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The Studcat Nemptptr of the Umvcnily of North Girolina at Ciiarlolle
Chariolte, North Carolina
January 24, 1978
A UNCC Architecture Student Views The Revitalization Process
Fourth Ward: An Architectural Statement
By Ronald Wilson
First in a series
A decayed area that at one time was
a proud downtown residential district is
once again being built into a residential
environment.
' Fourth Ward, one of the four
segments into which downtown Charlotte
is divided, is at this time a mesh of the
decaying old and rehabilitated new. It is
an urban residential area of
approximately 26 blocks bordered on the
north by Tryon Street and on the south
by the Seaboard Railroad beyond
Graham Street. The area is further
defined by the Northwest Expressway on
the west and Trade Street on the east.
The progression ofFourth Wardfrom
rundown houses and littered yards to
transformed homes and private gardens
has begun. What will be the architectural
and cultural impact of the Fourth Ward
statement?
It is an approximately 10 year
planning project that began with this
country’s initial campaigns to stop urban
decay. Part of the solution to prevent this
urban occurence is to have people living
in close proximity to the concentrated
area. This particular event occurred in
Fourth Ward about one and one half
years ago when Dennis Rash moved a 70
year old house onto his site and began the
reconstructing process.
To fully realize the impact of such a
transformation, you must look briefly at
the history. Fourth Ward, in about the
1890’s, was an area of middle class white
residents within walking distance of
town. Gradually, mechanization,
transportation and communications
' advanced. Subdivisions and suburbs rose
to popularity as the save-all of the
planners. Slowly, the residents migrated
away from the inner city and the less
affluent black people moved into the
Fourth Ward
Presently, property owners are
, moving old homes in and rehabilitating
photo by Frank Alexander
The different styles of architecture in the rebuilding Fourth Ward neighborhood"of downtown
Charlotte are obvious. This picture shows the area’s contrast-rebuilt homes stand next to
decaying housing as the buildings of Charlotte’s central city stand in the background.
them. Existing older homes are being
repaired, updated and sanitized and new
homes are under construction. Plans have
been announced for a green way park
system that will lace the area with green
spaces and small parks. An old store is
being restored to provide a grocery outlet
for the neighborhood. A recreational
open space is planeed as a buffer between
the residential area and the Northwest
Expressway. The residents themselves of
Fourth Ward are active and know one
another. There is a feeling among them of
strong neighborhood identity and active
involvement as a residential unit.
Architecture is about people and
buildings. Both aspects are heavily
involved in Fourth Ward and what is
happening appears to be good; a mix of
people genuinely concerned with the
built environment and wiUing to invest
their energies and monies into making a
statement of their commitment. It is also
a people statement. Walk through the
area and experience an architectural
statement.
The second article in this series will
examine the sociological aspects of the
Fourth Ward project. It will appear in the
next issue.
Most UNCC Students Repay Student Loans
Curtis Whalen
photo by Don Waterman,
By Steve Bass
Recent stories in the national media
have reported that the federal
government and universities have become
extremely concerned over the high level
of deliquency in repayment for
government sponsored student loans.
According to Curtis Whalen, the new
director for student financial aid at
UNCC, UNCC alumni and students have a
delinquency rate of approximately 12%
which is about one half the national
average.
“There are two basic loan programs
students can apply for, the National
Direct Student Loan (NDSL) program,
the replacement for the old National
Defense Loan, and the Guaranteed
Student Loan (GSL). At UNCC we have
438 students involved in the NDSL,
which has provided $285,000 in loans
this year, an average of $600.00 per
student. 180 students receive money
from the GSL at an average of $1,200 a
student.” The difference between the two
loan programs is the point of origin for
the money. In the NDSL the money is
received directly from the federal
government; while the GSL money is
received from either private sources like
banks, or the state government, and is
insured by the federal government..
“Both loan programs give students a
•nine month grace period in which there is
no collection on either the principal or
the interest. This is provided to-give
students a chance to get a job, and get
established before they are responsible
for the money,” said Whalen.
Student loans were first established
by Congress in 1958 during the Cold War
to encourage mass college education and
were called the National Defense Loans.
In 1972, according fo Donald Woodside,
of the Regional Office of Health,
Education and Welfare in Atlanta,
Congress changed the program to the
National Direct Student Loan. “The
program was originally established to
encourage students to go into teaching,
and contained a clause in which any
student who went into teaching would
receive a partial cancellation of benefit
their monies owed. In 1972, it was
determined by Congress thit the market
was properly filled with teachers, and so
an Affirmative Action Plan was
established in which only teachers who
moved into schools deemed as “low
income” would qualify. According to
Federal Registry dated Wednesday,
November 24, 1976, Volume IV, Number
1, page 51970, paragraphs 144-52 and
144-53, these schools are determined as
follows. ‘Any school which is entitled to
federal funds under Title I, determined
after the state board of education submits
a list of schools in which over 50% of the
students come from famiUes with
incomes under $3,000 per year.
Although, the schools submitted may not
exceed over 25% of the schools in the
state, and must be approved by the
Commissioner.’
“The purpose of the action was to
encourage students to enter schools in
which the majority of students were poor
or handicapped, as it was determined that
most teachers would not prefer to teach
in these schools. The cancellation benefits.
on loan principal and interest payments
were designed as an incentive plan,” said
-Woodside.
Whalen said that the original loans
are given on the basis of financial need of
the students. “The determination for
.financial need is based on a mathematical
formula based on ability to pay versus the
total cost of college. We include in this
formula, such extemporaneous variables
as books, tuition, boarding,
transportation costs, etc. AH students
who request financial aid are requried to
fill out the Financial Need Form which is
submitted to the College Scholarship
Foundation which computes the
mathematical formula.”
Many married or independent
students apply for student aid. According
to Wialen, certain qualifications must be
made by these students to qualify for the
loans. “If the student has not lived with
their parents during the previous .calendar
year, or been claimed as a dependent by
(oont’d on p. 3)