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(11/18/08 5:00am)
A record-setting 1,828 students had signed up to dance at the 11th annual UNC Dance Marathon as of Monday morning — 50 percent more than last year.I knew it was completely possible" but I'm still thrilled" said Gabby Tucci, morale chairwoman for the marathon.Last year, 1,196 students signed up and raised more than $320,000, making Dance Marathon the University's largest student-led fundraiser.Dancer recruiters were out in full force last week, grabbing everyone they could to participate in the marathon, which gathers money for patients and families of the N.C. Children's Hospital in Chapel Hill.The months of fundraising culminate on Feb. 20 and 21 at Fetzer Gym, where students must dance — or at least stand — for 24 hours.Tucci said they used the same tactics to gather dancers as they have in past years, but to a greater degree.They were present daily in the Pit and made their cause known on South Campus, at Kenan-Flagler Business School and at intramural games, coaxing students into participating for the kids.""""They did a really good job of publicizing it this year and letting it be known how successful it is"" said first-year student Claire Bradley, who signed up to dance. Even before I came to school here I knew about it.""Although they still are accepting dancers" organizers now are focusing on planning and helping the dancers raise money.They suggest holding cookouts or spaghetti dinners begging grandparents or digging under couch cushions to gather money. Each dancer pledges to raise at least $100.To keep the excitement alive Dance Marathon organizers are planning to hold a dancer appreciation day Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Pit" which will include card-making for children at the hospital.""The dancers really want to be more connected to the cause"" Publicity Chairman Sam Lau said.For those who left their dancing shoes at home, Dance Marathon organizers will begin recruiting moralers and volunteers Jan. 12.Overall Coordinator Jenna Brooks said organizers are astounded by the number of students who have gotten involved, and anticipate many more will sign up to help.It says a lot about the students we have here"" Brooks said.
(11/13/08 5:00am)
Officers Tased a student multiple times in front of Hinton James Residence Hall after he resisted police Tuesday night said five students who witnessed his arrest.The student first-year Frank Fraboni18" was ""acting strangely"" and found to be under the influence of drugs"" the police report states.Student witnesses said police Tased Fraboni after he made attempts to get away and otherwise resist arrest.He was taken to UNC Hospitals and released Wednesday. He will have to appear before the Honor Court.""It looked like a movie. They finally got him down and Tasered him"" first-year Kaylee Baker said. I was genuinely scared. He was screaming.""Fraboni said he was Tased three times"" at least once on the chest.Department of Public Safety spokesman Randy Young said officers Tased him after trying lesser uses of force.""It's going to be a well-trained officer's discretion in the field as to what's the best option for the suspect being apprehended"" Young said. This was used as a resort to prevent injury to the suspect.""Campus police were called after Fraboni approached first-year Rachel Hamlin as she went to retrieve her laundry. Hamlin said Fraboni was standing outside the laundry room door and was not wearing a shirt.""I thought he was drunk"" Hamlin said. He put his arm around me and I didn't know him at all. He was just really incredibly out of it.""Hamlin took Fraboni to the resident adviser on duty in the Hinton James lobby"" who then called the police after Fraboni could not give his name and left the building.First-year R.J. Yost said Fraboni kept trying to get away from officers and was yelling incomprehensibly.""They finished putting cuffs on him and then he kept trying to get away so they Tased him to get him to stop"" Yost said. Then he looked like he was trying to get away again so they Tased him again.""First-year Ben Buck also saw the Tasing.""They were just having him do the ‘put your hands behind your back and be unthreatening' thing" and he wasn't doing it" Buck said.The police report did not mention that Fraboni was Tased. Young said any use of force"" reports in the case would be internal within DPS.Police officials review any use of force" Young said.Staff Writer Gabby Pinto contributed reporting. Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(10/22/08 4:00am)
Beginning today students can register online to receive tickets for the first three regular-season basketball games.Registration for the football game against N.C. State also begins today and all four distributions close Oct. 31.Despite large turnouts at forums regarding the policy last spring no major changes were made.For each game3000 students are randomly selected from those who sign up in an online lottery and are given two tickets.This year students who did not receive tickets can enter the game at tip-off through a standby line. Last year" students had to wait until four minutes into the game.Distributed tickets will still be broken down into five phases of arrival — 30-minute chunks beginning two and a half hours before tip-off.""We think this is the fairest and most random way to allocate tickets to all interested undergraduate and graduate students"" said Graham Boone, director of ticket distribution for the Carolina Athletic Association.The group evaluated the policy after last year's basketball season. CAA members spoke with officials in the ticket office and held two forums to solicit input from students.Boone said the response to last year's policy was mostly positive, which is why CAA decided to keep the policy this year.He said CAA considered shortening each phase so students would not have to show up so long before tip-off, but basketball coach Roy Williams said he likes having the seats filled while the team warms up.The major criticism of the system is that it offers casual"" fans the same opportunity as ""hard-core"" fans"" Boone said.""I think the way it works is kind of stupid"" said first-year student Jon Pipas. People who aren't that into the games still get to go.""Boone said to accommodate the ""hard-core"" fans" CAA is trying to promote the standby line" which he said was not publicized well last year.Senior Brian Woodard said he used the standby line last year for several games and always got in.""You might have to sit up higher" but you still get to go to the game" he said.Boone said the major failure of last year's system happened for the game against Duke University.Since fewer than 6,000 seniors registered for tickets, some underclassmen were entered into the lottery and got better seats.But Boone said they won't let that happen this year.Freshmen should not get phase one tickets to Duke"" he said. That was a mistake.""
