CHAPEL HILL – About a dozen students rallied at the Board of Governors meeting Thursday, upset over two policies passed by system leaders. Students say they won’t let the matters go and will keep showing up at Board meetings until they feel their voices are heard.
UNC-CH Senior Kate Davis-Jones was one of the students who gathered at the Board of Governors meeting in protest of changes made to the drop/add policy.
“The Board of Governors has been consistently just stepping into the University, micro-managing, and sort of twisting things to the way they think the University should run,” Davis-Jones said. “They are completely by-passing any sort of criticism or input of people who are actually at the University. “
Passed by the Board of Governors in April, the policy established a system-wide drop period. It shortened UNC-CH’s current drop period from eight weeks to ten days. Any course dropped after the 10th day of the semester will appear as a withdrawal on students’ transcripts. The policy is required to go into effect by the fall of 2014.
“The wonderful thing about the eight-week drop/add policy is that it allows students to challenge themselves, and take risks with their education,” Davis-Jones said.
Davis-Jones said she wanted more transparency from the Board of Governors and also wanted the student voice to factor more into their policies.
Jan Boxill, UNC’s Faculty Chair, said at a Board of Trustees committee meeting in September that it was a “one-size-fits-all” policy that will not help Carolina’s students succeed. She said receiving a “W” on a transcript created a stigma concerning the student’s academic credentials.
Student Body President Christy Lambden told the Board of Trustees that he also was against the policy.
In 2004, UNC lengthened the drop period from six to eight weeks, according to a University publication.
When the policy was introduced in the fall of 2012, it was met with resistance from then UNC Student Body President Will Leimenstoll and the Faculty Executive Committee, who voted unanimously against the proposal.
“It implied that students shouldn’t be pushing their education to its limits,” Davis Jones said. “They shouldn’t be challenging themselves, and they shouldn’t be courageous with their electives.”
Students outside the meeting were also protesting the Board of Governor’s ban on gender-neutral housing, a program that would have allowed males and females to live together in the same University dorm suites or apartments.
The UNC Board of Trustees voted last November to allow gender-neutral housing. Former UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp backed the Trustees’ decision, saying it would help keep students safe.
However, in August, UNC System leaders overturned the Trustees’ decision, and halted the program before it could begin the pilot year. The measure passed unanimously without discussion.
UNC Senior Kevin Claybren served as the Student Coordinator of the Gender Non-Specific Housing Coalition. He was set to live with three other females in Ram Village Apartments, the first four students to participate in the program at UNC.
“Right now we are just trying to show the Board of Governors that we care about this issue,” Claybren said. “We are not going to stop talking about this issue. We will continue to keep showing up as long as it is something that matters to us. We also want to make sure that students who don’t have voices are really heard and are visible.”
The program would have allowed males and females to share bathrooms and common areas in suites or apartments, but not share the same bedroom. The program was voluntary and only available in designated buildings.
Fifty-five University departments and groups supported the program, including the UNC Parents Council, student government and the executive branch of the student government. More than 2,000 students signed a petition in favor of gender neutral housing.
Chair of the Board of Governors, Peter Hans, said at the August 9th meeting that to enacting a policy change is a two-step process. First, the measure is taken up by the Governance Board, which was done in June, and then it goes to the full Board. Hans said there was no opposition to the policy change “whatsoever.”
“Our board wants every student to be safe and comfortable and included. The Board believes there are more practical ways to achieve those goals than assigning young men and young women to the same dorm rooms and campus suites,” Hans said on August 9.
http://chapelboro.com/news/unc/students-say-bog-is-micro-managing-unc-ch-policies/CHAPEL HILL – The UNC System Board of Governors is set to meet Thursday, this coming the after the group received criticism from many UNC-Chapel Hill students and administrators concerning a change to the drop/add policy.
