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(04/23/09 4:00am)
Slightly more than a week after the University released a set of emergency budget guidelines the guidelines have been updated to place additional strictures on spending at UNC.The guidelines which are derived from statewide budget limits mandated April 9 by Gov. Bev Perdue detail allowable expenditures as state officials struggle to manage North Carolina's budget crunch.Tuesday's amendments tighten some limits even further. Notable updates include prohibiting even promotions that do not include a salary increase and encouraging departments to keep overtime hours to a minimum.The revisions even address such topics as ordering office supplies with state funds — not allowed unless the entire campus runs out.The amendments detail new exceptions to the previous set of guidelines such as permission to hire staff who won't begin work until the start of the next fiscal year not originally mentioned.UNC's guidelines also allow for the possibility of instructional expenses" which must be approved by the Office of State Budget and Management.But to what extent such exemptions will be granted remains to be seen.""I think it's partly just reflected that there's been a change"" said Jean Folkerts, dean of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.Initially" there was more of a feeling that there would be more exemptions for instructional purposes" and the more recent feeling is that there will not be any exemptions at all.""Folkerts said the journalism school's financial advisers found that exemption requests generally had been denied at the state level" although the school has received permission for at least one exemption related to the building of a new high-definition television studio. Smaller requests are still pending.Mike McFarland director of University communications" stated in an e-mail that the restrictions still are too recent and too subject to change to gauge the success of such requests.Among the most drastic limits is the freezing of hiring for staff positions unless a candidate already had been selected and informed of their start date and salary before April 9.""The state-funded positions that were open have been treated as the budget guidelines call for"" said Kathy Bryant, communications director for UNC's Human Resources.Even departments less directly affected by hiring constraints are being forced to cut costs.UNC's Department of Housing and Residential Education pays its employees through student housing fees and is thus not subject to staff hiring restrictions. But Director Larry Hicks said the department is trimming its budget nonetheless.It's not like we're immune"" Hicks said. We've cut back on our capital projects.""I think it's a tough situation all around.""Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(04/07/09 4:00am)
UNC's Carolina Covenant scholarship program is succeeding in increasing low-income students' retention and graduation rates a new report shows.The Covenant program which began in 2004 and saw its first graduating class last spring provides financial aid and other support services to students from low-income backgrounds.About 1500 students currently are enrolled in the program with just more than 400 scholars in the Fall 2008 entering class.The report released last week compares the performance of the 2004 incoming Covenant class with that of 2003 incoming students who would have been eligible for the scholarship.About 5 percent more Covenant scholars remained enrolled by their fourth year and about 5 percent more graduated within eight semesters.And although Covenant scholars' eight- and nine-semester graduation rates still lag behind their wealthier peers' their average GPA at graduation time is just about even.And that officials say" means Carolina Covenant is working.""Oh" the report was outstanding" said Fred Clark, academic coordinator for the program. It produced results much greater than what I had expected … I think that we are doing a lot of the right things.""An official report on exactly why the program is succeeding is expected to be available by this fall" but in the meantime officials have their own theories.First the makeup of the Covenant financial aid package — 87 percent grants with 7 percent loans and 6 percent work study — has been shown to have a positive impact on low-income students' academic success according to the report.Shirley Ort associate provost for scholarships and student aid suggested that large grants relieve students from loan worries.Annadele Herman a Covenant scholar also said UNC's work-study jobs pay better than other schools' and flexible supervisors and on-campus locations allow students to focus on their educations.But officials and students alike said Covenant's success is due to much more than simply giving students financial aid.Often generated from students' ideas additional programs include faculty staff and peer mentoring workshops on such topics as study skills and dining etiquette and social events.Clark and assistant coordinator Michael Highland also meet one-on-one with dozens of students a week to check in" often over lunch at Top of the Hill.Ort said it is this kind of attention to students that has really been key to the program's success.Herman had the same opinion.""They don't just say" ‘Here's the money; good luck""" she said. ""There's also this system behind it of people who care if you make it.""Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(02/09/09 5:00am)
