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(04/28/06 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>"Predictability," it seemed, was the buzzword of this year's tuition talks.
During the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees' January meeting - when members unanimously approved undergraduate hikes of $250 for residents and $1,100 for nonresidents - trustees also adopted a resolution calling for long-term planning.
But the notion of predictability was not a new one.
During the fall's half-dozen meetings of the tuition advisory task force, which reports to Chancellor James Moeser on tuition policy, members discussed looking beyond the coming year in considering tuition revenue.
Much of the revenue of this year's hikes will go toward faculty salaries.
Of the $8.5 million, $4 million will go to increasing salaries - a useful tool in enhancing the University's ability to recruit and retain professors.
That amount will bring UNC-CH's average salary closer to its peers, but there is still much ground to cover.
UNC-CH's peer institutions are a group of similar schools with which the University competes for faculty, among other facets.
During preliminary talks, task force members considered how future tuition hikes could go toward bringing the average faculty salary in line with peers' averages.
It is likely that a portion of revenue from any hikes approved next year will go to salaries.
"There are two things that will always be there - one is financial aid the other is faculty salaries," Executive Associate Provost Steve Allred said, speaking on the University's current needs.
Such forward-thinking planning was advocated by task force members Seth Dearmin and Adrian Johnson, then-student body president and -vice president, respectively.
Eventually, Johnston and Dearmin, the latter of whom was an ex-officio trustee, drafted the resolution that was passed by the trustees, officially introducing predictability as a major policy consideration.
"There is a very reasonable desire on the part of students to have a better sense of predictability and a more stable environment for tuition - knowing that tuition is going to increase," Moeser said.
With the introduction of the trustees' predictability resolution, the board will hear tuition proposals four years in advance.
Although the planning will be nonbinding, administrators and student leaders hope that the campus will have at least an idea of long-term tuition.
"We'll review this every year; we're not going to lock ourselves into a tuition plan," Moeser said.
Administrators have been sure to make clear that the resolution is nonbinding, for fear of painting themselves into a corner.
Tuition is one of the revenue sources over which the University has the greatest control, even though the UNC system and N.C. General Assembly have oversight of the ultimate decision.
A dip in federal research dollars or allocations from state legislators could leave the campus short on money - and looking to tuition revenue for help. Both of those sources are more lucrative than tuition.
"Tuition only accounts for 11 or 12 percent of our total budget. It's a fairly small piece of it," Moeser said. "The state (allocation) is 21 to 24 percent. And research is bigger than that."
"We spend a lot of time talking about one of the smallest revenue streams that supports the overall budget of the University."
Tuition increases
(04/28/06 4:00am)
With the approach of summer, students won't be the only ones on campus packing their belongings into cardboard boxes.
As three administrators, two of them high-level Cabinet members, prepare to leave UNC-Chapel Hill, the University will see the largest South Building shake-up in almost two years.
Provost Robert Shelton will be the first to go, announcing in January his decision to leave to become president of the University of Arizona in Tucson.
Nancy Suttenfield, vice chancellor for finance and administration, was selected by Wake Forest University earlier this month to be the school's chief financial officer.
About two weeks before her announcement, Jerry Lucido, vice provost for enrollment policy and management, was hired for the same post at the University of Southern California.
When the three leave the University this summer to take their new jobs, it will mark the exodus of three top policy gurus.
Not only were Suttenfield and Shelton among Chancellor James Moeser's chief administrators, but they were his first major hires after he became chancellor in 2000.
The upcoming Cabinet remodeling calls into question Moeser's intentions - whether the high-level departures might be a precursor to his retirement.
The average tenure of a chancellor is fewer than seven years. Moeser was installed six years ago.
Moeser himself declined to speculate the date of his departure.
"I don't think in those terms. I'm not appointed for a term. I don't have a contract," he said, adding that he serves at the pleasure of UNC-system President Erskine Bowles.
In their decisions to leave the University, all three administrators cited a sense of completion with their work at UNC-CH.
Suttenfield, for example, said she believes her work in laying the foundation for the University's long-term financial planning will continue after she leaves for Winston-Salem.
But for Moeser, ongoing projects and initiatives still command his attention.
The Carolina First campaign, a $2 billion fundraising drive, will continue until the end of 2007.
Moeser also cited a long-term vision for Carolina North, the University's proposed satellite campus, on which he hopes to break ground by the decade's end.
"I'm not living day to day, but I don't have a calendar that I'm marking days off of, looking to some sort of finite date that I've set in my own mind."
Furthermore, Moeser characterized the period of transition in his Cabinet as manageable.
With expediency, the administration moved to replace Shelton - a sign that there would be no major shake-up in South Building, Moeser said.
Within weeks of Shelton's decision, Moeser had appointed Bernadette Gray-Little, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, to take over the provost's office.
"We have seamlessly and with, I think, unprecedented dispatch filled that position," he said.
Before serving as dean of the college, Gray-Little was executive associate provost, and Moeser said she will enable consistency.
"I think appointing Bernadette sends a very strong signal that there's no change in direction," he said.
Throughout the year, both Moeser and Shelton have said administrative transition is not necessarily a negative thing. Rather, it can ensure a healthy mix of fresh ideas.
In contemporary academia, administrators can't always be expected to stay at just one school.
William Aycock, chancellor from 1957-64, said that during his years in office he saw very little transition among his Cabinet, much of which was composed of educators from UNC-CH.
Aycock himself came from the faculty to be chancellor, and after he stepped down, he returned to teaching at UNC's School of Law.
"All the people that were here were acquainted with the institution," he said of his Cabinet. "They weren't in the market to go somewhere else."
"When you go out and get younger people from afar," he continued, "you got to accept the fact they're in the market to go."
Contact the News Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(04/27/06 4:00am)
Early Wednesday the ROTC buildings at UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State University were vandalized with anti-military statements, spurring investigations from police at both schools.
Two statements - "F--- off" and "We won't fight your wars" - were painted on the doors of UNC-CH's ROTC building, the Naval Armory, said Lt. Col. Elizabeth Agather of the Army ROTC program.