Passed by the Board of Governors in April, the policy established a system-wide drop period. It shortened UNC-CH’s current drop period from eight weeks to ten days. Any course dropped after the 10th day of the semester will appear as a withdrawal on students’ transcripts. The policy is required to go into effect by the fall of 2014.
Jan Boxill, UNC’s Faculty Chair, said at a Board of Trustees committee meeting in September that it was a “one-size-fits-all” policy that will not help Carolina’s students succeed. She said receiving a “W” on a transcript created a stigma concerning the student’s academic credentials.
Student Body President Christy Lambden told the Board of Trustees that he also was against the policy. He said once the policy is implemented, UNC’s drop/add period would be shorter than many peers institutions and could cause Carolina to fall behind academically.
In 2004, UNC lengthened the drop period from six to eight weeks, according to a University publication.
When the policy was introduced in the fall of 2012, it was met with resistance from then UNC Student Body President Will Leimenstoll and the Faculty Executive Committee, who voted unanimously against the proposal.
Board of Governor meetings are not public hearings, so if students do protest, they will likely be kept outside.
The Board of Governor’s meets at 9:00 a.m. at the Spangler Center in Chapel Hill.
http://chapelboro.com/news/unc/bog-to-meet-thursday-unc-students-criticize-its-adddrop-policy/CHAPEL HILL – UNC faculty and student leaders said at a Board of Trustees meeting last week that they were concerned about a policy which significantly shortens the drop/add period for classes. They said it hurts students who plan to attend graduate school and also could cause Carolina to fall behind peer institutions.
The policy, proposed by the UNC System’s Board of Governors, is a system-wide measure which limits the course adjustment period to 10 class days. It’s an effort to make the system more efficient and help students graduate on time by providing more open seats at the beginning of the semester.
If students do not drop the class by the deadline, they get a permanent “W,” indicating a withdrawal, on their transcripts.
UNC-Chapel Hill currently allows students to drop courses before the end of the eighth week of classes with departmental permission, without having a W placed on their transcript. The policy is required to be implemented no later than the fall of 2014.
Jan Boxill, UNC’s Faculty Chair, said at a Board of Trustees committee Wednesday that it is a “one-size-fits-all” policy that will not help Carolina’s students succeed.
“While it may seem reasonable to standardize policies across the campuses that will be cost-effective and foster academic success, this one is not,” Boxill said.
Boxill said that receiving a “W” on a transcript creates a stigma concerning the student’s academic credentials.
“Further, the policy change is likely to deter our students, many of whom are heading to graduate school or professional schools from trying out classes in new areas for fear that the late withdrawal will leave a permanent W on their transcripts,” Boxill said.
When the policy was introduced in the fall of 2012, it was met with resistance from then UNC Student Body President Will Leimenstoll and the Faculty Executive Committee, who voted unanimously against the proposal.
Current Student Body President Christy Lambden told the Board of Trustees Thursday that once the policy is implemented in Chapel Hill, UNC’s drop/add period would be shorter than many peers institutions. He said many members of Student Government feared it would cause Carolina to fall behind.
“The reality is that students should be encouraged to challenge themselves academically,” Lambden said. “This policy will only lead to students taking a safer course load that inhibits creative academic exploration, a key component to a robust liberal arts education.”
In 2004, UNC lengthened the drop period from six to eight weeks, according to a University publication.
http://chapelboro.com/news/unc/drop-add/CHAPEL HILL - The UNC Board of Trustees found that there was no “intentional bias” in Student Congress’ allocation of funds to the College Republicans.
The student group accused Student Congress earlier this month of discriminatory funding practices.
After a Student Congress presentation on the issue to the University Affairs Committee Wednesday, Alston Gardner, Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees, reported that despite national press which the controversy triggered, members of the Student Congress Finance Committee acted fairly.
“There was much discussion in the national press that their budgets were cut, when in reality, everybody’s budgets were cut. It appeared to us that the process was free of bias,” Gardner said. “That’s not to say that there weren’t some things that the students might have done to handle that situation better, handle their public relations better, and perhaps work through the system rather than going outside to speak to the press,” Gardner said.
