Tlie Uftivetsitjrof North CaroUaa at Asheville
www.iinca.«lu/baiuier
October 1, 1998
Cuts affect
adjuncts,
faculty time
By Sara Jones
staff Writer
UNCA faculty and administra
tors are preparing for cuts in faculty
reassigned time and adjunct posi
tions for the spring semester, and
debating what effects these changes
will have on students and the insti
tution.
“We’ll have more courses taught
by full-time faculty, and that, for a
student, might be a plus. It will be
a problem for a number of faculty
who are counting on reassigned time
to do significant work, scholarship,
and course development things, so
that’s the down side,” said Archer
Gravely, director of institutional
research.
At present, full-time faculty oper
ate on a 4/3 system, which means
that they teach
four classes one
semester, and
only three
classes the next
to allow for re
assigned time.
The class that
they do not
teach for the
year allows
them to devote
time to “schol
arly activity,”
such as writing
books, doing
research, and
developing
new courses
and curricu
lum, as dis
cussed in the
Faculty Wel
fare Commit
tee meeting on
Sept. 24.
The budget
shortfall is re
quiring UNCA
to cut adjuct
positions, which means that full
time professors will have to teach
more courses.
“We have to do a better job of
planning, estimating what the cur
riculum needs are, estimating what
the regular faculty resources are,
and looking at how much money is
available foradjuncts,” said Gravely.
Gravely said that the issue of reas
signed time is “really not a budget
problem,” but a budget planning
problem. “\^e need to do a better
“We have a great
staff of adjunct
faculty. They are
part of the team
and for them to
lose their posi
tions here be
cause of an ad-
ministrative
oversight is re
ally a tragedy,
cutting at the
heart of what we
are about.”
-Robert Tynes,
associate professor
of art.
job of planning and administering
and having accountability for reas
signed time so we don’t find our
selves in the situation we are now,
where halfway through the year we
find out we don’t have enough
money to cover adjuncts for the
spring,” Gravely said.
“I would like to think that the
administration is really looking hard
at other options, because one of the
biggest problems I think the faculty
feel is that the adjunct cut is really
treating (the adjuncts) unfairly. We
have a great staff of adjunct faculty.
They are a part of the team and for
them to lose their positions here
because of an administrative over
sight is really a tragedy, cutting at
the heart of what we are about,”
said Robert Tynes, associate pro
fessor of art.
Although students may have full
time professors instead of adjuncts,
some professors
do not see the in
creased teaching
load and less re
assigned time as
favorable.
“In lieu of the
adjuncts being
able to teach is
that the full-time
faculty are hav
ing to sacrifice
their reassigned
time, and it’s go
ing to affect the
quality of teach
ing. There’s no
two ways about
it,” said Tynes.
“The fatigue
factor is going to
be an issue next
semester, for stu
dents as well as
faculty,” said
Dwight Mullen,
chair and associ
ate professor of
political science.
Kevin
Moorhead, associate professor of
environmental studies, said he felt
like the research that he did in his
reassigned time was an integral part
of doing his job, including provid
ing undergraduate research oppor
tunities and staying on the “cutting
edge” of his field.
Reassigned time allows us to im
prove our teaching directly, (and)
the research helps us in teaching. If
Pipes with no purpose
rc
Building materials lie strewn about on the deserted conference center construction site. Lack of funding has pre
vented further progress on the center.
Conference center construction stalls
By Samantha Hartmann
staff Writer
Construction of the proposed
conference center near Chest
nut Ridge on the north end of
campus has come to an indefi
nite standstill due to lack of
funding. The project was desig
nated for UNCA in a public
facility bond referendum in
1993.
“Frankly, there is no prospect
in view right now for getting
any more money,” said Tom
Byers, special assistant to the
chancellor. “The project is not
moving forward,” said Byers.
Byers said the university would
eventually develop additional fa
cilities on Chestnut Ridge, but
that is not going to be anytime
soon.
“The fact is we spent all the •
money that was in the pipeline,
and there does not appear to be
any prospects in the foreseeable
future for political funding,”
said Byers. “It is not being used
right now, but eventually it
seems probable that the univer
sity will need that space.”
In addition to lack of funding,
construction efforts were stalled
by a lawsuit initiated in 1994.
UNCA entered litigation with
Chestnut Ridge Conservancy,
Inc., after land clearing began in
July 1994. The controversy arose
over environmental issues sur
rounding the construction of a
new road. Division Street, and
the conference center on Chest
nut Ridge. “The lawsuit has now
been resolved,” said Byers.
The estimated cost of the center
was $21 million and $3,974,400
of that was allocated for the ini
tial phase of the project.
