Abby Farson

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Students continue labor protests

By Abby Farson | April 16

The bullhorn was broken, but senior Salma Mirza didn't need it. Instead she addressed the 30 students gathered Tuesday in the Pit with her fervent voice. "We are here today because Carolina apparel is produced in sweatshops." Students gathered to protest the arrival of a former North American Free Trade Agreement negotiator who came to UNC to advise Chancellor James Moeser on the licensing of UNC apparel created by workers in sweatshops.

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BOT hears advising plans

By Abby Farson | March 27

The overhaul to academic advising is under way and the advising implementation committee is working to polish a final report on its proposed changes. Steve Weiss, professor of computer science and chairman of the academic advising implementation committee, gave a brief progress report Wednesday on the committee's draft to the University affairs committee of the Board of Trustees. "We're dealing with a system that's pretty good, and we're trying to make it better," Weiss said.

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Exam prep classes costly

By Abby Farson | February 29

It's 6 p.m. Sunday, and Austin Spencer is in class. It's not a UNC class, and he won't be graded. The junior chemistry major is in an MCAT prep course at the Chapel Hill Kaplan Center. "It's more independent work than I initially expected," Spencer said. "You put in maybe 20 hours a week. It's pretty rigorous." The five-month class costs $1,849 and meets for three hours on Sundays. Spencer, who is planning to take the MCAT this spring, sits in a room with about 25 other students, bent over their thick textbooks as they listen closely to instructor Dan Verges.

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Employee policies in review

By Abby Farson | January 17

A new proposal might help tailor state employee policies more specific to the UNC system. The proposal, which seeks more flexibility for the way UNC schools manage employees, arrived on UNC-system President Erskine Bowles' desk Tuesday. A 21-member human resources task force, assembled by Bowles and composed of representatives from all UNC-system schools, drafted the proposal. The draft addresses the perceived limitations of the State Personnel Act, which governs all state agencies and universities in North Carolina.

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Venable debris causes concerns

By Abby Farson | November 14

Tearing down a chemistry building - particularly one that is 82 years old - requires more specific precautions than an ordinary demolition project. Although all hazardous material has been removed from Venable Hall, asbestos, lead and mercury still could escape into the air, said Ed Short, UNC's associate director for construction management. The demolition project, which began in October, has caused some concern about the hazards it might pose.

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Campus construction moves forward

By Abby Farson | October 29

Recent campus construction projects are progressing at different rates and different levels of inconvenience.While some recent projects will be complete in a few months, it will be years before the fences for other projects finally come down.Boshamer StadiumAlthough demolition was slated to begin mid-summer, Boshamer Stadium deconstruction didn't start until Oct. 1.

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Polk place blackout quickly resolved

By Abby Farson | October 17

Sophomore Elizabeth Christenson was walking through Polk Place on Monday night when she noticed something missing - the lights. "I didn't quite notice at first," Christenson said. "But then I realized, 'Wait a minute, it's a lot darker here than normal.'" Between 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., all of the lights in that area went out due to a defective photocell, a switch that turns on or off campus lights depending on the level of natural light, said John Laetz, manager of electrical distribution systems.

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Campus rallies for Jena Six

By Abby Farson | September 21

Watch a video clip of the protests Hundreds of UNC students joined protesters across the nation Thursday, decrying perceived racism and supporting the Jena Six. Students waved posters depicting trees and nooses, chanted fervently and signed a petition in support of the six black high school students who were charged with attempted murder in Jena, La. Many believe the charges against the black students were unjust and racially motivated.

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Scooting around

By Abby Farson | September 19

Bruce Egan doesn't have to pedal to use his bike. That's because Egan, director of the Information Technology Services Response Center, uses an electric bicycle. Not quite a mo-ped but more than a scooter, the electric bicycle is a battery-powered vehicle that can travel up to 25 mph. Egan and ITS employees have been using them to jet around campus for four years now. ITS bought its first electric bicycle, a turquoise demo unit, from Massachusetts-based eGo Vehicles, Egan said. It cost $900. "It's held up extremely well," Egan said. "We've only had to replace a couple of tires."