Red paint also had been spilled on the steps of the building, at the corner of South Columbia Street and South Road.
By midday the paint had been blasted off the building. UNC-CH police estimated the damage at $600, police spokesman Randy Young said.
Agather said she was disheartened to see the damage when she arrived on campus Wednesday.
"I was saddened by the fact that individuals chose to voice their opinions by vandalism and graffiti, as opposed to other methods that are more appropriate."
The messages were discovered by an officer on patrol at 7:17 a.m., and after further investigation police determined that the vandalism occurred between 4 a.m. and 5:30 a.m., Young said.
At N.C. State, vandals painted two phrases, "racist war" and "training murderers," said Sgt. Jon Barnwell, spokesman for the N.C. State Campus Police Department, adding that he was unsure of the exact wording.
"They actually painted the sidewalk," he said. "They used paint to blotch out the Army ROTC sign."
He said N.C. State police are working with UNC-CH during the investigation. "It appears to be the same people."
An e-mail, sent at 8:21 a.m. to various media outlets, alluded to a globally political motive for both acts.
"This is a call to action," the e-mail, sent from a Yahoo account, stated. "Stop these recruitment centers that target poor people and people of color to fight to maintain the power structure that (literally and figuratively) imprisons us daily."
Efforts to contact the e-mail sender were unsuccessful.
Barnwell said his police department had not been contacted by anyone claiming responsibility.
Young declined to comment on whether UNC-CH police had been contacted, citing that the investigation was ongoing.
Wednesday's incident was the second act of vandalism at the Naval Armory in recent weeks.
On March 11 a stencil of a crossed-out bomb was painted on the stairs of the building. Damage was estimated at $100, according to police reports.
The Naval Armory houses officer training programs for the Navy, Air Force and Army.
There are roughly 130 cadets and midshipmen at UNC-CH, and about 25 enlisted and officer personnel work in the building.
Agather said she believes that UNC-CH's ROTC programs have a measure of respect among the campus community.
"People understand that our serving the country protects their own freedoms," she said.
Sophomore Andrew Herring, an Army cadet, said he has never been the target of negative attention at UNC-CH, where cadets are required to wear their uniforms to class every Wednesday.
"We're in a voluntary position," Herring said. "We're cadets. Everything we do we volunteer for."
Contact the News Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(04/21/06 4:00am)
After months of uncertainty, VoteCarolina, a nonpartisan student voter initiative, has resurfaced to register students and get them to the polls for November's elections.
Junior Kris Gould will take over as president of the organization, which was inactive until three students revived it.
Gould said he has discussed ideas with other leaders of the group - Vice President Katie Baker and Treasurer Bernard Holloway - but concrete details will come when the board of directors is formed.
"A lot of planning will really be done with the board," he said.
Applications for the board are available by e-mailing the president at kgould@email.unc.edu.
Gould also plans to send applications through student groups' listservs in an effort to build a large base of support.
"The goal is - as it always has been - is to build a coalition of student organizations," Holloway said.
A cooperative effort will allow VoteCarolina to have more volunteers and reach more students, Gould said.
And the composition of the group will broaden its horizons and draw from students on both sides of the aisle, he said. "Because it is nonpartisan, you can work with a variety of people."
Last year VoteCarolina and other student leaders petitioned housing officials for permission to hold registration drives by going door-to-door in residence halls - a process known as dorm storming.
Gould said he wants to work with housing to find a compromise allowing VoteCarolina to reach residents without having to dorm storm.
Targeting students in residence halls will allow VoteCarolina to target freshmen, who often are not registered in Chapel Hill.
VoteCarolina has seen moderate success since its formation two years ago. In 2004 about 8,500 of college-aged voters in Orange County cast a ballot in the national election.
But last year's municipal election saw a sharp decline, when 440 college-aged voters participated.
The group is springing back to life just in time for the Nov. 7 election in which county, state and congressional offices are filled.
During its first year, VoteCarolina was a collaborative effort with student government, but this year it went independent, costing the group its source of funding.
Gould said the group likely will request student fees, and leaders also have considered applying for a grant for funding.
Contact the News Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(04/18/06 4:00am)
The executive branch rounded out its appointment process earlier this morning, sending dozens of nominees to Student Congress for consideration.
As of press time, Student Body Vice President Brian Phelps, who oversees the nominations, declined to release the names of the external appointees because some were still under consideration and others had not been notified.
He estimated Monday evening that he'd solidify his picks by early this morning.
(04/17/06 4:00am)
In the midst of job hunts and preparation for their final finals, seniors are being offered the chance for one last celebration hosted by their class officers.
Senior leaders are looking to end the year with a bang with Senior Week, which officially kicks off Wednesday.
The series of events is intended to complement the events hosted by seniors in the fall to bookend the seniors' final year, said Senior Class President Bobby Whisnant.
"We're trying to go out with a bang like we came in with," he said.
"It's really to get seniors excited, rather than sad, about leaving," he added. "It's really to tie in the fact that in five weeks or four weeks we are alumni of this university."
The marquee events of the week are the ball Friday and next week's bar crawl, Whisnant said.
The bar crawl will include more than 15 bars; wearing a senior class T-shirt will allow seniors to forgo cover charges and earn drink specials.
Visit seniors.unc.edu for more information.
During the week, seniors will host annual events that have been popular in the past.
During the Last Blast on April 26, seniors will be able to climb the Bell Tower stairs to the belfry.
Like last year, marshals from the next year's senior class will be on hand to ensure students don't leave a lasting mark, in the form of graffiti, inside the campus landmark.
The event will be more than the ritualized climb though, Whisnant said.
During the celebration, which will last from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., seniors will be offered barbecue.
Seniors are also co-hosting a Saturday event at Boshamer Stadium during the baseball game against N.C. State.
"We're co-sponsoring with the General Alumni Association partly as a membership drive plus to support the baseball team," Whisnant said.
