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Now that a $3.1 billion bond referendum for higher education building needs has
made the Nov. 7 ballot, faculty and staff will play a key role in deciding how
the vote turns out.
And not just by getting to the polls themselves, but by educating their
families, friends and neighbors about the needs at Carolina in specific and the
UNC system and N.C. community colleges in general.
"It's critical that every element of the University family understands how
critical this is to the future of the state," said Evelyn Hawthorne, associate
vice chancellor for government relations.
Even residents not now connected to a UNC school or community college will need
one of the state's higher education institutions somewhere down the line,
Hawthorne said, and employees need to be able to educate them about what the
bonds would mean to them.
"I'll start talking to people at the checkout line in the grocery store," she
said.
If voters approve it, the bond package will generate nearly half a billion
dollars for Carolina to spend on construction and renovation projects over the
next five to seven years.
But if the package is not approved, Carolina will have to wait at least another
year to get any major funding for facilities because the state's 2000-01 budget
did not include dollars for new capital projects. In fact, Hawthorne said,
prospects for state capital funding are bleak for the "next several years"
without the bonds.
Among the first major Carolina projects that would be completed from bond
proceeds is a $26.73 million biomolecular research building. More than $88
million would go to a new science complex.
Other projects include numerous classroom renovations and a new $27 million
student services building that would consolidate advising, financial aid,
registration and housing.
Among other improvements would be upgrades to Carolina's technology
infrastructure and physical plant. And funding would be restored for
renovations to House Undergraduate Library, a project delayed when the state
diverted dollars to Hurricane Floyd recovery efforts.
The UNC system's needs were documented in a 1999 independent study that found
$6.9 billion in renovation and construction needs across the system. That total
represented the amount needed to get existing facilities up to standard as well
as get ready for some 48,000 additional students expected to enroll at UNC
schools over the next decade, including more than 3,000 at Carolina.
And voters need to know that the bonds won't just help current and future
students, Hawthorne said. They also will enable the UNC system and community
colleges to maintain their roles as economic engines for the state, with
universities educating students and community colleges training them for the
workplace.
"Just at Carolina, we've seen technology developed here lead to more than a
dozen companies in the state since 1993," Hawthorne said. "That means jobs for
state residents and dollars for the North Carolina economy."
Equally important will be letting voters know that the bonds by themselves
would not lead to tax increases, Hawthorne said. That's according to State
Treasurer Harlan Boyles, who has said that the state could carry the debt
without raising taxes.
Hawthorne said it will be critical that the bond referendum's importance
doesn't get lost among the high-profile state and national elections in
November. And because gubernatorial and presidential elections are likely to
bring out voters, those voters need to show up at the ballot box knowing about
the bonds, Hawthorne said.
"I get very concerned about what national observers call `ballot fatigue,'" she
said, referring to voters being overwhelmed by the number of decisions they
must make in the voting booth. "They need to look for the bond referendum on
the ballot and support it."
Hawthorne also said that bond supporters shouldn't be lulled into complacency
by polls showing that most North Carolinians would vote yes in the referendum.
While no organized opposition has formed, "that doesn't mean there aren't
people who want to ask questions," she said.
"No one should assume anything," Hawthorne said. "Especially that people know
about it (the referendum)."
The statewide bond campaign will be organized and funded by the N.C. Citizens
for Business and Industry (NCCBI), a non-profit membership group that works to
promote business, education and environmental causes.
"Our community colleges and universities have made North Carolina into the
great state it is today," said Phil Kirk, NCCBI president. "But now they need
help from the very citizens they serve.
"It's up to all of us to make sure that folks from all across the state show up
Nov. 7 and vote yes for higher education bonds."
Along with believing in the bonds, NCCBI is taking on the task of campaigning
for their passage because universities and community colleges -- as
state-funded entities -- are restricted in what they can do on the bonds'
behalf.
Top administrators can advocate for the bonds during work time as part of their
duty to carry out what the UNC Board of Governors has deemed in the best
interest of the UNC system. And employees who report to these administrators
may be asked to use work time to help them promote passage of the bonds.
But other employees must limit any use of work time or state resources to
educational efforts that spread information about Carolina's needs as directed
by senior University officials rather than push for yes votes. That restriction
doesn't apply to employees' off-duty hours.
"We're just asking you to exercise your right to vote and as ambassadors of the
University to be cognizant of the issues," Hawthorne said.
"It's really the best thing to do for the future of the state."
To get information about the bonds and a detailed list of Carolina projects
that would be funded by them, see A HREF="http://www.unc.edu/govrel/">http://www.unc.edu/govrel/
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