Tuition Task Force Feels Pressure of Deadline

But members disagree about whether the committee's two remaining two-hour meetings will allow for adequate discussion of the complex issue of tuition. The committee has 10 days remaining before its deadline to complete a tuition proposal that will go before the UNC Board of Trustees at its Jan. 24 meeting.

Provost Robert Shelton, who is chairman of the tuition committee, is confident that the group can finish its work in time, but co-chairman and Student Body President Justin Young said he is not so sure. "There are so many issues and factors involved," Young said. "This isn't something we can handle quickly."

UNC Association of Student Governments President Andrew Payne said Monday that the UNC-system Board of Governors has not yet set an official date to act on campus-initiated tuition increases, the type of increase the committee is considering.

But campus officials are under the impression that the Jan. 24 meeting is the trustees' last chance to act on a tuition increase that would be implemented in the next academic year.

The tuition committee was formed last semester after Chancellor James Moeser's suggested at the Nov. 15 BOT meeting that officials examine the need for a campus-based tuition increase. Members met once before Winter Break, but only to disseminate information and handle administrative details.

The next meeting was scheduled for last Friday but was canceled after Chapel Hill received a heavy snowfall.

On Wednesday, the committee will meet again to pick up where it left off, developing guiding principles and goals for tuition. Members also are expected to discuss the possibility of rescheduling the canceled meeting and the feasibility of preparing a proposal by the Jan. 17 deadline Shelton has set for the committee to complete its work.

Senior Eric Johnson, one of four students who sit on the committee, said the shortened schedule makes it difficult to examine all the issues that would go into crafting a proposal. "There is just no way to come to a rational decision of tuition needs and make a decision on tuition in 10 days," Johnson said.

But other committee members are optimistic that a proposal can be drafted in time. "I don't think we will have any problem getting done in time," said Stephen Weiss, chairman of the Department of Computer Science.

Shelton said the committee has a unique opportunity to influence the BOT with the proposal members have been charged to draft. "We have been given a job by the trustees, so we need to make every effort to fulfill it," Shelton said. "I don't think (extending the talks past the deadline) is advisable because the BOT needs to take action."

Shelton expects Wednesday's meeting to run smoothly because group members communicated via e-mail during Winter Break. He said the difficult part of the committee's work -- determining the need for and amount of a tuition increase -- will be tackled at the last meeting, which is scheduled for Jan. 15. Shelton set that ending date at the last committee meeting so that campus groups, like the Faculty Council and student government, can assess the proposal and weigh in on it before the BOT meeting.

Before the break, Young had expressed a desire to hold a campuswide referendum to garner student opinion on the topic of tuition increases. But Young said Monday a referendum is now unlikely because of the shortened time period.

While the committee is divided about the timeline for the proposal, members agree that the quality of their work remains the main focus. "The important thing is getting the job done right," Weiss said. "If we have to go to the BOT past the deadline, then that is what we have to do."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.