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(06/22/06 4:00am)
A group of UNC and Duke University students are working together to help an overseas village.
The two schools plan to raise $1.5 million to sponsor a community through the U.N. Millennium Promise village project.
The village project, part of the U.N. Millennium Project, is focusing on 12 research villages in "hunger hot spots" to determine the support needed for a village to reach the eight Millennium Development Goals for rural Africa.
Students see funding as the best way to get involved in the project.
"That, in a sense, is our main goal: to fund a whole village," said UNC junior Manisha Panjwani, a member of UNC's Millennium Promise group.
The project will cost about $250,000 per village per year.
Because the students' project is still in the planning stages, both UNC and Duke students are working to set a time line for the 2006-07 year.
UNC students started in April by approaching university officials and student government for support. Neither could offer monetary support, though they both expressed an interest in the project.
"It's just that they didn't see where it fit, really, and we understood that," said UNC junior Shegufta Sikder.
But a few weeks ago, students said they were contacted by an anonymous UNC alumnus who offered to donate $750,000 if the two university groups could raise another $750,000.
Sikder said they aim to do their part during the next year.
"The only way we can raise all of this money is to team up," she said, noting that a joint between the schools potentially will bring in more money.
Emme Glenn, a Duke University junior and partner in the project, said she plans to make the project a combined effort among all student organizations related to poverty awareness at the two schools.
Though Duke and UNC will be raising funds on separate campuses, members are looking into using the competition between the schools' sports teams to boost donations.
"We don't want to compete with (UNC students)," Glenn said. "We want to join forces with them. For one year, everyone's focus will be this village."
To raise awareness of the issue on the campuses, students are working to bring Millennium Project Director Jeffrey Sachs to campus for a visit and information session.
Since Sachs is the spark that ignited Sikder's passion for ending world poverty, she said she hopes having him speak will create a strong interest in the rest of the student body.
"He has these ideas that are ground breaking," she said.
"We were all pretty much inspired."
No definite plans have been made for Sachs' visit, though Panjwani said she thinks it would promote awareness - the key to accomplishing the program's goals.
"Our ultimate goal is to make this a success."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(06/15/06 4:00am)
The verdict is in, and the case is finally closed.
After a year's search and a few snags along the way, Jack Boger, UNC law professor and alumnus, will become dean of the School of Law on July 1.
Campus officials announced the appointment, along with a $2 million contribution to the law school, on June 7.
"We're thrilled to have Jack as the next dean," said Executive Associate Provost Steve Allred.
Until Boger takes office in a few weeks, UNC law professor Charles Daye will continue to lead the school as interim dean.
Boger and Daye have already met to discuss their plans for the school and its leadership, and both said the transition will be smooth.
"We're very careful to coordinate everything," said Daye, who was on the dean search committee before becoming interim dean May 20. "I'm making sure to not make any decision without consulting with him and getting his concurrence."
The decision comes after a 12-month search that proved embarrassing for the University when Erwin Chemerinsky, a Duke University law professor, turned down the deanship in early March and said UNC's law school lacked the resources to become a top-flight institution.
For Round 2 of its search, UNC looked inward. Boger, who has been a member of the faculty since 1990, teaches constitutional law, education law and racial discrimination and poverty law. He is also deputy director of UNC's Center for Civil Rights.
The deanship first opened last year when Gene Nichol stepped down to become president of the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Gail Agrawal acted as interim dean during the 2005-06 school year until last month, when she left to take the deanship at the University of Kansas.
Though Boger has never served as dean of a law school before, Allred said his experience with UNC made him a logical choice for the position.
"He has done work that I think is analogous to that of a dean," Allred said.
"It's going to be a short learning curve for Jack Boger."
As part of the announcement of Boger's hiring, the University also said it will provide the School of Law with $2 million to increase the number of tenure-track faculty, add staff positions, fund financial aid and study the school's space needs.
Allred said a similar commitment also was made during negotiations with Chemerinsky.
During an April open forum in which Boger fielded questions about his candidacy for the law deanship, he said he'd study the issue of resources in more depth before devising a plan to deal with it. That study began last week when Boger traveled to Atlanta to meet with alumni about funding, and it will continue as he taps into UNC's network of thousands of practicing alumni in the state.
"I'm going to reach out to alumni all over the state," Boger said, adding other plans he has for the school, which include an overall evaluation.
Provost Robert Shelton, whose decision to hire Boger was one of the last he will make before he leaves to become president of the University of Arizona on July 1, said the biggest difference in negotiations among the three dean candidates with whom he spoke - Chemerinsky, Boger and Kenneth Randall, law dean at the University of Alabama - lay in student scholarships. Boger negotiated the most funding for that area, which pleased many students.
"There needs to be more money for student scholarships," said third-year law student Mike Paduchowski, adding that students' burdens from loans makes it difficult for them to live up to the school's standards of public service.
