il 23,1998
The University of North Carolina at Asheville
www.unca.edu/banner
Volume 27 Issue 14
April 30, 1998
y LISSA HALL
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WCU may owe UNCA
over $1.4 million for use
of university facilities
Righteous babe retums
By Amelia Morrison
staff Writer
Western Carolina University
WCU), who uses UNCA faciUties
offer graduate programs in
;heville, may owe UNCA over
1.4 million after consistently pay-
; only half of an annual lease
jreement established in the 1981-
2 school year.
In 1981-82, University of North
arolina President William Friday
nt a memo to the chancellors at
/CU and UNCA titled the “coop-
ative financial agreement,” which
the compensation arrangements
5r WCU’s use of UNCA’s facili-
cs.
1 think it would be in the interest
fboth institutions in the system
this issue to be revisited,” said
hirley Browning, associate vice
lancellor for academic affairs. “I
link it would help clear up a legacy
f- maybe disappointment is the
lildest word I could use — over the
lany, many years in which we have
lared facilities with one of our
ster institutions, and whether or
ot that sharing has also been char-
terized by appropriate compen-
tion for cost born by this institu-
on.”
WCU has received funding from
General Administration for ev-
yFull Time Equivalent (PTE), or
ery 12 credit hours worth of stu-
cnts, for students enrolled in
/'CU’s graduate programs through
Asheville Graduate Center,
kcause WCU has received fund-
and collected fees from stu
nts using UNCA’s facilities and
sources, UNCA needed to be
ipensated for staff and equip-
lent use.
The projected payment from
^CU back then was to be
130,500, but they only paid half
that, $65,250.” said Browning,
is my understanding they never
off that one half. In that sense,
agreement was never honored
future years.”
X'CU was allowed to pay half the
Iculated amount the first year
cause the 1981-82 budget had
ady been submitted, and WCU
not have time to adjust its re-
Jest with the new payment to
NCA.
The interim resolution was as
suming full implementation in 82-
83,” said Browning, who was part
of the former Joint Planning Com
mittee. “The Joint Planning Com
mittee was composed of represen
tatives from WCU and UNCA.”
The committee, which met dur
ing the late 70s and early 80s, tried
to define what WCU’s role would
be on UNCA’s campus.
“Back in the 70s, WCU moved
(someof) its undergraduate instruc
tional programs onto this campus,
resulting in them teaching courses
often times we were teaching,” said
Browning.
The final decision designated that
UNCA would teach mostly under
graduate programs, while WCU
would teach mostly graduate pro
grams. “The decision was that
Western would offer the graduate
programs here,” said Browning.
“They might offer, upon occasion,
undergraduate courses in fields
“We called the
General Adminis
tration and com
plained. They
treated us like a fly
on their nose.”
“ Associate Vice
Chancellor for
Academic Affairs
Tom Cochran
where we do not have a program or
the expertise to offer it.”
The basis of the decision was that
UNCA’s mission as an undergradu
ate liberal arts institution varied
from local needs.
“We felt like we should serve the
people of the region, but we were
undergraduate,” said Chancellor
Patsy Reed. The agreement “helps
us serve without changing our mis
sion.”
Though the decision clarified the
role of each university on UNCA’s
campus, the amount of compensa
tion WCU should pay UNCA has
remained an issue in debate. “We
went through a rather long process
of trying to cost out the implica
tions of Western being located on
our campus,” said Browning,
A temporary agreement was put
into place, and has not been changed
since 1981.
“The lease has not been adjusted
since then,” said Arthur Foley, vice
chancellor for Financial Affairs.
“The chancellors at WCU and
UNCA could not reach any-agree
ment for renegotiating.”
“It was supposed to be renegoti
ated, but obviously never worked
out, ” said Browning.
WCU currently pays UNCA half
of $290 per FTE plus a health ser
vice fee, student activities fee, and
makes other contributions in the
area of resources. WCU paid
UNCA approximately $76,500 in
the last year, said Gene McDowell,
director of the Asheville Graduate
Center.
Though WCU pays UNCA an
amount based on $290 per FTE as
outlined in the 1981 agreement,
the North Carolina system wide
average in 1998 that the General
Administration pays universities per
FTE is $6,977, according to the
bills that students receive.
WCU’s half payment based on
$290 does not include instructional
costs because WCU pays for its
instructors.
According to the UNCA Fact
Book, instruction accounts for
about 40 percent of the cost per
FTE at UNCA, adjusting the
$6,977 to about $4,186 that the
General Administration funds each
university, per FTE, on average,
excluding instructional costs.
