95 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(08/19/08 4:00am)
Due to an editing error, this story stated that any Honor Court charges against junior Chris Kearney related to his Sunday drunken driving accident would not fall under the revised honor code. The revised guidelines took effect on June 3.
Starting Monday, a drunken driving arrest near campus almost certainly will mean a one-semester suspension.
The Honor Court has updated the student code to say that a one-semester suspension will be the usual punishment for driving while impaired, a conduct violation that falls under the code.
(08/19/08 4:00am)
The percentage of black students in the incoming class dropped for the second straight year, despite larger numbers of minorities being accepted.
UNC administrators attributed the drop to increasing competition between high-profile universities but said they are committed to active recruitment.
Last year black students made up 11.14 percent of the incoming first-year class. This year they constitute only 10.7 percent. The class entering in 2006 was 12.3 percent black.
Terri Houston, director of recruitment and multicultural programs, said the school's minority recruitment is facing tremendous competition from schools like Yale and Harvard.
The two schools expanded their aid packages last year to encompass a wider financial bracket.
"When Yale says, 'When you make less than $150,000 we'll help you,' and we're saying, 'You've got to make less than $50,000,' that's a notable difference," Houston said.
UNC's Carolina Covenant, established in 2004, combines federal, state and University funds to help students whose family income is less than twice the poverty line to graduate from UNC debt-free.
Since then, numerous other public universities have followed suit, including N.C. State University and the University of Virginia.
"We were the first to offer debt-free tuition assistance," Houston said. "But we're not alone anymore, and that means we have to work that much harder."
But the number of applications by minority students received increased, as well as the number accepted. This year UNC received about 22,000 applicants, of whom 7,307 were accepted.
"In the applicant pool, African-American numbers are up. Asian-American numbers are up. Hispanic numbers are up," said Archie Ervin, associate provost and director of multicultural affairs. "Basically, across every ethnicity there has been growth in the applicant pool, and it has been proportional."
But a smaller number of black students enrolled, meaning applicants turned down UNC.
The growth in number of Latino students, after two years of more than 20 percent growth, also slowed, showing no real change between last year and this year.
"We're in a competitive business," Ervin said. "Students looking at UNC are looking at a lot of very good schools."
Ronald Batres, president of Carolina Hispanic Association, said students also look at community aspects.
"For Hispanic students, one of the things they really look for is how visible the Hispanic community is on campus," Batres said. "People want to feel comfortable at their university. That's a big factor in the decision."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(08/18/08 4:00am)
Student Body President J.J. Raynor is worried about fitting classes into the 12-hour work days she began this summer.
Like past student body presidents, Raynor used the summer to work on her platform points with other student government leaders.
"We learned from last semester that during the school year, most of what we deal with are things that just come up," Raynor said. "The summer gives us the chance to get platform points off the ground."
Some of the projects Raynor and her staff worked on include creating a safe-ride program for late-night travel, a UNC Wiki forum and a student ombudsman office, though none of these initiatives is complete.
She said much of her staff's time has been spent meeting with administrators.
"Summer has been a really great time to establish good working relationships with the administration," Raynor said.
One of the programs her office worked on with administrators was implementing a new advising system that relies on personal advisors for students instead of advising teams.
Her staff is working on compiling by the end of August a summer report that will detail what each committee and staff member worked on during the summer.
Raynor said that much of the summer work fell to her but that she is ready to spread some of the workload to returning staff members.
"More of what student government gets accomplished during the year will be delegated," Raynor said.
"During the summer I'm doing a lot more personally, but during the year, we'll get more done as an office."
Unlike Raynor and her staff, most Student Congress and Honor Court members did not stay in Chapel Hill.
Congress traditionally meets once during break to deal with summer finance requests.
But this summer, Congress received no finance requests, and Speaker Tim Nichols said there was no reason to meet.
The Honor Court, which traditionally gets bogged down during the summer with too many cases and not enough staff, tried to address that problem this summer.
Student Attorney General Lisa Williford said she spent the summer working on relieving the Honor Court's backlog, which she said is a perennial problem for the office.
With only two staff members in town this summer, Williford tried to get through as many cases as possible.
But since most students were not in town to be tried, Williford said the summer was more important for efficiently scheduling the first few weeks of school.