Boger also faces the question of where to host all those students. With the upcoming increase in the number of faculty members and an increasing number of offices and study centers, students and faculty alike said the school is too small.
The last renovation made to the law school building was an addition in 1999.
"We've been out of space since the new building was completed," Daye said, adding that offices have recently replaced library space.
Dipping into the waters
Though Boger has been a familiar face inside and outside the classroom since he joined the faculty in 1990, he said he will not teach during his first year as dean and instead will focus on learning his new role.
And with the school being evaluated for accreditation in the 2007-08 school year, he said, he will be able to get the school started on a self-study as soon as his deanship officially begins.
"It's an ideal time for me to come in and be dean," he said. "We're going to have an opportunity to ask all of those questions."
Several law faculty and students said they were satisfied with the selection of Boger.
"Jack Boger was my top choice," said Kelly Podger, director of student activities and a law school alumna, who attended all of the candidates' open forums. "He has always been very receptive and very involved with our student organizations."
Some are just relieved to finally have the top post secured.
"I'm fairly disappointed it took this long for them to find somebody," Paduchowski said. "But I think he'll do a good job."
Though the search took several months, University brass said it was necessary to find the right person for the job.
"I'm actually pretty content with both processes," Shelton said. "It's much better to get the right person. These are critical positions."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(04/27/06 4:00am)
The chairman of the search committee for the new dean of UNC's School of Law has spent almost a year reviewing applicants.
Mike Smith, dean of the School of Government, has weathered the law school's first and second rounds of searches, which have included seven total finalists.
And he isn't the only one - nor is the law school the only sector of the University - to endure such an involved process.
The School of Journalism and Mass Communication spent more than 16 months trying to fill its top post, and the law school committee still is searching.
The lengthy ordeals have shed light on a larger issue concerning how deans at the University compile their r
(04/18/06 4:00am)
Lynyrd Skynyrd might be offended by Kenneth Randall - he wants to move away from his sweet home in Alabama.
Randall, dean of the University of Alabama's law school, is one of five finalists competing to be the next dean of UNC's School of Law.
In an open forum held Monday, Randall gave his definition of a dean: an academic leader, a fundraiser and a businessman.
Speaking to a crowd of about 50 in the law school rotunda, he said success comes with concrete goals, planning and communication. He also emphasized his experience with the law school in Alabama as an asset but explained that UNC would not be the same.
"I don't presume to know all of your challenges and goals," he said.
Randall said any public law school would be enriched by broadening class offerings and improving professional training skills.
Among the details of his plan are focusing on critical thinking, increasing the number of international classes and working with clinics.
He also said that because UNC is a public university, its students should have a commitment to service.
Communication within the faculty also is important to upholding the law school's mission, and Randall said he would plan a retreat to open the lines of communication within his first years as dean.
"I cannot overemphasize the importance of building teamwork," he said.
Randall went on to say that all schools looking to improve need resources. Public schools should seek funding from the state and tuition but work to keep tuition low by increasing scholarships.
"I can assure you my deanship at UNC would increase this school's resources," he said.
Randall said he excelled at fundraising at Alabama and would apply his methods at UNC.
"I love to fundraise," he said, noting that he has gone to great lengths to seek alumni donations.
The law dean position has been open since Gene Nichol left last summer to become president of the College of William and Mary.
In the meantime, Gail Agrawal is holding down the fort as interim dean until she takes her post as dean of the law school at Kansas University on July 1.
The search committee has been interviewing four new candidates this month because Erwin Chemerinsky, Duke University law professor and a candidate in the first pool, declined Provost Robert Shelton's offer to be the next dean in early March.
In a letter sent to Shelton in early March, Chemerinksy cited a lack of resources as his main reason for turning down the University's offer.
Randall is competing against Jack Boger, UNC professor and alumnus; Rex Perschbacher, dean of the law school at the University of California-Davis; and Maureen O'Rourke, interim dean of the law school at Boston University.
All candidates have completed the interview process except O'Rourke, who is slated to visit the campus in early May.
Also in the running from the first search process is Davison Douglas, law professor at William and Mary. Teresa Roseborough, a partner at Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan law firm in Atlanta, also was an original finalist, but she withdrew her bid earlier in the month.
Search committee members plan to submit a recommendation to Shelton soon after O'Rourke's visit.
Contact the News Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(04/13/06 4:00am)
Quoting The Beatles, a candidate to be the next dean of UNC's School of Law explained that money can't buy love - but it can make a better law school.
In line with the candidates before him, Rex Perschbacher, dean of the University of California-Davis law school, set generating greater resources as one of his top goals for UNC's law program.
Perschbacher is one of five finalists competing for the position in the school's latest search for a dean.
Provost Robert Shelton, a former vice chancellor for research at UC-Davis, will decide which candidate will be the next dean.