This year, WCU had about 375.5
FTEs at UNCA, and thus paid
UNCA about $54,447 for the FTE
part of the equation, said
McDowell. For 375.5 FTEs, a uni
versity would receive approximately
$1.5 million for one year, exclud
ing instructional costs, based on
the average amount per FTE funded
by the General Administration, and
UNCA’s percent of instructional
costs.
“They don’t pay us all the money
they get per FTE,” said Foley.
The fairness of WCU’s payment
has continued to be an issue in
debate, especially since WCU has
not yet paid the full amount out
lined in the initial agreement.
“The amount and the adequacy is
what is in debate,” said McDowell.
“To suddenly say that 50 percent
See WCU on page 8
PHOTO BY PRESTON GANNAWAY
UNCA students attended the An! DIFranco (pictured above) concert at the Thomas
Wolfe Auditorium on April 22. DiFranco’s played many songs from her new album,
Little Plastic Castles. See a review of the concert on page 4.
WCU has priority over UNCA in evening teleconferencing
By Amelia Morrison
staff Writer
The University of North Caro
lina General Administration is cur
rently considering increasingfund-
ing for distance learning.
Distance learning is the ofFeting
of courses or programs at another
site or multiple sites, through tele
conferencing centers and the
Internet.
At UNCA, the Asheville Gradu
ate Center has scheduling priority
to UNCA teleconferencing rooms
in the evening.
“The graduate center gets prior
ity in the teleconferencing rooms
afterS p.m.,”saidGene McDowell,
director of the Asheville Graduate
Center.
“It will always be a scheduling
problem,” said Chancellor Pitsy
Reed.
The graduate center has priority
in the evenings because that is when
it offers most of its programs, and
the teleconferencing center was
built, in part, to meet the needs of
the graduate center, said McDowell.
As part of the graduate center,
WCU programs are able to use
UNCA’s teleconferencing rooms.
WCU does not pay additional
money other than the sum paid as a
result of the 1981-82 agreement.
which WCU has continued to
pay at a rate of 50 percent.
Other graduate-level distance-
learning programs at UNCA are
given priority over WCU when
allocating time in the teleconfer
encing centers on the UNCA cam
pus. However, WCU courses are
given priority to teleconferencing
resources over UNCA programs.
“We give first priority to courses
that serve programs further away,”
said McDowell. “All non-West-
ern programs get first priority. If
we have any nights left over, we let
WCU schedule courses.”
Next semester, WCU is going to
See DISTANCE on page 8
m
SJew registration system falters on first try
7pm
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AND
84
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am
By Gene Zaleski
staff Writer
PHOTO BY TRAVIS BARKER
'Ome students had trouble accessing the new Internet-based registra-
bn system during pre-registration last week, while others were al-
owed to register before their appointed times.
The new World Wide Web-based regis
tration system at UNCA partially malfunc
tioned during the pre-registration period
last week, preventing some students from
registering at their appointed times, and
allowing others to register earlier than they
were supposed to.
UN CA Registrar Rebecca Sensabaugh said
that the Registrar’s Office became aware of
problems with the new sjjstem on the morn
ing of April 21, the second day of the pre
registration period.
“The first thing that happened was that
students who were supposed to register at 9
a.m. were having difficulty logging into the
system,” said Sensabaugh. “There was a
simple error in setting up the flags in the
system. As soon as we realized the problem
we had it fixed within 15 minutes.
“The students were told what was wrong,
and were very understanding about it,”
said Sensabaugh.
Students also notified the Registrar’s Of
fice that the new system was allowing them
to register for classes earlier than the desig
nated registration time on their appoint
ment card, said Sensabaugh.
“When we found out there was an issue
with the appointment blocks of time we
began to investigate,” said Sensabaugh. “We
realized that the labels which were pulled
for the appointment cards themselves were
from one particular element in the Student
Information System (SIS) which counted
only graded hours.”
Sensabaugh said that the appointment
times on the cards were assigned according
to hours earned through the 1997 fall
semester, while the data used by the com
puter system for prioritizing registration
included the number of hours the students
are currently taking along with the hours
earned through the fall 1997 semester.
Sensabaugh said that no students regis
tered more than one appointment block
ahead of their appointed time.
“Some students have said that they have
registered a day earlier,” said Sensabaugh.
“These students probably received an ap
pointment card which stated the appoint
ment time to be on the 9 a.m.-11 a.m.
block the next day.
“In this situation, any student who tried
to register the previous day during the 3-5
p.m. appointment time would probably be
able to do so,” said Sensabaugh. “This
would make it seem like a day earlier, but
it was really only one appointment block
earlier.”
However, some students said that they
were able to register more than one ap-
See REGISTER on page 8