"We've scheduled a lot of the remaining cases from this summer and last year," she said.
"We've got a lot on our plate, but getting through it will help cut the backlog in half."
In addition to having meetings and making progress on their platforms and projects, student government leaders also went on an Outward Bound wilderness trip to improve inter-branch relations.
"I think it really helps," Raynor said. "I think we're going to work really well together this year."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(04/25/08 4:00am)
While Chancellor James Moeser's resignation was the most publicized administration change this year, UNC is looking to fill several other administrative positions that help determine the University's direction.
In the past year three academic deans - Steve Jones of the Kenan-Flagler Business School, Linda Dykstra of the Graduate School and Tom James of the School of Education - announced that they were leaving their posts.
A replacement has been selected for only one of those posts: The School of Education selected Bill McDiarmid in March to be its next leader.
While that is the only seat filled, administrators said they expect the others to be filled by the start of the fall semester.
With the deans departing, the burden will fall on associate deans to get new administrators acclimated.
"They're key to a successful transition," said Steve Allred, executive associate provost. "I think that that's true for any organization. You have to work with people who know the place."
The University's top administration also has seen changes with the hiring of Larry Conrad, who took office in February as the new vice chancellor for information technology.
Allred, too, will be leaving this summer to take over the provost position at the University of Richmond.
The search for Allred's replacement will be held within the University.
While these changes coincide with the hiring of a new chancellor, administrators have said they are not leaving because of it.
Allred has said he made the decision to leave based on the position he would hold at Richmond, not because of any leadership changes at UNC.
James Ramsey, who served as vice chancellor for finance and administration under Chancellor Michael Hooker in 1998-99, said people often move along at these times for personal reasons.
"It's just a good time to do something else," he said.
When new administrators come in to a university, they typically face a learning curve.
"You have to get used to the University, meet with all the faculty and staff and figure out where the department is heading and what you want to do," Allred said.
Stephanie Schmitt, associate dean for academics in the Graduate School, said most administrators overcome the curve quickly.
"I think it takes about a semester to really get acclimated to a new position," Schmitt said. "Though things constantly come up that you're unprepared for. You just have to work through them."
And even with the chancellorship and several other top administrative posts changing hands, Allred said the University won't suffer.
"I think that it's important to remember Carolina has been here a long time," he said. "Folks here are dedicated to making it a great University.
"Individual leaders will come and go, but there will always be some continuity."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(04/25/08 4:00am)
Holden Thorp, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, was selected unanimously by the UNC-system Board of Governors to serve as UNC’s next Chancellor.
(02/11/08 5:00am)
While the University created a committee of 21 people to seek out candidates the decision about its next chancellor ultimately falls on the shoulders of one man: UNC-system President Erskine Bowles.The committee will select three names to submit to Bowles who will narrow the field to one and submit that name to the Board of Governors for approval.The chancellor hired will report to Bowles but the relationship between UNC-Chapel Hill's chancellor and the UNC-system president has been described as both a partnership and a hierarchy.The president is responsible for setting the direction of the system which comprises 17 constituent institutions. Each constituent institution has its own chancellor who reports to the president and Board of Governors.N.C. Sen. Richard Stevens R-Wake" said it is going to be important that Bowles and UNC-CH's next chancellor foster a strong relationship.""It will be extremely important that they work together as a team"" he said. There are a lot of interests at stake.""Because chancellors are responsible for their institutions but answer to the president"" there is the potential for disagreements.Differences can emerge about the direction a university should take or how to get there.""Any time you have two people deciding the direction of a university" there is the potential for conflict" N.C. Sen. Tony Rand, D-Cumberland said.There tends to be a greater chance of conflict when a new president is introduced into a system, potentially stepping on the toes of chancellors.Professionals disagree all the time" Stevens said. When it's private that's fine. When it becomes public" then someone is going to lose.""This was the case at Louisiana State University" where the introduction of a new system president led to the chancellor's resignation.Sean O'Keefe who resigned as chancellor Feb. 1 cited disagreements with the system's leadership as a reason for his resignation.O'Keefe had been chancellor for a year and a half implementing his own agenda approved by the system's