Speaking to a group of about 60 people, Perschbacher highlighted the importance of upholding UNC's reputation and of obtaining resources at a low cost for students.
"Reputation is something that can't be bought or built in a day or a week or a decade," he said.
Every public law school should follow UNC's dedication to service and its state, Perschbacher said.
The dean also should publicize the school's successes for peer institutions across the nation to view UNC as a model, he added.
While promoting the school, Perschbacher said, the dean should ask for help primarily from the state and from alumni.
Though he said that students probably would see a slight increase in fees, he added that they would not be the primary dispensers.
"There really is not an unlimited number of resources," he said.
Perschbacher also said he would pursue other fundraising tactics - methods he uses at UC-Davis.
In highlighting his current deanship, Perschbacher said he was successful in increasing faculty but not as successful in increasing student financial support.
He emphasized that his career at UC-Davis was a learning experience that would make his work at UNC more efficient.
"I've learned some lessons along the way," he said. "In fact, look at all those lessons you didn't have to pay for."
Perschbacher said his qualifications are based on his personal experience as a dean and on his interest in UNC. On his two-day visit, he said he heard only positive comments that increased his interest.
"Who wouldn't want to be the next dean at Carolina Law?"
Gene Nichol vacated the post last summer to be president of the College of William and Mary. Gail Agrawal is interim dean.
When she leaves July 1 to be dean of Kansas University's law school, another interim dean will be tapped to serve until a permanent replacement fills the post.
Jack Boger, a UNC law professor, interviewed for the job Tuesday.
Kenneth Randall, law dean at the University of Alabama, and Maureen O'Rourke, interim law dean at Boston University, will interview in the coming weeks.
The first search consisted of two others who are no longer in the running and Davison Douglas, law professor at William and Mary, who still is being considered.
Contact the News Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(04/12/06 4:00am)
The first - or fourth, depending on how you're counting - finalist stepped up to the podium Tuesday to present his ideas about the next dean's role at UNC's School of Law.
Alumnus and UNC law professor Jack Boger said his focus would be on securing resources, maintaining a commitment to public service and increasing student placement after graduation.
"This can be an era of great promise," he said of the reign of the next dean.
Three candidates were interviewed to be the next law dean in January, but the search was reset when Erwin Chemerinsky, a Duke University law professor, declined the post in March.
Along with Boger, the other three new finalists vying for the post - all of whom will interview at UNC in the coming weeks - are Rex Perschbacher, law dean at the University of California-Davis; Kenneth Randall, law dean at the University of Alabama; and Maureen O'Rourke, interim law dean at Boston University.
Boger had been on the dean search committee, but he withdrew to become a candidate.
Chemerinsky, the candidate Boger endorsed when on the committee, said he turned down Provost Robert Shelton's offer to be dean because the school lacked adequate resources.
Unlike the three original candidates before him, Boger did not suggest a specific plan for establishing monetary resources.
"We need money for a lot of things," Boger said after the forum, adding that if he received an offer to be dean, he would seek more feedback from all venues of the school before entering negotiations with the provost.
But Boger said UNC has and should continue to be resourceful with what is available. "A public law school is to do more with less than seems possible."
Boger noted several of his contacts inside and outside the school as evidence of his knowledge and as a way to publicize the school.
He went on to say that students and alumni also should feel a dedication to the state and service.
For students to reach that level, Boger said there must be an emphasis on scholarships and loans so students have options.
The school also needs resources to accommodate both students who stay in the state and those who leave after graduation.
"Every law school needs to revisit its goals from time to time," he said. "It's been a while since we've had that conversation at Carolina.'
As the only internal candidate, Boger said he knows the school community better but might have difficulty denying colleagues.
Those colleagues and the law students are just as important as finding the best dean, Boger said.
"It needs all of us working together towards those goals."
The search for a permanent dean will be complicated by a coinciding search for another interim dean.
Interim law dean Gail Agrawal will leave July 1 to become dean of the Kansas University School of Law Shelton said he will have to appoint another interim to replace her.
Agrawal served in the post since Gene Nichol left last summer to become president of the College of William and Mary.
Contact the News Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(03/28/06 5:00am)
The search committee seeking a leader for UNC's next crop of lawyers is in the midst of further deliberation.
Weeks after completing its work, the search committee for the next dean of the School of Law is returning to square one and will reconsider its original pool of applicants.
After meeting with members of the law school before Spring Break, the committee decided to add new applicants to its list of potential finalists, Provost Robert Shelton said.
The decision to go back to the drawing board comes about a month after Duke University professor Erwin Chemerinsky declined the an offer for the deanship.
Candidates from a pool assembled last year, as well as new hopefuls might be considered, Shelton said.
"I think they wanted to look more broadly," he said.
Mike Smith, chairman of the search committee and dean of the School of Government, said before Spring Break that the committee saw mixed responses from the law community about how to proceed.
