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(03/04/24 10:00am)
Welcome back to Heel Talk, where Audio-Visual Editor Natalie Bradin recaps the biggest local news stories with audio reporters Katie Littlejohn, Lauren Mallett and Lizzie Stoner. In today's episode, the group discusses the interim chancellor's connection to a conservative retail organization, the declining enrollment rate at Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and the UNC Hip Hop Ensemble in Hill Hall.
(03/05/24 8:33pm)
Before I left for college, my family ensured that I understood a few simple things about going to school: be kind to your roommate, call home often and never walk alone at night.
(02/19/24 12:11am)
Entering college is an opportunity to explore yourself and your future. It is a chance to form new connections, explore new interests, to possibly redefine who you are in a new environment. This is beneficial in a social sense, but attempting to apply this principle in an academic context is more difficult at UNC, especially regarding choosing your major.
(10/11/10 3:08am)
Elie Wiesel said he has spent his entire adult life fighting indifference.
(09/30/10 3:18am)
Thousands of students could be locked into paying for health insurance that they do not want unless they waive out of the University’s mandatory health insurance program today.
(04/14/10 5:24am)
Although she was the lone contender in the race for speaker of Student Congress, sophomore Deanna Santoro is anything but isolated.And in her first full meeting as speaker of the 92nd session of Student Congress, Santoro said she will strive to make student government’s legislative branch more inclusive and transparent.On April 7, the political science and psychology major was elected the third speaker of the 2009-10 academic year. Sophomore Dakota Williams served as speaker for most of the spring semester following Joe Levin-Manning’s resignation from the post in November.
(04/06/10 3:00am)
During Student Congress’ full- body meeting Monday night, members voted for a bill that will shorten the student election season from 28 days to 21 days.
The bill, which was introduced by Student Body President Jasmin Jones, is designed to cut down on voter fatigue and reduce campaign costs.
The election law change will also decrease the amount of money that candidates can spend on their elections to reflect the abbreviated, three-week election season. The bill includes the following reductions in funding for candidates:
-Student body president candidates: from $400 to $300
-Carolina Athletic Association: from $400 to $300
-Residence Hall Association president: from $250 to $200
-Graduate and Professional Student Federation president: from $250 to $200
-Senior class officers: from $150 to $100
-Student congress candidates: from $20 to $15
-Homecoming court candidates: from $150 to $100
Jones called the bill a compromise with Congress after she vetoed a bill passed by members that eliminated runoff elections, which occur when no candidate gathers a majority of votes. A bill to override the veto failed during Monday’s meeting.
“I think this is going to be a wonderful system and, if it’s not liked, we’ll change it next year,” Jones said. “This is trial and error.”
Congress members also approved the following executive branch officers during the meeting: Holly Boardman for student body vice president, Congress Speaker Dakota Williams for student body treasurer, Ian Lee for student body secretary and Sarah Core for student attorney general.
Student Congress voted on Lee’s nomination twice. His nomination failed the first time with 15 “yes” votes, 4 “no” votes and 5 abstentions. Some members voiced concerns about the selection process for secretary, which representative Lee Storrow said was not transparent enough.
With 24 members in attendance, Lee needed at least 16 “yes” votes to receive the two-thirds vote required for an approval. Abstentions are counted as “no” votes.
Lee was later confirmed with 17 “yes” votes after Storrow motioned for a reconsideration.
Williams’ nomination as student body treasurer also barely passed. Exactly two-thirds of the body voted for him.
