Our Perspective ...

Game day drinking

University must enforce state laws, but be fair in implementation of stricter policy

Appalachian State University Chancellor Francis T. Borkwoski announced a multi-tiered plan Tuesday to enhance the university’s no-alcohol policy at home football games.

Prompted to action by a number of letters from concerned alumni following the Sept. 1 season-opening game against Liberty University, Borkowski and university officials told The Appalachian they will debut the more stringent measures Saturday afternoon when Appalachian plays host to East Tennessee State University at Kidd Brewer Stadium.

“This is the first step in a long campaign that we hope will significantly reduce the amount of alcohol students bring to the games,” said Borkowski.

As part of the university’s plan, Alcohol Law Enforcement officers will have the authority to search fans entering Kidd Brewer Stadium.

And in a meeting with ABC Store officials Tuesday, Vice Chancellor for Student Development Gregory S. Blimling asked that local branch stores limit the number of mini-bottles sold on game days.

We applaud the university for placing students’ safety at the top of its priority list, but question some tactics included in the plan.
First, can the university legally dictate how a state-run store does business?

Ronnie Harris, manager of the Boone ABC Store, said late Tuesday the legality of this action would have to be reviewed.

Following the meeting, Blimling said that information would not be available before Saturday’s game.

While we are concerned by the emerging legal fog clouding the fate of the proposal, the grounds that dictate such a plan are crystal clear.

According to North Carolina law, it is illegal to drink or possess alcohol on state-owned property unless a special dispensation has been granted by the North Carolina General Assembly.

It is also illegal to drink while under the age of 21 or to do so in a public place. Although we understand Appalachian State must comply with this law, we question what warrants a search.

Do Alcohol Law Enforcement officers simply need probable cause to perform a search? If so, what constitutes probable cause?

Will students be the only ones subject to this, or will alumni — some of whom make significant monetary donations to athletic programs — also be subject to this “campaign” against game day drinking?

We recognize the university has an obligation to enforce state laws, but we do not feel widespread drinking is a problem exclusive to students.

If a student is drinking or in possession of alcohol while inside Kidd Brewer Stadium, we agree the laws of this state must be upheld.

However, we strongly emphasize that state laws apply to every fan in attendance.

We feel no special treatment should be shown to any alumnus, alumna or other non-student in possession of alcohol at home football games. A policy is only as sound and as its implementation.

Is this an attempt to curb game day drinking on a broad scale or an effort to single out the student body?

That answer should be crystal clear by late Saturday afternoon.

Unity rises among the smoke and ruin

Kristin Davis

A calm wind blew over Boone, rustling the leafy mountain trees that stood strong against a clear sky that Tuesday morning.

Was there any ominous sign in the cloudless heavens? Did we miss an urgency in nature that clearly existed? Perhaps a breeze just a little too sharp, a sun whose glare made us squint.

Weeks later we can only wonder.

The pristine landscape stood in stark contrast to the tragedies unfolding hundreds of miles away from the secluded college town, nestled high in the mountains.

In a city of concrete and fast-paced living, and minutes later, in a city of flurry and government officials, terrorist acts were ripping down lives and buildings. A mighty plane became a fiery pile of twisted metal, strewn across a Pennsylvania field.

The crashes would shake the world, shake it to its core, sending tremors across wastelands and promise lands. The tremors would even climb mountains.

Slowly the grieving process unfolded – shock, then sadness and finally anger tore through America.

But in the middle of flying debris and emotions, we stepped out.
The human raced stepped up to answer the grim cries of our brethren.

The Appalachian community was not unlike the rest of the country. Prayer circles formed, administrators met and minds whirled. Somehow, while the pain and uncertainty lingered, the American people turned their energies towards the victims and the heroes rising in unprecedented numbers.

We remembered the fallen in silence and memorial services. We hung flags and pinned ribbons.

We held hands and formed circles for strength. We pledged allegiance to our nation and watched in awe as division and squabbling tumbled down the steps of Capitol Hill.

We donated blood, so many of us that some had to be turned away. We collected money and held fundraisers.

It took a disaster, a massive calamity – more than 6,000 deaths – to bring out the good in people. At least, the cynics like to point that out. But the “why” becomes as pallid as the tangled ruins of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

We revived a spirit lost long ago, lost among the WWII veterans – among the Greatest Generation.

We will never forget the attacks of Sept. 11. They are etched in our minds as the worst terrorist acts of all time and will go down in history as such.

But the humanity and unity that rose out with the smoke and soot will inevitably go down as the best of human nature.
We survived.