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Volume 44, Issue 5
Serving the University of North Carolina at Asheville since 1982
February 23, 2006
Donation gives students chance to travel
By Paige Reinhard
Staff Writer
More students at UNCA may get
the chance to travel abroad, thanks
to an anonymous donation of
$500,000.
‘The donor has asked that the
money be used for students who
could not afford to have an inter
national experience any other
way,” said Alex Comfort, associ
ate vice chancellor for develop
ment.
In a press release circulated Feb.
15, the donor said international
Spiritual
vs. secular
takes head
globally
By Lisa Gillespie
Assistant News Editor
A secular vs. spirimal politics
debate develops after the publi
cation of drawings depicting
IMuhammad wearing a bomb-
llteped turban with an ignited
Uke.
“This is a politicized issue. It
is not an issue of the
prophet, the problem was that
the portraits of the Prophet
were so sarcastic, it is a case
of blasphemy that was politi
cized,” said Samer Traboulsi,
assistant professor of history. “If
you go to any bookstore, you
would find negative literature
on Islam. Politicians use
these sensitivities for their
own agenda.”
Earlier this month,
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, current
secretary general of the
Organization of the Islamic
Conference (OIC), urged
European Union countries to
outlaw “Islamophobia” and to
create a set of guidelines for
media to ban defaming or criti
cizing Muhammad.
‘The only way the EU can
get around it is to apologize,
but then they still have the
freedom of speech issue,”
Traboulsi said. “Fifty-seven
countries of the Muslim
countries have sent a proposal
to the United Nations to stop
miy slander of religion in the
press. If they manage to get
support from other third-world
countries that are more reli-
gious, there is more of a
chance of to get laws passed.”
Jyllands-Posten, a Danish
newspaper, first published the
cartoons in September.
Newspapers in several other
European countries which
teprinted the drawings, sparked
protests across the Islamic
world.
“I think they should have been
published because it is a part of
freedom of speech,” said
^drew Serri, sophomore sm-
dent. “When people pubhsh pic-
bites or other Christian carica-
bu’es, there is not a big uproar
people see it as expressing
meir opinion. They are using I
^ an excuse to protest the wet
fuel people’s hate.”
A draft declaration by the
'^orld Council of Churches, rep-
tesenting more than 500 million
^embers of mainhne Protestant,
Anglican and Orthodox denomi-
''ations, urged Christian leaders
to develop contacts with moder
ate Muslim counterparts to break
the psychosis of fear” growing
to Jxith faiths.
Denmark has apologized.
see Cartoon page io|
travel is an important experience
for students.
“We are now a world civiliza
tion. UNCA students need the
exposure and opportunity to begin
to experience and understand cul
tures beyond our state and coun
try,” wrote the donor, in press
release. “So much of industry,
major news and changes in the
global economy come from
beyond our borders that our stu
dents must get the breadth of expe
rience that international travel pro
vides to succeed.”
A percentage or fraction of the
donation will be used each spring.
A small group of U.N. represen
tatives will decide which students
receive the money.
“Each Spring three university
officials will meet to decide,”
Comfort said. ‘The three will be,
at least for now, the Director of
International Programs, Linda
Cornett, the Director of Study
Abroad, Pete Williams, and the
Director of Financial Aid, Beth
Bartlett.”
One of the problems facing
some students who wish to study
abroad is the cost of the actual
travel.
“Exchange programs are such
that the students pay their tuition
and fees here,” Williams said. “But
nothing covers the travel costs,
those are always additional. And
certainly, that’s what we’re hop
ing, that some of the travel costs
will be helped out by having these
funds.”
Students who want to benefit
from the endowment need to pre
pare a presentation for the group,
according to Comfort.
“Generally what will happen, it
won’t happen quite this way this
year, but students will be asked to
do some thinking about this and
present this committee with some
desired learning objective that
they’re going to get out of the
experience,” Comfort said.
Many students consider studying
abroad during their undergraduate
Brian Davis - Staff Photographer
Senior philosophy student Konstantinos Harlan and John Post, junior history literature student, protest recruiter’s from the National Guard at
UNCA’s annual Career Center’s Summer Job and Internship Fair on Tuesday. UNCA’s Socialist Unity League held the protest.
Students protest recruiters
By Lisa Gillespie
Assistant News Editor
Protesters chanted “Stop Bush.
Stop bombs,” “Rise up, rise up, the
people are fed up” and “No war. No
way. No fascist USA,” in a response
to recruiters from the National
Guard at the annual Career Center’s
Summer Job and Internship Fair on
Tuesday.
“People sit here and say that free
dom of speech is great, but how is
that not intimidating for someone
that wants to join, when they are
standing right in front of the
recruiters,” said Jonathan Mickey,
sophomore student. “It’s definitely
keeping people from going up there,
which is sad. But, it is great that the
voice is there.”
The National Guard table had 50
to 60 people ask questions, accord
ing to Sgt. Mark A. Radford, during
the protest.
“It was inappropriate at first, only
because they blocked complete
access to our tables. We couldn’t
talk to anyone and a few tried to
steal some of our items,” Radford
said. “The police showed up 45
minutes into it and let the public
have unrestricted access. We are
going to be back because no matter
what the political belief is, it’s good
to see people expressing their opin
ions freely.”
