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Towns Must
Keep Buses
Convenient
Who says you can’t get some
thing for nothing?
On Jan. 2, Chapel Hill
Transit bus service became fare-free.
So no longer will students, faculty and
residents be forced to swipe a card,
feed in a ticket
or drop 75 cents
to hop on a bus.
To mark the
occasion, local
bigwigs, includ
ing Chancellor
James Moeser,
Student Body
President Justin
Young and
Chapel Hill
Mayor Kevin
Foy, gathered
around the Bell
JONATHAN
CHANEY
CITY
COLUMNIST
Tower on Tuesday for a kickoff cere
mony.
Fare-free busing materialized after
months of planning and preparation -
and it had its fair share of controversy.
University officials began advocat
ing for fare-free busing two years ago.
However, Carrboro and Chapel Hill
officials only became interested after
UNC agreed to shoulder more of the
costs for the service.
The University will end up paying
more than $4 million each year for
fare-free busing. Originally, it was
expecting a $2 million price tag.
The funds are coming from parking
permit fees, departmental funds and
student fees. Last February, students
voted in favor of a referendum that
raised student fees by $8.49 to help
pay for the fare-free service.
The remaining costs are divided by
population between Carrboro and
Chapel Hill.
But considering the costs, will fare
free busing be worth it?
Many local officials, as well as
University leaders, seem to think so.
When the student fees hike was
being debated last year, detractors
warned that fare-free busing would
drain Chapel Hill Transit of the oper
ating funds it required, leading to over
crowded buses and reduced routes.
But transportation officials are keep
ing a close eye on the situation.
“With this new system, we actually
think overcrowding of buses should
decrease, as with the new routes,” Ray
Magyar, UNC assistant director of
transit, told The Daily Tar Heel.
In fact, instead of reducing services,
the introduction of fare-free busing has
added new buses, new routes, more
drivers and extended operating hours.
These moves are critical if fare-free
service is to be a success and alleviate
some of the current -and upcoming -
transit problems here.
After all, right now parking is a hot
button issue at UNC.
Though parking problems have
always been an irritation for students,
the loss of spaces for staff and faculty
due to construction will force even the
most unwilling to use park-and-ride
lots or catch the bus to get to campus.
And as UNC expands its student
population over the years to come,
many will choose to live off campus -
increasing the demand for busing even
more.
For now, it’s best to wait and see
before passing judgement.
Numbers have been thrown around
about how much ridership will
increase with the advent of fare-free
service.
Some say a 10 percent hike. Others
even go as high as 20 percent.
In the short term (i.e. this semester),
I would be surprised to see a large
jump in ridership.
Students who have to ride the bus
this semester more than likely had to
ride the bus last semester.
But at least avoiding a crush of new
riders will allow Chapel Hill Transit to
adjust the number of buses per route
and tweak the system as needed with
out a great deal of inconvenience.
With the Master Plan, UNC will
inevitably take on more faculty, staff
and students.
Those extra bodies will need a way
to get to campus. The faster and
cheaper mass transit is for users, the
more likely they will use it -and the
less likely they will moan and groan
about the lack of parking around cam
pus.
Fare-free busing in and of itself
takes care of the cheap part.
You can’t get much cheaper than
free.
It’s up to transit authorities to main
tain the efficiency of the bus system to
ensure that riders do not get frustrated.
This ride will cost Chapel Hill,
Carrboro and UNC a pretty penny.
But if the full potential of fare-free
service is realized, they all will save
themselves from more headaches and
problems in the next few years.
Columnist Jonathan Chaney can be
reached at jhchaney@email.unc.edu.
Local Leaders Welcome Fare-Free Bus System
By Chris Blow
Staff Writer
Local officials braved a chilly
Tuesday afternoon on campus to pub
licly celebrate the beginning of the new
fare-free bus system.
“It is a great day in Chapel Hill,” said
Chancellor James Moeser. “Students
and faculty can now’ board without hav
ing to use change, tickets or passes.”
The ceremony, which took place
near the Bell Tower, was to congratulate
the members of the community who
helped achieve the new system, which
began Jan. 2, and to promote increased
ridership.
The fare-free system, which is a col
laborative effort between Chapel Hill,
Carrboro and UNC, gained 40 percent
of its total funding from the University
after an overwhelming vote by students
last February to increase their student
fees.
Moeser gave special credit to the stu-
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Members of UNC's fencing team work up a sweat Tuesday night in preparation for a yearly tournament
the team attends in Chicago. The men and women compete against 10 to 14 other schools
at the meet, and last year both had winning records.
Service-Related Work-Study Low at UNC
By Rachel Leonard
Staff Writer
UNC-Chapel Hill might have high
rankings in the fields of education and
research, but it falls behind in the per
centage of federal work-study programs
serving the community, according to a
recent report.
The study, conducted by the
Washington Monthly and Northwestern
University’s Medill School ofjoumalism,
examined the percentage of federal
work-study funds universities nationwide
allocated to community service jobs.
Federal law requires universities to
spend a certain percentage of the feder
al work-study funds - 5 percent during
1999-2000 and 7 percent during 2000-01
- on community service projects.
