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Volume XVI, Number 6
Striving for Excellence
March 1,1990
Three candidates run for SGA president
By Vicki McCoy
News Editor
Student Government Association
elections will be held March 5-6,
and three students currently
holding SGA offices are running
for president.
CMs Dobson, John Schoultz and
Amy Thompson are the three
candidates.
Dobson, a junior senator, is a
business major who feels that the
SGA needs to play a more
important role in the affairs of
UNCA.
"I feel we need strong leadership
now that UNCA is growing," he
said. "I am going to push for more
important things. Sometimes we
get involved in the rules and the
legislation, so the more important
things get left out."
Dobson is also a member of the
Student Affairs Committee of
SGA. As a member, Dobson said
he has been committed to
improving the weekends here at
UNCA. Dobson said he feels the
students need more activities to
choose from on the weekends.
Dobson has also been trying to
get a better variety of food for the
cafeteria and an effective escort
service. Dobson also said he is
trying to find a solution to
UNCA’s parking problems.
"I am trying my best to do
something about the parking," he
said. "I think we need to keep on
them (the administration)
constantly so they will come up
with some solutions."
Dobson also voted for the new
alarm system that was just
inslalled in the I ' '
"I live in the highrise, and we
need high standard equipment that
just won’t go off whenever, but
that will go off in case of a. real
fire," Dobson said.
With the planning of the new
residence hall on campus, Dobson
said he would like to see it placed
closer to the Highsmith Center.
The administration has considered
placing the new dorm behind the
school where the tennis courts are
now located.
"I would like to see the new
dorm moved closer to the other
dorms to promote a community
atmosphere," he said.
If elected, Dobson said he wants
to push for lowering the
humanities requirements. Dobson
said he feels the requirements may
discourage people from applying
to and attending UNCA.
Dobson
Dobson also said he would like
to encourage the administration to
consider putting cable television in
the dorms.
A business major, Dobson
participates in other activities
other than student government.
He plays intramural basketball and
Schoultz
football and runs track. He is also
a member of the Political Science
Association.
"I feel we need strong leadership
that will stand above and beyond
the rest," he said.
John Schoultz is another
candidate seeking the office of
Thompson
president.
A pohtical science major,
Schoultz is currently the attorney
general for student court. He has
held the position for almost two
years.
According to Schoultz, he has
Please see President, page 7.
Black History Month
concludes with Kwanza
Jim Boyce plays drums in Highsmith Center
for Black Heritage Month. Photo by Diane Maney
By Scarlet Bell
Editor
UNCA’s observance of Black
Heritage Month concluded on
Feb. 28 with a celebration of
Kwanza, an African holiday
traditionally celebrated the week
after Christmas, said Carolyn
Briggs, director of multicultural
student affairs.
"It’s almost like Thanksgiving,
because it’s like giving thanks for
the crops, your family, your friends
and everything you have," Briggs
said.
"But, what we do is celebrate
Kwanza in February (during Black
Heritage Month) since we are not
here after Christmas," she added.
In preparation for the Kwanza
celebration, Briggs organized a
special feast of traditionally
African dishes by checking out
books on African cuisine.
Briggs said she was pleased with
the response to the African meal.
"I think it was wonderful. I think
they did a good job, and it seems
like everybody’s going back and
getting seconds, so I think it really
turned out well," she said.
Some of the African dishes
students enjoyed during Kwanza
included the Liberian dish of
Sweet Potato Puffs, the Tanzanian
dish of Fried Cabbage, and the
Ethiopian dish of Yemisar Salatta,
a vegetarian lentil dinner.
In addition, cafeteria chefs
prepared Bootjiebredie (a bean
stew from Capetown, South
Africa), Chinchin (a sweet, fried
pastry dessert), and Maacouda
with Potatoes (a mixture of
mashed potatoes and sour cream
and chives, baked in an oven).
While diners in the cafeteria ate
their African meals, they were
entertained by The Steel Drum
Symphonette, a band from
Charlotte, N.C. whose specialty is
Carribbean music produced from
steel drums.
The band played songs such as
George Gershwin’s "Summertime,"
and Jimmy Buffet’s
"Margaritaville," but with a
Carribbean flavor.
Band member Jim Boyce, who
was born in Barbados and has
lived in Trinidad, said he has
perfoimed with artists such as
Barbara Mandrell, Liberace and
Mike Douglas. He has also
performed for former president
Ronald Reagan.
Fellow band member Sonja
Smith, who has eight years
experience playing steel
instuments, had just returned from
California, where she worked with
agents close to pop superstar
Michael Jackson.
"I was in Los Angeles for about
two weeics working for people
affiliated with Michael Jackson’s
management, but I didn’t tour with
him," she said.
Smith’s mother, Betty Grier, also
plays in the band.
"To be perfectly honest, I had to
keep my kids busy to keep them
out of the streets, so I enrolled
them in steel drum classes. While
spending long hours waiting for
them while they were taking
classes, I decided I’d take some
classes myself," she said.
Reflecting on the success of this
year’s Black Heritage Month,
Briggs said, "I think it could have
been more successful, because I
think more people could have
been involved as far as coming to
the events. I don’t think enough
people participated the way they
should have, and I’m not sure why
that is."
Highsmith expansion causes fee increase
By Angela Minor
Staff Writer
Due to the proposed Highsmith
Center expansion, students will see
an increase of around $180 a year
to their student fees, according to
information provided for the
Highsmith Center expansion
committee.
According to Sharyn McDonald,
Highsmith Center director, student
fees will provide all of the money
for the center. "It’s the only way
we can do this," said McDonald.
