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(09/10/08 4:00am)
The Orange County Board of Commissioners neither disbanded nor reinstated a Hillsborough-based all-volunteer rescue unit suspended in June for unprofessional actions.Instead" the board opted to keep the Orange County Rescue Squad inactive until officials determine the squad's future role in the emergency services system.""I think all of us understand that there is a perception in this community that Orange Rescue is a necessary unit" the board's Vice Chairwoman Valerie Foushee said. We could spend the next year talking about who's right and who's wrong" and nobody's getting any training.""Col. Frank Montes de Oca" director of Orange County Emergency Services shut down the Hillsborough unit on June 27. He cited 46 allegations of unsafe and unprofessional practices reported by emergency services staff local fire departments and citizens.Accusations include claims that the squad was unprepared to respond to calls dispatched vehicles in violation of county protocol and at one point turned the emergency vehicle parking bay into a wrestling ring and used breathing tanks to squirt each other with air.Montes de Oca also told the board that the extrication and rescue services provided by Orange Rescue also are provided by local fire departments so he finds the Hillsborough rescue unit redundant.Rescue Squad Chief Brian Matthews said he received no warning that the unit was in danger of shutting down before June 27 and that his requests for documentation of the accusations against the squad were never answered.Montes de Oca blamed the lack of written evidence of the accusations on leadership problems that occurred prior to his April appointment to the director position.The commissioners decided despite a lack of proof of unsafe and unprofessional practices" to rely on county staff advice and uphold the suspension for now.""You have to start off as a commissioner respecting the staff"" board Chairman Barry Jacobs said.The commissioners asked emergency services officials to present at next week's meeting tentative plans and a timeline for incorporating Orange Rescue back into the county system.Jacobs also asked officials to present at next week's meeting a proposal for studying systemwide effectiveness and practices of the individual rescue units.The board commissioned a similar study in 2006, but board members didn't think the resulting report answered their questions.I would like" as part of this process for somebody to come back to us with a timetable for a study" Jacobs said.We'll just throw out the last two months as having been a false start.""Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(09/08/08 4:00am)
By June Kurt Davies had almost forgotten he was in the running for a spot to compete on Jeopardy!.After qualifying for the game show in an online exam in September 2006 the Carrboro resident flew to Los Angeles in January 2007 to audition.But after a year and a half without word Davies29" assumed he hadn't qualified for the show.Then he got the call.An episode featuring Davies will air tonight at 7 p.m. on ABC.""All my friends are coming over" and we're going to drink if I win and drink if I lose he said.Davies had just returned to UNC to work toward a degree in anthropology after an eight-year hiatus from school when he was invited to compete on Jeopardy!.His preferred cram method in the month before the show was taped in July: bar trivia nights.In Chapel Hill and Carrboro you can do a pub quiz just about every night" Davies said. I went to a lot of trivia nights.""His friend Brooke Baker became his coach"" making flashcards and religiously taping every episode of the show — Davies doesn't have a television.""I love trivia" but I don't have the kind of head for trivia that Kurt does" Baker said. There's a lot of stuff that he was learning that I actually wanted to know.""Jeopardy! veteran Will Schultz" a UNC junior who competed in College Jeopardy! in 2007" also said he made stacks of flashcards on topics ranging from famous college alumni to birthstones.""Not one of the things I studied for came up"" Schultz said. I learned a few things about birthstones at least.""Schultz lost in the second round.Davies won't give away any details of what happened during his two days on-set" other than to say that he didn't interact much with Jeopardy!'s host" Alex Trebek.""The first time we saw him was when they were taping and they said" ‘Here's your host Alex Trebek"'"" he said.And Davies has told only about six people whether he won and how much money he earned.His mother doesn't even know" he said.Davies and a group of friends plan to watch the show tonight at the Orange County Social Club in Carrboro" and he says he doesn't want to give anything away beforehand.He said that he tells his friends to watch his first round ""as a challenger."" ""I'm purposefully vague. All that says is you were on at least once" Davies said.He will only say that he competed in the first of 10 rounds taped while he was in Los Angeles and that he did not win all 10 rounds.Davies and one other competitor challenged the returning champion in the first round.(The champion) was in the lead going into Final Jeopardy!" he said. I won't say if she won.""
(09/04/08 4:00am)
Unlike some nearby county agencies Orange County does not always send an ambulance in response to 911 calls.
