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(11/02/09 4:53am)
The new N.C. Cancer Hospital has high-tech equipment and state-of-the-art facilities, but administrators are looking for one more thing — a multimillion-dollar name.The hospital, which had its opening ceremony in September, is looking to sell naming rights to the building, which carries a price tag of $25 million to $30 million.In the meantime, the hospital is selling naming rights to rooms within the building. The money raised through the sale of these rooms will support patient program enhancements rather than research.The Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, located in the hospital, has secured a total of $1.7 million in commitments from 17 different donors. In return for the donations, the hospital will name a room after each of the 17 individuals or companies, said Debbie Dibbert, director of external affairs at the Lineberger Center.The cost of an individual room starts at $25,000 and increases from there depending on the amount the donor wants to contribute.“It’s a nice opportunity for families to do something that really supports something that’s important to them and allow them a way to keep their family name or a loved one’s name in perpetuity,” Dibbert said.For Harriet Livingston, this was just the case. After she developed her second bout of breast cancer in 2007 and received treatment at the Lineberger Center, she and her husband made a donation to the new hospital.“We started our lives at UNC together and hopefully the cancer hospital will continue to make sure we can live as long as we can,” she said. The couple decided to donate to the gowned waiting room to spruce up the mammogram diagnostic venue.The donations are endowment gifts maintained in an investment fund, Dibbert said. The hospital will spend the interest the fund generates on programming.“We can never spend the amount that is given, but only the amount it earns,” Dibbert said.The donations also cannot be used for operation shortfalls or to pay staff wages. And since the $180 million building is completely paid for, donations won’t be used for construction and furnishings.“The advantage to donors is that they are endowing programs rather than endowing concrete,” said Richard Goldberg, the hospital’s physician-in-chief.The seven-story, 315,000-square-foot building still has numerous rooms to name.A room is not officially named until the $25,000 gift is paid in full. On Nov. 8, the hospital will honor nine donors at the first dedication event.“Spaces that went first were the Family Support Center because that’s the place that provides direct support to people going through cancer,” Dibbert said. Goldberg said the dedication ceremony will memorialize the fight against cancer.“I think people are proud of the way the new hospital looks and what it offers to patients and want to be a part of it.”Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(09/24/09 4:03am)
The University affairs committee of the Board of Trustees met with administrators Wednesday to discuss the formulation of the University’s new academic plan and how budget cuts have impacted teaching.Advising the academic planCommittee members outlined how the school would approach updating the Academic Plan, which represents UNC’s philosophical goals for how to approach education. Administrators first created the plan in 2003. The new plan is supposed to be formulated by fall 2010, but the University’s search for a new provost might delay the process.“One of my priorities is to get this going,” said Bruce Carney, interim executive vice chancellor and provost. “But it shouldn’t be ready until the new person is on campus and engaged to make input.”The provost will convene a committee to put the new plan together. Two co-chairmen will be selected, one to organize the meetings and the other to organize the deliberations and decisions about the plan. Carney said the co-chairmen will preferably be from academic affairs and health affairs. Faculty, administrators and students will all be able to participate in the process.The committee selected to draft the new plan will consult recent reports, assess the status of the 2003 plan’s recommendations and discuss new directions that should guide UNC’s future. The Board of Trustees will have final approval. “We need to grade on how we did, then set new and measurable goals,” said Alston Gardner, committee chairman. “I look forward to this. It’s necessary and important.” Some details of the plan Public service: While one of the University’s academic priorities in 2003 was to enhance public engagement, the new plan will better define the term.The previous academic plan said the University “transcends public service and links Carolina’s research and creativity to the felt needs of the state.” It said through engagement with individuals, communities and businesses, UNC “transforms lives far beyond Chapel Hill.” Faculty recruitment: Committee members and administrators said another priority, improving faculty recruitment, retention and development, needs some work. The University has run out of money for a program that hires faculty member’s spouses. Carney promised to explore methods to get it back.He said faculty recruitment has had a few good years, but the University has struggled with retention efforts. Budget effects The trustees also heard from several administrators who discussed the impact budget cuts have had on instruction.Carney said the number of graduate students at the University has declined. The Kenan-Flagler Business School cancelled eight courses and five other sections this year. Carney said most losses were in elective classes.He also said the Ph.D. program decreased 10 percent in incoming class size. Carney noted that class sizes have increased this semester, filling rooms with 5,000 more seats than fall 2008. Shirley Ort, associate provost and director of scholarships and student aid, said more families are qualifying for financial aid this year because of unemployment rates, which is putting strain on her office.In the 2009-10 school year, there was a 23 percent increase in the number of students with need. “And more students than ever applied on time,” she said. By the first week of school, Ort said the department was at a “choke point.” “We were out of money,” she said. But the department received $464,827 more in other funds to keep going. “I’m just hoping we’ll hit an equilibrium,” Ort said.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(09/16/09 5:01am)
