Metoka Welch

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Then vs. Now: Anti-War Protests

By Metoka Welch | November 26

A recent swarm of anti-war protests at college campuses nationwide has many historians noting similarities between the response to U.S. attacks in Afghanistan and responses to the Vietnam War. Students -- both at UNC and nationwide -- have vocally expressed their disapproval of the United States' actions through teach-ins and other protests. The University of California-Berkeley held a conference earlier this month titled California Students Against the War, which was attended by more than 600 people.

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Online Admissions Gaining Popularity

By Metoka Welch | November 20

More UNC admissions officials are allowing students to check their admission status over the Internet, citing recent anthrax scares as simply another U.S. postal service hindrance. For the past two years, UNC has given students with Internet access the option of checking their admissions status online. Other schools catching the trend are Yale and Cornell universities and Dartmouth College. Yale is in the process of building a secure Web site whereby students with a password might find out their admissions status.

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New Area Mayors May Jump-Start Efforts for Triangle Rail System

By Metoka Welch | November 13

Raleigh Mayor-elect Charles Meeker's environmentally-based platform could facilitate the creation of a regional rail system in the Triangle. Meeker, newly elected Durham Mayor Bill Bell and Chapel Hill Mayor-elect Kevin Foy all support smart-growth initiatives, including a regional rail system. Planning for the regional rail system is being handled by the Triangle Transit Authority. To receive funding the project must first be approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Funding for the project would come from all levels of government.

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Bill Might Limit Some Liberties

By Metoka Welch | October 25

Some educational and political leaders are expressing fear that America's cry for tighter security measures after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks might result in a decrease in civil liberties. Since Sept. 11, legislators have been debating about how to create a sense of normalcy in the country, both economically and in terms of security.

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Report: Colleges' Hiring Changing

By Metoka Welch | October 24

Colleges and universities are hiring more part-time faculty members as opposed to full-time professors, according to a study released last week by the U.S. Department of Education. The report is based on a study conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics. A total of 3,395 post-secondary institutions were surveyed during the 1998-99 academic year. According to the report, part-time faculty members constitute 43 percent of the faculty body at college and universities. Part-time faculty members taught 27 percent of undergraduate courses.

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Families Compare New, Old UNC

By Metoka Welch | September 14

It is hard to imagine UNC without such buildings as Davis Library, the Center of Dramatic Arts or the Dean Dome. But this was the University just a generation ago. And because this weekend is Carolina Family Weekend, students whose relatives also are UNC alumni get a chance to compare the University they know to the university of old. In the time it has taken Jenny Wortham to exit high school and become a sophomore and Patrice High a junior, UNC has undergone dramatic changes.

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Schools Offer Services to Stranded Students

By Metoka Welch | September 13

Triangle college students wanting to rejoin their families in light of Tuesday's terrorist attacks will find their short-term travel options limited. The Federal Aviation Administration grounded commercial flights after hijacked airplanes crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania on Tuesday morning. But the FAA began to allow limited air travel Wednesday for flights forced to land prematurely Tuesday morning. According to CNN, senior FAA officials say the flight restrictions will start to be lifted sometime today.

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BOG to Review Calendar Proposal

By Metoka Welch | September 11

BOG to Review Calendar Proposal By Metoka Welch Staff Writer UNC Board of Governor members and student leaders are waiting for more details about a measure that would shorten the current academic calender for UNC-system students. The UNC-Chapel Hill Faculty Council passed a resolution Friday urging the BOG to allow individual system schools to shorten the 150-day academic year by as many as ten days. A proposal by former UNC-system President C.D. Spangler increased the school year from 140 to 150 days in 1996.

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UNC-C Taps Nontraditional SBP

By Metoka Welch | April 24

A 31-year-old UNC-Charlotte student recently was elected as the school's student body president -- a rare accomplishment for a nontraditional student.Greg Hall, a junior sociology major, won the student body president election earlier this month by an 85-vote margin.

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BOG Vote Still Priority For Students

By Metoka Welch | April 12

Despite low student turnout at an N.C. House Education Committee debate that focused on a bill to allow a student vote on the Board of Governors, student leaders say they are committed to seeing the bill pass.The Education Committee deliberated the bill Tuesday and approved the legislation in a voice vote. The legislation will now be sent to the House Rules Committee, which will determine when the bill is heard by the full House.