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The way to keep from losing a game that appears already won is to keep coaching
like you are 20 points behind with a quarter to go.
Expect to see that same strategy employed by University Chancellor James Moeser
and UNC President Molly Corbett Broad in the days leading up to the Nov. 7 vote
on the $3.1 billion bond issue for the state's university and community college
systems.
This game is too big, the stakes too high, to risk blowing it because of
last-minute complacency, the two leaders said during a joint appearance on
Sept. 6 before the Employee Forum.
Moeser, the former chancellor of the University of Nebraska, told a story about
retired Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne, standing on the sidelines of a
Thursday night game with Texas Tech.
The game was televised by ESPN, and at the start of the fourth quarter, when
Nebraska held a lead of more than 30 points, someone walked up to Osborne to
get him to agree to an interview with an ESPN reporter during the game. "Get
away," Osborne told him. "Can't you see I'm coaching?"
Moeser said it is not that he doesn't care who is elected as president or as
governor, but he views the bond issue as the most important decision that North
Carolina voters can make this year for the future of the state. Polls show that
Tar Heel voters favor the bonds by a wide margin, and the danger is that
supporters of the bond will be lulled to sleep by those numbers.
"We can't take our eye off the ball," Moeser said. "We've got to coach this to
the end of the game."
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.
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. (For a detailed list of
Carolina projects that would be funded by the bonds, see
http://www.unc.edu/govrel/)
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.
But Broad said there are many people throughout the state who have not heard
the facts about the message of why this bond issue is so vital to the state's
future.
At the same time, the John Locke Foundation has published articles that cite
concern of future tax increases resulting from the bonds.
Employee Forum member Dave Lohse questioned Broad about what kind of tactics
the John Locke Foundation might try to employ to defeat the referendum.
Broad said passage of the bonds would result in the doubling of the state's
bond debt, and the foundation could try to convince voters that such an
increase in debt would lead to an inevitable tax increase.
The major flaw in that argument, Broad said, is the fact that State Secretary
Harlan E. Boyles has said it would not. And Boyles is as straight a shooter as
they come, she said. The state's AAA bond rating is also an indication of the
state's ability to handle the debt, Broad said.
Broad said the bonds have been endorsed by a number of organizations and
associations, most recently by the association representing firefighters.
The two leaders appeared at the forum not only to emphasize the importance of
the bonds but also to introduce formally Moeser to staff members. Both Moeser
and Broad used the opportunity to let staff members know they both appreciate
the importance of what they do.
A great University such as Carolina depends on a brilliant faculty and
high-achieving students, Broad said, but it also requires strong and
outstanding staff. Staff members make an intrinsic difference in the lives of
students, day in and day out, generation after generation.
"Thanks for the job you do supporting this great University," Broad said.
The people of the state take pride in Carolina, not just because it is a great
school, but because it reflects on the state it was created to serve. Many
people see Carolina as "one of the most significant explanations for the
quality of life we enjoy," Broad said.
Moeser said he has been surrounded by evidence of the staff's dedication in the
short time that he has been here.
He saw it during freshman orientation when staff members there to help
outnumbered the students in need of help.
He saw it in all the service and support offered to freshmen as they acquainted
themselves with the new laptop computers that they are now required to have.
He sees it whenever he steps outside of South Building. Even with the serious
facilities problems, he said he can tell that people care about this place by
the way the grounds and buildings have been preserved and presented.
"I'm really proud of what I've seen," Moeser said. "There is truly something
special about the Carolina spirit that sets it apart from other universities,"
Moeser said. "It's something so strong you can almost touch it and feel it.
It's almost a spiritual thing ... and we've got to be careful not to lose it.
"It's so fragile and can very easily be broken simply by our negligence. ... We
are in your debt, and I will do everything I can to recognize the people who
really do make a difference."
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