The Blue Banner
"Men their rights and nothing more; women their rights and nothing less." -- Susan B. Anthony
Volume 22, Number 10
The University of North Carolina Asheville
Thurs., Nov. 11, 1993
Student Government Association approves
Mud 500 Club constitution, senator resigns
Teri Smith
Kursten Cofer
Staff Writers
The Student Government Association (SGA) approved the Mud 500 Club’s
(M5C) constitution on Nov. 3, five weeks after it was first presented for
confuTnation, The constitution approval prompted the resignation of at least
one student senator.
Eight senators voted to approve the constitution, three voted against it, five
bstalned from voting and two were absent, according to Gerard Moses, vice
-sident of SGA.
Denise Tomlinson was one of the senators who opposed passing the
consUtuUon. She verbally resigned from the SGA at the Nov. 3 meeting and
submitted a letter of resignation this week.
“My understanding is their purpose is to promote brotherhood,” said
'omlinson. “My opinion is that they promote brotherhood through drinking in
ge quantities.”
‘The approval of their constitution leads to the fact that they could get funding
from the campus commission,” said Tomlinson. “I don’t want my money going
0 buy their beer.”
“Based on things I had heard from my constituents and from personal
experience with some of the members, 1 just didn’t think that was something
[wanted represented on this campus,” said Tomlinson.
“The role of the SGA Is to make sure that an organization’s constitution goes
by the university guidelines for organizational constitutions,” said Mary
Bullman, president of SGA.
In her letter of resignation, Tomlinson wrote, “I feel that the Senate has a
responsibility to be informed on issues.. .We were told to ignore what we know
and go solely by the M5C constitution. I based my opinion not on their
constitution, but on prior knowledge. Since Interpretation of our constitution
is not promoted and since we are discourage from using prior knowledge, 1 do
not feel that I can perform my duty as senator and feel the need to resign.”
“We submitted the same constitution that had been approved last year,” said
Michael Sigmon, M5C president. “Some members of this SGA were really nit
picking, and they asked us to make changes. We did that and it passed.”
“The first constitution they submitted wasn’t well written,” said
Tomlinson. “I knew that it left out some of the things they did, and I also
thought it could include some elements of hazing which is against university
policy.”
The purpose of the M5C is “to create a social organization that promote the
ideals of brotherhood (sisterhood), social service, and commitment to the
community among the student body of UNCA,” according to Sigmon.
“The club functions as an alternative to Greek social organizations that may
require more money for membership,” said Roy Masters, a member since 1991.
“We are the oldest campus organization at UNCA.”
“Dues each semester run not more than $50,” said Michael Sigmon, president
of M5C. “That is much less than a fraternity or a sorority.
“We volunteer time and service to the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization
in Asheville,” said Masters. “We are also active in the Alumni phone-a-thon
and the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Bowl-a-Thon,” said Masters.
This week the organization worked with the UNCA Development Office at
See "MSC," on page 8
M5C members engage in
confrontation with members of
women's soccer team
Teri Smitli
Kursten Cofer
Staff Writers
Players from the UNCA women’s
soccer team reportedly were
confronted by members of the Mud
500 Club when they attempted to
paint a soccer ball and their jersey
numbers on a rock located near the
track, according toamemberof the
team.
According to the soccer players,
the idea came from seeing a soccer
ball painted on wood and displayed
on a hillside atTusculum College.
“We planned to paint the rock as
a tribute to our last home game,”
said the player, “We were expecting
a large turn-out of fans.”
‘Two members of M5C came
down while we were painting it.
They were really mad at first, but
we talked to them and calmed them
down,” said the player.
After some discussion the soccer
players thought they had negotiated
a deal to leave their painting on the
rock until after the game the next
day, according to the player.
“We were in the process of painting
the rock when about six of the
brothers came down and started
yelling at us,” said the player. “They
were really angry and seemed to be
drunk.
’Tn a way we felt threatened,” she
said. “We alljeft because we didn’t
know what they would do.”
Michael Sigmon, vice president of
M5C, confirmed that the soccer team
painted over the rock on the evening
of Oct. 22.
“A group did paint over the rock
and the Mud approached them about
it,” said Roy Masters, a member of
M5C.
“The rock Is a U'aditional meeting
place for the Mud and it Is sort of an
icon of the Mud on campus," said
Masters.
“They basically painted over the
rock and some words were
exchanged,” said Sigmon. “We
repainted the rock that night.”
Hitting tlie bools
A UNCA student spends time studying in front of the library.
Staff Photo By Stacy Whitworth
Inside
Opinions 2
Packwood diaries
S.E. Peale
Perspectives 3
Political correctness
Sihgle parents
Features 4
Gourmet from a can
Slovak Sinfonietta
Sports 5
Blue-White scrimmage
Volleyball team loses
Comics 6
Wild Kingdom
Chaos
Announcements 7
Job opportunities
Events
Weather Report
The forecast calls for a mild
weekend with highs in the
mid-60s on Friday and
Saturday. Friday's low will
be 44, Saturday's low will be
48.
