le
f the
d for
and
Song
wwn
er 11
iium,
n by
lents.
ies is
It the
)vide
)bea
' said
je on
be on
or it
This
The Blue Banner
‘Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." - John Wooden
/olume 22, Number 3
The University of North Carolina Asheville
Thurs., Sept. 16, 1993
ia
itter of
:rament
locracy,
irm of a
t
Faculty Senate holds first meeting
Kent Thompson
Staff Writer
The faculty senate held its first meeting of the 1993-93 year on Thursday, Sept. 9.
UNCA hires eight new faculty members
Kre are
terms ol
“Africa
people,
ak. Youl
, a very|
:onomic
mot live
Srenda Webster
much offctaff Writer
x>nomic
he New
) which
;utenanl
re well
t highly
Timent.
family
Staff Photo By Lat Ray
The faculty senate held its first regular
meeting of the year last Thursday in
Karpen Hall. The meeting was called
to order by Shirley Browning,
chairman of the faculty senate.
One item of business discussed at the
meeting was whether or not to submit
a letter of resolution to the leadership
of the university system. The letter
would express the faculty’s concern
and uneasiness surrounding the'
resignation of UNCA Chancellor
Samuel Schuman.
“This letter of resolution is a way to
tfy to attempt to bring together all the
various concerns that are in the minds
of the faculty and express them in
some fashion that will alert the
leadership of the university, board,
board members, and president that
there is some concem,” said Browning.
“It would probably be in the self-
interest of not only UNCA, but the
entire university system, if there was
some clear, professional attention
given to these concerns.”
Faculty members were surprised by
the announcement of Schuman’s
resignation on Aug. 11. “It came as a
shock to everyone," said Browning.
“It’s quite reasonable for people to
wonder what’s going on.”
Although this is a sensitive issue,
the mission of the university has not
changed. “We see no evidence of any
change in the mission,” said
Browning. The chairman of the board
of trustees, James B. Banks, has
circulated a memo to the faculty,
reaffirming the university’s mission.
Michael Gillum, professor of
literature, andLindaNelms, assistant
professor of management, were asked
to prepare the letter. The letter should
express what they feel are the faculty’s
concerns, said Browning. It will be
presented at the October faculty
senate meeting. The senate will look
at it, modify it and decide whether or
not to accept it.
In a special meeting last week, the
faculty senate selected a list of names
to submit to Banks. From that list, he
will select people to be on the search
committee for a new chancellor.
Banks will be the chairman of the
search committee, said Browning.
When the interview process has been
completed, the search committee sends
at least two names to the president of
the university system, who makes his
recommendation to the Board of
Governors.
It is expected to be announced by the
end of this month who will be on the
chancellor search committee. The
committee will be made up of board
members, faculty, a representative
from the administration, and a student,
Browning said.
Another issue discussed at
Thursday ’ s senate meeting was student
enrollment for the fall semester. Larry
Wilson, vice chancellor for academic
affairs, reported freshman enrolhnent
at 401, up 10 percent from la.st year.
He reported average SAT scores for
the freshman class to be 1056, also up
from last year.
Wilson reported that there are fewer
than expected continuing students this
year, many of whom had an above
average GPA. Wilson said there are
two significant factors in some students
not returning. “There is still a fairly
week economy, and personal finances
may not be very secure,”he said. “Last
year, the federal government made
major changes in financial aid."
a:
m
tp
y-
y:
ITS.T
UNCA welcomes eight new faculty members this year, and they all are
larticipants in the New Faculty Mentoring Program.
‘At the beginning of the school year, I hold a dinner party where senior faculty
nentors and new faculty mentees meet,” said Tucker Cooke, chairman of the
rt department and director of the New Faculty Mentoring Program. “During
lis time, the new faculty mentees pick three people with whom they would like
work.
The reason this faculty mentoring program works is that everything said,
iscussed or questioned, between mentors and mentees, is totally confidential,”
aid Cooke. “The administration cannot be involved in this program. They
upport it, but it’s really a program of faculty supporting faculty. This is the
econd year of the program, and we are very pleased with its success.”
This mentoring program would never have l>een offered at a larger institution,”
aid Lisa Roberts, a new faculty member. “The advantage of a small university
that there is more interaction Ijetween different departments, and you are not
ist pigeonholed within your own department.”