Smith was on vacation Monday and unavailable for comment.
In December the search committee had settled on a list of three finalists, including Chemerinsky.
The two that remain - Teresa Roseborough, a partner at Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan law firm in Atlanta; and Davison Douglas, a professor at the College of William and Mary - will stay in the running as the search committee reconsiders applications.
Shelton said the committee will bring three or four new candidates to Chapel Hill for interviews early in April.
Since Roseborough and Douglas already participated in the interview process in January, they will not make return visits.
After interviews with the candidates, the committee will submit a recommendation to Shelton, and he will have about two months to negotiate and to make final arrangements with his selection.
Smith has said committee members want the position filled by July 1, when interim dean Gail Agrawal leaves to take her post as dean of the Kansas University School of Law.
Shelton will leave UNC at the end of June to take the presidency at the University of Arizona-Tuscon.
The UNC law dean post opened when Gene Nichol stepped down July 1, 2005, to become president of William and Mary. The search was almost complete, but Chemerinsky declined the University's offer.
"When Chemerinsky said 'no' that changed the whole playing field," Shelton said.
Chemerinsky stated in a letter to Shelton that he declined the deanship because the school could not offer enough resources for his goals.
During open forums - part of the interview process candidates have to participate in during their visits - Roseborough and Davison brought different ideas to the table for raising the school's funds.
While Shelton said he will continue to consider resources an important part of the negotiation process, he also said he doesn't expect easy talks.
"I'd expect any good candidate to negotiate hard, because they want the same thing I want: a better law school."
Contact the News Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(03/23/06 5:00am)
Despite pleas from community members, administrators have not wavered on plans for an October demolition of West House - a more than 70-year-old campus building some hope to save for what they say is significant architectural and historical value.
After hearing a presentation Wednesday from Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, D-Orange, members of the Board of Trustees' buildings and grounds committee opted not to recommend to the full board further consideration of the matter.
The trustees' discussion with Kinnaird focused on the value of the house, the feasibility of relocation and its utility in its current location - which is in the middle of the site of the proposed Arts Common.
Paul Kapp, campus historic preservation manager, investigated the house and reported to administrators that it has no significant value. He stood by his claim Wednesday at the full board meeting.
"It doesn't warrant significant enough for it to be saved," Kapp said, noting that if the house was in a historic district neighborhood, the case might be different.
Kapp said that because of the structure of the house, it would cost between $500,000 and $700,000 to relocate it successfully.
"Moving it is really not particularly viable," said Trustee Tim Burnett, a member of the buildings and grounds committee.
Kinnaird said the West House Coalition - a group vying to preserve the house - could not raise enough money for relocation because donations would not be tax deductible.
The coalition has asked the University to help in the fundraising effort so donations can be marked as tax deductions, but administrators have declined.
Burnett also said that maintaining the house as a visitors' center or house for visiting musicians - as preservationists have recommended - is not likely either because of the cost of interior renovations.
"You'd have to gut that building," he said.
The house originally was scheduled to be demolished to make way for an underground parking deck.
Although plans for the deck have been scrapped, the location still could be used to house construction equipment or above-ground parking.
In fighting for the building, Kinnaird cited prestigious names on a petition, letters from concerned citizens and a 1935 (Raleigh) News & Observer article that sang West House's praises.
"People would write to me . 'Thanks for your work to save West House,'" she said. "It's not quite saved."
In addition to hearing about West House, the committee reviewed and approved all other requests - the purchase of 215 W. Cameron Ave. for more administrative office space and the renewal of a lease for 5,800 square feet of office space for the Carolina Population Center.
The committee also approved a design for New Venable, which is a part of the second phase of the construction of the Science Complex.
Contact the News Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(03/21/06 5:00am)
More than just the usual lunch crowd livened the Pit on Monday - one band, one student body president and four video cameras invited passers-by to linger.
Student Body President Seth Dearmin spoke and bluegrass band Run of the Mill performed at an event that sought to unite the campus after alumnus Mohammed Taheri-azar drove a Jeep through the Pit on March 3.
Dearmin kicked off the event by explaining that the purpose of the celebration was to bring the campus together and proceed toward recovery. "We're here to do just that - move on," he said.
"All of us have our own opinions," he said. "We've all dealt with this in different ways."
Dearmin told the crowd that the attack - which Taheri-azar has said was to avenge the treatment of Muslims around the world - should be learned from and not forgotten.
He asked for a moment of silence and instructed the audience of several hundred to "think about the Carolina spirit that binds us together," just as the Bell Tower chimed at noon.
Dearmin said he was satisfied by the turnout and believed that the event successfully united the campus.
"Today in a lot of ways is our way of saying, 'This is our space,'" he said.
While some said Monday's celebration united the campus, other members of the campus community say debate also is necessary to the recovery process.