The GAA membership drives are aimed at encouraging the soon-to-be-alumni to maintain ties with the University, Whisnant said, especially with the "swift transition" during the months after leaving UNC.
"We feel like especially after the first year of graduation, it's important to keep them connected," he said.
Maintaining that tie during post-UNC years will produce further benefits, said Whisnant, whose role as the 2006 senior class president is a life-long term.
For instance, he said, fundraising for the 2006 senior class gift, a welcome sign on McCorkle Place, kicks into gear after graduation.
"A majority of the money for the class gift is raised after seniors graduate," he said, adding that this year's seniors will have more funds to donate once they settle into full-time jobs.
He said he hopes that at that point, when seniors have long since become alumni, they will look back on their years at UNC with fond memories.
"I hope that 10 years from now . they can look back at key points in their senior year that we affected," he said.
"That's why we tried to have a wide array and a wide variety of events," he said. "That was our main focus: inclusivity."
Contact the News Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(04/12/06 4:00am)
While some students have voiced their displeasure about the Senior Class Address speaker, others are saying it's the lack of transparency and planning that are the problems.
Senior class officers announced last week that the address will feature Jasmine Guy - who is best known for her role in "The Cosby Show" spin-off "A Different World," which ran from 1987 to 1993.
The event could have been made better if seniors had started planning earlier in the year, said Jon Benson, departing president of the Carolina Union Activities Board.
As CUAB president, Benson oversaw the group's $300,000 budget of student fees, which often is used to bring speakers and performers to campus.
CUAB and senior class officials met earlier this semester to discuss the speaker, but a cohesive working agreement never was worked out.
"The idea sort of evolved a lot in a lot of different directions," Benson said.
The Senior Class Address is in its second year, and the point of the collaboration was to lay out expectations for the event, Benson said.
"Is it to complement the Commencement speaker and just be more fun?" he asked.
The price of bringing Guy to campus - $10,000 plus traveling expenses - was a point of contention with Benson, who said it seemed high.
If Guy's appearance was hosted by CUAB, the group likely would have issues with the price tag, he said.
Some of the concerns that Benson iterated were issues of transparency during the process.
Senior Class President Bobby Whisnant was mum on details of the address until its announcement last week, and a number of seniors have complained that they did not have input into the process.
"It could possibly have been more transparent, and that's where a lot of the unrest is coming from," Benson said.
"Students should be in charge of it from the beginning."
Whisnant said class officials chose not to publicize preliminary details - such as proposed speakers - so as not to confuse seniors.
He also countered the idea that many seniors are upset with the speaker, saying he has heard overwhelmingly positive feedback.
Because the program is still in its infancy, Benson said he hopes to see it continue successfully.
"We had some bumps in the road this year, and I hope we can use it as a learning experience."
Meg Petersen, senior class president for the class of 2007, said Monday that she's working to improve upon the process from this year.
"I was just really disappointed that everything turned out the way that it did," she said. "I was just disappointed that they've gotten such negative feedback."
Petersen is scheduled to meet next week with student government and next year's CUAB leaders to discuss preliminary plans for next year's speaker.
"We're trying to get the ball rolling as soon as possible," Petersen said. "We're really trying to prevent that situation like this year where things didn't get started soon enough."
Whisnant said in an interview last week that senior class officials began working on securing a speaker in November - which Benson said might have been a mistake.
Laying out concrete plans further ahead of time could have ensured a smoother process.
Whisnant, who said he was advised by the previous year's senior leaders to start in the fall, agreed that starting sooner would have been better, and he said he told Petersen as much.
"Because you don't really have an idea of how long the process will take," he said.
And while he had critiques about the process, Benson refrained from calling the entire event a failure.
As CUAB president, he has seen firsthand how difficult it can be to organize events for students that are timely and interesting.
"The fact that we are having a senior event and that some people are excited about it is an accomplishment."
Contact the News Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(04/11/06 4:00am)
Administrators took the first step in the search for a new vice chancellor for finance and administration by tapping David Perry to serve in the interim.
The executive associate dean for administration for the School of Medicine will replace Nancy Suttenfield when she leaves this summer for Wake Forest University.
On Aug. 1 Suttenfield will become senior vice president and chief financial officer at the Winston-Salem private school.
Perry was out of town Monday and was unavailable for comment.
The vice chancellor is charged with serving as an adviser on resource management and financial strategy, as well as overseeing administrative services and campus facilities.
Bob Golden, vice dean for the medical school, said he does not expect difficulty for Perry during the transition to Chancellor James Moeser's Cabinet.
"He's got a good grasp of the University. He's just a wonderful guy - thoughtful, careful and yet a decisive administrator."
At the medical school, Perry is responsible not only for finance but also buildings and human resources.
"He has a small army of associate deans who report to him," said Golden, who also accentuated Perry's experience.
"He has served three deans in the School of Medicine. He's been here a while."
The medical school has in store a period of transition this summer, as both Golden and Perry leave their posts.
In July, Golden will leave to become dean at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's School of Medicine and Public Health.
In the coming weeks, medical school administrators will discuss how to cover Perry's duties.
"We haven't talked that out yet," Golden said. "It will largely depend on how long the search for the permanent successor for Nancy Suttenfield lasts."
Plans for the search process are still in a preliminary phase, Moeser said in an interview last week.
Like other efforts to fill campus positions, it will involve a nationwide search process overseen by a University committee.
Contact the News Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(03/31/06 5:00am)
After an impasse between Student Congress and the Honor Court, some representatives are calling on the administration to step in and offer advice - an unpopular move with others in the legislature.
Representatives are hoping the input will give momentum to efforts to reconsider Mark Ihnat, the nominee for Honor Court chairman whose appointment was rejected by Congress on Tuesday.
Speaker Pro Tem Kris Gould said he is contacting Melinda Manning, an assistant dean of students, in an attempt to sway congressional votes to back Ihnat.
Ihnat's nomination failed to gain approval Tuesday after allegations that Court leaders acted outside their bounds when they endorsed the junior based on an internal election held several weeks ago.
