QJ
Volume 30 Issue 11
November 18, 1999
UNCA performs Drawing crowds
with MacDowell
By Johanna Luks
staff Writer
Andie MacDowell will costar in
performance of the play “Love
Letters” at the Diana Wortham
Theatre on Valentine’s Day as a
fundraiser for the UNCA drama
department, according to members
of the department.
“I think this is the first step toward
really having- a relationship with
Andie MacDowell that’s really posi-
for the whole university,” said
Scott Walters, assistant professor
and chair of the drama department
MacDowell’s costar.
MacDowell’s interest in the drama
department at UNCA stems from
her involvement with the theater
department at the University of
Montana in the town she lived in
before moving to Asheville, accord
ing to Walters.
‘She is very interested in setting
up a summer program where people
do readings of new plays. She had a
similar program to that in Mon-
said Walters.
Alex Comfort, assistant vice chan
cellor of the development office,
had been trying to get MacDowell
to visit UNCA’s campus and be
come involved with the university
since she moved to Asheville, ac
cording to Walters.
“It wasn’t until this summer that
we were able to connect. We went
out to lunch, and (the fundraiser)
was her idea,” said Walters. “We
were talking about the department
and how she might be connected
with it, and she said, ‘How about
we do a production of ‘Love Let
ters’ on Valentine’s day as a
fundraiser?” said Walters.
The drama department really
needs a fundraiser, according to
Tracy Hackney, a senior drama
“If we’re going to be any sort of
theater force, we need money, and
we don’t have it,” said Hackney.
The reason that the drama depart
ment has as many students as it
does now is because of scholar
ships, according to Hackney.
The money raised by the ticket
sales for “Love Letters” will be put
into a fund until faculty members
in the department decide what to
See ANDIE page 9
PHOTO BY TRAVIS BARKER
As on previous visits to UNCA’s free-speech zone, Reverend Gary Birdsong drew a crowd in front of UNCA’s cafete
ria Nov. 17. Students, angered at his religious views, raised their voices to Birdsong as campus police stood by.
Program studies potential
By Sarah Wilkins
staff Writer
In the spring of 2000, the
Learning Circles program,
part of a self-study of UNCA,
will begin looking at how the
university succeeds with its
programs in developing stu
dents’ full potential, accord
ing to a representative of
Learning Circles.
There are only six students
serving in the program.
“We’d like to have more stu
dent participation,” said Bruce
Larson, chair and professor of
econoimics. “Maybe if a few
; people knew what we
^ up to, more would come
forward.”
The program will “give a
broader population of people
on campus a larger degree of
knowledge about what student
development is all about,” said
Larson. It will also try to give
the campus community “a
sense of what our develop
ment of student programs and
activities ought to look like.”
“We may gain some people
(once they) get excited about
it,” said Sherry Gale, chair and
associate professor of math
ematics.
Even though the majority of
the group consists of faculty
and staff, the “people who are
in the group care a lot about
students, are sensitive to them,
and they have a great concern
for the development of stu
dents,” said Larson. ,
The program will cause the
university to re-evaluate itself
and question whether certain
programs need to be im
proved, dismantled, or if new
programs should be created.
“Part of what we’re thinking
about is, ‘When a student
graduates from UNCA, what
skills, what abilities, do we
hope will be developed?”’ said
Gale.
“We’re going to try and look
at everything that we think
has a vital impact on students,”
said Gale.
The self-study conducted by
UNCA occurs every 10 years
when the university goes
through an accreditation pro
cess with the Southern Asso
ciation of Colleges and
Schools (SACS).
However, the prior studies
only consisted of the compli-
section. The enhance
ment is an alternate self-study
that is available through
SACS.
The alternate study was a
success with other colleges that
tried it, and several professors
at UNCA wrote a proposal
for the university to do it.
“In the self-study there are
basically two parts. There’s a
compliance part, which deals
with the stuff you must do,
and there’s an enhancement
part, which deals with the stuff
that you would really like to
do in order to help build your
institution,” said Larson.
“The Learning Circles are
one part of the whole self-
study,” said Gale.
