university of north CAROLINA ASHEVILLE
Blue Banner
compiled by Sandy LaCorte and Gina Douthat
Travelogue
Student jetsets
to Ghana
see page 10.
Women’s Soccer
Bulldogs end losing streak
with a victory over
UT Chattanooga,
see page 4
THUR. 79 57 FRI. 79 55 SAT. 76 53 SUN. 75 54
Thursday, September 27, 2007
WWW.
’.unca.edu/hanner
Vol. 47, Issue 5
THE
NEWS
I IN BRIEF
Microsoft
releases Halo 3,
delights gamers
[worldwide
Microsoft released “Halo 3” for
their Xbox 360 console Tuesday.
The game, in which gamers take on
the role of the Master Chief,
presold more than one million
[copies before its release.
Three versions of the game are
available; a $59.99 version includ
ing just the game; a limited edition
„ version for $69.99; and a legendary
/edition, which adds a replica of the
helmet worn by the Master Chief.
Christian
fundamentalist
convicted of
rape
A jury convicted Warren Jeffs,
president of the Fundamentalist
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter
Day Saints, for being an accom
plice to rape. Jurists found Jeffs
guilty of performing a marriage
between a 19-year-old man and a
14-year-old girl.
Jeffs also faces charges in
Arizona of being an accomplice for
incest and sexual misconduct with
a minor. When arrested last year,
authorities found more than
$57,000, wigs and sunglasses in
Jeff’s car.
Facilities complex
I dedicated Sept.
^20, honoring
i Millar
UNC Asheville dedicated the
new facilities management com-
■! plex on Sept. 20 to the honor of
Sam Millar, who served as univer
sity Engineer for 15 years. The new
On the front lines
Students for a
Democratic Society want
to change your world
and your mind,
one protest at a time
By Carline Fry
Staff Writkr
Members of UNC Asheville’s chapter of
Students for a Democratic Society dedicate
themselves to making the world a better place
through radical activism, and they’re starting
at home, according to SDS member Doug
Michel.
“We in SDS engage in and are committed to
a long-term struggle for a better world,’’ said
Doug Michel, junior student. “We do this
through radical, democratic participation in
issues that affect us as youth and students and
as U.S. citizens.”
The organization is dedicated to fighting
imperialism, racism and sexism, and it sup
ports economic, political and social change
through activism, according to UNC
Asheville’s SDS unity statement.
“SDS is indispensable for all U.S. campus
es, especially here at UNCA,” Michel said. “It
provides an important outlet for students who
are tired of war, tired of politicians screwing
them over, and tired of institutional oppres
sion because they don’t fit the ‘American
ideal.’”
The organization is against all imperialistic
wars and interventions, and demands U.S.
troops be pulled out of Iraq immediately,
according to the unity statement.
“The war in Iraq has been going on for
almost five years now,” said Katie Ketz,
regional coordinator for UNC Asheville’s
SDS. “It’s about time that a national, inde
pendent student group formed to combat the
oppression of not only the Iraqi people, but
other oppressed people around the world and
here at home,”
The organization, which was called the
UNCA Socialist Unity League until spring
2006, formally affiliated with SDS in August
2006.
“The group has been SUL-SDS for over a
year now,” Ketz said. “That was a mouthful,
so we decided to drop the first part and
become just UNCA SDS, so that we can bet
ter represent this national group on a local
level.”
The original, national SDS formed in the
early 1960s and dissolved by the end of the
decade. In January 2006, members re-formed
the organization, mostly due to the Iraq war,
which resulted in chapters forming around the
country.
“Historically, SDS has carried an
omnipresent legacy of student activism,”
Michel said. “SDS was re-formed by the
Cunt Lathingfiouse - Staff Photograi’Ffi-r
Sophomore Peter Mills reads a sign posted by Students for a Democratic Society as part
of a protest display set up on the Quad this week. Each white flag represents a life lost
during the Iraq War, including U.S. troops, Iraqi soldiers and civilians.
growing need and urgency to unite the U.S.
youth and student population against the Iraq
war and against the war on our civil rights at
home.”
As well as sharing the same name, the new
SDS is fighting for many of the same issues
the original organization focused on.
“The ‘new’ SDS has formed around many
principles (the original) SDS carried during
the 1960s, such as participatory democracy,
anti-imperialism and radical action,” Michel
said.
SDS members have many events planned.
including a protest against the Iraq war.
“Our large mobilization will be on Oct. 17,
against the war and for education needs,
which has been deeply affected due to this
never-ending, senseless war in Iraq,” Michel
said.
The organization brings various public
speakers to the UNC Asheville campus and
takes part in various protests around the coun
try, according to Ketz.
“We’re planning on bringing Carlos
SEE SDS pac;e 2 |
On-campus immigration forum presses issues
dents
said.
issues
By Adam Hillberry
Investigative Reporter
An Asheville City Council
member and a Pisgah Legal
Services staff member will lead
an on-campus dialogue on cur
rent immigration issues and poli
cies, while some in the campus
community view current immi-
Sration laws as a tense issue for
our society.
