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(04/13/10 3:12am)
Any graduating senior knows that the job market is tough. Indeed, the global financial crisis has hit close to home, with the unemployment rate hovering near 10 percent. It’s almost cliché to talk about. But if we’re going to move forward as a country, we have to sort through the mess that is known as the global financial crisis. The Great Decisions lecturer for this topic, Stanley Black, will attempt to tackle the complexities. Black is Georges Lurcy Professor Emeritus of Economics at UNC. His work includes service with the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, the Federal Reserve Board and the Department of State.
(01/20/10 4:27am)
The men’s basketball team is not the only thing in crisis in the Smith Center. There’s also a major problem with the seating policy.
(11/20/09 5:20am)
UNC’s policy of not paying Commencement speakers ensures that the University draws people with a real desire to speak here. We send a message that UNC is looking for speakers who are committed to delivering an address tailored to the student body.By contrast, speakers on the lecture circuit might simply come with canned remarks or their own political message — not to mention a hefty price tag.For example, former president Bill Clinton reportedly charges about $150,000 to speak. And New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman charges $50,000 for each appearance. Besides, simply finding a big name and paying a lot of money does not guarantee a good speech. We’d be paying for names only, in a sense, with no guarantee that the speaker would be directly addressing the UNC community. Furthermore, not paying speakers sends an egalitarian message: that lacking a big name and a big price tag doesn’t mean a speaker doesn’t have an inspiring message. For those who doubt UNC’s ability to draw exciting names, one needn’t look farther than our latest two speakers: John Grisham and Desmond Tutu. It’s clear that UNC is enough of a draw. There’s no real justification for doling out an exorbitant amount. Commencement is the exciting culmination of long hours of hard work and dedication. That’s why we deserve a speaker whose motivation is a desire to engage the students of UNC — not simply to earn a pretty penny.
(10/07/09 3:59am)
Surf over to NewKenan.com, the site detailing the planned renovation to Kenan Stadium that’s estimated to cost more than $70 million.There are fancy videos about “premium suites” and information about luxury boxes with flat-screen TVs and wet bars. Talk about cognitive dissonance. Every day I read articles about how we’re in the Great Recession — the worst economic downturn in 70 years. (Maybe the cost of renovation is supposed to be a nod to the time that has elapsed since the Great Depression — at a million dollars a year). I’ve read about how the unemployment rate might soon hit 10 percent, how wages are falling and retirement accounts are being depleted. Or, at UNC specifically, how administrators are in the process of slashing the budget by 10 percent.The juxtaposition between the reality that NewKenan.com presents with the one I read about in newspapers is jarring and unsettling.The same principle applies on a larger scale. While people at home struggle with job losses and empty savings accounts, they turn on the TV and see banks on Wall Street still shelling out million-dollar bonuses and making huge profits Something just doesn’t add up here. I wouldn’t expect anything less from the Rams Club, which is flush with $260 million in the bank. With that kind of a cushion, it’s easy to be completely detached from reality and have distorted priorities. Though these plans were years in the works, both the presentation and the goals of the renovation deserve to be re-evaluated in light of the financial climate and the struggles of the University.While the construction of the luxury suites won’t cost the most in terms of renovation, the revenue it generates will help limit the amount UNC must solicit in private donations. I applaud this shuffling of funding. But it’s still troubling in a few ways.First, the absolute and over-riding fundraising priority at an academic institution should be raising money for academics.When the classroom is struggling, it’s flat-out wrong for a major part of the University’s fundraising muscle to be behind athletic upgrades. This is a perversion of UNC’s fundamental mission.And second, the construction of luxury boxes represents the further corporatization of amateur sports. These seats aren’t even for the “people” at the University of the people — unless you’ve got an extra $50,000 lying around to lease a luxury box.The bottom line is that with the plans for these renovations, the Rams Club is sending the wrong message at the wrong time.
