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Student Environmentalists Still Have a War to Fight

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Student Environmentalists Still Have a War to Fight Serving UNC students and the University community since 1893 Volume 122, Issue 81 dailytarheel.com Friday, September 26, 2014 Student environmentalists UNC sees still have a war to fight $15M more in 1 cart is equal to1,200 tons 26,000 research Tons of torrefied wood pellets needed to meet The Board of Trustees celebrated the 20 percent biomass innovation on UNC’s campus. By Sara Salinas Senior Writer Research has come under attack at UNC — with the school’s 80 centers and institutes bat- tling huge budget cuts — but faculty and staff are still bringing in the dollars. UNC faculty received $792.7 million in research grants and contracts for the 2014 fiscal year, an increase of nearly $15 million from the year before. “It’s not the accomplishment about the size of the dollars,” Chancellor Carol Folt said dur - ing the Board of Trustees meeting Thursday. “It’s the impact of that work.” Folt said the increase in research dollars is signif- icant in the competitive climate to receive funding. “Our faculty’s work is being chosen to be the place to put the bet,” she said. The National Institute of Health awarded $28 million to UNC’s Carolina Population Center for the continuation of the nation’s longest running study on the health of adolescents. “You’re only funded for that length of time if you are constantly innovating and changing,” Folt said. Susan Cates, executive director of the MBA@ UNC program, spoke about its success in the past DTH/PHOTO BY CHRIS GRIFFIN, GRAPHICS BY JOSE VALLE, EMILY HELTON AND TYLER VAHAN three years as a fully online MBA program run UNC’s energy plant, pictured above, will most likely not meet the 2020 coal-free deadline promised by former Chancellor Holden Thorp in 2010. through the Kenan-Flagler Business School. The pledge included another deadline for the plant — burning 20 percent biomass by 2015. The University’s preferred biomass material is Students of MBA@UNC participate in the pro- torrefied wood pellets. In order to meet the 20 percent biomass promise, the plant must burn 26,000 tons of torrefied wood pellets. gram from 47 states and 40 countries, she said. “One of the things that we’ve been very proud of in this program is our ability to serve active UNC likely won’t meet its 2020 coal-free deadline duty military,” Cates said. The program has a 96 percent retention rate. By Stephanie Lamm ally every speech we give, we say we made fied wood bricks — the coal substitute UNC School of Medicine professor Dr. William Staff Writer the University promise to go coal-free. We preferred by UNC Energy Services — the Fischer II also presented on his research into the love to reinforce that our University is com- University is likely to miss that deadline. Ebola epidemic in West Africa. This week, the Student Sierra Coalition mitted to doing good things.” “Because of the delay in the infrastruc- Fischer said there have been about 6,000 report- won a battle. But the war to make the When Thorp first made the coal-free ture development, that is pretty much ed cases of Ebola since the start of the epidemic. University coal-free is far from over. promise, student environmentalists like unlikely to happen,” said Phil Barner, direc- Fifty percent of those cases have been reported On Thursday, the Board of Trustees Chandler believed UNC would be a pioneer tor of UNC Energy Services. in the past three weeks, he said, which indicates unanimously supported the coalition’s in the use of biomass fuel. Chandler worries the 2015 interim that the virus is spreading at an exponential rate. recommendation, which called on the Now, Chandler is only tentatively hopeful deadline is overlooked because of the hype “It’s the first time we’ve actually seen Ebola in a University to “target investments in clean the University will uphold this commitment. regarding the coal-free 2020 deadline. major city with an international airport,” he said. energy.” The group has actively protested “The idealistic side of me says that when The University’s cogeneration plant on Without laboratories and the necessary medi- the University investing its endowment in a large institution makes a commitment West Cameron Avenue houses two coal- cal equipment in Gueckedou, Guinea where coal-related companies for four years. publicly, and receives national approval, burning units that burn up to 600 tons of coal Fischer worked for three weeks, he was forced to The coalition’s movement is part of the they should honor that commitment,” said each day during the winter. In order to burn make adapt typical treatments. University’s broader commitment to be coal