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SGA, students
rally after attacks
Sarah Newell - SGA Beat
With America responding
in droves to aid victims in Washington, D.C., and New York following
the devastation that occurred Sept. 11, the Student Government Association
(SGA) is doing their part to assist in the efforts and to get students
as involved as possible.
One of the primary methods of helping the cities and victims is through
a number of money buckets scattered across the campus.
“There are four buckets located in Welborn, one in Trivette, one
in Crossroads and then a bucket in each residence hall,” said Amanda
Privette, vice president of SGA.
“Usually people don’t contribute a lot of money when there
are buckets out because they have bills to pay, or are low on funds,”
said Marsha Moore, SGA committee coordinator for External Affairs.
“This is the first time that I’ve seen people just reaching
into their pockets and pulling out whatever bills and coins they have
and dropping them in the buckets.”
SGA President Xan Harrington and Privette presented a check in the amount
of $1,787.50 to American Red Cross on Wednesday at the ROTC-sponsored
blood drive. After SGA made the donation, phase two of the fundraising
immediately began.
“I think that we’ll leave the buckets out until Fall Break,
but I don’t want to set a cutoff date. I want to keep the momentum
going for as long as we can,” Privette said.
Moore and Rachel Bowling, the committee coordinator for Academic Affairs,
volunteered at the blood drive. They also called several food services
in Boone, getting them to donate food for the donors to eat after they
gave blood.
Among the donations, Taco Bell gave tacos and Kilwin’s Chocolates
and Ice Cream donated fudge.
SGA also cut patriotic ribbons for the students to pin to their shirts.
“Ezell [Williams, chairman of diversity] went to Wal-Mart and bought
them out, and between the Moment of Silence and the service Chancellor
Borkowski held in the Convocation Center, we probably gave out over
1,000 ribbons,” Moore said.
Another idea in the process is a video.
“Student government is making a videotape that has a lot of student
responses and responses from certain administration on campus. It also
has the Moment of Silence and the service that we held on campus. We’re
going to send copies to the Loft [in New York ] and the App House [in
Washington, D.C.] to let them know that we’re glad they’re
safe and that we’re thinking about them,” said Moore.
“It just touches my heart to see everyone trying to do what they
can,” said Moore.
Studio
a work in progress
Recording facility to
serve as resource for students, local bands
Robyn Dailey - Business
Affairs Beat
The Mariam Cannon Hayes
School of Music now boasts the Robert F. Gilley Recording Studio, which
will be equipped with modern digital equipment with the capability to
record, mix and produce music.
Gilley, who owns Charlotte-based Gilley Financial Association, recently
pledged a large donation to the university.
“It’s designed to be basically a lab environment for the …
students,” said Michael Fleming, the studio’s director. The
university hired Fleming two weeks ago to be the studio engineer and
teach music-industry classes.
The main focus of the studio is to develop fundamental principles of
recording such as critical listening and modern recording processes,
said Fleming.
The studio’s exterior construction has been finished and classes
are already being held in the studio for music-industries studies students,
but instillation of the technology has not yet been completed.
There is still a lot of wiring and electronic construction to finish,
said Fleming.
Seniors majoring in music industry will help in the preparation and
wire installation in the studio.
“We’re going to go through several stages of installation,”
said Fleming. “We’re looking at a process that’s going
to take months.”
“This is really a work in progress for us,” said Dr. William
Harbinson, dean of the Hayes School of Music.
The school has a plan to eventually network recording capabilities to
practice rooms, and video and audio recording equipment to performance
halls, said Fleming.
“The whole place is designed to be very flexible,” he said.
The studio will be a lab and teaching facility, a resource for the school
of music and university faculty projects and archives and a provider
of professional services for the community, both local and regional,
and for students, said Fleming.
“Eventually we are going to set up a process so students who have
local groups would be able to come in and record,” said Harbinson.
He said they would be recording and working with the music students.
The studio will use a hard-disk based recording system. All of the data
will be stored on a computer hard disk and then burned onto compact
discs.
“We’re really building a pretty modern digital facility,”
said Fleming.
The studio contains a soundproof room, which is designed for total silence
with double-thick walls, doors and windows and inconsistent angles so
the sound waves won’t bounce around.
It is structurally a room within a room, said Fleming.
The studio was designed by Walters-Storyk Design Group from New York.
There were also local contractors and architects, said Harbinson.
The local companies sent digital photographs, detailed blueprints and
emails to New York every week, and the design company monitored the
progress, said Harbinson.
John Storyk, the designer, came to the site early in the construction.
One of his employees, Chris Bowman, an Appalachian State University
alumnus, also visited the site.
They are hoping to have Storyk and Bowman appear for an official ribbon-cutting
ceremony in a month or two, said Harbinson.
Fleming said that the studio is estimated to be fully functional sometime
at the beginning of next semester.
