Newspapers / The Daily Tar Heel. / Oct. 8, 2004, edition 1 / Page 1
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VOLUME 112, ISSUE 85 UNC culls retention figures SURVEY SHOWS CONCERNS, OPINIONS OF 1,500 FACULTY BY EMILY STEEL UNIVERSITY EDITOR A steady number of UNC faculty members have packed their offices into cardboard boxes and moved them to competing universities across the country during the past several years. Officials have been hearing anecdotes about the professors who couldn’t pass up amazing opportunities, but these stories have been amassed into statistics to be presented at today’s Faculty Council meeting. “I think probably, in their heart of hearts, most people would have known these results,” said Judith Wegner, chairwoman of the fac ulty, who drafted the preliminary report. “But I think it needed to be said systematically, and I think it is a Panel studies election policies BY CHARLOTTE MURPHY STAFF WRITER Student Congress representa tives could make several defini tive changes to the Student Code during their meeting Tuesday that could overhaul the process of stu dent government elections. The Rules and Judiciary Committee of Congress drafted an amendment last Tuesday that, if passed, would allow students to sign multiple petitions to put can didates on the ballot.. Trey Winslett, a member of the committee, said he proposed the amendment to make the process more democratic. “If I think that there should be three candidates on the ballot, I should be allowed to sign three petitions,” he said. Winslett said students have not been allowed to sign multiple peti tions in past years because it would allow less serious candidates to get on the ballot. Following last year’s race between eight candidates for student body president, members of the com mittee said they recognize this is a legitimate concern. They also noted that students aren’t always attentive when they sign petitions. “We are concerned about stu dents signing petitions without knowing who they are signing for,” said James Riley, a member of the committee. An amendment that would discourage students who aren’t serious about campaigning from seeking signatures also will be up for discussion Tuesday. If approved, the amendment would require candidates to sub mit an Excel spreadsheet with the name and personal identification number of each student who signs their petition. But requiring candidates to sub mit spreadsheets might be unneces sary if Congress allows students to sign multiple petitions, Riley said. And if the spreadsheet rules are put in place, they will create hours of unnecessary work for each cam paign, said Luke Farley, chair man of the Rules and Judiciary Committee. Another concern is that the Board of Elections will rely exclusively on spreadsheets to verify names. Farley said this will give candidates the opportunity to double-sign names by changing them slightly and claiming they are typos. The decision ultimately will come down to a question of whose responsibility it is to ensure verifica tion, Farley said. He thinks it is the candidates’ responsibility to gather SEE ELECTIONS, PAGE 6 ONLINE Campus officials seek to end registration headaches Businesses get ready to blast tourists into space For these and more stories, visit mvw.dthonline.com. Serving the students and the University community since 1893 ®ltr Bailu (Ear Mcrl more complicated issue than might easily appear.” Researchers compiled 1,493 responses to a survey into a 14-page report, and the results underscore many of the stories faculty mem bers have been telling over cups of coffee for years. “People have had a chance to call it like it is and have their statements on the record about what they are feeling,” Wegner said. “They wanted to be heard about this.” The report is the culmination of an online survey provided to 3,004 faculty members by the Office of Institutional Research last March in response to mounting concerns regarding faculty retention. “Although wonderful build ings are rising on all parts of the campus, the intellectual and social capital created over the years by a WMM wm • Kjfg n s pH n Nita Dewberry, a freshman long jumper and triple jumper, practices with teammates at Fetzer Field on Thursday night. Dewberry, who graduated from North Forsyth High School in Winston- Salem last spring, is a member of North Carolina Minorities strive to define identity BY CLAIRE DORRIER STAFF WRITER Sheena Oxendine was lured to UNC by a variety of programs for minority students and about diversity. She saw that the Office for Minority Affairs offers programs for students from different back grounds to establish support net works once they arrive on cam- pus. But now that she is one of the 221 Native Americans who attend UNC, she’s 1-v .DEFINING . Diversity A five-part series " examining the state of race relations at UNC. Today: What is diversity? noticed that the University com munity still has many steps to take before bridging the gap between diverse populations. “There is still a separation in the Pit,” said Oxendine, a student member of the newly formed Chancellor’s Task Force on Diversity. “If you don’t put your self out there, the campus won’t celebrate you.” After a week of events target ing race relations, the question of what the term diversity means still is under review. Although UNC promotes diver www.dthonline.com vibrant community of faculty has been tapped and touted, but is in danger of being tapped out,” the report states. Wegner boiled down the results into a report that explains why fac ulty members come to and remain at UNC, what vulnerabilities and risks the University now has in terms of faculty retention and what might be a viable plan for the fiiture. Faculty members expressed con cerns about appropriate compensa tion, greater recognition, adequate support, better benefits, fair and transparent salary processes and a better work climate. The report also reveals several qualities that keep faculty at UNC, including high esteem for col leagues, good departmental rela tions and leadership, support for teaching, collaboration, regard for students and desire to contribute to the University’s mission. “What you get is really a much SEE RETENTION, PAGE 6 QUANTUM LEAP sity through student organizations, some students say they feel like the campus is socially separated. “The