The Chronicle
Thursday, November 14, 2002
Mostly Sunny High 62, Low 37 www.chronicle.duke.edu Vol. 98, No. 59
Then and now From tobacco leaves to Brightleaf Square, Recess traces the evolution of the Durham arts community.
See RECESS
THE INDEPENDENT DAILY AT DUKE UNIVERSITY
Task force to examine funding system Students scrap plan created last year with Student Affairs administrators By MOLLY NICHOLSON The Chronicle As students and adminis-
trators consider the University’s capacity to support a growing number of clubs and organizations, Duke Student Government has created a task force to examine the underlying funding system.
In related news As a new task force looks at streamlining student group funding, administrators are considering limiting the growth of new clubs. See page 3
Chaired by sophomore Philip Kurian, the committee plans to examine methods to make funding for student organizations more efficient. Groups can now seek funds from about 12 different sources, depending
on the organization. Kurian, also a DSG legislator, said a top priority for his task force is receiving
student input, which he hopes will be achieved through a series of town hall meetings jointly sponsored by the task force and the Student Organization Finance Committee. “We’re just going to talk about raising the student activities fee and hopefully getting a student voice on this,” Kurian said. “Our goal in this task force isn’t to take what [the Division of] Student Affairs thinks.” Last year, students and administrators —including Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta and former SOFC chair Vinny Eng, a senior—devised a plan to bring funding for student groups under one umbrella organization. The plan called for a 15-member funding council that would distribute annual funds to eight subcommittees, each See FUNDING on page 9
Lynne Burgess, a 21 -year hospital employee, said hospital administrators terminated her last year because of her pro-union activities. By WHITNEY BECKETT The Chronicle
THE FRESHMAN ACTIVITIES FAIR on East Campus provides an opportunity for student groups to recruit new members.
Saddam agrees to U.N. resolution � The Iraqi leader said Wednesday he would allow United Nations inspectors into his country and claimed he has not been amassing nuclear, chemical or biological weapons. By EDITH LEDERER The Associated Press
UNITED NATIONS Claiming Iraq was seeking the “path of peace,” Saddam Hussein’s government agreed Wednesday to the return of international weapons inspectors, accepting a stringent UN resolution two days ahead of a deadline. Although Iraq accepted the tough terms, President George W. Bush warned he had “zero tolerance” for any Iraqi attempts to hide weapons of mass destruction and said a coalition of nations is ready to force Saddam to disarm. Iraq’s nine-page letter of acceptance was laced with anti-American and anti-Israeli statements as well as stem warnings for UN. weapons inspectors. In contrast, Iraq’s UN. ambassador, Mohammed Al-Douri, said his government had chosen “the path of peace” and its acceptance had “no conditions, no reservations.” Still, the harsh tone in Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri’s letter to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, and its warnings about how Baghdad expects inspectors to behave, raised questions about Iraq’s plans to cooperate with the resolution. Annan, speaking to reporters in Washington after meeting with Bush, said he would wait to determine Iraq’s intentions. “I think the issue is not their acceptance, but performance on the ground,” Annan said. “Let the inspecSee IRAQ on page 7
Inside iidiuc
STEPHEN JAFFE/AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE
WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS Dan Bartlett (left), director of communications, Secretary of State Colin Powell and Chief of Staff Andrew Card meet in the Oval Office.
As student groups multiply in number, the University administration is examining the benefits of limiting new group formation. See page 3
Nurse claims bias in firing
A conference on bullying next week aims to prevent young people from moving on to more serious offenses later in life. See page 4
A former nurse has accused Duke University Hospital of firing her because of her support of unionization, just months after another nurse sued the Hospital for the same grievance. Lynne Burgess, who worked at the Hospital 21 years before her termination in January 2001, said the decision was based on her avid union activity—not, as hospital administrators claim, alleged patient negligence. “I was the perfect scapegoat for the anti-union [cause],” Burgess said. “Nurses in my unit could witness the most experienced nurse in the unit being fired [for supporting the union].” Burgess said that in targeting her, the Hospital compiled a list of infractions against her, which included giving a patient too much oxygen; not giving a patient Ativan, a medicine that treats anxiety and insomnia; not giving a treatment for high potassium rapidly enough; and failing to get physicians to sign a nursing order. Burgess admitted to committing the infractions and noted that a North Carolina Board of Nursing investigation did indeed find her accountable, but gave her the lightest applicable reprimand—attending a one-on-one course about the ethical and legal issues of nursing. Nevertheless, she said pro-union activism made her a target, not the infractions, which she said were common nursing errors. “Duke [University Hospital] is notorious for getting rid of senior employees so they don’t have to pay senior benefits,” she said. Hospital officials declined to comment. Hospital chief executive officer Dr. William Fulkerson’s office referred comment to Jeff Molter, director of the Medical Center News Office. “Federal law protects employees from being persecuted for union activities,” Molter said. “We at Duke respect our employees’ right to pursue their own interests.” Molter declined any additional comment on either Donahue or Burgess. Constance Donahue, a 17-year hospital employee, filed a lawsuit on similar charges that she was terminated See NURSE on page 10
Blue chip center Alison Bales, recruited from Dayton, Ohio, committed to play for the Blue Devils next year, See page 11