(10/01/08 4:00am)
This co-column was tough to write for two reasons. First because we have such different writing styles and personalities. Yet we overcame this because we share a common vision for where the page needs to go and are excited about the changes we have in store. Secondly it was difficult in light of all the controversy surrounding the opinion page in recent weeks; part of this turmoil led us to step up as editors.As we transition into our new roles we hope we can overcome the difficulties this page has faced.In order to do this it's important to address some issues at the heart of the controversy and also lay out our mission.We believe the opinion page is separate from the newsroom. Individual reporters' opinions on any given event should not influence a particular editorial and opinion writers should not be influencing how a reporter writes a specific story. But we also need to represent The Daily Tar Heel in a broad philosophical sense. If the editorials in the opinion section undermine reporters' ability to do their job we would not be doing ours.More than any other organization on campus the newsroom has a pulse on the community. That's why we're going to increase communication between the two bodies.That said it's important to understand that we are an autonomous body and we ultimately make decisions independently of the newsroom. One of the editorial board's most important roles is to hold people accountable. Doing this job well means being accurate. No fact errors ambiguities or misstatements.We want our editorials to be well-researched insightful and fully informed. This is a major responsibility that comes with publishing under the banner of The Daily Tar Heel.While the facts should never be in dispute the opinions certainly should be. And that's where you come in. Don't agree with our opinion on the ticket policy for campus concerts? Write a letter to the editor.Have a unique perspective of campus life? Write a guest column. This is your page if you want it — you have a soapbox that can reach 40000 people. Use it!We take our responsibility very seriously to be a forum for debate on campus and we hope that you as the reader do as well. Your letters don't even have to be 500 words. Just take a few minutes and participate in the discussion. At the very least you can see your name in print!Over the next few months we're going to try some new things on the opinion page and give it more variety while still keeping in mind our mission of autonomy accountability and accuracy.We're going to include more graphic elements. These will help present opinions in a creative and expressive way — something that can't necessarily be done in writing. And we know that when you pick up the paper before your 8 a.m. class you don't always want to read 300-word editorials.While there has been a change on the masthead you should continue to expect the same high-quality content on the editorial page. We look forward to serving you and embracing the important role that the editorial board plays in our community.
(09/10/07 4:00am)
UNC researchers are joining forces to try to better understand the complexities of bipolar disorder in a new multidisciplinary center.
The UNC Center of Excellence for Research and Treatment of Bipolar Disorder has brought experts from several research disciplines together on the campus in one entity.
"Really what UNC has been able to do is take two groups of people who've been doing really good work nationally and bring them together," said Eric Youngstrom, associate director of the center.
Bipolar disorder is an illness characterized by frequent and drastic mood swings that affects about 2 percent of the U.S. population.
Led by Jair Soares, a professor in the Department of Psychiatry, the center aims to connect all aspects of bipolar research, from genetics to patient services. The center is funded through grants from the National Institutes of Health and will eventually consist of 10 faculty members.
Soares said the idea for the center came from the chairman of the psychiatry department, David Rubinow. Soares was recruited from the University of Texas at San Antonio, while Youngstrom was recruited from Case Western Reserve University.
The UNC center's main goals are to conduct innovative research, provide outstanding treatment and train people to work with the disorder and help diagnose it to reflect a new understanding of bipolar disorder, Soares said.
The center also will put special focus on adolescents with the disorder. Research has shown that the number of children younger than 20 diagnosed with bipolar disorder increased steadily from 1993 to 2004, according to a recent study by researchers across the United States and in Madrid, Spain.
But the increase in diagnoses in adolescents has not come without controversy.
While there are several environmental factors and increased awareness that might lead doctors to suspect bipolar disorder, Youngstrom said there is a possibility that doctors are beginning to diagnose it too frequently.
Doctors have begun to realize that, contrary to what older textbooks say, bipolar disorder can begin to set in at an earlier age. Previously, physicians might have seen the strong mood swings, consistent with bipolar disorder, as a sign of an attention-deficit disorder, Youngstrom said.
"The avenue of research that can really bring substantial developments in this field relates to early diagnoses with these kids that are at high risk," Soares said.
Most of his research is focused on discovering certain biological markers that can aid in the diagnosis.
Youngstrom said he has worked to improve clinical assessments of patients who might have bipolar disorder and bettering patients' abilities to manage the disorder.
