who
wanted the ordinance passed when it
first appeared on the agenda Aug. 26,
said he supported exempting college
students from the law.
"UNC students are not very anxious
to be put under town authority for using
their helmets that I can see," Werner
said.
People under 16 years old live with
their parents, who can teach them about
bicycle safety, Werner said.
"Because these people live at home,
it lets parents supervise and educate
children," he said. "If we have (people
under 16) wealing helmets, they might
continue wearing them over the age of
16."
Council member Al Rimer said the
law should include.
"This is a compromise, to be under
1 6," he said. "But I think it's important
to uree the council to vote for this.
We're talking children, to keep them
metsif safe." right to free choice.
Don't forget to swing hard, in case you hit the ball. Woodie
Serving the students and the University community since 1893
Tuesday. October 15, 1991
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court
basketball player, answers questions from
the Smith Center Monday. Reporters came from all over the state
ment has made administrators aware of
the BCC's need for a new building, and
they would keep this in mind.
"We have talked about a variety of
things to solve the need for a new build
ing, but nothing concrete has surfaced,"
he said. "This is due to the fact that we
have no money as yet, since the cam
paign has not yet begun."
A building renovated especially for
the BCC would be a more realistic goal
than an entirely new structure, Boulton
said. But everything depends on how
helmet law
and over
The council voted 7-0 to approve the
ordinance and to form a committee to
teach the public about bicycle safety.
Council members Jimmy Wallace and
Nancy Preston were absent.
But council member Joe Herzenberg
said he didn't think an education com
mittee would be strong enough to teach
people about safety.
"The main problem with the com
mittee is it doesn't deal with education
with respect to the law," said
Herzenberg, who voted in favor of the
committee. "I saw upstanding citizens
with helmets on riding across Franklin
Street in the middle of rush hour on a red
light. This resolution is weak."
Orange-Chatham District Attorney
Carl Fox has said that he would not
prosecute violators of the ordinance
because it would be a waste of time.
"The system simply isn't set up to
enforce this kind of ordinance," Fox
said at the Sept. 10 public hearing.
Most of the 30 people who spoke at
the September hearing opposed the or
dinance, saying it would violate their
right to free choice.
at XM
cnapei hui, norm wroiuii
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reporters at a basketball press conference in
to learn about tn is years larneeis.
much donated money is designated for
the BCC, he said.
Margo Crawford, BCC director, said
the possibility of using money from the
campaign for the BCC had not been
discussed with her.
Ivana Pelnar-Zaiko, Bicentennial
Campaign director of principal gifts,
said details about fund-raising efforts
and the attempt to focus attention on the
BCC will be ironed out in the next few
weeks.
"I would think that the present struc
Departments reinstate class sections
canceled in fall due to budget cuts
Many restored classes fill General College requirements
By Sarah Suiter
Staff Writer
Relief may be in sight for students
dreading spring registration because
of canceled classes.
Many University departments that
were forced to cancel sections for fall
semester now have funds that will
allow them to reinstate the classes.
Beverly Taylor, English department
assistant chairwoman, said seven En
glish courses that were canceled for
fall semester would be available for
spring registration.
Those courses will help freshmen,
sophomores and graduate students the
most, she said.
Freshmen and sophomores suffered
because thecourses that werecut filled
theGeneral College literature require
ment. Graduate students also were
affected because they taught the
classes, she said.
Stirling Haig, chairman of the Ro
Smoking rules
approved for
public buildings
By Chris Goodson
Staff Writer
The Chapel Hill Town Council voted
7-0 to approve an ordinance Monday
night that heavily restricts smoking in
public places, including the Smith Cen
ter and other campus buildings.
Chapel Hill Mayor Jonathan Howes
said the ordinance was a step to improve
life in Chapel Hill and that later coun
cils could add to and improve the law.
"The quality of life of people in the
community will be greatly improved,"
he said.
The new ordinance restricts smoking
in public buildings, including retail
stores, movie and stage theaters, con
vention halls, restaurants with 30 or
more seats and sports arenas.
The ordinance also prohibits smok
ing in the hallways and lobbies of multiple-unit
residential facilities such as
apartment buildings and condominiums.
Campus dormitories fit the description.
The ordinance allows a designated
smoking area in all affected buildings
that can be as large as 25 percent of the
public area in the building. But non
smokers must be able to obtain access to
facilities in the building without cross
ing smoking areas.