(08/22/08 4:00am)
Keeping Franklin Street safe on Halloween matters as much as the money for some downtown business owners.
"The bottom line is we do better business on that night," said Pete Dorrance, a member of the Chapel Hill Restaurant Group that owns Spanky's Restaurant & Bar on East Franklin Street.
But he said that large crowds downtown can be dangerous and that he sometimes feels uncomfortable working at Spanky's late into the night of the festivities.
"At some point, it probably becomes unmanageable," Dorrance said. "It's kind of teetering on that line."
(08/20/08 4:00am)
Orange County voters will not get to sound off in this fall's elections about a proposed quarter-cent sales tax, but the possibility of a future tax remains.
The Orange County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday against putting the proposed tax before voters in a fall referendum.
The commissioners instead asked County Manager Laura Blackmon to establish a timeline for future sales tax attempts to allow the board adequate time to study the issue and educate voters before deciding whether to put it on a ballot.
"I have some real concerns about the timing," Commissioner Mike Nelson said, explaining that he didn't think the board would have adequate time to educate voters about the tax before the fall election.
"I'm guessing that putting a referendum about this on the ballot during a recession . is a tough sell, even in a county like Orange County."
The counties got special permission last year from the state legislature to initiate a new tax.
The county could choose between the sales tax and a land-transfer tax, which failed in Orange County in a spring referendum.
Twenty-six North Carolina counties have sent sales taxes to voters so far this year, but only three passed. No county has successfully implemented a transfer tax.
Eight counties - including nearby Guilford - will put sales taxes on the ballot in the fall.
Adam Klein, the head of government relations for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber conducted focus groups a year ago and determined that a sales tax wouldn't meet much opposition from businesses.
But he added that the economy has declined recently so that feelings in the business community might have shifted as well.
Chairman Barry Jacobs asked the board to keep the tax as a possible option because Orange County needs the revenue to help pay for capital projects and alleviate the pressure of a recent 4.8-cent property tax increase.
"I would just like to have it not totally fall off our radar," he said.
Joe Capowski of Chapel Hill - who is a member of a grassroots group that had requested the board support the transfer tax - said that he doesn't think voters would approve a new tax and that he agrees with the board's decision.
"I have no great joy in this," he said. "I just don't think it's realistic."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(08/19/08 4:00am)
Orange County property taxes jumped 4.8 cents this summer, giving the county North Carolina's second-highest property tax rate.
Property taxes in the Board of Commissioners' budget for the 2008-09 fiscal year were 99.8 cents per $100 assessed property value, the highest of the surrounding counties.
Deanna Carson, a housing counselor with Chapel Hill nonprofit Empowerment Inc., said that Orange County is an expensive place to live and that property taxes impair residents' ability to afford to own a home.
Orange County's tax rate, third highest in the state last year, now is nearly double that of Wake County and trails only Scotland County, where property taxes are $1.02 per $100 valuation.
"It's not a distinction we seek," said Barry Jacobs, chairman of Orange County's Board of Commissioners. "We always balance at budget time the debt burden versus our desire to keep Orange County affordable for as many people as possible."
He said that the commissioners discussed whether a tax increase might deter people from moving to the county but that the growing population coupled with rising costs left them no choice.
Carson said Empowerment counselors and other affordable-housing workers have learned to find subsidies and other funding sources to keep up their work linking Orange County residents with low-cost housing.
"The affordability is still there but you have to be more creative in how you do things," she said. "We know how to be creative enough to make sure that people can still afford our properties."
Jacobs said the commissioners's decision to raise property taxes was largely influenced by the failure of a May referendum for a proposed 0.4 percent land transfer tax.
He said the growing county population requires more services as costs rise, and the transfer tax would have provided an alternate funding source to higher property taxes.
"We told the voters that if we didn't have an alternative means, we would have to raise property taxes that much more," Jacobs said. "We don't like that. We have to pay it just like everybody else."
New capital projects also threaten to drain county coffers.
Orange County plans to open Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools' 11th elementary school in 2011, and the county is in the process of building an animal shelter in Chapel Hill and a public library and office building in Hillsborough.
"We take pride in funding schools at the highest levels," Jacobs said. "We have citizens who require a high level of service for a variety of things. They expect things of Orange County that maybe other counties don't provide."
The commissioners hope to find new ways to counter rising expenditures. They will discuss a proposed quarter-cent sales tax at Tuesday's meeting, but Jacobs said he doesn't know yet if a sales tax will go before voters.