(10/13/08 4:00am)
Shaniqua McClendon did not lie to Student Congress when she presented a Concepts of Colors funding request the ethics committee ruled Sunday.Congress also raised questions about how its finance committee scrutinizes requests and said better evaluation would have prevented the confusion.McClendon treasurer of the modeling troupe was called into question after Congress members heard that she told her business class she had taken advantage of the system.Last week Congress decided to launch an ethics investigation to clarify McClendon's story.The ethics committee decided that Concepts should resubmit its request next week to the finance committee. The original request was for $7535 which would come from student fees.The main question was whether the group's budget asked for more than was needed" which the committee deemed was an issue for the finance committee.But the ethics committee established that McClendon had been honest with Congress and had presented an exaggerated story in her class.""Clearly" if I had done this if I had been trying to get away with something I wouldn't have admitted it to a room of 30 or 40 people McClendon said in the meeting.Members of the ethics committee also thought a problem was that the finance committee did not thoroughly evaluate the request when it came to them.It's not the responsibility of the groups to find the lowest price" said representative Elizabeth Humphrey. I think the onus falls on the finance committee to better evaluate the request.""The recommendations the committee established included informing groups of what Congress examines in requests" increasing the transparency of the budget system and asking for more specific requests from groups.Meetings of the ethics committee traditionally are held to deal with Congress' internal issues.The Student Code states that the committee has the authority to investigate violations of the Honor Code by members of Congress" violations of Congress' ethics laws and violations of the N.C. Open Meetings Laws.But Congress has the authority to refer any bill through any committee — what it did in this instance.Speaker Tim Nichols said they wanted to send the bill through the ethics committee to clear up the validity of the request before sending it back to the finance committee.""This was an external situation we needed cleaned up"" he said. We thought the ethics committee would be the most appropriate to have these discrepancies cleared up.""Concepts of Colors will resubmit its request to the finance committee at the next committee meeting Tuesday.Congress members did say they would scrutinize closely Concepts' next funding request.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(10/01/08 4:00am)
For the past two months Student Body President J.J. Raynor and Trustee John Ellison have been hearing ways to improve UNC from every corner of campus. The Employee Forum and science departments will weigh in today.The discussions are part of a comprehensive campus review through which the duo hopes to get input on what the major issues facing the University are.They are looking for three concrete ideas for how to address these problems and will present them to the board in May.Since August the two have met with more than 130 faculty members" staff and administrators to learn how to improve the school.""I'm not quite sure in hour terms how many hours I've put in"" Ellison said. But I've been on campus three or four days a week.""Raynor and Ellison both said they have noticed repeating themes in what they've heard"" and similar issues keep coming up.""Almost all of what we've heard has concentrated around enrollment growth" Raynor said. Of everything that has come up" most of the issues have touched on it.""The two will spend the spring semester examining the feasibility of implementing the three major projects they come up with.""Not only do we need good ideas" but we also need implementable ideas" Ellison said.When Raynor and Ellison meet with UNC community members, the two sit down and discuss the current state of the University and then hear what the other party has to say.Ellison said they try to focus on that person's experience.In each meeting" we try to focus on the areas that they are experts in Ellison said. But Ellison and Raynor said they were surprised by how discussions tended to be more Universitywide than specific to that person.I've been amazed at how little the response has to do with somebody's own self-interest" Ellison said. It's amazing how University-focused people are.""Raynor and Ellison said they will continue having meetings throughout October"" incorporating students into the discussion. The two will be holding forums in residence halls and meeting with specific student groups.The information-gathering stage will culminate in an open house Oct. 30 where the two will solicit information from all corners of campus.""I'm really excited about speaking with students"" Ellison said. Most of the creativity is going to come from them.""Raynor said the group has come across many issues that could be handled on a small scale — the English department needs more printer paper"" for example.Her cabinet is addressing many of these problems independent of her and Ellison.Raynor said people they've met with keep repeating how needed the project is.""It's weird"" Raynor said. It seems like this type of intensive review hasn't happened before.""Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(09/26/08 4:00am)
The Board of Trustees expressed concerns Thursday regarding the enrollment projection of 5000 more UNC-Chapel Hill students during the next decade.Increased enrollment could ultimately decrease the quality of a UNC education and the number of highly qualified students who enroll according to a presentation by the Art & Science Group" a higher-education consulting firm.Board members said the discussion should weigh the benefits of growth with the possible setbacks.Trustee Rusty Carter said the University might serve the state better by retaining quality and not growing.""I think we're going to have to push back and say we have a higher calling than adding 600 students a year" Carter said. Somebody the board maybe is going to have to stand up and say" ‘This doesn't work for Chapel Hill. This growth thing doesn't work.'""The presentation discussed the effect of enrollment growth on the number of accepted applicants who come to the University. Rick Hesel" a principal with Art & Science" said enrollment growth could cause the perception of UNC's student quality to drop.""If the perception of the quality of students slips" then enrollment declines drastically" he said.One way to prevent a decrease in quality is to increase the amount of money the school gives out in merit aid, Hesel said.Merit aid is the single most important tool in offsetting any negative impacts of growth"" Hesel said, noting that most highly ranked schools are giving more money to high-income students rather than low-income students.That moves away from a culture at Chapel Hill that's very admirable" but it's a competitive fact" he said.Trustee John Ellison chimed in to say that while he believed no one was outright rejecting the possibility of future growth, the presentation did offer an opportunity to further examine issues with legislators.This is an opportunity to refocus the debate on what would be best for North Carolina"" Ellison said. I think we are required to have that debate.""Other enrollment discussions at the meeting included the additional space that would be needed for growth. Presenters at the meeting said the University is short about 4 million more square feet to accommodate the increase.Trustees said the growth discussion strengthens the argument for Carolina North" the planned satellite-research campus that is likely to be a future home for the law school and other graduate programs.But the board said it would proceed with caution from this point" and view the growth discussion skeptically.""My eyes have been opened"" Carter said. And I'm very concerned about the potential pitfalls of this.""Contact the University Editorat udesk@unc.edu.
