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Teachers propel American dream
BY ALI GRAY
STAFF WRITER
When the mail arrived at the
Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority
house in December, two seniors
eagerly dug through the pile to find
the letters that would determine
their futures.
Ashley Castevens said she and
Jessica Cline received their Teach
for America acceptance letters in
small, thin envelopes, which they
interpreted as a bad sign.
“I thought we had both been
rejected,” said Castevens, a public
policy major. “I was devastated.”
As they simultaneously read
the congratulatory first sentences,
their moods were lifted. “I was so
relieved,” said Cline, a Spanish and
international studies double major.
“This is what I really wanted to do.”
TFA is a program that assigns
qualified graduates from vari
ous backgrounds to teach for two
years in low-income school systems
across the country.
“We’re looking for students who
have demonstrated a track record
of achievement and have a sense
of personal responsibility,” said
Melissa Casey, the regional recruit
ment director for TFA.
Last year, the organization sent
30 of 116 UNC applicants to teach
in several different cities. So far
this year, 19 applicants have been
accepted, and another group will
be evaluated after the final Feb. 18
deadline, Casey said.
Castevens said she became
interested in TFA because of her
concern with the education system.
“I have personally seen the need for
programs like TFA,” she said.
She had heard positive evalua
tions of TFA from her friends who
are involved and decided to apply.
The first step of the application
process involved sending in essays
and references. Castevens and
Cline were then chosen to come in
for interviews.
The interview session required
the applicants to teach a five-min
ute lesson to the other applicants
REACTION
FROM PAGE 3
to set the tuition rate so they could
address several chronic problems.”
Several officials said the most
troubling part of the decision was
that the board locked in a SIOO
fee increase for two years down
the road.
“One of the most alarming
points about the whole thing was
the inclusion of the caveat that
they’ve already (approved the SIOO
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Melissa Casey, a UNC graduate and recruitment director for Teach for America, speaks during an information
session for the program Thursday night in Caldwell Hall. Last year, 30 UNC students were accepted into TFA.
and the interviewers.
“That was the most nerve-rack
ing part,” Cline said. “I was really
nervous about it because I know it’s
really competitive, but I felt really
good about it after it was over.”
Castevens received her first
choice location and will be teach
ing elementary school in the
Mississippi Delta region.
“I wanted to teach in a school
where I’d have a really good
chance of making an impact on
the students,” she said. “I am real
ly happy that I’m going there. The
only catch is that I’ve never seen
Mississippi.”
She said she is excited but con
siders the move a big step because
she has never lived outside North
Carolina.
The territory where Cline will
be teaching will be more familiar
for her because her boyfriend cur
fee),” said Jen Bushman, president
of the Graduate and Professional
and Student Federation. “I think
that crosses a line that has not
been crossed historically.”
Natalie Russell, student body
treasurer and member of both
committees, said she thought
trustees didn’t consider student
input sufficiently.
“I think that’s a real shame,” she
said. “With the exception of the
student body president serving on
the Board of Trustees, the work of
From Page Three
rently lives in her assigned city,
and she has visited there several
times. She will be teaching Spanish
in Baltimore.
Cline was pleased to receive her
assignment over Winter Break. “I
was so excited,” she said. “It was
exactly what I wanted. I could not
be more happy.”
The accepted students will leave
for their assignments less than a
month after graduation. Cline said
she is eager to get started because
of her belief in the program.
“I think it’s really important to
have advocates for education in
all different fields,” she said. “It
makes the whole community, not
just teachers, concerned with the
gap in the schools.”
After their two years of required
teaching are over, the teachers
will decide what their next career
moves will be.
those two committees is really the
only message the students have to
put towards the chancellor and the
Board of Trustees.”
The Board of Trustees’ decision
still has to be approved by the UNC
Board of Governors, which is set to
begin reviewing recommendations
in February. Anderson said he
hopes the board will examine sev
eral factors clouding the decision.
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For Castevens, the two-year
time period might not be the end
of her career in education. “There’s
a very good chance I may stay (in
Mississippi) longer than that.”
Cline had previously considered
studying law and will decide when
the time comes.
“I think this will give me a good
perspective on whether or not law
school is what I want to do,” she
said.
If she does go on to become a
lawyer, Cline said she thinks her
experience with TFA will be an
asset.
“It’s just such a great opportu
nity to make a difference, and at
the same time it’s a great career
opportunity,” she said. “That’s why
it was so attractive to me.”
