8, 19%
t
The University of North Carolina at Asheville
www.unca.edu/banner
Volume 28 Issue 7
October 15, 1998
Reed announces retirement
By John Stanier
staff Writer
EBREN
UNCA Chancellor Patsy Reed
announced on Oct. 8 that she will
retire after the spring 1998 semes
ter, and the search for a new chan
cellor will begin almost immedi
ately. Reed made the special an
nouncement in the Karpen Hall
lobby in front of a crowd of over
100 faculty, staff, and students.
Reed said her decision comes with
mixed emotions. “It has been a
difficult decision because of the high
iL-gaal liikI d(--fp aftcctioii I for
UNCA,” she said. “While it is per
sonally appealing to enter a less
structured time of my life while I
enjoy good health and many inter
ests, it is professionally saddening
to think of leaving a campus that is
so dear to me.”
Reed timed her announcement to
coincide with UNCA’s Founders
Day. “On this eve of Founders Day,
we celebrate the past and look to
the future,” Reed said. “I am here
today to let you know that, at the
end of my fifth year as your chan
cellor, I will add my name to the list
of past leaders. It is my intent to
retire as of June 30, 1999.”
Reed came to UNCA in June of
1994, and said she wants her legacy
as chancellor to be a positive one.
“My hope here is that my years as
your chancellor will strengthen and
advance our mission and increase
our abilities to fully realize it,” she
said.
“I know that whoever your leader
is, this campus is in good hands,
bccaii.sc the people in this room aiul
your coimterpnrrs ultimately deter
mine its future,” Reed said. “I ex
press my deep gratitude for having
had the opportunity, and still hav
ing the opportunity, to serve UNCA
and to work with this excellent fac
ulty, staff, and administration, and
we still have most of the year to
gether.”
Reed said she is committed to the
university, and more importantly,
to the need of the students.
“Like others, this year is dedicated
to our collective commitment to
our students,” Reed said. “We have
important issues to resolve and chal
lenges to meet. Much remains to be
done, and, as usual, we will work
together and work hard to do it
well.”
Reed said she will do what she can
to assist in finding her replacement.
“I pledge to you (to do my) best in
working toward a smooth transi
tion to the next leader in our con
tinuum,” said Reed. “We are fortu
nate in that regard to have an excel
lent aiul tleditatecl board ol li ustecs
to work with the caniptis in thi.s
year of transition.”
Robert Cranford, chairman of the
UNCA Board of Trustees, also
spoke at the special announcement,
“She is, without a doubt, one of
this nation’s most capable univer
sity administrators,” Cranford said
about Reed. “While I regret her
decision, 1 certainly understand the
appeal of retirement and opportu
nities to pursue other interests. We
will miss her sorely, but we will
carry on.”
The search for a new chancellor
will begin with the formation of a
search committee, chaired by
Cranford.
“This transition must be seen in a
positive light.” He said. “The search
committee has an important task.
We must replace a chancellor with
impeccable credentials. We will
build on her accomplishments and
those who have proceeded her.”
Cranford said he hopes the com
mittee can work quickly and effi-
ciemK' to make Mire the itansiiioii
is as smooth as possible.
“My goal is to move aggressively
to have the position announcements
out by Thanksgiving and to have
our next chancellor in place byjuly
1, 1999,” said Cranford.
Although the search committee
members have not been selected.
See RETIRE page 10
PHOTO BY TINA ATWOOD
Chancellor Patsy Reed told students, faculty, and staff on
Oct. 8 of her plans to retire.
ong ses-
le second
a “short
menrs to
itions for
not ac-
session,
ipossible
y are in
r enough
through
d would
:ipate in
mpaign-
is while
ators re-
3er year.
al$104,
very day
:cording
Clerk to
ly the Stud
: “Rocky”
lirable,
licized the
1, Dave
ptive to
nuing
nographic
;vening--to
en us
ablished
ling was
Dancers stir protest
,v:... ; --r,, ^
' ' ■■ ■' —^^ ■ *
PHOTO BY TRAVIS
PHOTO BY TRAVIS BARKER
Twelve Tribes, an organization that claims to promote the ideals of a true community, made a brief appearance on the UNCA
quad on Oct. 14.
