EWS
RIEFS
by Sean Robinson
Stajf Reporter
;inclair Broadcast Group Inc.
^ct. 19 that it would not air a
^mentary about Sen. John
ty’s wartime activities 30 years
in its entirety. The company,
irs;oing scrutiny for its plans to
le program that Kerry support-
re calling defamatory and false,
t would also run a program
12 called “A POW Story: Poli-
’ressure, and the Media” that
iscuss allegations surrounding
IS service in Vietnam.
^possible 2.6 million mote
of flu vaccine will be avail-
;Vn January, according to fed-
jealth oflflcials Oct. 19. Officials
jearching internationally for
vaccine in response to losing
million shots from a British
julacmrer, meant for U.S. dis-
lition, but found to be contami-
d
})c Centers for Disease Control
Prevention recommended that
le get vaccinated by Novem-
lowever, because the flu sea-
leaks in January, and people
;are vaccinated take two weeks
Hi Id an immunity. It is unclear
much these 2.6 million doses
pelp prevent the illness this flu
psi month’s national economy
[inly a 0.2 percent increase in
uiner prices last month, but a
“P se in the cost of housing
Bed the core inflation level to rise
3 percent, the largest one month
ilcase in inflation since April
04.
Hlic government teport that re-
IKO this statistic C3ct. 19 also
■tec that, while the price of oil has
Based this month, overall energy
Sts fell 0.4 percent. But, Wall
I teei analysts claimed that the lat-
tjlimb oil prices would help
[ juiate the inflation tate next
I >oiC.
^RNATIONAL
Unidentified kidnappers seized
^11 1 Hassan, head of the in
ha; ional charity group Care In-
Qational, and broadcast images
|cting Hassan sitting anxiously
idark room, as well as pictures
Bei identifying documents Oct.
•|A Care International spokes-
SJian said that Hassan, who holds
(citizenship in Iraq and Britain,
|iders Iraq her home, has lived
; for 30 years and would never
lider returning to Britain. So
2 kidnappers have not aligned
nselves with any terrotist group,
^ave they made any demands.
^raeli opposition leader Shimon
said Oct. 19 that he feated
i extremists might attempt to
•ssinate Prime Minister Ariel
•ton for his plan to withdraw Is-
troops from Gaza next yeat.
*eres, head of the Israeli Labour
% id the tense political atmo-
Pte surrounding Sharon’s plan
^^tnbles a 1995 Israel that wit-
cc the assassination of Prime
lister Yitzhak Rabin, killed by
kra-nationalist Jew opposed to
>eace negotiations with the Pal-
lians.
UNCA honors new Highsmith Union with celebration
by Matthew Beardsley
Stajf Reporter
UNCA celebrated the dedica
tion of the new Highsmith Univer
sity Union with a day of festivities
Oct. 14.
The building is “the embodi
ment of years of planning and
dreaming,” according to President
of North Carolina’s University Sys
tem Molly Btoad during a speech
at the new Highsmith Union.
“Students will be able to pon
der eternal verities,” said Broad. “It
will be good for students to have a
place to just hang out.”
UNCA Chancellor James
Mullen implored those in atten
dance to feel at home in the new
facility.
“A ptoud tradition meets a fu
ture without limits,” said Mullen.
“Now it is up to you to give this
building life.”
The new 74,000-square-foot
building is the most recently com
pleted project funded by the
Higher Education Bond Referen
dum, passed in November 2000.
The bond gave UNCA $49.9
million.
The Highsmith Union replaces
an older, smaller building with the
same name and, according to the
Office of Campus Life, is the an
swer to many of UNCA’s social
BRIAN DAVIS/staff photographer
Chancellor James Mullen, President of North Carolina’s university system Molly Broad and
student body president Porscha Yount oversee the rihhon-cutting ceremony in Highmith.
needs.
“I started working here in 1979
and at that time, we wete in
Lipinski, and then they opened the
original Highsmith Center,” said
Sharyn Groh, former Highsmith
director. “It was even too small
when we went in there in 1982.”
The new Highsmith will offer
much-needed space for students
and organizations.
“We kept working and working
and working about getting it ex
panded and then to expand the
dining facilities,” said Groh. “We
came back to this, to try to fit this
big, huge building in a space be
tween the dining hall and Mills
Hall.
“The other building served its
need right away, but we needed
something bigger, and here it is.”
John Bucher, associate director
of campus life, plans to use the new
Highsmith Centet as a focal point
for campus activity.
“I get to enjoy doing the fun
stuff and making it a fun place, a
place people want to come to,” said
Bucher. “In the first yeat (we hope
to) introduce ourselves to the
whole campus, not just the stu
dents who live in Mills and
Founders.
“Hopefully we’ll really start to
introduce the building to students
who live in West Ridge and South
Ridge and the Village and then to
students who live off campus.”
He also hopes the new building
will create an on-campus scene for
UNCA’s commuter students.
“I think the commuter students
don’t yet tealize that this building
is just as much for them as for the
students who live on campus,” said
Buchet. “That’s my goal, to make
this a place students just want to
come to, whether there’s an event
or they want to study or just to
hang out.
“Just come here, this is your
place. Hopefully, 1 can accomplish
that in a year.”
The building is named for
former UNCA President and
Chancellor, William E. Highsmith,
who Mullen called “The UNCA
Chancellor” during his speech.