The College Republicans submitted a fall budget request for $8,180 to bring two speakers to campus. The finance committee cut the request, however, and allotted only enough money to bring one speaker to Chapel Hill.
Gardner pointed out that over the past three school years, the College Republicans have received $63,209 in Student Congress funding and the Young Democrats have received $23,485.
Tony Patterson, of the Student Life & Activities Department in the Carolina Union, said that he works with Student Congress directly and mediates funding issues regularly. He said the College Republicans did not report their concern to his department.
“In today’s environment of Facebook posting, blogging and tweeting, this one did not go in that direction. Since the announcements were made and blogs were made, I have spoken with the College Republicans,” Patterson said. “I asked them why they didn’t come to our office or to the Director of the Union, or to the Vice Chancellor before doing what they did. They frankly said they didn’t really think about it.”
Fox News and other outlets ran stories about the funding issue.
Winston Crisp, UNC’s Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, said he looked into the case as well and told Board members that the matter wasn’t taken lightly.
“We have been certainly satisfied that whatever else you might want to say about the allocation process, that there certainly wasn’t any intentional bias against the College Republicans because they are conservative group,” Crisp said. “I think that is the central question we need to stay focused on.”
Brittany Best, UNC Student Congress Finance Committee Chair, told the Truestees that since the controversy, she has instituted a more structured funding review process.
“We are trying that out to facilitate more discussion from more representatives on requests,” Best said. “We’ve only had two meetings since that change, but I’ve gotten positive feedback, and I’ve been pleased with the results thus far.”
Best said that the finance committee received budget requests from more than 100 student groups this semester and will fund requests until the money for fall appropriations is depleted.
http://chapelboro.com/news/unc/unc-bot-on-college-republicans-funding-scandal-no-intentional-bias/CHAPEL HILL – More than two dozen UNC employees received a standing ovation at a Board of Trustees meeting Wednesday for their response to this summer’s flash flooding which swept through campus.
Alston Gardner, Vice Chair of the Board, praised members of the grounds crew, campus maintenance, building services and housing support for their efforts.
“We really want to thank you, each and every one of you, for making that sacrifice,” Gardner said. “I know sometimes we can’t convince the Legislature to give you guys a raise, but one thing we can do is say thank you for everything you’ve done for us.”
The June 30th flood dumped more than 5 inches of rain in just a few hours, endangering close to 90 buildings across campus.
Only about 14 grounds crew members were on campus due to the upcoming July 4th holiday. Mark Bristol, Director of Building Services, said that they were also were understaffed because it was a Sunday.
“And it just came, and went and these guys were just so spectacular in being able to pick up the phone and say, “I’ll be there.” And it made the clean-up effort go a whole lot smoother than it would have,” Bristol said.
UNC staff member Charles Streeter shared the story of how severe the flooding was at the chemistry facilities, which include a cluster of buildings: Morehead, Kenan and Caudill laboratories; Venable and Murray halls; and parts of Chapman Hall and the Genomic Sciences building.
One of the workers who responded to the flooding there said he saw the rising waters destroy computers, books and carpeting. He even saw a door ripped from its hinges as a result of the fast moving water, as reported in a university publication.
Bristol said the employees stayed well into the early morning hours of July 1st to clean up after the damage was done.
“It was just a great overall team effort,” he said. “These guys were willing to take time away from their homes and get in here and give us a hand because we had our hands full.”
Bristol said the clean-up work continued over the next month and a half to make sure that campus buildings were ready and safe for students to return.
http://chapelboro.com/news/unc/unc-staff-recognized-for-flood-response-efforts/CHAPEL HILL – We should see concrete changes in UNC’s sexual assault policy by the end of this year, according to the University’s top leaders. After months of work by Carolina’s sexual assault policy task force, some improvements have already been implemented.
