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Game day security measures tightened
Police will have new role Saturday
Kristina
Egger - Chancellor/Student Development Beat
Appalachian State University officials have promised
heightened security measures at Saturday’s football game against
East Tennessee State University in lieu of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks
and recent concerns involving the illegal consumption of alcohol inside
Kidd Brewer Stadium.
“Due to the terrorist activities that occurred on Sept. 11, we
will have security checks at Saturday’s game,” said Appalachian
State University Police Chief Gunther Doerr. “We are dealing with
far more serious issues here than simply alcohol violations.”
Aside from the multitude of Appalachian State University parents who
are likely to be present this weekend for Family Weekend, 10 police
officers and four sheriff deputies will be on duty at the game, said
Doerr.
The police department has decided to change the way officers are utilized
at games, said Doerr.
The main objective of police officers will no longer be to keep roving
spectators off the football field. Campus police officers and sheriff
deputies will now be responsible for patrolling the stands.
Mark R. Dreibelbis, associate assistant director of Athletics at Appalachian
State, said he is also concerned with security for Saturday’s game.
“There will be extra law enforcement officers stationed in and
around Kidd Brewer Stadium this weekend,” said Dreibelbis. “They
will be placed strategically throughout the stadium, and there will
be a noticeable increase in police
presence at the gate.”
In addition to officers having a more visible presence on game days,
they will also be responsible for searching fans entering Kidd Brewer
Stadium.
“Police officers will ask to search anything larger than a change
purse,” said Dreibelbis.
More specifically, officers will be looking to intercept any and all
forms of weapons or contraband spectators may attempt to smuggle into
the stadium.
“We are in a national security mode. The public knows and expects
that,” he said. “The measures we are taking are no different
than those being taken at professional baseball, football and college
games throughout the United States.”
The University Police also plan to limit the number of vehicles that
have access to the stadium.
The only vehicles that will be allowed inside Kidd Brewer Stadium are
those belonging to food vendors, elevator personnel, police personnel,
area car dealerships and ROTC.
No other vehicles will be allowed within 100 feet of the stadium. All
vehicles attempting to enter Kidd Brewer will be tagged and expected
to have the proper credentials.
Meanwhile, university officials are currently in talks with the Alcohol
Beverage Control (ABC) Commission in an attempt to limit the number
of mini-bottles sold on game days at local stores.
Dr. Gregory Blimling, vice chancellor for Student Development, reported
the university’s concern had been expressed to the ABC and it was
taken back for further inquiry. Blimling does not believe any action
will be taken before the game Saturday.
Ronnie Hayes, manager of the Boone ABC Store, said commission officials
were looking into the legality of honoring the university’s request.
“We are here to serve the public and the town in whatever capacity
we can,” he said.
University officials do not deny the planed heightened security measures
are also aimed at drastically reducing the amount of illegal alcohol
consumption at football games.
“The general public should not be infringed upon by folks who have
drank so much alcohol that they are getting sick and falling down in
the stands,” said Dreibelbis.
University officials plan to continue running athletic events with an
increased sense of awareness even after the game Saturday.
Traditionally, alcohol violations do not tend to be a problem during
Family Weekend and university authorities do not expect any problems
Saturday.
“The main objective of the university is to ensure that everyone
who comes to the game has an enjoyable experience,” said Chancellor
Francis T. Borkowski.
Completion of projects to ease parking strain
Robyn Dailey
- Business Affairs Beat
More than 1,000 new parking spaces will be added around
campus within this academic year, said Barry Sauls, director of Parking
and Traffic.
Along with the 720-spot Rivers Street Parking Deck, new spaces are also
being added behind the George M. Holmes Convocation Center and in Greenwood
Lot on Bodenheimer Drive.
The parking deck is set to be completed in April, and Greenwood’s
addition is tentatively slated for a Dec. 15 completion, said Dr. Clyde
Robbins, director of Design and Construction.
After many delays, the lot behind the Holmes Center is almost finished.
