I
"Only a tool comes Into a healthy institution
with an agenda tor immediate change. “
Schuman Interview Page 3
Former UNCA Assistant Baseball Coach
Stewart Indicted On Drug Charges
Wendell Thorne Gets Mail From His Close
Personal Friend, "The Prez"
...From Wendell's Window Page 3
I
The Blue Banner
"Things have never been more like the way they are today in history," -- Dwight David Eisenhower
Volume XVIII, Number 1
The University of North Carolina at Asheviile
Thursday, September 5, 1991
Samuel Schuman » Vniveraty Graphics
New UNCA chancellor took overtop campus post July 1. Schuman
formerly served as vice president of academic affairs at Guilford
College in Greensboro, N.C.
Appointment Of Former Guilford V.P. Ends Controversial Search Process
Schuman Assumes Chancellorship
Steve Peake
Editor
After a nine-month search, and several weeks of faculty discontent over that
search last spring, UNCA has a permanent chancellor for the first time in over
a year.
The UNCBoard of Governors named Samuel Schuman to the top UNCA post
lastMay. CD. Spangler, piesidentoftheUNCsystem, had presentedSchuman’s
name to the board for its approval. Schuman, who assumed his new post in July,
replaces Roy Carroll, interim chancellor since August of last year.
A scholar of renaissance drama, Schuman, 48, had been vice-president for
academic affairs at Guilford College in Greensboro since 1981. He served for
six months as acting president at Guilford in 1988.
“He (Schuman) is si^erbly qualified to lead an institution that is recognized
across the nation as anoutslanding public liberal arts institution,” said Spangler.
“The search committee, with the firm support of the faculty and the trustees,
sought a new chancellor with a deep commitment to the liberal arts tradition,”
said Spangler, “one who could come to the position as a scholar and a teacher,
as well as an experienced administrator. In Sam Schuman, they found a person
ideally suited for this role.”
Schuman’s appointment came on the heels of a controversial search process,
which culminated in the passing of a faculty resolution calling on Spangler to
extend the search beyond the three candidates recommended by the Chancellor
Search Committee. Schuman was apparently one of those three finalists.
Several faculty members had complained at the exclusion of Carroll from the
hst of finalists. Carroll issued a memo to faculty and staff last year, officially
taking his name out of consideration. That memo did not stop the faculty from
passing the resolution calling for a continuation of the search.
Schuman comes to UNCA with his own apparent record of controversy.
According to the Greensboro News & Record, Schuman drew fire for a
memo he issued while at Guilford College. “ To the extent that I have a veto
on faculty hiring,” the News & Record quoted Schuman as writing, “I intend
not to find satisfactory another white Protestant middle-aged applicant in the
management department”
According to the News & Record, Lawrence McLean, a white male job
seeker, subsequently filed a complaint with the Equal Opportunity Employ
ment Commissioit The college reportedly settled with McLean for "about
$100,000."
The News & Record also reported a 1989 scuffle between Schuman and a
group of youths from Greensboro’s New Garden School. The youths had been
reportedly harassing Schuman with verbal taimts as he jogged on the track at
Guilford College.
The News & Record story paraphrased a New Garden School official as
saying one of the youths was pushed into a brick wall, then to the ground.
Schuman denied there had been any physical contact during the incident. “It
certainly was not, on the part of either the young people, or of me, a case of
physical assault,” said Schuman.
“I think everyone concerned was satisfied that there has been nothing
improper in either case,” said Schuman. “I think the search committee agreed
with that assessment As far as I’m concerned, all that is in the past.”
Please See Related Interview - Page 3
Officials, Donors
Dedicate Karpen Hall
At June Ceremony
Steve Peake
Editor
UNCA’s newest classroom building received a permanent name June 28
when officials and friends of the university gathered to dedicate Karpen Hall.
Perhaps better-known to faculty, staff and returning students as the “Graduate
Center,” orsimply “The New Classroom Building,” the year-old hall now bears
the name of Morris Karpen, local businessman and long-time benefactorof the
university.
The dedication ceremony honored Karpen for his financial support of UNCA
over the years. Karpen's previous donations to the university had helped bring
about the completion of Robinson Hall, the campus science building which
bears the name of the father of Karpen's wife, Leah.
