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UNCW Lfft
The Scene— 12
Serving UNC-Wilmington Since l 948
Students’ stories help fuel litigation
John white
Staff Writer
UNCW students denied financial
aid due to drug convictions are getting
achance to tell their story to the ACLU.
The American Civil Liberties Union
is gathering complaints from students
across the natiai who have lost federal
financial aid due to drug convictiwis.
The legal group is asking students to
share their stories to begin litigation
against the Higher Education Act of
1998, which bars federal financial aid
to students who have been arrested fw
the sale or possession of illegal dregs.
“What we are basically doing is
reaching out in various ways to college
students and people involved with
higher education through their finan
cial aid offices to see how peqjle are
being affected by this law,” said Gra
ham Boyd, director fw ACLU Dreg
Policy Litigation Project
The ACLU said the law unfairly tar
gets the pow, discriminates racially and
denies Wgher education to people who
have already been punished for their
crimes. The oiganization is currently
investigating repealing the controver-
Students answering yes to FAFSA question 35, which concerns
drug convictions, will be denied financial aid under the 1998 HEA.
sial legislation.
‘It is counter-productive in so many
ways to deny someone higher educa
tion for dreg use,” Boyd said.
However, Mark Williams, director
of UNCW’s financial aid ofBce, said
the ACLU has put him in the position
of having a conflict of interest by ask
ing him to solicit claimants while si
multaneously holding the position of
state employee.
“As a state employee, my job is to
uphold state and fedeik law, but, on the.
other hand, I want students to have ac-
SEE ACLU, PAGE 3
Universities come together to create
distance learning nursing project
COLLIN Beck
UNCW’s online nursing program is
expanding to create an inter-university
collaboration that is the first of its kind in
the state and possibly Ihe first in the na
tion.
Since 1998, UNCW’s nursing pro
gram has included several distance learn
ing programs, which aDows nursing pro
fessionals to take the necessary courses
toobtain their Bachekx-ofScience. Now,
through a program collaboration with the
University rfNcfth Carolina at ChattoOe
and with a $25/XX) grant fixxn the UNC
office of the pnsktent, some students win
find it even easier to continue theirnuis-
ing educaticm.
UNCWs aid UNCC’s ailaboration
invcdves exanining the nursing courses
offered at both univosiiies and then cre
ating four new core distance educatkxi
clas^. Bodi universities will accept the
courses, so student s will receive credit
whether they graduate from UNCW ot
UNCC.
The need forbaccalaureate-piepared
nurses is critkal. Research has shown that
nuises who have a bachekir’s degree pi^
vkte care that is more cranprehensive in
manner, said Dr. Bettie Gl^ associate
dean for academk: affairs at UNCW.
“We wanted to create more flexibil
ity and access, and wotk with those indi
viduals (that wished to obtain their BS),”
Glenn said.
According to data from the North
Carolina Center for Nursing, 68 percent
of the 70,000 registered nurses working
in NC have associate degrees in nursing.
Nurses who have associate degrt^ may
be granted the same opportunities as
graduates of a baccalaureale program,
however, Ihe majority of heal^related
agencies wish to hire nurses with ad
vanced education to fill managerial po-
sitxHis, Glenn said.
Glenn, along with Dr. Virginia
Adams, dean of UNCW’s School of
Nursing, and Dr. Sonya Hardin, assis
tant professor at UNCC, have already
crea^ the first of the four core classe.
“By combining our resources, UNC
Chariotte and UNC Wibnington are able
to offer an online program that fiirther
enhances access to education,” said Dr
Sue Bishop, dean of the College of Nurs
ing and Health Professions at UNCC.
Several students said that the cxiline
nursing classes are really beneficial.
“Nursing is so self-initiated. We
oi4 (of the nursing program) what wc
want,” said senior Vfisty Stoker.
Additionally, being a student in an
online course is like having a coe-on-one
student-teacher relatic»iship, Gtam said.
find that students are more likely
to ask certain questicns through e-mail
or chat groups,” she sakL
February 14, 2DD2
Economic jump
helps graduates
MOLLY HANDLER
UNCW graduates should look for
ward to new economic growth, as pre
dicted by f*ofessors in the UNCW
Cameron &hool of Business.
Claude Farrell and William W. Hall
forecasted a 4.5 percent growth in the
Wilmington area economy during this
year. The increase lies in contrast to
the past two years, which have shown
declines in the national economic
growth. During the second half of
2001, the economy dropped another 3
percent Most experts blame the Sept
11 terrorist attacks for the devastating
blow to consumer confidence. Confi
dence, however, is just starting to be
restcxed.
“There is nothing to prevent us
fiom rebounding from our current eco
nomic situation. Historically, markets
have always come back stronger after
periods of stow or nonexistent growth,”
said Luther Lawson of the Cameron
School of Business. “Further, our eco-
nonuc institutions are as strong as ever,
particularly our financial institutions.
Interest rates are at an all time low and
will serve to stimulate the eccHiomy,
once confidence is restored.” Lawson
sai.d. He is also optimistic about the
future for America’s economy.
This rise coukJ lead to better op
portunities for UNCW graduates in
December and for those students set
to walk in May.
Growth in the humanities as a re
sult of Sept 11 could al» offer more
opportunities to UNCW students. Hall
said.
“(We are seeing) growing oppor
tunities for students with degrees in his
tory, philosophy, political science, so-
cidk^, anthro^togy, psydxdogy and
modem languages. We need a better
understanding of fweign cultures,”
Hall said.
The tocal growth mimics a bigger
national trend, said both Hall and
FtaelL
The kxal growth will also louch the
surrounding counties and transit into
a $7.1 billion aiDiual increase.