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(09/22/09 4:54am)
Each fall for the past 13 years, David Adamson has wondered if he’s going to get his job at UNC back.As a part-time professor in the department of dramatic art, he has to consistently renew his one-year contract, a task that makes it difficult for him to make long-term career plans.Adamson is part of a growing number of fixed-term faculty employed at UNC and universities across the country, hired to bring in professional expertise and keep academic costs down.“People in my position are a bargain for the University,” he said.As the number of fixed-term faculty members has grown, so has the need to clarify these sometimes hazy positions. Administrators have said they are going to place a high value on reforming the way they deal with these roles throughout discussions this year.Fixed-term faculty members, or non-tenure track faculty, are employees whose appointment is dependent on contractual terms for limited periods of time. These contracts can be and usually are reinstated.Of the roughly 3,000 faculty members at the University, more than 1,190 are defined as fixed-term.Most of these fixed-term faculty are part of the School of Medicine in high-paying and highly skilled positions that provide easy opportunities for transition to employment outside the University. But the same guarantees don’t necessarily extend to faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences.“We would like fixed-term faculty members to treat their positions here as a long-term, rewarding career path,” said Ron Strauss, executive associate provost.Those rising numbers are common in research universities across the country, according to the 2009 book, “Off-Track Profs: Nontenured Teachers in Higher Education,” by John Cross and Edie Goldenberg.“Fixed-term faculty are growing as a percentage of total faculty faster than those on the tenure track,” said Goldenberg, a tenured professor in the political science department at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.One major reason for bringing non-tenured faculty members is to save money. Often these faculty members do not work enough hours to receive benefits and can have their positions cut when contracts expire.But the increased presence of these faculty members is due to a variety of factors, Goldenberg said, extending beyond the simple issue of budgets.“For artistic departments, such as music, drama, creative writing and the like that like to have people with professional experience, fixed-term, part-time faculty members can bring expertise, even if they aren’t interested in being full-time professors,” Goldenberg said.As recently as 10 years ago, fixed-term faculty were often not treated as an active part of the College of Arts and Sciences, said Bill Andrews, associate dean for the fine arts and humanities. But as their numbers and length of service has risen, the need for further recognition of their contributions has grown.Progress has been made in recent years, professors said. Fixed-term faculty members can now participate in the Faculty Council if they meet certain employment criteria. They also are eligible for health and retirement benefits if they work an appropriate number of hours.Administrators said at a recent Faculty Council executive committee meeting that they expect to make permanent a preexisting fixed-term committee within the Faculty Council.But an overall problem for fixed-term faculty is a lack of definition of their positions within the larger framework of the University, several administrators said.Often there is inconsistency between departments — sometimes titles used across the board don’t always come with the same responsibilities and roles.“We assembled an absolutely bewildering list of titles during our research,” Goldenberg said.In some graduate schools, such as the School of Medicine, roles are clearly defined for each title. But the same level of consistency doesn’t apply to all departments.Faculty Chairwoman McKay Coble, once a fixed-term faculty member, has made clarifying their roles and reforming the promotion process a major focus.“There’s been a national trend towards clarity in regards to fixed-term faculty,” Coble said. “The question now is, how can we reward these extraordinary and essential people in every department?”For Adamson, there’s no question of his role in the department. This fall, he serves as the director of undergraduate studies in the department of dramatic art.But he would appreciate more clarity and consistency in his position — and a little more job security.“I would like more work, more hours,” he said. “But as an actor, I’m used to going from job to job.“That’s the deal we signed at the beginning when we decided to act.”Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(09/08/09 5:24am)
Despite statements that UNC would not raise out-of-state tuition next year by more than the $200 required by the state budget, administrators now say a larger increase is necessary.The about-face in plans stems from a closer reading of confusing language in the state’s budget, which administrators originally believed limited larger increases across the board.The budget prohibits increases of more than $200 for in-state students, but says nothing about a cap for out-of-state tuition. It states only that all tuition must be raised at least $200.“The budget is silent on non-resident increases,” said interim Provost Bruce Carney. “We simply had to take a closer look at our tuition policy.”Carney discussed the potential increases while talking to the Faculty Council on Friday.He said the tuition and fees advisory task force will explore the possibility of “reasonable” increases for non-resident tuition, calling such increases necessary in the face of rising applications for need-based aid.Need-based financial aid requests are up 17 percent this year, Carney said.Non-resident students make up about 20 percent of the student body. Administrators have not said how much the increases would be.“We want to minimize the pain and maximize the returns on these increases,” Carney said.The task force, which convenes annually, will seek input from students, administrators and the University’s departments to determine how much to increase tuition.In late August, Carney and Chancellor Holden Thorp said the task force would not be formed, but the group would still collect relevant data.But officials said the rising number of financial aid applicants — and the closer reading of the budget — forced them to change course.“This is the only option we have this year,” Carney said. “Our chief worry is to make sure that we continue to have adequate funding for aid to students, and it’s harder to meet the rising need.”As the University struggles with 10 percent budget cuts, it has been forced to explore alternative ways of continuing academic and administrative services.Ryan Morgan, president of the Out-of-State Student Association, expressed concern that the University’s tuition policies would not be fair for non-resident students and ultimately hurt the University.“Clearly the best students at UNC are out-of-staters,” Morgan said. “Any increase is likely to harm out-of-staters, and we of course want to have a voice in this discussion.”Even with potential non-resident increases, the University maintains competitive tuition rates compared to peer schools, Carney said.“It’s important for the community to get together to determine what’s fair in this policy,” he said. “It’ll be a modest increase, I’m sure, but I couldn’t say. I’m new at this.”Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(09/04/09 3:19am)