"I think it's important to look at every issue from every angle," freshman Jessica Smith said, underscoring the importance of continued dialogue.
The celebration came after a demonstration held March 6 that called on the community to label Taheri-azar's actions as terrorism.
Trey Williams, a 2004 alumnus and research technician in the psychology department, said the timing of the event - which occurred on the first day of classes after Spring Break - gave students a chance to escape the "heated atmosphere" of the campus.
But some students were critical of the celebration and its goals.
"I don't know how events like this help build campus unity," said sophomore Andy Rodenbough. "I don't know if there is such a thing."
Rodenbough added that students on a college campus should embrace differences instead of trying to unify themselves.
Administrators such as Provost Robert Shelton and Executive Associate Provost Steve Allred also attended the event.
"We have to have to know that a lot of different opinions can be expressed, and then we can come back tomorrow and still be a part of the community," Shelton said.
He said it is important for the community members to share their varying viewpoints. "One way to not do that is with an SUV."
See Wednesday's Daily Tar Heel for a full story about Islamic-American experiences on college campuses across the nation.
Contact the News Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(02/23/06 5:00am)
Residents of Fraternity Court are used to seeing new faces during rush events and at parties - but they could be welcoming more than just new pledges and party revelers in fall 2007.
Sigma Nu, which closed its doors in 2002, is re-colonizing at UNC. Twenty-one students are already on the list of potential members of the inactive fraternity, which plans to move back into its house if the rush process is successful.
Alpha Epsilon Pi is leasing the house at 109 Fraternity Court, which faces North Columbia Street, from Sigma Nu and will make plans for relocation if the fraternity gains new membership.
When the lease was signed, the Jewish fraternity was made aware Sigma Nu would return, said Jay Anhorn, assistant dean of students, who oversees the office of fraternity and sorority life.
"(Alpha Epsilon Pi) knew it was temporary housing," he said.
Originally, Sigma Nu planned to reorganize in fall 2003, but Anhorn said the fraternity and the University decided it should wait four years to cycle out all students for a fresh start.
"We felt like it was time for us to leave the campus for a period of time," said Bob Lewis, president of Psi Home Association of Sigma Nu Fraternity Inc.
Lewis added that the fraternity had seen lower membership and recruitment as well as financial issues.
Sigma Nu started recruiting members in January and will be a fully operating fraternity by fall, said Chris Healy, expansion and recruitment consultant for Sigma Nu.
The two fraternities extended the lease through this semester and met to discuss future housing plans.
"We've been shooting back and forth proposals," said Daniel Singer, a director for Alpha Epsilon Pi's house corporation. "They've been great landlords. I have no reason to believe we won't be there next year."
Singer also said Sigma Nu's move is "tentative and contingent upon their rush success."
If the 21 potential brothers at UNC fail the rush process, Alpha Epsilon Pi then will be eligible to renew the lease, Lewis said.
While Alpha Epsilon Pi is looking at other housing options, Singer and student members of the fraternity declined to offer further details.
Lewis said Alpha Epsilon Pi also has not communicated with Sigma Nu much about its future housing.
"I'm not sure exactly what their specific plans are," he said.
Scheduled for completion in summer 2007, house renovations include adding kitchen appliances and implementing a food service, two initiatives on which the fraternities are collaborating.
Lewis said that once Sigma Nu officially gains new membership, Alpha Epsilon Pi will be notified.
He said that communication between the fraternities thus far has been successful, and that no major conflicts about the house have come up.
"Our relationship with (Alpha Epsilon Pi) has been fabulous."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(02/21/06 5:00am)
Repair to an underground utility tunnel on Pittsboro Street will result in detours to vehicle and pedestrian traffic on the campus thoroughfare for at least a month.
The one-way street - a pathway for the transit of equipment loads in excess of 100,000 pounds - closed when engineers inspected the tunnel last week and discovered it was not strong enough to handle large trucks passing over it.
Randy Young, spokesman for the Department of Public Safety, said closing the road was necessary to uphold safety standards.
"Our point right now is to make sure the campus remains accessible and everyone remains safe."
After a quick-fix repair Saturday morning, engineers inspected the road and issued a report Monday to members of UNC Energy Services.
University officials are in the process of deciding whether one lane of the road can be opened and what types of vehicles can safely access the thoroughfare.
Police officers stationed around the work area are directing vehicles during rush hour, and signs inform riders that the street is closed, said Lisa Katz, director of UNC news services.
But when police presence is absent, the traffic headache gets worse for drivers and walkers.
"Cars don't know what they're doing because there are so many cones," said freshman Courtney Agar.
Living in Whitehead Residence Hall on South Columbia Street, Agar said the construction makes her trek to and from Franklin Street more difficult.
Carolyn Elfland, associate vice chancellor for campus services, said regulating access to the road should be addressed after the report is evaluated.
