qM Daily 3ar TUni Kind of Blue Rep. Dan Blue, D-Wake speaks to UNC Young Democrats. See Page 3 www.daiiytarheel.com BOG to Confirm Tuition Plans Within Week By Emma Burgin Staff Writer The UNC-system Board of Governors will continue a series of tuition discussions tonight, focusing on the possible ramifica tions of several tuition increase proposals. The board is slated to take a final vote on tuition levels for the UNC system on Wednesday. Board members said today’s tuition workshop, scheduled for 7 p.m. at the BOG May Hear ASG Plan for $1 Student Fee Hike The ASG has plans to request a systemwide fee that aims make the association's budget equal to those of its peer groups. Bv Jennifer Samuels Assistant State & National Editor The UNC-system Board of Governors could consider a request this week from the UNC-system Association of Student Governments to increase student fees by $1 at each of the 16 system campuses. The BOG Budget and Finance Committee must approve the request before it is presented to the full board. ASG President Andrew Payne said Monday that he was not sure whether the increase would be presented to the committee today or at its Wednesday meeting. Payne said he expects the committee to react favorably to the request because it has strong student support. He added that he thinks the proposal is reasonable. “It’s very simple,” he said. “The stu dents want it. It’s a dollar and will put us on par with other student organizations across the country.” The fee increase would raise the ASG budget to about $160,000. The ASG’s budget for this year is about $2,500. The ASG is currendy funded by dues from each of the 16 UNC-system cam- puses. ASG representatives have said funding from the fee increase would build an operating budget for the ASG and would help delegates mount statewide campaigns in support of students and assist with travel expenses. The money also would pay for several full-time staff members to help improve continuity from one ASG administration to the next. Payne said the BOG should look at the increase as an oppor tunity to join forces with students. “The board will see that it’s a great partnership with the students of North Carolina,” he said. If passed, the $1 fee will be the first systemwide student fee increase approved by the BOG. But BOG member Jim Phillips, who is a member of the Budget and Finance Committee, said he is not sure whether the committee will react favorably to the ASG’s request. He said he needed more information before he could properly consider the resolution. “I haven’t talked to (Payne) yet,” Phillips said. “And I don’t want to say anything until I’ve talked with him about it.” But Payne said he hopes the increase passes because it would heighten the power of UNC-system students. “I think the student voice in the state isn’t fully heard,” he said. “(The expanded budget) will empower the students.” Staff Writer Emma Burgin contributed to this story. The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu. Duke 'Drills' Tar Heels, Snags ACC Crown UNC held a 12-point lead late in the game but could not withstand Duke guard Alana Beard's onslaught. By lan Gordon Sports Editor GREENSBORO - The prepara tion, though not intentional, could not have been any more apt. This sea son, the Duke women’s bas ketball team Women’s Basketball UNC 80 Duke 87 has ended its practices with a simple The wording of laws should mean the same thing to all men. Charles Louis de Montesquieu UNC-system General Administration building, will feature a debate about the merits of several proposals concerning changes to the board’s tuition policy. A BOG Budget and Finance Committee meeting - where BOG members will begin to hammer out a specific tuition-increase proposal - will immediately follow tonight’s workshop. One plan would raise tuition sys temwide by 10 percent, using the money to fund enrollment growth and need The General Assembly shall provide that the of The University of North Carolina and other public institutions of higher education, as far as practicable, ™ jgfete.be extended to the people of the State free of expense. I PCTTnI II „.,J "'"WHS** SH. qBH PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SARAH ABRONS AND COBI EDELSON As system leaders continue to debate the merits of a tuition increase, officials and students are trying to answer the question of how high tuition can go before violating the constitutional mandate, which some consider vague and difficult to enforce. ASG President Andrew Payne calls the $1 student fee increase reasonable and expects it will pass. N.C. Constitution Shapes Tuition Some officials say guidelines for tuition in the state constitution are vague and must be applied practically to current situations. By Cleve R. Wootson Jr. Staff Writer A recent wave of tuition increase proposals in the UNC system has caused some to ques tion the meaning of a constitutional mandate designed to govern tuition policy at the state’s public institutions of higher education. Article IX, Section 9 of the N.C. Constitution states: “The (N.C.) General Assembly shall pro vide that the benefits of The University of North Carolina and other public institutions of higher education, as far as practicable, be extended to the people of the State free of expense.” The phrase “as far as practicable” and its meaning have caused debate among state leaders drill. The game clock at Cameron Indoor Stadium is set at four minutes. UNC Dominates Stats Page, Still Loses to Rival See Page 9 The scoreboard reads “70-70.” Although the Blue Devils had outscored their opponents by an aver age of 20.7 points, the practice time simulation would prove worthwhile. That’s because when the Greensboro Coliseum scoreboard showed that with four minutes remained in ACC Tournament title game against North Carolina, there it was, just like they had practiced: Duke 70, UNC 70. The Tar Heels could only have wished the Blue Devils weren’t as battle- Serving the students and the University community since 1893 Make the Call join the DTH editor selection committee and help make history. Applications Available in Union Suite 104 based financial aid. The plan, which was first discussed at a BOG tuition work shop two weeks ago, would limit cam pus-initiated tuition hikes to $250 at five UNC-system schools, including UNC- Chapel Hill. All other UNC-system schools could raise tuition by only S2OO. The boards of trustees at both UNC CH and N.C. State University have asked the BOG for a S4OO tuition increase. All told, 13 UNC-system schools have brought tuition increase requests of vary tested. Shortly after the 16-minute mark, Duke grabbed the lead for good to cap off an undefeated ACC regular season with a three-game sweep in the tourna ment, beating UNC 87-80 before 9,204. “I hope our practices have