Newspapers / University of North Carolina … / Sept. 7, 2000, edition 1 / Page 2
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Page 2 The Blue Banner September 7,2000 Opinions The Blue Banner Ednoiiak Get off the bandwdgon After all the commotion and protests against a Wal- Mart Supercenter moving into the former Sayles Biltmore Bleacheries, opposers to the proposed site can almost rest easy. On Sept. 5, Asheville's Board of Adjustment decided not to grant developers an exception to a city rule that prevents vegetation within 50 feet of the Swannanoa River from being disturbed. The developers would have to build two bridges and excavate about 1,600 feet of riverbank, which would disturb vegetation. River-front soil would have to be carefully removed to avoid flooding problems. A Wal-Mart the size of a Six Flags amusement park would create unbelievable amounts of traffic in the already congested area of east Asheville. Drive down either side of south Tunnel Road on a weekend and see the constant bumper-to-bumper traffic. Imagine traffic three times worse, every day of the week. Stores and businesses close to the bleachery would have to deal with constant commotion, noise and possible accidents. This could hinder employees from getting to work on time. Customers could possibly be diverted from going to stores around the area in order to avoid the traffic created by Wal-Mart. Sure, Asheville is a growing city, but placing a king- size Wal-Mart on a two-lane road in a run-down bleachery directly next to a river is not exactly intelli gent. The road cannot possibly be widened, due to the Swannanoa River running directly beside the road. Not only would widening the road contaminate the soil, but it would also force small businesses along the river to shut down. The widened road would take over most of their property. The proposed Wal-Mart site seems more trouble than it is worth, so pro-Wal-Mart activists should give up. It is not going to happen. Finding our place It appears that UNCA has "fallen short" in its goals to be a successful Division I school. Now, wait a minute, all ye easily riled by any nega tive mention on the athletic status. This evaluation has come from an educated outside source, namely Gene Corrigan, a man thoroughly qualified to assess the situation. We do, however, have the motivation in our adminis tration and faculty, according to Corrigan, to improve the department. The problem seems to be, yet again, funding. Student fees don't seem to be the answer, since a significant percentage of current students are already offended that they have to pay lots of money for services they don't use. Neither raising private funding or obtaining state money seem feasible either. Asheville has just been recently tapped by large, successful fundraisers for the university, and an upgraded athletic system would need a constant flow of funds. Since state money is strapped as it is, it doesn't seem likely that we would get a helping hand from the head honchos. So where does this leave us? Broke and broke down, with a good athletic program we can't support in the division we're in. Wouldn't it just plain make sense to move to a divi sion in which we could take advantage of the facilities we have available to us? We do not have bad facilities, just bad facilities in relation to other Division 1 schools. We have great faculty and staff, just not enough of them to get us up to par. This is not to say that we should abandon the idea of being a Division I team. It seems that we are overlook ing what a great program we have by constantly comparing ourselves to schools that have more money, more people, more resources and a different focus. UNCA is becoming known for its outstanding aca demics. Isn't this enough for a good start? If we take some things in stride, we might be able to w^lk a lot farther. ' SGA attempts more student contact New staff, voting procedures, office hours to encourage participation sen student Gouernment Association Ryan Southern SGA columnist There comes a point in every life cycle where change is imminent. Some fight this change with seri ous opposition. Some are apathetic to it and just sit back and do noth ing. Yet there are those who anticipate this change, embrace it fully, and then move to make a change for the better. Over the last year, UNCA has felt only a taste of some great changes happening, not only here on our campus, but all across the state of North Carolina. Led byourchancellor,Jim Mullen, UNCA is striving to be the best liberal arts institution of higher learning in the country, and those who believe in the cause will be the greatest benefactors ofwhat UNCA will achieve in the future. This same principle of change is one that we have adopted in the Student Government Association this year. Too many years have gone by with changes happening and students simply not being involved. Is it because students just don’t care? Of course not. How could any student not care what they’re going to be eating, how and where they have to park their cars, or how much money they’re going to have to pay? It’s in these kinds of issues that SGA strives to make your voice heard at UNCA. It is the goal of our administration not to let any cam pus-wide decision be made without some sort of student input. “That’s great,” you say, “but how are you going to do it?” The simplest answer? Hard work and dedication. I’m proud to say that we have an excellent staff of SGA members in this year’s admin istration , and they have already been proving themselves as effective, hardworking people. The first step in making changes is awareness. Only if you are aware of a problem or issue will you have the knowledge to do something about it. This year, SGA plans to have more contact with the student body in every way possible. For the first time ever in UNCA’s history, we will be having online elections, starting with the fresh man senator elections next week. Designed by our own computer center, online voting is completely anonymous and will not only de crease any possibility of voter fraud. but it will increase the accessibility of voting to simply going to a Web site from the convenience of a com puter lab or your own home. SGA is going to utilize the Internet to have the most complete and in formative Web site available. This should be yet another mechanism to help voice your concerns and questions. Through our site, you will be able to get the latest campus news that truly affects you; election informa tion; SGA representatives’ infor mation; our online calendar; past, current and future legislation ideas; and give us feedback easily. Another step we have taken in restructuring involves our office hours. You can now come by the SGA office any time Monday-Fri- day from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. and