Competition Drives Rent up Bills Propose Earlier Start to NC School Calendars the Bills Would Afford Individual Districts More Flexibility
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Serving UNC students and the University community since 1893 Volume 125, Issue 22 dailytarheel.com Thursday, April 6, 2017 Competition drives rent up Bills propose earlier start to NC school calendars The bills would afford individual districts more flexibility. By Natalie Short Staff Writer Two bills introduced in the N.C. legisla- ture might provide more flexibility for pub- lic school districts’ calendars. Filed in mid-March, the bills would allow schools to opt to start their school calendars earlier in August. Currently, state public schools cannot start their school year before the Monday closest to Aug. 26, and they cannot end later than the Friday closest to June 11. Jeff Nash, spokesperson for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, said current law was enacted with beach tourism in mind. “But how does that impact school dis- tricts in Raleigh and Greensboro and Charlotte?” he said. House Bill 375 would allow local board of educations to adjust any school calendar in their districts to coincide with local com- munity college calendars, so high school students can take college classes in the summer. But the opening date could still be no earlier than Aug. 15. House Bill 389 would introduce a pilot DTH/ADDY LEE LIU program to test how a more flexible calen- A For Rent sign hangs on a house in the Northside neighborhood. In the month of February, rent prices increased by 6 percent in Chapel Hill. dar affects students. The program would span three school years, and data would be gathered from par- Higher rent prices limit affordable options for community ticipating school districts to determine if the calendar changes affect student achievement By Sarah Cheek collar workers in the area. cent of the student population ily homes or apartment complexes and summer internship positions. Staff Writer Gina Turner, property man- of UNC lives off campus, which for almost 30 years, and is now Results of the program would be evalu- ager of Town House Apartments, drives up housing prices close to suddenly allowing for the develop- ated by the N.C. Department of Public Chapel Hill rent prices are ris- said Town House’s income has campus. ment of new apartment complexes. Instruction, the Department of Commerce ing — in February, the town saw a doubled since 2010 due to rising Turner said the steep jump in “New construction costs a lot and the UNC School of Government. 6 percent jump in rent, according rents. rent is due to high demand for more and land prices are very David Brown, research director at to a recent report on rental mar- “Rents have gone up sig- luxury housing options. steep,” Hemminger said. “The ncIMPACT in the School of Government, kets around the country. nificantly in keeping up with the “Competition has driven rates brand new ones can keep a very said the school often helps the legislature The town of Chapel Hill cur- market,” Turner said. “If you’re up,” she said. “The properties steep price because people like evaluate pilot programs such as the newly rently ranks as the most expen- too low, people question why you going up are geared towards new.” introduced bill. sive rental market in the state. are so cheap.” luxury.” Turner said these luxury Nash said public schools that use block The rent increase is particularly Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger said the town of scheduling often run into problems with alarming for students and blue Hemminger said about 50 per- Chapel Hill didn’t build multi-fam- SEE RENT, PAGE 5 SEE CALENDARS, PAGE 5 Federal court rules on LGBTQ discrimination “So that means, if discrimination The decision said employers against gay individuals in the employ- cannot discriminate based ment context is impermissible per Title VII and its prohibition on dis- on sexual orientation. crimination against sex, then it’s also going to be unconstitutional to dis- By Ana Irizarry criminate based on sexual orientation Assistant State & National Editor in the Title IX context, which prohib- its discrimination based on sex in the The 7th Circuit U.S. Court of educational context,” he said. Appeals ruled workplace discrimi- The ruling only affects the 7th nation based on sexual orientation Circuit’s jurisdiction — which violates federal law — marking a includes Indiana, Illinois and first federal ruling on LGBTQ dis- Wisconsin — but it could also affect crimination. other circuit court decisions, said Tuesday’s decision said such dis- Rob Schofield, director of policy and crimination violates Title VII of the research for N.C. Policy Watch. Civil Rights Act of 1964. This sec- This case dealt with specific tion of the law, also called the Equal details involving a gay employee, and Employment Opportunity section, Schofield said there are