Contact the Features Editor
atfeatures@unc.edu.
“I would certainly hope that the
Board of Governors takes a long
hard look at... the lack of consid
eration with respect to the effect
on out-of-state students and the
lack of consideration for student
governance and student opinion
on the athletic fee.”
Contact the University Editor
at udesk@unc.edu.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 2005
HONOR
FROM PAGE 3
dents with hearings in a timely
fashion,” he said.
As the honor system prepares
to solidify its role in UNC’s future,
officials are focusing on publiciz
ing the importance of the honor
system.
“There are a lot of misconcep
tions in the general student body
about what it is we do,” Chavez
said. “In reality, the system is here
to promote a climate of honor and
integrity so we can learn in a safe
environment.”
Stacy Bennett, honor system
outreach coordinator, said her
WAIVER
FROM PAGE 3
increase from the previous average
of 68 percent.
Enrollment in the school has
risen, and Rowe attributed that
fact to the tuition waiver as well.
“Because of the tuition grants
we did see a spike in the number
of applications,” he said.
“The entering class 0f2006 had
the highest average SAT score in
the history of the school.”
VISAS
FROM PAGE 3
improve the immigration process
for more than just students.
“We are working on the regis
tered-traveler program, where if you
have been vetted appropriately we
can exempt you from customs and
immigration processing,” he said.
Although some people might
be greenlighted through customs,
students will not fall off the radar
of homeland security once they
enter the country.
The Student Exchange Visitor
Information System is a program
that allows schools to provide infor
mation to the government, ensuring
that foreign students are operating
within student visa guidelines.
“We can tell, ‘Has this person
been admitted? Are they currently
enrolled?”’ Verdery said.
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FREE PEER TUTORING
TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY EVENINGS
FROM 6 TO 9 PM
AT SECOND FLOOR OF DEY HALL
Begins on February Ist1 st and 2 nd
Peer tutors available on a drop-in basis
first come, first served-to help in the following courses:
Tuesdays, 6-9 pm starting Feb. 1 Wednesdays, 6-9 pm starting Feb. 2
Spanish 1-4 Spanish 1-4
French 1-4 French 1-4
German 1-4, etc. German 1-4, etc.
Russian Arabic 102 X
Italian 1-4 Italian 1-4
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Psychology 10 Psychology 10
Geology 11 Math 10, 30, 31, 32, 33
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Business 71 (Accounting) Biology 11, and others
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Biology 11, 50
Philosophy 22
For additional help in physics, chemistry and math,
try these free resources:
The Math Help Center
224 Phillips
3:30-7:3opm M-Th
The Chemistry Resource Center
225 Venable Hall
12:00-6:00pm M-Th
The Physics Tutorial Center
210 Phillips
Bam-6pm M-F (as tutors are available)
See schedule on door for Phys 16, 24, 25, 26, 27
Questions? Call 962-3782
Sponsored by the Peer Tutoring Program
and UNC Learning Center
committee has planned various
programs throughout the year to
increase student awareness. Events
include Honor and Integrity Week
and Hazing Awareness Week.
“The toughest obstacle is always
going to be to get the students
interested,” Bennett said.
Gilbert said many students pay
attention to the Honor Code and
graduate with no violations.
“Most students on campus do
abide by the honor system,” Gilbert
said. “The subset of students we
see may not represent the typical
UNC student.”
Contact the University Editor
at udesk@unc.edu.
Both Rowe and Hagan said the
Pope Center’s report was not put
together well.
“I think that it does a disser
vice to the exceptional work being
done,” Hagan said.
“I don’t think it was a well
thought-out, well-studied paper....
This (program) is the first step. We
need to replicate this benefit to other
high schools around the state.”
Contact the State & National
Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
But Verdery said there were
errors and technical malfunctions
in the program that caused prob
lems for foreign students.
“SEVIS, I think everyone would
admit, when it was first developed,
was not a good system,” he said.
Since the initial setbacks, SEVIS
has improved its record, seeing a
90 percent reduction in problems,
Verdery said.
He said that the feedback he
is receiving from school officials
reflects this improvement, but that
there remains more work to do.
“We are working on getting
out better information to the
University community ... that can
be useful to students when they are
considering UNC-Chapel Hill or
William and Mary or Podunk U.”
Contact the State & National
Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
5