Tuition Vote Could Be Today

All of the scenarios call for an annual increase for three years and will set aside 40 percent of the funds for need-based student financial aid, as well as increased teaching and research assistant salaries, said task force Co-chairman Provost Robert Shelton.

He said the differences among the five scenarios lie in how the rest of the tuition money will be allocated for increasing faculty salaries, staff salaries and faculty positions.

Shelton said that although the scenarios provide varying amounts of money for each category, there are no set figures for allocation included in any of the plans.

Both Shelton and Jen Daum, task force co-chairwoman and student body president, said figures will be discussed at today's meeting. "The committee will have numerous opportunities to decide what amount and where tuition dollars can be used, if at all," Daum said.

All plans include funding for financial aid because University officials want to keep UNC accessible to all students, Shelton said. All of the scenarios also provide money for TA and RA stipends because there is a great need for increases in that area and TAs and RAs are relatively few in number compared to faculty and staff.

"The students have made (TA and RA stipends) a high priority," Shelton said. "And it feels good if you can do something completely."

Depending on how discussions at today's meeting go, he said, the task force might recommend one of the five scenarios to the BOT. But if there are too many points of contention, the group will meet again in December to continue work on the plan.

"It depends on how comfortable people are," he said. "Sometimes everything works out, and sometimes you need another meeting."

Task force member and Daum Chief of Staff Rebekah Burford said that although TA and RA stipends are the most important issues from a student perspective, an increase in faculty salaries is the most pressing issue the committee is facing.

"We need to raise faculty salaries because otherwise, we'll be reducing the quality of our faculty here," she said. "And I definitely want to work on closing the gap between men's and women's salaries."

But discussions about staff salaries also will be contentious, said task force member Dean Bresciani, interim vice chancellor for student affairs.

He said one of the most challenging questions the group needs to answer is whether staff salary increases should be funded with tuition money.

This fiscal year, the state did not fund pay raises for employees, and the issue of tuition dollars going to staff salaries was discussed at the task force's last meeting.

But Bresciani said he is not yet sure how he would vote to allocate funds from the tuition increase and is looking forward to conversations at today's meeting to help him make a decision.

"All of the potential groups are more than deserving," he said. "We just don't have enough resources to serve everyone."

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