"With the way the Bush economy is, I'm not sure we're going to want to put that on the ballot this year," he said.
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(08/19/08 4:00am)
A UNC tennis star charged with hitting two female students with his car was released from jail Monday and has withdrawn from school.
A judge ruled Monday that junior Chris Kearney could return home to Irvine, Calif., until his preliminary hearing Aug. 28.
"I think that Chris will be coming home for this semester," his father, Kevin Kearney, said from his California home. "Our major concern is about the girls and their families."
(08/18/08 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Several of student government's downtown safety proposals were approved Thursday, but lighting upgrades on McCauley Street will have to wait.
The Historic District Commission - neighborhooda and government representatives charged with preserving the character of Chapel Hill's historic areas - asked town engineers to take a second look at proposals for McCauley Street after neighbors protested the plans.
The original recommendations would have installed eight new sodium vapor lights on existing poles between Pittsboro Street and McCauley Street's western end.
"Why are we being subjected to this kind of Wal-Mart lighting?" McCauley Street resident Adrian Halpern said.
The commission voted in favor of up to nine new pedestrian-level lights on East Rosemary Street between Hillsborough and Boundary streets. They also approved three new blue-light emergency call boxes.
All of the proposals received the support of the Chapel Hill Town Council, but any changes to historic neighborhoods require the commission's approval.
Neighborhood residents said the pedestrian-level lights planned for Rosemary Street fit the character of historic neighborhoods better than the high-pressure 250-watt lights proposed for McCauley Street.
Gregory Burd moved to his McCauley Street home a few weeks ago, and he said he considered the historic quality of the neighborhood when choosing his home.
He also said large trees on the street obstruct the current light fixtures and create shadows, so pedestrian-level lighting would illuminate sidewalks better than the proposed lights.
"I'm a big guy," he said. "There are some corners that scare me, and I wouldn't want to walk into them.
"I don't think a light up high . is going to solve the problem."
Some residents also complained that they didn't get a chance to meet with student government leaders before the proposals were drafted.
Former Student Body President James Allred brought the proposal to the town in 2007 and his successor, Eve Carson, also lobbied the council.
Kumar Neppalli, Chapel Hill's engineering services manager, said an initial study conducted with Duke Energy --- the company that will install the lights - indicated that pedestrian-level lights wouldn't be feasible on McCauley Street.
"We depend on the Duke Energy experts and what they recommend," he said.
But he said town engineers will look for an alternative to the proposed high-pressure lights. Those findings will be presented at the commission's October meeting.
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Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(03/24/08 4:00am)
This semester she's selling entrance tickets and giving safety speeches on trams.
But UNC junior Michelle Furlong said she's convinced that her job at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla., is the first step toward a broadcasting career - one that won't involve directing tired guests around Disney's Hollywood Studios.
"Disney owns ESPN and ABC," said Furlong, a communications studies major. "They have their hand in everything."
(02/13/08 5:00am)
Photos from election night
Andrew Coonin was this year's only candidate for Carolina Athletic Association president, but that didn't stop him from leaping to his feet and cheering when Board of Elections Chairman Mitchell Capriglione declared him the winner.
Coonin, who now serves as CAA's vice president under senior Colby Almond, said he is ready to take the reins of the student-run athletic organization.
(02/13/08 5:00am)
Photos from election night
(11/29/07 5:00am)
UNC's Division of Student Affairs announced Wednesday that it will make a sizeable contribution to help fund a combined effort end-of-year celebration.
The division pledged $7,000 to help fund next semester's SpringFest, and Hilary Marshall, SpringFest chairwoman, said plans are under way for the event.
"The money today from student affairs really confirmed it," she said. "We have the administration's approval."
Because of the success of last year's SpringFest, Marshall decided to work with several student organizations to expand this year's event.
SpringFest was recreated last year by student government's executive branch as an end-of-year counterpart to Fall Fest held each August. Last year's SpringFest celebration - held in April on Ehringhaus Recreation Field - included an inflatable playground, free food and a performance by folk-rock group Carbon Leaf.
The Carolina Union Activities Board, Residence Hall Association, senior marshals, Carolina Athletic Association, Campus Y and student government will host the event.
"We knew that if we could get all the other major organizations on campus, it could be on an even greater scale," Marshall said. "Collaboration and unity are really good words to use."
