The University of North Carolina at Asheville
Volume 25 , Number 17
February 6,1997
NEWS
BRIEFS
Homecoming festivities begin
Summer
classes in
Ecuador
The environmental science and
Spanish departments are offer
ing a unique educational experi
ence this summer. A four week
trip to Ecuador is in the works
for students enrolling in a con
versational Spanish class taught
by Marcel Andrade or an envi
ronmental studies course taught
by Gary Miller. Two years ago,
UNCA received a grant to de
velop Latin American studies
classes, educate faculty, and de
velop courses.
In the introductory environ
mental studies course, students
will compare the developing na
tion of Ecuador with the U.S.
Students will take field trips to
preserves, waste disposal facili
ties, and industrial cites.
Interested students need to
commit to enrollment now in
order to have sufficient time to
complete paperwork and immu
nizations. Interest meetings will
be held in early February. The
courses will cost between $2,200
and $2,400 and include tuition,
transportation, room, and board.
For information, contact Marcel
Andrade or Heidi Kelley.
Human rights
lecture
Abdullahi An-Naim, a law pro
fessor from Emory University,
will give a lecture at 6 p.m. on
Thursday, Feb. 6 entitled Hu
man Rights in the 20th Century,
Prospect and Retrospect.” A
round table discussion on a cross-
cultural approach to human
rights will be held from 12 p.m.
to 1:30 p.m. on Fridfcy, Feb. 13
in the private dining hall. For
information, call the political
science department at 251-6634.
“Change Our
World Week”
Campus organizations will
sponsor “Change Our World
Week” from Feb. 10 to 14. Event
include a week-long canned food
.drive and opportunities to serve
meals at the Hospitality House
and to volunteer at the ABCCM
shelter. A poverty simulation will
be held at 6:45 p.m. on Monday,
Feb. 10 in Lipinsky Hall. Gene
Cotton will appear in concert at
4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 11 in
the dining hall. From 4 p.m. to
6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 13,
students can take a tour with the
Affordable Housing Coalition.
For information, call the office of
student development at 251
6588.
Author to speak
The Western North Carolina
Jewish Federation will present
Deborah Lipstadt, an Emory
University professor of Jewish and
Holocaust studies, author of De
nying the Holocaust: The Grow
ing Assault on Truth and
Memory.” The lecture begins at 8
p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 6 at the
Jewish Community Center. Ad
mission is $5 for students and
seniors, $8 for adults.
Faculty flutes
A faculty flute trio will perform
classic works at 4 p.m. on Sun
day, Feb. 9 in Lipinsky Hall, room
108. A $4 donation is suggested.
For information, call the music
department.
/f-
PHOTO BY ELISE FOX
Freshman Jessica Weiss poses for a caricature during
one of the Homecoming ‘97 events on Feb. 5. Underdog
Productions and Art Front sponsored the event. Plaster-
cast making on Feb. 6 was also sponsored by the Art
Front organization. The Homecoming Mardi Gras Parade
begins tomorrow at 4:30 p.m.
Professor awarded
By Stephanie Hunter
staff Writer
A committee presented the
chairman of UNCA’s political
science department an award on
Jan. 18.
The Asheville-Buncombe Mar
tin Luther King Celebration Com
mittee gave Gene Rainey, former
two-term chairman of the Bun
combe County Board of Com
missioners the Thirteenth Annual
Adult: A Light to the Future—
Reclaiming the Dream Award.
“I always knew he was someone
that we could count on to always
help with the celebration of Dr,
King’s birthday. It was just time
to say thank you,” said Oralene
Simmons, chair of the Asheville-
Buncombe Martin Luther King
Celebration Committee.
The committee chose Rainey by
collecting nominations from dif
ferent organizations, churches,
and schools in the community. It
determined the recipients of the
award, said Simmons.
When reviewing nominations,
the committee considered five
areas.
The nominee must exhibit con
structive concern for oppressed
Gene Rainey
people, and promote community
and human betterment. The per
son should participate in at least
one activity worthy of human re
lations recog
nition, and
should take
part in com
munity and
civic a ffai rs.
Finally, the
nominee
should exem
plify a positive
attitude to
ward improv
ing human re
lations, said Simmons.
“We wanted to honor him and
show him our appreciation for all
of his efforts, and just to show
what a dedicated person he is. He
has consented to be a member of
this committee,” said Simmons.
This award, presented only five
times in its 16 years of existence,
demonstrates its significance and
importance, said Simmons.
During the two terms that he
served on the board of commis
sioners, many developments oc
curred in minority relations, said
Rainey.
“No single commissioner can
claim total credit for these ac
tions. Anything that was done
during that eight-year period had
to be done as a team. I appreciate
that they would single me out for
it, but I just happened to be over
it [the committee],” said Rainey,
“This was the first time in 16
years that there was a Democratic
Party board, controlled by the
Democratic Party members.
There were certain things that the
previous administration had done
which we disagreed with, and one
of them was the famous Billy
Gardenheight affair,” said Rainey.
“Billy Gardenheight worked for
the golf course. He brought a suit
against the county for discrimi
nation on the basis of race. The
new board quickly reinstated Mr.
Gardenheight and settled the case.
We thought that he was justified
in bringing his suit against the
county,” said Rainey.
Also, Rainey organized the first,
and only, race relations forum.
