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A
tumultuous tale of three local theaters
COMMENTARY
- Adam Bennett
Great movies
have already graced Boone with their presence this summer. ŅShrekÓ
and ŅA KnightÕs TaleÓ have been two of my favorites. I havenÕt seen
ŅPearl HarborÓ yet because, letÕs face it Š you have to have a whole
afternoon or evening to watch it!
Our fair town
has three movie theaters. The Appalachian Twin, or the $1.50 as
we call it, provides fairly recent movies at a great price. The
floors are usually clean and the seats allow for plenty of leg room
(in the downstairs theater, anyway).
The Chalet has
three screens and the rooms are long and narrow. The sound quality
is terrible. If you have ever walked into a movie at the Chalet,
you know the feeling of not being able to see anything. The lighting
is bad while the movie is running and finding a seat in the dark
is no picnic. I guess I shouldnÕt even mention the fact of a possible
fire safety issue with the lighting. Finally, the New Market movie
theater is the best theater in Boone. It has all the comforts of
a big city theater, but on a smaller scale. The rooms are always
clean. Digital surround sound is available in each room as well.
They even accept credit cards (a college studentÕs best friend).
I went to see
ŅShrekÓ at the Chalet and had to wait in line for 30 minutes. They
had only one ticket window open and two lines out in the parking
lot. I paid the same amount that I would have to pay to see the
movie in another theater but because of the above circumstances,
it makes me bitter to have to pay the same amount.
You may be thinking
itÕs not up to one person and itÕs just the way it is Š but maybe
it is. The same person manages the New Market Theater and the Chalet.
ThatÕs right. The Chalet can stay in business without significant
upgrades to the facility by bringing one or two big movies a year
to cover the minimal costs. And we the public support the endeavor.
We have no choice. We want to see the movie when it comes out. But
donÕt we have a right to see the movie in its entire splendor, digital
sound and all?
If I sound biased,
itÕs because I am. IÕm writing mainly on behalf of the residents
of Boone who actually live here all year. ItÕs not fair for the
blockbuster movies of the summer to be played at the worst theater
in the city. Maybe IÕm complaining Š but if people donÕt complain,
few changes occur. The next time you have to go see a movie at the
Chalet, let the lady at the ticket window know that itÕs not right.
Let her know that the Chalet should be fixed up, shut down, or reduce
the price. ThereÕs no excuse for this movie monopoly. You and I
have a right to quality entertainment when we pay for it!
Adam
Bennett is the Editor-in-Chief. He can be reached at: theapp@appstate.edu.
Where
there is lack of diversity, ignorance follows
COMMENTARY
- Tiffany
Fant
Once again I
come to express my opinion about what I find to be an important
issue at this university which is diversity. When I use the word
diversity I am specifically referring to racial diversity. Honestly,
I believe to give any other type of diversity other than religious
and gender is blatant disrespect to that of racial diversity. Outside
of the three I named these are the ones that people are judged on
daily and affect their lives.
I find that
this commentary is necessary because no matter how hard we, as people
of color, try and educate, we still find that ignorance is continuing
to win the battle. Upon the creation of the new cabinet position
of director of campus diversity, ignorance found a way to rear its
ugly head.
Ezell Williams
is the Director of Campus Diversity and before the school year has
even started she is already receiving hate mail. She received an
email that stated such things as people of color should be happy
with what we have and that all of the committees on diversity are
not necessary.
I find it very
appalling that at an institution of higher learning opinions like
these are still prevalent. This email is the exact reason why this
university and others still need to make an honest effort to try
and diversify racially. When you have at least one person who believes
that an entire race should settle for what they are given, then
that is cause enough to make special efforts for diversity.
The racial diversity
on this campus is at an epidemic level and needs to be addressed
immediately. Administration needs to take the first step by incorporating
all areas of this university into creating diversity. It is going
to take more than one office to diversify all of Appalachian State
University. First, the administration needs to look at itself and
see if they reflect what they want the university to be. Then, every
level needs to be evaluated to see how they measure up to the universityÕs
standards.
Academically,
ASU is an absolutely wonderful university from which to obtain a
degree, but sadly enough it does not prepare the majority students
for the real world. If you look around your classroom and see that
ninety-eight percent of the class is white, middleclass, and probably
suburban, then you ought to be worried. You ought to be worried
because you are being cheated out of your education.
