VOLUME 113, ISSUE 3
Budget gives boost to UNC system
BY THE NUMBERS
I . 73.6
In billions, In millions,
state's likely enrollment
shortfall growth funds
11. 1
In millions, Percent budget
financial aid cut to UNC
funding system
Honors
track
slow to
change
Fiscal challenges
delay expansion
BY ERIN ZUREICK
STAFF WRITER
The much talked about expan
sion of UNC’s Honors Program
has hit a standstill, as officials
continue to search for iunds that
could make the initiative a real
ity.
Chancellor James Moeser
first highlighted the proposal in
his 2002 State of the University
address, arguing that bolstering
the program would ensure that
UNC stayed competitive with its
peer schools.
But the University has yet to
line up a major sponsor, and no
changes will occur until officials
secure about S2O million in fund
ing through the Carolina First
campaign.
The campaign, UNC’s private
fund-raising effort, has pledged
to raise S4O
million for
the Honors
Program by
June 2007.
Del Helton,
director of
communica
tions for the
Arts & Sciences
Foundation
the fund-rais
ing arm of the
College of Arts
& Sciences
said the
Student
Ashley
Castevens
praised changes
to the program.
campaign has raised about sl2
million to sl3 million of that
money.
The expansion would include
at least 10 additional faculty posi
tions, which in turn would help
increase enrollment, said James
Leloudis, associate dean of the
program.
“A smaller program definitely
puts us at a competitive disadvan
tage,” he said, noting that he hopes
to find a funding source within the
next year.
The Honors Program accepts
200 students from a pool of about
3,500 incoming students each
year.
Leloudis said he wants to see
annual enrollment bolstered to
350 students, or 10 percent of
each class.
Such an increase would place
the number of students in the
Honors Program in line with peer
universities.
Steve Farmer, director of under
graduate admissions, said the
Office of Admissions often uses the
Honors Program as a selling point
when recruiting potential students
to campus.
“Students are attracted to the
notion of working within a smaller
community,” he said.
SEE HONORS, PAGE 4
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Serving the students and the University community since 1893
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OFFICIALS SAY THEY’RE PLEASED
WITH GOVERNOR EASLEY’S PLANS
BY LAURA YOUNGS
SENIOR WRITER
UNC-system schools got a boost from
the governor this week with a budget pro
posal that promises to fully fund enroll
ment growth and financial aid needs.
But with an estimated $1.3 billion debt
looming over the state, debate has just
begun about how to allot the money.
Under Gov. Mike Easley’s proposal,
system schools would get $73.6 million in
enrollment growth funding the amount
requested by the Board of Governors
and another sll.B million for financial
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Abby Hogan, 8, clings to her father,
Maj. Tim Hogan, on Wednesday
night at the New River Marine Corps
Air Station in New River after he returns
from a seven-month stint in Iraq. Hogan is
Student rebuilt
UNC s Habitat
BY ELANA JONES
STAFF WRITER
With more than 2,000 mem
bers, UNC Habitat for Humanity
is one of the largest student orga
nizations on campus —but it
couldn’t have been done without
Matt Williamson.
“The biggest thing for me was
driving public
ity and fund
raisers. ... I
really wanted
to harness the
energy of so
many excited
students,” said
rr
Habitat for
HUMANITY
Blitz Build
Williamson, who took the group’s
reins in 1991.
“I used to joke with the director
of the Campus Y I told her that
by the time I left campus, every
one would have heard of Habitat
for Humanity.”
Habitat for Humanity
International was founded in 1976
by Millard and Linda Fuller to
provide decent, affordable hous
ing for people across the globe.
According to the organization’s
Web site, Habitat has either
INSIDE
GHOST TOWN
Students fail to reserve spaces in
UNC's apartment complex PAGE 2
iwww.ilthonline.com
aid. That number includes $3.2 million
to cover cuts made last year to the federal
Pell Grant by Congress.
Part of the aid money will come from the
General Fund, while the rest will come from
the state’s Escheats fund, said J.B. Buxton,
Easley’s senior education adviser. The
Escheats fund consists of the interest from
unclaimed inheritances sitting in banks.
The proposal also calls for tuition freezes
for in-state students. But schools could face
a 1 percent budget cut, which would make
for some difficult decisions when added to
previous cuts, said Jeff Davies, UNC-system
ON AMERICAN SOIL
DTH/SARA LEWKOWICZ
a member of the U.S. Marine Corps Medium
Helicopter Squadron 365, also known as
the Blue Knights. His family, along with the
families of several other Marines, showed up
in order to greet the returning soldiers.
built or rehabilitated more than
175,000 homes for 750,000 peo
ple in more than 3,000 communi
ties since its inception.
“The club was founded before
I got to Carolina, but the gen
eral campus meetings consisted
of about eight people —and
two of them were the co-chairs,”
Williamson said.
At the same time, Dr. Henry
Clark, chapter adviser of Habitat,
recruited Sigma Nu fraternity and
Chi Omega sorority with Chapel
of the Cross church to form the
first UNC Habitat Partnership.
“I wanted young people to
participate in an experience that
involved giving rather than receiv
ing,” Clark said.
As president of UNC Habitat,
Williamson mostly was concerned
with increasing the organization’s
visibility on campus and also
coordinated the first official UNC
Habitat Spring Break trip.