"What is really exciting is this is one of the few places in the world that offers this very comprehensive model," Youngstrom said. "So we have lots of different professions that are all part of the same team.
"It's not just about psychiatry and medication and understanding the biology of the illness; it's understanding how this plays out in families."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(08/21/07 4:00am)
One UNC scholarship that requires applicants to show proof that they are "worthy sons" and of "colonial ancestry," is undergoing some changes after giving scholarship officials headaches.
The John Osgood and Elizabeth Amis Cameron Blanchard Scholarship Fund will change from a renewable scholarship to a one-time gift with smaller benefits.
The fund was established in 1958 with a donation of $100,000 to aid Episcopalians at UNC, said Dan Thornton, associate director of scholarship and student aid.
Because of the selective criteria - which excluded women and most minorities - Thornton said almost no one received the scholarship.
As a result the scholarship sat unnoticed until about 12 years ago, when officials in the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid realized that the scholarship fund had amassed a large chunk of interest.
Officials wanted to award the money, but the scholarship's exclusive characteristics made it a difficult task.
Thornton said his office tried handing out the scholarship on the basis of need, but not many Episcopalians could demonstrate financial need.
Then officials tried taking a merit-based approach, requiring applicants to self-identify as Episcopalians and show their "colonial ancestry."
"This is another kooky aspect of the scholarship," Thornton said. "People really would send me huge binders full of genealogical information. I would look at it and say, 'looks good to me,'" he said.
"To get hung up on people's genealogy is not exactly what an administrator should really be doing."
Thornton said his office tried to tone down the language and accept a broader range of students, dropping the all-male aspect of the award and loosening the "colonial" requirement.
He said he was able to do that thanks to a clause in every scholarship-donor agreement that allows for changes if the scholarship seems untenable.
To spend the acquired interest, the Blanchard scholarship was given out as a renewable scholarship of $6,000 per year to in-state students and $12,000 per year to out-of-state students for several years.
"We want to keep awarding in the spirit of the award, and we think that we're doing that," he said. "We're just taking out some of the extraneous things."
Junior Lindsay Eanes, a recipient of the in-state Blanchard Scholarship, said that she was lucky to stumble across a scholarship with such generous benefits, but that some of the wording about colonial ancestry did seem strange.
"We just crossed our fingers that you didn't have to do that because we definitely do not have proof of colonial ancestry," she said.
Now that the fund has spent most of the excess interest, the scholarship will no longer be given out as a renewable gift, only as a one-time award, Thornton said. Current recipients will be allowed to keep their scholarship through graduation.
Eanes said she was disappointed to learn that the scholarship would no longer be given out yearly, especially because she had told friends back home of its benefits.
"I know that some . were disappointed," she said. "They came the next year because I had told them about this cool scholarship, and then they stopped handing it out."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(04/11/07 4:00am)
For Keith Shawn Smith, being a leader was more about being a friend.
The sophomore resident adviser, who died last year, was known for creating a tight-knit community and engaging his residents outside the dorm.
"The biggest part was making sure you had friendships down the hall," junior Alan Kneidel said of Smith, who was his resident adviser last year. "That just created a trust that really brought us all together."
About a year after Smith's death, University officials are planning to give out the Keith Shawn Smith Award for Community Development and Mentorship.
Larry Hicks, director of the Department of Housing and Residential Education, said the award will be given annually to the RA who meets Smith's example.
"(What) we like to see is for that resident adviser to build a strong community," Hicks said. "And basically Keith Shawn exemplified exactly what we were targeting."
Smith died after crashing through a third-floor window in Stacy Residence Hall last February with then-freshman Tyler Downey.
Students may nominate an RA for the annual award, and the winner will be selected from a committee - which includes Hicks, the Residence Hall Association president, the chairman of the Housing Advisory Board and the president of the National Residence Hall Honorary.
The award is the first resident-chosen award for an RA, Hicks said.
Nominations are due by April 23, and the committee will select the first recipient of the award in May. The winner will receive a $250 prize and a plaque from the housing department, Hicks said.
