News
328.2012 I The Blue Banner I 3
UNCA faculty joins preservation panel
Ian MacKlin
lmacklin@unca.edu - Staff Writer
The Historic Resource Com
mission in Asheville, which
works with residents to improve
and preserve the city’s historic
areas, recently appointed UNC
Asheville faculty as a member.
“I see a professional respon
sibility, as a historian, to serve
the community.” said Tracey
Rizzo, associate professor of
history at UNCA, who was
recently appointed to the
commission.
The committee attempts to
preserve historical aspects of
Asheville through renovations
and projects. Since 197.9, the
commision’s 12 members have
identified and evaluated his
torically significant properties
and land.
“It can be a pain sometimes to
have to work with the commis
sion,” said Jack Almstead, 83,
an Asheville resident living
in the Montford community.
“But it does keep the neighbor
hood looking like it should:”
Almstead said working with
the commission sometimes
presents challenges for resi
dents.
“A few of my neighbors have
had to jump through the hoops
while doing renovations on
their homes,” Almstead said.
Photo by Beth Ellen - Staff Photographer
UNCA faculty Tracey Rizzo poses by a cement barrier in Biltmore Village on the agenda for the
Historic Resource Commission. The group aims to preserve Asheville's historical integrity.
“But I like the way my house
looks now and I don’t plan on
changing it anytime soon.”
The HRC works with the
property owners to find the best
solution for both the homeown
er’s needs and the overall look
of the city, Rizzo said.
“It’s all about the balance,”
Rizzo said.
One of the larger HRC proj
ects is the new traffic pattern at
the intersection of Cullowhee
Street, Soco Street and Mont
ford Avenue.
“I think it will help a lot
with making people feel safer
while walking,” said Missy
Almstead, 80, resident of the
Montford area and wife of
Jack Almstead. “The side
walks will be wider, which I
like because I walk every day
through the neighborhoods and
in some places it’s hard to walk
because the sidewalks are too
narrow for me to really feel
safe.”
The HRC takes every aspect
of the project into consider
ation, from the type of brick
used in the sidewalks, to the
color of the new concrete and
the types of foliage planted.
“1 like that they (the HRC)
work to keep the neighbor
hoods looking like they did
when I was a little girl growing
up here,” Missy said. “So much
about Asheville has changed
over the years that it’s nice to
have these familiar surround
ings around me.”
Rizzo said the commission
attempts to represent the inter
ests of all invested parties.
“The commission oversees
historically significant proper
ties,” Rizzo said. “It works to
balance the interests of home-
owners, architects, the city and
businessmen.”
Members of the HRC are ap
pointed to serve terms, accord
ing to Rizzo.
“I was interviewed and ap
pointed by the city council,”
Rizzo said. “It is a three year
term.”
Rizzo said she has had an
interest in historical buildings
and neighborhoods, along with
her interest in teaching.
“I live in one (a historical
see RIZZO on page 5
Accreditation process presents challenge of critical thinking
Sidney Setzer
ssetzer@unca.edu - Staff Writer
After two years of planning,
UNC Asheville is ready to
submit its plan to the Southern
Association of Colleges and
Schools for reaccreditation.
“You want to go to an insti
tution that is accredited, and
that’s why this is important to
the students,” said Mary Lynn
Manns, director of the Qual
ity Enhancement Plan and
associate professor of man
agement and accountancy at
UNCA.
The Quality Enhancement
Plan is just one half of the ac
creditation process.
UNCA held surveys, focus
"What kept bubbling up to the top was
critical thinking. That seemed to be the
most important thing amongst most
people primarily because we're a lib
eral arts institution and critical thinking
considers something from multiple per
spectives. You also look at it with clarity."
Mary Lynn Manns
QEP director
groups and World Cafe sessions
for faculty, staff and students to
determine the focus of the qual
ity enhancement plan.
“What kept bubbling up to the
top was critical thinking. That
seemed to be the most impor
tant thing amongst most people
primarily because we’re a lib
eral arts institution and critical
thinking considers something
from multiple perspectives.
You also look at it with clar
ity. You look at it with the right
amount of depth versus breath
and a variety of other things,”
Manns said.
The title of the Quality En
hancement Plan is Inquiry
ARC.
“There are four steps—In
quire, Apply, Reflect, Commu
nicate,” Manns said. “When the
students do Inquiry Arc projects
they’ll be inquiring, applying
what they learned in the inquiry
phase. Then they will be con
stantly reflecting and commu
nicating the results to the group
they are working with.”
Ryan Ridenour is a junior
history student, a member of
the student government ac-
cociation and the executive of
Internal Affairs.
He participated in preparing
for the accreditation process.
“I provided feedback on be
half of Student Government to
the Faculty Senate and was a
part of the marketing subcom
mittee that looked over and
made changes to the promo
tional material to the Inquiry
ARC quality enhancement
plan,” Ridenour said.
Ridenour said accreditiation
is very important to the stu
dents at UNCA.
“The Inquiry ARC QEP pro
see QEP on page 5