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Volume XVI, Number 4
Striving for excellence
February 15,1990
■
1
Mullen speaks out
about Mandela
By Vicki McCoy
News Editor
■
by Miranda Wyatt
Helping the homeless
Nathan Fyock, right, collects money for the homeless from Leon
Harrison. This project was sponsored' by Alpha Phi Omega
The release of jailed civil-rights
activist Nelson Mandela brings
immediate effects to the students
and governments of both South
Africa and the United States,
according to Dwight Mullen,
assistant vice chancellor for
academic affairs.
Mullen, who taught at
Ahmadabello University in
♦Nigeria, Africa, said there is one
main effect students in the United
States can expect from the recent
developments in South Africa.
"Students pressured the
government and private businesses
to divest. They aimed their
sanctions at the governmental
sector," Mullen said. "If there is a
happy ending to all this it is that
South Africa would offer
opportunities for students and
faculty to study abroad."
Corporate support
increases by
48 percent
€
By Jamie Steele
Staff Writer
"Private ^ving is what provides
for the margin of excellence in
education," said Alex Miller,
director of development at UNCA.
Last November, 25 volunteers
from Asheville-area businesses
raised a portion of the financitd
support in UNCA’s Annual Fund
corporate campaign. This 30-day
campaign raised $50,000, a 48
percent increase over last year's
total.
This money will primarily
support student scholarships and
services for which the state does
not provide funds, said Miller.
"We’re just delighted at this
increase in corporate support,"
said Ernest Ferguson, senior vice
president for corporate banking at
Wachovia Bank and Trust and
UNCA’s corporate campaign
chairman.
"It shows that the corporate
community recognizes and
appreciates the valuable
contributions UNCA makes to
their businesses and to the
community, state and nation," said
Ferguson.
Miller said many students may
not know or understand what the
Annual Fund and the corporate
campaign are.
"The Annual Fund is the
umbrella term that is used to
describe-the fundraising activities
for the university," he said. "And
the corporate campaign is only a
part of this."
According to Miller, the Annual
Fund consists of:
leadership gifts raised by the
Foundation Board and Board of
Trustees
funds from the community
raised by the corporate campaign
funds supporting athletics
raised by the Bulldog Society Task
Force
funds from the Alumni
Association phonathon
funds raised by Friends of the
Library, the Arts, the Theater
and Music
funds from the parents’
committee, which is currently in
"the embryonic stages."
The state of North Carolina and
taxes provide the majority of the
Please see Support, page 12
%
Devilish sweetheart Miranda wyatt
ITiis little devil brightened someone’s
Valentine’s Day.
Professor declares candidacy
By Jackie Gasperson
Staff Writer
Roger T. Smith, an Asheville
attorney and UNCA adjunct
professor, recently filed for the
District Court bench currently held
by Judge Peter L. Roda. Both men
are Democrats.
Smith, 35, is only the second
person to challenge a sitting judge.
He has practiced law in Asheville
for over 10 years and is also a
professor of environmental law at
UNCA.
"I’ve been interested in the
environment for a long time,"
Smith said. "When I was in law
school, I founded the
Environmental Law Society at
Pepperdine. Teaching
enviroimiental law just sort of
happened."
Smith earned a degree in
political science at the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
and received his law degree from
Pepperdine University School of
Law in Malibu, Calif.
Becoming a judge is just one
more step in his overall goal to
help people, said Smith.
"Since I was in 8th grade, I knew
I wanted to help people, and being
a lawyer is my way of doing so,"
said Smith. "All I can promise to
do is to follow the law and be
impartial and fair to everybody."
Active in civil affairs. Smith is on
the board of directors for. the
Irene Wortham Center and Irene
Wortham Residential Center. He
is president of the UNCA Chorus,
serves on the Dispute Resolution
Committee of the N.C. Bar
Association and is a past member
of the ethics committee.
He serves on Asheville’s Tree
Greenway Commission and is on
the board of trustees of the WNC
Nature Society. He is also the
chairman of the Wenoca Group of
the Sierra Club.
He is a member of the Asheville
Optimist Club and the former
president of Santa Pal. He is hsted
in the fifth edition of "Who’s Who
in American Law" in 1987-1988.
Smith, who has taught
environmental law at UNCA for
two semesters, hopes to continue
teaching if he is elected to the
judgeship.
"I don’t know how officials at the
university would feel about it, [a
professor being a judge], but I
would like to continue teaching,"
said Smith. "I’ll probably budget
my time a whole lot better than I
do now."