Joshua Siddens began his 2008 campaign as a write-in candidate for Student Congress in plenty of time to carry his district's election.He started the afternoon of election day.""He decided at lunch"" said Siddens' friend and impromptu campaign manager, current Board of Elections Chairman Ryan Morgan. The two had noticed there were no official candidates in the race.So we got 10 votes the rest of the day. Neither me nor him voted for him because we'd voted in the morning"" Morgan said.Siddens won by one vote.Student Congress distributes seats based on where students live and distinguishes between undergraduate and graduate students.In districts with more open seats than declared candidates — or with so many candidates running that the vote might be split — it can be easy for a write-in to win on a whim.Three districts — 16 seats total — have no candidates at all. Three more have fewer candidates than seats.Though there's often no way to tell ahead of time, Tuesday's election might see numerous undeclared candidates vying for office along with those on the ballot. Candidates who are unable to garner the signatures required to make it on the official ballot also might run as write-ins, although several such candidates this year said they instead will pursue other activities.Former Student Congress candidate Leo Lopez, who did not get the 20 signatures needed to make it on the ballot, said he isn't interested in a write-in campaign. Like Siddens last year, Lopez lives in the middle campus district, but this year there is competition for the only seat.I think it's a little late for that"" Lopez said.Under the Student Code, write-in candidates are subject to the same rules as declared candidates, but are not required to announce their candidacy formally or to attend mandatory candidate meetings.Their campaign budgets are capped at the same amount as declared candidates' — $20 for a Congress race. Both must submit campaign financial statements.Write-in candidates who do campaign might do so casually. Siddens said solicited votes from whomever he encountered in a walk through his residence hall. And some winning write-in candidates don't even know they're in the race. UNC basketball player Tyler Hansbrough has been a frequent write-in pick. The Code requires a write-in candidate to be uniquely identified"" by a voter when voting"" with at least the candidate's first and last names.But if you can't remember how to spell ""Hansbrough"" on Tuesday" don't worry — as long as the candidate can be identified the name doesn't have to be spelled right.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(02/01/09 5:00am)
With two months to go before Relay For Life UNC organizers are coming up with a wealth of other ways for students to raise awareness and money from eating to strutting on the catwalk to yes spooning.The annual relay event to be held April 3-4 is just one of many similar events held nationwide to raise money for the American Cancer Society.Fundraising chairwoman Megan Sappenfield said UNC's Relay-related fundraising efforts already have made $30000. As of this weekend 575 participants in 128 teams had registered for the event — triple the number of team members who had signed up by this point last year.But the event's organizers say that while Relay is the centerpiece of their fundraising campaign" they will be offering plenty of additional chances for the University community to get involved.""We have some special surprises in store" because we just want people to see how fun Relay is and remember why they do it" Sappenfield said.The biggest is Relay Rally, which will span the week of Feb. 16. As the last big recruitment push before the Feb. 20 registration deadline, it will serve as an opportunity for volunteers to flood the Pit and dining halls in search of participants.Relay's leaders also have lined up a blitz of bar and restaurant nights, in which establishments donate their cover charge or a portion of their proceeds for the evening to the cause.The most recent was a well-attended night at Players on Saturday, said Spencer Busby, the event's organizer. Other locations include Ben and Jerry's on Feb. 11 and the Library on Feb. 17.Event Chairwoman Krista Pool said other events are in the works but dates have not been set yet. These events include a fashion show, a battle of a cappella groups and a spoon train — a line of people cuddling.We're stepping out of our boundaries this year and trying something new"" Pool said of the last — an official attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the Longest Spoon Train, set at 127 by Notre Dame University.She added that either participants would pay to spoon, or pay a general admission price that would include food, live music and a T-shirt.But the events are not aimed solely at raising money and registering Relayers. Campus Outreach Chairwoman Lindsey Carpenter said the committee also will sponsor cancer awareness programs, including an outdoor event called Slip" Slap" Slop and Slide"" to educate students on skin cancer prevention.And because teams also raise funds on their own" many more Relay-related events likely will pop up throughout the next two months.Students faculty staff and community members can sign up at uncrelay.org.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(01/28/09 5:00am)
