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GARDNER-WEBB UNIVERSITY
[.MM*. 9, 2007 V
t w\vw.gwupiIoi.c(.iin ' Volume 10 No. 11
Serving the Gardner-Webb University community for more than 60 years
This Edition
Daylight-saving time is
Sunday at 2 a.m. Don't
forget to move your
clocks one hour ahead!
— In campus news—
The GWU Choir is going on a
mission trip over Spring Break.
Also, what are other students
planning for the break? See the
Front Page story and Page 4 for
more.
— In community news—
The community approves of
GWU’s new tobacco-free policy
and Dr. Bonner is hearing about
it. See more on Page 2.
What is the Cleveland County
Shrinkdown and how is it affect
ing Gardner-Webb? See the story
on Page 2.
A lunar eclipse graced Boiling
Springs on Saturday night. See
Page 2 for a report.
— Opinion/editorial —
Matt recently saw a movie that
made him think about race rela
tions in Boiling Springs. See his
column on Page 3 for more.
Jacob Conley shares his thoughts
on the NCAA tournament in his
Wisdom on Wheels column on
Page 3.
— In sports —
The men’s basketball team
competed in the 2007 General
Shale Brick A-Sun tournament in
Johnson City, Tenn. last weekend.
Chris Gash played his last game
as a Bulldog. See more on Page
5.
The track and field team compet
ed at the conference tournament.
See a report on Page 5.
Weekend
Weather
■-W-1
Saturday
Sunday
March 10
March 11
58/42
62m
Chance of
Chance of
showers
showers
Index
News ■ ‘ page 2
£nt«srtaiium-iit. 4
Sports
page 5
Photo .. . .
r.....>;....pag« 6
Online
www.gwupilot.com
Artist rendering by: Holland Hamrick & Patterson Architects, P.A.
This building will house the Noel program and provide additional office space on campus. It will be built in location where the
old boiler plant now stands.
Noel program will have a new home
Building made possible byjlonation from trustee; will create office, classroom space
By Matt Tessnear
matthewtl984@earthlink. net
Gardner-Webb University’s
Noel Program for the Disabled will
soon have a new home, thanks to
a gift from former GWU Trustee
Frank Nanney and contributions
from other donors.
Frank R. Nanney Hall, a pro
posed 12,000-square-foot facility,
will house the Noel Program on
the first floor and have additional
space for classrooms and offices
on the basement level, according
to Steve Varley, GWU vice presi
dent for development
“What we’re proposing to do is
to construct a new building where
the old boiler plant is located,”
said Varley, adding that the boiler
plant stack will be removed.
“It’s going to have a nice view
from where it sits overlooking the
lake. We kind of refer to that now
as ‘Nanney Valley’ because there
will be several Nanney buildings
there.”
Nanney Hall, a male dorm
constructed in 1967 and named
in men'i^i of C.P. aitH^ne B.
Nanney, is located next to the pro
posed site. C.P. Nanney was Frank
Nanney’s uncle.
The Noel Program, which has
provided services to students with
disabilities for more than 25 years,
is currently located in the Noel
House, which is located in front of
Dover Memorial Library on West
Branch Avenue. The program cur
rently serves more than 100 GWU
students and needs nrore space.
The new facility will provide
about 6,000 square feet of space
for the A^l Programikording
to Che^R’otter, the^^Bgram’s
director.
“We look forward to having a
building that is totally accessible
to all our students and being able
to have our production facilities
centralized in one location,” said
Potter. “The staff will have indi
vidual offices to assure the privacy
of the students while we’re meet
ing with them. Accessibility is a
key element to the new building.”
Potter also said the univer
sity will benefit from the space
downstairs in the new facility, and
by the space in the Noel House,
which will be used by another de
partment after the move.
“It’s good news and we’re very
excited about it,” said Dr. Ben
Leslie, GWU provost and senior
vice president. “We need that ex
tra room. We also need the class
room and office space on campus
and this will help.”
A letter was sent Feb. 26 to
students in the Noel Program. The
letter informed participants of the
new facility.
A groundbreaking for the fa
cility is tentatively scheduled for
March 22 at 10 a.m. The event is
open to the campus.
“There’s going to be some
dirt turned over,” said Varley, in
reference to the groundbreaking.
“You’ll see construction going on
very soon.”
Mike Hardin, vice president
for finance, said the building
should be ready for use in early to
mid summer 2008.