paid off,” said Duke coach Gail Goestenkors. “And certainly we have had such big leads through many of the ACC games that we know we have to prepare our selves to be tied or be behind.” Throughout the game, Duke (27-3) used a two-headed attack of Monique Currie and Alana Beard to score against the Tar Heels’ varied defensive sets. In the first half, the Blue Devils went to Currie. UNC (24-8) was unable to keep Currie out of the paint. The 6-foot fresh man got into the lane with ease through Like a Hurricane Football schedules two games against Miami. See Page 9 Volume 110, Issue 7 ing amounts to the BOG this year. BOG Chairman Ben Ruffin said board members will weigh the needs of both UNC-CH and N.C. State but also have to consider the rest of the campus es in the system. “We will look at their specific needs, but we also have to look at the total system,” Ruffin said. Ruffin said he hopes to come up with a tuition plan that provides badly need ed revenue for the system during the state’s fiscal crisis while keeping costs for whose interpretation of the wording might deter mine how much students pay to attend college. John Sanders, a former BOG member and staff adviser to the General Assembly in 1968, when the state constitution was redrafted and the tuition mandate was added, said the inter pretation given to Article IX, Section 9 has var ied throughout time. “It doesn’t have a specific meaning that you can go in court and get enforced,” Sanders said. “It’s a general admonition to those who are involved in the administration of the universi ty to keep the costs as low as practicable.” Sanders said the section also was intended to allow universities to be able to raise out-of-state tuition to remain competitive with schools in other states. Andrew Payne, president of the UNC-system Association of Student Governments, said the sentiment of the section means UNC-system schools should be totally free to North Carolinians. “I think (Article IX, Section 9) means that North Carolinians should be able to out the first half and drew foul after foul against UNC’s late-rotating defense. Currie hit all 10 of her free throws before the break en route to a 20-point first half. But the Tar Heels’ clutch offensive rebounding and Duke’s inability to find another first-half scoring option allowed UNC to cling to a 38-37 halftime lead. North Carolina went to the glass early and often, securing 16 offensive boards in the first half alone. And UNC eventually found success with its inside-out offense to take a one-point lead at the break. UNC then came out in the second half with a renewed defensive intensity. With 15:29 left in the game, UNC’s Coretta Brown stole the ball from Krista See WOMEN'S BASKETBALL, Page 9 % students reasonable. The state is facing a budget shortfall of about S9OO million for the 2001-02 fiscal year, prompting some to speculate that policymakers will be more receptive to increasing tuition. “I hope we can come out with a solu tion that has a minimum amount of impact on students,” he said. Ruffin said that the tuition increase is a double-edged sword and that there is no See TUITION, Page 9 attend (public universities) free of cost,” Payne said. “And that includes tuition, fees and room and board. In my eyes, it’s not vague at all. ... I think that people who want'to raise tuition want to interpret it as vague.” But UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor James Moeser said Article IX, Section 9 is difficult to interpret. “I don’t think anyone knows what the terms ‘practicable’ or ‘free of expense’ mean because there is no such thing in higher educa tion,” Moeser said. In the end, Payne said, the BOG has little power to interpret or enforce the section because the General Assembly ultimately sets tuition rates. The BOG recommends a tuition increase amount as part of its annual budget, which must be approved by the General Assembly. The individual boards of trustees at the 16 system schools can recommend increases, which then must be approved by the BOG and the General Assembly. See CONSTITUTION, Page 9 * JfiHp 3f£j?i DTH JOSH! A CHEER Duke guard Alana Beard (left) hugs teammate Iciss Tillis after the Blue Devils defeated North Carolina to win the ACC Tournament. Weather Today: Sunny; H 51, L 27 Wednesday: Sunny; H 61, L 35 Thursday: Sunny; H 64, L 38 Faculty for University Tuition Plan The Faculty Council favors a S4OO campus-based tuition increase as opposed to the BOG’s systemwide increase. By Jeff Silver Staff Writer A proposal for a one-year, S4OO tuition increase drafted by UNC- Chapel Hill administrators earlier this year received nearly uniform support from University faculty. But the same faculty members who stood behind the administrators’ pro posal only weeks ago are now almost unanimously opposed to a different tuition proposal being considered by the UNC-system Board of Governors. Professors say they back the first pro posal in part because it could immediate ly raise faculty salaries, but they say the BOG’s new proposal would negatively affect faculty and UNC-CH as a whole. The proposal, suggested by BOG member Robert Warwick, would cap UNC-CH’s campus-based increase at $250 and implement a 10 percent sys temwide hike for next year. Because money from the systemwide increase would be redistributed to each of the 16 campuses, UNC-CH could pay more than it would receive. Money from a campus-initiated tuition increase would directly fund improvements at UNC-CH. The BOG is set to vote on the tuition increase proposals Wednesday. Faculty members say they will work with UNC-CH students, staff and administrators to convince BOG mem bers that Warwick’s proposal is not in the University’s best interest. At the Feb. 22 Faculty Council meet ing, UNC-CH professors voiced oppo sition to Warwick's proposal, saying it would unfairly penalize UNC-CH stu dents in the interest of funding improve ments at other system schools. Faculty Council Chairwoman Sue Estroff said that while she understands the importance of supporting other sys tem schools, Warwick’s proposal goes too far. “This goes beyond generosity to something more,” Estroff said. “It would be a devastating blow." Faculty members say they realize it might seem inconsistent that they fer vently support the S4OO plan and just as strongly oppose the new BOG proposal. “It’s a little difficult to support one tuition increase and not another,” said William Smith, a mathematics professor and Faculty Council member. But many faculty say Warwick’s pro posal could warrant involvement in tuition increase protests orchestrated by students. “We are facing severe reduc tions in our capacity to provide a Chapel Hill education,” Estroff said. Estroff and others say Warwick’s See FACULTY, Page 9

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