The nomination process includes a short essay, three recommendation letters from other residence hall community members and signature endorsements from 75 percent of the RA's residents.
Ellen Jones, community director of the Olde Campus Lower Quad Community where Smith was an RA, said Smith was the ideal RA because he connected to his residents on a personal level and fostered a sense of community. The winner of the award must demonstrate the same commitment and dedication that Smith displayed, she said.
"A lot of it is the mentorship, helping out with the residents if they need assistance, just being there, connecting them to things on campus, to others," Jones said. "A big part of it is just creating that community."
The award was created separately from the Keith Shawn Smith Memorial Fund.
"It's a blessing," said Sekou Sidibe, the memorial fund president. "When we first started . it was all just talks. It's just great to see that they've actually finally decided to put something together."
Hicks said there will be fliers posted around campus and e-mails sent out to students detailing the nomination process.
"I know that we've got quite a few RAs in our midst that are like Keith Shawn."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(03/21/07 4:00am)
Between two all red covers lies the written finale of Student Body President James Allred's term in office, which ends April 3.
On Tuesday the Allred administration released its March Report, detailing many projects and points of advocacy as accomplishments.
The 117 pages of reports from executive officers represent a year of progress, as well as a tool and historical record for future leaders.
"It's very exciting because it's sort of a chance for us to evaluate all that we've done," Chief of Staff Christie Cunningham said.
How they say they fared
(03/19/07 4:00am)
Gary Birdsong, known to UNC students as the Pit Preacher, might be in need of a new nickname.
Birdsong received a letter Friday from Department of Public Safety officials stating that he is no longer allowed to preach in the Pit or on the ramps or steps leading into it.
The punishment comes as a result of a trespass warning Birdsong received March 8 after he refused to move from the Pit area. At the time, the space was reserved by Carolina Adventures.
After receiving the warning, which stated that he would be banned from campus for two years, Birdsong said he filed an appeal that garnered the lighter sanction.
"I don't think it's right," said Birdsong, who has been preaching at UNC since the '80s and plans to preach outside of the Pit on Tuesday, weather permitting. "I try to stand my ground, but this right here is ridiculous."
Don Luse, director of the Carolina Union, said groups can reserve space in the Pit through the Office of Events Planning. The reservation entitles a group to use the space as it sees fit and to control what goes on in the reserved area, he said.
Usually when there is a conflict, events planning officials try to mediate the dispute, Luse said.
"We explain the policy and say these people have reserved the Pit, . you have to respect that right," he said. "We try to provide an alternative where they might be able to do what they want."
Although his office typically tries to mediate situations such as the one with Birdsong, Luse said nobody was contacted when it took place. Birdsong said he remembers working with Carolina Union officials to work out prior disputes.
David Yeargan, expedition program manager for Carolina Adventures, said after the incident that he was on his way to notify Union officials that Birdsong was interfering with his message when he enlisted the help of two nearby University police officers instead.
Birdsong said the officers asked him to relocate. After he moved a few feet, they told him to keep walking. When he refused, they issued him the warning.
Birdsong said he was reluctant to move because he doubted the validity of Carolina Adventures' claim because no one from the Union office came out to confirm.
"I can understand if they have the whole Pit reserved," he said. "But you got a First Amendment, and then somebody comes out there and says you got to leave, well you don't know if he got a right to be out here."
Student reaction to Birdsong's punishment was mixed.
Freshman Christanna Honer said she wouldn't mind if Birdsong got banned.
"I think he has a personality that people come out to see," she said. "They just come out to heckle him."
But freshman Adam Weck, who often listens to Birdsong preach, said the sentence was harsh, given the circumstances and the need for debate on campus.
"I think it's important that on a university you want to hear as many diverse view points as possible," he said. "I think he is an integral part of the Pit experience."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(02/22/07 5:00am)
Thanks to the largest single donation in University history, the Carolina First fundraising campaign surged past its $2 billion fundraising goal 10 months ahead of schedule, officials announced Wednesday.
The $50 million gift to the UNC School of Public Health from Dennis Gillings, a former public health professor and his wife, Joan, is aimed at making it the top-ranked school in the field and a global leader.