Chapel Hill and Carrboro have several developments and projects in the works — but are now lacking the money to keep working.The area’s progress is patchy, with the soaring towers of Greenbridge just a stone’s throw from the potholes on South Columbia Street.Private and public developments alike have been forced to come to terms with a dramatically altered economic climate.“We’re cautiously optimistic,” said Jim Norton, executive director of the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership.Road projects delayedThe Chapel Hill planning board has seen a recent upswing in development applications, officials said. Multi-family housing, office and other mixed-use projects are currently under review.“We’re not sure what that says about the economy, but it’s a good sign,” said J.B. Culpepper, planning director for the town of Chapel Hill. But the recession has had a marked effect on two proposed road repair projects.The N.C. Department of Transportation announced its decision to delay what town officials described as a crucial repaving project of South Columbia Street.“Every day, that stretch of road sees upwards of 25,000 bus passengers,” Chapel Hill Town Council member Ed Harrison said. “This is a project that was very important to the town and the campus.”The town had proposed the resurfacing as a “shovel-ready” project worthy of qualifying for the federal government’s stimulus plan, but none of the street improvement projects proposed in Chapel Hill were accepted when the stimulus funds were allocated in February.The project is not expected to begin until summer 2010.Another project that has been in the works since 1997, adding turn and bike lanes to South Columbia Street, has been pushed back until November 2011, said Patty Eason, a construction engineer for N.C. DOT.“We’ve had to review our projects and take a look at our priorities,” Eason said.She described the delay on South Columbia Street as characteristic of the department’s projects across the state.Some progress madeBut other projects are making progress.Chapel Hill will be receiving a computerized traffic-light system from N.C. DOT, replacing a system that Harrison called “older than most University students.”In Carrboro, town officials are moving forward on plans to add sidewalks and break ground on the future hotel at 300 E. Main St.“I think of it as our own contribution to the national effort to create jobs and get the economy moving,” Carrboro Mayor Mark Chilton said.While a number of approved private developments in Carrboro have slowed down, they are still in development, Chilton said.“In this environment, you can’t build a building and not know who’s going to be in it,” he said. “The projects aren’t abandoned, they’re just stalled.”And as soon as tenants and funds are found, the area will be ready to build on a larger scale.“We’ll come out of this prepared to start again,” said Dwight Bassett, Chapel Hill’s economic development officer. “We’ll come out fine.”Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(09/02/09 4:40am)
History came off the walls and into the open Tuesday as students, town residents and friends celebrated the rich — and often unknown — stories of the past.Storytelling, music, food, dancing and company marked the end of “Because We’re Still Here (And Moving)”, an interactive history project detailing the history of local black communities, particularly Chapel Hill’s Northside neighborhood.The project was developed by local arts nonprofit Hidden Voices, a collection of community members devoted to enacting change through the simple act of sharing stories. Their latest effort is on display in the Student Union gallery until Friday.“Hidden Voices hopes to bring underdeveloped voices into the forefront of the community,” said Kathy Williams, Hidden Voices performance director.Since 2003, Hidden Voices has used story, song, memory and performance to shed light on the lives of diverse communities such as women in the prison system, illiterate adults and victims of domestic violence. Its founders believe in the power of memory to shape the present.“If we don’t know where we’re from, we don’t know where we are going,” said Lynden Harris, director of Hidden Voices.As students rent houses in the neighborhood and older residents move on, the unique history of Northside, the traditional center of the area’s black community, was at risk of being lost, Harris said.“These are stories that were not being passed down to the younger generation,” she said.So in early 2006, Harris, Williams and the organization teamed up with a UNC sociology class and local high school students and headed out into the neighborhoods armed with recorders, cameras and notebooks.The stories the students recorded map out the history of Chapel Hill’s black community, from slavery to the construction of the University to the establishment of black-owned businesses on the west end of Franklin Street.“It was a truly transformative experience,” said professor Judith Blau, who taught the UNC class.An interactive theater performance was launched in February 2008, and an exhibit highlighting the project was installed in the Student Union as part of the 2009 freshmen orientation.For members of the Northside community, Tuesday’s celebration was a chance to share memories.“It’s the end of the era,” said longtime Chapel Hill resident Keith Edwards. “The community was a village that raised everybody’s child, but today that village is gone.”To Harris and Williams, it’s stories like these that form the backbone of Hidden Voices’ mission.“Lives can be transformed by bringing voices where they can be heard,” Williams said. “Becoming familiar with the story of where you are is part of living in a community.” Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.
(09/01/09 4:09am)
A glance west down Rosemary Street confirms the progress of a controversial 10-story development among low-slung businesses and homes.Future occupants have purchased more than half of the units set to be built in the skeleton framework of the Greenbridge development.As it takes shape, its neighbors must come to terms with a changing landscape and community dynamic.Despite a regional slump in real estate sales, the environmentally conscious mixed-use development is on track to finish construction and sell all of its units by its projected opening in June 2010, developers said.“Our sales rate is the fastest yet,” said Tim Toben, a Greenbridge Developments partner.Fifty-eight of the development’s 98 residential units had been sold as of Friday, as well as 60 percent of the available commercial space.About half of the future owners are out-of-towners, Toben said. He said he expects the final units will go to alumni who come into town for sports events.Toben attributes the sales volume in part to the growing physical presence of the structure. The 10- and seven-story towers topped out in August, and the exterior brickwork and green roof, which uses plants to regulate temperature, are now under construction.Greenbridge’s development has seen much resistance from the surrounding Northside community and UNC activists decrying the spread of gentrification.Northside, traditionally a black neighborhood, recently has seen rising taxes and a changing population as families move out and student renters move in, residents have said.Though Greenbridge development representatives said they tried to engage the community throughout the planning process, opponents have accused developers of manipulating public sentiment in their favor.Now, as the two towers of Greenbridge climb above the neighborhood, some residents described difficulties as a part of the development’s continued growth.“Of course there are growing pains,” said Dianne Pledger, a member of the Steward Board of St. Paul’s AME Church. The church lies across Merritt Mill Road from the development.Through an agreement with Greenbridge, parishioners will have parking spaces in the development’s underground garage, she said.But not all of Northside’s residents are interested in working together with Toben and his staff.A strongly worded open letter authored by a group of “concerned residents of Northside” appeared in Sunday’s Chapel Hill News, calling on prospective Greenbridge buyers to reconsider.“Any residents who move in that building will be unwelcome,” said Elizabeth Albiston, spokeswoman for the group, adding that the group hopes to send a message to future developers.Toben and his staff insisted that they have the support of Northside.“These statements don’t represent the sentiments of the Northside neighbors we know,” Toben said.One of those neighbors is Mildred “Mama Dip” Council, owner of the country cooking restaurant Mama Dip’s, which lies on the edge of the Northside neighborhood.Council said she is pleased to see the town growing, but the increasing property values of the neighborhood have made it harder for her to see a future for the restaurant. Greenbridge is part of those rising taxes, she said.“My taxes ain’t gonna come back down, no matter how raggedy the building gets,” Council said. “I got to wonder, ‘What’s gonna happen to Mama Dip’s?’”Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(08/27/09 5:01am)
Students returning to campus this week had one fewer free news source available.
