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{The Blue Banner}
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Research symposium schedule stresses students
Canceled classes could help student presenters
Renee Bindewald
RMBINDEW@UNCA.EDU
STAFF WRITER
Presenting at the undergraduate re
search symposium is a nerve-wrack
ing experience, especially due to the
schedule, according to many students.
“I will be able to attend one of my
classes and go to work, but if my pre
sentation runs overtime I will not be
able to attend my last class,” said Wil-
la Smith, junior sociology student.
“As far as finishing my paper and my
reading while preparing for the panel
discussion, well, I probably will not be
sleeping the night or two before.”
The 20-year-old said she was not
sure how she was going to balance her
day between class and presenting.
‘Students who present in the fall have
to balance their classes and any work
they have to turn in that day in addition
to preparing for their presentation.
Associate professor in psychology
and director of the undergraduate
research program Mark Harvey
said, “Unfortunately, we always have
classes during the fall symposium.
“Unfortunately, we always have classes
during the fall symposium. Only for the spring
symposium are classes suspended.”
- Mark Harvey, .
associate psychology professor and director of the
undergraduate research program
Only for the spring symposium are
classes suspended.”
Many students who presented said
they did not initially realize that class
es would be held the day of the sympo
sium because they remembered classes
being canceled in the spring.
Senior interdisciplinary studies
student Asha Purohit, 21, said she
was upset because she did not know
there would be classes on Tuesday un
til only a couple of days beforehand.
Until then, she said she was under
the impression they would be canceled
for the day of the symposium.
“I mean, it sucks because you want
your friends to be able to come,” Puro
hit said. “It’s a really important time.”
Purohit’s family came to Asheville
from Charleston, S.C., to see her pre
sentation on human rights concerning
the cultural myths and belief systems
of developing countries for those bom
with cleft lips and cleft palates.
The undergraduate research pro
gram at UNC Asheville was founded
in 1985.
There were 27 sessions with multi
ple student presentations during Tues
day’s symposium between 12:15 and
6:25 p.m.
They were held in five different
buildings, including Owen Hall and
Highsmith Student Union.
According to the fall symposium
program, research is a point of pride
for the university that they encourage
and celebrate.
Senior Kate Cubbler, 22, was a
member of the integrating service
learning panel with Smith.
She presented a separate project
for her major on treatment options
for Buncombe County children with
autism whose families have financial
struggles.
Cubbler said she was not really sure
what to expect going into the sympo
sium.
Cubbler said she was unaware she
would have to present a little more
than an hour after her morning class.
“I didn’t really expect to have class
on the fall symposium day,” Cubbler
said. “I know for the spring sympo
sium they cancel classes, and I thought
it would be the same for the fall.”
Thanksgiving break-ins shake Grove residents
Trevor Metcalfe
TOMETCAL@UNCA.EDU
STAFF WRITER
A Thanksgiving break burglary at the
Grove apartment complex near UNC
Asheville robbed several students of
video game systems, laptops, cameras
and other valuables.
“When I walked into my room I saw
clothes thrown everywhere, I saw glit
ter all over my bed,” said AB-Tech
student Ricky Villatoro.
Several apartments in the 300 and
500 buildings were broken into during
the break, according to residents.
UNC A senior Danny Baatz said the
robbers most likely entered through
windows on the ground level.
“The beginning of the school year,
someone broke the window, and the
Grove came and replaced it, and I
Ricky Villatoro
guess when they re
placed it they didn’t
lock it, so we never
looked at it,” Baatz
said.
Baatz said thieves
nabbed two gaming
systems, a safe and
an iPod. Villatoro
reported two lap
tops, a GPS and a
camera missing.
The Asheville police department
said they are currently investigating
the break-ins, but had no other in
formation available. During the last
12 months, the police received eight
reports of burglary and 24 reports of
larceny at the apartments, according to
the Asheville police crime mapper.
Baatz said he and his roommates
talked to police and gave them se
rial numbers to help them find stolen
items.
“So, if stuff gets pawned, we can get
it back,” Baatz said.
Villatoro said Grove administrators
sent out an e-mail before Thanksgiv
ing warning students to lock windows,
doors and to secure valuables before
break.
“Just by sending out that e-mail, it
basically says that they’re not respon
sible,” Villatoro said.
Baatz said the robbery was not an
isolated incident.
“Right at the end of summer, some
one broke my car windows and stole
my iPod and my GPS,” Baatz said.
Baatz thought the crimes followed a
cyclical nature.
“It seems like it comes in waves.
When my car window got broken out,
there were two or three others out in
“When I walked
into my room I saw
clothes thrown
everywhere.”
- Ricky Villatoro,
AB-Tech student
the parking lot that got busted out,”
Baatz said.
When asked about the burglaries,
Grove staff declined to comment.