INSIDE:
miS:
season begins
paged
"One can live in the shadow of
an idea without grasping it.
Elizabeth Bowen
OPINION: Profesling nol a crime;
vandalism is page 2
The Blue
FEAJUHES: Folic guifarist to perform
at Dante's page 4
COMICS: off the mark: Pbilosophy 101
page 8
BANNER
WEA THER: Mostly sunny
through the weekend. High
temps in the 70s, Lows in
the 50s. Patchy morning fog.
VOLUME 23
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT ASHEVILLE
NUMBER 2
STUDENTS PROTEST CHESTNUT EDGE CONSTRUCTION
Some members of student group claim the university is in molation of the law
Holly Beveridge
Guest Writer
Student protesters gathered in front of'the
Highsmith Center Thursday morning to speak
out against the planned conference center con
struction on the property known as Chestnut
Ridge. Although not yet organized into a formal
group, the students said they wanted to raise
campus awareness about the construction issue.
With signs and posters criticizing the Chestnut
Ridge construction, the group of about five envi
ronmental studies students invited passersby to
join the effort by signing a petition and sending
letters of protest to four local state legislators.
“We want to put pressure on these people be
cause they are the ones that have the authority to
make the decision,” said Paul Myers, the group’s
organizer. “No one at UNCA has the authority to
make that decision. State legislators have to be
told by the public that the public is highly op
posed to this project, the students are highly
opposed to this project, ‘you’re not going to get
our support unless you oppose this project.’”
One of the group’s posters, however, specifically
criticized UNCA Chancellor Patsy Reed for fail
ing to conduct an environmental assessment on
the Chestnut Ridge tract.
In an Aug. 3 public meeting, held at the request
of the Chestnut Ridge Conservancy protest group,
Reed assured residents that UNCA has complied
with North Carolina requirements regarding “en
vironmental studies and related permits.”
Despite Reed’s statement, Myers believes UNCA
is in violation of state regulations that require the
completion of environmental assessments for
projects in excess of $ 150,000 and projects that
involve the relocation of homes.
Please see "Protest," page 10
Blair Musselwfiite asks for students to sign a petition to stop construcation on Chestnust Ridge.
Photo by Randy Morrs
New Faculty And Staff Announced
Janice Sitton
Staff Writer
New faculty and staff joined UNCA
this fall, and the faculty were intro
duced at the faculty Senate meeting
held on August 22. I'he new members
of the faculty will meet the new chancel
lor and the other professors and instruc
tors at a faculty gathering on September
10.
“They [the new faculty] all show a
certain degree of enthusiasm, and are
student oriented,” said Thomas
Cochran, associate vice chancellor of
academic affairs. “They are interested
in the campus culture, and appear to be
very interested in being participants in
the life of the university.”
The music department has seven new
members joining the department, in
cluding Robert H. Baker, chair of the
department of music. He has been an
associate professor at UNCA for 13
years prior to becoming the new depart
ment chair and is also the director of the
Asheville Symphony. He has also re
ceived two awards from the American
Society of Composers, Authors and
Publishers and worked this summer in
Hungary as a conductor.
“I am interested in helping to expand
and coordinate the total music curricu-
Robert H. Baker, new chair ot music department.
Photo by Randy Marrs
lum for the students,” said Baker. “I’ve
been involved in trying to get not only
the music majors, but also more under
graduates to participate in the depart
ment.”
Other new faculty in this department
include Tim E. Haden, artist-in-resi-
dence in music; Phil Dettra, Karen
Salvucci, and Elsa O’Farrell, piano in
structors; Inez Redman, violinist, and
Cynthia Perkins, who is a voice instruc
tor experienced in musical theater.
“Our goal this year is to have the
undergraduates be aware that the music
department is a resource for them, rather
than j ust another academic department,”
said Baker. “We have 30 applied or
music majors, but we know that there
are many, many more musicians on
campus who are not necessarily music
majors, and in the past it has not been
made really clear that we would like
them also to participate in the depart
ment.”
There are many ways for students to
participate in the department, such as
the Jazz Ensemble Band, the Guitar
Ensemble, and the Asheville Symphony,
according to Baker. An in-house cata
log will be available soon for those inter
ested, or students may contact the mu
sic department for further information.
