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Proposal: Let Students Teach Classes
By John O'Hale
Staff Writer
Two UNC undergraduates have pro
posed anew program that would allow
rising seniors to design and teach their
own courses.
Senior Kristen Miller and sophomore
Marie-Lucienne Lambert designed the
program to “broaden undergraduate
course curricula, learning opportunities
Ww(B of the Storm
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By Elizabeth Breyer
Staff Writer
The past 12 months have been a tumultuous
time at UNC, a year marked by tragedy, turmoil
and unprecedented events.
However, the seemingly calm eye of the storm
has remained over the chancellor’s office in
South Building, where interim Chancellor Bill
McCoy has kept a low profile and relied heavi
ly on contemplative, behind-the-scenes action.
McCoy stepped into office for the first time a
year ago today to fill a temporary void left as for
mer Chancellor Michael Hooker pursued med
ical treatment. When Hooker died in June,
McCoy was tapped to fill his shoes until anew
chancellor was found.
“When I took the job in earlyjuly, I felt that it
was important to approach the job as through I
were in it permanently,” he said. “I felt that I had
to make decisions in that way.”
Although McCoy said he made most deci
sions as he would have if he had been the per
manent chancellor, he said there were some
long-term issues he would not be able to bring to
fruition.
Survivor Tells Story of Art
By Karla Wltkowski
Staff Writer
During World War 11, 8-year-old Nelly Toll
endured 13 months of seclusion and the constant
fear of being discovered by German soldiers.
She coped with her isolation by painting and
writing of a fictional, happy childhood.
More than 50 years later, Toll’s creations are
now tools for Holocaust education, as she tours the
country with the art she created as a child.
Toll spoke of her artwork at the Union
Auditorium on Tuesday night as part of the fourth
annual Holocaust Remembrance Week.
Her collection on display in the Union Upstairs
Gallery consists of 64 watercolor paintings and has
received an international audience. “It was a dif
ferent world I created on paper,” Toll said. “If you
looked at (the paintings) objectively, you would say
it was the work of another child.”
In 1943, the threat of German soldiers forced
Toll and her mother into hiding because of their
A real leader faces the music, even when he doesn't like the tune.
Anonymous
and the intellectual climate."
The plan, known as Carolina
Students Taking Academic
Responsibility Through Teaching, is
based on similar programs that exist at
the University of California-Berkeley,
Tufts University and Oberlin College.
“These (student-led) courses have
been tremendously popular at other uni
versities,” Miller said. “I think that UNC
has the perfect atmosphere to foster this
“We will have to defer action on a couple of
things,” he said, citing fund-raising campaigns
and the selection of anew provost when Provost
Dick Richardson steps down in June.
Former Graduate and Professional Student
Federation President Lee Conner also said the
“interim” nature of the job made McCoy’s term
unusual. “I think any problems he has were relat
ed to the title of being interim, never knowing
when your day is up,” he said.
However, Conner said McCoy had dealt
effectively with a number of short-term issues
even though his time in office was uncertain.
The first major problem confronting McCoy
dealt with the University’s budget, facing a deficit
of $6.8 million when he was tapped as chancel
lor. He used his experience in financial admin
istration as an executive at Bell South to remedy
the issue.
“Resolving the budget was (McCoy’s) most tan
gible accomplishment,” Conner said. “Not only
did he solve the problem this time, he revised the
process so it won’t happen in the future.”
After extensive review, McCoy created anew
way to prepare budgets, brought in consultants
and held a retreat for financial administrators to
Jewish faith. A sympathetic Christian family in
L’vov, Poland, agreed to keep the two in their
apartment, which contained a secret room.
“It seems so far removed, almost like a surreal
istic dream,” Toll said. “I can hardly imagine it
happened to me.”
She said her mother became her doctor, her
best friend and her teacher during this time.
“My mother would tell me of how it would be
(when we were freed),” she said. “She told me how
I would bicycle so 1 wouldn’t be scared.”
Toll’s mother tried to keep her occupied to ease
her mind. “Needless to say, I did have a lot of
time,” she said. “I couldn’t get children’s books -1
still remember I thought Karl Marx was very bor
ing.”
As an escape from her loneliness and fear, Toll
used paper and a watercolor box to create an alter
nate reality of a normal childhood. “I embarked
into a world of watercolors and imaginary friends,”
See TOLL, Page 4
Wednesday, April 12, 2000
Volume 108, Issue 30
program.”
While Miller said the proposal had the
support of several campus organizations
and faculty members, it must now be
considered by Provost Dick Richardson.
Berkeley’s student-taught courses,
such as “Israeli Folk Dance,” “Murder”
and “Afghanistan,” demonstrate the
variety from which students could
choose, Miller said.
The C-START pilot program would
familiarize them with budgetary procedure.
However, some of the issues McCoy faced
were not as easy to resolve.
He chose not to speak out publicly on the
tuition increase to fund faculty salaries that
stirred up controversy in the fall, remaining
impassive at most meetings and completely silent
at the Board of Trustees vote.
However, he said he was pleased with the
outcome of the BOT plan, which proposed a
$1,500 tuition increase for all students.