The UNCA Socialist Unity
League held the counter-recruit
ment protest in an effort to kick the
National Guard recruiters off the
UNCA campus. Protesters immedi
ately declined to an interview.
“TTie military should be barred
from reemiting here because the
military has unfair employment
practices, they bar homosexuals
from the mihtary, which is inappro
priate,” said Nick Heling, junior
protester. “In public universities,
they should not be allowed to
recruit because of these discrimina
tory practices.”
After the league blocked access to
the recruiters’ table, they were threat
ened with the possibihty of arrest and
the revocation of their status as an
official university student organiza
tion, according to Kati Ketz, member
of the standing committee.
“I fully support their right to
protest, we just have to make sure
the recruiters table is made accessi-
SEE Protest page io|
Art show plans to tackle stereotypes
By Kristen Marshall
Staff Writer
As the Sex Workers Art Show
makes its way across the country,
it plans a stop at UNCA, generate
student conversation and educate
the community, in order to dispel
social, gender and economic
stereotypes.
“It’s people who have done sex
work or who are still doing it and
have made a career out of talking
and writing about the social impli
cations of it and how it’s alterna
tively demonized,” said senior
Laura Friederich, co-president of
Alliance. “Their goal is to bring an
entertaining show that will shed
some light on the complexities of
the issue.”
Annie Oakley, founder and
director of the Sex Workers Art
Show, said the show has been
well-received in many different
venues.
“It is my hope that the show can
be a part of the ongoing dialogue,
on and off campus, around issues
of race, class, gender, sexuality
and privilege,” Oakley said.
While Alliance initiated the per
formance, many other student
groups and departments gave their
support, including the Feminist
Collective, and the departments of
Art, Drama, Health and Wellness,
Literature and Language, Political
Science, Sociology, Women’s
Studies and the Arts and Ideas pro
gram.
I think the student reaction will
be mostly positive just because we
are at a university, and people in
this environment are used to think
ing about things,” Friederich said.
Sophomore student Aly Curly
said the UNCA campus is open-
minded and willing to understand
issues.
“We want to understand and get
on their level,” Curly said.
UNCA sociology lecturer Keith
Bramlett agreed.
“If nothing else, it should de
mystify the sex industry to some
degree, which is often s^ouded in
mystery,” Bramlett said.
The cast of the Sex Workers Art
Show includes notable filmmak
ers, novelists, hip-hop poets, bur
lesque dancers, prostitutes and
activists who tour the country to
enlighten society about a compli
cated industry.
“In our country, we police sexu
ality,” Bramlett said. “And certain
ly sex workers are policed and
exploited, and I think we need to
have a better understanding of that
exploitation.”
Most UNCA students are excited
about the upcoming performance,
expressing how important it is to
be informed about stereotypes.
“Education smashes bigotry,”
said sophomore student Colin
Spindler.
Sophomore literature student
Britt Garrett said that, while
stereotypes held some truth, peo
ple pay too much attention to
them.
SEE Show page io
Contributed by Annie Oakley
The Sex Workers Art Show
travels around the country to
educate and dispel stereotypes.
careers.
“I’ve always wanted to go to
Greece because my dad is from
Greece and my fiunily’s over there.
So, if I could go to school over
there, I’d love it,” said Kimberly
Tzakos, freshman student.
Knowledge of the donation may
lead to more students becoming
interested in studying abroad,
according to Williams.
“1 think once students hear that
it’s available, it may perk their
interests,” Williams said.
Chancellor
announces
changes
to faculty
By Anna Lee
Staff Writer
Chancellor Anne Ponder
announced recent events and
decisions pertaining to fees,
growth, tuition, new buildings,
programs and new staff job
positions at a meeting Feb. 16
with faculty and staff.
“I really enjoyed the opportuni
ty to have with the chancellor
communicating with the univer
sity community,” said Bruce
Larson, economics professor and
director of the Center for
Teaching and Learning.
Ponder said she also initiated
some recent changes to charges
for double rooms on campus
and to senior fees.
“It doesn’t feel good to be
approaching the time that we
would want to celebrate with
students about their achieve
ments and to have multiple
offices on campus charging
multiple amounts of money,”
Ponder said.
After a transition period, stu
dents will pay $20 per semester
for four years instead of paying
multiple fees to multiple offices
their senior year.
“Twenty dollars will allow
students to get a free cap and
gown, free transcripts for life, all
the career development advice
that they can use and no charge
for graduation,” Ponder said.
All double rooms offered by
the university will cost the same
amount, according to Ponder.
“The university had put itself
in the situation where people
who were less affluent would be
in the worst residence halls, and
this could have been an invisi
ble barrier and a problem for
retention,” Ponder said. “It
could have, and likely did,
affect disproportionately some
of our ethnic and racial minori
ties. This will eliminate that
invisible barrier, and we are
pleased.”
Ponder said while the campus
is seeking more information and
advice about changes, they are
also making decisions and mov
ing forward with those changes.
“We are repairing this air
plane while we are flying it,”
Ponder said.
Ponder said she plans to hold
further meetings, like this one,
to keep faculty and staff updat
ed on the information.
“It is my hope that when we
have come to rely collectively on
a regular habit of gathering on
consistent and accurate commu
nication and systematic opportu
nities for engagement, input, and
exchange, we will know for our
selves what it means for our
selves to be truly a part of this
university,” Ponder said.