(08/26/09 4:38am)
There will be fewer gray hairs in some University classes this year — and a little less life experience.Citing the larger financial crisis facing the state, the N.C. General Assembly cut a beloved but infrequently used University fee waiver for state residents older than 65. Under the waiver program, elderly residents could enroll without charge for classes at any of the 17 schools in the UNC system.“It was a very difficult budget year,” said N.C. Sen. Richard Stevens, R-Wake, co-chairman of the Senate’s committee on education. “We had to make cuts in every agency, but for the universities, the key aspect was to maintain the classroom experience for the undergraduate and graduate students.”The elimination of the waiver will save taxpayers about $300,000 — not much compared to the state’s more than $18 billion budget. Stevens said this indicates the relatively small number of people who took advantage of the program.The change in the waiver has already had an effect on enrollment for elderly residents at UNC-Chapel Hill. Of the 25 individuals who applied for the program this fall, only seven have opted to continue their courses and pay the usual tuition fee — about $150 per credit hour.For the residents who used the waiver, the sudden expense of taking classes will be dearly felt.“I’ve taken a course every semester since spring 1992,” said Lawrence Slifkin, an 83-year-old alumnus and former UNC physics professor. “I guess I’ve had more courses than anyone at the University.”For many elderly residents, the chance to attend a class is an opportunity to refine a skill, discover a new passion or simply to spend time with younger students.“How eye-opening and wonderful to see young people — many of whom were quite talented in languages — in a classroom setting,” said Bobbie Lubker, past president of the UNC’s Retired Faculty Association. Lubker, 76, took a German class to prepare for a trip.The program was primarily a benefit for returning students like Lubker and Slifkin, but the presence of seasoned learners could often illuminate class discussions.“Senior citizens in a history class on World War II, for example, can sometimes relate their own first-person experiences,” said Timothy Sanford, associate director for credit programs at the Friday Center. “Not having these additions could diminish the intellectual character of a class.”Stevens said the waiver might return should economic conditions improve. Tuition at any of the state’s 58 community colleges remains free for senior citizens.But elderly learners stressed their simple desire to learn.“The main thing, I think, is to not take away from students or burden the instructor,” Slifkin said. Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(08/25/09 1:36am)
A development agreement between Chapel Hill and UNC for Carolina North was approved in late June, setting in motion the next 20 years of work at the University’s new satellite research campus.
(04/21/09 4:00am)
After a big ball of pollen fell on Barbara Stiles' head in her garden Monday afternoon she had to rush to clean up for her guests.It was her 94th birthday and she and her twin sister Bernice Wade were expecting company to help them celebrate. But guests aren't unusual for the twins. Their home on Gimghoul Road in Chapel Hill surrounded by lush blooming flowers and trees has become a local destination of note" drawing visitors from the University and the country alike.""It's small and modest" but absolutely heavenly" Wade said.Wade moved into the neighborhood from Arizona with her husband after he ended military service in 1944. Soon after, the young couple hired a local man — and his mule — to plow the yard around their new home.He took a dead country garden and turned it into a beautiful flower bed and lawn"" Wade said. Stiles moved in with Wade in 1978 after her husband died. She and her sister have been watching the garden and its constant stream of visitors ever since.A small green sign is planted every spring by the front lawn, proclaiming The Garden is Open.""The sign was a necessity" Wade explained. Too many people were ringing the doorbell and telephoning" asking to come and see the garden.""People should just come and go" Wade said. That's the way. The garden's open" and you're free to come.""On sunny spring weekends" pedestrian traffic is heavy in the garden. Friends old and new stop by to take in the sisters' work.The sisters used to tend the garden themselves planting" weeding and watering the hundreds of colorful flowers that dot their lawn.""Bernice had to teach me all about Southern gardening"" Stiles said. But age and the growing size of the garden eventually caught up to the twins, forcing them to hire some help.We can't see a weed from a seedling" Wade said.So two medical researchers in the UNC Hospitals system and a local high school student have taken up the garden's duties.We enjoy the garden but they execute it" Wade said. They own the garden now.""Neighbors said the garden really belongs to everyone. Visitors come back year after year" bringing their families. Wade's daughter said one local family even sends pictures to their daughter who has since moved away.And it's the garden that keeps the sisters going strong" even at 94 years old.""It's an old garden" but we add new things every year" Wade said. Some of the azaleas in the garden are more than 60 years old.The flowers are like old friends, she said, keeping track of the time.We count our years by the spring"" Wade said.We live our lives from spring to spring.""Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.