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(03/31/10 4:10am)
Student Congress committees met Tuesday and discussed reforming elections and approving executive branch nominations.Student body electionsThe rules and judiciary committee voted 4-2 to report favorably a bill that would decrease the length of the election season from 28 days to 21 days.The bill, introduced by Student Body President Jasmin Jones, would also decrease the spending limits of candidates to reflect the decreased time candidates would have to campaign.If passed, the bill would change the following amounts:-Student body president candidates: decrease from $400 to $300-Carolina Athletic Association: decrease from $400 to $300-Residence Hall Association president: decrease from $250 to $200-Graduate and Professional Student Federation president: decrease from $250 to $200-Senior class officers: decrease from $150 to $100-Student congress candidates: decrease from $20 to $15-Homecoming court candidates: decrease from $150 to $100Jones said the bill was meant to make the election season less costly and more efficient.Jones also said this bill was a compromise with Student Congress members, who passed a bill last week to reform election laws by eliminating runoffs in situations where no candidate receives a majority of votes — a bill Jones said she will veto.The new bill will go to full Congress on Tuesday.Officer appointmentsThe committee also reported favorably all of the Executive Branch officer nominations for the 2010-11 school year.The nominations were Holly Boardman for student body vice president, Dakota Williams for student body treasurer, Ian Lee for student body secretary and Sarah Core for student attorney general.The candidates answered questions from Congress members about their future obligations and goals for the position.They must be confirmed by full Congress at next week’s meeting.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(03/24/10 3:48am)
Student Congress took another step toward making runoff elections a thing of the past Tuesday night.Members passed a bill that could allow students to rank candidates for student body president by preference and eliminate runoffs for the position.While the bill is not likely to become law — Student Body President Jasmin Jones has said she will veto it — the legislation passed the body by a slim margin of victory and represented significant support for a reformed elections system.ElectionsCongress members voted 17 to 15 in favor of eliminating runoffs for student government offices, excluding congressional elections.“I think the bill simplifies the election process, and it makes it more democratic, which ultimately is in the best interest for the student body at UNC,” said representative Lee Storrow, who introduced the bill.Some of the bill’s goals include cutting down on voter fatigue and behind-the-scenes dealings in the week between elections and runoff elections, which take place every year in February.But multiple Congress members expressed concern about the potential effects of the proposed system.Cutting out runoffs would decrease the time voters could deliberate on the candidates they want to pick, said representative Mark Lachiewicz.“In my opinion, the argument for the instant runoff system was to shorten the election season,” Lachiewicz said. “I think you can shorten the election season by shortening the campaign time rather than moving to (instant runoff voting).”He also said this new system of voting could change how student organizations make endorsements.“Endorsements would come in a rank system, which in my opinion is a sloppy way of doing business,” Lachiewicz said. “I hope Jasmin vetoes it.”Jones has 10 school days to veto the legislation before it becomes law.More feesCongress voted against putting a referendum for increasing the student activities fee before voters. The bill was meant to raise money for Congress, which had to cut numerous groups’ requests for funding during the annual budget process this year.The referendum would have allowed students to vote whether to increase the student activities fee from $39 to $42. A $6 increase to the same fee was defeated in the Feb. 9 election.Web publicationsCongress also passed a bill that will allow publications that provide online editions to seek additional funding beyond what print-only publications can receive. This bill’s goal is to provide a monetary incentive to encourage publications to produce more online editions — resulting in increased online readership and reduced printing costs.Budget processMembers voted to change the annual budget process for student groups seeking money from Congress. Next year, the annual budget appropriations process in the spring will distribute 35 percent of the available money and the rest during subsequent appropriations.Currently, annual budget appropriations account for 80 percent of the budget, and subsequent appropriations distribute 20 percent.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(03/17/10 4:32am)
Student Congress committees debated several bills Tuesday that could affect how student groups obtain money in the future.These bills will be voted on at next week’s full-body Congress meeting.Some of the bills are intended to correct the current problems with the budgetary process.“We’re trying to make it easier for everyone to understand and get funding,” said Dakota Williams, Student Congress’ speaker.Money was especially tight in this year’s annual budget. Organizations submitted requests for a total of about $945,000. Student Congress pared these requests down to fit its $365,000 budget.Committee members discussed bills on the following subjects:Increased feesThis bill would allow the student body to vote on a referendum regarding raising student fees. If the full Congress approves the bill, students would vote whether to increase the student activities fee from $39 to $42.A $6 increase to the same fee was defeated in the Feb. 9 election. Williams said he thought it would be easier to pass a smaller fee increase.If the proposed bill is passed by full Congress, students would vote on it by April 25. The bill was reported favorably by members to full Congress.Budget processThis bill would decrease the percentage of money available during the annual budget process.Under the current system, 80 percent of the funds is distributed in the annual appropriations process and the rest during subsequent appropriation throughout the year.With the proposed system, subsequent appropriations would increase to 65 percent of the general reserve and the annual budget would drop to 35 percent.During the annual budget process, many groups’ requests were cut because they did not have specific events and speakers arranged. “That’s a long time to be planning ahead for groups that might not have leadership yet for next year,” Williams said. He added that placing an emphasis on subsequent appropriations would allow groups more time to plan events and request funding.The bill was reported favorably by members to full Congress.Online publicationsThis bill would provide a monetary incentive to encourage publications to produce more online editions. Under the new system, a publication would receive additional funding if it prints online issues. The goals of this new system are to encourage online reading and reduce printing costs.“Hopefully this is taking us in the direction of eventually phasing out print publications,” said representative Alex Mills, who introduced the bill.The bill was reported favorably by members to full Congress.Elections systemCongress also debated a new way of conducting elections. Under the proposed voting system, student could rank their choices for student body president and eliminate the need for runoffs.A similar system is already in place at N.C. State University.Student Body President Jasmin Jones has said she will veto the legislation. It already went before full Congress, which sent it back to the rules and judiciary committee for further tweaking.Some members raised concerns about whether the system would function correctly, or if it is necessary.The bill was reported without prejudice to full Congress, meaning members did not recommend it either favorably or unfavorably.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(02/15/10 5:58am)
Student groups are asking for more money from the University as outside funding is drying up because of the economy.The Student Congress finance committee will begin its review of funding for student groups today, cutting an average of two-thirds of each group’s requests to fit this year’s budget. This year, organizations submitted requests for a total of about $945,000. Student Congress has a budget of $365,000 to fund requests for the year.
