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Our Perspective...
Peacock, administration show two sides
This week Appalachian students saw two different sides of its administration. One admirable and praiseworthy and one that is an example of what the administration, and especially the chancellor, should not do.
In the first case, administrators and Chancellor Ken Peacock are leading the fight against a series of proposed federal budget cuts that would damage higher education here and across the nation.
In the second, Peacock has done an about-face on the purpose of the newly formed Bookstore Committee, radically expanding its mission and suddenly dissolving the old Bookstore Council, notifying its members by mail.
The proposed federal budget cuts would hurt students across the board. Pell grants, which go to the neediest students, would be reduced for 1,800 Appalachian students and eliminated for 200 more.
Work-study programs, which help thousands of students pay for college through their own hard work, would be cut by 10 percent.
Upward Bound and other similar programs, which have helped many low-income students prepare for and excel in college, would be outright eliminated.
The administration has responded swiftly to the problems posed by these looming cuts.
Chancellor Peacock spoke with elected officials in his recent trip to Washington, D.C. about the threat of these cuts.
The Appalachian is heartened by Vice Chancellor for Student Development Cindy Wallace’s statement that “We intend to fight this one out”
Cuts like these are an issue that everyone at the university can unite behind.
Sadly, at the same time Chancellor Peacock is excelling in defending the student and university interests at the highest level, an act closer to home leaves much to be desired.
The newly formed bookstore committee is suddenly changing from a fact-finding committee to one that will recommend policy on the textbook rental system.
Such a sudden and radical step should have been taken publicly, with a real explanation as to why it was done. The Appalachian has expressed our concerns with the recently formed bookstore committee in this space before.
A committee weighted with the appointees of a unanimously anti-textbook rental system faculty senate cannot make an unbiased decision.
With the sudden change of the committee’s mission those concerns have risen to alarm.
So, tell us Chancellor Peacock, how is this step “students first, quality in all that we do?”
The students and the university deserve an explanation.
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| Melissa Markowitz | Editorial Cartoonist |
Black quarterbacks deserve respect
When the Philadelphia Eagles tearfully walked off the field following a devastating loss in America’s biggest sporting event, they weren’t the only losers.
So were all those who have ever been critiqued and chastised based on the color of their skin.
Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick, Daunte Culpepper and other black quarterbacks lost on this day. They lost the opportunity to silence those who don’t believe a black quarterback can win the big game, those who see an African American under center and automatically write the team off as a casualty of poor coaching decisions.
As Donovan McNabb trotted off the field, there was one thing he didn’t lose: respect. Respect of the fans, respect of the coaches and respect of the players.
McNabb, unlike so many other current players, played with pride and, more importantly, lost with pride.
Don’t misinterpret my words. I am NOT a Donovan McNabb fan.
I cheered when he threw three interceptions against Carolina a year ago in the NFC championship game and I taunted him from my La-Z-Boy as he looked despairingly up into the sky after the game, conceding yet another NFC championship ring.
I cursed him this year as he lobbed touchdown pass after touchdown pass over the heads of my beloved Panthers’ hopeless secondary. I wished evil things upon him and his Eagles as they took the field against the underdog Atlanta Falcons in this year’s conference championship.
But, regardless of my perspective, McNabb is a fighter and a true player. He is dedicated, he is sincere and, most of all, he respects the game. He underestimates no one, but still seems to always display supreme confidence in himself.
Rush Limbaugh shocked the NFL last year when he said (on ESPN) that McNabb was overrated because he was black. He swiftly incited an uproar that would raise controversial questions about the efficiency of the black quarterback.
“I think what we’ve had here is a little social concern in the NFL,” Limbaugh said, during an episode of NFL Sunday Countdown. “I think the media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well. They’re interested in black coaches and black quarterbacks doing well. I think there’s a little hope invested in McNabb and he got a lot of credit for the performance of his team that he really didn’t deserve. The defense carried his team.”
While critics of black quarterbacks harp on the fact that only one black quarterback has ever won a Super Bowl, it is also true that black quarterbacks have been scarce prior to the late '90s. Now that black quarterbacks have become more common, they can increasingly be seen in more and more major playoff games.
Also, observant critics, keep in mind that of the six black quarterbacks that started the majority of the games this season, three (that’s half) of them made the Pro Bowl.
Warren Moon, one of the pioneers as a black quarterback, ranks No. 3 on the all-time passing yardage list. Only Dan Marino and John Elway have more.
Is that convincing enough? No?
Steve McNair, one of the toughest and most determined players to ever play the position, shared the Most Valuable Player award last year.
Blacks in America have been defying and shattering boundaries in America for so many years now.
This is just one more.
Are the black quarterbacks of the NFL up to the challenge? I don’t think we’ll have to wait long to find out.
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Shower shoes a necessity for healthy feet
I’ve noticed a trend among people in my residence hall: There are a lot of people who don’t wear any shoes into the showers or bathroom.
Let’s think about this for a minute.
Appalachian State University has 21 residence halls on campus. If you go into public bathrooms without wearing shoes, then you are subjecting your bare feet to anything that has ever been on the floor in the showers.
Not wearing shoes in the shower has consequences as well. Typical problems that could occur would be different fungi.
According to “Your Feet: Questions you have … Answers you need,” by Sandra Salmans, warts are benign tumors.
Plantar warts are found on the soles of the feet and are a fungal infection. They can be painful to slight pressure and are picked up easily in public showers, locker rooms, swimming pools, dirty pavement or littered ground, especially if there are cuts or breaks in the skin.
If plantar warts are contracted, it could take anywhere from one week to 12 weeks to heal. They can be treated with over-the-counter solutions that contain salicylic acid. If the warts persist, however, a vitamin A injection, application of phenol or sulfuric acid or liquid nitrogen, a surgical incision or laser therapy may have to be performed by a doctor. Local anesthetic is usually used in these procedures.
Another fungal problem at risk is athlete’s foot. It is a skin disease caused by at least four different fungi and is found in all the same places as plantar warts. It usually occurs between the toes and appears dry, scaly, inflamed, itchy, blistered and cracked.
You are more likely to contract athlete’s foot if you have a weak immune system. It can be spread from the feet to other areas of the body by scratching the infected area or spread through contaminated bed sheets or clothing.
Athlete’s foot is usually treated with over-the-counter drugs that contain tolnaftate, clotrimazole or miconazole. It may also need a prescription oral antifungal or antibiotic.
Ringworm is another fungal infection found in public showers. It infects the bed underlying the surface of the nail and can possibly penetrate the nail itself over time.
Ringworm of the nail is often categorized by discoloration and thickness in the nail, foul smell, debris under the nail plate and white marks on the outside of the nail.
If left untreated, the fungus could spread to other nails or even the skin and, if out of control, could impair the ability to walk. You are more susceptible to ringworm if you have stubbed your toe, your feet perspire heavily or you have a history of athlete’s foot. Diabetes, circulatory problems and weak immune systems also contribute to susceptibility.
Ringworm could take one to two years to fully heal. There are prescription topical and oral antifungal medicines. Some cases require the removal of the infected nail by a doctor to scrape the underlying nail bed and apply the antifungal directly to the nail bed. If the condition becomes chronic and painful then permanent nail removal may be necessary.
Knowing that all of these things could be awaiting you in your residence hall shower, why in the world would you even consider walking in without wearing some type of shoe? Think about your health and think about what you could be spreading to those around you and slip a pair of sandals on next time you venture out of your room.
You may be thankful that you did.
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