WEEKLY SUMMER 01110 n i?i? 100th Year of Editorial Freedom Est. 1893 Serving the students and the University community since 1893 C 1992 OTH Publishing Corp. All rights reserved. Volume 100, Issue 44 Thursday, July 9, 1992 Chapel Hill, North Carolina NnrarSpocWAru 962-0241 BuriiteaAdvntUnf 942-1161 Deliberations begin in Edwards case Follow the yellow Pitt road: DeVitto is 3rd official bound for Pittsburgh John DeVitto, the much-maligned former acting policechief anddirector i of parking and transportation, will be ; leaving UNC later this month to be the t University of Pittsburgh's second i highest ranking business official. DeVitto, one of the three remaining defendants in the discrimination suit . filed by UNC Police Officer Keith Edwards, will be assuming the posi ? tion of associate vice chancellor for : business, a job that will make him the ; direct supervisor to the University of Pittsburgh police force, s Ben Tuchi, former vice chancellor i for business and finance at UNC who : : now holds that position at Pittsburgh, will be DeVitto's direct supervisor. During testimony last week in the i Edwards trial, Tuchi said he had helped convince DeVitto to move to Pitts- . , burgh, where he will receive a consid erable pay increase. The move marks the third exit of a i major UNC official in almost a year. . Last summer, Provost Dennis O' Conner left to take a similar post at Pittsburgh and Tuchi left UNC last ' month. Chancellor Paul Hardin said that I iiiiiwiiui. .i-i in.. mmwuummimm . ; :: . "f""" ! -' I h i ' : muss : - I ' if r v " lf ii! mm$mmmm L jmmaf&- " : -; iiiSS Don Luse, who took over this month as Student Union director, chats with Carolina Union President Angela Crisp Luse: 'I think college unions are the greatest thing in the world' New director Don Luse By Gerri Bacr Staff Writer New Student Uniondirector Donald Luse has been up close and personal with Dennis Miller and John Cougar Mellencamp. Adorning his barely unpacked office are an autographed black-and-white glossy of Miller and a tour pass, "even better than a back stage pass," from a Mellencamp con cert. "I've spent a lot of time working with concerts, and some of my former students are in the concert industry now," Luse said. Although UNC students probably shouldn't expect Mellencamp to per form this fall in the Great Hall, Luse said he had devoted his life to making campus life more enjoyable. "I think college unions are the greatest thing in the world," he added. Luse, who officially became the Carolina Union director July 1, said his job was unlike any other. "I con sider myself a college union profes sional," he said. "There is something unique about this profession and the institution of college unions. Luse came to the University after a 17-year career in the student union at Indiana University. He earned a master's degree in college student personnel administration at the Uni versity of South Carolina and worked at Bowling Green State University for four and a half years. He has experience working with a student program board at Indiana, where he was assistant union director. Luse cites working with students as although he had not received official notification of DeVitto's departure, he was certain DeVitto was leaving. "There's no need to be subtle about it," Hardin said this week. "John's definitely leaving." . Hardin said the University would miss DeVitto, afonner lieutenant colo nel in the Army, who had served as the commanding officer of Duke's Army ROTC before coming to UNC. "John is leaving that's a real bad piece of news," Hardin said. "He's done a fine job for us in several ca pacities." DeVitto served as acting director of public safety from 1 989-; 1990. Following court procedures Tues day, DeVitto said he would not com ment on the trial or on his move to Pittsburgh. He refused to confirm Tuchi's statement and would not a knowledge questions from reporters as he left the courtroom. A secretary in Tuchi's office said DeVitto's new position involved over seeing food service, housing, parking, transportation and recycling and the public safety department. Anna Griffin arrives after 17 years at one of the greatest rewards of his career. "The best part of the job is the students you work with," he said. "This is the fun part." Luse described students he met in Chapel Hill during his visit last spring and in the past week as "bright, chal lenging and creative." Angela Crisp, president of the Caro lina Union, said she looked forward to working with Luse. She said she felt especially at ease last week when the president of the Indiana student union stopped by to help Luse unpack. "It made me confident he was easy to work with, because someone he had worked with in the past thought so highly of him," Crisp said. Although Luse said he