(03/24/09 4:00am)
It was a close call"" but in the end Samurai Noodle had what it took to get into the Sweet 16.""It's a question of fuzziness"" Samurai Noodle's owner, Linda Beeber, said. Samurai has long hair"" so I think that helped him.""Samurai Noodle" a cat is one of 16 pets who advanced past the first elimination round of the School of Nursing's March Madness Cutest Pet contest. The contest which mirrors the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament" grew out of a desire to encourage office camaraderie in Carrington Hall. ""People always seem to love their pets"" said Marcia Van Riper, chair of the school of nursing's family health division.This contest is a nice way to bring a little more collegiality. We have a wonderful school"" but we don't always have time in our busy world for each other.""In early February" Van Riper invited her colleagues to submit pictures of their pets for the office bulletin board on the fourth floor of Carrington Hall.In a matter of hours Van Riper had received dozens of submissions she said. The final tally was 64 — the perfect number for a March Madness-style cute pet contest.Faculty members submit votes on their four favorite pets for each round and the contest narrows down from 64 to 16 from 16 to four and from four to the final winner: the cutest pet in the school of nursing.The winner will be announced April 6" the day of the final game of the NCAA men's basketball tournament.Some faculty are pushing for their pets to win the big dance.""Most people seem to like dogs and puppies" so the winning pet will probably be a dog" Debra Barksdale said. Though some people have been doing some shameless campaigning.""Noreen Esposito is one of them. Monday morning" she sent out a promotional video of her dog Sophie" after she made it past the first round of voting.""Somebody has to win it all"" so why not Sophie?"" Esposito said in an interview. ""She's the smartest"" sweetest dog I've ever had.""With budget cuts looming for the nursing school and the University at large"" the contest has provided an fun emotional release for staff.""We are starting to worry about money" about how we are going to continue to preserve the same quality of work" Esposito said. This contest is a fun distraction from all of that."" Meeting around the brightly colored bulletin board to look at the pictures of pets — some in cute poses"" some dressed in tiny outfits and some bearing encouraging messages urging passersby to vote for them — the faculty are discovering more about each other through their shared love of animals.""More people walk by the floor now"" professor Deborah Mayer said. Her dog, Ginger, made it to the Sweet 16. Lots of people have pets"" but it's not something you necessarily know about someone.""The prize for the winning pet hasn't been decided yet"" but few faculty members care. ""It's like a water cooler" and we don't have a water cooler" Esposito said. More people are getting to know each other.""And their pets.""It just puts a comma in the day"" Barksdale said. It makes people feel good.""Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.
(01/26/09 5:00am)
The volcano erupted every 45 minutes.And Jonathan Lees could capture it from every angle.Lees a professor in the UNC geology department" was the subject of a National Geographic special filmed in Guatemala last month. His cameramen turned out to be UNC alumni.""It was really a strange coincidence"" Lees said. Lees and a group of geologists and undergraduates from UNC, N.C. State University, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and Michigan Technical University were monitoring the eruptions of Mount Santiaguito, an extremely active volcano in western Guatemala.Lees' use of new methods of seismic observation in the barren mountains of Central America attracted the attention of the National Geographic Society's Wild Chronicles"" series.""It's always fun for me to work with academics who are truly passionate about what they do"" said Pablo Durana, one of the cameramen who followed Lees. Durana graduated from UNC in 2006 with a degree in communications studies. His intern for the shoot, Hayes Baxley, graduated from UNC in 2008.Sharing the Carolina background gave Durana and the scientists a lot more to talk about, he said.Lees, a professor at UNC since 2000, has been studying volcanoes for more than 12 years and has visited them all over the world. His next stop is in Japan.The study of volcanoes isn't just about prediction"" he said, shuffling papers on his cluttered desk in Mitchell Hall. Volcanoes are interesting parts of nature by themselves — we're just trying to understand how it all works.""His recent project combines seismic monitoring systems with high-definition video and sound recording to closely define the downward force of volcanic explosions. ""We're putting old methods together — acoustic waves" seismic waves and video monitoring — to give us a better understanding of how these eruptions work" Lees said.Lees designed a program that uses the mathematical data from all these sources to create a more fluid picture of the constant eruptions at sites like Santiaguito.Using volcanic data in this way is like fixing years of poor eyesight, Lees said.If you're blind in one eye" you don't see any depth" Lees said. His program uses multiple cameras to capture all sides of a volcanic eruption.This simple yet novel way to observe volcanic eruptions drew the eye of both Wired and Nature magazines, earning Lees and his colleagues a moment of fame in the scientific community.National Geographic's Wild Chronicles"" program takes a look at scientific solutions to the secrets of the Earth. Lees' episode will air in June" Durana said.Durana's work has taken him from the inside of high-security prisons to secluded tribal villages around the world" but his trip to Mount Santiaguito with Lees was his first time on an erupting volcano.""It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever shot" Durana said.Lees was glad to have Durana and Baxley along on the trip.There's a real camaraderie among the Tar Heels" Lees said. We all started picking on the N.C. State guy right away.""Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.