This year's April event will include a celebration similar to last semester's and will be held in the S11 parking lot near the Smith Center. Festivities will culminate in a concert in the Smith Center. The concert will be free in exchange for a donation to the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina.
Marie Monroe, chairwoman of CUAB's performing arts committee, said CUAB probably will book a headline artist early next semester.
"We started off with a list of about 50; we're down to about 15 now," she said.
Marshall said student affairs' $7,000 pledge gives SpringFest planners almost half of the about $15,000 they estimate is necessary to hold the event in the S11 lot.
She said about $75,000 to $100,000 also is needed for artist compensation and production. It cost about $60,000 combined to bring Augustana and Robert Randolph to campus for Homecoming, the biggest musical act a student organization has sponsored this semester.
Participating organizations pledged money toward SpringFest's funding, and each group is responsible for applying for grants.
Last year's SpringFest cost a total of $14,000, including the Carbon Leaf concert.
Margaret Jablonski, vice chancellor for student affairs, said her division agreed to contribute slightly less money to SpringFest than is given to support Fall Fest - which cost about $33,000 to put on.
"We see this as feed money to help encourage other departments to support SpringFest. Because the major student organizations are all collaborating together to plan one event, an end-of-the-year celebration, we would like to be supportive."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(11/27/07 5:00am)
A UNC dean will be one of the newest members of Medco Health Solutions Inc.'s board of directors.
The Fortune 500 company chose Dr. Bill Roper, dean of the School of Medicine and chief executive officer of UNC Health Care, to join its board effective Dec. 10.
After a nationwide search, the New Jersey-based pharmacy benefit company decided last week on Roper and Myrtle Potter, chief operating officer for biotechnology researching company Genentech, as its newest directors.
"We were looking for people who understand the future of health care in this country," said David Machlowitz, senior vice president of Medco. "We looked at people all over the country."
As part of the nine-person board, Roper said he will oversee activities of the company - which helps clients get affordable health care and safe treatment.
Roper, who is also the University's vice chancellor for medical affairs, will be compensated for his work with a combination of cash and Medco stocks, which will be added to the $690,000 he earns from UNC.
But before he begins work in the new position, it must be approved by Chancellor James Moeser and UNC-system President Erskine Bowles.
"There is a formal process that the University has wisely set up to oversee these kinds of activities," Roper said, adding that he has not yet filled out the necessary forms for the chancellor's office. "We will be doing that in due course."
If Roper's new position is approved, it could be very time-consuming, said John Cassis, a four-year member of the Medco board of directors.
"The time commitment is considerable," he said, explaining that the group meets in person about five times a year, with extra phone conference meetings as needed.
Roper is already involved with several organizations outside UNC, holding board positions for four businesses in addition to his membership on the President's Commission on White House Fellowships.
But Roper said he thinks adding the Medco board of directors position will not prevent him from carrying out his duties at the University.
"I'm very much interested in making sure that I keep outside activities to a limited amount so I can focus my attention on responsibilities here at UNC," he said. "I think I'll be able to do things about the same way that I've done them."
Machlowitz said that Roper's extensive experience - which includes directing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before he came to UNC in 1997 - made him stand out.
"Each member brings one form of knowledge to the board," Machlowitz said. "It's not meant to interfere with anyone's full-time job."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(11/20/07 5:00am)
Ashley Shores said she knows who Chancellor James Moeser chose to speak at UNC's May Commencement.
The senior class president also said she doesn't know why that decision has not yet been announced.
"I'm just not sure at all why it hasn't been released," Shores said. "I was under the impression that it was probably before Thanksgiving."
Shores serves on the Commencement speaker advisory committee, which suggests possible Commencement speakers to Moeser.
(11/15/07 5:00am)
The e-mail reads, "Your mom sent you a Psycho Kitty kard. Click here to view it Online."
But if you click the link, you find out it's not a cute card from your mom. It's spam.
UNC's Information Technology Services installed a new spam filter Nov. 7 to keep e-mails like this one from reaching your inbox.
"Spam has gotten so bad that we felt it was important to put this minimal protection into place," said Judd Knott, assistant vice chancellor for infrastructure and operations.
"All e-mail going to an @email.unc.edu address is now behind this filter," he said.
The filter - which replaces an older, locally developed program - was purchased for $391,000 from e-mail security company Proofpoint, which also provides spam protection for Hofstra University and the city of Topeka, Kan.
Knott said the new incoming mail filter - which the University purchased in September for a three-year term - is the minimum protection provided by the company.
