UNC Faculty Council Questions Allocation Of Tuition Revenue

Money from the proposed hike will fund four areas, but some faculty have concerns about how the money will be divided.

By Brook Corwin

Staff Writer

Faculty members and student officials expressed concern at Friday's Faculty Council meeting about how the money from a proposed tuition increase will be used to meet specific needs.

Faculty, student and administrative officials weighed in on the topic of a one-year, $400 tuition increase recommended by the Task Force on Tuition last week. The UNC Board of Trustees is expected to consider the proposal Thursday.

Chancellor James Moeser opened the meeting by emphasizing the importance of alternative revenue sources in light of an expected state budget shortfall. "Given the circumstances of our state budget, campus-based tuition increases are among the revenue sources that will be essential to making UNC the top public university in the nation," Moeser said.

Provost Robert Shelton, who was co-chairman of the tuition task force, said the proposed tuition increase would be spent to raise faculty salaries, hire 135 new faculty members, increase the number of classes with fewer than 20 students and increase teaching assistant stipends for graduate students.

But several faculty expressed concern that the $5.8 million generated by the $400, one-year increase -- after 40 percent of the revenue is set aside for financial aid -- would fall short of the $7.6 million necessary to fully fund those needs.

Faculty members also said they were unclear about how the projected revenue would be distributed among the needs. Shelton said because of time constraints, the task force was unable to specify a plan to allocate the money across the four needs. "This is a project where the work is not yet done," he said.

But Student Body President Justin Young said without more specificity, the proposed increase should not be supported by students or faculty. "Many of us are left wondering where the money will go," Young said. "You may support faculty salary increases, but you may not see an increase in your salary at all."

Young asked faculty members to add their e-mail addresses to a list so student government could contact them with information and ask for their support.

Other faculty members inquired about why the University needs additional funds when the N.C. General Assembly already appropriates more money per student than state legislators at any of UNC's peer institutions, such as the University of Virginia and the University of Michigan.

Computer science Professor John Smith said depending on tuition for revenue might encourage the state to reduce funding. "Will this make it easier for the legislators to reduce our budgets?" he said. "I don't see this as a strategy that gives us very much assurance."

Faculty Council Chairwoman Sue Estroff -- who also announced that she has taken a faculty position on the Transportation and Parking Advisory Committee -- urged faculty, students and staff not to become divided over the problem of limited funds. "I don't want to see this scarcity of resources drive a wedge between us," Estroff said. "A lot of us love or want to love this University, but in terms of nourishing us in a material sense, it's starting to feel like unrequited love."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.