Offcials Disagree With Halting Universities' Growth

On Friday, the Faculty Council approved a resolution calling for the BOG to slow or postpone increased enrollment if the state's anticipated budget shortfall renders the N.C. General Assembly unable to fully fund increases in the incoming class size.

The Faculty Council's action comes in response to the BOG's approval March 6 of a 12 percent systemwide tuition increase that primarily would fund enrollment increase costs not covered by the General Assembly.

BOG member Brad Wilson said Sunday that chances are slim that the General Assembly will provide the projected $66 million needed to fund the UNC system's predicted enrollment growth for 2002-2003.

But Wilson said he believes that the Faculty Council's solution ignores the UNC-system's responsibility to N.C. taxpayers.

"I don't agree that we should automatically halt or slow down growth," he said. "I think we have a social contract with the people of North Carolina as a result of the bond increase that they passed.

"I'm not in favor of shutting or even partially closing the door to access."

Wilson also said enrollment should remain a systemwide consideration rather than one dealt with in isolation by individual campuses.

"For one school to unilaterally close its doors could create problems."

Wilson maintained that the Faculty Council's views should be heard and expressed his confidence that differing views would not threaten the unity of the UNC system, since all parties involved want the General Assembly to resume responsibility for funding enrollment.

"The Faculty Council's point of view is relevant and should be considered," he said. "This isn't a sign of disunity. It simply means that we have different points of view, but our final goal is the same."

Unlike Wilson, UNC-CH Board of Trustees Chairman Tim Burnett said he supports the Faculty Council's resolution.

"I personally think its a good idea," he said. "I would think it would be harder to deny services to the students we already have than to cap enrollment until these financial difficulties pass."

But Burnett said enrollment growth should be managed at the system level and that UNC-CH should not attempt to individually slow enrollment growth.

"The University is part of a team and should act like it," Burnett said. "We can't put our immediate interests above those of the system and still plan to enjoy its benefits later."

Gretchen Bataille, UNC-system vice president for academic affairs, said that despite any action on the part of the UNC-CH Faculty Council, the UNC system will continue to push for the plan put forth by the BOG.

"Our high priority is system access," she said. "In response to the bond issue, our position is not to cap enrollment."

Bataille also said the opinions of segments of individual campus communities would not affect the UNC system as a whole unless they were supported by the chancellors.

"This is merely a resolution that a council is passing on to a chancellor," she said. "The chancellor speaks for the campus, not the Faculty Council."

The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.