“The 15th of October is the target date,” said Robbins. “It
took us a long time to get a permit because there were a lot of agencies
involved.”
There were also several problems due to storm-water runoff.
The state required Appalachian State University to design a storm- water
detention pond at the bottom of the lot.
“We lost a few spaces because of the requirement to put in the
retention pond,” said Robbins.
Funding for parking construction comes from parking reserves, which
are amassed through permit sales and fines, he said.
The university recently spent $2 million from the parking reserves to
rebuild Raley, State Farm and Greenwood lots, said Robbins.
South Lot will eventually be paved when sufficient funds are made available,
he said.
“We have to go slow,” said Robbins.
The construction trailers parked in the back of South will not be leaving
any time soon, he said.
They are staging trailers for contractors who are working on campus
and are used for projects including the Living Learning Center, the
parking deck, Rankin Science Building and Appalachian House, said Sauls.
Robbins said it could be 18 months before those parking spaces are freed
up again.
“They probably won’t be cleared out right away,” he said.
The construction in Greenwood was originally supposed to be completed
before winter, said Sauls.
The entire project will be finished in December if the weather stays
reasonable and the asphalt plant stays open, said Robbins.
After the new section of Greenwood is completed, the existing lot will
be refurbished, said Sauls.
He said the renovated Greenwood lot will have 416 parking spaces, while
the existing lot only has 162 spots.
The parking deck will be used for students, faculty and staff and visitors,
said Sauls.
“Right now we see it as a mix,” he said.
He said the deck will benefit visitors by providing a specific area
for them to park in.
It will help the Holmes Center as well by providing a large parking
area nearby for
functions.
The deck, which will be finished mid-spring, will eliminate parking
on Rivers Street and free up the bike lanes on either side of the road,
said Sauls.
It will eventually be connected to the new dining facility behind Welborn
Hall by an overhead walkway, which will eliminate pedestrian crossing
on Rivers Street.
“We may be looking at some different ways in the future to allocate
the permits,” said Sauls. “We haven’t worked out all
the details.”
He said freshman parking will continue to be restricted to the State
Farm lot.
“Even with adding these number of spaces … we have enough
demand from the sophomore level and up to fill all the spaces,”
said Sauls.
Upperclassmen parking off-campus as a result of limited on-campus parking
will be more likely to buy permits for the new spaces because of cheaper
prices than private lots, he said.
“The constant argument that everybody has is why do we let the
freshmen have cars in the first place,” said Sauls.
He said for a few years in the ‘80s, the university banned freshmen
from having cars, but they brought them anyway and parked them all over
Boone.
The community was overwhelmed with the amount of cars and asked the
university to help.
“The reason that Appalachian does provide parking for freshmen
is because of the impact it would have on the surrounding community
if we didn’t provide their parking,” said Sauls.
He said the negative aspect of the new parking is added traffic to the
campus.
“I’m confident that [the new spaces] will give us what we
need for the foreseeable future,” said Sauls.
Vol.
76 No. 12September
27, 2001
Adam Bennett - The Appalachian
Members
of Glass’ Freshman Seminar class listen to
peer leader Dan Jones speak Monday afternoon.
Elite program handles tragic challenge
Kristin Davis
- Academic Affairs Beat
Generations X and Y were nameless ages of frivolous youth,
wrought with vanity and “now” mentality. Some would call them
innocent.
After all, they grew up in a decades of economic growth and prosperity,
and the only war they had ever known claimed a short, sweet victory.
The unpleasantries of life and history were fed to them through a big-screen
–largely entertaining- and through dry books that seemed disconnected
and vague.
But the age of thoughtlessness came to an abrupt end on the morning of
Sept. 11.
Appalachian State University administrators and professors were faced
with something new even to them – an attack on American soil.
Freshman Seminar instructor Beth Glass faced the volatile task of handling
some of the youngest of the Appalachian community.
Time magazine had just named the university College of the Year in the
Master category for its emphasis on freshmen.