Board of Supervisors when John Lombardi became the system's new president in 2007.In addition to a changing presidency the Board of Supervisors which is equivalent to the UNC-system's Board of Governors" had changed 10 of its 16 members.O'Keefe said the new leadership wished to take the university in a different direction than he was hired for.""There is a new president" new board members and new leadership he said. They have different ideas for the system" and it's better for them to get somebody who can deliver them with a straight face.""He said the reason he was hired - to implement his ""flagship agenda"" - was no longer supported"" so he decided to step down.O'Keefe said that it is ultimately the president's system and that a chancellor is responsible to that.""If it doesn't suit what you think is the right direction at the time" you have to make the choice to get out of the way" he said.A similar situation took place at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville when Loren Crabtree resigned as chancellor, citing differing philosophies in the area of governance"" with system president John Petersen as a reason for resignation.When Bowles was hired in 2006"" Stevens said he did not see any kind of conflict with Chancellor James Moeser.""They seemed to work together immediately"" he said. I think both understood the relationship between the two very well.""Conflict is less likely to emerge when the president is already in place and a new chancellor is hired" which will be the case of UNC-CH's next chancellor. Rand said that while the personality in South Building will change" there will be little change in the professional relationship.""Different ideas may be discussed" but there will be significant similarity in the way things are done" he said.One reason, Stevens said, is that UNC-CH is the system's flagship and also where Bowles is based.The fact that he's at the flagship" that he has more exposure to campus and he's able to see the day in and day out of what's occurring at Chapel Hill is going to make for a strong relationship" he said.Another reason the relationship will be strong, Stevens said, is that Bowles will recommend the final candidate.It's going to be his choice"" Stevens said. That alone is going to make for a different relationship.""He said Bowles is likely to pick someone he is going to work well with"" someone he will look at as a ""teammate.""""It should be a pretty strong relationship"" Stevens said. Bowles is going to be highly confident in who he selects.""Contact the Investigative Editor at iteam@unc.edu.
(01/11/08 5:00am)
View an animation of particle replication
While the product of Joseph DeSimone's research is too small to see, its impact might be larger than anyone can imagine.
DeSimone, a chemistry professor, and his research team work with tiny nanoparticles, which are so small they can only be seen by the most powerful microscopes.
(10/22/07 4:00am)
Nature is not a vacuum: When something leaves, something else must take its place.
UNC is not a vacuum either, and as a generation of faculty prepare to leave campus in the next decade, the University must find and recruit a new crop of educators.
In his State of the University address, Chancellor James Moeser brought to light the fact that UNC is on the verge of an unprecedented retirement by its faculty.
"This is something we're facing that could cripple a lesser institution," said Elizabeth Dunn, senior associate vice chancellor for development.
(10/16/07 4:00am)
The chancellor search committee will meet today to discuss hiring an academic search firm to assist in its search process.
Committee members will hear proposals from three organizations, aiming to decide which firm to hire by the end of the meeting. The three companies making presentations have not been announced.
Search firms are national companies that help universities solicit applicants and provide third-party oversight to searches.
(09/26/07 4:00am)
Chancellor James Moeser will lay out his vision for UNC when he gives his seventh annual State of the University address Wednesday, a speech he's been preparing since summer.
"I've spent several months writing this," Moeser said. "I've literally been throwing it against the wall and bouncing ideas off vice chancellors and people I work with closely."
Moeser said he uses the speech to outline goals and objectives for the University while looking back at past successes.
"It's a discipline to organize my own agenda and lay out the agenda for the University," he said.
In past years Moeser has used his speech to make major announcements, and he said it's "reasonable to speculate based on past speeches" that this year will be similar.
Wednesday's speech will consist of two parts: The first part will take stock of progress the University has made and the success of past goals, and the second part will be about four major challenges the University will face in the near and long-term future.
Moeser said he will address the challenge of enrollment growth.
Enrollment, which has grown by about 400 students annually the past seven years, is at 25,805 undergraduate and graduate students.
Also likely to be discussed with enrollment and the growth of the campus is the expansion of the University to Carolina North, UNC's proposed research campus, which will house various campus groups and projects.
"It would be exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, for research on this University to grow without it," said Tony Waldrop, vice chancellor for research and economic development.
