THE Seahawk/December 5, ZDDD
5
Forum, from page 1
phasized that he wants to make sure that
university administration was “open” to
students and that he wants to serve as a
“court of last resort” to students who feel
their needs are not being met.
“Part of my job is breaking rules,”
Leutze said, adding that he has a reputa
tion for being swayed much easier on
issues than other faculty members. “I
beUeve that there often have to be ex
ceptions to rules."
Early in the forum, Student Govern
ment Association Vice President Erica
B. Pittlekow expressed concern about
the discrepancies in faculty salaries at
UNCW. Pittlekow said she was espe
cially interested in the fact that commu
nication studies professors make so
much less than many professors and that
men’s basketball coach Jerry
Wainwight’s salary is higher than
Leutze’s.
Leutze said that faculty salaries are
based for a large part on “market forces”
and that generally business professors
make more money than those who teach
in the college of arts and sciences be
cause business professors can get lucra
tive jobs elsewhere.
“It’s not great for faculty moral, but
that’s the way it is,” he said.
Faculty salaries are based in part on
SPOT evaluations and student feedback,
as this is, according to Leutze, a deter
minant in whether a professor receives
tenure.
Students also questioned Leutze on
whether the chancellor felt that parking
and traffic issues were being dealt with
to students’ satisfaction.
“There is no way to make everyone
happy with the parking issue because not
only do people want parking for their
car but they want it where they want to
be,” Leutze said.
Leutze said that he thinks the univer
sity will have to build a parking deck
soon in order to accommodate the grow
ing population on campus. He said that
this development will make parking two
times as exnensive as it currently is and
that the location will not be convenient
to everyone’s classrooms. He also said
he wanted the school to look into the
benefits of getting an electric tram that
would run on the sidewalks on campus.
“We never claimed that we’d have a
spot for you right next to your class
room,” said Assistant Vice Chancellor
Dick Scott who is in charge of parking
and traffic issues. “I don't want it to
appear that we’re unsympathetic or that
we don’t care because we do and we
have a senate working on it.”
Both Leutze and Scott said that the
decision to keep roads and parking on
the outskirts of campus was an aesthetic
decision but also an issue of student
safety.
“We don’t need students dodging cars
and bikes on the way to class,” Leutze
said.
UNCW’s academic reputation was
also a subject of debate at the forum.
Some students expressed concern that
UNCW is considered a “second-rate
university” in the North Carohna system
when compared with UNC-Chapel Hill
and NC State.
Leutze said he felt a comparison be
tween UNCW and UNC-CH was diffi
cult because the education philosophies
of the two institutions differ so greatly.
UNC-CH is generally a research-cen
tered university that is strongly geared
toward graduate students, while Leutze
said he feels that UNCW offers a better
undergraduate education in a student-
centered atmosphere.
Graduate students, according to
Leutze teach approximately 30 percent
of the courses at UNC-CH, while gradu
ate students teach only 2-3 percent of the
classes at UNCW. Additionally, more
money is devoted to graduate classes
than undergraduate courses at UNC-CH,
while the opposite is true of UNCW.
“UNC-Chapel Hill’s mission is to cre
ate new knowledge,” Leutze said. “Here
[at UNCW] we view ourselves as more
of an undergraduate institution...and 1
am convinced you are getting a better
undergraduate education here.”
Grad, from page 1
very interested in the seniors’ perspective.
A survey that was put together with
the help of the senior class leaders was
sent out to those seniors who are techni
cally eligible, according to credit hours
earned, to graduate in May 2001. Less
than one third of the students who were
surveyed responded and over 40 percent
of them were in favor of having two in
door ceremonies.
According to Curran and the commit
tee the results of the survey did not re
veal overwhelming support for moving
the ceremony outside or for wearing
school colors. Curran said that Leutze
would have implemented the changes had
there been an overwhelming show of sup
port for them.
“A simple majority of students did
support an outdoor ceremony and school
colors, but a simple majority doesn’t nec
essarily represent a full picture of the sen
timent of the class,” Curran said.
Chris Register, who sat on the Gradu
ation and Commencement Committee as
a senior and a student leader, is disap
pointed that the class of 2001 will not be
graduating together, and he hopes that
future ceremonies won’t have to be split.
He also thinks that had the issue been
dealt with much earlier, the outcome
might have been different.
“In the future I hope faculty, staff and
students can get together sooner and get
things done more efficiently,” Register
said. Ultimately. “Whatever seniors want
should happen.”
Senior class president Aaron Davis
was not happy with the decision, either
“It’s unfortunate they waited until now
to decide that.” he said. "In a .school
where we’re trying to promote unity, we
take the biggest day and split it up."
Curran, who likes the idea of outside
ceremonies and keeping the university
together as a community, cited several
reasons for slaying inside and having two
ceremonies instead of one. Included was
the cost of everything from acquiring
more seating to a PA system, the weather
and logistics.
“I’m disappointed from a community
context, but 1 am excited that we're at a
point right now where the day can be very
special for the graduates,” Curran said.
According to Curran, having two cer
emonies will allow each graduate six
tickets. There will also be a mechanism
in place for those graduating who don’t
need six tickets to give the tickets they
don't need back, which will allow those
who need more than six a chance to gel
more. He also said there is a possibility
that each graduating senior will be given
the opportunity to have his or her name
read and cross the stage, which will ne
gate the need for individual department
ceremonies.
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