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(12/02/09 6:26am)
A 60 to 40 female to male ratio worries more than the women dealing with a lot of competition for a boyfriend. The disproportionate gender distribution is a nationwide trend. Some universities with ratios similar to UNC’s could be taking steps to make their student body more gender balanced. A study being conducted by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is investigating whether male students are getting preferential treatment in college admissions to balance the high number of females enrolling. The issue centers on a federal law commonly known as Title IX, which prevents public universities and colleges from considering gender in admissions decisions. The law was initially created to ensure females had equal access to higher education and athletics.Title IX does not apply to private colleges, unless they are professional schools or technical institutions. Researchers will be looking at public and private colleges and universities within 100 miles of Washington, D.C., where the commission is headquartered.They don’t know whether they’ll find anything to back up the concerns, said Lenore Ostrowsky, acting chief for the commission’s public affairs unit.The “FY 2010 Project on Sex Discrimination in Higher Education Admissions,” was proposed by Commissioner Gail Heriot, a law professor at the University of San Diego, Ostrowsky said.Heriot was intrigued by accusations that have arisen about private schools discriminating against female students in order to maintain their gender balance.“Some commentators have called this an ‘open secret’ and suggested the same may be occurring at state schools too (where it would be illegal),” Heriot wrote in the proposal.Heriot said the question of discrimination can be answered, but determining how gender ratios affect individual students’ enrollment decisions might be more difficult.“It’s not easy to definitively answer such a question, but we can try to poll students,” Heriot said. The list of schools for the first round of the study has not yet been made public, Ostrowksy said. If the study finds any cause for concern in the first group of schools, the commission will begin investigations elsewhere, she said.The commission is legally only allowed to subpoena schools within a 100-mile radius of where the hearings for the research are held, so it would have to travel in order to get a national understanding of the issue. Stephen Farmer, associate provost and director of undergraduate admissions at UNC, said the gender ratio at the University has been 60 to 40 in favor of females since the early 1980s, but UNC has not made any attempts to change or maintain it.This keeps it in compliance with the Title IX legislation. “It’s not something that makes a difference at all in the admissions decisions we make about any candidate,” Farmer said.Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(11/18/09 5:24am)
Student leaders across the state are weighing options for making textbooks more affordable. The UNC-system Board of Governors will discuss the issue in January after asking student body presidents last week to present information about their schools’ textbook programs and to propose ideas for keeping textbook costs low.“It’s something the board has kind of been focused on for a while,” said Greg Doucette, president of the Association of Student Governments, which is responsible for coordinating activities between the 17 UNC-system schools.The student leaders examined the two types of programs — guaranteed buyback and rentals — used throughout the system to keep the prices of textbooks low for students at last week’s meeting.“The general impression is that the textbook policies work when the students can use them,” Doucette said. The guaranteed buyback, a program implemented at 12 universities, including UNC-Chapel Hill, allows students to sell their books back to campus bookstores at 40 percent to 50 percent of what they paid. UNC-CH Student Body President Jasmin Jones said the program is working fairly well, but the main problem arises when professors change books because students do not get the full payback promised. Doucette said ASG is trying to see if they can place limits on how often a book can be changed. However, UNC-Wilmington Student Body President Mark Blackwell said the buyback program does not need much improvement.“Our buyback, I believe, has been quite effective,” Blackwell said.His administration has worked to make more books guaranteed and to cut down the use of course packs, Blackwell said.The second program, used mainly at the smaller UNC-system schools, allows students to rent books by charging a blanket fee along with tuition costs. “You may still additionally have to buy one or two text books,” said Applachian State Student Body President Jonathan Meisner.The rental fee at ASU is about $200, Meisner said.But Doucette said he was unsure if the program could be implemented on larger campuses, despite its success at smaller ones.“The student fee for it would be so exorbitantly huge that really the buyback program is the better deal,” he said.Jones proposed an alternative to cut the costs of textbooks — making them tax free.“We don’t get to buy the books on the day that the state has its tax free day,” Jones said.But Jones said she wasn’t sure whether or not it will happen.“We understand that that’s going to be difficult,” she said.Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(11/13/09 5:18am)
Duke University is proving that research can be sexy — by studying how sex toys affect women’s sensual lives.The study, which aims to reduce instances of unprotected sex, has already caused controversy among several of Duke’s religious groups.But campus officials have stood behind the study, citing its possible benefits.“We have a serious problem, and STDs are really on the rise,” said Dan Ariely, a senior fellow at the Kenan Institute for Ethics and the leader of the study.“People have tried all kinds of stuff. We’ve tried sex education, we’ve tried the pledge and we’ve tried the free condoms, but nothing has seemed to work.”The study recruited female students to participate in “Tupperware” parties where a sales representative brings a variety of items to sell to a group — except the study substitutes sex toys for Tupperware.The toys are for sale at a discounted price, and each participant is compensated with a gift bag.Ariely would not give many details about the content or aim of the research to maintain the reliability of the results.The study has raised some eyebrows about its appropriateness, but Ariely said the study is by no means sensational — it’s science.He said he is still unsure whether it is an effective approach because they aren’t finished with the research.One of the main opponents to the study on Duke’s campus is the Rev. Joe Vetter, the director of the Duke Catholic Center. He declined to comment on the study Wednesday, although he spoke out against the study in earlier reports by WRAL and the (Raleigh) News & Observer.The Christian Action League, an organization headquartered in Raleigh that represents conservative evangelicals, has also expressed concern about the study.The Rev. Mark Creech, the group’s executive director, said his main concern is that the study might contribute to women engaging in “hook-ups” rather than building deep relationships.