According to a supplemental af
fidavit of Arthur Foley, vice chan
cellor for financial affairs, fund
ing from the bond issue of
$3,974,400 would complete the
initial phase of the project. This
included:
-construction of an access road
-installation ofunderground utili
ties
-site preparation and related ex
penses
-design of the conference center
-purchase of lands to widen or
relocate Division Street
-the widening or relocation and
extension of Division Street.
The affidavit was obtained from
the files of the Buncombe County
Courthouse as Foley was unavail
able for comment.
UNCA received bids for the in
frastructure phase in April of
1994.
In a letter dated May 20, 1994
to Speros Fleggas, director of the
state construction office, a break
down of the construction expenses
was provided.
The total for all contracts, which
included the general and electri
cal contracting, was $1,490,506.
Additional fees were allocated
for the following: design fee,
$ 18,500; reserve for property ac
quisitions, $600,000; re^rve for
Division Street extension,
$571,420; reserve for conference
center construction. $ 1.240 259;
and contingency, for unplanned
events, $44,715-
This allowed for a project total
of $3,974,400.
According to Foley’s affidavit,
UNCA would incur more than
$200,000 in additional costs if
construction were halted by a
court order during litigation.
“We have now spent almost that
total amount mostly for the infra
structure, the road and utilities,
said Byers. “What has been done,
for the most part, will be impor
tant to the university in the years
ahead, regardless of what hap
pens to the conference center.
The road we just opened. Divi
sion Street, is giving us new ac
cess for campus. It gives us a
nice backdoor. This has been
made possible by the bond
money.”
According to Byers, talks con
cerning the project began in the
1980s. Legislators thought a
conference center would facili
tate economic development in
Western North Carolina.
“Chancellor David Brown, who
was the chancellor here at the
tirne, said if we are going to have
a big conference center in the
western part of North Carolina,
it really should be on the UNCA
campus,” said Byers. “The
project initiated from legislative
sponsorship. Now that there has
been turnover in the legislative
delegation, the level of support
for this project is not the same as
it originally was,”
In an article published by the
Asheville Citizen-Times on July
See CENTER page 10
See ADJUNCTS page 10
Refund a possibility for Foxmders' residents
By Mat Peery
staff Writer
Continued delays of the promised air
conditioning in Founders Residence Hall
may lead the univeristy to partially reim
burse students by the end of the semester,
according to university officials.
Some students remain upset at the status
of the air conditioning system now several
weeks behind schedule and only providing
cool air to some of the building s inhabit
ants.
“Don’t promise somebody something if
you aren’t going to deliver, said Maureen
Dougher, an undeclared freshman.
Residents paid $100 more this fall to live
in Founders compared to housing costs
from last year. That increase was due in
part to inflation and was decided upon last
December, said Pete Williams, director of
housing.
The increase was based on a 3 percent rate
of inflation, with the remainder of the
increase going toward building improve
ments such as the addition of air condition
ing and the new furniture.
The lack of air conditioning has caused
students and officials to consider the possi
bility of a partial refund based on the
amount of the recent increase.
“(The refund) will be some sort of pro
ration based upon the amount of the in
crease that was targeted due to the antici
pated air conditioning versus the increase
that would just have been the case whether
or not there would have been air condition
ing,” said Foley.
Foley also said that there were a number
of factors to consider about the refund.
These include the portion of the increased
cost of living in Founders that was desig
nated to pay for the air conditioning and
how much of a delay occurs before the
system finally becomes fully functional.
“I would expect Mr. Williams and myself
to meet and try to make some determina
tion of what would be a reasonable refund
to students in Founders Hall who were
expecting air conditioning and didn’t have
it at the time school opened,” said Foley.
Some informal discussions about a re
fund did take place recently, said Williams.
However, both Williams and Foley said an
official decision concerning a refund has
not yet been made and that no official
statement regarding refunds would come
until that decision was reached. The most
likely option, however, will be a credit to
each student’s account for next spring, said
Foley.
Foley said that the specifics of a refund
have not yet been discussed, “although it
would be usual university practice to re
view the situation once we know the point
in time at which the air conditioning is
functional,” said Foley.
The continued delay of air conditioning
is taking its toll on both students and
administrators. Williams said that some of
the student stress is because of an unusually
warm fall semester with temperatures up to
10 degrees warmer than past years, and also
because delays pushed the date of air con
ditioning past the Sept. 15 activation date.
“The students were pretty patient up un
til mid-September,” said Williams.
Foley said that there were several reasons
the contractors were not finished before
the arrival of students in the dorms.
“Part of what happened is that it took
longer to do the air conditioning project
than we had days in the summer,” said
Foley.
Williams said that even if the contractors
had finished the installation on time, the
system would not have been up and run
ning on schedule.
“I really wish that they’d be consistent,
said Michael Adams, an undeclared sopho
more, “because I know'that several people’s
See REFUNDS page 10