The Chronicle Election’s Banker gives S24M to Duke, UNC fate hang| in balance By STEVEN WRIGHT The Chronicle
County officials now say 6,000 votes may have been miscast—or not cast—in the May 2 Democratic primary. By GREG PESSIN The Chronicle
New questions were raised but none were answered at Tuesday’s meeting of the Durham County Board of Elections, which was supposed to settle the fate of the embattled May 2 House District 23 Democratic primary. Instead, the decisive hearing was rescheduled for 6 p.m. next Tuesday. At the two-and-a-haif-hour meeting, the board’s attorney, Michael Crowell, spent nearly an hour explaining that the board may have underestimated the number of affected voters by about 4,500. He recommended that the hearing be delayed so the new numbers can be finalized; he only discovered the discrepancy Monday. The complaints, which cite problems acknowledged by the elections board, address two separate issues:
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New York investment banker Julian Robertson and his wife Josie donated $24 million dollars to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University to create a merit scholarship program shared between both schools, they announced Tuesday. The couple and administrators from both schools hope the gift will foster a stronger union between the rival institutions and strengthen opportunities for scholars to
become leaders. ‘This is really a great day, a great day for two outstanding universities.... The Robertson program is going to make both programs stronger,” said William McCoy, UNO’s interim chancellor. Tt will break down the barriers to thoughtful and intellectual collaboration.” Robertson, a 1955 UNC graduate, said he has been working on the idea for this program for close to four years, ever since a meeting with some friends of his son Spencer, who was an undergraduate at Duke at the time. “I had a son who graduated from Duke who had the most interesting group of friends. I was really impressed,” said Robertson. “I thought how sad it was that I missed out on these interesting people, and then I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if there was an in-
terplay between these two schools.’” Robertson is the founder and chair of Tiger Management Corporation, a hedge fund whose assets are estimated at $22 billion dollars. Many experts consider him to be one of the most in-
NEAL PATEL/THE CHRONICLE
JULIAN ROBERTSON announced his gilt to Duke and UNC at Durham's University Club Tuesday. The $24 million donation will endow 15 merit scholarships at each school.
fluential and successful managers in his field.
The $24 million dollar cash gift will allow 30 scholars—ls from each school—to take courses at both campuses throughout their undergraduate
careers. In addition, the schools will provide special seminars for freshman and senior scholars. Each of the scholars will be given a laptop computer and will live on the other institution’s See ROBERTSON on page 17
Officials call for gay rights at Pride Parade By JASON WAGNER The Chronicle
Bye, Bye, Bye
who will head to At her going-away party Wednesday morning, Vice President for Student Affairs Janet Dickerson, Academic former chair of the Council. Mosteller, Law Robert Princeton University July chats with Professor of
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About 3,000 people, including a number of public officials, converged on East Campus for the 15th annual North Carolina Pride march for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights last Saturday. Beginning on Campus Drive, the parade, which included a marching band, several church groups and family organizations continued down West Main Street, Broad Street, Ninth Street and Markham Avenue before returning to campus. Norman Mustafa said he was encouraged by the turnout in the Bull City, which last held the parade six years ago. “It’s probably the biggest parade we’ve had in Durham,” said Mustafa, co-chair of NC Pride 2000, the organization that sponsors the event. Before the parade, a steady flow of public officials and local activists, both gay and straight, came to the steps on the back of the East Duke Building to address the crowd. State representative Verla Insko, (D-Chatham, Orange) came to the podium with her three-year-old grandson Thomas in tow, and read a statement from Vice President A1 Gore, the likely Democratic presidential nominee. “We as a nation need to pass the Hate Crimes Prevention Act.... The tragic hatred that led to Matthew Shephard’s death must end,” Gore said in the statement. “I know that the time has come to widen the circle of dignity to include our brothers, sisters and neighbors in the gay and lesbian community.” After reading the letter, Insko, who attended the Pride march
same-sex union ban
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