CORRECTION: The original version of this editorial misrepresented UNC-Pembroke's minority affiliation. UNC-Pembroke is recognized as an American Indian university.
On March 15, we voting Northern Carolinians will decide on a $2 billion investment in important infrastructure across the state, almost half of which will be directed toward the UNC school system. Coming at a time of low interest rates, in theory it will not raise taxes and will bring us better parks, better universities and a better state.
It is, overall, a good bond.
And yet, the facilities upgraded by the bond are almost exclusively STEM or “business.” Among the projects, our campus will get a new medical education building ($68 million).
Minority-serving institutions receive attention — N.C. A&T will receive a new engineering building ($90 million), and UNC-Pembroke will begin making a new business school ($23 million).
The renewed investments are beneficial to our UNC system. However, as usual, the state is investing far more in STEM and business than in other areas.
Elizabeth City State University stands to receive $13 million to upgrade its only library and Historic Moore Hall — named for the university founder P.W. Moore — UNC-School of the Arts would get $10.9 million to upgrade its library and the principal performance space, and UNC-Asheville has $21.1 million earmarked for a remake to Owen Hall, home to management and art programs.
Let us literary types produce some STEM research. The numbers are striking. Including the Owen Hall project, of the $980 million investment into the UNC system, about 5 percent go to non-STEM, non-business facilities:
