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(09/18/06 4:00am)
Female students filled the Student Union's Great Hall Sunday to celebrate National Women's Friendship Day.
Molly Barker, founder of the nonprofit charity Girls on the Run, spoke about her personal experiences coaching the program.
The 12-week-long program - which addresses issues from physical and emotional health to community service - encourages girls in third through fifth grades to learn about themselves and their communities while working toward a noncompetitive 5K race.
The program aims to shatter the "Girl Box" - a concept that states that many girls retreat during adolescence due to the pressures they face, Barker said.
It's where "we sculpt ourselves and change ourselves into what is cool and popular," she said.
Barker related the Girl Box to her own adolescence, saying that running was the only thing that made her feel beautiful. She said she hopes to inspire other girls to realize their inner beauty.
"We try to get the girls we serve to find that thing that makes them feel beautiful," she said.
Kappa Delta sorority, the Carolina Women's Center and student government sponsored the event.
Barker started the program at Charlotte Country Day School in 1996 with 13 girls, and it has expanded across the country.
Barker pointed out that two of the original girls are now freshmen Kappa Delta pledges.
"I was a really big tomboy," said Sarah Schweppe, one of the original girls. "My mom wanted me to do something with other girls, and this was the only thing she could get me to do."
Schweppe and freshman Caroline Saunders, the other original runner, said their time with Girls on the Run strengthened their friendship.
They became coaches for Girls on the Run last semester, and they said the girls they coached benefited from the program.
"It's a really encouraging and positive environment they come to," Saunders said.
Kappa Delta President Lauren Freedman said she hopes to bring in speakers like Barker annually.
"I think a lot of the issues that are important in middle school are important in college too," she said, citing body image and eating disorders as examples.
"I just knew that her message would be good for us too."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(09/11/06 4:00am)
The University is set to house a new American Indian Center, the first of its kind in the South.
The center, unveiled Thursday night, will serve as a hub for UNC's American Indian student population as well as a home for American Indian research and issues.
"There are three primary goals (for the center)," said Sandra Hoeflich, the chairwoman of the committee for the center.
"The first is to facilitate American Indian scholarship and research, the second (is) engagement with and service to North Carolina's Native American population and third (is) enrichment in campus diversity and dialogue," she said.
North Carolina boasts the largest American Indian population east of the Mississippi River, with eight tribes throughout the state.
"Initially the University did not serve this population as well as other populations," Hoeflich said. "The time is really right at this moment to create this center."
She added that cultural organizations and programs available on campus for American Indians are scattered. UNC scholars are engaged in American Indian research but are not connected.
"Initially what they'll be doing is building on a lot of existing programs that have been going on for some time but haven't been brought together in a coherent way," said Carol Tresolini, the associate provost for academic initiatives.
Brandi Brooks, the president of the Carolina Indian Circle, said the organization was founded in 1974.
UNC is home to more than 200 American Indian students, a number that has grown from fewer than 10 students in the mid-1970s.
"Having a center will help with the recruitment and retention of American Indians in the future," Brooks said.
But before the center can open, a search committee will be appointed by the provost's office to conduct a director search, Tresolini said.
Officials said they hope to have someone chosen by March.
"This first director will have the opportunity to put his or her own stamp on the center and grow it in a unique way," Tresolini said.
She said a director must establish relationships with tribal communities at large.
But all three said the center will heighten the campus's awareness of its American Indian population while bringing UNC to the forefront of American Indian studies.
Brooks said the announcement is fitting.
"Being the first state university, and the first people that were here, it goes hand in hand."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(09/11/06 4:00am)
For many UNC students the only visible connection between basketball and the business school is the proximity of the Smith Center to the Kenan-Flagler Business School.
But the school recently signed a three-year partnership with the UNC Athletic Department in conjunction with Tar Heel Sports Marketing, which owns and manages the multimedia rights of UNC Athletics.
School officials said they hope the contract will put the Kenan-Flagler name in the forefront of people's minds.
"It had to do with building our brand," said Jim Gray, associate dean for external affairs at Kenan-Flagler.