Gould said he is looking for a statement from Manning confirming the argument that the Court did not violate the spirit of the Instrument of Student Governance, which regulates the judicial branch.
With the statement, he would have the support of enough representatives to call a special session to reconsider Ihnat.
Manning said Thursday night that she has not decided whether to release a statement, though she said she backs the legitimacy of the Court's election.
"I'm still going to talk to my superiors and things, but I really do believe the spirit of the Instrument was not violated," she said.
Manning helped with a 2003 decision that removed the Court's election process from the Instrument.
"I don't want to do anything that makes it look like we're trying to meddle on this issue," she said. "At the same time, I feel like I have some special knowledge that should be shared."
She said she is concerned with the stance Congress has taken. "I do think they've somewhat overstepped their bounds."
"It almost appears on the surface as a power struggle," she said, referring to the two branches.
Manning said she appreciates the gravity of the request, which has the potential to impede on student government's independence.
"That's one of the things that makes me hesitate," she said. "I strongly believe in UNC's long tradition of student self-governance."
The potential of administrative involvement already has ruffled feathers in Congress as well.
Speaker Luke Farley said that while he respects Manning's insight, he fears where her involvement will lead. "It's contrary to the principle of student self-governance. . It's a step in the wrong direction."
Just the suggestion of administrative involvement has invoked strong reactions.
"Maybe it's kind of childish, but the administration doesn't need to be coming in to push around student government," Rep. Tyler Younts said.
Gould defended the choice to solicit Manning's advice, citing her experience with the Instrument.
"It doesn't matter if she was a student or administrator, she's just someone who . can fill us in."
But the 2003 process involved many parties and varying interests - not just Manning's, Farley said.
"I think the process of changing the Instrument is bigger than any one individual."
The manner in which these events play out has the potential to affect congressional leadership in the next term, which officially convenes Thursday, not to mention Court leadership.
Both Farley and Gould are seeking the speaker position - Congress' top post.
"I think you're definitely seeing a jockeying for power," said Rep. Pablo Friedmann. "They're really trying to demonstrate their leadership capacity and their leadership skills."
Contact the News Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(03/29/06 5:00am)
In one of his last tasks as student body president, Seth Dearmin presented the March Report to Student Congress on Tuesday night.
The 55-page document recounts the accomplishments of the executive branch during the past term and through omission admits those goals that fell by the wayside.
The March Report details the accomplishments that Dearmin hopes will become his legacy, such as the development of the online calendar system, slice.unc.edu.
He vacates office Tuesday.
Tuition and predictability
During the campaign Dearmin said he would lobby to make tuition more predictable, so students could plan for future hikes.
While the Board of Trustees - of which Dearmin is a member - raised undergraduate tuition $250 for residents and $1,100 for nonresidents, Dearmin made headway in establishing tuition predictability in future talks.
During that same January meeting, trustees adopted a nonbinding resolution to consider tuition hikes several years in advance.
Although the March Report lauds the resolution as the beginning of more predictable tuition planning, it's unclear how the measure will alter future discussions.
The resolution calls on the tuition advisory task force to generate multiyear tuition plans - although such plans will not lock trustees into action.
Trustees, worried about painting themselves into a corner, are hesitant to set concrete tuition hikes more than a year in advance.
The March Report states that the tuition reform changes the way "trustees will think about tuition."
"There's a real desire on the part of the trustees to have that planning," Dearmin said.
Although it is a step toward predictability, the end result falls short of the "locked-in tuition plan" that he promised to push for.
The March Report includes a concession that such a binding policy would be unwise, largely because of the nuances of tuition, "which fluctuate on an annual basis."
Outside the platform
Many of Dearmin's accomplishments that are heralded in the March Report are issues that arose during the term.
This semester the Department of Housing and Residential Education revised the housing registration process that would have given underclassmen seniority.
Sophomores Elisabeth Pascale and Matt Breazeale started a petition against the changes, but student government soon jumped in.
Assistant Housing Director Rick Bradley said Student Body Vice President Adrian Johnston served crucial roles as mediators in the discussion on the changes.
Bradley said the students' "professional discourse" motivated the decision to reverse the proposed change to the seniority policy. "I think what made a difference is the way they went about it."
Incomplete and omitted
What the March Report does not document are those platform promises that fell by the wayside.
Among Dearmin's greatest omissions are the platform planks that proved too daunting - or outright impossible - such as working with the town of Chapel Hill to develop a downtown wireless network.
Dearmin's promise of pushing for a Wendy's on campus attracted the vote of many students.
But the move to replace the Burger King in Lenoir Dining Hall never materialized.
Mike Freeman, director of auxiliary services, said officials were in discussion with Wendy's this year when the deal fell through.
Wendy's wanted the University to ensure a minimum annual revenue of $850,000. If sales fell below that amount, Wendy's would withdraw, he said.
And while that amount is not unusual for a popular franchise, it would be unusual in Lenoir, where Burger King pulls in about $350,000, Freeman said.
He said that throughout the discussion, he does not recall meeting with student government or seeking input from any student leaders.
Dearmin said he and officers decided to drop focus on the plan early in the term when its feasibility was called into question.
"It was a pie in the sky thing we talked about."
Contact the News Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(03/28/06 5:00am)
The 87th session of Student Congress is gearing up to go out with a bang.
Tonight, in the final meeting of the year's session, much debate is expected when Congress reviews three judicial-branch nominations - the three top executive branch nominations are expected to pass with less difficulty.
Congress must reach a two-thirds majority to approve the nominations for next year's administrations.
(03/24/06 5:00am)
Today Mohammed Taheri-azar will appear in Orange County District Court.
It will be his third time before Judge M.P. DeVine in relation to the 18 felony counts he is facing after driving a Jeep through the Pit on March 3.
But it is far from the first time the Charlotte native has appeared in court.
His prior record contains several infractions, which UNC-Chapel Hill administrators say would not have tipped them off about Taheri-azar's dangerous nature.