But that minimum level of protection reportedly blocks 98 percent of spam e-mails.
And Knott said that almost 50 percent of the about 25 million messages received in October by the campus e-mail system are being labeled as spam and discarded by the current Proofpoint protection.
"What we have deployed is just a basic default configuration that requires no action on the part of our clients," he said. "There is configuration work that we need to do, but the maintenance of these systems is done under contract by the vendor."
Knott said ITS is configuring optional programs to increase spam protection, and deploying Proofpoint's outgoing mail protection is one of ITS's top priorities.
Proofpoint was one of five programs evaluated when ITS decided to purchase a spam filtering system.
"We looked at a number of comprehensive solutions for spam filtering and virus protection," Knott said. "We chose Proofpoint as the most effective solution."
Sophomore Caitlyn Cox said she receives spam e-mails frequently, and she usually ignores them.
"I have like 80,000 bigger (genitalia) e-mails every day," she said. "I don't know how they got my UNC address."
Cox said she hasn't noticed if the number of spam messages has decreased recently.
But the new protection significantly decreases the number of e-mails that campus mail system users receive each day, Knott said.
"The (ITS) help desk had calls wondering if something was wrong with the mail system," Knott said.
"People are speculating on, 'Gee, what happened to spam?'"
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(11/13/07 5:00am)
As the renovation process for the bottom floor of UNC's Student Union gets under way, University officials want to know what services to house in the updated Underground space.
The University hired Raleigh-based design firm Clearscapes last month to conduct a feasibility study in the Underground. The study will identify potential post-renovation uses for the area.
"It's sort of a precursor to actually planning for a renovation," said Don Luse, director of the Carolina Union. "We would expect this to take us probably as far as a schematic drawing phase."
The University soon will begin holding focus groups to determine what changes are most needed. Representatives from organizations that use Union space will be invited to share their ideas for improving the Underground, though Union officials already have proposed several uses for the space.
"We have at least an idea now of what we'd like to put in the space," Luse said. "We just need to test those ideas and see if they are feasible."
He said one popular idea is to create a program combining leadership development and service learning to be housed in the renovated bottom floor.
"The idea is that any student who's interested in leadership or service would have a place to come to in the Union and be directed to other programs in other places," Luse said.
The renovations also likely will enhance the Cabaret to make it a more comfortable performance space, he said, adding that a food provider may be added downstairs.
"That probably means working with Carolina Dining Services to look at additional service that's not in competition with existing food service," Luse said.
"We want the Union to be a place that students want to be in."
Architects with Clearscapes - which assisted with the Union renovations completed in 2004 - will attend the focus group meetings and assess the bottom floor of the Union to determine which programs are most suited to the space.
"We meet with the Union and the University facilities folks, gather information and show what's possible within the building, based on the needs that they define," said Ellie Torre, a Clearscapes architect.
"The Union and the University will use that information to decide where to go from there."
He said the firm plans to present its findings to the University in April. Officials have not determined if Clearscapes will be involved in the renovation process after that date.
Once the feasibility study is complete, Luse said that Union officials will work with an architect to design the renovation and that if the plans are finalized by February 2009, they will go before the student body in a referendum.
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(10/31/07 4:00am)
After investigating the cause of three sinkholes on Polk Place, officials have made no conclusions about their origin.
The sinkholes - each about 2 feet deep and located about 3 feet from the time capsule buried by the class of 1988 - were discovered Friday morning by grounds services employees.
Jeff Kidd, a UNC construction engineer, said the holes can't be filled until their cause is discovered, but the investigation that began Monday has not yielded any definite answers.
"It's not a specific science that we're dealing with," Kidd said. "We'll have to dig a little and find out what's going on."
An old steam pipeline was replaced in Polk Place two years ago as part of a project to upgrade the heating system for North Campus, said Kidd, the project's construction manager.
The old pipeline was left underground when a new one was put in place, which Kidd said is standard procedure. He said it is possible the old pipeline might have collapsed, resulting in the holes' formation.
A representative of Pipeline Utilities, the contractor of the 2005 steam pipeline replacement project, investigated the holes Tuesday but didn't discover anything definite.
"It's not yet determined if the sinkhole has anything to do with the construction project," Kidd said. "I think we're probably going to have to do some excavation in the area to get a clear idea of what's happened."
He added that the replacement project's engineer and designer, along with the contractor, will investigate the area today.