The partnership was a smart business move for both the business school and UNC Athletics, Gray said. The proposal by Tar Heel Sports Marketing will combine the business school brand with what he called the power brand of UNC men's basketball, he said.
He also said the connection between men's basketball and the business school is stronger than most people think.
"When you look at who really follows Carolina basketball particularly - it's Carolina alumni," he said.
"When you look at the demographics of that group, it's predominantly male - predominantly in an age bracket of 25 to 50 years old," he said.
"When you look at who those people are, they match up extremely well with very important audiences for (the school)."
Gray said many of these people are the ones who are looking to attend Kenan-Flagler's executive courses.
"The benefit comes in that UNC Athletics and Kenan-Flagler is a logical partnership," said Seth Reeves, account executive for Tar Heel Sports Marketing.
"The goal here is for Kenan-Flagler to reach everyone associated with UNC Athletics - whether that's alums, whether that's sponsors or the casual fan," Reeves added.
Both Reeves and Gray said the partnership will utilize UNC Athletics' media outlets such as tarheelblue.com and Tar Heel Sports Radio Network.
Woody Durham, "the Voice of the Tar Heels," will promote Kenan-Flagler through the radio network during athletic events.
Gray said Kenan-Flagler plans to introduce the partnership with a lunch Oct. 13 - the same day as Late Night with Roy - where Durham will speak to attendees.
Future plans include marketing functions that will give Kenan-Flagler some face time with UNC sports fans.
"I think a lot of business people can relate to the same challenges that are found on the field or on the court," Reeves said, likening the position of CEO to that of a head coach.
Gray said the business school has a specific business purpose for the venture. Ultimately, officials hope to reach out to more people about the school's mission.
"It's very much a strategic decision for us. It's not just pulled out of the air. It's not just brand reputation."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(08/23/06 4:00am)
Students who cancel their annual meal-plan contract after first semester now will be charged an administrative fee.
Those who want to cancel their plan before the contract expires will be charged $250. Meal plans are purchased for two semesters.
"We looked at what the cost of providing the services had been, and we also wanted to be more in line with what housing was doing with their contract," said Ira Simon, director of food and vending services.
Simon said that while this is the second year meal plans have been annual contracts, the administrative fee will help cover fixed costs that occur in running award-winning dining facilities on campus.
"Some of these costs we can't stop even though the student leaves the meal plan second semester," he said.
Initially dining services looked at colleges with similar voluntary meal plans, such as the University of Georgia, for confirmation that its decision was a good one, Simon said.
The decision then was approved by the Student Dining Board of Directors, a committee made up of students from all areas of campus.
"It's more to maintain more of a consistency," said senior Megan Phillippi, former chairwoman of the board. "As we lose those meal plans, that's less money to help keep costs stabilized."
Simon said that by stabilizing costs dining services can provide students with lower fees.
"Our goal (is) to cover our cost but to be cost-effective," he said.
Although sophomore Ryan Kirkman signed up for a meal plan for a second year in a row, he said he doesn't like the new charge.
"Some people who are in fraternities cancel (their plans)," he said. "I haven't, but I have friends who have, and they get hit with the charge."
When making the change, dining services officials said they tried to ensure that students were aware of the new policy.
"We didn't want anyone in the fall semester coming back saying, 'I did not know this,'" Simon said.
He said students studying abroad during the spring semester would not incur the fee.
Simon said that last year about 300 students canceled their meal plans because they were studying abroad. He said he anticipates a similar number this year.
"We do have a review board that we will go through if for some reason people need to cancel outside of studying abroad or withdrawing from the University," Phillippi said.
Students who wish to change meal plans from one semester to another can do so free of charge, she said.
In addition to the new fee for canceling a meal-plan contract, the smallest block meal plan has been increased by five meals from last year. Students now can choose from blocks of 105, 150 or 200 meals per semester - or weekly value plans.
"We have found that students get a better value if they choose more meals," Simon said.
He said that for students who wish to eat only four or five meals a week in the dining hall, it is more cost-effective to use expense money.
"Our participation is growing every year," he said.
