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(01/22/10 5:55am)
Monique Hardin, Hogan Medlin and Shruti Shah each gathered the signatures of support required to become certified candidates for student body president on Thursday night.The three will now begin campaigning for the general election, which will take place on Feb. 9. The other three candidates will work to become certified for a race that will likely include all six individuals.Each of the six candidates turned in more than the required 1,000 signatures, but Nash Keune, Joe Levin-Manning and Greg Strompolos were not certified after the Board of Elections declared some of their signatures invalid.Keune needs only two more valid signatures, Levin-Manning needs 18 and Strompolos needs 74.“It’s just a little speed bump, but it’s okay,” Strompolos said. “It’s not the end of the world. I just got 11 more on my way back from figuring out I wasn’t on the ballot.”Board of Elections chairman Pete Gillooly must announce the final list of candidates by 9 a.m. Monday, according to the Student Code, which outlines election law.Students who sign more than one petition for student body president render their names invalid on both. Gillooly said each of the six candidates had at least 100 invalid signatures on their petitions.The candidates gathered more than 7,000 valid signatures altogether. In comparison, 9,513 students cast votes in last year’s runoff election.Last year’s race also saw six candidates running for student body president, two of whom eventually competed in a runoff.Medlin gathered the greatest number of valid signatures, turning in more than 1,800.Forty students, aside from the student body president candidates, received certification for other elected offices, such as Carolina Athletic Association president, senior class president and student Congress representative.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu
(01/19/10 5:48am)
In recent years, Facebook has become a way for students to announce their opinions to the world on everything from political parties to six-pack abs.
(01/15/10 5:52am)
The University has selected four finalists to contend for the position of executive vice chancellor and provost.
(01/13/10 5:32am)
Six juniors declared their intent to run for student body president at the mandatory candidate meeting Tuesday night, kicking off the 2010 student government election race.Board of Elections chairman Peter Gillooly reviewed election law with all candidates and announced new regulations, including the allowance of “dorm-storming,” or campaigning in residence halls, for student body president and Carolina Athletic Association president candidates.Gillooly also announced that the University has identified large “A-frame” campaign signs as safety hazards. The Board of Elections will limit each candidate to two signs of a specified size.The sign limit came as a surprise to some student body president candidates, many of whom had been planning their campaigns throughout the fall semester.But Gillooly said he was only notified of the University’s decision within the last few days.“They said it was a safety violation,” he said. “It came from them.”The Board of Elections worked with the Office of Housing and Residential Education to craft the policy for campaigning in residence halls, which allows groups of fewer than 11 to enter a community to seek petition signatures between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday nights.Candidates running for student body president and Carolina Athletic Association president have until 5 p.m. Tuesday to gather 1,000 unique signatures each to get on the ballot. In the 2009 runoff election, 9,513 students cast votes.Current Student Body President Jasmin Jones told the candidates to prepare for a difficult race.“Get your gloves on and your multivitamins out,” she said. “For real everyone, take your multivitamins. I’m serious.”Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(01/12/10 5:11am)
Correction (March 30 10:53 pm): Due to a reporting error, the flowchart in this story misstates the number of signatures a student body president candidate needs to appear on the ballot. Each candidate needs 1,000 unique signatures. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error.
(12/09/09 4:39am)
This article was published in the 2009 Year in Review issue of The Daily Tar Heel.