Several other possibilities also are being investigated.
"It could be a number of other things," Kidd said. "We just won't know until we investigate."
John Masson, a UNC construction engineer, said one alternate possibility is that last week's heavy rain is to blame for the sinkholes.
"The rain could have washed out some of the soil," he said.
Until the cause is found, the holes will not be filled, Kidd said, adding that officials surrounded the holes Tuesday with chain-link fence to further secure the area. They were roped off originally.
The University now is replacing steam pipelines on Raleigh and McCauley streets, as well as in the area between Woollen and Fetzer gymnasiums.
But Kidd said that even if the holes are due to a collapsed pipeline, he does not think more sinkholes will appear near construction sites in the next few days.
"Any areas that were going to be damaged would have manifested themselves already," he said.
"We're trying to cover all the bases here."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(10/26/07 4:00am)
New campus sustainability initiatives give UNC a lot to celebrate today.
During Campus Sustainability Day, the University will recognize the completion of state-certified sustainable buildings, new resource conservation programs and a high rating on a sustainability report card.
"We still have a long way to go, but I think it's important to recognize how far we've come," said Cindy Shea, director of the UNC Sustainability Office, which is sponsoring the day's celebrations, including rides on Segway Personal Transporters.
Campus Sustainability Day will be under way from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Graham Memorial Hall as UNC celebrates its efforts to meet energy needs while protecting resources for the future.
The event coincides with the presentation to Chancellor James Moeser of the Sustainability Office's 2007 report, which details all campus sustainability programs.
A recent report by the Sustainable Endowments Institute also scrutinized some of the University's new or expanded sustainability programs.
The Institute released Wednesday its 2008 College Sustainability Report Card, which assesses sustainability programs at colleges nationwide with the top 200 endowments.
The report indicates that UNC has improved its efforts to create a sustainable campus, listing the University as one of 25 Campus Sustainability Leaders - the second-highest category attainable. Only six schools earned the highest rank.
The University received an overall grade of B- after poor marks in "endowment transparency" and "shareholder engagement."
But while the report card only addresses eight categories, Shea said her office looked at every program before writing its report.
She said UNC excels in many areas, such as stormwater management, recycling and transportation.
The report also praised initiatives such as UNC's water-retaining "green roofs."
These planted areas on rooftops absorb moisture to prevent runoff. The green roof atop the new FedEx Global Education Center also recycles collected rain water, which flushes the building's toilets.
UNC furthered its sustainable energy commitments when it agreed in June 2006 to reduce carbon dioxide emissions 60 percent by 2050.
The Sustainability Institute's report gave UNC an A in the green building category, but Shea said she thinks the University lags behind some of its peers in this area.
Carrington Hall, completed in 2005, was the first building in the UNC-system to be certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system established by the U.S. Green Building Council.
But it is the only University building to receive this distinction so far. Duke University has at least four completed LEED-certified buildings and several unfinished projects that are registered.
Morrison Residence Hall and the Global Education Center meet state sustainability standards but fall short of LEED requirements.
UNC will apply for LEED certification for five buildings that are in the planning stages.
Shea also said that the University's recycling program is extremely efficient but that there is room for improvement in the food category.
"California schools are a lot more progressive in terms of organic foods in dining halls," said Brock Phillips, chairman of Student Government's environmental affairs committee.
He added that his committee would like more locally grown foods provided in the dining halls.
Elinor Benami, chairwoman of Student Government's renewable energy special projects committee, said the University stands out because of student motivation drives sustainable efforts.
"There are a lot of people who are involved with campus every day and want to see it become more sustainable."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(10/16/07 4:00am)
The University has formed a new group that will be charged with brainstorming ways to improve UNC's global connectivity.
The Chancellor's Global Leadership Circle convened for the first time Friday to discuss the group's task, which will be to shape UNC's international future.
The group was formed at the recommendation of the Center for Global Initiatives' external advisory board to work with Chancellor James Moeser and UNC-system President Erskine Bowles.
David Bronczek, chief executive officer of FedEx Corp., said the University lags behind many of its peers. According to research presented at the meeting, UNC is not even one of the top 200 universities in terms of globalization.
"Thank goodness we're addressing this issue at UNC," Bronczek said. "The train's already left the station around the world, and I think we're going to have to run like crazy to keep up with it."
The group's meeting added to the global theme of University Day on Friday, when the FedEx Global Education Center was dedicated.