similar argu- prohibits employers from discriminat- ments to be made in HB2 litigation. ing against employees on the basis of The N.C. Values Coalition, a vocal sex, race, color, national origin or reli- supporter of HB2, could not be gion. The court interpreted discrimi- reached for comment. DTH/CALLIE WILLIAMS nation based on sex to include sexual Schofield said the court’s opinion The Arab Student Organization holds a Q&A with director Sam Kadi (center) after a screening of the film “Little orientation. suggests movement toward protec- Gandhi” in the Student Union auditorium on Wednesday night. Chris Brook, legal director of the tions for transgender individuals in N.C. ACLU, said this type of discrimi- Title VII and IX contexts. nation is part of sex stereotyping: the “I think this is another strike idea that men and women should act against discrimination against the gay Syrian experience brought to UNC a certain way based on their gender. and lesbian community,” Schofield “Employers who would choose to said. “And I think those are similar reached out to Kadi to bring the Spring began in 2011, her family fire someone because they’re gay are arguments that we made in our litiga- Sam Kadi’s movie ‘Little film to UNC. watched anxiously as the conflict saying that men — real men — are tion challenging HB2 and we are like- Ghandi’ is about the “I came across the ‘Little unfolded thousands of miles from only in relationships with women,” he ly to make in a challenge to HB142.” Gandhi’ movie screening and their home. said. “Real women are only in rela- This is just one of a series of recent current Syrian conflict. heard that it was happening “As Syrians, we held our hearts tionships with men.” rulings on sex discrimination involv- through the Syrian American in our hands hoping that Syria Steve Nickles, a law professor at ing the LGBTQ community, he said. By Danielle Bush Council and they were streaming would come next and the forty Wake Forest University, said there is “We’ve seen the EEOC — the Staff Writer the ‘Little Gandhi’ movie across years of the brutal dictatorial precedent against sex stereotyping. Equal Employment Opportunity university campuses and I talked Assad regime that had exiled both “Sex is not just gender,” he said. Commission — arrive at the same The UNC Arab Students to my friend who was the president of my parents from the country, “The Supreme Court, years ago, said conclusion recently,” Schofield said. Organization welcomed film direc- of the Arab Students Organization that people would rise against that (sex discrimination) includes Nickles said the court’s decision tor Sam Kadi for a free screen- and I told her this would be some- him,” she said. discrimination against somebody takes into account the law and today’s ing of his film, “Little Gandhi,” a thing really interesting to bring to “Bringing this movie to campus, because they don’t conform to a gen- societal norms. documentary informing students campus,” she said. yes I am a Syrian-American, but der stereotype.” “It is an interpretation of exist- about the current Syrian conflict, Dagahestani, a Syrian- it’s not about that anymore. The The court’s decision specifically ing law but in light of contemporary in the Student Union Auditorium American, said growing up, she crisis in Syria is now an issue of dealt with Title VII of the Civil Rights movements,” he said. on April 5. and her sisters always knew they my humanity and so bringing this Act, but Brook said it could likely The organization’s treasurer, were Syrian, learned Arabic and affect other sections of the act as well. [email protected] first-year Samia Daghestani, ate Arabic food. When the Arab SEE SCREENING, PAGE 5 I’m gonna get a lot of shit for this. JEREMY VERNON 2 Thursday, April 6, 2017 News The Daily Tar Heel The Daily Tar Heel www.dailytarheel.com Established 1893 I went to the NCAA championship game 124 years of editorial freedom surreal feeling that we did it “Confetti fell, the The drive to Phoenix, — I was there, standing out- JANE WESTER Arizona lasted 32 side the University of Phoenix net was cut and the EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Stadium. The excitement [email protected] hours, one way. escalated within me. sound of Tar Heel HANNAH SMOOT Streams of journalists and voices rang clear…” MANAGING EDITOR videographers from every [email protected] By Joseph Held Joseph Held Staff Writer major network circulated the DANNY NETT student crowds, asking a few Swerve staff writer ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR [email protected] With a duffle bag contain- questions and getting clips of ing every UNC clothing item them screaming for the cam- “On the Road Again,” which JOSÉ VALLE VISUAL MANAGING EDITOR I own, I filed into a rented era. My friend joked that we’d had become our custom with [email protected] 12-passenger van headed to need to stay grounded through every new drive, and drove Phoenix.