Trustee committees meet

Three committees of the Board of Trustees met Wednesday to hear reports on various campus issues.

Audit and Finance

UNC’s endowment has lost more than 13 percent of its value in the last four months, said Jon King, president of the UNC Management Company, which oversees the endowment.

But the median loss during the same period for endowments nationwide is 19 percent.

King said the fund is also earning an 8 percent return on investment, and ended the last fiscal year up $76.4 million.

That puts the endowment at just less than $1.1 billion.

“This is really good relative performance,” Trustee John Ellison said.

Dick Mann, vice chancellor for finance and administration, also gave an update on how the University is weathering its financial problems. UNC has been forced by the state budget office to cut its budget by 4 percent so far this year.

Mann said UNC has been able to make those changes this year, but may have to cut some services and programs if money woes continue.

“This year, I think we can muddle through without any major dislocation,” he said. “But it’s on a one-time basis.”

Building and Grounds

The buildings and grounds committee approved firms to design four upcoming construction projects and approved designs for four new structures.

But Wednesday’s discussion was dominated by what the future parking deck located near the Bell Tower will look like.

Anna Wu, director of facilities planning, proposed a design in which the parking deck was made of cement precast. Some buildings made of precast on campus are Davie Hall and the Undergraduate Library.

The board did not immediately approve the design, saying it was not aesthetically pleasing.

“I’ve got to be honest, I’m not real wild about it,” said Trustee Nelson Schwab.

The board approved the design in the end, but stipulated that the planning department must create another design that is more attractive and possibly made of brick — more like the Cobb parking deck.

Both the board and the department will review the designs later to figure out if it would be worth the time and money to switch.

The committee also approved the design of a new medical imaging building for the schools of medicine and pharmacy. It will be located on the corner of Mason Farm Road and West Drive.

Wu said the walls of one side of the building will be made of glass with a shading device to block the glare from the sun.

The committee also approved the landscape and development guidelines for Carolina North and reviewed plans to renew historic parts of campus.

University Affairs

The University affairs committee heard multiple reports on campus safety at its meeting.

Chapel Hill police Chief Brian Curran and Jeff McCracken, chief of police for the UNC Department of Public Safety, discussed their respective departments and efforts to foster a better relationship between the two.

“Some people like to think of the University as another town,” Curran said. “But I like to think of it as a really big neighborhood that just happens to have its own police department.”

The two are working to establish shared jurisdiction so UNC police can help patrol downtown areas.

Both stressed how the current economic situation could put a strain on their budgets and are asking officials to take this into account when making financial decisions.

Curran also requested the school use its scheduling request to make next season’s Halloween football game an away game. A home game “might reverse the huge gains we made this year,” he said.

Steve Matson, dean of the Graduate School, presented a study on graduate student safety commissioned at the committee’s September meeting.

In a survey about the best ways to improve University safety, the top responses included increasing late-night shuttles and buses and increasing available parking.

Matson also said the responses contained some infeasible options UNC probably would not pursue.

“I was surprised that there was more than one student who suggested we rethink the policy about carrying concealed weapons on campus,” he said.

The committee also heard an update of Enterprise Resource Planning, UNC’s transition to integrated management software, and discussed Provost Bernadette Gray-Little’s changes to UNC’s mission statement.



Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.