2
Wednesday, October 9, 2002
Education Accreditation Under Fire
Policy for certifying
universities reviewed
By Laura Youngs
Staff Writer
The U.S. House has asked a congres
sional subcommittee to review a report
opposing the accreditation of higher
education institutions.
The American Council of Trustees
and Alumni, which released the report
Sept. 30, was co-founded in 1995 by
Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., and
Lynne Cheney, wife of Vice President
Dick Cheney.
The House Subcommittee on 21st
Century Competitiveness met Oct. 1 to
address the ACTA report and discuss
the role of accreditation in post-sec
ondary education, but no conclusion
was reachc and.
The original post-secondary accredi
tation process was designed a century
ago as an optional evaluation to deter
mine which schools met key education
al criteria.
The Higher Education Act of 1952
designated six independent regional
agencies to handle the accreditation of
universities.
In order to receive federal funding
for need-based financial aid, colleges
and universities must be accredited by
Student Member Pay
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one of the regional agencies.
A volunteer committee reviews
schools, and if they do not meet criteria,
they are given a warning.
If schools still fail to comply, they are
put on probation. Asa last resort,
schools are removed from the accredi
tation list entirely.
But George Leef, director of higher
education policy at ACTA and co
author of the study, said there are flaws
with the system.
Leef said the accreditation system
does not focus on the overall outcome of
students’ education and called for the
elimination of the program.
The report also suggested a system in
which schools were accredited by indi
vidual states.
Accreditation agencies often focus
more on resources such as libraries and
facilities instead of the quality of educa
tion students receive, Leef said.
“Many students graduate ... with
what you would call an education in
name only,” he said.
He added that many college students
have poor reading, writing and math
skills and that a rising number of grad
uates are taking high-school-level jobs -
a phenomenon Leef attributes to
improper accreditation.
But James Rogers, executive director
of Southern Association of Colleges and
Schools Commission on Colleges, said
Leef s report is flawed.
The association is charged with
accrediting Southern institutions from
Virginia to Texas - including schools in
North Carolina.
Rogers said that even if the regional
accreditation system were eliminated, it
would merely be replaced by another
one.
He added that allowing each state to
have its own accreditation criteria, as
suggested in the report, would be a
logistical nightmare.
“I didn’t see any viable solutions,”
Rogers said. “You’re talking about a
major change in structure.”
He said the accreditation system has
inherent value.
Accreditation helps schools attract
students and faculty and ensures the
transferability of credits between col
leges, Rogers said.
Bernadette Gray-Litde, executive
associate provost at UNC, also said the
accreditation system is an important
process to universities.
“Accreditation is seen as necessary
for the university because of external
bodies,” she said. “For most people who
have participated in accreditation, the
primary benefit is in the self-study the
university conducts in preparation for
the review."
Rogers also said that the system
keeps colleges and universities in check
and that the entire higher education
community “keeps the pressure” on
institutions with sanctions.
But Rogers said the accreditation sys
tem can be improved. “We can always
do better.”
The State & National Editor can be
reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.
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News
Stipend Prompts
Change to Policy
By Jenny Immel
Staff Writer
Student Congress members dosed a
legislative loophole Oct. 1 to bar student
organizations from compensating mem
bers for representation after it came to
light that Speaker Pro Tern Matt
O’Brien was receiving funds from the
Interfratemity Council.
O’Brien, who represents District 17,
said he received a $l5O scholarship
from the IFC last year for his member
ship in student government.
The IFC scholarship was created last
year to increase fraternity involvement
in all areas of student government and
to assist with his tuition, he said.
“The purpose of the scholarship was
not to influence anyone’s vote,” he said.
“As far as I know, no IF’C-related issue
has come up with Congress in the past
two years.”
O’Brien will not receive any money
this year because of the new bill.
O’Brien is president of the IFC.
Speaker Tony Larson proposed the
bill Oct. 1 after O’Brien brought the
scholarship to his attention. Larson said
he does not know of any other Congress
member receiving money.
“We don’t want people getting paid
to be on student government by other
organizations,” Larson said.
He added that O’Brien’s position in
Congress is not in jeopardy. “I don’t
believe it was an ethics violation at the
time.”
O’Brien said he and Larson wanted
to end the practice to prevent possible
future wrongdoings.
The bill originally proposed by
Larson would have banned all forms of
funding, including stipends from student
organizations.
But members added an amendment
sponsored by Graduate and Professional
Student Federation representatives
excluding funds members receive from
GPSF because it is a part of student gov
ernment and not an outside organization.
“You couldn’t be paid for serving on
student government, but the Congress
certainly has the right to receive
stipends,” Larson said.
Larson receives SIOO a month for his
involvement with Student Congress.
The money students leaders receive
from student government allows these
representatives to devote time to student
government that would otherwise be
spent at a job, Larson said.
He proposed a similar bill for members
of the executive branch, but the bill was
sent to the Rules and Judiciary Committee
for further discussion because members
felt the wording was too general.
Blair Sweeney, the committee’s chair
man, said the bill needs to be clarified to
make sure executive branch officers could
still receive their stipends. The committee
will meet Monday to discuss the bill, and
Sweeney said he expects it to pass.
The University Editor can be reached
at udesk@unc.edu.
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Campus Calendar
Today
6 p.m. - Masala will hold a general
body meeting. Come out and learn to
model from cONcEpt of Colors.
7 p.m. - Caravan for Democracy
and N.C. Hillel will host chief spokesman
of the Embassy of Israel Mark Regev. A
lecture, question-and-answer session and
a reception will be held in 111 Carroll
Hall. Please arrive by 6:30 p.m.
7 p.m. - The UNC Rotaract Club
is hosting a speaker in Union 211. His
name is Fred Keiger and he is the exec
utive producer of ESPN. He will be
speaking on his work with ESPN and
briefly on the Civil War.
For the Record
In an Oct. 8 article titled “Officials
Continue To Discuss Town
Development Plan,” Chapel Hill
Planning Director Roger Waldon was
misidentified as Robert Waldon.
In an Oct 7 article titled “Leadership
Conference Shows True Colors,” it was
incorrectly reported that Taylor Stone
is the chairman of student government’s
public service committee. Kathleen
Wirth is the chairwoman of the Public
Service and Advocacy Committee of
the executive branch of student gov
ernment.
Also, Wirth was incorrectly identified
as the STRETCH program organizer.
Chad Fogleman was the program orga
nizer.
The Daily Tar Heel regrets the errors.
Ghr Satly (Tar ilrrl
RO. Box 3257, Chapel Hill, NC 27515
Kim Minugh, Editor, 962-4086
Advertising & Business, 962-1163
News, Features, Sports, 962-0245
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