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| A.P.P.S. accepts AppExpress |
Stephanie
Marshall
Entertainment Beat |
Appalachian State
University students can rarely be caught with cash, except when
they want to attend an Appalachian Popular Programming Society (A.P.P.S.)
event. To obtain tickets, students would have to either pay cash
or check.
However, A.P.P.S. has now changed its methods of payment.
As of this semester, A.P.P.S. is now accepting cash, credit and
Appalachian Express cards (AppExpress).
“Any students who are low on cash appreciate this service,”
W.H. Plemmons Student Union’s Program Assistant Dee B. Gray
said Wednesday.
In the past, A.P.P.S. accepted the AppExpress card in the Hawksbill
Gameroom and for its events, but they decided to discontinue it,
Director of Food Services Ron W. Dubberly said Wednesday.
There were many requests for this service, and we made the call
to food services last semester, Gray said.
“I’m in charge of ticket sales and my job is to make the
system more user friendly, so I went to Dave Robertson about the
AppExpress card and he gave his approval immediately,” Gray
said.
It is more convenient and is an added benefit for students, but
this service is not capable of accepting credit cards, just the
AppExpress card, Gray said.
“Any department can use the express account, just depends on
how they want to use it,” Dubberly said.
Dubberly said departments have to buy what is called a LNX5110,
a small device that runs off the Ethernet connecting to student
accounts and costs between $1,300-$1,500. Because this device does
not give print outs, some may buy a cash register that costs $5,000-$6,000.
Food Services keeps a journal entry recording how much money A.P.P.S.
earns and deposits the money into their budget, Dubberly said.
“Food services has been great in setting this system up for
us, including wiring the building, especially Garry Reece, Ron Dubberly
and Maurice Ward,” Gray said.
A.P.P.S. started using the service Jan. 13, Gray said.
There are five events that have accepted or will accept the AppExpress
card. These include Weekend Excursion, the Swing Dance, the Winter
Wonderland Gala, the Dark Star Orchestra and Steve Canyon Rangers
with Boss Hogg.
“We anticipate that this will encourage students to open accounts
with the express card just to buy tickets,” Gray said.
Other departments that have also started using this service include
Carol Grotnes Belk Library for overdue book fees and Student Accounts
for parking fees, Dubberly said. |
| Weekend Excursion back in Boone,
at Legends tonight |
Stephanie
Marshall
Entertainment Beat |
Appalachian Popular Programming Society
(APPS) is starting the second semester off with a bang, bringing
a band to Appalachian State University whose members once were
Appalachian students themselves.
Weekend Excursion, consisting of Appalachian
alumni, is coming to Legends tonight.
Weekend Excursion is a popular, fun band that
always puts on a good show that brings in the crowd, Peter D.
Van Schoick, stage shows chairperson, said Tuesday.
Weekend Excursion’s members include, but
are not limited to, lead guitarist and backing vocalist Chris
Groch, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Jeff Foxworth and
drummer and backing vocalist Cas Edmunds, according to the Weekend
Excursion Web site. This Raleigh-based band
got its start in 1995 while the members were still seniors in
high school. Their first show was held in Edmunds’ basement.
According to their official Web site, that year they ended up
making a demo tape that was sold in a local dentist’s office.
After graduation the band headed off to become
students at Appalachian. When they received an overwhelming response
to their demo tape, they brought in John Plymale to record their
debut, self-titled CD, according to their Web site.
From then on, the band was forced into juggling
its time between school and weekend tours. The time paid off because
they again recorded with Plymale in 1998 for a second EP, “Five
to Six.”
While at Appalachian, Weekend Excursion was
involved with the fraternity scene, Van Schoick said.
After college, the band went on to record their
third EP, released in 2000, called “Radioactive,” which
would become one of North Carolina’s hottest sellers released
that year. The band also spread their touring radius from Florida
to Washington, D.C., according to their biography on the Web site.
In 2001, violinist Mike Ferry announced that
he would be leaving the band, which was a shock to all, including
the other band members, according to www.SamHillbands.com.
Mike Ferry left the band to go to graduate
school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Van
Schoick said.
Weekend Excursion recently released their debut
with The Redeye label called “Take Me Home.”
This new release is the first song-writing
contribution of Fisher and the first without the violin work of
Ferry, according to the Web site.
“Kick off the new semester with a party,
Weekend Excursion style,” Van Schoick said.
The tickets are $7 in advance and are being
sold at the information desk in W.H. Plemmons Student Union or
$9 at the door.
The show starts at 9 p.m. with an age limit
of 18 years or older. |
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