(09/23/08 4:00am)
Student Congress will vote tonight on two bills that would make the results of its meetings more publicly accessible.The bills which would require Congress to post attendance and voting records online resulted partly from complaints Congress received at its student forum two weeks ago.Congress Speaker Tim Nichols said he worked on the idea for posting attendance records last year" but it never came to a vote.The Rules and Judiciary Committee approved both the attendance record bill and the voting record bill at its meeting last week.""At our public forum we had some different students who were concerned that there is no official vote count of who voted for what in Congress" Nichols said. And I said to myself you know what" that's true.""The voting bill also would require a roll call tally for nonunanimous votes.Nichols said that Congress currently records members' votes for controversial bills and that nearly all nonunanimous votes result in a tally of how members vote.But early in the semester when Carolina Students for Life was appropriated $5"000 in a divided decision no one in Congress called for a recorded vote Nichols said.He cited that instance as one that has made him think Congress should record and post divided votes online.Former Speaker Tyler Younts said he thought the forced roll call vote is a good idea theoretically" but expressed concerns that roll call votes will make Congress meetings take significantly longer.""As far as making an automatic roll call vote" I think it's unnecessary Younts said. I have no reason to believe it's not genuine that people want more open government" but it just might not work in practice.""Some other schools in the state" such as UNC-Wilmington and Duke University" operate similarly to UNC-CH.But N.C. State's Student Senate has exclusively used roll call votes for the past year.""Last year when I was president of the Student Senate for my first term" I felt the system we had wasn't adequately accountable" said Greg Doucette, president of the N.C. State Student Senate.We had a fairly decent online system"" and now every single thing is done by roll call.""Nichols said Congress would have more public forums to solicit student feedback in the future.If Congress approves the legislation tonight"" some feel it would be a step forward in increasing transparency.""I won't say we haven't borrowed from some things that your Congress has done in the past" Doucette said. But if this is something your Congress adopts" I think it would be good for your student body.""Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(09/17/08 4:00am)
Students are excited about the possibility of a Latina/o center at UNC but University administrators want to proceed more cautiously.More than 75 students and faculty attended a forum Tuesday night to discuss possibilities for the center.Despite their enthusiasm and past support from South Building current administrators have committed only to studying the idea.The center is one of two student recommendations included in the University's response to UNC Tomorrow which outlines how the UNC system can help meet the state's needs in the next 20 years.In April as administrators were preparing the University's response to UNC Tomorrow Chancellor Holden Thorp then-dean of the College of Arts and Sciences expressed reservations about the necessity of the center.In an e-mail sent to Vice Chancellor for Public Service and Engagement Mike Smith" Thorp explained his reasoning:""With the curriculum in Latin American Studies and the Center for the Americas" it's not clear what is missing" Thorp wrote. I'd hate to create the perception that we have a problem with Latino students when they're actually doing well.""Thorp added that students may have been trying to push the issue of undocumented Latinos" writing" ""I doubt we want to get into that.""But on Tuesday"" Thorp changed his tune.""The provost and I need to look at the proposal on its merits" with a fresh start and that's what we intend to do" Thorp said. The dean of the College of Arts and Sciences is different than the chancellor. I'm doing my new job now.""Thorp said he is no longer concerned that the center would unnecessarily bring the issue of undocumented students to the forefront. He also said he isn't concerned about the political statement it could make.Instead" he said he questioned only the center's feasibility.Smith who in April replied to Thorp's e-mail with support for including the students' recommendation" on Tuesday echoed Thorp's desire to further explore the idea.""The part that I'm not clear about is" are there gaps in the needs of those students on campus" and are we meeting those needs?"" Smith said. ""That's why we're going to do the study. I just don't know.""Thorp said he and Provost Bernadette Gray-Little will meet next week to discuss the center"" adding that more than one meeting will be necessary to make any decisions.""In a few weeks we should be able to say something definitive"" Thorp said. The center has been on some students' agendas for two years, when the idea developed in a Carolina Hispanic Association meeting.Since then, students have talked with professors and former Chancellor James Moeser to explore how the center could unify and expand on the programs already offered at UNC.The center's specifics — location, funding, mission — are not yet decided.In a spring 2008 meeting, Moeser described the center as the next logical step for the University in addressing Latino issues on campus"" said Ron Bilbao, a member of Chispa and the student advisory committee to the chancellor.The student advisory committee will meet with Thorp for the first time on Monday.The one thing that I can commit to you is that I'm going to study it very thoroughly"" Thorp said. And that's what it deserves.""Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(09/12/08 4:00am)