“It certainly sends a message that the university is endorsing such behavior,” Creech said. “This is not what parents send their children to learn in college.”But Ariely said he was not dissuaded by the criticism from the religious community.“It’s very easy to do a lot of useless science, but when you do things people care about, it becomes much more difficult,” Ariely said.Despite the religious organizations’ opposition and posters recruiting women for the study on campus and on Duke’s Web site, many Duke students are still relatively clueless about the study.“I’m not sure what the study is actually looking at,” said Duke sophomore Angelica Ahrens. “But to be honest, I’m not sure it’s something I would be interested in.”Others who saw the ads didn’t seem too shocked by them.“It doesn’t bother me that they’re doing it,” said senior Brittany Duck. “I think it’s actually kind of cool.”Ariely said the sensational nature of the media coverage so far has made him concerned that the study’s results could be tainted by people misunderstanding it.“We were going to finish by December,” he said. “Now these people come and they don’t really know what the study is about.”Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(11/03/09 4:43am)
UNC-system officials are visiting campuses this month to ensure that administrators are following newly instated financial processes.The visits are a part of a new initiative called the UNC Finance Improvement and Transformation initiative — a measure that followed several audits in 2008 of UNC-system schools that came back with irregular results.FIT is designed to streamline the UNC-system’s financial operations and solve issues in areas such as financial aid, contracts and grants and general accounting, said Gwen Canady, the project manager.A team of financial overseers will work with the universities and help financial officials collaborate to ensure accurate financial operations.FIT began in October 2008 after an assessment conducted by Ernst & Young concluded that money was not being spent efficiently at some schools.The first phase of the program, implemented last year, worked toward short-term solutions — mainly in payroll — and the development of a centralized office to handle the system’s back office work, Canady said.With FIT, schools are required to send regular updates to an audit committee of the Board of Governors so that individual schools can be held more accountable, UNC-system President Erskine Bowles said in a memorandum sent to chancellors in October 2008.“The idea was to cut expenses and make it more proficient, and to reduce any possibility of redundance,” said Irvin Roseman, the vice chairman of the audit committee that oversees and analyzes the regular reports.Nine schools were asked to move to a centralized payroll system by June 30 and to appoint campus project managers.The second phase, beginning later this month, will test new financial policies at three of the system schools.UNC-Wilmington will experiment with a new program in general accounting, East Carolina University with contracts and grant monitoring, and N.C. Agriculture & Technical State University with financial aid, Canady said.The response from the schools has been generally positive, she said. The schools have said they are enjoying the collaboration.“The universities try to collaborate anyway, and this kind of gives us an outlet to kind of use each other’s expertise,” said Carol Strickland, director of financial operations at UNC-W.But there is a downside to the newfound efficiency, said Scott Hummel, assistant vice chancellor for business and finance and comptroller at N.C. A & T. With all the benefits of a uniform system, the people who have to monitor it have a lot to do. Significant time and communication are necessary to manage it properly, he said.All three representatives from the second-phase pilots said the program was helpful in the resources it provides to the schools’ financial offices.“If I have a problem, I know who to call at another school who’s in the same situation,” Hummel said.Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(11/03/09 4:42am)
UNC-system officials are visiting campuses this month to ensure that administrators are following newly instated financial processes.The visits are a part of a new initiative called the UNC Finance Improvement and Transformation initiative — a measure that followed several audits in 2008 of UNC-system schools that came back with irregular results.FIT is designed to streamline the UNC-system’s financial operations and solve issues in areas such as financial aid, contracts and grants and general accounting, said Gwen Canady, the project manager.A team of financial overseers will work with the universities and help financial officials collaborate to ensure accurate financial operations.FIT began in October 2008 after an assessment conducted by Ernst & Young concluded that money was not being spent efficiently at some schools.The first phase of the program, implemented last year, worked toward short-term solutions — mainly in payroll — and the development of a centralized office to handle the system’s back office work, Canady said.With FIT, schools are required to send regular updates to an audit committee of the Board of Governors so that individual schools can be held more accountable, UNC-system President Erskine Bowles said in a memorandum sent to chancellors in October 2008.“The idea was to cut expenses and make it more proficient, and to reduce any possibility of redundance,” said Irvin Roseman, the vice chairman of the audit committee that oversees and analyzes the regular reports.Nine schools were asked to move to a centralized payroll system by June 30 and to appoint campus project managers.The second phase, beginning later this month, will test new financial policies at three of the system schools.UNC-Wilmington will experiment with a new program in general accounting, East Carolina University with contracts and grant monitoring, and N.C. Agriculture & Technical State University with financial aid, Canady said.The response from the schools has been generally positive, she said. The schools have said they are enjoying the collaboration.