"This is an extraordinary day for this University," Chancellor James Moeser said. "We didn't just break $2 billion. We broke it with a bang."
Carolina First is a massive private fundraising effort by UNC that began in July 1999 and will last until December 2007. Now that the goal has been met, officials are introducing a new effort to raise an additional $100 million for faculty benefits and salaries.
"We compete for the best and the brightest, and that's why we intend to be aggressive," said Paul Fulton, co-chairman of the campaign's steering committee and a member of the UNC Board of Trustees. "Having the resources to retain and recruit outstanding faculty remains the highest priority on this campus."
The public health school will be renamed the Dennis and Joan Gillings School of Global Public Health, making it is the first such school in the U.S. to include "global" in its name.
"What we're really about in public health is making a difference," said Barbara Rimer, dean of the school. "And this gift is really going to allow us to do that."
While the private Morehead Foundation received a $100 million gift last week, the Gillings' gift is the largest given directly to the campus.
An endowment will be created to help faculty and students collaborate and create innovative public health solutions, said Steven Zeisel, associate dean of research for the school.
The gift also will help create the Gillings' Fellows Program, which will provide for working sabbaticals for faculty to collaborate internationally, as well as help bring leading public health figures to UNC.
Gillings, who left UNC to found Quintiles Transnational Corporation, a pharmaceutical services company, said he hopes UNC merges business principles and public health goals to achieve practical solutions.
"I think there's two sorts of public health problems: public health problems here and public health problems of global disparity," Gillings said. "And a school that's No. 1 has to look at both."
An original goal of $1.5 billion was set when the Carolina First campaign was launched but was upped to $2 billion in 2005.
Similar fund drives are underway nationally. A $3 billion fundraising initiative at the University of Virginia began in September and will run through 2011. It has raised about $1.1 billion in four months.
UNC officials praised the tireless work of the volunteers who helped realize the $2 billion goal.
"I don't think the priceless gem of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has ever shone brighter," said Charlie Shaffer, Carolina First co-chairman. "Thank you two billion times over."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(02/21/07 5:00am)
Former UNC school of public health professor Dennis Gillings donated $50 million to the school, officials announced Wednesday. The donation pushed UNC past its overall fundraising goal of $2 billion for the Carolina First campaign.
Gillings left UNC to start Quintiles Transnational Corporation and has made many donations to the school. The school of public health will be renamed the Joan and Dennis Gillings School of Global Public Health.
Steve Zeisel, associate dean of research at the school of public health, said the gift will help make UNC leader in innovative public health problem solving. He said the money will create an endowment to help fund faculty and student collaboration to solve public health problems both globally and locally.
"The whole idea is to create a new model for letting faculty create and explore in new ways," Zeisel said. "It's a key gift for the whole university."
Read Thursday's The Daily Tar Heel for a full story on the donation.
(02/16/07 5:00am)
Racial slurs that Richard Epps heard his first day at UNC made him consider dropping out of school.He stayed and was elected in 1972 as UNC's first black student body president.
"If I were to back away every time I encountered close-minded people, where would I draw the line?" he said after elected.
Since Epps' victory, five more black students have been elected to the top student post on campus.
Many former black president candidates said Epps' example and UNC's progressive tradition mean black candidates running for student body president are no longer a novelty.
(02/15/07 5:00am)
Two unlikely candidates were lost in the excitement of Tuesday's campus elections - Jesus H. Christ and Tyler Hansbrough.
And if it's any indication of the popularity of men's basketball on campus, UNC's basketball savior defeated Jesus handily, 15 votes to two.
While student body president hopefuls got the most votes, 10 basketball players received write-ins.
Although basketball players were the most popular write-in choices, as Hansbrough received a vote in almost every race, they weren't the only ones who got votes.
Pluto, which apparently was rivaling candidate Nick Neptune, matched Hansbrough's student body president vote total with three. And even former N.C. State men's basketball coach Herb Sendek received one vote for Carolina Athletic Association president.
But writing in athletes is not a new phenomenon, said Jim Brewer, chairman of the Board of Elections. In 2001, Julius Peppers got 214 votes for student body president.