The University has opened several buildings on its main campus recently, including Caudill Labs, Chapman Hall and the Student and Academic Services Buildings. It also is getting ready to open several research and hospital facilities in the coming years.
Waldrop said the University is preparing an innovation center, which will allow the UNC faculty to integrate research with private corporations.
He also said that UNC must continue to grow if it is to remain a leading institution.
"A university that stops growing is no longer a vibrant university," Waldrop said.
Besides growth, Moeser also plans to address faculty research support and the Carolina First Campaign, which met its fundraising goal of $2 billion in February and will end in December.
In Moeser's 2003 speech he revealed the Carolina Covenant program, which will graduate its first class in May. The program allows students coming from low-income households to graduate debt-free.
"We think it's one of the best things the University has done," said Shirley Ort, director of scholarships and student aid.
And last year Moeser announced the goal of raising $1 billion in 2015 for research.
The address also is a chance for Moeser to reach out to the University community.
"I enjoy public speaking," he said. "And this is the biggest opportunity of the year."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(09/14/07 4:00am)
Every year UNC competes to retain faculty members who receive offers from other universities. It's a battle that comes at a high cost and one that administrators expect to become more fierce.
It's a fight that administrators see as a major challenge but an area where the University has made slow, yet noticeable progress.
"Faculty bring a lot of expertise with them that allows them to attract the best students and contribute to the overall academic reputation of a university," said Executive Associate Provost Steve Allred. "Retention is a fight we have every year."
(09/10/07 4:00am)
A trip outside for a quick cigarette might soon turn into a lengthy hike away from campus.
The Employee Forum has decided to voice support of a proposal by UNC's administration to make the area within 100 feet of all campus buildings no-smoking zones.
"Our plan is to make the campus as smoke-free as possible," said Ernie Patterson, forum chairman.
The plan leaves smokers few areas on campus to smoke. Some of those locations include the center of Polk Place and the Kenan Stadium field.
Forum members met with Carolyn Elfland, associate vice chancellor for campus services, who informed them of the administration's plan.
"This is not an idea originating from us. It's an idea originating from the administration," said David Brannigan, forum vice chairman. "We're just saying we support the idea and we think it is a good idea."
While the forum came out in favor of the ban, it is up to the administration to enact it. UNC officials can implement the smoking rule because of a bill passed by the General Assembly in June.
Forum members want to enact the ban Nov. 1 but have not heard a definitive administrative decision.
"I thought they said they would announce it just after school started," Brannigan said. "We were half expecting it then, but I haven't heard anything."
Elfland, who is leading the committee that proposed the ban, could not be reached for comment.
The plan comes in the wake of a decision by UNC Health Care to make all grounds of UNC Hospitals tobacco-free July 4.
The forum wants the new plan to be educational instead of punitive. The group's resolution also calls for measures to encourage people to stop smoking.
Brannigan said the plan includes cessation packages that would include alternative forms of tobacco products for employees.
"We're in favor of it, so long as it is directed at helping people quit, not saying, 'Hey, you're smoking; you're fired,'" he said.
But some students and employees have expressed resentment toward the idea.
"Smoking is a personal decision, said senior Brandon Woodruff, who smokes half a pack of cigarettes a day. "It shouldn't be the University's prerogative to make us quit."
Junior Victoria Shaw, who smokes about a pack and a half per day, also said the ban isn't fair.
"It's only going to increase the stigma of smokers if we're all going to be clumped together around the flagpole," she said.
Those supporting the ban cite the fact that secondhand smoke can cause health problems, including cancer and coronary artery disease.
Brannigan likened the arguments against the ban to those about seat-belt-safety laws.
"It's going to become the same sort of cultural change."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(08/29/07 4:00am)
Many area hotels already are booked to capacity for graduation.
But one will remain vacant. It just won't be open.
Best Western University Inn, located just off campus on N.C. 54, will lock its doors Sept. 16. Demolition to clear the area for a new development is scheduled for October.
The closing of the hotel, which has 84 rooms, means Chapel Hill won't be able to house as many people for major campus events for the next two years.
"Guests will be absorbed when they can be, but for times like sporting events and graduation, there's just no option," said Laurie Paolicelli, executive director of the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitor's Bureau.
