TECHNICIAN
monday november
22 2010
Raleigh, North Carolina
technicianonline.com
State budget cuts could mean tuition increase N.C. State’s Board of Trustees has proposed yet another tuition increase in light of projected state budget cuts. Brooke Wallig Staff Writer
In addition to the already approved $750 tuition increase, in-state undergraduates students could be facing another $300 tuition increase approved Friday by the University’s Board of Trustees, if the University’s funding is further cut by the state. According to Kelly Hook, student body president and member of the Board of Trustees, the proposal suggests a tuition increase of $300 for in-state undergraduate students and $600 for out-of-state and graduate students as a result of expected state budget cuts. “Currently they are projecting between a 10 to 15 percent budget cut, so tuition may be increased to make up for it. But I won’t be surprised if it is raised even higher than we have suggested,” said Hook. “Students should start preparing for it now.” According to Hook, the proposal will be sent to the General Admin-
istration, headed by Erskine Bowles, funds we need.” In a memorandum from the Chanwho will evaluate the board’s suggestions and will accept, reject, or alter cellor to the members of the Board of Trustees, Woodson said the Tuition the proposal. “This is simply a recommendation Advisory Committee, co-chaired by to the general administration as to Interim Provost and Executive Vice what we think the increase should be,” Chancellor Warwick Arden and said Hook. “This has two more stops Kelly Hook, recommended increases of about 6.2 perbefore it is officent for undercial, the general grad residents, administration 3.5 percent for and then the state undergrad nonlegislature. They residents, 11.2 may say that we percent for gradhave asked for uate residents, too much, too and 3.4 percent little, or exactly for graduate stuthe right amount. dents classified as We just don’t “nonresidents” of know.” Chancellor Randy Woodson North Carolina. According to The advisory Chancellor Randy Woodson, an increase in tuition committee also suggested the money is unavoidable in lieu of the dramatic be used mostly for financial aid allocadecrease in expected state funding, tions, funding for faculty promotions, and to “improve the quality and acceswhich could total up to $65 million. “Even if the tuition were raised by sibility of the N.C. State educational 10 percent, which it isn’t going to since experience.” According to Woodson, the money the amount is well within the 6.5 percent campus initiated cap on increases may or may not be used for faculty set by the Board of Governors,” said promotional increases depending on Woodson. “It would not close the gap the decision by the legislature to allow between the funds we have and the such increases.
“We refuse to offer mediocre programs. Low cost and low quality are of benefit to no one.”
“In the past three years, professors that have been promoted to higher level positions have not been allowed to have raises,” said Woodson. “This is because the current environment in the legislature.” The advisory committee advised that about 4.8 percent of the money from the tuition increase be used for the purpose of faculty promotional increases. Specifics of how the “quality and accessibility” of the University experience would be improved were not described, but Hook and Woodson said the about half of the money from the tuition increase would go to maintaining the quality of education. “Quality of education is a really broad idea,” said Hook, “but some of what that means is keeping good professors, technology in classrooms, keeping class sizes small, and making sure there is enough need-based financial aid.” Woodson said the money given to the University by the state accounts for a very large portion of the University budget, and these continuous funding cuts may cost students more than a couple hundred dollars. “We are expected to deliver a worldclass education, and these budget cuts
make that difficult. We have historically been well-funded by the state, but now that the state is not providing us with these funds it is becoming harder to keep the same level of education,” said Woodson. “If we continue to see these budget cuts, we are either going to have to look for more private sources of funding or we are going to see programs cut. We refuse to offer mediocre programs. Low cost and low quality are of benefit to no one.” According to Woodson, if the University sacrifices quality for low cost, the reputation of the University and the value of a degree from N.C. State would be tarnished. “We are still the least expensive University among our peer institutions, and we want to be the least expensive University in the country,” said Woodson. “However, if we let the quality of our university slip because we are trying so hard to keep costs low, the reputation we worked so hard to achieve over 125 years will be lost very quickly.”
