News
Biodiesel
2007 issue of Foreifin Affairs
journal, a comprehensive look is
given to the effect that increases in
ethanol production have on the food
supply in developing countries, as
well as the environmental impact
of increased com growing.
In Southeast Asia, large areas
of tropical rainforest are being
cleared and burned to plant oil
palms intended for conversion to
biodiesel, according to the article,
“Rather than placing stress on
the Third World for increased crop
production, it is more important to
focus on resources coming from
within the community,” said junior
environmental studies student
Rose Freer-Lancastcr. “However,
alternative fuels are just one piece
in a multi-faceted approach to
changing the way we live day-to-
day.”
In addition to the ecological and
.social negatives, it is also more
expensive to produce biodiesel
and therefore more costly for
consumers.
At the Gas Up in West Asheville,
the H20 blend is currently S3.67
per gallon and the 1350 blend is
$3.93.
The overall cost for the
university is more exorbitant, but
Koslen is confident the benefits
outweigh the negatives.
“We’re able to all of a sudden
turn operational vehieles into
vehicles that meet the goals of
the university using biodiesel and
other alternative fuels,” Koslen
said.
Despite the international
negatives of biodiesel production,
there is a change in the way
individuals are approaching their
44
Our goal is to
displace as much
petroleum
as possible.
Brian WiN.si.hrr
Blue Ridge Biofuels
means for transportation in WNC.
Petroleum-based fuels arc no
longer the only option for drivers,
and the grassroots company.
Blue Ridge Biofuels is largely
responsible for the change.
The company is an employee-
owned business producing and
distributing biodiesel for Asheville
and Western North Carolina,
according to the Blue Ridge
Biofuels Web site.
“Our goal is to displace as much
petroleum as possible,” said Brian
Winslett, emphasizing the need for
energy efficiency above all else.
The company is witnessing a
growing community embrace and
healthy expansion since it first
started producing biofuels at its
North Asheville facility on Roberts
Street in 2005.
fhere are now eight self-
serving biodiesel pumps intended
for public use, representing every
region of Asheville.
A full list of biodiesel pumps
can be found on the Blue Ridge
Biofuels’ Web site.
Bruce flauman, a 38-year-old
biodiesel user originally from
Connecticut, puts Blue Ridge’s
alternative fuel in his diesel
Mercedes 300B.
He says he made the switch two
years ago and is happy to support a
homegrown loeal enterprise.
Trey Bouvier - Staff Photographer
Co-owner and Asheville native IVlieah Nerenberg fuels up his rig. Blue Ridge Biofuels, founded in 2005, is the sole supplier of biodiesel in Western
North Carolina.
“It’s great because I can buy
fuel from my friends, people 1
know and trust and care about,”
Hauman said.
Hauman also supports the
growing popularity of biofuel
production because of the stark
contrast with petroleum fuel
production.
“The motivations for producing
and buying biofuels are very
transparent,” he said, referencing
the highly publicized corrupt
practices of big oil companies.
Health
be very frustrating to deal with.”
Like UNCAofficials involved in
the choice to implement mandatory
health insurance, Simpson said the
choice to implement mandatory
insurance was made to keep
students at WCU healthy and in
school.
There have also been no
problems with students not being
able to afford the health insurance,
aceording to Simpson.
“Let’s face it, if you don’t have
any type of health insurance, you
are more reluctant to ‘dodge the
doctor,’ in return, putting yourself
and others around you in jeopardy
of catching an illness.
On a college eampus that can be
very dangerous,” Simpson said.
WCU is just one of the many
examples of a North Carolina
college that requires mandatory
health insurance, aeeording to
Bill Haggard, vice ehancellor of
Student Affairs at UNC Asheville.
“All the health direetors at the
16 state institutions in the UNC
system agreed four to five years
ago that this was a good direction
to move in,” Haggard said.
“There are 10 UNC institutions
that currently have a mandatory
or hard-waiver health insurance
policy, and three more plan to
begin it in fall 2008.”
Locally, Warren Wilson College
is also considering a mandatory
health insurance plan, according
to Karen Weinberg, family nurse
practitioner at Warren WiLson.
Warren Wilson, a private school in
Swannanoa, charges $29,782 for
tuition and room and board.
“At this point, health insurance
is not mandatory, but it may be in
the near future,” Weinberg said.
“Warren Wilson administration is
still discussing it, but the trend in
North Carolina private eolleges is
to start making it mandatory.”
UNC Chapel Hill is another
college currently discussing
mandatory health insurance
for .students, aeeording to Dr.
Mary Covington, assistant vice
chancellor for Campus Health
Serv ices at UNC.
