INSIDE:
SKXI& Ml km pieim hr
eoflfereocecMnpelilnii p. 5
OPINION; loriliDa/
P-2
The Blue
fEAJUHES: Buft-Skeldi Artist
pj
COMCSi Crossword
p. 6
"We love eloquence for its own sake, and
not for any truth which it may utter, or
any heroism it may inspire. "—Henry David
Thoreau
BANNER
WEATHER-Mostly cloudy
Saturday morning with a
chance of showers. Mostly
sunny Sunday. Highs in upper
70s. Lows in 40s.
VOLUME 23
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT ASHEVILLE
NUMBER 25
Students Protest Budget Cuts
Andrea Lawson
Staff Writer
A rally was held on the quad yesterday to protest
the proposed reductions in the state budget involv
ing state universities. Included in the reductions is
the elimination of approximately 400 faculty po
sitions and over $47 million state-wide.
“When we found out [about the budget cuts],
several student body presidents, including myself
and the student body presidents at Chapel Hill,
North Carolina A&T, and UNC-Wilmington,
decided we had to do something about it,” said
Denise Tomlinson, president of SGA. “These
budget cuts are not definite yet, and while we
understand the need to cut the budget, we don’t
want the universities to carry that much of it. The
rally is for students, faculty, and staff to join forces
and let the people know that we don’t want this.”
According to Tomlinson, it is uncertain how
many faculty positions UNCA will lose if the
budget cuts are approved.
“I believe we will have to make that decision at
this level,” Tomlinson said. “My thought is that
they will give us a certain amount to cut in faculty,
and we will have to figure out how to do it.”
Since the 1989-90 school year, the budget for
universities has been cut by $144.4 million, ac
cording to Tomlinson. Included in the previous
cuts were 410 teaching positions and 1,220 non
teaching positions.
“You’re looking at 1,600 positions that we’ve
already given up,” Tomlinson said. “Just to get the
faculty/student ratio back to what it was, we need
$25 million more, and they’re cutting us $47
million more. It just doesn’t make sense to me.”
Tomlinson said that tuition has increased by
70% state-wide, in addition to the loss of faculty
positions.
“Only 3.5% of graduates from UNC schools
who were actively looking tor employment in
1993 were unemployed,” said Tomlinson. “80%
of those who were working full-time were living in
North Carolina. We think the universities are
doing their part by putting what we use back into
the state.”
“We’re going to have smaller teaching staffs,
larger classes, and fewer classes,” said Tomlinson.
“We really don’t want that to happen. We’re
going to be giving out the information and giving
people the opportunity to send in letters to their
representatives.
On Wednesday, April 12, winners were announced for the Literature Club s Creative Writing Contest. (From left to right)
Winners were Anthony Gagnon, f)oet7, Jerome Carpenter, non-fiction, Jessica Gary, fiction and Brett Doar, playwriting. /
pictured is Michelle Ellis, a graduating senior who read an excerpt from a novel in progress.
Photo by Marti Parson
Voverifjj Simulation Is Planned
^xrill mr\
Todd Hagans
Staff Writer
Students, faculty, staff, and commu
nity members can experience the reality
of living in poverty during a poverty
simulation on April 25. The partici
pants in the event, sponsored by the
Affordable Housing Coalition, will as
sume the role of a family living in pov
erty.
“Poverty simulation is not a game,”
said Cecil Donahue, the United Meth
odist campus minister at UNCA. It s
a way of trying to experience what it is
like to live in poverty.”
The simulation will be held in the old
dining hall in the Highsmith Center,
and will begin at 7 p.m. with a 30-
minute introductory session, followed
by the hour-long simulation. Partici
pants will have a chance to talk about
their experiences and feelings during an
hour-long discussion session following
the simulation.
During the event, there will be tables
set up around the room that represent
agencies such as the welfare office, the
housing authority, and the employment
office. Participants will move to the
tables as if they were actually applying
for welfare, housing, or employment.
The participants will complete the nec
essary paperwork to receive these ser
vices, just like a person in a real-life
situation, according to Donahue.
“You have to do exactly what anybody
on the street or in a poverty situation
would have to do to get funding and
Kelp from these agencies,” said Donahue.
Donahue said members of the UNCA
community can register for the event
during lunch and dinner this week out
side of the new dining hall, or by con
tacting Pam Daniel, the Presbyterian
campus minister, in room 36 of
Highsmith Center. The cost is $5 for
students, and $10 for others interested
in participating in the simulation. The
registration fee charged to participate in
the event will cover the cost of conduct-^
ing the simulation, and will raise money
for the Housing Crisis Counseling Pro
gram fund, according to organizers.
The Housing Crisis Counseling Pro
gram helps families avoid homelessness
See "Poverty," page 10
Student Housing Crunch May Worsen
Renee Slaydon
Guest Writer
With only six students signed up for
the new triple rooms in Highrise next
fall, UNCA’s current housing problems
continue to grow.