Chancellor James Moeser said earlier this month that he doubts Taheri-azar's record - which contains charges in Chapel Hill and a disputed charge from Charlotte - would have prevented him from enrolling at UNC-CH.
"Just from what I've read I don't think there's anything in this guy's record that would have raised flags to anyone," he said in early March.
The Department of Admissions heads up the University's efforts to screen incoming students for any past infractions.
All students who apply to UNC-CH are asked several questions about their past, such as whether they have admitted guilt to a crime in court or missed school for any reason other than illness - such as suspension.
"Anyone who checks any one of those questions goes through a process in conjunction with the dean of students' office," said Steve Farmer, director of undergraduate admissions.
He said many applicants with tarnished records are turned away for other reasons, such as academic ineligibility.
"I think that there are lot of people who have disciplinary problems in the past in conjunction with academic problems," he said. "We might turn down students for a variety of reasons."
In a given year there are several students who are turned down in spite of academically sound applications. "We might have reservations about their truthfulness or their ability to be good citizens."
Once a student is enrolled at University, it is largely up to the student-run Honor Court to deal with any crimes that are committed.
In some instances, such as in the case of violent crimes, the Office of the Dean of Students will step in if it perceives a threat to the campus or the student, said Winston Crisp, associate dean of students.
He cited drug trafficking and sexual assault as examples.
When Taheri-azar was a student at UNC-CH, he was charged with two traffic misdemeanors.
The morning of June 16, 2003, Taheri-azar was driving on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard - Airport Road at the time - when he made a wide turn and crossed the center line, according to a report from the Chapel Hill police.
The officer stopped Taheri-azar in front of Shadowood Apartments, and when he exited his vehicle, Taheri-azar drove across the parking lot and stopped again.
He was charged with resisting arrest and reckless driving. Months later he was fined $25.
Crisp said Taheri-azar likely would not have been red-flagged under the University's system.
Requiring UNC-CH students to continually report all infractions on their record would have netted Taheri-azar, but Crisp expressed doubt about the effectiveness of such a program.
"I'm not sure that would be all that popular, and that's not a step the University has taken."
Students would report minor crimes with no consequences, but major crimes might stay off the radar, he suggested.
And he questioned how much it could have stopped Taheri-azar, who wasn't a student at the time of the crime. "He was graduated and gone. I don't know if it would have made a difference one way or another."
About a year ago administrators from all 16 UNC-system schools convened a task force to explore ways to enhance campus safety. The effort was a response to two murders at UNC-Wilmington.
Farmer said some of the task force members backed criminal background checks for all incoming students, but the procedure was found to be inefficient.
"We realized criminal background checks probably weren't the best route for us to take," said Farmer, who sat on the task force. "One of the most prominent (reasons) is most, if not all, juvenile records are sealed."
Someone applying to the University as a freshman could have a criminal record that would no longer appear, he said.
"We decided that although . they might be useful in certain circumstances, they wouldn't be useful - or cost effective either - if we applied them for every applicant to every UNC campus every year."
In April 1999 a Mohamed Taheri, who listed the same Charlotte address as Taheri-azar, was arrested on charges of operating a vehicle without a license and reckless driving with intent to endanger. Both counts were dismissed.
But the suspect in those infractions, which were listed as misdemeanor traffic violations, lists a birthday that is more than a year before what University records list for Taheri-azar.
Though there is a discrepancy between the names, Taheri-azar's yearbook from South Mecklenburg High School listed him under both.
His mother, Lily Taheri, who was in Afghanistan when her son drove through the Pit, declined to comment or clear up the confusion in a phone interview Thursday.
Farmer said he believes that UNC-CH's method of checking students' records with schools is an effective system.
In addition to the questions on the application, admissions checks with students' guidance counselors corroborate those answers.
He declined to speculate on what this step would have revealed about any of Taheri-azar's priors.
"We would probably find out about more reliable information from people at the high school and asking the student directly," he said.
Farmer said that he is generally confident in the process.
"Do I think they're foolproof? No. We'll never be able to promise that someone can't slip through because every process is human," he said.
"Given the magnitude of the task, I think we have reasonable and thoughtful procedures in place."
Contact the News Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(03/24/06 5:00am)
Yet another UNC administrator is heading West.
Jerry Lucido, vice provost for enrollment policy and management, was tapped last week to serve in the same capacity at the University of Southern California.
The news, made public Thursday, comes two months after Provost Robert Shelton received a job as president of the University of Arizona-Tucson.
Lucido's hire will take effect July. 1.
"Dr. Lucido is one of the leading authorities on enrollment management and policy in the nation," said Barry Glassner, who as USC executive vice provost oversaw the search process.
"He's easily among the top three or four in the country. He brings just a wealth of experience."
Lucido said he had not been looking for another job when USC contacted him.
"I'm thrilled with Carolina," he said. "This is a great, great place and not a place I'm looking to leave."
He said he was drawn to USC for the opportunity to head up an interdisciplinary think tank that will focus on issues of college access.
"I hope to do two things; one is to continue as a senior strategist," Lucido said.
"And at the same time, I have an interest - that's been emerging for the last couple years - at looking at the access points in higher education and examining it beyond what it does for the individual."
The USC initiative would examine the broader effects of higher education. "We don't often turn that light back and say, 'What does this process do to benefit society?'"
Glassner said USC saw Lucido as a package deal with the think tank. "From our point of view this looked like an extraordinary opportunity."
Shelton said the initiative would be more apt for a metropolitan center such as Los Angeles than Chapel Hill.
And though he was unaware of the specifics behind the proposal, Shelton said it was probable that USC, as a private school, could offer more resources to support Lucido's vision.
At UNC, Lucido pulled in $167,000 annually. Glassner declined to discuss how much Lucido would be paid at USC.
UNC administrators expressed confidence that Lucido's staff will be able to absorb the change.
Top administrators, including Shelton and Chancellor James Moeser, met recently with Lucido to lay out the major initiatives in his office that will carry on after he leaves. A process to hire a replacement is in preliminary stages.