(02/10/10 7:20am)
Forty-one new members of Student Congress were elected to serve in the 2010-11 legislative branch of student government on Tuesday night.Congress allocates money through an annual budget process and throughout the year during the subsequent appropriations process. Congress allocated about $364,000 during the 2009-10 annual budget.Members must serve on one of the following committees: ethics, finance, rules and judiciary and student affairs. Congress meets weekly.
(02/04/10 6:02am)
Student fees could climb higher if voters approve three new referendums in Tuesday’s elections.
(02/03/10 5:46am)
Members of Student Congress voted Tuesday to approve former speaker and current student body president candidate Joe Levin-Manning’s appointment to a seat on the ethics committee.Levin-Manning has had run-ins with the committee this year. Several Congress members — the majority of whom support a rival campaign — have questioned his leadership of the body in light of his current bid for the executive office.A group of five Student Congress members filed an ethics complaint on Nov. 19, four days before Levin-Manning resigned as speaker, complaining he did not behave ethically or competently in the role.Three now work for student body president candidate Nash Keune’s campaign.The complaint was dropped when Levin-Manning resigned as speaker. He was named to the ethics committee Tuesday because a seat was vacated when another member decided to study abroad. The Student Code required that the senior-most member, Levin-Manning, fill the committee’s open seat.“I’m not sure if he’s of the ethical standing to be on the ethics committee,” said finance committee chairman Zach Dexter, one of the original claimants who is working for Keune.The ethics complaint argued Levin-Manning rarely attended committee meetings, failed to preserve decorum and did not consult proper procedure for conducting meetings.In addition to the ethics complaint, two members of Congress filed a lawsuit against Levin-Manning in November, claiming he misinterpreted the law and changed the outcome of a vote. One works for Keune.Deanna Santoro, rules and judiciary committee chairwoman during Levin-Manning’s term and a supporter of Hogan Medlin for student body president, said Levin-Manning did not attend committee meetings and made unpopular rulings.But Levin-Manning said the complaint was not justified and that parts of it were taken out of context.“I think that certain people were just very unhappy that I was elected speaker, especially when I made decisions that they didn’t necessarily agree with,” he said. Anthony Dent, one of the claimants and a supporter of Keune, said an investigation of the former speaker’s term would have been important in light of Levin-Manning’s current campaign.Another Congress member and Keune supporter said the complaint could foreshadow his ability to lead as student body president.“I don’t think he deserves to be president because of the ethics complaint and his term as speaker,” said Justin Crowder, another one of the claimants also working for Keune.Not all Congress members agreed. Tyler Aiken, candidate for senior class president and Keune supporter, said he thought the complaint was valid but that Levin-Manning was an effective leader.Levin-Manning said he doesn’t think the complaint would adversely affect his campaign.“If people really look at the complaint, I’ve done nothing wrong,” he said.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(01/21/10 5:43am)
Correction (1:13 a.m. Jan. 22):Due to a reporting error, and earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Student Congress representative Lee Storrow voted in favor of appropriating student fee money to the Communication Studies Graduate Student Association and ScreenArts. He actually voted against funding the groups. The story has been changed to reflect the correction. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error.Student Congress appropriated almost $9,000 of student fee money Tuesday to a graduate student group, even though representatives could not agree on whether the group qualified for funding.The significant appropriation to an organization closely tied to an academic department spurred debate among members in regard to the types of programs student fees should fund.The money was directed to the Communication Studies Graduate Student Association and ScreenArts, which work closely with the Department of Communication Studies to plan events.Members of Congress seemed unsure as to whether they had the authority to fund programs associated with academic departments and about the degree to which the group fell into that category.“My major concern with the bill was that it felt like we were subsidizing an academic department,” said representative Maggie Zhou, who voted against giving the group the money.The graduate student group received $8,650 of a $10,000 request to produce the 2010 “Media Makers Series.” The money will be used to host speakers and put on presentations as part of the 13-event series, which will take place from January through April.According to Title V of the Student Code, only student groups recognized by the Division of Student Affairs can receive money from Congress, which would bar academic departments from receiving money. But there is no rule prohibiting student groups tied to academic departments from receiving money.There was disagreement among Congress representatives about the nature of the graduate student group and whether it was too closely tied to the department. Members said it can be difficult to discern the difference between a student group and an academic program.