UNC will evaluate Friday whether to raise four student fees. If approved, the fees will cost students about $17 more per year. Over the next month, the student fee advisory subcommittee will examine a total of about $85 of fee increases.Student transit/Safe Ride feeCurrent price: $104.25Suggested increase: $2.50What the fee supports: The majority of the fee supports free service through the Chapel Hill Transit bus system. An additional $25.90 would support the P2P service for students with disabilities and transportation to Student Health. That sum would also fund the P2P Express bus service from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. and Safe Ride-Campus, which provides service from the UNC Library and Student Union to campus housing after dark. Expenses also support the P2P bus service and Handi-Van replacement funds.Justification: The Department of Public Safety said the fee increase of $2.50 would help cover inflation, as well as mounting fuel and maintenance costs.Student ID feeCurrent price: $7Suggested increase: 18 centsWhat the fee supports: The fee helps the OneCard office keep printers and software up-to-date. The office prints more than 10,000 new identification cards every year for undergraduate, medical, dental and graduate students. In addition to keeping up the office’s technology, the fee helps support the maintenance of OneCard readers and the software it takes to run them.Justification: Jim Clinton, the director of card operations, said that there have been no ID fee increases since 2003 and that this increase is following the standard rate of inflation.“It will certainly help us in providing services students really need,” Clinton said.Campus Recreation feeCurrent price: $97Suggested increase: $4What the fee supports: This fee funds the five Campus Recreation services: intramural sports, sport clubs, the outdoor recreation program, Carolina Fitness and the special events program. It also supports housekeeping services for Campus Recreation facilities and equipment maintenance. Another portion of the fee pays for the salaries of student referees for the intramural programs.Justification: Campus Recreation Director Marty Pomerantz said utilities are a large part of the cost, and they are estimated to increase 12 percent for next year. He also said Campus Recreation has long-term plans, including new fields at Carolina North, more multipurpose space in Woollen Gym and additional renovations of other facilities.Pomerantz also said Campus Recreation is the largest employer of students on campus, and he said they must raise the wages they pay students to stay competitive with increases to the minimum wage.University Career Services fee (for current students)Current price: $68Suggested increase: $10.50What the fee supports: This fee lets University Career Services provide file storage for letters of recommendation. It also helps Career Services with maintenance costs and postage.Justification: Associate Director of Career Services Tim Stiles said this fee hasn’t increased in seven years, and postage rates have been steadily increasing during that time.Career Services also recently updated its payment options, so they have to pay for credit card processing software.
(09/11/09 4:46am)
As the University attempts to cope with a spreading H1N1 virus and considers new rules on how to prevent it, officials are finding that tracing the virus is more difficult than they thought.While UNC recorded its first case on May 29, the exact number of infected persons to date remains a mystery even to Campus Health Services officials. “Nobody would be able to say with certainty because employees have different health care providers, and the way people are being tested and treated kept changing throughout the summer,” said Mike McFarland, UNC spokesman.The American College Health Association reported 608 new cases of influenza-like illnesses at North Carolina institutions of higher education participating in its surveillance network from Aug. 29 to Sept. 4.Rules and regulationsSince the beginning of the semester, the University’s original plan for managing the outbreak has changed in tandem with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requirements, said Carol Kozel, director of nursing at Campus Health Services.“They have now identified that the time period can be compressed,” she said.Kozel added that the time students must be isolated after exhibiting flu symptoms has been reduced from seven days to 24 hours after their fever breaks.Identifying the virus is difficult because Campus Health cannot test specifically for H1N1. ‘Rampant and contagious’Senior Stephanie Ray said she tested positive for the H1N1 virus after visiting Chapel Hill Urgent Care on Sept. 1.With a fever of 103 degrees along with body aches and chills, she was told she could return to classes two days later. But her fever did not subside for almost a week.“I think a lot of people aren’t going to the doctor because, especially in my sorority, a lot of people have fevers and just don’t feel good,” said Ray, a member of Phi Mu sorority. “And it may not be the swine flu, but it may be.”Junior Andrea Ramos, diagnosed with H1N1 about a month ago, said she believed the cases are going to continue as it gets colder.“It’s so rampant and contagious,” Ramos said. As a summer employee at UNC, Ramos was diagnosed at an off-campus walk-in clinic. Ray said most professors have been understanding about students missing class.“They were super nice and said not to worry about missing,” she said. “They said they wouldn’t count any of it against me, but I’d be responsible for the work once I came back.” Students also have different opinions about how the University is dealing with the outbreak.“I think they’re under-representing the problem,” Ray said. “I feel like there’s a lot more they could be doing to keep people from going to class and spreading it, because obviously we’re dedicated students and don’t want to miss class.” Ramos disagreed, saying the issue is being over-publicized. “It’s an issue because it causes people to panic and they get stressed out, which weakens their immune system and makes them more susceptible,” she said.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(09/03/09 5:02am)