Nanney presented the gift a
little more than one year ago and
was interested in doing something
good for the campus, said Varley.
“I got interested in the Noel
Program because I was on campus
one day and I saw a young lady
who was blind,” said Nanney,
who just rotated off the board after
serving as a trustee for four years.
“She was going into one of the
buildings there and that just made
me think I’d like to help that pro
gram. It should give them more
space for their administration and
for their projects to help the peo
ple who have disadvantages. (The
Noel Program) can help them to a
better life. It will make it a greater
university.”
Many people have been in
volved in the project and a lot of
fundraising and gifts for the build
ing have also been made, said Var
ley.
“It’s good news and we’re very
excited about it,” said Dr. Ben
Leslie, GWU provost and senior
vice president. “We need that ex
tra room. We also need the class
room and office space on campus
and this will help.”
RAs punished for participation
in Facebook group; 3 terminated
By Matt Tessnear
matthewtl 984@earthlink.net
Trae Vickers plans to graduate
from Gardner-Webb University
on May 12, but he had to move
out of his room in Apartment A of
the University Commons complex
on Sunday.
Vickers, a GWU resident advi
sor and senior psychology major
from Winchester, Va., was one of
three students terminated from RA
positions with the Gardner-Webb
University Department of Hous
ing and Residence Education.
The terminations came after
Vickers, along with several other
GWU students, joined a Face-
book.com group named “My RA
sucks,” he said.
Housing department officials
found out about the group and
took action, he said.
“They told me, based on a
previous incident where I did not
support a housing department
staff member and (this incident),
that those were grounds for my
termination of RA in building A,”
Vickers said.
Vickers moved into Apartment
F on Sunday.
He received a letter informing
him of his termination on Monday
night. He said he joined the group,
“My RA sucks,” in an effort to see
why students were complaining
and assist problems.
“Facebook is a great socializa
tion/ codificationfor col
lege stu^ffs; howeveh^ien resi
dence life finds out about a group
and they check to see if members
of their staff are part of a group
that doesn’t support residence life
and their staff members are called
in and penalized for being part of
that group, where do they draw
the line?”
Kyle Lanning, a freshman
from Asheville, created the Face-
book group “My RA sucks,” and
said he didn’t mean for the group
to get anyone in trouble.
“I didn’t want this to get out
of hand,” said Lanning. “I really
didn’t.”
Vickers said four students were
kept after the housing department
meeting on Feb. 23 and told about
the group.
Vickers said he individually
met with housing department of
ficials and his graduate resident
director on Feb. 26.
At thjf time, W^ers was
given si^|iys to n^^ from his
apartment;'
Vickers said another student.
James Kemicky, a junior math
ematics major from Shelby, was
terminated from his RA position
and one more RA has been placed
on probation; however, those stu
dents could not be reached for
comment and the housing depart
ment could not substantiate their
status.
Vickers said GWU Dean of
Students Bruce Moore told him
he cannot appeal the termination
because it is being treated as a per
sonnel case.
Sherry Ingram took over as
GWU director of the housing de
partment on March 1.
In a phone interview, she told
The Pilot she met with Vickers
and told him to tell the truth about
the incident.
“Obviously we are dealing
with sensitive personnel matters
right now,” said Ingram. “I would
love to tell you everything that
happened, but I can’t because of
FERPA issues. But if they told you
they were terminated, then that’s
probably true.”
Ingram said that students
should approach her with issues
concerning living conditions on
campus, including anything deal-
see RAs, page 2
Florida at
top of list for
spring break
destinations
By Karl Kakadelis
Pilot Stajf Writer
Spring break starts for Gard
ner-Webb University students
after classes today. As midterms
end and the vacation begins, some
students will trade Boiling Springs
for sunny beaches, while others
will use the break for family time,
rest and job searches.
Freshman Kyle Webber said
that Florida will be the hot spot.
For many GWU students,
Panama City, Fla., appears to be
a popular destination, because of
scuba diving and fishing opportu
nities. Daytona Beach; South Pa
dre Island, Texas; Lake Havansu,
Ariz.; and Key West are also pop
ular destinations this year.
While some students are soak
ing up rays at the beach, Caleb
Moore said he will spend the time
with his parents.
Some students just need time
to catch their breath.
“These five days will be a
well-deserved break,” said fresh-
see Break, page 2