different groups of peo ple are not really intermingled or intertwined,” said Christina Delane, a student member of the task force. “There are many groups of people on campus, which is great, but they tend not to communicate with each other as they should.” Director of Admissions Steve Farmer said his office tries to create a diverse environment on campus. “We do use affirmative action when admitting students,” Farmer said. “It means that we try to take into account stu dents’ backgrounds, and we try to understand fully the contribu tions that they might make to the University and the way they could benefit from the University.” When recruiting students to UNC, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and the Office for Minority Affairs work to portray the University as a good choice for students from all walks of life. “We convey the message that everyone who has met the aca- SEE DIVERSITY, PAGE 6 REGISTER TO VOTE Today is the last day to register to vote. To register, go to www.sboe.statß.nc.us For registration-related stories, see www.dthonline.com BREAKING DOWN THE RETENTION REPORT The Office of Institutional Research sun/eyed 3,004 faculty members about retention issues at UNC. About 50 percent responded. For the full report, visit www.dthonline.com. ■ RISING CONCERN: Nearly 2/3 of respondents believe that their salaries do not correspond to their contributions to the University and their departments. ■ EXTERNAL OFFER REQUIRED: Nearly 2/3 of respondents indicated that they believed that an external offer was needed to get a raise, and more than 90 percent of respondents condemned such policies as corrosive. ■ FAIR SALARY PROCESS: About 1/3 of faculty respondents reported that they did not understand the process used to allocate raises. SOURCE: PRELIMINARY REPORT ON FACULTY RETENTION STUDY women’s track and field team, which opens its season Jan. 15 at the UNC Fast Times meet in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels will enter their 2005 campaign with myriad expecta tions in their quest to defend the indoor and outdoor ACC championships they won during the 2003-04 season. THE FINAL SPRINT County groups register voters BY MATTHEW HAIR AND KRISTLE SPELLMAN STAFF WRITERS Today’s deadline for voter reg istration marks the end of a long road party advocates have taken toward increasing their chances in November. And the sense of urgency felt in the last week has resulted in a surge in registered voters. Carolyn Thomas, director of the Orange County Board of Elections, said there have been 8,294 people registered since July 8, including 2,745 in the last week alone. Thomas said the board is doing all it can to make sure all last min ute forms are ready by the dead line. “We’re still receiving registra tion forms by mail and people bringing them in,” she said. “We have four people here moving them through as fast as we can.” Political groups on campus and in the county have worked hard in hopes of seeing such a large increase in registration numbers. Doug Biddy, chairman of the ■ BENEFITS: More than half of respondents said health benefits did not meet their needs, and 45 percent said retirement benefits were a problem. ■ PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT: While about 2/3 of respondents reported satisfaction with departmental support for teaching, support for research was of more widespread concern, , VULNERABILmES AND RISKS: About 2/3 have been recruited to leave UNC, and 2/3 have given serious consideration to their professional alternatives. DTH/RAY JONES DTH/MONICA SHAH Graduate student Lars Jarkko registers to vote outside the Student Union on Thursday afternoon. Today is the last day to register to vote Nov. 2. Orange County Republican Party, said the more than 20,000 regis tered Republicans in the county is anew record. “Since the primaries, regis tration is up 3 percent in North Carolina and up 5 percent in Orange County,” Biddy said. Tom Tillett, third vice chair man of the Orange County Democratic Party, said registra tion has been successful through out the county. “It’s outstanding the high num ber of people being registered,” WEHTHEfi TODAY Mostly sunny, H 78, L 50 SATURDAY Partly cloudy, H 77, L 54 SUNDAY Partly cloudy, H 75, L 46 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2004 Board mulls tuition plans Committee looks at 3 proposals BY LAURA YOUNGS SENIOR WRITER UNC-system officials stepped into the realm of tuition talks Thursday, weighing options but making no final decisions as members geared up for a yearlong debate. The Board of Governors’ Budget and Finance Committee used its second meeting of the school year to hear tuition ideas from mem bers. Jeff Davies, system vice presi dent for finance, offered the com mittee three different tuition plans used at other universities around the country but later said they were only guidelines. “This was just a discussion,” Davies said. “I think if the board were to ever enact those, it would be with a much more long-term discussion.” One of the plans, used at the University of Illinois’ flagship school, fixes students’ tuition and fees when they enter school. TYiition increases only affect the school’s incoming class. The plan is based on the assumption that students will stay on a four-year track during their undergraduate career. At UI, the average yearly increase was SI,OOO. But some committee members expressed concerns, especially about the fact that the plan would require legislation from the N.C. General Assembly to guarantee such rates. Amanda Devore, president of the system’s Association of Student Governments, added that in the Illinois model, there is a large increase in cost between the fourth and fifth year of school as tuition rises to match that of incoming freshmen. Devore said that because there are so many fifth-year students in the UNC system, universities would need a system stronger than SEE BOG, PAGE 6 Tillett said. “The amount done this year is much more than in the past. You can’t even compare the two.” Student political groups also have done their fair share in registering students to vote on campus. The Young Democrats and College Republicans together have registered more than 2,500 students to vote since the begin ning of classes. SEE LAST DAY, PAGE 6 o
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