ELIZABETH DOUGHERTY

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Excess health funds could aid uninsured

By ELIZABETH DOUGHERTY | April 25

The huge surplus incurred by the state’s only nonprofit insurance company could be relocated into a trust fund to benefit uninsured citizens who do not qualify for Medicaid. In response to concerns he heard on the campaign trail, Rep. Bill Faison, D-Caswell, filed a bill Thursday that would require Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina to pay a percentage of its surplus to a state fund that would provide medical care for the uninsured.

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Teachers may earn course credits

By ELIZABETH DOUGHERTY | April 20

In order to provide incentives for employees to remain in state jobs, an Orange County representative proposed a plan Monday that she hopes will reduce North Carolina’s high employee turnover. Rep. Verla Insko, D-Orange, introduced a bill that would give state teachers and employees the opportunity to earn course credit at state universities and community colleges. The bill proposes to create an “education bank” for teachers and state employees in which they would receive course credit hours based on their length of employment by the state.

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'Captain' to take a stab at politics

By ELIZABETH DOUGHERTY | April 14

RALEIGH — With raucous cheers, N.C. State University students celebrated the victory of their next student body president — Will “The Pirate Captain” Piavis. Black Long John Silver hats rested on the heads of Piavis’ supporters, who filled a majority of the room in which the announcement was made.

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NCSU may see pirate at helm

By ELIZABETH DOUGHERTY | April 11

After seizing 44 percent of the first-round vote in N.C. State University’s election for student body president, a candidate known as The Pirate Captain could sail into office with enough support from his “scurvy crew.” Because no candidate won a majority of last week’s vote, students will head to the polls today and Tuesday for a runoff election. The contest pits current Student Body Vice President Will Quick against The Pirate Captain — whose given name is William Piavis, according to N.C. State’s student newspaper, the Technician.

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Bill would end use of social security numbers as college identification

By ELIZABETH DOUGHERTY | February 28

A new state bill introduced Thursday by Rep. Jeff Barnhart, R-Cabarrus, might bar UNC-system campuses from using students' Social Security numbers as school identification numbers. UNC-Chapel Hill already uses an alternate number to identify students, but not all schools have opted to update their systems of identification. Rep. Verla Insko, D-Orange, said her constituents have voiced concerns about identity theft, but the legislature has not reached a consensus on how to protect personal information.

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Mandate beats out the market

By ELIZABETH DOUGHERTY | February 22

The pressures of market-driven education are taking a toll on the nation’s colleges and universities, a recent report states, but UNC-system administrators say they are holding fast to their constitutional obligation to state residents. The report, issued by the Futures Project at Brown University, states that a balance must be struck between increasingly aggressive market forces and the need to preserve public universities’ commitment to their constituents.

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Texas seeks to delay birthday celebrations

By ELIZABETH DOUGHERTY | February 16

A bill in the Texas legislature proposes to push the state’s drinking age back seven hours — an eternity to those wishing to celebrate their 21st birthday. Critics say the delay won’t stop people from finding ways to get drunk, but supporters say the cause is important enough to take up. Texas Rep. Rob Eissler, R-Montgomery, penned the bill after learning of the death of Michael Wagener, a student at Texas A&M University. Wagener died after drinking heavily on his 21st birthday, and his mother’s grief spurred Eissler’s action.

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Community colleges face funding crunch

By ELIZABETH DOUGHERTY | February 15

Despite President Bush’s vocal support for community colleges, his budget calls for the elimination of education programs that will affect their vitality. Bush highlighted the value of workforce training programs provided by the “fantastic community college system” of North Carolina during his speech Friday in Raleigh. But he called to cut the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education program in his 2005 budget proposal. Perkins funds alleviate the cost of updated technology and vocational services that community colleges provide.