knew he had "a lot to learn" about the University, he also thought student life at Chapel Hill resembled student life at Indiana. "The kinds of programs done here are similar to ones done at Indiana, and issues stu dents face here are similar to issues I have worked with in the past," he said. "The transition will be relatively easy, I think." Luse's strategy for troubleshooting in the Carolina Union begins with real izing that many of the same problems occur in college unions across the na tion. "It is important to make it clear that there are similar problems at every cam pus across the country," he said. One of the problems Luse referred to was the present ban on parties in the Union's Great Hall. The ban was a result of a March 21 brawl between several UNC and North Carolina Cen tral University football players. J ) Luse said he would like to "try to J don't know about you, but I feel By Anna Griffin Associate Editor HLLSB OROUGH As the case of UNC Police Officer Keith Edwards against three present and former Uni versity administrators went to the jury Wednesday, Edwards' attorney called for an end to what he said was continu ing racial and gender discrimination by UNC officials. "You've now got to take what is probably the highest responsibility citi zens have in this society," said McSurely, who delivered his closing arguments in choked tones and, at one point, was close to tears. "You go down in that room and you work hard, and when you come back, I hope you let the word go out from this old court room that we're not going to let them treat people like the University treats Keith Edwards." In his closing arguments, University attorney Lars Nance said the problem was not that Edwards was discrimi nated against, but rather that there were very few certified black female officers in North Carolina. Nance said Edwards had not proven the defendants were guilty of discrimination. "There's been a lot of gunfire," he said. "But the question is not how many rounds have been shot off, but have those individual targets, (former police chief) Charlie Mauer, (former public DTHDaleCaslle Indiana University make things better" and reincorporate parties in Great Hall if possible. He will draw on resources from the Asso ciation of College Unions Interna tional to ease the tension and look for a solution. While Luse was at Indiana, the student union's hours of operation changed from closing at 1 1 p.m. five days a week to closing at 2 a.m., seven days a week. "One of the biggest concerns is safety," he said. "We must make sure bus service is available and students have safe travel back and forth. We don't want to put anyone in danger." Luse said he hoped to learn more about the possibility of expanding facilities for the Sonja H. Stone Black Cultural Center in the Union. 'This is a very complex issue with a long history, and I want to see the situation from as many sides as I can," he said. Student desires are important to Luse, who said he wanted to build more effective communication be tween the student body and Union officials. "I hope to get involved in market research to find out from the students whether or not we are meeting their needs," Luse said. He said he planned to use surveys and focus groups to look into students' needs at the Uni versity. Crisp said she expected Luse would let students play a large role in pro gramming. "I hope he trusts us and believes in us enough to allow us to make our own decisions," she said. "I hope he will help us learn from experience." safety director) Bob Sherman and (outgoing director of transportation and parking) John DeVitto, been shot through the heart by the allegations of the plaintiff." The jury may render a decision today. The trial's atmosphere Keith Edwards changed somewhat Tuesday when Su perior Court Judge Gordon Battle dropped the charges against four of the seven defendants, including Chancel lor Paul Hardin. As he has throughout the trial, Nance rebuked Edwards' claims of discrimi nation. He said that Edwards had not taken advantage of the promotional opportunities that had been made avail able to her. "Ms. Edwards never gets in the race, never steps up to the starting line, never runs," Nance said. Nance and the defendants repeatedly have said that while the UNC police force is rampant with favoritism in volving high-ranking white male offic ers, favoritism is not racism. But McSurely told the jury that even if the intent to discriminate against See EDWARDS, page 5 DA Carl Fox studies date rape laws, proposes creating additional charge Public forum could convince state legislators to act on complaints By Gerri Baer Staff Writer Orange-Chatham District Attorney Carl Fox plans to research other states' acquaintance rape laws and to hold a public forum to discuss the possibility