New fraternity coun
cil formed 8
Counselor adopts chil
dren from China 4
Tennis preview. Page 6
Men’s basketball team
heads to Big South 6
Weekend Weather: Cloud/ with o good chance of snow on Friday. Highs in the 40s, lows in 20s.
The Blue
BANNER
Volume 24, Number 19 UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT ASHEVILLE
February 29, 1996
VCAA status report
The Vice Chancellor for Academic
Affairs Search Committee has iden
tified candidates for the off-campus
visit phase of the search. Visits were
held in February and will continue in
early March.
After visits are completed, the com
mittee will identify the candidates
who will be invited to campus.
On-campus interviews will be held
after spring break. The committee
will bring three or four candidates to
campus. Each visit will last approxi
mately two days, during which all
members of the campus community
will have the opportunity to meet,
interact with, get to know, and hear
the candidates comment on various
■ Group gains chapter status
Sigma-Xi, the the national scien
tific research society, recently granted
chapter status to the UNCA Sigma-
Xi club. A charter signing ceremony
was held Feb. 15. The UNCA chap
ter was established in 1986 and has
60 members, including faculty from
UNCA, Mars Hill College, Warren
Wilson College, and area scientists.
The national society was founded
in 1886 and has as its mission “to
honor scientific accomplishments, to
encourage and to enhance the world
wide appreciation and support of
original investigation in science and
technology, and to foster, world
wide, a creative and dynamic inter
action among science, technology,
and society.”
■ Lecture series continues
The Great Decisions Lecture Series
will continue March 4 with the pre
sentation of “Water; Endangered
Natural Resources” at 7:30 p.m. in
the Owen Conference Center.
The talk will be given by Richard
Maas, from the UNCA environmen
tal studies department and is the fifth
in a series of eight talks targeting
U.S. foreign policy issues.
The series is sponsored by UNCA
and the World Affairs Council of
Western North Carolina. The same
talk will be given at four other Great
Decisions sites the week of March 4.
■ Tour of architecture offered
The Behind the Church Architec
ture/Music Scene tour, in which par
ticipants will tour eight historic church
edifices, will be held on March 9-
The all-day tour is sponsored by the
N.C. Center for Creative Retirement
and will focus on spires, arches, win
dows, and sounds in the distinctive
churches of downtown Asheville.
The tour will include visits to Trin
ity Episcopal, First Presbyterian,
CentralUnited Methodist, Basilica of
St. Lawrence, First Christian Church,
First Baptist, Hopkins Chapel, and
Brown Temple CME.
Participants will learn about fires at
Trinity Episcopal, renovation research
at Central Methodist, and literary his
tory at First Presbyterian. UNCA
senior Julie Speer will present a dra
matic monologue highlighting the
Thomas Wolfe funeral that occurred
in the sanctuary. Particpants will also
hear organists demonstrate instru
ments and choir rehearsals.
Alumni, students celebrate Homecoming
i
r
Plioto by Wendy McKinney
Students, staff, and alumni attended the Homecoming party last Saturday at the Cornerhouse in downtown Asheville. Casino games
available, in addition to dancing, food, and drink. Angela Mahdi was named Homecoming Queen, and Chuck Walker and
were
Dhaval "Doc" Patel were named Homecoming Kings,
University still in
violation of access
law for disabled
Christine Treadaway
Staff Writer
Despite having ample time to react, UNCA con
tinues to violate federal law regarding equal access
to all persons in public buildings. Last semester,
wheelchair-bound sophomore David Bornman
brought to the administration’s attention that he is
unable to access certain places on the UNCA cam
pus.
"I just feel like they (the
administration) are v\^ait-
ing for me to get out of
school so they can go on
doing what they were
doing before and not
have to worry about
making things acces
sible. "--David Bornman.
“They (the administration) have had these prob
lems for a long time, and they know that they have
them, yet they continue to sweep it under the
carpet. I don’t want to cause trouble with the
administration, but they do need to get on the
ball,” said Bornman.
According to an article in the Blue Banner Iasz fall,
in 1991, UNCA agreed to make modifications to
the university after the Office of Civil Rights found
UNCA in violation of a section of the Rehabilita
tion Act of 1973. However, nothing seems to have
been done to remedy the violations, said Bornman.