Roberts’ titles at UNCA include public services librarian, assistant professor
f library science, head of special collection, and university archivist. She holds
master’s of library science freon the University of North Texas and teaches
ibrary Research 102 this semester.
Helping students develop research skills, stimulating their curiosity, and
istilling confidence in students is the primary objective in teaching library
science, said Roberts.
All of the new faculty members said UNCA’s fine reputation as a small,
selective libera) arts university is what mostly attracted them to the college.
“UNCA is small enough to be friendly, but selective enough to bring in quality
smdents,” said Dr. John Stephen Frost, a new visiting assistant professor of
biology.
“The philosophy of the administration, through the faculty, through the staff,
is extremely supportive, and UNCA has a reputation in the pubUc as a good
liberal arts school," said Frost.
Frost holds a doctorate degree from the University of Arizona , a post
doctorate from Indiana University, and comes to UNCA from his last post at
the University of Kansas. This semester he teaches Cell Biology, Principles of
Biology and Developmental Biology.
“Liberal arts are very important, and that is what people in the workplace are
focusing on,” said Nancy Elizat)eth Fitch, new faculty member.
“I think that a liberal arts education will help students get the careers that they
would like, but that it will also prepare them for life-long learning,” Fitch said.
Fitch is an associate professor of history and holds a doctorate in history from
the University of Michigan. This fall she teaches U.S. History to 1865, Afro-
American History Survey, and interns in Humanities 214.
“Smaller colleges allow me to make a difference,” said Robert Bowen,
visiting assistant professor in drama. “1 really do enjoy working with the
See "Faculty," page 8
*4
staff PfvDto By Cfian Carter
Three of the eight new UNCA faculty members are Nancy Fitch (I.),
associate professor of history; Lisa Roberts, public services librarian;
and Robert Bowen, visiting assistant professor of drama.
Inside
Opinions 2
Violence rears its head
S.E. Peake
Perspectives 3
SG/^
New columnist
Features 4
Los Foikloristas
Choose wisely
Sports 5
Track teams place second
Men's soccer team loses
Comics 6
Guy Stuff
Chaos
Announcements 7
Job opportunities
Events
Weather Report
The forecast for Thursday
and Friday calls for variable
cloudy skies, with widely
scattered showers. The low
Thursday will be in the low
60s, high Friday will be near
80.
Weather Report courtesy of the National
Veather Service
Unca Atmospheric Science Department
tiers updated forecasts through the 24 hour
Veatherilne...251-6435
Church sponsors campus group
Lynne Delk
Staff Writer
The United Methodist Church of the
Asheville district will sponsor a new
student group on the UNCA campus.
The group will hold their first
meeting in room 37 of the Highsmith
center on Thursday, Sep. 16 at 7:30
p.m.
“Our district has been interested in
having a presence on campus and
offering the students away of exploring
their faith,” said Reverend Cecil
Donahue, the United Methodist
Campus Ministfy (UMCM) advisor.
Most larger campuses in the North
Carolina university system have
United Methodist groups organized
on campus.
Wesley Foundations are present at
Chapel Hill, Appalachian State and
UNC-Charlotte. The UMCM group
will act as a loginning step to forming
a Wesley foundation at UNCA. “Our
eventual goal, a few years down the
road, would be to have a full-time
service,” said Donahue.
The UMCM group for UNCA will
offer a variety of opportunities for
United Methodist and all other
interested students to meet together on
a regular basis.
“The only requirement is that you
want to be there,” said Donahue.
“Wesley would call it, ‘working out
your own salvation,’ that’s the terms
heused,”saidDonahue. John Wesley’s
ideas founded the Methodist faith.
Covenant Discipleship groups will
offer a chance for small groups of
students “to explore their faith and see
how it relates to their education” by
performing “acts of love and
compassion, acts of justice and
fairness, acts of personal devotion,
and acts of public worship,” Donahue
said.
“Over a period of time, the hope is
that friendships deepen and you begin
to have a sense of what God is doing in
your life,” said Donahue, the minister
for Mars Hill United Methodist
Church.
Mission uips will offer students an
opportunity to work in the area of
building teams, said Donahue.
“One of the key things about any
Christian’s life is that you are serving
God in some way and being in the
active mission is one of the most
exciting things, I think, you can get
involved in,” said Donahue.
