Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / March 19, 1976, edition 1 / Page 1
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P7 ff Today's Westhsr ": Sunny, breezy and mild. High: 70. Low: 50. Chance of rain near 0 through tonight. Partly sunny and unseasonably warrh Saturday with a high near 80. A Student Vcica The 'faculty council wi.'l decide today on a new end whether it will incJude student representation A comment on the editorial pc;a. v Sfvms jfudrmj an the University community since 1893 Chspcl Hill, North Carolina, Friday, March 19, 1976 Volume 83 ISSUS MO. 115 - i 1 f r !l iSJL l l V J n c in ff 'CO Premature spring? This past week of cold weather may have fooled some of us into thinking that it's still winter, but this dogwood tree wasn't fooled. Spring becomes official Sunday. Staff photo by Charles Hardy I. " ' UN 0 hears end of negotiations on town bus pass purchases by Russell Gardner Staff Writer University finance officials have nearly completed negotiations with Chapel Hill for the purchase of bus passes for next year, but the Chapel Hill Board of Aldermen will have final authority on the details of the one-year contract. ; The University's two-year contract with the town for bus passes expires J une 30. This year, $330,000 in bus passes were purchased and either resold by the University to staff and students or automatically issued with parking permits. Claiborne Jones, vice-chancellor for business and finance, said Wednesday the tentative agreement is to purchase $360,000 worth of bus passes for next year, but the exact cost of individual passes will be decided by the aldermen. The University will resell the passes at G..GG elects Lassiter as speaker; Smith is finance chairman by Laura Seism Staff Writer Barry Smith, former Campus Governing Council (CGC) clerk, was elected chairman of the CGC Finance Committee Thursday night over John Sawyer, former finance committee chairman, after almost 40 minutes of debate. In contrast. Acting CGC Speaker Tal Lassiter was elected for a full term after less than 10 minutes of discussion at the first CGC meeting since last month's election of the new council. Lassiter was oppdsed by recently elected council member Doug Henderson, who was elected speaker pro tern by acclamation. Outgoing Student Body President Bill Bates described the position of finance committee chairman as "the most difficult job in Student Government in April." The committee holds budget hearings which are responsible for parceling out $320,000 in student fees to campus organizations. "It (finance committee chairmanship) is a much more tedious, more strenuous job than speaker. It's the most important job," Bates said. Several council members expressed concern over possible conflicts of interest on the part of the future finance chairman. Smith said his only possible conflict of interest was his position as an orientation counselor next fall. Smith said he felt organizations which benefit the entire student body should receive priority in budget hearings. by Chris Fuller Staff Vriter Editor's note: This story is the second of a two-part series explaining the housing lottery sign-up procedures and tracing the decision process which led to the lottery. Student Body President-Elect Billy Richardson is meeting today with Housing Director James Condie to discuss the housing department's decision to hold a random selection lottery for room sign-up. Richardson said Thursday that he was going to meet with Condie to offer several suggestions to improve the sign-up procedure. "After long deliberation, I weighed heavily what kind of steps we should take," Richardson said. Richard .... . either the exact cost set by the aldermen or possibly at a somewhat reduced cost, Jones said. This year, 3,800 passes were resold by the University at $24 apiece for a full year pass (June 1975-June 1976), the amount the University paid the town for the passes. In addition, staff and students who purchased $72 parking permits for a year or $54 parking permits for the academic year were automatically issued a bus pass. Although the price of parking permits will not change next year, Jones said he is very doubtful the University can continue to issue a bus pass with parking permits. He said the increased operating costs of the campus parking system have strained the parking fund. Bus passes are paid for by revenue collected from parking fines, meters, the parking deck and the resale of passes to staff and students. Sawyer said he would have so many possible conflicts as chairman that he could not possibly fund all the organizations to the degree that they would like. He cited his involvement with the Media Board and the Graduate and Professional Students Association as possible conflicts. When questioned about possible biases in budgeting money, Sawyer said, "I wouldn't say any organization should not receive fundus." Membership on the finance committee was also a highly desired position by council members. One person volunteered to serve on the Rules and Judiciary Committee and none on the Administration Committee, but nine members were nominated for five positions on the finance committee. Members elected to the finance committee are Gordon Cureton, Susan Davenport, Kim Jenkins, Bob Lawrence and Diane Schafer. Student Body President-Elect Billy Richardson is an ex officio member of the committee. Dick Pope was elected chairman of the Administration Committee by acclamation. , Serving on the committee with Pope are Tom Carr, Doug Henderson, Tal Lassiter, Vernon Mays, Chris Quackenbush and David Tate. John Totten was elected Rules and Judiciary Committee Chairman. Committee members include Terry Rushin, John Sawyer, David Swanson, Bruce Tindall, Jay Clark and Mark Cooper. . The council also approved new by-laws for the CGC's 58th session. The new by-laws prohibit co-chairmanships of committees. di son to "Number one, I'm going to advocate amendments to the (random selection) system so that people who are extremely financially hardpressed have excellent chances to get in (to University Housing)," he said. Richardson also expressed a desire to see that dorm officers and Campus Governing Council representatives, who are elected from the dorms prior to room assignment, are assured of returning to their