Weather Report courtesy of the National
Weather Service
UNCA Atrrwspheric Science Department
offers updated forecasts through the 24 hour
Weathertine...251-6435
Suzanne Edney
Staff Writer
Nancy Williams, assistant director
of housing and residence hfe, received
the North Carolina State Employees
Governor’s Award for Excellence.
“It’s wonderful. It’s an honor to be
the youngest recipient. One of the folks
told me I was the youngest this year,
maybe one of the youngest he could
remember,” she said.
Out of all state employees who are
eligible, up to 10 are chosen.
Nominations are considered at the
agency level.
“I think one of the neatest things
about the governor’s award is that it
came on the heels of such a difficult
year for me,” Williams said.
The agency makes a
recommendation. This nomination
joins others in a final pool.
After the committee looks over them,
they discuss the contributions each
candidate has made.
A written nomination is sent to a
committee, and they discusses the
contributions made by every nominee.
“There were some people who really
made dramatic improvement in the
quality of life in North Carolina. It’s
really neat to be in that class of folks,”
Williams said.
Williams is responsible for all parts
of residence life.
She selects, supervises, and tfains
resident assistants and directors.
She also gives workshops.
“It doesn’t feel like work. I think one
of the things that makes me a dedicated
employee is that I really love my job.
It doesn’t feel like ‘Oh, I’velKenatthe
Voters approve $310 million bond
Kent Thompson
Staff Writer
On Nov. 2, North Carolina voters
approved a $310 million university
improvement bond.
The money will be invested in North
Carolina’s 16-campus university, the
nation’s oldest state university system,
and other university affiliated
organizations.
UNCA will receive over $5.4 milUon
for a physical education building, and
nearly $4 million to begin the fust phase
of construction on a conference center.
“I think it will be great, and I am
anxious for the projects to get started,”
said Eric lovacchini, UNCA vice
chancellor for student affairs.
The physical education building will
connect to the existing Justice Gym,
and will house 3 multi-purpose
basketb^ courts, said lovacchini.
Williams receives award
“It’s a facility that we desperately
need, and it’s a facility that will add a
whole different dimension to campus
Ufe,” lovacchini said.
The facility will also house
racquetball courts, anew weight ttx>m,
classrooms, offices, a health and fitness
testing lab, and an indoor running track
that will be located abovethe basketball
courts.
“The new facility will take some of
the classroom and Inttamural pressure
off of the one basketball court that we
have now,” lovacchini said.
The bond money will cover the entire
cost of the new building, but will not
include the renovation of the old
gymnasium.
“There is about another $2 million
worth of renovation we would like to
do in old Justice Gym,” lovacchini
said.
According to Arthur Foley, UNCA
vice chancellor for financial affairs,
construction of the physical education
building is scheduled to begin in the
summer of 1994, and the projected
completion date is fall 1996.
The bond money will only cover the
initial phase of the conference center
project, which is scheduled to begin
construction in the sununer of 1994.
The projected completion date of phase
1 of the project is in the fall of 1995,
Foley said.
In addition to a conference center,
the facility will be used for university
public-service activities, and will house
the North Carolina Center for Creative
Retirement.
The conference center will be located
on Lookout Mountain, behind the
UNCA campus, and phase 1 of the
consuuction project will include things
like utilities and road construction,
lovacchini said.
“The money will start the
See "Bond," on page 8
factory all day,” she said.
On a typical day she is in contact
with at least 40 students.
“There’s such a variety. I mean, it’s
never ever dull. It’s a very high energy
office, alotof traffic,” said Williams.
She solves problems, refers student
to the counseling center, plans
activities, and handles discipline.
“We’ re ju St a clearing house of every
sort of issue in the world,” she said.
Her motto is, “If it’s important to
students it’s important to me,” said
Williams.
She emphasizes to the students,
when in doubt call.
As an assistant director, she’s on
call all the time.
‘They know that their feelings are
important to us,”she said.
‘This past Saturday I had four calls
before 8 a.m. in the morning. That
was unusual because we had a trip
going out,”^he said.
“I like most all our students. I
especially Uke folks that are from this
area, that’s no secret, Anybody that
knows me, knows I think they are a
real neglected majority here on
campus,” said Williams.
She has been here for seven years.
She is married and has a 3-year-old
child.
Williams said she is very committed
to nonttaditional students and to single
parents because she knows how hard
it is to juggle all of her roles.
She has an undergraduate degree in
psychology from Mars Hill, and a
graduate degree in counsehng from
Westem Carolina University.
She is working on her doctorate.
“This past year has been personally
one of the most difficult years I’ve
ever had,” she said.
A
staff Photo By Amy Eddins
Nancy Williams received the North Carolina State Employees Governor's Award for Excellence.
Williams is the assistant director of housing.