(11/30/09 5:42am)
Every woman at UNC knows the statistic: Only about four of every 10 students on campus is male. But venture into the basement of Peabody Hall on a Tuesday night when Student Congress meets, and it’s a different story.Leaders say the way members are elected and the way individuals seek seats make the organization fail to demographically or ideologically represent the student body.Members remain divided as to whether this disconnect has an impact on the body’s fairness and effectiveness at distributing more than $350,000 in student fees to campus groups each year.“Demographically, just in terms of race and gender, I don’t think we represent the student body,” said Speaker Pro Tem Dakota Williams. “I don’t know why that is, but it’s probably an issue that should be addressed.”Williams said the large number of men — more than two-thirds of the organization — is particularly noticeable, but he’s not sure how he would go about including more women and minorities.“Ideally, we would be more representative and more proportional,” he said. “But I don’t know how to fix it, other than to encourage everyone to run.”Maggie Zhou, one of only four female undergraduate representatives, said she would like to see more women but is unsure if the gender divide has an impact on congressional politics.Zhou said she worries that the large numbers of men could potentially dissuade female members from joining.“There can definitely be a guy’s club atmosphere,” she said. “You want your representative body to be open to as many types of people as possible.”While Congress has faced criticism in past years for being too conservative, an organized group of Young Democrats were elected to the body last spring. Members said this group of five has shifted the organization leftward.Young Democrats has 732 UNC students paying dues this semester. Two members of Congress are registered members of the College Republicans, which has 98 dues-paying members on campus. These two, and one additional member, are also affiliated with the Carolina Review, a conservative publication on campus.Members maintain that the demographics of the group have no measurable impact on the body’s ability to distribute money to student groups and debate legislation.“I don’t think demographics necessarily play a role in judging cases that come before Congress,” said representative Anthony Dent, who is a member of the Carolina Review and the College Republicans. “Naturally we should be neutral in terms of political viewpoints, so really, demographics shouldn’t play a role in influencing decisions one makes in Congress at all.”The body is required by law to ignore groups’ viewpoints — religious, political, or other — when deciding whether or not to fund them.Dent said he does not let his political viewpoints affect the decisions he makes in Congress, and would not imagine that others do differently.Williams and Zhou both said they would like to alter the districts students are elected from to reflect students’ class year rather than place of residence. The change would require a revision of the Student Code.They said this will better represent the overall body and encourage more representative candidates to run. Most of the undergraduate members in Congress are either sophomores or juniors.Williams and Zhou also said the timing of elections, which take place in the spring, exclude freshmen from participating. They both said they would like to change that.“Because the flaw is as base as who is running, I think it’s easily fixed simply by encouraging more people to run,” Williams said. “I can’t stress enough that if people don’t like what we’re doing then they need to run.” Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(11/20/09 6:09am)
On the same day the University of California system voted to increase undergraduate tuition by an unprecedented 32 percent, UNC administrators voted for a tuition proposal that demonstrated their resistance to high tuition.The UNC Board of Trustees voted unanimously Thursday morning for a 5.2 percent tuition increase for all undergraduate students, bringing to a close campus discussions over the proposed hike. If approved by UNC-system President Erskine Bowles, the system’s Board of Governors and the state legislature, the proposal would increase resident tuition by $200. For nonresident students, undergraduate tuition would increase by $1,127, and graduate tuition would go up $732.But many trustees voiced concerns about the impact of the University’s low tuition rates compared to other schools on the quality of education the school can provide in the future, especially in the face of uncertain state revenues.“I am really, really concerned about what we’re doing with tuition,” said John Ellison, who has served as a trustee since 2003. “There is a huge disparity between our tuition and that of our peers. It’s getting wider and wider.”Senior Rakhee Devasthali, who was one of several students who protested a committee meeting Wednesday, also addressed the trustees, chastising them for a tuition process that she said lacked transparency and student input.“You better come up with some better numbers,” she said. “This is not fair or democratic. You’re running these things like it’s a corporation, not like a University.”UNC’s tuition remains low compared to those of its public academic peers.In the 2009-10 year, the group of public institutions that UNC considers its academic peers raised resident undergraduate tuition by an average of 9.4 percent, as compared to UNC’s increase of 4.2 percent. And this year, many of those universities are set to raise tuition even more.Many states have been driven to do so by significant budget shortfalls. This year, the California legislature slashed $637 million from its 10-school system.The state of North Carolina and UNC have not faced similar problems, still receiving a significant share of its revenue from the state. This allows schools to rely less on tuition.Whether that support can continue if the economy doesn’t improve is still a question trustees mentioned Thursday.Trustee and Chancellor of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Phillip Clay said he is worried about planning for a long-term financial crisis.“We don’t know what the future will be, but I think that we are dealing with a budget situation that is not short-term,” he said.Ellison said members would have to seriously reconsider low tuition rates in the future.“I understand it’s a difficult year, but I am telling you all that this University is not going to maintain its academic standing in the world if we continue down the path we keep going down,” he said.Tuition increases help pay for financial aid, faculty retention and academic services. This year’s increase will bring in about $4 million. UNC’s total revenue is about $2.3 billion.Thorp said he thinks the trustees are justified in their concern about the UNC’s long-term success under a low-tuition model, but doesn’t know how to go about discussing this issue, especially in an economic downturn.“We’re just happy that everything passed,” Thorp said. “The student body president and the trustees and the administration all wanted the same thing, and that doesn’t happen too often.”Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(11/19/09 3:51pm)
UNC's Board of Trustees voted unanimously this morning in favor of a 5.2 percent tuition increase for all undergraduate students, bringing to a close campus discussions of the proposed hike. The proposal will now go to UNC-system President Erskine Bowles for approval.