The study stated that UNC-CH offi
cials spent 5.1 percent of the 1999-2000
federal work-study budget on communi
ty service projects. The study’s findings
don’t put UNC-CH below the federal
Council: Discuss Athletics Commercialization
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Former UNC-systern President Bill Friday is
co-chairman of the Knight Foundation Commission.
dents’ role in creating a transit system
that will serve as a model for how pub
lic transportation can and should work.
Moeser also credited the Chapel Hill
and Carrboro governments for devel
oping a bus system that has extended
hours, 11 additional buses and several
new routes to service popular stops.
Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy and
Carrboro Board of Aldermen member
Alex Zaffron spoke about the benefits of
working together with the University to
promote public transportation.
“We have a common vision," Foy
said.
“Making (the system) fare free is mak
ing it an alternative that we can choose
in all sorts of situations.”
Zaffron agreed, saying that he con
siders the new bus system a “step
towards automobile independence.”
Zaffron also said he thinks the system
signals anew era in how the towns will
work with the University.
Student Body President Justin Young,
EN GARDE!
requirements for 1999-2000 but do place
it below the national average. According
to Washington Monthly, the most recent
nationwide average is about 12 percent.
But UNC-CH officials claim the
study was inaccurate.
Ann Trollinger, senior assistant director
for the Office of Scholarships and Student
Aid, said the figure came from a national
database and likely failed to include
America Reads, a public service program
that attempts to help children learn to
read. The program accounts for about half
of the University’s federal work-study
expenditures for public service projects,
she said. If America Reads is included,
UNC-CH’s spending rises to 13 percent
for 1999-2000 and 9 percent for 2000-01.
But UNC-CH officials’ calculations of
9 percent still fall below the national aver
age. The situation at UNC-CH reflects a
national trend in which the country’s top
ranking universities, according to the
Washington Monthly, perform poorly
when it comes to federal work-study com-
By Nikki Werking
Staff Writer
University faculty hope a resolution passed last
month will lead to discussion on the commercial
ization of athletics at ACC schools, Faculty Council
Chairwoman Sue Estroff said Tuesday.
The resolution, passed by the Faculty Council,
urges presidents and chancellors of ACC universi
ties to start discussions “aimed at moderating the
exponential growth and commercialization of ath
letics programs in the ACC.”
The resolution also calls for ACC schools to
make the implementation of changes recommend
ed by the Knight Foundation Commission on
Intercollegiate Athletics a top priority.
In 1991, the Knight Commission released a report
about increasing commercialization of intercollegiate
sports, and, in its updatedjune 2001 report, the com
mission found little has changed in the last decade.
The new resolution was passed in response to
the commission’s latest findings. “(The resolution is)
part of a broader effort on campus for conversa
tions on athletics in Chapel Hill,” Estroff said.
“Athletics should be part of the University, not the
overpowering force.... College teams have become
major league farm teams for the NFL and NBA."
Estroff said the timing of the N.C. state high school
football championships at Kenan Stadium and the
timing of the men’s soccer championship indicated
the uneven balance between athletics and academics.
“The state football championships were held
News
who recendy staged protests addressing
campus parking problems, said he is
hopeful that the system will provide a
necessary alternative to automobiles.
“Fare free is a step in the right direc
tion to help solve some of die trans
portation problems on the Chapel Hill
campus - including the parking
crunch,” Young said.
“Increased use of public transporta
don is important and imperative.”
Foy, Moeser, Young and Zaffron sym
bolically ripped up an enlarged bus pass
to celebrate the new fare-free system
after they briefly spoke.
Most of the speakers and audience
members then boarded anew bus for a
tour of the new NU route, which will
serve the park-and-ride lot on N.C. 54.
As the bus slowly made its way along
the snow-lined Chapel Hill streets, rid
ers spent the trip talking with officials in
an informal information session.
See KICKOFF, Page 7
munity service programs. For the 1999-
2000 school year, about 75 percent of the
2000 U.S. News and World Report’s top
20 universides fell below the national
average in the percentage of federal work
study funds used for community service.
Other N.C. universities fared better
than UNC-CH: UNC-Asheville allocat
ed 22 percent of federal work-study funds
to public service, and UNC-Wilmington
ranked among the highest nationwide
with 37 percent. But N.C. State and Duke
universities’ numbers were lower, with
5.7 and 7.9 percent, respectively.
About 100 UNC-CH students are
employed in federal work-study commu
nity service jobs. At the Carolina Center
for Public Service, for example, UNC-CH
students are helping create a database of
the University’s public service activities.
Program officer Sandy Alexander said
the center might not be able to do the pro
ject without the work-study students. “Not
only are there a lot of students interested
(in public service opportunities), but they
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DTH/KIMBERLY CRAVEN
Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy, Student Body President Justin Young and
Chancellor James Moeser kick off fare-free busing Tuesday afternoon.
Committee to Study
Honor Court Policy
By Jessica Sleep
Staff Writer
Student and faculty requests to eval
uate the Honor Court are being
answered as a review committee begins
to examine the procedures of UNC’s
student judicial system.