After two months of wondering whether its students cheated on admissions exams the Kenan-Flagler Business School can relax. None of its students was implicated in an Internet cheating scandal that involved 84 business students across the country.The Graduate Management Admission Council announced the results of a two-month investigation Tuesday" cancelling the scores of students who had contributed material to the now-defunct Scoretop.com.The council did not cancel the scores of any students in the Kenan-Flagler Business School.""I would say that we are gratified that none of our students cheated"" said David Hofmann, dean of the school's Master of Business Administration program.GMAC brought a copyright infringement suit against the Web site for publishing live"" questions — questions that were still appearing in admissions tests.Scoretop charged for access to message boards where members could post test questions they had seen on the test.After a $2.3 million ruling in July" GMAC took over the company and began looking into which students either posted live questions on the Web site or said that they had seen the Web site's material on their tests.GMAC cancelled the scores of 12 test-takers who had contributed live material to the site and 72 students who had seen the material according to a press release.The names of the students involved were released to schools Monday and were compared to admissions data.Those who took the test and sent their scores to UNC had either been denied admission to the school or had not completed the application process Hofmann said.Chris Privett spokesman for Duke University's Fuqua School of Business" said no Duke students' standing changed as a result of the investigation either.But he said he wasn't surprised that a scandal like this happened.""In this era of the Internet" I don't think anybody should be surprised that people use this technology for cheating" Privett said.He added that, had there been any implications at Duke, they would have been handled through the school's honor system.Hofmann said the investigation gives the school the opportunity to examine how it handles academic honesty.It gives us a chance to reflect on our core values."" Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(09/12/08 4:00am)
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(09/10/08 4:00am)
The executive branch of student government is releasing its Summer Report today which will provide a look at the progress made on Student Body President J.J. Raynor's platform planks since she took office.Most of the administration's platform planks like creating an electronic academic advising system a campus wiki and student pick-a-prof system" have been planned and discussed but not yet completed.""J.J.'s goal was to be 50 percent done with platform by the end of summer"" said Todd Dalrymple, student body vice president. We're near our goal with work that needs to be done.""The 71-page report explains how some projects" such as establishing a dance minor and allowing juniors to participate in C-START a program where students plan and teach their own courses" have proved difficult to implement.The goal of a dance minor has shifted to finding more space for dancers to practice on campus — a goal which the administration called ""steps toward the minor.""""We've had nothing we've had to give up on completely"" Dalrymple said. We've just had to get creative with some things.""Raynor's administration also has created new bodies including an accessible education task force" a global university committee and a transfer student task force.The report has a much more conversational tone than past administrations' reports" including a section written in first person by officers and committee chairmen examining their work.""We think adding the administration's personality to the work is important" Dalrymple said. We want to establish the philosophy of the administration" and we think this helps us do that.""Raynor and Dalrymple performed the majority of the administration's work this summer while committees were out of town.The report also discusses how Raynor and Dalrymple will delegate many of the projects they worked on this summer to various committees.Student Body Secretary Andrew Daub said the administration tried to make the document accessible by breaking it down by committee.""If someone is interested in the environment" they can go directly to that section he said.Daub said the document's length is the result of how much material it had to cover.Let's be real we're all students and we don't read 70-page documents for pleasure Daub said. But it has to be comprehensive" so it can't be a short document.""The report will be posted on student government's Web site at studentorgs.unc.edu/studgov.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(09/05/08 4:00am)
Some roles on campus require special experience and the Board of Elections chairman has traditionally been one of those roles.But lack of interest from the board caused student government to look elsewhere for this year's chairman.Sophomore Ryan Morgan who was appointed to head the board last spring" is the second consecutive sophomore chairman and took the position without previously serving on the board.""I think a new perspective is always good" Morgan said.Applications to serve on the board will be accepted until 5 p.m. today. Six to 10 members will be selected.The board is responsible for organizing and overseeing the elections process and enforcing sections of the election law in the Student Code.Most chairmen are selected from the board. Officials said they usually look within the board for applicants but received none in the spring.Honestly nobody from the board applied" said Todd Dalrymple, the student body vice president. Morgan said he applied without knowing that no board members had applied.Last year's elections board chairman, junior Mitchell Capriglione, said the job was a large responsibility and he didn't have time this year.I just wanted to spend a little more time on schoolwork"" he said. Matt Spivey, last year's vice chairman, also said other commitments kept him from seeking the position.Morgan successfully argued a case before the Student Supreme Court about election law last year as the campaign manager for a disqualified candidate. Capriglione said that demonstrates his knowledge of the Code.He's coming into the office with more knowledge of the Code than I had when I took office"" Capriglione said, who served as a first-year.But having someone come from outside the board with that kind of knowledge is an anomaly, he said.This is one of the first times" if not the first that the chairman has not been on the board before" Capriglione said.The Student Code states that Board of Elections chairmen should have at least one semester of experience on the board.But it allows Student Congress to approve an inexperienced chairman with a two-thirds majority.Morgan said he has spent the past week talking with potential student body president candidates to try to clarify sections of the Code.The talks are in response to several candidates holding large interest meetings, which could violate early campaigning restrictions, depending on the Code's interpretation.The first test for the board will likely be a special election held this fall since a Student Congress representative has relinquished her seat.Morgan said his goals for the year are to revise student election laws and to increase voter turnout, which was about 24 percent in the last student body elections.Jim Brewer, who served as chairman from 2006-07, said the position requires knowledge of elections procedures more than anything else.You have to know the code"" Brewer said. You can't just know 90 percent or some of the Code. You have to know 100 percent.""For this reason"" Brewer said that appointing from within the board should still be the preferred course of action since experience is an asset.""Nine-point-nine out of 10 years" I think they should be picking a chair who has been on the board before" Brewer said. But that's not to say that somebody who hasn't can't be great at the job.""Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(09/03/08 4:00am)
