Spring Break
'Chat with the Chancellor' sets the record straight
Marie Williams
Issue date: 3/5/09 Section: News
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The annual open forum was designed to create an informational form of communication between ECU students and ECU administration.
Ballard and several members of the university's administration, including vice chancellor of administration and finance, Kevin Seitz, and senior vice chancellor of academic and student affairs, Marilyn Sheerer, who answered questions pertaining to upcoming student life at ECU.
Ballard started the session by making note of the current global and fiscal crisis and how it will affect higher education in the form of extreme budget cuts.
There are two forms of reduction in ECU's budget in the upcoming years.
"ECU has received a $2.5 million permanent budget cut, and a temporary $18 million reduction for next year," said Ballard.
University officials will help ease the reduction by decreasing expenditures and freezing salary increases.
"The fiscal crisis will affect every part of campus," Ballard said. "Students will see effects such as larger class sizes and a decrease in non-academic activities that are more expensive and less convenient."
ECU students will also see an increase in tuition for the 2009-2010 school year.
"There will be a $46 increase for in-state and undergraduate students and a $69 increase for out-of-state undergraduate and graduate students," said Seitz.
A percentage of the tuition increase will go to financial aid services used to help students.
As for the upcoming campus housing situation, ECU plans to renovate Scott Hall and add up to 120 new beds.
All halls will also be installed with sprinkler systems by 2012, which will come from the university repair, renovation and housing funds.
Transit will be used more to alleviate parking on campus.
"Currently, there are 1,500 vacant parking spaces in inventory," said Bill Koch, associate vice chancellor of environmental health, safety, parking and transportation.
"Most of these spaces are at Minges and the Belk building." Koch said, "with transit frequently running to and from these locations."
University administration is also working on making ECU more of a bike and pedestrian friendly campus.
When asked how ECU ranked in terms of environmental/eco-friendly initiatives, Koch replied, "We are one of the few schools in North Carolina that has a full-time environmental management team."
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 6
Daniel
posted 3/05/09 @ 1:10 AM EST
I wish I could have gone to this. Over recent months, I have learned how a majority of athletes are paid to play for ECU, its no longer just for the bragging right of being an ECU Pirate, but you have to be paid? Seriously, cut the budget on athletics, not scholastic oriented programs. (Continued…)
P.W.
posted 3/05/09 @ 10:41 AM EST
The athletics budget is separate from the state revenue that the Governor and General Assembly is cutting. You should complain to those, not the ECU administration as they are just following the UNC BOD directives. (Continued…)
jessica
posted 3/06/09 @ 12:52 AM EST
what is this? a new chilis restaurant??
KERIA
posted 3/16/09 @ 11:24 PM EST
THIS BOOK IS VERY INTELLIGENT I LOVE THIS BOOK IT IS VERY HUMOR
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