"What we're trying to do is give best value so it's all win-win for everybody. . We believe quality and service drive sales in."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(04/25/06 4:00am)
Students seeking to lighten their textbook loads in the upcoming weeks can send their used books off to another continent.
Instead of throwing away used textbooks this buyback season, students can donate to the Books for Africa Drive.
The project was adopted by Circle K International about three years ago after the UNC student group was contacted by an organization called Better World Books.
Students can donate books at the boxes the organization is placing throughout campus, said Caitlin Shaw, service committee chairwoman for Circle K.
Boxes will be located in Student Stores, the Tarheel Bookstore on Franklin Street and in several campus buildings.
"For a book to qualify they should be college textbooks and no less than five years old," Shaw said.
Unused workbooks and study guides with a copyright date of less than five years old are accepted for direct shipment, she said.
"Older textbooks, course packs aren't good," Shaw said. "Any mass market paperbacks aren't good. Pretty much any college textbook should work."
Books that can't be sent to areas in need are sold online to raise money to fund the cost of shipping, said Linda Barrett, a Better World Books employee who oversees the drives at UNC.
"The cost of (shipping) keeps going up - it's somewhere about $10,000 for 25,000 books," she said.
Circle K's aim is to get as many books as possible by staging its drive during the peak textbook buyback season.
"I think that if college students can help make a difference locally, nationally or globally - they want to step up to the plate and help," Barrett said.
She added that she thinks literacy is an important issue to college students.
Circle K works with Better World Books to send used textbooks to African countries with the hope of relieving what organization leaders call the continent's "book famine."
"It's really a useful project," Shaw said. "A lot of the books that are collected actually do go to Africa."
Better World Books partners with another organization, Books For Africa, to organize and ship the donated books directly to countries in need.
Last spring marked Circle K's most successful drive to date.
More than 2,000 books were collected for the program, but Shaw said construction complications in December hindered turnout during the past semester.
"I think it's vital to keep doing (the project) just to show continued support, especially in an area that's so easy for college students to provide support," said Danika Barry, vice president of Circle K.
"It's just things from their hearts," Barrett said. "Students in Africa . have to share books - we don't even think about that here."
Contact the News Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(03/31/06 5:00am)
This week the Organization for African Students Interests and Solidarity has shed some light on "the dark continent" in its 25th annual Africa Week festivities.
The week of celebration began Monday with an African marketplace in Polk Place, and it will culminate Saturday with the Africa Nite show at Memorial Hall.
The theme of this year's week has been to bring awareness to the "brain drain" phenomenon that is plaguing Africa, said senior Abisoye Abisogun, public relations officer for O.A.S.I.S.
(03/23/06 5:00am)
The Board of Trustees' university affairs committee convened Wednesday to bring themselves up to speed on a smattering of campus issues.
The meeting focused on continuing efforts to engage with the graduate student population - what some have called the "lost third" among the more familiar faculty and undergraduate populations.
Linda Dykstra, dean of the Graduate School, presented the third part of her series on the graduate community, focusing this time on research assistants.
She said the graduate students who work in labs are an integral part of keeping campus research running, and they need to be accommodated.
She underscored the need for more reimbursement in the form of tuition discounts and stipends.
"Graduate students need tuition support, multi-year fellowships with competitive stipends and a sense of community," she said.
The points all were addressed within a graduate education study survey conducted by Faculty Chairwoman Judith Wegner.
Her project was a comprehensive survey given to graduate faculty, rating the programs in areas ranging from graduate student responsibilities to comprehensive costs for a student.
"(Teaching assistants) provide a vision that undergraduates can pay attention to," Wegner said.
Provost Robert Shelton also announced assignments to new administrative positions at the meeting.
During the search for a new dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Madeline Levine, a professor of Slavic languages, will serve as the interim dean.
The position will be opened July 1 when Bernadette Gray-Little steps down to replace Shelton as provost.
Shelton is leaving then to becoming president of the University of Arizona.
Trustees also heard updates about ongoing initiatives at the School of Education.
Education Dean Tom James said the school has placed great emphasis on the state's K-12 education.
On a more local level though, James said the education schools have worked to connect more to the University as a whole, especially looking to convince more math and science majors to teach after graduation.