dorms. He also said he was going to set up a committee to study the random lottery as it is being implemented and make reports and recommendations to Condie and Dean of Student Affairs Donald Boulton on its effectiveness. Richardson said he wants to establish a liaison with the Housing Department to keep students informed on housing decisions. "Students will know the step-by- ,J V-'- yy ' ' ''l ' , : , y X -Sr. 1 ' An alternate plan is being considered in which bus passes will be sold to those purchasing parking permits at one-half the. regular cost, Jones said. Chapel Hill negotiators had requested the University to buy $509,000 in passes for next year. The University's decision to purchase fewer passes, combined with increased operating costs for the entire system, will necessitate reduced bus service for the town. Town Manager Kurt Jenne has indicated that service will be reduced from 90,000 hours a year to about 63,000. The negotiations between the University and Chapel Hill did not include the possible extension of the bus system to Carrboro. If Carrboro should opt for bus service, budget amendments will be necessary. Carrboro voters will vote on a property tax referendum on April 20 which could partially fund the extension. r v.. VN Staff photo by Bud Fawcatt Tal Lassiter, newly elected speaker of CGC. Staff photo by Bod Fawcatt Doug Henderson, who opposed Lassiter for the speaker's post, was elected speaker pro tern. housing scuss step process by which decisions are made and will help improve University Housing for students," he explained. The Housing Department's decision to hold the lottery was a surprise because Student Government and the Residence Housing Association had not informed the student body prior to the decision. He will also try to get Housing to reserve rooms for hardship cases that need to live in U niversity Housing for financial reasons and are closed out by the lottery. Condie said Thursday, "I'm unwilling to respond to that (Richardson's proposal), adding that it would be improper until he could talk to Richardson. Concerning the decision to hold the random selection method of sign-up, Condie said, "It was not my decision alone." He said it was decided by the housing staff with input from several areas. n po by Mary Anne Rhyne Staff Writer The General Faculty will vote today on a proposal to establish an Educational Policy Committee to assume the responsiblity of educational policy review on matters such as grading, changes in departmental curricula and the establishment of new programs. Student Body President Bill Bates has challenged the committee which will be composed entirely of faculty members and has written an alternative organizational plan for the committee. Bates said he objects to the proposal on the grounds that it provides no student membership on the committee and because it requires the committee to obtain Faculty Council authorization before beginning policy reviews. If enacted, the amendment to the Faculty Code will set up a committee composed of nine faculty members, elected by the faculty, to review educational policies. These representatives will be elected from the Social Sciences, the Humanities, the Natural Sciences, the Fine Arts and the Health Affairs divisions of the university. Each member will serve three years with staggered terms and the committee will elect its chairman. The Educational Policy Committee, if established, will consider only matters brought to its attention by the Faculty Council. "The Faculty Council will decide if it (the matter to be considered) justifies a full dress study by the committee," Phillips said. The amendment stipulates that the "committee shall provide reasonable opportunity for comment upon the matter (being studied) by members of the faculty and of the student body." This comment by the student body is to be solicited by the. student body president as he deems necessary. The amendment requires the committee to notify the president of matters under their consideration and to notify him again when the matter is to be presented to the Faculty Council after full investigation. There must be 123 voting members of the General Faculty present to enact the amendment, with a two-thirds majority favoring the bill for the change to go into effect. Student Body President Bill Bates has raised questions concerning student input to the committee. "I would like to see students on the committee instead of the last two paragraphs (of the written amendment) which say the A.C. bond amendment proposed Could raise tax-free revenue for hospital construction by Merton Vance Staff Writer ' To combat the rising costs of hospital expansion, the North Carolina legislature has proposed a constitutional amendment which would allow the state to sell tax-free revenue bonds to finance hospital capital improvement projects. Proponents of the revenue bonds say passage of the amendment will help hold down hospital costs by allowing low-interest tax-free revenue bonds to finance improvement and modernization projects. Spokespersons for the North Carolina Hospital Association estimate that the bonds, which have lower interest rates than bank or holding company financing, would save hospitals from 20 to 30 per cent in interest costs. These savings would be passed on to patients in the form of lower hospital charges, supporters say. "There are more inputs into this type of decision than student inputs," he said. Condie said opinions were solicited from his staff, the administration, faculty, leaders of special activities, religious leaders and parents. Condie said there were many reasons why the random selection method was chosen over persistence (waiting in line) and persistence-lottery combination methods. Some problems with the persistence method were difficulty in policing lines and the unfairness to students who had to attend official University functions, class or important personal activities. Assistant Director for Residence Life Sandy Ward said the persistence method "reduced people to animal behavior." The combination of persistence and lottery, favored by students in an poll conducted last fall by RHA. was too with ".