Blue
Banner
Uolume 32 Issue 6
Octobers, 2000
The Uniuersity of north Carolina at fisheuille
Deborah IDisch
opens exhibit
in Omen Gallery
See page 5
Uolleyball has
2-0 record in
Big South Conference
See page 8
Use your focus to
become a genius, by
flndreui Thomasson
See page 4
Bond to bring $3*1 billion to N.C.
UNCA needs almost $50 million for renovations and construction
Sanna Raza
staff UJriter
The $3.1 billion bond refer
endum could bring almost
$50 million to the UNCA
campus for construction and
renovations if N.C. citizens
vote “yes” in the Nov, 7 elec
tion.
“I would like to encourage
students to remember that
this is a bond that will not
only help them, but the stu
dents of UNCA in the fu
ture,” said Kevin Brinson, a
junior atmospheric science
major and vice president of
the Student Government As
sociation. “If you really care
about the school itself and its
future, this is something that
you have to vote for.”
If the statewide bond goes
through, $2.5 billion of the
$3.1 billion will go to the 16
public universities and
UNC-TV, while $600 mil
lion will be awarded to the
59 community colleges in
N.C. UNCA will receive al
most $50 million, according
to Tom Byers, executive as
sistant to the chancellor.
“I truly do not see (a down
side),” said Byers. “Some
people who may have sort of
acynical outlook believe that
it would raise taxes, but we
simply do not believe that is
true. The big risk is if the
voters should fail to approve
this, N.C. is in jeopardy of
falling behind (in educa
tion).”
According to a survey con
ducted by T^e Blue Banner
of 50 students, faculty and
staff, 84 percent said they
would vote for the bond ref
erendum. The remaining 16
UNCA's Total: $49,912,400
$26,000,000.00
$20,000,000.00
$15,000,000.00
$10,000,000.00
$5,000,000.00
GRAPHIC BY KEITH CROMWELL
The $50 million gained from the bond referen
dum would be divided among different resources.
percent said they would not
vote at all.
The only reason why people
would vote against the bond
is the belief that taxes will be
raised as a result, according
to Brinson.
“There has been a rumor
that it would increase taxes,
and that is not true,” said
Brinson. “I have not heard a
large amount of anti-senti
ment towards the bond.
Maybe it is because I am on
this campus and, obviously,
anybody who is a student
here would see the value in
voting for the bond.”
The bond is very much like
a loan and will not raise taxes,
according to State Treasurer
Harlan Boyles in a letter to
Governor Jim Hunt.
“Some critics have argued
otherwise, but the truth is,
this state can afford it.” said
Boyles in the letter. “With a
continuation of responsible
budgetary practices and eco
nomic growth, we will not
have to raise taxes to repay
the money borrowed.
“The financial return on
the investments from these
bond proceeds will far out
weigh their costs,” said
Boyles in the letter. “The
bond rating agencies con
sider the condition of our
colleges and universities
when determining a credit
rating for our state. Contin
ued deterioration of those
facilities could adversely af
fect the state’s bond rating.”
Students that are presently
enrolled might not benefit
from the changes, but they
have to think of future stu
dents, according to Bill
Scharf a junior computer
science and German major.
“We probably will not see
4. I
PHOTO BY WALTER FYLER
Tom Byers, executive assistant to the chancellor,
talks to students about the bond referendum at a
Student Government Association Town Hall
meeting Sept. 26.
anything by the time we
graduate, but seeing how
professors have limited fa
cilities, (we know) they need
to keep having increased
technologies and resources,”
said Scharf. “If anybody even
thinks about complaining
about this university not be
ing adequate enough, they
should vote.”
“You have to think about
what is best for the univer
sity and for future students,”
said Laura Facciponti, assis
tant professor of drama.
A total of$49,912,400 will
go to UNCA. This includes
$22,203,200 for a new math
and science building,
$11,522,000 for Highsmith
Center, $6,318,900 for a new
physical plant building,
$5,524,200 for Carmichael
Hall, $2,569,100 for Zageir
Hall, $1,023,800 for a pri
mary electrical distribution
system upgrade on campus
and $751,200 for an expan
sion of technology infrastruc-
See BOND page 11
Corps shows international exhibits
Casey Blankenship
staff Writer
Peace Corps volunteers an
swered questions and dis
played exhibits reflecting their
experiences at UNCA Sept.
27 for Peace Corps Day.
“It sounds glorious to say,
‘Well, I am going to volunteer
in this country ‘ but it takes a
lot,” said Etta Byers, an unde
clared freshman. “It is a more
of a mental thing than people
realize. It is a really big step
that you have to know that
you are capable of doing.”