“At this point about 50 percent of the funding has been from the
state,” said Harbinson.
The remaining 50 percent has been paid for by private fund-raising by
the Hayes School of Music.
They are looking to secure an endowment every year for maintenance or
equipment needs, said Fleming.
“We still have a lot of fund-raising to do,” said Harbinson.
Communication
Disorders named ‘Outstanding Graduate Program’
Kristin Davis - Academic
Affairs Beat
The Communication Disorders
program in the Reich College of Education has been named Outstanding
Graduate Program at Appalachian State University, an annual dean’s
award of excellence.
Dr. Judith Domer, dean of Graduate Studies and Research, called the
comprehensive curriculum of teaching, research and service a “very
well qualified program” for the award.
In addition to the recognition, the program also received a $3,000 cash
award to help further its mission.
The money will probably be used toward fundraising for the renovation
of the future Communication Disorders Clinic (CDC), according to Dr.
Richard Culatta, department chair.
The award highlights the program, which could be beneficial in raising
money for the clinic, said Culatta. “[The award] affects students
indirectly but positively, in that they know they are getting a good
education.”
The clinic is used for service and for a portion of graduate student
training and is the only certified training facility of its kind in
the state.
The CDC provides its services free of charge to Appalachian students.
“Every student enrolled in the school of education must go through
a hearing and communication screening, which is available at our clinic,”
said Culatta.
Communication Disorders is the second-largest graduate program, behind
the Walker College of Business and entails a diverse student population,
said Culatta. “Fifty percent of our students are from North Carolina,
and 50 percent are from elsewhere.”
Communication Disorders students and professors often work together
on treatments and research projects, presenting findings at professional
meetings.
The program boasts a 99 percent employment rate of its graduates throughout
the last three years.
Ninety-six percent have passed the American Speech-Language and Hearing
Association (ASHA), a prerequisite for attaining the Certificate of
Clinical Competency (CCC), a national credential.
The program has been accredited by the ASHA since 1989. “We have
a long history of building the program, both academically and clinically,”
said Donna Brown, Communication Disorders coordinator. It’s recognition
for all the hard work we’ve done.”
ASU community
organizes ‘Celebration of Freedom’
Sean Oakley - Town of Boone
Beat
A day-long fund-raising event
to benefit the American Red Cross will be held Saturday from 10 a.m. until
5 p.m. in the George M. Holmes Convocation Center.
The “Celebration of Freedom” was organized for the Appalachian
State University community in response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The activities will include games, bobbing for apples, casino-type games,
clowns and a general atmosphere of unity and security to combat the strong
sense of insecurity present since last week’s events, said Scott
Cato of Student Programs.
Cato and employee Patrick Berry instigated the event.
“Everybody’s heads are down,” said Cato. “We want
everyone to know we’re okay; we’re going to get through this
thing.”
A minimum donation of $5 will be required for everyone age 11 and older.
The proceeds will go directly to the American Red Cross.
“This is a benefit,” he said. “We want all ASU students
to come out, and we want children to come out.”
Children look up to their parents, who are now very unsure of the future
and worried. In turn the children become very insecure, said Cato.
He thinks the event will provide college students to provide a sense of
hope and security to the community’s children.
“Celebration” will also include a concert Saturday at Legends
from 9 p.m. to 12:45 a.m.
“Drive Home” and DJ Holiday will perform, which will also require
a $5 donation for entrance.
Again, all proceeds from the Legends event will go to the American Red
Cross.
T-shirts promoting the message of hope that grew out of people’s
responses to the terrorist attacks will also be on sale at the Holmes
Center during “Celebration.”
They will remain on sale all next week at the Plemmons Student Union Information
Desk.
T-shirts will be $10, with $6 per shirt donated to Red Cross as well.
Cato and Berry credited several on-campus organizations for making “Celebration”
come together.
A.P.P.S. played a major role in the planning of the event by securing
the acts at Legends and paying for the sound system, said Cato.
As well, Student Government Association helped with pricing for the various
pieces of the event and promoting the event on campus.
Cato also thanked The Appalachian for running two advertisements free-of-charge
for the event.
Most of the events were supported by donations from around the community
and campus, said Cato.
“I hope everyone comes out,” said Cato. “It will be a good
chance for everyone to come together.”
Protest targets
foreign policy
Anthony Debetta - Faculty
Senate Beat
A student group held banners
decreeing American foreign policy and encouraging the pursuit of information
from independent media and media overseas during a non-violent protest
Monday on Sanford Mall.
The nine members of the Front for the Liberation from American Indoctrination
(FLAI) said the purpose of the peaceful demonstration was to express concern
about American foreign policy and to encourage First Amendment rights.
