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Volume 29 Issue 4 February 25> 1999
I
Perkins guilty of sexual assault charges
By Amelia Morrison
Managing Editor
After pleading guilty to sexual as-
ault charges, UNCA basketball player
■lick Perkins is no longer playing for
he Bulldogs.
He is not representing us. He is not
uiting up. He is not practicing,” said
UNCA Chancellor Patsy Reed.
His removal from the team followed
Perkins pleading guilty to one count
of felony sodomy and one count of
misdemeanor solicitation of sodomy
in Paulding County Superior Court
in Georgia. He was sentenced to three
years probation, 15 days in jail and a
$500 fine. His jail sentence will start
June 15.
Perkins was originally indicted with
nine offenses, including rape, child
molestation and aggravated sodomy
in an incident involving a 14-year-
old girl. Five other Paulding County
High School students also pleaded
guilty to charges.
Of the six defendants involved in
the case, Perkins’ sentencing was “least
severe, mainly because he was least
involved,” said Todd Alley, the Geor
gia district attorney who prosecuted
the case. Alley said Perkins did not
have sex with the girl, and was the last
person to receive oral sex.
The university is currendy consid
ering Perkins’ enrollment status for
the remainder of this semester and for
next semester.
For any student who is convicted or
who has pleaded guilty to a felony
offense, “we enter a process to try to
determine if he/she is a danger to
himself/herself or to others,” said
Reed. “We would not make a deci
sion until we had a basis on which to
make a decision.”
The university has started that pro
cess, according to Reed.
Perkins, a freshman and guard from
Dallas, Ga., received a basketball
scholarship and started playing for
the Bulldogs last fall.
The university was aware of the
charges, filed January 1998, when
they awarded Perkins the scholar
ship.
“He was recruited before this inci
dent happened. He was admitted
after he was indicted,” said Reed.
Reed said that despite Perkins’
recent guilty plea, the university
would not have acted differently.
See PERKINS page 10
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It
o
Summer school
schedule limited
to longer terms
By Emma Jones
staff Writer
iUNCA’s summer schedule will consist of
fewer course offerings as a result of longer
Rummer sessions, according to the
jchedule’s planner.
“Part of it has to do with the fact that
e’ve eliminated the three-week term,”
lid Philip Weast, assistant vice chancelloi^
ir enrollment services. “There are some
iculty who probablybelieve they can spend
hree weeks teaching during the summer,
lut when it comes to a five or seven-week
lerm, it’s a little too long for them.”
! The nine or 10 month faculty teaching
contracts do not include the summer ses
sions, according to Weast.
“Summer is just considered an add-on
time, rather than a part of the contract,
said Weast. “The faculty is often engaged
in research, or they have to be away for
whatever they’re doing to enhance their
own profession.”
The move to longer sessions resulted from
students complaining about the work load
associated with the three-week courses, ac-
rdingto Weast. However, some students
are in favor of the shorter courses.
don’t think a lot of students want to be
here for the whole summer,” said Kim
Angelon, a sophomore biology major. “I d
rather have the three week courses and have
the rest of my summer to make money or
do something else that is useful.
Some students are going to other schools
to take the classes that are not offered at
UNCA this summer.
“I’d rather be able to take my summer
classes here because the credits are easier to
transfer,” said Aaron Vidaurri, a UNCA
sophomore. “Ifwe don’t have a good selec
tion, then we’re kind of forced to go else
where. Half the time UNCA doesn’t even
accept the credits.”
Weast said he is aiming for a different
approach to future summer school sched
ules.
“I don’t know how it has been deter
mined in the past because I’ve only been
here eight months. One of the things I
intend to do is get a better handle on what
the students need,” said Weast. What
we’ve done is study historical trends of
what has been needed in the past.”
Problems with implementing past sum
mer trends have arisen with the recent
enrollment growth, according to Weast.
“If a student is not able to get into a class
because there are so many students en
rolled, then we need to make more courses
available,” said Weast. “I want a student to
be able to get a degree in four years, or as
close therein as possible.”
“Some students, like me, who have to be
here for over four years need to get a lot of
their classes done over the summer because
there is just no extra time,” said Angelon.
Arts 310, a class required as part of the
humanities core program, is not on the
summer 1999 schedule, according to the
UNCA summer schedule printout. Both
Tom Cochran, associate vice chancellor
for academic affairs and Weast said they
not were aware that it was not being of
fered. They are now making efforts to
secure a section of the class for the students
who need it.