The group was charged with reviewing and enhancing the University’s policies and procedures on the issue. It’s a diverse, 22-member assemblage of students and leaders with in the Carolina community.
UNC Chancellor Carol Folt said she met with the sexual assault policy task force just last week.
“We will stay vigilant in this area, but it’s something that requires a community-side effort,” Folt said to the Board of Trustees. She added, “Nobody could be watching the news and not constantly be thinking about what we can do to ensure the safety of our communities. We have a lot of work. Just two days ago, we met with the Chief [McCraken] and went over those plans.”
Several changes outside the policy process have already been put into effect. In the coming months, faculty, staff and students will have access to online training concerning Title IX requirements, and there will be a campus-wide emphasis on preventing all forms of violence.
UNC Student Body President Christy Lambden has been working with the task force since its creation.
“We must start to implement increased training around this issue for all members of our community,” Lambden said.
Lambden and members of the Student Government began work this spring on a new Smartphone app that will allow members of the university community to report incidents of sexual violence.
“We as a community must undergo a shift in the culture surrounding this issue on our campus,” Lambden said. “We must support those who have been assaulted and continue to educate our community about how to prevent sexual assault from occurring.”
Carolina’s emphasis on improving its sexual assault policy began after Landen Gambill told the UNC Honor Court in the spring of 2012 that she was repeatedly assaulted by her ex-boyfriend. She then filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights against the University. Gambill and four others claimed that Carolina acted with insensitivity and carelessness when handling these cases.
As of the summer of 2012, sexual assault cases have been removed from the Honor Court’s jurisdiction.
In the wake of the Federal Investigation, then UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp brought in Gina Smith, a former prosecutor, in January of this year. She worked with members of the campus community, including the sexual assault task force, to discuss how the University handles cases of sexual misconduct.
Winston Crisp, UNC’s Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, has been monitoring the work of the task force. He told a Board of Trustees committee that they can expect clearer policy language about the reporting of sexual misconduct. Specifically, a more concise definition of what sexual assault is.
“Over the last couple of years, we’ve seen almost a revolution across the country, particularly around the processes we use and how we execute the process so that it is more humane and pays more attention to the feelings and the emotions,” Crisp said.
http://chapelboro.com/news/unc/unc-sexual-assault-policy-reforms-underway/CHAPEL HILL – UNC Chancellor Carol Folt said that Carolina is moving forward from past scandals and embracing change through new leadership and policy adjustments.
“I’m very proud of Jim Dean, and Bubba Cunningham’s very deep into the institution look at how we are going to support our athletic students from recruitment all the way to graduation,” Folt said.
The three leaders formed the Student Athlete Academic Working Group in August. Dean, UNC’s top academic officer, said Wednesday to a Board of Trustees committee that the working group was not making just a “casual effort” to improve the connection between athletics and academics. He said that changes would be implemented this academic year.
Folt said that this attitude of “embracing change” is in part due to the new era of top leadership. Both she and Dean were named to their respective positions this summer. Bubba Cunningham is now two years into his role as Director of Athletics.
Folt laughingly told the Trustees Thursday that she had been at the helm of the University for 88 days and not a second of the time had been boring.
“That, too, is a gift when you come to a new place, people are always thinking about the future,” Folt said. “They aren’t sitting, thinking about what they did yesterday. They are anticipating what is needed to be strong and ready for tomorrow.”
Earlier this month, the Rawlings Panel issued a report on the role of athletics in campus life. It was commissioned by former UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp.
Along with the Student Athlete Academic Working Group and the Rawlings Report, efforts have been on-going across campus in examining athletic/academic relations. Folt said the Carolina will be announcing other, similar initiatives in the coming weeks.
Folt said that there are several other areas where UNC is making significant progress as well.
“I think that Carolina Counts, which of course predates me, is something that I’m proud of because it indicates that people are willing to rethink the way that we do business.”
