The Blue Banner
"Technology, while adding daily to our physical ease, throws daily another loop of fine wire around our souls ... -- Adlai E. Stevenson
Thurs., March 24, 1994
Volume 22, Number 21
The University of North Carolina at Asheville
Search committee names final three candidates for next chancellor
Teri Smith
Staff Writer
The UNCA Chancellor Search Committee announced the names of three
candidates for the chancellor’s position at the Faculty Senate meeting held on
March 10. Two of the three candidates are women.
The candidates, Barbara Hetrick of Hood College, Patsy Bostick Reed of
Northern Arizona University, and John E. Trainer, Jr. of Lenoir-Rhyne
College, will visit the UNCA campus between March 21 and March 29.
Trainer will visit the campus March 21-23, Reed will visit March 24-25, and
Hetrick will visit March 28-29. There will be “open sessions” during each visit
for faculty, students, and staff to meet the candidates and ask questions,
according to members of the search committee.
‘We encourage students to attend these meetings and ask questions,” said
James Banks, search committee chairman.
1 think whoever the chancellor is, they are the symbol of the institution,” said
Shirley Browning, professor of economics and a member of the search
committee. “This institution will be their alma mater when they graduate.
Students should be concerned about how it is represented.”
Browning said that all three candidates are highly committed to undergraduate
education and quality teaching.
‘With every candidate that we spoke to formally, the issue of student life and
how they relate to students was discussed,” said Browning. “We wanted to
know how they go about connecting with students.”
I know students find it hard to believe chancellors care about their concerns,
but each of these candidates has classroom experience,” he said. “In fact. Dr.
Hetrick is teaching this semester.”
Hetrick told Asheville Citizen-Times writer Barbara Blake that she has made
acommitment in her administrative career at Hood College to teach at least one
course every year.
"It makes me a better administrator by keeping me in touch with the faculty
and the students,” she said, according to the Citizen-Times. “I don’t know if I’d
be able to do that at UNCA, but I know I’d want to.”
Browning said it was difficult to assess the reaction to the announcement at
the faculty senate meeting.
“People listened quietly, and really there were no questions,” he said. “Since
then, based on comments, I would say the attitude of faculty is one of cautious
optimism.”
Barbara Hetrick is vice president and dean of academic affairs and the Andrew
G. Truxal Professor of Sociology at Hood College in Frederick, Md., positions
she has held since 1985.
She served as chair of Hood College’s department of sociology and social
work from 1973 to 1986. She was also named an American Council on
Education Fellow, and in that capacity served as a special assistant to the
University of Pennsylvania president in spring 1984, and as assistant to Hood
College’s president, provost and dean of academic affairs in fall 1983.
She holds a master’s degree and doctorate in sociology Irom the University
of Maryland and a bachelor’s degree from Western Maryland College with
majors in French, sociology and secondary education.
“Barbara Hetrick can offer administrative strengths that she has honed during
her tenure at Hood College,” said Banks. “She has ties with national foundations
and other national organizations.
Reed, vice president for academic affairs at Northern Arizona University in
Flagstaff since 1987, has served as that university’s interim president since July
1993. She has also served at Northern Arizona as assistant/associate vice
president for academic affairs and dean of the School of Applied Sciences,
College of Design and Technology.
She served as a consultant on the transition of higher education in a market
economy at the University of Lodz in Poland in 1992.
She was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville,
and holds a doctorate in biological sciences, a master’s degree in nutrition, and
a bachelor’s degree in home economics from the University of Texas at Austin.
“Both Reed and Hetrick were given particularly strong recommendations as
team builders with faculty and administrators,” said Browning.
“Reed has experience serving as interim president, “ said Banks.
Trainer is president of Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory, N.C., a position he
has held since 1984.
He holds a doctorate in zoology from the University of Oklahoma, a master’s
degree in biology from Wake Forest University and a bachelor’s degree in
biology from Muhlenberg College.
Previously, he served in several capacities at Jacksonville University in
Jacksonville Fla., including vice president of academic affairs from 1981 to
1984, dean of faculties, assistant dean of faculties and biology professor.
“Under his leadership, Lenoir-Rhyne College has gained considerable
recognition for national and regional quality issues,” said Browning.
