North Carolina Newspapers

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA ASHEVILLE L r ) W The Blue Banner Thursday, September 18, 2008 WWW.lhebluebanner.net \'ol. 19, Issue 8 Karpen damage worries students Jason Howell Staff Writer JDHOWELL@UNCA.EDU Students concerned about approximately 24 large cracks connecting windows and walls in Karpen Hall stairwells have no need to worry, according to univer sity officials. “This is something we’re aware of,” said Associate Vice Chancellor Stephen Baxley. “We’ve monitored this off and on during the last 14 years, and in some cases, we’ve noticed a little bit of change, but nothing alarm ing.” Several students ex pressed concern about the damage, despite Baxley’s re Hall stairwell. “Especially since it runs fliwr to ceil ing.’ assurance. “You’d think this would be structurally unsound,” junior student Baily Griffith said as she stopped to look at a crack twisting up the wall of a second-story Karpen Griffith said she chooses to walk through the stairwell every day because elevators make her uneasy, but the cracks also worry her. “Maybe I will start taking the elevators,” Griffith said. Junior computer science student Brian Moretz said he noticed the cracks last se mester and wondered where they came from, though he is not concerned about his safety. “It definitely detracts from the looks of the build ing,” Moretz said. The problems with Karpen Hall date back to its con struction in 1991, according to Baxley and David Todd, director of facilities manage ment. "We’re getting what's called differential settle ment," Baxley said. Baxley, who has a back ground in civil engineering, said he thought the construc tion company did not com pact the soil under the build ing correctly and the cracks may be attributed to a poor foundation. Construction of Karpen Halt finished before Baxley began his position at UNC Asheville. Baxley said uncompacted soil under a building settles into the ground at different rates. Griffith, standing in the north stairwell in Karpen Hall, followed a nearly six- foot crack up the wall. The crack starts at a window, working its way to the ceil ing with a small, white de vice showing ruler-markings in its path. “That says to me: ‘Dan ger! Must fix immediately’.” she said. This device monitors the cracks’ growth over time. ■Sr.- karpen PACiti 2 I News in brief Petraeus hands over duties On Tuesday, General Petraeus, who oversaw the “surge” of more than 30,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, handed jurisdiction to his former deputy. General Ray Odierno. Petraeus spent 20 months as the first commander of the Multi-National Secu rity Transition Command- Iraq, a position created to mentor Iraq’s growing Army. Obama, McCain on economy Recent political smear ing for both Democrats and Republicans is taking a backseat to the nation’s increasing financial cri sis, according to an article from the Associated Press. With the economy fac ing historic upheavals in U.S. financial markets, each presidential candidate is grappling for perfect re sponses to economic fears. Biden in Charlotte Democratic vice presi dential candidate Sen. Joe Biden made the first visit to North Carolina by any of the major candidates since the conventions. His speech at Charlotte’s Phillip O. Berry Academy addressed Republican John McCain’s statement assur ing the economy is “funda mentally strong.” Asheville gas prices News Local radio controversy Page 3 Smithfield controversy erupts Coalition of groups raises awareness about meat plant conditions Annika Reinert Staff Writer ANNIKA.REINERT@GMAIL.COM Gas prices set record highs in Asheville on Sun day, with many stations unable to even provide the expensive fuel. Gov. Mike Easley declared a state of “ab normal market distribu tion” and allowed the attorney general to enforce North Carolina’s anti gouging law, in response to consumer complaints of alleged gas gouging by stations in the city. Six UNC Asheville stu dent organizations united last week to form Students for Conscious Consump tion, a coalition aimed at fighting what it says are abusive working conditions at a North Carolina hog slaughter and processing plant. UNCA once purchased meat from the Tar Heel, N.C. Smithfield Eoods packing plant, the largest pork processing plant in the world, before switching to an alternative source. “We have been trying to communicate with the UNCA dining services to address the Smithfield is sue,” said junior student Andi Mariategui, who rep resents Amnesty Interna tional in the coalition. “We know that UNCA is a very moral institution, so we can use our buying power to help fight the issues at Smithfield.” UNCA no longer pur chases meat from the plant, said Danny Dawkins, senior director of dining services. “Only one item was ever purchased for the UNCA dining hall from the Tar Heel plant,” Dawkins said. “We have since found a different vendor from whom we now purchase our pork.” The plant employs about 5,000 employees who slaughter and process ap proximately 32,000 hogs every day. “On average, two injuries occur there every day,” said Hope Marasco, a communi ty organizer with the Smith- field Justice Campaign. Smithfield provides on site health care at the Tar Heel plant, because there is a lack of affordable health care alternatives in the area, the company states. “The company only pays the medical bills if the em ployees go to see the Smith- field doctor. Afterwards, they are sent right back to work. That way, no mention of an injury appears on the (Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s) records.” OSH A periodically inves tigates whether companies comply with their regula tions, but there is little to draw their attention to the Smithfield plant without noticeable records of ab sences, Marasco said. The Smithfield Justice SUSAN TERRY - STAFF PnOTXXiRAPHER Junior interdisciplinary student Andi Mariategui, cofounder of Students for Conscious Consump- tiou, speaks last week at an inaugural lunch meeting in Highsmith University Union. 44—- - ’’ We know UNCA is a very moral institution, so we can use our buying power_ to help fight the issues at Smithfield. Andi Mariategui Junior interdisciplinary student Campaign is a statewide or ganization formed this year to improve conditions at the plant. The consortium of stu dent organizations who joined to form Students for Conscious Consump tion consists of Amnesty International, Hispanic Outreach for Learning and Awareness, Students for a Democratic Society, Col lege Democrats, the Ameri can Civil Liberties Union and Active Students for a Healthy Environment. The coalition hosted sev eral on-campus events la.st week to inform UNCA stu dents about alleged labor law violations at the plant. At a panel discussion in Highsmith University Union on Sept. 11, Smith- field workers, labor union organizers and members of the Justice at Smithfield Campaign offered details about the working condi tions and what other people can do to help the cause. The campaign alleges plant workers face inhu mane working conditions, and management quickly See meat Page 2 | Features Weather ’ Art Spiegelman Page 9 Students raise privacy concerns Cassidy Culbertson Staff Writer CJCULBER@UNCA.EDU UNC Asheville docs not sell student informa tion but provides it to certain organizations and individuals on a case-by- case basis, according to university oflicials. “We do not sell directo ry information but if there arc persons that request it, we require the request to be in writing and to state specifically what pieces of directory information they want,” said registrar Debbie Race. UNCA releases names, addresses and phone num bers becau.se the informa tion is considered direc tory information - public, much like phone book en tries, according to Race. “The release of mail ing addresses is techni cally not considered an invasion of privacy,” she said. “If (students) don’t want the mail, they can just trash it.” Officials relea.se the information for a variety of reasons. If an orga nization wishes to send scholarship information to all environmental stud ies students, for example, they can request names and addresses. Other types of direc tory information include: date and place of birth, entrance status, classi fication, major field of study, participation in officially recognized ac tivities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received (includ ing Dean’s List, Chan cellor’s List and scholar ships) and the most recent educational agency or in stitution a student previ ously attended. Several students ex pressed concern that the university would make their personal information available. The school has no right to give out information without our permission,” said J.P. Dozier, junior math student. “They need to make it clearer they’re going to release our in formation. 1 never knew See info Page 2 | THURSDAY 75 56 FRIDAY 74 53 SATURDAY 76 55 SUNDAY 72 53 9.