“It’s such a social issue,” said
Deidre Wiggins, assistant direc
tor of Multicultural Events and
Programs and Student Activities
and Integrative Learning. “I try
to do a lot of social justice pro
grams in this office. It’s some
thing that’s on the front burner of
our society, and I just think it
needs to be addressed by our stu
dents to at least be aware of some
of the current issues locally
This summer, the Asheville
City Council discussed the possi
bility of enforcing statute 287 (g)
of the Immigration and
Naturalization Act, which would gaily. If
to
aware of that,” Wiggins
‘Because of the cultural
we’re grappling with on
immigration, I think we need to
discuss them as a group.”
Mumpower sits as the only
member on the City Council who
actively wants to adopt statute
287(g) and will speak at the dia
logue Thursday. Jane Oakes of
Pisgah Legal Services is sched
uled to speak.
Other campus community
members object to the current
immigration laws and statute
287(g)
‘The
enable local law enforcers
deport undocumented people.
“(Councilman) Carl
Mumpower has proposed the 287
(g) and so I want to make our stu-
system has made it so
hard for immigrants to legally
become citizens here,” said
Caitlin Nelligan, co-president of
Hispanic Outreach of Learning
and Awareness “Why would you
want to be part of a community
or country that doesn’t want you?
Why would you want to pay
taxes to that country or commu
nity if you can just sneak in ille
gally. If we treat them well,
they’re going to want to be a part
of our country. They’re climbing
up a really steep hill.”
The ability to deport should not
be given to local law enforce
ment, according to Greta
Trautmann, chair and associate
professor of foreign languages.
“Although I think that immi
gration law in-and-of itself is far
too complex for any of us with a
lack of information to make
uninformed opinions about it, I
am absolutely horrified at the
idea of local enforcers of the law
would be given any kind of right
to enter people into the state of
deportation,” Trautmann said. “I
don’t have faith in local city offi
cials to have the critical ability to
make those kinds of decisions in
times of crisis. I’m afraid that in
many instances it would amount
to racial profiling and a lack of
critical thinking.”
The forum begins at 12:30
p.m., Thursday, Sept. 27, at
UNC Asheville’s Laurel
Forum, Karpen Hal! 39.
Contact Deirdre Wiggins at
232-5110 for more
information.
Immigration Questions
Several aspects of the immigration issue
consist of questions our society has trouble
answering. Questions to be asked at the dia
logue include:
- Is an immigration reform bill necessary?
- Should undocumented immigrants be allowed
to live or work in the United States, and should
they receive health care, social security and
other compensation benefits?
- Do you see the language barrier as a detri
ment to the educational system or do you feel it
should be embraced to enhance the enrichment
of our society?
- Do you feel local law enforcement should be
given the authority to detain and deport illegal
immigrants?
Campus
copes with
student
death
By Adam Hillberry
INVFSHOAIIVF Rl FORM R
Bill I laggard
Vice (lhanccllor
for Srudent
.Ml'airs
In light of the recent death of
sophomore Daniel Hendricks,
Bill Haggard, vice chancellor
for student affairs, commented
on how the university and com
munity can cope with a campus-
related death.
“One thing that is an immedi
ate concern is the care and safe
ty of all those immediately
affected by a death,” Haggard
said. “One of the first things we
do in event of a death is try to
find out what happened.”
Being available to comfort
and ease affected students is
very important, according to
Haggard.
“Another thing is trying to
figure out who are the people
clo.sest to the decea.sed that may
be affected and to reach out to
them and make sure they have
the care and help they need,”
Haggard said. “Al.so to inform
the campus of what has hap
pened and what services are
available. We can also do in-
class interventions where we
have a counselor and other stu
dent affairs staff members come
to the class and speak on what
has happened and dealing with
it.”
One of the most important
things is having counselors and
other student affairs officials
available for student needs,
according to Haggard.
“For instance, we had coun
selors on duty extra hours
Friday night and Sunday
evening to be available for stu
dents who need to see someone
or talk to someone,” Haggard
said. “That’s one of the things
we do. Right now, in this case,
that’s still our highest priority.”
The campus reaction to a
campus death is a difficult one
to assess.
“Exactly how the campus
reacts depends upon the facts of
the case,” Haggard said. “Part
of those folks who might need
care, somebody who might be
faculty or staff who might have
had contact with the individual
in a class.”
The university may change
policies depending upon the
safety factors involved in an
emergency case.
“If a death is related to some
other type of safety issue, then
there might be an adjustment of
how we might do things,”
Haggard said. “But as was men
tioned in the campus wide
emails on this case, this case is
one where it was determined
there was no threat to anyone.”
Respect for the deceased is a
tender issue to address and the
administrators adhere appropri
ately, according to Haggard.
“Another thing we always
balance is the respect for the
deceased and respect for the
deceased family. We try to work
closely with the family on how
we would respond to make sure
that everything we do is respect
ful of all involved,” Haggard
said.
•C