“I think it’s a gray area as to whether or not it’s academic,” Speaker Dakota Williams said.Representative Lee Storrow, who voted against giving the group the money and asked that the amount be reduced, said he was apprehensive about the total cost of the request.“I thought the appropriation was higher than the merit of the event dictated,” he said.It was also unclear to representatives how many people would attend the series, an issue that often factors into Congress’s decision to provide funding for an event.“I was concerned that it’s going to be the same 100 to 200 people that attend each event in the series,” Zhou said.The series will cost approximately $30,000, but the group raised money to supplement what it received from Congress.Congress allocated about $32,600 to student groups during Tuesday’s meeting. This sum amounts to 43.5 percent of Congress’ spring semester budget.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(12/01/09 5:50am)
Correction (Dec. 2 12:55 a.m.): Due to a reporting error, this story incorrectly identifies the committee that has provided $8,020 for the bus tracking equipment. The student safety and security committee within student government provided the money. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error.
(11/19/09 5:23am)
Students will soon have another option to safely walk home on campus and to Greek housing during the late hours of school nights.The program, SafeWalk, is a student government initiative to improve campus safety by providing students with trusted peers to walk them home at night. It is modeled after a program that has been in place at the University of California-Berkeley for decades.The program will accept applications for paid walking buddies until Nov. 30.Once the program begins on Jan. 11, students will be able to contact a dispatcher in the Undergraduate Library or sign up on the program’s Web site for SafeWalkers to walk with them.Walkers will work in groups of two, one woman and one man, and will bike to meet the student on campus. The two will then dismount and walk the student home or to a desired campus location.Walkers — who will be trained by the Department of Public Safety — will be paid $8 per hour. The program will be free for all students to use, and they will be able to use it as often as they want.Organizers said they hope to hire 30 to 40 students to work as walkers — about six per night. The program will run from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. from Sunday to Thursday.It will be funded by about $11,323 from the student safety and security committee and $8,870 from the Student Library Advisory Board. About 96 percent of these funds will be returned to students as wages, said Jonathan Tugman, student body secretary.“It’s student-run, student-driven, students helping students,” he said.Tugman, who is also one of the program’s organizers, said SafeWalk will be ideal for students who do not want to wait for the P2P.He said the program will be more convenient for short distances and will be able to go places not served by the P2P van or the library shuttle.“We have a very good transportation system, but there are gaps in the coverage,” he said.Former Student Body President J. J. Raynor began the push for a walking program to improve campus safety.A March survey conducted by student government indicated that 70 percent of students said areas of campus made them feel unsafe and that they would feel safer walking with DPS-trained students.Junior Christina Lynch, one of the program’s founders, said the goal is to find “a stranger you’d want to walk with, someone you’d feel safe with.”The group is looking for applicants who are responsible, personable and lack a criminal record.At the moment, the program will only extend to campus locations, but program organizers want to expand to off-campus locations as soon as possible.Students interviewed Wednesday were ambivalent about whether they would use the service since many said there were usually other people walking at the same time.“Usually there are other students walking around, but if it’s just myself, I feel a lot less safe,” said senior Caitlin Leach.How to sign up
(11/17/09 5:29am)
Student Congress members have diverted attention from their traditional duties of funding groups and representing the student body.This year’s members have filed several lawsuits against each other and other members of student government in a flurry faculty adviser Jon Curtis called “unusual.” In the last week: Two members of Student Congress filed a lawsuit against Speaker Joe Levin-Manning, Levin-Manning filed a lawsuit against the Board of Elections that another member had considered filing but decided against and the board’s chairman said things are being blown out of proportion. Pieces of legislation have been delayed, grudges have been held and one member, annoyed by the bickering, has left the body all together.Members have pointed to the inexperience of the 91st session, a confusing Student Code and a passionate group of individuals who won’t let issues drop as the reasons for argumentative sessions and increased legal activity. “Everyone wants to put in their two cents about it, but no one really has a full understanding about it,” said Congress