By Elisabeth GilbertStaff WriterStudent body president candidate Michael Betts II has a grin and a quick answer ready when asked what makes him different from the other five candidates: ""You mean"" besides being a sophomore?""He has a lot more to say after that. But that's the first thing.""It's not actually as unusual as people would like to make it sound. It's been done"" Betts said. But it was done 22 years ago.""He said he wants to serve as president his junior year so he can be available as a resource to the next administration his senior year.So Betts said he will not seek a second term if elected and will not run next year if he falls short. ""This is my one shot"" he said.He is an active member of the finance committee of Student Congress, most notably introducing a bill to increase oversight dramatically for student groups seeking funding appropriations from Congress.The bill passed in last night's committee meeting. It will come before the full Congress Tuesday.But Betts isn't totally new to executive politics: he served as student body president of Grimsley High School in his native Greensboro.Bringing those experiences are things that make me qualified — more than qualified — to do this job"" he said.And with a platform as ambitious as his, Betts will need that experience if he does become president.His platform's centerpiece is an aggressive student-led fund-raising campaign called Project One. Betts said he envisions the campaign as working similarly to Dance Marathon, with students hosting campus events and pledging service hours to raise cash. The student body then would have a say in where that money would go.Among the other goals listed in his 32-page platform are instating a leadership minor, launching a new peer mentoring program, hiring a study abroad adviser for minority students and getting an Alpine Bagel Cafe inside Davis Library.And Betts claims to have done his homework. He said he has discussed his ideas with University officials including Chancellor Holden Thorp, Provost Bernadette Gray-Little, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Margaret Jablonski — and, of course, Paul Hartley, manager of Alpine Bagel.Paul literally wanted to get up and go build it the day we did that" Betts said.Betts says he can easily achieve 85 percent of his platform in one year.He hopes to advise the next administration in polishing off or continuing whatever is left of his original goals.And his supporters say they are confident that they'll be happy with the results.I think that he is very committed very active and he is very passionate about the stuff that he does and the things that he takes to be important" said Tanner Allison, general director of Psalm 100, in which Betts sings bass.By Betts' account, Allison is certainly right about the active part.I like to say there are 26 hours in the day"" Betts said. And I work 30 of those.""Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(01/26/09 5:00am)
Months after the national election Democrats and Republicans are fighting another heated battle — this time for seats in Student Congress.In recent years members and observers of Congress have acknowledged the presence of a powerful conservative faction in the organization.Now UNC Young Democrats are launching what their leaders call their largest Congress effort ever.For the first time the group will announce between 10 and 15 endorsements for Congress races at its forum tonight along with its usual student body president pick.Co-president Charlie Sellew said the organization's leaders interviewed about 17 potential candidates for the endorsements.An informal campaign adviser will help organize Young Democrats members to campaign for the endorsed candidates.Sellew said the group's experience in last year's state and national elections has given members solid experience in communicating candidates' messages and getting students to vote.But Co-president Justin Rosenthal and Sellew said the group's effort is nonpartisan and has been more focused on endorsement than recruitment.Meanwhile recruitment is business as usual for College Republicans.Duke Cheston administrative vice chairman of the College Republicans and an off-campus Congress candidate said he is in charge of organizing conservative-leaning students to run for seats.Cheston said he is unsure how many of this year's candidates were tapped by College Republicans but he said he personally recruited about four" including one Libertarian.""The only thing we care about" as far as Student Congress is fiscal responsibility Cheston said. If Democrats care about fiscal responsibility" we're more than willing to work with them.""Bryan Weynand" Congress speaker pro tem and editor of the conservative Carolina Review magazine" said College Republicans often are concerned with smart spending and see Congress as a good fit for their interests.Opinions vary as to how much real-world political ideology matters in Student Congress.""There's not really killing babies or taking away the Second Amendment or anything" Cheston said.But Cheston is not the first to express concern that an influx of liberal representatives might block funding for conservative groups and events.Rosenthal said he thinks that such fears are misplaced and that liberal representatives won't base their votes on ideology.Sellew said that Young Democrats will not be endorsing only Democrats and that his group simply hopes for a wide variety of political viewpoints to be present in Congress.If the body's going to represent students it has to represent the diversity of students that we have at Carolina" Sellew said. I think in the past it hasn't really done that.""Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(10/09/08 4:00am)
