University Affairs Committee discusses fees, admissions and history task force

The University Affairs Committee assembled on Wednesday. Here’s the rundown:

The Chancellor’s Task Force on UNC-Chapel Hill History wrapped up the meeting by providing updates on the Unsung Founder's renovation and repair and possible design methods for future monuments.

Professor and task force member James Leloudis updated the committee on renovations and repairs of the Unsung Founders Memorial. He proposed the grade surrounding the memorial be evened. 

Leloudis discussed the possible monument markers that can be used on grounds, like inset, raised and monolithic markers. The task force has been discussing the incorporation of online content that would appear on a cell phone when in close proximity of the monument. 

“We are working on some of drafting of the text of these monuments,” Leloudis said. “We’ve begun scholarly review by experts in related fields of Civil War history, Confederate memory, American history, slavery and American Indian history.”

Duckett opened the meeting by addressing the nature of the Silent Sam discussion. 

Leloudis did not discuss Silent Sam in his presentation. Instead, Chairperson Charles Duckett made a comment at the start of the meeting. 

In reference to recent reports of police officers going undercover at Silent Sam, Duckett said he respects the officers and admires them for their service. He congratulated the meeting attendees and those from earlier meetings of the day on their civility and professionalism.

“I will say, something I feel very strongly about with regard to the policing around Silent Sam and on this campus is I think a lot of the opinions and statements are more opinion than fact,” Duckett said. "(Police) do a great job protecting our university, and I think it is a very safe university.” 

In reference to statements and letters written to The Daily Tar Heel, Duckett cited Professor Jay Smith’s recent letter to the editor.

“I just can’t go along without mentioning that a lot of people like to read in the paper and comment about themselves, but comparing this to Germany and other things is just pure hyperbole, and it gets old,” he said. 

Both undergraduate and graduate students face fee and tuition increases for 2018-19.

First on the docket for the meeting was the recommendation to increase tuition and fees, which was approved shortly thereafter. 

Dwayne Pinkney, senior associate vice chancellor and chief financial officer, delivered the increases in three sections, beginning with increasing tuition for all undergraduate non-residents and all graduate students. The increased undergraduate tuition would bring in over $1.1 million which would be a $600 increase for new undergraduate non-residents and $300 for returning undergraduates. 

All graduate students will face a $300 increase, which is expected to bring in over $2.7 million in revenue. 

School-based tuition increases impacted 11 of the 13 schools and did not take into account residential or returning status. General, activity, application and special student fees will also increase with the five percent uptick of the student health fee being one of the highest. 

“We also have growing needs in other areas,” Duckett said. “In psychological services, we have increased needs, and we need to meet even those basic needs. Sometimes you just have to increase (the fee) to do what you’re supposed to do.” 

Following Duckett’s comment, the board unanimously approved the tuition and fee increases. The content of the meeting passed into the information-only stage with no actions pending approval. 

Stephen Farmer, vice provost for enrollment and undergraduate admissions, revealed the initial 2017-18 application statistics, showing a 6 percent overall increase in applications as of Nov. 7. 

The University will reveal early action decisions on Jan. 31. 

Furthermore, Farmer provided brief statistics on the University’s newest undergraduates, including both first-year and transfer students. The statistics focused on academic achievement, need-based aid, location and demographics. 

“I want to emphasize that we don’t think about students categorically,” Farmer said. “There is no one statistic that can make or break a student. For example, we don’t consider test scores only. The University tries to treat people like people first, and then find them a place in our class.”  

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