Campus position unclear

Top University officials said Monday that it’s too early to say if recently approved tuition hikes will meet campus needs, even though it appears the increases will bring in almost $3 million less than UNC-Chapel Hill wanted.

The UNC-system Board of Governors approved a $700 increase in the University’s nonresident undergraduate tuition Friday and passed hikes for graduate and professional students.

All told, the increases will generate $4,681,100.

Of that total, 40 percent will be reserved for need-based student aid. The remainder will be funneled into faculty salaries and teaching assistant stipends.

Richard “Stick” Williams, chairman of the UNC Board of Trustees, said he is disappointed with the governing board’s final decision — particularly the freeze on in-state tuition.

“I think it will make a nice contribution,” he said. “But I think that total package that we put together … was much better for the University.”

Trustees had requested a $950 hike in out-of-state tuition and a $200 increase for N.C. residents, but BOG Chairman Brad Wilson called for a freeze on in-state tuition. The BOG followed suit.

The move spurred Student Body President Matt Calabria and Student Congress Speaker Charlie Anderson to propose a $250 reduction to the out-of-state increase — Chancellor James Moeser concurred.

But a reduced hike means less funding, particularly for faculty-retention goals, Williams said. “We are going to have to hope that what monies we get from this and dollars from previous increases will help us to fend off some of the offers that the faculty will get.”

Steve Allred, executive associate provost, said it’s difficult to gauge how much of an impact the tuition increases will have on the University’s priorities until the N.C. General Assembly completes its annual budget.

“I would call it a modest increase,” Allred said. “Clearly if there is a significant budget cut from the state then these funds will be even more important.”

Leaders expect almost $245 million to be cut from public schools, community colleges and the UNC system.

Williams said the message out-of-state students might receive from the hike is different than what both governing boards intended to convey. During the trustees’ meeting in January, several students delivered emotional speeches, expressing their concerns about a growing divide between in-state and out-of-state students.

Yet nonresidents shouldn’t feel isolated from their in-state counterparts, said Jerry Lucido, vice provost for enrollment management. “We really want to be careful about that perception,” he said. “There’s no question that in-state students have an extraordinary bargain at Carolina. We want to be careful not to create that divide.”

Steve Farmer, director of undergraduate admissions, hopes out-of-state students feel appreciated, as they play an integral role at UNC.

“I would hate to think that out-of-state students would now feel like they’re second-class citizens here,” he said. “This place would not be the same without the out-of-state students we have here.”

The BOG also approved a $100 hike in the student athletics fee, despite early public opposition from student officials who said the decision was rushed. Anderson, who drafted a resolution in Congress denouncing the increase, said students can take solace in the reduction of the out-of-state hike.

“It was the best we could do in a difficult situation,” he said. “We can be pretty satisfied with the way things turned out this year.”

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.