Chandler, who studies environmental poli- 20 percent torrefied wood pellets, the plant Recently he worked with the National Institutes free by 2020 — a promise made by former cy. “But the rational side of me knows there needs 26,000 tons of the pellets per year. of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Chancellor Holden Thorp and a deadline are budget constraints that make this seem The University might have to produce its Prevention to assist in combating the epidemic. that likely won’t be met. like a frivolous cost for the University.” own supply of torrefied wood pellets, Barner “I think antivirals and vaccines, if they work, “We always bring up this commitment,” As part of Thorp’s commitment, the said as he made his way through the labyrinth could be a game-changer,” Fischer said. “I don’t said Tait Chandler, leader of the Beyond University is supposed to be firing 20 of equipment at the cogeneration facility. think it should occur at the expense of the Coal Movement, a division of the Student percent biomass by 2015. Due to com- things that we can do right now.” Sierra Club. “It’s a part of our story. In liter- plications in finding a supplier of torre- SEE COAL USAGE, PAGE 9 [email protected] NC looks into voter form fraud Hagan, Tillis spar The state Board of Elections In one decade, 1.5 million more registered voters on education The number of people registered to vote in the state has steadily increased during the past 10 years. education funding, said UNC is investigating hundreds of Now, nearly nine out of 10 eligible voters in North Carolina are registered. The two Senate education professor Eric 7 6.62 6.58 Houck in an email. Public flagged registration forms. 6.28 6.22 hopefuls attacked universities in North Carolina 6 5.45 By Nick Niedzwiadek 5.08 each other’s history. have lost nearly $500 million Senior Writer in state support since 2011. 5 By Benji Schwartz Additionally, Houck said, As a federal appeals court heard 4 Staff Writer the state has cut funding to arguments Thursday on whether North K-12 staff development, litera- Carolina’s voting law will impact the 3 With less than five weeks cy coaches, school technology, midterm elections, the state’s Board of until one of the closest U.S. mentor teachers and textbooks. Elections investigated potential voter 2 Senate elections comes to a “You can talk about top line registration fraud. close, incumbent Sen. Kay numbers all you like, but the Josh Lawson, spokesman for the 1 Hagan and Republican chal- proof of the pudding in educa- board, said state officials are looking millions in voters registered of Number lenger Speaker Thom Tillis tional spending is dollars allo- 0 into hundreds of potentially fraudulent 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 have traded more than a few cated per pupil, since the pupil registration forms flagged since August. blows on education policy. count changes every year,” Year “When you have a stack of these forms Hagan has been attacking Houck said. “Since 2009, delivered at once with no return address SOURCE: N.C. STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS DTH/GENTRY SANDERS Tillis over state budget cuts the state has grown by about or with very similar handwriting and to public education made 44,000 students (at the K-12 signatures, the county is required to Democracy N.C., said it is not the same U.S. Department of Justice’s case against during his tenure as Speaker level), and per pupil spending check into these forms,” Lawson said. as voter fraud — which is often cited by the law goes to trial in July 2015. of the House as well as has decreased by about $130, “We would interview the person listed on proponents of the state voting law as the They claim provisions in the law comments he made in April even though the total amounts the form and they would say they did not reason for its existence. — including a fewer number of days about eliminating the U.S. of funding has increased.” submit the form.” “There are 18-year-old kids who write for early voting as well as the end of Department of Education. During the Republican Lawson also said residents have been down Mickey Mouse on registrations, same-day registration — would dispro- But in response to Senate primary debate in calling the Board of Elections about but that doesn’t mean Mickey gets to portionately impact African American Hagan’s accusations April, a member of the audi- people going door to door and saying vote,” he said. voters and disenfranchise thousands of over state budget cuts to ence asked the candidates residents need to re-register because People concerned about registration North Carolinians. education, Meghan Burris, which federal department the state’s voter database went down.
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