of creating a third-degree rape charge. The new classification would allow prosecutors in date rape cases to simply prove that the victims did not agree to have sex. "I hope to have one of our law stu dents do the research and see which states have laws which deal with this specific issue," Fox said Tuesday. "I want to see if there is some consistent element in those laws. "After the plan is drawn up, we will hold a public forum," Fox said. "If the consensus of the public is that it is a good idea, I will ask for it to be spon sored in the legislature. "I don't think it would have any Activists critical of ROTC Editor's note: This is the second in a two-part series on gays in the military. By Anna Griffin Associate Editor The UNC Code of Student Conduct, first adopted in 1974, prohibits discrimi nation based on sexual orientation. The chancellor's own code, signed last year, also forbids discrimination against gays and lesbians. But in the heart of campus, less than a five minute walk from both South Building and the Student Union, the Naval ROTC program bars homosexu als from service. And just a few blocks up Ridge Road, the Air Force ROTC program adheres to the same Depart ment of Defense rule that keeps gays and lesbians from serving in the aimed forces. To many homosexual activists and civil rights advocates, the prospect of a major national institution, the nation's oldest pubic university, condoning such discrimination is, in a word, reprehen sible. "There is no excuse for allowing the military, a bastion of institutionalized discrimination, to practice its unconsti tutional prejudice against homosexuals on campuses of higher learning," said Jim Holobraugh, a spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union's gay and lesbian project. "Colleges are supposed to be places of tolerance. The military policy toward gays and lesbians is one of the worst forms of intolerance." In recent months, the ACLU has been waging its own war against ROTC pro grams and the Department of Defense. While their primary target is the Pentagon's policy prohibiting gays and lesbians from serving in the four armed forces, their present goal is the removal of ROTC programs from college and university campuses. "What we want is simple," Holobraugh said. "We want the De fense Department to change their policy so much yummier. Disabled student may be forced to leave the country By Peter Wallsten Editor A disabled foreign exchange stu dent with a variety of grievances pend ing against University officials may be forced to leave the country before his matters are settled. In a June 24 letter, UNC Interna tional Center Director Robert Locke informed Taner Seref, a Turkish Cyp riot who has been studying at the University since 1986, that he no longer could legally study at UNC. .t "This is the step before deporta tion," Seref said recently. The letter stated that Seref, classi-: fied as a J-l exchange student, or a student with sponsorship, would be placed on an inactive list at the Immi gration and Naturalization Service because he "refused to provide any documentation to demonstrate (his) academic efforts, any current medical reasons for a lack of progress, and evidence of continued funding." Seref suffers from a potentially fa Group issues cards with guidelines.. chance of passing in the legislature if there was a division of opinion on the issue in Orange County." Fox's action follows protests from UNC students, faculty members and Chapel Hill residents against Fox's guidelines about whether an acquain tance rape case is legitimate. According to the guidelines, one can prosecute a date rape case only if clear evidence of force against the victim, resistance by the victim and verbal lack of consent by the victim can be proven. Fox sent copies of his guidelines to Orange County law enforcement offi cials and the Orange County Rape Cri sis Center in May following the acquit tal of Carmen Edward Catullo, a UNC wrestler accused of acquaintance rape. Students and members of the com munity picketed Fox's office June 19, calling themselves the Committee For or get the hell off campus. "This is the first step in changing the entire way the military looks at gays and lesbians. The question is not whether homosexuals can fight it's whether the old farts at the Pentagon want to enter the 20th Century." The ACLU recently sent out about 100 letters to college and university presidents, asking them to pledge indi vidual or institutional objection to the Department of Defense policy. About 70 petitions were returned signed. ACLU officials plan to use the letters to send a strong message to the federal government, Holobraugh said. "The (letters) will hopefully convince (Secretary of Defense) Dick Cheney and members of Congress that the first step