ahr Sally ilar Hrrl New plan stabilizes systemwide tuition Ties resident rate to state funding BY ERIC JOHNSON .ENIOR WRITER In 2005, when UNC-system officials decided to hold the line on tuition hikes for in-state under graduates, they faced staunch opposition from chancellors and campus officials. fhe systems Board of Governors endured a five-hour public meeting that saw chancellors from almost every system school pleading for tuition increases that the board ulti mately refused to grant The process was anything but amicable. Now. as part of a revamped tuition policy introduced by UNC system President Erskine Bowles, the board is once again asking cam puses to forgo any tuition hikes for resident undergraduates. And this time, that directive has l>een honored without so much as a word of protest "We've worked hard to make sure that everyone was on board with this policy," Bowles said dur ing the board's November meeting. We've had the chancellors involved from the very beginning." Bowles' four-year tuition plan, which he crafted shortly after tak ing office in 2006, marks the most significant change in tuition policy since 1998, when campuses won the right to request their own tuition hikes and keep the revenue. While the old policy allowed cam puses huge leeway in their requests and gave the board complete discre tion to approve or deny them, the new plan is highly specific. It is designed to create a direct tie between state funding and tuition rates. In years when state funding is low. campuses have more room to increase resident undergraduate tuition. But when the state legisla ture is more generous, Bowles' policy sharply restricts tuition hikes. The idea Bowles has said repeat edly, is to “incentivize" state lawmak ers to provide adequate funding. ‘I want to clearly show the relationship NOW HIRING: SERVERS $6.50/HR PLUS TIPS; HOSTESS/CASHIER S8 9/HR. 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ISStctis v'* s- jti v Matl nOTIAATiC I _____ * till v IS I | Red Wines - II Sauces VCs’ jgfflfcffi' and Soups ■I Salts 3 jjKß&r' Amazing | Destination A Southern Reason University Mall ■ 201 S. Estes Dr. Chapel Hill 919,929.7133 southernseason.com between state appropriations and tuition," Bowles said last year. Ever since the legislature deliv ered an impressive 10.6 percent increase in university funding this summer, Bowles and his staffhave been lobbying campus officials to reinforce that cause-and-efifect relationship even more clearly. According to the system's compli cated formula, most campuses are allowed to ask for moderate tuition increases this year even after such a generous allotment of state money. But Bowles has pressed all chancellors to avoid any hikes for in-state undergraduates, and so far they appear likely to comply. John Ellison, a member of UNC- Chapel Hill's Board of Trustees, explained Bowies’ thinking as a kind of long-term "strategic positioning." “He thinks he can get more for us if we hold off this year." Ellison said in October. “It’s a way of show ing the legislature that we appreci ate what they did for us." But even as university officials celebrate a year of hefty - funding and a calmer tuition process, there remains a question of how much lawmakers are paying attention. “I’m not sure they're aware of it," said Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand, D-Cumberland, referring to the new policy. “I don’t how closely they're following it." There is also the lingering issue of whether nonresidents and grad uate students will eventually find a measure of tuition predictability . The system's four-year plan cov ers only resident undergraduates, and while in-state undergraduates will see their rates remain flat next year, nonresidents at most system schools expect significant increases. “We need to find a way to how that we respect and appreciate our out-of-state students,’ Eve Carson. UNC-Chapel Hill student body president, said in a November interview. “What they’ve done for in-state students is great, but it’s not the end of the discussion." Contact the State CJ National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu. UNC votes early on tuition rates Accountability stressed during talks BY WHITNEY KISLING UNIVERSITY EDITOR Coming in two months ear lier than usual, this year's tuition talks reflected an acceptance of inevitable increases, a demand for accountability and pressure for predictability. With the earlier discussion, several students and some offi cials aired concerns about the gravity with which the vote was handled. They called for clearer account ability in the use of tuition dollars, as well as greater predictability with future increases. The change in the timeline came after the task force’s 2007-08 suggestion for a SSOO increase in undergraduate nonresident tuition was overruled by the board at its January 2007 meeting, in favor of a $1,250 increase. After those increases were announced, Provost Bernadette Gray-Little, who leads the tuition and fee advisory task force with the student body president, gave a presentation to the board in May about ways to improve efficiency in evaluating tuition. “It’s pretty easy to reflect on what future needs are going to be," said Roger Perry, chairman of the Board of Trustees. “This isn’t microbiology. Its important, and it needs to be thoughtfully and We have the houses to suit you perfectly! B Visit our website and see houses along with |_JjE floor plans, locations and much more! students more than 20 years! UUe make it ’so easy! 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Asa step in the direction of pre dictability, trustees and Stephen Farmer, director of undergraduate admissions, added new wording to acceptance packets that provides ranges in which to expect tuition increases during a four-year peri od. “That's probably about as strong a predictability as you can give," Perry said. For now, the only truly predict able aspect of the tuition process is that it will likely be approved by the UNC Board of Governors next in February. Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu. J.j . T I * t FRIDAY, JAN. 11 tiOSMIC CHARLIE ■r.,. ' we- •••■*.<•,• w ' n k. SATURDAY, JAN. 12 V RRARK KOZELEK ** t * V TUESDAY. JAN. 12 DRESDEN DOLLS CAROLINA THEATRE •v’s mar.: * 11