“While voluntary health
insurance has been the standard,
more and more universities and
university systems have been
making having health insurance
required or mandatory,” Covington
said. “It is my personal opinion
that health insurance should
Continued from Page I
Cunt I.athinghou.sf: - PnonKiRACHY Editor
I'nder the new niundatory health
insuranee plan, prescriptions from
health services are covered 100 percent.
be mandatory, and 1 think the
implementation of mandatory
health insurance is a complicated
one and should involve discussions
with parents, students, health
center staff and administrators.”
Miya Shitama, a freshman
student at UNC Chapel Hill, said
she thinks the growing trend for
eolleges to provide health insurance
to students is a good idea.
However, she is undecided
whether or not it should be
mandatory.
"While I agree that getting
college students insured is
important, I think we have to
seriously think about if this is a
personal choice that should be
left to students and their families
to make,” Shitama said. “If it
were made to be a mandatory
requirement, I would be afraid
that the burden would fall on
those students who can't afford
the insurance and just want an
education.”
StanJalory health insurance
goes into effect in the fall of2008.
For The Blue Banner s opinion
on mamiatory health insurance, .see
our editorial on page It.
Western Carolina
University
Health Insurance
Policies
-Provided by Pearce &
Pearce, a private health
insurance company
founded in 1947,
-Health care at the
student health service
center is free.
-Emergency room visits
have a $ 150 copay.
-The maximum benefit
for injury or sickness is
$30,000,
-Visits to the doctor have
a $ 10 per visit copay.
-Surgery, ambulance
rides and dental visits
are covered within the
network 80 percent.
-Out of network visits
are covered 60 percent.
-Assistant surgeonand
anesthetist visits are
covered 25 percent,
-To receive benefits,
covered students must
first visit student health
services for treatment or
referral.
-Inpatient and outpatient
options are available.
-All prescriptions
available on campus
have no copay.
' ;;y
Continued from Page 1
Jessica Blythe - Staff Photograi
Campus police encourage students with bikes to purchase locks and register them with the university.
Bike thefts rose as last semester drew to close
Students should stay informed
of the best ways to protect their
belongings. Green said. A
stronger bike lock, called a U-bolt.
is sturdier than the standard lock
-and-chain system.
“If I would have known that,
I would have thought nothing
of going out to make a small
purchase on a different kind of
lock for better security,” Green
said.
Campus police encourage
students to record the serial
numbers for all of their valuables
and register bikes, Bayne said.
Without the serial number,
recovering lost items becomes
significantly more difficult.
“Be responsible for your
items,” Bayne said. “If you take
the time to take your iPod and
write down the serial number,
keep a list separate of all the items
you bring to campus with serial
numbers.”
Having the serial number for
an item helps campus police
and multiple police agencies in
the area locate stolen property
according to Bayne. If any other
agency recovers an item which
has a serial number matching an
item in the database, they notify
campus police of that recovery
Many thefts that occur on
campus are crimes of opportunity
according to Steve Lewis, the
UNC Asheville chief of police.
Securing property is imperative
in maintaining a safe living and
learning environment.
“Know where you parked your
bike,” Bayne said. “Park it safely.
Put the chains around it because
I’ve noticed some of the bikes
don’t have chains.”
Students should lock their
dorm rooms to help prevent theft
as well, according to Bayne.
Leaving the room, even if just for
a moment, invites anyone to take
anything from the common areas.
“I want everyone to feel safe
m their environment, but even at
home we lock our doors,” Bayne
said.
If campus police recover an
item, they match serial numbers
or any identifying detail such as
color to the initial police report
and return the property to the
student, Bayne said.
. In a continuing effort to
increase campus safety, campus
police recently purchased radios
operating on the Asheville Police
Department’s radio system, Lewis
said. Now if an issue on campus
arises in which Asheville Police
could be of assistance, officers
can contact each other directly
rathpr tHor, *u 1 . . y
through multiple
rather than
dispatchers.
Only some of the operating
channels will connect directly said
to the Asheville Police, whie
the others operate solely among
campus police, Lewis said.
“This will save valuable tint
and possible lives in the even
UNC A police need
assistance or immediate J
eliminating the need to re >
information by radio to
dispatch office and the dispa
office making phone calls
request assistance,” said UU
Fisher, police captain and supp
services division commander
the Asheville Police Departmen^
“Phone calls and response time
related with that could ^
five minutes or more. ti
emergency, five minutes e
seem like an eternity.
communication allows
immediate response.” j
Theft remains a small issue
UNC A, Bayne said. The^t^^
reporting system works
prevent crime on campus_
improve upon this systeffl>
encourages campus ■
students to build a relations P
“The officers need to s
out and just talk to the ^ ^
more,” Bayne said. Hiai
only way to start, is to buiW
communication link. ,
Appearing more approat
to students would irnpro
image of Campus Police,