The search is under way for the next dean of the School of Nursing.The committee charged with finding the new dean met for the first time last week with nursing school faculty to discuss the search and selection process.It was my attempt to inform the faculty as to how the process would play out and what their role as a faculty would be"" said Bob Blouin, dean of the School of Pharmacy and chairman of the search committee. I expressed to them my desire for transparency" with the understanding that there will be times when privacy is necessary" he said.Linda Cronenwett, who has served as dean for almost 10 years, announced last spring that she would not seek another five-year term in the position.It is both her hope and a goal of the search committee to have a new dean take office by July 1.I think 10 years is the right amount of time for an individual to lead a school" because it gives you time to make progress and have a good team in place" Cronenwett said. And I'm of the age when one would expect to not be seeking another term.""Cronenwett said her biggest accomplishments in her decade of leading the school have been increasing its size and scope.During her tenure" the School of Nursing almost doubled its physical size with a $20 million addition completed in 2005.Student enrollment and incoming class diversity has also been continuously growing Cronenwett said. She said 24 percent of undergraduate enrollments in the past three years have been non-white students.But despite improving facilities and student enrollment" Cronenwett and Blouin both emphasized that the new dean would face challenges with retaining and adding faculty.""There will be considerable turnover during the next decade as the baby-boomers retire" Cronenwett said. Our average age is very high in this school" and we're looking at a large number of retirements.""Blouin also said the search committee would look for a candidate who could interact with the state's pressing need for more manpower in the nursing field.And for some" like clinical professor and search committee member Shielda Rodgers" the main challenge for a new dean deals with both consistency and change.""Another area will be how to continue to strive for excellence in our mission involving research" education and service Rodgers said. But any time you're losing someone who's been there for 10 years the faculty is anxious" just because you have that unknown and you don't know what's next.""Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(02/28/08 5:00am)
When Robert B. House became the University's first chancellor in 1945 he paved the way for a group of people who would help shape UNC into a renowned institution for higher education.That group of chancellors including House consisted of nine white males.Since its formation the chancellor search committee has made it a goal to stay open-minded about candidates said Nelson Schwab chairman of the committee.But before the current chancellor search committee began to tackle diversity in regard to candidates for the chancellorship it tried to achieve diversity within itself" Schwab said.""We just tried to find people in the various areas of the University who had good reputations" and we asked different people for suggestions he said. There are not quotas or rules" but it's more common sense that you would want differing opinions and backgrounds included.""Of the 21 members who make up the committee that was chosen in September" three minorities are represented. When combined women blacks and Asians make up 33 percent of the committee. There are six women" three blacks and one Asian on the committee.""We're looking for the best people we can find" regardless of gender or race or background Schwab said.But like the search committee we also look for people representing a wide range of backgrounds and points of view and so we're careful and thoughtful to make sure we have both gender" race and ethnic backgrounds in the pool.""Of the 10 institutions the Board of Trustees lists as UNC's peers" only the University of Michigan at Ann Harbor has a minority leader" Mary Sue Coleman.Members of campus groups and organizations at UNC said they believe considering minority candidates is vital.""We wanted to make sure that our organization went on record that the search committee make extra effort to consider woman and minority candidates"" said Rhonda Gibson, journalism professor and president of the Association for Women Faculty and Professionals.But Shanika Paylor, executive assistant of the Black Student Movement, said she is concerned that the largest group on campus is the one getting the least representation in the search - students.I wouldn't say the committee has a poor idea of what BSM has in mind but that it may not have a good idea of what students have in mind"" she said. I think there should be more than a document to represent what the student body is looking for.""Beneath the suggestions"" another factor continues to creep into the minds of students and faculty - the closed nature of the search. Few will know who the chancellor is before the person takes the position.""I completely disagree with the fact that the search is closed" Gibson said. But I understand why they have chosen to do this" and I think the reason they have chosen to do it is in the best interests of the University.""Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.ATTEND THE MEETINGTime: 1 p.m. todayLocation: Morehead Building Info: www.unc.edu/chan/search
(02/19/08 5:00am)
