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Volume 30 Issue 1
September!, 1999
Multicultural
program gets
new coordinator
By Amanda Osteen
staff Writer
The number of students of
color attending UNCA has
dramatically declined this se-
“They don’t leave for aca
demic reasons, they leave for
social reasons,” said Octavia
Wright, the coordinator of
multi-cultural student pro-
Wright said she hopes to
change this. New to the cam
pus this year, Wright came
from Radford University in
Virginiawhere she worked for
housing.
“I’ve always been looking foT
m opportunity to expand my
horizons professionally,”, said
Wright about her new posi-
Wright said she aims to in
crease diversity on campus.
My goal is to establish closer
relationships with the faculty
ms of educating the stu
dents in diversity and multi
cultural issues,” said Wright.
“This office exists to help di
versify the campus commu
nity in co-curricular ways. ”
She has already begun to plan
for the African-An;ierican
Heritage Month in February.
I thinkwecandoalotmore
jgether when we collabo-
ite,” said Wright.
Wright said she also hopes
3 build stronger bonds with
the community outside the
campus.
These bonds “will establish a
stronger foundation for the
itudents of color who decide
:o attend UNCA,” said
Wright. “Students who come
;ollege need to feel a strong
connection to the campus in
order to feel that the campus
ily there for them ,” said
Wright. “We want them to
feel that comfort when they
Wright said she hopes to help
establish the kind of commu
nity connections that will en
sure this kind of campus envi
ronment.
Part of creating a comfort
able campus community is
providing a variety organiza
tions for all students.
“Churches, social organiza
tions, groups and things they
can participate in are all im
portant elements,” said
Wright. “Students of color
need to feel like UNCA is
going to provide programs and
events designed for them, and
they also need to see these
things out in the community.
UNCA needs to build a stron
ger foundation as far as creat
ing better quality programs
for students of color.”
Wright says students will feel
more comfortable going here.
“That will eventually feed
upon itself...to help us in our
future recruitment in students
of color,” said Wright.
Wright said it is unfortunate
that the number of incoming
freshman and transfer students
of different races are so low
this year.
“I’ve heard that in the past
we’ve been able to attract num
bers in the high teens and
twenties as far as African- ,
American students,” said
Wright. “This year we only
had about six or seven who
did enroll.”
Wright said the number of
African Americans living on
campus is also low.
“The number of interna
tional students has also de
clined,” said Wright.
Wright believes the answer
to this problem is in “building
that social climate.”
“I think there needs to be a
huge level of commitment
shown by the administration
to make this happen,” said
Wright.
Wright and her intern, Rita
See WRIGHT page 9
UNCA workers form union
By Johanna Luks
Staff Writer
Spurred by frustrations with
the UNCA administration,
some UNCA staff members
have organized a chapter of
UE Local 150, a union for
North Carolina public ser
vice workers. UNCA union
members cited the lack of
communication between fac
ulty, staff and the adminis
tration, and an increase in
parking fees as the motiva
tion for their interest in the
union.
“I felt like the administra
tion has been turning a deaf
ear to staff and their con
cerns,” said Randy Marrs,
photographer for printing
services.
The administration “really
doesn’t ask for staff input.
We’re supposed to be here
for the students, and we have
to defer more or less to the
faculty,” said Jay Gertz of
government documents in
Ramsey library.
Administrators said that ef
fective communication is a
priority to them as well.
“A lot of people may feel
like there is information that
is not being communicated
to them in an effective way,
and that keeps them from
doing the best job that they
can probably do,” said Arthur
Foley, vice chancellor of fi
nancial affairs. “I think that’s
not unique to UNCA, and
it’s a challenge to all admin
istrators to try to keep the
communication flowing
from both administrators to
the workers and from the
workers to the administra-
The $10 increase in em
ployee parking fees infuri
ated several staff members,
according to Marrs.
“What really set me off was
that (the administration) in
creased the parking this year
to $70, which was a $20 in
crease from two years ago.
That was the straw that broke
the camel’s back. There was
no implication they were
f-i «
Hffj-
UNCA worker Jared Gudger landscapes in front
going to increase it or why “There’s very low morale
It was like the Godfather on campus right now with
telling you, ‘you are going the staff and faculty. Hope-
to do this, no questions fully the new chancellor is
asked,’ and that really going to be a real leader. I
ticked me off,” said Gertz. don’t feel like that’s what we
Whether or not the ad- had before with Chancellor
ministration asks staff for Patsy Reed. I don’t think she
input in a decision such as was a leader at all, and I don’t
this depends on the na- think her primary concern
ture of the decision, ac- was with the staff,” said
cording to Foley. Marrs.
“At UNCA there are a There is a council of staff
lot of committees and members that meet with the
councils that act in advi- chancellor, according to
sory capacities, so often Foley.
times there are mecha- “Forthepastyearnowwe’ve
nismsbywhich people are had an organization called
able to at least participate Chancellor Staff Advisory
in the information gath- Council (CSAC), and any
ering part of the decision- staff member can certainly
making process,” said talk to any member of the
Foley. Staff members can CSAC council,” said Foley,
voice their concerns to “They all have someone
people on advisory boards, that’s an elected representa-
according to Foley. tive to raise issues with the
UNCA union members administration or the chan-
are hopeful that the union cellor if there is a concern.”
will help resolve some is- The UNCA chapter of the
sues on campus. union has improved em-
PHOTO BY SARAH LACY
of Justice Gym.
ployee relations, according to
“The people who have
joined have more security
knowing that they have the
union behind them and
knowing that the union is
trying to change people’s lives
for the better,” said Marrs.
