The University of North Carolina at Asheville
H
February 13,1997
Volume 25 , Number 18
NEWS
BRIEFS
'Aneels' tries again in North Carolina
— language, and siniula
Noted author
to speak
In honor of African American
Heritage Month, author and at
torney Lawrence Otis Graham will
give a lecture on race relations at
7 p.m. on Feb. 13 in the
Highsmith Center. A reception
and book-signing will follow the
lecture. Graham is the author of
13 books, including “Member of
the Club,” an essay collection
about a range of experiences, in
cluding his time as a black busboy
at an all-white country club to
being a black Princetonian and
corporate attorney. Graham’s lat-
estbook, “Proversity: GettingPast
Face Value and Finding the Soul
of the People” was published last
month. UNCA faculty, staff, and
students are free, and general ad
mission is $5 at the door.
Other events this month include
a lecture by Cheryl Sanders on
women in the pentecostal tradi
tion, a brown bag lunch with Dr.
Don Locke, a performance by
Philadanco, an African American
dance troupe, a diversity simula
tion, and “Opening the Doors: A
Dialogue on Racism,” a six-week
program in which participants
discuss the problems of racism.
For information, call the Office
of African American Student De
velopment at 251-6671.
The People’s
Law School
UNCA’s Continuing Education
program will hold a “People s Law
School” course beginning Feb. 18.
The session will provide an op
portunity for citizens to under
stand legal rights and responsi
bilities under the law. A series of
five lectures on criminal and con
stitutional law, wills, real estate,
personal injury, consumer rights,
family law, and other topics will
be held on Tuescfay evenings from
6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Rhoades
110. At the end of the lecture
series, a mock trial will follow at
the Buncombe County Court
house. The deadline for registra
tion is Feb. 11 and the course
costs $15. For information, con
tact the Office of Special Aca
demic Programs at 251-6558.
“Witnessing the
Holocaust” series
UNCA’s Center for Jewish Stud
ies is sponsoring documentary
filmmaker Aviva Kempner this
weekend as part of its Witness
ing the Holocaust” series.
Kempner will screeen her film
“Partisans of Vilna at 7:30 p.m.
on Feb. 15 in the Humanities
Lecture Hall. The film documents
the story of a Jewish youth who
organized a resistance movement
in Lithuania under the Nazis.
Kempner will also present her in
progress documentary about Hall
of Fame baseball player Hank
Greenberg at 12 p.m. on Sunday,
Feb. I6inthedining hall and will
discuss both films.
In the second part of the series
Idit Dobbs-Weinstein will give a
lecture entitled “Can We Do Phi
losophy After Auschwitz?” at 8
p.m. on March 5 in the Owen
Conference Center.
Holocaust survivor Rena
Kornreich Gelissen will recount
the story of sisters in Auschwitz
and how her experiences became
the book “Rena’s Promise” at 7
p.m. on April 30 at the Jewish
Community Center.
For information, call the Center
for Jewish Studies at 251-6669.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THEATRE UNCA
Jason D. Watson plays Prior Walter and Amy K. Green portrays Harper Pitt in
Theatre UNCA’s production of “Angels in America,” Feb. 19-23.
By Matthew Gibson
Copy Editor
As Theatre UNCA ends prepa
rations for its first play of the
semester, Tony Kushner’s “An
gels in America,” cast, crew, and
faculty reflect on the Pulitzer
Prize-winning play’s reception in
Charlotte last year.
Recalling the play’s run in Char
lotte, Assistant Professorof Drama
Robert Bowen described the reac
tions of officials in New York
City when theater personnel called
them a few months back to secure
the $750 production rights.
“The response was, ‘You want to
do this after what happened in
Charlotte?’” said Bowen.
Despite the Broadway play’s
critical acclaim and two Tony
Awards, many Charlotte residents
wanted to stop the show for its
seven-second nude scene, explicit
language, and simulated sex, re
ported The Charlotte Observer.
Attorneys for the Charlotte Rep
ertory Theatre obtained a protec
tive court order just minutes be
fore 5 p.m. of opening night, pre
venting the play from cancella
tion, The Charlotte Observer re
ported.
Eleven months since its ten-day
run in Charlotte, UNCA will give
“Millennium Approaches,” part
one of “Angels,” a second try in
North Carolina. “We’re one of ■
the first colleges to do it. It’s a
risky play,” said Bowen, director.
“Theatre UNCA has never shied
away from theater that would start
dialogue among students. Hope
fully those who see it will have
something to say about it.”
Theatre UNCA will present
Kushner’s play with no changes
to the script or the intensity of
See ANGELS page 8
Greenway to link UNCA and Menimon
By Catharine Sutherland
staff Writer
The creation of a 10-foot wide,
asphalt-paved greenway along W.
T. Weaver Boulevard may make
transportation to and from
UNCA safer and simpler for stu
dents in the future, according to
the special assistant to the chan
cellor.
The greenway, a project con
ducted by the city of Asheville,
will run along the north side of
W.T. Weaver Boulevard, connect
ing Broadway to Merrimon Av
enue, said Tom Byers.
“It’s taking your life in your
hands to walk down Weaver Bou
levard. We’ve wanted for years to
have a good way for stiidents to
walk to Merrimon,”said Byers.
The avenue is the site of many
businesses and restaurants fre
quented by students, but one that
remains a dangerous commute by
foot or bike due to heavy traffic.
Walkers and bikers will soon
have their fair share of the road,
however.
The first phase of greenway de
velopment, scheduled to begin
this spring on the stretch ofW.T.