So in true award-winning fashion, Glass plunged into the mission with
precision and care.
She decided to scrap the syllabus plan on that solemn Wednesday following
the assaults on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
“We need to talk about it in our classes,” she wrote in a handout
to the 30 freshmen in her class.
Glass opened her class with a group hug.
“I wanted to reassure the students, let them understand we are okay,
we’re here, we have each other for now,” she said.
Boundary-breaking followed, an exercise adopted by Freshman Seminar, which
allows students to express their feelings without fear of ridicule or
debate.
“No one can comment on someone else’s opinion,” said Glass.
The group formed a circle and began talking about the events, one by one.
“Most of the students were scared. There was a loss of security and
a sense that this wasn’t real,” said Glass. “They couldn’t
fathom that something like this could happen in America.
“There was a lot of sadness, too.”
“This changes everything,” said freshman Angela Helms, a student
in the class. “It [the terrorist attacks] changes how you’re
going to raise your family and live your life.”
Boundary-breaking also allowed Helms to get a grasp on the tragedies with
help from Dave Jones, Glass’ Peer Leader, who gave the students a
history briefing on the Middle East.
“The terrorists thought they were just, and although I don’t
agree with their cause, I have an understanding of it now,” said
Helms.
Classmate Becky Little echoed the same sentiment.
“I had never heard of the name Osama bin Laden before. It’s
really scary that these people are willing to die for their cause. That
means it will keep happening,” she said.
“I think [President] George W. Bush is doing a great job. We need
to get rid of the problem. Clinton tried diplomacy, and it didn’t
work,” said Little.
Classmate Arriane Murray wants peace.
“The effects of the attacks are everywhere. Kids are left without
parents,” she said.
Murray was happy to be able to discuss her feelings in Freshman Seminar.
“Other professors wanted to go on like it hadn’t happened. It’s
important to address things. It’s important to listen. Everything
is not going to be okay,” said Jodi Cowan.
“It’s not a sudden change in our lives. Things will gradually
change. If we go to war, it will change the way we grew up – but
hopefully for the better,” said Cowan.
Despite the tragedies, some feel life has not been profoundly altered.
“We still do the same things. We get up. We go to school,” said
classmate Lyndsey Rikard. “It’s good to have [Freshman Seminar]
to go to talk about what’s happened.”
State budget passed; ASU to cut $2 million
Anthony DeBetta
- Faculty Senate Beat
Appalachian State University stands to lose about $2 million
in state-allocated funds under a budget approved late last week by the
North Carolina General Assembly.
All 16 institutions within the University of North Carolina system will
be allocated less money this year than during the 2000-2001 academic year.
In order to supplement the loss of funding, the General Assembly approved
a 5-percent tuition increase for the UNC system as part of the budget
package.
For Appalachian students, the increase is in addition to a 4-percent increase
approved by the UNC system Board of Governors and a $150-per-year, campus-based
tuition increase earmarked for faculty salaries.
Jane Helm, vice chancellor of Business Affairs, said this latest increase
was already included in tuition bills for in-state students.
Helm said the university estimated the General Assembly would ask for
an increase in tuition, and in-state students have paid the full amount.
Out-of-state students and their parents have been sent bills for the 5-percent
tuition increase, Helm said.
The increase for graduate non-resident students is an additional $436
per year and the increase for undergraduates is an additional $290.
Helm understands times are tough for the state economically, but is happy
the legislature finally agreed on a budget compromise, she said.
“We certainly want to see the state continue to see higher education
as a priority for state funding,” said Helm. “We are happy to
see this step taken.”
As a result of the budget cuts, 455 non-teaching positions will be eliminated
from the UNC system campuses.
Dr. Harvey Durham, provost and executive vice chancellor, echoed Helm’s
statement, saying no positions will be cut at Appalachian in response
to the budget cuts. Durham said university strategy was to leave vacant
positions open in order to avoid letting people go at a later date.
“The university did this in a way so that no one will lose their
jobs. No faculty jobs will be cut whatsoever,” said Durham.