"What we were looking at is not opening the whole road," Elfland said. "What we were hoping is . that we could open the right lane, because the left lane is over where the problem is."
If one lane can be opened, Elfland said, the repairs will be made one side at a time - the first taking six weeks and the second taking four weeks.
Public transportation has been affected by campus construction, and both Chapel Hill Transit and Triangle Transit Authority systems have re-routed some bus lines.
John Tallmadge, TTA director of commuter resources, said riders who signed up for e-mail notification regarding bus-line changes are aware of the new routes. The transportation service also updated www.gotriangle.org.
The detours initially caused five- to 10-minute delays but the routes have stabilized, he said.
"We're used to having to do this on short notice, because there's a lot of construction work going on," Tallmadge said.
The re-routing was more challenging for Pittsboro Street, which has buildings such as the Carolina Inn and Miller Hall alongside it, because of the unique combination of long-term work and short-term notification.
The transit systems are expected to maintain current routes until construction is finished.
If one lane opens to buses, however, officials then will assess appropriate action plans.
"Right now it seems to be functioning well," Tallmadge said.
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(02/16/06 5:00am)
Florida isn't the only place to experience technical difficulties in voting procedure.
Many students casting their votes on Student Central for Tuesday's student body election said they received error messages.
The technical difficulty was rooted in the user's browser edition. An error message directed the voter to close out and open with another browser.
Some students were forced to switch from Internet Explorer to Mozilla Firefox, for example, and Information Technology Services experts could do little to prevent it.
Gaining access to Student Central was not a problem for most students. The error occurred when students tried to click the button created for ballot casting.
Junior Lindsay Bridges said she tried restarting her computer and still could not vote.
"I definitely think it kept people from voting who tried one time, and then they just gave up," she said.
A previous problem with the Web site's coding during online voting - similar to the one seen in the October special election - showed itself briefly when students could not vote from any browser.
Bridges tried casting her vote off campus in The Verge apartment complex, but students voting on campus also said they saw problems.
Senior Robert Hutchins said he tried to vote in the Sonja Haynes Stone Center and in Murphy Hall before he finally was able to vote in Davis Library.
For students who had trouble with the online voting system, the Board of Elections set up six polling sites on campus, where 250 total provisional ballots were offered.
Jim Brewer, a vice chairman of the UNC Board of Elections, said that in addition to the 6,000 online votes that were cast, 25 students voted with the paper ballots.
Brewer also said that although errors were reported throughout the day, problems were minimal compared to previous years.
"The voting system did well, despite what many people think," he said.
ITS members checked each on-campus computer location before the election to make sure everything was up to par.
"It was pretty much just like you see in the movies," Brewer said. "They were doing anything they could to mess up the system."
In addition to having ITS check all the computer locations, the board held eight test elections, starting a month before the election.
In addition to the four weekly scheduled test elections - in which students volunteered to cast an imaginary vote on Student Central - four unscheduled elections were held in the five days leading up to the actual election.
"We've run more test elections than we have in the past three years," Brewer said.
The board is required to establish a computer voting program at least seven days prior to election day and test it at least two days before the election day, according to Title VI of the Student Code, which deals with election law.
Brewer said he would like to see more polling sites next year to accommodate students who experience technical difficulties when voting.
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(02/10/06 5:00am)
UNC's School of Law won't have to wait much longer before a new leader will take the reins.
Search committee members met Tuesday to evaluate the three finalists for the deanship and submitted a recommendation Wednesday to Provost Robert Shelton, who is charged with making the final decision.
Erwin Chemerinsky, a professor at Duke University; Davison Douglas, a professor at the College of William and Mary; and Teresa Roseborough, a partner at Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan law firm in Atlanta are competing for the position.
The candidates visited the law school last month to speak in separate forums about their goals for the position, offering differing views on fundraising, legal education and outside work.
Mike Smith, chairman of the search committee and dean of the School of Government, said Shelton will negotiate with the finalist he selects after taking the committee's recommendation into consideration.
"I think they're all wonderful candidates," Smith said. "They all have strengths and weaknesses."
The deanship opened when Gene Nichol stepped down in the summer to become president of William and Mary.
Smith said committee members reached a consensus with one another and the faculty, students and alumni who submitted feedback.
Much of the feedback centered on the candidates' varying levels of experience in administration and fundraising.
Law school resources became the central issue in the open forums, and opinions about methods to increase funding differed among the finalists. Chemerinsky focused on alumni donations as the primary option, and Roseborough talked about private fundraising as the best opportunity to gain resources. Douglas also supported pursuing alumni donations and was the only candidate to support tuition increases as a useful avenue.
Beyond funding finalists emphasized the importance of public service, diversity and the dean's activity outside of the school.
While Chemerinsky said he still would work on high-profile cases, Douglas and Roseborough said the dean's role in the community should be to promote the school's accomplishments.
