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Students Might Face Stricter Grades in Fall
By Mark Thomas
Staff Writer
Students fretting that a stricter grad
ing policy will be implemented this
semester can put their minds at ease.
But actions to lower students’ grade
point averages could come beginning
next fall, thanks to a report indicating
grade inflation at UNC.
Student Body Vice President Monika
Moore sent an e-mail message Friday to
Rounding
College's
Final Turn
By Leigh Davis
Features Editor
Even though Zubin Eapen hasn’t pinned down his
plans for next year, the senior from Concord is taking it
easy.
With the end in sight, Eapen decided to take a more
relaxed approach to his last semes
ter at UNC and is relishing each
moment.
“I’m trying to spend time with
the friends I’ve made here,” Eapen
said. “Friends are always exposing
you to new things and people.
There aren’t too many boring
moments at Carolina.”
But Eapen doesn’t just watch life
pass by. After deciding to work in
health care policy next year, Eapen
actively began to pursue the per
fect job.
He sent resumes to consumer
groups and think-tanks that deal
with health care issues, but he does not know yet where
he will ultimately wind up.
Even though his search is not structured, Eapen said
he was getting help from professors and their indirect
contacts.
Eapen said he would most likely work in
Washington, D.C., or California dealing with health care
accessibility issues.
He said he decided to work with health care because
it would give him a different perspective when he
attended medical school. “Working with health care pol
icy will teach lessons that medical school can’t provide,”
he said. “But it has a medical focus.”
While Eapen eyes next year, he said he couldn’t
avoid living in the present. “I don’t think about it, but
time is flying by,” he said.
“It’s sad because I’m leaving with fond memories.
But I’m opening a whole new phase of life. It’s frighten
ing and exciting.”
But even though Eapen had mixed emotions about
leaving UNC, he kept his focus on becoming a doctor.
“I’m dedicated to the goal,” Eapen said. “I know I want
medicine to be a part of my life -but not necessarily
the next step.”
Sticking It Out
A disease has slowly taken Heather Biggs hostage.
See SENIORS, Page 5
Labor Protesters
Use 'Jam Session'
To Call for Action
Armed with instruments and noisemakers,
students marched to South Building on
Friday to keep rallying against sweatshops.
By Alexandra Molaire
Assistant University Editor
Sweatshop chants to the tune of Christmas carols floated
through Polk Place on Friday as students continued protesting
the University’s affiliation with a labor monitoring group.
Singing songs like “The 12 Days of Sweatshopping” and
“Away in a Sweatshop,” members of Students for Economic
justice marched from the Pit to South Building, demanding
that UNC pull out of the Fair Labor Association and join the
See PROTEST, Page 5
various listservs to address rumors stem
ming from an earlier e-mail message
stating that amended grading policies
could occur as soon as April.
Moore’s e-mail message last week
about an open forum on grade inflation
first aroused students’ concern.
She said that throughout its circula
tion, inaccurate information was added to
the message. “It has been brought to my
attention that there are rumors going
around that the grade inflation recom
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Brock Towler stands behind Kea Parker and Theander
Brannon during a protest in front of South Building.
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Tom Stoppard
mendations are going to be implemented
as soon as April,” she said in the e-mail
message. “In fact, these recommenda
tions are far from being implemented.”
Economics Professor Boone Turchi
said the fall was the earliest time that
changes in grading policy could be felt.
Grade inflation was first brought to offi
cials’ attention Feb. 2 after Turchi’s
report was issued.
The report, issued by the Educational
Policy Committee, concluded that UNC
DTH/KAARIN MOORE
Zubin Eapen (center) talks to his friend Ahad Athar, a senior biology major, at Bub O'Malley's on Tuesday night.
Eapen is a senior who is looking forward to working in health care policy after graduation.
You've Come a Long Way, Baby
As graduation nears, the seniors have starteclrnaking definite plans for next year. They have come a long way since sharing their tentative plans
in August. Below is a progression of the decisions made during their senior years.
Heather Biggs
In August: After changing
majors several times, Biggs
entered the School of Nursing and
will stay at UNC an extra year.
In November: Biggs immersed
herself in nursing school and
related activities to make friends
who weren't seniors.
Monday, March 6, 2000
Volume 107, Issue 167
was in the midst of its second major grade
inflation in 30 years, a fact that Turchi
said affected the University’s credibility.
When the University routinely
awards large numbers of high grades,
the entire quality evaluation system
becomes less meaningful to graduate
schools and employers, Turchi said.
The report has sparked campuswide
interest in UNC’s high grade point aver
ages and their accuracy and value.
“Obviously I’m not happy at the
Zubin Eapen
In August: Eapen contemplated
applying to medical school or
taking a year off to pursue other
interests.
In November: Eapen decided
to take a year off to work with a
charity in Malaysia or with U.S.
health care policy.
