Our Perspective......

Politics as usual

UNC system mired in financial limbo

North Carolina House Speaker Jim Black, D-Mecklenburg County, stated late last week he hopes the General Assembly passes a budget package by the end of next week.

With the budget plan already more than six weeks late, the 16 University of North Carolina system institutions are caught in the legislative crossfire, unable to move forward with vital decisions on how to substantially trim their respective budgets without hindering students' opportunity to receive a quality education.

Appalachian State University officials told The Appalachian earlier this week they could be forced to cut as much as $4 million from the university budget but have no way of determining the actual amount until the General Assembly finally passes a budget plan on to Gov. Mike Easley for executive approval.

Jane Helm, Appalachian State vice chancellor for Business Affairs, said the university is dealing with the current financial impasse by approaching spending issues as conservatively as possible.

"What the university will do is conduct all the research into something but not make a financial commitment," Helm said. She pointed to a university plan to install security cameras in campus parking lots; an initiative Appalachian officials are not able to allocate funds to due to the legislature's budget impasse.

While Helm and other university administrators are placed in the difficult position of possibly being forced to place initiatives aimed to improve campus safety and other programs under the financial chopping block, state legislative leaders continue to make little progress in budget negotiations. Members of both chambers met into the night Tuesday to discuss their respective budget plans, but at press time no deal had been reached.

This ongoing political stalemate by the House and Senate leadership represents little more than politics as usual, not sound policymaking.

Voters selected these men and women to make complex policy decisions in regards to the state's university system, something the body has a history of struggling to achieve. After conducting an extensive--and costly--study, the General Assembly opted last fall to give voters final say in approving a $3.1 billion funding package for capital construction projects at state-supported universities. Voters overwhelmingly approved the bond package, allowing the legislators to save political face.

There is no political path of least resistance in this instance. The time has come for the politics as usual to end. We feel a budget compromise must be reached soon if university leaders are expected to have ample time to salvage a dismal financial situation. The General Assembly's indecision has the entire UNC system and other state-funded agencies trapped in a state of limbo.

We feel the time has come for faculty and students in the University of North Carolina system to take a hard look at how the General Assembly approaches policies that directly affect the UNC system.

COMMENTARY

Tuition sticker shock may become epidemic

John T. Bennett

It was impossible not to notice the shell shocked look on the faces of some students and parents last weekend as they lugged suitcases, furniture and other personal belongings into residence halls and apartments across Boone. Those who pre-registered in the spring were still feeling the effects of higher education's version of sticker shock after opening their fall semester tuition bills.

Unlike shopping for a new automobile, however, the price for a college education is non-negotiable.

For Appalachian students and parents, this summer's sticker shock was created by the first installment of a university-requested $300 tuition increase, coupled with an additional nine percent boost based solely on the assumption a North Carolina Senate bill will eventually become part of the General Assembly's final budget package.

Before the University of North Carolina system Board of Governors (BOG) approved the Appalachian request in March--and similar plans from seven other schools--Chancellor Francis T. Borkwoski told The Appalachian he was opposed to tuition increases.

"I think it is a public responsibility...to provide access to higher education at as low a price as possible," he said in the March 22 edition. In the interview, Borkowski said despite his personal views, the increase was needed to generate additional monies to increase faculty salaries.

Borkowski and other Appalachian officials argued without those funds the university would not be in a financial position to attract and retain upper-echelon professors, a theme that became the core of the sales pitch delivered to the Student Government Association and Faculty Senate late last fall. Both representative bodies signed off on the proposal, recognizing the importance of having quality faculty members in the classroom.

Boosting faculty salaries in an attempt to bring in new and keeping existing faculty members is clearly a sound practice that will benefit both students and the university, but the means by which the increase was initiated highlights what is emerging as a troubling trend.

Five UNC system institutions petitioned the BOG for tuition hikes in the spring of 2000, essentially giving those respective institutions a competitive advantage over their sister schools because of added funds able to be devoted to faculty pay.

Appalachian and six other system institutions followed suit a year later in an attempt to negate what they touted as a financial and competitive disadvantage.

Time will reveal if the remaining four state-supported universities come before the board this year with tuition increase requests designed to increase the amount of funds that can devoted to faculty wages.

But with the state facing a monumental budget shortfall, university officials will not be able to turn to the General Assembly for monetary assistance.

As needs such as boosting faculty salaries arise, the financial burden will inevitably shift from the legislature to campus-based requests aimed at increasing student fees and tuition to generate additional funds.

Following its March vote, Charlotte BOG member Roy Farris, voiced concern in regards to the board's campus-initiated tuition-increase policy.

"I think it's dangerous. If you look at our tuition policy, it's not reasonable and consistent," Farris said.

Given the emerging trend of the board's willingness to grant campus-initiated tuition increase requests and North Carolina's current budget crunch, higher education sticker shock may become a statewide epidemic in the near future.

COMMENTARY

Golan can propel soccer program to new heights

Andy Morris

It's not even 7 a.m., but the new Appalachian State University men's soccer coach Dave Golan is already cracking jokes. While everyone else wipes the sleep from his or her eyes, Golan acts like he's been up since 3 a.m.

But his enthusiasm and wisecracks soon have the team laughing and maybe actually enjoying an early morning practice on dew-soaked grass.

An angry Golan seems to be as rare as Big Foot. A player said at one practice Golan made the team run and that he was mad at the team. Then he smiled. It's that happiness and eagerness to work that has quickly earned the respect of his players.

"He has class," said sophomore Mark Thornton. "He's done really well, and he has a lot of enthusiasm."

Jordy Broder, a senior, said Golan's attitude has helped the team's chemistry.

"He has really brought the guys closer together earlier, and we're pretty tight as a team," he said.

After a week of physical conditioning that even humbled the most physically fit players on the team, Golan said it's important to stay upbeat.

"We crushed them this week," he said. "With this demanding practice regimen, we have to keep the guys excited."

Golan came to Appalachian with a vision for the Mountaineers' potential to be a consistent nationally ranked team.

Even after just a few weeks of coaching the Mountaineers, Golan seems to love his job.

"It's fun to coach these guys," he said. "There are no egos on this team. They will win games as a team and lose games as a team."

Golan inherited a team that ranked No. 8 in the South and finished tied for second place in the Southern Conference. All Golan has to do is tinker with the style of play to make Appalachian a threat to major soccer powerhouses.

Broder, the Southern Conference Player of the Year, will be expected to make a significant impact for the Appalachian offense. The Mountaineers have nine players returning with more than 10 games of experience from last year. Five of those players have 12 or more starts. Eleven new recruits joined the team in August.

The team opens the season with a tough challenge against the University of North Carolina, a school that ranked as high as No. 1 in the nation for part of last season.

The Mountaineers will play two of their biggest games at Kidd-Brewer Stadium against Furman University on Oct. 6 and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro on Oct. 23. Appalachian was 6-1 on the turf last season.

The Mountaineers are definitely eyeing the new automatic bid to the NCAA tournament for the Southern Conference. In previous years, the winner of the Southern Conference Tournament would have to win a play-in game to make the bracket.

For Appalachian, the notion of making the NCAA tournament is no longer a far-away dream.

Golan said he wants "to pick up the momentum of a successful year and take the team to the next level."

With just a push from Golan, the Mountaineers can make the jump from mediocrity to greatness.