The state has reduced a UNC-system benefit that lets employees take classes for free as a result of a drastic budget shortfall.Employees previously had the opportunity to take three classes a year at any UNC-system school free of charge, but the new cut reduced the benefit to eight credit hours a year.According to the budget, the benefit reduction will save North Carolina $700,000 a year.Many UNC-Chapel Hill employees, including leaders of the legislative action committee, tried to defend the benefit from being cut. Now they are rallying support to regain the lost class.“We’re hoping we can stage an organized effort with the general administration and the chancellor and take it directly to the legislature,” said Jonathan Stephenson, the committee’s chairman and an Allied Health Services employee.The tuition waiver for employees is only provided if there is space available in a class. An interested staff member must be a permanent, full-time employee and turn in an application to the Cashier’s Office.“We get a lot of applications,” said Brian Usischon, senior director of benefits and employee services. “Cashiers called people enrolled to let them know of the cuts when the forms were submitted this academic year.”Last semester, there were about 440 employees enrolled in classes, but not all of them necessarily used the tuition waiver.Many employees, such as Carrie Goldsmith, graduate studies coordinator in the Eshelman School of Pharmacy, use the benefit to work toward a degree.Goldsmith has taken three classes a year for the last three years, working toward a bachelor’s degree in communication studies.And with 20 courses to go, she doesn’t think two classes a year will cut it. Goldsmith plans to continue to take three classes a year and pay for the third.Staff members discussed the issue at Wednesday’s Employee Forum meeting, but Goldsmith said she does not expect to see changes to the budget in the near future.She said she called legislators, the governor and UNC-system President Erskine Bowles for answers.“I asked how they’re saving money,” she said in the meeting. “But nobody can actually break down and explain to me how they’re actually saving money. There isn’t a dollar amount.”Alan Moran, a maintenance technician in Facilities Services who serves on the forum’s compensation and wages committee, said he thinks the cut outweighs the value of the employee benefit.“It will effect morale and retention of employees and affect the ability of the University to attract new employees,” he said. Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(08/28/09 4:26am)
UNC budget cuts have forced undergraduate and graduate programs to increase class sizes this semester and decrease the number of available sections.Departments have removed some sections and shifted seats to other classes to cut costs. The Registrar’s Office said about 200 classes have been cut this year. But the total number of seats has remained similar to last semester.“We’re offering the same classes, but some of the sections might be bigger,” said Dee Reid, director of communications for the College of Arts and Sciences. “We’ve increased the maximum class size for first-year seminars and writing and language classes.” The 2009-10 state budget cuts about $37.5 million from UNC this year. Administrators said they tried to make reductions that didn’t hurt the school’s instructional mission.But students have noticed the slight changes. Senior Carly Brantmeyer said she saw many students trying to enroll in her already-crowded sociology class.“There were 15 or 20 people in the back of the room standing up,” Brantmeyer said.The cancellations have frustrated some students, who were forced to redo parts of their schedules.“I was signed up for five classes this summer, and three of them were cancelled within a week,” said senior Kyle Doty.Bobbi Owen, senior associate dean for undergraduate education, said the college sought to minimize harming student instruction.“We were really careful to preserve what we could for our undergraduate students,” Owen said, adding that the maximum sizes of class rosters increased by only a few seats. She said the number of available spots in many first-year seminars increased from about 20 to 24.Despite the changing number of classes, Owen said the college has not cut any majors, only consolidated programs. “Nothing is being eliminated this year,” she said. “We’re doing a little shifting around. Comparative literature was moved with English.”The budget cuts have also affected many graduate programs. “We have had to reduce personnel and make some changes in our non-personnel expenditures as well,” said Brad Volk, associate dean for administration in the School of Government. “We have been fortunate in that most of the personnel eliminations have been temporary employees.”Volk added that the school stopped making furniture purchases and eliminated several telephones, meals at meetings and a summer law clerk program. The school also reduced traveling.Despite the program’s ability to continue to operate amid budget cuts, Volk said he is not optimistic about possible future reductions. “We are anticipating that it will be even worse,” Volk said. “My dean refers to it as the perfect storm.” Owen also said she expects future cuts. “I think that the state of North Carolina has to be cautious about this, and that means we’re going to prepare,” she said.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.