Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Feb. 8, 2002, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
®ljp Sailij (Tar IHeel Looking Ahead Senior class president candidates discuss Commencement speakers. See Page 2 Town to Request Return of Funds Withheld by State By Colin Suker Staff Writer Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy will lobby Gov. Mike Easley next week to return more than $1 million in funds impounded as a result of the state of fis cal emergency. The state government is withholding more than $1.04 million in funds desig nated for Chapel Hill because of a pro jected S9OO million state budget shortfall for the 2001-02 year. Foy said the move has sent the town’s budget into crisis. The reduction in funds comes on top SBP Candidates Analyze Capacities as Leaders The student body president must juggle dealing with administrators and sharing the opinions of the students. By John Frank Assistant University Editor Students have been swamped with information about the student body president candidates’ views on the issues of tuition, parking, curriculum and development. Although the candidates have mainly addressed these issues during the campaign, ulti mately, it is their leadership qualities that likely will define their term. Student Body President Justin Young said the job comes down to the candidates’ leader ship abilities. “You can’t foresee (some urgent issues) hap pening,” he said. 2 2 Student Elections A five-part series examining campus issues and how the candidates plan to address them. ■ Monday: Tuition ■ Tuesday: Parking ■ Wednesday: Curriculum ■ Thursday: Development & Construction ■ Today: leadership “It thrusts you into a role you never thought you would fill.” Many of the issues that have defined Young’s term likely will continue to remain at the forefront of campus debate. Next year, UNC’s mission will be tested again in continuing discussions about keeping at par with peer institu tions and expanding the University. Student body presidents must walk a fine line between their relationship with the UNC Board of Trustees, campus BOG's 5-Year Tuition Plan Could Begin a Year Earlier By Alex Kaplun State & National Editor The UNC-system Board of Governors moved forward Thursday with its discus sion of tuition increases for UNC cam puses -with recendy announced budget cuts and an ever-worsening economy looming in the background. The BOG’s Budget and Finance Committee made several changes to its plan for dealing with campus-initiated tuition requests in the long and short term. At its meeting, the committee voted to modify the BOG’s earlier proposal that all 16 UNC-system campuses con struct five-year plans for tuition and fees, starting with the 2003-04 academic year. Instead, the committee approved a motion that calls for the five-year plans to start in 2002-03. Because all 16 UNC system schools have made or will soon make decisions about the 2002-03 year, the motion essentially forces all schools to draw up four-year plans starting with the 2003-04 school year. While there was some brief discus sion about the change, committee mem bers agreed that it was best to move up the time frame for the tuition plans. “I would prefer that at this point, of a $975,000 shortfall that forced the Chapel Hill Town Council to cut pro grams in November. Officials say the state cuts, which Easley announced Tuesday, will cause more already under funded programs to be cut significandy. The N.C. Metropolitan Coalition, a voluntary organization made up of state mayoral offices, is meeting with Easley on Wednesday to demand the return of funds to local governments. “This is money that the state collects for the local governments,” Foy said. “(The money) needs to be passed on to the local government. We’ve had no administrators and their main con stituency - the students. Relations With the BOT Once a candidate is elected, he or she will have to adjust to the fragile balance between serving as a voting member of the BOT, whose responsibility is to the entire University, and acting as a repre sentative of the student body. “I think the student body president has the tougher role to fill because on one hand they are trying to represent their constituency, which isn’t always consistent with the pan-University point of view,” said BOT Chairman Tim Burnett. Burnett said many students might not understand that the president’s job is to consider the University as a whole in addition to the student perspective. “Every trustee has multiple hats from other points of view,” Burnett said. “But when all is said and done, they vote in the point of view of the entire University.” But write-in candidate Charlie Trakas expressed views that were not consistent with Burnett’s, saying one of the roles of a student body president is to know when to let the BOT have a final say. “Some things need to be