J
NEWS
Speaker encourages students to push
boundaries and explore cultures
Rachel Ingram
hngram@unca.edu - Contributor
Chris Bashinellli, an actor, writer
and producer, credits his one-month
long study abroad session in Tanzania as
the experience that altered the trajectory
of his life.
During what he passionately referred
to as “an open dialogue” in Highsmith
Union on last Wednesday, the very en
ergetic Bashinelli urged an audience
of less than two dozen to venture out
of their comfort zones and accomplish
their own goals in life. Dressed casu
ally in jeans and a flannel button-down,
27-year-old Bashinelli sipped a Red
Bull and bounced around the room for
over an hour during his speech.
His keynote address, sponsored by the
Study Abroad/Study Away department
at UNCA as part of the week-long Inter
national Education Week, encouraged
students to pursue diversity-enriching
opportunities. For many students, the
Study Abroad office may be the first
step in the right direction. Diane Royer,
a university programs specialist, at
tended Bashinelli’s speech and echoed
his encouragement to students.
“Studying abroad helps you find
yourself,” Royer said, “You learn about
a new culture, but you also learn about
yourself. We’re all different, but we can
all relate.”
Forest Wallingford and M.C. Bones
were the two students behind the event.
They said they sought out Bashinelli to
spe^ as a part of International Educa
tion Week, because he is an excellent
role model for college students.
■‘This whole week is based on making
an effort to understand someone else
Bones said.
According to Wallingford and Bones,
Bashinelli stood out to them as some
one who is young, relatable and made
admirable accomplishments in the area
of diversity awareness.
“We felt that he would be the best
person to bring a message on the im
portance of connecting with others,”
said Wallingford, who studied abroad in
Croatia during high school.
To help students practice individual
thinking and achieve better clarity in
their lives, the Brooklyn native led the
group through several mini-meditation
sessions. He said he believes every
individual should strive to silence out
side influences, because trying to meet
someone else’s expectation rarely leads
to happiness.
“Ultimately, your life puipose needs
to be personal to you,” Bashinelli said.
During his presentation, Bashinelli
screened part of a previously-recorded
interview with his mentor, Jane Good-
all, who also advocated for students
to “ignore the noise” and allow their
dreams and convictions to direct their
lives, regardless of how intimidating
that may be.
Bashinelli told the audience he dealt
with his share of hardships in life, but
became more and more confident the
farther he walked down his life path.
“If your intention is strong enough,
and is altruistic, I think forces of good
will come to your aid to help you along
the way,” he said.
The Marymount Manhattan College
graduate went on “hundreds” of audi
tions during college, only to be turned
down over and over. When he finally
landed a supporting role on “The Sopra
nos,” he said he didn’t feel the sense of
accomplishment and ecstasy he antici
pated would come with being an actor.
After the death of his father and biggest
role model in 2009, he said he went
through a period of time when he felt
lost.
“Each time I set a goal and then
reached it. it didn’t bring me the joy that
I thought it would,” he said.
He said he realized he would never be
able to reach his end goal, because it al
ways changed before he got there.
“You will never get fulfillment in life
from an external goal. The feeling of
success comes from the action alone,”
Bashinelli said.
Rachel Coleman, a junior a UNCA,
said she was very inspired by what
Bashinelli had to say. She said she
hopes to spend a semester in Austria
experiencing a new way of life while
earning 12 credit hours toward her in
ternational studies degree.
“After hearing about everything that
he has done at just 27 years old, it makes
me wonder what impact I could poten
tially make with my life,” Coleman said.
Bashinelli created “Bridge the Gap
TV,” the production company behind
his PBS TV series of the same name.
He ventured to Abu Dhabi, Haiti, South
Dakota and Uganda to film the four
episodes currently in the series. He said
he hopes his TV show exposes viewers
to new ways of life and thinking, unit
ing the world to bring about positive
change.
“From understanding comes respect,
and then and only then, comes change,”
SGA members encourage student
feedback on OnePort changes
Harper Spires
hspires@unca.edu - Contributor
UNC Asheville’s Information Tech
nology Services works on updating the
school's technology and website and is
looking for student feedback. A master
calendar of all on-campus and some lo
cal events has been created at calendar.
unca.edu, and there is a new campus
news website at news.unca.edu.
ITS also plans to update OnePort.
“Most people hate OnePort, and it
takes a million clicks to get anywhere,”
said Luke Withrow, an ITS webmas
ter.
Withrow said ITS plans to find the
most common tasks students and facul
ty do on OnePort and reduce the num
ber of "clicks” to navigate the web
page. The new page will provide single
quick links to pages like Moodle, cal
endar. book requests and others. With
row also said they are open to website
advancements like customization of
the OnePort homepage, a more person
alized calendar and possible a univer
sity ntobile app for smart phones.
All website advancements are a work
in progress, and ITS hopes to receise
student feedback before going much
further with the new website. Com
ments, questions and feedback may
be directed to Luke Withrow at Iwith-
row'@unca.edu.
In other new.;:
Leigh Whittaker. SGA president, at
tended the final Student Fee Committee
meeting la,st Thursday. The committee,
with the exception of the athletic fee,
appro\ed most student fees. Tlie pro
posed athletic fee increase was $45,
but SGA and the committee voted to
reduce it to $30. There will be further
voting and approsal on the student
fee changes at a higher administrative
level.
Matt Turpin, executive of external
affairs, attended the University Plan
ning Council, where they discussed
vtuious topics, including UNCA’s in
creased involvement in the communitv.
Bashinelli said.
Self-assured and smiling, he said he
now views challenges as opportunities
and lives his life with the intention of
having a global impact, experiencing
cultures different from his own and con
necting people through media. He said
he devoted his life to traveling all over
the world in order to experience others’
perspectives.
an updated master plan and future sus
tainability plans.
Turpin also scheduled Know Your
Rights Week for Jan. 27-30.
Harry Stimuels, executive of sustain
ability, works with the school on shuttle
routes, and with Asheville Transporta
tion regarding bus routes on and off the
UNCA campus.
SGA is discussing a refonn of struc
ture, which may include changes in the
office hours system, a new committee
for legislative tasks and external and
internal aspects of committees. SGA
plans to have the new system in place
by spring semester, and they said they
hope the changes will streamline pro
cesses.
"The intent of the changes is to reign
SGA back into its most recent mission,
which is more directed towards policy
oversight, refonn and suggestion.” said
Josh Owens, SGA vice president.
Sen. Ben Judge attended the Faculty
Senate meeting last Friday, where the
Senate passed new curriculum changes
unanimously. Changes include the re
moval of clusters and heath and well
ness classes. The Faculty Senate will
vote at their next meeting in December
on whether or not changes will affect
cun'ent students.
Sen. Charlie White helps Sen. Samu
els with a smaller-scale Greenfest for
the spring semester. White also looks
into getting additional compo.st bins on
campus and researches legal resources
for students in Asheville for Know
Your Rights Week.
Sen. Joe Bilker continues to accept
applications for the SGA student focus
group. Interested students can email
Baker at jbakerl (®unca.edu.
.A new Bulldog Bargain available for
students at VegHeads. For the month
of November, students and faculty
may buy a sandwich or wrap and get a
free side of their choice on Thursdays
between 3 p.m. and closing time. For
the month of December, students and
faculty may get 15 percent off their
purchase.
Bashinelli said his goal is to inspire
students to make small steps in their
own lives that could someday change
the world.
“It’s important to take action now,
before your life and opinions are com
pletely formed and set,” he said. “If you
have dreams, start figuring out how you
can make them a reality. Don’t wait.”