See CIRCLES page 10
Athletic director to
retire in April 2000
UNCA athletics director,
Tom Hunnicutt, announced
his April 15,2000 retirement
on Nov. 17, according to a
UNCA press release.
“It’s just time for me to move
on,” said Hunnicutt in the
press release. “I’m 61 years
old, and I just feel it’s time for
me to retire and do some other
things in my life.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed
my time here at UNCA, and
I am very proud of the things
(the athletic department) ac
complished,” said Hunnicutt
in the release.
Hunnicutt has been direc
tor of athletics for the past six
years. He has increased
fijndraising for athletics and
brought success to the field,
according to the press release.
A leader in the Big South
Conference, Hunnicutt helped
bring the conference’s men’s
and women’s basketball tour
nament to the Asheville Civic
Center last year and for the
coming season, according to
the release.
“Hunnicutt is most pleased”
with the success of student-
athletes in the classroom.
Fourteen students have won
awards for their academic ef
forts, according to the release.
“We have really elevated our
performance in the classroom,
and that is very pleasing. I’m
very proud,” said Hunnicutt.
“Tom has done an outstand
ing job building our athletic
department during his ten
ure, and the person who will
replace him will have big shoes
to fill,” said Chancellor Jim
Mullen in the release. “We
wish Tom nothing but the
best in retirement, and we’re
hopeful that when he does
step down, we will still see
him on our campus whenever
the Bulldogs play.”
Swingin’ jazz
PHOTO BY WALTER FYLER
The UNCA Community Jazz Band swings with their
saxophones. They will perform as a cultural event on
Nov. 21 at 4 p.m. in Lipinsky Auditorium.
Search begins for new officer
Background check questioned after Rathbum's release
By Greg Sessoms
Staff Writer
With the administration’s deci
sion to terminate former Public
Safety Officer Darrell Rathbum’s
employment, public safety will soon
begin searching for his replacement;
and conducting background checks
on the applicants.
However, despite the inability of
public safety’s pre-employment
background check to turn up any of
the actions that led to Rathbum’s
nine-count federal indictment, no
changes in hiring procedure are
“I do not see any reason to change
the procedure, said Dennis Gre
gory, director of public safety.
Some students said they feel the
administration’s decision to hire
someone with Rathbum’s back
ground will compromise the trust
students have in the administration
and public safety.
“I think if the administration
wants students to have any trust in
their policies and actions, they
should look out for our welfare,
ensure us that they do thorough
background checks, and make sure
the people they are hiring to protect
us on campus are not people who
are going to go out and violate our
civil rights,” said Michael Kelley,
senior history major.
Gregory would not comment di
rectly on why public safety’s back
ground search did not turn up any
problems that would have pre
cluded Rathbum’s employment,
citing personnel confidentiality
Gregory did say that a background
check would not have indicated if a
candidate was under investigation
for any crimes, as Rathburn was at
the time he was hired.
The procedure and standards used
for checking applicants’ back
grounds are mandated by the State
Justice Department’s Standards
and Training Commission, and
cannot be altered by public safety.
“We would not have the authority
to change” the commission’s stan
dards. “That is a requirement,” said
Gregory.
As it stands now, the procedure
for checking an applicant’s back
ground include searching a com
puterized criminal history through
the National Crime Information
Center, a computerized record
search of the Administrative Office
of the Courts (AOC) and a search'
for certified, true copies ofwarrants
for arrest and criminal sum
monses, according to a document
obtained from public safety.
The computerized record search
of the AOC should have shown if a
candidate for employment had been
convicted of a misdemeanor.
Rathburn had previously been
convicted of misdemeanor domes
tic violence and misdemeanor as
sault with a deadly weapon, accord
ing to count IX of his federal indict-
Gregory would not comment on
whether Rathbum’s misdemeanor
domestic violence conviction was
discussed, or why he was hired in
spite of it.
“Misdemeanors would not exclude
you from police work. Serious mis- !
demeanors would at least be given
some discussion” and misdemean
ors such as “assault with a deadly;
weapon could be a serious misde
meanor that could cause some dis
cussion. It would not necessarily
mean we would disqualify you,”
said Gregory.
Rathburn and his attorney refused
to comment on his dismissal from
the university or anything con
cerning the federal charges he
faces.