■ lie CwvofxjiAijb ^owwaH
The Student Newspaper of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Volume XI, Number 18
Charlotte, North Carolina
January 20, 1976
Is “^Mmeshaft’ a faculty country club?
By Steve Bass
The Carolina Journal staff has
received several complaints that students
are discriminated against with regard to
use of the gymnasium complex. The
students making the charges stated that
during the Christmas holidays they were
denied access to equipment and towels
while faculty members were allowed to
use the items. One of the angry students
said, “That area has become nothing but
a country club for the faculty. These
charges do not represent the first
allegation of improper usage of the
facilities the (irolina Journal has
received. Members of the UNCC Alumni
Association have stated that efforts to
recruit new members to the organization
have been hampered by the reluctance of
UNCC’s administration to allow periodic
use of the gym by members. One
frustrated Alumni Association member
stated, “We try to help the school and
the university community with our time
and efforts. We’re certain we could
interest more people if we could have the
gym one day every other month for
members to use.”
In order to investigate these charges
the Carolina Journal questioried Floyd
Kerr, Director of the Intramural program
at UNCC, and a staff member of the
gymnasium facility, Dr. Harvey Murphy,
chairman of the Physical Education
department- and Ken Sanford, liaison
between the Alumni Association and the
university administration.
Kerr felt the students issuing the
charges were making an unfair allegation.
He acknowledged these students were
justifiably upset with regards to the
incident, but attempted to explain the
situation. “Officially during the
Christmas holidays the gym is considered
closed. It is true that during the holidays
when staff members are working the
doors are opened to students to use the
facilities. However, the reason the
students were not allowed to use the'
equipment and the towels is they did not
have an ID validated for the spring term.
It’s really a security problem, we just do
not know if a certain person will return
as a student in the spring. On the other
hand, we do know what faculty members
will return to the university and that
they will assume responsibility to return
the equipment.”
Murphy, Chairman of the. Physical
Education Department, elaborated
further on the situation,“In the past we
allowed students to use all the equipment.
available during summer and Cliristmas
holidays if they had a UNCC ID. One
summer we lost nearly $1,000 of
equipment, so the rule is necessary. As
for the allegation that the faculty uses
the gym as a country club, that’s horse
manure, students have more access to the
gym than anyone else.” Murphy
continued, “In fact the faculty is always
trying to get free days to use the gym,
they don’t get it.”
Ken Sanford, Director of Public
Information, serves as liaison between the
Alumni Association and the UNCC
administration. In this position he has
been involved directly with the
Association’s attempts to secure rights to
the gym complex. “We’ve faced this
problem for years. Was the person a
member of the Association or General
Administration”? Sanford asked. The
people complaining have not generally
been involved in the Association.”
Kerr felt the Administration was
walking a tight line with regards to the
Association’s charges.” Alumni, mainly
those outside the Association, feel that
since they used to go here, and are
taxpayers, they deserve rights to the gym.
If we followed that, then any North
Carolina taxpayer could walk in here and
demand access to the gym. It would be
nice to be able to to do that, but we
can’t.”
Sanford continued, “What you’re
suggesting, I suppose it could be done at
a school like Wake Forest where the
graduates scatter across the country. At
UNCC so many alumni stay in the
Charlotte area las to make it not feasible.”'
The specific policy which dictates
who may use the gym complex states the
facility may be used by enrolled UNCC
students and faculty members of the
university community. Murphy was the
architect of the guidelines regarding the
-gymnasium. “There is no policy
anywhere which states that the Alumni
Association may not use the gym. The
policy simply states students must be
allowed access to the gym as much as
possible. Between varsity sports,
intramural sports, instruction, and
free-play time it just doesn’t leave
aiiytime for anyone else.”
Kerr explained the conflict of time
in more detail, “There are already 60
intramural ams at UNCC, gymnastics,
women’s volleyball, the men’s and
women’s basketball teams, and the
instructional programs. If we continue to
grow at this rate we may have to start
Carolina Journal photo by David Wagoner
Frustrations and long lines will be eliminated when the registration
process will be put on a more efficient computerized system.
following the leads of the larger
universities.” Kerr continued by pointing
out that at the University of Indiana
intramural games are conducted
througliout the night. “A student will go
home, study, go to sleep, then get to play
at 3 in the morning. Of course, we may
expand our varsity sports to include
men’s volleyball.” In other words, more
demands on an already over-crowded
situation.
The answer appears to be an
expansion of existing facilities or new
construction to take care of the demand
for space. Kerr discussed this possibility,
“Right now there are plans in the talking
stage regarding building a separate
facility, possibly just a cheap aluminum
one, that would have four or five
basketball courts exclusively for
tree-play. Of course it depends on how
much money is available.
The tight money situation is the
chiet problem confronting university
officials concerning gym facilities. The
bond regerendum pending before tlie
voters makes no mention of fund's for
physical education facilities, only
classroom facilities. After that point it is,
according to UNCC officials, a mattei of
priorities and money allotted. At tlie
current time it appears additional
recreational facilities are not deemed
high priority items, meaning the new
facilities will not even be a possibility for
five or six years.
Photo courtesy of UNCC Information
The Mineshaft faces allegations that it is becoming a country club for
faculty instead of an athletic facility for students.
Registration procedure
to be altered in 1977
By Steve Bass
The present system of registration at
UNCC will be altered in the near future,
in favor of a faster, more efficient
computerized system reports Bob
Gwaltney, UNCC registrar.
“The present system we use is one
that was used when I came to the*
university several years ago,” says
Gwaltney. “It’s not a very good system,
and so we’ve been examining ways to
change it.”
Under the present system of
registration continuing students must be
pre-advised, then go through normal
registration in order to enroll in a'class.
Students not pre-advised for the semester
must endure long lines at the registrar’s
office to receive their registration card,
report to their major department to be
advised, then go to registration in order
to enroll. Gwaltney admits the present
system is far. more ideal, being inefficient
and subject to human error.
Often pre-advised students endure
numerous problems due to human error.
“Sometimes the professor or a new
secretary does not understand the system
and when that happens the student’s card
is not processed, causing problems.”
remarked Gwaltney. ‘The new system
should change these problems however.”
The new registration system, which
Gwaltney feels will be in operation by
spring pre-advising for the 1977 fall term,
will be computerized. “How it will work
is that each student will receive a sheet
with his/her ID number registered on the
top. The computer will be programing
to respond to the number. When the
student is advised, the sheet will be filled
in. The student will then bring the
completed sheet back to the registrar’s
office where the computer will process
and automatically register the student in
a class, “ explains Gwaltney.
Students fearful this system will lead
to an exclusive first-come, first-serve
style of registration, eliminating
upperclass priority in class selection
should not worry according to Gwaltney.
'“The system will have a built in capacity
to give juniors and seniors first shot at a
class they need. We hope it will be an
efficient, easy way for our students to
register.” To assist the transition to, and
execution of the new system, the
university has announced that it has
hired Dr. Douglas Sutherland of the
University of Massachusetts to help with
the project.