Browning said all three candidates are good communicators and goxl
speakers.
“They all have been active in their communities and received strong support
from their communities,” he said.
After the visits are completed, the information gathered will be reviewed by
the search committee and two to three names will be recommended to President
C.D. Spangler, Jr. The new chancellor, upon recommendation by Spangler,
will then be elected by the UNC board of governors.
SGA holds forums on parking situation
Alex Eastwood
Staff Writer
On March 10, in two sessions, the
Student Government Association
(SGA) sponsored student forums to
discuss preferences for the location of
additional parking on the UNCA
campus. This week, SGA must present
to the administration the student body’s
choice for the location.
“There has been no real
communication between the students
and the administration on this issue,”
said Lesa Trey, commuter senator.
“That’s because of bad timing on the
part of the administration. The week
before the forums, at the regular
Wednesday SGA meeting, [vice
chanc^ellor for student affairs]
lovacchini sent word that he wanted a
choice from the student body in two
days. “
“This was the first time any of us had
heard anything about it. How were we
^supposed to talk to all the students in
two days?” she said. “And the Faculty
Senate has unofficially, but without
dissent, already agreed on paving the
area adjacent to the Botanical Gardens
behind Mills dormitory, according to
a memo from [interim chancellor]
Larry Wilson.”
Three other areas have been selected
for consideration. One is the sculpture
garden in front of Carol Belk Theater,
beside Charmichael Hall.
Another option is to provide parallel
parking along the main entrance road.
The fourth area is the flat grassy lot
along W. T. Weaver Boulevard,
between the service entrance and the
main entrance.
Of the four possible areas, the
Botanical Gardens area is the most
controversial, said Trey.
“But it would appear that the
administration has already made up its
mind about the parking lot’s location
long before giving any consideration
to the desires of the students," Trey
said.
Trey has copies of surveys that had
been conducted for the paving of that
area. The surveys were completed six
years ago when the Botanical Gardens
area was first considered for parking.
That idea was abandoned as a result
of heated protest, said Trey.
“1 fear that the administration will
take the easy route, since there are
already plans drawn up, and pave that
area without really hearing how the
students might feel about this,” said
Trey.
As a spokesperson for the SGA,
Trey says she has had very little time
to spread the word to students and
receive feedback.
“There is probably only five percent
of the student body that is even aware
that the Botanical Gardens are
threatened. The administration only
told a few people about their plans to
hear a student vote on an area to use
for additional parking. Instead of
telling the whole student body, they
have relied on a few people to spread
the word in a very short time,” said
Trey.
The area along W. T. Weaver
Boulevard is the one Trey feels is the
least controversial or disruptive to
the environment. Trey says she has
spent many hours researching the
implications of each option.
Inside
Opinions 2
Chancellor choices slim
Susan Hanley Lane
Perspectives 3
Volunteers needed
Violence not answer
Features 4
Spoon Benders review
Turtle Island
Sports 5
Baseball team wins
Alumni reunion
Comics 6
Falstaff
Wild kingdom
Announcements 7
Job opportunities
Events
Weather Report
Friday
Saturday
Hi 64
Lo36
Hi 66
Lo46
Weather Report courtesy 0l the National Weather
Service
UNCA Atmospheric Science Department offers
updated forecasts through the 24 hour
Weat he rl i ne.. ■251 *6435
Library to update computers
Rebekah Stivers
Staff Writer
Plans for upgrading all mainframe computer terminals in the UNCA
Ramsey Library are currently underway. The project is expected to be in
full swing this summer and will tentatively be complete by the fall
semester of 1994.
“We believe we’ve bought the best system on the market, and that it will
do things for our students more effectively and more efficiently than
anything else that we could have bought,” said Robert Bland, who is the
head of technical services and the site coordinator for the new computer
system at UNCA.
The new system is called Innopac and is provided by a California-based
company called Innovative Interfaces Inc., which is the largest computer
systems supplier to academic libraries in the country. It will operate for
the Western North Carolina Library Network, which consists of the
libraries of Western Carolina University, Appalachian State University,
and UNCA, according to Bland.
The system will be replacing the current, LS2000 models. This system
provides basic catalog and circulation control functions, but, because it is
almost eight years old, is now outdated and under-powered.