Student Congress' ethics investigation into Concept of Colors will focus on whether the funding request members presented was justified not on group treasurer Shaniqua McClendon's personal integrity.The investigation was announced Tuesday after evidence surfaced suggesting that McClendon had intentionally inflated the modeling group's $7"535 funding request for an upcoming fashion show.Ethics committee chairwoman Charissa Lloyd said she hopes to hold the investigation within the next week. This is the first ethics investigation in about two years.McClendon and the other Concept of Colors officers will meet with the ethics committee to audit the request.""This group obviously is going to be looked at as innocent until proven guilty"" Congress Speaker Tim Nichols said.The controversy began when students in McClendon's business class reported to Congress that she told the class that she had embellished the budget numbers. McClendon's classmates said she talked about inflating the numbers she presented to the Congress finance committee on Sept. 30 so the group could still get all it needed even if its budget got slashed. McClendon said she tailored the details of the story on the spot as part of a class assignment but did not lie either to Congress or to her class.Officials said rumors of student groups inflating their funding requests, which are paid for by student fees, are not new. But this case is the first in which students have brought evidence to Congress.We never caught anyone ‘red-handed"' and that's what the ethics investigation is looking into with this group Nichols said.He added that he thinks the investigation will deter other group leaders who might be seeking to pad their funding requests unnecessarily.Congress representative Michael Betts also is drafting a bill to create a legislative audit budget board to prevent similar occurrences in the future.Nichols said the board would conduct an annual review to make sure groups had spent the money they received from Congress for the purpose defined in their requests.Funding use deemed inappropriate would lead to sanctions on future funding for the group in question.This is just going to make sure the money is being spent the way it was authorized to be spent" Betts said.Betts said he hopes to gain support and feedback for the bill and to introduce it at the next full Congress meeting in two weeks.Lloyd said Concept of Colors' request likely will have to be resubmitted to the finance committee, followed by full Congress, after the investigation concludes.McClendon said the request will not be changed, though group members said lesser-quality, less expensive items could have been requested.There's no need to change it"" McClendon said. It wasn't inflated in any way.""Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(10/02/08 4:00am)
The Employee Forum will consider whether to take legal action against UNC administrators for their refusal to run an article on collective bargaining in a 2007 edition of the University Gazette.The issue was one of several discussed at Wednesday's meeting that centered on what staff members feel is a lack of respect.""There are faculty" administrators on this campus who don't respect the staff employees" said delegate Mary Campbell.The forum has been in a dispute with University Relations since the summer of 2007, when delegates say their staff newsletter, InTouch, was unfairly censored because it contained an article on collective bargaining.At Wednesday's meeting, forum Vice Chairwoman and newsletter editor Brenda Denzler called for a special meeting to be held next week to allow delegates to discuss the issue with a representative from the American Civil Liberties Union.The forum then might decide to file a lawsuit against the University for what delegates call a violation of their First Amendment rights.Now is the time. Don't be afraid. Speak up"" Denzler said.She said the ACLU takes on 15 to 20 of the thousands of requests for assistance it receives annually.Employees also planned to make their voices heard on another issue, voting to send a letter to Chancellor Holden Thorp in support of UNC's housekeepers.Until Wednesday morning, housekeepers were embroiled in a dispute with administrators about whether they would be required to work during weekends.Unbeknownst to forum members, housekeepers had reached a compromise with the University earlier that morning.However, the discussions on controversial issues only constituted a small part of the meeting, which focused largely on formulating constructive suggestions for improving the University.Student Body President J.J. Raynor and Trustee John Ellison attended the meeting to solicit ideas for improving UNC, particularly in light of the 4,000 to 5,000 additional students expected to enroll in coming years.The staff at this University is really important to the success of this University"" Ellison told the delegates and guests, asking them how to combat high staff turnover rates and improve staff benefits without breaking the bank.Among their suggestions were providing free tuition for the children of faculty and staff members, making it easier for employees to get technical school degrees and better supporting those who take classes at UNC.You are a taxpayer and a voter" forum Secretary Mike Hawkins told the group in the wake of members' suggestions. This is your University" too.""Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(09/18/08 4:00am)