out of the stu dents’ hands,” he said. Write-in candidate Nathan Katzin also said he wants to see BOT members publicize more of their decision-making process, even though he does not want to be directly involved. Former UNC-system President Bill Friday said a student body president’s first responsibility is to the students. “A president’s first duty is as student repre sentative to speak to the point of view of their constituency,” he said. Candidate Will McKinney said he will speak on behalf of the students, even when it conflicts with the BOT’s since this is the first time that campuses are (constructing long-term plans), that it be for as short of time as possible,” said committee member Jim Phillips. He added that as campuses gain experience with constructing long-term tuition proposals, plans could be made for longer periods of time. The motion regarding the five-year plans is expected to be voted on by the full BOG today. The committee also decided to require that each campus’s five-year plan be submitted to the BOG by next fall so the committee can exam ine them at the BOG’s October meeting. The committee also discussed adding at least one more meeting between now and March 6 - when the BOG is expected to vote on all campus-initiated tuition increase requests for the 2002-03 year - to give the board more time to consider the issue. About a dozen UNC-system schools are expected to bring requests before the BOG. In March, the board also is expect ed to vote on an inflationary, systemwide 4.8 percent tuition increase and perhaps make changes to its tuition policy. The committee’s discussion of tuition See TUITION, Page 4 You must do the thing you think you cannot do. Eleanor Roosevelt Serving the students and the University community since 1893 Know Them Better Learn more about the candidates for student body president. Check out www.dailytarheel.com. way to plan for this.” Foy said the withheld money represents 6 percent of the town’s budget for the next five months, adding that the state reneg ging on its promise makes it difficult to run a balanced budget. He also said the state did not consult local municipalities before announcing the specific budget cuts. “We’ve planned for this money in our budget,” Foy explained. “This behavior by the state makes it impossible to plan our budgets.” Foy added that the state is acting irre sponsibly by putting the burden of its bud get shortage on individual municipalities. - W^ 4 ** "™" ~_— —JS .o- J-'Jr DTH FILE PHOTO Student Body President Justin Young presides over a January meeting of the Task Force on Tuition. Working effectively with administrators and trustees is one of the roles a student body president must fulfill. ideals. “I am not elected by the BOT, I am elected by the students, and I am responsible to them.” Candidate Bennett Mason said his per spective as a student will help the BOT understand more student issues. “You get student support and go into meetings (with the administration) armed with that infor mation,” he said. “You go to the top and try to influence the BOT or chancellor." Candidate Jen Daum said the board needs to more thoroughly consider the impact its actions has on students, which she said she can facilitate by providing 'Carolina Week' Hosts Candidates on Air By Philissa Cramer Staff Writer Student body president candidates responded to a mix of serious and fun questions during Thursday’s taping of “Carolina Week,” the television news program pro duced by students of the School of Journalism and 2 2 Student Elections Mass Communication. Senior Tim Nelson moderated the debate, which six candidates attended. Write-in candidates Correy Campbell and Charlie Trakas did not attend. The program began with a discussion about what traits are important for a stu dent body president to have. Candidate Will McKinney said knowledge is the single trait that a stu dent body president most needs. “I think a student body president needs to know the University,” he said. Write-in candidate Nathan Katzin said the most important trait is the abil ity to be an effective and charismatic leader. “You need to be able to get peo ple involved,” he said. Candidate Fred Hashagen said the student body president’s role is to moti vate students. “Student mobilization is one of the No End in Sight UNC men's basketball players try to cope with poor season. See Page 7 “We have been careful over budget responsibility,” he said. “For'the state’s budget problems to be shoved on to us is unfair. This is a state budget crisis, not a local government budget crisis.” Jim Baker, Chapel Hill’s financial director, added that the finance depart ment will be meeting with the Town Council on Monday to discuss further cuts in services for the rest of this fiscal year. “(The budget) is not doing very well,” Baker said. “Earlier in the year, we made a report to the council and gave