Before a new crop of law students ever walks through the doors of the Van Hecke-Wettach building" they already have had their first Carolina Law experience.""When we assemble an orientation" we put them out on the street and hope it doesn't rain" said Jack Boger, dean of the School of Law.The other option - putting all the students in the law school's rotunda - is hardly an option at all. That area holds only about 100 people, and the first-year class is usually 235 students.Administrators expect that five years from now, it will be a different story and the first-year class could be housed in a new auditorium. Last week they lifted the curtain on plans to secure a larger and updated facility at Carolina North.The move is supposed to make for a more comfortable learning environment, rather than bump up enrollment numbers.The law school hasn't increased the size of its first-year class much during the past 10 years, except this year, when it took 240 students.I can't remember the last time that the target was higher or lower than 235 students"" said Michael States, assistant dean of admissions for the law school.Although the plan is to take 40 more students in the next five years, administrators say the expansion is about the necessity of state-of-the-art education facilities.Plans for the Van Hecke building, which has begun to fall apart, have not yet been determined.And for the law school community, the most talked about issue with the move seems to be whether the school will become further disconnected from the main campus.But below the radar, there's a discussion about the quality of the legal education and what it means to have the school's identity tied to the name Carolina North"" versus ""UNC-Chapel Hill.""The concept of Carolina North is a changing plan" originally lauded as a research and corporate-sponsored campus. The law school's decision means the satellite campus's identity is being redefined allowing for more academic-centered units to be housed there.The proximity of other departments to the Van Hecke building has helped create an environment for joint research among the faculty" a major focus of Carolina North.""There's a lot of people that do law research and politics research"" said Luis Lluberas-Oliver, Student Bar Association president.If the law school is the only academic unit at Carolina North for some time, those relationships have the potential to become nonexistent or hardly evident.So far, the Innovation Center is the only other building with concrete plans going forward. Other academic groups and concepts have yet to commit, and a design and physical plan have yet to be confirmed.One of the things that weighed against this choice was a lack of specificity about Carolina North" Boger said.But Boger's decision to make the law school one of the first tenants could be enticing for others.The fact that the law school is there as an academic unit would make it more appealing to us and ... any academic unit" said Mike Smith, dean of the School of Government, adding that the law school would give Carolina North a less corporate-partnership feel.""Boger said he thinks other professional schools and a planned Centers and Institutes building would be appropriate neighbors. But it will be several months" at the least before another decision is made. So until then the law school remains the only academic group to tie its name with Carolina North.The future of the Van Hecke-Wettach law buildingA facilities planning committee which meets every few weeks will develop a plan for when the building vacates. No decision has been made or suggested as to how the building should be used yet.The building: Earliest availability: 2012 Modifications: built in 1968 renovated in 1999 Gross size: 165948 square feet Notable features: centrally located rotunda that holds about 100 people Recent issues: Brick facade collapsed in September and building was fixed by January Neighboring sites: School of Government Hooker Field Ridge RoadContact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(02/14/08 5:00am)
Without setting foot in office J.J. Raynor already has campus buzzing as she has managed to do something no on else has since 1997 - take the majority vote in a general election among three or more candidates.Campuswide office candidates are required to win at least 51 percent of the vote so in most races with more than two people a runoff is required.In recent history the race for the 2006-07 student body presidential position was the only one without a runoff as James Allred and Bernard Holloway were the only candidates.But runoffs have become a campus election hallmark" providing students with an additional week to hear from their candidates.""The runoff is treated just like a normal election"" said Mitchell Capriglione, chairman of the Board of Elections. All the same rules of the last week of the election are applied.""During the 1997 election" Mo Nathan captured the title of student body president winning about 70 percent of the vote.He had 2"206 ballots compared to his opponents Andrew Pearson and Shawn Faley who gained 448 and 443 votes respectively.Former Board of Elections Chairman Jim Brewer said this might show a correlation between voting campaigns and first-round wins.""In '97" that was the last time the board did a huge effort to get the vote out" Brewer said, mentioning that the board promised incentives such as free food to voters.In the event of a runoff, hopefuls get a stipend for the extra campaign costs, starting with $100 for student body president down to $10 for Student Congress.Although students are given extra time and money for a runoff, Brewer said that candidates generally plan runoff strategies.Everybody plans for a runoff when you have more than two candidates"" Brewer said. It would be absolutely ill-advised to not take that into account when planning.""But former candidates said runoff time can be both a blessing and a hindrance.""On the one hand" it gave me one less week of mentorship" said Eve Carson, current student body president. But it gave me this opportunity to tell everyone again ... why it was that I wanted to run for them.""Allred noted that having a runoff puts the president one week behind"" preventing him or her from appointing a Cabinet.""Raynor's ability to win the race on the first ballot means she's one week ahead in implementing her platform"" Allred said in an e-mail.Allred mentioned Raynor's organization as an aid, especially in getting students to vote.This year, there were 6,625 ballots cast, compared to last year's record-setting turnout of 7,241.The votes were split with 3,267 going to Raynor, 1,601 to Logan Liles and 1,403 to Kristin Hill.It definitely shows that the student body thought J.J. Raynor was a great choice for student body president just judging from her campaign and not taking anything away from anyone else"" Capriglione said, adding that Raynor approached him in the fall to find out what she could and could not do during elections.Just from that (early meeting) and seeing what she did throughout the entire campaign"" she obviously was trying to show students that she was the most qualified.""Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(02/14/08 5:00am)