“The first time we took a
Spring Break trip for Habitat, we
went to New Orleans and it coin-
SEE HABITAT, PAGE 4
vice president for finance.
The General Assembly reduced system
schools’ budgets by 1.7 percent last year.
Easley’s proposal also includes $2.4
million for a joint partnership between
system schools and N.C. community col
leges that aids in teacher preparation, as
well as $1 million for scholarship loans for
prospective teachers.
The N.C. Teaching Fellows program will
see a $330,000 boost to establish anew
scholarship for college juniors and seniors.
Sen. Tony Rand, D-Cumberland, said
Senate members are supportive of Easley’s
budget proposal. “(Easley has) worked very
hard to put a program together that will
help the university without costing the stu
dents additional amounts of tuition.”
Officials say they are pleased with the
“It has pretty much run smoothly.... Were hoping to
keep things pretty similar.” Catherine mclaurin , DM PUBLICITY CHAIRWOMAN
Marathon gears for long haul
BY ALI GRAY
STAFF WRITER
As 7 p.m. approaches, commit
tee members will hang the last of
the hand-painted banners adorn
ing the walls of Fetzer Gym.
Dancers
will boost
their strength,
relishing in
midday naps
in the last
hours before
they take the
floor.
And men’s
basketball
coach Roy
Williams will
prepare to
kick off the
seventh annu
al UNC Dance
Marathon.
Starting
tonight, hun-
f-
W
INSIDE
Marathon relies
on support from
area sponsors to
run smoothly
PAGE 7
dreds of dancers will remain on
their feet for 24 hours to raise
money for the For the Kids
Fund, which benefits the N. C.
Children’s Hospital.
Everything will be ready to go,
SPORTS
HEELS' HOUSE
Women's basketball team beats UVa. to
finish with perfect home record PAGE 6
numbers, but some say they wish other pro
grams had made their way into the budget.
“I think it indicates the governor’s
strong commitment to higher educa
tion, and (BOG members) were generally
pleased with that level of support,” said
Brad Wilson, BOG chairman.
But he said he had hoped for $4 million
to aid the state’s nursing shortage, as well
as equity funding for UNC-Wilmington
and Appalachian State University.
Davies said he is concerned about a pro
posed 2 percent increase in state employee
salaries, saying it’s a positive step forward
but won’t be enough to address the need
for competitive salaries for faculty and
staff. The BOG originally asked for a 6
SEE BUDGET, PAGE 4
UNC both
helped, hurt
by spotlight
BY CATHERINE ROBBS
STAFF WRITER
When the members of Alpha
lota Omega fraternity filed a fed
eral lawsuit questioning UNC’s
nondiscrimination policy, the
University found itself smoth
ered in press releases, headlines
and media scrutiny.
But it might not be a bad
thing, some officials said.
Despite the potential to smear
the University’s image, the case
could become a venue to prove
UNC’s dedication to discourse.
“Good public relations is about
getting people to recognize that
you do have values and that you
are willing to listen to contrary
point of views,” said Larry Lamb,
professor in public relations in
the School of Journalism and
Mass Communication.
In response to the debate
sparked by the 2002 summer
reading selection, “Approaching
the Qur’an: The Early
Revelations,” UNC issued press
releases and invited the commu
nity to join in the discussions.
Officials also have opened
the summer reading selection
process to the media.
“Making the process as visible
as possible can sometimes be a
very helpful technique because
people may react based on not
having enough information,”
said Lois Boynton, professor in
the journalism school.
This type of two-way com
munication between the parties
KVfUL 11
DTH/PERRY MYRICK
A Dance Marathon committee member hangs up signs in Fetzer Gym
Thursday night in preparation for the 24-hour philanthropic event.
said Catherine McLaurin, the
marathon’s publicity chairwoman.
A crew of volunteers rallied for
student awareness in the Pit dur
ing the week and spent Thursday
night decorating the gym.
“I think everyone is tying up
loose ends,” McLaurin said.
WEATHER
TODAY Partly cloudy, H 49, L 27
SATURDAY Sunny, H 53, L 29
SUNDAY Mostly cloudy, H 52, L 32
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2005
involved is a public relations
measure to avoid crisis, said
Tom Kelleher, professor in the
journalism school.
While serving as a means to
educate the public, providing an
atmosphere of open communica
tion can frame UNC as a forum
for debate.
“On the
whole, I take
these contro
versies as an
affirmation
that Carolina
is the type of
place I want
to do my
scholarship
and teaching,”
said James
Leloudis,
associ
ate dean of
the Honors
Assistant honors
dean James
Leloudis said
controversy is
good for UNC.
Program. “It’s an institution
actively engaged with key issues
in our society.”
Despite these benefits, the accu
sations against the University also
can project a negative image.
“Publicity is very difficult, par
ticularly when the issue is large
and emotional and gets to the
core of how people feel and what
they believe,” Boynton said.
Recent controversies such as
the AIO lawsuit and the Quran
summer reading selection fit
Boynton’s description because
SEE PUBLICITY, PAGE 4
Planning for the marathon
has been under way for about 11
months.
“It’s pretty much an ongo
ing process,” said junior Julia
Shalen, the overall coordinator.
SEE MARATHON, PAGE 4