Priya's Light Still Shines New Policy To
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Serving UNC students and the University community since 1893 Volume 123, Issue 140 dailytarheel.com Monday, February 1, 2016 Priya’s light still shines New policy to ease transfer process Schools will offer deferred enrollment for the lowest performing applicants. By Danielle Chemtob Staff Writer Growing up in a single-parent household, UNC junior Erik Carlos II knew he could never afford a four-year university. But while attending Fayetteville Technical Community College, Carlos enrolled in a program called the Carolina Student Transfer Excellence Program (C-STEP), which offered him guaran- teed admission to UNC as long as he met a GPA requirement. Carlos said guaranteed admissions programs like C-STEP give low-income students hope. “When you are faced with financial burdens, it tends to limit your thinking,” he said. “You tend to think, ‘Well I can’t because I don’t have the opportunity, I don’t have the resources.’ So at least having the hope of getting accepted will allow them to think about, ‘OK, what do I want to be when I get here?’ It allows them to further think about their future.” State legislators created the North Carolina DTH/KENDALL BAGLEY Guaranteed Admission Program in fall of 2015, n Friday, Jan. 29, friends and family of UNC graduate Priya Balagopal gathered in the Pit for a candlelit vigil which is slated to be implemented at all UNC- system schools and community colleges in the to honor her memory. Junior Anita Simha (center) was among those who lit candles. The vigil included several 2017-18 school year. speakers, who played influential roles in Priya’s life. Priya Balagopal died by suicide earlier this month. Within the program, schools can accept students O and require they attend community college for two years prior to enrolling in the university as a junior. “It’s going to affect the kids in that bottom quar- tile academically who have traditionally found the university curriculum to be very challenging,” said Fundraising page helps Dey victim Rep. Craig Horn, R-Union. “We’ve got a lot of kids going to college, spending a lot of money, dropping person for the North Carolina how much support we’ve felt at school. out and having nothing to show for it.” People have donated Department of Labor. this point,” Chynces said. Her post said, “we live near The Guaranteed Admission Program differs money and even According to a GoFundMe Two of the people donat- UNC burn center if your fam- from current transferring policies, as students page created to support Bishop ing to the page are Kevin ily needs a place to stay while apply to specific UNC institutions as high school- offered a place to stay. and his family, he was in surgery Guskiewicz, the dean of the visiting.” ers — and then earn their associate’s degree. for a few hours and then was College of Arts and Sciences, Davison said she would have The Board of Governors and the Community By Acy Jackson moved to the North Carolina and his wife Amy. appreciated someone reaching College system will report on the policy’s effects Assistant University Editor Jaycee Burn Center at UNC “He’s a member of the UNC out in that manner if she was in on enrollment and the number of student partici- Hospitals. family and it sounds like his the Bishops’ situation. pants by March 1. Annabel Chynces and her He remains in the intensive family could really use some sup- “I myself have had situations But Jeannette Moore, chairperson of the sisters painted their toenails Tar care unit in critical condition. port right now,” she said. like that where my brother went Faculty Senate at N.C. State University, said in an Heel blue to show how much Chynces, who is from out of Guskiewicz, whose fam- through a bout of cancer. My email the policy could cause universities to turn they appreciate the support state but is currently staying in ily gave a $200 donation, said son, when he was little, had even more applicants away. shown for their father. Chapel Hill with her family, said because her family has four chil- heart surgery, so I know how “It is my understanding that we will not be “We’re definitely feeling the Bishop is expected to remain at dren, like the Bishop family, they that can be,” she said. increasing capacity, which means deferring love,” Chynces said. the burn center until October, understood what kind of support Chynces said the family is admission for some students will require us to Chynces’ father, Gaylan but after that he will continue his they needed. grateful for support coming reduce the number of admitted students in other Bishop, suffered burns on recovery with physical therapy. “The UNC community should in from many different places, areas,” she said. approximately 40 percent of his “Everything is kind of upside come together whenever they such as the GoFundMe, church But Board of Governors member Marty Kotis body after an accident at Dey down,” she said. can to help students, faculty, groups and the University. said he expected the policy would have little Hall caused a power outage In the four days since it was staff. You know, whatever some- “We’ve had overwhelming impact on enrollment. throughout central campus on posted, the GoFundMe page has one can give is appreciated and support from people from the “If it did, you’d be looking at a two-year possi- Jan. 20. raised over $14,430. helpful,” she said. University,” she said. ble impact before it would jump back,” Kotis said. Eyewitnesses said they saw The family has received visits, Another person active on the “Definitely feeling the love He said one concern is logistical. Bishop on fire come out of an cards, balloons, gifts and food GoFundMe page was nursing and the family vibe from every- “How do we know who is coming when at electrical closet on the side of as well as the support from the professor Jean Davison, who one.” which school? We also don’t necessarily know Dey Hall. This was confirmed GoFundMe page. heard about the page through who is going to stay in school,” Kotis said. by Neal O’Briant, a spokes- “It’s been absolutely unreal an email from the nursing [email protected] Jenna Robinson, president of the Pope Center for Higher Education Policy, said existing transfer policies will ease the program’s implementation. “I don’t think it will be that difficult to imple- ment because the community colleges and the Students considering semesters off can seek assistance UNC-system already have a good relationship,” she said. “We know that transfer students have done fairly well once they get to the UNC system.” Students say semesters But a new study released by the Community off can help for College Research Center revealed only 14 percent of community college students nationwide transfer to students with a plan. a four-year university and graduate within six years. According to UNC’s Office of Institutional By Anyssa Reddix Research and Assessment, retention of transfer Senior Writer students at UNC is slightly higher — as 22.3 percent of those accepted as juniors in the fall of For junior Ryan Fockler, bal- 2013 are currently here for a third year. ancing UNC and home life sim- Junior Kirstyn Waller transferred to UNC ply became too much. in the fall from Guilford Technical Community “The coupling of school and College. To complete her requirements in two everything — family, work, things years, Waller said she had to overload each like that outside of school — got semester in community college. to be a lot,” Fockler said. “And the Though she was guaranteed a place as a junior school got too overwhelming.” at one of the UNC-system schools, she said the Fockler, a biomedical engineer- process required a lot of trial and error. ing major, is no stranger to stress, “Most of the advice that I got from professors but he decided to take off part was a lot better than the advice that I got from of the fall semester and all of the specific advisors,” Waller said. spring semester to find stability. She said many students in her previous program “It’s definitely made the stress — designed for students who plan on transferring more bearable, but there are — are still meeting preliminary requirements or other things like what are you simply chose to earn an associate’s degree. doing to do with your time off DTH/CHICHI ZHU “That makes sense because the advising there and having it on your transcripts,” (From left) Fred Cave and Christopher Faison are among those who work with students who take semesters off. is honestly a lot more geared towards students Fockler said. “When you’re look- who are just trying to stop with the associate’s,” ing for a job, people ask what you off, classes for his major have such manage stress —are not out of cally so they can perform better.” she said. did with the time. So I’m looking an exact sequencing that it made the ordinary. O’Barr said many factors, Community colleges might need to update for internships to fill up the time.” more sense to take an year off to “It actually happens quite fre- such as anxiety, depression or their curriculum to aid students looking to trans- Fockler stopped attending get back on track when he returns. quently,” O’Barr said. relationship issues, can lead to fer under the guaranteed program, Horn said. classes in early October, but his “What I want to do is start in If students come to CAPS and this decision.