Newspapers / University of North Carolina … / April 23, 2009, edition 1 / Page 2
Part of University of North Carolina at Asheville Student Newspaper / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
New Thursday, April 23, 2009 Obama’s loan )lan will )enelit students {The Blue Banner) I'm doing this for you One woman's punk-rock experience with Health Department Dentistry ONLINE AUDIO EXCLUSIVE WWW.THEBLUEBANNER.NET Page 2 By David Milton Staff Writer DEMILTON@UNCA.EDU President Obama’s plan to replace pri vate lending with direct government lend ing for college students and create more funding for Pell grants will benefit students and schools, according to a financial aid of ficial at UNC Asheville. “Our institution, up until last year, was a primarily direct-loan school. Our students borrowed directly from the government,” said Beth Bartlett, associate director of fi nancial aid. “They didn’t have to worry about the banks.” Last year UNCA began allowing stu dents to take out loans from banks of their choice because of a mandate from general administration, Bartlett said. “We have some students that took ad vantage of that,” Bartlett said. “At the same time we had some students that had checks that were late coming in because of the troubles that banks were having.” Some of these students received emer gency loans to continue their education, while their banks’ loan checks were miss ing, Bartlett said. Obama’s plan to replace subsidized loans from private banks with direct government loans will save $94 billion over the next 10 years, according to data from the Con gressional Budget Office, according to the CBO. The plan will also make Pell grants clas sify as mandatory spending, according to the CBO. The plan will increase mandatory spending by $293 billion between 2010 to 2019, according to the budget. “A Pell grant is based on what they think your family can contribute,” Bartlett said. “Your expected family contribution actual ly becomes how they determine how much Pell grant money you’re eligible for.” See financial aid Page 5 | Doc Watson receives honorary degree By Michelle Peck Staff Writer MWPECK@UNCA.EDU As graduation approaches, seven-time Grammy award win ner and UNC Asheville’s newest honorary degree recipient, Arthel “Doc” Watson, spikes interest and debate in students. Senior psychology student, Lindsay Diehl, 21, said she is ex cited to participate in commencement with all her family there, but has concern about honorary degrees. “I think it’s weird that Doc Watson would get an honorary degree,” Diehl said. “I know this is a liberal arts school and we appreciate artists like him, but is his contribution the same as working your butt off for four years?” Chancellor Anne Ponder will confer an honorary doctoral degree on the bluegrass musician at the spring commencement ceremony. He got the nickname “Doc” during a live radio broadcast when the announcer said the name Arthel was odd, and he need ed an easy nickname. A fan in the crowd shouted “Call him Doc!” presumably in reference to the Sherlock Holmes sidekick Doctor Watson, according to his three-CD biographical recording. Legacy. “I do admire Doc Watson. It is important to have someone at commencement to look up to and give you more drive to fulfill your goals outside of school,” Diehl said. An eye infection caused Watson to lose his vision before his first birthday. He at- tended North Carolina’s school for the vi sually impaired. The Governor Morehead School, in Raleigh. Watson was later awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. “I am surprised Doc Watson is attending, but I think it is a wonderful opportunity,” said accounting major Christina Fes- ciane, 26. Fesciane said Watson deserves an honorary degree, but she also shares Diehl’s reservations about it. “It can be confusing that an artist receives a degree when you have been busting your hump for one,” Fesciane said. “It will all depend on the message of his speech.” People must fulfill three categories before receiv ing honorary degrees, according to the Board of Trustees: recognition of scholarly or intellectual achievement and con tribution to the world of arts, letters, science, drama, or music, for example; recognition of contribution to the civic, political, economics or cultural leadership of the Asheville community and/or specific interests in the development of UNCA; recogni tion of a speaker at a major university event sueh as commence ment, or special convocation. “He is an accomplished musician in the midst of a liberal arts community,” Fesciane said. The university welcomes nominations of persons to receive Dr. Les Puree jourtesy UNC Asheville Bluegrass legend Doc Watson will be presented an honorary doctoral degree at spring commencement. honorary degrees from all persons interested in the welfare and stature of the UNCA: faculty, trustees, students and others. The chancellor reviews the names of persons nominated or suggested and submits them to the Board of Trustees. Health and wellness major April Bradshaw, 34, said she did not know until now Watson would be at eommencement and is exeited to see him there. “He is a major pioneer in bluegrass music and should be honored for it,” Bradshaw said. The speaker is Dr. Les Puree, president of The Evergreen State College, who will receive an honorary degree, as well. Puree will give the commencement address to some 385 gradu ates. UNCA granted the last three honorary degrees to Johnnetta B. Cole, a renowned educator and humanitarian; Ernest Gaines, a professor of English and writer-in-residence at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette; and Donald Sultan, a successful New York artist.
University of North Carolina at Asheville Student Newspaper
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
April 23, 2009, edition 1
2
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75