In his spare time. Smith said he
likes to play volleyball and is
currently playing in a city league.
He also said he likes hiking and
other outdoor activities. Smith said
he also spends much of his lime
caring for his four-year-old son.
When asked what advice he
would give about a career in
environmental law, Smith said a
person needs to concentrate on
the environment and take as many
classes on environmental law as
possible.
"Environmental law is a very
technical area. There are a lot of
people specializing in the field,
and there is tough competition,"
Smith said.
Smith said there are jobs
working with large corporations,
the government and the private
sector.
Smith said his cand'f^a^'•• for
District Court judge was a goal for
Mullen said the current political
climate in South Africa is evidence
that changes can occur without
violence. "Folks should be elated.
This is a major victory," he said.
"But it is hard to say whether this
is a big change or whether it is
just to pacify the black Africans."
According to Mullen, Mandela’s
release is a signal that the
government might be ready to
negotiate with the African
National Congress and the United
Democratic Front, parties in South
Africa’s government. However,
Mullen said the two parties have
said they would not negotiate until
the state of emergency is lifted.
"The police have an unlimited
amount of control during a state
of emergency. They can arrest folk
without any reason or warning,"
Mullen said.
According to Mullen, there are
several questions that could
surface during any negotiations.
These include the representation
of black Africans in the
government, the issue of a new
Constitution, and individual rights.
Mullen also outlined two laws
that are "pillars" for apartheid. The
first is the Group Areas Act which
controls the distribution of land in
South Africa. "87 percent of the
land legally belongs to the whites,"
he said. "But there are 28 million
blacks and only about 5 to 6
million whites."
The second, according to Mullen,
is the Intern^ Security Act, which
gives the police the power to
arrest and detain people
indefinitely.
"Whatever comes out of the
negotiations on these issues wU •
determine the everyday lives of the
people," he said.
Mullen said the changes for the
white community in South Africa
are both threatening and
Please see Mullen, page 12
Gun pulled
on student
By Kim Cooley
Asst. News Editor
Campus security is currently
investigating an incident involving
a gun being pulled on a student
Feb. 4 at 12:2^0 a.m., according to
UNCA’s campus security.
According to Security Chief, Jeff
Van Slyke, a group of non-student
black males were loitering between
the entrances of the Highsmith
center and Mills Hall
approximately 12:30 a.m. harassing
a female student.
Michael Bailey, who lives in
Mills Hall, said the people were
harassing his rommate’s girlfriend.
He and severed of his friends went
outside to see what was going on,
he said. "We walked outside and
there were about five black guys
and some words were exchanged.
The next thing I knew there was a
gun in my face."
Bailey said at the time words
were beginning to be exchanged
"that what was five black guys
turned into 25. They started com
ing from inside the Highsmith
center and around by the side
door."
Campus security officers then
came out of the Highsmith Center
where the AASA dance was being
held. Bailey said when the officers
walked out of the Highsmith
center, one of the guys said, "put
the up. Let’s go."
After the RA. on duty in Mills
Hall radioed the disturbance to
campus security officers, the of
ficers searched and could not find
any suspects. They also could not
get a definite description of the
suspect, according to Van Slyke.
"About 30 minutes after the
incident occurred, we began stopp
ing every car leaving the Highrise
parking lot," Van Slyke said.
Security officers stopped a car
with a person who seemed to fit
the description of the suspect. In
the car they found two homemade,
axe-handle nightsticks. "One
nightstick was in the trunk and
one was on the front seat. There
was also an empty gun holster in
the glove compartment of the car,"
Van Slyke said.
Charles Louis Pickens, 21, of
Asheville was arrested for carrying
weapons on school grounds, ac
cording to Van Slyke.
Pickens has not been charged for
the incident involving Bailey.
"He has been banned from campus
permanently and if he comes back
he will be arrested for trespassing,"
Van Slyke said.
1
Smith
many lawyers.
"Most every lawyer has this
ambition, and this seemed to be
the right time for me. [If elected].
I’ll make the best decisions I can,"
said Smith. Although
Smith does have a general law
practice, he concentrates in
domestic, criminal and personal
injury law.
Inside
George Bush in
Tennis teams
Columbia
2
rebuild
7
Wendell’s Windo-w
3
Top 25 college
basketball teams
7
Profile Board of
Trustees
4
Students start
production
SAT task force
4
company
8
Gay/Lesbian
support group
5
Vinyl Opinion
9
Life in HeU
ib
Lady Bulldogs
Robotman
10
second in
conference
6
Healthbeat
12