(11/19/09 5:45am)
A Board of Trustees committee approved Wednesday a 5.2 percent recommended tuition increase for all undergraduate students, saying that while it might not be the best option in the long run, it is the best option for now.The proposal goes before the full board today, the last time campus officials will consider it before they send it to UNC-system President Erskine Bowles.The committee approved Chancellor Holden Thorp’s proposal for equal percentage tuition increases for both in-state and out-of-state students, a principle that wasn’t always a sure thing. The proposal would increase resident tuition by $200, as mandated by the state legislature. For non-residents, undergraduate tuition would increase by $1,127, and graduate tuition would go up $732.The committee voted unanimously to pass the proposal, voicing support for families struggling to pay tuition in difficult times and a commitment to equal percentages for all students.But some members raised concerns about the effect of lower tuition on the quality of education in the long run.“I’m going to support what Holden wants to do because it’s what Holden wants to do,” said trustee and committee member John Ellison. “But I’m really concerned about the future of the University and reputation of this University.”Approximately 15 students came to the meeting and protested the tuition increase, arguing with Student Body President Jasmin Jones and Vice President David Bevevino after the meeting that the process lacked transparency and student input.The students tried to speak at the committee, but since they were not on the meeting’s speaking agenda, Thorp asked them to wait and request permission to speak to the full board today, which they plan to try.Ellison said he understood why members would vote for a lower increase this year but said he felt compelled to communicate the long-term impact of the decision to others.“We’ve now had three years of a difficult financial situation. It goes in cycles, but it doesn’t seem to be going away right now,” said Ellison. “And we have some new members on the board who don’t understand growth, and I’m trying to imprint on them the gravity of this situation. This is definitely going to be coming up again next year.”Officials have voiced concern about UNC’s ability to meet financial needs with a 5.2 percent increase.“We could be getting ourselves into trouble here,” said Bruce Carney, interim executive vice chancellor and provost and co-chairman of the tuition and fee advisory task force.Tuition increase proposals originate with the task force, which advocated most strongly a 6.5 percent increase for all students to Thorp. The group also recommeded a 5.2 percent increase for undergraduates and a 3.7 percent increase for graduates, though expressed hesitation that the lower percent increase would not meet the University’s needs.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(11/12/09 7:27am)
When it comes to tuition, not many students understand exactly what the money is used for and how the increase proposal process works. But they know one thing: Their bill likely will be higher next year.There’s a large disconnect between what students and administrators value when it comes to tuition increases — and student government leaders found themselves caught in the middle of the two Wednesday.They face a difficult task — one that consists of fighting misconceptions, representing the students and determining what is best for the University. Often these three values cannot coexist.In Wednesday’s talks, this conflict isolated student government leaders from University administrators as most members of the task force expressed interest in hiking undergraduate nonresident tuition by as much as $1,414.30 and resident tuition by $251.Student Body President Jasmin Jones and Vice President David Bevevino — the two undergraduate students sitting on the tuition and fee advisory task force — were the only two members to vote against the higher tuition increase proposal. They favored a lower increase.“I did appreciate the fact that student leaders stood up for us in there,” said freshman Nicole Pradel, who attended the meeting. “They did give us some voice in the process, but there were only two of them.”While they pushed for lower increases, the duo still supported increases of 5.2 percent for all undergraduate students.Throughout the tuition increase talks, members of the task force have struggled against student misconceptions of what the increases will fund.“From the letters I have seen, and replies I’ve gotten through e-mail, there is clearly a problem of communication,” said Bruce Carney, interim executive vice chancellor and provost.Out-of-State Student Association President Ryan Morgan sent e-mails to the association’s listserv telling students that their tuition would fund the South Road pedestrian “bridge to nowhere” and “useless plasma screen TVs in Lenoir.” Tuition increases pay only for financial aid, faculty retention, graduate remission and academic services. But many students see only the higher price tag on their tuition and feel targeted.