P
in
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA ASHEVILLE
The Blue Banner
24, 2008
\v\v\v.thchluel)amicr.nct
\bl. 48, Issue
ews
in Brief
tctor Heath
jer
lound dead
It 28
Actor Heath Ledger was found
iad Tuesday in his New York
En apartment. When authorities
Lnd Ledger, 28, they found
ills strewn around his body.
He was scheduled for a massage
pen his housekeeper found him
^conscious.
" Ledger, bom in Australia,
[tas nominated for an Academy
>sard for his role in the 2005
movie Brokehack Mountain
tdger will appear in the newest
latman installment. The Dark
night. Starring Christian Bale,
)i Dark Knight is currently in
fcsi production, scheduled for
fcleasc this summer.
tudents
honor slain
ivil right
ero
UNC Asheville students
ebrated Martin Luther King Jr.
ly on Jan. 21, observing “A Day
I, Not a Day Off.”
The day found students heading
Aston Park Towers and Altamont
artments for a intensive cleanup
)ject. Students, faculty and staff
:n participated in the annual
lariin Luther King Jr. Day march
downtown Asheville.
Otheruniversity events honoring
ir; included a screening of the
Oo.oncntary “Eyes on the Prize:
itunca’s Civil Rights Movement”
kvincHlay and a reading of essays
)' UNCA students entitled “What
!i id Martin Luther King Jr.
;■ about the Hip-Hop Culture of
ly?” scheduled for Tuesday.
)onation
lumps up
lew health
lenter
enny explains it all
All eyes on Kenny George as national media descends on the 'Dogs
Ben Smith
Editor-in-Chief
BLSMITH@UNCA.EDU
Kenny George looks
embarrassed when he hears the
word “celebrity” thrown next to
his name.
“No way. It’s not like that,”
George said while strolling the
Quad in his custom leather jacket.
But despite the 22-year old
center’s modesty, George has
cultivated quite a following in the
media and online. He’s recently
been featured in The New York
Times and profiled on ESPN. A
17-second clip on YouTube.com
shows him throwing down a flat-
footed dunk against Winthrop
last year - it’s been viewed over
700,000 times as of Tuesday.
But none of the shyness and
humility comes as a faqade for
George. On questions that most
college athletes would Jump on to
self-promote, he quietly defers to
his teammates, preferring to talk
up his fellow Bulldog’s than brag
about his own game.
“1 was glad to make the play,
but K.J. had to make that great
shot to send us into overtime,”
George said. “1 knew that when
it came down to it, I was going to
go in and make that kind of play
because it was that kind of game.
I’m just glad I helped my team
win.”
But despite George’s demeanor
and his impressive stats - he’s
second in the nation in blocks per
game with 5.2 and first in field goal
percentage with .719 — the media
has almost exclusively focused on
his height. On Saturday at VMI,
George sat out the entirety of
regulation during a closely played
fast-break contest before entering
the game with just 11 seconds
in overtime. George scored the
winning bucket on an inbounds
lob from K.J. Garland, finishing
the game going 1-1 from the field,
with two points and six seconds
of playing time. Asked about
his game-winning dunk, George
quickly brought the subject to
Garland, who nailed a last second
3-pointer to send the game into
overtime.
Journalists and announcers
distort tales of George’s towering
stature, making the center into a
sort of basketball Paul Bunyan.
The announcers during the
UNC Asheville vs. UNC game.
HomeTmst bank
■-.000 to UNC Asheville
Carolina Center for He
Wellness. They presented
“tk to the university dur""
‘n s basketball game
'Ek Point on Jan. 16.
' Construction on the $42
project begins in spring,
‘‘jority of funding comes
5-million appropriation ^
5 General Assembly
j'versity raising the
million necessary to
Jnstmetion.
Kitnmel Arena gym
* name from Joe W. K.....
'^nder of Kimmel &Associates
*’0 donated $2 million ■
1 in
2005.
44
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W'
a
i
Don V ask stupid
cf lie St ions. Don't
ask ‘What’s it like
being tall? ’ What
do I say? It’s
good?
Kenny CiiioRC.H
of distortion came in a story
from The State, C'olumbia,
SC’s daily newspaper. After
UNC' Asheville shocked SEC
opponent South Carolina on
January 6, the story referenced
in passing “the freak show of
7-foot-7 UNC-Ashevillc center
Kenny George” and noted that
until George threw down the
go-head dunk, he was “mostly
entertainment.”
But Kenny lets the press slide
off his shoulders after all, he’s
been fielding media questions
about his height since he
played high school basketball at
Chicago Imtin.
“1 don’t care,” George said.
“1 don’t take it to heart. Their
job is to write an article, so
that’s what they do.”