“Students have known this when they have tried to use that system
because it is very slow,” said Bland. This makes it difficult to do more
sophisticated kinds of word-searching. The current system “just doesn’t
have the functionality that state-of-the-art systems in the market place
today have,” he said.
Bland said this project has been continuing over the last several years,
during which time representatives from the three Western North Carolina
universities have been lobbying and talking with general administrators
to obtain funding. He said the final cost will be over $500,000, which will
be divided evenly between the three schools.
“This money really came as a special appropriation. It doesn’t have to
come out of our regular budget,” said Bland, "so we’ve been fortunate in
that respect.” He said the funding was provided as part of an overall effort
to upgrade, or replace, current computer systems in all 16 of the North
Carolina state institutions.
Bland said the new system will operate via telephone lines on a Digital
Equipment Corporation Alpha 4000 series computer mainframe, located
in Boone at Appalachian State University. He said the new computers
will be “approximately 100 times as powerful as the old system” and will
have storage capacities equivalent to 50 or 60 personal computers (PCs).
“The new system will have very powerful “key word” capabilities,” said
Bland. It will provide for students a “one-stop shopping” opportunity,
where they will be able to obtain larger quantities of information than was
previously available through their library.
Staff Photo By Annemarie Riley
Eric lovacchini, vice chancellor for student affairs, attended the forum on parking sponsored by the SGA
on Inarch 10.
Health Promotion Program to
sponsor wellness day events
Kevin Ellis
Staff Writer
UNCA’s Health Promotion Program
will target not only faculty, staff and
students, but also their families, at its
first-ever Family Wellness Celebration
scheduled for Saturday. The event will
last from 2 to 4 p.m., and take place at
the UNCA track and adjacent field.
Organizers hope the day not only
attracts adults interested in living
healthier lives, but also have included
fun and games for children, said Elise
Henshaw, a spokeswoman for the Health
Promotion Program.
“Health or wellness is a whole-family
concern, and we thought that we’d like
to do something for the entire UNCA
community,” Henshaw said. “This is
one of the few things that have been
aimed at faculty, staff, students and
families.”
For adults, local businesses have
agreed to set up booths and discuss their
products, including roller blades, step-
aerobics, yoga, whitewater rafting and
mountain biking, Henshaw said.
For children, there will be clowns.
races, face painting and an assortment
of games.
Also, a UNCA fraternity. Sigma Nu,
will hold an Easter egg hunt for children
during the event, Henshaw said.
“It will all be health related, but it is
more of just a fun day,” Henshaw said.
“We hope to show families and
children that it’s never too early to
start thinking about healthy living.”
UNCA’s Health and Student Services
also will perform fitness assessments,
including percentage of body fat, and
flexibility and hand grip tests, Henshaw
said.
The fitness assessments will be
similar to the ones offered during the
required health classes.
“The fitness assessment is to let
people know at what point they are at
in their physical fitness,” Henshaw
said. “Then they can make a decision
on whether they want to do something
about this or whether they are pretty
happy with the results. It just gives
people something to go by.”
Depending upon the success of the
health celebration, the Health
Promotion Program may turn it into an
annual event, Henshaw said.
Elections
In a health-related issue, the Health
Promotion Program will hold its semi
annual cholesterol testing on March
30,and 31.
The testing period is from 7:45 a.m.
to 9 a.m. and participants must fast 12
hours, drinking nothing but water, for
more accurate results.
The cholesterol screening will check
blood for glucose, triglycerides and
HDL, the so-called good cholesterol,
and LDL, or bad cholesterol, Henshaw
said. The cost is $10, which covers
laboratory work, she said.
High LDL-type cholesterol may be
an early indication of cardiovascular
problems, Henshaw said. Both younger
and older people can have high
cholesterol, she added.
For younger adults, a cholesterol
screening may help someone with high
cholesterol make changes in their diet
or lifestyle early on, before problems
strike, she said.
The cholesterol testing will take place
in the Weizenblatt Health Center.
Persons wanting to have the screening
should call Henshaw by March 25, at
251-6513 to tell her which day they
want the screening done.
The Student Government Association will hold elections for the 1994-
95 school year on March 30 and 31. The polls will be open from 8 a.m.
6 p.m.