“The universities try to collaborate anyway, and this kind of gives us an outlet to kind of use each other’s expertise,” said Carol Strickland, director of financial operations at UNC-W.But there is a downside to the newfound efficiency, said Scott Hummel, assistant vice chancellor for business and finance and comptroller at N.C. A & T. With all the benefits of a uniform system, the people who have to monitor it have a lot to do. Significant time and communication are necessary to manage it properly, he said.All three representatives from the second-phase pilots said the program was helpful in the resources it provides to the schools’ financial offices.“If I have a problem, I know who to call at another school who’s in the same situation,” Hummel said.Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(10/15/09 5:00am)
The N.C. State Fair is here and it’s as wacky as ever. The fair starts today and is open through Oct. 25.The State Fair, known for its bizarre foods, wild rides and freaky sideshows, is growing — officials expect to exceed last year’s 765,067 attendees.It brings contests and exhibits that are likely to dazzle even the most seasoned fairgoers. UNC alumnus and American Idol star Anoop Desai performs Oct. 22.The fair opens with a preview day today featuring discounted ticket prices.Quick numbers on this year's fair
(10/15/09 4:51am)
After months of panic about swine flu, the tables have turned. The pigs at the N.C. State Fair now have to worry about catching their own virus.The fair, which opens today, will be home to hundreds of pigs and fair officials are worried about not only the spread of the virus from human to human, but from human to pig and other livestock.There will be more than 6,000 livestock at the fair.“We are the nation’s No. 2 producer of swine, and we want to keep our swine population healthy,” said Brian Long, director of public affairs for the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.Nationwide, there are not yet any reported cases of pigs contracting H1N1, although it has happened in other countries, said Karen Beck, an N.C. Department of Agriculture veterinarian.Beck’s department is encouraging farmers bringing livestock to the fair to prevent the spread of H1N1 by vaccinating their livestock with flu shots, she said.While the normal influenza shot will not necessarily protect against H1N1, it will at least keep pigs from getting the regular flu, she said.All animals that come onto the fairgrounds will also be inspected by a veterinarian on site, Beck said. There will be a clinician on hand in case there are signs of illness.The pigs will only stay at the fair from Thursday through Sunday this year, she said. The sow and piglets on display will also be surrounded by a special double barrier to further prevent them from being exposed to the virus.Beck also recommended that people who have had swine flu not attend the fair unless they have been symptom free for seven days.“You’ll see signs that we are putting up around our exhibits that say ‘Our animals are healthy, are you?’” Beck said.Despite the H1N1 scare, Long said advance ticket sales are up from last year, so it seems like the illness has not been a deterrent.The key to preventing the spread of the flu, according to both Long and Beck, is hand washing. Fairgoers are being asked to wash their hands before entering the livestock areas.“We want to protect the people, but we want to protect the swine too,” Long said.Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(10/02/09 4:33am)
A national magazine recently recognized four UNC-system schools for their military programs, making the UNC system one of the most “military friendly” public university systems in the country.East Carolina University, UNC-Wilmington, N.C. Central University and Western Carolina University were named in G.I. Jobs’ ranking of military-friendly schools, a publication devoted to helping service men and women find careers after the military.The list, put out annually, is based on a survey that evaluates certifications, programs and benefits offered to the military at universities, such as outreach programs, scholarships and discounts provided to active duty, veterans and military spouses, said Dan Fazio, managing editor for G.I. Jobs. Other public university systems with multiple schools on this year’s list include those in Pennsylvania and New York, Fazio said. The four universities recognized from the UNC system accept the GI Bill to help pay for tuition and also have programs to enhance the relationship between the university and the military. Three of the four have ROTC programs. Kimrey Rhinehardt, vice president for federal relations for the UNC system, said a systemwide tuition policy allows active duty military and their families stationed in North Carolina to qualify for in-state tuition. Maj. Megan Mangan, recruiting operations officer for an ROTC partnership between Duke University and NCCU, said the way the program is designed could have contributed to NCCU’s recognition. The partnership allows students to be part of a diverse group, which adds a depth that other programs can’t offer, Mangan said.Jeff Netznik, military outreach associate director at ECU, said ECU’s proximity to bases such as the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City and naval and marine base Camp Lejeune promote interaction with the military population.ECU offers classes on base that count for university credit and online classes that members of the military can take from anywhere. Netznik said he travels to the bases four days a week.The online program offers more than 60 degrees and certificates and has a higher rate of participation than the traditional classes, Netznik said.“With our online programs we can pretty much cover the whole state of N.C.,” he said. “We let them know we’re available.”WCU offers credit for technical experience gained in the field. WCU will give credit in its emergency medical care program for skills learned as a U.S. Army Special Forces medic.The program sets WCU apart from most schools, said Chuck Gross, director of military education at WCU.“One of those guys can come to Western having never attended college and have 56 credit hours to start,” Gross said.Despite all this, Rhinehardt said the UNC system sees military relations as a place where universities can improve.“You cannot look at the future of North Carolina without factoring in the military presence,” she said.Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.