The Blue
Banner
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Volume 38 Issue 12
NEWS
RIEFS
will
By Jason McGill
News Editor
UNCA
JUNCA offices will be closed for
lie holidays Dec. 22 to 26 and Jan.
Some offices will be open on a
liiited basis Dec. 29 to 30 and Jan.
[ Ramsey Library will be closed, or
|[Kn for limited hours only, from
Dec. 15 to Jan. 13. A complete
hiing of library hours during win-
Ir break is available online. The
Idng semester begins Jan. 14.
ASHEVILLE
[Area restaurants will be featured
I] the 12ch annual Culinary Show-
Le Thursday, Jan. 8. The Grove
lark Inn will host the event from
1:30-8:30.
NORTH CAROLINA
\\iteSelection magazine has named
Lorth Carolina as top in the coun-
Iryfor business climate in its No-
[ember issue. This is the third year
In a row that North Carolina has
lamed this ranking.
UNITED STATES
[Massachusetts senator John Kerry
Ised profane language to express
lis dismay over President Bush s
landling of Iraq in a Rolling Stone
Interview.
WORLD
Bombings at two U.S. bases in
horthern Iraq wounded at least 33
American soldiers Nov. 9. The at-
lacks occurred less than three hours
ban, according to military offi-
fials. A suicide truck bombing
sounded members of the 101st
hrborne Division at Tall’Afar while
1 second suicide bomber attacked
Forward Operating Base Thunder
pO miles northeast of Baghdad.
[As news editor for the Blue Ban-
Iner, I was priviledged to work
Iwith many wonderful people. To
I their credit, they have kept me
I sane each Thursday morning
[through their solid work. I d
I like to thank, in no particular
I order, the people who made this
1 semester that much easier.
My writers:
I Suzanne Aubel, Erin Bereit,
I Hilary McVicker, Adam
I Pollock, Kristen Ruggeri, Ryan
|Sniatecki and Cindy Steele
My photographers:
[]ay Adkins, Michael King and
I Hilary McVicker
The Blue Banner staff:
idam-in-chief Dearborn
Corkle, Adam Brooks (on the
es and twos), Beth “B-Money
Kche, Terrence “Evil Empire
sso, Whitney “Nippy” Setser,
ra “Drop it like it’s hot” Miller,
iximillian Taintor, Shelby
le fail English? That s
possible” Thompson, Sweet
Fickle, Stu-bear Gaines, Crazy
and of course...all the little
-Jason McGill, News Editor
The University of North Carolina at Asheville
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COURl'liSY OH ALAN HAN LZ/KRLS 1 LN RUt.OH.RI COURl'ESY OH ALAN HAN 17,
Photos from abroad: I hcatre at Epidaurus (below), Ftelia on the island ol Mykonos (above right),Perugia, Italy (above lelt).
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By Adam Pollock
News Reporter
By Ryan Sniatecki
News Reporter
UNCA’s study abroad program contin
ues to grow despite concerns over global,
anti-American sentiment and unfavor
able economic conditions.
“We tell them that it would be best to
leave the American flag off of their T-
shirt,” said Peter Williams, director of
UNCA’s study abroad and study away
programs. “Clothing is probably the big
gest thing that identifies you as an Ameri-
can.
UNCA’s study abroad programs send
UNCA students to other universities
within the United States and on trips
abroad to pursue a unique academic expe
rience and to participate in other cultures.
Participants in the annual trip to Italy can
study humanities, photography, music or
literature.
When on trips like these or when visit
ing universities, students pay for their
tuition, textbooks and food. The univer
sity pays for transportation, living and
other expenses.
“For UNCA students, it’s a wonderful
experience to be in a different culture,”
said Eric lovacchini, former vice chancel
lor of student affairs for UNCA.
lovacchini said that the organized, cur
riculum and group oriented trips gave
students the opportunity to learn in a
social atmosphere.
“It’s kind of a learning community,”
said lovacchini, describing the typical
environment during one of the univer
sity-organized trips to Italy. “We’re to
gether from early in the morning until
late in the evening, either in specific classes,
or on walking tours of the community, or
in a museum, or in a park or just experi
encing the local market.”
The study abroad trips and programs
have a very clear, academic p'urpose,
lovacchinisaid.
The programs exist to help educate stu
dents in ways that might not exist here at
home, according to lovacchini.
“I’m going to stress the learning compo
nent of what we do. We really are together
as a group, ” said lovacchini. It was an
academic and social experience together.
We want students who want that kind of
experience.”
Nearly all of the students who partici
pate in the program return with a positive
evaluation.
“I went in the summer of2003,” said Liz
Poole, an undeclared sophomore who
participated in the 2003 Italy trip. “It was
an eye opening experience. You get to not
only look at a different culture, but you
get to experience it for almost six weeks.”
UNCA’s study abroad programs offer
students many travel options for broad-
COURTHSY OH ALAN HAN 1Z
ening their educational and cultural hori
zons, according to Williams. Students
can choose “pretty much anyplace that
has an accredited university.”
European nations constitute the most
popular study abroad destinations for
UNCA students, according to Williams.
While everyone said the benefits of
UNCA’s study abroad program far out
weigh any of the potential risks, program
coordinators and faculty participants take
measures to protect students from harm.
“We ask them to try not to make it
overly obvious that they are Americans,”
said Williams. “University policy here is
that we won’t send anybody to a country
that has a State Department travel warn
ing.”
lovacchini currently works with the
university’s career center. UNCA’s study
abroad program brings many benefits to
UNCAstudents, according to lovacchini.
He also said that travelers notice a height
ened security presence in some of the
countries they visit.
“In European countries, at the airports,
you’ll find military folks with weapons.