During his eight years at UNC, Lucido oversaw the drafting of the University's enrollment policy, a massive project that lays out campus growth years in advance.
"He's got an engaging personal style that I think everyone really enjoys," said Shirley Ort, director of scholarships and student aid. "He's done a lot to strengthen the profile of our entering class."
Contact the News Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(03/22/06 5:00am)
The University's governing board will begin discussions today on ways to revise the process of increasing student fees after an outcry from students regarding this year's hikes.
The Board of Trustees' audit and finance committee will be briefed this afternoon on the University's fee process, and based on the discussions, proposals for changing the fee process will be drafted for the committee's May meeting.
"It was simply a matter of we wanted to understand more thoroughly the recommendations we were getting on fees," said trustee John Ellison, vice-chairman of the finance committee.
He said trustees generally have been satisfied with the way in which tuition proposals have been drafted, and a change to the fee process could more closely mirror that.
Two trustees, including Ellison, sat on the tuition advisory task force this year, and he said one course of action might be adding trustees to the chancellor's committee on student fees.
Motivation for the analysis of the fee process came largely from an outcry from students about this year's approval of a $50 athletic fee hike.
Many students were opposed to the hike, which was backed by the Department of Athletics, because they felt it unfairly taxed them for a service they don't use.
Trustees were not fully aware of the way in which the proposal was drafted, a lack of knowledge which Ellison said limited their ability to react.
"Once it gets to the Board of Trustees, they don't know what's going on," said Student Body Treasurer Daneen Furr, a member of the chancellor's committee on student fees.
Trustees will look to implement changes that will provide them with greater insight into the reasoning behind fee hikes, Ellison said. "And therefore you will have an understanding of whether the need is real, and whether you can support that increase."
Campus administrators also have been reviewing ways to combine the fee and tuition process to present trustees with a more informed recommendation.
The trustees were left in a bind during this year's tuition discussion when the UNC-system Board of Governors set a ceiling of $451 for all resident student hikes - in both tuition and fees.
Trustees were forced to make a compromise between the proposals once both reached their table in November.
The proposed undergraduate student fee increase totaled $170.05, and three of the four tuition proposals increased resident undergraduate tuition $300.
The tuition increase ultimately approved by the trustees was $250 for undergraduate residents, which was under the BOG ceiling when combined with the fee hike.
Because that hike had been reduced, the nonresident undergraduate tuition hike was raised to $1,100 - $200 more than the highest proposal offered by the tuition advisory task force.
Provost Robert Shelton, who is co-chairman of the tuition task force, suggests making the two processes communicate to avoid such a schism in the future.
While it might be too much to merge the groups, administrators and student leaders have discussed combining the work, he said.
The end result would be a more informed recommendation to the trustees every year, Shelton said. "They want to us to do our good thinking on that rather than to put them into a bind."
The trustees' buildings and grounds and University affairs committees also will meet today.
Buildings and grounds will discuss the design for New Venable, part of phase 2 of the Science Complex construction.
University affairs will continue its discussion on graduate student issues, this month focusing on research assistants.
The committees will report to the full board when it convenes this evening and Thursday morning.
Contact the News Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(03/21/06 5:00am)
Having friends in high places will do the darndest things.
Comedian Bill Cosby has volunteered to perform in a Memorial Hall benefit concert to help raise money for a grant to honor retired journalism professor Chuck Stone.
The show is set for June 10, and tickets likely will range from $25 to at least $250, said Tom Bowers, interim dean of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Bowers said he was unsure when tickets would become available.
Cosby volunteered his comedic services for the show after Bowers contacted him in January, initially to ask if he would donate to the Chuck Stone Citizen of the World Award.
But Cosby, who has been friends with Stone for decades, instead expressed an interest in taking a more active role in raising money for the grant, Bowers said.
"He said he'd prefer - instead of giving a contribution - he'd prefer to do a concert."
Cosby last spoke at the University in 2003 when he delivered the Commencement address.
After a speaking appearance at Memorial Hall in fall 2001, senior class officials asked Cosby to return for Commencement.
Stone said he thought it appropriate for Cosby, whose philanthropical efforts are well-known, to help raise money for the grant.
"We've been friends for years and years," he said. "He really is a citizen of the world."
Stone's grant would be awarded to students seeking to travel abroad, "where he or she could learn the lessons Chuck took from his experiences in India, Egypt, Lebanon and other countries," Bowers stated in a letter sent to Stone's former students seeking donations.
He cited $50,000 as a potential fundraising benchmark.
After the award money is raised, it will be invested in an endowment, and after about a year, enough interest will accumulate to fund a $2,500 annual award.
"The first time we could offer it would probably be in the spring of 2007," Bowers said, adding that he hopes to see the endowment continue to grow in coming years through further donations.
"The nice thing about it is you're guaranteed to have it every year," he said.
The grant's name comes from a Francis Bacon quote: "If a man be gracious and courteous to strangers, it shows he is a citizen of the world."
Stone retired at the end of the past academic year after teaching at UNC for 14 years.
Contact the News Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(03/20/06 5:00am)
After Spring Break, students returning to normal schedules today will be greeted with a celebration to "reclaim the Pit," more than two weeks after a former student drove a Jeep through the gathering spot.
Student leaders are hosting the event during the midday class break - about the same time alumnus Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar hit nine people and sent six to the hospital on March 3.
"We're going to have a moment of silence, a moment of reflection," said Student Body President Seth Dearmin. "It's going to be really straightforward in nature."
The event also will include brief remarks from Dearmin. Afterward Run of the Mill, a bluegrass band featuring students, will perform for about an hour.
"We just talked about who should speak," he said. "We just didn't want this event to be a ton of people."
Campus leaders had discussed how to best respond to the incident, and the idea of a celebration event circulated recently.
"It's been kicked around for the last couple weeks," Dearmin said.
"We thought this would be the most appropriate. . I think it shows a lot of resiliency and resolve."
Students oversaw the organization of the event with the help from the office of student affairs.
Dearmin acknowledged the concern that today's event is too long after the March 3 attack and that after Spring Break many students might have moved on.