Without setting foot in office J.J. Raynor already has campus buzzing as she has managed to do something no on else has since 1997 - take the majority vote in a general election among three or more candidates.Campuswide office candidates are required to win at least 51 percent of the vote so in most races with more than two people a runoff is required.In recent history the race for the 2006-07 student body presidential position was the only one without a runoff as James Allred and Bernard Holloway were the only candidates.But runoffs have become a campus election hallmark" providing students with an additional week to hear from their candidates.""The runoff is treated just like a normal election"" said Mitchell Capriglione, chairman of the Board of Elections. All the same rules of the last week of the election are applied.""During the 1997 election" Mo Nathan captured the title of student body president winning about 70 percent of the vote.He had 2"206 ballots compared to his opponents Andrew Pearson and Shawn Faley who gained 448 and 443 votes respectively.Former Board of Elections Chairman Jim Brewer said this might show a correlation between voting campaigns and first-round wins.""In '97" that was the last time the board did a huge effort to get the vote out" Brewer said, mentioning that the board promised incentives such as free food to voters.In the event of a runoff, hopefuls get a stipend for the extra campaign costs, starting with $100 for student body president down to $10 for Student Congress.Although students are given extra time and money for a runoff, Brewer said that candidates generally plan runoff strategies.Everybody plans for a runoff when you have more than two candidates"" Brewer said. It would be absolutely ill-advised to not take that into account when planning.""But former candidates said runoff time can be both a blessing and a hindrance.""On the one hand" it gave me one less week of mentorship" said Eve Carson, current student body president. But it gave me this opportunity to tell everyone again ... why it was that I wanted to run for them.""Allred noted that having a runoff puts the president one week behind"" preventing him or her from appointing a Cabinet.""Raynor's ability to win the race on the first ballot means she's one week ahead in implementing her platform"" Allred said in an e-mail.Allred mentioned Raynor's organization as an aid, especially in getting students to vote.This year, there were 6,625 ballots cast, compared to last year's record-setting turnout of 7,241.The votes were split with 3,267 going to Raynor, 1,601 to Logan Liles and 1,403 to Kristin Hill.It definitely shows that the student body thought J.J. Raynor was a great choice for student body president just judging from her campaign and not taking anything away from anyone else"" Capriglione said, adding that Raynor approached him in the fall to find out what she could and could not do during elections.Just from that (early meeting) and seeing what she did throughout the entire campaign"" she obviously was trying to show students that she was the most qualified.""Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(02/14/08 5:00am)
Without setting foot in office J.J. Raynor already has campus buzzing as she has managed to do something no on else has since 1997 - take the majority vote in a general election among three or more candidates.Campuswide office candidates are required to win at least 51 percent of the vote so in most races with more than two people a runoff is required.In recent history the race for the 2006-07 student body presidential position was the only one without a runoff as James Allred and Bernard Holloway were the only candidates.But runoffs have become a campus election hallmark" providing students with an additional week to hear from their candidates.""The runoff is treated just like a normal election"" said Mitchell Capriglione, chairman of the Board of Elections. All the same rules of the last week of the election are applied.""During the 1997 election" Mo Nathan captured the title of student body president winning about 70 percent of the vote.He had 2"206 ballots compared to his opponents Andrew Pearson and Shawn Faley who gained 448 and 443 votes respectively.Former Board of Elections Chairman Jim Brewer said this might show a correlation between voting campaigns and first-round wins.""In '97" that was the last time the board did a huge effort to get the vote out" Brewer said, mentioning that the board promised incentives such as free food to voters.In the event of a runoff, hopefuls get a stipend for the extra campaign costs, starting with $100 for student body president down to $10 for Student Congress.Although students are given extra time and money for a runoff, Brewer said that candidates generally plan runoff strategies.Everybody plans for a runoff when you have more than two candidates"" Brewer said. It would be absolutely ill-advised to not take that into account when planning.""But former candidates said runoff time can be both a blessing and a hindrance.""On the one hand" it gave me one less week of mentorship" said Eve Carson, current student body president. But it gave me this opportunity to tell everyone again ... why it was that I wanted to run for them.""Allred noted that having a runoff puts the president one week behind"" preventing him or her from appointing a Cabinet.""Raynor's ability to win the race on the first ballot means she's one week ahead in implementing her platform"" Allred said in an e-mail.Allred mentioned Raynor's organization as an aid, especially in getting students to vote.This year, there were 6,625 ballots cast, compared to last year's record-setting turnout of 7,241.The votes were split with 3,267 going to Raynor, 1,601 to Logan Liles and 1,403 to Kristin Hill.It definitely shows that the student body thought J.J. Raynor was a great choice for student body president just judging from her campaign and not taking anything away from anyone else"" Capriglione said, adding that Raynor approached him in the fall to find out what she could and could not do during elections.Just from that (early meeting) and seeing what she did throughout the entire campaign"" she obviously was trying to show students that she was the most qualified.""Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(02/14/08 5:00am)