“I’m planning on living in Asheville this
summer, so if they don t have any classes I
want, then there’s really no reason for me
to live here,” said Chris Sapp, a UNCA
sophomore.
The summer sessions consist mostly of
general education requirements, but the
focus could shift to more special topics
courses, according to Weast.
“I’d like to get to the point where stu
dents can get their general education re
quirements during the year and maybe
focus the attention of the curriculum in
the summer on more specialty types of
things that really stretch a student in a
special topic,” said Weast.
Although more specialty courses would
allow some students to focui on upper
level courses outside the normal school
year, many others would not be able to
complete the core courses that are required
to graduate. Courses such as humanities.
See SUMMER page 9
Outdoor project questioned
PHOTO BY PATRICIA GONZALEZ-DEAVENPORT
Zageir’s $3,000 stream garden, funded by donations, is part of a campus beautification project at UNCA.
Students and faculty express
concern about upkeep of stream
By Meghan Cummings
staff Writer
UNCA’s landscaping crew is almost fin
ished with the creation of a stream garden
near Zageir Hall. However, some stu
dents and faculty have expressed concerns
that it is not being properly cared for.
“It looked great at first, but now it looks
kind of like they just stopped taking care
of it,” said Lori Hurley, a junior biology
major.
The work the landscaping committee
has done on the stream garden by Zageir
is part of a campus beautification project,
that is funded by donations. The total
cost for the project is about $3,000.
The goldfish and some of the plants in
the stream were donated to the school,
according to Melissa Acker, grounds su
perintendent and director of landscaping.
The water quality in the stream garden
has declined over the last few months
because the water is not being circulated,
according to Michael Stuart, associate pro
fessor of biology.
“The re-circulation pump had been
turned off, and the water had become
quite stagnant,” said Stuart
The stagnant water created problems for
the fish in the stream because there was
too little oxygen in the water, according to
Stuart.
“I always see the fish up at the top
gulping for air, which is a sign that there is
not enough oxygen in the water,” said
Hurley.
Although the two pumps that circulate
water through the stream can be turned
off through the winter, the landscaping
crew had to turn them off in September
due to the water shortage, according to
Acker.
“We realized that this would be a prob
lem,” said Acker. “What we decided to do
was to turn the pumps on whenever it
See STREAM page 9
w
PHOTO BY TRAVIS BARKER
Recent city restrictions
prevented water recirculation
in the Zageir garden stream.
Improper upkeep led to
rotting vegetation and oil
scum.
UNCA may install surveillance in buildings
and residence life. “The number of these inci- “University officials realize veillance system seems to be the systetn unless it would be ben
By Mike Bryant
staff Writer
UNCA officials are considering a
proposal to install surveillance
equipment in some campus
buildings due to continual theft
and property destruction.
‘There is an increasing con
cern for the safety and security
of dormitory students on the
university campus,” said Nancy
Williams, assistant director of
housing and residence life.
“University officials are study
ing a plan that would place cam
eras in some of the more van
dalized areas of the
campus,”said Williams.
Safety equipment, such as fire
extinguishers and signs, have
been stolen, destroyed or dam
aged, according to Williams.
“The glass covers on several
fire extinguishers have been
broken, and parts of the extin
guishers have been removed,”
said Williams.
“The number of these inci
dents has steadily increased over
the last couple of years,” Will
iams said.
The university is reluctant to
implement a proposal that
would call for the installation
of cameras or other types of sur
veillance equipment, according
to Williams.
“Several discussions concern
ing the use of security cameras
on campus have taken place over
the past few years,” said Will
iams.
“University officials realize
the sensitive nature of such a
proposal and would prefer to
avoid the implementation of
any form of surveillance. How
ever, officials are concerned the
recent increase in vandalism
could jeopardize the safety and
security of all students,” Will
iams said.
University officials have
priced the cost of both fixed
and portable security camera
systems, according to Williams.
“A portable or movable sur
veillance system seems to be the
most cost effective and practi
cal,” said Williams.
The cost of such a system
wou Id be less than $1,000.”
“I would not object to some
type of surveillance system if
the university felt it was neces
sary to ensure the safety and
security of the students,” said
Jessica Mancino, a UNCA fresh
man.
“It would not bother me mu ch
at all. Anyway, I do not think
the university would use such a
system unless it would be ben
eficial to the students,” said
Mancino.
The primary use and place
ment of any camera or surveil
lance system would be at or near
the security doors of the resi
dence halls, according to Will
iams.
“The purpose of such a sur
veillance system at UNCA
would be to deter vandalism or
See INSTALL page 9