“The final proposal reflects the campus’s con
clusion and thus mine as well,” he said.
Although some critics have said he was not
public enough in dealing with student concerns,
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Sue Kitchen
said McCoy had done the best he could to
address the campus.
“1 know how hard he has worked - inacces
sibility is always a criticism of chancellors, but he
has taken advantage of all opportunities he could
to be in touch with student concerns and make
his opinion known to them,” she said.
She said McCoy became familiar with student
interests because of his frequent meetings with
the Student Advisory Committee.
§9a| •
DTH/MERFDITH LEE
Holocaust survivor Nelly Toll presents her artwork portraying her fantasies
of a normal childhood. She painted the works while hiding from Nazi forces.
allow students who take the courses to
earn one hour of academic credit per class,
and certain courses could carry an extra
hour of service-learning credit. Service
learning allows students to earn academ
ic credit by using course skills to interact
with community service programs.
The classes would be much smaller
than current lecture classes.
“It’s hard to form a bond when there
are 400 students in the class,” Miller
Former student body President Nic Heinke
said McCoy was very careful in expressing his
opinions, possibly because of his lack of experi
ence in higher education administration.
“He is extremely prudent with his opinions,
often deferring to committees or those who had
been there longer on long-term issues with a
complicated history,” Heinke said.
However, one highly visible problem McCoy
encountered was choosing which labor watchdog
group the University should belong to.
UNC joined the Fair Labor Association last
May after a sit-in in Chancellor Hooker’s office
pushing for monitoring and disclosure at facto
ries producing UNC-licensed products.
However, members of Students for Economic
Justice have recently pushed to sever ties with FLA
and join the Worker Rights Consortium instead.
After deliberation and consultation with an
advisory committee, McCoy decided to maintain
membership in both groups.
“After a good bit of thought, I ended up sup
porting the committee’s recommendation to join
both, hoping that each organization would grow
See MCCOY, Page 4
said. “C-START would promote an
open learning environment."
Instructors would grade on a pass/fail
scale, and faculty advisers would review
all grades.
“Specific guidelines for grades would
be established,” Miller said. “1 don’t
want others to claim that ‘lt’s just under
graduates teaching friends.’ Students can
See PROPOSAL, Page 4
One year ago today,
Bill McCoy was
named interim
chancellor. Amid a
historic year, he has
quietly navigated
a rocky course.
Working at his desk in South
Building, interim Chancellor Bill
McCoy has led the University
since the late Michael Hooker
took a medical leave of absence
April 12,1999. Maintaining a
low profile, McCoy has
witnessed a turbulent year
in UNC's history.
I)ffl file photo
News/Features/Arts/Sports 962-0245
Business/Advertising 962-1163
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
© 2000 DTH Publishing Corp.
All rights reserved.
Congress
Sets Date
Of Election
A special election, first
scheduled for April 25, was
moved to May 2 because of
Student Code requirements.
By Geofe Wessel
Staff Writer
In a special session Tuesday, Student
Congress slated May 2 as the date for
yet another round of elections that
members say they hope will fill the 11
unfilled Congress seats.
The Elections Board will open
polling sites in the Student Union,
Hanes Art Center and Berryhill Hall.
Two resignations earlier this week
brought the number of empty seats up
to 11, as nine were left vacant by the
regular February elections.
The date was moved from April 25
because the Student Code requires elec
tions to be held at least one full week of
classes after any University holiday,
Elections Board Chairwoman
Catherine Yates said.
Good Friday falls on April 21, just
four days before the originally sched
uled elections date.
This week’s resignations indicate a
problem that arises with elections for
next year’s Congress when some candi
dates have not yet received housing
contracts. The two representatives who
resigned will not be living in the districts
for which they were elected.
“This is what usually happens,” Yates
said. “Someone will usually end up in
one dorm or another in the same dis
trict. You can run for any district, then if
you don’t live in that district by the start
of the semester you just resign and there
will be another special election.”
Student Body President Brad
Matthews said something should be
done about districting uncertainties.
“It’s an issue that I plan on looking
into with a lot of other people, and
hopefully we can come up with a better
approach,” Matthews said.
“But I don’t know what that
approach will look like - leaping to a
conclusion now is premature.”
Congress Speaker Alexandra Bell,
Dist. 20, said the upcoming special elec-
See CONGRESS, Page 4
Carolina, Speak Out!
A weekly DTH online poll
What is the best bar
in Chapel Hill?
i go t 0
1 www.unc.edu/dth
A to cast your vote.
aft
Wednesday
Exercising Expansion
The Chapel Hill Town Council has
given approval for expansion of the
town's YMCA located on Airport
Road. See Page 2.
Want to Write a Musical?
An improvisational theater group will
take its cues from audience members,
creating characters as the show goes
on at 7 p.m. today. See Page 6.
Snail Mail, Big Bucks
The postmaster general of the U.S.
Postal Service shared his views of the
profession and its changing role with
Kenan-Flagler Business School students
Tuesday See Page 7.
Today’s Weather
Cloudy;
High 70, Low 40.
Thursday: Chance of rain:
High 59, Low 48.
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