Though he's the Board of Elections' newest hire Val Tenyotkin already has three years of experience with the Student Code.Student Congress approved Ph.D. student Val Tenyotkin as vice chairman of student government's Board of Elections on Tuesday night.But with three years of service in Student Congress under his belt Tenyotkin is anything but a newbie.Ryan Morgan sophomore chairman of the BOE" said he is not intimidated by the new vice chairman's experience.""I'm actually really excited to have Val on our board"" he said.He probably knows more about the Student Code and election law than anybody else I know.""But the two already are revealing differing views on election law.Morgan said one of his major goals for the year is to revise election law in the Student Code"" clarifying terms such as ""group spending"" that he said are ambiguous.Tenyotkin said he thinks the revisions he helped make last semester clarified the Code sufficiently.""Last time we — and by we" I mean I — reviewed it I saw very little room for interpretation" Tenyotkin said.Tenyotkin, who started attending UNC as a physics graduate student in 2001 or 2002 (he can't remember which), said he joined Student Congress by accident.One of his friends saw a note in a graduate student forum encouraging grad students to run, and the two decided to give it a shot together.I got elected and kind of got swept in with all the fun" so to speak. Couldn't leave. For three years" Tenyotkin said.During his tenure, Tenyotkin served as finance committee chairman in 2006-07 and made an unsuccessful bid for speaker for the 2007-08 session.When asked what he thought his most significant contributions to Congress were, Tenyotkin began describing legislative debates with the air of a war veteran.Early last session, he helped defeat a measure that he said would effectively prevent any increases to student fees. It would have required two-thirds of representatives to vote to bring the eight Congress-controlled increases to a student referendum.Two-thirds of Congress can't agree on the color of the shirt we want to wear for that year of Congress"" he said.Though the measure passed Congress, it ultimately was vetoed.Later that fall, he opposed two measures that would have limited the stipends received by executive branch officials.Tenyotkin, who hopes to graduate in December, said he left Congress at the end of last session in order to focus on his thesis.But he said he missed being active in student government and decided to get involved with the Board of Elections, which has no returning members.Quite frankly"" he said, part of it — I was just nostalgic to do something useful.""Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(09/08/08 4:00am)
When a hurricane is on the horizon some people stock up on plywood or extra batteries. Local researchers break out computers.Rick Luettich is one of them. He's the primary investigator for UNC's Center of Excellence for the Study of Natural Disasters Coastal Infrastructure and Emergency Management" launched last week.Luettich helped develop a set of models collectively known as ADCIRC. The models primarily look at storm surge — ocean water pushed toward the shore by winds during a hurricane or other large storm.Such models are used before a storm to predict what might happen when it hits. Some of Luettich's predictions helped officials create advisories and forecasts for Tropical Storm Hanna this weekend.Luettich said he and other researchers worked with about 100 different models before Hurricane Gustav made landfall last week.""I was amazed at what they used the results for"" Luettich said. Officials in Louisiana checked the models to find spots where the worst flooding and damage were likely to occur. Then they were able to prioritize post-storm search-and-rescue efforts, make damage estimates and request federal aid in advance for areas that were likely to need it.In the future, Luettich said, ADCIRC will continue to develop, factoring in more advanced meteorological models and taking into account wave motion, rainfall and water from rivers.Researchers at the Renaissance Computing Institute, a joint initiative among UNC, Duke University and N.C. State University, also collected data from Hanna this weekend. They also are using ADCIRC models to look at storm surge.RENCI tracks storms at high resolution, using real-time data. We're specifically interested in … being able to see very precisely" down to neighborhood level where the risks of storm surge are and the risks of flooding" said Karen Green, RENCI's director for marketing and public relations.RENCI's computers overlay models of an approaching storm with a Google Earth map of the targeted area. By seeing how their predictions stack up against an actual storm, researchers hope to develop better models that will help predict what might happen in future disasters.Most of our work right now is to try to integrate different kinds of models and also to have very rich" high-resolution data on existing storms that researchers and emergency managers can then use" Green said.Luettich is heading up the Department of Homeland Security's $15 million research grant connected with the center. He said he thinks that money is only the beginning of UNC's research in this field.We will grow the center into something that UNC-Chapel Hill becomes known for."" Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(09/05/08 4:00am)
Student Congress' decision to fund a $5000 Carolina Students for Life event was not an unusual one representatives said Thursday.But the decision to give such a large amount has drawn criticism from student group leaders and from the general student body.The event - a large display including pictures of aborted fetuses" scheduled to be shown in Polk Place on Oct. 22 and 23 - received 10 percent of the legislative branch's fall semester budget.The allocation puts the event in the same league with large concerts and speakers of national profile.Those familiar with Congress said they consider it reasonable.""I mean" it's probably on the higher end but it's not uncommon former Speaker of Congress Tyler Younts said.Last year I think we spent $20000 on Boyz II Men" which hadn't had a hit since before I hit puberty.""Other large events representatives mentioned included last year's Homecoming concert featuring Augustana (to which Congress contributed $10"000) and John Ashcroft's 2006 speech ($10"000).""It's big" but at the same time we've had plenty of other groups ask for the same amount" Congress Speaker Tim Nichols said of the Carolina Students for Life request.Nichols said that because Congress has six more meetings and a public forum this semester, the amount (along with $750 given to another organization) was reasonable for one evening.I always do think first come" first served Nichols said. At the same time we are looking at saying you know where will this place us in the budget? As it stands right now" we're still in a great position.""Representatives also said Congress was more inclined to fund the proposal because they thought it was reasonable. Ethics committee chairwoman Charissa Lloyd said in an e-mail that Congress members thought the event merited that level of funding because it will span two days and be seen by thousands of students.Lloyd is a member of Carolina Students for Life. District 10 representative Ashley Tyndall is the organization's president and also presented the funding request to Congress.Nichols said Lloyd and Tyndall abstained from voting on the bill although no official tally was kept as is customary.But not everyone is happy with the decision. David Murray" press contact for Young Democrats" said members of his organization think the event's focus is too specific to merit the funds it received.""If you're going to use so much money" it shouldn't be so concentrated in just this one political value" Murray said. I think it's definitely a misuse of funds.""Some students said they wished the money could have gone to benefit a wider range of people.""I don't think that's a good use of student fees because I don't think all students paying fees would agree with that. It's a little controversial"" senior Erica Hiller said.She added that she thinks an event like Carolina Students for Life's should not be compared to concerts or lectures that Congress funds, because its audience is much narrower.First-year Ranjan Banerjee said Carolina Students for Life should be allowed to hold the event but should use its own money.I don't think it's appropriate to use student fees because everyone's opinion is not the same" Banerjee said. Then he reconsidered.I might not be comfortable" he said. But it's OK if you can bring in a speaker to say the same thing.""Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(09/02/08 4:00am)
The chancellor's office is reopening discussion about installing lights in Coker Arboretum for the first time in a decade.Ten years ago University officials decided that closing the Arboretum at night would be sufficient to keep students safe. But several robberies and assaults in the early 2000s and a new focus on campus safety have brought the issue to light again. Chancellor Holden Thorp announced to guests at his open forum Tuesday that he would look into the issue in response to a student's inquiry.Since then he has contacted North Carolina Botanical Garden officials who oversee the Arboretum to discuss the possible options.Potential drawbacks halted the last efforts to light the area.Jim Ward curator of the NCBG said campus officials and students last discussed lighting the Arboretum in response to an assault that took place there about 10 years ago.Campus officials eventually decided against adding lights instead opting to add lighting to Cameron Avenue and Raleigh Street near the Arboretum and erecting signs saying it is only open from dawn to dusk Ward said.Students have