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Yolume 38 Issue 11
NEWS
RIEFS
By Kristen Ruggeri
News Reporter
UNCA
I UNCA’s music department will
rap up the fall semester with swing
ince and holiday music concerts.
[lie UNCA Jazz Ensembles will
ature a wide variety of big band
iiisic, ranging from classics of the
kmt Basie Orchestra to original
impositions by David Wilken, at
:30 p.m. Dec. 4. The annual holi
n'concert, performed by the cho-
Jand instrumental ensembles, is
t kduled for Dec. 7 at 3 p.m. in
pinksy Auditorium.
The swing dance is scheduled for
lec. 7 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the
Mice Center. Beginner and inter-
lediate swing dance lessons will
Iso be offered.
IN OTHER NEWS...
Approximately 165 graduating
mors will be honored at a winter
aduation reception Dec. 13 at 2
.m. in Lipinsky Auditorium. The
lent is open to the public, but
nervations are required.
ASHEVILLE
beville offers shoppers a chance
help victims of domestic vio-
;nce by holding its seventh annual
|liop for Change benefit Dec. 5
id 6. Shop for Change raises
loneyforinterlace, aprogram that
|rovides transitional housing and
ipportive services for abused
omen and children.
iMore than 100 downtown busi-
J tsses are involved in the benefit,
imcipating stores will fly laven-
er balloons outside their shops,
he participants will make dona
te to Interlace, enabling them to
Ip more families.
NORTH CAROLINA
[Twenty-one North Carolina state
H's took effect on Monday. In-
jded is a state law against the
^authorized downloading of copy-
jhted music from the Internet,
he law also makes it illegal to have
luotechnics at an indoor concert
ithout permission from the fire
Htshal.
The law requires the local or state
‘S marshal to certify that the venue
is proper fire extinguishers and
lequate fire exits available, based
' the size of the crowd, before
( lowing indoor fireworks to be used
'aconcert or public exhibition.
UNITED STATES
^resident Bush visited the troops
' Iraq to celebrate Thanksgiving.
In Nov. 26, Bush left his Texas
'nch and flew to Washington D. C.
here he picked up a few ofhis staff
’embers to accompany him on his
to Iraq’s capital. Bush met
he 600 soldiers at Baghdad Inter-
®tional Airport for a Thanksgiv-
”6 celebration.
By helping to build a peaceful
Md,
emocratic country in
the heart
fthe Middle East, you are defend-
'E the American people from dan-
•ti and we are grateful,” Bush told
'e soldiers. His two and a half
“nrvisit was the first by any Ameri-
**’ president to Baghdad. The trip
The University of North Carolina at Asheville
See BRIEFS, on page 10
JAY ADKINS/.STAI'F photographer
Scott Dedman gave a lecture on affordable housing in the Laurel Forum Nov. 20. The issue came under
scrutiny in recent city council elections and could affect 30 percent of Buncombe County households.
Campus holds affordable housing lecture
By Ryan Sniatecki
News Reporter
Scott Dedman, executive direc
tor of Mountain Housing Op
portunities, spoke at the UNCA
Issues Forum Nov. 20 about un
safe housing, segregation and the
cost of living within the commu
nity.
Thousands of Buncombe
County residents can’t afford to
pay their rent, and many live in
dangerous living conditions, ac
cording to Dedman.
Mountain Housing Opportuni
ties, founded in 1988, makes
emergency repairs on substandard
housing in Buncombe County and
builds affordable housing, mostly
with the help of more than 400
volunteers.
“On one hand, this topic seems
to get relatively little play in the
Asheville press,” said Joseph
Sulock, professor of economics at
UNC Asheville, who introduced
Dedman. “On the other hand,
judging by the questions at the
meet-the-candidates sessions in
the recent city council election, it
seems to be a rather important
topic.”
“I think it’s important for people
to know what’s going on,” said
Desiree Washing
ton, a freshman
business major.
“(It is also impor
tant) for people to
know about their
services, like my
friend who had a
baby and is living
with her parents.
This could really
help her get out
on her own.”
Washington at
tended the forum
because she plans —;
on moving out of
her dorm soon and wants to un
derstand the housing situation in
Asheville.
More than 8,000 county resi
dents can’t afford their rent, ac
cording to Dedman.
“Affordable housing is housing
which costs less than 30 percent
of the gross income of the resi
dent,” said Dedman. “That’s what
most people in the industry, in
cluding the federal government,
agree is roughly an affordable rent
or home-ownership cost.”
Approximately 8,800 house
holds in Bun
combe County
pay more than
30 percent, and
6,700 have in
comes of less
than $20,000,
according to
Dedman. Bun
combe County
has 17,000 jobs
that pay an aver
age wage below
the $8.56 per
hour needed to
pay rent on a 1-
bedroom apart
ment. This includes retail cash
iers, food-preparation workers,
waiters, maids and hand packers.
“At one point in time, I was
working for Sam’s Club, and I’m
going back, making about $9 an
hour,” said Washington. “So I
couldn’t really afford a one-bed-
See HOUSING on page 10
“This topic seems to get
relatively little play in
the Asheville press.
Judging by the ques
tions ... in the recent
city council election, it
seems to be a rather
important topic.”
