The News & Observer, May 25, 1991
By RACHEL BUCHANAN
CHAPEL HILL -- Some students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill want the school to stop funding the campus gay and lesbian group because they say its members commit "crimes against nature."
The UNC-CH summer Student Congress has voted to recommend funding for the Carolina Gay and Lesbian Association be withdrawn next year. Congress speaker Timothy K. Moore said he sponsored the proposal because the CGLA violates state statutes outlawing sodomy and other forms of "unnatural sexual intercourse."
"The CGLA advocates the activities of homosexuals," said Mr. Moore, a senior from Kings Mountain. "By virtue of homosexuality being an illegal activity, the code of the Student Congress prohibits us from allocating funds to a group that promotes illegal activity."
The organization is the primary support group for gays and lesbians on the UNC-CH campus. Among other things, it publishes a newsletter and sponsors workshops and seminars. It has about 150 members.
Elizabeth A. Stiles, a recent UNC-CH graduate who was co-chairman of the CGLA in 1988-89, said she was not surprised to hear about the move by the Student Congress.
"They've been saying homosexuality is illegal forever," said Ms. Stiles, who now works at the Orange County Women's Center. "There are certain acts that are illegal, but they are illegal for heterosexuals also. It's just too bad they had to go out of their way to make this kind of statement."
The recommendation by the summer Congress passed on a vote of 8-5, but is largely symbolic. The final decision on whether or not to fund the group rests with the full Student Congress, which makes budget allocations in the spring.
Nevertheless, Joseph A. Herzenberg, a Chapel Hill Town Council member and a gay-rights activist, said the move was significant.
"The fight has begun to move from tolerance to acceptance," said Mr. Herzenberg, the only openly gay elected official in the state. "That's why I think it will be a perennial battle."
Last year, the student government awarded the CGLA about $2,000. The money came from a $21 student-activity fee that all undergraduates paid as part of their tuition. That meant that, on average, each of the school's 23,000 students paid about a nickel to support the group.
...
Matthew F. Heyd, student body president...said the CGLA had a legitimate claim to student-activity funds because it offered students a necessary service.
"There are times when the student government should spend money on groups that are not supported by the majority of students on campus," said Mr. Heyd, a senior from Charlotte. "Part of the role of student government is to create a community where everyone feels comfortable."
Saturday, May 25, 1991
Thursday, May 16, 1991
Chapel Hill Considers Public Smoking Limits
TOUGH LAW EXPECTED TO WIN APPROVAL
Charlotte Observer (Associated Press), May 16, 1991
Chapel Hill has joined the growing number of N.C. towns considering smoking restrictions.
...
At issue is a draft ordinance that would ban smoking in most public areas in Chapel Hill. It would include shopping malls, public rest rooms, common office areas - even lines in banks.
Restaurants would be required to reserve 25 percent of their seats for nonsmoking patrons. And bars would be required to post a window sign explaining their smoking policy.
The measure is expected to win approval of the nine-member Town Council.
"One of the basic concerns of municipal government is the public health and safety," council member Joe Herzenberg said. "And if this isn't the public health and safety, I don't know what is."
Charlotte Observer (Associated Press), May 16, 1991
Chapel Hill has joined the growing number of N.C. towns considering smoking restrictions.
...
At issue is a draft ordinance that would ban smoking in most public areas in Chapel Hill. It would include shopping malls, public rest rooms, common office areas - even lines in banks.
Restaurants would be required to reserve 25 percent of their seats for nonsmoking patrons. And bars would be required to post a window sign explaining their smoking policy.
The measure is expected to win approval of the nine-member Town Council.
"One of the basic concerns of municipal government is the public health and safety," council member Joe Herzenberg said. "And if this isn't the public health and safety, I don't know what is."
Thursday, May 2, 1991
Town is cautious of plan - Residents review UNC land report
The News & Observer, May 2, 1991
By RACHEL BUCHANAN, Staff writer
CHAPEL HILL -- Remembering the conflicts that resulted when the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill released its land use plan in 1987, residents are wary of trusting their biggest neighbor.
But last month, when the university released its revised plan, the response was guarded. "This is a considerable improvement over the 1987 plan," said Joseph A. Herzenberg, Town Council member.
Still, residents who have long seen the university's growth as a direct threat to their homes and happiness remain wary of the university's long-term plans.
To hear the stories -- already lore among the citizenry -- the release of the university's long-term development plan raised the ire of Chapel Hill's politically active populace like no other event.
Residents, in short, wouldn't accept what the university planned for development in and around their neighborhoods. Their protests forced the university back to the drawing board for more than four years.
...
Town residents say they are pleased by the changes, but not everyone is satisfied.
"There is some distrust," Mr. Herzenberg said. "Over the past 25 years, there have been a number of incidents where there has not just been suspicion the university might do something, there is evidence. The university has disregarded local ordinances and the feeling of people living in neighborhoods surrounding the university."
Residents are upset with parts of the new plan that includes more than six new parking decks, development of a thoroughfare that would draw traffic to the edges of campus -- which would destroy some of the married student housing -- and development of more than 3.5 million square feet of building space on campus in the next 20 years.
"The university is a state institution that does not have to abide by town ordinances," said Estelle Mabry, president of the Neighborhood Alliance, a townwide residents association. "So there is a lot of the concern about where parking decks are going to be. Why are they considering building them on the edge of those neighborhoods, bringing in all those cars? We want to talk about alternative transportation."
By RACHEL BUCHANAN, Staff writer
CHAPEL HILL -- Remembering the conflicts that resulted when the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill released its land use plan in 1987, residents are wary of trusting their biggest neighbor.
But last month, when the university released its revised plan, the response was guarded. "This is a considerable improvement over the 1987 plan," said Joseph A. Herzenberg, Town Council member.
Still, residents who have long seen the university's growth as a direct threat to their homes and happiness remain wary of the university's long-term plans.
To hear the stories -- already lore among the citizenry -- the release of the university's long-term development plan raised the ire of Chapel Hill's politically active populace like no other event.
Residents, in short, wouldn't accept what the university planned for development in and around their neighborhoods. Their protests forced the university back to the drawing board for more than four years.
...
Town residents say they are pleased by the changes, but not everyone is satisfied.
"There is some distrust," Mr. Herzenberg said. "Over the past 25 years, there have been a number of incidents where there has not just been suspicion the university might do something, there is evidence. The university has disregarded local ordinances and the feeling of people living in neighborhoods surrounding the university."
Residents are upset with parts of the new plan that includes more than six new parking decks, development of a thoroughfare that would draw traffic to the edges of campus -- which would destroy some of the married student housing -- and development of more than 3.5 million square feet of building space on campus in the next 20 years.
"The university is a state institution that does not have to abide by town ordinances," said Estelle Mabry, president of the Neighborhood Alliance, a townwide residents association. "So there is a lot of the concern about where parking decks are going to be. Why are they considering building them on the edge of those neighborhoods, bringing in all those cars? We want to talk about alternative transportation."
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