Fiber optics
completed
Concerns emerge about uses
By Shaun Cashman
Staff Writer
With the completion of the
new $1.2 million fiber optic
network system, students and
faculty have faster Internet
capabilities in the dorms, labs,
and offices. Although the
faster connection is intended
for educational purposes,
some students are concerned
that the system may be used
for illicit recreational pur
poses.
“Fiber optics is limited only
by the speed of light,” said
electronic technician Mike
Wilson. Compared to the old
connection, “it’s like a televi
sion versus a upewriter in
speed. But, no matter how
good something is, it can be
used improperly or poorly.”
“It’s Satan’s box,” said Mat
thew Deal, an undeclared
sophomore. “People are starv
ing somewhere,” and the uni
versity spent $1.2 million so
that “some little punk kids
with nothing better to do can
look up porn.”
“I think it’s worth it if most
of the students have com
puters to go in their rooms,”
said Sarah Thompson, a
sophomore political science
major. “I don’t know if
everyone’s going to use it for
information though.”
“It makes porn j ust so much
faster,” said Jason Miller, a
freshman history major. “It
definitely makes the most of
your connection.”
There are three main compo
nents to the new network; the
fiber optic backbone of the
system; the internal wiring of
all the buildings; and the elec
tronic support, said Richard
^JOTiite, manager ofsystems and
communication on campus.
“The directiori of our soci
ety, as far as information as-
sinnLition iscoiKcrncd, is rap
idly moving towards distrib
uting information at veiy high
speeds over network-con-
nected computers,” said Kern
Parker, the director for the
computer center. “There are
;ill kinds of increased capabili
ties that people get when they
are connected to network sys
tems.”
See FIBER page 10
Departments receive numbers on adjimct cuts
By Samantha Hartmann
staff Writer
The UNCA administration
has determined the number
of adjuncts that must be cut in
ach department for the spring
semester.
“What you will discover is
the cut is not quite as drastic
and dramatic as some people
have articulated,” said Shirley
Browning, professor of eco
nomics and associate vice
chancellor for academic af
fairs.
In the spring 1998 semester,
the university employed 113
adjunct instructors. Accord
ing to Browning, the univer
sity will employ approximately
99 adjunct instructors next
spring.
“Those numbers come from
administrative affairs,” said
Browning. The numbers
“were taken straight off the
record.”
The areas affected most by
the cuts were humanities, lit
erature, management, chem
istry, and biology.
Several departments, includ
ing music, were not hit very
hard by the cuts.
“Basically, we are in pretty
good shape,” said Charles
McKnight, department chair
and associate professor of
music.
McKnight said the music
department’s use of adjuncts
is dictated by the kind of teach
ing they do. “So much of our
teaching is one on one,” said
McKnight. “Nobody can
teach oboe students except an
oboist. That is one of the rea
sons we have so many ad
juncts. It makes the cost of
music instruction higher than
other kinds of instruction.”
According to McKnight, the
cuts also affect students who
may want to take a class for
enjoyment outside of their
major.
“We used to be able to offer
applied music instruction to
any student who wanted to
take the course,” said
McKnight. “I think it is a
shame, because one of the
things we believe in very
strongly is that music is a part
of everyone’s liberal arts edu
cation. This budget shortfall
has made that unavailable for
people who are not music
majors.”
The music department’s ad
junct budget for the spring of
1998, $45,019, was the high
est of all departments, and
will remain the highest this
spring, at $41,940.
The humanities adjunct
budget was the second high
est at $35,560 for the spring
of 1998, and will drop to an
See CUTS page 9
Departmental Adjunct Hours per Semester
■ HUM
H LIT
□ MGMT
□ cHEM
■ BIO
Fall 97 Spring 98 Fall
Semesters
Spring 99
GRAPH BY ERIN KING