Without setting foot in office J.J. Raynor already has campus buzzing as she has managed to do something no on else has since 1997 - take the majority vote in a general election among three or more candidates.Campuswide office candidates are required to win at least 51 percent of the vote so in most races with more than two people a runoff is required.In recent history the race for the 2006-07 student body presidential position was the only one without a runoff as James Allred and Bernard Holloway were the only candidates.But runoffs have become a campus election hallmark" providing students with an additional week to hear from their candidates.""The runoff is treated just like a normal election"" said Mitchell Capriglione, chairman of the Board of Elections. All the same rules of the last week of the election are applied.""During the 1997 election" Mo Nathan captured the title of student body president winning about 70 percent of the vote.He had 2"206 ballots compared to his opponents Andrew Pearson and Shawn Faley who gained 448 and 443 votes respectively.Former Board of Elections Chairman Jim Brewer said this might show a correlation between voting campaigns and first-round wins.""In '97" that was the last time the board did a huge effort to get the vote out" Brewer said, mentioning that the board promised incentives such as free food to voters.In the event of a runoff, hopefuls get a stipend for the extra campaign costs, starting with $100 for student body president down to $10 for Student Congress.Although students are given extra time and money for a runoff, Brewer said that candidates generally plan runoff strategies.Everybody plans for a runoff when you have more than two candidates"" Brewer said. It would be absolutely ill-advised to not take that into account when planning.""But former candidates said runoff time can be both a blessing and a hindrance.""On the one hand" it gave me one less week of mentorship" said Eve Carson, current student body president. But it gave me this opportunity to tell everyone again ... why it was that I wanted to run for them.""Allred noted that having a runoff puts the president one week behind"" preventing him or her from appointing a Cabinet.""Raynor's ability to win the race on the first ballot means she's one week ahead in implementing her platform"" Allred said in an e-mail.Allred mentioned Raynor's organization as an aid, especially in getting students to vote.This year, there were 6,625 ballots cast, compared to last year's record-setting turnout of 7,241.The votes were split with 3,267 going to Raynor, 1,601 to Logan Liles and 1,403 to Kristin Hill.It definitely shows that the student body thought J.J. Raynor was a great choice for student body president just judging from her campaign and not taking anything away from anyone else"" Capriglione said, adding that Raynor approached him in the fall to find out what she could and could not do during elections.Just from that (early meeting) and seeing what she did throughout the entire campaign"" she obviously was trying to show students that she was the most qualified.""Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(02/14/08 5:00am)
Without setting foot in office J.J. Raynor already has campus buzzing as she has managed to do something no on else has since 1997 - take the majority vote in a general election among three or more candidates.Campuswide office candidates are required to win at least 51 percent of the vote so in most races with more than two people a runoff is required.In recent history the race for the 2006-07 student body presidential position was the only one without a runoff as James Allred and Bernard Holloway were the only candidates.But runoffs have become a campus election hallmark" providing students with an additional week to hear from their candidates.""The runoff is treated just like a normal election"" said Mitchell Capriglione, chairman of the Board of Elections. All the same rules of the last week of the election are applied.""During the 1997 election" Mo Nathan captured the title of student body president winning about 70 percent of the vote.He had 2"206 ballots compared to his opponents Andrew Pearson and Shawn Faley who gained 448 and 443 votes respectively.Former Board of Elections Chairman Jim Brewer said this might show a correlation between voting campaigns and first-round wins.""In '97" that was the last time the board did a huge effort to get the vote out" Brewer said, mentioning that the board promised incentives such as free food to voters.In the event of a runoff, hopefuls get a stipend for the extra campaign costs, starting with $100 for student body president down to $10 for Student Congress.Although students are given extra time and money for a runoff, Brewer said that candidates generally plan runoff strategies.Everybody plans for a runoff when you have more than two candidates"" Brewer said. It would be absolutely ill-advised to not take that into account when planning.""But former candidates said runoff time can be both a blessing and a hindrance.""On the one hand" it gave me one less week of mentorship" said Eve Carson, current student body president. But it gave me this opportunity to tell everyone again ... why it was that I wanted to run for them.""Allred noted that having a runoff puts the president one week behind"" preventing him or her from appointing a Cabinet.""Raynor's ability to win the race on the first ballot means she's one week ahead in implementing her platform"" Allred said in an e-mail.Allred mentioned Raynor's organization as an aid, especially in getting students to vote.This year, there were 6,625 ballots cast, compared to last year's record-setting turnout of 7,241.The votes were split with 3,267 going to Raynor, 1,601 to Logan Liles and 1,403 to Kristin Hill.It definitely shows that the student body thought J.J. Raynor was a great choice for student body president just judging from her campaign and not taking anything away from anyone else"" Capriglione said, adding that Raynor approached him in the fall to find out what she could and could not do during elections.Just from that (early meeting) and seeing what she did throughout the entire campaign"" she obviously was trying to show students that she was the most qualified.""Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.