Leslie Meadows
In August: Meadows wanted to
find a job for after graduation
but had no idea how to go
about doing so.
In November: Graduate school
became an option for Meadows,
but she hadn't made progress on
definite plans for next year.
Higher UNC Standards
Could Benefit Blacks
By Gavin Off
Staff Writer
Despite initial concerns, some uni
versity officials say toughening enroll
ment standards will not decrease the
number of minority students in the
UNC system.
Julius Chambers, chancellor of N.C.
Central University, said that white high
school students often performed better
academically than their black counter
parts. This statistic elicited some initial
concerns among administrators that
raising admissions standards could deter
some minorities from attending college.
But officials at some of the state’s his
torically black universities said height
ening requirements could actually help
close the academic gap between black
prospect of receiving lower grades, but at
the same time, I want my degree to mean
something in the corporate world," said
Steve Rogers, a junior journalism and
mass communication major from Raleigh.
Several faculty members said it was
unlikely that UNC would soon witness
any policy changes. “This is a big matter
the University will discuss, I’m going to
guess, for one year,” said committee
See REPORT, Page 5
Bryan Wagner
In August: Wagner wanted to
have a fun senior year and work
hard finding a banking job for
next year.
In November: Living a "crazy"
life, Wagner interviewed for
many jobs. His goal was to find
a job by Christmas.
and white students.
“It will put all freshmen on a more
equal and level playing field,” said Gary
Barnes, UNC-system General
Administration vice president, who pro
posed the requirements. The Board of
Governors is considering requiring
freshmen to complete two years of a for
eign language and four years of math
before entering one of the 16 universi
ties in the UNC system.
UNC-system schools currently
require three years of mathematics and
recommend two years of foreign lan
guage. Most state-supported universities
have stricter enrollment requirements.
Chambers said the universities would
need to inform high school students.
See STANDARDS, Page 5
DTH/MF.GAN SHARKEY
News/Features/Arts/Sports 962-0245
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Chapel Hill, North Carolina
© 2000 DTH Publishing Corp.
All rights reserved.
Provost
Decision
Postponed
Some faculty members say
the University must find its
next chancellor before
filling other top positions.
By Shahrzad Rezvani
Staff Writer
Delays in the search for UNC’s ninth
chancellor are also stalling the hunt for
South Building’s second most promi
nent post.
Even if anew chancellor is selected
before the semester’s end, it is unlikely
that a permanent provost will be in
place when Provost Dick Richardson
retires from the post in June. The
University would then select an interim
provost until the chancellor can select
candidates for the post.
Student Body President Nic Heinke
said the task of building anew Cabinet
would be one of the chancellor’s first
priorities. A member of the Provost
Search Committee, Heinke said the
chancellor’s placement was essential to
the hiring of other positions.
“The chancellor must give ideas to
say what characteristics he or she wants
to see in the provost,” he said.
The provost serves as second-in
command to the chancellor and regu
lates financial and administrative
aspects of all academic departments.
The new provost will also play a cru
cial role in recruiting and maintaining
top professors from across the country
as UNC strives to remain competitive
with other top institutions.
Faculty Chairman Pete Andrews said
that although firms were hired to head
both searches, the hunt for anew
provost would not go far without a
chancellor. “I hope it’s not so long that
it becomes an issue, but we just can’t
predict that right now,” he said.
Richard Soloway, vice chairman of
the Provost Search Committee, said hir
ing a chancellor was essential to hiring
a provost. “People don’t really want to
discuss being provost unless they know
who the chancellor is going to be.”
Heinke said that although the com
mittee would continue to collect nomi
nations for the post, it would not take
action without the new' chancellor.
Andrews said the committee search
ing for anew vice chancellor for finance,
however, was not sitting idle. “We’ve
been soliciting information from campus
to set qualities for candidates,” he said.
Last summer, Jack Evans, interim
vice chancellor for finance, tempdrari
ly took the post after John Ramsey
returned to Kentucky.
Andrews said Evans would continue
to serve until the chancellor was named.
But he said that with the delays, fac
ulty and staff might feel concerned
about administrative vacancies. “In
terms of positions, people are going to
wonder who their boss is going to be.”
The University Editor can be reached
at udesk@unc.edu.
Monday
Not-So-Dirty Dancing
About 400 seniors got their groove on
Friday at the George Watts Hill Alumni
Center, dancing the night away and
winning door prizes. Senior Class
President Danya Ledford said it was
better than expected. See Page 2.
Computerized Cops
The federal government recently
granted Chapel Hill's finest almost
$70,000 to upgrade the department’s
outdated computers. Police officers
will be outfitted with laptops for patrol
cars. See Page S.
Today’s Weather
Mostly Sunny;
Low 70s.
Tuesday: Mostly Sunny;
High 70s.