Joseph Sulock
professor of economics
Protestors meet in
downtown Asheville
JAY ADKINS/staff photographer
Community protestors rallied in
Prigoochard Park against recent media con-
ScYvifi^ UNCA Sificc 1982
By Adam Pollock
News Reporter
Asheville business leaders
and community members
gathered in Prichard Park
Nov. 14 for a rally support
ing local media ownership
and control.
“This is about our concern
about the media consolida
tion going on in this country
and the radio and television
being owned by just a few
companies,” said Bob
Phillips, executive director
of Common Cause ofNorth
Carolina. “What we see on
television, what we hear on
the radio, what we read in
the newspapers; it largely
shapes what we think.
“When you think about our
sources of information, our
sources of news and our
sources of entertainment
being owned by a very, very
fewwealthy special interests,
that’s a danger,” said Phillips.
Over 100 people partici
pated in the event, which
lasted roughly an hour.
Speakers at the event in-
See MEDIA on page 10
‘Dogs grab wins in exhibiton
games
■ see page 4
December 4, 2003
UNCA Athletic
Director resits
By Suzanne Aubel
News Reporter
UNCA Athletic Director (AD)
Joni Comstock is resigning from
her position and will be tran.sfer-
ring to American University in
Washington, D.C.
“I have had such a positive expe
rience at UNC Asheville that 1 was
really interested in that position
because of the similarities with our
school. The only difference is that
it’s a bit larger,” said Comstock.
“Where we’re like 3,300, their
school is between 10 and 11 thou
sand, so it was intriguing to me.”
Dr. Comstock, who has been at
UNCA for three and a half years,
will accept an AD position for
American University, a 19-sport
Division I program. She will begin
her duties there in January 2004.
“We are pleased to have attracted
someone of Dr. Comstock’s cali
ber,” said American University
President Benjamin Ladner in a
press release. “Having worked in
the University of North Carolina
system for a number of years, I
know the quality of UNC Asheville
and have great respect for the lead
ership.”
Dr. Comstock was first ap
proached by American in Septem
ber of this year and has high hopes
for the athletic teams there, which
compete in the Patriot League.
“They’ve had a fair amount of
success in the last several years so
we want to make sure that we con
tinue to win in the Patriot League,”
said Comstock. “Like most insti
tutions right now, there are always
issues of resources, and so we’re
going to need to address a plan to
get more resources for the athletic
program. I want to be certain that
we a have a very high quality stu
dent experience (also).”
Dr. Comstock began her career
in athletic administration over 20
years ago in graduate school, and
worked at Purdue University be
fore coming here. For Comstock,
working at a school the size of
UNCA was a new experience.
“When I started my career, 1 was
on a campus of about 700, then I
jumped to 38,000 (at Purdue) and
did that for 16 or 17 years,” said
Comstock. “Working on a campus
this size wasn’t known to me. It
took some getting used to, but 1
really like it.”
After the initial adjustment pe
riod, Comstock quickly came to
feel at home at UNCA and was
impressed by the atmosphere she
found herself in.
“I think the thing that I have
really enjoyed about coming from
a very large university to a smaller
one is the camaraderie and the sup
port that people have for one an
other, and the idea that the way
you can create and have the most
success is if people work together
COURTESY OF BIAKE MADDEN
AD Joni Comstock spent three
and a half years at UNCA.
to use resources, to use ideas and to
use their time to better the entire
university and/or the athletic de
partment,” said Comstock.
“(There’s a) feeling of incredible
sharing and pride in the university,
that everybody will pitch in to
move the institution forward. I
think that’s a tremendous strength
of this school.”
UNCA Athletics have seen much
success in the time that Comstock
has been here, with the 2003 men’s
basketball team winning the Big
South Conference last year and
bringing UNCA it’s first ever
NCAA tournament victory.
Also, the 2002 women’s volley
ball team took first place in the
regular sea.son, the men’s tennis
team had its most winning record
ever and the baseball team tied its
record for most wins in a single
season. Athletes have also per
formed well in the classroom un
der Comstock, with almost half of
all UNCA student-athletes mak
ing the Big South Honor Roll last
year, according to a UNCA press
release.
“I think we’ve accomplished an
enormous amount in three and a
half years,” said Comstock. “There
were probably one or two (more)
things that we could’ve gotten
done, but I think what the coaches
and student-athletes have done in
the time I’ve been here has been
fabulous.”
A.ssociate Athletic Director Mike
Gore will serve as the interim leader
of the department while the search
for a permanent AD is conducted.
His job will be to continue the
work Comstock started and help
to ease the transition of a new
director.
“Across the board, the whole de
partment has improved (under
Comstock),” said Gore. “Finan
cially you can tell we’re in better
See COMSTOCK on page 10
‘Joni (Comstock) has built a most impressive record at our university. She
has insured that academics remain at the center ofour athletic program; she
has worked with coaches andstajfofthe department to compete successfully
in the BigSouth Conference; she has established a sound foundation offiscal
stability in the department; she has led us to achievement of NCAA
certification without conditions; and she has expanded the level of commu
nity and donor support for Bulldog athletics. ”
-Chancellor James Mullen
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