ERIN ZUREICK

News

Officials talk tuition policy

By ERIN ZUREICK | April 27

After a year of tuition talks marked by student protest and frustration, officials are moving to review the often-contentious process. Members of the Board of Trustees will hear a presentation by Provost Bernadette Gray-Little at their May meeting on ways to streamline the process. "It seems like every year we go through a lot of pain to discuss tuition," said Nelson Schwab, board chairman. "The question is, 'Is there a better way to do it?'"

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BOT set for fresh trio

By ERIN ZUREICK | March 29

As three veterans of the Board of Trustees prepare to step down from their posts, three fresh faces are poised to take their places atop the University's governing structure. UNC alumni Phillip Clay, Alston Gardner and Sallie Shuping Russell will be sworn in at the board's July meeting. Their nominations were approved recently by the UNC-system Board of Governors.

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Ray, UNC mascot, dies from injuries

By ERIN ZUREICK | March 27

As UNC's mascot, Jason Ray's job was to brighten people's day. Friends and family said that didn't stop when he took off the mask. The UNC senior who wore the Rameses suit for three years, died at 8:38 a.m. Monday after being hit by an SUV on Friday while walking along a New Jersey highway. He sustained severe head injuries after being hit by the SUV on N.J. Route 4 and was treated at Hackensack University Medical Center. Ray was in New Jersey for the Sweet 16. Hospital officials said that Ray was an organ donor.

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Student Rameses dies from injuries

By ERIN ZUREICK | March 26

Jason Ray, a UNC senior who wore the Rameses suit for three years, died Monday morning after being hit by an SUV Friday afternoon while walking along a New Jersey highway. A spokeswoman for Hackensack University Medical Center said that Ray died at 8:38 a.m. Monday. He sustained severe head injuries after being hit by an SUV on N.J. Route 4. He was in the area for the men’s basketball game Friday against the University of Southern California. Hospital officials said that Ray was an organ donor.

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Student Rameses fighting for survival

By ERIN ZUREICK | March 26

UNC senior Jason Ray, a member of the cheerleading squad who has worn the Rameses mascot suit for the past three seasons, is still in critical condition after being struck by a car late Friday afternoon. Ray, 21, is being treated at Hackensack University Medical Center, where friends say he is on life support with serious injuries to his head. UNC senior James Jolley, who has known Ray since his freshman year, said that Ray still has some brain activity and that doctors are conducting more tests. He is breathing with the help of a respirator.

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Trustees talk research needs

By ERIN ZUREICK | March 23

Six months into a massive push to secure research funding from external sources, UNC officials are looking inward to examine priorities. As the University seeks to reach a $1 billion funding goal by 2015, leaders said they hope to shore up UNC's research mission. "This conversation comes at a very opportune time," Provost Bernadette Gray-Little told UNC Board of Trustee members while introducing a presentation on research priorities.

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Lease approved to move MedAir

By ERIN ZUREICK | March 22

After years of discussion, plans to move the University's Medical Air Operations are moving forward, also signaling the waning days of a Chapel Hill staple, Horace Williams Airport. The UNC Board of Trustees approved Wednesday a lease with Raleigh-Durham International Airport that will allow construction to begin in the fall on the $3.5 million new hangar and office space for Medical Air.

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One year after a tragedy

By ERIN ZUREICK | February 26

It's been a year, and Keith Shawn Smith's room in his Greensboro home remains largely untouched. It's one of the few things that Gloria Smith said hasn't changed since her son's death a year ago on UNC's campus. Altering Keith Shawn Smith's room is too difficult a task to tackle yet, she said Friday in Greensboro, a day before the one-year anniversary of her son's death. The pictures show what Gloria Smith described as her son's trademark - his "Kool-Aid smile" - and the signs of his bright future. "It's just hard," she said. "I packed them up for another time."

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Executive perks on the line today

By ERIN ZUREICK | February 13

A place at the Board of Trustees' table isn't the only perk voters get to award today. When all is said and done and the next student body president is crowned, the doors of power will swing open, and the executive branch's head honcho will gain access to top information and officials at the University. And that doesn't even include the other perks of power: a parking permit for any non-handicapped campus spot, lower-level seats to all home men's basketball games and a $300 per month stipend.

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UNC Hospitals workers flagged

By ERIN ZUREICK | January 30

According to a report released Monday by the state auditors office, 17 UNC Hospitals employees used faulty documentation to obtain their jobs. Eight workers have been terminated and nine others resigned. Three employees were using Social Security numbers of deceased individuals, four were using invalid numbers and 10 others had names that did not match the records of the Social Security Administration. The majority of employees identified worked in housekeeping or dining, said Lynn Wooten, spokesman for UNC Hospitals.