Brewer said he was concerned that unofficial write-in candidates might get elected in the Student Congress races that didn't have enough official candidates.
He said the board had to call Jackie Manuel to offer him a Congress seat in 2005. Manuel declined.
Political science professor Thad Beyle said that because voters might know about candidates for only a few races, they might fill in the rest of the ballot with well-known names.
"I think there's a bunch of people who . have been brought up to vote, and a lot of them go in just knowing a couple of names," he said.
Junior forward Surry Wood, who did not receive any write-in votes, said votes for Hansbrough are ironic.
"He's like the last person you would ever see running," he said.
But Dewey Burke's one vote for student body president is not surprising, Wood said.
"I guess it correlates to how many minutes a game he plays."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(02/14/07 5:00am)
After round one of the student body president election, Eve Carson and Nick Neptune were left standing and will battle head-to-head in a runoff election Tuesday.
Carson received 40 percent of votes cast, while Neptune got 33 percent. The 7,441 total votes cast represented the highest voter turnout in student election history.
The results are considered complete once candidates submit their financial statements today. A runoff election is held when no candidate garners more than 50 percent of votes.
(01/25/07 5:00am)
Student body president candidate Jon Kite received a $25 fine Wednesday night and is suspended from using campaign materials for the first 24 hours in which they are allowed.
The Board of Elections handed down the decision after a disqualification hearing in response to allegations that Kite's campaign illegally used campaign materials prematurely. A full verdict will be in today, accompanied by a rationale statement.
"I am excited I get to continue the campaign process," Kite said. "I think that's an appropriate consequence based on what happened."
On Jan. 18 Joshua Gresham, a friend of Kite's, passed out a petition for signatures to a Biology 101 class. Gresham also passed out what he described as answers to "frequently asked questions" about Kite.
At the hearing, Gresham said he did not attend the meeting for Kite's campaign staff where Kite told staffers of the election rules. But Gresham said he indicated to Kite that he still wanted to help his campaign in any way possible.
Kite gave Gresham the petition sheet, another document containing information about him and broad campaign statements on his way to class.
Gresham testified that he was not made aware of the election rules regarding campaign material until after Brewer contacted him Friday.
Kite said at the hearing that the document he gave Gresham was one he gave to all his campaign workers so they could answer questions from interested students.
"I think the language of it is really internal," he said. "It's designed for campaign members . because I really wanted my workers to be informed."
Kite said that the document was not his platform and was never meant to be campaign material. He referred to it as a "volunteer sheet."
According to the Student Code, a candidate for student body elections is not allowed to distribute campaign materials until Tuesday - two weeks before the election.
Gresham said he received four signatures from the class, but those were not turned into Brewer with the official petition after they became aware of the allegations.
After being notified of the accusations, Brewer conducted a preliminary investigation. He presented his findings at an elections board meeting Monday and called for a hearing of disqualification to determine a course of action.
The Code gives the elections board the authority to hold a disqualification hearing if the allegations are considered by the board to be harmful to the elections process.
Kite, who is running against juniors Eve Carson, Nick Neptune and Caroline Spencer, said he thinks the laws are too complex and discourage students from getting involved.
"I feel many individuals like Josh feel so alienated from the campaign process," he said.
After almost an hour of deliberations, Brewer and the elections board reached their verdict.
"Any decision is difficult to make," Brewer said.
Senior writer Mac Mollison contributed to this report.
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(01/24/07 5:00am)
As campaign season swings into its second week, candidates for student body offices are eager to kick off their public campaigns as they await certification.
Candidacy petitions were due at 5 p.m. Tuesday, and the Board of Elections will work to certify them by Thursday. All candidates appeared to have received the required number of signatures to gain a spot on the ballot, according to an unofficial tally of petitions obtained by The Daily Tar Heel.
Juniors Emerson Evans and Janel Joyner did not turn in their petition Tuesday because they dropped out of the race for senior class president and vice president, citing personal reasons
Student body president and Carolina Athletic Association president candidates needed 800 student signatures, while those vying for Student Congress had to obtain only 20 signatures.