New faculty in other departments in
clude Melinda L. Costello, instructor in
management. Grant Hardy, assistant
professor of history, specializing in Chi
nese history, Emamuddin Hoosain,
assistant professor of education, Diane
C. Melroy, assistant professor of biol
ogy, Sophie J.V. Mills, assistant profes
sor of classics, David E. Peifer, assistant
professor of math, and Debby F. Single
ton, lecturer in health and fitness, ac
cording to the UNCA public relations
office.
Please see "Faculty," page 10
UNCA Exceeds Goal For Grant
Kemberly V. Graham
Staff Writer
The University of North Carolina at
Asheville has exceeded a $750,000 fiind-
raising goal to meet a National Endow
ment for the Humanities [NEH] grant.
The NEH will match UNCA's funds
with $250,000, creating a $1 million
endowed fund for a distinguished teach
ing professorship in UNCA's humani
ties program.
In 1992, UNCA and six other colleges
and universities received the distin
guished professorship challenge. Since
receiving the challenge, UNCA has con
ducted a fund-raising program to achieve
the $750,000 goal.
The NEH challenge grant has several
purposes.
“The distinguished teaching profes
sorship will provide an opportunity for
whoever is the endowed chair holder to
work with other faculty who teach in
the humanities program,” said Larry
Wilson, vice-chancellor of student af
fairs.
“The way it will help our students is
that it will give a master teacher an
opportunity to work with others teach
ing in humanities, both fiall-time fac
ulty and adjuncts,” said Wilson. “It will
improve an already high level of teach
ing and make it even better.”
“Students really come first,” said
Beverly C. Modlin, vice-chancellor for
university relations.
Modlin gives several other purposes of
the grant. According to Modlin, who
ever the university recruits to hold this
position will have a special develop
ment fund.
A visiting scholars fund will be avail
able to bring in at least two visiting
scholars or lecturers to campus.
Enrichment awards will be available to
send faculty to attend conferences, and
teaching seminar awsrds also will be
given out to faculty.
“The distinguished professor will hold
workshops and seminars for faculty in
the humanities program,” said Wilson.
Chris Curry, a member of the UNCA
Foundation Board of Directors, and
Pamela T urner, a member of the UNCA
Board of Trustees, co-chaired the cam
paign.
“These are the two major boards,” said
Modlin. “They are really responsible for
making sure that this institution has the
resources that it wants.”
“It was the first major joint venture
between those boards,” says Modlin.
Please see "Grant," page 10
CONGRESSIONAL DEBATE CANaUED, ORGANIZERS HOPE TO RESCHEDULE
Greg Deal
Staff Writer
The debate between Republican incumbent U.S.
Rep. Charles Taylor and Democratic challenger
Maggie Lauterer set for Sept. 6 at UNCA s Hu
manities Lecture Hall was cancelled reportedly
because the date conflicted with the Jewish holi
day, Rosh Hashana.
Lauterer and Taylor are campaigning for the
11th District U.S. House seat. The Sept. 6 date
would have been their first head-to-head debate.
according to Bob Farzanegan, UNCA political
science professor and the debate organizer.
“We had gotten a lot of feedback from the
community that they would appreciate it if we did
not do [the debate] on Rosh Hashana,” said Grier
Weeks, a spokesperson for the Lauterer campaign.
Rosh Hashana is a celebration of the Jewish New
Year. In observance of the holiday, Jews attend
synagogue services.
Weeks said that he was shocked when the Asheville
Citizen-Times announced the debate. He said
that the Lauterer campaign had no prior knowl
edge that it was being announced.
“We felt we were still in the middle of negotiating
details of the debate,” said Weeks. “It put us in a
very difficult position.”
“We talked seriously about going ahead with the
debate regardless of our concerns because it had
been put on the front page of the newspaper,” he
said. Weeks said that as late as 5:30 p.m., the
evening before the announcement was printed in
the Asheville Citizen-Times, the Lauterer cam
paign was still trying to negotiate details with
Farzanegan.
“We had given tentative okay to the date, and we
had given tentative okay to the general outline of
the debate,” said Weeb. “We had not seen
anything on paper, and we were still in discussion
stages.”
Please see "Debate," page 10