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Volume 29 Issue 2
February 11, 1999
UNCA pays
price for
fiber optics
By Mike Bryant
staff Writer
A requirement by a state agency
or UNCA to resubmit its fiber
)ptic network project as a capital
mprovement rather than a “util-
ty” added more than $260,000 in
iniversity construction and equip-
nent costs, according to an August
1998 financing summary prepared
Arthur Foley in UNCA’s office of
inancial affairs.
“UNCA first proceeded with the
;ampus-wide fiber optic project as
‘utility’ upon advice of the Office
ifState Budget and Management,”
aid Arthur Foley, vice chancellor
or financial affairs. “Classifying the
jroject as a ‘utility’ placed it in a
iategory similar to lights and water,
^his was not about a capital im-
brovement such as funding a class-
oom building or athletic facility,
lut rather, a lot of wiring and elec-
ronics.”
The university did not need the
jthorization ofthe UNC Board of
governors and the Legislative Gov-
(rnmental Operations Committee
k long as the fiber optic project was
jlassified as a “ utility,” according to
hel998 financing summary.
The university was prepared to
)egin accepting construction and
;quipment bids in 1997-98 for the
iber optics network when advised
)y the state that the project needed
0 be re-submitted as a capital im-
irovement rather than a “utility,
iccording to the financial summary.
State authorization for the fiber
jprics network as a capital improve
ment project'took nearly a year,
resulting in a new projected net
work total cost of approximately
Jl,084,113, said Foley.
The original estimates for the
project as a “utility” totaled
$815,982, representing an increase
of $268,131 in additional univer
sity costs for re-submission as a
capital improvement, according to
the financial summary.
‘To date, the cost of the fiber
optic network Js projected to be
approximately $1.4 million, which
is the total amount the state has
approved for UNCA to expend on
its network infrastructure,” said
Foley. “About $900,000 of that
amount has already been spent
through the course of the project.
The sources of those dollars in
cluded UNCA capital and auxiliary
funds and state appropriations.”
“The expense of the project was
justified over three years ago when
the university enlisted aNew Jersey
consulting firm to plan for a state-
of-the-art fiber optic network for
the campus,” said Foley. “Initially,
UNCA received little positive feed
back with regard to any state fund
ing for such a system, and now they
see it as a top priority for all 16-
UNC member institutions.
“The North Carolina Legislature
appropriated $34,784,000 in the
1998-99 budget for the state-wide
university network infrastructure,”
said Foley. “Of this amount,
$559,498 was allocated for UNCA’s
fiber optics project. These funds
are appropriated for project ex
penses incurred after July 1,1998.”
The completion of this new net
work technology has placed UNCA
near the top of the campuses within
the University of North Carolina
system of meeting the new baseline
standards of network infrastructure,
according to Richard White, man
ager of systems and communica
tions in the UNCA computer cen
ter.
“UNCA has been evaluated to
have attained 88 percent of its
baseline technology needs, accord
ing to an independent study of all
the campuses in the University of
North Carolina system,” said
White. “The study ranked UNCA
second among all 16 member insti
tutions. The average among the 16
campuses was 67 percent.”
The recent completion of the fi
ber optics system at UNCA has
made state-or-the-art information
access available to both students
and faculty, according to White.
“The new Ethernet system was
completed in July 1998, said
See OPTICS page 10
Founder's computer stolen
UNCA Housing unsure how theft occurred
By Dm Martin
staff Writer
A computer valued at approxi
mately $2,000 was recently stolen
from the third floor computer lab
in Founders Hall, according to
UNCA’s housing office.
“We’re not sure whether the
dorm was unlocked or whether
someone had a key,” said Pete
Williams, director of housing and
residence life at UNCA. “All of
the computers in the lab are nor
mally tied down with security de
vices, but because there had been
some renovations going on, the
computers had just recently been
put back into the computer lab
and they had not been secured
yet.”
“The information that we got
was that the door to that particular
computer lab sometimes stays
propped open because it was still
under construction at the time,”
said Jerry Adams, investigator for
UNCA public safety. “It’s sup
posed to be locked, but the resi
dence director said that he has
found it propped open and left
unsecured several times, so it actu
ally was not broken into.”
“I think it was an on-campus
student, as opposed to a com
muter,” said Thomas Jablonski, a ■
junior undeclared major. “I think
they (on-campus students) would
have more of an idea when it
would be open, when it would be
free. I don’t think a commuter
would hang out at the computer
lab.”
“A couple of my friends have had
things stolen before, and it sucks
when it happens,” said Shands
Senechal, a junior computer sci
ence major. “It sucks that you
have to look out for your own stuff
on top of everything else, and live
with the level of awareness that is
required to get by today. As if
there aren’t enough dangers to be
looking out for already.”
