Police dispatched at University Courtyard twice Jan. 28

Sarah Sparks - Police Beat

The Town of Boone Police Department was dispatched to University Courtyard twice on the evening of Sunday, Jan. 28, resulting in charges being brought against two Appalachian State University students, said Boone Police Sergeant Randy Brown.

Cameron Hill, 20, and Sean Oakley, 21, were charged with disorderly conduct and assault with a deadly weapon following a fight that resulted in students being hit over the head with beer bottles, said Brown.

Brown reported that the fight began after a window in Apartment 735 on the third floor of Building Seven was punched out by an unidentified person or persons. The occupants of Apartment 735 are unidentified.

The residents of the apartment claim to have seen three white males leaving the third floor following the damage to the window.

They claimed that one of the suspects was wearing a toboggan similar to one worn by a resident of Apartment 727 on the second floor of Building Seven, where Hill lives. Oakley was in Hill's apartment at the time, according to Brown.

According to Brown, the residents of the two apartments have a history of conflict leading to bitter feelings and possibly to a mistaken identity.

The residents of 735 went to the lawn outside to collect items that were thrown onto the lawn by the suspects who broke the window.

They accused the residents of 727 of punching in the window when they met on the balcony.

Apparently, the fight broke out when the residents of 727 denied involvement in the shattered window, said Brown.

The Boone police officers were originally called to the scene at 11:09 p.m. by the residents of 735 after the window was broken. They were then called back to the scene when the fight broke out between 11:50 and 11:55 p.m.

Such incidences are discouraged at University Courtyard through the presence of off-duty Boone police officers during weekends. Off-duty officers patrol the complex on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights to handle any possible emergencies.

There were no officers on site on the night of the assault because it was a Sunday night.

University Courtyard offers additional security for the residents through a live-in security guard, Appalachian State University Police Officer Fred Carrera. Carrera lives in the apartment complex and is available to residents in the event of an emergency.

Carrera said, "I feel like this is an isolated incident and there will be no need for heightened security."

Elizabeth Frye - Multicultural beat

Many people deal with low self-esteem and negative views of their appearance.

Such issues were the topic of a Diversity Series discussion called "Getting the Skinny on a Heavy Issue" that took place in the evening of Tuesday, Feb. 6 in the Multicultural Center of Plemmons Student Union.

This presentation began with a talk by Sascha J. Lawing, who got an undergraduate degree in sociology at the University of North Carolina at Asheville and is currently a graduate student at Appalachian State University.

Lawing said that she was given a project last semester where she had to choose a group of people that she wanted to do research on and advise. She decided to learn about people who are overweight. The title of her project is "Body Image and Self-Esteem: Education on Obesity and Techniques for Building Self-Esteem," and she shared information from that project with the audience.

Lawing began by describing an illness known as Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) which she said is "often called 'imagined ugliness.'" People with this disorder frequently look at themselves in mirrors, focusing on the parts of themselves with which they are not pleased. Some common signs of BDD in people are when they attempt to conceal sections of their bodies, get plastic surgery, or always measure themselves up to others.

Some "interesting facts" about how society views overweight people were pointed out by Lawing.

"Sixteen percent of employers said they would not hire obese women under any circumstances and 78 percent of obese patients feel they are treated with disrespect from health care professionals," she said.

Lawing stated that she can relate to such disrespect. "Any time I go into the doctor with a cold or with a sore throat the doctor says, 'you've got to lose weight.'" Lawing also found that "African American women are more comfortable with their weight."

Lawing looked at how obesity, depression and suicide are related while doing her research. She discovered that overweight women are more likely to be depressed or attempt suicide than thinner women, while underweight men tend to show more signs of depression or try to kill themselves than heavier men.

Lawing explained that in society "underweight men are considered as weak and as not as able to provide," which sometimes leads to negative thoughts in such men.

Stereotypes about obesity exist, such as obese people are "lazy, unhealthy and smell bad." Lawing discussed how such stereotypes need to be fought, just as any stereotypes about any group of people should be.

After Lawing finished presenting the information she had gathered, she opened the floor to questions and comments from the audience. Audience members related to receiving negative comments from others about their appearances, whether the comments attacked their thinness or their heaviness.

Some discussed how frustrated they became with skinnier people saying how they saw themselves as fat, and then later found out that the skinnier people had eating disorders. Many said that people need to change the way they view and make comments to those with weight problems.

Tracey L. Wright, an assistant director in the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership, was asked how she conveys the need for a positive self-image to her 11-year-old daughter.

Wright said, "In our house we try to talk about how beautiful we feel she is and that we come in all sizes, all shapes, all colors."

Wright added that her family believes they should accept how they are made by God.

Margaret Reda, a graduate student assistant in the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership, said, "The purpose of these diversity series is to talk about these issues.

"Hopefully if we have enough people who are willing to come and to hear and to share, then we can go from here back out into our residence halls and cafeterias and wherever, and keep the conversation going because that is what will make the difference about any of these '-isms' (i.e., racism)."