That was a part of that culture even before
9/11.1 think as Americans, we notice it a
little more,” said lovacchini.
Not everyone around the world resents
the American presence, according to
lovacchini.
“They’re very friendly, very gracious and
very hospitable,” said lovacchini, refer
ring to the people of Italy.
‘Tis the season for finals stress
By Suzanne Aubel
News Reporter
By Cindy Steele
News Reporter
Stress and anxiety are common among
students during final exams week.
As the end of the semester approaches,
UNCA students find ways to relax.
“Exam week is the most intense week of
the year,” said Sean McDonald, a senior
ethics and social institutions major.
He said his remedy for stress relief is to
“have as much sex as possible.
There were also several campus-spon
sored events offered by the student activi
ties office during finals week.
Events with names like Exam Program,
Exam Slam, Exam Scram, Exam Cram,
Exam Jam, and Exam Bam offered stu
dents the opportunity to watch a movie,
get a massage, eat a good breakfast, drink
free hot chocolate, have a music jamming
session and even participate in dog therapy.
These events culminate in Exam Wham,
a jousting session in front of the dining
hall, Dec. 11 at 11:30 a.m.
“I find that the weeks leading up to exam
week are more stressful because there’s a
lot more work due,” said Christie Gait, a
senior psychology major.
“Exams themselves aren’t so bad. I’ll
probably stress a lot right before I have to
go take them.”
Reducing stress, including test anxiety,
helps to improve mental and physical
health.
There is a strong correlation between
exam-related stress and acne severity in
college students, according to a recent
study by Stanford University’s School of
Medicine.
To reduce test anxiety, students should
Sports
Men’s basketball team record at
1-5
■ see page 3
Features
“Bad Santa” delivers a bad-ass
comedy
■ see page 2
Opinion
“What a long strange trip it’s
been”
■ see page 4
December 11, 2003
Exposing
the ghosts
of UNCA
By Erin Bereit
News Reporter
By Kristen Ruggeri
News Reporter
study ahead of time instead of cramming,
get enough sleep, approach the exam with
confidence and eat fresh fruits or veg
etables before the exam, according to the
counseling center.
“Yes, absolutely, I am more stre.ssed (dur
ing exams),” said Kevin Perrett Gentil, a
senior business management major. “The
way I relieve that is to drink a little bit of
wine and try to get as much sleep as I can. ”
To stay calm during an exam, students
should sit in a comfortable location and
read all directions. Students should plan
an approach, stay focused and take deep
breaths if panic sets in, according to the
counseling center.
After a stressful exam situation, students
should reward themselves by watching a
movie, going out to dinner or pampering
themselves in some way.
“I read books, ride my horse and practice
archery,” said Jaclyn Stacy, an undeclared
freshman.
Strange occurrences on campus may cause many
to think twice about their beliefs in the super
natural.
“1 would like to say that 1 don’t believe in
ghosts, but 1 do believe that anything can hap
pen,” said Heather Vint, a.senior drama student.
Vint claims she experienced a ghost one night
inside Carol Belk Theater.
“1 saw what looked like a little girl ghost hover
ing in front of me in the costume shop,’.’ said
Vint. “1 (turned) off all the lights. Walking to the
door to leave, I blinked, and there was this little
girl with long, wavy hair. She smiled at me, and
looked more like a chalk outline than a person.”
Vint is not the only one to experience the ghost
in Belk Theater. Robert Bowen, chair of the
drama department, said Vint’s story is very simi
lar to the stories Amanda Bayne, a former stu
dent, used to tell.
“The two never met before, and the story had
never been really told completely. 1 hat was kind
ofinteresting,” said Bowen. “I thought it was just
Heather’s imagination. Then, all of a sudden, it
hit me that Amanda used to talk about a little girl
(from a) description of what she saw.”
Although some may not believe in ghost stories,
few have no other explanation for their experi
ences.
“If it didn’t happen to me, I would not believe
it,” said Jaqui Justice, the drama department
office manager.
About five years ago. Justice went into the scene
shop to get some water for her plants. As she was
standing at the sink, she heard a voice calling her
name. When she turned around, no one was
there.
“1 kept filling up the water and I heard,
‘Jaaaaaqui.’ 1 looked again and there was nobody
there, so 1 thought somebody was playing a joke
on me,” said Justice. “I went to the sound proof
booth...because they can project any kind of
sound from up there. There was no one in the
booth (or) the arena. I checked both restrooms
and the lobby. The costume shop doors were
locked and the lights were off everywhere.”
Justice said she doesn’t know what else could
explain this weird incident besides a ghost. Be
fore this incident, she had never heard a word
about a ghost at the theater.
“Theaters can get very .scary and weird when the
lights are out because you’re in very big, dark
areas,” .said Bowen. “And also, you can all of a
sudden hear all these other noises.”
The theater is not the only purportedly haunted
building on campus. Ghost reports also come
from the library and Governor’s Village.
“The only thing 1 have heard is from other
people describing their experience, saying that
they hear a voice call out their name while they
are shelving” said Noel Jones, circulation super
visor at Ramsey Library.
Jeremy Fisher, a former student, claims he
actually did see a ghost at UNCA. In fact, he
recently wrote an article for the Forest City Daily
Courier about his ghostly encounter.
Fisher saw the ghost one night in November
1999. While laying in bed in Governor’s Village,
he noticed something blocking the light coming
into his room. When he sat up, he .saw an old
woman. Rather than walking out of the room,
the figure floated backwards through the door,
according to Fisher.
“I jumped up in bed and kind of shook my
head,” said Fisher. “When I looked back at this
thing, it was still there, staring at me. There is a
big part of me that just wants to completely write
it off. I don’t buy into the supernatural all that
much, but ever since that night it kind of changed
my mind about things.”
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