find someone in the office to help you. It’s just another way we are at tempting to increase our accessibil ity to every UNCA student. However, even with the most ac cessible, energetic and dedicated student government, the power ul timately lies in the students’ hands. We can offer our services as much as possible and tell you that we’re here to help, but if issues are not brought to our attention, or if there is little effort made on the part of the students, then things remain static, and change simply doesn’t happen. This year, we are going to need the strong support of all UNCA stu dents, student organizations, a.n\ the faculty and staff to continue to provide the highest quality repre sentation in SGA. Some of the events that need cru cial support include our upcoming student body meeting, “Building Our Future: The $3.1 Billion No vember Bonds,” to be held on Tues- day, Sept. 26 in Highsmith Center Plaza. Hopefully you have heard about the bonds that are going to be voted upon this coming election day that will have a serious effect on the direction of not only our campus, but the UNC system as a whole. This student body meeting will be the best way for you to get in formed on what the bonds are and how they affect you, this campus, and the state of North Carolina. Special guests will also be in atten dance. Don’t sit back and watch. Get informed on the largest bond ever up for voter approval in the state’s history, and exercise your privilege to vote. Another major event that is oc curring this fall in which we will need your support is our third an nual Fall Fling. This year. Fall Fling will be hap pening on Saturday, Oct. 7th, the busiest weekend of the semester for UNCA. The event promises to be bigger and better than ever before, with more attractions on the quad dur ing the day and an exciting band that night. For our band that evening, we are proud to have Mandorico as our guest, who opened Lawn Party I for Jump Little Children, and also played at Belle Chere 2000. I would finally like to encourage each student in the UNCA com munity to not sit back this year and watch change happen, but to be a part of the change to better the university and the community. SGA is here for you. We want to hear your questions and concerns and will fight to make your voice heard. Be a leader and get ready to make history. You can call the general SGA Office number, 251-6587; Ryan Southern’s office number, 251-6685, e-mail SGA atsga @bulldog. unca. edu or stop by their office in HC 39. Writing your college film script Ashley Penland Columnist The whole drama of college be gins on the first day of your senior year in high school. It seems the whole idea of going to college is like picking out a role in a major movie, and it’s really quaint that this year’s orientation was termed “Project Yourself Into the Reel World.” From the very first day of orienta tion, we were bombarded with movie posters that foreshadowed the upcoming soap opera called “Life.” What is the perfect plot for a cam pus drama? The number one drama at the college box office tends to be boy/girl problems. The boy meets a girl. He treats her like a princess. Then, half an hour later, he’s moved on to better things. The girl remains heartbroken. Hasn’t society suffered enough from this played-out storyline? Well, clas sics last forever. This is the new millennium, and in today s world, it isn’t always the guy s fault. The party girl can be found everywhere on campus. This is the sweet-talking, fine-looking, fly chickwho has four guys wrapped around her pinkie. The guys are just too stupid to notice the dog leash reigning them in at the neck. It sounds warped, but some guys enjoy giris with power. Box office hit number two is born. Anyone can relate to these two stories. OK, there might be some oddballs in the world who have never had this problem. Acting out this drama every day can leave a sick feeling in your stom ach, so try to find a new role in life, and give up on the reruns. Test everything that is put in your face. It is a sad day in the world when the whole campus knows your schedule by heart. There are some independent scripts that can be found- on cam pus. These are the roles with unique characters. Usually the roles are filled with people who are trying to find them selves and their place in life. The actors are easy to find on campus. Just look for different signs like tattoos, piercings and funky hair colors. The storyline goes somewhat like this. The boy/girl comes to college. They are now free to experience life. This can be a good thing, unless absorbed in massive quan tities. Some students go all out, dying hair and getting piercings. Some times Mom and Dad aren’t ravingly happy about these adjustments, but it’s a part of discovering your own identity. What’s the big deal with having green hair? Maybe it’s a way of expressing a longing to be broccoli. No matter what the reason, at least these people are being true to them selves. They continue to search for as long as it takes, without con forming to the masses. The last great college movie clas sic is “Animal House.” That old- time smell ofbeer mixed with vomit attracts so many young adults. This stage often follows the “find ing yourself’ phase. After so much hard work with the role of life, people need that break. It is now time to party. The role of the drunk helps create a lapse in memory, which can be pleasing at times. The only prob lem is, after appearing in a B-rated movie, it’s hard to get back on the track of fame. The fraternities are home to some of the best editions of this play. Every Thursday night, it’s time to film another segment of the party scene. Don’t walk into a new world think ing that it won’t affect you. If you think you’re not part of the soap opera, then you’re wrong. Every choice you make is another line added to a script. Watch out, because mistakes will never be for gotten. Do you want to be remembered as the person who thought alcohol could make you invisible? It wouldn’t be very funny when nude pictures of you turned up on the Internet ten years later. There are many different genres of movies on this liberal arts cam pus. It is time for all the new fresh men to find their place in this soap opera. Everyone has a role waiting for them, and it s OK to try different ones. Just be careful when choos ing your entertainment. Find your scene, and be the char acter who rides the shining star of life. Lights, camera, action. Are you interested in ad design? The Blue Banner is looking for an inde pendent student advertisement designer to do weekly ad work with the newspaper. Commission per ad. Call The Blue Banner office at 2>51-6=191 and leave a message for Cate or Emma.
University of North Carolina at Asheville Student Newspaper
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