This week candidates can attend public forums and speak about their campaigns in more open settings. Until Tuesday, hopefuls only were allowed to speak about their platforms on an individual basis.
The amount of signatures can imply a potential frontrunner, but hopeful Eve Carson said they don't necessarily ensure a seat in office. She cited last year's race when Bernard Holloway garnered more signatures than Student Body President James Allred. "That didn't translate into the same voting pattern," she said.
Candidates said they focused on meeting as many students as possible through dorm storming and canvassing the campus.
"Talking to the students is absolutely pivotal to trying to best represent and advocate on their behalf," Student Body President candidate Nick Neptune said.
The past week also has been crucial for finalizing platforms, preparing for forums and assembling campaign materials, candidates said.
"There are issues that all students want the student body president to address, and I'll definitely be bringing up those issues," Student Body President candidate Caroline Spencer said.
Student Body President candidate Jon Kite, who is facing a disqualification hearing today for alleged campaign violations, said he questioned the rationale behind barring candidates from speaking publicly about their platforms.
He said it is important for students signing petitions to know the issues that the candidates support.
"A lot of times the typical responsible student (asks), 'Why should I sign this if I don't know what you stand for?'" he said.
But Jim Brewer, elections board chairman, said the petitions are not an evaluation of the platforms. "This was supposed to be . unbiased: Do we think that this person based on their merits, and not based on their platform, should be on the ballot?"
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(01/18/07 5:00am)
The call to international service is gaining strength at UNC, as the University now has the eighth most Peace Corps volunteers among large universities.
UNC has 77 alumni serving in the Peace Corps across the world - up 18 from last year. The University of Washington topped the list of large universities with 110 alumni.
Since the Peace Corps' inception in 1961, 966 UNC alumni have served, making it the 25th producer of volunteers of all time.
Brian Pedersen, a Peace Corps recruiter at UNC, said the popularity of international service is increasing across the U.S. He said students at UNC are becoming more aware of the world around them and are looking for ways to get involved.
"It sort of reflects the mood of the country in general," he said of the increase in volunteers. "UNC students have sort of responded to that popular interest in internationalism . and cross-cultural experience."
The Peace Corps places volunteers across the globe to do service in local communities and promote cross-cultural relationships. More than 187,000 members have served in 139 countries since the program's inception.
Pedersen, who served in Guinea in West Africa, said the Peace Corps can provide volunteers with an eye-opening experience and fresh perspective after college.
"They saw an opportunity to do something in their lives a little more important than making money," he said.
The path to volunteering is different for each applicant. Some become aware of the opportunity only shortly before deciding to apply.
Others, such as graduate student Elena Lebetkin, who served in Ghana from 2002 to 2004, have wanted to join since they were children.
"My parents didn't let me watch very much TV," she said. "But when they did, it was National Geographic specials. I've always wanted to be a Peace Corps volunteer basically based on National Geographic specials."
During her 27 months in Ghana, Lebetkin worked in a 2,000-person village on environmental issues and AIDS education.
She said the trip helped to shape her academic path; she now is pursuing a master's degree in public health.
To apply for the Peace Corps, students can visit www.peacecorps.gov. The application process, which takes six to nine months, includes several essays and medical tests.
The time is necessary, Pedersen said, to ensure that volunteers can determine whether the Peace Corps is the right option.
Pedersen said both the supply of and demand for volunteers has skyrocketed. Local governments around the world have continued to request greater numbers of volunteers, and more graduates are signing up.
"It provides a lot of perspective in the end, and it definitely helps you grow as a person," Lebetkin said. "It just completely changes your life."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(01/17/07 5:00am)
Student government elections are taking center stage on campus, with Tuesday's mandatory candidates' meeting signaling the start of official campaigning.
More than 30 hopefuls came to a meeting in Wilson Library to declare officially their intent to run in the Feb. 13 elections.
Four candidates entered the race for student body president: juniors Eve Carson, Jon Kite, Nick Neptune and Caroline Spencer - one fewer than showed up at an optional December meeting.