(01/20/09 5:00am)
David Sontag wasn't hesitant to board a plane Friday to Chapel Hill. But he did request one minor change in seating.""They asked me if I wanted a seat in the exit row"" said Sontag, one of the 155 passengers on the downed U.S. Airways Flight 1549. I told them that that sounded like a good idea.""Sontag"74 the Wesley Wallace distinguished professor in the UNC communications department was sitting in the rear left of the plane as it was forced to take a crash landing into the Hudson River last Thursday.Flying home from his brother's funeral Sontag's original direct flight from New York's LaGuardia Airport to Raleigh-Durham International Airport was cancelled.Eager to return to Carolina" Sontag opted for a connecting flight passing through Charlotte.""I've flown for 60 years"" said Sontag, who teaches screen and stage writing at UNC. It seemed like a normal takeoff.""But just before the flight reached cruising altitude"" there was a loud bang on Sontag's side of the plane. He saw flames streaming from the engine.""I told the person next to me" ‘The pilot's going to dump some fuel and take us back"'"" Sontag said" assuming only the left engine had failed.The U.S. Transportation Safety Board's investigations have since shown that the engines on both sides of the plane failed simultaneously as a flock of birds collided with the plane.Like a scene out of a disaster movie" the pilot announced the forthcoming impact landing. Sontag said everyone onboard remained calm.""It was controlled chaos" he said. There was no pushing no shoving. Everyone just kept saying ‘Move move" move.'""""And we did.""Within three minutes" Sontag said all 155 passengers and the entire crew had evacuated the plane and awaited rescue from a squadron of boats.Minutes later they were back in New York where a swarm of medical officials and media waited.Sontag was soaked from the flood of water onboard the sinking plane and underwent a basic checkup at New York's Roosevelt Hospital.But some passengers seemed unfazed" noted Sontag.""One man only got wet up to his ankles" Sontag said. Several passengers were rescheduled on later flights Thursday evening.U.S. Airways has expressed amazement on behalf of the swift actions of its crew and passengers.Sontag agrees.Everyone did just a fabulous job he said. He isn't fazed by the incident — though the sound of the landing gear dropping on his return trip did startle him — and he said he plans to travel by plane again this weekend.It was such a freak accident" Sontag said. The odds of it happening again are so remote.""Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.
(12/03/08 5:00am)
Sophomore Kathryn Westall began smoking this summer. When she returned to Chapel Hill in the fall continuing her new habit came with strict limitations.Westall and other smokers on campus have been at the center of a yearlong debate over smoking within the confines of the University.Beginning Jan. 1 smoking was banned within 100 feet of any University building and inside all campus living spaces — effectively a campuswide ban. The ban was meant to discourage smoking at the University and improve campus health" officials said.""It makes a statement about public health" that we are an institution that is trying to put public policies in place that encourage certain health behaviors" said Thomas Bacon, Area Health Education Centers program director.As smokers continued to openly break the new rule on campus smoking, enforcement of the ban became formalized in September when Chancellor Holden Thorp announced the beginning of fines of up to $146, issued by the Department of Public Safety.No citations have been issued for smoking since the ban, Department of Public Safety spokesman Randy Young said at the end of November.We would be very pleased to not issue a single citation"" Young said.The ban is part of larger statewide trend to limit smoking. Legislation allowing UNC-system authorities to regulate smoking on campuses began in July 2007, leading to the quick ban of tobacco products on the grounds of UNC Health Care. All Orange County-owned buildings began a similar ban in April.The University's ban proved controversial, and many smokers continue to light up despite campus health's cessation programs.I feel like it's pretty ridiculous to take a legal activity — something that people choose to do — and tell people they aren't allowed to and that their rights don't matter"" said sophomore smoker Charlie Vick in February.Smokers requested designated smoking areas on campus throughout the ban's implementation and increased enforcement, but the locations provided few viable options for a puff between classes.Because the flagpole in Polk Place is one of the most accessible areas where smoking is allowed, it has transformed the quad into a social hot spot, with students forming new friendships and spending additional time soaking in the atmosphere of the smoking circle.""""It's become its own cultural center"" said junior Joy Jenning, a regular.With so many smokers in one place, it also has become easier to bum cigarettes and lighters, some said.Senior Kurt Davies suggests relaxing the ban during the hours when classes aren't in session. It's fine when class is in session" but when people are living here" they shouldn't have to walk across campus to the flagpole to smoke."" Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.
(11/06/08 5:00am)
When he enrolled in a journalism class three years ago at N.C. State University Walter Mack tried hard not to be a conspicuous presence in the classroom.But Mack a retired journalist" is 75 years old and stands out among bright-eyed young college students.""The professor wouldn't let me hide"" Mack said. He knew I had experience in the field and could tie it in to what he was teaching.""Mack" a Chapel Hill resident" is part of a growing trend in the Triangle: retired citizens adding to the university scene while taking advantage of its resources.""There are a lot of big draws to living in a college town for retired people"" said Jerry Passmore, director of the Orange County Department of Aging. The academic"" cultural and medical benefits of living in a university community are pretty significant.""Since the 1970s" retirees have flocked to college towns drawn to the intellectual stimulation and culturally active lifestyles so common there.As the Baby Boomer generation passes retirement age this migration is becoming more pronounced.Five years ago when Tom Minor69 and his wife were looking for a place to retire" these benefits attracted them to Chapel Hill even though they had no connections to the area.""We're people of modest means"" Minor said. We looked at the University community as a way to help keep us young.""The Minors are not alone. According to the U.S. Census Bureau" the median age in Chapel Hill is 26 — almost nine years lower than the national average. But the percentage of the population more than 65 years old is roughly the same in the town as it is in the country at large.Other college towns such as Ann Arbor Mich. and Charlottesville Va. also have booming retiree communities" officials said.""The retiree community in Charlottesville is very sizable"" said Jennifer Oppenheimer, director of enrichment programs and marketing for the University of Virginia School of Continuing and Professional Studies. It's a beautiful place"" the weather is great and the university is here.""For the 10 percent of Chapel Hill's population over 65 years of age"" the University offers more than just lectures and concerts.""Life is just easier in a college town for a retired person"" said Sophie Schiffman, 81, who has lived in Chapel Hill for 44 years. The people we meet are always interesting. They share our values and are very friendly.""Schiffman and her husband tried living in a retirement community in Durham but quickly realized they missed the bustle of a university town.""We really took Chapel Hill for granted" Schiffman said. The easier living" the convenient shopping. There's just so much available here.""For North Carolina residents who are more than 65 years old" those opportunities include the Senior Citizen Tuition Waiver. Any North Carolina resident more than 65 years old can enroll in classes for free in the UNC system said Timothy Sanford" associate director for credit programs at the Friday Center for Continuing Education.""There's quite a range of reasons people use the waiver"" Sanford said. About 25 residents used the waiver at UNC in the 2007-08 academic year, he said. Maybe you're trying to finish a degree" or get a master's or doctorate" or maybe you've always wanted to study Shakespeare.""Students in these classes gain from exposure to their older classmates"" Sanford added.""These senior citizens can offer a broader perspective on society" because they've lived life they did things the students can only read about" he said.Oppenheimer noted the value of nontraditional students, such as retirees, in classes.They bring so much enthusiasm. They're in class because they really want to be"" she said.Retirees truly can be a resource for university life, said Bobbie Lubker, former president of the UNC Retired Faculty Association. We have a lot to offer"" Lubker said. We're not just sitting around darning socks.""Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.
