Christen Broecker

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Groups Disagree With Limits On Foreign Students' Access

By Christen Broecker | April 23

Higher education experts voiced concerns last week about a presidential directive recommending that international students be barred from accessing certain materials that might threaten national security. Some government officials advocate limiting international students' access to certain "advanced technology" programs at U.S. colleges and universities because one of the Sept. 11 hijackers entered the country on a student visa.

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Illegal Downloads Continue to Go Up

By Christen Broecker | April 16

Despite record companies' dramatic success in forcing the July 2001 shutdown of Napster -- formerly the nation's premiere Internet music exchange program -- experts say the use of illegitimate file-sharing networks continues to rise nationwide, particularly on college campuses. Napster was by far the most prominent of the unrestricted file-sharing services that has appeared on the Internet within the last two years. Its demise was initially seen as a major triumph for the record industry and advocates of copyright protection.

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N.C. Teacher Salaries Experience Slow Growth

By Christen Broecker | April 16

A recent report states that teacher salaries in North Carolina and across the nation have been experiencing growth far below economic trends, a pattern that is likely to continue in states experiencing budget shortfalls. The study, released April 8 by the National Education Association -- an organization that represents 2.6 million educators nationwide, ranked N.C. teacher salaries as 21st in the nation. Denise Cardinal, a spokeswoman for the NEA, said North Carolina's low teacher salaries are far from unique.

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Activists Dispute Legality Of Public Internet Filters

By Christen Broecker | April 9

An act requiring Internet filters in K-12 schools and public libraries is facing a legal challenge from groups that allege that the technology is flawed. The Children's Internet Protection Act states that any institution that refuses to comply be denied federal funding. The act was passed by the U.S. Congress in December 2000. The CIPA is being contested in federal district court in a lawsuit filed in March 2001 by the American Library Association and the American Civil Liberties Union.

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UNC Schools Rise, Drop in U.S. Rankings

By Christen Broecker | April 8

The U.S. News & World Report's latest graduate school rankings have brought mixed results for UNC's professional programs. In the 2003 report, the UNC School of Law fell from 23rd to 31st while Kenan-Flagler Business School's ranking rose from 18th to 17th in the nation. The School of Education fell from 18th to 24th in the nation, and the School of Medicine rose from 24th to 22nd in research and remained 6th for primary care. UNC School of Law Dean Gene Nichol expressed in a statement his disappointment in the rankings but pointed out the school's consistently high peer approval.

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UNC Officials to Revamp Orientation

By Christen Broecker | April 3

UNC Ofcials to Revamp Orientation By Christen Broecker Staff Writer In attempts to make the transition to college for incoming freshmen smoother, both UNC and Duke University are following a national trend by altering new-student orientation activities. Administrators at UNC recently decided to reform the C-TOPS orientation program based on peer schools' successful strategies.

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Offcials Disagree With Halting Universities' Growth

By Christen Broecker | March 25

UNC-system officials still largely support the UNC-system Board of Governors' plan to fund increased enrollment with tuition, despite the UNC-Chapel Hill Faculty Council's suggestion to slow enrollment instead. On Friday, the Faculty Council approved a resolution calling for the BOG to slow or postpone increased enrollment if the state's anticipated budget shortfall renders the N.C. General Assembly unable to fully fund increases in the incoming class size.

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Students to Rally for Low Tuition

By Christen Broecker | March 6

Students from across the state are planning to rally at the UNC-system Board of Governors meeting today in a last-ditch effort to convince board members to pass the smallest reasonable tuition increase. The BOG is slated to vote on tuition increases today. The board's meeting starts at 1:15 p.m.

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N.C. House to Lose Senior Members

By Christen Broecker | February 25

Political pundits predict that the retirement of three key legislators in the N.C. House of Representatives will not harm the capability of the House Appropriations Committee even during one of the worst fiscal situations in state history. Rep. Pete Oldham, D-Forsyth; Rep. Gregg Thompson, R-Mitchell; and Rep. Ruth Easterling, D-Mecklenburg, all co-chairmen of the House Appropriations Committee, have announced that they will not run for re-election in November.

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Study: Tuition Linked to State Appropriations

By Christen Broecker | February 20

Tuition fluctuations at public universities nationwide correspond directly to changes in state appropriations, according to a study released Friday by the U.S. Department of Education.