Carolina Counts was a program that began in 2009 to help the University become more efficient. The projects completed so far have reduced recurring annual State costs by over $54 Million.
Folt said she is also satisfied with the work being done to rewrite UNC’s sexual assault policy, as well efforts to encourage entrepreneurship.
“The real Carolina story is about entrepreneurship and innovation,” Folt said. “Because that is a core value here, that already sets up people who don’t just embrace change, but want to live that.”
Folt took over as the University’s leader on July 1, replacing Thorp, who is now provost at Washington University in St. Louis. Folt previously served the interim president of Dartmouth College.
http://chapelboro.com/news/unc/chancellor-carol-folt-says-she-is-embracing-change/CHAPEL HILL – Corporate executive David Routh is UNC’s new Vice Chancellor for Development. Chancellor Carol Folt made the announcement during Thursday’s Board of Trustees meeting, though Routh was not in attendance.
“He has an extensive background in leadership and experience in fundraising, collaboration, and he shares a passion and aspiration for Carolina that I think will be serving us all extremely well as we go forward,” Folt said.
Routh, an alumnus of Carolina, has connections to philanthropy on campus as a staff member and volunteer. He is a managing director for U.S. Trust/Bank of America Private Wealth Management in Raleigh.
Folt selected Routh after a nationwide search that began in January of this year. Former UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp appointed an 11-member committee to find candidates for the position.
As Vice Chancellor, Routh will be the University’s senior development officer and will work closely with campus fundraising offices and affiliated foundations that support Carolina.
The job was formerly held by Matt Kupec; he resigned in September 2012 after it was discovered that he made improper trips on the University’s expense with Tami Hansbrough, mother of Tar Heel basketball star Tyler Hansbrough.
Tami Hansbrough, who also worked for the UNC at the time as a fundraiser, resigned as well.
http://chapelboro.com/news/unc/david-routh-uncs-new-vice-chancellor-for-development/CHAPEL HILL – Jan Boxill, UNC’s Faculty Chair, said Wednesday that significant progress has been made in achieving “balance” between athletics and academics at the University. In the wake of scandals that continue to haunt Carolina, the pressure is on to make changes and prevent future indiscretions.
“We can be a model for other Division I athletic programs,” Boxill said. “That doesn’t mean that we will reach complete agreement among the faculty as no policy will.”
In mid-July, Boxill was accused by the Raleigh News and Observer of a cover-up regarding information about UNC’s athletic program
Boxill told WCHL News that she was cast in a negative light by the N&O for trying to help the University’s image during tumultuous times with the NCAA, the media, and even the public. UNC faculty issued a statement supporting Boxill after the article was published.
Photo by Dan Sears
While addressing a committee of the Board Trustees Wednesday, Boxill said that the work of the Faculty Council’s athletics focus group had been tedious, but that it was on a path toward progress.
Efforts have been on-going across campus to strengthen relationships between academics and athletics. The Academic Support Program for Student-Athletes was reorganized and now reports to Dean’s office.
Earlier this month, the Rawlings Panel issued a report on the role of athletics in campus life. It was commissioned by former UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp.
Boxill said that report was discussed by the Faculty Council on September 13 and will be dissected more thoroughly next month.
Chancellor Carol Folt and Provost Jim Dean both assumed their respective positions this summer. Boxill said this has given her a fresh perspective on Carolina’s strengths and weaknesses.
“Their visible presence and willingness to learn from all of us has presented opportunities for the faculty to find solutions to our old and new problems,” Boxill said.
Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham, Folt, and Dean together formed the Student Athlete Academic Working Group in August.
Dean said Wednesday that the three leaders were not making just a “casual effort” to improve the connection between athletics and academics
“And this group, because of the nature of the people who are on the group, is not a group that will be making recommendations,” Dean said “There is no one for us to make recommendations to. We will be making changes.”