toward ending this institutional ized discrimination is allowing homo sexuals to serve in ROTC," Holobraugh said. "Maybe if they see that educators many of whom also have a great deal of political say are against this, then things will change." ROTC programs, which train stu .dents in military strategy and provide them with the chance to earn college scholarships and commissions upon graduation, are offered at most of the nation's major institutions. But the ACLU and homosexual rights activists argue that by denying them entrance, ROTC programs also are denying homosexual men and women the right to an education. "Many of these kids count on ROTC scholarships to enter college," said Jo seph Steffan, a former Naval Academy standout who was forced to resign his commission in 1987 after admitting he was gay. "Some men and women enter college and win ROTC scholarships, then realize further down the line that they are gay. "They ' re forced to give up their schol arship money. Many are forced to leave school because they have no other way to finance their education." At Alfred University, a female stu Catwoman tal condition called Beta Thalassemia, orCooIey's Anemia, which makes his body incapable of creating an adequate amount of hemoglobin in the red blood cells. The disease requires regular treatments and blood transfusions, al though Seref says he has not received adequate treatment while at UNC. Physical and emotional problems associated with his condition have kept him from continuing course work, Seref said. But Locke's letter states that be cause Seref has not completed a course since Summer 1 99 1 , he doesn 't qualify for status as a student at UNC. "With such a lack of progress and no official excuse to explain this situ ation, I have had to consider you in non-compliance with the INS require ments for full-time study," the letter states. : "I regret that you have made this necessary, for I believe you are ca pable of applying yourself to your See STUDENT, page 5 the Prosecution of Acquaintance Rape. Group members said they hoped to con vince Fox to more readily prosecute date rape cases. Kathleen Hopwood, a self-defense educator with SafeSkills Associates of Durham, said she supported Fox's quest to take a third-degree rape category to the legislature. "If the outcome of Fox's efforts is a third-degree rape law, that's great," she said. "That might be a place where women get more power." David Crezcenzo, a UNC Student Legal Services attorney, said he under stood Fox's rules and thought protest ers should focus their energy on per suading the legislature. "I agree with Carl," Crezcenzo said. "Unless you can demonstrate force was used, it is extraordinarily difficult to gain a conviction. Protesters should go straight to the legislature, not picket Fox." units at UNC dent was forced to leave school for a year after she lost her ROTC scholar ship because she realized she was a lesbian. The student, who spoke on the condi tion of anonymity, quit the program before disenrollment procedures could be carried out against her. "I was a freshman when I realized I was a lesbian," she said in a recent interview. "My family has a history of military service, and that's what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. ; "Both my father and my grandfather served in the armed forces. I just wanted the same opportunity to serve my coun try," she said. "I understand the rules, that's why I quit. But it seems like a kind of silly reason to keep me out.": At UNC, the Defense Department policy also goes against an anti-discrimination policy signed last year by Chancellor Paul Hardin. Although he signed the ACLU letter, Hardin said he did not think kicking the ROTC pro grams off campus was the answer. "I just can't see telling the federal government to get off campus," Hardin said several weeks ago. "The military does not have to abide by our student code or even by a policy I support. This is our government we're talking about." Doug Ferguson, co-chairman of the Carolina Gay and Lesbian Association, said he hoped Hardin would ask the UNC Board of Trustees to approve in stitutional opposition to the Defense Department policy. "The military policy goes against everything this University should rep resent," Ferguson said. 'To have the University condone such discrimina tion is reprehensible." Several major universities, includ ing Alfred, have kicked ROTC off cam pus in recent years. At Alfred, ROTC courses are no longer good for aca demic credit. The chancellors of several major See MILITARY, page 6

Page Text

This is the computer-generated OCR text representation of this newspaper page. It may be empty, if no text could be automatically recognized. This data is also available in Plain Text and XML formats.

Return to page view