Paolicelli added that past events often exceeded the area's capacity.
UNC's Commencement, which coincides with Duke University's, is one of the busiest times in Chapel Hill. Paolicelli said some visitors have to stay as far away as Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
Events such as graduation bring huge groups to the area - 5,481 students graduated at May's ceremony. More than 30,000 people were in attendance, said Jane Smith, associate director for University events.
Orange County is home to 14 hotels, totaling about 1,400 rooms - not nearly enough to house the influx of people for graduation.
During May's Commencement, all 1,400 rooms sold out, Paolicelli said.
And with the Best Western closing, visitors will have even more trouble finding room.
Mark Sherburne, general manager of the Best Western, said the hotel has had to turn away prospective patrons for December's and May's Commencements.
"I think it's going to have an impact on the area, especially some of the other hotels," said Mark Nelson, Carolina Inn director of marketing.
"We already have a tremendous wait list of a couple hundred people," he said, adding that the Carolina Inn opens up its bookings for graduation a year in advance.
While the closing could put a strain on rooms, recent openings in the area might help ease the burden.
The Franklin Hotel, which has 67 rooms and is located on West Franklin Street, opened in December, and the Residence Inn by Marriott, with 108 rooms on Erwin Road, opened in January.
Paolicelli said that the destruction of the hotel is part of a larger plan to develop the area.
East West Partners, the same company that developed Meadowmont Village, is planning to convert the property into a similar, multiple-use community.
The plans call for a new hotel with 130 rooms, as well as restaurants, shops and residential condominiums.
Rooms at the new hotel will run about $140 to $150 per night - more expensive than the $95 to $135 Best Western charges now.
"There is a plan and a vision that has been in the works for many years, and it is based on a changing Chapel Hill customer," Paolicelli said. "Chapel Hill is growing up, and the dated amenities need to grow up with it."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(04/26/07 4:00am)
Today's dedication of Caudill Labs will be marred by its recently discovered lead-contaminated water and the announcement of a third campus building's contamination.
The discovery Monday of lead in the water supply of the new Information Technology Services building on Manning Drive follows the discovery of lead in Caudill and Chapman Hall earlier this month.
The combination of the new contamination and continued uncertainty about the science building contaminations have raised concerns about the University's communication to the campus community about the issue.
"All we need is a safe work environment and our questions to be answered," said Leslie Sombers, a post-doctoral research assistant in the Department of Chemistry who spends up to 10 hours a day in Caudill.
The contamination in Chapman and Caudill was discovered after students and faculty complained about an odd taste and look to the drinking water.
The water was tested and showed elevated levels of lead - in some cases 14 times a safe level.
These results were deemed inaccurate after students in the labs informed officials that the system was flushed prior to the testing.
"I guess one of the last days of March, all the water started running all the time with signs that said, 'Do not turn off,'" Sombers said.
These students, who were not informed that the flushing was conducted by the contractor and therefore not related to their complaints, said it worried them.
"When something like that happens, and you're not told why, it makes you nervous," said Jelena Petrovic, who works in the labs.
Though students and faculty with courses in the buildings have been notified, an informational e-mail about the situation has not been sent to the entire campus.
Carolyn Elfland, associate vice chancellor for campus services, said the appropriate students and faculty were told of the problem.
"We notified the people we thought would be affected by what was found," she said. "If we find through our testing that other areas could be impacted, of course we'll notify the rest of those affected."
While the results were deemed inaccurate, officials said they shut off water fountains in the three sites and have posted signs informing people of the danger.
The signs were written in English, leaving some Spanish-speaking employees in the dark about the problem.
Elfland said that issue has been addressed, as signs were posted in Spanish on Tuesday.
"We have communicated with each housekeeping employee in the affected buildings on a one-on-one basis," she said.
Those concerned can get tested at Campus Health Services for $18. Free testing is being offered to pregnant and nursing mothers and children under six years old who might have been exposed to the contamination.
"Developing children are especially at risk for the effects of lead," N.C. toxicologist Luanne Williams said.
Petrovic said she was turned away from campus health when she approached officials about getting tested.
"They told me that at this time, they were only testing special groups," she said.
Campus health officials said that such a scenario was probably the result of miscommunication.
