VICTORIA WILSON

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Court to mull unpaid loan penalty

By VICTORIA WILSON | April 28

The Supreme Court will clarify soon whether the federal government can dock Social Security benefits from delinquent student borrowers, but experts say existing measures have lowered default rates successfully on student loans. The court will resolve two conflicting Circuit Court rulings about whether the government can garnish Social Security benefits to repay overdue student loans. The confusion stems from a series of conflicting federal debt collection laws.

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Bill fuels abortion debates

By VICTORIA WILSON | April 26

If a piece of legislation in the state House passes, filling a birth control prescription in North Carolina might get a little bit more difficult. Some N.C. legislators want to add pharmacists to the list of health care workers who can refuse to provide services that result in an abortion. But a bill filed for this purpose, though it does not mention contraceptives, might be opening up the way for what some see as a slippery slope.

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New papacy won't look too unusual, experts say

By VICTORIA WILSON | April 21

After Monday’s election of the 256th head of the Catholic Church, religious scholars and church officials said Pope Benedict XVI likely will remain faithful to traditional doctrine. The College of Cardinals took just two days to elect Benedict XVI, whose real name is Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. He is the first German pope in almost a millennium, and at 78, he is the oldest elected pope in more than 200 years.

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Schools aid fight for math, science

By VICTORIA WILSON | April 19

Universities must address the nation’s shortage of math and science professionals, UNC-system officials say, but state schools won’t have as much of an influence on the problem as other groups. The decreasing number of people choosing math and science careers, along with the concern that other countries will surpass the United States in technology development, has some looking to the nation’s universities for help.

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ASG sees tweaks to budget

By VICTORIA WILSON | April 12

The 2005-06 budget for the UNC-system Association of Student Governments represents the new administration’s goal for stronger leadership and more influence in national higher education issues. President-elect Zach Wynne proposed a working budget Saturday during the last full ASG meeting of the year with several distinct changes from last year’s budget. The association’s $170,000 budget comes from a $1 student fee imposed at all 16 system schools.

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Switch in loan programs could hurt N.C. students

By VICTORIA WILSON | March 29

U.S. senators hope to save money by eliminating indirect federal loans to students — but state university officials say the move could be bad for North Carolina. In a bipartisan, bicameral effort, the Student Aid Reward Act of 2005 — sponsored by Rep. Thomas Petri, R-Wis., Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and others — was introduced in the House this month. The act seeks to encourage universities to switch from a program that receives its funds from commercial lenders to one that gets money directly from the government.

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Race for ASG president to go uncontested again

By VICTORIA WILSON | March 29

The race to lead the UNC system’s student advocacy group is a a lot less crowded than it could have been. Zach Wynne, two-term student body president at UNC-Wilmington, is set to become the next president of the system’s Association of Student Governments. That’s because Jud Watkins, a junior from Appalachian State University who initially had planned to run against Wynne, dropped out of the race in order to focus on his own campus.

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Author targets lies of civic leaders

By VICTORIA WILSON | March 22

Anna Deavere Smith, a noted author and playwright and a professor at New York University, treated members of the University community Monday night to a series of performances highlighting how the lies of civic leaders affect the country’s citizens. Smith is perhaps most recognizable for her role on NBC’s drama “The West Wing,” where she plays a national security adviser. Appearing in Hill Hall as a guest lecturer for the Institute for the Arts and Humanities, Smith used her acting skill to talk about why people allow leaders to lie to them.

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State leaders debate death penalty

By VICTORIA WILSON | March 10

A possible pause in executions in North Carolina for two years brings the promise of reform to some and seems unnecessary to others. N.C. House Majority Leader Joe Hackney, D-Orange, has sponsored a bill that proposes a moratorium on capital punishment for two years. During this time, the legislature would conduct a study of the state’s death penalty system. Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, D-Orange, introduced similar legislation in 2003. It passed the Senate but was not brought to a vote in the House.

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Senate passes bill to count out-of-precinct ballots

By VICTORIA WILSON | February 24

The N.C. Senate continued to establish its jurisdiction over the long-contested race for state superintendent of public instruction by passing a bill allowing 11,000 provisional ballots to be counted. The N.C. Supreme Court sided with Republican candidate Bill Fletcher earlier this month in deciding that 11,000 provisional ballots should be thrown out. Democratic candidate June Atkinson leads Fletcher by about 8,500 votes out of approximately 3 million cast.