(10/30/08 4:00am)
Cassie Butler and Lucas Wood don't know each other. But that didn't stop them from dancing together in the center of Polk Place.Sharing iPod headphones dance moves and laughs" more than a dozen students gathered Wednesday afternoon for a silent disco put on by Carolina Union Activities Board's campus voice and exposure committees.""The exposure committee is all about people getting together" building relationships through more personal events" said Butler, a chairwoman of the group.With the silent disco"" we wanted people to get out of the box they build around themselves and have fun.""In a silent disco" dancers gather in a public space armed with iPods earphones and a general disregard for social norms.Silent discos have spread across Europe Canada and the U.S. with large-scale events in downtown areas of New York and Boston. Wednesday's event was inspired in part by a silent disco tent held at Nashville's Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival" said campus voice Chairwoman Gabriella Miyares.""We wanted an event that would bring people together in creative self-expression"" Miyares said. I feel really liberated.""Social networking sites" such as Facebook" helped spread awareness about the movement.""I saw the event on Facebook" and thought to myself ‘What a perfect excuse to get silly in public"'"" sophomore Yasmeen Zamamiri said. ""I just love to dance.""As the silent disco quietly raged on throughout the afternoon"" passing students gave the dancers strange looks and cat calls.""Are y'all in a Mac commercial?"" one bemused student asked as he hurried by.Other students gently smiled as they watched the wild movements of the dancers.""I mean" I like dancing in clubs and parties" senior Jennifer Durham said as she walked towards Lenoir. But I wouldn't join in. I'd be too embarrassed.""A couple of brave students were encouraged to participate.""I wish this was a weekly event" sophomore Tyler Lockney said. I saw everybody out here and if people are dancing together like this" why not join in?""Other dancers pulled in friends off bikes and in a hurry to class"" and a giggling group of high schoolers touring campus joined in a spontaneous and music-free dance party.The committees hope to host more silent discos in the future. Most of the dancers Wednesday pledged their support for more mute dances.""These days" we are all really tired of studying" said junior Courtney Huffines, dancing in a wild circle with two friends. Everyone should be able to get out and just dance.""Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.
(10/29/08 4:00am)
When she was 13 years old"" senior Carrie Hagan's carpool rides to soccer practice included discussions about the latest bills passed in the state senate.""Mom would ask all of us our opinions" Carrie said. I was embarrassed for my friends" but I really cared — I was really interested.""As her mother" Kay Hagan runs for U.S. Senate Carrie has taken an active role in the campaign" speaking at events across the state and rallying her friends to vote.""It's been a wild roller coaster ride"" Carrie said. She took the first semester of her senior year off to work on her mother's campaign.Kay Hagan, a fifth-term state senator from Greensboro, is the Democratic challenger for a national Senate seat against Republican incumbent Elizabeth Dole.The race has garnered national attention as North Carolina proves to be a swing state in the presidential election.The excitement surrounding my mom is crazy" Carrie said Monday after a day spent at campaign events. Mom introduced Joe Biden at a rally today and this morning we were in a Starbucks and she was on the front page of USA Today. And of course" I really freaked out when Katie Couric called to set up an interview.""Carrie always has taken an active interest in her mother's career.""Ever since her mom first ran for state senate" Carrie's been excited about politics" said longtime Hagan family friend Molly Brenner, a UNC senior. She got our friends interested" too" by putting up signs and getting people to vote.""Carrie also served as a fundraising committee co-chairwoman for the UNC Young Democrats. Along with her father and two older siblings"" Carrie often serves as a surrogate representative for her mother at public events. ""I think it says a lot about our mother and our family that both of my sisters and I were willing to drop our lives to help our mother run for Senate" Carrie's brother Tilden Hagan said. Tilden deferred enrollment in UNC's medical school to do campaign work.Kay Hagan said she appreciates her family's passion and energy.Carrie went to an opening of a music enrichment program for youth in Durham and was so moved that she went home and found an old trumpet and a trombone in our attic to donate" Kay Hagan said. She's truly been a wonderful asset to have.""It's been equally rewarding to see the effects Kay has had on voters"" Carrie noted.""I'm amazed at the reactions of these other people who have never even met her" Carrie said. A woman came up to my mom at an event and said" ‘I want you to know that I believe in you.'""But Carrie is ready for the campaign to be over" she said. She's enjoyed the work but is looking forward to going back to finish college. She has no political plans in her future" but she encourages other students to get involved in the election process.""It's truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be a part of one of the biggest election years in recent history"" she said. It will feel great to know that we helped shape what will happen in the future.""Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.