Three pairs declared their intent to run for senior class president and vice president: Sade Carter and Beth Hopkins; Emerson Baylor Evans and Janel Joyner; and Veronica Mora and Ashley Marie Shores.
Kareemah Lewis plans to run without a vice presidential candidate, although the Board of Elections is looking into the legality of her intent. According to the Student Code, "candidates for senior class president and vice president shall run on the same ticket as a single entity."
Juniors Colby Almond and Marcus Carpenter entered the race for Carolina Athletic Association president.
Junior Brian Sugg is the sole candidate for Residence Hall Association president.
The first step is for candidates to obtain the required signatures to get their names on the ballot. All signatures are due by 5 p.m. Tuesday to the elections board.
The student body president race is the headline race for the election, and Jim Brewer, chairman of the elections board, said the atmosphere surrounding that race will spill over to the other races. He said that with more candidates, he expects a greater voter turnout.
Only two candidates ran last year in the student body president race. Former student body president candidates said the larger field might shift the dynamic of the race.
Candidates must work hard to distinguish themselves, and past candidates said that more rivals shifted their campaign strategies to a unique platform and image.
"First and foremost, your platform is really a way to express originality and creativity and realistic solutions to problems facing the University," said Lily West, who finished second to Matt Calabria in 2004 in an eight-person race for student body president.
"I think one thing . is that a lot of ideas will be presented, but feasibility really becomes an issue."
A two-candidate race forces candidates to focus attention on each other. But in a larger race, candidates can focus more on their own platform, rather than competing specifically against another candidate, past hopefuls said.
Seth Dearmin, the winner of the 2005 race against three other candidates, said one of the most important factors is organizing a dedicated staff that can connect with as many students as possible.
"It comes down to who you have surrounding you, who you have working for you," he said. "I think personal contact is really how we chose to distinguish ourselves. It was really a campaign about students."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(01/16/07 5:00am)
Election season officially will kick into high gear tonight, as the campus Board of Elections holds its annual mandatory candidates' meeting.
Candidates will declare their intent to run in the Feb. 13 campuswide elections, but many already are hard at work on their campaigns.
Jim Brewer, chairman of the elections board, said he will outline all important election rules today, including financial regulations.
Brewer said the meeting is important to cover all issues that might come up during the campaign.
"It's an in-depth look at what the election laws are themselves plus any additional violations that have been seen in the past," he said.
While the meeting marks the start of campaign season, the weeks before, especially those during Winter Break, can be a busy time.
Candidates spend these weeks putting the final touches on campaign platforms and forming staffs.
"I spent about the whole Winter Break interviewing people on campus," Student Body President James Allred said about his campaign last year. "Just about every day I was waking up early and interviewing somebody else, just trying to compile a few more ideas."
Allred said that he spent the fall formulating ideas for his platform, and that the last week before the mandatory candidates' meeting was crunch time for his staff in finalizing those ideas into a coherent message.
Allred's opponent, Bernard Holloway, said that while campaigns all work at different paces and on different time frames, a break from classes can be critical.
Holloway also said the way candidates use this time can reflect their commitment to achieving office.
"The one thing to say is that the Winter Break period and the amount of organization and the amount of work can truly be a make-or-break time for candidates," he said.
The meeting also signals a shift in the mood of the campaign.
All of a candidate's work on forming a platform and creating a well-oiled campaign apparatus is tested in the monthlong blitz of official campaigning.
"It was really interesting going to that first meeting and hearing other people's platforms, and for the first time getting the reaction of others," Senior Class President Meg Petersen said about the first forum she attended of last year's campaign.
In order to be on the ballot, candidates must collect a certain number of signatures. For student body president and Carolina Athletic Association president, it is 800.
Immediately after the candidate's meeting last year, Allred said he and his campaign staff canvassed the campus's residence halls to get the required signatures.
Despite the blistering pace and intensity of campaigning, Petersen said it was always important for her to focus on the post she desired.
"There were some points when I definitely thought to myself, 'This campaign season is never going to end. I'm exhausted. I eat, sleep and breathe this campaign,'" Petersen said. "But in the end, it's worth it. Just keeping my eye on the goal helped me push through."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.