The state is seeing a shortage of teachers in upper level classrooms. A recent survey of N.C. school systems found that most have the greatest need for high school math and science teachers.
Because of the shortage, it is necessary to recruit more teachers out of other campus units - not just the education school, James said.
"There's a deep service ethic within the undergraduate community," he said, adding that this is what it takes to find good teachers.
He said that the education school also is working on initiatives to broaden the scope of how students get the hands-on training they need to teach.
When closing the meeting, committee chairman Rusty Carter commended the action and initiatives happening on campus, especially in light of the events the campus has struggled with during the past several weeks.
He said he applauded the campus community for its resilience and urged that it continue to remain strong.
Contact the News Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(02/28/06 5:00am)
Students have watched Ram Village apartments rise out of the ground during the past two years, and now the complex is almost ready to house them.
The application process for the complex began in early December, and since then almost 800 applications have been submitted for 253 apartments.
Students now can sign up to take tours by contacting the Hinton James community office. Tours are given Thursdays and Fridays between 12:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. at half-hour intervals.
The new facility, located on South Campus near Hinton James and Craige residence halls, has the capacity to house about 900 students in two-, three- and four-bedroom apartments. Several single-bedroom units also are available.
Sophomore Melissa Perryman, said she finds the prospect of moving to the apartments from Carmichael Residence Hall exciting.
"I just wanted my own room as part of it," she said. "We looked at a house but couldn't find enough people to fill it."
Perryman said that when she and her roommate took a tour, they fell in love with the space and immediately signed up.
Students can submit their application online at the housing department's Web site. The department will assign spots in Ram Village on a first-come, first-served basis with priority given to juniors and seniors.
"Those that are sophomore-only groups are not being assigned," said Rick Bradley, an assistant director of Housing and Residential Education.
He added that housing officials likely would put junior transfers in Ram Village before placing sophomore groups in the complex.
Freshman Kelly Swarts said she is hoping to get an assignment. She looked at several other apartment complexes off campus but said she found Ram Village to be one of the more attractive options.
"This one just seems a lot more standardized," she said, adding that living on campus was a plus.
Bradley said he expects many of the remaining 200 spaces to be filled by recently accepted Kenan-Flagler Business School students.
The apartment complex is in line with the University's commitment to house every undergraduate student who wants campus housing, Bradley said.
For UNC students, Ram Village provides several benefits not offered by off-campus living arrangements.
One of the major benefits is the ease of having an academic year contract.
"You don't have to worry about subleasing an apartment during the summer," Bradley said.
Along with a shortened contract, the $2,700-per-semester, per-person rent includes utilities and Internet connection.
Each apartment comes fully furnished with beds, desks, a couch, a dining room table and chairs, as well as being air conditioned.
The communities offer a conference room, game room, lounges and laundry facilities.
Sophomore Emma Hanson said the benefits of having maintenance and technology response personnel readily available is an amenity off-campus facilities don't offer.
"You can use as much hot water as you want," Hanson said.
She said the brand-new apartments are a step up from her living situation this year in Odum Village.
Her roommate, sophomore Megan Speer, said that the apartment was dirty when they moved in, and that Ram Village is an improvement. "I like that the walls aren't cinder block."
Contact the News Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(02/17/06 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>All University students want to grab a slice of life.
But those seeking their niche can have a hard time finding what interests them with so much going on.
To help remedy this problem, student government introduced slice.unc.edu, a Web site designed to bring student groups together to keep track of daily events.
"Student organizations can be a really good tool for making people feel comfortable here," said Brian Payst, director of technology and system support for the division of student affairs.
"There have always been a lot of student organizations, but they haven't been easy to find."
After a semester on the Web, the site's organizers are trying to get more students to take advantage of the medium.
The student affairs committee will begin a campaign soon to promote awareness of Slice among the student body. Previously attention was focused on getting student groups to post events on the site.
Efforts will include a publicity campaign in the Pit, fliers on campus and online promotion.
"We're trying to reach people from a bunch of different avenues, so hopefully people will know (about it) by the end of the year," said Patrick Elliot, chairman of the student life committee.