“Their mind-set is that they can raise tuition as much as they want,” said senior Ben Carroll, a member of Students for a Democratic Society, who protested against the increases.Morgan said it is easy for administrators to forget about the students.“We can all agree that the University needs money, but I don’t agree that the out-of-state students should be the cash cows for the University,” he said.Bevevino said he and Jones are committed to helping students understand the issue, but also explaining to administrators how students feel. “I think you have to understand the values that students have,” he said. “If we don’t take that seriously and we don’t communicate that, then we’re pushing our own values and that’s not OK.”Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(11/11/09 7:56pm)
The tuition and fees advisory task force voted today on two proposals to recommend to the chancellor that would increase tuition for all students at equal percentages, regardless of residency status.
(11/09/09 4:37am)
Administrators are balancing the desire to keep UNC affordable with the needs of the financial aid office as they determine next year’s out-of-state tuition.A 23 percent rise in the number of students qualifying for aid this year has forced administrators to increase the percentage of tuition revenue directed toward aid. It stands at 50 percent this year, compared with 40 percent the year before.That decision will weigh heavily in the final recommendation the tuition and fee advisory task force makes to the chancellor Wednesday.In-state tuition increases are capped at $200, or 5.2 percent, by the state legislature. Out-of-state increases are not similarly regulated. The task force has suggested increasing nonresident tuition by as much as 6.5 percent — or $1,414.30.Raising the cost of tuition will generate more money for needy students, which offsets the new need created by the increase, said Shirley Ort, director of the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid.“We need to make sure that everyone can afford to come here and that access to the University isn’t unduly infringed by the cost of tuition,” said Board of Trustees member Roger Perry. “But we also need to make sure that the value of your Carolina education is not diminished because of a lack of funds.”The number of students qualifying for financial aid for the 2009-10 school year rose 23 percent from the previous year, and the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid expects that figure to continue to rise. More students submitted financial aid applications, and more applied on time than in years past.“It was unlike any other year we’ve ever had,” Ort said.The school will continue to meet full demonstrated need, but more of that money will come as work study or loans, which must be repaid.None of the proposed increases will generate enough revenue for the University to provide the same level of grants, which do not have to be repaid, as it has in the past.While Ort said student need would be less under a smaller tuition increase, putting less of a burden on her office, she wants to make sure she has enough funding to continue covering the majority of student need with aid that does not have to be repaid. A 6.5 percent increase will come closer to meeting that need, she said, especially as the school faces uncertainty about how much it will receive from outside revenue sources including federal grants and private donations.“The most important thing for me is that if you charge it, make sure you give me enough money for those students who actually have to pay into that fund so we can protect them from that charge,” Ort said.In 2007-08, the University was able to cover 70 percent of undergraduate student need with grants and scholarships, up from 54 percent in 1999-2000. The rest was covered with work study and loans.But even to provide only 65 percent of aid in the form of grants for the coming year, Ort’s office would need $3.8 million, an amount tuition is unlikely to provide. Covering 71 percent in grants would cost $13 million.Even the larger, 6.5 percent tuition increase for out-of-state students would provide only about $3 million. The smaller increase would generate about $2 million.The proposed tuition increase for out-of-state students will hit middle-income students the hardest, she said.These students will most likely not receive aid to cover the increased costs and will have to fund this amount themselves.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(11/03/09 4:48am)