Chancellorjames Moeser called for a
review of the judicial system last year
after Honor Court procedures came
under intense scrutiny when two stu
dents accused of cheating opened their
hearings to the public.
Moeser assigned the task of inspect
ing UNC’s judicial procedures to a
review committee composed of three
students and four faculty members.
Senior curriculum public policy
analysis major Erica Lee, graduate stu
dent Stephanie Schmitt and Student
Body Vice President Rudy Kleysteuber
were the students selected to the com
mittee.
Karen Gil, senior associate dean of
undergraduate education, English
Professor George Lensing, School of
are talented, motivated students,” he said.
But Trollinger said the only possible
reason for UNC-CH’s low numbers of
federal work-study community service
programs is students themselves - UNC
CH lets students select their own jobs to
meet their own personal goals, and many
don’t choose public service-related jobs.
Further complicating matters, a U.S.
Senate bill introduced in December would
raise the minimum amount of federal
work-study funds required to be set aside
for community service to 25 percent.
If that happens, UNC-CH Director of
Scholarships and Student Aid Shirley
Ort said in a statement that situation
could limit a student’s work-study oppor
tunities. “(It) could result in students tak
ing a particular job simply because they
had to earn their federal work-study
money, rather that choosing to do so
because of their ethic of public service.”
The State & National Editor can be
reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.
during exams, which created a lot of noise while
students were moving out and taking tests,” Estroff
said. “The men’s soccer team also had their cham
pionships during finals week. It’s not fair to them.”
Former UNC-system President Bill Friday, who is
co-chairman the Knight Commission, said the coun
cil’s resolution is a positive move. “It’s good to see the
University asserting itself,” he said. “It’s important to
let people know we care about what’s happening.”
Friday said he hopes to see UNC take a role of
leadership in implementing changes in the ACC.
Despite criticisms of UNC and the ACC, Steve
Kirschner, UNC sports information director, said
there are benefits to commercialization in collegiate
sports. “We have 28 varsity sports teams and over
700 student athletes at UNC,” Kirschner said. “A
program that size requires a great deal of resources."
Kirschner said in order to keep a proper balance,
UNC administration participates in the negotia
tions when the University enters a major corporate
partnership. “It’s a fact of life that when you have
28 sports teams, you must pay for it,” Kirschner
said. “A lot, if not all, colleges turn to corporate
involvement to do that.”
But Estroff emphasizes that the new resolution -
divided into two parts - is not intended to demean
collegiate sports, but to correct the balance of ath
letics and academics. “The resolutions aren’t anti
sports,” she said. “They’re pro-University."
The University Editor can be reached at
udesk@unc.edu.
Wednesday, January 9, 2002
Medicine Professor James Bryan and
School of Law Professor Marilyn
Yarbrough will be the faculty represen
tatives on the committee.
The committee’s first meeting was
held Dec. 3. Members discussed the
details and objectives of the review with
Moeser.
The committee’s objectives - listed in
a charge obtained from the chancellor’s
office - include identifying the strengths
and weaknesses in the present system
and submitting recommendations for
improvements in various aspects of the
judicial system, such as the Code of
Student Conduct and sanctions.
Kleysteuber said the committee will
examine whether penalties are in pro
portion to crimes as part of their inspec
tion of sanctions.
Kleysteuber also said the committee
will look at the judicial systems of other
universities, such as the University of
Michigan and the University of Virginia,
in order to see what features work well in
See REVIEW, Page 7
UNC-W
May Raise
Tuition
UNC-W Chancellor James
Leutze says the increase
is necessary unless the
UNC system raises tuition.
By Mike Gorman
Staff Writer
Administrators at UNC-Wilmington
are developing a proposal for a campus
initiated tuition increase in anticipation
of the school’s Board of Trustees meet
ing next week.
Recent discussion of a tuition
increase at UNC-W follows Chancellor
James Leutze’s vocal support for a sub
stantial tuition increase at a campus
BOT meeting in November.
Leutze said administrators need to
increase tuition at UNC-W unless the
UNC-system Board of Governors follows
through with a plan to significantly raise
tuition across the board. The BOG plans
to vote on an inflationary 4.8 percent sys
temwide tuition increase in the spring.
UNC-W is among the first universi
ties to take advantage of the BOG’s new
tuition policy, which the N.C. General
Assembly changed in September to
allow individual campuses to request
tuition increases without demonstrating
emergency need.
Mark Lanier, special assistant to the
chancellor at UNC-W, said the possibility
of a tuition increase is most immediately
related to the dwindling amount of state
appropriated funds the campus receives.
The portion of the campus’ $142 mil
lion budget covered by state funds has
dropped to 39.6 percent, down from
58.4 percent in 1980, according to a
presentation UNC-W administrators
made to the BOT in November. “The
state has not kept up with the needs of
state universities," Lanier said. “Schools
are unable to offer the services and pro
grams students expect and demand.”
Lanier said UNC-W can no longer
rely on state appropriations to fund uni
versity programs. He added that the
tuition increase would be used to sup
plement a variety of campus programs,
including safety, maintenance and fac-
See UNC-W, Page 7
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