Diversity is
needed because the ignorance that was expressed in that email is
real and alive on ASUÕs campus. It needs to be stopped before it
spreads because people like myself and other people of color do
not have to settle for anything less than the best.
Tiffany Fant
is a staff writer. She can be reached at: theapp@appstate.edu
Letters to the
Editor
Budget cuts
affect wide cross-section of students
To The Editor:
We are writing
in total shock from recent news pertaining to the proposed State
budget-cuts. As the parents of a 6 year old daughter who is profoundly
Deaf we have a long term investment in the Deaf School here in Morganton.
Kirsten is extremely smart with an above average IQ and her only
disability is her inability to hear. We moved to Morganton, NC from
Minnesota 8 months ago, our decision based primarily on the Deaf
School here. Before moving we interviewed with several State Deaf
Schools and we finally chose NCSD as we felt it was the best school
by far. We want our daughter to live as normal of a life as her
4 hearing siblings. This includes going to school by day, being
around peers who are the same as she is, being academically challenged
and exposed to Deaf role models. Her primary language is American
Sign Language and it is through ASL that she will learn to be proficient
in English.
Mainstreaming
cannot offer her a ŅnormalÓ life. Being the only child who is Deaf
along side of an interpreter does not offer much of a normal social
life in the school environment. At NCSD, everyday, she is surrounded
by a critical mass of children and staff who sign fluently, which
enables her to develop to her fullest potential. Academically, we
truly believe that Deaf children need to be taught differently than
hearing children. Watching our hearing son learn to read emphasized
this in our lives. Phonetics were the main emphasis and teaching
tool, obviously not an option for our daughter.
With the increase
in information regarding teaching Deaf children, we are sure that
the educational statistics will change from those 20 years ago.
Yes, the biggest
challenge for Deaf children is learning to read and write in English
but mainstreaming, teaching them as hearing children, is not the
solution. The out come will potentially be financial burdens to
society, unable to maintain employment thus potentially ending up
on welfare or unemployment. If you take a young child and place
them in a rich language environment and similar peers they will
blossom and have a strong self esteem. With that you can build a
concrete education and a productive individual who believes that
they can accomplish anything. Some people believe that by placing
Deaf children in a Deaf school we are shielding them from the ŅrealÓ
hearing world. This is so untrue, as the hearing world is in their
face everyday, with hearing teachers, when day students go home
at the end of the day and donÕt forget that most of these kids have
hearing families. The school provides a place for them to feel ŅnormalÓ
which allows them to grow and be strong enough to make-it in the
ŅhearingÓ world.
We have written
over 200 letters and made over 50 phone calls contacting the Senate
and the House members during the last 6 days. It is becoming overwhelmingly
frustrating as we now feel that most of the elected officials donÕt
want to really listen and educate themselves in this matter. Rather,
it is a quick click of the reply button and a form letter is sent
from their secretary having nothing to do with the content of our
original letter sent. The decision makers in this situation are
not the ones who have to live with their choices. Senator Swindell
said that he Ņsupported the amendment to make sure students served
in the school would not be harmedÓ. This made him feel good enough
to vote in favour of closing the Deaf Schools but is he planning
on coming to live in our home to ensure his choice does not harm
our daughter in the long run?
Why is it easier
to consider drastically altering the lives of 305 deaf children
(this aside from all of the job loses and other budget cuts) rather
than proposing to increase the State sales tax by one cent? Supporting
the closing of the Deaf schools, in Senate Bill 1005, as a way to
cut costs has so many expenses both in the form of the childrenÕs
lives and potential costs to the State in the long run. We are pleading
with you to reach out to the 120 House Representatives who now have
to make critical choices. These are not just dollar figures being
dealt with they are childrenÕs lives. It is the voices of parents
and educators of the Deaf who really know what is important for
these children. No matter what your professional background and
how many textbooks you read, it is not until you become a part of
a Deaf personÕs life that you truly understand the implications
being proposed.
Dr.
Christopher Daley Mrs.
Andrea Daley
318 La Foret Drive
Morganton, NC 28655
(828) 437-9405
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