UNC-system happenings for Sept. 26, 2014

UNC-G launches prevention program

UNC-Greensboro is following in the footsteps of UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University on sexual assault prevention, launching a new program this fall to address interpersonal violence on campus.

BRAVE, Building Responsible Advocates for Violence Education, provides training for handling abusive dating relationships, sexual assault and stalking and harassment.

“(BRAVE) gives students the opportunity to practice some of the skills in the training and allows them to become active bystanders,” said Jeanne Irwin-Olson, associate director for wellness programs at UNC-G.

Irwin-Olson said the scenarios are typically situations a student might experience at a party or in a residential hall. Students have the opportunity after hearing the scenario to discuss whether they believe the behavior is OK, questionable or risky.

The program received funding this summer through a grant from the Verizon Foundation and has training sessions scheduled monthly, but Irwin-Olson said BRAVE hopes to expand the program to be more specific to faculty and students.

Enrollment jumps at UNC-Charlotte

UNC-Charlotte's student population has jumped by about a third since 2006 — and the university expects the trend to continue. 

UNC-C’s admissions office estimates the school will have 35,000 students by 2020, compared to 26,571 total enrollment in 2013.

Barbara Seyter, senior associate director of admissions at UNC-C, said in an email that the surge in enrollment reflects the growth in the city of Charlotte.

She said many alumni stay in the city after graduation for employment because of internships they complete in Charlotte as undergraduates, she said.

“Over 90 percent of our students complete an internship before graduation — most complete that internship within the greater Charlotte area,” Seyter said.

Seyter said the university is being proactive in managing its growth by expanding classrooms, residence halls and the number of parking spaces.

N.C. State fundraising skyrockets

N.C. State University fundraising from private donations hit $187 million overall in the 2013 fiscal year, and gifts to every academic college on campus increased — the largest being a 124 percent increase in both the College of Sciences and the Poole College of Management.

UNC-system schools have battled state budget cuts since 2011, and aggressive private fundraising is one way universities are trying to compensate.

Brian Sischo, N.C. State University’s vice chancellor for university advancement, said the increase was driven by a sense of momentum that was created by the chancellor’s university-wide strategic plan, adopted in 2011.

Sischo said donors also have a large say in how funds are dictated, and the university makes it a goal to help donors.

“University’s administration has to understand what a donor’s greatest passion is, and help them achieve the desired impact,” he said.

NCCU wins HIV/AIDS grant

North Carolina Central University has received an $897,840 grant by the U.S. Department of Health and Human services to battle HIV/AIDS and substance abuse issues in young adults in the Durham area.

The criminal justice department, social work, student health and counseling services are working with various community groups to educate students and Durham residents.

Arnold Dennis, director of the Juvenile Justice Institute at NCCU, said Durham has the ninth highest rate of HIV in North Carolina.

He said the university is also working with area businesses to make sure they do not serve alcohol to underage students, and several businesses have already signed a pledge to do so.

As part of the effort, Dennis said the school is promoting safe sex by providing condoms in dispensers in several dorms on campus. The dispenser also lists a phone number students can call for more information.

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