(10/21/08 4:00am)
Editor's note: Daily Tar Heel staff writer Nick Andersen has made periodic trips to the ReCYCLEry in Carrboro" where 15 hours of volunteer work can earn a bike.""Bikes are simple machines and are simple to fix.""The mantra found on a painted wooden board on the ReCYCLEry wall repeated in my head.As I struggled to roll a loop of inner tubing onto a rusty bike wheel" I hoped the crowd of qualified mechanics and highly-skilled preteens working on other projects would be able to help me.Every Sunday afternoon mechanics come to run an open workshop out of the nonprofit bike shed hidden in the woods off Greensboro Street.The ReCYCLEry resembles a secret garden of bike memorabilia and heavily tattooed mechanics. Piles of old wheels" frames and handles line the overgrown path to an open-air shed piled high with colorful filing cabinets full of spare parts and tools.ReCYCLEry founder Rich Giorgi told me his group of mechanics noticed a large number of children in the area without bikes.""We thought if we could get kids on bicycles" teach them about bicycles ... but the program grew from there to include the whole community" Giorgi said.Giorgi's original dream is alive today. On a recent Sunday, about a dozen local young people moved about the organized chaos of the ReCYCLEry's workshop. Gathered around flashy trick bikes and rusty refurbished frames, these kids seemed remarkably at ease.Do you have a 10-inch?"" a small boy asked me as I tried my best to look competent with two defunct rear brake pads in my hands. I wasn't sure I knew what a 10-inch was so I just smiled sheepishly.Shrugging"" the boy grabbed a wrench from my pile of tools and wandered back to his station to launch into the complicated replacement of multiple gears.""It's a ‘do-it-yourself' attitude"" said Chris Richmond, director of the program since 2001. We want to empower people to be able to fix and build a bicycle"" to know if something is wrong with their bicycle down the road.""Anyone can come to the Sunday workshops" volunteer for about 15 hours" then take home a bike. ""It takes about as long to earn a bike as it does to learn something useful"" Giorgi said. We don't want to just give bikes away but teach the community something as well.""College graduates" local residents and a young doctor from Israel worked alongside me on their projects. On my personal bike project I was fortunate to have the assistance of mechanic Gean Stoviek. Together Stoviek and I pieced together the corpse of an old Schwinn Sprint road bike.The wheels were shot the pedals were flimsy and plastic" and I didn't trust the brakes to keep me from running into pedestrians.""Plus" that seat just does not look comfortable" Stoviek said. I had no idea what cabinet or pile to look in for spares nor what to do when I did manage to find a particular part or tool.Stoviek understood. He took the reins and pointed to where I could find things, and together we finished in less than five hours. Giorgi and Richmond were playful and relaxed with the kids in the shop. Responding to requests for assistance and advice, both men were jokingly blunt.You're building this to send to your grandfather in Mexico?"" Giorgi asked one young boy working on a mini-trick bike. ""Unless your grandfather is three feet tall"" I don't think this bike is going to be a very comfortable ride for him.""As I pedaled down the weed-strewn path on my newly refurbished bike" I felt a tangible sense of accomplishment. Even though I took my bike home after my first five hours I found myself back at the ReCYCLEry sorting tires the next week. I didn't have to come back but I still had so much more to learn about my bike before I felt like I truly earned it.Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.
(10/14/08 4:00am)
With a bright smile a whooping yell and a rhythmic tap of her feet Jean Healy has been dancing most of her life. At 61" the Hillsborough resident is grateful to still be able to share her love of movement with those around her.""I'm one of the old farts"" Healy said. I can't believe I'm still clogging at my age.""Healy is one of the original founding members of the Cane Creek Cloggers"" a local dance troupe dedicated to the American folk tradition of clogging.And the group wants to spread that tradition through free lessons to the community starting today. The group offers a series of clogging lessons each year.""Clogging is just a fun celebration of music" dancing and community" said member Diana Montgomery, who lives in Orange County.The group, whose members range in age from 20-somethings to veterans in their early 60s, was founded in 1980 as a way to explore and preserve a storied American folk tradition.Clogging has roots in many places"" said Ruth Pershing, the group's resident clogging historian. Some argue it comes from the British Isles"" some find roots in African-American traditions and some see Native American influences.""In performance" these varied influences blend together in a pulsing swirl of motion and energy. Clogging often associated with Appalachian folk culture" closely resembles a highly rhythmic form of countrified tap and step dancing.""It started as a celebration in somebody's barn or porch" just having a good time and being moved by the music" said longtime clogger Jim Kirkpatrick. It's an attractive mix of rhythm and music.""Rehearsing in the basement of the Chapel Hill Post Office on a Sunday before their performance at Chapel Hill's FestiFall" the Cane Creek Cloggers shared high-spirited yelps" shouts and claps as they tapped elaborate patterns across the floor.""Anybody who sees clogging" it just makes them happy Pershing said. Even if you're in a glum mood" it cheers you up just watching it.""Other team members stepped in for tired dancers as the cloggers rehearsed dances with whimsical names like ""Flirt"" Chaos"" and ""Jubilee."" The dance ""Black and Blue"" demonstrated the ""hambone"" clogging style.A pulsing" steady set of percussive slaps of the arms chest and face hambone dancing is an old and complicated method of keeping the beat without actual instruments. It originated with African slaves in the South said team member Cheryl Junk" also a senior academic adviser at UNC.""There's always something new and exciting to learn when we dance"" Junk said.After Junk's husband Daryl joined the group last year, she eagerly awaited her turn to join while recovering from an injured foot. I love being a part of the old-time music revival"" she said.In tribute to the folk origins of the dance style, the women wear colorful calico print dresses and the men dress in high black pants, suspenders and neatly pressed collared white shirts.For four weeks every fall, the group seeks to spread their love of clogging to interested locals.Around here" the public is starting to appreciate clogging more Pershing said. We want to teach anyone who is interested — youth students working adults" retired people. Everyone.""Two Cane Creek members were pulled from these lessons in the past. Caroline Irick and Forrest Oliphant" both in their 20s" attended the classes and fell in love with the movement and the group.""I'm new to the area" and it's been a great way to get involved" Irick said. But classes aren't really auditions for the group — they're creative outlets, members said.There aren't a lot of people who can sing maybe" but everyone can dance" Pershing said. It could turn out to be something they truly love."" Attend the free clogging lessonsWhen: 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.Dates:- Today- Oct. 21 - Oct. 28 - Nov. 4Where: The Teen Center under the Franklin Street Post OfficeContact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.