Weaver Boulevard that lies be
tween Merrimon Avenue and
Barnard Avenue, calls for the
elimination of the northernmost
lane of W.T. Weaver Boulevard.
“The city believes that’s an ap
propriate compromise in order to
allow people bicycle and pedes
trian access,” said Byers.
Many students are enthusiastic
about the city’s compromise.
“The greenway would help a lot.
I would definitely be more apt to
walk downtown,” said freshman
Ben Tiller, whose only modes of
transportation include his bicycle
and rides from friends.
“It’s hard dodging cars, and you
can’t see them coming on a bike
when you’re in the road, said
Tiller,
In addition to providing a safe
way to avoid traffic hazards, the
greenway may also reduce the
amount of vehicular traffic cur
rently clogging the school’s park
ing areas.
“I think the greenway would
encourage more people to walk or
ride their bikes to school,” said
Bryon Booher, a student who
commutes to UNCA from North
Street, off Broadway.
“That would give the campus
more of a collegey feel, and it
would also help environmentally
because it would cut down on the
amount of people driving and
parking on campus,” said Booher.
Despite the environmental ben
efits offered by the greenway, some
environmental concerns have also
been raised about the project.
“It’s important that the people
who are constructing the greenway
don’t rush to finish the job, but
study how this particular land
scape functions and decide what
type of greenway they want to put
there,” said Angela Eichhorst, an
environmental studies major and
president of the ecology club.
Last semester, Eichorst re
searched greenway systems and
also plans to focus her senior semi
nar research on the topic.
The developers need to be aware
of what ecosystems exist in the
area and what type of plant and
animal species might be affected
by the greenway, said Eichhorst.
According to Byers, environ
mental awareness will play a large
part in both the construction of
the greenway and its effect on the
community.
“We may have to encroach on
the creek bed in some spots, but
in general this is intended to be an
environmental enhancement and
we will be very sensitive to the
natural environment,” said
Byers, noting that the asphalt
pavement planned for the
greenway is not as intrusive to
the landscape as concrete.
City landscape architect A1
Kopf agreed and said the city
plans to follow the natural ter
rain of the landscape as closely
as possible. Ove rail, the
greenway appears to hold posi
tive potential for the university
and the city of Asheville.
“The greenway is a huge plus,”
said Byers. “For the city, it’s the
start of a wonderful urban ame
nity, and the university is a ben
eficiary of that. We’re fortu
nate that the city is proposing
to make the first segment here
on campus.”
The greenway in front of
UNCA will be the first in a city-
See GREEN on page 8
Students suspended from gym
By Adrien Sanders
staff Writer
Two UNCA students were sus
pended from the justice Health
and Fitness Center after an inci
dent at the indoor track meet on
Jan. 31.
On Feb. 6, a meeting was sched
uled for the following Monday,
so the students and gym staff
could work out the problem.
Melinda Woodard was sus
pended for one month, and
Kimara Parker was suspended for
one week.
“They were suspended for their
behavior and refusal to leave when
asked,” said Maggie Smith, the
facilities manager.
The response from the students
differed, however.
“We were suspended because
Maggie said that three people had
come up to us and said we had on
the wrong kind of shoes, but no
body even said anything to me.
They approached my friends,
said Parker.
Woodard, Parker, and two
friends were not wearing the ap
propriate shoes to be on the court.
Woodard and Njeri Denny were
wearing dress shoes, while Parker
and Tonie Carlton had on boots.
“We allow court shoes, but street
shoes and dark-soled running
shoes are not allowed because they
leave dark marks on the quite
expensive floor,” said Smith.
“No rules were posted about
proper shoe wear, said Carlton.
Rules were posted about proper
shoe w^ar on public doors.
However, doors that are nor
mally locked and not accessible to
students were open for track team
members, and spectators were able
to enter those doors, which had
no signs on them.
“It was not the average day at the
Health and Fitness Center be
cause it was the first week it had
been open, and there was an in
door track meet, said Smith.
Seve ral hundred people were
there, including many spectators
who were not familiar with any of
the rules.
“They had four days that they
were open to plan all of this, said
Carlton, “plus the fact that they’ve
been building this thing for a
while.”
Different staff members ap
proached the students, excluding
Parker, several times and told
them they needed to move be
cause of the shoes they were wear-
‘f'g-
“A student staff member “rudely
told us 'Y’all need to get off the
court because of the shoes’ said
Carlton. The staff was just trying
to let people know the rules, said
Smith.
“Melinda (Woodard) was not
willing to leave without an expla
nation of why others were not
being told to leave even though
they had on the wrong shoes,”
said Parker.
Parker said she noticed the oth
ers with wrong shoes on were all
white, and the other black stu
dents in the facility were athletes.
“Woodard stated that the issue
involved racism because others on
the floor were allowed to stay and
not told to leave,” said the inci
dent report filed on Feb.l.
Other people of different races
were asked to take off their shoes
or leave during this time and ear
lier in the day, including several
parents of UNCA track team
members.
Steve Cornish, the head men s
soccer coach, called security. Be
fore an officer could respond, the
students left.
“We left on our own before se
curity even got there, said Parker.
Parker, Carlton, and Denny left
the Health and Fitness Center
and filed a complaint at the De
partment of Public Safety, be
cause they believed they were
treated unfairly.
Public safety called a meeting at
Vance Hall, and Smith and
Woodard were contacted so they
could also attend to discuss the
situation.
See GYM on page 8
New fitness center dedicated as
part of homecoming festivities
PHOTO BY TRISH JOHNSON
Chancellor Patsy Reed and SGA president Sergio
Mariaca particpate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony as
part of the dedication program for the new health and
fitness center.