Students could have an opportunity to decide whether they want UNC representatives to continue to be part of the Association of Student Governments.Several members of Student Congress are working to put a referendum before students on whether to withdraw UNC’s delegates and financial support from the group.The association coordinates activities between the 17 UNC-system schools and provides a student voice on the Board of Governors.Representatives proposing the referendum have different views about the value of participating in the association, but all want to put the question before the student body.A Student Congress committee will consider the resolution, which would have to be approved by the full Congress before it appeared on a ballot, tonight.It’s unclear if UNC could officially withdraw financial support even if the student body voted to do so.All UNC-system students pay a $1 fee to ASG, and four members of student government are supposed to represent UNC-Chapel Hill.But if students were to vote to withdraw, the organization would still collect fees from every student and technically represent them, ASG President Greg Doucette said.“If you’re a part of the UNC system, you’re a part of ASG,” he said.UNC’s participation is governed by state law, the UNC-system’s Policy Manual and the ASG Constitution, Doucette said. A student vote couldn’t change those documents, he said.Students would have to approach the Board of Governors, which oversees the UNC system, and the N.C. General Assembly.But Student Congress member Anthony Dent said his priority is to allow students to participate in the decision-making process.“Our overarching goal is to remedy the fact that over the past four decades, the student body hasn’t been given the opportunity to participate,” he said.The University has had a complex relationship with the organization, which has suffered from accusations of inefficiency and scandal in recent years.Congress member Justin Crowder said he is not concerned with the feasibility of withdrawing from ASG.“I think a referendum is necessary to make our involvement in ASG legitimate,” Crowder said.Dent and fellow Congress member Zach Dexter previously introduced legislation that would have placed the resolution on the ballot, but it was thrown out due to technicalities.Crowder and fellow member Saang Lee are trying to pass similar legislation at tonight’s rules and judiciary committee meeting.Senior Ron Bilbao, who has participated in ASG, said he thinks the students should be able to choose whether UNC participates. “It’s their fees that are going toward the organization,” he said.But Bilbao also said the student body did provide input on the issue through the election of the student body president, who decides whether to support ASG.Student Body President Jasmin Jones said she trusts that students will have enough information to vote if it comes to that point.“I will help them understand,” she said.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(11/02/09 5:45am)
Campus officials are considering raising out-of-state undergraduate tuition by $1,414.30, the third in a series of continuously higher tuition proposals. The figure is close to $300 higher than the last proposal.Administrators are considering a similar increase of $1,288 on out-of-state graduate students, almost doubling an earlier proposal.The out-of-state student tuition increase of 6.2 percent — an increase from previous talks — would provide about $6.1 million the University intends to use to help pay for student aid and faculty salaries.But it would mean a larger percentage increase for out-of-state students than the 5.2 percent increase for in-state students, which some call an unfair burden.Out-of-state students have historically opposed such increases, which Student Body Vice President David Bevevino articulated Friday at the tuition and fees advisory task force’s meeting.“One thing we hear a lot from out-of-state students is that you’re a Carolina student no matter where you come from, and putting the out-of-state increase as high as you can go to meet needs is something that makes a significant portion feel like they are being targeted to care for the University,” he said.UNC can’t increase in-state tuition next year by more than $200, a number mandated by the state legislature. So the University is looking to use additional money from out-of-state students to bridge the shortfall.The task force — the group of students and administrators who develop tuition policy — previously considered a smaller increase of 5.2 percent for out-of-state students. But members worried the smaller increase would leave them unable to fully pay for priorities such as financial aid and faculty salaries.The task force has not voted on the final recommendation to send to the chancellor, but both Interim Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Bruce Carney and Board of Trustees member Roger Perry expressed tentative support for a 6.5 percent increase for non-residents.For the 2010-11 school year, the University will struggle to balance funding for need-based aid, graduate awards, faculty retention and student services, the four funding priorities supported by tuition.