The building’s interior will in
clude a copy of Raphael’s “School
of Athens” in 20-by-40 foot mutal
form.
Students and faculty of the art
department, along with commu
nity volunteers, will paint the mu
tal, according to Mullen.
The building is technically la
beled a “renovation,” according to
See highsmith on page 12
UNCA welcomes ambassador
scholars from Central America
Early voting begins as
debates come to an end
by Angele Mainhart
Staff Reporter
Rotary International spon
sored two ambassadorial scholars
to attend UNCA this year, as well
as two students from UNCA to
study in othet countties.
“This particular year, because
of an unusual gift two years ago,
we’re actually funding four schol
ars in 2004 and 2005,” said
Shirley Browning, professor of
economics and chair of the dis
trict ambassadorial scholarship
committee. “We’re funding two
that we will send out, and we’re
also paying for the two that are
here from Guatemala and Hon-
dutas.
The two scholars attending
UNCA agree
that this expe-
rience is ben
eficial. It allows
a bridge be
tween cultural
identities dif
ferent than
their own.
“It’s a really
good experi
ence,” said
Cecille Isel
Flores Aguilar,
ambassadorial
scholar from
Honduras.
MAGGIE WEST/staff photographer
Chari Maria Flores-Palacios and Cecille Isel Flores Aguilar
act as ambassador scholars to UNCA.
“I decided to study
political science here
because it relates a lot
with my major, but I won’t
take any credits. It’s just
for the knowledge and
what I can learn from
here.”
Cecille Isel Flores Aguilar
ambassadorial scholar from
Honduras
“The culture shock still gets to me
sometimes, but it’s all part of the
experience. I think it’s good. The
people are the biggest cultural
difference because there are so
many different types of people
here.”
The rotary scholarship offers
funds of up to $25,000 per stu
dent and usually lasts for a full
academic year. Sometimes it even
covers a full calendar year, accord
ing to Browning.
This scholarship
enables students
to expand their
academic knowl
edge, while
emerged in a dif
ferent culture,
without having
to worry about
expenses.
“In Guate
mala, I have one
degree already,
which is legal
translation, and
I’m six months
away from getting my second de
gree in business,” said Chari
Maria Flores-Palacios from Gua
temala. “So, I don’t think this will
help me with my credits because
one of the management classes
that I’m taking I’ve already had
in Guatemala, but this will make
it look more extensive. I’ve always
wanted to study here in the U.S..
It was awesome because they paid
for everything.”
Students must fill out a 20-
page application that includes ref
erences and documentation of a
cettain amount of literacy in the
language of their host country,
according to Browning. The Ro
tary Club interviews the appli
cants, and, if approved, they are
then nominated fot a district in
terview.
“The competition is real
tough,” said Browning. “The
young lady that we selected to go
to Russia is fluent in Russian, Ital
ian and can speak and read Span
ish. She’s also going to graduate
from George Washington Univer
sity, has an outstanding CPA,
worked in the Italian Council and
held one or two government po
sitions in Washington.
See STUDENTS on page 12
by Rheannon Yokeley
Staff Reporter
The 2004 presidential dehate
series concluded Oct. 13 at Arizona
State University.
There are just a couple of mote
weeks of campaigning left before
the American people will go to the
polls and select the ptesident for the
next four years.
Will the debates be a deciding
factor for voters this year?
“I don’t think the debates will
make up most people’s minds about
the candidates. It seems to me that
they are mostly held for show. Most
people already know who they’ll
vote fot before they take place,” said
Colin Macombet, senior philoso
phy major.
After each de
bate, the various
network television
polls reflected a
very tight race, al
most evenly split
ting support for
Bush and Kerry,
according to the
Associated Press.
“I, myself, don’t
particularly care
for either of the
capitalistic pup
pets,” said Dan
Kostin, j unior clas-
sics major.
President George W. Bush and
Sen. John Kerry closed the debate
by addressing the nation.
“I ask you for your trust. I ask
you for your help. I ask you to al
low me the ptivilege of leading this
great nation of outs, of helping us
“Environmental issues
will be important for
UNCA students.... One
thing that pushed me
towards Kerry is his
emphasis on environmen
tal issues.”
so
to be stronger here at home and to
he respected again in the wotld, and
most of all, to be safer forever,” said
Kerry in the debate.
Bush concluded by speaking
about a painting in the Oval Office
of a Texas mountain scene.
“I love the optimism in that
painting, because that’s how I feel
about Ametica. And we’ve been
through a lot together during the
last three years. We’ve come through
a recession, a stock market decline
and an attack on our country.. .My
hope for America is a prosperous
America, a hopeful America and a
safer world. I want to thank you
for listening tonight. I’m asking for
your vote,” said Bush.
The debate season kicked off in
Coral Gables, Fla. at The Univer
sity of Miami. Jim Lehrer from PBS
moderated, with Iraq dominating
the discussion,
which included
the larger topics
of foreign rela
tions and home
land security, ac-
cotding to the AP.
Bush and Kerry
exchanged attacks
arguing over what
needs to happen
to resolve the is
sues in Iraq and
bring our troops
home, according
to the AP.
The second debate took place in
St. Louis, Mo. in a town hall set
ting at Washington University.
Charlie Gibson of ABC News se-
Shay Slifko
iphomore psychology major
See election on page 12