"The longer we wait, the more this is removed from people's minds in general," Dearmin said, "because we've all gone through different stages of anger, sadness."
But he said that because this is a celebration and not a vigil, he is confident that students will be receptive to the event.
"This is something that students have wanted," he said. "I've got a ton of e-mails from students saying, 'How can I help?'"
Dearmin, who holds regular office hours in the Pit, said he's seen a spectrum of reactions from students.
"In the wake of that Friday, people were shocked more than anything," he said. "One the whole, I think everyone's been resilient."
Today's event is the second collective student reaction to the Pit incident.
Kris Wampler, a Student Congress representative, and former Daily Tar Heel columnist Jillian Bandes hosted a demonstration to denounce Taheri-azar's actions as terrorism and criticize the University administration and media for not doing the same.
Dearmin said that while he did not participate in the event, he respected students' right to hold the demonstration.
Later this week, Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority Inc. will co-host a panel with the College Republicans, Young Democrats and the Muslim Students Association.
The forum, slated for Wednesday, will address the Pit attack and discuss the repercussions of the attack on UNC's Muslim community.
Taheri-azar, a U.S. citizen, told police he was inspired to commit the crime to avenge "Muslim deaths around the world."
Sophomore Denaa Hayes, secretary for Theta Nu Xi, said the event is aimed at informing students about the religion and dispelling a negative attitude toward the Muslim community, which has overwhelmingly condemned the attacks.
Contact the News Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(03/10/06 5:00am)
In the coming week, the annual Spring Break exodus will leave the campus empty and silent.
On March 20, when classes resume, student leaders are hosting an event they hope will show that their return will be met with normalcy.
Today marks one week since UNC alumnus Mohammed Taheri-azar drove a Jeep through the Pit and hit nine people.
While the event is still in the planning stages, it is likely it will be set at midday at the accident site to "reclaim the Pit," said Student Body President-elect James Allred.
"What they're probably going to do is have a moment of silence," Allred said, "and remember what the Pit is supposed to be . a place to hang out and meet people."
Administrators and students have said that because the attack left no one seriously injured it'd be better to honor the space rather than a person.
It's not uncommon for the University to observe major campus events. On Sept. 12, 2001, a crowd of 10,000 gathered on Polk Place to hear Chancellor James Moeser speak on the preceding day's terrorism.
Moeser said Thursday that the administration shouldn't organize a similar event for the recent attack.
Administrators will assist, he said, but students will plan it.
"The idea behind this is it will be a student-led event . to say, 'It's our space, and no criminal act by an individual will take it away.'"
He said he thought it would be an overreaction to "be tolling bells" as has been done in the past.
"We're enormously grateful that no one was killed," he said. "But the fact is that didn't happen."
The March 20 event will be the second formal reaction held at the scene of the attack.
Students held a demonstration Monday chastising the University for not calling it a terrorist act.
But Moeser echoed previous statements and cited the that federal terrorist charges have not been made. "It's not the University's call. It's a federal issue."
Precautions in place
After Friday's attack many questioned whether barriers were in place that might have prevented Taheri-azar from entering the Pit.
Metal poles, called bollards, are installed to deter cars from entering campus walkways.
Nancy Davis, associate vice chancellor for University relations, stated in an e-mail that the bollards were in place March 3, but that they are meant to collapse to allow access to emergency vehicles. Taheri-azar rammed them to leave the scene.
The bollards where he exited are set to be replaced by today, and bollards are being installed near Bynum Hall where Taheri-azar entered.
Concerning safeguards, some also have asked if background checks could have foreseen the attack.
Taheri-azar enrolled at UNC before the current background-check procedure was introduced, but even under those standards Moeser said he doesn't think Taheri-azar, with a few traffic violations on his record, would have stood out.
"Just from what I've read I don't think there's anything in this guy's record that would have raised flags to anyone."
Contact the News Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(02/28/06 5:00am)
In the wake of the death of one its own, the University community is solidifying plans to honor sophomore Keith Shawn Smith.
Administrators are organizing for transportation to take students to Smith's memorial service Wednesday in Greensboro.
A sign-up sheet is posted near the mailboxes on the first floor of Stacy Residence Hall, the building from which Smith fell to his death, and students also can reserve a spot by going to the community office located between Aycock and Graham residence halls.
The bus can seat up to 75 people, said Winston Crisp, assistant vice chancellor for student affairs, and it is set to leave at 11 a.m. so it can be in Greensboro in time for the 2 p.m. service.
New Zion Missionary Baptist Church, at 1310 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Greensboro, will host the memorial as well as a viewing starting at 1 p.m.
On campus, plans are still under way for a vigil at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Pit.
Chasity Wilson, president of the Residence Hall Association, said that Smith's friends are planning the event, and that her group is working to secure a public address system and to reserve the Pit.
Although the Campus Y previously had reserved the space at 7 p.m., Co-president Stephen Lassiter said his organization will not hold an event, so the vigil can proceed.
Smith, 20, died early Friday after he fell out of a window on the third floor of Stacy, where he was the resident adviser.
The other student involved in the accident, freshman Tyler Downey, remains hospitalized.
Contact the News Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(02/27/06 5:00am)
(Corrected, 12:58 p.m.)
As the resident adviser for the third floor of Stacy Residence Hall, Keith Shawn Smith, 20, fostered a bond among his hallmates.
Three days after Smith's death, that camaraderie has provided solace for the more than two dozen men on the hall.
"One of his best skills was being able to get along with everyone," said freshman Eric Sabo of Westlake, Ohio. "He could be your RA, but at the same time he was also one of your best friends."
Smith was more than the leader on the hall, say those who lived with him. His genial demeanor brought the residents together.
The residents reminisced about the activities and events Smith organized to bring the students on the hall together, such as a version of hide-and-seek in which everything on the floor was fair game.
"He would try to get everyone to go as a whole to eat or to (athletic) games," Sabo said. "A couple weeks ago, he cooked us a whole spaghetti dinner."