“This is why in the past week, I’ve begun to give some consideration to why (the larger increase) might be necessary to help keep us on track,” Carney said.The Office of Scholarships and Student Aid will need a minimum of $3.8 million to fund need-based aid for the coming year, Carney said.The percentage of students qualifying for financial aid rose 23 percent this year, and that figure is expected to increase. Fifty percent of 2010-11 tuition revenues will go to need-based aid next year.Under the smaller tuition increase, the University would fall far short of the $3.8 million projection. The 6.5 percent increase would come closer to meeting that target, generating $3 million.Carney said the higher increase would generate another $1.5 million to retain faculty members who are offered more lucrative positions at other schools.Carney said he hopes the committee will make a recommendation for the chancellor at its next meeting on Nov. 11.The figure would then have to be approved by the UNC Board of Trustees, the system’s Board of Governors and the N.C. General Assembly.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(10/26/09 4:14am)
Parents and alumni have pressured the University to take a strong stance against alcohol and drug abuse among undergraduates in the wake of the death of junior Courtland Smith, the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity president who was shot dead by police on Aug. 23.Chancellor Holden Thorp has articulated his intent to help Greek life at UNC survive, but the initiative did not originate within UNC’s administration.“That momentum is there to improve life within fraternities and sororities, and we’re going to be there to support them,” Thorp said.Smith’s death, in addition to the arrest of several members of fraternities and sororities for a September cocaine bust, has focused attention on the issue of alcohol and drug abuse within the Greek community.But Thorp emphasized the two incidents were unrelated, and the call for action to temper substance abuse came from outside the administration.In the wake of Smith’s death, Thorp received numerous e-mails requesting him to use Smith’s death as an opportunity to crack down on alcohol and substance abuse within the undergraduate population.“UNC’s students, parents and alumni are increasing their discussions regarding the abusive use of alcohol and drugs at Carolina,” wrote Ann and Ronald Wooten in an Aug. 27 e-mail to Thorp. “Their fears are intensifying about students being hazed, raped, robbed and assaulted due to … drug-induced behaviors.”But Thorp said addressing alcohol and drug usage was not his first reaction to Smith’s death. Rather, that impulse came from parents, alumni and other outsiders.“I wasn’t thinking about substance abuse at all when I heard the news,” he said. “That was their reaction. It came from them.Thorp said his immediate reaction was to wonder how Smith died.“There was a lot of momentum from them, from Greek parents and alumni, and so we’ve moved in to try to support this.”Smith’s autopsy report stated that he had a blood alcohol content of about .22 at the time of his death, almost three times the legal limit.Some who contacted Thorp in the week following Smith’s death asserted drinking is a campuswide problem that needs addressing, according to e-mails obtained by The Daily Tar Heel.“I urge you to seize this moment to enact meaningful changes regarding alcohol use by undergraduates before another life is lost, either by death or the long-term struggle of alcoholism or alcohol dependence,” wrote Ron Bogle, a former Catawba County Superior Court judge, in an Aug. 27 e-mail to Thorp.On Friday, Thorp addressed the UNC Board of Visitors, an advisory group of 160 alumni and community leaders, 85 of whom Thorp said were in sororities or fraternities as undergraduates. He asked them to highlight the University’s support for the Greek system.“You can help me dispel the notion that the University doesn’t want Greek life to continue. We are committed to the survival of Greek life.”In a Friday blog post, Thorp said he is meeting with DKE and Interfraternity Council leaders to address the challenges they face and create a leadership development program.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(10/21/09 5:02am)
When the Board of Visitors comes to campus Thursday, the group of 160 influential individuals will do more than “pregame in the chancellor’s box.”The group of alumni, community leaders and prominent businessmen who compose the board will tackle some of the most important issues facing the University. And they are doing it for free.UNC has asked the board for input on issues of importance — undergraduate recruitment, legislative lobbying and recommendations from Bain & Company — because of the enthusiasm and diverse skill sets members bring to the board, administrators said.The volunteers have increased their presence at the University in recent years, working with the Board of Trustees and the chancellor to represent the interests of UNC throughout the state.