(10/06/08 4:00am)
Due to editing errors this story has several errors. The story incorrectly refers to Sosei Nakasuji a barista at Jack Sprat Cafe" as a ""she."" Nakasuji is a man. The story also incorrectly states why ticket distribution for Saturday's game against Notre Dame was implemented. Officials decided on a lottery before the season began.The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the errors.Sophomore Andrew Pate has tailgated at the same parking space off Stadium Drive since he was five weeks old. This fall" he's noticed new neighbors.The larger crowds are a response to the excitement of what could be UNC's most successful season in years. So far the team is boasts an overall 4-1 record.Stands during Saturday's game against Connecticut were almost at full capacity with 59500 of 60000 seats sold. Student seats have run out for the last three home games prompting the University to enforce a student ticket lottery for select games including the Oct. 11 game against Notre Dame.Still the enthusiasm is relative. Although UNC's football following is growing" the mania that sweeps other college towns is absent from Chapel Hill.""We're a basketball school" Pate said. It will take a long time to displace that or reach a similar status with football. Until we start winning national championships we'll never be a UGa." a Michigan-type football town.""In Athens" Ga. home to the Georgia Bulldogs football fans start arriving on Thursday morning for a Saturday game said Leland Barrow" assistant sports communication director at UGa.""By Friday" there's not too much green space left on campus he said. Tailgating parties cover the grounds for the duration of a typical Saturday game.The University of Michigan at Ann Arbor sees similar crowds on home game days.The whole campus is pumped" said Hannah Jacobson, a first-year at Michigan. Every yard is covered in Maize and Blue"" and everything downtown is packed with people.""For other large public universities with traditionally successful football teams"" Saturdays during football season are a boost for local businesses and school spirit.""There are over 100"000 people who attend each home game" said Jesse Bernstein, president and CEO of the Ann Arbor Chamber of Commerce. Football has just become deeply ingrained into the local business flow.""UNC and the town of Chapel Hill are trying to move the stadium crowd downtown. Touch Downtown" a program started this season" encourages fans to visit businesses.""We wanted to make it easier for fans to make Carolina football a day or even weekend-long event"" said Rick Steinbacher, associate director for marketing and promotions. It's really a win-win-win situation — a win for the fans"" a win for the community and a win for the football team and athletes."" Business was slow on Franklin Street before and during Saturday's game. Some bars were nearly empty" and restaurants had vacant tables signs that UNC's football culture is still developing.Pregame activities and game days in downtown Columbus Ohio" are a different story. ""I normally start drinking about 10:30" Ohio State University senior Rob Conley said. The bars" traffic — everything is packed.""But Sosei Nakasuji" a barista at Jack Sprat Cafe said that while pregame activity is low" she has noticed increased sales after games.""We're doing double" triple the usual volume on Saturdays" Nakasuji said. Surrounding Kenan Stadium before Saturday's game, about 50 tailgating parties took place in cars and under tents.And that number is growing. New tailgaters joined a core of dedicated football supporters for pregame festivities.We tailgate every game"" said UNC alumna Martha Barnes, tending to a small spread of snacks and drinks with her husband, Russ. It's great that we're winning more often now"" and there is definitely a brighter atmosphere around the field.""Coach Butch Davis noted the increased enthusiasm at a press conference after Saturday's game.""Our players mentioned the fact today that it was probably the biggest crowd in two years"" Davis said.UNC's football team hasn't been to a bowl game since 2004 and hasn't won the Atlantic Coast Conference since 1980.But a larger fan base will come with winning games, Davis said.If you want to build a program" that's the quickest" best way.""Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.
(09/26/08 4:00am)
When appreciating a fine cup of coffee it's not rude to slurp a little.When he's tasting with the professionals slurps are all that Scott Conary hears.Conary owner of the Open Eye Café and Carrboro Coffee Company is offering monthly classes to teach local residents the art of coffee growing" roasting and tasting.Thursday's class was Coffee Tasting 101.""People like the way coffee tastes" but they often want to know what it is they drink and how it got there" Conary said. In an intimate gathering Thursday night, Conary taught locals to first sniff the coffee with an open mouth, then throw it to the back of the throat and savor the aftertaste.The Learning Series Coffee Classes, offered every fourth Thursday, seek to instill an appreciation of the brewing process that precedes every cup of coffee. Topics include tasting coffee, brewing coffee, preparing espresso and tea tasting.We drink a lot of coffee"" said Chapel Hill resident Liz Delong, sitting next to her husband, David. Some mornings it's good" and some mornings it's not" and we wanted to learn how to make sure it's always good.""Delong and her fellow students sniffed and sloshed it" savoring the smell taste and body of five varieties.They were taught to focus on six factors — fragrance aroma taste nose aftertaste and body.And after they familiarize themselves with the different options coffee enthusiasts should know where to get the right roasts" Conary said.Carrboro Coffee Company roasts batches of beans each morning in the rear of the cafe's building.""Coffee is so much about time and place" Conary said. I just want people to understand the long chain the hundreds of hands" that touch the coffee from the ground to your cup.""From the farmers to the local baristas" coffee's journey spans several years before it ever reaches a cup" Conary said.Conary's been from South America to Africa to test the quality of different roasts. He stressed the universality of coffee.""People may disagree about a lot of things" but coffee really brings them together Conary said. In the end really" coffee is really about the taste.""After she retires" Carrboro resident Bee Barth dreams of opening her own coffee shop in Montezuma Costa Rica" to be near the fresh air and the mountains. And the coffee.""People always ask me what I like about coffee"" Barth said. I like coffee like I like men: strong and straight.""