them a list of things we need to do to the student voice. “The BOT needs to make sure they understand their oppor tunity costs when making a decision.” Candidate Fred Hashagen said he expects the BOT to listen to his repre sentation of the student voice and to act upon it as well. “If students are demand ing something, I would not sugar-coat it (as a recommendation),” he said. “If stu dents demand something, we expect (the BOT) to do it.” Several candidates said the most dif ficult part of dealing with the BOT is gaining members’ respect as a tempo key things that any student body presi dent can do around any issues like tuition, parking or grade inflation,” he said. Candidate Brad Overcash said it is important for the student body presi dent to foster campus unity, and he said his proposed student summit could accomplish this. “The idea behind it is to gather as much of the student body into the Great Hall,” he said. Much of the “Carolina Week” discus sion centered on tuition issues. Candidate Jen Daum said rising tuition has made UNC inaccessible for some prospective students. “We need to show the administration and the General Assembly what they’re losing,” she said. Candidate Bennett Mason said he wants students to cooperate with the UNC Board of Trustees in discussions about tuition issues. He said that as stu dent body president -and subsequent ly a voting member of the BOT - he would strive to work with trustees effec tively. “If we try to work with them as a voting member, we can really accom plish a lot,” he said. McKinney said he plans to work toward a degree of predictability for tuition increases. “It’s not totally infeasi- •S? shorten our expenditures by $975,000. “Right now we’re trying to assess the impact of the additional $1 million shortage.” Town Council member Pat Evans said Chapel Hill might be forced to raise taxes in the next fiscal year to provide services essential to the town’s daily life. “I think the state, county and town will be reducing services and increasing taxes,” Evans said. “Some of the services that need to be rendered are very critical, such as edu cation, fire, police and public works,” she added. “Capital improvements will rary, student member. Candidate Brad Overcash said the BOT members tend to treat the student as an inferior when that is not the case at all. Write-in candidate Correy Campbell said the way to gain the BOT’s trust is to compromise and work together with the board members. “I would get to know the BOT and be professional about it.” Relations With Administrators But working with the trustees is not - See LEADERSHIP, Page 4 r w ▼ 1 Li 1k % l ii fIPSS DTH/MALLORY DAVIS Student body president candidates relax during a brief commercial break at Thursday night's forum, which was hosted by Carolina Week. ble,” he said. Another portion of the program focused on the plausibility of the candi dates’ platforms actually being imple mented Hashagen said that while his platform is long, its more than 70 points are all attainable. “Some are feasible in a year, Weather Today: Sunny; H 60, L 34 Saturday: Sunny; H 63, L 44 Sunday: Showers; H 62, L 36 have to be delayed.” Foy said the town, unlike the nation al government, is unable to run on a budgetary deficit and that hard choices must be made in the short term. He said the town will have a hard time bouncing back from this loss of state dollars. “We don’t have any way to raise funds in this short of time, period,” Foy said. “We can’t raise taxes at this time. I don’t know what we’re going to do.” The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu. University Cuts Not Yet Clear Robert Shelton is working from Switzerland, while Nancy Suttenfield works on cuts from UNC's campus. By Nikki Werking Staff Writer Despite the fact that UNC-Chapel Hill Provost Robert Shelton is in Switzerland until Feb. 10, he and other UNC-CH officials are working on ways to cut $5 mil lion from the University’s bud get. But it is unclear what, if any, progress adminis trators have made in determining how the $5 million in cuts will be dis tributed among the UNC-CH’s vari ous departments. On Tuesday, Gov. Mike Easley asked the UNC system to return about 1.3 percent of its funds to the state to help offset the state’s S9OO million bud get shortfall. When added to cuts made in October, UNC-CH has had a total budget reversion of about sls million See ADMINISTRATION, Page 4 and some are long-term goals,” he said. Katzin said his platform of progres sive energy reform is realistic. “(My platform) aims big with the understanding that maybe not every thing will happen, but a lot of it will," he See FORUM, Page 4 mf. Provost Robert Shelton is in Switzerland, but UNC officials say he is in close contact about budget issues.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Feb. 8, 2002, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75