Mike Gorman

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Bowles, Dole Raise National Money

By Mike Gorman | November 5

North Carolina's 2002 U.S. Senate contest has shot past other campaigns as the most expensive Senate race of the year, and it turns out it's not just North Carolinians putting money in the candidates' coffers. Estimates in mid-September indicated that 43 percent of Republican candidate Elizabeth Dole's individual contributions came from donors outside North Carolina, according to the online campaign finance database Political Money Line. Thirty-three percent of Bowles' individual contributions are from outside the state.

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Republicans Divided Over Amendment

By Mike Gorman | April 26

While lawmakers await a verdict from the N.C. Supreme Court over the constitutionality of the state's legislative districts, Republicans are divided in their opinions about an amendment to the N.C. Constitution being discussed by Democratic leaders. Danny Lineberry, spokesman for House Speaker Jim Black, D-Mecklenburg, said Black is exploring the possibility of asking voters to remove the whole-county provision from the state constitution. The whole-county provision states that legislative districts cannot split counties.

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Lesser-Known Candidates Debate at N.C. State

By Mike Gorman | April 19

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate David Tidwell really wants college students to vote. "Vote, vote vote," he said. "If you don't vote for me, then for God's sake vote for somebody." Tidwell joined three other lesser-known Democratic U.S. Senate candidates to speak before a crowd of about 20 people at N.C. State University on Thursday night for the 2002 U.S. Senate Candidate Forum sponsored by the N.C. State College Democrats and student government.

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Formation of Tuition Committees Stagnates

By Mike Gorman | April 12

Administrators at UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State University have made little progress in organizing committees to study long-range tuition plans. In January, the UNC-system Board of Governors approved a proposal asking system schools to develop collaborative five-year tuition plans. The BOG asked schools to have plans ready by the October board meeting. But since then, administrators have made little planning progress.

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Officials Compare Past, Present Cuts

By Mike Gorman | April 10

In May 1991, administrators in the UNC-Chapel Hill Department of Political Science found themselves in an embarrassing situation -- cuts to the department's supply budget forced teachers to ask their students to pay for their final exams. "Our supply budget was drained," said David Lowery, chairman of the political science department in 1991. "We had to charge students 25 cents for their finals. We didn't have pens and paper."

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Universities' Private Gifts Not Curbed by Poor Economoy

By Mike Gorman | April 5

Private donations at universities nationwide, including UNC-Chapel Hill, were largely unaffected by last year's economic downturn, according to a survey conducted by the Council for Aid to Education. The survey reports that public and private universities received $24.2 billion in private donations in the 2000-01 fiscal year, the largest reported figure in the council's history and a 4.3 percent increase from the previous year. Ann Kaplan, the director of the survey, said that while this year's increase is in line with a decade-long period of growth in private donations, last year's ec

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UNC Plans For Cuts To Funding

By Mike Gorman | March 22

UNC-system administrators are working to minimize potential cuts in the classroom following a warning from Gov. Mike Easley's office to prepare for budget cuts during the next fiscal year. Easley has asked most state agencies to prepare for cuts of up to 11 percent for the 2002-03 fiscal year, which starts July 1. But Easley sent a letter Thursday to all UNC-system chancellors and UNC-system President Molly Broad stating that he would not recommend such drastic cuts to the UNC-system budget.

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Offcials, Students Ask State to Fund Budget

By Mike Gorman | March 8

UNC-system officials and student leaders say they will continue trying to persuade the N.C.

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BOG to Vote Today On Whether to Raise Student Fees

By Mike Gorman | March 6

The UNC-system Board of Governors is slated to vote today on student fee increases that officials say typically result from the poor state of the economy and rising health care, education and technology costs. All 16 UNC-system schools recently submitted student fee increase proposals, in addition to campus-initiated tuition increase requests, to the UNC-system Board of Governors. If the proposal is approved by the BOG, student fees at UNC-Chapel Hill will increase by about $62.10, an increase of about 8 percent.

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Tuition Plans Get Mixed Reviews

By Mike Gorman | March 1

Student leaders and political lobbyists are divided about the merits of two state-funded programs under review by the N.C. General Assembly that provide financial aid to N.C. residents attending private institutions in the state. The N.C.