New plan could benefit transfers, cut programs
Trevor Metcalfe
femefcal@unca.edu
Edifor-in-Chief
The UNC system’s new stra
tegic plan aims to smooth the
transfer process between public
four-year schools and commu
nity colleges, but might erase
unique programs and curricula,
according to UNC Asheville
staff and transfer students.
“It would definitely make
transferring from within the
state of North Carolina a lot eas
ier,’’ said Sarah Humphries,
the transfer admission coun
selor at UNC A.
The strategic plan proposes
streamlining the system trans
fer process, allowing for stu
dents to easily receive credit
hours for courses taken at other
UNC schools and community
colleges. The plan proposes fo
cusing on community college
transfers and those enrolled
with associate degrees.
Humphries said the process
currently helps community col
lege transfers with a designated
list of course equivalencies lo
cated on the UNCA website.
“It shows, for all of the North
Carolina community colleges,
exactly what courses the com
munity colleges offer, and how
it translates over into credit for
courses at UNC Asheville,”
Humphries said. “They can use
that as a resource to get a good
basic idea of things.”
The plan suggests several so
lutions to streamline the trans
fer process, including a $120
million proposal to develop
a system-wide list of student
learning outcomes, especially
within general education re
quirements. Humphries said
the process would simplify stu
dents transfers, but campuses
could lose unique curricula.
“It would kind of jeopardize
the uniqueness of all of the
UNC system schools, espe
cially UNC Asheville, because
we’re the liberal arts univer
sity, and that’s what makes us
different,” Humphries said.
Lohar Dohse, a UNCA
math professor who worked
on a UNC faculty response to
the strategic plan, said online
course expansion proposed for
state schools represented an
other challenge to determining
course transfers. Dohse said
massive open online courses,
or MOOCs, were particularly
difficult to accept for transfer
credit.
“It’s a concern for us, be
cause there is no quality con
trol,” Dohse said. “There is
nothing we can do to check
whether these courses have
any value whatsoever.”
After UNCA admissions ac
cepts transfer students, the reg
istrar’s office decides which
courses are eligible to receive
credit. Humphries said stu
dents can also appeal credit de
cisions with course syllabuses.
“A lot of times, if you can
see PLAN on page 4
Photos by Ricky Emmons - Photography Editor
Sophomore biology major Natasha
Schwade makes her own teddy bear for
Lovefest 2013. Right, Junior psychology
student Katelyn Crossley and freshman
Natalie Karr mix scents to create a
sachet.
Photos by Ricky Emmons -
Photography Editor
Above, Freshman
literature student
Sierra Everhart attends
Singles Night as a part
of Lovefest 2013.
Assault
victims
receive
support
Auburn Petty
alpeffy@unca.edu
Multimedia & Design Editor
The Buncombe County
rape crisis service center Our
VOICE provided
counseling and other services
to more than 250 sexual assault
victims in the area last year, ac
cording to the agency.
“Our VOICE grew out of
a movement that was hap
pening all across the country,
providing services for victims
of sexual assault. Around that
time, there were a lot of other
rape crisis centers that were
being founded, and it was in
the era of the women’s move
ment,” said Leah Rubinsky,
Our VOICE’S client services
coordinator.
When Our VOICE opened in
1974, volunteers maintained all
of Our voice’s services, but
funding from the state and lo
cal donors now allow the agen
cy to employ a full-time staff in
addition to its volunteers, Ru
binsky said.
“We are grant-funded and
state-funded, and also we re
ceive funding from individual
donors,” the Asheville resident
said. “We simply would not be
able to keep the doors open if
we weren’t the recipients of the
wonderful funding that we re
ceive from the state and local,
individual donors.”
Our VOICE received
$338,336 from government
grants, donations and fundrais
ing, according to their 2012
financial report. The revenue
covered the cost of utilities,
programs, salaries and other
fees associated with running a
business.
The center aims to create a
community free of sexual vio
lence and works to make that a
reality with its programming,
Rubinsky said.
see VOICE on page 4