Roseborough is the only full-time professional of the three finalists. She also is the only finalist who has never taught a college course.
Chemerinsky and Douglas have more than 30 years of combined experience in academia.
Despite Roseborough's disengagement with academics, she provided insight on faculty members' role in shaping the student body.
"The faculty has a real obligation to the students to make those the best lawyers they can be," she said in her candidate forum last month.
Roseborough - who graduated from the law school - has the closest tie to UNC.
"I know that a number of students were pleased to see that there was someone from the school," said James Finn, a student member of the search committee.
Chemerinsky recently moved to North Carolina to teach at Duke, and Douglas is a native North Carolinian who has practiced law in Raleigh and Greensboro.
Finn said the students' primary concern with the next dean is the school's ability to keep advancing.
"Students want to be able to look back . and see that the next dean is making their diploma just as valuable as when they started."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(01/31/06 5:00am)
The last finalist vying for the deanship at UNC's School of Law gave her presentation Monday to familiar faces in a familiar setting - professors at her alma mater.
Teresa Roseborough, a partner at the Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan law firm in Atlanta, is the only finalist currently not involved in the academic community.
Like the two other hopefuls, Roseborough said the school will need to formulate a plan to obtain more resources - but she did not stress them as the greatest hurdle.
"This is not a law school that needs to be rescued financially," she said.
After speaking with the chancellor and provost and hearing their desires for improved national rankings, Roseborough said the University should provide some of the funding, along with alumni donations and private fundraising.
Roseborough stressed the importance of private fundraising because it provides more opportunities than public funding.
"I learned fundraising is something to be aggressive about and be positive about," she said.
Beyond a plan for resources, Roseborough highlighted the importance of engaging students.
"The students are the beginning and the end of the enterprise," she said. "The reason we are here is the students."
To groom students "to be the kind of lawyers that will make us proud down the road," Roseborough suggested evaluating the school's expectations of its students and graduates and increasing opportunities for them.
"We need to think about legal education as a bricks and mortar enterprise," she said.
Roseborough said technology plays a part in maintaining the school's ability to expand and cater to the modern student.
She added that the legal world is seeing a technological takeover with the use of Web conferences and BlackBerry.
Roseborough said diversity in faculty and staff also should be on the dean's agenda because it challenges and molds stronger ideas.
She applauded the school's diversity but said it could improve geographically.
She said the accomplishments of the school's current faculty should be communicated to the University's high-level administrators and the rest of the community to amplify the school's standing.
"The law school doesn't say enough as an institution to the outside world," she said.
Mike Smith, chairman of the search committee and dean of the School of Government, said Roseborough would be an effective dean despite lacking extensive academic experience.
The deanship opened when Gene Nichol stepped down July 1 to become president at College of William and Mary.
Smith said the committee expects to have an assessment of the three finalists to Provost Robert Shelton in 10 to 14 days, and Shelton is expected to use that to name the next dean.
"I assume he'll want to make a decision quickly," Smith said.
Duke professor Erwin Chemerinksy and William and Mary professor Davison Douglas are the other finalists.
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(01/24/06 5:00am)
You might dread talking to the dean if you've done something wrong, but one dean finalist for UNC's School of Law simply wants to engage you in a conversation about the school's future.
The second of three finalists to present his ideas in an open forum, Davison Douglas, a law professor at the College of William and Mary, visited UNC on Monday.
Douglas laid out the most important issues a dean faces in promoting academic excellence as securing resources, fostering a community connection and encouraging public service.
"It's a great opportunity, but there will be challenges," Douglas said.
The position has been available since Gene Nichol stepped down last summer to take the presidency at William and Mary.
The dean search committee expects to have someone in place by July 1.
Among Douglas' answers to the resource problem were private fundraising, state and University funding and increased tuition.
"Tuition has gone up in recent years," he said. "It's going to have to go up again."
While alumni donations are important, Douglas also stressed the necessity of nonmonetary support from the UNC veteran base.
"It's in the alumni interest for the school to succeed, and it's in the interest of the school to enjoy the support of the alumni," he said.
Because engaged alumni grow out of engaged students, the dean should encourage all law school students to embrace their connection with the University, Douglas said.
The dean also must work with the law school's faculty to inspire student participation in public service, he said.
"Every lawyer . should have some sense of civic service," he said.
Douglas said students at a public institution have a role in the public - and so does the dean.
Douglas said he would participate in discussions about state issues relating to law and encourage diversity among the faculty and student population.
Douglas is currently the director of an election law program.
"I know this University, I know what it's meant to the state, and I know that from being a North Carolinian," said Douglas, a Charlotte native with law firm experience in the state.
"He obviously has a great affinity for this University," said Mike Smith, dean of the School of Government and chairman of the dean search committee.
The next dean should focus on increasing resources and leading faculty discussion, Smith said, adding that Douglas is committed.