NCCU newspapers trashed NCCU administration publicly condemned the trashing of copies of the student newspaper. Staff Report In an apparent retaliation of two controversial stories published within the last six weeks, hundreds of copies of the NCCU student newspaper, Campus Echo, have been trashed. One such controversial story was published Oct. 6. This article, “Business School Blues,” covered the controversy over the dismissal of the NCCU Business School Dean Bijoy Sahoo. Sahoo was replaced after a review by a university task force questioned his leadership. Shortly afterwards, hundreds of newspapers disappeared from the Willis Commerce Building. Newspapers disappeared near the sociology building and student union after the second controversial story was published Nov. 3. “Sociability Shortage in Sociology” detailed a conflict between student Dontravis Swain, who was later suspended from the university, and assistant professor of sociology, Dana Greene. The person or people dumping the newspapers has not be found, but the action is illegal. Charges include larceny, petty theft, criminal mischief or destruction of property.
AARON ANDERSEN/TECHNICIAN
The Wolfpack begins their attack on UNC-Chapel Hill during the Quidditch tournament Sunday. Jacqueline Garcia, a sophomore in fasion and textile management, Weston Sadovy, a material science and engineering, Cory Temple, a sophomore in Physics and Natalie Claunch, a sophomore in zoology, take off at the start of a game. In the beginning of a Quidditch match, all players must have their brooms on the ground and players must close their eyes. When the announcer calls “brooms up,” all players grab their brooms and charge to the center of the field, where all the balls are located.
Wolfpack Quidditch Club wins Tobacco Road Cup The first Tobacco Road Quidditch Cup won by N.C. State Sunday. Aaron Andersen & Megan Farrell Staff Writer & Photographer
insidetechnician
Freshman Engineering Design Day showcases student work All 1350 first-year students in engineering will present design projects Tuesday in the McKimmon Center See page 6.
MEGAN FARRELL/TECHNICIAN
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Nick Topine, a freshman in computer science, serves as the commissioner for the Wolfpack Quidditch Club. Toptine organized the first annual Tobacco Road Quidditch Cup Tournament, which took place Sunday on Lee Field. Toptine made sure that everything ran smoothly.
REFUSE TO ACCEPT THE STATUS QUO
The Wolfpack Quidditch Club held their first Tobacco Road Quidditch Cup Sunday in Lee Field. Each Quidditch team consists of seven players on the field at once: three chasers, two beaters, a keeper and a seeker. Teams are encouraged to have up to 20 members for substitutions and in case of injuries. N.C. State won the tournament with an overall score of 430 points including the points from catching the snitch twice. The other schools playing in the tournament were University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Duke University. UNC-CH came in second place in overall score with 170 points. Duke and UNC-G trailed close behind, though Duke caught the snitch in every one of their three games, giving them second place in number of wins. Nick Toptine, the commissioner of the club and a freshman in computer science, started the club in 2009 and now has over 40 members on the roster. Toptine said he hopes next semester the club can host a tournament that brings all colleges in the Carolinas with a Quidditch club together.
TOURNAMENT BREAK DOWN N. C. State points 430 UNC-CH points 170 Duke points 150 UNC-G points 100 Duke snitch catches 3 N. C. State snitch catches 2 UNC-CH snitch catches 2 UNC-G snitch catches 0 SOURCE: NICK TOPTINE
The Tobacco Road Quidditch Cup will become an annual event for the Wolfpack Quidditch Club. Toptine said he was “surprised at how many people actually showed up.” “We had close to 350 to 400 people show up over all,” Toptine said. Toptine said he was very happy with how the entire event turned out. Members of the Wolfpack Quidditch Club cooked and sold various Harry Potter treats as a fundraiser, including cauldron cakes, chocolate frogs, and butterbeer. “We made about $370 in concessions,” Toptine said.