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VOL. 61, ISSUE 1 I WEDNESDAY, AUG. 27, 2014 I THEBLUEBANNER.NET
Weekly
Calendar
Aug. 27 - Sept. 1
Wednesday, Aug. 27
Annual Art Faculty
Exhibition
Owen 101
9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Non-Violent Sexuali
ty talk with Bob Hall
Highsmith - Grotto
8 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 28
Annual Art Faculty
Exhibition
Owen 101
9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 29
Women’s Soccer v.
Wofford
Outdoor Greenwood
Soccer Field
3 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Men’s Soccer v. USC
Upstate
Outdoor Greenwood
Soccer Field
5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 30
Paths Workshop
Reuter Center 102
- The Manheimer
Room
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 31
Women’s Soccer v.
Mars Hill
Outdoor Greenwood
Soccer Field •
1 p.m. - 3 p.m.
Men’s Soccer v. Bre
vard College
Outdoor Greenwood
Soccer Field
3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 1
Centers closed for
Labor Day
Unhietsiiy names new chancellor
A.V. SHERK
asherk@unca.edu -
News Editor
As tensions in Fergu
son, Missouri reached
a boiling point, much
of the United States
remained uninformed
of the death of an un
armed black teenager
at the hands of a police
officer. The collec
tive eyes of a nation
only turned toward the
unjust actions taking
place within its own
borders after camera
crews ran from tear
gas, with their equip
ment dismantled and
rights violated.
The lack of informa
tion stemming from
conflicts in Ferguson
during the first days
of protests hardly rep
resented a new trend
in media coverage.
The few journalists
on the ground found
themselves report
ing on a topic, which
would challenge the
very foundation of
their First Amendment
rights. These reporters
deserve thanks for their
tenacity and ability to
make their voice heard
where so many others
didn’t even bother try
ing.
Freedom of the press
in the United States
keeps police forces like
those in Ferguson from
barring the truth from
the public. Renowned
political commenta
tor Walter Lippmann
once wrote regarding
the barrier of public
from an event, “With
out some form of cen
sorship, propaganda in
the strict sense of the
word is impossible.”
The truth in this state
ment remains relevant
as ever in an age where
police forces erect bar
ricades and form “press
approved areas.”
Flowever, the lack
of condemnation from
President Obama re
garding the violation
of First Amendment
rights of the press, at
best, shows a poor
attempt to maintain
approval ratings and
at worst could be mis
construed as consent
for what media profes
sionals experienced in
Ferguson.
Without the efforts
of individuals such as
Ryan J. Reilly, Alice
Speri and Wesley Low
ery, among others, the
brutality exhibited by
the police in Fergu
son might have never
gained such wide
spread coverage. This
shows the role of the
press at its most nec
essary; to collect facts
through evidence and
honestly disseminate
those facts to the pub
lic.
The role of Twitter
in the coverage of the
people in Ferguson in
dicates the new trend
in journalism to con
nect citizens and their
reporters without the
indirect channels of
editors and publishing
deadlines. Retweeting
on-the-ground eyewit
ness events in relation
to both police and pro
testers opened oppor
tunities to gather more
evidence than conceiv
ably possible with only
one news team.
Live footage stream
ing on social media
allowed for events to
be transmitted with
as much transparen
cy possible. No edit
ing, no commentary
— just the raw picture
Housing
overflow
affects
freshmen
VALERIE MCMURRAY
vrmcmurr@unca.edu -
Asst. News Editor
UNC Asheville current
ly houses a record-break
ing number of incoming
freshmen and new transfer
students in non-traditional
or transitional living situ
ations, with every double
room filled and several
lounges and faculty apart
ments converted into living
spaces for new students.
The university was still
accepting students up to .
the first week of classes.
At least 14 students were
told they needed to find
off-campus housing.
Overcrowding occurs
when the university esti
mates a certain number of
incoming on-campus stu
dents will not show up on
move-in day, but the actual
number of so-called “no-
shows” is less than expect
ed. That’s what happened
last year, according to Vol-
lie Barnwell, director of
Housing and Student Life
Operations.
This year, UNCA boast
ed a historically high de
mand for campus facilities.
Less than 20 no-show stu
dents were tallied.
“A lot'of schools, when
they talk about transition
al housing, there are some
that are thinking about
.hallways or housekeeping
closets or storage rooms
and we don’t do that.”
Barnwell said.
Barnwell said living on
campus is the best way to
transition into the college
experience for first-time
university-goers.
“I don’t want to tell a
student, ‘We don’t have
a space for you,’ and then
a week into the semester
we’ve had cancellations,
so we would’ve had a
space for them, but they’ve
already signed a lease off
campus,” Barnwell said.
Housing and Student
Life Operations continues
Construction continues for pedestrian pathways
CALLIE JENNINGS
cjenning@unca.edu -
Staff Writer
Despite the recent open
ing of Brown Hall, the con
struction near Karpen Hall
continues in an effort to
revamp the UNC Asheville
campus.
“Before the construc
tion, students from Gov
ernors and Overlook Hall
only had the parking lot
area to get to the Quad, and
what we wanted to do was
create a walkway,” said
John Pierce, vice chancel
lor of finance and opera
tions.
The area around Karpen
once functioned as a visi
tor’s parking lot. The cur
rent construction focuses
on enhancing pedestrian
safety.
“We also created a wider
crosswalk next to the bus
stop. We had a cramped
time frame, but our goal
was to have University
Heights open before school
started. Construction ran
into the last week, but we
got it done,” Pierce said.
Known as a universal
path because anyone can
use it, the crosswalk and
walkway finished con
struction and meets the
code according to the
American Disability Act
standards.
The rest of the renova
tions pertain to the new
visitor’s parking lot. Only
slight changes are being
made, but most noticeable
is the size of the lot.
“It will be 21 spaces less.
The original lot was rough
ly around 40 and now we
will have around 21 spac
es. Some of that parking
moved up onto University
Heights to kind of maintain
the same amount of visi
tor’s spaces,” said David
Todd, director of facilities
management and planning.
Faculty and staff park
ing, originally on Universi
ty Heights, moved to areas
around Weizenblatt and
Owen Halls.
Many students initial
ly voiced concern on the
demolition of the tree
that once stood where the
walkway now begins off of
University Heights. Some
students; however, voiced
approval for the changes.
“I like the new pathway,
it’s nice. It gives a direct
path to the Quad. Also,
I live in Mills so the new
visitors parking on Univer
sity Heights is beneficial
for my friends,” said Me
lissa Benson, a drama stu-
dent at UNCA.
Pierce said the university
keeps the aesthetic of cam
pus in mind when complet
ing these projects.
“We will be taking ef
forts to beautify that area.
We try really hard to keep
the beauty and atheistic of
these areas. Overlook Hall
is a perfect example, it was
kind of constructed to fit
into the landscape,” Pierce
said.
According to Todd,
UNCA also hosts Tennent