Manager: Too far off beaten path

Catherine Quill - Business Affairs Beat

Despite its new name and menu, Blue Ridge Cafe in Plemmons Student Union continues to see a slight decrease in customers and profit.

Built in the late 1960s, Blue Ridge Cafe kept its original name, the Gold Room, until fall 2000.

According to Louise Ward, manager of Blue Ridge Cafe and Cascades Cafe for the past six years, the reason for the name change was "to try to stimulate business." After Park Place opened in Trivette Hall during the fall of 1990, business steadily declined in the Gold Room.

"The Gold Room had its peak time before Park Place," said Ward, who added that students would leave the west side of campus to eat.

Renovations were made to the restaurant in the early 1980s and again in the early 1990s. Changes also took place this summer, including removing the curtains and providing new paint and light in an effort to "lighten and brighten," said Ward.

Currently, Blue Ridge Cafe serves about 300 people for lunch, and 300-400 for dinner.

"Fall semester is always a busier time than the spring semester," said Ward.

"The major thing as far as Blue Ridge is concerned is that it's off the beaten path," said Ward. "The students don't really know it's here."

Although renovations continue in the student union, Ward did not think the construction had a significant effect on the restaurant's business.

"I'm sure the construction has had some effect on us in the numbers that we feed," she said. She added that many students used the back entrance near the post office, and the closure of that passageway may prevent students from eating at the cafe.

However, Ward said the construction may be beneficial for business. With the restaurant located in a low traffic area of the union, the renovations may draw more students to the side where the Blue Ridge Cafe is located.

Ward said there is a possibility of a new menu next year.

"Every area needs to do something new to create excitement," said Ward.

According to Ron Dubberly, director of food services, another contributing factor to the plummeting profits for the Gold Room was when vending machines around campus started to accept student-identification cards.

Since then, there has been a decline in business as the Gold Room moved away from its peak time.

"In the last two years, profits have gone down slightly," said Dubberly. Dubberly also said that the customer count decreases as the week progresses.

"Usually, the highest day is Monday," he said. The restaurant makes about $3,500 at the beginning of the week, but by Friday profits are down to about $1,600.

According to Dubberly, the Gold Room served 500-600 people for lunch and 900 for dinner 10 years ago, before Park Place was open.

However, Dubberly did not think that the student union renovations were having a negative impact on business.

"Business in Blue Ridge Cafe is down anyway. Right now, it's about the same as it was last year."

Dubberly said it is possible that a new restaurant will move into the area sometime in the future to increase student interest.

Robyn Dailey - Chancellor/Advancement Beat

The Counseling and Psychological Services Center and the Student Wellness Center provide an online mental-health counseling service to students called "Ask Uncle Sigmund."

The service provides 24-hour counseling to students.

Students pick one of five help-topics and e-mail questions to "Uncle Sigmund."

These questions are answered and posted on the Web site by professionals from the two centers.

Ask Uncle Sigmund was modeled from an online-information service at Cornell University.

Its name is derived from Sigmund Freud, the father of psychotherapy.

Question topics include emotional health, relationships, eating disorders, alcohol and drugs, how to help a friend and choosing a career.

Kit Olson, coordinator of Student Wellness Programming, said, "It's anonymous and it's not embarrassing and you can get all kinds of information from the privacy of your own room.'

The service has been around since the early 1990s.

Uncle Sigmund gets anywhere from 2-12 questions a day, said Olson.

Questions are responded to in 24-48 hours.

Students may ask their own questions or look at previously posted questions and answers for help with their problems.

According to Olson, answers are based on current research in the mental-health fields.

Questions are answered by psychologists and counselors from the Counseling and Wellness centers.

These staff members feel that Ask Uncle Sigmund is an easier way to approach counseling for the first time than talking to a person face-to-face.

"I think there's something about the anonymity of it. The counseling center can be intimidating I guess if you've never been to counseling," said Dorothy Edwards, a doctoral intern and Uncle Sigmund staff member.

"It's a way to reach out without having to come here right away," she said.

The service is only for Appalachian State University students.

"If we have any clue at all that it's somebody not from the university, we usually will not answer the question," said Olson.

Uncle Sigmund does not respond directly to people via e-mail; he simply posts advice.

According to Olson, the most common issues that Uncle Sigmund deals with are problems having to do with relationships and depression.

"Lately I've seen a lot on eating concerns," said Edwards.

Many times, along with the posted advice, Uncle Sigmund recommends students to come in for more thorough counseling.

The staff members wish to see the problems resolved, and students are allowed to continue contact with other questions to Uncle Sigmund.

"We get a lot of e-mails from people who are really hurting," said Edwards.

According to Edwards, Uncle Sigmund should not be students' only place to get advice for their problems.

"I think it's equally important to have a support system," she said.

The service is not available during breaks from school like holidays and summer vacation.

Olson said, "We're really wanting to encourage people to use the service because it's really a great service that is pretty unique to (Appalachian)."