Explore Ashvegas
Tags
art (65)
Asheville (2725)
Asheville Citizen-Times (82)
Asheville City Council (202)
Asheville Police Department (102)
bar (63)
beer (279)
Biltmore Estate (61)
Black Mountain (73)
brewery (153)
coffee (60)
comedy (84)
craft beer (330)
crime (66)
Curate (60)
downtown (163)
Esther Manheimer (68)
featured (1728)
film (114)
food (264)
French Broad River (64)
Grey Eagle (108)
grocery store (63)
Haywood Road (177)
Highland Brewing (62)
hotel (114)
Lexington Avenue (78)
Merrimon Avenue (74)
Moogfest (59)
movie (91)
movie review (278)
music (142)
New Belgium Brewing (80)
newspaper (60)
Patton Avenue (59)
photography (68)
restaurant (242)
River Arts District (167)
south slope (127)
Stu Helm (292)
The Mothlight (62)
The Orange Peel (113)
The Week in Film (85)
UNC Asheville (70)
West Asheville (292)
Menu
As a parent of a current college student, I can assure you the cleanliness of these buildings and this campus ranks right up there with the quality of education I am paying for. I am not paying an outrageous amount of money and sending my child to a university that is infested with bed bugs, unsanitary restrooms, and the germs that will spread like wild fire!
When my family first vistited this campus as a prospective college…We were drawn to its beauty. The grounds were perfectly landscaped. The trees and shrubs were flowering with color. We sat on one of the benches and just took in the surroundings…We saw many students basking in the sun on blankets while studying. We observed many workers trimming, pruning, and developing these grounds into the beauty it beholds. The environment was one that stayed with us in making a final decision to attend this University!
The beauty of this campus DID NOT happen overnight! It is because many men and women have spent countless hours and taken pride in YOUR University Ms. Ponder, to make it look the way it looks today! Their labor and hard work makes YOU look good, and every single employee on campus!
MS. PONDER AND EVERYONE involved in this process….It is time for YOU to stand up and take care of these employees who have taken care of YOU and this University for many years and made it what it is today!!
I will continue to follow this story and don't think for a moment parents will not pull their money if any level of this becomes a downward spiral!!!
I have lived here along time and I know, and have known,many people employed by UNCA. Some of these people had higher positions and some not, but each one has complained to me over the years, how many higher positions there are at UNCA, verses positions that actually do the work.
I agree with the previous poster, who said if the people of NC knew how much of their tax money was wasted by the University, there would be rioting in the streets.
I've known people who work very hard at UNCA and have devoted their lives to creating a superb higher education for students, but the majority I have known, abuse the system . The abusive ones know that it takes an act of God to be fired.
Professors stay past retirement age, even though some make a very good salary and continue to suck the state of resources. Some professors have been there so long, they are completely out of touch with their fields.
It's a shame that the people who generally need the jobs the most, ie: groundskeepers, housekeepers, are the ones who will suffer the most.
UNCA has some administrative housekeeping needs of it's own, and that is – too many people at the top get paid too much money.
Why are we comparing a State University with AB Tech. Parents who send their children to UNCA expect and pay more. A clean well kept school is what parents expect. Come on people, this is UNCA, not some "tech" school! UNCA has always had a beautiful campus, if the tasks performed by Facilities Management are outsourced, it will ruin this campus. Speak up – outsourcing is a not an option. We do not want to see this campus lose it's appeal. Sure parents are concerned about their child’s education, but it's a total experience. I have seen what kind of job outsourcing companies do. The whole campus will be dirty and unappealing in less than 6 months! Dirty bathrooms, classrooms, hallways, untidy landscaping, it will not be attractive to the parents of potential students. It will most definitely hurt future enrollment. Say NO to outsourcing Facilities Management!
The Outsourcing is a nightmare. I cannot tell you how angry I would be if, after working for the state for years and years, I knew my job might be outsourced or even cut. Insiders say the justification for this lies in not only in saving money but also in receiving what AB-Tech claims to be better service. Further, I know all AG-Tech staff released were offered contracts and benefit with the new outsourcer. BUT, only half of the workers took the jobs, which tells me it must mean a terrible salary with limited benefits. How can UNC Asheville claim to make students better citizens with a careful developed moral sense when it acts like this. I agree, cut the athletics, stop building the grand Heath and Wellness Center, but do not treat the blue collar workers like this.
The State of NC just doesn't get it. From my experience at UNC Charlotte I can tell you we are probably facing the same fate as UNCA. The problem is the ridiculous salaries they pay the Management in FM not the small salaries the people who do all the work. For example, there are positions in FM such as AVC of FM which pays $153,000.00 per year (FOR WHAT !!!???!!!) or VC which brings in $207,000.00 per year (do these people walk on water ??) or FM Operation Director 98,000.00 a year, FM Real Estate and Land Director $78,000.00 a year and it just goes on and on and on….. We who do the actual work in FM are paid in the mid 20,s ? What's wrong with this picture ??? How are these ridiculous salaries justified for so called upper management ? These people continue to make huge money and receive raises when we haven't had raises in 3 years. We also work with outdated equipment, we have had no uniforms in 3 years but are harassed about not wearing our uniforms. Hey buddy work in the 95 degree heat all summer and see how nice your clothes smell after 3 years. Oh and forbid we try to ask any questions, if we do we are shut down. Our last all employee quarterly meeting was supposed to be open forum but as soon as we reached the point int the meeting to ask questions we were told there was no time for questions because we had to go to the Director of FM's retirement party (he worked here 5 years !!!! and made $100,000.00 a year !!!) WAKE UP PEOPLE !!! Year after year we continue to go to these pointless meetings and hear about how many millions of dollars are being spent on campus while we continue to be understaffed and overworked. They give out awards (a piece of paper) like this is supposed to mean something ? Then when we try to talk about the $320.00 a year we as employee's of the University have to pay to park, we are told 'this isn't going to be a parking discussion" Then they put on a yearly employee picnic and holiday party for us but wait… we have to PAY to attend !! I know allot of people out there think State workers don't do anything but I assure you the people who actually do the work are out there busting it everyday. The one's who are milking the system and doing, what are they doing ??? are the ones who need their jobs cut. There is no justifiable reason these salaries should be so high but that's the State of NC for you, the waste that goes on here is beyond imagination and if the NC taxpayer saw how much of their money is thrown away there would be riots in the streets.
Outsourcing for UNCA would be a huge mistake. Outside employees will not provide the level of service as the service provided by employees that work for UNCA. This has been tried by other universities that regretted their decision and hired the employees back because they were so unhappy with the service the outsource companies provided.
This is what AB-Tech did — cut jobs for janitorial staff, and outsourced.
Perhaps they could redirect some of the sports fees to cover the shortfall …. or maybe decrease the salaries of the higher up administrative positions.