"Students would not be denied if exposures and risks are reasonable, but only certain groups were covered by the University," said Carol Kozel, director of nursing for campus health. "That's where some of the confusion came in."
With the results on the exact level of contamination pending, UNC is working to identify the cause of the problem.
Marc Edwards, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech, is working with UNC to uncover the source of the contamination.
He said that lead contamination can come from four sources: contamination at the water treatment plant, leaded brass materials, lead solder and lead pipes.
Leaded brass plumbing materials can contain up to 8 percent lead and still be classified as lead-free.
"Corrosive water is most often the cause, but our minds are open to every possibility at this time," Edwards said.
Williams said the combination of chemicals in the water and lead in the plumbing could be the cause of the contamination.
But Edwards said he and the University are not ruling out any potential causes.
"Sometimes it's simple, sometimes it's not."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(04/17/07 4:00am)
Orange County residents were left in the dark Monday about when their power would be turned on after high winds knocked down several trees and power lines.
Wind gusts of up to 50 mph caused more than 9,000 Duke Energy customers in Orange County to lose power Monday, with 217,500 customers throughout North and South Carolina experiencing power outages.
By 7 p.m. power had been restored to 2,000 customers, but Duke Energy officials said the statewide power outages could last several days.
"Crews have been working all day and will continue to work around the clock until this is fixed," Duke Energy spokeswoman Marilyn Lineberger said.
In an e-mail to the town of Chapel Hill, Duke Energy customer relations manager Ken Kernodle said crews would work until sundown and restart restoration efforts at 6 a.m. Tuesday.
Several trees and utility poles were downed on Franklin Street between Boundary Street and Estes Drive, taking out phone and power lines and disrupting traffic. Trees also were reported down at Piney Mountain Road and Friday Center Drive.
Areas in Orange County that lost power included the south side of West Franklin Street, East Franklin Street between Estes Drive and Boundary Street, Hillsborough and Pittsboro streets, University Square Plaza, Smith Level Road and sections of Carrboro.
Workers for BellSouth and Duke Energy at the site of the downed trees said it could be as late as midnight before they could install new poles.
The outages caused several stoplights to lose power, and police were dispatched to direct traffic throughout the day. However, the intersection of Franklin and Raleigh streets was left unmanned despite not having power.
Randy Young, spokesman for the UNC Department of Public Safety, said crews are working to provide energy to the intersections.
"We're working on getting generators out to the intersections to make sure they're working," he said.
Chapel Hill Transit had to divert many routes, which caused delays of up to 20 minutes. Vans were dispatched to provide rides to people in the areas that were inaccessible to the buses.
Henry DePietro, operations manager for Chapel Hill Transit, said the roads were cleared before the afternoon.
"In some cases some private citizens went out and moved the trees themselves," DePietro said. "We were back to normal by noon."
The Chapel Hill Town Council also was forced to push back its Monday night meeting to tonight.
Chapel Hill police said there were no reported car accidents or injuries related to the power outages.
Young added that he has not been informed about when power would be restored.
Duke Energy officials said winds could continue to be a problem for restoration efforts today and could cause more outages throughout the area. They expect the wind to subside by the afternoon.
"As long as wind gusts like these continue, we'll continue to see outages," Lineberger said.
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(04/12/07 4:00am)
Student Body President Eve Carson is about to find out what kind of authority her office holds.
Student leaders have come out against a resolution that would implement the Achievement Index, a measure that compares a student's performance in a particular course to their classmates' performances in that course and other courses.
Carson said she wants students to attend a special Faculty Council meeting Friday where the resolution will be discussed and lingering questions addressed. The proposal is set to come to a vote at the council's next meeting on April 27.
Carson said she hopes students come to the meeting to learn about the system, which she said is a bad idea. "It takes away the ability of the students to control the way their academic achievement is taken."
Carson and her administration said they think the process is moving too fast and not incorporating the student voice.
She said a column in The Daily Tar Heel on Wednesday by Andrew Perrin, a member of the educational policy subcommittee of the Faculty Council, forced members of her administration to voice their opinions. They were planning to wait until after the Friday meeting to formulate a stance.
