Articles

Articles

Jul 21, 2005 ·

Controversy Surrounds UNC Board of Governors Selections

Every two years, members of the General Assembly are responsible for choosing half of the 32-member University of North Carolina Board of Governors (BOG). The BOG members make important decisions on issues such as tuition, and later this year they’ll select a new president for the system.

This year’s action by the General Assembly has, however, led to controversy, with some members asking whether legislative leaders followed the law.

Elections to the BOG are governed by General Statute 116-6. It outlines two requirements for the election procedure, one covering nominees and balloting, and the other specifying when the vote must occur. According to the statute, nomination ballots should include “at least twice the number of candidates for the total seats open” and that “each house shall hold their elections within 30 legislative days after appointments to their education committees are complete.”

Jul 14, 2005 ·

Grove City College Shows What Can Happen Without Title IX

In the sports world, Title IX brings about various sets of emotions. There are those who believe the 1972 legislation – which bars discrimination based on sex at institutions receiving federal funding – has greatly increased the number of opportunities for female athletes. Others say the regulation has mostly decreased the number of opportunities for males, because schools have often dropped men’s sports to achieve equality.

It is instructive to look at the experience of one college that doesn’t have to abide by Title IX’s mandates. Grove City College, a private college in northwest Pennsylvania, does not accept federal funding therefore is exempt from federal regulations. Nevertheless, the school provides ample opportunities for men and women to compete in NCAA Division III level sports.

The story begins with the decision of Grove City’s administration to challenge the applicability of Title IX and its burdensome reporting requirements in the early 1980s. When the school failed to supply the documents demanded by the Department of Education, the DOE filed suit to stop Grove City students from receiving federal financial aid (Basic Education Opportunity Grants).

Jul 8, 2005 ·

Learn the ins & outs of pursuing “culturally correct” funding

A rising senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, recently won a scholarship worth up to $20,000 to study Tajik and Russian languages in the Asian nation of Tajikistan. Since that scholarship obliges him to work in national security upon graduation, UNC-CH’s Prof. Charles Kurzman is worried about what kind of “dirty deeds” he might be up to.

Jul 7, 2005 ·

Diversity Movement Threatens Academic Freedom

Just for fun, imagine how the academic Left would react if dozens of colleges incorporated patriotism into their guiding principles and evaluated people according to their “patriotic dispositions.”

Then think how they’d respond to a plan to “Develop Patriotism” among university faculty that would:

“Revise 3rd year, tenure, and post-tenure evaluation criteria to assess ongoing skill building and demonstrable commitment to patriotism.”

“Tie evaluation of patriotism to raises, promotions, etc.”

“Recommend that all instructional faculties participate in ongoing patriotism professional development, including a module from the Patriotism Project.

“Include meaningful emphasis on patriotism development in orientation programming.”

Jun 27, 2005 ·

Statement may lead to compromise

A statement from the American Council on Education may pave the way for a compromise between academic institutions and supporters of the Academic Bill of Rights.

The statement, dated June 23, was endorsed by 26 organizations, including the College Board and the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. In it, the organizations outline their support for intellectual diversity on college campuses, which was the basis of the Academic Bill of Rights legislation proposed in several states and Congress by David Horowitz. Legislation in North Carolina, sponsored by Sen. Andrew Brock, did not make the June deadline for it to be considered for full passage in the General Assembly during the two-year session.

Jun 24, 2005 ·

The Perils of Annoying the Diversicrats

Last week, a federal court in Kansas ruled that the administration at Kansas State University did not violate the First Amendment rights of a journalism professor who was fired from his position as adviser to the school’s student newspaper. It’s an amazing case that shows the extent to which school administrators will go in order to appease the campus diversity crowd once it decides to feel aggrieved.

Professor Ron Johnson had for many years been the faculty adviser to the Kansas State Collegian, a student newspaper that had received an award in 2004 as the best daily college newspaper in a national competition. Alas, he and the students committed an unpardonable sin of omission. The paper failed to cover an event on campus. Of course, there are lots of events at a large university like K-State, so what’s the big deal about failing to write about one of them?

Jun 24, 2005 ·

Congress debating bill to enhance studies

WASHINGTON – Congress is considering legislation that would provide grants to colleges to promote programs in Western Civilization and American history education as a way to improve educational quality in those subject areas.

The Higher Education for Freedom Act was introduced earlier this month by Rep. Thomas E. Petri, R-Wis., and Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., with the purpose to sustain postsecondary education programs that deal with traditional American history, the American founding, and Western civilization. The bills, H.R. 2858 and S.B. 1209, are currently in education committees in the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Jun 23, 2005 ·

Groups oppose Umstead Act Changes

RALEIGH — Business owners in many areas of North Carolina are mobilizing to oppose a bill under consideration in the state Senate that they feel would make it easier for the University of North Carolina to compete unfairly with small businesses.

Mark Zimmerman, a Chapel Hill businessman and chairman of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors, says the bill, which would amend the Umstead Act, could hinder businesses in Chapel Hill and other university communities. He mentioned specifically businesses on Franklin Street that sell UNC-Chapel Hill-related merchandise. If UNC is allowed to sell merchandise to alumni it could damage those companies.

“We are very, very concerned,” Zimmerman said. “There are real businesses and real people that will be affected by this.”