The board held several meetings
with “invisible” minorities in
Buncombe County such as His-
panics, Asian-Americans, India-
Indian Americans and Native
Americans, said Rainey.
“The Community Relations
See AWARD on page 8
SGA to carry out paw print project
By Catharine Sutherland
staff Writer
Students crossing the street to
the Highsmith Center may soon
find themselves in the midst of a
white and blue stampede, if SGA
carries out its latest project pro
posal this spring.
The organization plans to
implement the “PROS” project,
or Paws Recognizing Organiza
tions and Sports, in March, said
Mischa Irsch, a sophomore sena
tor involved with the project.
Irsch said the board of chancel
lors passed the PROS program
in a meeting two weeks ago and
told SGA it was free to start
advertising.
Designed to bolster school
spirit and enhance the atmo-
•sphere of the university, the
PROS project will allow sports
teams and campus organizations
to sponsor large, white-and-blue
bulldog paw prints painted on
the campus loop.
“I think it’s going to bring a lot
of spirit to the school, especially
when new students come for
open houses. It will give them
something to identify with,” said
senior Matt Schneider, an orien
tation leader who came up with
the idea last semester.
The paw prints, which Irsch es
timated will measure approxi
mately four feet on each side, will
begin in front of the cafeteria and
proceed around the University
Heights circle toward the gym.
The cost is $30 to sponsor a paw
for two years. This fee will cover
the cost of paint and overall
maintanence as needed. SGA is
not makingaprofitofftheproject.
SGA will paint the paw prints
on the road using a white tem
plate made by the Physical Plant,
and each organization or team
will paint blue lettering on its
paw during an SGA-sponsored
Paw Day, said Irsch.
“This is making history. From
this year on, there will be a Paw
Day every year,” Irsch said, de
scribing a day of pizza, t-shirts,
and paint that would help bring
the UNCA community together.
Many students support the idea
of painting paws on campus, a
notion that repeatedly called to
mind the mountaineer footprints,
tiger paws, and gator heads found
on the campus streets of other
universities.
“It would give our school some
personality,” said freshman Amy
Jones.
try to spark some school spirit,
but that’s not the way to do it,”
she said.
“It’s a nice idea if it were on the
sidewalk,” said sophomore An
gela Bryant, “but those paws are
too big and too tacky to put on
“This is making history. From this
year on, there will be a Paw Day
every year.”
Mischa Irsch, sophomore senator
“Those paws are too big and too
tacky to put on the street.”
Angela Bryant, sophomore
However,'while most students
were enthusiastic toward raising
school spirit, not all agreed that
bulldog paw prints on the main
street are the best route to take.
“I do like the idea of them trying
to get some life into this so-called
college community,” said Amy
Burnett, a senior commuter stu
dent. “I think it’s a good idea to
the street.”
Sophomore Doug Jones had a
different reason for opposing the
paw program.
“I don’t think it would look par
ticularly good,” said Jones, “and
it would also encourage vandal
ism.”
Jones feared that the rival fac
tions that sometimes arise among
campus organizations might use
the paws as an opportunity to
make their feelings toward other
groups known, thereby injuring
the appearance of the university
as a whole.
“It’s going to be one of the first
things new people see when they
come on campus, so I hope people
wouldn’t vandalize other people’s
paws,” said freshman Tanner
Gamble.
Vandalism of the paw prints may
not be a problem due to their
location in a highly-trafficked area
of the campus.
“I think there’s a chance of van
dalism, but it would be very diffi
cult to varidalize them, because
it’s so close to the security build
ing, and the officers will be around
working hard to write tickets all
night,” said senior Greg Newhall.
In addition to cosmetic con
cerns, the paws have also drawn
safety concerns.
Steve Baxley, the director of fa
cilities management in the Physi
cal Plant, initially felt that the
paws might pose a threat in icy
See PRINTS on page 8
Mediation center opens on campus
By Shelley Eller
staff Writer
UNCA’s mediation center
formed last semester by students,
faculty, and the chancellor. Its
purpose is to help the university
community resolve conflicts
through positive interaction.
The center mediates cases such
as roommate conflicts, facidty-
student conflicts, and disputes
between employer and employee.
It also provides organizations on
campus with educational pro
grams about conflict management
skills and provides mediation
training seminars. Organizations
or groups can also use mediators
to help conduct a tough meeting
or discuss conflicts within and
outside the group, according to
Maggie Weshner, a mediator and
director of the counseling center.
“We’re happy to talk about any
conflict,” said Weshner. We try
to find conflict resolutions so that
everyone involved can be a part of
a win-win situation.
According to Barbara Davis, di
rector of the Outreach program
at the Asheville Mediation Cen
ter and coordinator of UNCA s
mediation center, the center was
formed through a group effort of
students and faculty. A commit
tee of students and faculty, in
cluding Davis, met for more than
a year to discuss plans for a me
diation center on campus.The
chancellor also expressed an in
terest in a center that would help
students learn alternative dispute
resolutions.
As coordinator, Davis supervises
campus mediators, faculty and
staff mediators, oversees continu
ing education for mediators and
coordinates office activities.
See CENTER on page 8
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PHOTO BY ELISe FOX
From left to right: Barbara Davis, mediation center coordinators Christina Alonso,
Shannon Davis, and Tyra Blanton work on a team building activity called the
human knot.”
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