A newer version of this law, the 1992 Americans
with Disabilities Act guarantees that handicapped
persons cannot be excluded from, or denied the
benefits of any program or activity which receives
UNIVERSITY conf. on pg. 10
Women's acheivemenfs, issues highlighted during Women's History Month
Denise Sizemore
Staff Writer
Throughout March, events will be
held to commemorate Women’s His
tory Month.
“Women’s History Month is a na
tional celebration of the accomplish
ments of women,” said Debra Van
Engelen, director of the women’s study.
program.
The month is used as a way of focus
ing on the accomplishments of
v.'omen, said Van Engelen.
Women’s history and their literary
and artistic works will be highlighted
throughout the month.
Specific issues related to women will
also be discussed.
Women’s History Month is impor
tant because “traditionally a lot of the
accomplishments of women and a lot
of the special issues that women face,
and the special talents ofwomen, have
been overlooked and excluded from
the traditional academic sphere,” said
Van Engelen.
The events will highlight all of these
things, she said.
“I think it (Women’s History
Month) celebrates in a really open
and positive way, the accomplish
ments of women,” said Van Engelen.
She said she finds it unfortunate
that society has to have special events
to celebrate what women have done
in history.
“Maybe someday it (women’s his
tory) will be included and we won’t
need to have a special time for cel
ebrating that,” she said.
Other issues to be discussed during
Women’s History Month include
economic equality, access to jobs with
pay, criminal justice, violence against
women, and responsibilities such as
childcare.
“There is a broad spectrum of is
sues,” said Van Engelen.
Women’s History Month takes a
look at women’s issue from a more
historical perspective, she said.
The women’s study program is very
active in putting the Women’s His
tory Month together.
One event that is being sponsored
by the women’s study program is a
self-defense workshop for women.
WOMEN cont. on pg. 7 0
Evaluation tour leads to improvements in campus lighting
Andrea Lawson
News Editor
Campus officials, staff, and students participated
in a campus lighting evaluation tour last semester.
As a result, several changes in the amount of
lighting on campus have been enacted.
“ I think (the tour) gave them (the administra
tion) a better idea of what needed to be done,’ said
Rebecca Barraclough, a student on the tour. We
had enough strong-willed students who were will
ing to say ‘No, this is a problem that needs to be
addressed.’”
According to the survey report, tours of campus
were made on Nov. 29 and Dec. 4. Eric lovacchini,
vice chancellor of student affairs; Pete Williams,
director of housing; John Huffstickler, a pubUc
safety officer; and Steve Baxley, director of the
Physical Plant, were the faculty and administrators
on the tour. SGA members, campus residents, and
commuter students also participated in the survey.
Baxley said the first tour involved walking the
pedestrian routes on campus and discussing light
ing problems the group encountered. On the
second tour, the group drove around the parking
areas and perimeter streets to evaluate the lighting
there.
A list of problem areas was stated in the report.
These areas include the garden area between
Robinson Hall and Ramsey Library, the path be
hind Mills Hall, and lighting in six different park
ing areas.
Baxley said the lights in the old tennis court
parking lot have been repaired, and the university
worked with the contractor at the gym construction
area to light the sidewalk area near the construction
site better.
The university is in the process of a lighting effort
in the Governor’s Village, Baxley said.
Several bulbs were installed on a test basis, and
feedback will be provided by Williams on their
effectiveness.
lovacchini said he was disappointed at student
turn-out for the second phase of the survey.
“We only had one student that had showed up
the week before,” lovacchini said.
Baxley also said that trimming dense foliage in
the Governor’s Village would be part of Greenfest
this year. Baxley said thick bushes could be a
problem, since people could easily hide behind
them.
“We re just going to take out some bushes,
Baxley said. “We are not cutting down trees.”
Baxley said student comments played a large
part in the final report and that this tour was an
attempt to find out exactly what student con
cerns have been in regards to campus lighting.
Baxley said the lighting projects will continue
into the summer and next fall.
lovacchini said he plans to take another group
out next fall to evaluate the changes.
“I think we can make a difference in the fall, he
said.