I
i
The Blue Banner
Edi torials
The Blue Banner
staff
Scarlet Bell, Editor
Michael E. Gouge, News Editor
Vicki McCoy, Asst. News Editor
Kassi Day, Features Editor
Michelle Newton, Sports Editor
Stacey Higdon, Photography Editor
Jason Pope, Copy Editor
Kimberly Young, Bnsiness Manager
Joe Newton, Circulation Manager
Joe Ledbetter, Advertising Manager
Mark West, Faculty Advisor
Violating our trust
This week a local school teacher received a 50-
year prison sentence for various sex offenses
involving one of his male students. He faces
more charges involving four female students.
Throughout the trial Keith White maintained
his innocence. A respected teacher, the trial
divided the community. But when the verdict was
in, White was found guilty on all counts.
Growing up, we all are taught to respect our
teachers. They hold a position of great trust.
Burdened with the responsibility of educating the
future leaders of America, teachers are often the
unsung heros of society.
That is why it is so appalling when a teacher
violates the trust of not only his students, but of
the entire community. The newspapers are full
of similar horror stories occurring across the
nation.
Priests, Scout leaders, or close relatives are
often in the news for taking indecent liberties
with our children. And for every one that is
found out, it is most likely twice as many will get
away with their hideous crimes.
What should be done about these offenders?
We can try and treat them for their sickness. We
can lock them away for a few years until the
prison population increases and they must be
paroled to make room for incoming inmates. The
success of either method in preventing future
atrocities is unclear.
Perhaps the best defense is to educate our
young. Teach them what is acceptable and non-
acceptable contact. Teach them to tell someone
they trust when someone attempts those
unacceptable behaviors. But even this most likely
will not stop a molester.
It would make a dismal future if we have to
instill fear and mistrust into our children to
protect them, but the sad fact is that there are
more Keith Whites out there. And they have the
trust of our children.
Blue Banner Policies
The Blue Banner is the University of North
Carolina at Asheville’s student newspaper. We
publish each Thursday except during summer
sessions, finals week and holiday breaks. Our office
is located in Carmichael Hall, 208-A. The telephone
numbers are (704) 251-6586 and 251-6591.
Nothing in the editorial or opinion sections
necessarily represents the position of the entire
newspaper staff, the staff advisor, UNCA’s Student
Government Association, administration or faculty.
Editorials represent the opinion of the majority of
the editorial board.
Letters, columns, cartoons and reviews represent
only the views of their authors. The editorial board
makes the final decision about what The Blue Banner
prints. This newspaper represents a public forum for
debate at UNCA. The Blue Banner welcomes letters
to the editor and articles, and considers them on the
basis of interest, space, taste and timeliness. Letters
and articles should be typed, double -spaced or
printed legibly and limited to 300 words.
They should be signed with the writer’s name,
followed by the year in school, major or other
relationship to UNCA. Please include a telephone
number to aid in verification. UNSIGNED
LETTERS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED FOR
PUBLICATION. All submitted articles are subject to
editing. The Blue Banner regrets it cannot guarantee
the return of any articles submitted.
From
tfie
SGA
An essential part of the
Student Senate are the
ongoing committees. These
committees are where the
Student Senate discovers
the needs and desires of the
student body so that action
can be taken. The
committees are open to
every student of UNCA and
your participation is highly
encouraged. Below is a list
of all the committees and
what they are currently
working on. If any of these
topics interest you, feel free
io contact the committee
chairs and get involved.
The Aesthetics Committee
vvas founded a year ago to
provide student input on all
matters concerning the
physical facilities on
campus. This includes
renovations, new
construction, and
environmental concerns.
The committee is now
working on a Unified
Bulletin Board Use Policy,
cable TV, the development
of new parking areas, and
Earth Day. The committee
also has student
representatives on
committees for the new
dorm, the Highsmith Center
Expansion, new campus
lighting, the Justice Center
addition and the Parking
Commission.
Kevan Frazier - Chair
The Public Relations
Committee is set up to
inform the UNCA
Community about issues
that SGA is involved in.
PR is currently working to
inform students about their
rights as members of this
campus. Look for posters
in the near future
explaining what rights we
have as students.
Roland Leatherwood
Chair
Any complaint or concern
that you as a student has
can be brought to the
Student Affairs Committee.
This committee is
concerned with the overall
experience of being a
student at UNCA and how
this experience can be
improved. Student Affairs is
now working on furthering
the input that students have
on the various policies and
rules that are made on
campus. Its important that
students are included in
developing the rules that
will govern them. The
committee is also working
on creating a Safety Escort
Service and the
establishment of a new area
for social gatherings.
Josh Bernstein - Co-Chair
Terry Dryman - Co-Chair
You are highly
encouraged to attend any of
these meetings Just check
The Blue Banner and
outside the SGA Office in
Highsmith Center #39 for
committee meeting times.
Remember the door is
always open.
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Letters
Pro
Choice?
Dear Editor,
You’re pro what? Choice?
Choice to do what?
Destroy. Destroy what?
'Potential life"?
If it’s only potential, it
would be like a seed before
it’s planted. But this seed
has not only been planted,
it has also sprouted, even
though it is still out of sight.
That’s what makes it easy
for some to kill it. And
what makes it convenient is
that many of us enjoy
’planting,’ but only a few
want ’plants.’
Some of us go to great
lengths to protect trees and
birds. Rightly so. ’Not a
sparrow falls without your
heavenly Father.’ But are
not the children worth more
than many sparrows?
Almost every defense you
can make for killing the
’sprout’ before it sees the
light of day would justify
killing it afterward. Look at
how little self-awareness the
newborn have. How far
back can you yourself
remember? My grandad’s
crew boss, I’m told, looked
at me and said, ’He dunno
he livin’ do ee?’ Fetus
destroyers don’t often like
to hear such sentiments. It
reminds them of how close
feticide the infanticide
really are.
You try to make those
who disagree with you look
like they want every poor
girl who destroys her
unborn child put in jail. The
pagan mind has always
twisted any logical or
spiritual appeal that makes
it feel guilty. The real issue
is whether taxpayers will be
forced to pay for what they
believe to be murder.
Why do you also accuse
believers in the sanctity of
life of placing responsibility
solely on the woman? That
can only be the product of a
slanderous or deceived
imagination. In the first and
most celebrated case of
excommunication for
fornication in the Church, it
was the male who was
called in question for
’having his father’s wife!’
If you allege that either
male or female can
copulate outside wedlock
and escape fearful spiritual
consequences related to the
guilt (a psychic damage),
you reveal that you have
hopped onto a shallow,
currently popular
bandwagon.
Finally, who is ’we?’ Is it
Scarlet? Michael? Vicki?
Kassi? All the way down to
Mark? Among the eleven
on your masthead can we
not find one who objects to
the choice to destroy?
Bill Thurman
Professor
Classics,
Ancient History
Continued on page 3