Resolutions
of the
Faculty Assembly
University of North Carolina

The State of North Carolina has long honored its commitment to a contract established among its citizens more than 200 years ago. This contract, explicitly written into the Constitution of our state, provides access to a quality education for all citizens of North Carolina based on their abilities, not their economic circumstances. With a firm belief in the importance of this contract, the Faculty Assembly of The University of North Carolina moves the following two equally important and integrally related resolutions.

Resolution on Campus-Based Tuition Increases

Whereas, the Constitution of North Carolina stipulates: “The General Assembly shall provide that the benefits of The University of North Carolina and other public institutions of higher education, as far as practicable, be extended to the people of the State free of expense,” and

Whereas, all sixteen UNC campuses have proposed campus-based tuition increases, and

Whereas, most of the campus-based tuition proposals are designated for purposes traditionally addressed by legislative appropriations, thereby creating a dangerous precedent, and

Whereas, the cost of tuition and fees, despite accompanying increases in financial aid, will deny the benefits of higher education to many of our citizens, and

Whereas, because of their special circumstances, some campuses have a legitimate need for a campus-based tuition increase,

Therefore, be it resolved, that the Faculty Assembly communicate to the Board of Governors and the North Carolina legislature the position that campus-based tuition increases should only be used in exceptional cases, and that the primary responsibility for higher education funding should rest with the State.

Resolution on Faculty and Staff Salaries

Whereas, North Carolina has traditionally provided resources to attract and retain faculty of the highest quality for its university, making it among the most prestigious in the nation, and

Whereas, competitive salaries and benefits are essential to attract and retain a faculty of the highest quality, and

Whereas, The University of North Carolina has lost outstanding faculty and potential faculty members due to a weak salary and benefit package compared to other states, private universities, and non-academic sectors, and

Whereas, faculty salary increases from the state have been insufficient or non-existent in the past four years, and

Whereas, during that period, health-insurance benefits have declined while premiums and copayments have risen, and

Whereas, a strong public university is essential to the state of North Carolina for the education of its citizens and the development of its economy,

Therefore, be it resolved, that the Faculty Assembly unite with staff employees, the Board of Governors, the Office of the President, parents, alumni, and other concerned citizens to urge the legislature to provide adequate funding for UNC faculty and staff salaries during this session, without placing this responsibility on current and future students.

Unanimously adopted by the UNC Faculty Assembly, January 23, 2004