So what’s Kenny George like
beyond the hype?
In his own words, Kenny
explains it all.
Sim Kenny Pauk 5 1
■ \
•
m 4 4
71
-
Cl.lNT LaTHINGHOU.SF. - S lAFF PHOKXiRAPHl-R
In addition to towering above the collegiate competition, George hopes to become a screen writer and director. (Jur-
rentlv ranked in 59th in the 2009 mock draft on nbadraft.net, (feorge said playing pro ball, if the chance comes his
way, could help him start financing his own short films. For now, he leads the NCAA in field goal percentage.
If the NBA comes
calling, yeah, sure,
I would love to
play there.
Until that becomes
a definite thing,
I’m not thinking
about it.
KiiNNY GliORGl!
broadcast on live ESPNU, noted
that George sits on the floor during
his classes in Asheville - an
obvious distortion to anyone who
sits next to George during mass
communication classes in Karpen
Hall. The New York Times feature,
written by correspondent Anna
Clemmons, implied that George
suffers from gigantism another
untruth.
George has no such disease.
“I’m just really tall,” he said
with a laugh.
The most egregious example
For The Blue Banner's opinion
on the haskethaU team’s
stunning success,
see editorials, page 11.
Board proposes increase in tuition, student fees
donated
’s
Health
the
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against
million
„ The
_ from a
from the
, with the
additional
complete
„ takes
Kimmel,
Compiled by Aaron Dahlstrom
Dylan Schepps
Staff Writer
DCSCHEPP@UNCA.EDU
A recommendation for increases
in student tuition and fees for
the 2008 to 2009 academic year
continues an annual trend of
accession for the cost of attending
UNC Asheville.
’’Fees and tuition increase every
year. They increase to cover the
costs of inflation,” said Tristyn
Card, president of the Student
Government Association. “It’s just
one of those necessary evils to keep
a university functioning.”
The university’s in-state and
out-of-state tuition rates increased
by 36 percent from 2002 to 2008,
according to university records.
The proposal suggests a 1
percent increase for in-state tuition,
a 2 percent increase for out-of-state
tuition and a 5 percent increase for
student fees affecting both in-state
and out-of-state students equally.
The recommendation now
goes to the University of North
Carolina Board of Governors for
consideration.
An approval of the tuition
increase allocates 25 percent for
students receiving need-based
financial aid, 50 percent for student
services and 25 percent for faculty
salaries. The increase helps fund
student activities, health services,
athletics, student computing and
scientific equipment needs.
Key university officials attribute
the boost in rates to multiple factors
including, inflation, response to
student demand and pressure for
more adequate services.
“We feel a great responsibility
to our students who are paying
these fees. Some students are
going into debt to pay these fees,
so we feel that we need to be very
good stewards of that money,” said
Vice Chancellor Dr. Bill Haggard,
who also serves as co-chair of the
Student Fees Committee.
The current required annual
student fees totals $1,736.85. If
approved, the proposed increase
will add $98.50 to that total.
The four main fees supported
entities include the student activity
fee, the athletic fee, the student
health fee and the education and
technology fee.
Representatives of these four
entities submit proposals based on
projected yearly needs for each
respective group to a board made of
students, faculty and administrators.
The board then gathers information
regarding the monies requested and
presents a formal recommendation
to the senior staff of the UNC Board
of Governors.
“It is a very participatory
process,” Haggard said.
If approved, all four entities
will receive increases in available
revenue.
Both the student activity fee and
the student health fee can expect
an 8 percent increase in available
funds. The student activity fee
responds to student demand for
increased evening and weekend
activities. The student health fee
will increase availability of various
pharmaceuticals, as well as increase
the hours of availability for an on-
campus psychiatrist.
The largest increase of 10
percent, going to the education and
technology fee will help with more
widespread and adequate printing
services, as well as updates on
existing and prospective smart
classrooms.
The smallest increase of 3
percent goes to the athletics fee and
is in place as a primary response to
inflation and to maintain the same
level of services offered in the
past.
Despite the modest increase for
theathleticfee,SGArepresentatives
would like to express a point
of conflict with the athletic
committee. Where the other three
fee-supported entities presented
new and updated proposals, the
athletic fee committee presented a
near verbatim report from previous
years, according to SGA Vice
President Nick Ladd.
“Every branch that was
requesting fee increases had to give
a formal proposal and the athletic
proposal was essentially a copy
and paste from what they had last
year,” Ladd said.
Regardless of the conflict of
interest between SGA and the
athletic fee committee, the fee
increases are accepted as necessary
measures to keep the university
afloat.
“It’s a good idea to do it for the
freshmen who live on campus and
maybe have problems adjusting
or meeting new people,” said
freshman Mary Pope, referring to
the student activity fee.