The lab has re-opened since the
beginningofthesemester, accord
ing to Williams. The computers
are tied to the floor and to the wall
with cables.
It was just a bad timing incident,
according to Adams.
“This is the first computer lab in
a dorm where we’ve had a com-
. -
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY TRAVIS BARKER/ MODELS DYLAN YORK AND NICK MCGINEY
Thieves make a clean get away this time, but increased efforts by public safety and
housing will make future theft more difficult.
purer stolen, so this could be an
isolated occurrence,” said Adams.
“There were students in the build
ing who hadn’t left yet or who were
staying throughout the break for
other purposes,” said Williams.
“We don’t have any suspects yet,”
said Adams. “We have the serial
numbers and everything, but right
now we don’t have any leads. We
can’t just go around searching
rooms without probable cause. The
housing office can do safety inspec
tions and look for those sorts of
things. As far as the public safety
office is concerned, we can’t just go
room to room and search for stolen
items. That violates their rights.
We must have probable cause.”
“I don’t think it’s necessarily a
publicsafety issue,” said Gina Voci,
aseniorenvironmental studies ma
jor. “The thing I don’t understand
is why a student would take it
since they have access to it all the
time.”
“There are usually three of four
computers in the labs,” said Chad
Pry, an undeclared sophomore.
“The only thing they’re good for
is word processing. That’s pretty
much it. You can’t do any re
search, or anything else. I don’t
know why anyone would want
to steal it.”
“Somebody probably took it
home during the break and left it
at their house,” said Adams.
“They’re probably just using it
for their own purposes.”
“I don’t think you could pawn
it,” said Jablonski. “If they
are^awning it, they’re really
stupid because I’m sure there’s
probably serial numbers and
stamps all over it.”
“I don’t know why anyone
See STOLEN page 9
Humanities criticized for western perspective
The director of the humanities program
ind the course coordinators will meet with
• group of students this week to discuss
Possible ways to make the curriculum more
ndusive of non-western cultures. The
By Meghan Cummings
staff Writer
meeting was initiated in response to con
cerns expressed by both students and fac
ulty about the lack of sufficient study of
non-western history and culture in the
humanities program.
“I think humanities needs to be reformu
lated,” said Dwight Mullen, chair and asso
ciate professor in the political science de
partment and a humanities instructor. “It
needs to be redone so that it is inclusive.’
According to Alphonso Donaldson, presi
dent of SCA, many students agree that the
humanities program needs to be re-exam-
ined. The meeting will allow students and
faculty to get together and discuss issues
about humanities that they are both con
cerned about.
“I think a lot of students have had this on
their minds,” said Donaldson. “It will help
just to get the students into the conversa
tion. We’ve got two conversations going
on in two different circles. We just need to
bring those two circles together.”
The issue of a humanities program that is
inclusive of non-western cultures has been
discussed in the department for several
years, according to Peg Downes, director
of the humanities program.
“Humanities changes every semester,” said
Downes. “When you look at the syllabi and
how they have changed over the years, you
see more and more non-western material.”
Including studies of non-western cultures
into the humanities program is essential for
the program to fulfill its mission, according
to Elmoize Abunura, coordinator of the
African studies program and lecturer in
political science.
See HUMANITIES page 10
Additional funds made available for Highsmith
By Krystel Lucas
staff Writer
Additional funds of $2.5 million are ex-
>ected to be diverted from the Blue Ridge
Regional Destination Center, an economic
development project for the Blue Ridge
Parkway, to UNCA’s proposed Highsmith
University Center renovations, according
to the administration.
“The $2.5 million has been appropri
ated,” said Tom Byers, special assistant to
the chancellor. “We expect it to be trans
ferred to UNCA in the near future.”
The House and Senate allocated $1 mil
lion of the $12.4 million requested for the
center last year, according to Arthur Foley,
vice chancellor for financial affairs. They
are expected to divert an additional $2.5
million from funds originally designated to
the Blue Ridge Regional Destination Cen
ter, said Foley.
UNCA is pleased to receive the funds,
however, construction cannot begin until
the university receives the full appropria
tions, according to Foley.
“We’ve investigated and have found that
it is just not practical to start this project
until we have all of the funding,” said
Byers. “It is best to do all of the construc
tion at one time."
“A project of this magnitude will take
probably between two or three years of
construction,” said Foley. “Freshmen stu
dents on campus may graduate before the
building is completed.”
The total renovation costs of $12.4 mil
lion will add on an additional 46,229 square
feet to the existing 37,78 5 square feet ofthe
Highsmith Center. This will allpw for a
See HIGHSMITH page 9