For next fall, twenty rooms in Highrise
will offer the triple room accommoda
tion. Out of Mills Hall, Governor’s
Village, and South Ridge, Highrise of
fers the most space available for the
upcoming conversion.
The school plans to purchase loft units
for these rooms in order to maximize
enough space to house three students in
a room, according to Peter Williams,
director of housing and residence life.
The triple rooms will cost $600 per
student each semester.
“We also have, based on a committee
decision, been told that we will have
approximately 450 nev.' students that
we have to accommodate next fall,” said
Williams.
The recent housing figures show be
tween 550 to 600 returning students
who also need housing for next fall.
About 65 percent of current resident
students want to return to campus after
this semester, said Williams.
In addition, enrollment targets affect
the growing housing problems at
UNCA.
“Institutionally, we commit to enroll
ment targets every year,” said Caroline
Miller, assistant vice chancellor for en
rollment management.
The school must have 2,620 full-time
equivalence students enrolled for the
next year. Miller said approximately
$5,700 in state-funded money may be
lost for every student less than the re
quired number. Last year, with the same
enrollment target, UNCA fell short by
88 students.
According to Williams, this housing
problem has continued every year ex
cept for 1987 and 1988. In.1987, Mills
Hall opened up, solving housing short- year, provided that the student main-
ages for about two years. tains full-time status.
Currently, UNCA is trying to lease
South Ridge residence hall, housing 112
students, to hold off space problems for
at least a year.
However, South Ridge residents re
ceived a $160 refund due to several
maintenance problems, and students
still need fiirther housing.
“One of the things that happens be
tween now and August 17 is that stu
dents who sign up for residence halls
find alternative living situations,” said
Miller.
According to Miller, some students
find apartments to live in, decide to
commute, or transfer out of UNCA.
Because of this situation, beds usually
become available. “We’re probably not
going to be able to do that this year,”
said Miller.
UNCA’s current policy is to guarantee
housing through each student’s senior
nearby apartments to house students,
similar to UNCA’s arrangement with
Mountain Trace, said Williams.
UNCA expected last fall’s opening of
Some universities operate a lottery sys
tem, where after one or two years, names
are drawn to decide who will receive
university housing.
“We do no want to go to a lottery
system,” said Williams.
Recently Installed SGA Officers Begin Planning For New Administration
Andrea Lawson
Staff Writer
Installation of the new SGA ofBcers was held on
April 5 in the new private dining room. The oath
of office was taken by the new president, vice
president, and Senate members.
According to Denise Tomlinson, president of
SGA, the new Senate will be voting on executive
appointments during the first few weeks of its
term.
“[Appointments] are the most important thing
to get started on,” said Tomlinson. I have 80
appointments to make, and I’ve made approxi
mately half of those. They [the appointments] will
New SGA officers: Denise Tomlinson, President and Dhaval
"Doc" Patel, vice president ,
Photo by Tanya Melton
coming up brfor. the S.na.cin nen co.pfc “d- ‘We re always looki„B
ofweeb E™.ybody will be passed o, failed, and involved, and we can always find a way for people
they’re all approved by the Senate.
Tomlinson said that banners were put up around
campus during spring break to notify students that
applications for government positions were being
accepted.
“We’ve gotten a good response,” Tomlinson
to get involved.”
Tomlinson said the new officers were trained
during an interim period that lasted from the time
election results were determined until the new
officers were inaugurated. The former president
and vice president of SGA, Gerard Moses and
Ryan DeSear, are assisting Tomlinson and the new
vice president, Dhaval “Doc” Patel.
“They [Moses and DeSear] have an unofficial
role to help Doc [Patel] and me to get used to
everything,” said Tomlinson. “It was hard for me
to get used to, but Gerard [Moses] has helped me
and introduced me to different administrators I
didn’t know. I know that Ryan [DeSear] has
helped Doc [Patel] as well.”
According to Tomlinson, the Senate members
are also voting on a transition team established by
her.
“My goal with it is to have a team consisting of
different people in the different branches of gov
ernment and have those people come together and
look at some of the problems that we faced over the
past year and find ways to correct those problems,
whether it’s a constitutional amendment or a
change in the way we do things,” said Tomlinson.
“I’ve added a couple of executive positions that I
think are necessary, one of those being pubUc
relations. I’ve also made a special assistant for
minority affairs who will be on the minority affairs
commission.
According to Tomlinson, the petition circulated
by students will not result in a new election.
Tomlinson said that the intergovernmental direc
tive was passed by the Senate, but was vetoed by
Moses. Efforts to overturn the veto were not
successful.
“The information that was given [to hold new
elections], in my opinion, was proved to be inad
equate,” Tomlinson said. “The things presented
on the petition were not true, or they were half--
truths.”
“It was really hard to be the president-elect when
there was so much controversy going on,”
Tomlinson said. “But, as president-elect, I had
responsibilities that I had to take care of as soon'as
I was elected. I immediately began having respon
sibilities such as doing the budget for the upcom
ing year and starting the appointment process.”
According to Tomlinson, the executive branch
will be examining some concerns of the students in
the coming weeks.
See "SGA," page 7