The ordinance would affect Univer
sity sports arenas, including Carmichael
Auditorium and the Smith Center.
Smith Center director Jeff Elliott has
said plans for designated smoking areas
in the center would continue on sched
ule regardless of a town ordinance.
Elliott declined to comment after the
vote Monday night.
UNC Chancellor Paul Hardin wrote
in a Sept. 30 letter to the town that the
ordinance was commendable but that
he could not support it because the
University is empowered to enforce the
policies regarding its own facilities.
"Consequently while our goals on
the question of a smoke-free environ
ment are compatible with those of the
town, and while we are working on a
parallel course to achieve them, we can
ture the BCC uses will continue to be
used by the BCC unless, of course,
sufficient funds are raised for the center
itself to compensate for renovations or
building," she said.
The task at hand is to plan a cam
paign and raise donors' awareness about
the plight of the BCC, Pelnar-Zaiko
said.
"There is a goal to raise money for
the BCC, but the amount is to be de
cided by the donors," she said.
Boulton said activities over the next
mance languages department, said 12
sections were restored from fall semes
ter, mostly French and Spanish courses.
"So we look like we're in good shape,"
he said.
Jane Lindley, history department
administrative manager, said more his
tory courses would be offered spring
semester than in the past two semesters.
Almost all of the classes canceled
because of budget cuts will be offered
now, she said.
Karen Hildebrandt, psychology de
partment administrative manager, said
no classes were expected to be cut for
spring registration.
The department originally had
planned to offer fewer classes, but addi
tional funds made the cuts unnecessary,
she said.
John Billing, chairman of the physi
cal education department, said no un
dergraduate restrictions were being
placed on activity classes for the spring.
The department originally had lim
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BuslncW Advertising 9621163
not endorse the proposed Smoking Pol
lution Control Ordinance insofar as it
purports to apply to University build
ings and campus," he wrote.
But Donald Boulton, vice chancellor
for student affairs, said he was pleased
with the ordinance and added that the
University had been working on its own
smoking policies for a long time.
"We're all going in the same direc
tion," Boulton said.
Council member Joe Herzenberg said
the only problem with the ordinance is
that it may not be effective enough in
combating second-hand smoke.
Employers are responsible for pro
viding smoke-free areas in their busi
nesses, according to the ordinance.
Bars, as well as restaurants with less
than 30 seats, will have to post signs
telling customers whether they provide
non-smoking areas.
Local attorney Donald Stanford pre
sented the council with an alternate
proposal that would have created an
even stricter ordinance.
Stanford said his alternative would
be simpler than the town's rules and
would remove smoke from the work
place. "Reliable studies have shown that
breathing second-hand smoke is a cause
of disease ... in healthy non-smokers,"
Stanford wrote in his proposal.
Stanford's proposal would have
eliminated smoking in all public areas,
as well as workplaces, without the addi
tion of designated smoking areas.
But Howes said the alternative was
too drastic to be enacted now. "We need
to walk before we run," Howes said.
At a publ ic hearing May 20, the coun
cil heard opinions from town residents,
including one speaker who questioned
the constitutionality of the ordinance.
But the town staff said the ordinance
was a legal use of power. "We believe
the ordinance would be a reasonable
exercise of the town's police power and
is constitutional," Town Manager Cal
Horton and Town Attorney Ralph
Karpinos wrote in a report.
two years would help the campaign
reach its goal of $320 million and help
plan for an improved structure for the
BCC.
"As we move towards a stage where
we can actually plan a campaign with
programs, literature and the like, we
will keep in mind the BCC," he said.
"You have to be realistic about the
kind of money you can raise, but if a guy
walked up to me and said 'Here's $4
million for a new Black Cultural Cen
ter,' I would be quite elated."
ited fall classes to students who had
not completed their required courses.
The restriction was lifted when the
department added several sections
early this semester.
Students should be able to get the
physical activity classes they want for
the spring, Billing said.
But the department may have to
restrict who can take the classes again
next fall because enrollment for activ
ity classes peaks during fall registra
tion, he said.
Lucy Burgin, a junior from Marion,
said she always has had problems reg
istering for classes.
A political science course she had
registered for was canceled this se
mester and she had to add a class she
didn't need, Burgin said.
"I always expect problems with reg
istration, and if there are not any, then
I'll be pleasantly surprised," she said.
"As of yet, I've never been surprised."
Held
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