"The column caught us off guard, and we've had to reevaluate the way we're going to approach the subject because the potential for dialogue has been limited," she said.
Student leaders added that the new calculation potentially could foster a greater competition at UNC, decreasing collaboration.
While Carson is advocating for students to attend the meeting, the session is designed more for faculty than students. "It's pretty common to hold these meetings to discuss topics the council believe to be unclear," Perrin said.
He said the index will help rectify grade inflation and inequality across different majors.
"Essentially what it does is create almost a strength of schedule for students who are taking courses with each other, based on the relative strength of each class," Perrin said.
Mike Radionchenko, the undergraduate representative of the Faculty Council, said he has personal objections to the system.
"It sidesteps a major issue, which is: What do grades represent?" he said. "Do they represent mastery of a subject, or do they represent relative performance of a student in a class? This proposal makes them the latter."
A similar system caused debate among students and professors at Duke University in 1997. It ultimately was rejected by the Duke faculty.
"Students and faculty there were so much more involved and had so much more input," Radionchenko said. "We hope to be able to have that here."
Student Body Secretary Mac Mollison said attendance at Friday's meeting is imperative to voice the student opinion.
"If students don't show interest by coming to the meeting and physically being there, then there is the potential for this huge measure to go through without any student input."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(04/10/07 4:00am)
Student Body President Eve Carson took a DustBuster to Student Union Room 2105 Wednesday, cleaning out the last remnants of former Student Body President James Allred’s tenure.
(03/30/07 4:00am)
After delivering about 200 speeches since the beginning of his term last April, Student Body President James Allred said one more was no big deal.
In the annual State of the University address Thursday night, Allred addressed tuition, campus safety and student life.
The address gives student leaders a chance to sum up their terms in office, outlining their successes and failures. It also marked one of the final speeches of Allred's term.
Although he said the University is exceptional, Allred continually stressed that there is still room for improvement.
"The state of the University is good, but we are not complacent," Allred said, repeating the phrase several times throughout his address.
Allred proclaimed a list of successes made by his administration and the University during the past year but followed each point with suggestions for further improvement.
One aspect that has defined Allred's term has been the fight for reasonable and predictable tuition increases.
Allred highlighted the increased student awareness of the tuition process and understanding that the process needs to be revised.
In January's Board of Trustees meeting when the tuition vote came to the table, about 200 students came to protest.
But Allred also said the trustees need to reconsider the way they approach tuition to prevent drastic tuition hikes in the future.
One recent victory that Allred discussed was Monday's $80,000 gift and petition from UNC's student body to the town of Chapel Hill to install more lights in off-campus areas.
Nevertheless, Allred stated that these improvements are not enough and that future student government leaders must establish new ways to promote and ensure safety.
While he hailed the return of Spring Fest, an end-of-the-year counterpart to Fall Fest, Allred touted the need for administrative buy-in to big events if students want to continue to see major performances.
Allred stressed the need to reform the advising system, encouraging students to attend a meeting at 4 p.m. Monday in Dey Hall's Toy Lounge to review the policy.
"This is the best chance most students will ever have to make a lasting improvement in the University," he said. "Any student who has ever complained about the advising system has a responsibility to be there to build a better system for the future."
Allred said that advertising the meeting will be a big push in his final days and that he hopes to see a turnout similar to the tuition meeting.
Other improvements, though they might be less sweeping than the tuition battle, did not escape the eyes of others in student government.
"I've seen the Allred administration's focus on daily improvements that the students can see," said Graduate and Professional Student President Lauren Anderson. "That's an inspiration for the way things should be."
Although the address brought out many student government officials, there was a noticeable lack of student interest in the event.
In a room that holds at least 100 people, there were only about 20 students present, most from various student government offices.
Student Body President-elect Eve Carson, who attended the speech and will take office Tuesday, said she hopes to address that lack of student interest in her term.
"I wish more people were able to hear this," Carson said. "That's going to be a challenge for next year."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(02/22/07 5:00am)
When Eve Carson talked to her parents after winning Tuesday night’s student body president election, she said they congratulated her and then told her one thing – sleep.
(02/21/07 5:00am)
In a decisive victory, Eve Carson was elected Tuesday night to become UNC’s next student body president in an election that saw above-average voter turnout.