been periodically mugged or assaulted in the area since the decision. Incidents occurred in 199920012002 2003 and 2004. A student was stabbed to death in the Arboretum in 1965.Department of Public Safety spokesman Randy Young cited the lack of visibility in the Arboretum as a potential source of trouble that might persist even if lit.Trees and other plants can prevent pedestrians from getting a clear view around themselves he said.New lights within the Arboretum might also harm trees" Ward said. Trees growing near the lights might retain their leaves much longer than those in natural conditions because the evening brightness would ""fool"" them into a longer photosynthesizing period" he said.Ward said such mixed signals wouldn't kill the trees but might do noticeable damage.But he said" those problems wouldn't necessarily prohibit light installation.""I don't think the health of the Arboretum and the safety of the people in the area are mutually exclusive"" Ward said.The latest discussions come on the heels of other efforts to improve lighting and student safety, particularly the addition of new blue-light call boxes to off-campus sites.For now, students should consider walking in groups along the surrounding streets or utilizing mass transit rather than cutting through the Arboretum at night, Young said.He added that DPS officials do not yet know what new safety guidelines they might put in place if lights were added and that it would depend on the lighting plan adopted.Electrical distribution could probably shed - pardon the expression - some light on that"" he said.Campus safety issues lit up by renovationsContact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(04/17/08 4:00am)
The first anniversary of the Virginia Tech shootings did not pass unnoticed for at least one group of volunteers.
About 60 people - and one dog - lay down in the center of Polk Place on Wednesday, many wearing Va. Tech T-shirts or ribbons. Each of their bodies represented one person killed by a gun in the U.S.
Volunteers abandoned bicycles and a wheelchair in the grass as another volunteer read the names of the 33 people killed at Va. Tech, including gunman Seung-Hui Cho.
(04/15/08 4:00am)
Community governor candidates are up for election today, but almost half the communities are not expected to see a race.
Of the 15 on-campus residence hall communities, just eight have more than one candidate vying for the office.
Candidates in three communities - Cobb, Manning East and Morrison - are running uncontested, while three other communities - Craige, Ehringhaus and Manning West - received no applicants.
Carmichael Residence Hall, which was closed this year, will hold a special election for governor in the fall along with Whitehead. Any unfilled positions also will be decided in that election.
Despite the low count of races, the numbers have improved since last year: Eight of the 13 positions initially available for the 2007-08 year were unfilled by fall, prompting the organization to hold special elections.
Residence Hall Association President Michael Miller said he sees the turnout as a sign of increased awareness of RHA.
"I think it's evident in the increased interest in the governor elections and a much better turnout in getting candidates in every community."
Candidates had one week to campaign before today's election, which will take place online from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at rha.unc.edu.
The governor is responsible for leading the community government, which funds and plans social and educational events for residents.
"The governor receives the training from RHA on everything RHA-related and then forms a government entirely on their own out of interest in residents from their community," Miller said. "Without a governor, I couldn't see a government functioning on its own."
Although candidates can run for the office only in the community in which they will live next year, residents must vote in the community in which they currently live.
Miller said this can pose a problem for potential candidates. Some students - especially rising sophomores - did not know at the time of the deadline where they would live next year, which shuts out possible applicants.
Elections will take place in all communities so that write-in candidates can run.
Incoming community governors will take office formally at the start of the fall semester.
Contact the University Editor
at udesk@unc.edu.
(03/20/08 4:00am)
Three hours after Students for a Democratic Society staged an anti-war protest, another group of students gathered in the Pit to protest injustice.
Julio Castillo and Manuel Pujols, workers in a Hanesbrands Inc. factory in the Dominican Republic, spoke to about 20 students about their experiences there - experiences they say have included illegal 12-hour workdays with insufficient pay and poor labor conditions.
"The company refuses to comply with what they promised workers over two years ago," Pujols said via a translator.
"We just want a just salary and just treatment, as worker's rights are human rights."
The men alleged that Hanes prevents workers from forming unions, pays them only $240 a month when they were promised $450 and has a workplace environment that includes loud machines and flying cotton fibers that cause hearing and lung problems for workers.