“This is a different union.
It’s moreofapeople’s union.
The union doesn’t so much
do these things for us as we’re
doing them for ourselves.”
Under North Carolina state
law, unions cannot bargain
with the UNC General Ad
ministration or individual
campuses, according to Foley
and Marrs. This includes bar
gaining over wages, hours or
working conditions. North
Carolina statute prohibits
union members from going
on strike, according to Foley.
“We lobbied the general
assembly, and we’re working
See UNION page 10
UNCA
QPPIXQ
OwwiVO
foreign
connec
tions
By Breandan Dezendorf
Staff Writer
John McDonald, associate
professor of French, is going
to Saumur, France as part of
the Sister Cities International
Organization in September to
discuss overseas internship
possibilities for UNCA stu
dents.
McDonald is leaving
Asheville with Beverly Cutter
Modlin, the vice chancellor
for university relations, on
Sept. 16, and is returning on
Sept.27.
“My idea was this might be
an opportunity for some
(French majors) to do intern
ships the way some of the
people who major in manage
ment or economics do intern
ships,” said McDonald.
The Sister Cities Interna
tional program was set up by
former President Dwight E.
Eisenhower in 1956 to pro
mote community partner
ships and opportunities
abroad for citizens as well as
further international eco
nomic ties between the cities
and countries involved in the
exchange, according to the
Sister Cities web page. The
organization started as a part
of the N ational League of Cit
ies. In 1967, it developed into
its own not-for-profit organi
zation due t6 growtlK
“First and f6remost,\’s an
opportunity for French^a-
jors,” said McDonald, “but I
would hope that we could
make it an opportunity for
other kinds of majors who are
interested in it.”
Some French speaking or
See ABROAD page 9
UNCA bookstore joins forces with online seller
K • II
By Sarah Lacy
Staff Writer
Efollet’s
UNCA’s
slogan, “Get out of line,” faces students
bookstore.
PHOTO BY SARAH LACY
s they wait in line at
UNCA students can order new and used
textbooks over the Internet due to a part
nership between the campus bookstore
and a national online college bookstore.
The UNCA bookstore has become a
partner with efollett.com, the world’s first
and largest online seller of college text
books, according to an efollett.com press
“Follett Higher Education group first
began selling textbooks over the Internet
in 1995, when they created 25 Web sites
for the 25 schools for which they man
aged the campus bookstore,” said Pam
Pesavento, contact for efollet.com. “So,
they’ve been involved in internet com
merce or retailing textbooks for a long,
longtime.”
Follett went online because they saw an
online market with college students, said
Pesavento.
“College students spend a great deal of
time on-line,” said Pesavento. “They are
very Internet savvy and computer savvy.
Follett predicted that the Internet was
going to be a growing way that college
students would want to do business.”
According to Pesavento, students like
their “click-and-order” strategy.
“We are combining the ease of the Internet
with the service that only a local campus
bookstore can provide,” said Pesavento.
An example of this service is the manner
in which students are able to exchange
books, according to Pesavento.
“For instance, if you buy your books from
us and you’re one of the campuses where
we have a partnership, if you exchange
classes and need to exchange books, you
don’t have to go through shipping them
back to somebody,” said Pesavento. “You
can just walk in and exchange or return
them right on campus, right on site.”
Follett is pleased with the amount of
traffic efollet.com has received, according
to Pesavento.
“The site has been extremely popular,”
said Pesavento. “We can’t give a number,
but Follett is very, very pleased by the
response from the students.”
Mike Small, director of the UNCA book
store, said he became interested in finding
out how the bookstore could offer online
ordering by learning about all the other
internet commerce groups.
“It all started with just being aware of all
of the Web site ordering and e-commerce
that’s going on the Internet,” said Small. “I
wondered how we coiJd offer online textbook
ordering throi^ the bookstore.”
Small said he was interested in howefoUett.com
becomes partners with the bookstores.
“When this efbllette.com information first
came out, I started to read with interest about
how they planned to become parmers with
stores and to have a Web site with them,” said
Small. “1 liked that option better than not
having anything to do with the ordering.
AnybodyorderirigfromVarsity(anotheronline
bookstore). Varsity fills theorder.Wewouldn’t
have any part of it.”
He was also interested in efollettcom be-
cai^ Follett sells used books.
“Another reason I was interested in Follett is
because they are a big used book company,”
said Small. “We get the majority of our used
books from them.”
Accordir^ to Pesavento, an advantage of
having a parmership with efollettcom is the
smdents’ option to pick the books up at their
local campus store.
“Smdents have the option of having their
books shipped to them or walking into the
campus bookstore and picking them up,” said
Pesavento.
“There is no shipping charge if the student
picks the books up at the bookstore,” said
Small. “I thought that was an attractive
option. With the other online book order
ing companies, you have to pay a shipping
The UNCA bookstore has filled 20 orders
for students on the efollett.com Web site,
according to Small.
See BOOKSTORE page 10