member Tyler Aiken.The lawsuits revolve around a bill that appropriated $2,095 to Students for a Democratic Society on Nov. 10.The suit against Levin-Manning, filed Wednesday, claims that he misinterpreted Congress rules while presiding over the last meeting, changing the outcome of the vote.Levin-Manning’s suit, filed Monday, is against the chairman of the Board of Elections, who Levin-Manning alleges incorrectly administered the Nov. 5 special election. Because he believed the election to be invalid, he refused to let two newly elected members vote, which could have changed the close SDS vote.Student Body President Jasmin Jones has not signed the bill into law yet, and the lawsuits are awaiting hearings from the Student Supreme Court. There is a chance that the bill will be overturned depending on the outcome of both cases.“We’re getting into meatier legislation, legislation with more consequences, so that would naturally increase the level of animosity,” said Congress member Anthony Dent.While Congress members’ attitudes might have something to do with the problem, they could also be attributed to a complex and sometimes contradictory Student Code that hasn’t been seriously revised in 10 years.“I don’t think that the problem is with members of Student Congress misunderstanding the Code,” said Kevin Kimball, Congress’ parliamentarian, who is charged with helping Congress follow the rules.“I think the problem is that the Code is unclear and sometimes contradicts itself.”Some of the confusion can also be chalked up to inexperience. Of the 41 members of Congress, only two served in the organization last year.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(11/05/09 4:36am)
For nine candidates, winning today’s Homecoming election is about more than taking home a crown.Whoever is named this year’s king and queen at Saturday’s football game will receive money from the Carolina Athletic Association to complete a service project next semester.“They should be somebody students are proud of to represent them, along with having a good service project,” said Courtney Brown, Homecoming director for the CAA.This year’s project proposals include sponsoring cooking lessons for students with developmental disabilities and offering arts classes to local schools that have suffered from budget cuts.Jeremy Crouthamel, last year’s Homecoming king, said his win was a great opportunity to represent Carolina and expand on a project he had wanted to do.“I got to do some cool things I wouldn’t be able to experience in any other way,” he said.Crouthamel, who teaches 11th grade in Durham, is using the money he will receive to fund a presentation to raise awareness of gang activity.Brown said because Saturday’s game is against Duke, there has been increased hype for this year that could increase voter turnout.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(10/27/09 5:17am)
Student Congress will vote today on whether to retroactively appropriate money to the student government’s executive branch for a tailgate event held before Thursday’s football game.Because Student Body President Jasmin Jones missed the Oct. 10 deadline for submitting her $667.20 appropriations request, it might be more difficult for her to secure the money.Congress members must approve retroactive appropriations by a two-thirds majority instead of the simple majority required to pass a bill before an event takes place, meaning it will be more challenging for Jones to receive approval.Organizers said about 800 students attended the event, which was co-hosted by student government and several other organizations.Student Congress has already made one retroactive appropriation this year, $1,325 to Carolina Students for Life for a debate that was happening at the same time as the Congress meeting. Only 138 people attended the debate.Congress Speaker Joe Levin-Manning said the fact Jones’ request is retroactive will probably not matter, because in most cases Congress approves funding requests with a large majority.“Almost every funding request we’ve had has been passed by over two-thirds,” he said.But Levin-Manning said he cannot predict how members will vote.“Congress sometimes surprises me,” Levin-Manning said.The tailgate cost a total of $9,912.20, and the executive branch committed to providing $667.20 of that amount. The rest was funded by seven other organizations and student groups on campus, including the Rams Club, the Carolina Athletic Association and Carolina Fever.Student government’s $667.20 contribution will help pay for maintenance, table transportation and security costs relating to the tailgate. “The money that we asked for from Congress went to fund the aspects that would directly affect the success of the event for the entire student body,” said Meggie Staffiera, senior class president and one of the event’s organizers.Jones said the executive branch already pledged to contribute the money to event organizers and will have to look for alternative sources of funding if the request is denied.As part of the finance committee’s appropriation process, Jones attended the committee meeting on Oct. 19 to present the request on behalf of the executive branch. But because the committee did not have a majority of members present, the meeting was not considered official.Members who were present made a motion to report the request favorably for today’s finance committee meeting.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.