The Peace Corps is a govern-
ment-sponsored volunteer
organization that currently has
over 7,000 volunteers serving
worldwide. There is a 27-
month commitment to serve
in the Peace Corps, including
three months for training and
24 months within the host
country as a volunteer, accord
ing to the Peace Corps Web
site.
“Our objective is to give
people an opportunity to open
up their imagination about
how international service
might shape their future,
said Mary Anne Tierney, an
organizer for the WNC Re
turned Peace Corps Associa
tion.
“People that have served in
the Peace Corps share com
mon experiences and values as
a result of having served in the
developing world,” said
Tierney. “We are really vital
members of both the local and
global community.”
There are five assignment ar
eas where volunteers can be
placed for service, and, within
each one of those assignment
areas, there are a variety of
jobs. These areas Include agri
culture, environment, busi
ness, health, nutrition and
education, according to Lo
gan Brown, a Peace Corps re
cruiter.
“What we are doing is giving
(students) the information,
Amy Panikowski, a Mars Hill College student, gathers
Peace Corps from representatives on Sept. 27.
and then they sign up and the Peace Corps exhibit.
“I have been wanting to do
community service and travel
around the world for a while
now,” saidTabithaRenaldi, a
seniorpsychologymajor. “The
only hesitation would be leav
ing my family for two years.”
Chris Vanderford, a senior
receive an application in the
mail,” said B rown. “Once they
apply, if they are from this
area, the application will be
sent to me, and then we will
do an interview.”
Several students from vary
ing majors took an interest in
PHOTO BY PATRICK BRASWELL
information about the
music major, said he is con
sidering joining the Peace
Corps out of a desire to help
people in developing coun
tries and to see what is going
See PEACE page 11
Communication
system needed
Lauren Owens
staff Ulriter
A student communications
implementation task force will
find solutions to fix commu
nication problems between
students and faculty.
“I think there is a definite
lack of communication with
residential and
commuter
population as
well as with fac
ulty and staff,”
said Julie
Shaddix, a jun
ior history ma
jor and member
ofthe task force.
“I know a big
issue the cam
pus is dealing
with now is how
to communi
cate with stu
dents, faculty,
staff and ad
ministration to
better inform
and retain stu
dents,”
The idea of the communica
tions force was recommended
to Chancellor Jim Mullen by
the Task Force on Retention,
which concluded its report in
the spring, and its objective
was to find out why UNCA
has a problem with retention,
the ability to keep students
coming back to school, Com-
PHOTO BY WALTER FYLER
Kevan Frazier, head
of the task force, said
communication is a
problem at UNCA.
munication was noticed as a
problem, according to Kevan
Frazier in an e-mail, chair of
the force and head of the hon
ors program,
“Institutionally, we still do
no have the mechanisms in
place to effectively communi
cate with our students,” said
Frazier in an e-mail, “Students
complain that they do not
know what is happening on
campus, (and) faculty and staff
complain that
they do not
know how to
get informa
tion to stu
dents.”
Although
56,9 percent of
the fall 1996
entering fresh
man class
stayed at
UNCA for the
full four years,
48,5 percent of
students
graduated in
the spring of
2000, Out of
that freshman
class, 77 per
cent stayed for
their sophomore year at
UNCA, After two years, 61,5
percent of students came back
to UNCA, and 56,4 percent
of the students remained at
UNCA after three years.
See FORCE page 11
UK trip creates
cultural insights
Rnnie Crandall
staff Writer
A group of Teaching Fel
lows students traveled to Cam
bridge, England
this summer with
a program de
signed to give stu
dents the oppor
tunity to study in
another culture,
according to
Brenda Hopper,
Teaching Fellows
director.
“A high per
centage of stu
dents are of En
glish or Irish de
scent, or some Evan Guyer, a
type of Celtic junior German
according to Hopper.
“The study abroad program
was developed for Teaching
Fellows as a junior enrichment
experience, (and) it has grown
to include other students on
campus,” said Hopper. “They
have a cultural experience,
pick up hours
they need for cer
tification and, at
the same time,
fulfill state re-
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
BY BRENDA HOPPER
quirements.
The students
were accompa
nied by, among
others, Laura
Facciponti,
drama assistant
professor and
David Hopes, lit
erature and lan
guages professor.
For three weeks.
background, and major, drinks tea in students and pro-
theyfeelaconnec
tion to the United
Kingdom,” said
Hopper. “They
were able to con
nect with others, and the UK
is such a safe place to go.”
One of the goals of the expe
rience was to take notice of
the educational differences in
the school systems in England,
Grandchester,
England, where
Virginia Wolfe used
to visit.
the area,
Facciponti.
fessors stayed
Lucy Cavendish
College, attended
classes and visited
historical sites in
according to
See FELLOWS page 11