UNC Provost-elect Jim Dean
He added that he, Folt, and Cunningham were going through “everything that has to do with student athletes with a fine-toothed comb.”
http://chapelboro.com/news/unc/uncs-jan-boxill-jim-dean-talk-athleticsacademics/Pictured and photo courtesy: UNC Senior Kevin Claybren
CHAPEL HILL – UNC Chapel Hill has endeavored to improve student safety through University-wide efforts. Some have said that gender non-specific housing, also known as gender neutral housing, a program allowing males and females to live together in the same University dorm suites or apartments, might have saved some students from facing harassment because of their sexual identities. However, it was banned last week by UNC System leaders before the program could be begin its pilot year.
UNC Senior Kevin Claybren served as the Student Coordinator of the Gender Non-Specific Housing Coalition. He was set to live with three other females in Ram Village Apartments, the first four students to participate in the gender non-specific housing pilot program at UNC, allowing males and females to share bathrooms and common areas in suites or apartments, but not share the same room.
“Our Board of Governors, the University of North Carolina’s System Board of Governors, are not focused on student safety and student success,” Claybren said. “They are focused on other things and other agendas.”
Claybren said the Board of Governors’ decision, which affects the 16 UNC System campuses, put him in a bind to find housing, and now he is living alone.
“I looked forward to being around other people who would be able to affirm my identity and I could have affirmed their identity. I looked forward to being in that welcoming and inclusive environment where people welcomed the discussion and welcomed these challenging and hard conversations,” Claybren said, adding he believes that feeling safe in a residence hall influences positive academic success.
The Coalition worked for more than two years to make the program a reality, Claybren explained. The group held a sessions in which students shared how they had been bullied.
“We knew that gender non-specific housing was a way to address the bullying and harassment that was happening in our housing experience on UNC Chapel Hill’s campus,” Claybren said.
Terri Phoenix, UNC’s LGBTQ Center Director, served on the Gender Non-Specific Housing Coalition alongside Claybren. She said that residence halls were the fourth most common location where students said they had experienced harassment because of their sexual orientation, gender identity and/or gender expression, according to UNC’s 2011 Campus Climate Report. She said that half of the students who reported harassment identified themselves as heterosexuals. Phoenix said she believed that the program would have benefited a diverse group of students.
Fifty-five University departments and groups supported the policy, including the UNC Parents Council, the student government and the executive branch of the student government. More than 2,000 students signed a petition in favor of the gender non-specific housing. Most notably, the UNC Board of Trustees approved the policy last November, championed by former UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp.
“We were able to demonstrate that this proposed policy had broad-based support from a number of student organizations and other departments. We made the case that this was an approach, one of many approaches, that we wanted to have at our disposal to ensure student safety,” Phoenix said.
Phoenix, who also served on the Sexual Assault Task Force this summer, said the point of gender non-specific housing, was not to randomly assign males and females to live together. She said it was about providing a safe environment, allowing students the opportunity to room with other people who elected to be a part of the pilot program.
“And this group of people then would have had the chance to say I want to live with these specific roommates, regardless of what their gender was, or they would have been assigned with other people who also said, ‘I have concerns about safety, I want to be in a place where people don’t have concerns about rooming with a LGBTQ person,’” Phoenix said. “That what this policy would have done, and that is what was prevented by this Board of Governors’ decision.”
Phoenix said she questioned the timing of the Board of Governor’s Decision, when students were not on campus and without hearing student or faculty comment. It not protocol, though, for the Board meetings to take public comment.
Peter Hans, Chair of the Board of Governors, replied last Friday when asked why the policy was banned:
“Our board wants every student to be safe and comfortable and included. The Board believes there are more practical ways to achieve those goals than assigning young men and young women to the same dorm rooms and campus suites,” Hans said.
Phoenix said his response was a “simplistic representation” of what the policy was.
Both Phoenix and Claybren said that despite the Board of Governors’ decision, they will continue to educate people about why gender non-specific housing is important, with the hope that the Board of Governors will revisit the policy in the future.
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