In that first meeting, the 29-member council discussed the importance of improving UNC's global reputation and connections.
"They will guide the highest levels of the University in thinking through what it's going to take to make this campus a truly global university," said Daniel Lebold, director of development for global education.
The global group - composed of international businesspeople and UNC faculty and administrators - will report to Bowles, who will lobby the N.C. legislature for funding to implement its proposed projects.
"I hope you will set goals; I hope you will set priorities," Bowles said at Friday's meeting. "I hope you will cost it out, and then it's our responsibility to figure out how to pay for it."
While UNC is internationally recognized for its medical school and other health-related sectors, officials said the school has the potential to be more prominent in other areas.
"UNC is a great national brand," Moeser said. "I cannot say that is true on the international brand."
Lebold said increasing the University's global links by attracting international students and faculty, as well as the attention and investment of foreign businesses, will make UNC a more competitive school.
"If you're not a player at that level, you're not very competitive," Lebold said, noting that improving UNC's reputation internationally will help increase funding for research projects and attract faculty.
In the Friday meeting, the group did not formulate specific plans. Chairman Bill Harrison said the committee first will establish what must be done in the next meetings.
"We need a general understanding of what the University needs to do to become more global," he said. "The answer is, we've got a lot of work to do."
Senior writer Joseph R. Schwartz contributed reporting.
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(10/11/07 4:00am)
The 21-member chancellor search committee will hold its first meeting Friday. The committee and UNC-system President Erskine Bowles will outline criteria for UNC's next top leader.
The committee formed after Chancellor James Moeser announced last month that he will step down June 30.
University officials, who plan to have a replacement by July 1, said the committee members will bring together different viewpoints based on a range of experiences.
"This committee's task is probably the most important the University has to face," said Nelson Schwab, chairman of the trustee and search committee.
The committee - which includes members of the Board of Trustees, the UNC faculty, the business community and the student body - will draw on its collective background to consider the major issues the next chancellor will face.
Dollars for petri dishes
With more than half of the search committee members having ties to the business world and the sciences, that makeup indicates that Carolina North, UNC's planned research satellite campus, will rank high on the list of priorities.
Committee member Roger Perry, chairman of the Board of Trustees, has had experience working with town and development officials, leading the building of a mixed-use development, Meadowmont, about 10 years ago.
Carolina North aims to increase UNC's research efforts and improve its relationship with private firms.
Perry said the new chancellor must be prepared to make Carolina North a reality.
"That will be a big role for the new chancellor," he said. "The new chancellor is going to have to deal with a whole bunch of issues in terms of how we fund Carolina North."
Finding the funds
Committee members said Moeser's successor also will be charged with launching new fundraising initiatives.
And some of UNC's most prominent fundraising leaders are on the chancellor search committee.
Several members - including trustee Rusty Carter and alumni Mike Overlock and Julia Sprunt Grumbles - are involved with the Carolina First Campaign, UNC's private fund drive that will conclude in December.
Overlock is one of three co-chairmen for Carolina First, and Carter and Grumbles are on the campaign's steering committee. Grumbles also leads a campaign focus committee.
"Fundraising ability has achieved a place of prominence for chancellors and will continue to do so," said Joe Templeton, chairman of the faculty and search committee member.
John Ellison, a trustee serving on the search committee, said the new chancellor will need to be a creative, strong leader in order to develop a fundraising initiative of the same caliber as Carolina First.
"I don't think that you need to put the chancellor in a box," he said. "The person has to create consensus and has to be able to lead."
Lack of community voice
One group not directly represented by the committee is Chapel Hill policymakers.
Although some members have past experience with the community, none comes from active leadership roles in Orange County.
Schwab said the lack of community influence isn't a concern. "We didn't purposefully leave that out," he said. "(It's) covered well by the people who are on that committee."
Ken Broun, a law professor and former mayor of Chapel Hill is on the committee. He is the only member who has held an administrative position in the county.
"I've had a great deal of experience within the University and the community," he said. "I bring both of those perspectives to the search - for better or worse."
Focus on faculty
Apart from trustees, the group with the largest representation on the committee is the faculty. Six members are UNC professors.
Ellison said faculty opinion will be crucial in the decision. "I think we just have to have a person who is well respected by the faculty."
Templeton also said faculty input will weigh in on the search.
"The things that I would hope we'll find in our next chancellor very much reflect my view as a faculty member."
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