Launched this fall by the student life committee and divisions of Information Technology Services, Slice has helped some student groups organize and publicize their events in an interactive forum.
Mark Laabs, chief of staff for Student Body President Seth Dearmin, helped get Slice off the ground.
"My major motivation . was the number of times that I talked to someone one day and heard about the great event that went on the night before," he said. "I feel like that goes on a lot."
Laabs said he feels that Slice offers big benefits for a small investment.
"I just encourage everybody to go and take a look at it. I think it's something that's really exciting."
Each of the 600-plus student organizations on campus has an individual Mambo Web site, which can be personalized with a calendar of events.
These items are collected and compiled in the master Slice calendar every 30 minutes, Payst said.
Since its launch, Slice has been targeting student groups to get them to update their Mambo sites consistently.
"We've really seen it grow just recently, actually," Payst said, adding that he feels like a parent watching the site grow during the past several months.
The ease with which groups can plan and advertise activities through the site is a perk for many student organizations, Elliot said.
"You can find out if anything else is going on at the same time, so you can avoid double booking your time and splitting your audience."
Despite the site's benefits and improvement, Laabs sees room for Slice to do even more to help student organizations gain visibility.
"Even though that growth has been really quick, there are still a huge number of organizations that don't have the time and expertise to change over," he said.
What is SLICE?
View the calendar at slice.unc.edu
(01/27/06 5:00am)
Facing a possible $1,100 tuition hike, some of UNC's nonresident students have expressed frustration about the increases that were approved Wednesday by the Board of Trustees.
And the topic of increases is not unfamiliar among those undergraduates. If the hikes gain approval from the UNC-system Board of Governors, it will mark the fourth time in five years that tuition has increased considerably for out-of-state students.
Trustees voted to raise resident undergraduate tuition by $250.
The Out-of-State Student Association has been trying to ensure that tuition increases remain what it sees as fair. Last semester the group introduced a fair tuition petition, drafted by OSSA political chairman Mike Winters, supporting predictable tuition increases that would give students and their families time to plan for these influxes.
Although trustees adopted a resolution requiring nonbinding multiyear tuition proposals, OSSA still has concerns about the future potential raises.
"I would have liked to have seen more specifics," said OSSA President Joy Kasaaian. "Time will tell what they do with this."
Group leaders said the petition, still circulating, intends to express nonresidents' frustration with the recent trend of tuition hikes.
"It's hard to plan to pay for tuition when it gets raised $1,500-$2,000 each year," said Matt Field, OSSA co-vice president. "We'd like to have a fixed tuition rate, knowing how much it'll go up . even for in-state students, that's nice."
As of Thursday evening the petition had almost 650 signatures.
Kasaaian said the group plans to send the petition to the BOG before the board hands down its decision on the proposed hikes at its February meeting.
"I think the petition is our best bet because it shows the number of students who are affected by this," Kasaaian said.
For many out-of-state students, part of UNC's appeal is its relatively low tuition by out-of-state standards, especially when compared to private institutions, Field said.
Jasmine Hemmings, a freshman from South Brunswick, N.J., said cost was definitely a factor in her college decision.
"College is already so expensive," she said. "(UNC is) a public school; it shouldn't end up costing as much as a private one."
Other students have watched as the tuition has inflated during the past several years.
"They said that they wanted to do predictable tuition, and they increased it by $1,100 this year, which I find pretty ridiculous," Kasaaian said. "I'm not happy."
Student Body President Seth Dearmin, who as a member of the trustees voted for the hikes, said the increases are necessary for maintaining the University's reputation for excellence.
"Out-of-state students are not viewed as a piggy bank," he said. "There is a need of tuition increase, period. At the same time they are never popular. People don't enjoy spending more money."
OSSA leaders said they will continue to push for a more predictable tuition plan to minimize costly surprises during the next round of tuition talks.
"There should be a cap on it, the predictability really matters to the students," Kasaaian said.
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(09/29/05 4:00am)
Last year, UNC's Morehead Planetarium and Science Center had 134,000 visitors from across the state.