Local building project opportunities
include working with Habitat for
Humanity, said Donahue.
We also “have a building team
program through our church that sends
students, as well as adults, down to
Homestead, Horida to help rebuild
from the hurricane,” said Donahue.
The Methodist church rents a house
in Homestead and groups go down
year round to rebuild the town, said
Donahue.
“I would hope that maybe during
some of the breaks we could take a trip
down there and spend a week,” he
said.
The church organization also
provides openings for mission trips
abroad.
“Wehave two building teams, strictly
for college students, to go to some
place in Central America and spend
two weeks working on a building team
there,” said Donahue.
See “UMCM," page 8
NCSL supports Schuman
Terl Smith
Staff Writer
The UNCA delegation to the North
CarolinaStudent Legislature (NCSL)
met on Sept. 1 to discuss the recent
resignation of Chancellor Samuel
Schuman and a reported proposal to
inaease the student population at
UNCA.
Karen Brinson, the western district
counciler, presented a resolution to
the delegation which says the UNCA
delegation of NSCL “supports the
efforts of Chancellor Samuel
Schuman in maintaining the mission
of the University in continuing to
remain the small liberal arts institution
it currently achieves and is so
prestigiously recognized for.”
The document that was adopted cites
Schuman’s resignation and a
statement by UNC President C.D.
Spangler that “he saw UNCA’s
enrollment doubling in the next
decade” as the reasons for the
resolution.
“The whole issue is debatable and
amendable,” said Joselyn Carreras,
NCSL delegation chairperson.
“1 don’t think this resolution in and
of itself is going to change anyone’s
mind,” said Schuman. “It is just one
of anumber of reactions from students
and others.” The cumulative effect
of similar responses “can’t help but
have an impact,” said Schuman.
Accwding to Thomas Cochran,
associate vice chancellwfor academic
affairs, the reaction to Schuman’s
resignation is an “understandable
panic.
“Our mission statement, which was
approved two years ago, is operative,”
saidCochran. “The enrollment targets
have not been modified ... we don’t
have any directives to change our
[academic] criteria.
“Nothing is happening in any quarter
that says we are expected to double
our enrolhnent or that we will lower
our standards,” said Cochran.
“If you look at the practical facts of
what it would take to suddenly bring in
a class of 600, we don’t have the
admissions,” said Cochran, “If we
opened the doors wide and said
everybody who applies is admitted,
that’s not going to happen.”
Cochran said he also believes student
views can have an impact. “The Board
of Govenors approves missions," he
said. "They are the ones that approved
our mission just two years ago.”
That mission and projected
enrollment goals for UNCA are part of
a long range plan adopted by the Board
of Governors in November 1992.
According to the plan the enrollment
projections “will be reviewed
annually.”
Brinson said she believes students
and faculty can have an impact on the
decisions that are made about UNC A’s
future. ‘The NSCL has done what we
can, but there are other steps that can
tie taken,” said Brinson. “I personally
wrote to two memtjers of the Board of
Govenors who are from my area.”
The resolution was adopted after a
lengthy debate at the largely attended
meeting, according to Carreras. One
outcome of the discussion was a plan
for NCSL and the Student
Government Association (SG A) to
sponsor a public forum in Lipinsky
Auditorium on Oct. 6.
“The purpose of the forum is to
bring this issue up for debate,” said
Carreras. “We also hope to alert
students, share information, and
give everyone a chance to express
their views.
“We hope that President Spangler
will agree to participate in the panel
discussion,” said Carreras. “A
copy of the resolution was mailed
to him on Sept. 13.” According to
Carreras, Schuman, the chairman
of the UNCA Board of Trustees,
and the UNC Board of Governors
chairman also were sent copies.
The NCSL is the oldest student
legislature in the country. “Any
student can become a member of
the UNCA delegation by attending
two of the last four meetings,” said
Carreras. “We encourage students
to participate.
“The NCSL originates legislation
and debates the legislation at state
meetings,” said Carreras. “And,
about 40 percent of our legislation
has become law.”
Participating in the NCSL is a
great way for students to gain
leadership skills,, according to
Carreras. “Both past govenors,
JimMartinandJimHunt, are NCSL
alumni.”
The UNCA delegation will attend
a state session at Elon College Sept.
17-19. “We hope to host a state
meeting here in January,” said
Caireras.