"We want to expand the building
and create more space to create
more community."
The final decision on the amount
of increase has not yet been
determined, though the increase is
inevitable, according to Arthur
Foley, vice chancellor of finance.
The university will borrow the
money for the expansion, then
repay the loan from the student
fee increase, which will affect
students for the next 15 to 25
years, said Foley.
The former Vice Chancellor of
Finance William H. Pott officially
approved the increase to fund the
expansion.
"Three million isn’t going to take
care of all of the needs we have
for the building," McDonald said.
She has hopes of a second phase
of expansion later. According to
Foley, this phase will probably
mean a second increase in student
fees several years in the future.
The expansion proposal calls for
an increase in dining service space,
including more kitchens and
remodeling of the dining hall.
"There are going to be more
’’The bad part will be the construction phase.
People will have to adjust to construction
around Highsmith Center. This building will
have to stay open during the construction.”
McDonald
residential halls and we need
additional dining areas and
kitchens to accommodate them,"
said McDonald.
In addition, the expansion will
include enlargement of the snack
bar and the addition of a small
performance stage inside the snack
bar.
McDonald says the expansion
will also include the addition of
more, and better, lounge space.
She says the lounge space
currently in the lobby is not
enough.
The expansion committee, made
up of students, faculty and staff, is
also considering establishing a
mail service in the Highsmith
Center, according to McDonald.
The committee is discussing two
options. Both include putting
student mailboxes in the
Highsmith Center. The debate is
Brantley hired as personnel director
By Jackie Gasperson
Staff Writer
Officials at UNCA appointed
Anthony G. "Andy" Brantley to the
position of personnel director last
month.
In taking this new position,
Brantley is responsible for
persoimel administration, staff
development and recruiting,
employee relations, benefits and
state personnel policy.
"As personnel director, I
oversee all staffing activities for
anyone working on campus, with
the exception of faculty. Those are
handled through the vice
. chancellor of academic affairs’
office, but that still roughly lea’
about 350 positions to oversee,"
said Brantley.
Brantley is also responsible for
basic counseling of employees,
employee assistance programs and
taking disciplinary action, such as
dismissal.
"Hopefully that is something
(dismissal), I won’t have to deal
with often, but those are the
employment-type issues that come
through me," said Brantley.
In order to keep up with state
personnel policies, Brantley has to
determine whether positions at
UNCA follow the rest of the state.
"In order to find this out I have
to see, for example, if a secretary
that has worked three years at
UNC-Chapel Hill is at the same
status as a secretary who has
worked the same amount of time
here at UNCA," said Brantley.
Also, as personnel director,
Brantley is responsible for
developing an affirmative action
plan.
"I’m responsible for actually
coming up with our affirmative
action plan, and setting our
affirmative action goals, in order
►
7
Brantley
to make sure that we are in
compliance, since we have to
follow federal regulations," said
Brantley.
Please see Brantley, page 5.
Inside
Cafeteria ratings
3
Mental Retardation
Awareness Month
4
SGA elections
6-7
Baseball has
slow start
Aerosmith’s Pump
Life in Hell
10
12
whether to just have the resident
student boxes in the center or to
include commuter student boxes
also and have all mail picked up
in the Highsmith Center.
McDonald says the idea in
choosing the second option is to
continue that feeling of
community.
The expansion will also include
an increase in student organization
space. This expansion will include
office space for all organizations
on campus and additional meeting
rooms.
The Board of Trustees is now
making the final decision on the
architect for this project.
Construction will begin in April
1991, with completion scheduled
for August 1992.
McDonald says the expansion
will hot* entail adding a second
floor to the existing building.
"The building was not originally
built to go up above," said
McDonald.
According to McDonald, the
likely direction of the expansion
will be toward University Heights
in the area of the steps leading
from the main road to the
Highsmith Center.
"The bad part will be the
construction phase. People will
have to adjust to construction
around this building," said
McDonald.
"This building has to stay open
during the construction," said
McDonald. She says part of the
responsibility of the architects will
be to accommodate student traffic
into the Highsmith Center during
the construction.
Pickens to face
charges
By Kim Cooley
Asst News Editor
Charles Louis Pickens, 21, of
Asheville who was arrested for
carring weapons on campus Feb. 4
did not show up for his court case
Feb. 23, according to UNCA
security officers.
Pickens was stopped in the
Highrise parking lot around 1:00
a.m. on Feb. 4 after a gun had
been pulled on a student between
the Highsmith Center and Mills
Hall. Security began stopping all
cars leaving the University in
hopes of capturing the person with
the gun.
When stopped, Pickens had two
homemade, axe-handle nightsticks,
according to Jeff Van Slyke,
UNCA Chief of Security. "One
nightstick was in the trunk and
one was on the front seat."
The judge issued a bench
warrent for Pickens arrest after he
did not show up for court,
according to Van Slyke. Along
with the charge of carrying
weapons on campus, Pickens has
another carrying concealed
weapon and two reckless driving
charges against, plus a failure to
appear charge on him at this time.
"Pickens wont be allowed to
make bond before his next court
date. He will remain in jail until
that date to make sure he shows
up," Van Slyke said.
In another case not related to
the Pickens case, Kathleen Abby,
18,who lives in the Highrise, room
415, pleaded guilty to possession
of marijuania. Abby was arrested
Oct. 11 for possesion of marijuania *
andreleased under a $400 bond.
She was sentenced Friday to
community service which has to be
completed by Sept, of 1990,
according to security officials.