Pujols also said he faced threats from a company official's husband, who threatened to run him over with a car because he was active in trying to unionize.
The presentation was hosted by Student Action with Workers, a UNC student group devoted to workers' rights issues.
It was part of the organization's continued push to convince University officials to adopt the Designated Suppliers Program, a move Chancellor James Moeser declined in August.
Implementing the DSP would require the University to source most of its logo apparel - 75 percent in three years - from supplier factories that it has determined respect employees' rights.
Zack Knorr, international campaigns coordinator for United Students Against Sweatshops, said doubling workers' wages through such programs would increase the cost of a $40 UNC-logo shirt by $0.75.
About 40 public and private universities support the program, including Duke University, according to a Worker Rights Consortium Web site.
Moeser stated in August that after two years of deliberation, he ultimately had too many unanswered concerns about the DSP to accept it, particularly how it would operate and whether it would prove effective in improving the labor code situation.
He said the University will explore other means of disassociating itself from sweatshop labor.
But SAW organizer Salma Mirza said she still is frustrated with what she calls UNC officials' lack of response.
"It's just been really tough to try to get the chancellor's ear," she said. "But we're not going to stop."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(03/18/08 4:00am)
To say that the March 5 death of Student Body President Eve Carson has captured the attention of UNC students, employees and supporters is an understatement.
(02/21/08 5:00am)
UNC’s new emergency siren system is in place and will undergo additional testing this semester, University officials said.
(02/14/08 5:00am)
After her victory in the student elections Tuesday night, Student Body President-elect J.J. Raynor is starting to develop her game plan for the next month and a half until she takes office April 1.
One of Raynor's first major tasks will be assembling a Cabinet and the rest of her administration, which likely will be large, she said. Her campaign staff numbered about 300 people.
"I would like to have a large administration because I think the more people you have involved, the more you can get done and the more people you can link into campus," Raynor said.
She said she thinks having a large campaign staff allowed her to connect with students from many different groups at UNC who might not ordinarily be interested in student government.
Michael McRae, Raynor's campaign manager for strategy, said Raynor has not yet filled those open positions.
"Some candidates promise positions to their campaign staff . but we decided that was an inappropriate thing to do," he said. "She really wants to get the best person who's qualified for the position."
Raynor said she plans to have an open application process and select the candidates who are most qualified and whose personalities will mesh most comfortably with hers.
To learn how to better prepare herself for this process, she plans to attend one of current Student Body President Eve Carson's Cabinet meetings Sunday to see how those members work together, she said.
And at a meeting with Carson today, she said she will focus on how to put together an administration and how she should lay out her timetable of tasks to complete during her year in office.
Raynor also must meet with other UNC and local officials to begin laying the groundwork for her ideas.
She said that in the coming weeks, she plans to start discussing with Larry Hicks, director of the Department of Housing and Residential Education, her plan to reserve space in residence halls for transfer students, so they can be closer to the center of campus.
Margaret Jablonski, vice chancellor for student affairs, and campus parking officials are also on her list of upcoming appointments.
Although she said the purpose of some of these meetings is to get the ball rolling early on a few of her platform points, she said she must develop a plan for who is going to be in charge of the rest of them, and when.
Raynor will choose the points she wants to handle personally and delegate the completion of others to committees once her administration is formed, she said.
"If you look at her platform, here's 50 pages of platform ideas," McRae said. "The most that she could do right now is refine her ideas. . She already made sure these ideas were feasible. Now it's time to start implementation."
Raynor said she will look to Carson and former Student Body President James Allred for advice as she heads into office.
"I really like James' diligence - he had a structure that allowed him to go point-by-point and just get things done. At the same time, I really admire Eve's personability," Raynor said. She added that she thinks Carson has made a good effort to increase openness in student government.
"Trying to mix the best of those two worlds will be important," she said. "I'm really excited to get to work."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(02/13/08 5:00am)
Photos from election night
Flanked by the large entourage that helped propel her to victory, J.J. Raynor emerged Tuesday night with a resounding victory in the student body president race, garnering 52 percent of the vote.
(02/13/08 5:00am)
Photos from election night