As a result of the 5-percent increase approved by the General Assembly,
other UNC schools will be forced to ask students and parents for more
money. Durham said Appalachian’s strategy of estimating the amount
of the increase and including it in tuition bills was “more palatable
than charging more money” after the General Assembly passed a final
budget.
Chancellor supports repeal of federal law
Mance to deliver letter to congressman
Sarah Newell
- SGA Beat
Student Government Association (SGA) senator Ian Mance
will hand-deliver a letter written by Chancellor Francis T. Borkowski
which states that Appalachian State University supports the repeal of
a section of a federal law, to Rep. Cass Ballenger, R-N.C., upon his return
to Hickory.
Support of the repeal of Section 484 of the Higher Education Act of 1965,
which states that students who have been convicted of a drug felony will
be denied financial aid, was first passed by the SGA senate in the spring
of 2001.
Mance, who was the main proponent of the repeal last year, and Dustin
Bayard, to convince him to write a letter to Ballenger stating that Appalachian
State supports the repeal of Section 484.
Dan Gurley, Ballenger’s chief of staff, said, “Any further requests
[President] George W. Bush and his administration has as it moves forward
with its war on terrorism will immediately be the focal point for both
chambers, if any such requests are made of the Congress.”
“But that does not preclude any other bills that may come up before
that, including the president’s education bill which I feel will
be voted on and passed by both chambers. [The repeal of Section 484] may
be included in a conference committee report, but right now it’s
pretty far down on the list,” said Gurley.
After meeting with Mance and Bayard, Borkowski wrote the letter to Ballenger
stating he “supports without reservation our students’ support
of this legislation [the repeal of Section 484].
“As a lifelong educator, it is my experience that when given the
opportunity to excel, the results with students who have past drug convictions
have been overwhelmingly positive.”
Borkowski added in the letter, “The very fact that these students
are taking the initiative to do something positive with their future speaks
volumes to their commitment to their education.
“It is counterproductive to deny education to any student, especially
in communities that are already being marginalized in today’s society.”
Mance was scheduled to deliver the letter to Ballenger Sept. 17. “Initially,
when I made the meeting, I had planned to bring a diverse group of students
from Appalachian to meet with Ballenger, including members of ACLU [American
Civil Liberties Union], SSDP [Students for a Sensible Drug Policy] and
SGA,” said Mance.
However, after the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C.,
Ballenger was forced to cancel the meeting.
“We are planning to reschedule for the next time he returns to his
home office in Hickory. His [D.C.] office has been mailed a copy of the
letter, but I am holding on to the original, signed by the chancellor,
to hand-deliver it to him,” said Mance.
“We believe that with the weight of the chancellor behind us, the
SGA vote from last year, and the fact that we are the largest school in
his constituency, Ballenger will have a hard time saying no.”
Number of students struck by cars now at five
Jeff Faucette
- Police Beat
A fifth Appalachian State University student was struck
by a car late last week while crossing the street between Hill Street
and Holmes Drive.
The incident took place Sept. 20 at 9:15 a.m. as Kasie Ann Richards, 23,
was crossing in a marked crosswalk.
Richards stated there was a stopped car waiting to make a right turn and
did not see her.
The car accelerated around the corner, hitting and knocking her into Rivers
Street, she said.
Major Larry Foster of the Appalachian State University Police said Richards
was not injured but was still taken to the infirmary for a medical examination.
Richards was treated and released Thursday.
There were no charges filed by Richards despite the fact the driver was
at fault.
With the number of students hit by cars since mid-August now at five,
Richards said, “Everyone has to be a lot more cautious than they
used to be.”
The university is faced with a real problem, but he is not sure what measures
should be taken will end the recent trend of students being hit by cars,
said Chancellor Francis T. Borkowski.
Borkowski stated the university was faced with a similar problem three
or four years ago when a student was hit by a car.
He said the university cracked down on traffic and increased police presence
on streets, but the students were displeased, leading the university to
become more lenient on the issue.
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