Samuel Schuman, UNCA chancellor, praised the Karpen’s continued aid to
the university. “”The Karpen family exemplifies a wholehearted engagement
with The University of North Carolina at Asheville, which is, to me, gratifying
Please See "Dedication" - Page 10
Staff Photo By Genie Castillo
New Semester, New Name
Students return to Fall classes at the newly-named Karpen Hall. The June dedication
honored Morris I. Karpen, local businessman and long-time benefactor of UNCA.
Enrollment Officer: Incoming
Freshmen Claim High Scores
Renee Rallos
Associ ate editor
SAT scores for this year's freshman
class were between 997-1028,
according to Caroline Miller, assistant
vice-chancellor for enrollment
management Fifty-eight percent to
67 percent were in the top fifth of their
class, said Miller.
“Our student body is more diverse
than two or three years ago. My guess
is 50 percent is fi'om Western North
Carolina; 14 percent is from out of
state; maybe 10 percent from the
eastern part of the state; and 25 percent
is from the piedmont,” said Miller.
“In this particular group of freshman
about 37 percent have said natural
sciences and about 14 percent or 15
percent have said the humanities. There
were about 15 percent that came in the
Engineering 2+2 program. We’re up
in natural sciences and down in social
sciences,” said Miller.
“They are obviously coming for more
program specific reasons. They’re
coming for real specific majors like
mass communication, atmospheric
science, and environmental sttidies,”
said Miller.
The atmospheric science program is
one of the best, said John Franklin,
freshman from El Cajon, Calif.
“I was looking at Chapel Hill and I
realized it was too big and it didn’t
have what I wanted. I saw this one
(UNCA) and I wanted a branch of this
system (Univeisity of North Carolina)
because it is a good system,” said
Franklin.
“I had never been to North Carolina
before and I had never seen the school
until orientatioiL Ijust came and didn’t
know what I was getting myself into,”
said Franklin.
Franklin also said he had family ties
in Virginia, which was another reason
he chose UNCA.
For three or four years UNCA has
been receiving steady publicity about
its academics, said Miller. “There
aren’t alot of public liberal arts
colleges. I think people are starting to
come for more traditional liberal arts
kinds of programs,” said Miller.
“From a marketing and admissions
standpoint the quality is up, because
that’s the kind of student we’ve
admitted,” said Miller.
“They (UNCA) started recruiting for
abasketball scholarship. Ireally didn’t
think of them initially, but once they
contacted me, I got really interested in
the programs,” said Stephanie Smith,
freshman from Durham, N.C.
“I like the school and the people.
They (UNCA) offered me the most
plus a good education. It was a total
package. I liked the whole thing,” said
Smith, who is also an Undergraduate
Research Fellow.
There are about 20 states represented
at UNCA in the freshman class. “We
spend a couple of weeks every year in
Florida and the Atlanta area. Last year
we spent some time in northern
Virginia, Maryland and Ohio,” said
MUler.
“We’re sending some representatives
to college fairs. And we’ve started to
get a number of students and so we’re
going into specific schools that are
having increasing numbers,” said
Miller.
The bordering states are sending more
students. Following North Carolina, it
would be Florida, Georgia, Virginia
and Tennessee, said Miller.
Faculty Sets
New Grade
Policy
Connie Krochmal
Staff writer
Students can now repeat up to 15 semester hours In
order to replace D’s and F’s with higher grades. The
new policy, the result of Faculty Senate action, allows
use of the new grades in computing grade point
average (GPA).
According to the Registrar’s office, the policy became
effective after it was approved by the Faculty Senate
during the spring of 1991. The new policy is retroactive
to include classes repeated during the spring semester
of 1991.
Under the previous policy, students could replace
F’s but not D’s.
“The bottom line is that it is to help the students,”
said Caroline Miller, assistant vice chancellor for
Please See "Grades" - Page 10
Automatic
Teller
Machine
Installed At
Highsmith
Now students can afford not to go to
their bank. Atellermachine is readily
available on UNCA’s campus. The
teller machine is directly outside the
Highsmith Center next to the
bookstore.
Tom Byers, special assistant to the
chancellor, said, “We’re very
enthusiastic about having this new
service offered on our campus.”
According to Byers, the service is
available due to the collective efforts
of administrators, directors and
students here on campus.
Byers said placing a teller machine
on campus was a decision made some
time ago. However, banks were
hesitant and thought the traffic flow
using the machine would not be
productive enough to justify the
Photo Courtesy Of Terry Davis
Merlanne Epstein
The search for a replacement for Wally Bowen, former director of
public information, produced Epstein. See related story on page 7.
Please See "ATM* - Page 10