The UNC Board of Trustees reviewed committee reports and addressed campus safety issues at their Friday, Sept. 30 meeting. The BOT also gave updates on bylaw revisions and heard reports from trustees concerning ongoing committee programs.
What’s new?
- Director of University Governance and Associate University Counsel Carolyn Pratt gave trustees a brief summary of the new revisions to the Board’s bylaws.
- “There is one edit that was requested by the Board of Governors’s chair of all institutions in the system, and that requires in-person trustee attendance at board meetings," Pratt said. "That is only for regular-session, full board meetings, so that’s a change to our bylaws."
- Pratt said members can still attend remotely for committee, emergency or special meetings, but in-person attendance will now be required to vote.
- The BOT passed the revisions unanimously.
- Chairperson David Boliek said that, last week, he met with each new dean at UNC, and welcomed them to the University on behalf of the board.
- “Their credentials combined with their passion for teaching and learning, along with a solid work ethic, will ensure, among other things, that the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will continue to produce high caliber graduates who will have lasting impact on the world around us,” Boliek said.
- Boliek also mentioned the completion of the Carolina Community Academy, a recently-opened “school within a school” in Person County focused on strengthening the University’s partnerships with North Carolina public schools.
- The school aims to provide an “extraordinary” education from a variety of University programs, including the schools of dentistry, education, nursing, pediatrics, medicine and social work, Boliek said.
- Student Body President Taliajah “Teddy” Vann spoke on issues facing both graduate and undergraduate students, including finding alternative funding sources for graduate student stipends.
- Vann said that some graduate students can only afford to live an hour away because of the high cost of living in Chapel Hill.
- “These students are like a lifeline in the classroom – undergrads rely on them every single day, and they’re literally poor and just struggling to be able to exist in this University they have chosen,” Vann said.
- Vann also brought to attention the detectable levels of lead in campus water with a focus on accommodating undergraduate and graduate students in buildings with an unsafe water supply.
- The Undergraduate Student Government is leading an effort to educate students on Alcohol Law Enforcement, along with promoting transparency while providing an understanding of the rights of students through education.
- “We found that a lot of students don’t know the difference between Chapel Hill (Police Department), UNC (Police Department) or ALE, and don’t really know what their rights are when engaging with any of these bodies,” Vann said. “We want to work really hard to establish healthy relations with all of these departments over the course of the year so our students can be safe.”
- Vann said that some graduate students can only afford to live an hour away because of the high cost of living in Chapel Hill.
- Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz made remarks about campus issues, and highlighted the recent enrollment numbers for the University.
- “We welcomed 5,400 new undergraduate students on Aug. 15, and had a great Convocation over at the Smith Center. Also, 3,600 new graduate students entered this year,” he said.
Who is on the BOT?
- The BOT consists of 13 members, including eight selected by the UNC Board of Governors, four appointed by the N.C. General Assembly and the UNC student body president — who serves as an ex-officio member.
What’s next?
- The next meeting of the full BOT will be held on Thursday, Nov. 10.