-J ' f p.. 4 & Student Body President Bill Bates raised objections to a lack of student input on' educational policy. committee must notify the president of the student body," Bates said Wednesday. Bates and a task force formed at the Student Faculty Administration Conference at Camp New Hope last fall have written a set of changes in the amendment which they will propose at the faculty meeting today. Bates said the task force was undertaking this project because they "are seeking a joint effort towards the establishment of educational policy." Student Body President-Elect Billy Richardson said he supported Bates' efforts to secure student representation on the committee. "I feel it is vital that students be on the committee," Richardson said. He added that "Student participation adds another dimension in researching proposals and "ierves for Jhe betterment of "the university." - Concerning the changes Bates will propose to the amendment, Phillips said. "I 3c 5 Mortimer Adler will speak Daniel Bell will speak at 8 All public and private non-profit hospitals in the state would be eligible for this bond financing. Marion J. Foster, president of the North Carolina Hospital Association, said in a prepared statement that the amendment "is permissive legislation, and passage of the amendment does not mean projects will automatically or routinely be approved." Hospitals requesting revenue bond financing would have their proposals reviewed by two state commissions -the N.C. Medical Care Commission and the N.C. Local Government Commission. Any proposed capital improvement projects for hospitals would have to be necessary and financially feasible before they would 'be approved by the two groups. To qualify for tax-free revenue bonds, the hospital borrowing the money would transfer the title to the Medical Care Commission. When the debt is repaid, the confusing and could not be implemented by May. Condie said. "Whatever the (housing) staff decides to do it has to be manageable," Condie said. "Who gets hurt if we make a mistake? Ultimately, it's the student." RHA president-elect Bob Loltin said it is too late now to try to change the decision. "All we can do right now is go in and try to get some rooms pulled out for persistence." Concerning the decision to hold the random selection lottery. Loftin said. "Condie is a very thorough man, very thorough." Loftin said Condie weighed the fall RHA survey along with the opinion of the housing department in reaching a decision. "The lottery came out ahead, that's all there is to it." Con die 8 fl n ommiTCG very strongly feel that this (the amendment as it stands) is a much more effective way of student representation." "I think wc can obtain more responsible comment this way than to have token students sitting in on every meeting. The students would be merely observers or voters who have no ultimate power." Phillips continued. , The committee chairman added that he felt when two or three students are elected to a committee of this sort, the remainder of the student body tends to loose interest, and often begin to mistrust the elected representatives. E. Maynard Adams, chairman of the Faculty, said he agreed with Bates and Richardson that there should be some student membership in the committee, although he felt they should not be able to vote in committee matters. "Students should have an advisory role with respect to educational policy. The responsibility of legislating educational policy into being should be a faculty responsibility." Adams said. Other debate has been raised concerning the committee's power to begin its own investigations and reviews without the Faculty Council's approval. "We are considering suggesting the possibility that the committee have slightly broader power to initiate studies on its own." Bates said. Faculty Chairman Adams said he felt it would be superfluous to change the amendment as it stands on this matter. He said the committee could initiate its own studies although it must first receive authority from the Faculty Council. Adams said he felt the Council would not turn down any ideas of merit for review by the committee. The proposal to establish the Educational Policy Committee was formally introduced in September 1975 by George V. Taylor. .Faculty Chairman, "."-Taylor turned the suggestion rver to the seven member Committee on University Government for final writing. 76 CAROLINA SYMPOSIUM MERO'S UTUR BEYOND THE BICENTENNIAL at 4 p. m. in the Great Hall p.m. in Memorial Hall title is transferred back to the hospital. The bond debt would be paid by the hospital. The revenue bonds would be sold to private investors, who would not have to pay state or federal income taxes on interest earned on their investment. No significant opposition has emerged to challenge the amendment's passage. Donald E. Woodin. Jr.. Director of Public Information for the North Carolina Hospital Association, estimated that the price of a new hospital in the state would range from SI2 to 20 million. "The entire issue here is a pockctbook issue." he said. since financing hospital construction with revenue bonds would lower the total construction expense. Dennis Bern.'. Director of North Carolina Memorial Hospital, is one of the leading supporters of the amendment. He stressed that bond funding authorized by the amendment would not place a strain on the state's tax revenues. "It would not cost the taxpayers any money." he said, but would provide an alternative means of financing future hospital construction. Berry said that he assumes N.C. Memorial Hospital would be eligible for this type of bond funding, but added that since the hospital is state-supported, it could use this type of funding now if the state legislature approved it. Hospital authorities estimate that by 1980. an additional 1,977 hospital beds will be needed in the state and another 3.199 obsolete beds will require moderni7tion. If financed through conventional methods the total cost of this expansion would cost an estimated $320.5 million. Hospital authorities say that with the use of tax-free revenue bonds, this cost could be cut to $276.7 million. Berry said that this type of bond funding for hospital construction has worked well in other states where it is used.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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March 19, 1976, edition 1
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