The residents formed a fraternal bond with Smith - who would yell, "Daddy's home!" to announce his return to the floor - that they say is unique across campus.
"Our hall is probably the most amazing hall I've seen," said John Pope, a freshman from Charlotte. "And Keith's right in the middle of everything."
Smith's dedication carried over to his work on the Honor Court board, where he demonstrated concerns for students' interests when on the bench, said Erin Scharling, executive vice chairwoman of the Honor Court.
"It was clear that he was a court member that had a high level of compassion for the students he was judging," she said. "His enthusiasm and his compassion are definitely going to be missed."
Smith, an economics major, had an interest in entrepreneurial work and wanted to own his own business, Pope said.
"That's been one of the hardest things to deal with - just that Keith had so many aspirations and so many goals," he said. "One of the real tragedies of it is that he was that person that would have gotten them done.
"His dreams were very much a reality waiting to happen."
This year Smith set up a series of superlatives - most likely to succeed, most likely to marry after college - and the students on the hall wrote in their votes.
The ballot hanging in the hall lists the residents' picks for the next student body president. Smith's name dominates the list.
"He was an automatic leader," said Alan Kneidel, a sophomore from Charlotte. "He was always very upbeat."
Last week's tragedy has left many of Smith's friends in a state of shock, looking for an outlet for their grief.
Smith's profile on Facebook, a popular social networking Web site, is filled with outpourings of support and love from friends.
After Friday's incident, residents on the hall posted a card on Smith's door. Signed by his hallmates, a message in the card concedes that the space isn't enough to convey the immense sorrow of those who lived with him this year.
Smith's family took the card with them Sunday when they moved some of his belongings out of his room, hallmates said.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday at New Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Greensboro.
The Unity Memorial funeral home will hold visitation hours beginning 9 a.m. Tuesday, and visitations will be held Wednesday at the church from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Smith will be buried at Lakeview Cemetery.
Contact the News Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(02/23/06 5:00am)
When the first issue of The Tar Heel fell into the hands of students, it was a far cry from what it is today.
On the front page of the tabloid-sized paper were church listings, news briefs and the mission statement of the newspaper: to serve as the premier source of information for the University community.
On the 113th anniversary of The Daily Tar Heel's publication, it not only strives to remain loyal to that mantra but it also works to expand its boundaries.
On this date in 1893, the newspaper's founding editors charged future staff to enable its readers to participate in reasoned and informed discourse.
"You need to make it a conversation piece," said Peter Wallsten, DTH editor from 1992-93. "People need to know (that) in order to participate in those conversations they need to read the newspaper."
But many of the DTH editors who have overseen the newspaper have worked to go beyond informing the University community.
They have used the pages of the DTH to provoke and challenge the status quo.
"Participating in that debate or at least initiating it is the role of the newspaper," said Elyse Ashburn, editor in 2003-04.
And as the newspaper has grown - from a seven-member editorial staff to a newsroom with more that 150 student journalists - it has sought to expand both its own limits and the boundaries of opinion and thought.
In its formative years the staff produced a weekly paper - then called The Tar Heel - with funds provided by the Athletics Association.
Over time the ambitious experiment flourished.
Within three decades it was a semiweekly publication, and in the 1920s it was hitting the stands three times a week.
In 1929, under the oversight of Walter Spearman, the newspaper began publishing six days a week, making it the first college daily in the South.
Except for cutbacks during wartime, the paper maintained consistent growth, and in 1972 it adopted the five-day publication schedule seen today.
As the paper grew, editors became more aware that its dependence on the University for financial backing threatened the DTH's editorial freedom.
In 1919, editor Thomas Wolfe established the newspaper's role in the political scene when he began endorsing political candidates.
The decision brought into jeopardy the newspaper's financial backing. That backlash was one of many motivations that led the newspaper to seek independence from UNC.
In 1990, DTH leaders decided to wean the newspaper from student fees, and in 1993 the staff celebrated both the paper's centennial and its first year of self-reliance.
"The Tar Heel is an example of a college newspaper that has worked to expand its independence from the University and truly be an independent voice for students on campus," said Mark Goodman, executive director of the Student Press Law Center, an advocate for student free-press rights.
The DTH still works today to fulfill the mission established in 1893.
As with any newspaper, the DTH's editors aim to inform readers, keep leaders in check and advocate for community interests.
But in the atmosphere of discourse and debate found on campus, the DTH has a history of involvement in the discussion, Ashburn said.
"Challenging ideas is the role of the press in a lot of ways - specifically on the editorial board - and I think that's particularly true of student newspapers," she said.
It's critical for a college newspaper to moderate and at times incite campus debate, Goodman said.
"I would be much more concerned about a campus newspaper that always makes everyone happy . than with one that offends people and prompts them to speak out," he said.
A college newspaper has the ability to spark debate more often than most publications because no other forum reaches such a large percentage of the community, he said.
In that pronounced role, the DTH often finds itself at the center of debate and controversy, Ashburn said.
"The DTH causing controversy is nothing new," Ashburn said. "In my time I can't think of a year that went by that we didn't publish something controversial."
In 1955, under the leadership of Charles Kuralt, the DTH supported progressive reforms, most notably integration, that were considered too liberal and that prompted the state legislature to found a committee to "investigate quality and circulation problems at the DTH."
In the 1980s the DTH printed Friedrich Nietzsche's argument that "God is dead." The editorial decision incited protests from offended students.
This month the newspaper has come under fire after printing a cartoon depicting Muhammad - which is blasphemous according to an Islamic hadith.
The publication resulted in protests from offended students, but it also sparked discussion. Students hosted a forum intended to educate the community.
Engagement with readers is what keeps the DTH running, Wallsten said, and editors must nourish that relationship with vital and compelling information.
And building a strong readership among community members lays a foundation that will sustain the newspaper industry long after students graduate, he said.
"The time they're reading The Tar Heel is the time they'll become addicted to reading a newspaper," he said.
"They learn to enjoy it, and they learned to benefit from it in college."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.