«0 W02hfSlV
Meredith
J8DiMry23,2002
/a 9\
Herald
^^VohunOCVniUf^^
Student leaders and administrators
search for common ground on
TUITION INCREASE
□ SGA and
financial aid ofTice
work on intiatives
that they hope will
deter students from
transferring.
JONi Smith
Managing Editor
The tuition increase was one
of the hottest topics debated on
campus in 2001 and is likely to
remain so in 2002 due to con
cerns voiced by parents and
students.
Lora Tillman, Student Gov
ernment Association vice pres
ident, met with Dr. Jean Jack
son, Vice President of Acade
mic Affairs, yesterday to dis
cuss ways to make the transi
tion into the tuition increase go
smoother for the Meredith
community.
Tillman said that she and
Jackson discussed working
closely with the Office of
Financial Assistance to have
more advertisements on cam
pus informing students of
workshops that feature finan
cial assistance programs and
the one-on-one help the office
gives to students in need.
Tillman and Jackson also
hope to get more information
to 2J+ students about the dif
ferent types of financial aid
they may be able to receive.
Because financial aid has
become a top priority among
students since the announce
ment of the increase in tuition.
Tillman is also hoping that the
Office of Financial Assistance
will be open to the possibility
of staying open one hour later
one night a week for students
who have trouble getting to the
office during regularly sched
uled hours.
Tillman and the other mem
bers of the Senate are also in
the process of developing a
proposal that would allow stu
dents to have a more direct
voice in the decisions made by
the Board of Trustees, the body
that approves tuition increases.
“The Senate is doing what
they can to ensure the student
body has a strong voice in deci
sions that will affect them,”
Tillman said.
Megan Deane, junior class
president, also has been active
ly involved in issues surround
ing the tuition increase.
In November, Deane pre
sented Dr. Maureen Hartford
with a petition from juniors
who felt disgruntled about the
mcrease.
Many of these students’
classmates, who will be seniors
next year when the increase
comes into effect, say they will
have to transfer.
Hartford informed Deane of
a stack of parent petitions she
had also received.
Hartford told Deane that the
number of service award schol
arships would increase due to
the increase in tuition.
The administration also sent
letters to the parents of Mered
ith students before Thanksgiv
ing informing them of the situ
ation.
Hartford has been present at
several class meetings as well
as at forums throughout last
semester addressing this issue.
And concern among stu
dents has still not waned since
this past September when the
Herald first broke the story to
the campus.
Paige King, a junior who
will be affected by the increase,
is concerned about diversity
issues once the increase goes
into effect.
"For a school that wants to
have more diversity on cam
pus, this increase in tuition is
not going to get the job done."
Jenny Jacobs, a freshman,
said that many of her friends
“will have to transfer because
they can’t afford four years of
tuition here.”
“Just when we were all get
ting comfortable with each
other, some of our class will be
leaving," she said.
Follow the Herald’s cover
age of the tuition increase this
semester.
Math and science building ahead of schedule
□ Steel, brick, sheet
rock. Get your hard-
hat ready for the end
of February. Tours
are a prospect.
Tanesha Williams
Staff Reporter
By day it seems as though
the new mathematics and sci
ence building sprouted over
Christmas.
Construction of the new
facility, located across from the
Harris building, is not just on
schedule-it is ahead.
Project managers, builders
and even faculty and students
acting as sightseers as they
walk to and from the Cate
Center attribute the speedy
construction to good weather.
But by night workers weld
steel beneath the glare of a
spotlight. Sparks fly. And
progress is born.
"I’m impressed with how
fast they are working on it,”
said sophomore Terrie Morris.
“They were working at eight
o’clock on a Sunday morn
ing.”
Brian Kivett, office engi
neer for Rogers Builders, said
that the structure of the build-
ing--including all the steel
work—is complete, and now
workers are concentrating on
the east side of the building.
The walls on the east side of
the building have been con
structed, and now the builders’
focus is on the masonry blocks
on both sides.
Kivett hopes that during this
week the builders will be able
to apply the sheet rock.
Dr. Virginia Knight of the
mathematics department said
that although she is familiar
with the plans for the 80.000
square foot building, “it looks
bigger than any of us imag
ined."
Morris agrees that the build
ing is huge, but feels that its
position between Harris, Cate
and Ledford cramps it with the
surrounding buildings.
While most of the building is
complete, the conservatory has
not yet been constructed. Side
walks around the building and
Cate have been paved, and
according to Knight, more are
to come in the future.
As far as the future is con
cerned, there will be a “Top
ping Off’ ceremony on Feb.
22.
This ceremony is sponsored
by the builders and signifies
when they have reached the
highest point in the construc
tion.
The campus is invited to the
ceremony. Also, Rogers
Builders, architect BJLAS. the
Board of Trustees, and other
representatives from the col
lege will have a barbecue
inside of the new building that
day.
Knight also hopes that once
more stairways are built—likely
toward the end of March- that
students and faculty can take
hard-hat tours.
V r }N THE INSIDE:
IN DINING:
IN EDITORIAL:
100 of the missing glasses in Belk
have been found.
Editorial whiz Joni Smith is ready
to make some noise in