“When I was on the Board of Visitors, it wasn’t nearly as active as it is today,” said Roger Perry, a trustee who served on the Board of Visitors more than 10 years ago.“When I was on it, we would come to town and learn what was going on at the University and go back to our communities to be goodwill ambassadors. Today they do a lot more than that.”The board, 160 members appointed by trustees to serve four-year terms, has recently worked to recruit and lobby for UNC. They have also formed a committee to address the recommendations from Bain & Co.’s study of UNC’s efficiency.“Their role on campus is a much more activist one,” Perry said. “They get involved in particular issues, they set up committees to study these issues and they give advice to the chancellor and to the trustees.”In the 2008-09 school year, the board began a partnership with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, pairing members with high-achieving applicants to answer students’ questions and encourage them to apply. The program targeted high school students in Raleigh, Charlotte, Winston-Salem and Atlanta last year. This year the board is looking to expand to other cities.“We are more than happy to have any enthusiasm that we can have to help in recruitment because there are a limited number of us on staff, and we rely heavily on alums to help us out,” said Erin Breese, senior assistant director of admissions. Board members, about 50 percent of whom live in North Carolina, also work closely with state legislators on behalf of the University.“It’s important that the legislature understands what their investment is doing,” said current Board of Trustees Chairman Bob Winston. “Because they’re from all over and have personal relationships with the legislature, they can reach out and use those relationships to share what we’re doing here at Chapel Hill and make an impact.”Perry and Winston said the board members’ enthusiasm has had a major impact on the organization’s growing influence in University affairs.“People love this University, and we want to put them to work,” Winston said. “That’s been the theme of the last few years, to take the talent and the passion that these people bring and try to find ways for them to give back to the University.” Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(09/25/09 5:05am)
Due to a reporting error, this story misstates the composition of financial aid packages. The federal government does not dictate the percentage of grants in each package. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error.
(09/24/09 4:57am)
A program intended to support military members and their families, funded with about $10 million in federal money, suffered from serious organizational mismanagement and ineffectiveness, Chancellor Holden Thorp announced Wednesday.An internal audit and review of the Odum Institute’s Citizen Soldier Support Program was prompted by allegations of mismanagement of federal funds.The program is intended to help soldiers and their families find mental health support and readjust to life after deployment, according to its Web site.The audit found the program suffered from red tape associated with the University without taking advantage of the institution’s expertise.“My view is that this program has serious flaws, and I don’t think we’ve given the federal government the best return on its investment,” Thorp said at the Board of Trustees audit and finance committee meeting.Thorp said the program was limited in its early years by leadership turnover and funding delays, but has shown some success since then. Still, he said the program would have to make significant changes to remain in operation.“This program has to show dramatic improvement in a short period of time to remain viable,” he said.On June 13, 2008, U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick, R-N.C., sent a letter to UNC-system President Erskine Bowles questioning the management of the federal money provided to the program.In response to Myrick’s letter, UNC ordered an internal audit. The audit recommended better training for employees, as well as the creation of stronger financial controls. The institute has addressed these recommendations, Thorp said.UNC also investigated the extent to which the program met the needs of military families and satisfied its federal obligations.“The CSSP will have to make some rather profound changes to the way it operates,” the report states. Thorp said he reactivated the internal review committee and that program leaders will deliver another progress report next month.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(09/24/09 4:37am)
Due to a reporting error, this story misstated the bill passed by Student Congress. If approved, the Graduate and Professional Student Federation president would appoint one delegate to the Association of Student Governments, and the fourth delegate will be approved by the student body president, Graduate and Professional Student Federation president and the speaker of Congress. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error.