The 45-minute protest began at 11:45 a.m. Monday with officers from the
Boone Police and Appalachian State University Police departments on hand
for most of the event. “The police were exceptionally polite and
courteous,” said Philip Jackson, a senior math major.
Members of the group remained silent and masked their identities for the
duration of the protest, not to hide their faces, said members, but to
show solidarity and to gain attention on campus.
All members of the group removed the bandanas from their faces and peacefully
dispersed at 12:30 p.m.
“We do not support terrorism or violence, and we are not supportive
of deaths of Afghani civilians either,” said Philip Jackson.
Several members of the group agreed that they were frustrated by the “dogmatic
presentation from the mainstream media.”
The group said it feels the issues that led up to the attacks on the United
States are not being accurately portrayed in the media.
“It is a very complex issue, and instead the media is distorting
it as a good versus evil,” said James Manos, a senior from Columbia,
S.C.
The group handed out approximately 700 fliers encouraging students to
educate themselves about American relations to the rest of the world,
the history of American imperialism, globalization and the Eastern world.
In an interview Monday evening, the members of the group agreed one of
their primary goals was to encourage free speech and more open debate
and discussion.
“A patriot is someone who can be critical of their country; a nationalist
is a follower,” said Rick Elmore, a junior philosophy and religion
major. “Those are not the ideals that America is built on.”
FLAI members said they do not have any future demonstrations planned and
that they hope Monday’s protest will empower other people and organizations,
in an effort to create a more vigorous and open dialogue on campus.
“We got the ball rolling, and I would like to see what other students
have to say and to see them keep the momentum going,” said Dustin
Bayard, 20, a political science major.
Students had varied responses to the demonstration. Bayard said demonstrators
were spit on, yelled at, and threatened, and some of their fliers were
burned.
Although the group had to endure such unwarranted behavior, for every
negative comment the group received they received nine or 10 positive
reactions, said Bayard.
Some students were confused or disbelieving about what the group had to
say.
“Some people don’t study the same issues we do. It is a sensitive
time, and they need to respect that,” said Monica McKenna, 21, a
Latin American-Studies major.
FLAI members said they want to see other people debate the issue regardless
of what side they are on.
“As students on this campus, you have to ask when and where it is
appropriate to express your First Amendment rights,” said Bayard.
Yosef sculpture
donated to ASU
Robyn Dailey - Business
Affairs Beat
A Yosef sculpture will soon
become part of the landscape in Tomlinson Park by Duck Pond Field.
The bronze statue of the Appalachian State University mascot was created
with funds dedicated by Irwin and Carol Belk of Charlotte, said Jane Helm,
vice chancellor for Business Affairs.
The Belks have donated gifts to the entire University of North Carolina
system.
“They’ve made a gift of sculpture to all 16 campuses,”
said Clyde Robbins, director of Design and Construction.
The couple donated $200,000 to Appalachian in the summer of 2000 for the
Yosef sculpture, said Robbins.
The universities were able to pick what they wanted the sculptures to
be, with suggestions from the Belks, he said.
“Most of the time they do select their mascot,” said Helm.
The sculpture will stand 12-feet tall and sit upon an 18- inch, fractured-granite
pedestal at the corner of Rivers Street and Stadium Drive,” said
Robbins.
Tomlinson Park was selected as the sculpture’s site because it is
in the middle of campus and gets lots of visibility, he said.
Robbins said the fractured-granite pedestal is to give the appearance
of broken rock.
“It’s like Yosef is standing on one great big rock,” said
Robbins.
The top of the rock will be polished for the statue to stand upon.
Construction has begun on the walkway that will surround the sculpture.
Greene Construction Company of Boone is responsible for the sidewalk and
the construction of the brick seat wall for people to sit and look at
the sculpture.
“They’re doing everything but the granite,” said Robbins.
Yosef will stand in the middle of the sidewalk, so pedestrians must walk
around him, said Robbins.
Surrounding the sculpture will be an inscription carved in an outer ring
of polished granite stating, “Yosef, Symbol of Enduring Mountaineer
Spirit and Proud Heritage of Appalachian State University,” said
Robbins.
“One could sit down to just rest in that area or look at Yosef, but
to read the inscription you would have to walk around the circle,”
said Robbins.
The sculpture will initially be without lighting, he said.
It will be studied after it is unveiled to determine what lighting would
work best, said Robbins.
The lighting must be done in a way that it does not conflict with traffic
on the two roads, he said.
Yosef will be unveiled at a dedication immediately following the Sept.
29 home football game against East Tennessee State University, said Helm.
The sculpture will be up before the set date but will be draped until
after the game, said Robbins.
The Belks will be present at the game and for the ceremony afterward,
said Helm.
She said Chancellor Francis T. Borkowski will make a public announcement
about the unveiling during the game.
The dedication will be general and open to the public.
“The chancellor will preside and recognize the donors,” said
Helm.
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