"It's important to step back and look at your goals," Douglas said.
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(01/19/06 5:00am)
Worrying about money is something even high-paid deans have to do.
Erwin Chemerinsky, a law professor at Duke University and one of three finalists for dean of UNC's School of Law, said his goals for the school - having a diverse student body, employing a superior faculty and being dedicated to public service - depend on adequate resources.
"I didn't realize how desperate the need for resources was in so many areas," Chemerinsky said Wednesday night in an open forum that drew a crowd of about a hundred.
Chemerinsky said he believes the law school cannot improve without more funding from the University, state and alumni.
To get more donations, the dean should do more to engage alumni, Chemerinsky said.
Alumni of private universities tend to donate more than those from public universities, Chemerinsky said, noting that that habit is difficult - but not impossible - to change.
"The more students are happy with their law school experience, the more likely they will be to support their institution as alumni," he said.
From his experience teaching at the University of California-Los Angeles, Chemerinsky said he's noticed that students are stimulated by their classmates' diversity and an array of available classes.
Chemerinsky said that having a long-term goal to hire more faculty members to teach more classes during a three- or five-year period would provide a means to find the school's best additions.
"You always want to have a faculty that other schools want to raid, but you want to keep them at the same time," he said.
Drawing funds from resources other than tuition gives students the opportunity to avoid major debt and in turn focus on public service after graduating, he said.
"There should be the message to the students that no matter what kind of law they go into, they have a duty to public service," he said.
Students at a public university have an obligation to give back to their community because it helped pay their tuition, he said.
At the same time, the dean has the obligation to be accessible to students, but he must also maintain a public identity, Chemerinsky said.
"I'll still handle some high-profile cases," he said.
Chemerinsky has argued in front of the Supreme Court frequently and will be speaking at a mock filibuster Friday for the Duke Democrats.
Mike Smith, dean of the School of Government and chairman of the dean search committee, said Chemerinsky's honesty makes him a strong candidate.
"I don't think that he has any secrets, and that's a wonderful quality," Smith said.
The deanship became available when Gene Nichol left last year to become president of the College of William and Mary .
Members of the search committee have said they want to hire a dean before the next school year.
Torn between a love for teaching at Duke and a desire for the deanship at UNC, Chemerinsky said he is thrilled to be up for the position.
"I was blessed with a lot of energy, and I'm willing to work hard to build on this legacy and make the school what you want it to be."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(01/17/06 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Major changes to the housing recontracting process will place more underclassmen on North Campus this fall.
South Campus is being redesigned to attract upperclassmen with the addition of the Ram Village Apartments - which are a response to student focus groups, said Larry Hicks, director of housing and residential education.
The department wants to tilt scales so underclassmen make up 50 percent of North Campus, a 5 percent jump from current totals.
Housing officials, who formally announced the changes this weekend, determined that corridor-style North Campus dorms are more conducive to the freshman experience.
Rising juniors and seniors will be given priority with apartment contracting, but incoming freshmen and rising sophomores will be favored first in open campus recontracting, said Rick Bradley, assistant director of housing and residential education.
"It limits upperclass students in terms of their options, but I think people are understanding that the upperclass students still have many choices available to them," he said.
Bradley said those choices include Odum Village and Ram Village Apartments, a 917-bed complex opening this fall .
About 200 students already have submitted applications for Ram Village, and the application will remain online until all vacancies are filled.
Theme housing contracting also is open and will close Feb. 15, while same room recontracting kicks off March 21, followed by open campus recontracting on April 3.
"I think the thing to keep in mind is that, of our total number of spaces on campus, only 2,500 are on North Campus," Hicks said.
Bradley said the department is eliminating real time in the online recontracting application because students have experienced technical problems in accessing the online application.
Student requests will be limited to residence halls and roommates, and they will no longer be able to request rooms or suitemates if moving to a new building.
The housing department also is proposing a price increase for double-occupancy residence halls with air conditioning from $2,095 to $2,300 in an effort to keep the Ram Village prices lower.
The proposed prices for those apartments are $2,825 for single-occupancy rooms per semester and $2,700 per person per semester for a shared bedroom.
Bradley said housing officials decided on all changes after having a Residence Hall Association committee review the current process in November.
"The committee came up with recommendations that were then presented to the complete RHA," he said.
The Housing Advisory Board - composed of students and staff - voiced no specific concerns to the changes, Bradley said.
Bradley said the RHA mostly focused on what these changes meant for upperclassmen.
Colin Reed, RHA vice president, said the organization mainly was concerned with this year's sophomores, because they are expecting past years' procedures.
Students in the class of 2008 will be the only students never to reap the benefits of the upperclassmen priority in open campus recontracting because the changes occur as they become juniors.
"It's just kind of a shock that they want to change how it's all been done," Reed said.
Information about housing recontracting
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